Zhao Xingde looked forward, and Han Ningshuang rode slowly in front, her black hood covering her face, and she couldn't see her expression clearly.

The Han army traveled all the way, and when they passed through Liuhe Village, Gao Bolong's subordinates joined in. Liuhe Village is different from other cottages, there are almost no old and weak, but there are more than 500 heavily armored iron horsemen. The cavalry is a selected son of the Han army, one man and two horses, all of them are good horses from Mobei, equipped with well-built armor blades. The men and horses under Han Ningshuang's command were thus powerful.

The Han army has accumulated such elite soldiers, and the Military Intelligence Department is unaware of it, Zhao Xingde is not only unexpected, but also a little worried. The Chengying battalion hangs alone in Liaodong, but the Han army is always hidden and can't trust each other. After setting up camp on the bank of boiling water that evening, Xu Detai came to invite Zhao Xingde to meet.

Wang Xuansu, Gao Bolong, Zhang Liuge and other generals were already surrounding the detailed map of Liaodong, and several Han generals also looked a little strange. Wang Xuansu coughed and explained: "General Zhang proposed to place the Han Army Marshal's Mansion in Guannan, Suzhou, so he invited Mr. Zhao to come and discuss it. Zhao Xingde's title in the Han army changed from "General Zhao" to "Mr. Zhao", which was also not long ago.

Zhao Xingde's eyes fell on the map, he was silent for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "The plan for the Han army to concentrate in the south has long been determined, and the location of the Shuaifu will be moved suddenly, and the relocation of the army and the people will also be rearranged, I'm afraid it will not be easy." "The Han army's plan to relocate the village involved more than 100,000 people, and the distant villages had to travel hundreds of miles, avoiding strong enemies along the way, and storing grain and grass in advance. Piles are troublesome things, and they have to be prepared secretly months or even years in advance. In this era, transportation and communication were so rudimentary that it was almost impossible to change course.

Wang Xuansu smiled and said: "This doesn't bother Mr. Zhao, we will arrange it properly." ”

Zhao Xingde said coldly: "General Wang, I'm afraid it's already arranged." The atmosphere in the Chinese military tent was suddenly embarrassing, and he looked at the generals of the Han army one by one, like Gao Bolong, Xu Detai, and others who usually befriended him, but at this moment they just lowered their heads to avoid his gaze, and Zhang Liuge, the leader of Chenzhou Water Village, looked at the side casually.

Han Ningshuang's eyes moved slightly, and she said apologetically: "If you want to make a surprise attack to seize Suzhou Pass, you can't leak the news, so I didn't tell you in advance, and I hope Mr. Zhao will forgive me." As a woman, she usually shows her strength, and at this moment she put down her body and apologized to Zhao Xingde, and Zhao Xingde could no longer pursue it, so she had to be silent.

The tent was quiet for a moment, Wang Xuansu coughed, pointed to the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula with a thin wooden stick, and said: "There are two sides of the sea here, and only a narrow road leads to the hinterland, and more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians can be accommodated in the south. As long as the isthmus is held with elite soldiers, the Khitan cavalry will not be able to make a roundabout attack. And our army can use the naval division to attack and harass all parts of Liaodong. Speaking of this, he glanced at Sixth Brother Zhang and said in a deep voice: "When the time comes, the naval army under General Zhang will not only patrol the sea to prevent the sneak attack of the Liao, but also carry the warriors of our Han army to attack the Liao army along the coast. Chenzhou Water Village is very powerful, Liao Guo had to issue a sea ban order to deal with him, Zhang Liuge patted his chest and smiled: "This is handed over to Zhang." ”

"For nine to ten months a year, the Liao soldiers could not bypass the isthmus to attack us, but we harassed us everywhere with the help of our sailors. After the autumn harvest, before the sea freezes, you can withdraw the old and weak to the outer islands in advance, leaving the strong and strong to guard the walled city, and it is no problem to hold on for two months. The Khitans were not good at attacking cities, and they couldn't hold out for long in the cold. As long as we hold on to this narrow road, as soon as the midwinter season passes, the Khitans who have infiltrated Guannan will naturally retreat, otherwise we will only wait for the sea ice to melt, and we will give him an urn to catch turtles. He took it with both hands and made a posture of catching turtles, and the generals of the Han army next to him laughed, and Wang Xuansu said, "Once you gain a firm foothold, you will be invincible, and you will go west along the coast through Fuzhou and Chenzhou, and attack Zhenhaifu and Baozhou to the east, and even connect with Kaizhou." When the power is strong, the camera goes north and goes straight to Liaoyang Mansion. ”

The generals of the Han army nodded frequently, obviously Wang Xuansu's plan had been discussed many times within the Han army, and even made detailed preparations and arrangements. Zhao Xingde listened expressionlessly, he was sure that the Han army must have asked for something when he revealed this plan to him at this time.

"The Liao people originally had a city in Suzhou Pass, and the city wall was only more than ten miles. If you want to make Kannan a confidant, it seems thin. In the center of this narrow passage is a hill, known locally as Nanshan. Although it is not high, it is just to hold the middle road and control the east and west, and we are going to build a fortified city on the hill, place artillery forts, choke the main road, and use the original fortress as horns. This city is our key to the north gate, and it must not be lost. And the iron barrel cannon used by the Khitans to attack the city was very powerful. Speaking of this, Wang Xuansu raised his head and smiled at Zhao Xingde: "Mr. Zhao is a master of artillery, and he is good at observing the sky and measuring the earth, and please give me some advice." ”

As he spoke, he unfolded a picture scroll next to him, and said in a deep voice: "This is the Nanshan City to be built, please take a look at Mr. Zhao." Zhao Xingde looked at it, but it was a finely drawn city pattern. It can be seen that in order to resist the bombardment of the Liao siege heavy artillery, the Han army took a lot of effort. The city is square, the circumference is about six miles and two hundred steps, the wall is three zhang high, the rammed earth inside the wall, the bricks and stones two feet thick outside, the trapezoidal shape of the bottom wide and the top narrow, and the top is even one zhang thick. Every more than ten zhang, it stretches out the horse face from the city wall, in order to prevent heavy artillery bombardment, this horse face is basically solid, the city wall and the horse face draw battlements, evenly distributed with forts. Outside the city, a ditch five feet wide and two feet deep was also dug. This peninsula in the south of Suzhou will be the heart of the Han army in the future. Behind this city that controls the main pass, the most elite main force of the Han army will be gathered, and the reclamation of tens of thousands of acres of wasteland is more than the land that can be cultivated on all overseas islands. Therefore, the Han army was prepared to spare no expense, lest the Nanshan city was not built strong enough.

Zhao Xingde frowned and looked at the picture silently, Xu Detai smiled beside him: "The city pattern is drawn by General Wang himself, Mr. Zhao doesn't know, General Wang has stayed in your country's bachelor's mansion and the general's mansion, although this city is small, it is the director of the world's cities." Wang Xuansu waved his hand and said humbly: "Mr. Zhao is good at observing the art of heaven and earth, and he is a great expert in using artillery. He said as he looked at Zhao Xingde with some nervousness. Seeing that Wang Xuansu said this, it didn't seem to be hypocritical and polite, Xu Detai and Zhang Liuge stopped talking, and quietly waited for Zhao Xingde's opinion on the newly built city.

Han Ningshuang's eyelashes moved slightly, she knew Zhao Xingde's true identity, not only was she good at artillery, but she also commanded the fire battalion in the battle between the Song and Liao rivers. The Liao siege artillery fired countless stone projectiles under the Hejian city, and was later broken through the defense of the Khitan ironwall camp by Zhao Xingde's fire battalion, and was finally blown up by the Song people. If it is said that the heavy artillery siege technique of the Liao State is cracked, it can be said that there is no other in the world. Therefore, when Wang Xuansu proposed to ask Zhao Xingde for advice on how to build the city, Han Ningshuang agreed without hesitation.

Zhao Xingde had been looking at the pattern of the city, and was silent for a long time, but neither Han Ningshuang nor the generals of the Han army made a sound to disturb. He finally raised his head, Wang Xuansu was a little nervous, but he listened to Zhao Xingde's deep voice, and said word by word: "The Han Army Marshal's Mansion is located in Guannan, Suzhou, which seems to be inappropriate. ”

As soon as these words came out, all the generals of the Han army showed different colors, and Zhang Liuge and Gao Bolong were even more angry. Where the Shuai Mansion was placed, it was a family matter within the Han army, and the three or four generations of Han's subordinates worked hard and alone, and they insisted on resisting under the high pressure of the Liao court for decades, making the Han army generals extremely reluctant to interfere with outsiders. Now Zhao Xingde is just a guest, and he actually made irresponsible remarks about it, which suddenly made people's hearts angry. Han Ningshuang's face turned cold, and she looked at Zhao Xingde, as if she was quite dissatisfied. Xu Detai has always been good friends with Zhao Xingde, and he secretly complained in his heart: "Please come to the counselor to sample the newly built city, but you want to be involved in the placement of the Shuaifu, is it because you didn't tell you before, and you are resentful, so you have to let our Han army obey the order of the Xia Kingdom?" ”

After a period of awkward silence, Wang Xuansu cleared his throat and said in a deep voice: "Dare to ask Mr. Zhao, what's wrong?" ”

Zhao Xingde looked thoughtful and slowly explained: "First, a hole is easy to defend and difficult to attack. However, the Khitans could also easily block the land passage for the Han army to attack, with mixed pros and cons. Second, the Shuaifu must be surrounded by elite soldiers, and it is too passive to put it in this place surrounded by water on all sides, and put on a defensive posture. Third, although there is a hinterland, there is limited room for development. Although there are tens of thousands of acres of wasteland here, the most resettled households are more than 10,000 households. Fourth, the art of war is cloudy, and the good defenders hide under the nine lands, and the enemy does not know what they are attacking. If you put the Shuai Mansion here, you have to fight to the death with the Khitans. ”

As soon as he said one, he stretched out a finger, and the face of the Han army general became gloomy. After he finished speaking, Wang Xuansu immediately said: "Mr. Zhao seems to be overly worried. It is true that it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but even if the Khitan blocks the land route. Our army can also use the sea as a road, land from other places, and land ashore to attack the Khitan walled city. Since there is both offense and defense, there is also a place for elite soldiers and fierce generals. Before he finished speaking, Gao Bolong sneered: "The good defenders are hiding under the nine lands, it's just a metaphor, could it be that if the Shuai Mansion is placed elsewhere, the Khitans won't be able to find it?" Then let's not go down the mountain at all. ”

Zhao Xingde said in a deep voice: "Taking the sea as a road can only be harassment. The real long-term solution is the foundation that must be strengthened on land. Otherwise, it will be difficult to penetrate deep and sustainable. Most of the famous cities and towns of the Liao State are deep inland, even if they use boats to carry troops ashore elsewhere, can they run long distances and then storm the city? Where is the grain and grass hoarded, and how is the baggage transported? The rear road of the army, the left and right flanks, how to cover? In the event of a defeat, will there be any resistance to the walled city, or will the whole army break up, and then flee from the sea? Moreover, the people of Liaodong are here, here, here," he casually pointed to several inland places on the map of Liaodong, all of which were far away from Suzhou Pass, "but our army is shrunk here, but because we can't go deep inland, we can only fall into the hands of the enemy and can't reach it, which is really more than worth the loss." ”