That night, Du Zhongxiao, Fu Bi, Zhao Zi, Li Zhang, Yang Fugui and others picked up the wind, and everyone dispersed happily. In the next two days, Du Zhongxiao and others carefully studied the situation on the front line, considered the arrangements of the two sides, and thought about the next actions.

In the evening, Du Zhongxiao called the Privy Council and several handsome ministers to his residence. One is to discuss the military situation, and then to have a drink. After today, several commanders will return to their own army to deal with the affairs of the army.

Sitting down in the hall, Du Zhongxiao said: "Today the sky is cloudy, and it will snow again in the evening. In such weather, it is a pleasure to drink two glasses of wine and eat some good mutton. In addition, in the land of several states, more than one million soldiers and horses of the two countries are concentrated, and there are many things, so we must also discuss them. ”

The crowd applauded. The soldiers served wine and meat and set them on the table.

Tonight's wine is spirits, the meat is thinly sliced, and two or three people have a pot in front of them to ensure that they are full. Compared with Du Zhongxiao's previous life, the population of this era is not large, the material is not rich, and the food is not so fine. When talking about eating and drinking, we must first ensure that we are full and well-fed.

Putting meat in the pot, Du Zhongxiao said: "Tomorrow, several marshals will return to their own army, have a full meal tonight, and see you off." ”

Dou Shunqing and others thanked each other.

Fu Bi said: "Hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops are hundreds of miles away, after returning to the army, you have to wait for the day, don't miss the big thing!" ”

He raised his glass and invited everyone to a drink. Du Zhongxiao put down his wine glass and said, "Yes, what Captain Fu said is right, there are hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops in the north, and they will go south at any time, so don't be careless." If this battle is won, it is not only possible to restore Yanyun, but also to severely damage the Khitan. The northern powers, which have threatened the Central Plains for hundreds of years, may disappear. This is of great significance, and you should all be careful. ”

Jia Kui said: "Hundreds of thousands of troops, how to fight, is a difficult problem. It is rare to be able to hold it this time. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Indeed, hundreds of thousands of troops, gathered together, it is difficult to explain how to fight them. Now we must be cautious and be fully prepared. When you go back, there are two things to do. The first is to prevent the Khitan from suddenly coming south. You must always be ready to intercept any Khitan troops that cross the border states. As soon as the military order arrives, it can be immediately deployed. Another point, you are prepared, which is equivalent to Shuai Si having 200,000 mobile troops. Great powers at war, 200,000 belligerent troops, is a great advantage. With these 300,000 troops in hand, no matter how the Khitan moves, they can't make any tricks. ”

The 150,000 people here, as well as the 50,000 Liu tens of thousands of people in Hejian Province, are all on the second line. Once the Khitan breaks through on the front line, the second-line army can immediately rise to the top and not let the situation worsen. This is the characteristic of Du Zhongxiao, and it is required to maintain sufficient reserves at all times during the war to cope with changes in the war.

With the strength of the Song army, it is not impossible to defend the front-line cities, but to dispatch a large army to fight a decisive battle with the Khitan. But Du Zhongxiao has always emphasized that it is better to be still than to be still, and first see how the Khitans move. The second-line team is a powerful mobile force, and it has been slow to put into the front line.

This is a new change in strategy and tactics with the advancement of technology. In the era of cold weapons, it is often an elite army with a large number of ordinary combat effectiveness, and it is difficult to achieve precise command. Mobile troops, most likely, dispersed before they could go into battle.

In fact, when the two armies are fighting, there is no need for such a large number of reserve troops. Now it is so, but the two sides have not fully developed, and it is not a formal war. Du Zhongxiao only knows how to defend now, and he doesn't know how to attack.

After eating meat and drinking wine for a while, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Zhao Zi said: "It's difficult for us, but it's actually even more difficult for the Khitan." A total of 700,000 troops, gathered in Youzhou and a state, do not know how much grain and grass to consume every day when they eat, drink, and Lazar. A month has passed, and they have not advanced the foot, and they are not even more anxious. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The Khitans are good at field warfare and are not good at attacking cities. And hundreds of thousands of cavalry, the best thing is to go back and forth, leading us. Wait until there is chaos, and then take advantage of the chaos to win. Now the river is frozen, but it is difficult to cross the army. Baozhou was blocked at the border again, unable to go deeper, of course, anxious. But don't be careless, the Khitans know, and we should also know, they are waiting for the river to freeze. ”

Fu Bi said: "There is Zhang Qi in Xiongzhou, and there is Liu Ji behind him, what if it freezes?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "At the beginning, it was just Baozhou and Xiongzhou, close to the border, the walls were clear, and the land was dozens of miles. As long as the Khitans make up their minds and let the army bring grain and grass, they can cross in a day or two. When you get to the state army in the rear, as long as you move fast enough, there will be a big mess. After the Khitan captured Quyang, the imperial court made up its mind that half of the state army on the Hebei Road would be strong and clear, and it would be difficult for them to do it. But in dozens of states and counties, it is impossible to guard every place. What they are most afraid of is that the Khitans are desperate to go south, causing chaos in the prefecture and county. ”

Hebei Road is a plain, a horse and a flat river. In the past, for nomads, the state and county towns were of no use at all. Once the army moves south, it can break through quickly. Even if some cities can't be broken for a while, just bypass them. What really stands in their way is the mountains and rivers. For example, east of Xiongzhou, there is basically no need to defend, and the Khitan will not attack. Because it is between the Yellow River and the sea, and there are many saline-alkali ponds and marshes, it is a dead land.

Why did the alliance fight to the death in Lanzhou? Because Lanzhou is on the side of the Yellow River, the Khitan cannot bypass it. Without the Yellow River, the Khitan army could reach Kaifeng in one or twenty days, posing a mortal threat to the Song Dynasty.

The Song army lacked the ability to fight in the field, and the nomadic army did not rely on logistics. Even if the soldiers were approaching Kaifeng Mansion and there was a city behind them that had not been broken, it was actually difficult for the Song army to pose a threat to them. The final result is that the two sides can only fight a decisive battle in Kaifeng.

The ice surface of the river could not be used for large-scale army activities, and the Khitan offensive was not really launched, and everything is still unknown.

Liu Jianji said: "Taiwei, for a while, the Khitan will not go south. If it was just the attack on the mouth of the Great Wall, the battle would not be fierce. But the Khitan army of 700,000 came south, and it was bound not to be just like that. What are we going to do during this time? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The most important thing is to draw up the battle plan of each army after the Khitan goes south. That's the first thing I did when I came this time. Your armies must draw up their own plans in accordance with the official documents issued by the commander. It will take about five days, and after Shuaiji understands the situation, he will send it to you. After receiving it, the armies spent another five days drawing up the plan. ”

Liu Jianji couldn't help frowning: "Five days is too short." There are not enough officials in the military, and it is not easy to do this. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "At this time, it will be a test for you. There are not enough staff officers, so you can think of other ways. The commanders in the army will work together to do this well, and when the time of war comes, they will not hesitate. It's mid-November, and there's not much time for you to work hard. ”

Dou Shunqing got up, looked at the door, and came back and said, "It's snowing heavily again today." According to this look, in one or twenty days, the rivers on Hebei Road will be frozen. The Khitans went south, and there was not much time left. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Yes, according to the Privy Council's estimates, in early December, the Khitans should go south. No matter how many cities we build on the border, they can't break it, they just go around it. If you want to stop them, you must lean against the strong wall and clear the wilderness. The Khitans could not grab grain and grass, and the rear transportation was inconvenient, so they could only return to attack the city. ”

Fu Bi said: "Without food and grass, the army's heart is chaotic, this is inevitable." ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "So this battle, it is estimated that it should be so." When the river freezes and the Khitan army moves south, from Baozhou to Xiongzhou, the cities within a hundred miles may be attacked by the Khitans. Your armies must be ready to come to the rescue. At that time, you must fight against the Khitan army in the field, and don't go wrong. If something goes wrong, it will be punished heavily! ”

Several handsome ministers made a promise together.

Du Zhongxiao said again: "Blocking this wave of attacks by the Khitans, they are short of food and grass, so they can only turn back and attack the cities." It's different when you get there. Our army must see the right time, counterattack, and fight to the death with the Khitan! ”

Jia Kui nodded: "I see." No wonder Taiwei kept saying that he would wait a few days first, and he was waiting for the Khitan to go south. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Yes, I am just waiting for the weather to cool down, and the Khitan will go south." If we prevent the south, we will be able to go north! ”

It's really a defensive counterattack. The Song Dynasty took advantage of the geographical advantage and first used a strong city to wear down the sharpness of the Khitan. When the time is ripe, hundreds of thousands of troops will go north and gather the Khitans in the land of Youzhou.