Du Zhongxiao watched everyone talking, did not speak, and drank silently there. Of course, he knew the situation in the army, and he also knew that such a status quo was not suitable for war with the Khitan. But what can be done? It has been nearly six years since I saved Tanglong Town, and the generals of the forbidden army have not completed their training, and I don't know when the training will be completed.

There was no external pressure, and the officials of the imperial court instinctively just wanted to follow suit, and it was not easy to change. Those who carry out reforms must figure out how to make changes, what are the benefits of reforms, and how to deal with the obstacles to reform. Those who oppose reform do not need to think so much, they just need to point out the shortcomings of reform. Therefore, even if Du Zhongxiao made outstanding achievements, although he opened up the river meander, restored the Western Regions, and even destroyed the party, there have always been many voices in the DPRK and China opposing the strict rectification and training of the forbidden army. That is, in the past year or so, the emperor himself has made up his mind that the whole training can be carried out smoothly.

Du Zhongxiao didn't know what the reason was, Zhao Zhen, who had been seeking stability, was going to fight the Khitan this year. Perhaps he also saw that if there was no war, it would be impossible for the forbidden army to complete the expected training. Maybe there were other reasons why he couldn't wait any longer. Anyway, for Du Zhongxiao, it is imperative to use a large-scale war and pressure to suppress the forces that oppose his reform.

Since the rescue of Tanglong Town, the military strength of the Song Dynasty has risen, and the Khitan has been suppressed. In the past six years, the surrounding situation has undergone earth-shaking changes. In the steppe north of Yinshan, the Khitan controlled it more closely, although there were tribes who were subordinate to the Song Dynasty, but the whole was still under the rule of the Khitan. But the Tibetan forces south of Yinshan, including Hehuang, had already recognized the situation and declared themselves vassals to the Song Dynasty. The Khitan's power was dealt a huge blow, and after Yelu Zongzhen re-unified, if there could not be a victory over the Song, the Khitan might decline.

This war took place this year and was caused by many reasons. There are not only the reasons why the Khitan could not recognize the situation, but also the reasons why the Song Dynasty took the initiative to provoke. If it weren't for the-for-tat everywhere, the Khitan would have waited a few years, waited for internal stability, and then had a showdown with the Song Dynasty. As a result, they were defeated in Shuozhou last year and then in Xiongzhou, and the Khitan could not wait any longer, otherwise the rest of the small forces would change.

After drinking a glass of wine, Du Zhongxiao felt a hot feeling. In the past few years, things have not changed much, and Du Zhongxiao is a little tired. There is such a war, which makes the imperial court feel the pressure and makes the situation change, which is also a kind of catharsis. I have led the troops for five or six years, and the big situation has already been decided, but it has not been able to be implemented, which is really tiring.

After discussing for a while, Fu Bi suddenly said to Du Zhongxiao: "Taiwei, it is not a trivial matter for hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops to come. Although the imperial court had made all preparations, the war was unpredictable, and the outcome was unpredictable. What if the war doesn't go well? ”

"Doesn't go well?" Du Zhongxiao thought about it, shook his head and smiled. "In the past, the imperial court forbidden the army, most of them were recruited along the three roads of the border, or the lazy people in the capital joined the army, or even the stabbing army was selected out of the army. If there is a big defeat and too many troops are lost, the army will be empty in a short time. Now, unlike in the past, soldiers are recruited for conscription. Now it is still voluntary, inducing it to benefit, and the local cooperation is given to the future. If there is a big defeat and there is a shortage of military strength, it can be widely conscripted. Along the three border roads, the west of Beijing and Tokyo, plus two Huai and two Zhejiang, how many soldiers can be conscripted? As long as the recruit camp is trained for a few months, he can be added to the army. If the war doesn't go well for a while, what's the point? More than 300,000 Khitan soldiers and horses are the soldiers of the country. What is a Soldier of the Nation? After destroying these Khitan armies, he will have no source of reserves. ”

What happens if something happens and the war doesn't go well? For Du Zhongxiao, there is no problem at all. After the reform of the Sanya, the initial mobilization system is already in place, so what if it doesn't go well for a while? It's nothing more than recruiting more soldiers, forming more troops, and just fighting it. The national strength of the Khitan was much weaker than that of the Song Dynasty. If it doesn't go well for a while, it's nothing more than a comparison of national strength, can the Khitan be compared? After such a war, the army is really strong. Du Zhongxiao is not afraid of the initial defeat at all, let alone a protracted battle against the Khitan.

Don't say that at this time, at the turn of the two Song Dynasty in history, after the Jin army broke through Kaifeng Mansion, the king of soldiers and horses in the world. In the north alone, a million rebels were concentrated. If the formation is correct, only these armies, the Jin army will be beaten back. The defeat of the Song Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty was more due to its own problems than because of the inability of national strength to support it. The operation will not be as good as it was in history.

Zhao Zi listened to it and said with a smile: "The guns and cannons used now are much easier to practice than before." Moreover, the imperial court has sufficient money and food, even if it is in distress, as long as it recruits soldiers widely and reorganizes and trains the new army. The Khitan is a soldier of the country, but this dynasty is not. ”

Fu Bi said: "These days, when it comes to war, although we often talk about difficulties, in general, everyone is still too optimistic. In the 1560 years since the founding of the Khitan country, they fought in all directions and lost battles to less. This time the country is pouring south, and it is not easy to deal with. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Of course, it is not easy to deal with. Now on Hebei Road, the 250,000 forbidden troops after the training, about 200,000 without the training, and more than 400,000 troops are still worried. Hundreds of miles along the border, who dares to guarantee that there are no loopholes? However, the advantage of this dynasty over the Khitan is not to compare how many thousands of troops each has, but that the national strength is much stronger than that of the Khitan. For this dynasty, even if there is an occasional miss, it will not affect the overall situation. This is our biggest advantage over the Khitan. Now the imperial court is reorganizing and training the five armies, which is to prevent the front line from missing, the Khitan suddenly went south, and there are troops in the rear to come to the rescue. ”

Zhang Yu said: "In this way, if the Hebei Road is fought smoothly and the main force of the Khitan going south this time is completely wiped out, the Khitan will have no troops to fight." ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded slowly: "Yes, that's right." If the main force of the Khitan is completely wiped out this time, then there will be no more armies in the Khitan that can be used to fighting. Of course, there are still Ding Zhuang in various tribes, and they can also be organized and trained into an army, but they no longer have the combat power of the current Khitan army. ”

The Khitan is here, whether it is two or three, it is not that Ding Zhuang has been drawn. However, whether it is nomadic or farming, production is also inseparable from young adults. The remaining young and strong Khitan were unable to reorganize into an army in a short period of time, so they could only lie down and be beaten.

Zhao Zhen wanted to annihilate the Khitan army southward on the Hebei Road, and it was for this reason that he wanted to. If it is really done, the remaining personnel in the Khitan will not have good war quality, no military experience, and lack of assembly, so they will not be able to pose a threat to the Song army. At that time, the Song army would go north and would no longer encounter particularly big resistance. Not to mention restoring Yanyun, even if they continue to go north, the Khitan can only retreat.

Most of the ordinary officials of the DPRK and China are not clear about this. Only the high-ranking officials of the two governments and the three governments know the true thoughts of the imperial court. To do this, it is not possible to accumulate heavy troops on the front line at once. The Khitan obviously can't fight, so they will find a way to retreat, and it will be difficult at that time. Instead, the Khitan should feel that there is an opportunity, and the front-line army will firmly absorb the main force of the Khitan, and the rear will suddenly attack.

This is how the Fifth Army, which is now being organized and trained, is used. The initial battle was fought by the armies of the Hebei Road, and when the time came, the rear army quickly covered up and surrounded the main Khitan force. The passage of trains creates such conditions.

Speaking of this, a group of officials discussed it with great interest. What will happen if the Khitan war is unfavorable and is wiped out on Hebei Road.

Zhang Yu said: "If the Khitan loses hundreds of thousands of people in Hebei, Youzhou will be at your fingertips." Yunzhou in the west is powerless to protect it, so it can be taken lightly. At that time, it was not difficult to restore Yanyun! ”

Zhao Zi nodded: "Yes, if the Khitan army is completely annihilated on Hebei Road, Yanyun will have no defenders, and the army can go straight forward." Moreover, the Khitan Xing poured the country's troops, even if this dynasty took Yanyun, they were unable to fight. At that point, the world will be very different! ”

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