"As far as I know, the cavalry under the marshal is less than three thousand, and it is mainly infantry. This point of cavalry is naturally not a problem to deal with the Song army, but if you want to deal with the Liao State, it is not possible to recover Yanyun! I would not be so arrogant as to think that this alone would defeat the Liao army. My plan was to start with a step-by-step approach, knowing that the marshal had cement and artillery in his hands, and that he was almost ready. With these two things, the offense is not daring to win, but the defense is absolutely fine. Just build a fortress quickly at a dangerous pass! ”

Xu Guanzhong quickly pointed out a few places in Liaoyang Prefecture and said: "Here, here and here, build a few fortresses, and arrange catapults, artillery, and bows and crossbows at the head of the city. As long as there are these sharp weapons to defend the city and a strong fortress, the Liao army's roundabout space can be greatly compressed and the cavalry can be restricted. Their army can move, but the city can't be moved, as long as our army is cautious, step by step, plus backed by the Great Song Dynasty, with sufficient material support, I believe that Liaoyang Mansion will be conquered. As long as we take Liaoyang Mansion, we can fight while trying to buy war horses and form our own cavalry army. One after another, the Liao army will definitely be defeated! ”

Hearing Xu Guanzhong talk about the cement and artillery secrets of the Liangshan Army, Shi Jin looked at Gongsun Sheng with dissatisfaction.

How can such a confidential matter be casually mentioned to outsiders!

Seeing Shi Jin's reproachful eyes, Xu Guanzhong said: "Don't blame Mr. Gongsun, the marshal didn't plan to come to see the marshal at the beginning. It was Mr. Gongsun who proposed your new law and the weapons that I developed, and I became interested in the marshal and agreed to come and meet you! Don't worry, Mr. Gongsun only described the power of this weapon to me, and did not elaborate on the principle and formula of this weapon! ”

Shi Jin said with a smile: "Soldiers, the major affairs of the country, you must not be cautious!" Sir, don't blame me for being too careful. ”

"And rightfully so! From the conversation, I can surmise that the materials used to make cement and artillery are not small. Now copper and the Great Song Dynasty are very scarce, otherwise they would not make iron coins to use as copper coins. The marshal probably couldn't make such a weapon of artillery on a large scale because of the lack of copper! ”

Shi Jin smiled bitterly when he heard it and said, "Mr. is really smart, and he guesses correctly." ”

The golden leopard Tang Long needed tungsten to forge tungsten steel, and Shi Jin remembered that there was more tungsten in Jiangxi and Guangdong in the south, but less in the north. Shi Jin had already asked him to go south to look for it. Just haven't heard any news yet!

Without alloy steel, pig iron cannot forge a suitable gun chamber, and it is too copper-consuming to use copper alone, and now there is a shortage of copper in the Great Song Dynasty, and Shi Jin has been able to forge ten statues for so many years, which is also caused by the lack of copper.

Xu Guanzhong said: "So if our army returns to the Great Song Dynasty and goes to attack the Liao State, we can take the opportunity to ask the other party to provide a batch of supplies." At the same time, we can also agree with the other party how much money, copper and iron, and food will be provided every year in the past few years, and with this batch of materials, we will be more sure of attacking Liao! ”

Wu Yong asked: "How do you solve the difference between the customs of the Great Liao and the Great Song Dynasty, and how can you effectively govern those places that have been defeated?" ”

Xu Guanzhong replied......

A series of questions did not stump Xu Guanzhong, and Zhu Wu and Wu Yong were also more and more surprised.

The previous contempt for Xu Guanzhong became weaker and weaker, until he became cautious.

As Zhu Wu and Wu Yong not only asked, Xu Guanzhong kept explaining. The general plan and strategy are presented!

In this process, Zhu Wu and Wu Yong also put forward their own views from time to time to help Xu Guanzhong improve his plan.

After asking all the questions, Zhu Wu and Wu Yong looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded to Shi Jin, expressing their approval of Xu Guanzhong.

When Shi Jin clashed with Zhu Wu, Wu Yong, and Xu Guanzhong, he didn't make a sound.

Seeing that they accepted each other, he said: "Mr. Xu is talented, I would like to ask Mr. Xu for the position of the right army division of our army." Please don't shirk sir again! ”

Although Xu Guanzhong is talented, he has just taken refuge. It is impossible to cross Zhu Wu and Wu to use them, otherwise the two of them will absolutely refuse to agree, and then there will be infighting, and it will be troublesome.

Wu Yong has always regarded himself as a literati, and he wants to be able to serve as a prime minister like his idol Zhuge Liang in the future, so he will naturally develop in the direction of civil officials.

Zhu Wu was mainly in charge of military affairs, and now holds the position of military general.

So Shi Jin thought about it for a while and let Xu Guanzhong serve as the right military officer, ranking below Zhu Wu!

Xu Guanzhong is also very satisfied with Shi Jinxu giving him such an official position.

He smiled and shouted: "The mountain people have just arrived, and the more they are in a high position, they are already cheeky. How dare there be complaints! ”

Shi Jin said: "It's good that Mr. Xu is willing to be considerate, and in the future, please ask Mr. and Brother Zhu Wu and Mr. Wu to work together to help Ben Shuai defeat the Liao army and recover Yanyun!"

"Yes!" Zhu Wu, Wu Yong, and Xu Guanzhong shouted in unison.

After Zhu Wu, Wu Yong, and Xu Guanzhong discussed the strategy, Shi Jin held an overall meeting the next day, and in addition to the generals who stayed in Jeju and Yanzhou, other generals attended.

On the main hall of the government office, the civil and military subordinates sat in two columns.

Shi Jin inspected many of his subordinates and said: "I believe everyone knows that our army has changed its strategy, first attack the Liao State, recover Yanyun, and then plot against the Great Song Dynasty!" This strategy has to change, and the strategy of natural tactics and other tactics has to change! ”

At this time, Shi Jin looked at Zhu Wu and Xu Guanzhong and said, "Now our army's strategy must be changed, Brother Zhu Wu, you and Mr. Xu will jointly make a new battle plan!" The battle plan of the imperial court agreeing to our proposal and the imperial court disagreeing with our proposal must be seated to prevent accidents! ”

Zhu Wu and Xu Guanzhong stood up and arched their hands and said, "Yes, Marshal!" ”

Shi Jin looked at Sun Li and said, "We don't know for the time being, whether the imperial court will agree to our proposal. Therefore, all hopes cannot be pinned on the imperial court. General Sun, you once served as the commander of the soldiers and horses in Dengzhou, so I think you should be very familiar with the situation over there. I have ordered you to lead 10,000 men and horses to attack Dengzhou. Can it be done? ”

When Sun Li heard this, he immediately stood up and shouted: "Don't worry, marshal, the last general will not let you down!" ”

"Okay, you can go back to the camp to clean up the soldiers and horses, and go out as soon as possible!" Shi Jin wrote a military order on the spot and handed over the order arrow seal to Sun Li.

Sun Li bowed down and took the order arrow sigil, and after saluting with his fists, he turned around and left.

Shi Jin looked at Lu Zhishen and Wu Song and said, "I was going to dig out Huanglong directly, but now it seems that I don't need it for the time being." However, no matter whether we really want to fight the Liao State together in the future, or continue to attack the Great Song Dynasty, our biggest reliance is on the soldiers and horses in our hands. Lu Zhishen and Wu Song, if you continue to train soldiers, you must train your subordinates well and become elite generals! ”

Lu Zhishen and Wu Song hurriedly stood up and shouted: "Marshal, don't worry, the last general will not let you down!" ”

Shi Jin looked at Wu Yong and said, "Mr. Wu Yong, I entrust you with full authority to negotiate with the imperial court about the return of our army, my bottom line is to control Laizhou and Dengzhou, and the imperial court must support me with a batch of supplies." Tong Guan should be able to help with this, and when you go to Tokyo, you can also stop by him! I will let Zhu Gui assist you, and you can mobilize all the resources of our army in Tokyo! ”

Wu Yong stood up and said: "I understand, marshal rest assured, with my three-inch incorruptible tongue, I will definitely persuade the imperial court to agree to the conditions of our army!" ”

Shi Jin nodded and said, "I believe in Mr. Wu's ability!" Zhu Gui, in addition to cooperating with Mr. Wu about the peace talks during this time, you must also pay close attention to the situation in Jiangnan, and notify me immediately if there is any trouble! ”

Zhu Gui arched his hand and said, "Yes, Marshal." During this time, I will definitely send more subordinates to keep an eye on the situation in Jiangnan! ”

Shi Jin thought for a moment and said to Zhu Wu: "Whether it is to support Fang La in the south of the Yangtze River across the sea, or to attack the Liao State, it is inseparable from the help of the sailors. Zhu Wu, you immediately go and invite Li Jun and Zhang Heng back to discuss! ”

"Okay, I'll send someone to inform General Li and General Zhang!"

The reorganization of the strategy is a big thing, moving the whole body, and with Shi Jin's orders being issued one by one, basically the entire Liangshan Army has been mobilized.

Shi Jin sent someone to find Li Jun and Zhang Heng.

Four days later, Li Jun and Zhang Heng rushed over from Dengzhou.

In the main hall of the mansion, Li Jun and Zhang Heng walked in with bronzers and some yellow hair. Shi Jin looked at them and said, "It seems that the sea voyage is really hard. Great work! ”

On the black face, snow-white teeth were exposed, and Li Jun shook his head and said: "It's not hard, it's just that the sea is windy and the sun is fierce, but if you get through it, it's nothing!" ”

Shi Jin arched his hand and said: "Shi Jin thanked the two brothers!" ”

Li Jun and Zhang Heng hurriedly returned the salute and said, "Marshal, this time we are summoned, there is some task to be assigned to our sailors!" ”

Shi Jin nodded and said, "Indeed, this is my newly appointed Right Army Division, Mr. Xu Guanzhong!" This time your task will be explained to you by him! ”

"Hello Xu Junshi!"

Hearing the marshal say that the new face in front of him was Xu Guanzhong, who had recently been promoted to the Right Army Division, Li Jun and Zhang Heng hurriedly said.

On a large map hanging in the study, Xu Guanzhong pointed to two places and asked, "General Li, General Zhang, don't say much about those politeness." I have summoned you here today to inquire about whether there is a problem with transporting 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers from Laizhou or Dengzhou to Hangzhou or Suzhou in Liaoyang Prefecture? ”

Li Jun and Zhang Heng followed Xu Guanzhong's fingers and looked at the two places he pointed.

They pondered for a while, whispered to each other again, and then Li Jun stood up and said, "If you go back to Xu Junshi, if you go back to Hangzhou, you shouldn't be able to do it, it's just a matter of a few more trips." It's just that going to Suzhou in Liaoyang Mansion is not a small problem! ”

Xu Guanzhong nodded and said, "Oh, why? Could it be that there is a difference between the two? ”

Li Jun stepped forward and pointed to the map with his index finger and said, "Sir, I have never sailed far away on a sea boat!" Although both are cross-sea operations, there are some differences. Attacking Hangzhou is said to be crossing the sea, but in fact, the fleet is moving south along the coastline, and as long as it encounters a storm or other crisis, it can dock as soon as possible to avoid it, and the risk is relatively small. But attacking Liaoyang Mansion is really to cross this entire sea area. Once the storm hits, the fleet has nowhere to hide but to resist, and the risk is very high! In addition, the soldiers stayed on the ship for a long time, not to mention the fact that the food and fresh water needed for it were very expensive. And it is easy to get sick, and the level of fatigue will also increase greatly. Unlike the East China Sea outside Hangzhou, we don't know much about the hydrology of the Bohai Sea outside Liaoyang Prefecture. If the fleet touches a reef or something, it is in danger of being destroyed. It's risky! ”

When Xu Guanzhong heard Shi Jin's description of the difference between the two, he bowed to Li Jun and said, "It's Xu who takes it for granted, and General Xie Li instructs." But General Li, you said before that the problem is not small, but it is not impossible. Is it? ”

"Indeed it is! The problem is not small, but it can be solved. Li Jun thought for a moment and said: "First of all, we need to find a few old crew members who are familiar with the hydrological and weather conditions in this sea area to lead the way, and now due to the size of our fleet and the supply of fresh water food, we can only send people here in small and large batches." This requires finding a place to stay in Suzhou, as well as a way to hide it! As long as these are solved, the task of Xu Junshi can be completed! ”

Xu Guanzhong nodded to Shi Jin when he heard this, and Shi Jin immediately shouted when he saw it: "Li Jun and Zhang Heng, during this time, you will first suspend maritime trade, vacate the ships, and be ready to transport our soldiers to fight across the sea at any time." At the same time, find an old crew member who is familiar with the Bohai Sea, and it is best for you to send a few people to walk by sea and familiarize yourself with the route! ”

When Li Jun and Zhang Heng heard this, they hurriedly said, "Yes, Marshal, when the general returns, he will stop the maritime trade and look for a guide at the same time!" ”

Shi Jin said apologetically: "Originally, it was hard for you to travel back and forth, and I also wanted to stay with you for a few more days." It's a pity that the situation is urgent now, so I can only work hard for you, and I will go back tomorrow to prepare! ”

"Serve the marshal, don't dare to say bitter!"

When Shi Jin sent Li Jun and Zhang Heng out, Zhu Gui walked in and said, "Big brother, I just got the latest news from the spies. Chai Jin brought Fang La's sister Princess Baihua, and a few guards to hurry here! ”

Wu Yong took the lead and said: "It seems that Fang La is in a coma, the situation of Fang La's army is critical, Chai Jin brought people to seek help from our army, and even an alliance!" ”

Shi Jin heard it and asked, "Last time, our army rejected Fang La's request for an alliance. How do you think I'm going to do this time?"

Zhu Wu said: "This time is different from the past, last time Fang La's momentum was great, in order not to arouse the scruples of the imperial court, the marshal naturally did not want to form an alliance with Fang La. But this time, in order to appease Fang La's army, try to delay their defeat as much as possible, so as to create time for our army. The subordinates feel that they should ally with Fang Lajun this time! ”

Xu Guanzhong also nodded in agreement and said: "I also think that we should ally with Fang Lajun, and we can also put pressure on the imperial court as much as possible to get the imperial court to agree to our army's conditions!" ”

Hearing that his subordinates agreed with the alliance, Shi Jin thought for a while and agreed.

When Fang La's forces were developing fiercely before, Shi Jin was reluctant to form an alliance with Fang La.

didn't expect that when Fang La was in danger now, he had to send troops to support him.

The world is unpredictable!

Shi Jin shouted: "When Chai Daguan comes, you can bring him to see me!" ”