Facing the cold wind, Zhao Li cried, crying so much, in the long seven-year trek, he lost all his partners, and even almost lost his country.

He paid countless toils, even half of his life, the butcher's knife of the Karakhanate and the leather whip of the Western Xia did not make him succumb, and he even felt that he had no more tears.

Only this time he couldn't suppress his feelings, like a rushing flood, pouring out...... In order to be able to rescue Khotan as soon as possible, the Great Song had to cross the Hexi Corridor controlled by the Tanguts, and in order to pass through the Hexi Corridor, the Great Song had to pay an unimaginable price.

The 5 million indemnity was given up, and the 600 Iron Harrier captives were to be released in advance, and the Great Song Dynasty gave up almost all the results of the war and gave up the opportunity to destroy Western Xia at his fingertips.

The spirit of the kingdom is incomparable!

"How can he be in Khotan, the kingdom is so gracious, although it is difficult to repay it even if he dies."

Zhao Li knelt down solemnly in the direction of Luoyang, kowtowing one after another, until he knocked his head into a blur of flesh and blood, and he was fascinated......

"Di Xianggong, our strategy needs to be adjusted."

When Wang Ningan saw Di Qing, the first thing he said was this.

Di Qing's face was solemn, and he was not happy at all.

"It is incumbent upon me to rescue Khotan, but to give up the compensation, it is too cheap Li Liangzuo! And Khotanese ......" Di Qing lowered his voice, "emotionally, I admire them, but the problem is that their troops are too small, their strength is too weak, and I am worried that the gains will outweigh the losses." ”

As a commander-in-chief, you must not only have feelings, but also reason.

Di Qing's calculation is very clear, if he sends 20,000 people into the Western Regions and saves the country of Khotan, what can he do? The men and horses will still be withdrawn, if the Western Xia cuts off the Hexi Corridor at this time, these 20,000 people will become a lone army and become hostages in the hands of the Western Xia.

If they are defeated, the Great Song Dynasty will send reinforcements again, and they will have to negotiate the toll with the Western Xia, and Li Liangzuo will not be soft at that time.

If you talk about winning or losing, it is a difficult game to clean up, just for a few thousand people, to take such a big risk, Di Xianggong is very resistant.

"Erlang, let's find a way to bring the Khotanese people back and set aside a place in the northwest for them to live and work in peace and contentment, so why bother with an expedition!"

Wang Ningan said with a smile: "Di Xianggong's words are indeed honest and seeking the country, but I have a bigger plan and want to discuss it with Di Xianggong." ”

Wang Ningan asked people to find the sand table of the Western Regions, and the two of them looked down on the overall situation and began to deduce...... First of all, Khotan has been established for thousands of years, and although it has withered on the surface, many tribes still exist, but they have been scattered to other tribes and become poor slaves.

According to Wang Ningxuan's introduction, there are about 50,000 people in this group.

After the Great Song Dynasty took the Qingtang Dynasty, Wang Shao actively pursued the strategy, and the Caotou Tatar and Huangtou Hui already had a tendency to return to obedience, plus the Tibetan tribes, they could start trading with the Great Song Dynasty, and the relationship between the two sides quickly warmed up.

Khotan fell into the land of four wars, except for Gaochang and they were allies, other countries were all facing each other, two fists were difficult to defeat four hands, and it was self-evident that the situation was difficult.

But the Great Song Dynasty is different, with the capture of the Qingtang Dynasty and the establishment of the Longyou Protectorate, the southern line has been almost operated.

Wang Shao had already promised that as long as it took a year, the road from Qingtang to the Western Regions would be opened, and if he was not sure, Wang Shao would not have sent Wang Ningxuan to the Western Regions.

"Di Xianggong, that is to say, at this time next year, in the Qaidam Basin, all the way to southern Xinjiang, there will be a safe trade route, although it is not as good as the Hexi Corridor, but it should be able to maintain the military supply of tens of thousands of horses."

Wang Ning'an analyzed the situation in the south and turned his gaze to the north, with Turpan as the center, there was a vast land, which was once the territory of the Gaochang Kingdom, which was later occupied by the Uighurs, and is now known as the Xizhou Uighurs.

The Western Uighurs, though they had their kings, were not really formed empires, but could only be regarded as a federation of nomadic tribes.

To the east of the Western Uighurs was the powerful Western Xia, who had to plunder and kill almost every year, and to the north was the more powerful Great Liao, but fortunately, the territory of the Liao State was large enough, and there was little interest in the Western Uighurs, as long as they paid tribute on time, it was enough.

The greatest threat to the Western Uighurs comes from the West, the greatest neighbor, the Qarakhanids!

After analyzing this, Wang Ningan made the situation in the entire Western Regions clear.

"Di Xianggong, after the Liao State lost Youzhou, its national strength has shrunk, and it is no longer able to take care of the Western Regions, we can launch an offensive on the front line of Youyun and Bohai State to force the Khitan to retreat, so that they will not be involved in the battle for the Western Regions. Now in the Western Regions, there are still three forces left, one is the Western Xia, one is the Western Uighurs, and the other is the Qarakhanid! The problem of Western Xia is not big, as long as we are on the front line of Hengshan and continue to exert pressure, Western Xia will not be able to look westward. In other words, there is only one country we really have to deal with, and that is the Qarakhanid! As for the Western Uighurs, they are potential allies! ”

Saving Khotan, of course, is very important, but it is indeed as Di Qing said, not to give everything he has.

But looking at the entire Western Regions, when the horizon is opened, the situation is completely different.

Saving Khotan is a pretense.

The real purpose was to reach into the Western Prefecture, win over the Uighurs, and use the remnants of the Uighurs and Khotanese to attack the Qarakhanid, as long as the Qarakhanid was defeated, the Great Song would be able to gain a foothold in the Western Regions.

When the time comes, a very perfect encirclement will be formed.

From the Hengshan line in the east, extending to Qingtang, then Khotan, Turpan, Hami, to the north, into the grassland, Wang Ning'an connected this line, as if opening his arms, enclosing the entire Western Xia.

"Di Xianggong, do you still think the price you paid is too great?"

Di Qing was also stunned at the moment, speechless for a long time......

This chess game is really too big, involving as many as a dozen various forces, the distance is tens of thousands of miles, and the territory is vast, surpassing the Great Song Dynasty!

It is said that in the midst of strategizing, the decisive victory is thousands of miles away, Wang Ningan is actually eyeing thousands of miles away, and Di Qing doesn't know what to say.

It took him half a day to digest Wang Ningan's overall plan.

"Erlang, now there is a question, how is the combat effectiveness of this Qarakhanid? Did you say that they had support from Baghdad behind them, hundreds of thousands of cannibal cavalry, and the Persians, would they be desperate to support the Qarakhanid? I think that back then, the Tang soldiers were defeated and retreated in Talas because of their lack of strength, and my Han family's sons and daughters have lost the land of the Western Regions since then, and it has been two or three hundred years. If it weren't for the hard work of Khotan, I am afraid that the Western Regions would be full of foreign pastures. ”

Wang Ning'an said: "Di Xianggong, according to my understanding, the strength of the Qarakhanid has gone downhill, as for the big cannibals, they have also passed the peak, and the interior is divided, even if they want to send troops to aid the Karakhanate, it may take two or three years, after all, from Yili to Baghdad, it will take nearly a year, such a long time, enough for us to run the Western Regions as solid as gold." ”

However, Di Xianggong's concern is also reasonable, whether it is the Qarakhanid, or the Western Xia, or even the Western Uighurs, they are not weak chickens, and the whole plan will be full of variables...... What's more, the supplies in the Central Plains may not be sufficient, so this time to send troops, you must select the best soldiers...... Moreover, in addition to the soldiers, there must be civil officials, merchants, astronomers, water conservancy experts, agronomists, and the best craftsmen, who must have the ability to be self-sufficient before solving the Western Xia, and the supplies sent through the Qingtang are limited after all. The challenges are enormous, and of course the rewards are enormous. ”

"If we win, we will be able to restore all the power of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions in one fell swoop, and then the territory of our Great Song Dynasty will more than double, and we will have the best pastures, countless materials, and valuable trade routes, and we can continuously transport the material resources of the Central Plains to the entire Great Food Empire, and even more vast distances. Once and for all, solve the dilemma in the northwest, and at the same time, form an encirclement and completely eliminate the Khitan ......"

"Say no more!"

Di Qing waved his hand very roughly!

I have to say that the prospect outlined by Wang Ningan is too tempting.

This kid is a natural fool.

Even if Di Qing is such a calm person, he will be fooled by him and his mind will be confused.

If you listen to it any more, you're likely to go crazy.

So Di Dashuai rushed to the back garden, he was only wearing a single coat, in the snow, dancing the horse lance over and over again, until he was soaked with sweat, exhausted, and had no strength at all.

Di Qing sat down in the study again, his strong chest constantly rising, and his breathing was heavy...... He tried to forget everything, even his kung fu, his identity, his duties...... In the end, the only thing he couldn't forget was Wang Ningan's plan.

I have to say that this huge idea is too grand and too tempting!

In the same way, it is too difficult to realize this plan, and the slightest mistake in any link may cause irreparable results.

After a full day, Di Qing found Wang Ningan with red eyes.

"Let's be ruined together!"

Di Qing stretched out his big thick hand.

Wang Ningan laughed and jumped up.

"Brother Di is a famous general who will go down in history, surpass Wei Qing and Huo Quai, and become a famous general admired by all generations!"

Di Qing was stunned for a moment, and then warned with a dark face: "Wang Erlang, from now on, you are not allowed to fool me!" Let's just talk about how to implement it, only talk about the details, say one more big word, and I'll go home immediately and never go crazy with you again. ”

Wang Ningan smiled with relief, he appreciated Di Qing's pragmatic attitude, no matter how good the idea was, it would be in vain if it couldn't be realized.

For example, they need a general to command the army now, and who is in charge of these 20,000 people is very crucial.

Of course, Wang Ningan had the heart to lead the troops, but Di Qing shook his head like a rattle.

"If you go, Li Liangzuo will do everything he can to kill you! Therefore, the leader of the army must be harmless to humans and animals! ”

Just when they couldn't get an idea, someone suddenly came to report, Zhao Zongjing, the king of Dongping County, and Zhao Zongjing, the governor of Qinzhou, came to ask for a meeting.

Boom!

The leader is here!