Listening to Situ Jian's words, many civil and military officials of the state army nodded secretly. Situ Tai naturally knew what Situ Jian was trying to say. Sitting back and watching the Xiaoguo army exterminate Cao Gang and his northern army in the state is extremely unfavorable to his own side. However, it is also necessary to send troops in a big way now, otherwise, it will directly attract the Xiaoguo army. After all, without the support of the Turks, Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou were no longer much of a threat. If the threat posed by their own side to the Xiaoguo army is too great, maybe the Xiaoguo army will first trap Cao Gang and the northern army of Bingzhou in the northern part of Bingzhou, and then deal with themselves first.

General Yang Li frowned and said: "General Situ is reasonable, but the question is, now that the Xiaoguo Army has launched an attack on the entire line of the Northern Army of Bingzhou, how should we intervene?" It is not possible to send troops directly, and it is impossible to effectively provide support without sending troops. What's more, this Cao Gang was our enemy before, and he simply wouldn't believe that we were trying to support him now. ”

Yang Li's words also represent the worries of these civil and military officials. Although they all know now the deadly threat brought by the Xiaoguo Army after they wiped out Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou, how to intervene in it and how to intervene so that they will not become the primary target of the Xiaoguo Army is the most important thing.

If you intervene in it, but make yourself the main target of the Xiaoguo Army, then it is better to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and wait for the Xiaoguo Army and Cao Gang and his Northern Army to take advantage of the fire to rob.

Situ Tai looked at Situ Wen, who was silent on the left, and asked in a deep voice, "Situ Wen, where is your Jianyi?" I think you have some ideas, so let's hear it. ”

Situ Wen said in a deep voice: "As General Situ Jian said, we must not sit back and watch the Xiaoguo Army exterminate Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou. Now that the Turks have been defeated by the Xiaoguo army, and because the steppe has been swept aside by the Xiaoguo army, coupled with the disaster brought to the Turkic steppe by the snowstorm last winter and this spring, the Turks will only be in the short term, no, it should be said that they will not move south again in the next year or two. Then, today's Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou have been tigers without minions in the past one or two years. That is to say, if there is no Xiaoguo Army to attack Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou, then this Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou will become our meal. This is not the state of the Northland, and sooner or later it will be our jurisdiction. ”

However, the Xiaoguo army also saw this, so after defeating the Turkic cavalry, they immediately launched a campaign against Cao Gang and the northern army of Bingzhou. Aside from the Turkic army, he was no match for the Xiaoguo army. The Xiaoguo Army also saw the weakness of the northern army of the state and wanted to turn the northern land of the state into its own jurisdiction. Therefore, this Xiaoguo army is actually fighting with us to seize the land of the state. Lord, although the northern land of this annexed state is now the jurisdiction of Cao Gang, he is the land of the annexed state after all. In the final analysis, this is also the jurisdiction of the metropolitan governor of the state. So, we have to get involved. ”

Glancing at everyone, Situ Wen continued: "I also understand the worries in the hearts of your adults, the Xiaoguo Army is very powerful, but this is not the reason for us to retreat. Even if we retreat this time, wait until Cao Gang and the Northern Army of Bingzhou are annihilated. Do we dare to compete with the Xiaoguo Army? I'm afraid that at that time, after absorbing the Northern Army of Bingzhou and the Xiaoguo Army of Beidi of Bingzhou, he became even stronger. Don't forget, the Xiaoguo army defeated the Turks, but it was very popular with the people of the northern lands of the state. At that point, the Xiaoguo army will have an untold number of troops to serve it, and it will be even more difficult for us to deal with it. ”

Yang Li said: "What Lord Situ said is reasonable, but how should we get involved now? The first part of the Xiaoguo Army has been cut off from us and the northern army of Bingzhou, if we send troops, it will be a direct provocation, and when the time comes, I am only afraid of ......"

Situ Wen said with a smile: "General Yang, do we have a good relationship with the Xiaoguo Army now?" ”

Situ Wen's words made Yang Li speechless, after all, now the Xiaoguo Army is still the enemy of the Bingzhou Army, and it is by no means a friend, and even an ordinary relationship of equal status is not counted.

Situ Wen continued: "Don't forget, this Zhao Xun, like Murong Cheng, is the vanguard of the crusade against us, so they and us are enemies, they have always been, and they have never changed. Why are they now blocking between us and the Northern Army? And not directly to us? ”

"Without him, they don't want to deal with two enemies at the same time, and they don't want Cao Gang to fall to us, and because they don't want us to gather the northern army of the state and let us grow."

As soon as Situ Wen's words came out, Situ Tai, Situ Jian and some people's eyes lit up, and they seemed to understand a little.

"Zhao Xun is very clear about our relationship with them, but now, what they want is to destroy Cao Gang and the northern army of Bingzhou first, first take the northern land of Bingzhou, and after gaining a firm foothold in the land of Bingzhou, they will go south to attack us. So, my lords, don't take any chances with the Xiaoguo Army. ”

"Can Cao Gangyan in the north of Bingzhou not know the contrast between the strength and weakness between himself and the Xiaoguo army? How long could he defend without the help of the Turkic cavalry? Why is he resisting? Why is the Xiaoguo army so eager to act in the south? Doesn't the Xiaoguo army know that we in the south, Cao Gang, and the northern army of Bingzhou are also enemies? Situ Wen asked rhetorically.

Situ Jian said in a loud voice: "I understand, what Lord Situ means is that Cao Gang himself knows very well that what he has done in the northern land of Bingzhou will definitely not be able to escape well from the Xiaoguo army. Therefore, he can only fight to the death with the Xiaoguo army. Similarly, between us and the Xiaoguo Army, if we had to choose one, Cao Gang would be attached to us instead of the Xiaoguo Army. Therefore, before the Xiaoguo army acted, Cao Gang's way to the south was cut off. Lord Situ, do you make sense of what I said? ”

Situ Wen stroked his palms and nodded: "What General Situ said is very true, Cao Gang must be prepared in his heart, if he is forced to do so, he will ask us for help, or attach, no, it should be surrendered to us." At this point, the Xiaoguo army also had some doubts, so they cut off the road between Cao Gang and the northern army of Bingzhou in the south, encircled them in the north of Bingzhou, and let them be killed. Therefore, we must not watch the Xiaoguo Army not take action against us, and because we are afraid of the strength of the Xiaoguo Army, we will sit back and watch the tiger fight. Because of this, it will only make the Xiaoguo Army stronger and stronger in the end...... By that time, we were thinking about fighting back, but it was too late. Of course, at that time, it will not be us who will take action, but the Xiaoguo Army will be in a hurry to do something against us. ”

Situ Wen said a lot of words, and many civil and military officials who didn't want to meddle in the Xiaoguo Army and the Northern Army of Bingzhou changed their faces greatly. What Situ Wen said is indeed the real situation in the north of Bingzhou now, if they really sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, if they can't do it well, in the end, as Situ Wen said, the Xiaoguo army is getting stronger and stronger, and it will not be weakened much because of the battle with the northern army of Bingzhou.

Yang Li clasped his fists at Situ Wen and said, "Lord Situ's words, the young general understands his meaning. So, what do we do now? Directly sent troops to attack the Xiaoguo Army in the north of Taiyuan Prefecture, opening the way for the northern army of Bingzhou to go south? However, will this Cao Gang directly lead the army south to cooperate with us? I'm afraid that when this Cao Gang sees us fighting against the Xiaoguo Army, I'm afraid that he will have the heart of sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight, which will be dangerous. I'm not afraid of anything else, I'm afraid that this Cao Gang is short-sighted and lets us fight against the Xiaoguo Army, but he is indifferent. ”

Situ Wen said with a smile: "Of course we won't send troops directly, even if we do, we have to fight Cao Gang and Xiaoguo Army." At the very least, we must let Cao Gang be beaten by the Xiaoguo Army and ask us for help. Therefore, our top priority now is to send people to contact Cao Gang and his civil and military officers, so that they can consider surrendering to us and ask me for help. The main thing, of course, is to let them know that we can put aside the hatred of both sides of the past and lend a helping hand to them. If you want to save your life, or even keep the power in your hands, and protect the interests of your family, then surrender to me and join the state army earlier. ”

"Second, the Xiaoguo Army is one of the main members of the crusade against the Yongjun forces, and in terms of force, a single Xiaoguo Army is enough to be equal to the sum of the Qi army and its coalition forces outside the Tiger Prison Pass and Bishui Pass in eastern Yongzhou. Our side is in the two passes in the east of Yongzhou, but it has deployed nearly 300,000 troops, and there are still two dangerous passes to defend. But what about the land of the annexed states? There are only more than 100,000 of our merging state troops, and a large part of them are still the former local government army. The territory under its jurisdiction is only half of the state. With half of the annexed states and more than 100,000 vulnerable troops, it is impossible to resist the invasion of the Xiaoguo army. Therefore, we need to ask the imperial court for help. Otherwise, it may be difficult to guarantee that this annexed state can hold on. ”

As he spoke, Situ Wen took a deep look at Situ Tai, and then said: "This northern land is located in the north of Yongzhou, and it is the northern defense line of Yongzhou. If this place is lost, then what is the use of the strong guards of Bishui Pass and Tiger Prison Pass? Therefore, if we want to ensure our chances of victory under the Zhuhu coalition army, there must be no mistakes here. Therefore, it is indispensable to ask the imperial court for help. Even if it can't be compared with the eldest prince's Yongzhou, it can't be far behind, right? Otherwise, how do we and how to hold on? Lord, these things have gone beyond the usual situation, and they are already a last resort. Therefore, this is already within the scope of asking the imperial court for help. ”

After listening to Situ Wen's words, Situ Taiyan couldn't understand what he meant. Situ Wen's meaning is clear. The first is naturally to send someone to contact Cao Gang, so that Cao Gang knows the situation he is facing now, and only by surrendering to himself can he live. At this point, you only need to send someone to contact Cao Gang.

What caught Situ Tai's attention was naturally the second one, and the meaning of this one was deeply in his heart. That is to ask Situ Lei for help and expand his strength. As Situ Wen said, in the land of Yongzhou, in order to resist the coalition forces led by Murong Cheng, it was in the case of Xiongguan, and nearly 300,000 troops were prepared. In this annexed state, there are only less than 100,000 troops, and most of them are soldiers formed by the reorganization of the local government army, and their combat power is not high. Then, he should reach out to the imperial court and take this opportunity to expand his strength. Because, this is a great opportunity. If the imperial court, that is, his father, does not want an accident in the land of the annexation of the state, and does not want to have an accident on his northern front, then he should support it.

Situ Tai's face immediately straightened, a slight smile appeared, and he said, "Situ Jian, you immediately send someone to contact Cao Gang and let him understand his own situation." In addition to Cao Gang, he also had to contact all the officers under his command, especially those generals who were usually very close to the Turks and had a bad reputation in the local area, and contact them more, so that they could know the fate of the Xiaoguo army towards those who colluded too deeply with the Turks, and let them understand that if they want to survive, they must cooperate with us, no, they should submit to us, and Pontus can not only ensure that their lives are saved, but also ensure that the power in their hands is not lost, so that they can think carefully. ”

"Situ Wen, immediately report the situation here to the imperial court, let Luoyang know, there have been more than 300,000 Xiaoguo troops in the north of Bingzhou, and now, he is peeking at this land of merger, hoping that the imperial court can send troops to support. Food, grass, armor, and equipment, everything we urgently need now. If you want to ensure that there are no problems in the land of the annexation, let Luoyang prepare earlier. ”

"Command!"

"Yang Li, immediately reorganize the army and fight, let the cities on the northern line of all prefectures and counties be ready to hold on, and must not be careless. In addition, it has actively expanded its armaments and strengthened the training of non-commissioned officers. ”

"Lei Ling, let all prefectures and counties prepare grain and grass for the army to use. The treasury also prepared armor and weapons, arrows, and crossbows, and stockpiled the needs of war. ”

"Subordinates take orders!" The two said in unison.

…………

At this moment, Zhao Xun is raising his whip and merging the western provinces of the northern land of the state, that is, the land of Wuyuan Mansion and Shuozhou Mansion. There is another name for this place, and that is the land of the Loop. The northern land of Bingzhou is located in the border pass, inside and outside the Great Wall, and has been the northern defense line of the Han people in the Central Plains since ancient times.

Hetao, Shuofang Yellow River flows eastward, goes north along Helan Mountain, meets Yin Mountain and flows eastward, meets Luliang Mountain and then folds southward, forming a "several" shape. Within the word "several", the area north of the Great Wall is the Hetao area! Hetao was originally the hometown of the Xiongnu, in the time of Emperor Wu, chased the Xiongnu in Mobei, and collected the land of Hetao. Here, there are not only Han Chinese, but also ethnic minorities living together. However, they are now all part of Hermes-Epitek. Now, it has also begun to be gradually incorporated into the Xiaoguo Army. This is also the place where the cavalry is rampant.

And the river channel in the Hetao area is vertical and horizontal, and the water and grass are abundant. It is good for farming and nomadism, enough to feed millions of people! And the south of the Great Wall, outside the Han River (Yellow River), on all sides of the natural danger, can be attacked, retreat can be defended. Therefore, after Zhao Xun's hundreds of thousands of cavalry went south, the first place to attack was here. After the cavalry trapped the northern army of Bingzhou in various cities, this Hetao, which is located in the northwest of Bingzhou and the east of Liangzhou, has gradually begun to be taken over by the Xiaoguo army. Here, the new law of the Xiaoguo Army will be the legal norm that all the people here will follow.

Crisscrossing all parts of the northern part of the state, looking at the ancient Great Wall that is still standing, Zhao Xun couldn't help but sigh.

Bingzhou, a strategic place in ancient China. The vast desert, the vast snow-capped mountains, the brave and heroic man. Countless soldiers who defended their homes and defended the country and regarded death as their home sang and drank bitterly on the boundless moonlight and boundless battlefield, with indescribable frankness and generosity.

In history, there have been heroes who created prosperous times, heroes who galloped on the battlefield, knights who sang generous and sad songs, poets who were astonishingly talented, and wealthy businessmen who had far-sightedness......

After Zhao Xun repelled the Turkic cavalry, he decided to take this state first, not only because this was Situ Lei's northern defense line, but more importantly, it was also the northern protective network of the Han people in the entire Central Plains. What this critical place looked like in Cao Gang's hands, Zhao Xun could see it clearly. In the whole northern part of the state, within a few years, the people who died in the war could not save the white thousands of people, and half of them were taken captive by the Turks as slaves. Zhao Xun hated this, so Zhao Xun decided to take this place first. This is also the reason why the Xiaoguo army led the army to sweep the Turks in the west of Dingzhou when they were crusading against Situ Lei......

Bingzhou is of great significance to the Han people in the Central Plains.

As early as the Warring States Period, in 260 B.C., the killing god Bai Qi commanded the Qin army to defeat the Zhao army in Changping, shot Zhao Kuo, the commander of the Zhao army, and killed 400,000 Zhao descendants.

Later Han Dynasty replaced Qin, in 200 BC, Han Gaozu Liu Bang was defeated in the snowstorm, "the siege of Baideng" was Liu Bangyi for the shame of his life, after which the Han Empire, since Gaozu, Emperor Wen, Emperor Jing, are vigorously operating Jinyang, building Yanmen Pass, guarding the northern part of the Han Empire, until the heroic Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Fang turned to defend the attack, drove the desert for a long time, chased the north, and created the Han Empire as the sun is in the sky, the heyday of the radiant situation.

So far, the land of annexing the state has become a battleground for soldiers. If the Central Plains Dynasty has to merge with the state, it can look north at the desert and look at the enemy, and if the foreign people have to merge with the state, they will drink the Yellow River and cause trouble to the land of China.

Zhao Xun knew that although he had defeated the Turkic cavalry that had invaded south, although he had walked around from the Turkic steppe, he had also brought back a lot of loot. But he knew very well that this did not mean that he had settled the Turkic tribes. If you want to make the grassland tribes succumb, you still need a lot of effort, but the chaos in the Central Plains makes Zhao Xun unable to devote all his energy to the north. Therefore, the sooner this northern defense line is annexed, the sooner it must be obtained, it is better to run it like Youzhou, and become the foundation of the grassland.

In fact, when Zhao Xun returned from the north, he had already begun to prepare for the collection of the Turkic tribes, but Zhao Xun needed to have a rear base camp here as a support, and of course, he also needed a defense line to block the Turkic cavalry from invading again, or revenge. Therefore, this time, Zhao Xun did not directly provoke Situ Lei's Bingzhou Army, but had the right to attack the Northern Bingzhou Army.