"It's really a once-in-a-century opportunity," Han Derang, the privy envoy of the Southern Yuan, said loudly in the Jiaoshan Palace of the Liao State. The Song people were in civil strife, Zhang Yongde and Liu Yanrang led the main force of the forbidden army on the Hebei front line back to Bianliang, and the Xia State marched into Guanzhong, and the Central Plains portal was wide open. The Song people are in civil strife, this time Zhao Jiong and Zhao Dezhao are competing for the big position, no matter whether they win or lose, it is difficult for the forbidden army to work together in a hurry, I will attack it with all our might, and a battle can determine the world!"

What made Han Derang almost overjoyed was that because he reported that the Song people would send troops to the Northern Expedition again between December and January, the Liao State was determined to strike first, and transferred the elite of the Pi Room Army, the North and South Yuan Army and the Xi Army to the south of Yuguan as soon as possible.

To Han Derang's surprise, his proposal was not echoed by the left-behind Yelu Hugo in Nanjing and the privy envoy of the Northern Yuan, and even Xiao Sui frowned slightly and did not immediately agree. Seeing Xiao Xuan looking at him, Brother Yelu Xiu bowed down and said, "Although Lord Han's strategy is good, but after careful calculation, it is easy to be taken advantage of by Xia Guo. He paused for a moment and said slowly, "The Han people have an allusion to Bian Zhuang's stabbing tiger, the two tigers fight, the big one is injured, the small one dies, the hunter takes advantage of the injured person and stabs it, and one blow gets two tigers." Our country marched into the Central Plains, and the Song Dynasty forbidden army decisive battle is inevitable, just like the two tigers competing for the momentum, even if the Song army wins, their own losses will be heavy, at that time the Xia Wu heroes look at the cheap, wave the army out of the Guguan to fight with our army, the victory or defeat is unpredictable. ”

In fact, according to Yelu Huge's understanding of the forbidden army of the Song Dynasty and the army of the Xia State, although the Liao army was strong, it was difficult to defeat these two Han armies in a short period of time, and finally formed a situation like when Yelu Deguang had already occupied Bianliang, but was driven out of the Central Plains by Liu Zhiyuan, and worked hard to make wedding clothes for others.

"King Song's words are wrong," Han Derang refuted unceremoniously, "Xia Guo can only use 70,000 or 80,000 elite soldiers, taking advantage of the chaos to pass through the pass is already a risky fight, using the strength to the limit, and a capture, and our army is also exhausted, if Wu Yingying is good to hold the Hangu Pass, if the greed is not enough to go out of the pass to fight for the world, our army is just a battle to break through, chase the death and chase the north, simply seize Guanzhong, the world is just around the corner!" Speaking of this, he couldn't help but be a little excited, if the situation really evolved like this, the world would eventually return to Liao, and his life's work could be regarded as the extreme.

"How negligent it is to decide the world in one war, and lose the world in one war!" Yelu Xiuge and Han Derang were arguing over whether to attack the Song Dynasty, but Yelu leaned down and said, "The minister thinks it is a safe policy, and he should not send troops to attack the Song Dynasty, but should attack the Xia Kingdom." ”

"Oh?" Xiao Xuan's forehead was originally slightly frowned, and suddenly his eyes lit up, "The art of war says that distant friends and close attacks, Song Kingdom is close and Xia Kingdom is far away, but why do you say that you want to attack Xia Kingdom?"

Yelu slanted and said in a deep voice: "Weichen advocates attacking Xia, if the King of Song says, if we attack the Song Kingdom, we may be taken advantage of by the Xia Kingdom." The Song Dynasty was in turmoil and had no time to take care of itself, and if we attacked the Xia State, the Song State would be powerless to intervene. Second, if Lord Han said, Xia has few soldiers, and the army will inevitably pour out of the nest, and the hinterland is empty, so we just took the opportunity to attack Lingzhou, seize the Hetao, and even attack the west of the Longyou River to the west, and penetrate the Western Regions. Our dynasty obtained the Hetao and the land west of the river, based on this slightly northwest, the south to collect the Tibetan horses, the west to retrieve the Falcon warriors, the world's bow hunting clan all included in my big Liao imperial tent, just like the Xiongnu Mao Dunshan Yu in the past, really become the northern dynasty power throughout the east and west steppe Gobi, and even if Wu Yingying obtained Guanzhong, it can only govern half of the Central Plains with the Song State, at that time, our dynasty with the power of unifying the north, attacking the south to split the Central Plains, the situation is better than the Xiongnu attack the Han Dynasty. ”

Although the Liao State is known as the Northern Dynasty, in fact, it is only a restraint for the western steppe tribes, and its power is far inferior to that of the Huns who dominated the entire northern grassland. After the rise of the Xia State, the sphere of influence of the Liao State was even more compressed to the east. If we follow the strategy of Yelu obliquely, seize the Hetao land with abundant water and grass, and use this as the basis to pass through the northwest, truly unify the northern grasslands, and then go south to attack the Central Plains, it is obviously more in line with the feelings of the Khitan tribe who governed the grassland tribes, but it was difficult to subdue the Han people. Seeing that the controversy turned into a dispute between westward and southward, even Han Derang was frowning and thinking, and the three ministers were waiting for Xiao Xuan's decision.

After a long time, Xiao Sui finally nodded and said, "Then according to what the privy envoy of the Northern Court said, how many soldiers and horses are needed to crusade against the Xia Kingdom and capture the Hetao?"

Yelu thought for a moment and said: "The soldiers are very fast, taking advantage of the Xia army trapped in the pass, I am willing to lead 30,000 elite cavalry as the vanguard army to attack Lingzhou." However, if you pass through the Hetao, you must not only prevent the Xia army from returning to the Hetao from Guanzhong, but also take the west of the Hetao, so you have to have 100,000 horsemen. If our army succeeds in attacking Lingzhou, the army will have no worries about food, and the queen mother can choose another general to slowly succeed the army. ”

Yelu Hugo immediately praised: "Lord Xuan's strategy is very thorough. Han Derang also nodded compulsively. Seeing that neither of them objected, Xiao Xuan agreed to this strategy, and ordered Yelu to lead 30,000 elites of the northern and southern courtyard armies to take Lingzhou first, wait for the vanguard to succeed, and then levy 100,000 cavalry troops from Xijing Road and Nanjing Road to follow.

"This war is related to the fortunes of our Great Liao, what other requirements does the privy envoy of the Northern Court have?" Xiao Yu said.

Yelu slanted at Xiao Xuan, then at Han Derang, hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind, hugged his fists and said: "The minister has a reluctant request, please forgive the queen mother." Xiao Sui nodded and said, "Although it is said, you are not guilty!"

"The privy envoy of the Southern Court is loyal to the body of the country is admired by the minister, but he and his men have a deep friendship with the heroes of Xia and Wu, and the sneak attack on Lingzhou is not trivial, the matter involves military aircraft, the minister requested that only the soldiers and horses from the north be used this time, and the privy envoy of the Southern Court and the Han officials in the south who know about it are temporarily imprisoned. Jerod said with a slanting face.

"Yelu slanted, you deceived people too much!" Han Derang was immediately furious when he heard this, in the past few years, he has leaned towards the government and the opposition, and there is no slander among the Khitans, but under the full suppression of him and Xiao Xuan, no one dares to be so rude in person, Yelu slanted simply naked to express his distrust of Han Derang and the Han officials in the south.

To Han Derang's surprise, this time Xiao Xuan not only did not reprimand Yelu slanted, but after contemplating his eyebrows for a while, he nodded, and said in a deep voice: "What the privy envoy of the northern court said is not unreasonable, and the privy envoy of the southern court should avoid suspicion. During the western expedition to Lingzhou, Han Derang stayed in Jiaoshan Palace to lead the guards, and the officials under the Southern Courtyard were monitored and guarded by the Northern Courtyard Army. ”

After Yelu Xian and Yelu Hugo retired, only Han Derang and Xiao Xuan were left in the palace, and Han Derang was like a silent volcano, his face was pale, and he didn't say a word. Xiao Xuan moved the lotus step lightly, slowly walked to him, held his hand, and said softly: "Derang, don't be angry, you usually work on state affairs, and you just accompany me during this time." ”

Han Derang stood up, took two steps back, and said coldly: "It turns out that I have no eyes, you are a Khitan, I am a Han, after all, you are a clansman who believes in yourself more." ”