Therefore, Li Yanxian's western front cannot threaten the hinterland of Xixia. This is determined by its geographical location.

This is why Li Yanxian must hunt down the Xixia people.

The biggest shortcoming of Xixia is that there are few people. Killing more groups will consume more of Xixia's strength.

If the Western Front doesn’t work, what about Hengshan on the Eastern Front?

Li Qianshun was very confident about the Hengshan defense line.

As long as one side of Song and Xia occupied Hengshan, they would take the initiative in the war.

If the Song Dynasty retakes Hengshan, Xixia will have no choice but to shrink to the Houtao area (Ningxia Plain). The Houtao area has developed agriculture, but the territory is not large. In this way, the population of Xixia will further decrease.

The Hexi Corridor from the Houtao area to the west can also be regarded as the strategic depth of Xixia. However, there is also desert between Houtao and the Hexi Corridor. If the two cannot be closely connected, it is impossible to exert a regional cluster effect.

How to explain this?

It's very simple. Agriculture is developed in Houtao and animal husbandry is developed in the Hexi Corridor. However, it is difficult to feed the Hexi Corridor with food from Houtao because there is a desert in the middle and there is not much food left after transporting it.

This is the cutting effect caused by geographical segmentation, which amplifies regional operating costs.

This was the case when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty built Shuofang City south of Yinshan Mountain. The cost was too high.

The reason why later generations will develop urban agglomerations is to use the cluster effect to greatly reduce urban operating costs, make the cooperation of various industries more convenient, and make output more efficient.

In the Song Dynasty, the Gyeonggi Road was the center and a dense river transport network was opened to the surrounding areas. This is actually the same reason.

Xixia's geographical location is special and they cannot lose Hengshan.

Everyone seems to have found a way to check and balance the Song army again.

King Shu Li Renli said: "Your Majesty has deployed heavy troops in Hengshan. It is absolutely impossible for the Song army to break through the Hengshan defense line! As long as Hengshan is in our hands, the Song army cannot threaten us."

It was nothing more than the original plan to go south to conquer the Song Dynasty, why not go south!

I don't believe that the Song Army can keep its army stationed at the border?

Can you afford your food consumption in that way?

Li Qianshun quickly wrote a letter to Weiming Anhui, who was in charge of military affairs in Youzhou, asking him to stay still for the time being.

At this critical moment, the Xia army in Shizhou, a hundred miles west of Yinzhou, received the Yinzhou beacon fire and marched eastward to support Yinzhou. However, they were sneak attacked by the Song army that had been ambushed in advance in the valley and retreated.

Yinzhou was firmly in the hands of the Song Army.

This is why Liu Qi's attack on Yinzhou was like a storm.

News of the sudden war in Yinzhou was sent to Youzhou urgently.

How important is Yinzhou?

It is the east gate of the Xixia Hengshan defense line. Once Yinzhou is defeated, the Song army can build a walled city in the Yinzhou area to connect Suide with Yinzhou through Mizhi Village.

Such a situation is like stabbing Xixia at the most important position. If this knife were to cut across the body, half of Xixia's body could be cut off, and he would become a disabled person in the future.

On March 23, Weiming Anhui of Youzhou received an urgent order from Li Qianshun of Xingqing Prefecture, asking him to stop going south first.

In addition, the news of Li Liangfu's defeat was also secretly transmitted to Weiming Anhui.

After reading it, Weiming Anhui's face was as straight as a bitter melon soaked in bitter water for three days and three nights.

Li Liangfu was defeated so quickly, which he never expected.

As early as a few days ago, Weiming Anhui had sent all his troops to Hongzhou. At this time, Xixia had 200,000 troops stationed in Hongzhou, which was only separated by a mountain from the Song-Xia border and could enter Song-Shaanxi territory at any time.

It happened that at this time, it was reported that Li Liangfu was defeated, and Li Qianshun stopped his march south.

Li Qianshun sent a message to Weiming Anhui to give him a hundred courage, so that he would not dare to continue going south.

Early in the morning on March 24, the Hongzhou army, which was only a few dozen miles away from Youzhou, received the latest instructions from Weiming Anhui and was temporarily stationed in Hongzhou pending follow-up arrangements.

This feeling is very unpleasant: I'm about to do it, but you said to pause first?

Weiming Anhui, who was tossing and turning in Youzhou, couldn't figure it out. The string was on, but it got stuck in her neck.

His name is Anhui, so he has no worries. After Xixia is defeated, he can still go to the Jin Kingdom to serve as an official.

But Li Qianshun was different. Li Qianshun had no way out. At the most critical moment, he had to weigh the pros and cons, and he had to swallow everything even if his teeth broke it.

Weiming Anhui quickly wrote to Jin Guo.

Weiming Anhui: With the current balance between Song, Xia, Song and Qi, as long as the Jin Kingdom immediately sends troops southward and adds another force to the whole chess game, Liu Yu will attack Hebei at this time, I will attack Shaanxi in Daxia, and the Jin Kingdom All we need to do is send troops from Taiyuan to Hedong and attack Luoyang, and the Song Dynasty will collapse in a short period of time!

After he finished writing the letter, he even had a victorious smile on his face.

What a fucking genius I am! Gah gah gah!

"Report! Prime Minister, something bad has happened! Something bad has happened!"

Weiming Anhui, who had just finished writing the letter, was still immersed in the fantasy of destroying the Song Dynasty, when a voice came from outside.

He said impatiently: "What's all the fuss about?"

His confidant Yeli Songren ran in quickly: "The latest urgent news is coming from Hebei!"

"Oh?" Weiming Anhui was slightly startled. News finally came from Hebei.

"Liu Yu's entire army was wiped out in Hebei!"

"What!" Weina Anhui's jaw almost dropped to the ground. He picked up Yeli Songren's collar, widened his eyes and said angrily, "Say it again!"

"Here, the military report is here!"

Nori Matsuhito quickly presented it to him. After he read it, he was shocked: "This is impossible! How could Liu Yu lose so quickly!"

Weiming Anhui took a deep breath and said angrily: "Go quickly! Send the letter quickly to ventilate the capital. We must prompt the Kingdom of Jin to send troops! We must send troops!"

As long as the Jin Kingdom personally sends troops, the situation will definitely crush the Song Dynasty!

Weiming Anhui was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Yes! It must be possible!

As soon as he finished speaking, another urgent voice came from outside: "Report! Prime Minister! Something bad has happened! Something bad has happened!"

What the hell is going on!

Every day you feel that my heart is not beating fast enough, right?

A messenger came in quickly, knelt down and said: "Prime Minister, there is an urgent military report from Shizhou!"

Weiming Anhui took it impatiently and glanced at it quickly.

With this sweep, the whole person jumped up: The Song Army captured Yinzhou!

If Liu Yu's defeat enabled the Song Dynasty to concentrate on dealing with the situation in the northwest and relieved the pressure on the Song Dynasty, then the fall of Yinzhou completely reversed the situation in Song and Xia.

Xixia went from attacking to standing still in a short period of time.

but now?

It is no longer a matter of Xixia standing still.

It’s self-protection!

In the Battle of Yongle City back then, why did Xixia surrender with all its strength?

It was because the Song army built a city near Yinzhou.

Yinzhou is the Hengshan defense line. Once the Hengshan defense line is broken, the battle line will be pushed directly to the hinterland of Hengshan.
Chapter completed!