Huizhou was already the westernmost point of imperial administration.
As for further west, including Xizhou and Lanzhou slightly to the south, they are all areas where the wind will blow away the grass.
When Si Luo came over, they recognized Si Luo. If Da Xia won, they could follow Da Xia. The Song State was powerful and rich, so it was OK to return to the Song State.
That area is a place where the forces are complicated, and they are at each other's throats, trying to survive without messing with anyone.
"The East Route Army took the lead in the first battle, can we, the West Route Army, just wait?"
Gao Zunyu particularly wanted to make meritorious deeds and bring the Gao family back to the glorious days of his ancestors. In addition to the current crown princess, he was assigned to the West Route Army. He really didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of his niece and son-in-law, and wanted to show off the Gao family’s ability to conquer.
Good at fighting.
Unfortunately, the commander of the West Route Army was Guo Kui.
To say that Guo Kui didn't want to make meritorious deeds would be a lie. Looking at the guards and the infantry, each one with the highest rank... I can't say anything. Whether it was the Southern Expedition or the counterinsurgency, they fought with real swords and guns.
of.
But he is not as belligerent as Zhonge. He has a relatively calm temperament. He always follows the rules when doing things and tends to advance step by step and be solid and steady.
This time the decisive battle will be in the middle...anyway, it will definitely not be in Huizhou.
Although Huizhou is also a loess land with ravines, the border villages are basically built on an east-west mountain ridge. In other words, if the Xixia people wanted to break through Huizhou's border village defenses with their cavalry, they did not have the military strength several times that of the imperial court.
In the face of the soldiers of the state and dynasty who are good at defense, the gain outweighs the loss.
The safest way for their West Route Army is to wait for the deployment of the middle route to be completed, arrive at the encirclement and suppression site as required, and then play the role of the West Route Army in this war.
Not willing to give in.
It is said that Guo Kui and Zhong E are the most famous generals in the entire Western Army since Di Qing, and they are also comparable to each other.
Di Qing seems to be really preparing to play the role of deputy commander during this expedition.
In other words, the performance of the Eastern and Western armies will determine who will be the leader of the entire Western Army in the future.
How could Guo Kui just be content with the status quo and wait for the encirclement and suppression?
"Lieutenant Gao, why don't you think that Mr. Guo will have a military exploit? Don't say that our West Route Army is closer to the middle route. A little movement may affect the deployment of the main force in the middle route."
"Let's just say that we are on the west route of Junbianzhai. From the Guochaobianzhai to the north, it is all barren yellow land. Not even a root of grass can grow high. There is really no suitable border village point. Otherwise, it will be the Guochaobianzhai further north.
If we advance more than ten or twenty miles, the Western thieves will not care."
It's very simple, there is no need to fight.
What are you fighting for? Standing at the border village and looking north, you can see a vast expanse of yellow. Not to mention that Xixia has also taken away the soldiers of the Baotai Army. Even if the Baotai Army does not move, it is only possible to see it thirty miles to the north.
The human figure is still a herdsman.
The imperial court is an infantry, not a cavalry. They go all the way to attack people...
"Commander Guo, as Brother Guo said, our West Route Army is closer to the middle route, which means that it will take less time for us to enter the decisive battle area."
"But the time when the frontline headquarters issues orders must be the same for the east and west routes. Then why can't our west route army attack westward?"
"To the west?"
Guo Kui thought about the feasibility of Gao Zunyu's suggestion... To the west is Gaolan, and Gaolan really does not belong to the dynasty. As for whether it is Tubo or Xixia... it depends on it from time to time.
At this stage, after Li Liangzhao's defeat against Si Luo, it seems that Gaolan has returned to Xixia.
…
Zhao Xi looked at the summary of information in his hand... Alas, this general is really used to being restrained.
The reason why he let go of Zhong E and Guo Kui's right to make decisions on the fly was to allow them to choose their own targets and start fighting.
That's good, half a month has passed and I'm still hesitating.
Zhao Xi still believed in the abilities of Zhong E and Guo Kui. In such a war-weary court atmosphere, someone who could earn a reputation as someone who was good at fighting should have some ability.
But this time, the purpose of arranging these two men on the east and west routes was to make it difficult for Xixia to fight on the east and west routes, and to concentrate Xixia's main battle line on the middle route to facilitate the imperial court's plan.
This is also the reason why Di Qing was unknown in the entire frontline headquarters after arriving in Qinzhou, and even avoided important occasions.
He hoped that the Xixia people would regard him as a ridiculous prince who could not eat minced meat, and then...
It’s just that the east and west routes are too weak.
As for the east and west routes provoking war, resulting in a stalemate in the battle, and resulting in the failure to arrive on schedule for the decisive battle... This point is not a problem for the new army that has received training from the escort battalion, and it is not a problem to fight on the run, not to mention that there is a track.
"Your Highness, the commander of the East Route Army has placed the scouts fifty miles away. He has a basic understanding of the layout of the Xixia Army within a radius of fifty miles."
"The West Route Army has made preliminary plans to turn the entire line westward and attack Gaolan. It is now ready to go."
Finally, some action was taken. If the delay continued, Zhao Xi was ready to give the order directly.
What's wrong with this? You have to wait for the coach's order to play?
"Your Highness, years of habits are difficult to change at once."
"This time His Highness has given up the power to make emergency decisions and has no specific combat goals. It is inevitable that he will be at a loss for a while."
Di Qing understood Zhong E and Guo Kui very well. Even if he was in the role of those two, he still found it difficult to choose.
"Your Highness, if you let go like this, the warlike spirit of the generals will be ignited. I'm afraid that when the decisive battle comes in the middle, they will be powerless."
Han Jiang and Lu Gongbi, including Yu Jing and Wang Su, were all aware of Zhao Xi's plan, and they became even more worried.
Making decisions on the spur of the moment means that both the east and west routes can choose to attack targets at will. The generals have no foresight. Once they advance too far, they will fall into the anxious situation of the war... When the decisive battle is needed in the middle, facing the anxious battle on the east and west routes, the prince will
Your Highness can't even issue an order to carry out the siege on schedule.
"Your Highness, the Imperial City Department's investigation information shows that Xixia has gathered more than 200,000 cavalry, and according to the court's deduction, its attack direction must be the center."
"Now we have deployed 100,000 troops in the middle, and only 60,000 are not enough to defeat the new army. Once the war starts, the pressure on the middle will be too great..."
Not saying there would be a defeat was already giving Zhao Xi face.
Although these few people do not have the reputation of being knowledgeable about military matters, they have been pondering this information these past few days and can still see the big picture clearly.
"Your Highness, the current plan is to move more quietly than to move. The three groups of soldiers and horses entered the ambush point early to wait for work. We only need to wait for the Western thieves to enter the encirclement, and we will directly encircle and suppress them."
This is a bit of a layman's talk.
The Xixia people are not stupid either. Two hundred thousand cavalrymen cannot be so stupid as to rush into an ambush.
This is not a battle involving thousands or eight hundred people, but a battle involving hundreds of thousands. Even if it is an encirclement and suppression, it may be a chaotic battle within a radius of a hundred miles.
But if there is no war on the east and west roads, how can the Xixia people believe that the middle road is empty?
Similarly, if the east and west routes did not directly penetrate into the Xixia territory, how could they disrupt the military morale of the Xixia warriors?