To say it was a sudden enlightenment may best suit the state of mind of all ministers.
From Wang Anshi's turning point to Zhang Dun and Su Che's intervention, all ministers were finally allowed to come out of their own circles.
Indeed, if they did not intend to explore the road, why would the officials talk about Xifan's goods? If they did not intend to guide the way, why would they call the Shiyi Temple to intervene in such a military issue?
The one who regretted it the most was Lu Huiqing. The official's premise of asking him to blame himself caused him to lose the basis for rational consideration later.
So that's it! They have been Jiayou for two years, and no one is idle.
"The officials once told the old minister that due to the Huazhou dam collapse disaster, the imperial court's reserves have been slightly reduced. The plan for Xixia cannot be done within a year or two. But the old minister went in the opposite direction."
Fu Bi's words seemed to be mocking himself, but he changed his attitude... He agreed with the officials' idea of finding another way.
Older people tend to be conservative. Based on this foundation, when considering problems, it is easy to magnify the dangers infinitely, or even block their overall thinking.
Fu Bi admitted frankly that his reputation as prime minister had not been compromised at all.
"That's true! I am at the stage of speculation about this passage and it needs to be verified. This is why I summoned Shiyi Temple to participate in the discussion."
"Another point, I consider that even if this passage exists, it is very likely that it will be uninhabited for a long distance, and there may even be mountains and ravines."
"It is very likely that not only war horses are needed, but camels are also needed, which also requires the leadership of Shiyi Temple. In order to ensure the food and grass for the army to march and the ammunition for the battle until it reaches Guyumen Pass in the later stage, including the problem of resisting the air epidemic, a large number of tanks must be equipped
, or a modified tank!”
Zhao Xi is not going to explain everything clearly. Since it is a meeting, ministers and workers need to express their opinions and slowly improve the plan.
What preparations should be made to travel west from Qingtang, cross the wasteland, and form a double-team on Xixia to form a real encirclement? The ministers and workers need to discuss collectively. Zhao Xi cannot do everything.
"Official officials, how many soldiers should be in this partial division needs to be discussed. If the number is small, it will be difficult to form a pincer attack on Xixia. Even Shazhou and Guazhou cannot be captured, and it is impossible to finally join the main force in Xingqing Mansion.
.”
"With a large number of people, even if we find a passage that can transport troops and supplies, it will be difficult to ensure that the armaments are delivered in place. After all, it is an uninhabited land, and there is no place to supply supplies. It depends entirely on Hehuang and even Qinzhou for supply."
The direction of the long supply line is difficult to determine, and logistical support is too difficult."
Wen Yanbo's consideration hit the mark.
"Actually, there is one more thing we need to pay attention to. When the imperial court plans Xixia and forms a target for east-west pincer attack, it must be better not to let Xixia know about the action before launching a war. However, how to sneak into a large-scale military operation is a difficult problem
.”
"Now that the imperial court has decided, Hehuang needs to assume the responsibility of the rear. Hehuang has been newly recovered, and there are many foreign tribes attached to it. For the attached tribes, how many actually surrender? How many have dissent? Are there any still with Xixia?
Who are the conspirators? Is there any detail? etc. These all need to be organized and organized."
"When taking action in the future, whether to use Qingtang City as a material supply point or Miaochuan City as a supply point needs to be considered."
It seems that no one is worried about whether Qingtang City can be defeated. This kind of confidence is the biggest change. The discussion is becoming more and more interesting, and Zhao Xi can say that he is very pleased.
Pragmatic governance habits have basically been formed in the court. At least these important ministers have begun to adapt to this way of discussing affairs and have begun to focus on practical work.
"All possibilities need to be established by exploring new paths. It is too early to talk about these now."
"That's wrong. Since there are Western merchants who can pass through, the path must exist. It's just a matter of how difficult it is to pass, that is, how it can be passed. Is it possible for chariots, horses, or soldiers have to do it on their own?
Carrying enough materials. These factors all influence the number of partial troops."
"Our Shiyi Temple can complete the assessment on this point. Merchants transport goods, and no one can make money traveling thousands of miles away. We can judge the new road from the number of people in the caravan, the amount of goods carried, the number of livestock used, etc.
There is an early judgment.”
"This is one point Jifu said, and there is another point. It is recommended that Shiyi Temple count all Xifan merchants, and the Imperial City Department or the relevant government offices send people to contact them to try to gain their trust and join the caravan, or to bribe the merchants.
, let our guys do a run and get a real sense of what the new path actually looks like.”
"Indeed, you must be a loyal warrior and truly experience a new path before you can use it for me to avoid the mistakes of hearsay. However, those who follow the guide pathfinder should preferably be soldiers or warriors and travel in an organized manner. Run a caravan.
There may be too many accidents along the way, not to mention the inevitable presence of thieves and horse bandits."
"Only by ascertaining the specific road conditions can we determine the number of partial divisions. I think it is best to bribe guides to explore the road, and the court will organize the expedition team, which can also be in the form of a caravan. This can ensure the confidentiality of the road exploration."
"Second, it is recommended that before the imperial court prepares to send troops, the caravans encountered must be annihilated to avoid leaking the news."
"If we form a team of soldiers from the country and Korea, we can carry a certain amount of gunpowder and match it with a certain number of engineers. Even in places that are not suitable for tanks, we can blast out a passage for tanks to pass."
"After the imperial court opens a new path, it is recommended that the imperial court take over the entire passage. Whether it is annihilation or custody, all caravans on the passage must wait until the war is over."
"After the path is cleared, we still need to annihilate all the horse thieves in this passage. It must be annihilated. It is impossible to determine their origins and the associated forces. Only annihilation can ensure the uniqueness of the passage for the country.
"
······
This is probably the benefit of working together. There are some things that Zhao Xi had not considered, and they were gradually improved through the discussions between you and me.
Such discussions, recorded by the Secretariat, and finally sorted out, are exactly what later generations would call a strategy.
But there is still one point, a more important point, that all ministers and workers have not considered enough.
"My dear ministers, for such a long distance, there should be a water source, and there must be a water source. Have you ever thought that since you want to control this road, why not build a military station at the water source? It can be said to be a military city, called
Transfer stations can also be used, and they can even serve as material storage points."
"Another point is that in order to avoid Xixia's actions being known, we can go west in batches as merchants. In three or two years, even with thirty or fifty people at a time, we can completely complete the covert transfer of a hundred thousand troops.
"
Zhao Xi made a concluding speech, putting forward the key points that he thought of.
This time the discussion was relatively successful, and the conclusions of the discussion were basically comprehensive. After being sorted out by the Secretariat and notified within a certain range, they were gradually improved.
This strategy for planning Xixia has basically been passed.