The Liao Kingdom was in a state of stability and there was little competition. Yang Xiangshi, with all his troops and horses deployed, led the Liao Kingdom's 200,000 elite troops out of Shangjing City and headed west along the Shangjing Road to Zhaisangbo under the rule of the Nianbage tribe.
Nianba Gebu Administration Office is adjacent to Heihan.
Zhaisangbo is the intersection of the Liao and Heihan territories.
After the Black Khan King Yu Sufu learned that Xiao Pidi of the Liao Kingdom had led 200,000 elite soldiers to Zhaisangbo, he personally led an army of 500,000 people and rushed to the northern border of the Black Khan territory.
Both sides gathered their troops in Tacheng, Zhaisangbo.
After negotiation, the Black Khan King Yusufu personally led a million-strong army to invade the Xizhou Uighurs from Badaling and attack Xizhou Uighurs such as Wachi, Moman, Baiyin, Qiuci and other cities.
Xiao Pidi of the Liao Kingdom led 200,000 elite troops of the Liao Kingdom, and went south along Zhaisang to attack the Xizhou Uyghurs Yangjibali, Zhangbali and other places.
The two sides will finally gather their troops at Gaochang, then cross Jinling, and together they will attack the Uighurs in Xizhou and lose eight miles to Beiting.
Later, the Liao Kingdom's Xiang Wen Xiao fought against and wiped out the remaining Uighurs in Xizhou, Nazhi, Yidu, and Yizhou.
The two sides finally used the Tianshan Mountains as the boundary to divide the Xizhou Uighurs.
After the two sides reached an agreement, King Yusufu of the Black Khan led his army back to Balashagon, the capital of the Black Khan.
Subsequently, the two sides attacked the Xizhou Uighurs according to the agreed plan.
After the advance route of the Black Khan Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom was reported back to the Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen immediately summoned Kou Ji into the palace, along with Li Zhaoliang, Minister of War, and Lu Yijian.
Zishido.
In the middle, there is a red lacquered wooden table seven feet long and four feet wide, with a detailed map of the Western Regions spread out on the table.
After Kou Ji took over the military power, he refined the maps for marching.
The military maps of the Song Dynasty have gone away from the situation of outlining mountains, rivers and cities with just a few strokes, and have become extremely detailed.
So Kou Ji and others were not surprised when they looked at the detailed map of the Western Regions on the table.
Under the gaze of Kou Ji and others, Zhao Zhen took up his ink pen and drew two bright red lines on the map. He pointed at the red lines and said to Kou Ji and others: "The soldiers and horses of Black Khan are marching from Badaling.
, those marching from Zhaisang are the soldiers and horses of the Liao Kingdom."
After looking at the two marching routes, Kou Ji and others looked at each other.
Kou Ji and Li Zhaoliang didn't need to say much. They saw the problems on the two marching routes at a glance.
The three of them, Lu Yijian, can be regarded as people who have overseen military affairs. Although they are not very proficient in military strategy and marching methods, they know more or less about it.
The three of them also saw problems with the two marching routes.
Lu Yijian couldn't help but said: "After the Liao soldiers captured Zhangbali, they should go all the way eastward and directly capture the Beiting Beishibali of Xizhou Uighurs. Then they should go all the way eastward and join the troops of the Black Khan Dynasty at Guigukou.
, clearing out other territories of the Uighurs in Xizhou.
After the Liao soldiers captured Zhangbali, they had to rush to Gaochang and cross the Tianshan Mountains. After the two sides joined forces, they rushed from Gaochang to Xizhou Uighur Beiting without losing eight miles, and they had to cross the Tianshan Mountains again, plus a golden mountain."
Wang Zeng said in a deep voice: "They will probably lose a lot of troops and horses by crossing the Tianshan Mountains twice."
The weather on Tianshan Mountain is harsh and the roads are difficult to travel.
The Liao soldiers and the Black Khan soldiers were mostly cavalry. Not only the men had to pass through the Tianshan Mountains, but the horses also had to pass through the Tianshan Mountains. The difficulty of the march would be greatly increased.
During the march, the number of soldiers and horses lost may skyrocket.
Li Zhaoliang said at the side: "They may not cross the Tianshan Mountains twice. After the Liao soldiers captured Zhangbali, they should send some troops and horses to cross the Tianshan Mountains to join the Black Khan troops.
Both sides joined forces to conquer Gaochang.
After taking Gaochang, we should march eastward, pass through Guigukou, and fight back against the Uighurs in Xizhou, Beiting must not lose eight miles.
Therefore, only a part of the Liao soldiers would bear the risk of crossing the Tianshan Mountains.
So they shouldn’t lose too many soldiers and horses.”
Hearing this, Lu Yijian and the other three thought for a moment and nodded.
In Xizhou Uighur territory, the places with the strongest military strength were Gaochang and Beiting Biesebali.
It is reasonable for both sides to join forces and attack Gaochang and Beiting without losing eight miles.
Just by doing this, the Liao soldiers would have to bear the risk of crossing the Tianshan Mountains.
Lu Yijian, Kou Ji and others knew why the Liao soldiers had to take huge risks to cross the Tianshan Mountains.
All problems on the battlefield that go against common sense and only increase consumption stem from interests.
Gaochang and Beiting, two miles away from each other, are the two places where the Uighur military strength in Xizhou is strongest, and they are also the two places where the wealth of the Uighurs in Xizhou gathers.
Once the two cities are breached, a large amount of cattle, sheep, and money will surely be captured.
Neither the Liao Kingdom's Xiang Wen Xiao Pidi nor the Black Khan's King Yu Sufu were willing to let the other party enjoy the benefits of one place exclusively.
That's why they went against common sense and chose to let their troops cross the Tianshan Mountains at great risk.
"The Liao soldiers took risks they shouldn't have to take, and the Black Khan King Yu Sufu should make some compensation, otherwise the Liao Kingdom would never be able to agree to send troops and horses across the Tianshan Mountains."
Zhang Zhibai affirmed.
Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "According to the spies' report, the Black Khan King Yusufu gave up the fight for the three cities of Nazhi, Yidu and Yizhou. Presumably these three cities were compensated to the Liao Kingdom."
Lu Yijian snorted coldly and said disdainfully: "The Liao Kingdom doesn't even know how to govern its current territory, so what's the use of occupying so much territory."
Zhao Zhen, Kou Ji, Wang Zeng and others heard this and shook their heads in confusion.
The Liao Kingdom has been developing Sinicization for many years. Some places have been completely Sinicized and implemented the Han system, but there are still some places that still use the unique governance methods of the grassland people.
In Lu Yijian's eyes, the grassland people's unique governance method is no different from no governance.
That's why he said these words with disdain.
Zhao Zhen and others knew the meaning of Lu Yijian's words, so they couldn't laugh or cry.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "No one can have too much territory. Although I, the Song Dynasty, have not completely digested Dali, if I have the opportunity to occupy some territories from other places, I will definitely not let it go."
Lu Yijian said calmly: "Can the Liao Kingdom compare with the Song Dynasty? Even if the Song Dynasty captures more territory, it will be Hanized sooner or later. After the Liao Kingdom captured the Uighurs in Xizhou, Yidu and other places,
It will definitely not be managed well.
It's nothing more than Cao Cao following the rules and following the prairie people's way of governing the place.
The easier it is to seize the title, Yidu and other places, the easier it will be to throw it away later."
Zhao Zhen glanced at Lu Yijian and said, "Is now the time to talk about this?"
Lu Yijian smiled dryly.
Zhao Zhen continued: "The spies reported that the envoys from the Xizhou Uighurs asking for help are on the way, and they will arrive in Bianjing city in a short time. If the Xizhou Uighurs ask for help from me, the Song Dynasty, we will help or not."
When Lu Yijian heard this, he frowned and remained silent.
Wang Zeng said in a deep voice: "The Yongxing and Pengri armies are still in Dali. The Yongxing army will not be mobilized back to Xining Prefecture until the end of the year. The only troops and horses that can be mobilized in the west are the Zhenxi Army.
However, the Zhenxi Army still has to guard the west. Once it is transferred, the west will not be heavily guarded.
No matter whether Qingtang or the Liao people take the opportunity to attack, we can't stop them.
So we can't help."
Lu Yijian agreed: "The Liao State sent troops to help the Black Khan Dynasty deal with the Xizhou Uighurs. It was probably a plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain. Maybe the Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu was quietly lurking outside the western border of the Song Dynasty with his troops.
Once our Song Dynasty transfers the Zhenxi Army, he will take the opportunity to launch an attack."
Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment and said: "Emperor Yelu Longxu of Liao Dynasty is still in the capital."
Lu Yijian was stunned for a moment, and then said in deep thought: "That's not a risk... Our Northern Territory of the Song Dynasty is adjacent to the Northwest Road and Southwest Road of the Liao Kingdom. The Liao Kingdom has a recruitment department on the Northwest Road and the Southwest Road.
Each has twelve squadrons.
Previously in the northwest, our Song Dynasty defeated the 12th Squadron of the Liao Kingdom's Northwest Route Army.
But after repairs in recent years, the 12th Squadron of Liao Northwest Road Army has regained its strength.
There are a total of twenty-four squadrons in the northwest and southwest, with more than 200,000 soldiers and horses.
If they gather their troops together and invade from the northwest of our Song Dynasty, the Zhenbei Army alone may not be able to stop them.
In addition, within Xingqing Mansion, there are still many Xixia survivors who hold grudges against our Song Dynasty.
Once the Zhenbei Army comes into contact with the Liao Kingdom's northwest and southwest armies, the Xixia survivors will lose their heavy troops to deter them, and they are likely to cause trouble behind their backs."
Wang Zeng frowned and said: "The Liao Kingdom can dispatch troops and generals, and so can we. The Yongxing Army will then return to Xining Prefecture, and then we can dispatch the Yongxing Army to rush for reinforcements.
Coupled with the assistance of local soldiers and horses, we will definitely be able to keep the Liao Kingdom at bay."
"After the Yongxing army returns to Xining Prefecture, they must guard against Qingtang."
Lu Yijian shouted loudly: "Although Qingtang has been attached to the Song Dynasty in recent years, and King Qingtang is very filial to the officials, it does not mean that he has no ambition.
In recent years, King Jiao Siluo of Qingtang has been suppressing the Tubo tribes in Qingtang, and has gradually brought all the Tubo forces under his control. The power in his hands is no less than that of Xixia in the past, and is even three points stronger than Xixia.
.
If we transfer the Yongxing Army, he will take the opportunity to rebel.
It is not impossible to drive all the way to Bianjing City."
When Wang Zeng heard this, he frowned and said nothing.
What Lu Yijian said is not unreasonable.
You cannot trust outsiders, let alone expect them to treat you kindly when you are facing enemies from both sides.
The Yuanshan tribe was very loyal to the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty even arranged 10,000 elite troops to guard Shazhou, not to mention the ambitious Qingtang.
When the Song Dynasty was reforming its military system, it specially dispatched the Yongxing Army from Yongxing Military Road to Xining Prefecture just to guard against Qingtang.
After Lu Yijian convinced Wang Zeng, no one objected to Lu Yijian's words.
Lu Yijian immediately reported to Zhao Zhen, "The officials and ministers think that if the Uighurs from Xizhou ask for help from the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty should ignore it."
Zhao Zhen smiled and did not respond to Lu Yijian's words. Instead, he looked at Kou Jida and said, "What do you think, fourth brother?"
The eyes of everyone in Zishi Hall fell on Kou Ji.
Kou Ji said frankly: "What Lu Gong said makes sense. If the Xizhou Uighurs ask for help from our Song Dynasty, we really should not send heavy troops out. Our Song Dynasty is at a critical moment of military replacement.
Sending heavy troops out of the country can easily be exploited.
However, you should understand the principle of dying lips and cold teeth.
Once the Xizhou Uighurs are destroyed, our Song Dynasty will have to face the tyrannical Black Khan Dynasty.
The Liao Kingdom can help the Black Khan Dynasty attack the Xizhou Uighurs.
The Black Khan Dynasty can also help the Liao Kingdom attack the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, I, the Song Dynasty, still have to help the Xizhou Uighurs.
Although we cannot send heavy troops, we can send a troop of no more than 10,000 troops to help."
Lu Yijian suddenly frowned and said, "The Black Khan Dynasty has a million troops, and the Liao Kingdom has sent 200,000 elite soldiers. What is the difference between sending a force of no more than 10,000 soldiers and horses and seeking death?"
Kou Ji smiled and said: "You can't say that. The Song Dynasty sent troops and horses there not to help the Xizhou Uighurs to confront the heavy troops of the Black Han Dynasty and Liao Kingdom, so the number of troops and horses is not the key.
The key is how to help the Xizhou Uighurs fight after our Song Dynasty soldiers and horses arrive at the Xizhou Uighurs, so as to delay the life of the Xizhou Uighurs."
Lu Yijian felt that Kou Ji was a little whimsical.
The opponent is a powerful enemy with 1.2 million troops.
Even if the Song Dynasty faced a powerful enemy with 1.2 million troops, it still had to deal with it cautiously.
Kou Ji sent less than 10,000 troops to the Xizhou Uighurs, and he just wanted to help the Xizhou Uighurs survive?
Wang Zeng and Zhang Zhibai also felt the same way.
Only Li Zhaoliang's eyes lit up and he said: "Do you want to send people to set up an ambush at Guigukou to block the invasion of the Black Han Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom?"
I want to help the Xizhou Uighurs survive with the help of less than 10,000 troops.
The only thing you can do is to use strange tricks.
Guigukou was the only place where the troops of the Black Han Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom marched, and it was also a very suitable place for an ambush.
Kou Ji smiled and nodded.
Lu Yijian and the other two looked at each other without saying anything, and began to speculate on the possibility of delaying time at Guigukou.
Li Zhaoliang did not need to think carefully. After Kou Ji nodded, he said: "Guigukou is certainly a good place to ambush, but the enemy has 1.2 million soldiers and horses. After removing the soldiers and horses left behind in Qiuci and other places, gather together
The number of soldiers and horses arriving at Guigukou was at least 800,000.
Ten thousand people cannot defeat 800,000 enemies.
Even if it is an ambush, it can only delay the enemy's march, and it cannot play a role in winning by surprise."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "It is impossible for us, the Song Dynasty, to send hundreds of thousands of troops to the Xizhou Uighurs to help them. Therefore, facing 1.2 million soldiers and horses, the Xizhou Uighurs will surely perish.
I sent people to ambush Guigukou, and the purpose was not to overturn the situation.
It is impossible for 10,000 people to come back against 800,000 people.
Unless God bless you and send down a fireball.
But the Xizhou Uighur Khan obviously did not have the luck of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, so it was impossible for God to drop a fireball.
Therefore, I sent people to ambush at Guigukou with the purpose of delaying time. The longer the delay, the better."
"But it can't change the situation. The final result is still the same."
"no the same……"
Kou Ji smiled and shook his head, "It's very different. Once the troops of the Black Khan Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom conquer Gaochang, the strength of the Xizhou Uighurs will be exhausted.
If the Uighur Khan of Xizhou sticks to Beiting and loses eight miles, his only fate will be death.
If he wanted to survive, he had no choice but to flee.
I, the Song Dynasty, sent people over to help him resist the enemy at Guigukou, firstly to delay the enemy's advance, and secondly to buy him time to escape.
The Uighur Khan of Xizhou could not escape to the west, north or south.
So in the end, he could only take his troops, horses, and hundreds of years of accumulation from the Western Uighurs, and flee eastward to the Song Dynasty."
Lu Yijian and others were all stunned.
Wang Zeng said in astonishment: "You sent less than 10,000 people to help the Xizhou Uighurs. Are you just thinking about the soldiers, horses and money of the Xizhou Uighurs?"
Kou Ji nodded and said: "Once the Uighur Khan of Xizhou takes his people and escapes to our Song Dynasty, then he, his people and money will belong to our Song Dynasty. If he lives under someone else's care, many things will have to be done according to the wishes of our Song Dynasty.
Do.
With his help, I, Da Song, can quickly digest the people in his hands and swallow the money in his hands.
At that time, we can integrate the Xizhou Uighur troops and horses, and then send the Zhenxi Army to Shazhou to jointly resist the troops of the Black Khan Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom.
It would take months at least for the Black Khan Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom to digest the territory of the Xizhou Uighurs.
Therefore, within a few months, they will never conflict with the Zhenxi Army stationed in Shazhou."
Wang Zeng exclaimed: "The Black Khan Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom sent 1.2 million soldiers and horses to destroy the Xizhou Uighurs. In the end, the one who got the biggest advantage will be me, the Song Dynasty."
Kou Ji nodded slowly.
Lu Yijian said in a deep voice: "But once we take the people and money of the Xizhou Uighurs, the Black Khan Dynasty will have enough reasons to start a war with the Song Dynasty. The Liao Kingdom will definitely not follow the Black Khan Dynasty to attack our country.
Song Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty will be attacked from both sides."
Kou Ji sighed and said quietly: "What do you think the Liao Kingdom's purpose is in helping the Black Khan Dynasty? Is it just for the sake of the Uighurs in Xizhou?"
Lu Yijian's pupils shrank.
"You mean...the Liao Kingdom and the Black Khan Dynasty have formed an alliance? Attacking the Xizhou Uyghurs is just to hunt rabbits. Their real goal is us?"
After the envoys of the Liao Kingdom met with the Black Khan King Yusufu, Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji guessed their ultimate purpose, but they did not tell Lu Yijian and others about it to prevent them from leaking the news and causing panic.
Therefore, Lu Yijian and others did not know that the Liao Kingdom had completely formed an alliance with the Black Khan Dynasty, and its purpose was to benefit the Song Dynasty.
Kou Ji heard Lu Yijian's words and nodded: "Yes, their real target is me, the Song Dynasty. So whether we take in the Xizhou Uighur Khan or not, the result is the same."
Lu Yijian said with an ugly face: "Once the Black Khan Dynasty annexes the Xizhou Uighurs, their military strength will probably exceed one million. Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty has been recruiting troops in recent years, and his troops have also reached one million.
Unprecedented and terrifying figures.
If they attack our Song Dynasty together, how should our Song Dynasty respond?"
The Black Khan dynasty's fighting style was like locusts.
They feed their war with war, and do not need to carry baggage.
How many soldiers and horses you have in hand will determine how many soldiers and horses will appear on the battlefield.
In addition to the Pishi Army and some Chinese-style soldiers and horses, the Liao Kingdom's other military and horse fighting methods were actually similar to those of the Black Khan Dynasty.
Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty is dying. In order to pave the way for his son, he will spare no effort to mobilize all his troops to fight against the Song Dynasty.
If the troops of the Black Khan Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom were combined, that would be an astonishing number.
The Song Dynasty will face an unprecedented bad situation.
After Lu Yijian finished speaking, Kou Ji added, "When the time comes, Qingtang will not be a spectator."
Lu Yijian's face turned pale for an instant, and his voice was slightly trembling as he said, "Yes... Qingtang will not let this opportunity go."
Wang Zeng murmured with a very ugly face: "The number of enemies our Song Dynasty will face is likely to exceed two million..."
Seeing that the faces of Lu Yijian and the others were very ugly, Kou Ji comforted him and said, "You three don't have to worry. It sounds like there are many enemies, but in fact there are not many that can really be fought.
Take the Black Khan Dynasty as an example.
The Black Khan Dynasty had millions of soldiers and horses, but the number of soldiers and horses that could really fight a tough battle should be around 300,000.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for the Black Khan Dynasty to conquer the Xizhou Uighurs after so many years and still be unable to defeat the Xizhou Uighurs. In the end, they would have to rely on the troops of the Liao Kingdom to conquer the Xizhou Uighurs.
Although Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty has recruited many soldiers in recent years, most of them are new soldiers and their combat effectiveness is not strong.
The Liao Kingdom was previously defeated by Xixia and consumed many of its elites.
Later, they were defeated by me, the Song Dynasty, and a lot of elites were consumed.
Nowadays, the Liao Kingdom has a lot of soldiers and horses, but not many can really fight a tough battle.
King Jiao Siluo of Qingtang had just conquered the Tubo clan in Qingtang not long ago, and he was still getting used to it, so he didn't have many soldiers under his command who could fight a tough battle.
A careful calculation shows that the enemy's numbers are very strong, but only less than one-third of them can actually fight."
"One third, that's nearly 700,000 soldiers and horses..."
Zhang Zhibai said in a low voice with an ugly face.
Kou Ji solemnly said: "Our Song Dynasty has 600,000 carefully selected forbidden troops, and then another 60,000 forbidden troops will be added. Secondly, the total number of local soldiers and horses in our Song Dynasty is as many as sixty or seventy."
Ten thousand."
Lu Yijian gritted his teeth and said: "There is still a huge gap..."
Kou Ji said solemnly: "We still have firearms that they don't have! We also have far more money than they have!"
When Lu Yijian and the other three heard this, their faces looked a little better.
They have seen the power of firearms and know that firearms can play a great role on the battlefield and can make up for part of the gap in military strength.
Of course, there is no need to talk about money.
In the past, when the treasury of the Song Dynasty was so empty that it could run away with rats, it was recognized as a prosperous country in the world.
Nowadays, the money accumulated in the treasury of the Song Dynasty exceeds 10 million yuan, and Zhao Zhen's small treasury is even more full.
There is also a Yizijiaozi shop, where the amount of money deposited is astonishing.
The financial resources of the Song Dynasty were probably several times richer than those of the Liao Kingdom, the Black Khan Dynasty, and Qingtang combined.
If fighting a war of attrition, the Song Dynasty would have sufficient financial advantages.
"We have money, and we can drag them to death!"
Kou Ji said loudly.
Lu Yijian and the other two looked at each other and remained silent.
Seeing this, Kou Ji continued: "The three of them only saw the disadvantages of us going to war with Hei Khan, Liao Kingdom, and Qingtang, but they didn't see the advantages of us going to war with them."
Kou Ji looked at the three of them and said with a heavy voice: "This battle! I, the Song Dynasty, will win! If you look around, all the territory you see is at my disposal, the Song Dynasty!"
Lu Yijian and the others were shocked.
As Kou Ji said, after this victory, if you look around, all the territories will be at the mercy of the Song Dynasty.
The land of Yanyun will definitely return to the Song Dynasty.
They have never experienced a battle involving millions of soldiers and horses.
There are no corresponding examples in history books for reference.
Lu Yijian and the others didn't know whether they should take a gamble.
When the ancients went to war, in order to frighten the enemy, they would blow a whistle called Xuanhu.
With ten to twenty thousand soldiers and horses, he dared to boast that he had one hundred thousand elite soldiers.
With two to three hundred thousand soldiers and horses, you can claim to have an army of 800,000.
If the Song Dynasty really went to war with the Black Khan Dynasty, Qingtang, and Liao Kingdom, it would be a fierce battle involving millions of soldiers.