After Liu Liufu returned to the court, Yelu Zongzhen immediately took Wang Ting to the west and sent people to inquire about the war between Song and Dangxiang.

As the news gradually increased, the ministers were talking day and night, and the situation gradually became clear. Yelu Zongzhen, who originally regarded the threat of the Song Dynasty as a joke, dared not take it lightly. The more he went west, the more he understood the seriousness of the situation.

The Khitan had an absolute advantage in the confrontation with the Song Dynasty. The important reason was that he was in a strategic offensive position. In the border area, the Khitan only had a standing army of more than 100,000, which restrained the main force of the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty with only a standing army of more than 100,000. The entire border area was a side of the attack, with more than 100,000 standing army. No matter which direction the attack was taken, the Song army was very difficult to deal with.

It is not that the imperial guards could not defeat the Khitan's tens of thousands, but because the Song army was divided into two strategic directions, Hedong and Hebei. No matter which of these two strategic directions is broken through by the Khitan, it will quickly threaten Kaifeng. The long border line and the huge disadvantage of mobility have made the Song army hedge against the military pressure of the Khitan with several times of its strength.

If the Song army attacked, even if the 500,000 troops were united together, not to mention that the logistics could not be guaranteed, the attack would be delayed by the Khitan army with strong mobility. Once the attack was unfavorable, the Khitan could quickly mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops, and the numerical advantage of the 500,000 imperial guards would be quickly lost. This is a strategic disadvantage and it is difficult to change.

But when the Song Dynasty destroyed Dangxiang and opened up a second front at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, it was completely different.

The eastern line and the western line are thousands of miles apart. No matter how strong the Khitan's mobility is, it cannot be able to come and go like the wind. At this time, the Song Dynasty had the advantage of the inside line, and could coordinate the battles on both sides. The allocation of personnel and materials was much easier than that of the Khitan. The Yinshan area of ​​the Western Front only requires a small number of troops to be dispatched, and the Khitan had to fight with a large army, and the Eastern Front would no longer be able to defend it with more than 100,000 troops. This situation became a competition of national strength between the two sides.

Why did the Khitan compete with the Song Dynasty for national strength? It lost its strategic advantages, and the Khitan was at an absolute disadvantage in manpower and material resources.

Yelu Zongzhen was going to Yinshan to fight Xu Ping and try the current military power comparison between the two sides. After this strategy was settled, a series of subsequent problems surfaced, which made Yelu Zongzhen retreat.

The most important question is that Yelu Zongzhen wanted to lead the army to Yinshan. The troops confronting Hedong and Hebei Roads of the Song Dynasty should not only not be transferred, but also need to step up the replenishment. Otherwise, there would be a mobilization in its country. As we went to Yinshan, the Khitan troops in Youzhou and Yunzhou lost their reserve force, and more than 100,000 would be more than 100,000. At this time, the 500,000 imperial guards of the Song Dynasty had their number advantage and would no longer look honestly from the south. It is very likely that several routes would attack the direction of Youzhou.

This is different from Yelu Zongzhen's fight against Dangxiang. Dangxiang was originally going to war with the Song Dynasty, and the troops they could use were limited. Yelu Zongzhen only had his own royal court's direct army, plus some tribal troops on the Western Front. The Youzhou direction did not require additional troops, and the subsequent mobilization ability was still there. The Song army, which had fought with Dangxiang for several years, was unable to attack the north. The most important thing is that no matter whether it was a victory or a loss against Dangxiang, Dangxiang was unable to threaten Yunzhou and did not need to deploy a large army there. Faced with the 200,000 troops in Longyou who had just won the battle, the direct army of Yelu Zongzhen's royal court was far from enough. He needed more than 200,000 combat troops, and various affiliated troops transporting food and grass, which were close to the upper limit of the Khitan's national strength. After the war, heavy troops were still needed to deploy defense.

To go to Yinshan, Yelu Zongzhen needed to increase troops in all directions. Ensure that the Song army in Hebei would not take advantage of the opportunity, and ensure that the Song army in Hedong Road would not cooperate with the Song army in Yinshan to attack Yunzhou together, and the standing army would be more than doubled.

At this time, the Khitan's monarch and ministers had already understood that they began to think that the battle of Yinshan, which was only a small test on both sides, actually required the Khitan to devote the whole country to the efforts.

The Song Dynasty destroyed Dangxiang and stationed its troops under Yinshan, pulling the front line with the Khitan for thousands of miles away. As a result, the advantage of the inside line was from the Khitan to the Song Dynasty, and the offensive and defensive momentum of both sides had been transformed. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun depended on each other, and Yunzhou was the western barrier of Youzhou. Without Yunzhou, Youzhou could not be defended. After losing the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, the Khitan was forced out of the traditional Han territory and returned to the position of a nomadic regime. For the Khitan, Yunzhou must not be lost.

No matter who wins and loses in the battle of Yinshan, as long as the Song Dynasty can maintain an army of 100,000 or 200,000 troops at the foot of Yinshan, the Khitan will set up heavy troops around Yunzhou. What is the situation of the Song Dynasty in Hebei Road? What is the situation of the Khitan in the southwest of his Khitan?

With the situation of the Dangxiang battle sent by the fast horse, Yelu Zongzhen completely put away his contempt. In the past, the gathering of troops would have started after autumn, otherwise many tribes would not be able to find it. This time, the Khitan began to arrange it before the summer began.

The Khitan is not a country dominated by Khitans. The Khitans account for less than 20%. The Han people with the largest population are actually Han people, followed by Bohai people. There is no problem with such a structure in peacetime. When competing for national strength, you must be careful to deal with it.

Yelu Zongzhen changed his habit of fishing and hunting every day. As soon as he set up a big tent, he recruited all the ministers.

Everyone sat down, and Yelu Zongzhen said: "The news from Dangxiang Quick Horses was sent, Yuan Hao was in a slump after the battle in Tiandu Mountain and had no effect in Weizhou. The Song army swept Dangxiang and had no intention of fighting in various places. In this way, the Song army might be more calm than us when we go to Yinshan. When the two armies meet, they are waiting for their hard work, which is really worth worrying!"

Xiao Xiaomu said: "The army gathered in the southwest to the Zhaobiao Department. Youzhou was empty, so we must prevent the Song army from taking advantage of the situation to go north. The troops and horses in Youzhou must be gathered together, so that the Song army cannot get the idea of ​​coming north."

Yelu Zongzhen nodded: "Yes, the army went west to Yinshan, and one move led the overall situation. Not only the soldiers in Youzhou, but also the Yunzhou area also needs to gather. Alas, this confrontation will bring the whole country's troops."

He hadn't said anything yet. In the past, when the ordering troops and horses went south, it was a wealthy place in the Song Dynasty. There were wealth and property to rob, and everyone was motivated. This time, when we went to a place with poor mountains and rivers around Yinshan, there were only cattle and sheep. What did you rob? If you recruit tribal soldiers, everyone would definitely shirk their responsibilities. It's hard to say how many people could be plucked. The royal court directly under the army was ten Oludo, most of which were royal families. It would be over if the Khitan was taken away in one pot, and he couldn't really fight to the death. The situation this time felt that it was bad every day.

Liu Liufu said: "There is another thing. When fighting with Song, the general must be famous. You cannot start a fight if you disagree. The two countries have formed an alliance from Chanzhou, reconciled for decades, and tore up the peace agreement to start a war. There must be an argument, otherwise it will be difficult to reassure people."

Yelu Zong leaned on his seat, supported his chin with his hands, pondering without saying a word. He originally thought that it would be very easy to fight a battle with the Song army. He sent an envoy to Kaifeng and said that he was humiliating the allies and adding troops to the top. He could still get some benefits if he won. Now that the offensive and defensive situation is easy, he dared to do this, the Song Dynasty would definitely fight if he wanted to fight, and took the opportunity to tear up the alliance and stop the annual monies.

The monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty had not seen such a situation, so how could Fu Bi say that? Now that the national strength has increased greatly, there is sufficient money and food. It is not difficult to maintain a large army of 200,000 to 300,000 in the northwest, so how could he be willing to be in the current situation? The Khitan wanted to mediate the war between the Song Dynasty and Dangxiang with his strength, and just sent the excuse.

Now the Khitan is in a difficult situation. If he recognizes his grandson and does not fight, the Song Dynasty will send envoys to question him. The Khitan is behind the alliance and helps Dangxiang speak, and he will feed the dogs with 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 pieces of silk a year? It will be cancelled. If he wants to fight, he will face the east-west fronts thousands of miles apart and maintain two standing corps of hundreds of thousands of people at the same time. The Khitan national strength cannot support it.

The alliance between the two sides is based on the strength comparison. Now that the strength comparison changes, the conditions will inevitably change.

Ma Baozhong stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I have a plan to solve the current dilemma!"

Yelu Zongzhen suddenly stood up and said, "What are the prime minister's wonderful strategies? Please tell me quickly!"

"The current problems are nothing more than that, one is that they cannot explain to the Song State, and the other is that they are occupied by the Song army, which is not conducive to their own country. Now that Dangxiang is broken, Yuanhao has no longer acted, and people are in panic and have no desire to fight. Dangxiang's territory is acceptable, so why is it not advisable for Dangxiang? When Deming was in the time, he was surrendered to his country and Song, and Yuanhao was also his son-in-law. With this position, he could order the southwest recruitment department to immediately send troops to Dangxiang to seize the land of Dangxiang's Heishan Military Supervisory Office. To the south of the Heishan Mountain is the desert. Even if the Song army occupied Dangxiang's land, he would be unable to threaten Yunzhou. If they came to attack, the Song State would be defeated!"

Yelu Zongzhen held a hand: "The prime minister said this is great kindness! The Song army can take Dangxiang's land, but what's the problem with the country taking it? Dangxiang is no longer in a fight at this time. As long as a small number of troops, they can capture Heishan and come to raise the city and surrender!"

Xiao Guan pondered: "I didn't expect that a war would start at Dangxiang. There were fewer troops and horses in the southwest. Yuan Hao had to guard his country again. Heishan had many troops and horses. If he had a strong attack, it would be a bit difficult."

Yelu Chongyuan raised his hand: "It's different from the past! With Yuan Hao here, those Dangxiang people can still fight with us. Now Yuan Hao has become a dead dog, who will work hard for him! As long as you send an envoy to inform the Heishan garrison, they will surrender even if they don't open the city!"

Yelu Zong really thought about it and patted his hands repeatedly: "Only this plan can solve the current dilemma! Immediately go to Fengzhou to inform Xiao Puda, and ask him to raise all his subordinates to take Dangxiang's Heishan Military Supervisory Office! If the Song army comes to attack and let him defend, I will lead the army here to support me! As long as the Song army destroys Dangxiang, what can I do?"
Chapter completed!