Li Xin looked at Zhou Xian's face and patiently explained: "Kaifeng is located in the central Yu Plain, a place where north and south meets east and west. Cars and boats are connected, water and roads are connected, and the city is full of clouds, countless, and the prosperity is no less than that of the two capitals. Its prosperity and surrounding environment have two effects. First, most of the residents in the city are not farmers. Some of them may have countless farmlands, but they do not cultivate themselves. Most of them are gentry or businessmen with a lot of property. Second, Kaifeng is well-connected and has sufficient water sources. The Yellow River is dozens of miles away, and there are Cai River, Wuzhang River, and Bian River in the city communicate with each other. Brother Zhou, you can probably understand what I mean by what I said!"

Zhou Xian pondered for a moment and nodded, "The reason why the thieves ravaged the world is that most of the victims cannot survive and choose to follow the thieves. The people in Kaifeng City have certain family property, and they do not need to follow the thieves. The sufficient water source determines that the farmland around Kaifeng can be irrigated. They are affected by drought. The surrounding people are far richer than the people in other places, and most of them do not need to follow the thieves."

Li Xin praised the high-fives: "Brother Zhou is indeed smart, and he can see through it at a glance. The drought may last for a long time, but the impact around Kaifeng is extremely limited. The people in the city are even more concerned about the court, which makes it undoubtedly more difficult for the thieves to attack Kaifeng. For at least a few years, I speculate that they have no ability to attack Kaifeng. As for how their strength can be expanded in a few years, it depends on the changes in the entire time and how the court responds."

Li Xin paused for a moment, as if he was pondering. "If one day in the future, the thieves really start attacking Kaifeng, then the world will be really dangerous. In the past, I also thought that these thieves were just a group of mobs and would never be able to accomplish great things. But this time, when they captured Fengyang, Zhongdu, I realized that the court really despised them too much."

Zhou Xian nodded and said, "The court called the rebellious people by thieves, but since they captured Fengyang of Zhongdu, they will no longer be thieves, and they will likely develop into a large army that competes with the court in the future. The general trend of the world will eventually develop in an unpredictable direction."

Li Xin said: "What Brother Zhou said is basically the same as my idea. Kaifeng is the government of Henan Province. I think this military disaster will expand here sooner or later, so I made some preparations in advance."

Zhou Xian looked up at Li Xin, and his face changed slightly, "Is Brother Li an official in the court?"

Li Xin smiled faintly and said, "Not now, but I can't say it in the future. And even if it may not be in the future, it does not affect making some preparations in advance. Whether it is a court official has no direct relationship with whether it is a court official or whether it is a preparation in advance. After all, a person only has good strategies and will not panic when it is used suddenly."

Zhou Xian heard what Li Xin said implicitly, but he didn't quite understand what he meant, so he touched the back of his head in confusion.

Li Xin shook his sleeves, looked straight ahead, and said with a smile on his face: "Brother Zhou, do you know what I have done in the past two months?"

Before Zhou Xian answered, Li Xin said to himself: "After the bandits attacked Zhongdu, I left my home and traveled to the counties around Kaifeng. I just wanted to see how the bandits attacked Kaifeng in the future. This is my preparation. If I become an official in the future, I can use it. If I don't become an official, as a person from Kaifeng Prefecture, I can also offer advice to some adults at that time. This can be regarded as making some contributions to my hometown."

Zhou Xian couldn't help but stretched out his tongue. If what Li Xin said was true, then with his long-term considerations and given time, his future prospects would definitely be limitless. But why did he never hear of this person in the original history? He thought about it again and felt relieved. In that chaotic world, not everyone had the opportunity and time to display their talents. I don't know how many people died in war chaos even underage, crossing the sky like meteors, leaving nothing behind.

Compared to his extraordinary person, Zhou Xian was more curious about what he had explored. "Brother Li, have you speculated how the thieves will attack Kaifeng in the future?"

Li Xin smiled faintly and said, "It is difficult for the thieves to predict how they will attack because of their different levels. But if there are some knowledgeable people among the thieves, they will make full use of Kaifeng's disadvantages and attack."

Zhou Xian nodded and asked, "In Brother Li's opinion, what are the disadvantages that bandits in Kaifeng can take advantage of?"

Li Xin said: "I think there are roughly three. First, Kaifeng is located on a plain and there is no solid mountain or river around it. Compared with Luoyang, Chang'an and other places, it is more likely to be attacked. Second, Kaifeng has a large population and food and grass are supplied from the outside. Once the supply of canal transportation is lost, the city will sooner or later fall into a desperate situation. Third, Kaifeng is adjacent to the Yellow River. From ancient times to the present, it has never been surprising to use water instead of military force."

Li Xin paused for a moment and continued, "If I were the leader, I would make four preparations when attacking Kaifeng. First, attack Heluo first and eliminate the resistance in Yu. Second, cut off its grain transportation and cut off the supply of food and grass in Kaifeng. Third, encircle but not attack, use heavy troops to attack the reinforcements of the official army from all over the place. Fourth, guard the natural danger of the Yellow River and prevent the official army from coming from the north. At the appropriate time, dig the Yellow River, use water instead of soldiers, and force the people in the city to surrender."

Zhou Xian pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Li, you don't seem to be planning to attack Kaifeng?"

Li Xin smiled faintly and said, "A direct attack, and a huge sacrifice may not be able to make up for it. My idea is to take Luoyang as the foundation. After taking down Luoyang, we will use it as the foundation. We will completely eliminate the government troops around Kaifeng and make it an isolated city. Then cut off its grain transportation, siege but not attack, to deter the surroundings, and force the court to send reinforcements. Then defeat their reinforcements and fall into the morale of the defenders in the city. After this, even if the people in the city do not surrender voluntarily because of shortage of food, their morale will inevitably be reduced to the lowest level. After that, if they attack it again, they will at least be sure to take Kaifeng. The method of using water instead of troops will never be adopted until the last moment. After all, water and fire are ruthless. Once they reach that time, Kaifeng will really become a dead city."

Zhou Xian looked silent. Judging from the original history, the later development was basically the same as Li Xin predicted. After Li Zicheng, the King of Breaking, began to siege Kaifeng three times after he captured Luoyang. The first sneak attack, the second strong attack, and the third time he adopted what Li Xin said was siege but not attack.

First, the food route was cut off and Kaifeng City was in a famine. Then, the 130,000 imperial army was defeated in Zhuxian Town, and no large number of reinforcements could aid Kaifeng. After that, there would be a complete siege. If someone had not dug the Yellow River in the end, Kaifeng would have fallen sooner or later. What was terrifying is that Kaifeng had nearly one million people, and only tens of thousands survived. A small number died in resistance, and most died in the subsequent famine and floods.
Chapter completed!