Li Du was killed, Zhang Yunsheng surrendered, tens of thousands of the disaster-rescuing troops and young civilians were all taken prisoner, and the West Road Beihudong was opened.

General Xin Jian of the Western Army led his troops out of Siwuguan, which is now Luowucheng, and attacked Suide.

Poor Suide had just been ravaged by Li Du and his troops two years ago. Before he could recover, he suffered another military disaster.

On the East Road, Yu Zanghuama led tens of thousands of troops to invade Qin Feng Road. Qin Feng Road's pacification envoy Li Chun used all his might and mobilized all the resources and troops he could get.

He barely withstood Yu Zanghuama's attack.

Although Qin Fenglu was safe for the time being, Li Chun did not have any energy to support Shaanxi Road anymore. If he could protect himself, the court would thank God and praise Li Chun as a capable minister.

But right now, the middle road looks calm, but now there is a huge wave brewing under the calm.

At the end of March, Xiao Ding captured Luowu City and completely brought the north of Hengshan under his control. However, he led the main force out of Hengshan and went straight to Shentangbao and Dingbiancheng. The army went straight into the dozens of border military villages that they had captured earlier.

Important military areas like Castel Village were completely abandoned after Xiao Ding left Hengshan.

If you don't leave, more than 90% of you will become Xiao Ding's prisoner.

Yuzang Huama was used to contain Qinfeng Road, and Xin Jian was used to contain Hedong Road. Xiao Ding led the main force to fight Zhang Chao on Shaanxi Road clearly.

At this moment, Zhang Chao only had 30,000 soldiers and horses on Gyeonggi Road and 20,000 soldiers and horses quickly mobilized from Bianliang, totaling 50,000 forbidden troops.

In Bianliang, in the side hall of Yanqing Hall, Zhao Suo's face was as dark as water, while Xia Jie and Chen Gui's expressions were solemn.

No one expected that the situation would deteriorate to such an extent.

"Zhang Chao has 50,000 forbidden troops in his hands, and he has also urgently recruited 100,000 regiments on the road to Shaanxi. Are the Xiang troops so vulnerable to a fight?" Zhao Suo said with anger in his voice. "To be so cowardly, only guarding the big city and the main road.

, handing over all the countryside, villages and towns to thieves to wreak havoc?"

Zhao Suo was so angry!

In Zhao Suo's view, Zhang Chao's strategy in writing the letter was just one sentence: You can't win, you can only defend.

They evacuated all the people to the dangerous pass of the big city, and then sat back and watched their opponents show off their power. As long as they did not attack the city, everything would be fine. In Zhang Chao's words, despite the strength of the Western Army, their weak financial resources were

There was no way we could withstand a long-term stalemate. It was spring time now, and the Western Army couldn't grab anything even if it tried to grab it. As time went by, the Western Army naturally retreated.

This made Zhao Suo feel extremely frustrated!

Master Wang was punished by the traitor and got into trouble like this. How could he have any dignity as an official?

"The official policy, given by Captain Zhang, is a mature and prudent policy." Xia Jie supported Zhang Chao's approach: "Whether it was the Gyeonggi Road or the Bianliang garrison, there has not been a major battle in how many years? This point,

The gap can be seen from the several battles between the border army and the imperial army. As for the Western Army led by Xiao Thief, how has it ever stopped fighting for one day in these years? Although the two sides have similar military strength, their combat effectiveness is very different.

Far."

Chen Gui nodded in agreement: "Lieutenant Zhang did not refuse to fight at all. Every time he sent troops and horses to try out the battle with the rebels. This is also a method of training troops through battle. The army is not far from the city and fights against the city. The loss is very small and the time is

Over time, these troops gradually adapted to war and developed their skills."

"More importantly, we far surpass each other in terms of financial resources!" Luo Song continued: "Although the area controlled by the Western Army is vast, it is vast and sparsely populated. Whether it is Tubo, the Western Regions or the Liao border, it has

They all need troops to defend them. If the war drags on for a long time, the logistics will inevitably be unable to support them, and the troops will have to retreat. Since the opponent can be forced to retreat by using financial resources, it is really not appropriate to risk sending troops. Li Du is a good example.

"

Hearing this, Zhao Suo's face turned even more pale.

Zhang Chao actually disagreed with Li Du's rash attack.

After Li Dan's plan to capture the Shentang Fort in a surprise attack failed, Zhang Chao was prepared to wait until the other troops on the Shaanxi Road arrived, and then send troops from Qinfeng Road, Hedong Road, Shaanxi Road plus Li Du's Yinxia Road at the same time.

The armies responded to each other from afar, crushing them with the force of Mount Tai.

But a decree from Bianliang made Li Du abandon Zhang Chao and send troops.

Zhang Chao went crazy with anger and wrote a letter to question Xia Jie's old rules. Only then did he realize that it was the officials who had bypassed the east and west governments and gave Li Du orders and promises in the name of the Central Government, which made Li Du go crazy.

Li Du's entire army was destroyed, and all Zhang Chao's plans came to nothing.

Without Li Du's tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, secondly, and most importantly, for the imperial army to attack, there was no support point. Moreover, without response, Zhang Chao did not think that the army at hand could defeat Xiao in a head-on confrontation.

The determined Western Army.

To defeat Xiao Ding and force the opponent to withdraw his troops became Zhang Chao's only option at the moment.

After Xiao Ding retreated, the court came back to plan calmly, gathering more troops bit by bit before taking action.

When fighting against a force like the Western Army, one must not indulge in temporary ambition. One can only use force to suppress it, consume it with strong national power, and squeeze the opponent's living space bit by bit.

"The official family, Xiao Thief said it controlled a hundred thousand soldiers and horses, but in fact, the number of soldiers and horses that could cross Hengshan was only forty or fifty thousand at most. The area under its rule was even more uneven. It was completely incomparable with the imperial court. As long as you have patience,

, spend some time, victory is inevitable, the best strategy is to attack with troops and defeat the enemy without fighting!" Xia Jie advised.

Xia Jie understood the deepest thoughts of the official in front of him, so Xiao Ding slapped him in the face. It was best to catch or kill this guy quickly, otherwise this person would live one more day, and his official

The family will lose face for one more day.

The problem is that now Xiao Ding has turned into an evil dragon, which can be easily taken down.

"We are willing to sacrifice, but won't the Liao people take advantage of the situation to rob them?" Zhao Suo collapsed and leaned on the back of his chair with some slump. "If we don't end the war on the Shaanxi road quickly, there will be more trouble on the way north to Hebei."

What's going to happen? The people on the Hebei Road have received information that the Liao people are beginning to gather in large numbers again."

"This is just a way for Ye Lujun to compromise with us!" Luo Song said disapprovingly.

"Who can say for sure what is true or false?" Zhao Jing, the king of Chu, was worried: "My dear ministers, turning from false to true is just an idea of ​​the Liao people. Back then, Li Xuneng rebelled for the title of King of Pingxia.

Who knows now that Xiao Ding will not follow in his footsteps?"

Everyone was silent.

Yes, reality and reality are all in one thought.

Isn't it because the imperial court wanted to quickly solve the Shaanxi problem because of the Liao Kingdom, the biggest enemy on the Hebei Road?

But who knows, the Shaanxi problem that was thought to be solved quickly has now become a big problem.

If Xiao Ding and the Liao people really joined forces to attack the Song Dynasty, the flowery country of the Song Dynasty would really be on the verge of collapse.

Can we give in to the negotiations with the Liao people?

Anyone who dares to agree to the Liao people's request will be a sinner through the ages.

The gentlemen sitting here are all top-notch people, how could they be willing to let such a stigma be left on their bodies?

Life and death are trivial matters, but indiscretions of integrity are serious matters. If one is scrawled on a spring pen, iron pen, or a glorious history book, it will be infamy for thousands of years.

Everyone fell silent.

After a long while, Xia Jiecai said: "The officials and ministers really can't escape."

"The military affairs in Shaanxi are extremely complicated, and I am worried and worried. I am really distracted and incompetent!" Chen Gui then stood up to get out of the way.

"When Xiao Yu left, the three divisions were in chaos, and now that the situation is in chaos, I temporarily took charge of the third division. I was worried that I would miss important events and be distracted!" Luo Song coughed dryly and shook his head repeatedly.

Li Guang, who was on the side, glanced at some of the shirking ministers, stood up, and said stiffly: "I don't want to talk. If I talk, I'm afraid it will ruin important affairs of the court."

Several people looked at Li Guang. This guy was born as a royal censor. He hated evil and was a bit stubborn in his studies. He really wanted to negotiate, but everyone was worried.

"Officials, why not let His Highness the King of Chu come forward!" Xia Jie bowed again.

Zhao Jing immediately looked at Xia Jie as if he had eaten a piece of shit, his eyes full of anger.

Come on, don’t you want to bear this infamy? Just leave it to me?

What kind of ministers are you?

Where has the loyalty gone?

However, Xia Jie and the others looked at King Chu openly and without any guilt.

You are not an official yet! Even if you become an official, will we be afraid of you?

This is your Zhao family's business, whether it's ceding land or paying compensation, it's best for you to do it yourself.

Don’t you feel bad for selling your field?

Besides, if you want to be the prince, you must have the filial piety to take the blame for the official family.

To put it mildly, those of us who really don’t want to do this anymore should resign and go back to the countryside to retire.

Where can you go?

"Your Majesty, please retire!" A group of ministers, under Zhao Jing's gritted eyes, bowed to Zhao Suo and walked away one by one.

Xiao Ding is just suffering from mustard ringworm. No matter how hard he is, he will just make a fuss on the roads of Shaanxi. If you really let him come to Bianliang, he doesn't have the strength yet!

The Liao people are a mortal enemy.

In fact, by now, smart people have understood that bowing to the Liao people is something they have to do. Not to mention the matter of letting the Liao people help fight Xiao Ding, it is to prevent the Liao people from taking advantage of the situation. At this time, in Hebei

To launch a new war, the price to be paid will inevitably be huge.

You have to compromise when you need to compromise. After all, the ancestors of the Zhao family have never signed an alliance under the city! Just wait until you regain your temper and regain your face.

Anyway, this is how everyone has been here over the years.

However, no one wants to bear the name of traitor.

"It's up to you to take care of this matter!" Zhao Suo dropped a word and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
To be continued...