Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 624 Brand New Plan
"I haven't considered it yet, but Ai Qing can listen to the opinions of the two prime ministers."

Zhao Xu said to Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo: "The two prime ministers, please explain!"

Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo looked at each other, Fu Bi said slowly: "This issue has been discussed in the Zhizheng Hall for two days. Of course, this is only a preliminary opinion. If Xianggong Xiao Fan and Xianggong Han agree, then the plan can be discussed in Zhizheng Hall." passed."

Only then did Fan Ning remember that he was also a member of the Zhizheng Hall. He smiled wryly and said, "Please tell me, the two prime ministers."

Fu Bi continued: "In principle, Zhizheng Tang agrees to negotiate peace with the Liao Kingdom, but whether a new covenant can be reached depends on the sincerity of the Liao Kingdom. The first is the exchange of prisoners of war. The Liao Kingdom must release all the people of the Song Dynasty that have been captured in the past 20 years. I guess this is not a big problem. The Liaoyang government has caught the officials of the Liao state and they are all nobles. They must be willing. This is one of the three prerequisites. The second is to cancel the old currency, which must be cancelled. Secondly, we hope to exchange Yizhou for Datong. , In the end, we can sign a ten-year covenant, and then use ten years to develop national power. Zhizhengtang almost agrees with this opinion. At present, I agree with Wen Xianggong and Ouyang Xianggong, and Wang Xianggong and Sun Xianggong oppose it, three to two.”

"What's the opinion of Wang Xianggong and Sun Xianggong?"

"The two of them opposed the peace talks and demanded to continue fighting the Liao army."

Fan Ning probably understood it, and he smiled slightly: "Actually, my opinion is similar to that of the rich minister and the official document. I also agree to talk with the Liao country, but the specific plan is slightly different."

Zhao Xu asked a little strangely: "Didn't Fan Aiqing object to the peace talks before?"

"Your Majesty, I am still opposed to forming an alliance, but I am in favor of a truce."

Fan Ning said unhurriedly: "I guess there is no problem in exchanging prisoners of war, and then there must be no agreement on the annual coin. The Liao Kingdom will at most agree to maintain the amount of the Tanyuan Alliance. As for the exchange of Yizhou for Datong Prefecture, Liao Kingdom is still far away. They will never exchange a strategically important place like Datong Mansion before the end of the mountain. It is absolutely impossible to exchange Yizhou for Datong Mansion. Therefore, if they want to reach a covenant, unless Da Song makes concessions, the covenant will definitely not come true, but I I hope that the two sides can reach a two-to-three-year truce agreement, preferably three years, so that we can concentrate on fighting Xixia."

"Can you defeat Xixia in three years?"

Fu Bi was a little skeptical. He participated in the battle against Xixia. Xixia's mountain soldiers were extremely capable, and all kinds of fortresses were built to be strong. It would be difficult for the Song army to win them, let alone defeat Xixia in two years.

Fan Ning smiled faintly, "Mr. Fu, I wiped out one hundred thousand Liao troops, occupied Yizhou, and broke through the Liaoyang Mansion. Could the former Song army do it?"

Wen Yanbo said with a smile: "Brother Yan Guo, don't underestimate him. His strategy of naval warfare plus national power warfare is really successful. It is estimated that he will use this strategy when dealing with Xixia."

"Wen Xianggong is right. Our warships went up the Yellow River and directly approached the capital of Xixia. If the wheat harvest period passed, we could cut off their wheat-producing areas on the east bank of the Yellow River and cause a famine in Xixia next year."

Fu Bi shook his head and said: "This method has been tried before, but the boats that can be used are too small, but Xixia's leather rafts are very powerful, and our warships cannot gain the upper hand."

Fan Ning retorted: "The opponent's leather rafts are powerful because our warships are too weak. When we fought at Juehua Island, the leather rafts against the Liao army would be crushed. If our 20 troops stationed in Xingqing Prefecture On the other side of the Yellow River, a huge fleet of warships cut off the connection between Xingqing Mansion and the other side of the Yellow River, so what's the point of the Xixia Army defending the border fortress at this time?"

Both Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo participated in the Western Xia Campaign, and Fan Ning's plan made the two feel unbelievable. They looked at each other and were speechless for a while.

Fu Bi retorted: "You mean to build a ship in Lanzhou, but we have never built a big ship on the Yellow River. Everything has to start again. When will we be able to build hundreds of [-] stone ships?"

"Don't travel from the upper reaches, go north to Xixia from the lower reaches. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Yellow River waterway between Shanxi and Shanxi has been very developed. Even Hukou has found a way to sail on dry land. The grain and grass of the northern frontier army are transported through the Yellow River. I believe that It's just as feasible today."

"At that time, it was possible to stretch the fiber, but now the north is occupied by the Liao Kingdom, how can it be stretched?"

"There are steam boats and Fuchuan, I don't think there is any need to pull the fiber."

"This..." Fu Bi was momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhao Xu was full of interest, and asked with a smile: "You two gentlemen, may Mr. Fan's plan succeed?"

Fu Bi said with a blank face: "I have never thought about that, nor have I done it. I really don't know."

Wen Yanbo pondered for a while and said: "Xixia's strength is still very strong, especially the iron kite, which can be said to be invincible in the world. Fan Xianggong is a bit underestimating the enemy."

Fan Ning shook his head, "Iron harriers are nothing more than heavy armored cavalry. With the national strength of Xixia, how much can it support? At most 3000 people are incredible. No matter how powerful the heavy armored cavalry is, it can withstand the power of iron fire and thunder? Are they afraid of fierce force?" Burning oil? Are you afraid of falling into a horse pit? There are many ways to deal with it. Xixia has a population of only 200 million, and its national strength is weak. All young and strong men join the army, with a maximum of 30 people. Wan, we have seen this kind of trick a lot, now that the new king of Xixia has ascended the throne, the queen mother is in court, and the country is in turmoil, it is time for us to attack Xixia, Your Majesty, send 50 troops to destroy Xixia."

"50 million!"

Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo exclaimed at the same time, "Where are there so many troops?"

Fan Ning smiled slightly and said, "There are at least a million militiamen! After one year of training, they can be requisitioned."

The two just woke up like a dream, they forgot about the militiamen, Fu Bi anxiously said: "60 militiamen, I'm afraid [-] cavalry will defeat them."

"Fu Xianggong forgot that the Liao army's 3000 troops marched south, but we wiped them all out, and our total loss of troops did not exceed [-]. What is the reason for this?"

"Yes!"

Zhao Xu pounded the table excitedly, and quickly walked to the east wall. This is a map of Xixia. He pointed to the map with a wooden pole and said: "The important cities of Xixia are on both sides of the Yellow River. We don't need to fight against them. Instead, fight the city's offensive and defensive battles, step by step to the north, and sooner or later, Xingqing Mansion will be swallowed up."

Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo smiled wryly and said nothing, the emperor thought too naively, how could it be so easy.

Fan Ning was not in a hurry, "Even if we can't win Xixia in this battle next year, we will definitely be able to capture the Hexi Corridor. The central area of ​​Xixia is facing a crisis, and the [-] troops stationed in the Hexi Corridor will definitely come to the rescue. We will seize the opportunity of the Hexi Corridor." Here we come."

At this time, Emperor Zhao Xu resolutely said: "If you don't try, how do you know you won't succeed? Mr. Fan's plan is feasible, and I decided to give it a try."

Both Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo disagreed with Fan Ning's risky plan, but they didn't know how to refute it. In the end, Fu Bi said: "Let's do it! If the fleet can reach Yan'an Mansion, then I agree that we can try it."

In fact, shipping on the Yellow River has been very busy from the Qin Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the Northern Song Dynasty, because the capital was in Bianliang and the economy was in the south, shipping on the Yellow River had no economic value, so there was not much shipping on the Yellow River.

Not to mention the Southern Song Dynasty, even the edge of the Yellow River could not be touched. In the Yuan Dynasty and Ming and Qing Dynasties, the main reason was that the Yellow River was too silted and silted up the river, making the Yellow River lose its shipping value.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yellow River was still completely navigable. Fu Bi also knew that the most difficult section of the Yellow River was the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon. If this section can pass, then Fan Ning's plan is basically no problem.

"How will the 20 troops go?" Wen Yanbo suddenly thought of this key question.

Fan Ning smiled slightly: "Isn't there Yizhou? The Liao Kingdom will never agree to exchange Yizhou for Datong Prefecture, but what if Yizhou is exchanged for Dongsheng Prefecture? The Liao Kingdom has less than a thousand troops stationed in Dongsheng Prefecture , the territory is full of deserts, only a bit of land along the banks of the Yellow River, and its strategic location is far inferior to Yizhou. I believe that the Liao Congress promised that once Dongshengzhou is won, our territory of the Song Dynasty will reach Hetao, and we will directly seize the Hetao of Xixia , and then establish the foundation of the military city in Hetao, are we afraid that we will not be able to win Xixia?"

Dongsheng Prefecture is today's Yulin area, located in the east of the Hetao Plain, and one of the sixteen prefectures of Youyun occupied by the Liao Kingdom. The state is like a tasteless state to the Liao State. Liao State goes to Xixia to go to Yunzhou in the north, not to Dongsheng Prefecture separated by the desert.

The three of them were dumbfounded. Only then did they finally understand Fan Ning's plan to attack Xixia. It turned out that instead of going to the high mountains in Longyou, they went north to occupy the Hetao, using the Hetao as the foundation, to carry out the attack from the north.

This is a very creative plan, even Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo were moved by it, and they nodded slowly. The key to this plan is to get Dongsheng Prefecture and first establish the first logistics in Yulin City. powerhouse.

(End of this chapter)