After entering Datong Prefecture, Yelu Hongji was dealing with surrendered generals for several days. As these people were in rebellion in Chongyuan, Yelu Hongji felt extremely hatred and wanted to kill them all. However, now they are reunified and after the chaos, the officials and the people all want stability and have to endure it.

On this day, Hong Ji was handling affairs in the palace. A soldier hurried in and said, "Your Majesty, come forward to report that the Song army has occupied Dezhou in the north. And the army is coming forward and heading towards Baishui!"

"What?!" Yelu Hongji stood up suddenly, his face full of anger. Baishuilu was the Khitan pasture. When he attacked Chongqing Yuan, all the soldiers and generals in the world were drawn, and there were no troops there to guard it. The Song Dynasty occupied Shuozhou in the south and took the opportunity to conquer the city and land in the north. How could he bear it?

After walking a few steps, Yelu Chongyuan said, "The King of the North Court negotiated with Pang Ji in Shuozhou, but there was no progress. Pang Ji pushed everything cleanly and only asked the two to go to Kaifeng Prefecture. If he went to Kaifeng Prefecture, he would have been delayed for a long time and he would not know what to do at that time. It seems that if he had not fought with the Song army, they would not stop. Go to Minister Xuan to come to the palace to discuss the war!"

The little yellow gate on one side received the order and left the palace and went to the important officials of Xuan Datong Prefecture to enter the palace.

The five capitals of the Khitan have built imperial palaces and some official offices. They were originally the system of the four seasons. The Khitan had no real capital. The place where the emperor was located was the center of administration. Hong Ji brought most of the officials this time, which was convenient for him to be in Datong Prefecture.

Not long after, all the ministers entered the palace and listed two items.

Yelu Hongji said: "Just just received the report, the troops of Yang Wenguang, the troops of the Song army in the north, have already captured Dezhou and are heading towards Baishuilu. Now there is no garrison in Baishuilu, so it is not difficult for the Song army to succeed. It is the only way to go to Xijing Road to the Beijing Road and the closest way for the Tatars in the north to pay tribute. If this falls into the hands of the Song people, it will cause great harm in the future."

Yelu Yixin said: "Your Majesty, the Song people have great ambitions! Shuozhou in the south can also be said to be Xiao Ge Xiancheng, and how about Dezhou in the north?"

"What's so strange about this? Xiao Ge has surrendered to Song, and Dezhou garrison surrendered to Song, what's so strange about?"

Yelu Yixin shook his head repeatedly: "This matter is not so simple! Shuozhou is the southern gate of Datong Prefecture, Dezhou is the main road from the east of Shazhou, and Baishuiluo also junctions the northern grassland intersection. The Song people did this so obviously to seize the important land outside Datong Prefecture to facilitate future competition."

"If this is the case, why would the Song people not attack Chongyuan from the rear before our army will be in the future? At that time, we had no choice but to seize Datong Mansion. Why wait until now, our army will come, and the Song people will come to compete for the place."

Yelu Yixin thought about it, but couldn't figure it out, so he had to shake his head.

In fact, the Song army was afraid that after sending troops, Yelu Hongji and Chongyuan quickly reconciled under pressure, which was not conducive. Now that Chongyuan has been destroyed, the territory has been snatched from the Khitan, he decided to send troops. The ones seized were all the edges and corners outside Datong Prefecture. Of course, it is important, but it is far less important than Datong Prefecture.

Yelu Hongji said in a deep voice: "No matter what the Song people's intentions were, how could it be so great to seize prefectures and counties like this? It seems that if you don't fight, you can't let the Song army stop! The roads in the mountains in the north are rugged and it is inconvenient to advance. There is a large army of Song Dynasty Shuozhou in the south, which is inconvenient to go north for a while. It's better to lead the army south first, take back Shuozhou, and then go north to defeat Yang Wenguang!"

Yelu Yixin bowed: "Your Majesty is wise! The Song people pressed step by step. If they could not repel them, they would be a big problem in the future! As long as they went south to seize Shuozhou, the other Song troops would inevitably retreat. The Song people saw that they had taken Shuozhou, but we sent envoys to negotiate. If they were too weak, they would become more and more intense!"

The other ministers wanted to persuade him, but when Yelu Yixin said this, it was difficult to say anything again.

Yelu Hongji brought 400,000 troops to the front line. After occupying Datong Prefecture, he also incorporated nearly 200,000 troops from Chongqing Yuan, with 600,000 troops. It was a time when the troops were strong. Of course, the 600,000 troops were just a number, but there were only about 200,000 people who could really go to the front line. The remaining 400,000 people were mostly logistics and chores, not those who charged.

At this time, the people of Nanjing Road and Xijing Road were all certified to be transferred to the people, and all the civilian savings were discovered to support the front-line army. The Khitan army could not support it for a long time, and it would have to retreat at most two or three months. Otherwise, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun would be eaten by these people.

Shuozhou, Pang Ji, Zhao Zi and Jia Kui sat in the official hall to discuss the frontline war.

Pang Ji said: "I have received the news from Yang Wenguang's troops that he has led a large army to capture Dezhou and is heading towards Baishui. If nothing unexpected happens, the Khitan will be angry, and I am afraid that I will fight us if I will not wait for the envoy to return. Now Yelu Hongji leads a large army to be stationed in Datong Prefecture. There are rumored that there are a total of 400,000 troops under his command, plus the 200,000 people who surrendered by Chongqing Yuan, a total of 600,000 people."

Jia Kui said: "How big is Datong Mansion? How can it accommodate so many people!"

Pang Ji smiled and said, "This is all Yelu Hongji's troops in Xijing Road, distributed in surrounding prefectures and counties, which are hundreds of miles away. It is impossible to go to the battlefield omnipotently. It is impossible to draw out elite troops, with 200,000 to 300,000 people. The Khitan has been fighting for five years. Although most of the time it is surrounded by one or two states, there are only tens of thousands of soldiers on the front line, and the losses are also considerable. This time, Hongji has been determined to win and recruited national troops to gather enough of these people. For these 400,000 people, Youzhou, Pingzhou prefectures and counties, and even some places in Zhongjing Road, have tried their best. Now, they are about to delay a year, and if they do not stop fighting, they are afraid they will not be able to support it."

Zhao Zi said: "The weather in the north is warm late. By March and April, it can still be cultivated, but the harvest cannot be expected."

Pang Ji nodded: "According to my estimate, the Khitan army can hold on to Datong Prefecture for one month, and it will be very difficult for two months. If they go north to attack Yang Wenguang, the road will be bumpy and inconvenient, and it will be really difficult. So the most likely thing is to send a large army to attack Shuozhou."

Zhao Zi rubbed his hands: "I and Taiwei Jia have already arranged a formation. When the Khitan soldiers come, they will fight them well!"

Pang Ji said: "You should have the advantage of your position according to the terrain. But the Khitan troops are several times more than yours, so be cautious in everything. Our strengths towards the Khitan army are one of many artillery and the other is guns. The Khitan army came to attack Datong Prefecture. I heard that the army has artillery, so we should not underestimate it. Although our cannons are stronger than the Khitan and more than the Khitan, but they have cannons, so this battle is not that easy."

Jia Kui said: "Now the central part of the army is located, and our troops guard the west of Huihe River, including the Mayi County. The position extends from the west mountain to the Huihe River. Zhao Zi's troops guard the east of Huihe River, fight back to the water, and connect with our army through a floating bridge."

Zhao Zi said: "Shuozhou is east of Huihe River. Now the peach blossom water is rising. Although the Huihe River is not wide, there are not many places that can cross the river. If the Khitan army bypasses us and advances southeast of Huihe River, in the end, it will only penetrate into the mountains. However, Huihe River will not threaten Shuozhou. Moreover, there is an important place in Yanmen Pass in front, and the troops on Hedong Road of this dynasty can come at any time."

Pang Ji said: "If this is the case, it is the plot of Mayi in the Han Dynasty. The Khitans would not be so confused. They should still concentrate their troops to attack Mayi. If they cannot capture Mayi, then everything is useless. Therefore, the key to this battle is Mayi. You two will defend there. Also, Liu and his army came forward in the mountains west of Datong Prefecture, threatening Huairen. The Khitans could not ignore their own retreat."

Speaking of this, Pang Ji pointed to the map and said to the two: "So in this battle, the Khitan must mobilize all the soldiers to go south. Most of them fight with you in Mayi, and there must be a large army behind them to defend the rear route, and here to defend the Liu army."

Pointing to the map, Pang Ji tapped the table and said slowly: "Golden Sand Beach!"

Jinshatan is a place name south of Huairen County, facing the road coming out of the mountains. This place is very famous in the early Song Dynasty. It was the main battlefield for the Song Dynasty and the Khitan to compete for this area. The famous general Yang Ye died in battle.

The Khitan was going to attack Shuozhou. Although the road to the south was wide, it was divided into two by the tributaries of the Sanggan River. The narrow west side was its suitable route to the south. Although the Hui River was not wide, it was actually a barrier for the army. There were no bridges on the river, and it was difficult to find a ferry for a while. If you wanted to detour from the east bank of the river, it was not allowed in time.

The Song army was in Mayi to block the Khitan army. Liu Jize led his army out of Jinshatan and seized the Khitan retreat. Liu Ji did not need to surround the Khitan army, and the Song army's strength was not allowed. As long as he cut off the food transport route of the Khitan army ahead, the Khitan army would not be able to persist.
Chapter completed!