Gao Jixuan is currently the military commander of Yizhou Road, Cao Cong is the training commander of Weizhou, Shi Yuansun is the governor of Mozhou, Zhou Mei is the chief military officer of the Tianwu Army, Wang Kai is the inspector general of Dingxing and Zhaodu, Xu Huaide is the chief military officer of the left squad, and so on.
Basically, most of the generals who became famous in the Song-Xia War are now scattered across the country, except for a few such as Wang Zhongbao, Zhong Shiheng, Ren Fu, Li Shibin, Guo Zun, Geng Fu, Zhao Zhen and others who are in the northwest.
After Fan Zhongyan arrived, he requested the transfer of reliable generals from various places, and immediately inspected the defense of the state capital, ordered the construction of various fortresses, and began his defense plan.
It is now the fourth year of Jingyou, 1037 AD.
Historically, Li Yuanhao founded the country in 1038 and began to attack the Song Dynasty in 1039, but was repelled by Di Qing, Xu Huaide, Gao Jilong, Zhang Chongjun and others. It was not until 1040 that Li Yuanhao attacked again and the Battle of Sanchuankou broke out, in which the Song Dynasty was defeated.
However, although on the surface Li Yuanhao only started the attack in 1039, it was actually a large-scale attack. Before that, he often sent vassal states of the Dangxiang and Qiang tribes on the border to raid south and test the border defenses of the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, there was not much time left for Fan Zhongyan. After he arrived in Yanzhou, he appointed Wang Deyong as the commander-in-chief, and Wang Zhongbao, Zhong Shiheng, Ren Fu, Li Shibin, Guo Zun, Geng Fu, Zhao Zhen and others as generals. He prepared to change the old military system, divide the troops for training, and take turns to defend against the enemy.
Yanzhou was the seat of Fuyan Road. Its main officials included Liu Ping, the transport envoy of Fuyan Road and deputy commander of Fuyan and Huanqing, Xue Xiang, the prefect of Fuzhou, and Zhao Zhen, the prefect of Qingzhou and inspector of the border areas.
Among the generals were Li Shibin, the chief supervisor of Jinmingzhai, Ren Fu, the deputy general manager of the cavalry and infantry of Fuyan Road, Wang Xin, the chief military officer of Longwei and the inspector of Fuyan, and dozens of others.
At this moment, the north wind was blowing, and Fan Zhongyan was standing on Long'an Mountain. This was Jianhua Town, Ansai District, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province in later generations. More than a hundred miles to the north, after leaving Ansai Fort, was Longzhou of the Western Xia Kingdom, which was the area of Jingbian County of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province in later generations.
Fan Zhongyan was accompanied by the newly appointed Huanqing Road Transport Commissioner Wang Deyong, Liu Ping, Xue Xiang, Li Shibin, Ren Fu, Wang Xin and others, with about 3,000 soldiers and horses behind them.
After seeing the vast expanse of the northwest, Old Fan said to Wang Deyong beside him, "The wind is blowing really hard."
The north wind howled, making the military flags flutter.
Wang De said in a deep voice, "This is already the border with Western Xia. To the north is the Xia Kingdom, where there are endless grasslands."
"Um."
Fan Zhongyan looked around and said, "Zhao Yuanhao has repeatedly sent his vassal states to raid the border areas over the years. The court has ordered us to guard the borders and be on guard. We must be cautious. What are your opinions on the situation in Western Xia?"
Li Shibin laughed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will kill any little Xia bandits that come my way. Over the years, I have killed thousands of border vassal lords in Jinming Village, and tens of thousands of those who surrendered."
Fan Zhongyan glanced at the other party. Li Shibin was indeed as Zhao Jun said, arrogant and conceited. No wonder he was easily tricked by Zhao Yuanhao in history.
Liu Ping said, "The Xixia has grown stronger over the years because the Song Dynasty has opened many markets along the border, allowing them to trade cattle, sheep, and horses for ironware and tea. If we can stop this trade and teach Zhao Yuanhao a lesson, perhaps he won't dare to act recklessly again."
Is this an economic blockade?
Fan Zhongyan remembered what Zhao Jun had said, but shook his head and said, "If it were in the past, this method might have worked, but forget it now. We also need to use the trade to collect horses and accumulate strength for the time being."
In the past, when Li Yuanhao was not yet powerful, he could indeed inflict heavy damage on Western Xia through economic blockade.
But now, after so many years of development, Li Yuanhao cannot be said to have a strong army, but he has accumulated some wealth and is no longer afraid of the economic blockade of the Song Dynasty.
Moreover, if an economic blockade is implemented now, it may make Li Yuanhao wary, so it is better to maintain the status quo and continue to allow the Bao'an Army, Suide Army and other places to continue to carry out trade, collect more horses and supplies to deal with the Western Xia attack.
Xue Xiang said, "I think there are too many entrances to the south from the border. It would be too strenuous to defend them one by one. It would be better to withdraw the troops from the periphery."
"oh?"
Fan Zhongyan became interested and asked, "Tell me about it?"
"The periphery of Huanqing and Fuyan is mostly surrounded by mountains and steep cliffs. If we defend everywhere, we will need too much baggage and manpower. If Zhao Yuanhao attacks the border from the south, we don't need to attack them. We only need to concentrate on one route and break through it. Then the rear will be weakened and the defense line will collapse."
Xue Xiang said, "Therefore, I think we should concentrate our troops to defend Yan'an Prefecture, Suide Army, Bao'an Army, Tongyuan, Anhua, and other places. We should set up beacon towers on all the important roads along the way. If the Xia bandits attack, they will have a long journey and it will be difficult to supply them. We can delay them and then send more troops to surround and attack them, and perhaps we can win the battle in one fell swoop."
This was a plan for strategic contraction, deploying troops in the main cities of Huanqing Road and Fuyan Road. Beacon towers would be used for early warning in the outer hills and mountain roads. When the enemy approached, smoke signals would be set off. Once the cities were prepared, the Western Xia people could be repelled.
However, this move clearly displeased Li Shibin, who said, "The Xia bandits have raided our borders for years, but I easily repelled them. What is there to fear from these people? Yet they are withdrawing their forces, which is a disgrace to the state. In my opinion, we should take the initiative and attack to enhance the prestige of the Song Dynasty."
"alright."
Fan Zhongyan frowned and said, "The Xia bandits have been operating for years. They should not be underestimated. Put aside your arrogance. The government and the Ministry of Civil Affairs sent me here because the enemy is strong. Moreover, the Xia bandits have repeatedly attacked the Uighurs and Tibetans in the west. As the saying goes, punishing those who are in the soup is not as good as blowing the shreds. Underestimating the enemy is a great taboo in military strategy."
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