After pouring cold water on everyone, Yelu Zongzhen didn't dwell on this topic for long, but continued: "Since the Song State has fallen into the trap, then the next thing to consider is the deployment of defenses and counterattacks."
There were some maps on his desk, which were topographic maps of Yanyun and the surrounding areas of Hebei. The border situation between Liao and Song was intricate and inlaid with each other.
For example, because they lost the land south of Zhuozhou in the last Liao-Song War, the Song army had a prominent position in their territory. However, the areas around Weizhou and Wuqing were still in Liao hands, so the terrain became concave, which was like attacking the Song state's Zhuozhou from both sides.
However, Yelu Zongzhen knew that although it was said to be a two-pronged attack, it was actually a blow in the middle. Because Zhuozhou was an extremely important strategic location, too close to their Xijin Prefecture, if a war broke out, they could directly attack Xijin from Fanyang City and kill them with one blow.
Looking at the enemy and our own situation on the map, Yelu Zongzhen pondered for a moment, then looked at the crowd below and said, "The Song army in Fanyang is too deadly. Do you have any good plans?"
"For now, we can only choose to deploy defenses around Xijin Prefecture."
As the Nanjing garrison commander, Xiao Xiaoyou had been in the Xijin area the longest, so he naturally knew the situation. He said, "In the past, the Liao Dynasty was invincible in field battles, and the Song Dynasty could only retreat inside its fortified cities. But now..."
He looked a little embarrassed as he spoke, but after a moment he continued, "Song State has a slight advantage in the field battle. The area around Xijin Prefecture is too vast, with no defensible terrain. It's almost entirely flat plains. If we meet in the field, our chances of winning are slim, so the best strategy is to concentrate our forces to defend Xijin."
"Hmm"
Yelu Zongzhen pondered and nodded.
The other generals also said: "That's true. Nanjing is flat and there is no Yanshan Mountain blocking it. The Song State now has a lot of cavalry."
"They not only have cavalry, but also small cannons used in the wild. My Great Liao has always wanted to imitate this small cannon, but when we cast it, it often explodes. I heard that the iron they use is made of hundred-fold refined steel. Where can my Great Liao get hundred-fold refined steel?"
"Alas, times have changed. I never thought that our Great Liao would suffer the same fate as today."
Who would have thought that the Liao army, which was once invincible in field battles, would now be overtaken in the field in which it excels, and even left far behind?
This is actually the fundamental factor that led to the polar reversal of the status of Liao and Song.
After all, being invincible in field battles is the real invincibility, while being invincible in defending a city is actually a helpless act. As long as the enemy besieges the city and all the food is eaten up, the city will eventually be broken.
Therefore, these generals of the Liao Kingdom also felt a long-lost sense of oppression, which was far different from the beginning when they felt invincible and happy.
"Okay, that's it."
Yelu Zongzhen said in a deep voice, "I will personally deploy the defenses this time. I must ensure that the Song Kingdom will be severely defeated when it attacks."
"yes."
Everyone agreed.
The meeting ended immediately and many generals went to arrange defense.
Yelu Zongzhen was originally planning to get up and leave, but suddenly he caught a glimpse of Zhang Jian still sitting motionless in the chair, and he knew that he had something to say to him, so he stayed where he was.
After everyone had left, he finally spoke: "Father, is there something wrong with my arrangement?"
"Your Majesty has done nothing wrong."
Zhang Jian shook his head slightly.
"What is that?"
"It's just that this old minister always feels uneasy."
"oh?"
Yelu Zongzhen asked, "What do you think is making you feel uneasy, Father?"
"I can't say."
Zhang Jian frowned.
There are basically no problems with this plan.
It should be said that this is the optimal solution to the current predicament of the Liao Kingdom and Western Xia.
The dilemma of the Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia was that their efforts were far behind the development of the Song Dynasty.
Once the Song Dynasty's national strength reaches a terrifying level, the destruction of the Liao and Western Xia dynasties will not be far away.
But even now, even if the Liao Kingdom and the Western Xia put all their national strength into it, their chances of winning are still slim against the Song Dynasty with countless artillery barrels erected on the border.
That is why they chose to attack the Song Dynasty's allies first, fully mobilize the Song Dynasty's army, or let the Song Dynasty come to the aid of its allies, or lure the Song Dynasty to attack themselves, giving full play to their own strengths and the enemy's weaknesses.
But Zhang Jian didn't think that the Song State would not see it.
After all, this is actually an open conspiracy. There is no shortage of smart people in the court of Song State, so how could they not notice this?
But Fan Zhongyan still did it so openly and without any concealment, which is too strange.
"I am wondering how the Song Kingdom will attack us."
Zhang Jian said.
"What kind of method?"
Yelu Zongzhen was puzzled by the question and said, "What other method can we use? Of course we can send troops from Zhuozhou."
"What if Song attacks from the sea?"
Zhang Jian stood up and walked over to Yelu Zongzhen's desk, pointing at the map. "If I were the Song State, I could send a fleet north from Dengzhou. To the north, we could blockade the Yu Pass, cutting off the connection between our two southeastern capitals. To the west, we could land in Pingzhou and launch a surprise attack on our rear at Xijin."
maritime?
Yelu Zongzhen frowned.
This is indeed something they had not considered.
The reason was that the Liao Kingdom had no idea what the Song army was doing at sea.
After all, every ship sent out was sunk, and the insiders in the Song Dynasty only heard that the Song Dynasty had a naval military base in Hebei, Shandong and Zhejiang.
As for what was going on inside, how many ships the Song army had, and how many naval soldiers there were, they were completely clueless and had no idea.
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