Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 439: Hetao! Hetao!
Changan.

The flag of the Jingsai Army has been hoisted above the city wall of Chang'an. The flag flutters in the wind, and the soldiers under its banner are full of vigor.

The Chang'an City in the Northern Song Dynasty did not have a complete palace complex, but only some palace ruins. The reason was that the world was in chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and the Chang'an City experienced many wars and suffered serious damage.

In particular, in 904 AD, Zhu Wen forced Emperor Zhaozong of Tang to move the capital to Luoyang, and ordered the demolition of palaces, government offices and houses in Chang'an, and transported timber along the Wei River and the Yellow River to Luoyang, resulting in the basic destruction of the palace complex in Chang'an City.

After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, the capital was set in Kaifeng Prefecture, and the political center moved eastward. Chang'an was no longer the political center of the country, and lost its important status as a capital, so there was no need and motivation to build and maintain palaces on a large scale.

Therefore, after the Jingsai Army captured Chang'an, they could not find a palace to work in and could only work in the Chang'an government office.

Some people in the Su Society suggested starting to build a palace complex to establish the country, while others were discussing whether they should invite Su Yun to ascend the throne and establish the country.

After all, the Su Xuehui had already taken Chang'an, and most of the northwest was basically under the control of the Su Xuehui. As for the Qinfeng Road and other places further west, they had been completely isolated from the mainland of the Song Dynasty. Without support from the court, they would not be able to hold on for too long.

In history, after capable forces captured Guanzhong, they basically laid the foundation for conquering the world, so some things should be considered in advance.

Su Yun naturally knew about these things, but he felt that the time was not yet ripe. After all, it was still a bit too sparse to rely solely on Guanzhong to conquer the world.

After all, the national conditions during the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties were very different from the current national conditions. During the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, Guanzhong was fertile, and Jiangnan was not as developed as it is today. Therefore, by occupying Guanzhong, their economic capabilities were guaranteed.

But now that the Song Dynasty has Jiangnan as its granary and economic center, it is not enough to rely on Guanzhong alone to compete with it.

But Su Yun did not stop the discussion in the Su Society. It is always good to have a common goal, or a motivation. When everyone moves towards this goal, the cohesion will become better and better.

As the night deepened, candlelight flickered inside the Chang'an government office.

Su Yun sat alone in the study. On the map spread out on the desk, the strongholds marked with cinnabar connected together in the northwest, but came to an abrupt end east of Tongguan.

"Sir, Wang Shouzhen requests to see you." The report from the personal soldier interrupted his thoughts.

The visitor was Wang Baopu, one of the core members of the Su Society. He hurried in with a secret letter in his hand: "According to a pigeon message just intercepted, Kaifeng has learned that Chang'an has changed its owner. It is said that the court discussed the matter overnight and planned to send the Lianghuai army westward."

Su Yun's eyes shone, and he rolled up the map abruptly. "Sure enough, he can't sit still anymore. Pass the order down, and order Hai Fu to find a way to take down the Tongguan defense line immediately, and make sure to stop the Song army outside Tongguan."

Tongguan is the throat of Guanzhong. If Tongguan cannot be controlled by the Su Xuehui, Chang'an will be in danger.

Wang Shouzhen was not in a hurry to leave. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "There is one more thing. It was discussed privately during the meeting that if we can take over Hezhong Prefecture, we can not only control the natural barrier of the Yellow River, but also connect with the states in Hedong. Then..."

Before he finished speaking, Su Yun understood what he meant.

Hezhong Prefecture is located at the strategic point of the Yellow River. If it can be occupied, it will not only expand the sphere of influence, but also form a strategic deterrent to Kaifeng.

At this moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, and a scout rushed in covered in blood: "Report! Urgent military information from Qinfeng Road, the Western Xia army took advantage of the chaos to invade and has captured Lanzhou!"

Su Yun stood up suddenly. Lanzhou on the map was like a sharp knife piercing into the northwest.

Xixia's move was obviously an attempt to get a piece of the pie while the Song Dynasty was in confrontation with the Su Society.

He pondered for a moment, then said to Wang Baopu, "Notify the key members of the meeting immediately to discuss the matter at 3 p.m. tomorrow.

You wrote a letter overnight and sent someone to the Zhe family in Linzhou, inviting them to jointly resist Xixia on the principle that the lips and teeth are cold. "

After everyone left, Su Yun walked to the window and looked at the starry night sky.

Su Yun had expected that the Western Xia would suddenly launch an attack. With such a big change happening within the Song Dynasty, given the temperament of the Western Xia people, it would be strange if they did not try to get a piece of the pie.

Now that Guanzhong has just been taken, it is far from being stable. The situation of being attacked from all sides is far more difficult than imagined.

The next day at Yin time.

The backbone members gathered at the meeting.

As the Secretary-General of the Soviet Society, Wang Baopu explained the current situation to everyone so that they could have some understanding of the current situation.

Then Su Yun said: "We have now taken Chang'an and controlled half of the northwest, which means we have achieved our first strategic goal. What should we do next? Everyone can speak freely about it."

At this time, Ping Zicheng stood up and said, "Sir, I have been in the army since I came to the northwest, so what I will talk about is mainly about military affairs.

The students suggested that there were three important things to do next: first, control Tongguan. With Tongguan in hand, Guanzhong would be stable;
The second is to capture the fortresses in the northwest as soon as possible to consolidate the northwest defense;

After we accomplish the above two things, we will go south to seize Bashu. Once we take over Bashu, our Su Academy will be able to swallow up the world and no longer fear the Western Xia or the Song Dynasty!"

Su Yun nodded and said, "Qinglan's consideration makes sense. It is indeed time to consolidate the defense as soon as possible. Qinglan and Haifu and others should come up with a plan and discuss it at the meeting."

At this time, Han Youan asked: "How should we solve the problem of Xixia's invasion of Lanzhou?"

Ping Zicheng smiled and said, "Qinfeng Road is still in the hands of the Song Dynasty, so naturally the generals of Qinfeng Road will worry about it."

Han Youan shook his head and said, "Not right! The Song army in Qinfeng Road has become an enclave and an isolated army because we cut off their connection with the Song Dynasty.

Lanzhou is a famous city in the world, so why was it easily conquered by Western Xia? It is probably because the Song army in Qinfeng Road had lost their fighting spirit.

Qinfeng Road is the front line of defense against Western Xia. If Qinfeng Road is completely taken by Western Xia, the flanks of Huanqing Road will be completely exposed to the horses of Western Xia.

This is not the worst outcome. Once Qinfeng Road is taken away, it will not be easy for us to take it back in the future.

Therefore, I suggest that we must take Qinfeng Road as soon as possible and recapture Lanzhou!"

Su Yun nodded after hearing this, then looked at Zhang Yu and said, "Zhang Jinglüe, what do you think?"

Although Zhang Yu was not a member of the Su Society, he was also invited. Hearing this, he stroked his beard and pondered, tapping the table with his fingertips: "Mr. Han is right.

Although Qinfeng Road was an enclave of the Song army, it controlled a key point.

Xihe Road connects Qingtang and Tubo, and Lanzhou is the key to the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

If Xixia takes over Qinfeng, it will become a great threat to me."

He looked up at the striking vermilion on the map, his eyes sweeping across the Longshan Mountains.

"Back then, Wang Shao opened up the border in the Hehuang River and spent more than ten years to drive the Tubo forces out of the Hehuang River. Now if Xixia uses this foundation to get involved in Qingtang, within three years, its cavalry will be able to directly attack the flank of Huanqing Road."

"But if our main force is transferred west to Qinfeng, the Tongguan defense line will inevitably be empty."

Ping Zicheng frowned and interrupted, "The Lianghuai Army of the Kaifeng court is already advancing westward. If we divide our forces now, we may not be able to take care of both ends." Su Yun looked between the two of them and suddenly asked Ping Zicheng, "How much food and grass are there in Qinfeng Road now?"

"Sir," Ping Zicheng said hurriedly, "according to the report from the court last year, the warehouses in the five states of Qinfeng Road can still support 10,000 people for three months. But after the fall of Lanzhou, the grain route to Taohe River was cut off, and the other states may have run out of food."

He paused and lowered his voice, "What's more worrying is that since the death of Zhong Yan, the generals of Qinfeng Road have become alienated. Now I'm afraid they may not even have the morale to defend Didao City."

Low sighs were heard one after another in the meeting room.

Su Yun suddenly stood up and walked to Zhang Yu. "Zhang Jinglüe once knew that the troops were stationed in Xihe. If we use 5,000 light cavalry, can we advance to Didao within five days?"

Zhang Yu's pupils shrank slightly, and his fingertips drew an arc on the map: "From Chang'an through Longzhou, Qinzhou to Didao, the whole journey is 800 miles.

If we take the Fanxu Road and use the old Tibetan post road to change horses, we may arrive at dusk on the fourth day. But—” He raised his eyes and looked directly at Su Yun, “This move requires the risk of going deep into the enemy’s territory alone, and we need a familiar person in Longyou as a guide, otherwise it is very easy to get lost in the Longshan Gorge.”

"A familiar household." Su Yun muttered to himself, and suddenly turned to look at Wang Baopu, "Do you remember the Tibetan merchant caravan we rescued in Bingzhou three months ago? What was the name of their leader?"

"It is indeed known that Zang Zheng is here." Wang Baopu replied immediately, "This man is a descendant of the Qingtang Zuosiluo, and has a grudge against the Western Xia for exterminating his clan. He once said that he was willing to lead our army to defeat the enemy."

Han Youan clapped his hands and said, "This is a great opportunity from heaven! If we use the Tubo people as the vanguard, we can not only solve the problem of getting lost, but also use their hatred with Xixia to strengthen our momentum."

Ping Zicheng still had doubts: "We can transfer the main force to Tongguan in the east and Qinfeng in the west, but what about the defense of Tongzhou and Huazhou in the middle? What if the Zhe family in Hedong is attacked?"

Before he could finish his words, Su Yun raised his hand to interrupt him.

"The Zhe family has been loyal to the Song Dynasty for generations, but the Song Dynasty is currently unable to take care of itself," Su Yun pressed his finger heavily on the position of Linzhou, "As long as we send an envoy with heavy gifts to Linzhou and make it clear that 'if Xixia defeats Qinfeng, the next one will be Hedong', Zhe Keshi will definitely not sit idly by, not to mention..."

He suddenly sneered, "My Suxue Society has already taken over half of the northwest. If the Zhe family knows what's good for them, they should hand over Tongguan with both hands. Otherwise, when my army reaches Linzhou, they will not be able to control it."

Everyone showed understanding when they heard this.

Su Yun laughed and said, "In fact, the 5,000 reinforcements are just to encourage the Qinfeng Road defenders and tell them our attitude.

Jingning (Han Youan), then sent food and fodder to the Qinfeng Road garrison, and told them that we and the Song Dynasty are brothers at odds, and we must unite to face the foreign invasion! "

Han Youan quickly said, "Yes, sir."

Su Yun nodded and said, "Also, I plan to go north to take Hetao!"

Su Yun's words were like a huge rock thrown into boiling water, and exclamations suddenly rang out in the conference room.

Ping Zicheng almost dropped the teacup in his hand, and the tea spilled onto the map, spreading a dark yellow smudge: "Sir, are you saying, sir, to take Hetao directly?

That is the fundamental place of Xixia!"

Zhang Yu stood up suddenly, and the jade pendant on his waist hit the edge of the table with a crisp sound: "Hetao has been managed by Li Yuanhao for decades, and the Iron Harriers and the Infantry are stationed here. The city defense is solid and the food and grass are abundant, which is incomparable to Lanzhou.

Our army has not even secured the Qinfeng Road yet, how can we..."

Wang Baopu's knuckles turned white as he pressed on the table. "Hetao is a thousand miles away from Chang'an, with the Hengshan Mountains lying in between. Not to mention the logistics support, Queen Mother Liang of Western Xia will definitely mobilize the whole country to rescue us after hearing the news. If our army is trapped in the Hetao battlefield, we may be in a situation where we can't take care of both ends!"

Han Youan frowned and stroked his beard, and suddenly seemed to remember something and lowered his voice: "Besides, when Zhong Yan led an army of 200,000 to attack Xia from five directions, he was ultimately defeated in Lingzhou because the Hetao City was difficult to capture.

Although our army now has nearly 200,000 soldiers, our territory is also quite large, and we can only mobilize 50,000. If we use 50,000 soldiers to penetrate deep into the enemy territory, wouldn't that be like hitting a rock with an egg?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Su Yun's face like torches, and he raised a cold smile, and his fingertips slowly traced the "J" bend of the Yellow River on the map: "Do you know why Xixia dared to invade Lanzhou at this time?"

He suddenly pulled out the dagger from his waist and poked a hole in the sheepskin map. "Because they are sure that our army dare not go deep into their hinterland - after all, Guanzhong has just been conquered, who would risk their entire fortune?"

Zhang Qie's pupils suddenly shrank, and he suddenly realized something: "Ju Zheng wants to... Besiege Wei to save Zhao?"

Su Yun looked at him approvingly, and slid his dagger up along the Yellow River: "The elite troops of Western Xia are all in Qinfeng Road, so Hetao must be empty.

If our army attacks Hetao with light cavalry and makes a move to take Xingqing Prefecture directly, Empress Dowager Liang will definitely return to rescue.

In this way, the siege of Qinfeng Road will be lifted without a fight, and we can even take the opportunity to recapture Lanzhou."

"But we need to cross the uninhabited area to attack Hetao," Ping Zicheng still had doubts, "not to mention the harassment from the Tangut cavalry, the water source alone is a big problem."

Su Yun suddenly took out a roll of parchment from his sleeve and unfolded it. Everyone looked closely and found that it was a map with the location of the desert oasis marked in detail.

"This is the 'Map of the Old Road in Hexi' presented by Quexi Zang Zheng," he pointed his finger near Juyan Lake.

"The Tibetan caravans once used this road to trade with the Uighurs, and there was a spring every thirty miles along the way.

If we march quickly and lightly within three days, we can avoid the main force of Xixia scouts."

Han Youan suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Great! If we can capture the cities in Hetao before Xixia reacts, we can not only cut off the smuggling channel of war horses between them and Liao, but also call on the familiar households in Hexi in the name of 'recovering the old land of Shuofang during the Tang Dynasty'.

In this way, our army will be transformed from a "rebel army" to a "Tang restoration army", and we will have the upper hand morally!"

Su Yun looked around at everyone, and his eyes finally fell on Ping Zicheng. He said, "Qinglan, if we use 30,000 dan of corn as bait, can we persuade the Hexi Sogdian Merchants to provide guides for our army?"

Ping Zicheng pondered for a moment: "The Sogdians are only interested in profit, but if you allow them the right to the 'Tea-Horse Trade in Guanzhong', I am willing to go to Liangzhou to lobby for them."

At this time, the sound of the night watchman beating the fifth watch came from outside the window. Su Yun inserted the dagger heavily into the Lingzhou position on the map.

The candlelight flickered on the blade, reflecting the cold light in his eyes: "When Zhu Wen demolished the Chang'an Palace, he probably didn't expect that a hundred years later, these ruins would become the bricks and stones for us to break through the Hetao.

Pass on my order: Ping Zicheng will lead 20,000 infantry to defend Tongguan; Han Youan and Zhang Yu will immediately prepare 5,000 light cavalry, and in three days they will follow the Tibetan guide to advance westward.

As for ascending the throne and establishing a nation"

He suddenly sneered, "When we raise the big banner with the word 'Tang' in Hetao, it will be the day when destiny comes."

In the meeting room, everyone looked at the red line on the map pointing directly to the Hetao area, and suddenly realized:

This seemingly reckless decision actually took into account the arrogance of Western Xia and the sluggishness of the Song Dynasty, and also took into account the secret yearning of the people of the world for the "spirit of the prosperous Tang Dynasty."

When the horses of the Jingsai Army set foot on the Hexi Corridor, what they raised might not just be dust, but also an ambition that would rewrite history!

(End of this chapter)