In the Lobby of Ruyang Palace, Li Liangzuo and Jilasiyi had a conversation in the lobby, mainly listening to Jilasiyi's report. Although Li Liangzuo received Jilasiyi's report every month, he did not explain it clearly after all. Only through Jilasiyi's report Li Liangzuo was able to understand the combat power and basic situation of the Hetao Army in a short time.

After listening to Ji La Siyi's report, Li Liangzuo said with great satisfaction: "I will be completely relieved if the veteran general commands the Hetao army. The veteran general has worked hard all these years."

"It is an honor for the old minister to be able to serve Your Majesty." Jila Siyi said to Li Liangzuo.

Li Liangzuo smiled and said, "Actually, I came to the old general today to discuss the matter of the new defense line."

"Your Majesty, are you really planning to withdraw from Datong?" Jila Siyi asked in confusion: "This strategic position of Datong is really important. I do not recommend Your Majesty to withdraw from Datong. Although we are in a disadvantageous position in Datong, as long as Your Majesty is willing to increase troops, with Datong as the center, we can quickly occupy the surrounding areas, establish a stable bridgehead in the southern part of the Liao Kingdom, and then expand around with Datong as the center."

Li Liangzuo sighed and said, "The old general is right, but it is not the time to go to war with the Southern Liao Dynasty. Now the Western Xia Kingdom seems to be incredible, but it is also full of crisis. I have sold the domestic stalls too big. Although the treasury collects a lot of taxes, it spends more, and every sum of money has useful items. I have no money to fight at all now;

Besides, the fight now does not benefit us at all. We fought with Nan Liao and both sides suffered a loss, but in the end, we were asked to take advantage of the Northern Liao and Da Song. Then we would lose a lot! So the old general doesn’t have to be anxious. You will fight this battle sooner or later, and we will come back sooner or later."

"The old minister is waiting for this day." Jila Siyi said to Li Liangzuo.

Li Liangzuo ordered Xiao Zhuozi: "Xiao Zhuozi takes out the map."

Soon Xiao Zhuozi had already prepared the map on the ground. Li Liangzuo took off his shoes and walked onto the big sheepskin map. Jila Siyi followed him up. Li Liangzuo sat on the ground and pointed at the terrain around Datong and said to Jila Siyi: "Old General, please see, Datong is in a basin, the surrounding terrain is high and the middle terrain is low. The most important points include Jiaoshan, Fengyi, Huairen and Shirasakado. Although Baidaoban is the farthest from Datong, it is still under our control."

"Your Majesty means that a new line of defense is built with the White Path Board as the center." Jila Siyi said.

Li Liangzuo drew an arc on the map and said, "I plan to build three stable bridgeheads in Xuande, Baidaoban and Heyin, and use Fengzhou, Yunnei and Shuozhou as fulcrums to establish a large deep defense line; build a beacon tower every ten miles, and see a military camp every fifty miles, and send troops to garrison and form guerrilla cavalry teams to patrol. Once a war occurs, the troops from all over the country can quickly gather."

Jila Siyi thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, since this, you need a lot of troops, material resources and financial resources. This is not a small fee!"

Li Liangzuo laughed and said, "Don't worry about the cost. Yelu Ren had a fortune in Datong for so many years. As for the military strength! I allow you to expand your army, but you have to pass the approval of the Military Affairs Council. As for the cost of expanding your army! I will subsidize you part of the subsidy from your own treasury, and the other part will be solved by the veteran general. You can let the soldiers do military farming around the fortress! The court will be exempted from taxes."

Jila Siyi assured Li Liangzuo: "The old minister will definitely live up to His Majesty's expectations. After the old minister returns, he will discuss with his generals and hand over the plan to His Majesty as soon as possible."

"Okay, then this matter will be settled." Li Liangzuo said.

"Your Majesty has something to report to you." Jila Siyi said to Li Liangzuo.

Li Liangzuo replied: "If the old general has anything to say, just say it bluntly."

"Yes." Jila Siyi said to Li Liangzuo; "Your Majesty, our army and the Northern Liao army are basically eating and living together. There are always conflicts between the two armies. Many of them participated in the Battle of Voroha City that year, and it is easy to have an armed fight in this time."

Li Liangzuo thought for a while and said, "There are two ways to solve this problem. First: resettle the Northern Liao army under Yelu Renxian, and second: gradually digest and annex the troops under Yelu Renxian and Xiao Yuanshan;

The Northern Liao army was not as good as our equipment, food, salary, and various treatments. We used this as a benefit to induce them to surrender. In addition, we warned our brothers not to provoke them on their own initiative. Of course, if they dared to find trouble, we would not be afraid of them."

"Yes, I have recorded it." Jila Siyi said.

At this point, Li Yi hurriedly walked in and said to Li Liangzuo: "Your Majesty is not good. I just found a horse and just now, the Southern Liao army was mobilized in large numbers, as if they were going to attack Datong."

Li Liangzuo smiled and said, "It should be unlikely to attack the city. Li Yi sent someone to closely monitor the actions of the Southern Liao army. Report to me immediately if there is anything."

"Yes, the last general will take the order." Li Yi bowed and said.

After Li Yi left, Jila Siyi said to Li Liangzuo: "Your Majesty, according to the old ministers, the Southern Liao army should not be able to attack the city; it must be that our evacuation news has left, and they want to ambush us halfway."

Li Liangzuo smiled and said, "I have thought of it for a long time, but I want to see if Yelu Chongyuan has such a good mouth."

On the other side, in the camp of Yelu Chongyuan in Fengyi, after Li Liangzuo led his army into Datong, Yelu Chongyuan immediately sent to prepare for the ambush. In Yelu Chongyuan's tent, Zheng Hun and Yelu Mu were both there. Since this time was a top secret operation, not many people participated, and they were all Yelu Chongyuan's confidants.

Yelu Chongyuan first said: "According to the results of my discussion with Li Liangzuo, he will lead his army to leave the South Gate three days later. See what should we do?"

Zheng Hun first said: "Your Majesty, according to my understanding of Li Liangzuo, he will never evacuate according to the prescribed time. He is likely to act tomorrow night. We recommend that we prepare early."

"The Prime Minister's words are reasonable," said Yelu Chongyuan; "Li Liangzuo has always been uneasy in playing cards."

Yelu Mu said to Yelu Chongyuan: "Father, is Li Liangzuo willing to choose the West Gate or the North Gate instead?"

Yelu Chongyuan said: "It's not impossible, but the possibility is extremely small. The road outside the North Gate is rugged and difficult to walk, especially the marching at night cannot be fast. If they walk from the North Gate, they probably won't be able to go far by dawn. There is also the West Gate, which is an open area outside the West Gate. Once it is attacked on a large scale, it is likely to evolve into a defeat in the entire army. The south Gate is the best choice. Outside the South Gate is the combination of plains and mountains, and there are many roads, so for Li Liangzuo, the South Gate is the best place to evacuate."

"I understand. Thank you for your father's advice. I will send someone to find the most reasonable ambush place." Yelu Mu said to Yelu Chongyuan.

"Okay, then this matter will be left to Mu'er." Yelu Chongyuan said with a smile.

In Yelu Chongyuan's view, this is a great contribution, and of course it is the most suitable for his son.
Chapter completed!