After a brief greeting, Ma Huaide brought the car escorts down and returned to the city together. Today, the celebration dinner was held. These people were all heroes of the road construction this time and were guests of Xiongzhou. Guo Kui, the deputy commander who came with the car, did not show his presence or show his water. After getting off the car, he met Zhang Ji with the generals who were traveling with him.

After entering the Houya, Ma Huaide said to Wei Xian, an official from the Third Division, who came with him: "Thank you for several months, and it has finally been opened to traffic today. The judges and the judges will drink some wine and food today. Xiongzhou prepares some wine and food to celebrate your merits."

Wei Xian didn't dare to do so, so he refused several times, and then sat in the guest seat with the railway staff.

Ma Huaide raised his glass and said to everyone: "Since the court built railways and built trains, thousands of miles of the world are also open. Today, the train finally reached Xiongzhou, and it will be extremely easy to get to the capital from now on, which is extremely convenient. There is no need to say anything about the merits in this period. Let's drink a cup to congratulate this matter!"

Everyone raised their glasses together and drank with great enthusiasm.

After three rounds of drinking, Zhang Ke and Guo Kui said that there was something wrong in the army and said goodbye and left.

He left the state yamen, arrived at the nearby military camp, and entered the Zhang Ji Zheng's tent. Zhang Ji asked Guo Kui to sit down and ordered tea to come.

After persuading tea, Zhang Ji said, "How about taking the train today? We are stationed in two states, and we will have trains in the future, which will be much more convenient."

Guo Kui said: "Today I calculated that if I took a seat from Baozhou to Xiongzhou, if I kept going on the road, I could arrive in about an hour and a half. In this way, although I was stationed in two states, I could mobilize troops at any time."

Zhang Ji nodded: "The two places are more than 100 miles, one and a half hours are enough. After laying this railway, the Zhongshu deposited the capital and directly went to and from one road to another. It was much faster than other lines. From Baozhou to Xiongzhou, the route from Khitan to the south was basically blocked. According to the Privy Council, two more cities were built on the railway along the way, and heavy troops were stationed, and the stations were guarded. In this way, the Khitan went south and there were no loopholes to dig into."

Guo Kui said: "I have seen it on the road. The station is built very reasonably. Just build a city near the station."

Zhang Ke nodded: "Okay, I discussed with several magistrates and sent people from nearby prefectures and counties to build the city before the summer harvest. After building the city, we completely blocked the roads. Moreover, there is a railway to transport grain and grass, which is much more convenient."

Guo Kui said: "It is not the time for the Khitans to order troops. In the north, 10,000 troops were destroyed last year, and the Khitans did not replenish their troops there. The Grand Marshal, the Khitans, had just accepted this matter?"

Zhang Ke shook his head: "The Khitan is different from this dynasty. Most of their troops come from the grassland. Youzhou is just a civilian. Even if he is a tattooed person, most of them are not used in the front line in the Khitan. This year, Youzhou suffered an earthquake and food and grass, and the Khitan increased its troops here, which only increased the burden. Since Du Taiwei Du of Tanglong Town shot and killed the Khitan king, the two emperors fought for several years. Now Yelu Hongji is finally unified, and it is time to establish his authority. When Xiongzhou is suddenly defeated, how can he swallow this breath? The Khitans do not increase their troops now, which does not mean that they have forgotten."

Guo Kui nodded: "So that's it. The Khitans have been silent. The army is talking about whether they are just there."

Zhang Ke said: "It is useless to discuss this matter too much. Intensifying training and building a city is the right way. A few days ago, the imperial court sent a message saying that it would be organized into Xuanwei Army and sent to Hebei Road. At that time, Dou Shunqing's troops moved to Baozhou, and Xuanwei Army was stationed in Zhending Prefecture and Dingzhou. At that time, even if the Khitan troops came south, they would not be able to do anything to us for a while."

Guo Kui thought for a while and said, "Baozhou, Xiongzhou, and Hejian Prefecture are not far apart. Are there too many troops stationed in 150,000?"

Zhang Ke shook his head: "It is different from the past. With railways, there is plenty of food and supplies, and there is nothing to do if there are too many troops. In this way, the front-line army completely blocked the Khitan's way south, which would reduce a lot of trouble. If the Khitan bypassed the south, it could gather into an army and block their way back."

Guo Kui said: "Yes, the railway can travel thousands of miles a day. It is not that easy for the Khitans to attack."

Zhang Ke said: "After the railway is built, the court will send another 100,000 people to Hebei Road, so we will not be afraid of the Khitan coming south. At that time, the court will only want to restore Yanyun's affairs. In the next days, in addition to building a city along the railway, we should also pay attention to the movements of the Khitan in the north. They did not increase their troops, but if they want to go south after the autumn, they will have to prepare food and grass now."

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are important food and grass supply areas for the Khitan. The army headed south and had to rely on Youzhou to provide food and grass. The two emperors fought for five years, and this year they suffered an earthquake and Youzhou was exhausted. If the Khitans wanted to launch a war against Song in the past or two years, they had to start preparations in advance. Not only could the food and grass in Youzhou no longer be transported out like in previous years, but they also had to be transported in from other places.

Food and grass cannot deceive people. As long as you pay close attention to the opponent, you can judge the Khitan policy. The end of the Xiongzhou war, the Song Dynasty no longer allowed two losers under its jurisdiction, and closed three courts. Now the two borders are very strict. However, even the strict borders are not possible to cut off contacts. The Song Dynasty still had many ways to get news from the Khitan.

Zhang Ji was stationed on the border and cooperated with the people sent by Li Zhang to pay close attention to the Khitan. There was no movement there, but he could not escape his eyes and ears.

Guo Kui was transferred into the army after Zhang Kui came back from the Western Regions, and was not familiar with the previous situation in the army. He also studied many things in the army and seemed very cautious. This is another road parallel to military training. The army trained in the past was constantly transferred out, and the rest of the officers were transferred in. Once in and out, he brought new training troops and trained officers. Otherwise, the training speed was slower.

At this time, the middle and senior generals in the imperial guards were mostly studying in the military academy for a short time, and then transferred to the army that was well trained. If they learn quickly, there were many inappropriate things and they were quickly eliminated.

There were not many middle and senior generals in the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty, with limited positions and few people who could be promoted. A large number of military generals went to the local area after being promoted to a certain level in the imperial guards. The positions in the imperial guards were military positions, and the positions in the local commands were military positions. The two were fundamentally different.

During this training, middle and senior generals did not distinguish between military positions and military positions. As long as they were willing, they would go to the military academy to study for a period of time, and then be incorporated into the army that was well trained. If they did well, they would continue to be promoted, but if they were not good, they would mostly leave the imperial guards from then on.

After discussing the situation on the border for a while, Zhang Ji said: "The Privy Council means that after the railway is opened, another 100,000 people will be transferred to Hebei Road. The troops will no longer be stationed in various places, but will be stationed together. Use the period before autumn to conduct drills. Those newly transferred officers must be familiar with the work in the military during the drill. If they are not familiar with them, they will be replaced as soon as possible."

Guo Kui nodded and said nothing. He himself was just a newly transferred person, so he naturally understood what Zhang Ke meant. The drills in the past few months have not only been a learning and familiar process for newly transferred persons, but also a process of elimination.

Zhang Ke smiled and said, "Since you entered our army, you have been careful in doing things and learning from time to time, and don't worry. It's just that the generals below should pay special attention. You must see clearly what they do during the drill. If you are not suitable, you will report to the court early and clear it out. This matter should not be favored. Once a war starts, it will be a matter of life. Remember!"

Guo Kui crossed his hands and said, "Don't worry, Grand Marshal! My subordinates must do their job well and don't go on business!"
Chapter completed!