With Dàtóng falling, Xiao Dashou’s army almost completely destroyed, the sky over Dàtang had fallen. Zhuo Qi would need to sweep through Yìngzhōu and Wèi Zhōu, then proceed via Hùnyáo, Língqiū to join Li Cháng, the magistrate of Jiāoxian County, to form a new attacking force, passing through Liányuán and crossing the Great Wall over Guǐlǐn Hill towards Yìzhōu.
Di Qing, after a brief rest, again crossed the Yi River towards Zhúzōu. The Anxi and Bāngǔ armies of Hebei had retreated to Báizhū, replaced by the Shù’ān Army stationed at Gāoyáng and Qīngzhōu’s local army.
It appeared Di Qing intended to use his entire force of over forty thousand soldiers to thoroughly train on this Liao battlefield.
Thus far, three out of Sinaí's four attacking armies had fully entered Liao territory.
Da Miehōng’s forces entered the northern deserts but there was no news. Yun Zhen hoped they would be swallowed by the black sandstorms, but it seemed to be a one-sided wish. Da Miehōng's army surely intended to cross into Dágáohǎi Lake and deliver a fatal blow against Yelü Xìn.
Yun Zhen found it hard to understand why Da Miehōng persisted in attacking far from the treasure, but he believed that with his military expertise, Da Miehōng would not make irrational decisions at such a critical juncture.
If Da Miehōng was after some hidden treasure, it must be significant. But even a simple treasure could only be of limited use to personal or national interests.
Wáng Ānshí had asked Xi Gusuān about the nature of this treasure and the response was shocking: "The treasure inside Dama contains the souls of the Khitans!"
Both Yun Zhen and Wáng Ānshí were unsatisfied with this answer, but Xi Gusuān closed his mouth. No matter how much Wáng Ānshī probed, he could not extract any more information.
"What is in the treasure?"
Wáng Ānshī scratched his head; flakes of dandruff fell like snowflakes.
"Commander, you oversee the Secretariat of Sinaí Intelligence. Have you no idea about this matter?" Yun Zhen asked Chen Lín after pondering for a moment.
Chen Lín shook his head awkwardly and said, "Dágáohǎi Lake is a sacred ground for the Khitans; we cannot enter it. I've heard that even Han merchants from Sinaí are forbidden to go there.
The area around Dágáohǎi Lake is guarded by the elite troops of the eight original clans of the Khitan Empire, and Jo Bāoshān, where the treasure is located, is heavily guarded. My subordinates have lost many men trying to get within three hundred miles."
"This matter is full of mystery. If Dámiehōng’s army can cross the vast desert, this treasure must be more than just gold and silver. With twenty thousand troops inside Dágáohǎi Lake, the situation there should be chaotic now. It would be a good time to send someone in."
The Sixteen Prefectures of Yān-Yún were our ultimate goal. We could ignore the treasure for now but we must know why Dámiehōng’s army went there.