"Murong Cheng wants us to help?" Zhao Xun listened to Lu Ziliang's words and couldn't help laughing.

"Yes, the envoy of the King of Qi has arrived in Youzhou!" Lu Ziliang said with a smile, "There are enemies on three sides, and Murong Cheng is also panicking. Now, we're the only ones out of it! He asked for help from us, and he deserved it. Moreover, it is also true that the defeat of King Qi is not good for us. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said: "That's true, if there is no matter of Shanyang Mansion, maybe we really can't make a move, at most we will shout two voices, but now, we can still move." Talk to them, in short, and finally tell them that we can contain the Xuzhou army and the Yanzhou army in the north. But also because of the situation in the north, it is not possible to send too many troops, and it is impossible to say what the effect will be. Besides, we are already cooperating with them at sea. ”

Lu Ziliang nodded and responded: "As long as we agree to move, Murong Cheng is already thankful." As for the sea, this Yangzhou naval army obviously also received strict orders from Murong Cheng, otherwise it would not have treated our merchant ships so politely. ”

Zhao Xun quickly reached an agreement with Murong Cheng's people, although Zhao Xun did not say how many people he wanted to dispatch, nor did he clearly say how many forces he could contain, but the people sent by Murong Cheng obviously had Murong Cheng's permission and directly responded to Zhao Xun's conditions.

Zhao Xun's request was not much, and the two sides opened commerce and allowed free shopping, especially the things needed by the earth-shaking thunder. Because Zhao Xun bought a lot of things, he was not afraid that the other party would clearly guess which ones were the necessities. In addition, Zhao Xun also needs the other party to provide 500,000 denier grain free of charge. For the north, food is still a big problem, especially Zhao Xun needs to take into account the food supply in Dingzhou. But for the Land of Jingyang, it wasn't that difficult. But this grain is enough for half a year for an army of 100,000 people, and if it is saved, it will take even longer.

In fact, for Murong Cheng, as long as Zhao Xun moved, whether it was the princes of Yanzhou or Situ Lei, he would not dare to underestimate him. After all, for now, Zhao Xun is the third largest force in the world. If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Xun was not as prosperous as the other two parties under his rule, and the territory in his hands was not as much as the other two parties, I was afraid that Zhao Xun would be listed first. But when it really came to the battle, whether it was Situ Lei or Murong Cheng, they all knew in their hearts that they were afraid that the two soldiers would fight one to one, and the soldiers under their command were far from being the opponents of Zhao Xun's subordinates.

"It seems that Murong Cheng sees it very clearly! In that case, let's stop looking at the south for the time being, and start to officially start the western half of the North Sea. The rest are also in action, and it is time for our Navy to be active. After listening to the negotiation results reported by Lu Ziliang, Zhao Xun said with a smile.

The various units of the Xiaoguo Army also mobilized one after another, and gathered heavy troops in the three eastern prefectures and the five prefectures of Dingzhou. Subsequently, the acceptance operation of the western part of the Beihai was launched, and the Beihai camp located in the Beihai Department immediately cut off the connection between the east and west of the Beihai Department, and issued orders to the various ministries to choose whether to be included in the rule of the Xiaoguo Army.

It looks like this is a good choice, choose one of the two. In fact, it is either to integrate into the Xiaoguo Army, or to roll out of the western part of the North Sea. It doesn't seem to be very difficult, it's good to be willing to surrender, just hand over the power directly, and then be a rich man, with the official title of Xiaoguo Army on his body, and receive a lot of money, which is similar to the knighthood of the imperial court. But the chiefs of the western North Sea knew that they had no choice. If you don't hand over power, then leave the western part of the North Sea.

However, how many of the tribes were willing to leave this familiar land with them and go to the King of the North Sea to earn a living? They would be better off under the rule of the Xiaoguo Army. Besides, the tribes of all sizes in the western part of the North Sea were dissatisfied with the annexation of the Beihai King in the past and rose up to resist, and now in the past, is there still a way to live? Especially when there are no soldiers and no power in hand. I'm afraid that in order to eliminate the excuse of the Xiaoguo army's attack, the king of the North Sea Chishu directly tied them up and handed them over. They don't believe that there will be a way to live.

Although the Beihai Department and the Liaodong Kingdom. Like the Su Mo Ya tribe, they are all tribes of the Ya people, but they are different from the other two forces. The territory of the other two forces is semi-agricultural and semi-nomadic, while their territory is all grassland, nomadic and nomadic. In the grassland land, most of the nomadic tribes are good at riding horses and cavalry. It is also because of this that the Beihai Department has always been the vanguard of the attack on Youzhou. And cavalry has always been the strongest class of troops, with many advantages. Zhao Xun naturally didn't want to have a shining force in the land north of him.

"What does Zhao Xun want to do? This king has reached the limit, does he still want to attack our department? "When the Beihai King Chishu heard the report of his subordinates, he said that the Xiaoguo army was around the Beihai Department, and there was a lot of movement, and anger surged in his heart. At the beginning, he was a pro-commander of the army and attacked Youzhou, at that time, Zhao Xun was just a small leader of the private army. Unexpectedly, a few years later, Zhao Xun became the male lord of Dayan in the north, and he suppressed himself unexpectedly. Although he was forced to surrender to his enemy, the current act of dealing with it has made Chishu almost unbearable.

Beihai King Jun Shi Yun looked out and said, "King, there is no need to be angry. The Xiaoguo Army's operation this time was not aimed at our department at all. After all, now the Xiaoguo army is not only moving around us, but also the Liaodong Kingdom and the southern region of the Sumo Yan Tribe. He's just doing it to keep us from moving. ”

"Prevent us from moving? What do we have to do differently? If I can make a change, I have the strength to change. I have already led the army to counterattack, so why wait for the other party to prevent it? Chishu said hatefully.

Yun Wang sighed and said, "Perhaps, in the past, my construction was too advanced, and it suddenly divided the Beihai Department into two. After all, we are different from those in the eastern plains. ”

Chishu waved his hand and said astringently: "If there is a mistake, it is also the fault of this king, and it has nothing to do with you." But, in the eyes of this king, your building is right. It's just that time is not waiting for me. It was just as we were recovering and preparing to take action to pacify the rebellious tribes in one fell swoop that the damned Xiaoguo army appeared. It also brought a Beihai Protectorate, which was rigidly inserted into our Beihai Department, making us face the joint suppression of the Xiaoguo Army and the western part of Beihai. The Xiaoguo army has sharp armor, while the western part of the North Sea is logistically supported. We, with one against two, can not be defeated! By the way, what do you say the Xiaoguo Army wants to do this time? ”

Although he knew that eating food was just buying people's hearts, Yun Wang saw that Chishu, as the king of the North Sea, could still take responsibility for his subordinates, and admitting his mistakes in front of everyone still made Yun Wang feel very grateful.

"It should be a matter of the western part of Beihai, doesn't it mean that the people in the western part of Beihai are envious of the treatment and living standards of the Khitans under the rule of the Xiaoguo Army, so that they also have the heart to belong. This matter should be for this. Zhao Xun was worried that when he accepted the western part of Beihai, the rest of the ministries would have a bad reaction, so he made preparations in advance. Yun Wang said unwillingly.

If you want to say that Yun Wang's heart is unwilling, then Chishu is angry at the moment. The western part of the North Sea is also the North Sea Department, and the North Sea Department is under the command of his great chief. Although these twenty or so tribes are now unwilling to be swallowed by themselves, it does not mean that this red art has abandoned them and regarded them as mortal enemies. Chishu was always planning to reclaim them for his own use. But now, obviously, it's impossible. If Zhao Xun hadn't accepted the other party's thoughts, he wouldn't have made such a big move, which also means that there is nothing to do with him, the king of Beihai, in the western part of Beihai.

"Bastard! Didn't you say that in Dayan, this Zhao Xun still has several big enemies? Could it be that they just sit and watch Zhao Xun grow stronger? Chishu roared with a grim face.

"Now, there is a big war going on in the Central Plains, and Murong Cheng and Situ Lei are fighting for the power of the imperial court, and they have pulled all the forces of Dayan into it. To put it mildly, I'm afraid that many forces in Dayan hope that the Xiaoguo Army can fight with us now, so that Zhao Xun will not be looking at the south. Yun Wang shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Then we're watching the tribes of the western North Sea being swallowed up? Now it's the Western Horde, what about next time? If it's us, what then? Chishu shouted coldly.

The general under the command of Chishu, who was also a Khitan who took refuge in the early years, Habur, said in a low voice: "This is the choice of the western tribes themselves, and the Xiaoguo army let them volunteer, and we ...... it."

Habur's meaning is obvious, the other party is voluntarily incorporated into Dayan, not invaded by the Xiaoguo army, what can they do? Moreover, the Northwest tribe had existed separately earlier, and was not subordinate to the Eastern Beihai State, and could even be said to be enemies. Can you interfere with the enemy's thoughts? Can you meddle in the internal affairs of the enemy? If your own strength is strong, it's fine, but unfortunately it's not the opponent of the other party, and there is no other way but to accept fate.

Chishu Yan didn't know this, but he understood better that if this continued, the Xiaoguo army would become stronger and stronger in the north, and there would be more and more places in Dingzhou. And the Xiaoguo army built small cities and fortresses in Dingzhou on a large scale, so that the eastward divisions would only suppress their own side within a narrow range. How can he be willing?

"I don't need to hear useless explanations and justifications, I now want to know what to do. If this continues, sooner or later, our Beihai Department will be annexed step by step by the Xiaoguo Army. Red Shu roared with hatred.

Yun Wang pondered for a moment and said, "Now, we can only join forces with the Liaodong Kingdom, the Sumo Sect and the Heishui Sect, we are all Lords, and we should work together to defend against foreign enemies." ”

"Liaodong Kingdom, Su Mo Yan Ministry? The two major divisions of them have been frightened by the Xiaoguo Army, and they have long bowed down to the Xiaoguo Army, so they dare to fight against the Xiaoguo Army? In addition, these two parts are not good birds. In the past, when we conquered the North, we became their outcasts, swords in our hands. ”

Yun Wang said: "King, having said that, these two are also on pins and needles at the moment. Although they were subordinate to the Xiaoguo army, they were also forced to be helpless. Now, the former defeated generals have already risen in Youzhou, which is the target of their bullying. And the Xiaoguo Army, which occupies Youzhou, is already the number one enemy of all departments. Now, it's time for them to put aside the strife in their hearts and unite with each other. For them, our Beihai tribes are the western periphery of the Liaodong Kingdom and the Sumo Tribe. If we don't have it, they will bear the pressure of the west. The subordinates believe that at this moment, they are also thinking of joining forces with us. ”

"Well, send someone to contact them, tell them, and join forces, and don't mention any messy conditions. Otherwise, the Beihai Department will become the knife in the hands of the Xiaoguo Army, and it will not be us who will be unlucky. Chishu said grimly.

At the beginning, the five tribes united to march south, preparing for the five departments to unite into a country, but the Beihai Department was excluded by himself to replace his father's position, and now, the Liaodong Kingdom is strong, but the Beihai tribes are divided into two. In this regard, Chishu was full of resentment in his heart.

Yangzhou.

"So, Zhao Xun agreed?" Murong Cheng asked with a little joy.

"Returning to the prince, I agreed, but the Xiaoguo army was also busy attacking Zhuhu in the north, so he said that he did not dare to guarantee that he would contain a certain enemy army, nor did he dare to guarantee how many men and horses could be dispatched, but it would make the Tang army not attack our army, and the Xuzhou army would not have a good time. Let our army move the focus to the lands of Jingzhou, Yuzhou and Yanzhou to fight against Situ Lei, the king of Yong. In addition, there is the Southern Jiaozhou. King Zhao said that he was extremely dissatisfied with Jiaozhou's onerous taxation of northern sea vessels. ”

Zhang Tu said: "Lord Wang, it seems that this Xiaoguo army wants to put pressure on the Tang army, forcing it to have friction or disputes with the Xuzhou army. However, what King Zhao means is what we should consider now, speaking of which, the land of Jingzhou and Yuzhou that is the most stressful on us now is the land. And the biggest threat to us is Jiaozhou in the south, of course, he is also the best to deal with, after all, he is alone in our south. ”

Zhong Yan shook his head and said: "You can't underestimate this Jiaozhou, a single Jiaozhou is indeed easy to deal with." But behind it is connected to Ningzhou. It would not be good if Situ Lei's army interspersed with the land of Daojiaozhou from Ningzhou. ”

Zhang Tu was stunned, and also patted his head and said: "What Brother Zhong said is very true, I only care about the northern front, but ignore the south. This Jiaozhou cannot be ignored, and now, we should take action against Jiaozhou first. ”

"And what did we agree to?" Fei Bin, who newly joined the Murong Cheng Decision-making Center, hesitated.

Murong Cheng nodded and said, "Give it to them, since you have promised, give it!" The king doesn't want anything to go wrong at this time. We have a lot of food in stock, and we will ship it to them now! ”

"The order was issued to appoint He Xiong, who was stationed in Jiangzhou, as the general of Pingnan and to conquer Jiaozhou. Fei Bin, you are the envoy of the capital, and cooperate with He Xiong to march south. ”

"Subordinates take orders!" After speaking, Fei Bin saluted, then turned around and left.

"Damn! In the first place, he should have directly let Wu Weijun do it to Yanzhou, but the bastard Xu Jie, he dared to do it to this king. Let the Xiao cavalry go north, pass through Yuzhou, and enter the land of Yanzhou. I don't believe it, just a governor of Yanzhou, and he also wants to use the government army in his hand to oppose this king. The Shence Army was stationed in Yuzhou to guard against the enemy army in Yongzhou. If you find something, you will fight back. Let them not be careless, they just need to stay on the ground. Murong Cheng said hatefully.

Zhang Tu said: "Lord Wang, not all the land of Yanzhou is under the control of Xu Jie, and there are places where we can take advantage of it!" ”

"Oh? Let's talk about it! ”

"According to what we investigated afterwards, this Xu Jie's original plan was to have the Yanzhou Mansion Army, the Xuzhou Army and the Tang Army join forces in the land of Yanzhou to raid the Wuwei Army in the land of Yanzhou, but the Tang Army failed to reach Yanzhou Mansion along the way."

"You are saying that there is a force in Yanzhou that has blocked the movement of the Tang army. No, the Black Eagle Guards sent information that the reason why the Tang Army did not dare to act recklessly was because of the oppression of the Xiaoguo Army on its northern front, how? What's missing? Murong Cheng asked in a deep voice, at this moment, any news that is beneficial to oneself is worth knowing, and any person and force that is beneficial to oneself is worth using and wooing.

Zhang Tu nodded and said: "Xu Jie doesn't want his subordinates to be dissatisfied, and he doesn't want the appearance of the Tang Army to go south without hindrance, so that the hidden places in it will be discovered by our army." Therefore, he ceded the land of Liangfu that had been promised to the Tang army and let it attack south, as a legitimate reason for the Tang army to move south. However, in order not to attract the attention of the Wuwei Army, and also to eliminate those under his command who did not obey the call, Xu Jie sent his own long history, an upright and well-known Fengziming, to the north to help. ”

And this Feng Ziming may have noticed the trick of Xu Jie's generals and tens of thousands of soldiers as outcasts, and he was stunned to seize the power of Shanyang Mansion and stop the Tang army. Now, it is already a powerful force in the north of Yanzhou Mansion. Especially during the period of the war in Yanzhou, this small force with 20,000 troops played a vital role, especially its defeat of the Tang army, which shows its strong combat power. ”

"Oh? Is there such a character? It seems that we still underestimate the world's heroes. Murong Cheng suddenly became interested.

Zhang Tu said with a smile: "Speaking of which, Xu Jiecai underestimated the people under his command, such a talent, but he was forced to the opposite side." Although the two sides did not fight, Shanyang Mansion was already out of the control of Xu Jie, we. Someone can be contacted. ”

Zhong Yan said on the side: "It's strange, according to the intelligence, Shanyang Mansion can defeat the Tang army's invasion. In addition to the fact that Shanyang Mansion produced a general who can fight well and defend the territory, it seems to be related to the Tang Army itself. Because of the oppression of the Xiaoguo army, the Tang army focused its attention on the junction of the Xiaoguo army and the Tang army, and despised the attack of the Liangzhou Mansion, resulting in the reinforcements not arriving, and the result was a great defeat. ”

Zhang Tu was slightly stunned and said, "Brother Zhong means to suspect that this Shanyang Mansion has a connection with the Xiaoguo Army?" At first, I was skeptical. But then I thought about it, and it felt unlikely. The Xiaoguo Army and Shanyang Mansion are separated from the Tang Army, so it is impossible to contact Shanyang Mansion at the temporary, and besides, there is not much interest relationship between the two. If Tang Jun and Xu Jie knew that Shanyang Mansion and Xiaoguo Army were colluded, I was afraid that Tang Jun would join forces with Xuzhou Army and Xu Jie to level Shanyang Mansion first. Of course, we can't help but think about what connection there is, even if we didn't have it before, I'm afraid that from now on, we will be like us, and we will have to contact Sanyang Mansion. ”

Indeed, the independence of Shanyang Province from the outside world and the repulsion of the Tang army made it an important factor affecting the situation in the land of Yanzhou. Not only Murong Cheng was preparing to contact him, but even the people from Yanzhou City sent by Situ Lei were also preparing to contact him. At this moment, the small forces that could make Tang Jun deflated and Xu Jie's had to retreat had to fall into their eyes.

Feng Ziming, who is in charge of Shanyang Mansion, doesn't think too much at the moment, first, he wants to implement the new policy, and open the knife to those stubborn clans, according to Zhao Xun's instructions, he will not be soft. At this time, if the means are too drastic, it will not cause interference from the outside world, and the big clans in Shanyang Mansion have no foreign aid. Immediately Sanyo Mansion? Okay! If you can survive in the other provinces where the war is being fought, then go ahead. This is the best time to clear up, otherwise, you will naturally not be soft-hearted towards those who do not follow orders.

Second, Feng Ziming also had to arrange for these seventy or eighty thousand people to settle down. These seventy or eighty thousand people all came south from Liangzhou Mansion with Zhao Xun, and it can be said that they all trusted the Shanyang Mansion government. If properly arranged, they are an example. At the same time, they will also be loyal fans of Sanyang Mansion.

Compared with Zhao Xun's methods in the northern land in the past, Shanyang Mansion is already much milder. Perhaps it was the benefits of the new policy under the rule of the Xiaoguo Army, or perhaps it was the constant fighting outside Shanyang Mansion that caused the displaced people to flow into the territory of Shanyang Mansion from time to time. As a result, the people of all the counties in Shanyang Prefecture supported it, and most of those big clans did not have strong opposition. After all, the Sanyang Mansion did not deprive him of his family wealth, but only returned the fields that he had swallowed by unreasonable means. In addition, the government also paid for the surplus land in his name.

In addition, there is no mandatory restriction on the amount of land it owns. However, when the tax was levied, it was also the same as under the rule of the Xiaoguo army, and it was levied according to the quality of the field. The only exception, and unlike before, was that the government limited the proportion and type of taxes it could collect from tenants. In other words, now these big families who own a lot of land can no longer obtain greater profits from the fields. In addition, the implementation of the Shanyang Prefecture is the same as that of the Xiaoguo Army, no matter what status, it is subject to taxation, unless there is a tax exemption clause on it.