Because the entire army of the navy was killed, Li Chi was very angry, so he ordered all the troops to carry out a strong counterattack against the army of Qi Wang, in order to avenge the death of the navy. But Xuzhou and Yangzhou are at war and are always at a disadvantage. I have to say that the rear of Yangzhou is the land of the imperial court, and there is a lot of room for maneuver, whether it is manpower, military strength or financial resources. Everything is stronger than the Xuzhou army. It can be said that if it weren't for the guards of Langya Mansion who have now become traitors, I am afraid that Xuzhou would have been in danger long ago. The situation surrounded on all sides is not easy to break.

However, fortunately, the Qingzhou army in the north and Tang Xian's Tang army had no intention of attacking it, so he transferred the soldiers of the northern line of defense to the south and moved back and forth with the Yangzhou army at the junction of Xu and Yang.

Seeing that the situation was a little bad, Li Chi hurriedly sent someone to negotiate peace with Tang Xian, unite with Tang Xian, and defeat the army in Yanzhou first. Li Chi wanted the security of his own western front, and he promised that after the war, he was willing to assist Tang Xian in controlling Yanzhou and reaching an offensive and defensive alliance. Tang Xian immediately agreed to Li Chi's alliance and joined forces to attack the Yanzhou army.

"Marshal, why do we have to agree to Li Chi's alliance, he is clearly borrowing our hands to solve the Yanzhou army. What else will help our army take Yanzhou in the future, how is it possible! The generals of the Tang Army were a little puzzled.

Tang Xian said with a stern face: "How can I not know what Li Chi means? If we sit back and watch the defeat of the Xuzhou army, then what can we gain? Get Xuzhou? Yanzhou? Let's not let us get this imperial army, but what if we get it? It's just the next Li Chi. In any case, the Xuzhou army must be saved, and only in this way can we gain a foothold here, otherwise, sooner or later we will be exterminated by the imperial court. ”

"There is only the land of Yanzhou, and it is better to rely on yourself than on anyone. Let the army of Langya Mansion take active action and immediately move westward. Tang Xian ordered in a deep voice.

"It's just a pity that our army doesn't have a strong naval army, otherwise, with the Yellow River in the north and Yishui in the east, Wenshui and Surabaya, we will be able to defend against the Xiaoguo Army in the north and the Qingzhou Army in the northeast." Shen Yuanhe shook his head and sighed. How could he not have known the delicate nature of the situation they were in. Although Tang Xianjun and Xuzhou Jun were not opposed, the opposing scenario was indispensable. The Xuzhou army wants to expand outward, with the sea in the east and Qingzhou in the north, which has been favored by the Xiaoguo army. Not to mention the south, it was the sworn enemy of Yangzhou, the Xuzhou army. If no unexpected circumstances happen, the Xuzhou Army does not want to break through from the south.

Only to the west, Yanzhou to the north and Yuzhou to the south. Among them, Yuzhou has long been included in Murong Cheng's command, and the power is strong, and the newly formed Liangwei Guards are also being formed in Yuzhou. If you want to expand from Yuzhou, it is difficult! The only thing left is Yanzhou in the northwest. But now this Yanzhou has been touched by Tang Xian.

The Xuzhou army wanted to expand, and the Tang army wanted to survive. The land of Yanzhou is where the contradiction between the two lies. To be honest, Tang Xian really hoped that the Xuzhou army would be exterminated, but he was just thinking about it. The Xuzhou Army is definitely stronger than the Tang Army, without him, the current Tang Army can be described as a lost dog, and even a place to settle down has just been grabbed.

Think about it, even the Xuzhou army was wiped out by the army, so what will happen to the Tang army, which is not as good as the Xuzhou army? His relationship with Tang Xian, Shen Yuanhe, and Murong Cheng is afraid that Murong Cheng's hatred for them is even greater than that of Xuzhou Jun. If the Xuzhou army is gone, his Tang army will be inferior to the Xuzhou army and will be defeated faster. Therefore, Tang Xian had to let the Xuzhou army save zài and let him bear the pressure of Murong Cheng and the imperial court. And what he needs to do is to hide behind the Xuzhou army and develop and grow silently until he can fight against the Xuzhou army and even the imperial army.

Therefore, it is imperative to join forces with the Xuzhou army to resist the imperial army, and if the Xuzhou army is defeated, they will also be in danger. As for what Li Chi said, cooperating with the Tang army to capture Yanzhou, Tang Xian can only be regarded as a joke. If you want the Xuzhou army to cooperate, you can only cooperate with the other party's stomach.

…………

Zhao Xun is now busy inspecting the craftsman's camp, and the results are not very satisfactory to him. After questioning and observing, Zhao Xun had to sigh regretfully, the barrel of the gun barrel is made zuò. It's not as simple as it seems.

The barrel and barrel made are not very suitable at all, the inside of the barrel is rough and uneven, even if you add marbles and gunpowder, you don't dare to launch lightly, one is not good, the marbles are stuck in the owner, and if you can't get out, it will cause an explosion. Either that's not thick enough to withstand high temperatures or explosive power. As for the barrel, when the time comes, the range is not as effective as the archers.

In short, in the short term, if you want to make such a thing, if you want to achieve a truly effective and lethal weapon, you can only improve it slowly.

Seeing this situation, Zhao Xun could only sigh slightly, but it didn't mean that this was over. After encouraging these craftsmen who specialize in their own work, I continued to let them study it. Especially the artillery, Zhao Xun remembered that the artillery seemed to be made of copper in the early days, not iron. But he didn't know anything about it, so he could only let the other party try slowly.

The benefits of artillery are naturally self-evident, and both the army and the navy will greatly change the mode of operation. Especially for the navy, if the artillery is equipped, even if it is a simple push out of the iron egg, it is definitely better than a broadside battle. Just a few can sink an enemy ship into the water.

Since guns can't be made, they can only continue to make black powder. Because there are special personnel responsible for research, production, management and use, the purity of black powder is getting higher and higher, and the power of the explosion is also increased accordingly, while the cost is gradually decreasing. Because of the surrounding forces, although they knew that the Heaven-Shaking Thunder used by Zhao Xun seemed to be refined with the alchemy of that Fangshi, they did not know its formula and function. Therefore, the Xiaoguo Army is still buying a large amount of saltpeter and sulfur from various merchants, of course, there are many things that the Xiaoguo Army needs, and for a while, it is not clear what the formula of the earth-shaking thunder is added.

Because of the acceptance of the Xiaoguo Army, it also made a lot of people enter the Xiaoguo Army's territory, for these displaced people, Zhao Xun placed them in the land of the Beiding Five Mansions, and slowly, with the passage of time, the Beiding Five Mansions also began to flourish. Originally, this was the place where some officials of the Xiaoguo Army were rewarded, and they settled a lot of people here, plus more and more Han people. There was gradually a scene of Han Chinese ruling the land.

Zhao Xun inspected here and couldn't help but sigh when he saw more and more Han people and Khitan people living together. As long as his life is stable, no matter what his clan, he will eventually settle down. Under the influence of the Han people, many Khitan people began to learn Chinese and give Han names. Coupled with the policy of the Xiaoguo Army, the younger generation of the Khitan people began to be like the Han Academy, which is a Chinese character, speaking of Sinicization, and gradually Sinicizing it.

And the four Khitans in the five provinces of Beiding also began to join the Han nationality of the five provinces of Beiding, no way, the treatment of Han nationality and non-Han nationality is different. It's not that I despise them, but that many times, many things, especially good things, give priority to Han nationality. For example, the caravan recruited guards, servants, and helpers, all of which were in accordance with the secret intention of the Xiaoguo Army, and gave priority to accepting Han nationality. Whether you are a Han Chinese, a Khitan person, or a Ya people, just look at the copy of the household registration, and the Han nationality is preferred. Even if it is to buy and sell, the Han Khitans will also have an advantage.

In this way, how could the Khitan people of the four Khitan departments sit still, and gradually, they all went to the government offices of the five prefectures in Beiding or the surrounding small cities to handle the household registration of the Han people. And the patriarchs of the four tribes also know the plans of the Xiaoguo Army, since they are powerless to resist, it is better not to come nonsense. The actions of these people are left to their own devices.

It looks like it's the same as joining or not joining, but it's not. The Han Khitans must obey the orders of the government when the government needs them, and they are equal to the Han people. For example, if they are conscripted into the army, for example, they need to pay taxes to the government of the five prefectures in Beiding, rather than to their own tribal chiefs. The taxes of the Xiaoguo army are definitely much lighter than the ones they hand over to the tribe. In the various tribes, these tribes are almost equivalent to the personal slaves of the tribal chief, and their family property is almost equivalent to the property of the tribal chief, which can be deprived at any time, but now, it is not, they are ordinary people, the family property is privately owned, and they only need to pay a certain amount of taxes to the government, and they do not need to worry about their livestock being taken by the patriarch for no reason.

And the patriarchs of the four tribes also let this go, and even the tribal soldiers were almost screened, and the outstanding people were recommended by them to the Eight Banners of the Khitan, and the rest were just to solve the tribal disputes and maintain the prestige of the patriarch. Not only that, but the patriarchs of the four tribes and even the officials of their ministries have become their own caravans and have made money. Seeing this, Zhao Xun was naturally full of joy. The four of them were willing to cooperate, and it was better at that time, than if they had to fight one of them.

The Beihai tribe has now succumbed to the power of the Beihai Protectorate, and the soldiers of the various tribes have also been demolished under Li Muzhi's order, and there is not much left. And the ministries need to provide logistical supplies for the Eight Banners of the Beihai Metropolitan Protectorate. Now the Beihai capital is the protectorate, and even the Liaodong Kingdom in the east of the Beihai Department does not dare to provoke lightly.

Speaking of Liaodong Kingdom, Zhao Xun also gave the king of Liaodong Kingdom the title in his own name, because the army of Liaodong Kingdom was meritorious with the army, and he was named the lord of Liaodong Kingdom. As long as Liaodong is a subordinate of Xiaoguo Army, then He Lou Yanwen is the lord of Liaodong State, and the rest of the people refuse to recognize it. As for whether his son will succeed him, he will have to wait for the gift of the Xiaoguo Army. The position of the lord of Liaodong can only be effective after being given by the Xiaoguo Army. He Lou Yanwen, the lord of Liaodong State, received the order in public and volunteered to become a subordinate of the Xiaoguo Army, paying tribute at the age of the year.

At this order, several other people in Liaodong Kingdom who were qualified to take over as the lord of Liaodong Kingdom were dumbfounded. At the time of the founding of the country, there was an agreement that the four ministries would take turns to assume the position of head of the country. But now, after Xiaoguo Jun did this, the position of the lord of the country has become the family of He Lou. They were unwilling, but what if they were unwilling, they expressed their dissatisfaction a little, and the Xiaoguo army in the Eastern Three Prefectures began to stir. If you don't accept it, I'll fight. The people of the other three departments can only secretly swallow the bitter fruit. Now they understand why when Zhao Xun recruited troops from various ministries, this He Lou Yanwen did not hesitate to send troops to fight, and most of them were the elites of his own tribe, so he hugged Zhao Xun's thigh.