"General, General Xue and General Qin of the third and fourth towns in the south have sent a letter, they have cleared the Qianghu tribe in the southern region, and are now garrisoning along the Zishui River. At present, the territory of 600 miles between the north of the Datong River and the Zishui River has been included in the jurisdiction of our Zhao army. Two generals came and asked if a full-scale attack would follow? "In the tent of Zhao Junshuai, the third town joined the army to report to Li Chenfeng on the situation of the southern army.

"Go back and reply to the two generals, tell them to halt the attack for the time being, assist the logistics of the state side to move the population, stabilize the place, and receive the displaced people from the south and west who have entered the country. The Lord's intention is to see if the Liangzhou army can be brought in to facilitate future operations. In addition, our strong attack also made the Qianghu tribes in the central part of the country begin to have the intention of uniting. Now, let's relax, take the pressure off them, pull one part, and finally clear the part. ”

"General, what about us now? Want to stop too? With the military strength of our armies in the north and south, it is enough to take out the tribes in the middle. Even if you want to prepare for the attack on Liangzhou, there is no need to stop the attack now. Zhang Ju, the deputy general of the first town, asked puzzled after joining the army in the south and leaving.

Li Chenfeng smiled bitterly: "It is indeed one of the purposes to pull Liangzhou into the water. The most important reason is that now that winter has arrived, our army has nearly 100,000 troops on the northern road, including quite a few baggage soldiers. The consumption of one day is not a small amount. In case of a major snow closure of the road, these hundreds of thousands of soldiers can ...... Besides, the focus is now on the security of the state and our newly occupied territory, and the logistical pressure is extremely high. ”

"What about us now, in addition to the Eight Banners and the First Town, the Young Guards and the auxiliary army will escort those Qianghu people to evacuate here and settle down in Bingzhou, which will also relieve the pressure on logistics. As for the central tribes, this winter is not going to be easy, we are talking while fighting, and Shunchang is going to die. ”

…………

Youzhou City, after inspecting Jinyang City, Zhao Xun returned to the base camp of the Zhao army. Naturally, there is no need to elaborate on the family reunion, and Zhao Jun's civil and military forces celebrated the victory of the state for several days. The only thing that upset Zhao Xun was that Murong Cheng sent people one after another to persuade Zhao Xun to let him go to Yongzhou. For these, Zhao Xun naturally excused himself in every possible way.

However, when Zhao Xun returned to Youzhou City, he did not just care about rest and enjoyment, but also discussed with the civil and military officials about the direction of Zhao Jun's new step. In Zhao Xun's words, that is the action plan for the new year.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now that the north has completed the occupation of the annexed states, it can be said that by now, we have formed a comprehensive suppression of Situ Lei. As long as we want, Liangzhou and Yongzhou are under our attack, and it is the most comprehensive attack. However, because of his physical problems, Situ Lei is now far less threatening to us than Murong Cheng's Qi army. Therefore, our current focus is on the border issue of Murong Cheng and the North Gate. ”

"The north has now begun to move, and Zhang Yuanjing remains in Shuofang, where he is fully responsible for dividing and co-opting the Turkic tribes. Come to think of it, it wasn't long before we had a few more tribes close to us in the north of Bingzhou. What we need to do then is keep pushing our border line north. Our course of action remains the same, advancing layer by layer, gradually building cities, and compressing the living space of the nomads. Even if it is grazing, we must say that the northern steppe becomes our internal pasture. ”

"In addition to the Turks in the north, there is also the Heishui Sect in the east and the north, where although the temperature is cold, the land is fertile, and the mountains are rich in medicinal herbs and excellent wood. Vehicles and boats are the best resources there. Even if we don't attack them directly, we will turn them into our vassal tribes. In terms of our living resources here, we will definitely make their hearts turn to us. We can provide them from above with life and make them surrender to us from within. ”

"As for the south, that is Murong Cheng's Qi army power, and as for the rest of the small princes, this king is not in his eyes." Zhao Xun said slowly, "What do you think about attacking Murong Cheng?" ”

Situ Liang took the lead and said: "Regarding Murong Cheng's actions in the south, all of us have also discussed it. Broadly speaking, we now have two directions, one bright and one dark. One is to continue to maintain the righteousness of the imperial court, openly conquest Situ Lei, secretly target Murong Cheng, win over the Xuzhou army, and jointly take action against Murong Cheng. The second is to directly raise troops to fight against Murong Cheng, and we can join forces with Situ Lei. However, in this way, the whole situation became uncontrollable, in other words, the three princes began to fight against each other, and the name of the imperial court completely disappeared. Then, we may also face the joint suppression of Murong Cheng and Situ Lei in the south and the Turks in the north. ”

Zhao Xun frowned slightly and said, "Then, according to your meaning, we can only do it secretly now." In other words, we still sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, instigating Murong Cheng and Situ Lei to go to war. ”

Situ Liang said: "Because we are now fighting the Turks in the north, before we can form a solid northern defense line, this Turk will always be a big problem. Although we defeated the Turks once in the middle of the year. However, that was because of the surprise, and even more so because of the Turkic plague last year. Therefore, this north, especially the north of Bingzhou, is a weak place for us. A single Turkic is not terrible, if Murong Cheng and Situ Lei all join forces, it will be the most dangerous. After all, if it is clear that he has established himself as a king, he has abandoned the court and fought separately. Then, Murong Cheng and Situ Lei, who was captured by us and annexed to the state, will definitely fight back against us, and they will unceremoniously pull the Turks in the north. ”

"In addition, we now have the intention of calculating Liangzhou. We can fight this Situ Lei openly, and Murong Cheng can naturally plot secretly. Situ Lei and Murong Cheng are mortal enemies, and we can use them. The Xuzhou Army and the Tang Army were all dragged by Murong Cheng to attack Yongzhou for most of the year without the slightest gain, and they could be used by us. And most importantly, we also have a Yanzhou army in the south, so it makes sense for them to develop southward. ”

Situ Liang paused, and then said: "In the coastal land of Jiaozhou, we still occupy the entire Qiongzhou Island, and in that place, we are enough to arrange tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of thousands of people. After all, Jiaozhou is also the place where the Yong army and the Qi army fought, and tens of thousands of troops suddenly appeared, which could affect the entire battle situation. However, the premise is that we continue to strengthen our development there. Today, half of Qiongzhou Island is ours, but if we buy the Admiral Yangzhou, we can use Qiongzhou Island as our surprise place in the southern region. ”

"We fought a war in the land of the annexed states, which cost a lot of money, and we had to accept a lot of displaced people into the country. The center of gravity of the large army was on the west and northwest flanks. Therefore, the intention of our subordinates, we can't directly drop the broken flag of the imperial court and directly attack Murong Cheng for the time being. ”

Zhao Xun pondered for a moment and said, "If we continue to do something to Liangzhou, what do you say, what will be the reaction of this Situ Lei?" Will you be annoyed and angry? ”

Lu Ziliang replied: "This land of Liangzhou is bordered by the Western Regions in the west and Chang'an in the east. However, it is located in the northwest, and there are many Qianghu ethnic groups in the territory, and the people are fierce, and it is difficult for the government to govern. Since the rebellion in Liangzhou a few years ago, the western part of Liangzhou has severed its relationship with the Western Regions, and the internal Qianghu is also powerful. Now, this Liangzhou has lost its role as a commercial passage from the west to the Western Regions. Therefore, the status of Liangzhou is not as good as before. However, Liangzhou is the flank defense line of Yongzhou, especially in the case of the loss of the annexed state, Situ Lei will not let Liangzhou lose. Otherwise, Yongzhou will be besieged on all sides. Besides, we have just signed a treaty with Situ Lei, and we can't betray it right away. At the same time, we need the population of the South to be used by us. ”

"However, the lord did not ask General Li Chenfeng to suspend his actions to see if he could pull Liangzhou into the water. If it wasn't for us taking the initiative, it would be Liangzhou who took the lead. We're fighting back, so we don't have to worry about that. At that time, even if you can't take the entire territory of Liangzhou, you can conquer the northern part of Liangzhou. The only thing I am worried about is that although the governor of Liangzhou has his eyes on the throne of King Yong, he still doesn't dare to take the initiative to provoke us. Therefore, I am afraid that the success rate is not high this time. ”

Zhao Xun smiled: "This king asked General Li Chenfeng to postpone his action, mainly for the arrival of winter and to prepare for the sudden arrival of heavy snow. As for attracting the governor of Liangzhou to the water, it is also incidental. However, this land of Liangzhou is not a difficult place to conquer. According to our people's investigation, the life of the people in Liangzhou is not good. Since the beginning of the Liangzhou rebellion in the past, the people of Liangzhou have suffered from the war, and then they have not been able to ask for soldiers, grain and grass materials. There are not many troops in the land of Liangzhou, especially not many veterans. If our army were to attack, it would not be very difficult. As long as you cut off the connection between Yongzhou and Liangzhou, this Liangzhou is not a divine problem. ”

"In this way, from now on, we will increase our control over the area around Qiongzhou Island, and if necessary, we can occupy the southern islands. Do not expose the direct contact of our army, and at the same time, send the cadets of the Armament Academy to the south and operate on Qiongzhou Island. In addition, for Jiaozhou, we can also carry out infiltration. According to the report of the Eagle Eye Division, in Jiaozhou, the Qi army and the Ningyi army are fighting more than once, and there are riots everywhere in the place. The local natives and the Nanyi tribe have all been divided and independent, and we can also get involved. After all, the current Murong Cheng has invested all his energy in Luoyang, Yongzhou, looking at his supreme emperor throne, and has neglected a lot for the south. ”

In addition, the logistics departments continue to prepare food and grass supplies. Especially like earth-shattering thunder, the more the merrier. Of course, the most important thing in front of us is the winter season that has arrived. In addition to preparing for the winter needs of the newly arrived people in the annexed states, they also had to prepare to win over and fight the Turkic tribes. What did the king do when he let the cavalry stay in the northern part of the state, that is, to sue the Turks. They used to come and attack us at any time, but now we can attack them at any time. The king wants them to taste the pain they have inflicted on our people, and if they go with it, they will prosper and perish, and by the way, let some tribes see that if they refuse to submit, then they will be the first to be attacked. ”

Situ Liang said in a deep voice: "In this way, the subordinates are also built, and the tribe we want to win over is best the tribe that is separated from the state by some distance." Let them move south, and strangle some Turkic tribes along the way, so that they cannot turn back. In addition, keeping them farther away from us also makes it easier for us to expand northward. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said, "It's a pity, immediately send a message to Yuan Jing and let him prepare like this." The Turkic tribes were good at herding, so they let them exchange their livestock for our food, salt and tea and other daily necessities. In addition, some of our retired armor equipment will be exchanged for them as appropriate to support their northward expansion. ”

"By the way, the land of Bingzhou and the land of Qianghu in the northwest of Bingzhou must arrange officials as much as possible to do a good job of taking over. The Supervision Department also needs to step up its supervision, and I don't want to make any more oppression of the people in the place we just took over. In Youzhou, Qingzhou, Jizhou and other places, the system of adjutant officials was increased to facilitate later calls. ”

"The dredging of the river is now complete, and it can be said that the pressure on us has been reduced by more than half. By the way, are our northern rivers, especially the Qianchao Canal, already bordering the Yellow River and Yanzhou? ”

"It has been connected, whether it is the Tang Army or the Xuzhou Army, they have benefited from it. In addition, the main passage of our canal is still in the central part of Yanzhou, and most of Yanzhou is now in the hands of the Yanzhou army, that is to say, our canal has basically connected with Yangzhou and Jingzhou in the south. At present, there are quite a few merchant ships that trade between Guò and Yanzhou. If it weren't for the fact that the land of Yuzhou was a place where the coalition army gathered, and most of the exchanges were for the logistics team of the army, I am afraid that commerce and trade would be even more prosperous. Situ Liang said with a happy face.

It is also because of this that many of the great clans and gentry in the south began to migrate to the north. After all, the policies, people's customs, and living environment of my Zhao land are far superior to those of the southern states. In particular, the taxes and labor in our territory are much lighter than those ruled by the Qi army and the Yongwang in the south. Not only the wealthy gentry, but also those scholarly families have begun to migrate to our situation, and now, more and more scholars have identified with the Lord. After all, most of what the Lord does is for the sake of the people and the country as a whole, not simply to seize power. Political envoy Pei Yi said with a smile, in the past, Zhao Xun had been rejected by scholars at the beginning, but now, it was finally different, as Zhao Jun's political envoy, he couldn't help but be happy.

Yang Wangzhen, the political envoy, also smiled: "Not only that, but many scholars think that the Lord can wave his army south and compete with Murong Cheng and Situ Lei for the world." It is believed that only when the Lord wins the world can he stand up for a better people and make more people's lives better. ”

Situ Liang sighed: "It seems that the lord has won the hearts of the people of the world." The policy of building a high wall, accumulating grain, slowing down the king, first conquering foreign enemies, and then plotting the Central Plains is the most appropriate. ”

Zhao Xun smiled, he understood that the first three were summed up by someone and used by himself. As for the latter, it was a decision made in consideration of the Three Kingdoms and the later Wuhu Rebellion. After all, the triangle is the most stable, and only by staying out of the matter can you let the remaining two points start to fight the most fiercely. Either way, it now seems that this has been successful.

"Now that the dredging of the river has been completed, the next step is to talk about the construction of the road. After the completion of the construction of Chi Road, it is not only those merchants who will benefit, but also us. Aside from the tax revenues we receive, we can move our troops to various places more quickly. In addition, we can make those caravans the logistics of our army. In this way, it will also make the mobilization of our army more rapid, and it will also reduce the logistical problems of our army. When the time comes, we will place an order directly with the merchant and ask them to transfer the food and grass we need to where we need it. Or rather, they can go with the army. Zhao Xun knew that in history, the Great Song Dynasty was a thriving business and became the richest dynasty in Chinese history. This is not only the state that is rich, but also the ordinary people, who are also very rich.

Pei Yi said: "The lord can rest assured, now that his subordinates have seen the benefits from the galloping road, they will naturally not move on." In the state capitals, we have completed most of the construction of the gallop road. The rest are some inconvenient places, mainly because of the need to open mountains and build bridges, so the project is huge and takes time. ”

Subsequently, Zhao Xun listened to the reports of the yamen of each division one by one, and made corresponding comments on the work of each division for a year. Although Zhao Xun did not dare to provide better guidance for the detailed work of each division, Zhao Xun had a better understanding of the overall situation. He can make some guidance from the overall situation, and the rest of the details will naturally be resolved through detailed consultation among various departments. Just to hold a summary meeting, Zhao Xun and other civil and military officials took five days.

…………

When Zhao Xun and the civil and military officials were talking about Zhao Di's affairs, Murong Cheng angrily threw the teacup in the house.

"Damn, Zhao Xun defeated the Turks first, and then seized the land of annexation from Situ Lei. And we, in the past year, first lost Yanzhou to the Yanzhou army, and then fought hard in Yongzhou without success, and also lost the army. Now that Zhao has asked for the benefits of Xiao'er, he has stopped moving. If there was no king here to contain hundreds of thousands of Yong's army, he Zhao Xun would be able to occupy the state and let Situ Lei give up and ignore it? ”

Seeing that Murong Cheng was furious because of the envoy's attitude in replying to Zhao Xun, Zhang Tu, Zhong Yan and the others also shook their heads secretly. In their opinion, this matter is no wonder Zhao Xun. If they were to change places, they would have refused. Murong Cheng didn't give the benefits, he was completely jealous of Zhao Xun's benefits, so he insisted on letting Zhao Xun go out of the army, how could Zhao Xun agree?

"This king wants to attack the land of the two passes, what do you think?" Murong Cheng said coldly.

Zhang Tu hurriedly said: "Lord, no!" ”

"Huh? Why? Zhao Xun has already seized the state, but we have achieved nothing, has it been such a stalemate? According to the news from the rear, our food and grass supplies have begun to be strained, and if we continue like this, the supply of the army is a problem. ”

"Lord Wang, the cold winter has arrived, and the end of the year is coming. Not to mention that the soldiers did not adapt to the cold winter and hard fighting, even the Tang Army, the Yanzhou Army, and the Xuzhou Army also asked for a truce because of logistical problems and the soldiers wanted to go home for the New Year, and they would fight again next year. We are attacking at this moment, and we will definitely ......"