The early spring has arrived, the cold winter has passed, and the mountains and fields in the Central Plains have begun to turn green, but in the western counties of Liangzhou, many places can still see the snow on the high mountains.

Dunhuang City, the center of gravity of Zhufu County in the west of Liangzhou, is also the base camp of the Zhao army in the west of Liangzhou. Here, not only is there a heavy guard, but also a large amount of grain and grass materials are hoarded. It can be said that this is the logistics base of the Zhao army in Liangzhou, and in the future, the army will be provided with the food and grass needed by the army. In order to restore the popularity of this place, Zhao Jun not only migrated more than 100,000 Han people, but also mobilized tens of thousands of young people of all ethnic groups, and spent several months to build the city here. Nowadays, it has begun to take shape, and has the momentum and appearance of a big city.

In order to better bring the western prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of the Zhao army, the pipelines in the western prefectures and counties can be built even better than those that the eastern part has just taken over from the Liangzhou army.

"Zilin, Uncle Li, you have worked hard!" Zhao Xun, who arrived in Dunhuang City, immediately met with Wei Zilin, Li Chenfeng and others, who had been busy in Liangzhou for several months.

"The lord praises falsely, and his subordinates dare not be ashamed! This is all the credit of the soldiers! Wei Zilin and others said in a deep voice.

Zhao Xun smiled: "What is there to dare to do, you are here to lay a solid foundation for our actions." By the way, this must be General Xu Yexu, the Marquis of Pingliang in Liangzhou, who pacified Liangzhou in the past! ”

Xu Ye said repeatedly: "It's a subordinate!" ”

"Good! General Xu was also a cadre of the country in the past, and he made great contributions to quell the civil strife. ”

Xu Ye Zhengse said: "My subordinates are willing to die for the Lord!" ”

"What's going on now? Who do we want to act on? Zhao Xun looked at the huge map spread out on the table and asked slowly.

Xu Ye pointed to the map: "Back to the lord, we can attack from two directions, out of Yiwu Mansion and Shanshan Mansion in the north, then directly attack Gaochang Kingdom, break and go west, and then attack Yanqi, Qiuzi and other countries." If it goes south and does not go to Fufu, it will go west and attack Khotan, Shule and other countries. ”

"This north is far away from us, and it is more convenient to attack and attack, and Yanqi and Qiuzi have always fought each other because of border issues. Therefore, the subordinates and others thought that the northern line was broken. ”

"The three major countries on the northern front, seven or eight small countries, with a total of nearly one million people, and more than 100,000 people wearing armor, so it is not advisable to fight to the death. Although the soldiers of our Zhao army are stronger than them, a battle to the death will bring a lot of casualties. Therefore, we must take advantage of the strife between them and attack them from afar! ”

Zhao Xun nodded and smiled: "Not bad!" This king and the people of the Military Affairs Department have also discussed, attacking the countries of the Western Regions, not to fight hard, to exchange the smallest casualties for the greatest victory, and to use it vertically and horizontally. ”

Xu Ye continued: "Among the three kingdoms, Gaochang is in the north, and Yanqi and Qiuci are in the west, and there are many contradictions between these two countries. As for Gaochang, if we can participate, it is naturally the best, if not, wait for us to exterminate Qiuzi, and then connect with Yanqi and attack Gaochang in the north. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said, "Very good, Wei Zilin, immediately send someone to contact this Yanqi country, as for the excuse, I will use Qiuzi to attack my big Zhao past caravan for no reason." Tell the Yanqi country, destroy the Qiuci, the land of Qiuci, and share it with my Dazhao. ”

Qiuzi country, 170 miles south of Dubai Mountain, 900 miles to Yanqi country in the east, 1,400 miles to Khotan country in the south, 1,500 miles to Shule country in the west, and more than 2,500 miles to Dunhuang City in the southeast. The land of Qiuci produces a lot of rice, millet, soybean, wheat, copper, iron, lead, musk, cymbal, salt green, orpiment, hu powder, benzoin, good horses, sealed cattle and other things.

The current king of Qiuzi is Heli, although he is not a man of great talent and strategy, but he is also a king of success. However, he is surrounded by various countries, and he is not so easy to be the king of the guard. Especially after the growth of the Yanqi Kingdom in the east, the Qiuzi Kingdom has repeatedly engaged in border battles with it.

"What the Great Zhao Envoy said today, you are also clear? You say, to send troops or not to send troops? With a solemn face, the king of the Qiuzi Kingdom, Han Li, asked the important ministers around him.

"The king, the minister thinks that he can't send troops, and this Zhao army is clearly an excuse to attack the countries of my Western Regions. Today, we have destroyed Yanqi, and in the future, we will directly face Zhao Jun. Xiangguo Bai Yi replied solemnly.

"Why not send troops? This Yanqi is my mortal enemy of Qiuzi, and in the past few decades, I don't know how many Qiuzi soldiers fought with him and buried their bodies on the battlefield. Now that he has joined forces with the Zhao army, he will destroy this enemy in one fell swoop, and he can divide the territory equally. As for Zhao Jun, it can be seen from the mouths of the caravans in the past that their Central Plains Dynasty is still in chaos, and he, Zhao Jun, is not the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty. You say, he hasn't won the world in the Central Plains yet, will he come to fight the idea of the Western Regions countries that are thousands of miles away? Another expressed the opposite opinion.

"Li Shu, you underestimated this Zhao Jun too much. Zhao Jun destroyed Shanshan, and did not govern the two countries, and ruled the land as the government, doesn't this still explain the problem? Pulling his white beard, Bai Yi said angrily.

Li Shu sneered: "This Shanshan and the two countries are different from us, they are originally the territory of Dayan, and they were taken by the Zhao army, so it is also a matter of course." ”

"Really? But after the Tulun Department was destroyed, wasn't the area of nearly a thousand miles occupied by the Zhao army? ”

"That's because the Tulun tribe raided the Zhao army first!"

"Stop arguing! The envoy of the Zhao army said that if we send troops, then divide the land of Yanqi equally and make an alliance with us. If they don't send troops, they will go to persuade Yanqi and wave their troops to the west! You say, 'Can we overcome their coalition forces?' Do you know that around Dunhuang, the Zhao army has gathered more than 100,000 soldiers? He Li said angrily.

"Although these more than 100,000 may be imaginary numbers, nearly 100,000 are indispensable. If we don't agree, the Yanqi Kingdom, which can be connected with Zhao Jun, is not also disagreeing. They are facing pressure from Zhao Jun, and they may take advantage of the situation and destroy us first. ”

Bai Yi said stiffly: "King, the Zhao army will not unite with Yanqi, the excuse for the Zhao army to send troops this time is because Yanqi attacked the Zhao army caravan and the people of Zhao Dixiliang. If he unites, won't he go back on his word? ”

"Excuses?" Li Shu, the right minister, said coldly: "You also know that this is an excuse, so why can't you find the same excuse to attack us?" In the past few years, which of the Western Regions countries has not attacked and plundered the caravans coming from the east? As for whether it is a backtrack? What if Yanqi is willing to be a vassal of the Zhao army? ”

"Vassal?" Bai Yi and the others were shocked, this word has not appeared for many years. After the middle of the Great Yan period, the countries of the Western Regions never became anyone's vassals. But that doesn't mean they can't accept it. In the early period of the Great Yan, the Great Chu State before the Great Yan and the Western Regions were all vassals of the Han Dynasty in the east.

Li Shu said in a deep voice: "Great King, the minister thinks that the current Zhao army also wants the countries of the Western Regions to submit to him and let him restore the scene hundreds of years ago. In this way, it can not only make the trade routes of the Western Regions countries pass, but also greatly increase the prestige of the lord of the Zhao army, which is conducive to his competition for the world. ”

"The vassal of the Central Plains Dynasty is not unacceptable. In this way, not only can we pacify our countries, but also trade with the Han people, and benefit us. ”

He Li frowned and said, "In that case, then why did Zhao Jun want to destroy the Yanqi Kingdom?" ”

Li Shu said in a deep voice: "Without him, Liwei, kill the chicken to show the monkey, to make the countries submit, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of troops that have gathered around Dunhuang, but also to let other countries see their strength." The envoy of Zhao Jun had already told his ministers that what they needed was the safety of the past trade routes. In addition, they also want to restore the old appearance of the Western Regions Protectorate of the Han Dynasty hundreds of years ago, and if anyone does not obey, the army will crusade against it. ”

"Li Shu, did you accept Zhao Jun's benefits, why have you been helping Zhao Jun speak!" When the elderly Bai Yi saw Li Shu say this, he immediately shouted angrily, "You dare to meet with the envoy of the Zhao army privately, it's too bold." ”

The middle-aged and slightly chubby Li Shu said coldly: "Lord Bai, it is true that Li met with Zhao Jun's people, but they came to the door by themselves. Let me ask, among all the adults, who has not been approached by Zhao Jun? Lord Bai, isn't Zhao Jun looking for you too? It's just that you're pretending to expel him from the door. ”

"Could it be that Lord Bai wants me to fight with the Zhao army, so you are satisfied? Do you want to see Yan Qi and Zhao Jun join forces to kill the door, guess happy? Strength! It's not easy for us to fight against Yanqi, if we add Zhao Jun, hum...... The most important thing is to obtain real benefits, but what is important about a nominal submission or vassal? ”

"Alright, stop arguing, send troops! If we can destroy the Yanqi, even regardless of the country, we will also get rid of a great evil. In addition, tell the envoys of the Zhao army that if they have no intention of invading our country, our country is willing to become a vassal of the Great Zhao. The king of Qiuzi country, Han Li, said with a final word.

It's not that King Qiuci is afraid of the Zhao army, but that in the past ten years, he has been fighting with Yanqi uninterruptedly, so that the whole country of Qiuci is tired of war, and in addition, it is not unacceptable to belong to Da Zhao. If Zhao Jun returns to the old business ways, it will also be a great thing for Qiuzi Kingdom.

"Li Shu, you are responsible for contacting Zhao Jun to send troops. As long as they don't have any special requirements, make a pact to send troops. ”

The Yanqi Kingdom has fifteen cities under its jurisdiction, and of course, compared with the Han cities, they can only be called big towns there. However, they also have more than 40,000 men wearing armor. The closest to Zhao Jun's Yiwu Mansion is Lancheng, because outside its city, there is a Lan River for the needs of the people in the city.

In the territory of Yiwu Prefecture, 75,000 Zhao troops, two town town troops and one guard army have been stationed. Zhao Xun, Situ Liang, Li Chenfeng, Wei Zilin, Xu Ye and others gathered in the capital of Yiwu Mansion.

"Zilin, how is the situation of contacting Gao Changguo?"

Wei Zilin shook his head and said: "The situation is not very good, this Gao Changguo has no intention of joining forces with us to attack Yanqi, and he is extremely dissatisfied with our action to restore the old Han capital to protect the palace." The king of Gaochang even secretly signaled that there was no need for others to interfere in this issue between the countries of the Western Regions. ”

"Besides, this Gao Changguo doesn't seem to take my Zhao Jun too seriously. Saying that in the past, tens of thousands of Liangzhou troops were crushed for thousands of miles, what can my Zhao army do. From Wei Zilin's words, it can be heard that the actions of the Liangzhou army in the western counties of Liangzhou have begun to make these small countries look down on. Thinking about the early days of the founding of Dayan in the past, the countries of the Western Regions were all subservient, and everyone couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh? It seems that the reputation of the Liangzhou Army in the Western Regions is not small! However, it is better to let them look down on us, so that we can make them taste more pain! Zhao Xun couldn't help but sneer secretly.

"I don't know how to lift!" Situ Liang sneered, "What a good one without the interference of others!" The lord, in the opinion of the minister, when Yanqi is destroyed, the next target should be aimed at him. ”

Wei Zilin continued: "As for the country of Qiuzi, because of the distance, there has been no reply yet, but if nothing else, there should be no problem. We have already bought a lot of important ministers of the Qiuci Kingdom, and our action of uniting the Qiuci Kingdom to send troops should be passed. ”

"In addition, the Qiuci country has been fighting for many years, and the people's livelihood is also withering, and the officials and magnates of the Qiuci country are also extremely enthusiastic about the suggestions we gave to restore the trade route."

"That's it! However, we have gathered heavy troops here, and the Yanqi country on the other side is also prepared. This time, we need to be ready for a tough battle. If we want to play the prestige of our Great Zhao and let the countries of the Western Regions take a good look, my Great Zhao is not the Great Yan of the past, let alone the Liangzhou Army that retreated. ”

"Xu Ye, what's the situation in Lancheng on the other side?"

"Back to the lord, Lancheng has gathered 10,000 soldiers of the Yanqi Kingdom, and Lancheng is also preparing for defense."

"Ten thousand? It seems that this Yanqi country really regards us as the Liangzhou army. Situ Liang said in a deep voice, "This battle must not only be fought, but also fast, ruthless, and fierce. Beat this old man once. As long as Lancheng is quickly captured, below, we will act, whether it is Gaochang Kingdom in the north or Qiuci Kingdom in the west, we will not dare to have any thoughts about us, and Qiuci Kingdom will do its best, and it will be much more convenient for us to attack Gaochang Kingdom in the future. ”

"When the news of the country of Qiuzi comes back, we will start to act! By the way, the earth-shaking thunder will also be used this time, so that the countries of the Western Regions can take a good look, I, Da Zhao, am not the Liangzhou army. ”

Randomly, the entire western part of Liangzhou, from Dunhuang to Yiwu Mansion, all moved. The army was mobilized, and grain and grass materials began to be transported to Yiwu Province in a steady stream, and the pipelines were full of horse-drawn carts transporting the army's materials. Suddenly, the entire Yiwu Mansion began to be lively, whether it was Yanqi or Gaochang, they all stepped up their guards, and at the same time sent a large number of spies to investigate the situation of the Zhao army in Yiwu Mansion.

Because of the Zhao army's westward expedition, the princes of the Central Plains also started a new round of actions. Unexpectedly, the original King of Yong, and the current King of Shu were the first to wield a sword, and he took the lead in waving the army and began to move eastward during Situ Lei's mourning period. The Shu army in Jiaozhou began to attack the part of Jiaozhou that was still in the hands of the Qi army from south to north. The Shu army in the land of Yizhou and Ningzhou began to attack Jiangzhou to the east.

In the land of Yangzhou, the Qi army once again fought with the Xuzhou army, which is now the Chu army, and the northeast of Yangzhou. The Tang army in Jingzhou also began to move south, and also began to attack Jiangzhou, competing with the Shu army and the Qi army for the western part of Jiangzhou.

The most fundamental reason why the Chu army and the Tang army began to attack so quickly was the same, and that was because the Yanzhou army suddenly became the Zhao army. Whether it is the Chu army or the Tang army, they are all connected with the Yanzhou army, and they used to be equal to each other, but now, they have found that the Yanzhou army with the same identity as themselves around them has now become a northern tiger, which can't help but make them anxious.

Anyone can see that if you want to fight against the Zhao army now, in addition to the alliance between the southern princes, it is to annex others and make yourself the overlord of the south. However, it is simply impossible to make several princes who hate each other deeply. Therefore, it is best to act immediately. Therefore, after learning the news that the Zhao army was marching west and the king of Zhao personally appeared in the western part of Liangzhou, these princes waved their weapons one after another.

"Guys, what do you think?" Situ Hao raised the letter in his hand and asked the important ministers around him.

"Lord, the King of Shu wants us to be sword envoys, and we can't just say it." Wang Fu Zuo Cheng said.

"My subordinates think it is feasible, and now the land of Yongzhou, the east and north are the Zhao army, and the west is under the jurisdiction of the king of Hanzhong, except for the development to the south, there is no way out. The Zhao army is powerful, and we are in danger of turning the world upside down at any time. Now that the King of Shu is holding back the Tang army from the south, and we are moving from the north to the south, this is a good opportunity. Xu Ji, the right man of the palace, expressed a different opinion.

In Situ Hao's hands, it was nothing else, it was a letter from Situ Che, the king of Shu, inviting him to jointly send troops to attack the Tang army. Situ Hao was also very anxious about the situation he was in, but unlike other princes, it was difficult for him to expand outward.

Xu Ji was born in the army, so he naturally didn't want the princes of the world to act at this moment, but he was looking at it with a blank eye, "Lord, even if this King of Shu has the intention of using us as a sword, but now, we have no other way out except to go south." Moreover, in order to expand and compete with the king of Shu for Jiangzhou, most of the Tang army had already marched south, and fewer were stationed in the north. This is indeed an opportunity, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Wang Dao frowned and said, "Although the minister thinks that what Lord Xu said is very true, the forces in our hands are not enough to attack to the south. Because we also have to guard against the Zhao army in the north and east, there are not many troops at our disposal. Although the Zhao army is now marching west, attention is focused on the west. However, even the troops stationed by the Zhao army in the northern states are far from our opponents. Once we and the Tang army are anxious about the war on the southern front, who dares to guarantee that the Zhao army will not suddenly attack us? Expansion is a good thing, but you can't lose your foundation because of expansion! ”

Saying this, Xu Ji also began to frown, he had only thought about expansion before, but he forgot that there was still a fierce tiger lying beside him.