"My lord, now that the Turks have been decided, next, will the center of gravity of my Great Zhao shift to the south or to the west?" Situ Liang asked slowly.

Seeing Situ Liang ask, the other officials and senior officials of Zhao Jun all pricked up their ears and waited for Zhao Xun's decision. Although it is only a simple difference between the two emphases, the meaning of the representation is extraordinary.

If Zhao Xun shifted the center of gravity of the Zhao army to the south, then the Zhao army would now begin to move south and compete with other princes for the sovereignty of the world. If it is to the west, then Zhao Jun's current target is Liangzhou, or even the countries of the Western Regions.

It stands to reason that ordinary princes will take advantage of the big victory at this moment and wave their troops south. And these courtiers will no longer have the possibility of asking whether to go west. However, Zhao Xun said earlier that let the princes fight among themselves first, and solve the external enemy first. When the princes of the Central Plains are exhausted, they will bring a great victory and live in the world.

Zhao asked: "What do you think?" ”

Situ Liang said in a deep voice: "What the Secretary for Administration means is that although we won the battle with the Turkic army this time, we also paid a lot of price for it. In particular, the consumption of materials is even more huge. So, they are building yì and now slowing down the big action, while lacking staying power. In particular, going south to compete with the princes for hegemony is by no means an overnight solution. So, what they mean is that it's okay to do something, but it's better not to go to war on a big scale. ”

"Oh?" Zhao Xun nodded slightly, and said: "The chief executive is right, we can't just care about fighting on the battlefield, but completely ignore the price behind the battlefield." Far from it, the rewards, pensions, and relocation of the people after the war, as well as the disposal of prisoners and slaves, were all complicated tasks. There is a lot of money and food that needs to be paid for it, and we cannot cause the people to suffer again because we are in a hurry. ”

Pei Yi smiled: "When the lord says so, we are relieved." It was not that the administrative departments did not support the war operation, but that a major war required a lot of supplies and money. If you have to choose one to the south and the west, the subordinate will build yì west. ”

Zhao Xun smiled: "Oh? Tell me about it? ”

Pei Yi said in a deep voice: "This is also the result of the consultation between the military envoys of the Military Affairs Department, and our Political Affairs Secretary also intends this. Now, although the southern princes are at war with each other, for them, I, Da Zhao, is definitely their worst enemy. Therefore, once we have a trend to the south, there is a good chance that they will suspend the infighting or even join forces to defend against us. Once this happens, then there will be a stalemate, and it is difficult to estimate the amount of money and food that needs to be consumed. ”

"To the west, on the other hand, the target of our attack is Situ Lei, which the other princes are naturally happy to see. In addition, Situ Lei was also the most powerful among the southern princes. It is also extremely beneficial for us to weaken him in the future. ”

"In addition, Xiang Xi can also use the excuse that the countries of the Western Regions are harming the people of Liangzhou. In addition, the land of Liangzhou is not valued by Situ Lei. If we do this, he will certainly not respond with all his might. Even, he hopes that we can fight the countries of the Western Regions endlessly. Most importantly, this move is also a great thing for the benefit of the people. If Liangzhou is stabilized and the Western Regions are pacified, then the lord will be incapable of competing with him in terms of prestige. ”

Pei Yi's subtext is that it is natural to replace Dayan in the future, and he will not suffer too much infamy. Although Zhao Xun didn't pay too much attention to this, it didn't mean that it didn't matter if he was infamy.

"My lord, the same is true of the construction of the military affairs department, and now the southern princes are attacking each other, which is an extremely beneficial thing for us. Therefore, we cannot let them settle down, and it is in our best interest to keep them hostile and fighting. Situ Liang continued Pei Yi's words. He is the military envoy of the Military Affairs Department, so he naturally represents the thoughts of the Military Affairs Department.

"If we make a move on the Western Regions of Liangzhou, then it can only be the Situ Lei family who has an opinion on us, and at the same time, Murong Cheng will agree with us. In addition, in order to weaken the powerful Situ Lei, Murong Cheng can be alleviated at this time of crisis. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said, "In that case, let's move west." The same is true of the king's meaning, to deal with all the external threats first, and to compete with the princes of the Central Plains who are scattered in all directions. Of course, we can't ignore the war of the Central Plains princes, and we must be extra careful about any abnormality. War materials were prepared in various places, and this time to the west, the troops would not be too many, and the remaining four armies of the Eighth Army would be the main ones. For specific actions, we decided to take action after the situation in the Turkic steppe has stabilized. At the latest, the operation will be launched in early October. ”

Immediately, he said to Zhang Jun, director of the Logistics Department: "Our army is going west, and it is very likely that we will fight in the countries of the Western Regions until winter. Therefore, it is also necessary to prepare materials such as winter heating and winter clothes in advance. “

"As for the Secretary for Administration, we must also prepare a group of qualified local officials, who will be ranked in Liangzhou and even the Western Regions as officials in the future."

After a pause, Zhao Xun said again: "From now on, we must start to incorporate the Yanzhou Army into our Zhao Army system." Although there is no need to change the banner for the time being, all civil and military officials, among them, must be treated the same as our Zhao army, and they will be approved to report to Youzhou City every month. ”

For Zhao Xun's decision, Pei Yi and the others were suddenly stunned, but they immediately understood that Zhao Xun did this to avoid the difficult integration of the two parties in the future. After all, being out of the world for a long time is bound to have an adverse impact on the entire Dazhao. Although the civilian officials and generals of the Yanzhou Army all went out from the Zhao Army, they were sent abroad for a long time and did not wait to enter the center, which will inevitably have a bad side.

"The lord has this intention, and the subordinates have no opinion. However, the subordinates were worried that if we did this, it would make the other princes fearful, and even have a bad side. Everything else is easy to say, but let the civil and military officials of the Yanzhou Army report to Youzhou City, no matter how much they hide it, it will ......" Pei Yi hesitated. Although this is a good thing, it will certainly have a huge impact.

Zhao Xun said with a smile: "If this king wants to cooperate with the Yanzhou army to connect the northern canal to the Yellow River, Yingshui, and Huai River, you say, will there be a problem for these Yanzhou army civil and military officials to enter Youzhou?" No matter what others think, all we need is a cloak of cover. In addition, we have linked the Zhaodi Canal with the Yellow River, Yingshui and Huai River, which is a major event for the benefit of the country and the people. And the other princes, I am afraid that I also hope that my Great Zhao and the Yanzhou army will pour their energy into such a huge project. So, what else do they have to say? ”

Lu Ziliang stroked his palms and smiled: "This method is wonderful! Although this law cannot make other princes let go of the idea that the Yanzhou army has begun to fall to our Zhao army, or even that the Yanzhou army has surrendered to our Zhao army, they still will not let go of their interests and turn against us because of this. They just need a reason to comfort themselves, an excuse to make themselves stronger, so that we can't afford to go south. ”

"Besides, no matter whether it is Li Chi, Tang Xian, Murong Cheng, or Situ Lei, they will not let go of their hatred and join hands with each other before we have yet to go south."

Zhao Xun nodded and said, "That's right, that's what this king meant." This idea was discussed with Feng Ziming when he was in Yanzhou. When this trip, it should be fine! ”

Pei Yi said with a smile: "The subordinate really wants to meet this capable man who can help the lord establish a great power in the land of Yanzhou, he assisted the lord to defeat the joint forces of the Yanzhou army, the Tang army and the Xuzhou army, and now he has obtained the land of Yuzhou, which is really very few people who can be compared with it." ”

Zhao Xun said with a smile: "Your credit is not small, when Feng Ziming was in Yanzhou, he also gave credit to the public mentioned in this article many times. Besides, if this article can succeed in Yanzhou, it will not be able to get rid of the support of Zhao Jun, a big force, and it can be said that one person can do it at any time. In this regard, Feng Ziming also thinks deeply, and when he arrives here, you can have a good exchange with him. ”

After the news that Zhao Xun was going to canonize the head of the Turkic tribe as an earl as the king of Zhao spread, it immediately aroused the attention of everyone in the world. Especially the princes from all over the country, they have made people talk about and condemn, saying that Zhao Xun is a fatherless and monarchless person, and his ambitions have been turned up, etc. However, all the people under the jurisdiction of Zhao Jun supported this.

For the ordinary people of Zhao Di, no matter what King Zhao did, they all believed that this was something that was beneficial to them. As for whether King Zhao is overstepping or not, they won't care.

As for Zhao Di's scholars and officials, they don't care about this. King Zhao canonized the leader of the Turkic tribe as an earl, for what, they have long known very well from the Tang Bao. Naturally, it is understood that King Zhao is using a fictitious title to contain the real power of these tribes.

As for the passover, these officials naturally hope that their lord will ascend to the throne, otherwise, how can they be promoted? As for ordinary scholars, they are now very clear that they dare not say that the general trend of the world is unbeatable, but the power of King Zhao is unrivaled. They will also be officials under King Zhao in the future, and if King Zhao does not expand his territory, where will they go to be officials?

For the princes of the world, each has his own thoughts. For Situ Lei, this is clearly not a good thing. You must know that by doing this, Zhao Xun has already begun to take a step outward, and has some intention of leaving the imperial court and Emperor Dayan aside. Well, what about the other princes? Will they follow suit and ignore Emperor Dayan?

Situ Lei wasn't worried about the current dispensable Emperor Dayan, he was worried that the emperor he controlled in his hands would no longer be of any use. You must know that having the emperor in your hands is a kind of help to Situ Lei when it is useful. If this emperor is useless, it will be a drag on him Situ Lei. After all, how to place this ineffective emperor is also a thorny problem. In addition, the old ministers of Dayan who surrounded the little emperor and some courtiers in the world who were still loyal to Dayan were all a hidden danger.

It can be said that Zhao Xun's behavior put Situ Lei in a very difficult position. In Luoyang City, in the hands of Situ Lei, he held such an emperor in his hands. Although it also made him bear a lot of infamy, he got a lot of benefits from it. Many of the Great Yan courtiers were recruited by Situ Lei in the name of the emperor. In addition, he was the only one who could use the emperor's decree to issue a message anywhere, and although the rest of the princes were very dissatisfied with him, they still did not dare to speak out about the illegitimacy of the decree.

For example, in this war, when attacking Jiaozhou, weren't those mountain people all because they valued the holy decree in his hands? Promising the same benefits is not the same with a holy decree. In addition, after taking Jiaozhou, he was able to quickly gain a foothold, and he also relied on the emperor's banner.

Now, Zhao Xun's behavior is clearly to abolish the banner of the emperor in his hand. It's nothing without this, but leaving the emperor behind has become a big trouble in Situ Lei's hands. How to deal with it, how to settle down, these are all things that Situ Lei needs to consider. Whether it is for himself or for his heir, the emperor must be dealt with.

"This Zhao Xun has left a problem for this king! However, this person has solved a lot of Turkic tribes. First there were nine Guiyibo, and then three Great Khans. In this way, the Turkic tribes were either swallowed by Zhao Xun, or let them kill each other and fight among themselves. As long as Zhao Xun will not die suddenly, the Zhao army will not suddenly collapse. Then, for a certain period of time, the Turkic tribes will not be the Zhao army, no, the threat of the Han people of the entire Central Plains. In the Chengdu Mansion, Situ Lei, who was old and had gray temples, said slowly.

"Father, is this Zhao Jun really so powerful? Although this time the Zhao army defeated the Turkic army. However, the Turkic army's powerful ability to turn people into armies will certainly gather a huge army again in a short time. Moreover, the ability of the Turks to ride and shoot is not comparable to that of the Zhao army. Situ Che, who was only in his early twenties, said unconvinced.

Situ Lei smiled at his youngest son and sighed: "Old Five, you are young and smart, but after all, you don't have much experience. The Turkic army is strong, capable of serving the people in peacetime and serving the army in wartime. However, their logistics are also a dead end that restricts them. If they were really so powerful, the flower world of the Central Plains, the splendid mountains and rivers, I am afraid that it would have been theirs long ago. ”

"Look at the nine tribes that Zhao Xun made, they were first tempted by Zhao Xun with food, salt tea and sophisticated weapons in the winter, when their lives were unsustainable, and finally became the minions of Zhao Jun. But the result? The nine tribes and the Turkic tribes turned their faces. However, they were stuck by Zhao Jun's neck, and if they were impatient, Zhao Jun was able to cut off the living needs of these nine tribes. And they are not dealing with the rest of the Turkic tribes, once there is no Zhao army as the backing, then, they will die without a place to bury. ”

"Now you have also seen that these nine tribes first fought a big battle with the Turkic army, and the warriors they had worked so hard to cultivate in the past, and the weapons they bought with their own money, were finally fighting for the Zhao army. However, that's not all. The nine major tribes were also forced to hand over their power one by one, and the clansmen were taken over by the Zhao army. ”

"In addition, Zhao Jun's weapons are enough to make up for the gap in cavalry and archery. No matter how good you are at riding and shooting, you can't wear armor and can't shoot at the corresponding range, so what? ”

"Okay, I'm not going to talk about that. There are several of your brothers, except for you, the rest of you are older than Zhao Xun. However, your results are far worse than Zhao Xun. This time, we seized the entire Jiaozhou from Murong Cheng, half of Jiangzhou. However, now Zhao Xun has defeated the powerful Turkic army. A few of you listen, no matter what happens in the future, you are the opponent of Zhao Xun when you unite. Otherwise, ......" Situ Lei said coldly to the second Situ Fei and the fifth Situ Che present.

"Sons and daughters remember the teachings of their father!" Situ Fei and Situ Che said in unison.

"Hey......" looked at the expressions of the two sons, and Situ Lei knew that it would not be easy for them to reunite sincerely, "That's it...... Go with you, and don't regret it in the future! As he spoke, the wrinkles on Situ Lei's brow added a little.

"My lord, the young masters are all smart people, and they will never do anything that dissatisfies you. Although the Zhao army was strong, it defeated the Turkic army. However, we also defeated Murong Cheng and seized the land of Jiaozhou from him. Compared to Zhao Xun, we are not much worse, so why bother too much at this time? Seeing that Situ Lei was in a heavy mood, Lin Shucheng said lightly.

Situ Lei shook his head and said, "Is that really the case?" What I'm worried about is that these bastards will not only not be able to unite against the enemy, but will fight among themselves! ”

Like Situ Lei, Murong Cheng was also extremely angry at Zhao Xun's current approach. He arrived not because of the little emperor of Luoyang City, but because of the royal position of his Murong family. In Murong Cheng's view, Zhao Xun did this completely as a prelude to replacing the Murong royal family. This made Murong Cheng, who was orthodox in the royal family, extremely resentful. However, he also knew that now, he couldn't provoke Zhao Jun, after all, there was Situ Lei who was as sad as himself, and at the same time, Situ Lei was also the target that Zhao Xun was preparing to attack now.

"This king is his day, he must be good-looking!" In the end, Murong Cheng could only leave such words. But it didn't stop Zhao Xun from making any moves now, and even he didn't dare to provoke Zhao Jun with a tough attitude. After all, Zhao's navy has far surpassed the Yangzhou navy, and the Zhao navy is still wandering in the eastern seas.

Although Zhao's navy is not secretly allied with him, who can guarantee that Zhao's navy will not attack the eastern coastal area of Yangzhou? Even, the Zhao army could transport soldiers and horses to the southeast of Yangzhou and the eastern part of Jiangzhou for the Xuzhou army.

Compared with Situ Lei and Murong Cheng, the current Tang Xian and Li Chi are both happy and worried. Happily, they can also ignore the existence of imperial power, and they can also act recklessly. The worry is that Zhao Xun is already powerful, once there is no moral limit, then, who is still his opponent in the world?

However, no matter what others think, Zhao Jun is still busy with his own affairs and continues his actions to pacify the Turks.