"Everyone pays taxes as one, this is the basic principle of my Xiaoguo Army, and it cannot be changed. Even if it is an official, it is the most basic part of the reduction. I don't want the people under the rule of the Xiaoguo Army in the future, like the Great Yan clan, who own thousands of acres of fertile land, but hang them in the names of officials to exempt them from taxes. Zhao Xun said sternly.

In Zhao Xun's plan, in the future, the property of officials will be supervised and sent to the money bank for storage. Of course, in addition to accepting bribes, legal extra property is still possible. Naturally, these will be implemented in the future.

It seems that in addition to Huitong Bank, it is also necessary to take the lead in setting up a bank. It's not a good thing to be alone. Zhao Xun thought secretly. Although a large proportion of the rights and shares of Huitong Qianzhuang are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Internal Affairs of Zhao Wangfu, the forces that stand alone will have a bad impact.

"In this matter, the Chief Secretary for Administration set the terms and became customized."

"The second thing is that the Imperial Party was either removed from office and exiled, or placed on top of a vacant position with no right to speak, or placed in a remote place. You see, can we draw some talented and practical people from it? Of course, those officials with a high reputation can also be pulled. Nothing else, let them come to the academy to teach scholars knowledge, and put on a show of my Xiaoguo army's face. "Zhao Xun is a little difficult to decide about this. While this is a plus, it is not without its disadvantages.

Pei Yi took the lead in frowning and said: "My lord, if you get these imperial parties back, I'm afraid that they will whisper in our ears every day, let us enter Luoyang and help the emperor." Even if they teach scholars, they will make their allegiance to the Great Yan Emperor more important. I'm afraid that they won't talk about the goods in their stomachs and spit them out, but will encourage the soldiers to do some messy things every day. Moreover, here in my Xiaoguo Army, opposite to the imperial court, there are too many things to avoid. That's why we were reprimanded by the imperial court many times, so much so that we were condemned as a rebel army. ”

"The lord should not underestimate these imperial parties, if it weren't for Situ Lei in the name of the emperor, if it weren't for the decisive means, I am afraid that if you want to drive out half of these imperial ministers from the imperial court, I am afraid that it will not be so easy. If you come to us, you won't do a lot of good things, but I'm afraid of a lot of trouble. ”

Lu Ziliang and Yang Wangzhen also didn't agree with Zhao Xun's opinion, after all, these imperial parties and the Xiaoguo Army's governance were hostile, and in addition, the Xiaoguo Army was now the same as Situ Lei, they were all people with great ambitions, and they would never surrender to the broken ship with Dayan again. If these imperialists were really useful, Situ Lei would not have expelled them all from the hierarchy.

Lu Ziliang said: "It's not that there are no talents in the imperial party, it's just that these people are afraid that they have all been left behind by Situ Lei." In addition, these imperial officials are afraid that they care more about the holy decree. Even if they were to be reduced to a remote, barren place as officials, they would do as they were told. As for the person who comes with one move, I'm afraid that he really has no ability. ”

Zhao Xun nodded, agreeing with Lu Ziliang's words. It seems that I am also underthinking, and my thinking is too simple. Since the advantages and disadvantages are the same, and even the disadvantages are even greater, Zhao Xun also extinguished the intention of wantonly recruiting and wooing them. Of course, this is not to say that these imperialists are completely unworthy. For those officials who have real skills and are willing to do practical things, Zhao Xun will still send people to win them over. Xiaoguo Army really needs this kind of official in its hands, to fight the world and defend the world, it depends on the army, but to govern the world, it depends on civilian officials. The carriage has two wheels, and you can't do without one.

"Zhao Xun, this bastard, what does he want to do? Good King Zhao, he is not right, he has to go against us! Let Situ Wenqing continue to march towards Yanzhou without stopping! The order was given to let the Changwu army march to the east of Yongzhou to prevent the Jizhou Xiaoguo army. Don't, don't go out lightly. Yongwang Mansion, Situ Lei ordered unhurriedly, without the slightest anger on his face.

"Lord Wang, why don't you fight it directly? The Xiaoguo army at the southern end of Jizhou is only more than 25,000, and the Changwu army will definitely be able to win. If it is defeated, together with the Shenwu army that defeated the Wuwei Army, plus the Yanzhou Mansion Army, the three parties can unite and attack the land of Jizhou in the north. Situ Qi asked a little puzzled. Although Gui is the marquis and is Situ Lei's nephew, when deliberating, he still calls the prince, not his uncle. In this regard, Situ Lei is very satisfied, when it is public and when it is private, it must be clearly distinguished.

Situ Lei explained with a smile: "This Xiaoguo army will definitely not move lightly, and the original intention of the change at this moment is to slow down the marching speed of the Shenwu army, so that Murong Cheng's Xiaocai army can catch up." If we really ignore it, this Xiaoguo army will definitely take advantage of the situation to go south, and I am afraid that it will not leave. Zhao asked this person that the decision would be based on actual interests, rather than asking for some false names. When the time comes, if he really lets him expand his territory in Yongzhou, it will be a slap in the face of me, the king of Yongzhou. ”

"However, if we make a move, the Xiaoguo Army will not back down. After all, the combat power of the Xiaoguo Army is famous all over the world. Don't forget, the land of Yongzhou is still a place suitable for war horses to gallop. The sharpness of the cavalry of the Xiaoguo Army is difficult for us to resist. What if we defeat 25,000 men? The Xiaoguo army has more than 200,000 soldiers, which is still the amount on the surface. Now, we have already started a war with another Murong Cheng who is on a par with us, if we pick another King Zhao who is equal to our strength, what do you say? Do you think Xu Jie dares to fight against Xiaoguo Jun? ”

"The Yellow River is a natural hazard, yes, but for the Xiaoguo army, it is not very difficult to attack Yanzhou. If the Xiaoguo army really participates in the war, then the Xuzhou army, the Tang army, and even the Yanzhou government army will immediately turn their guns and aim at us. Therefore, what we have to do now is just to tell the Xiaoguo army that we have seen through their plans, and at the same time, we are also prepared. ”

"What if the Xiaoguo Army joins the war? Isn't that bad for us? ”

Situ Lei sighed and said, "That's true, if the Xiaoguo army participates in the war, we may suffer heavy losses, of course, whether it is the Xiaoguo army or the Qi Wang army, it will not be good." For the current Xiaoguo Army, he is even more busy rectifying the northern Zhuhu and developing his own domestic strength. You must know that governing the river is not a joke, and on this one, you don't dare to let it use a large army to fight hard. In addition, the people of the Evil Tatar have always been a scourge, and Zhao Xun also wants to take advantage of the opportunity of the Great War in the South to settle his own back garden first. According to our spies, Zhao Xun is already preparing to make a move on the Tatans. ”

"Lord, because we expelled the officials of the imperial party, now, many local officials are a little dissatisfied. Do you want to wash it again? If this continues, local political affairs will be bad sooner or later. Lin Shucheng said in a low voice.

Situ Lei slowly sat down and said to a few of his cronies, "Do you think that when I acted in the first place, I was too hasty? ”

Lin Shucheng, Ling Xiao, and Lin Shiwen were all silent, how could their subordinates answer such a question directly.

"I understand, and I know, that the removal of the Praetorian Guard and the expulsion of the officials of the Imperial Party is a bit hasty. It is precisely because of this that although I contacted the Yanzhou Mansion Army, the Xuzhou Army and the Tang Army, they joined forces to deal with Murong Cheng. But the hidden dangers are still very big, and even have an impact on our foundation. Situ Lei said unhurriedly.

In fact, as Situ Lei said, after cutting off the Praetorian Guard, according to the original policy, it was to move slowly, and in the name of the emperor, the various departments could weaken Murong Cheng or Zhao Xun. Instead of directly brushing away the imperial party officials, he directly controlled the imperial court with open fire.

Although it was also in the name of the emperor to order the princes to attack Murong Cheng. But all the guilt of the princes was washed away, and they were all knighted. To say that like Xu Jie, the corruption of his reputation makes it difficult to recruit useful talents. But now, as an official under Xu Jie, he is no longer a traitor, but an upright Dayan official. Compared with Xu Jieyan, what he hoped for most was to contact the oppression of the imperial court, otherwise he would not be helpless in the face of King Qi's army. For Zhang Tao, the governor of Jiaozhou, what he wants is naturally independent of the righteous name, otherwise, how dare he compete with the king of Qi? But now, they all have it. They all have the ambition to rise, and they all have different thoughts.

It's okay to be so external, after all, this has not directly harmed oneself, and even if there is, it will be in the future. Don't look at Xu Jie's obedience to Situ Lei now, but Situ Lei can't do anything to Xu Jie at will. After all, if the title that had just been awarded was lost by Situ Lei in the blink of an eye, the reputation of Situ Lei's side would be completely stinky. When Murong Cheng is defeated, or Xu Jie takes control of Yanzhou, at that time, will Xu Jie listen to Situ Lei? Needless to say, the answer was that he would not have listened to Situ Lei's orders at that time.

Because of the attack on the imperial party, the local officials were dissatisfied with Situ Lei. It's not that they all have a good impression of the Imperial, or that they all have anything to do with the Imperial. It's just that Situ Lei's current behavior is worse than that of other princes. Even Li Chi of the Xuzhou Army led the army to rebel because of the compulsion of life. Even Zhao Xun, who was condemned as a traitor, never persecuted the imperial court and the emperor, and not only that, but also provided offerings and war horses for the imperial court. In addition, Zhao Xun also owes it to Dayan. Although Xiaoguojun's subordinates were very incompatible with the imperial court system and paid much less taxes, they always wanted the court to pay taxes before they were condemned as rebels.

So what now? Although the Xuzhou army was pardoned, Li Chi decided not to pay taxes to the imperial court, and neither did the Tang army. Even Xu Jie bluntly said that the Yanzhou War was too busy to take care of himself. As for Jingzhou, Yangzhou and Jiangzhou, the places of wealth of the imperial court, it is even more impossible. Now, even the use of the DPRK and China has been reduced a lot. It can be said that in the past, no matter what hostility Situ Lei, Murong Cheng and Zhao Xun had, they did not fight head-on, but now, Situ Lei has triggered a war between all sides, which can be said to have pushed Dayan into the fire pit of civil strife.

Situ Lei sighed and said, "Actually, this king also knows that he is in a hurry to do this. Not to mention that the household department has no money, even our army cannot expand the army. But I did it anyway, do you know why? ”

Brushing his slightly pale beard, Situ Lei continued: "Look at my beard and you will understand!" ”

Lin Shucheng, Lin Shiwen, and Ling Xiao couldn't help but be stunned and cold. It turned out that Situ Lei was really old. The three of them all understood what Situ Lei meant, he wanted to cut himself off from the left prime minister of the imperial court first, either for his own desires, or to leave a foundation for the Situ family, he wanted to create the established situation first.

"Rest assured, this king has not lost his fighting spirit. I just hope to fight to the death, take down Murong Cheng, the great enemy, first, and bring the land of wealth in the southeast under my command. Situ Lei said in a loud voice.

"Let the Liangzhou army also start to come to Yongzhou, I need them to work with the Jinwu army to launch an operation to Jingzhou! The land of Jingzhou is the flank of Yangzhou and the north defense line of Jiangzhou. As long as Jingzhou is attacked, Yangzhou and Jiangzhou are within the range of our army's attack, and Murong Cheng will not dare to divide too many troops to go north, but will transfer troops such as Jingzhou. If Zhang Tao's appearance is more conspicuous, then Murong Chengcheng will parry on all sides. Situ Lei ordered in a deep voice.

"Let the people below pay attention, and if they make too much trouble, sweep them into a corner. If it's those who are obsessed, or who have actual actions, kill! Situ Lei said coldly.

"Lord Wang, did you send an order to the king of Lingnan County to borrow from him to let the army stationed in Ningzhou enter Jiaozhou and assist him in attacking Jiangzhou? If our people appear from Jiaozhou, then Murong Cheng is the real enemy on all sides. Lin Shucheng said in a deep voice.

Situ Lei said: "I'm afraid that this Lingnan county king will not agree, do you have a fancy for the seaports and ships in Jiaozhou?" ”

Lin Shucheng nodded and said: "That's true, the land of Jiaozhou is not worth our deliberate struggle and attack, but the southern seaport is what we urgently need." Whether it is to maintain the money and food used by our army or to go to sea to blockade the sea area of King Qi, it is extremely advantageous. Now, because of the war between the states, the imperial court has lost the taxes of the states under heaven, so that we have to independently bear the needs of the imperial court. Money and food are really a big problem. ”

How could Situ Lei not know this, the two southern provinces of Jiaozhou make profits from sea trade every year, and they don't know how much they gain, plus they occupy the port of sea trade, which makes Situ Lei want to be included in his hands. It's just that in the past, this was Murong Cheng's nominal jurisdiction, and he couldn't do it at will. Now, it is based on Zhang Tao of the independent side, but I am afraid that it will be more difficult to get it. If you move here, I am afraid that this Lingnan county king will turn his face on the spot, and instead lead the king's army south.

"Lord Wang, let's not talk about the issue of seeking an outlet to the sea for Jiaozhou. Even if we use troops on the back of Jiangzhou, we should also persuade the king of Lingnan to accept our troops. Otherwise, we proposed to build yì to see how many people the king of Lingnan could accept, which was completely voluntary. As long as Murong Cheng is brought down, can the land of Jiaozhou be compared to Yangzhou? Ling Xiao said with a smile.

Situ Lei nodded and said, "That's very good, send someone to contact us, and in addition, recruit some government troops from all over the country to guard the place." Money, it's really a problem. I will ask Fuchu to release the money that the king has accumulated over the years, and if our army is defeated, what is the use of keeping the money. Speaking of which, now this King Zhao is the variable of Yiqiē's action! ”

Ling Xiao said: "In the northern land, the tribes of the Yan people are now unwilling to be gradually annexed by King Zhao. Besides, we have already given them a fortification, and if they can fight back against the Xiaoguo army, no matter where they occupy, it will be counted as their own. At the same time, we will involve part of the forces of the Xiaoguo Army in the south. Now, the Xiaoguo army has gradually begun to strengthen the siege of the Youbei Tatar people and increase the immigration and development of Dingzhou, a newly established state, which makes the Tatar tribes very worried. I don't think the Martial Tribes will let the Xiaoguo Army go on like this. ”

Situ Lei looked at the map behind him and said in a deep voice, "I hope so!" It's just that the tribes of the Devil fought against the Xiaoguo Army, and the result was ......"

Lin Shucheng said with a smile: "If the people of the Tatar fail, isn't this exactly what we want to see?" The Xiaoguo army and the Taya people were both defeated, and we took the advantage. If the Xiaoguo army still has the strength to spare, but the plan to delay its southward movement will be successful. ”

…………

Jiaozhou.

Jiaozhou was originally a barren land, but since the beginning of the previous dynasty, maritime trade has been encouraged, which has gradually made the south prosperous. Coupled with the continuous migration to the south for hundreds of years, the population has also increased considerably. Unlike the invasion of foreign enemies in the north, and the chaos in the Central Plains, the land of Jiaozhou, located in the southernmost part of the country, has been rarely affected by the fluctuations of external disturbances.

The most prosperous places in Jiaozhou are Guangzhou and Huizhou, and the rest of the inland places are still relatively poor. Therefore, although the land of the two provinces has been relatively prosperous, it has not received the attention of the imperial court to Jiaozhou. In addition, there are many Tu people in Jiaozhou, and the relationship with the Han people is not very harmonious.

Canton Prefecture, formerly known as Nanhai or Nanyue, was changed to Canton Prefecture in the previous dynasty. Jiaozhou Governor's Office is here.

In the past, the governor's mansion has now become the county king's mansion. Zhang Tao, the former governor of Jiaozhou, is now the king of Lingnan County. No matter what the dismounted officials and ordinary people are, Zhang Tao also has ambitions in his heart at the moment. But to the north is the land of Jiangzhou. And Jiangzhou is the genus of the king of Qi.

Although he has the intention to break away from Murong Cheng's suppression, he also wants to be like Xu Jie, Li Chi and others, and take a place to order the Quartet. But now it's not as simple as you imagined. The ethnic groups in Jiaozhou are mixed, and the relationship is chaotic. In the land of Jiaozhou, the Han people are still less than other states. Moreover, in the land of Jiaozhou, the armor and equipment are still insufficient. After the battle was full, Zhang Tao found that the army that could be mobilized in his hands was only 70,000 or 80,000 people, and it was still the expanded government army. As for how many Qi Wang troops he could resist, even he himself was not confident.

"King of the county, Situ Lei has come to make a secret envoy again, and he wants to borrow the way! We said that the number of troops was willing to ...... with us," Zhang Lin reported in a deep voice.

"Give them a reply, and the matter of handing over the state will be handled by the king himself, and no outsiders will worry. Zhang Lin, don't come into contact with this Situ Lei's people again. Compared with King Qi, this King Yong is even more ruthless now. Zhang Tao responded coldly.

Damn, you still want to beat me up here, don't even think about it.

At the end of June, the envoy of the King of Qi also came to Shanyang Mansion. At this time, Feng Ziming also reached an agreement with the Tang Army and became a temporary alliance.

"Oh? King Qi's people are coming? You want us to attack from the back of the land of Yanzhou. Now that the agreement with the Tang Army has been completed, it is possible to get some benefits from the King of Qi. Feng Ziming smiled secretly.

For Feng Ziming, Shanyang Mansion lacks everything and is extremely scarce. Because the entry of displaced people needs to be arranged, which will consume a lot of money and food. In addition, the implementation of the new policy has also reduced taxes in many places, so that the people need to pay much less than before. Although the people were happy, the government was big. In particular, Shanyang Mansion has now oversupplied nearly 30,000 troops, which has already made Feng Ziming a little unable to open the pot. If it weren't for the support of the Xiaoguo Army, the merchants of Tongguò would have been able to transport grain and grass to the territory of Shanyang Mansion, but I am afraid that it would be more difficult.

Therefore, as soon as the envoy of King Qi came, Feng Ziming negotiated conditions with the locality. Of course, the first is to vomit bitterness. After all, Shanyang Mansion is just a place of government, although the jurisdiction is second only to Dongping Mansion and is the second largest government in Yanzhou, but it is really difficult to move troops against Yanzhou while resisting the Tang army.

The envoy of the King of Qi naturally knew his mission and knew the benefits that this Shanyang Mansion would bring to the army of the King of Qi. Naturally, it is good to persuade, and there is a great sense that everyone will solve the problem together.

Feng Ziming waited for the other party's meaning, so he cried to the other party that he was poor, had no money and no food, and relatively, that is, he couldn't afford to raise soldiers. It is not impossible for the army to move. Xu Jiedu abandoned us, and we didn't need to work hard for it. Of course, when the army moves, it will ask for money and food, and we don't have any of these.

For the envoy of the King of Qi, as long as the other party can reduce the pressure on the land of Yanzhou, money and food are naturally a small matter. also agreed to support Shanyang Mansion on the issue of money and grain, and for this, Feng Ziming finally received a subsidy of 100,000 deniers of grain and 500,000 silver coins. Of course, if the battle continues to be delayed, then King Qi will continue to support.

In this regard, Feng Ziming couldn't help but secretly sigh that King Qi was rich, and he also knew that the Xiaoguo Army asked him for food. If it weren't for the difference between the armor and food, relying on the caravan transportation, it would be easy to be discovered, but I was afraid that Feng Ziming would still want to ask for a large number of armor. As soon as the war began, armor and equipment were absolutely embargoed. Of course, Feng Ziming also proposed to collect money first and then act. When the time comes, it will be transported to Qingzhou and slanted down from Qingzhou.