Yan An reluctantly agreed. In order to avoid Liang Xiao's refusal again, he decided to invite him personally.

Taking this opportunity, Lu Xiang and Zhao Yingqi confessed.

When Zhao Yingqi heard this, he was also moved. The strength of the forbidden army outside the city is related to the power of the Lu family, so why not his position as the crown prince? His father, Zhao Hu, did not have only one son, he also had more than a dozen brothers, including those born to women of the Lu family.

If all the power falls into the hands of Lu Jia, then once Lu Jia wants to abolish Chang Liyou, he will not have the power to fight back at all.

Zhao Yingqi was full of praise for Lu Xiang's astuteness.

Liang Xiao soon joined forces with Yan An.

The tactic of avoiding the real and avoiding the false once again took effect, opening a gap within the South Vietnamese camp and finding an ally with a fundamental conflict of interest with Lu Jia, who could not be as calm as before when he was exposed to the enemy. Liang Xiao naturally won't put up a shelf anymore. The gentleman saw the opportunity, and he wanted to seize this opportunity in his hands immediately. Can he train the South Vietnamese cavalry to be elite and put aside, he can at least take this opportunity to get enough war horses.

Liang Xiao met Zhao Yingqi and Lu Xiang and hit it off at first sight.

Through the exchange with Lu Xiang, Liang Xiao learned that in addition to cavalry, there was also a team of elephant soldiers in Nanyue, consisting of thirty elephants, each elephant with two archers and two spearmen on its back, and fifty to one hundred foot soldiers around it.

In fact, this is the equivalent of the South Vietnamese chariot troops. It's just that compared to the chariot soldiers in the Central Plains, the movement speed of these elephant soldiers is really pitiful.

When Liang Xiao and Zhao Guang were together, they inquired about some military deployments in South Vietnam. However, Zhao Guang was alert, and Liang Xiao's income was limited. Lu Xiang was not as cautious as Zhao Guang, and he had the heart to ask Liang Xiao to teach him the art of riding and fighting, so his mouth was naturally much looser. In addition to the elephant soldiers, he also revealed to Liang Xiao some general information about the military circles of South Vietnam.

Compared with its neighbors, South Vietnam is a regional military power. South Vietnam currently has a population base of less than 2 million. It has an army of nearly 200,000 people. Even if you deduct some of the deliberately exaggerated water content of Lu Xiang and discount it in half, this is a staggering figure in terms of the economic conditions of South Vietnam.

It is important to know that the army must be supported by financial resources.

However, there is another reason why South Vietnam is militarily stronger. In that year, 500,000 Qin troops conquered South Vietnam. After several bloody battles, it was finally successful. As conquerors, the surviving Qin army unceremoniously shared their spoils, and women were one of them. Their descendants naturally regard themselves as conquerors, inheriting the martial style of their fathers, and making meritorious contributions to the army has become their first choice. Nine times out of ten, the South Vietnamese soldiers were of Qin blood, taller and stronger than the warriors of other nationalities, and they were also more fierce and aggressive.

During Zhao Tuo's rule of South Vietnam, these descendants of the Qin army were definitely the backbone. With the stability of the Zhao Tuo dynasty. Zhao Tuo also adopted some methods of reducing military power. On the one hand, he appointed his children and grandchildren as generals, and on the other hand, he married the generals in the army and tied them to the big ship of the Zhao family. Relatively speaking, Zhao Tuo has always been cautious about the wealthy families of South Vietnam, trying not to let them get involved in the army.

For the time being, most of the generals in the army are from the Zhao family, and a small half are descendants of the Qin army who are related to the Zhao family and marriage. Only a very small number of people are Yue, and most of them live in the middle and lower classes. Even the Lu family. Influence in the military is also limited.

It is precisely because of this that Lu Jia's younger brother Lu Liang became Lang Zhongling, and he was very touched by Lu Xiang. If the indigenous tyrants of South Vietnam start to fight for military power, they will be the ones who will be directly impacted. With Lu Jia's character, it is estimated that he will not easily clash with the generals from the Zhao family's clan.

Hearing this, Liang Xiao asked, "Where did Zhao Guang go?" ”

"He was also part of the Praetorian Army. The other day. Lu Jia said that the sea was rampant, and sent him to the sea to appease the sea. ”

Liang Xiao chuckled in his heart. He knew that although Zhao Guang also had a clan identity, he had reached this position today by virtue of his military exploits. It can be said that he is one of the few actual combat factions in the South Vietnamese army, what kind of Haikou needs a heavy general like him to exterminate?

I'm afraid the Kou in Lu Jia's heart is not from the sea. It's from Lingbei.

Liang Xiao quietly exchanged a look with Yan An. Yan An also heard the meaning, and there was a little more worry in his eyes. Liang Xiao chuckled lightly, disapproving. Not to mention whether the Han army has a plan to raid from the sea now, even if there is, he is not worried. It is impossible for Han Anguo to come out in person, and Wei Qing is the most likely candidate. And Wei Qing is cautious, even if Zhao Guang has enough advantages, he may not be able to catch him.

Besides, more ships have an advantage? Don't look at Zhao Guang's more than 200 large and small warships, if you really want to encounter two or three building ships, who will die if the deer dies, it is really uncertain. No matter how many small sampans there are, they are no match for aircraft carriers.

The building ship is an aircraft carrier of this era, at least at the level of a battleship.

Liang Xiao chatted with Lu Xiang calmly. "Min Yue is attacking, which general is fighting on the front line? The war is deadlocked, why didn't the elite forbidden army go to the front line to support? ”

"It was Zhao Guang, the king of Qin, who was fighting on the front line." Lu Xiang paused for a moment and added: "His wife is Lu Jia's eldest daughter, who just got married the year before last. ”

Liang Xiao's eyebrows moved, and he immediately received the signal transmitted by Lu Xiang. Obviously, Lu Xiang's hostility towards Lu Jia was even heavier than they thought, which saved him a lot of tongues. It's never been easy to attack forts from within, and that's not new at all.

Liang Xiao didn't ask again, he discussed with Lu Xiang the time to start cavalry training, and hoped that Lu Xiang could first obtain the consent of Zhao Hu, the king of Nanyue, so as not to cause unnecessary disputes.

Lu Xiang agreed.

Zhao Yingqi arranged a banquet to execute Liang Xiao and Yan An. During the banquet, they staggered and pushed cups to change lamps. Yan An even wrote poems, and ordered the musicians to sing on the spot, showing their literary talents.

Zhao Yingqi's eyebrows fluttered when he saw it, and he was full of longing for the distant Chang'an.

――

Shouchun, Huainan Palace.

Knowing that Dou Ying, the Marquis of Wei, came to deliver the edict, Liu An, the king of Huainan, personally went to the border to greet him. The two are old acquaintances, and they talk affectionately as soon as they meet. In fact, the two originally did not have any common language, Dou Ying Shangru and Liu An Shangdao, the two were conflicting in terms of governing philosophy. In terms of succession to the throne, Dou Ying and Liu An have irreconcilable contradictions.

However, now these problems have been solved.

Wei Zifu gave birth to two daughters, and the Chen family's sister Hua was pregnant at the same time, there is no doubt that the Son of Heaven has an heir, the difference is only when he can have a prince. Liu An lost his thoughts. There will be no conflict with Dou Ying because of the issue of succession.

Although Dou Ying is still Confucian, after the loss of this official position, he also realized that he can no longer be as bold and outspoken as before, and it is beneficial to learn from Huang Lao when necessary. The great Confucian Dong Zhongshu re-sacrificed the doctrine of heaven and man induction because of the Yellow River break, and Dou Ying did not hesitate to refute it, in fact, it was the same as Liang Xiao. has taken an anti-Confucian position.

When the two met at this moment, they were naturally not as angry as before, but because Liang Xiao, a common ally, felt a little more sympathetic to each other.

"The king has a good daughter and a good son-in-law, and he is simply envious." After a few polite words, Dou Ying quickly cut to the chase. "This time I came to Huainan to recruit water diverters, and I got the great help of Lord Weng. In the future, the king will also be a meritorious man. ”

Seeing Deng Guobin and others, Liu An knew Liu Ling's attitude. But. This does not mean that he agrees with the imperial court to transfer the Huainan Naval Division so easily.

"Sun Tzu Youyun: No longer borrows from service, and food does not last for three years. Minyue, is it a bit too much? Besides, the water in Shandong is very deep now. If we don't provide immediate relief, the people will suffer as soon as winter comes. ”

"The king is right, recruit the Huainan Water Division. It is necessary to settle the battle as soon as possible and transport rice from South Vietnam to relieve the hunger in Jianghuai. Dou Ying smiled: "Other than that." His Majesty admired the Lingnan experience of the king very much, and felt that this trade route had a great future, so he sent people to investigate. ”

"Probing what?" Liu An became vigilant.

"Of course, it's to find out what kind of big countries are nearby." Dou Ying glanced at Liu An intentionally or unintentionally. "Generals like Liang Xiao are constantly expanding their territory, and you vassal kings can't just be rich and idlers, otherwise you won't lose your original intention of establishing a domain."

Liu An's head moved. "Your Majesty wants to move to the edge of the town?"

"I can't say that yet, but I have the intention to do so. After all, a vassal king is not a general. It's all royal blood, how can you get through the thorns and get along with the barbarians. You have to find some rich land to settle you. ”

Liu An smiled and didn't say anything more. Dou Ying has already conveyed the words very well. If he still doesn't understand, he will be laughed at by Dou Ying. However, if you understand it, you will understand it, believe it or not, that's another matter.

Dou Ying didn't say anything more. He knew Liu An too well. If you don't force it to the last resort, Liu An will not jump off the wall in a hurry. The Son of Heaven is willing to give Liu An a way out and let him move to the edge of the town, and Liu An is very likely to agree. Even if he didn't agree, he wouldn't blatantly refuse. Not to mention it far away, at least in the matter of recruiting Huainan Water Division, it will be easier for him to give in.

Liu An took Dou Ying back to Shouchun City and arranged a banquet to entertain him, which was naturally no problem. After the banquet, he called Zuo Wu, Wu Yuan and others to the study to discuss secretly.

After listening to the will of the court conveyed by Dou Ying, Wu was the first to agree.

"In terms of the intelligence we've gathered, there are at least three places that are suitable for a state." Wu was left from the table, walked behind Liu An, and tore the cloth covering the wooden frame to reveal a map. This is a map of the South China Sea area that they have compiled based on the information that merchants have sent back in and out of the South China Sea over the years, and so far, most of the people who know about this map are in this room.

"The closest to Huainan is Minyue, followed by the southeast, the big island called Yizhou that lives between the sea and Minyue, and then the south of the South China Sea, the big island called Qiongdao. Although Minyue is good, it is too close to establish a domain for a while, but it cannot establish a country for a long time. Yizhou is in a suitable location, but the wind is high and the waves are fast, and hurricanes often pass through. The situation on Qiong Island has not yet been discovered, and this time we can borrow troops from South Vietnam to explore the real and the ......"

Wu was pointed and drawn on the map, which had the meaning of pointing out the country, and in and out of the words, he was not talking about establishing a domain, but about self-reliance. However, the people in the room are all Liu An's cronies, some of them know the "avoidance" strategy that Liang Xiao gave Liu An, and some have not heard of it, but they know that Liu An has the idea of going to sea to establish a country. Therefore, no one felt anything about the betrayal that Wu was revealing in his words at this moment.

At this time, they are not far from ancient times, and they are scholars who study Zhuzi as their sect, and they have a stronger sense of righteousness than ordinary people. In their opinion, the righteousness of the monarch and the minister is to know each other, and if they agree, they will stay, and if they do not, they will go. Since he stayed, Liu An was their king, and he was the object of their allegiance. If it weren't for their lack of strength, they would have instigated Liu An to kill Chang'an instead of going to sea.

What they have to weigh is whether they can establish a country after going to sea. To build a country, it is necessary not only to have fertile land, but also to have enough people. They can go to sea, but the people of Huainan can't follow them to the sea. It is impossible to truly establish a country without sufficient hukou.

They followed Liu An to the sea, to be the founding hero, not to reclaim the wasteland.

Because of this, most people prefer Yizhou to Minyue. First, Minyue is connected to the mainland, and Minyue is now being attacked by the two armies of the Son of Heaven, and they will not be able to avoid it in the future, and they will not be able to realize their plans to be independent, so they can only stay temporarily, not for a long-term plan.

Yizhou is big enough, it is said that there were Yue people living in it very early, and it should be developed well, but it is more suitable. The only problem is that there are many hurricanes, and it is said that there are hurricanes for half of the year, and the natural environment is not very ideal. Under this mentality, if the situation in Qiongdao is better than that of Yizhou, of course they are willing to go to Qiongdao.

Wu was advised that Liu An write to the imperial court and ask for someone to be sent to join the war. Since the imperial court intends to move to the domain, it should not object to Huainan sending soldiers to participate in the war. In this way, the imperial court has strengthened its strength, and Huainan can also take advantage of the power of the imperial court's army, which can be described as a win-win situation.

Liu An felt justified and nodded in agreement.

The discussion on whether or not to send troops was quickly decided, and the question of who to send there became a problem.

Since there is no risk in this trip, but it may become the first battle for the founding of the country, who will make this first contribution has become a crucial matter. These people are confident of their identities and will not fight for blushing and thick necks like ordinary people, but open and secret battles are still indispensable. Just when everyone was fighting and arguing, Zuo Wu made a suggestion: the prince would lead the expedition, and two or three people would be assigned as deputies.

As soon as this suggestion came out, no one dared to argue. It's okay for them to fight with each other, but it would be unwise to fight with the prince.

Liu An hesitated. "This ...... Will it work? The sea is dangerous, in case something happens......"

Zuo Wu said: "King, there is indeed a risk, but this time the risk is obviously the smallest. First, the building ship has been transformed by Deng Guobin and others, which is more stable; Second, there are tens of thousands of troops from the imperial court, Han Anguo is a famous general who has been famous for many years, Wei Qing is the leader of the younger generation, and there is Liang Xiao in South Vietnam. Having them by their side not only minimizes the risks, but also gives the prince a chance to increase his knowledge. ”

Liu Anxin moved. He asked the crown prince Liu Qian to be called and told him about the plan. Unexpectedly, when Liu Qian heard this, his face turned white.

"The wind and waves at sea are so strong, who dares to guarantee that the building ship will not capsize? Last year......"

When Liu An heard Liu Qian's words, he was greatly disappointed. Over the years, Huainan's building ships have traveled to and from the South China Sea, going to sea dozens of times, and the wind resistance of the building ships has long been unanimously recognized as exceeding that of ordinary ships. Last year, there was indeed a building ship that was overturned by the wind, but that was because the ship order was too greedy, loaded too many things, and failed to enter the port in time to avoid when encountering wind and waves, which does not prove that the building ship is not safe.

But Liu Qian remembered this time. How can such a person take on the heavy responsibility of building an overseas country?

Liu An secretly sighed. If Liu Ling was here, she would never be so cowardly-

(To be continued.) )