Both countries gave orders to Yan Zhou's secret spy: sabotage, widen the rift.

It would be best if the coalition forces of Tang and Ukraine could turn against each other; Even if it can't, it is necessary to bury hidden dangers, and if they are provoked when needed, they can erupt and cause irreparable division.

In addition to this matter, the two countries. The Military Intelligence Department also issued an important secret mission -

Quickly find out the new weapons of the Tang Army.

During the Yanzhou War, the "outpost observers" who infiltrated the Yanzhou battlefield by Euroton and Da Shi certainly saw the new weapons of the Tang Army, but because of the distance, thirty or forty miles away, they did not dare to stay in a hidden place for a long time, otherwise they would be found and killed by the sentry team that cleared the "outpost", and the "outpost" of the two countries did not have the wonderful high-altitude photography technique of the Oghuz Temple, and only a vague scene could be observed through the telescope, and the rumbling sound on the battlefield was heard in the ears, and then the ground faintly vibrate. Later, I saw clouds of black smoke rising from the battlefield, but it was not clear what the specific situation was, what kind of weapons caused it, and what the lethality was.

Countries. The military has always been sensitive to new weapons. The Ordnance Bureau has repeatedly studied the report handed over by the outpost, combined with the report that "the wind blows away the black smoke, diffuses the smell, and smells of sulfur and saltpeter", and consults with the alchemists, and according to the answers received, the two countries. The Ordnance Bureau speculated: This should be a new ballista shell, which can explode after being thrown out - only the explosion can cause the ground to shake, otherwise the stone bullet will weigh hundreds of kilograms, and it is impossible to appear black smoke, only dust and soil.

But both countries. The Ordnance Bureau's thinking is still limited to projectile ballistas, and it did not expect that it was a barrel fire, after all, it was not seen in real objects, and it was more difficult to violently overturn the existing weapon concept. The Datang Ordnance Research Institute also began the invention of the tube-shot cannon after many research and experiments.

Although the information obtained by the two countries is not comprehensive, the Tang Army's possession of "explosive shells" is still highly valued by the military, not only because of the report of the "outpost", but also because the "outpost" sent by the two countries In addition to professional military observers, there are also two Dongzhen Realm level grandmasters, but these two grandmasters have not returned, and such a long time has passed, and there is still no news, so it can be completely certain: the two grandmasters sent have been killed by the other party.

If a grandmaster escapes, it will be difficult to stop unless the opponent is much stronger than him, not to mention that the grandmaster sent to the outpost belongs to the wind mage, and he is even better at escaping, even if it is recognized as the strongest attacking kendo master, it is difficult to stop. However, the Tang Army's sentry team actually killed these two wind mages, which shows that the strength of the grandmasters they are equipped with far exceeds these two mages, or it is besieged by several grandmasters, no matter which of the two, it shows how much importance the Tang army attaches to the secrecy of this new weapon. And the more attention is paid to it, the more important this weapon is, so that the two countries. How does the military not pay attention?

The secret spy agencies of the two countries in Yanzhou received orders to act immediately.

The counterintelligence agencies of Datang and Oghuz are also in action.

Invisible wars take place in the shadows.

***

In mid-October, Datang and Oghuz started negotiations again, because of the easing of a month's "closed talks", the two sides were a ball of harmony when they returned to the negotiation table to greet each other, but this harmony was like a cotton fist, not hard, but it was difficult for the other party to enter, like being trapped in a pile of cotton...... For a while, the progress of negotiations was extremely slow, and it usually took two or three days to negotiate a clause.

The two sides also started the mode of watching the ball while negotiating, and after two or three days of talking, they would watch a polo or a juju, as if they wanted to vent the anger on the negotiation table through the ball game.

The garrison armies of the two countries began a polo and keju game, saying that "friendship first, competition second", but once on the field, who can still take care of a friendship, and you have a hairy friendship, one by one to fight fiercely as if to treat the enemy on the battlefield, that is called a hot fire, sparks flying, and it is inevitable that someone will be injured.

Then all kinds of tricks also appeared, hiding needles in the saddle, drugged war horses, smearing poison on sticks, etc., and found out that the two countries' teams changed color, and also made the two countries' negotiating teams on the stage change color. Then there was Chachacha, and both countries did not recognize each other and were suspicious of the other, so negotiations and competitions continued in this strange atmosphere.

In short, there is a lot of chickens and dogs jumping ahead, making a lot of noise, today I blame you, tomorrow I blame you...... It's not over.

When the secret spies of the two countries were hunted down, they were also secretly happy that the plan was successful, at least the front line of the two countries could not be peaceful.

In the midst of this uproar, Xiao Yan and Murong Jue had two more fights, because there was no need to act, these two fights were not known to everyone, and Xiao Yan's serious injuries were of course secret.

During the three months from September to November, the caliph of the Great Food Empire, Amaia IX, was in a state of indecision, and in his heart he was eager to immediately order the army to suppress the rebellion of the Imamites in Egypt, which was the main problem for him, and the rebellion in the Persian provinces was secondary; However, he also had to consider the reminders and suggestions of the monarch of the Euroton Empire, and the Tang Empire in the east was their biggest threat. However, the contradiction between Tang Jun and Oghuz in Yanzhou became more acute and even cracked, which made him hesitate again - should he solve the major problem in his heart first, or guard against distant troubles?

Amaia IX's ability to rule is not bad, at least he did not indulge in wine pleasures like his grandfather and father, but he cannot ignore his age, he has ruled the empire for forty-three years, and he himself has entered the age of seventy, and one of the characteristics of the old emperor is that his ambition and courage are not as good as when he was young, and Amaia IX no longer has the decisiveness of the past, and has a common problem of old emperors: suspiciousness.

Because of the founding of the Imag faction, Amaia IX suddenly woke up to the fact that this opposing faction, which had been driven to the corner of Egypt, had grown to such a power?! It can't be that there are no signs, so who is covering them every year? Amaia IX looked suspiciously at his court ministers and on the great family of the imperial capital of Damas...... There is no doubt that some of these people must have received a large amount of benefits from the Imamites every year, so that they would erase the traces of the Imamates on it, so that the caliphs did not notice that the power of the Imama was recovering.

Amaia IX had a long list of families that had been suppressed by their caliphate, and which were ambitious and insatiable, all of which were subject to suspicion.

Whether he launched a war to quell the rebellion against the Ima faction, or immediately allied with Euroton and sent troops to the Tang Kingdom, he must first remove the tumors around him one by one in order to have a rear where he feels safe.

When Amaia IX's secret spies were dispatched everywhere, he also issued a series of decrees, first of all, announcing the reduction of the "poll tax" of the Persians in the Persian provinces, to alleviate the resistance of the Persians who were still under the occupation of the Great Eclipse, and at the same time to strengthen the search and arrest activities, and immediately arrest the rebel groups found in the territory, and sent spies to spread rumors everywhere, focusing on the wolf ambitions of the Turks, saying that the Turks were using the Persians to annex Persia and make all Persians slaves of the Turks. These remarks have a negative impact on the restoration of Persia. The army had some influence, and the Jingjiao was stirring up in the dark, and it was restored. The upper echelons of the army conveyed the support of the Tang Empire, and Persia was restored. The army swayed from side to side, and they also saw the fierceness and ruthlessness of the Turks in the war, and inevitably became a little more vigilant against the "wolf ambitions" of the Turks, and they also showed toughness in the negotiations on the division of territory, especially in the coastal trade provinces in the south, which said that nothing could be given to the Turks.

Because Persia was restored. The conflict between the army and the Turkic khanate over the division of territory inevitably led to a rift in the alliance between the two sides, and the war to continue westward to liberate Persia stopped. The Great Food Empire did not seize the opportunity to counterattack either, and Aymaia IX had the wisdom to judge that an attack at this time would be tantamount to facilitating the restoration of the Turks and Persia. If the army sets aside the rift and reunites, on the contrary, if the army does not move, the alliance between the two sides will become worse and worse, and finally it will break itself.

Amaya IX did not stop in the west, sending an emissary to the Assyrian Patriarch stating that if the provinces of Meroe and Arkham were loyal to the caliphate, the empire would reduce the poll tax of the Assyrians by 50 percent—the same promise made by Tulum I of the Imagites – the same promise made by Tulum I of the Imagites of Islam.

But one is a promise made by the imperial caliphate, the other is still a rebel party, although the Tulum dynasty was established, but the power is still only in Egypt, the Patriarch of Toreri is also a treacherous and cunning, of course, it is better to be still, since you can get the same benefits if you don't move, why should Assyria move? In short, it is in the interests of the Assyrians to let these two caliphs fight, to the point of bleeding, and to defeat both of them.

Torelli made up his mind and told the emissaries of Amaia IX that the Assyrians had always been loyal to the imperial caliphate and had no second hearts. Of course, if the imperial caliph were to be replaced, the Assyrians would also show loyalty, the old patriarch smiled in his heart.

Amaia IX was busy at home, and Chaleman, the emperor of Euroton, was not idle for a while.

The reason is that a red shirt suddenly appeared in the province of Portugal in the southwest of the empire, saying that it was a rebellion against the cruel exploitation of the Church, depriving the peasants and merchants of seventy percent of their property in the name of sacrifice, and the clergy of the Church lived like fat pigs, and robbed the beautiful wives and daughters of merchants and small nobles, but these are all old tunes, and the people of the whole Euroton know it, but they can only accept it numbly if they can't resist.

In the past, there was such a rebellion, but under the strong suppression of the church, it could not make waves at all.

But this time the Red Shirts broke out two thunderous news:

One said that the light art of the church is not God's healing technique at all, but the life force of the wounded is extracted to heal the sick and healed, and the faster it gets better, the more life force is extracted, and the sooner it will die;

Second, the divine power of the gods and mages of the church comes from the soul power that is extracted when the believers pray.

After the previous statement spread in the province of Portusia, the rich nobles immediately did not dare to let the mages of God perform the magic of light when they were sick, this is to extract their own life force to treat, who wants to? Unless you are sick to death, you can't care about reducing your life, and you can live first. In short, the price of alchemy elixirs in the province of Lurisia immediately rose, and the Tang pills and Tang powder sold privately also became very good.

It is conceivable that such a "rumor" spreading throughout the Euroton Empire will be a blow to the church's "divine healing technique".

Of course, the poor and poor mercenaries will still choose to let the church heal based on the free healing arts, but the gratitude to the church in their hearts, and the faith born from it, will definitely be gone. And the Holy See is not charitable, so why is it willing to use illumination to heal people for free? Is it to increase faith, collect the faith power of believers, if you can't get faith power, will the church be willing to use light magic to heal diseases and injuries for free? Isn't that a thankless mana? …… In short, the Holy See will be caught in a vicious circle of loss of faith.

As for the latter statement of the Red Shirts, it is even more deadly, and it is almost frightening.

Why do people believe in God? It is because of the belief that people have souls and can enter the kingdom of heaven after death.

Now the Red Shirts say that the souls of believers are extracted by the church's divine mages and practice their "divine arts", so that the divine mages can exert those divine powers. Of course, the great nobles didn't believe this statement, because they knew the bottom line: the cultivation of the Holy See mages relied on the power of faith, not the extraction of people's souls. The Holy See is not a god, and it can't do such a thing as extracting souls, otherwise the nobles of the entire empire will be frightened, and the Holy See will not be able to develop at the beginning, and it has long been destroyed by the nobles of the Roman Empire at that time. But ordinary people don't know that the reason why rumors can spread far and wide is that it is sensational and fully captures people's new curiosity and weirdness; The second is that it can grasp a point, grasp people's interests or what they fear most in their hearts, and what is more strange than losing their souls, fearing from the bottom of their hearts? Obviously, the rumors of the Red Shirts have taken care of both, and the one who created this rumor is definitely a master.

All in all, these two rumors are very vicious, and they simply shake the foundation of the Holy See's rule.

This, of course, frightened the bishop of the province of Portusia, and as soon as he discovered the rumors, he immediately sent the Church Law Enforcement Order to arrest the Red Shirts who had raised the banner of rebellion against the Church. At this time, however, the bishop did not pay enough attention to the Red Shirts, believing that, like the previous resistances, the Church would be destroyed as soon as it struck.

But the Red Shirts were like ghosts, with banners flying everywhere, but no men and horses gathered, and rumors spread at a speed like the wind, and soon all the provinces of Portugal were spread, and the people were terrified, in short, they would rather believe it than not, and they did not even dare to do the routine prayers of the morning and evening, for fear that if they prayed, they would be sucked away by the Holy See in the dark.

The Bishop of Portusia was horrified to find that not only had the Red Shirts not been eliminated, but rumors had spread beyond the province of Portusia!

He couldn't hide this matter anymore, and he didn't dare to hide it anymore, so he immediately sent a church mage to report to the higher church and apply for the dispatch of a mage group for support. The Church Knights of the Province of Portugal are equipped with only three mages, and these three mages were killed by the ghostly redshirts during the arrest! This is what makes Bishop Grísia frightened: the other party is not an ordinary rebel, but has the help of a "damned evil magician"! - This is not something that the ecclesiastical power of the province of Portugal can destroy.

The Church of the Portuguese Province is the Church of the Duchy of Cimades, and the Archbishop of the Principality is the cardinal archbishop, and when he receives the report, he realizes the seriousness of the situation and sends a group of mages south to report to the Papal States of San Mano.

The Red Shirts were still very mobile, fighting guerrilla warfare with the Knights and Mages of the Principality Church, and at the same time continuing to distribute their leaflets and spreading their words in the villages, fairs, and chambers of commerce in the provinces. And the Grand Duke of the Principality of Simades and some noble lords also turned a blind eye to certain considerations, and these two statements spread wildly in various territories. The tax collection and greed of the Holy See have also made these great nobles suffer, and who will not do what they can do without their own efforts to fight the Holy See.

In this silent connivance, the two "rumors" of the Red Shirts spread throughout half of the empire in just three months, and at an unstoppable speed, spread to the eastern half of the empire.

The Holy See of San Mano hated this, and not only the Knights Templar, but also the Inquisition, vowed to catch the blasphemer, burn him at the stake, and burn him to ashes.

While the rumors were still spreading in the Duchy of Cimades, the Emperor of Euroton, Chaleman, had already received a report from the Department of Internal Intelligence.

In this regard, Emperor Chaleman said: Joy is greater than surprise.

What is the origin of the Red Shirts, the director of the Imperial Intelligence Department loyal to the emperor also made a detailed analysis:

"Judging from their organization and actions, they are by no means ordinary rabble, nor are they a momentary 'uprising', but a long-brewing planned action, so that they can spread so orderly and rapidly, it must have been planned for many years, tightly organized, and laid in every province of the empire, so that it can be spread like a net, so that the Holy See will not be able to stop the spread of suppressed rumors after discovering it. …… Most likely, behind them is the Arcanist Alliance. ”

An arcanist is a sorcerer who is called "an evil mage who sells his soul to demons to gain mana" by the Holy See, and is commonly known as a mage by mercenaries and folks. They are natural mages, do not believe in the gods of the Holy See, only believe in the laws of heaven and earth, claim that the existence of mages is to explore the mysteries of the laws of the universe, call themselves arcanists, because of "anti-gods", they are declared by the Holy See as "believers of evil demons, anti-gods", and if they find one, they will be destroyed, and the ascetics of the Inquisition wander around the empire all year round, trying to find the traces of these anti-gods and exterminate them. But after seven or eight hundred years, the Arcanist group has not been completely wiped out, but has developed in the shadows, gradually becoming the biggest threat to the Holy See in the Ibuli continent.

And the Emperor has an inextricable relationship with various nobles and the Arcanist Alliance...... And these relationships are also an important reason why the Arcanist Alliance can develop secretly, after all, mage cultivation requires resources, and without the support of these big noble families, it is difficult to grow secretly.

Emperor Chaleman was convinced of the intelligence director's speculation about the background of the Red Shirts, and secretly issued several orders to his most trusted nobles in secret code words, so that they could facilitate them in an appropriate way.

What is the convenience of this "giving convenience", these dukes and counts can certainly understand.

It would be a good thing for the great nobles of the empire to be able to shake the Holy See's rule of faith over Euroton.

Although he was afraid of the huge strength of the Church, including His Majesty the Emperor, he could not directly take action, but secretly fueled the flames, let the rumors fly faster and spread more widely, and at the right time, he could still tell the Red Shirts the news, and if he saw it, he didn't see anything.

His Majesty's own secret services are also in action, in addition to making the rumors more concrete and credible, supplemented by other miraculous operations – all acting as Red Shirts.

Emperor Charleman did not think that the Red Shirts could shake the rule of the Holy See, after all, it was a behemoth that had ruled the continent of Ibri for thousands of years, but to weaken the faith of the Holy See among the people and to attack the strength of the Holy See, His Majesty the Emperor thought that it was possible to take advantage of this situation and be promoted by many hands...... Of course, you have to be careful, otherwise you will be caught by the Holy See and turn back to liquidate, that is big. Trouble.

Charleman was cautious, and even paid less attention to Yan Zhou's side.

And he will soon regret it.