Chapter 501: A Beauty as Before

"Marine Corps?"

The fresh term thrown out by Zhao Xu left Zhou Yi completely bewildered.

Seeing this, Zhao Xu explained the duties of the Marine Corps to Zhou Yi in detail.

"So that's it, thank you, Your Highness." Zhou Yi was overjoyed.

It turned out the Marine Corps was specifically responsible for amphibious operations.

In this way, the navy would not only be able to fight at sea but also land to conduct warfare on land.

Thus, the navy's only shortcoming would be remedied.

In the future, when going out to sea, they would be able to complete the tasks of capturing cities and seizing territory on their own.

"The guards of the Armed Caravan have been training for some time; why don't we incorporate them into your Marine Corps?" Zhao Xu said.

Like the Ningjin Army, the Armed Caravan also belonged to his secret forces, and it had been developed even earlier than the Ningjin Army.

The number of people was around eight thousand.

Now, as long as weapons were distributed to the guards of the Armed Caravan, they could head to the battlefield.

He had another purpose in incorporating the guards of the Armed Caravan into the Marine Corps now.

When he established the Armed Caravan, he promised the merchants that he would make them rich in future maritime trade.

This promise was due to be fulfilled.

"Besides incorporating the guards of the Armed Caravan into the Marine Corps, I will have Yang He establish a new trading firm called the Black Shark Trading Firm. This Black Shark Trading Firm, like your Black Shark Sea Bandits, will be independent of the Yanzhou Trading Firm," Zhao Xu continued. "Simply put, you are under my jurisdiction, but externally, I will not acknowledge your relationship with the Prince's Mansion."

Zhou Yi nodded.

He was clear about this matter.

The training of the Armed Caravan guards had always been the responsibility of the Yan Commandery Trading Firm and the Prince's Personal Army.

To say they were guards was, in reality, to say they were soldiers.

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhou Yi replied in the affirmative, his expression excited.

Zhao Xu added: "Before you go back, go see Yang He; from now on, you are one family."

The Black Shark Trading Firm he established was modeled after the colonial companies established by Western powers, such as the East India Company.

The Black Shark Sea Bandits were responsible for conquest, while the Black Shark Trading Firm was responsible for occupying markets in the areas ruled by the Black Shark Sea Bandits and selling the Yan Wang's goods.

The Age of Discovery was an era that wore the cloak of civilization while acting like beasts.

In such an era, there was no need to pretend to be a saint, because the enemy was always thinking about how to destroy your country and exterminate your race, and occupy your land.

Weakness was an original sin; the enemy would not let you go just because you were harmless. On the contrary, they would only intensify their efforts to suck the last drop of blood from you.

If one could not carve out a bloody path in such an era.

A hundred years later, Gaoli and Dongying would both become outposts for the West to strangle Da Song.

Therefore, the first-phase goal he gave Zhou Yi was these two countries.

However, while he was thinking this, Gaoli and Dongying might have similar ideas.

As a vassal of the Northern Di,

assisting the Northern Di in destroying Da Song was originally their duty.

And Dongying creating the Five Peaks Island Pirates to control the seas around Da Song, and partitioning Yizhou with the Folangji, was enough to show their ambition.

If he wanted hegemony over the seas around Da Song, he feared that in the short term, he could not avoid a naval war with these two countries.

After giving some more instructions, Zhao Xu let Zhou Yi leave.

Then, under the protection of Xu Lie, he returned to the Prince's Mansion.

Before reaching the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, Zhao Xu saw a carriage parked at the gate.

Feng'er was looking out at the entrance.

Seeing him return, Feng'er trotted over, "Your Highness, guess who is here?"

After saying this, she winked at Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu was a bit confused and was about to flick her little head to ask what was going on, when he saw Xu Lie's expression suddenly become strange.

Looking in the direction of Xu Lie's gaze, it turned out a young woman had jumped down from the front of the carriage and was standing there facing them.

He looked carefully and recognized the young woman.

"Xiao Huan?" Zhao Xu was slightly surprised.

Since Xiao Huan appeared here, then the person Feng'er was hiding must be Xu E.

"Don't just stand there like a fool; if you want to look, walk closer." Zhao Xu poked Xu Lie.

When they first met Xu E and Xiao Huan, Xiao Huan and Xu Lie had clashed.

Originally, he thought it was Xiao Huan being rude and Xu Lie being protective.

Later, after interacting with Xu E for a long time, he realized that the two of them were a bit like a bickering couple.

It was just that due to their status, just as he was wary of Xu E, Xu Lie only watched Xiao Huan from afar.

Upon hearing this, Xu Lie's old face couldn't help but turn red.

He followed Zhao Xu toward the Prince's Mansion.

Seeing Zhao Xu return, Xiao Huan also shouted inside.

Xu E's figure appeared at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion.

"Your Highness, it has been a long time."

Zhao Xu arrived in front of Xu E, and Xu E bowed.

Looking up, her appearance was the same as before, but there was a faint sorrow on her face.

"It has been a long time, Miss Xu." Zhao Xu reached out, signaling for Xu E to go inside the Prince's Mansion to talk.

Although a fair Shunu is a good match for a gentleman, Zhao Xu was not the kind of person who became lustful the moment he saw a woman.

Moreover, as Yan Wang now, the fates of the commoners, officials, and soldiers under his command are bound to his own.

Sometimes, he cannot be self-indulgent at all.

Heading straight to Hui Ke Tang, Zhao Xu had Feng'er serve tea and said sternly, "If this King has not guessed wrong, Miss Xu, your visit this time is for Changle Junzhu, is it not?"

"This servant knew that with Your Highness's intelligence, you would certainly be able to guess it," Xu E said; her expression was serious now, no longer as ambiguous with him as before.

Zhao Xu nodded; before Xu E left Yan Commandery, she had revealed Changle Junzhu's identity to him.

At that time, he knew he would sooner or later have to deal with this Changle Princess.

He just did not expect it would be in this manner.

"In this marriage alliance, Prime Minister Dou Wei has sinister intentions; he knows that the Junzhu has always protected Your Highness in Jingshi, and previously had a marriage contract with Your Highness, so he is deliberately humiliating Your Highness. Whether out of the help Changle Junzhu has given Your Highness, or to thwart Dou Wei's conspiracy, I implore Your Highness to please assist," Xu E suddenly stood up and knelt before Zhao Xu.

"Your Highness, if the Junzhu goes to the Grassland, I do not know what kind of humiliation she will suffer," Xu E said, sobbing as she reached this point.

Zhao Xu had once saved her life with a bowl of porridge, but afterwards, it was Changle Junzhu who treated her like a sister, allowing her to survive the cruel training.

To her, Changle Junzhu was both her master and her sister.

Therefore, upon learning that the Northern Di had designated Changle Junzhu for the marriage alliance, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Get up; even if you had not come, this King would still take action. This King has never liked owing favors," Zhao Xu said.

Xu E was overjoyed upon hearing this, "One month from now, the Junzhu will head to the Northern Di for the marriage alliance under the escort of the Imperial Guard; they will depart from Wuguan at that time. I wonder what method Your Highness has to save the Junzhu, after all, the Northern Di will also send a large army to meet them."

Zhao Xu frowned upon hearing this.

The marriage alliance procession departing from Wuguan was deliberately bypassing Yanzhou, leaving him unable to reach them.

This was likely Dou Wei's idea as well.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "This King was able to rescue the Emperor from Xian City, so naturally, I can also rescue Changle Junzhu, but this matter still requires one person's help."