Chapter 733: When the Lips are Gone, the Teeth are Cold

Yancheng.

A storm of war was brewing over Gaoli.

Zhao Xu was pushing forward the development of Jiangbei and various reforms in full swing.

The army was being re-equipped with New-style Military Uniforms, howitzers were being delivered to the military one after another, and with the changes in military ranks, the number of soldiers commanded by the generals was adjusted accordingly.

In terms of government affairs, the distribution of farmland in each prefecture and county and the training of the militia were on the right track, and the Official Examination for selecting officials in this province was also underway.

According to his requirements, the infrastructure and the construction of Workshops in each prefecture were also being launched one after another.

The entire land of Jiangbei was like the grass and trees in spring, full of vitality.

Of course, while focusing on development, he did not forget the external dangers.

The Four Courts of Xu Ke had been collecting information from all sides.

"After the Eastern Japanese failed to win over the Northern Di to join the Zhongtu Alliance, both Wu and the Eastern Japanese mainland have had troop movements. We do not yet know what their objective is."

In the study of the Prince's Mansion, Xu Ke placed the collected intelligence in front of Zhao Xu.

This was information sent back by the eyes and ears of the Four Courts in Eastern Japan and Wu.

"Is that so?" Zhao Xu frowned slightly.

There were currently no unusual movements along the Jiujiang line, so why were the forces of the powerful clans moving?

Most importantly, the troops of the Eastern Japanese were also moving simultaneously; this was very strange.

In his view, this was very likely a collective action by the Eastern Land Alliance, but he still did not know what its target was.

Unable to figure it out for a moment, he said to Xu Ke, "Continue to keep an eye on every move of the Eastern Land Alliance and report to this Prince at any time."

"Yes, Your Highness." Xu Ke responded and turned to leave.

Ten days later, Xu Ke came to the Prince's Mansion again with a solemn expression, "Your Highness, Chai Wu sent news that during this period, several conflicts between Eastern Japanese and Gaoli fishermen have occurred in the waters between Gaoli and Eastern Japan."

"The Eastern Japanese sent envoys to Gaoli, claiming that Eastern Japanese fishermen had gone missing, and demanded that Gaoli hand over the Eastern Japanese fishermen. They are currently still engaged in a war of words."

Hearing this, Zhao Xu's eyes narrowed.

He walked to the world map and cast his gaze toward Gaoli, "Where are the troops dispatched by the Eastern Japanese?"

"Replying to Your Highness, they are in Fukuoka." Xu Ke said.

Zhao Xu patted his hand on the location of Gaoli, having a vague guess.

He said to Xu Ke, "Go and call Chang Wei here."

Xu Ke responded and left. Not long after, Chang Wei arrived at the study.

Zhao Xu then analyzed the situation provided by Xu Ke to Chang Wei.

"Does Your Highness mean that the Eastern Land Alliance is preparing to attack Gaoli?" Chang Wei asked.

Zhao Xu nodded, "I am afraid that is indeed the case; otherwise, the recent troop movements of the Eastern Land Alliance and the sudden outbreak of conflict between Gaoli and the Eastern Japanese cannot be explained."

He came from the modern era and was very familiar with all kinds of pretexts for war.

The Eastern Japanese demanding fishermen from Gaoli was very much in line with a pretext for war, and also in line with the style of the Eastern Japanese.

"But why would they choose Gaoli?" Chang Wei was a bit confused.

In his consciousness, the Eastern Land Alliance was meant to deal with them, and Gaoli was a vassal of the Northern Di, their enemy.

Attacking Gaoli would have no impact other than affecting Yanzhou's trade with Gaoli.

Zhao Xu shook his head; he did not blame Chang Wei for his shortsightedness.

After all, ancient dynasties only had the obligation to protect their own vassal states.

Since Gaoli was no longer a vassal state of Great Song, there was naturally no need to care whether they lived or died.

But while Chang Wei could think this way, he could not.

Combining the information collected by Fei Wen and Dong An, he could conclude that the current world was also in a confrontation between two major blocs.

In the modern era, it was precisely the confrontation between the two major blocs of Britain and Russia that led to the outbreak of World War I.

Now, these two major blocs of the Western Lands had come to the Dongtu, and they naturally had to engage in fierce competition to delineate spheres of influence.

Therefore, the Eastern Land Alliance choosing Gaoli seemed a bit abnormal to Chang Wei, but it seemed very normal to him.

Because this action was not only aimed at him, but also at Russia.

Simply put, this was a struggle for spheres of influence, a suppression of Russia.

Thinking of this, he analyzed it for Chang Wei.

From now on, he felt it was time for the generals of Great Song to possess an international strategic vision and not just keep their eyes fixed on the domestic scene.

"So that's how it is." Chang Wei nodded slowly, "Since that is the case, why don't we wait and see what happens? If the Northern Di takes action, wouldn't it be best to let them fight a chaotic war in Gaoli?"

Then, he sighed again, "But if we let the war happen, trade will certainly be affected."

Zhao Xu nodded; he and Chang Wei had the same thought. It was naturally something he was happy to see if the Eastern Land Alliance were to clash with the Northern Di.

It was just that the interruption of trade with Gaoli was not what he wanted.

Moreover, he had deeper concerns.

That was that the Northern Di might not take action to save Gaoli.

The reason was simple: the current Northern Di was very weak, and the Northern Di also knew the power of the Eastern Land Alliance.

Intervening in the war in Gaoli would only cause the Northern Di to fall into the quagmire of war.

If that were the case, Gaoli would be controlled by the Eastern Land Alliance; this was a situation he could not tolerate.

After all, this would be equivalent to the sphere of influence of the Eastern Land Alliance extending to his doorstep.

This place of Gaoli would become a Gunpowder Barrel, ready to explode next to Great Song at any time, threatening the safety of Yanzhou and Ningjin Dusi.

If so, he would have to intervene in this war and simply go all the way, completely turning Gaoli into the sphere of influence of Great Song.

Furthermore, he already had the idea of subjugating Gaoli.

He came from the modern era and knew the importance of this place.

Thinking of this, he told Chang Wei his thoughts.

Chang Wei nodded; although Gaoli was their enemy, he still understood the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.

Gaoli posed no threat to Da Song, but Gaoli controlled by the Eastern Land Alliance was extremely dangerous.

The Eastern Land Alliance could use this springboard to provoke and create chaos near Yanzhou.

Furthermore, just as Yan Wang said, this place of Gaoli was a Gunpowder Barrel.

If they did not take the opportunity now to stabilize it and bring it into Da Song's sphere of influence, it would become a bridgehead to contain Da Song in the future.

"Since that is the case, this general suggests not taking action for the time being; we should wait until the Eastern Land Alliance has soundly defeated Gaoli, then decide based on the situation."

"If Beidi sends troops, we shall watch the fire from across the river; if Beidi refuses Gaoli's plea for help and chills Gaoli's heart, that will be the best time for us to strike," said Chang Wei.

Zhao Xu nodded with satisfaction; his thoughts were the same as Chang Wei's.

Sometimes being too proactive only leads to being disliked; it is best to let them come and beg themselves.

Having settled this matter, he let Chang Wei return to make preparations.

Britain did not dispatch troops; this war only involved the armies of Dongying and the aristocratic clans.

And the Yanzhou Army had fought against both of these armies before.

Dealing with them on land was simply like an adult bullying a child.

This time, as long as they were driven away, Gaoli could be brought back into Da Song's sphere of influence, and the gains would be quite considerable.