In fact, Ma Xing has much more information about the north of Hengshan than Wang Jun imagined.

However, most of this information focuses on how Xiao Ding conquered cities, opened up territories, reclaimed wasteland, opened workshops, resettled refugees, encouraged farming, etc. Things like weapon manufacturing are very confidential.

It is very difficult to obtain the information.

Ma Xing was really shocked to get such news from Wang Jun.

You must know that for so many years, the Song Dynasty has been able to compete with the Northern Liao Dynasty. In addition to being really rich, the most important reason is the armor and weapons. Strategic weapons such as the divine arm bow have a suppressive effect on the Northern Liao cavalry.

, and it is classified as a high-level secret.

Only the craftsman camp in Bianliang City in the world can build it.

"How are they made?" Ma Xing asked bitterly.

Most of Xiao Ding's subordinates are barbarians, and the backbone among them is mainly Hengshan Dangxiang. Xiao Ding can make the divine arm bow, so there is a great possibility that the Dangxiang people have mastered this technology. Thinking of this

After a while, Ma Xing felt that his heart was filled with panic.

"My friend said in the letter that some craftsmen brought by Xiao Erlang did some kind of reverse engineering of the Divine Arm Bow in the weapons workshop over there. In the end, he came to the conclusion that as long as the material problem is solved, the Divine Arm Bow can be

The manufacturing of arm bows is not a problem. It took them a year to make this kind of weapon, and now it has begun mass production. Of course, the quality is not as good as those made by the capital craftsman camp, because of the level of those craftsmen.

, still needs to be improved.”

"As long as they can make it, as time goes by, the more these people make, the higher the quality will naturally be!" Ma Xing looked at Wang Jun and said: "How are your friendships with your friends over there? Can I ask?

Got more information?"

Wang Jun couldn't help but be shocked.

Ma Xing no longer tried to hide it, and said directly: "Wang Zhijun, I hope you can find out more about Xiao Ding's current attitude towards the court?"

Wang Jun couldn't help being shocked: "Bachelor, based on my understanding of Manager Xiao, he is absolutely loyal to the imperial court."

"He used to be loyal, but not anymore!" Ma Xing snorted: "If he is really loyal, can he imitate and make the God's Arm Bow? If he really has no dissent, can he expand his army by tens of thousands?"

"Bachelor, General Manager Xiao wants to clear the Qingtang, conquer the Western Region, open up territory for the country, and also make the northwestern part of the country no longer worried about border dangers. Next, he can concentrate on using troops in the north. Naturally, he will expand his army, and his troops,

But they are just Tibetan troops." Wang Jun's voice became smaller and smaller, feeling that he was really arrogant. "The manager will never have any second thoughts about the country."

"It's just a Tibetan army!" Ma Xing sighed. Li Xu was just a wolf, and Xiao Dingze was really a big tiger. Now this big tiger has emerged from the cave, and wings have grown under his ribs.

I hope this winged tiger will be truly loyal to the country. "Wang Jun, we can't rely on one person's thoughts for national affairs. Whether it's a country or an army, the most important thing is a check and balance.

, when a person has no checks and balances, something big is bound to happen. People’s hearts are always insufficient. This is not only talking about Xiao Ding, but also Xiao Ding’s subordinates.”

Ma Xing cannot but worry about the situation north of Hengshan.

According to what he has learned now, Xiao Ding can basically live happily no longer relying on supplies from the court.

The only military pay actually paid to him by the imperial court was the three armies of Guangrui Army, Dingbian Army, and Zhenrong Army, with a total quota of 7,500 men. Weapons, armor, and other supplies and pensions were also determined based on this number.

.

But how many people are there in Xiao Ding now?

Thirty thousand cavalry and 20,000 infantry can be mobilized at one time.

Xiao Ding has been fighting almost all the time this year.

We fought on the Qingtang Plateau and defeated Blind Yao and Mu Zhan.

Fighting in Guazhou, Suzhou and other places, they defeated the local forces headed by Zhang, and at the same time opened the door to the Western Regions.

At this time, he was still provoking the Liao people and fought several moderate battles with Yelu Huan.

And these wars were not ordered by him as the pacifier, nor were they the intention of Bianliang. They were purely done by Xiao Ding himself.

He sent someone to question him, but Zhang Yuan, the chief official who stayed at the Xingqing General Manager's Mansion, made the special envoy angry to death.

The war was fought by the Tibetan army, which had nothing to do with the imperial army.

What else can you say?

The Tibetan army did not take half of the royal salary or rice from the imperial court, and now the forces they defeated were either the enemies of the imperial court, or the forces that sheltered the traitors of the imperial court. They really want to investigate and start a fuss.

, I'm afraid that the world will say that the imperial court is unkind and unkind, and is too harsh on these loyal people.

This is really like a mute eating yellow lotus, unable to express the pain.

Ordinary people naturally cannot understand what people like Ma Xing are worried about.

They only knew that Xiao Ding was a great hero of the country.

On Hebei Road, the beatings made the Liao people cry for father and mother. As soon as he left, Hebei Road collapsed.

In the northwest, Li Xu, who claimed to be King Pingxia and betrayed the dynasty, was defeated by Xiao Ding and chased away like a rabbit.

Now, even the Tubo people have been beaten to pieces by Xiao Ding. After many years, I only heard that Tubo bandits often harassed the border between the country and the DPRK. Now, thanks to Manager Xiao, peace is guaranteed again!

Xiao Ding's reputation throughout the Song Dynasty was very good.

But they couldn't see that the power in Xiao Ding's hands had far exceeded that of the traitor Li Xu.

If these Tibetan armies were divided into separate parts, Ma Xing would not have anything to worry about.

But now, these Tibetan troops have gathered under the command of one person and only follow his orders. This is very scary.

What’s even more frightening is that this person no longer relies on the country for logistics. They are basically self-sufficient.

The refined salt in Yanzhou, the various mines in Hengshan, the fertile land in Xingling and Hehuang, the high-quality horse farms in Heishan, and the direct trade route to the Western Regions all make the wealth in Xiao Ding's hands increase every day.

Ma Xing dared to bet with anyone that if the imperial court proposed to recruit Xiao Ding back to the capital at this time, it would definitely not be possible.

There are many ways to say no.

For example, how many more rebellions will start over there?

For example, suddenly a Tubo rebel army attacked Qin Feng Road and other places?

The most serious thing is that the other side will even deliberately provoke a war with the Liao people on Xijing Road and other places! Oh, by the way, now they can even provoke a war with the Liao people on Shangjing Road.

That would be big trouble.

The Song Dynasty wanted to go to the Northern Expedition, but it was definitely not at this time.

Sometimes when Ma Xing thinks about the vastness of the area under Xiao Ding's control and the number of people under his control, he can't help but break into cold sweats.

In this battle a year ago alone, Xiao Ding robbed hundreds of thousands of Tubo tribesmen at once and sent them to the Hehuang land to farm and herd for him. When he received the news of Xiao Ding's victory, Ma Xing didn't know whether to cry or not.

It's time to laugh.

Speaking of which, this can be regarded as Ma's great achievement, but he has no intention of reporting it to the court to ask for credit. In Ma Xing's view, there are two possibilities for such credit. One is that it may make him Ma shine.

In the annals of history, after all, Xiao Ding is still under his command. He naturally has a share of all Xiao Ding's achievements, and he is the biggest contributor to making decisions. In the eyes of outsiders, without the support of someone like him, Xiao Ding would of course be

Nothing can be done.

But what's another possibility? He will become a sinner of the country, and he is the kind of person who will never redeem himself.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Ma Xing looked at Siwu Fort in the distance.

The pacifier was so excited that he went his own way to the vicinity of Siwu Fort, climbed to a high ground, and looked at the military stronghold stuck on the choke point from a distance.

In order to protect the envoy, Wang Jun, the commander of the Suide Army, mobilized nearly 3,000 infantry soldiers to protect him.

"Do you know why I don't allow Xiao Ding to attack Li Du?" Ma Xing looked at Cheng Gui and Wang Jun beside him.

"Bachelor said that the credit should not be given to General Manager Xiao alone, but should always be given to others." Wang Jun said with a smile: "Doesn't this also give Commander Li and the general some hope? Otherwise, General Manager Xiao will take action as soon as he takes action.

, maybe everyone won’t even be able to drink the soup!”

Ma Xing did not laugh: "Li Du still has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command, and they are the kind of soldiers who have seen blood and fought in big battles. I won't hide it from you. I don't want these people to fall into Xiao Ding's hands again."

You and Li Dan, give me some strength to defeat Li Du. Not only the morale of the troops under his command is scattered, but also the people's hearts are not unified. If you can recruit the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under Li Du's command,

The strength on the road to Shaanxi will surely increase a bit!"

Cheng Gui and Wang Jun looked at each other, thinking that the comforter was actually so afraid of Xiao Ding. Are they already thinking about how to resist Xiao Ding?

"Don't worry, bachelor. I will study with the generals later on how to launch an attack on the enemy in front of us!" Wang Jun nodded and said: "But we have to face Siwu Village, and the one with more hope of breakthrough is Commander Li Du!"

"After the spring begins, whether it's Li Dan or you, I hope that good news will come back," Ma Xing said.

Cheng Gui knew that Ma Xing wanted to make some necessary arrangements before he left Shaanxi Road. Otherwise, Lan Sixin, a standard civil servant without any military experience, would be in trouble if something happened on Shaanxi Road.

It was caught off guard.

Siwu Fort, a fast horse galloped from a distance. When they arrived at the city gate, they turned over and dismounted. After some exchanges, the fort gate opened a gap that could barely allow people and horses to pass through, allowing the man who was obviously a scout to get through.

Come in.

"What, you said that Ma Xing, the pacifier of Shaanxi Road, is less than thirty miles away from Siwu City?" Zhang Yunsheng, the defender of Siwucheng, stood up when he heard the scout's answer.

During the day, a large number of soldiers and horses were found approaching Siwu Village. When the flag showed that the person commanding the troops was actually Suide Zhijun Wang Jun, Zhang Yunsheng thought that the war that had been quiet for several months was about to break out again, but what happened?

I didn't expect that the dignified Shaanxi Road appeasement horse person would appear here.

"Are you sure there are only three thousand troops?" Zhang Yunsheng asked again.

"Yes!" the scout replied affirmatively, "There is no trace of any other soldiers and horses within a few dozen miles."

Waving his hand to signal the scouts to retreat, Zhang Yunsheng thought for a moment, then turned and walked into the inner room.
To be continued...