Xie Lanzhi was practicing archery at the training ground when she heard that Marilyn wanted to see her before leaving.
She went to Jianzhang Palace and saw Marilyn suddenly rush towards her. She almost instinctively wanted to back away. However, considering that Marilyn was about to leave, it would be somewhat heartless for her to back down first.
So she gave her a polite hug. Marilyn patted her back with delight and said, "Miss Marshal, we may never see each other again after this trip."
"Because it takes at least a year to get back to my motherland from here, even if your warships are fast, it will still take six months to get there."
“And my motherland will grant me the power to open a multinational bank in the Western Jin Dynasty.”
Then Marilyn lowered her voice, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear: "If I don't come back, please refuse Anro's request to establish a bank in your country."
"Otherwise, your country's economy cannot afford it."
"I see that you, Marshal, are very knowledgeable and experienced. You must have heard of the term 'battlefield economy' before, right?"
"Yes. Thank you." Xie Lanzhi took notes carefully. She knew very well that Marilyn wanted to monopolize her diplomatic power in the Western Jin Dynasty and force An Luo to send her to contact the Western Jin.
Such a strong woman, so driven by her career. I can personally attest to that.
She also knew that Anluo would later become a capitalist state, with a system fundamentally opposite to and opposed to the Western Jin Dynasty of later generations. The two countries were destined to have disagreements due to their different systems.
Capitalist countries lack inclusiveness and do not allow any systems that are different from their own to exist. If such systems do exist, they will destroy them when the countries are weak.
If you are strong, they will suck every drop of blood from your body like leeches.
Moreover, every drop of blood shed by capitalists is filthy.
Marilyn released Xie Lanzhi and smiled happily: "Dealing with the Marshal is indeed a pleasant experience."
"I also want to thank the Emperor for granting me the status of a special envoy, which allowed me to save my life."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi suddenly remembered the tens of millions of taels that Marilyn had been swindled out of her by An Shan. She was probably referring to this. No wonder Marilyn had been so eager to latch onto her and come to Tianjing back on Twin Island.
After arriving in Tianjing, she hooked up with Little Phoenix.
To be honest, she actually managed to hook up with him. Marilyn does have some real talent.
Finally, Marilyn left the palace and boarded a warship with the Anro envoys. The Anro delegation learned that the Emperor had dispatched a warship and a thousand men to escort Marilyn.
Even if they had the desire, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly again.
As the warships departed from Tianjing Port, crowds gathered to watch the ships flying different flags: one a dragon flag from the Western Jin Dynasty, the other a lion flag from the Kingdom of Anluo. This signified that it was an international cruise ship.
Marilyn is really gone.
Standing in front of Jianzhang Palace, Xie Lanzhi looked down at the buildings of varying heights and remarked with some emotion, "This time, we're using steamships."
Si Xitong walked out of Jianzhang Palace and stood beside her, asking, "I have fulfilled everything Marilyn wanted."
"Then she'll know better than to refuse you," Xie Lanzhi said. "What do you want to hear from me?"
Si Xitong neither confirmed nor denied it.
Xie Lanzhi then said, "Marilyn is a cunning woman. She only has the concept of power and no sense of family or country. I think this is related to the historical environment of Western countries, which is completely different from our Western Jin Dynasty."
"It makes you seem more individualistic, doesn't it?" Si Xitong said.
Xie Lanzhi nodded: "Marilyn only has one choice now, and that choice is the one you gave her."
Only by obediently cooperating with Little Phoenix can she maintain her power. As long as Little Phoenix contacts her, Anluo won't dare to ignore Marilyn.
If Marilyn does anything underhanded, the people sent to keep an eye on her will strike first.
Ten of those thousand men were highly skilled and had hidden themselves inside. Their purpose was to monitor Marilyn.
Marilyn would naturally cooperate obediently.
The two turned around and their eyes met. The establishment of diplomatic relations, originally scheduled for the Spring Festival, made no difference whether it was done earlier or later.
It's only a matter of time before the Northern Expedition succeeds.
Now, regarding the new issues we face, Xie Lanzhi reminded us: "The matters concerning the emperor's altar, ancestral worship, and ascension to the throne should also be discussed."
Si Xitong said, "The matter of ascending the throne can be kept simple, and I don't want to waste too much time."
She clearly found the coronation process too cumbersome. It was still necessary to prepare, after all, this was her first time ascending the throne.
Xie Lanzhi said, "It is up to Minister Li and Master Si to take charge, as well as the members of the Si clan. You also need to deal with them."
Si Xitong clearly had a plan; she could not continue to support the Si clan. She was going to take a different path and would not follow the tradition again.
"Leave it to me," she said. "Lanzhi, you don't need to worry about it."
Xie Lanzhi wasn't worried, but she still wanted to remind the Xie family and the various prefectures: "The Xie family has basically returned to its original positions, and their future development will depend on their own efforts."
“The various prefectures are now willing to become part of the Western Jin Dynasty. Although their sincerity is commendable, it is easy for this to lead to a monopoly of power.”
"We need to improve not only our weaponry, but also our systems and career advancement channels."
Xie Lanzhi began to explain to her how to reorganize the relationship between the army and local administrative regions. A complete conscription system was also necessary.
The imperial court must maintain a monopoly on the professional army, preventing local military development and instead attracting talent from across the country to the central government to prevent local power monopolies. A certain degree of openness and transparency must also be ensured.
There is also the issue of the future administration of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu and the Northern Regions.
Xie Lanzhi told her about her ideas regarding the Special Administrative Region, the garrison of the Beijing Garrison, and so on.
Si Xitong wrote everything down. This included establishing official schools; now that she held power in the early days of the nation, she could create some cutting-edge official schools.
Industrial science, in particular, is a long-term investment.
The two had already discussed the future. In Tianjing, each city performed its duties: the officials in charge of agriculture were researching ways to increase production, the officials in the Ministry of Works were developing weapons, and the Ministry of War was monitoring battlefield movements. Other departments were responsible for performance evaluations, official deployment, and internal affairs. Everyone was operating at full capacity to ensure order across the newly expanded three million square kilometers.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Region, internal strife was still raging, and Li Li was already terrified upon hearing about the fighting strength of the Imperial Guard.
He initially tried to make peace with Wu Yuejun, but Wu Yuejun insisted that he withdraw from Yifan and remain to guard it. Then Wu Yuejun submitted to him.
This infuriated Li Li, who was furious that her former friend had treated her this way.
In truth, Wu Yuejun understood the importance of cooperation, but he was already caught in a situation beyond his control. The Hu tribes in the northern deserts advocated preserving traditions and abandoning agriculture in favor of pastoralism and forestry.
Wu Yuejun has already permitted the restoration of forests in the northern deserts. He also ordered the restoration of forests in another area. Many developed farmlands have been occupied by the northern desert army.
His orders were completely ignored by those below him, which infuriated him.
Wu Yuejun killed a group of disloyal people, and in the blink of an eye, another group that came to power opposed him because of the old and new traditions.
After a while, Wu Yuejun grew tired of it. He went to Xie Ji, wanting to have a drink with him.
Xie Ji was busy with the war against the Northern Hu and Xiongnu, and he had no mood for drinking. However, out of consideration for Wu Yuejun's garrison, he reminded Wu Yuejun: "Cut off an arm to save your life."
Wu Yuejun sensed danger: "General Xie, do you mean His Majesty won't let us go?"
Xie Ji said, "I know Wu Yuejun's character, but Li Li is different."
Li Li insisted that the Hu people should have their own independent state. No matter where one is, national sovereignty is sacred and inviolable.
However, without strength, there is no strength, and even a pure heart cannot change the inevitable trend.
This is the Western Jin Dynasty!
Wu Yuejun remained silent. He had indeed not considered confronting the enemy head-on. As long as he took the initiative to use Luochuan as a bargaining chip, he could still guarantee the independence of the Northern Region.
Perhaps they could even improve the people's situation by using the agricultural technology of Tianjing. However, the Northern Army was a group of conservatives who inherently rejected agriculture.
He supports progress, but his subordinates are a hindrance and often band together to hijack his power.
Wu Yuejun thought to himself that it would be better to be a businessman and run his own shop.
Seeing that he had no interest in fighting, Xie Ji suggested, "You can communicate with His Majesty now, please do so as soon as possible."
Wu Yuejun understood what he meant. He immediately went to make preparations.
Meanwhile, Yelü Lili was drinking wine in the Yu Palace, holding his two children. Si Caifeng was pouring him more wine.
Li Li handed the two sleeping children to the wet nurse, then said to Si Caifeng, "You can take the boat back to Tianjing tomorrow."
"You already caused me trouble when you came back last time."
Si Caifeng immediately lowered her head, her voice low, and said, "This concubine cannot stay by your side?"
"War is about to break out." Li Li stood up and stopped drinking. He said, "After the Western Jin defeats the Northern Hu and Xiongnu, it will be my turn."
These words were spoken.
Si Caifeng quickly looked up, a hint of emotion flickering in her eyes, and said, "Your Majesty and the Marshal are both your friends, why can't you sit down and have a proper talk?"
Li Li shook her head: "As friends, I admire them, but as enemies, I fear them."
"The reason why I cannot compromise is that I want the Western Jin Dynasty to know that the Hu people will always be Hu people. We cannot abandon the roots passed down from our ancestors and become a people who live a life of cowardice and forget their origins."
"I must not only deal with the Western Jin Dynasty, but also personally teach my people that even if they become assimilated into the Central Plains, they must never forget their surname and who their ancestors were!"
Hearing his resolute insistence on facing death, Si Caifeng finally stood up, unable to contain her emotions, and hugged Li Li tightly from behind. She choked back tears, which fell onto his back: "Your Highness!"
"Could you, could you live for me, for the sake of the two children?"
She pleaded repeatedly, "Please!"
Li Li silently accepted her tears, then turned and hugged Si Caifeng, gently kissing her forehead: "I love you."
But I can't stay for you. I'm sorry...
In the end, without saying a word, he knocked Si Caifeng unconscious with a single chop to the neck.
The eldest son stepped forward and sighed, "Your Highness, we are ready."
Li Li handed Si Caifeng over to the female soldier next to the eldest brother.
Watching the female soldier carry Si Caifeng away, he turned his gaze away and said to the eldest soldier, "Subage, I'm entrusting the care of the mother and her two children to you."
"It will eventually return to my offspring, so you can go without worry."
With tears streaming down his face, Subagu said, "Can't we discuss with the Western Jin emperor and preserve our...?"
"Nonsense!" Li Li corrected with utmost seriousness: "Our own nation and our own culture should be passed down by ourselves; how can we entrust it to others!"
"The spirit of our ancestors, the spirit of our Hu people, has always been as tenacious and self-reliant as the grass on the grassland. Even if a single spark ignites a prairie fire, it will break through the soil and be reborn."
"What I must do is fight against this era!!"
Subage understood his feelings. Everyone in Luochuan was clamoring to return to tradition, but they didn't realize the real crisis was far more complex than simply returning to the forest; it was being completely swallowed up by the Central Plains!
And it devours everything, inside and out, including spiritual and cultural aspects!
What they had to do was to preserve the lives of their people from the tiny flames.
"Your Highness, please take care." Subag offered a final, solemn bow, then turned and left with his wet nurse and the two others.