Li Li did not underestimate Anyi. He had inquired about Anyi's war of restoration and found that it truly benefited from favorable timing, location, and popular support. Anyi's victory was well-deserved. Although Huayin Kingdom was not yet in a state of independent rule, it was already far better off than during the twenty years of rule by the Northern Xiongnu.
He heard that apart from a few old nobles who were always instigating uprisings, most people in Huayin were actually living better than before. An Yi's return to Huayin could be said to have fundamentally stabilized the people of Huayin.
Ten thousand men from the new Tianjing ruled the entire Huayin Kingdom without resorting to force.
"Lord Anguo, may I ask what your insights are regarding the war in the Northern Regions?"
An Yi thought to herself, "Don't I understand my own country?" She immediately shook her head and said, "I don't understand the Northern Regions. The reason I say that is because I have witnessed the power of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu."
"And Her Highness is preserving her strength for the future."
Although Anyi didn't understand much about state affairs, she had a clear understanding of the situation. The Northern Region was currently facing the same crisis as the Huayin Kingdom.
She continued, "The Northern Region was never her ally, so why would she help the Northern Region?"
"Is it just because of your influence, Your Highness? If you ask me, my sister has already been very kind. All the ships she left Tianjing were there to evacuate your people."
"If you have any grievances in your heart, then I can only say that your sister helped the wrong person."
Upon hearing this, Yelü Lili was completely shaken.
His previous anguish and inner turmoil instantly dissipated by half. He lowered his head, feeling a pang of self-reproach. It wasn't entirely his fault; his country was being trampled upon by the enemy, and anger was understandable. He hadn't lost his reason in anger; he simply couldn't find relief from his emotions.
Now, the mention of Anyi instantly resolved his inner conflict.
Li Li finally rose and bowed deeply to Anyi: "Lord An, I thank you for your guidance."
Xie Ji was puzzled; why did the Crown Prince suddenly seem so shocked?
Xie Lanzhi sat on the high stool and smiled knowingly: "Your Highness, now that you understand, go back and rest well."
If she remembered correctly, Li Li had been without sleep for many nights since arriving in Huayin from Lu State.
Li Li clasped his hands in a fist salute to her: "Marshal, I'll leave the outside to you. I'll go and rest now."
"Um."
Afterwards, Li Li left the main palace. Xie Ji couldn't sit still any longer. He had already drunk a lot of water inside the hall.
However, thinking of the Delta, Xie Ji specifically asked Xie Lanzhi, "Marshal, since you are here, why don't you let me go to the Delta first?"
The Huayin Kingdom has already gathered a great general, Marshal Li, and Li Li is also quite capable in military strategy. It would be somewhat pointless for him to remain here.
Xie Lanzhi had long harbored this intention. She specifically pointed out, "Now that Luerqu is controlled by the Northern Hu and Xiongnu, and the Northern Hu and Xiongnu have also breached Luochuan, it can be said that the main state of the Northern Region is already in a state of loss."
"The eight tribes of the Northern Region will serve as the main force of one province, and they are not something that another province can challenge."
The Northern Region ruled two western prefectures, equivalent to two provinces. Now, the prefecture where Luochuan is located has fallen. Yelü Wen rose to power amidst the chaos; although many opposed him, many others were forced to support him.
Xie Lanzhi had received inside information that Yelü Wenzheng was planning to rescue the Hu people, specifically those ministers of powerful tribes who pledged allegiance to him. He immediately asked Shan Yuhou not to attack these areas.
On the surface, he seems to be in charge, but in reality, it all depends on Shan Yuhou's mood.
However, Yelü Wen's propaganda claimed that it was his own role as Khan that had played a crucial role, leading many to believe it. The common people, especially, were misled by Yelü Wen's rhetoric, and gradually fewer people rose up in rebellion.
"Once you get to the Delta, just inform Aba," Xie Lanzhi said. "If I take action, he can then take action."
Xie Ji left with her orders.
An Yi saw him leave.
She whispered, "Brother-in-law, didn't you come to Huayin Kingdom to intimidate the Northern Hu and Xiongnu and to appease the people?"
"What, is there even an operation being carried out?"
Xie Lanzhi glanced at her and asked, "Are you curious?"
"can you tell me?"
"cannot."
An Yi pursed her lips, picked up her teacup, and drank it all in one gulp. Xie Lanzhi noticed that she seemed utterly bored, as if she had nothing to do.
She couldn't help but ask, "How is Huayin Kingdom doing lately?"
“No one has revolted for half a year,” Anyi said. “Except for the period when I was away, there were fifty uprisings in a month, otherwise everything has been peaceful.”
Fifty times a month? That's more frequent than a rooster crowing at dawn every day.
Xie Lanzhi, considering her destiny, felt that the Huayin Kingdom could not be judged by ordinary standards. The Huayin Kingdom was currently in a period of rising national fortune, which was unpredictable.
Duke Fu of Lu, acting as the minor leader of the central defense states, began negotiating with other nations. The other states, hearing that Lu already possessed three large cannons and nineteen small cannons, were filled with envy.
The State of Lu even specially invited representatives from various countries to see their armories and test-fired a second cannon, scattering the targets.
On the surface, all the states were overjoyed, applauding Lu for acquiring the treasure. But in reality, they were all terrified. Now, even tiny Lu could ride roughshod over them; many of their states couldn't even muster a thousand cavalrymen, let alone cannons. With just one cannon, they could resolve their long-standing feud with their neighbors.
Many small countries began to inquire about the cannon.
At this critical juncture of the fall of the Northern Regions, these people dared not make any major moves. The King of Lu showed off his firearms, and after a moment of triumph, he received news that Marshal Xie was coming to Nilubei.
The ruler of Lu, Fu Ling, was extremely nervous and ordered his ministers to mobilize the entire nation to welcome the distinguished guest.
Xie Lanzhi wanted to go to the State of Lu because she felt that as a lucky charm, she should travel around and see the scenery.
It's now July again, the end of the Jin Dynasty, a time when Xie family merchants and Tianjing merchants should be touring various countries. She can go there and keep an eye on trade in different regions.
An Yi did not come with her.
Li Li, however, came along specifically because he had an army in Lu and needed to check on them to prevent foreign soldiers from causing trouble in a foreign land and damaging its image.
When Xie Lanzhi arrived, envoys from various countries were present, and everyone lined up on the newly built cement road to welcome her.
Only then did the envoys from various countries meet Xie Ying, the overlord of the Southern Central Plains.
Many people felt that Xie Ying was more gentle than imagined, not at all like the tyrannical, unpredictable killer portrayed as a battlefield demon.
Of course, some people believe that Xie Lanzhi was a wolf in sheep's clothing. She was not as peaceful as she appeared on the surface; otherwise, how could she have ruled over hundreds of thousands of Xie soldiers?
Xie Jun and his family were renowned military families throughout the land. Besides military families, many people looked down on the roughnecks of the Southern Region, believing they were only good for causing trouble in their own little corner of the land and wouldn't amount to anything.
As a result, after Marshal Xie recovered from his high fever, he changed his strategy and attacked the new Tianjing. He swept through the Nine Provinces, eliminated the corrupt practices of the retired emperor, and completed the unification of the Southern Central Plains ahead of schedule.
He also assisted the direct descendant of the Jin dynasty in ascending to the throne, and his contributions can be described as lasting.
This was the second time Gong Fuling had met Marshal Xie. He took the initiative to invite her to the capital, where a banquet had already been prepared to welcome her.
Xie Lanzhi hadn't expected her visit to cause the entire State of Lu to host a banquet, and she felt a little guilty. On the way there, she inquired about the history of Lu, expressing goodwill.
Unexpectedly, the State of Lu has a deep connection with the new capital, Tianjing. Several previous rulers of Lu married princesses from various states of Jin, and many of their children, born to members of the Si clan, became the current princes and nobles of Lu.
Furthermore, the grandfather of the Grand Duke was married to the sister of the retired emperor. Although this sister was not highly regarded, the retired emperor provided a large dowry for her marriage to the previous ruler of the State of Lu.
This younger sister is naturally the grandmother of the public official.
In terms of seniority, the ruler of Lu was a relative of the Si clan.
Xie Lanzhi was both amused and exasperated; this was a case of "even the rich have distant relatives deep in the mountains."
Actually, her respect for Gongfuling wasn't based on his status. It was because Gongfuling actively followed the footsteps of the new Tianjing, unlike other small countries with ulterior motives. He was pragmatic and aligned himself with the right people. That's why Little Phoenix made an exception and left the obsolete mortars and the semi-obsolete Type 94 pistols to the State of Lu.
However, these two were enough for the State of Lu to intimidate other smaller states.
Xie Lanzhi was very kind to drink a few cups of wine with Gongfu Ling, and in the end, she didn't bother him for long before starting her inspection.
Xie Ji went to the Delta and took two thousand men with him, while fifteen thousand Xie soldiers remained in Lu.
Xie Lanzhi went to the Xie clan's military camp in Lu State, where many Xie soldiers were in a bad mood and wanted to return to Tianjing.
Xie Lanzhi investigated and discovered that Xie Bing was suffering from acclimatization issues. She immediately notified New Tianjing to send some supplies, especially specialties from the southern regions, to alleviate Xie Bing's homesickness.
After all, Lu State is far from Tianjing, and if someone wanted to go back, it would only take three to five days.
The Xie family merchants worked through the night to produce specialties from the southern region and rushed over by water, which greatly eased Xie Bing's mood.
Xie Lanzhi looked at so many of her own people, many of whom were only seventeen or eighteen years old, even younger than herself. They hadn't been back to Beijing for almost two years.
Once this battle is over, there's no need to send anyone to garrison the area. These Xie soldiers can return to their hometowns to stay.
Xie Lanzhi made up her mind.
On Li Li's side, however, things took a turn for the worse. The reason was that the barbarian soldiers were not used to the food and clothing, and they were also worried about Luo Chuan's family. Many of them wanted to sneak back to find out more information.
Li Li captured several deserters and was about to execute them on the spot, which would normally be a routine matter; according to military regulations, they would simply be killed. But today, the barbarian soldiers were highly agitated, and more than a few were trying to escape.
There are hundreds, even thousands of people.
Xie Lanzhi finally managed to calm her soldiers down, but then Li Li encountered a problem.
She devised a plan: she had her spies spread the word, adopting Yelü Wen's approach. This would also divert some of the hatred.
Upon learning that Luochuan was safe, the more than 8,000 tribal soldiers, though under Yelü Wen's control, realized that Yelü Wen needed to win over the ministers and generals to secure his throne. Many of these generals were from Luochuan. By maintaining order, Yelü Wen effectively held all the generals hostage.
The barbarian soldiers were both shocked and furious. Afterwards, Xie Lanzhi specially spent some money to have the Xie family imitate the local specialties. She also invited some Hu people who had stayed in Tianjing to come and sing and dance.
The soldiers' war-weariness finally disappeared.
Li Li felt extremely useless.
Xie Lanzhi instead advised him, "It's not that we don't want to fight, it's just that the time isn't right yet."
"I think the time is almost right."
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:41:53 on February 12, 2022 and 19:59:04 on February 13, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Hongyan (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Beizou (20 bottles); Lu Cong Jin Ye Bai, jueyu, and Xinxin (2 bottles each);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 211 The White-Robed Female General
Li Li said, "I have some idea of Your Highness's strategy. Is she planning to...?"
Xie Lanzhi didn't play the riddle game; she went straight to the point: "She was prepared long ago, and was afraid that the Northern Hu and Xiongnu would drag their feet and not dare to attack Luerqu."
The Northern Hu and Xiongnu have now invaded. Alna has also occupied some territory, and now it's time for the main force of the Northern Hu and Xiongnu to advance.
"Li Jun, we need to prepare well." Xie Lanzhi left after saying this.
As night fell, 100,000 Xiongnu soldiers poured into the Red River border and occupied Yifan, which quickly became overcrowded. In particular, Arna immediately slaughtered pigs and sheep to welcome the main force.