Ma Jiyou bowed his head deeply, touching his forehead to the ground, and said, "Your Majesty's kindness and favor have deeply touched me, and I dare not fail to do my utmost to repay Your Majesty."
"Rise. I have said many times that you do not need such a grand ceremony." Qian Sheye turned his head and saw that the ministers who had accompanied him on the expedition and the soldiers around him all saw that Ma Jiyou did not dare to breathe loudly in front of him, which made him quite pleased.
Ma Jiyou kowtowed three more times before standing up and respectfully saying, "Your humble servant was in Wutai City when I heard that the old traitor Liu Guang had already destroyed Zhongxing, so I rushed here to serve Your Majesty."
"Oh, Jiyou, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you are well-versed in military strategy and should know the tactic of attacking the enemy's stronghold. Although that old scoundrel Liu Guang is rampant, he can't do anything to me. If you were to launch a major attack on Chen from Wutai City, that old scoundrel Liu Guang would have no choice but to retreat. Why did you have to come here?"
Sensing the chilling displeasure in Qian Sheye's words, Ma Jiyou lowered his head even further and said, "Your Majesty is wise. That old scoundrel Liu Guang left Xue Wenju, who is good at defense but not offense, to ostensibly restrain me, but in reality, there are still hidden troops behind Xue Wenju. If I had fallen into the trap and attacked, I'm afraid Wutai City would have already fallen. Moreover, having heard that Your Majesty is personally leading the expedition, although I know that Your Majesty's military and political affairs are unparalleled in the world, I can't help but feel a little worried. Haste makes waste, so I can't worry about anything else."
Qian Sheye gave a slight nod and then asked, "So, how many troops did Jiyou bring to defend the emperor this time?"
"Bringing too many would slow down our movements, and the garrison of Wutai City would be insufficient. Therefore, I only brought the cavalry, the Gale Army, and along the way, I gathered more than 20,000 troops to support the emperor."
Qian Sheye sneered inwardly. He now commanded a force of 200,000 troops, including those from various regions who came to the emperor's aid, yet he was still forced to remain silent by Liu Guang's army of less than 100,000. How much use could Ma Jiyou's mere 20,000 ragtag soldiers possibly be? This alone showed that Ma Jiyou's words were nothing but empty promises; he had no real concern for Qian's safety.
"So, Jiyou already has a plan to defeat the enemy?" Qian Sheye asked.
"If Your Majesty grants me full authority, though I am not capable of defeating the old scoundrel Liu Guang, it would not be difficult to make him retreat," Ma Jiyou said confidently.
Qian Sheye took a slight breath. Although Ma Jiyou had been the Grand General of Hongguo for quite some time and was nominally the highest military commander of Hongguo besides himself, in reality, the troops under his control were only less than 200,000 in the south. If he were to hand over these 200,000 troops to him now, what would he rely on to control him?
“If Jiyou wants it, how could I begrudge him this mere military power…” Qian Sheye hesitated for a moment, about to continue speaking, when suddenly a military officer rushed in and said, “Your Majesty, the old scoundrel Liu Guang is demanding to see the General at the city gate.”
Qian Sheye's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but he swallowed back the words he was about to say and asked, "What does Jiyou think?"
"I will go and see that old scoundrel Liu Guang." Ma Jiyou also had some longing in his heart. He had been conquering Chen for a long time, but had never met Liu Guang. It would be a good thing to meet Liu Guang here under Tianhe City.
"In that case, I will accompany you to the city wall," Qian Sheye said with a smile.
"If I were to see Liu Guang from the city wall, wouldn't it make me appear afraid of him? I would rather ride out of the city alone to meet this peerless general. I beg Your Majesty's permission." At this point, Ma Jiyou knew that his army had not dared to leave the city for several days. He wanted to go out and boost morale, so he made the suggestion.
"Since you have this intention, then go out and see him. I will be on the city wall to protect you. Be very careful."
Liu Guang carried no weapons, only wore golden armor, and rode alone beneath Tianhe City. The messenger had been gone for a long time. He squinted and looked towards the city wall, where he saw a commotion. Among countless banners was a canopy, and beneath the canopy, presumably, was Qian Sheye, the current ruler of Hong Kingdom.
At that moment, the gates of Tianhe City suddenly opened, and a general dressed in silver armor and a red cloak slowly emerged from the city.
The man was tall and slender, with a fair complexion, and looked to be under forty. He had an imposing presence and was likely Ma Jiyou.
Ma Jiyou also looked across the way and couldn't help but admire Liu Guang's imposing and majestic presence. "This is what a general should be like," he thought to himself, and slightly spurred his horse, which trotted towards Liu Guang.
Two arrow-lengths from the city gate, the two were now less than ten paces apart. Liu Guang nodded slightly and smiled, "General Ma, how have you been?"
Ma Jiyou felt a chilling light shooting from Liu Guang's slightly narrowed eyes, and couldn't help but clasp his hands in a salute: "General Liu, please forgive me for being in armor and unable to give you a proper salute."
Liu Guang raised his voice when he asked the question, and Ma Jiyou couldn't help but raise his voice in response. Qian Sheye, who was on the city wall, heard it faintly and frowned, thinking to himself, "Could these two have known each other for a long time? But Jiyou just said that he had never met Liu Guang."
"I've long heard of your great name, General. Now that I see you, you are indeed awe-inspiring. You are truly a formidable young man," Liu Guangwei said in a low voice to Ma Jiyou.
"No, no, I dare not. I heard of Commander Liu's reputation when I first joined the army. I only regret that I am not from the same country as Commander Liu, otherwise I would have served under Commander Liu no matter what." Ma Jiyou lowered his voice unconsciously along with Liu Guang.
"General, you've come all the way from Wutai City. Was your journey arduous?"
Liu Guang's question puzzled Ma Jiyou. He was confident in his military strategy and tactics, and would not fall for Liu Guang's trap. Moreover, Liu Guang had not captured Tianhe while he was away, and now that he had arrived, if Liu Guang did not retreat, he would only be asking for trouble. Therefore, Ma Jiyou said, "The journey has been smooth. Commander Liu specifically requested to see me. What are your orders?"
"Oh, I don't really have anything to say, I just want to meet the person I'm about to fight to the death with."
"If the two armies were to clash, I'm afraid we wouldn't have time for a long chat," Liu Guang laughed heartily.
Ma Jiyou chuckled a few times, his suspicions growing stronger. He couldn't help but say, "Commander Liu is a wise man of our time. He should know when to advance and when to retreat. Now that things are difficult to accomplish, why not retreat quickly to avoid more casualties among our soldiers?"
Liu Guang nodded and laughed loudly, "If that's the case, then so be it. I will withdraw my troops immediately. General Ma will have to work hard."
Ma Jiyou thought he was referring to his own recovery of lost territory, so he said, "If General Liu is as you say, it is just a piece of cake."
The two waved goodbye. Ma Jiyou returned to the city, and Qian Sheye repeatedly asked him what Liu Guang had talked about with him. He told the truth. On the surface, Qian Sheye was relieved, but in his heart, he was even more suspicious.
Using the excuse that Ma Jiyou was tired from his long journey, Qian Sheye sent Ma Jiyou to rest. He then dismissed all the civil and military officials and sat alone in the main hall, deep in thought.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," the eunuch He Li, who had accompanied him on the expedition, whispered, "Now that the Grand General is here, Liu Guang will soon withdraw his troops. I wonder what Your Majesty is still worried about?"
"Hmph, it's only because Ma Jiyou has arrived that I can't sleep soundly." Qian Sheye snorted and said, "He Li, don't you find something strange about this? Ma Jiyou said he had never met Liu Guang, but the two chatted and laughed as if they were already familiar with each other; Liu Guang immediately withdrew his troops upon seeing Ma Jiyou, and we both heard their last words. Liu Guang asked Ma Jiyou to do something difficult, but Ma Jiyou said it was just a small favor. What exactly is it that Ma Jiyou considers a small favor? I asked him repeatedly, but Ma Jiyou said he only exchanged a few pleasantries with Liu Guang..."
He Li was taken aback. Qian Sheye considered himself learned and skilled in politics, so he didn't trust the civil and military officials in the court much and often used eunuchs like them. Therefore, he was quite good at understanding the emperor's intentions. He Li sensed that Qian Sheye had a strong suspicion of Ma Jiyou, so he didn't dare to defend Ma Jiyou. Instead, he went along with Qian Sheye's words and said, "Your Majesty is wise. This servant also has a doubt. Just now, the general went out to see Liu Guang with a spear. Liu Guang was unarmed and completely unprepared. If the general had thrust his spear, wouldn't he have been able to kill that old thief Liu Guang? But this servant saw carefully, and the general treated that old thief Liu Guang with great courtesy. I'm afraid he didn't have even the slightest intention to kill that old thief."
"Yes, you're absolutely right. If I had thrust that spear just now, that old scoundrel Liu Guang would be dead already." Qian Sheye gritted his teeth and said, "Ma Jiyou, Ma Jiyou, I have treated you well, yet you dare to harbor disloyal thoughts!"
"Your Majesty must be very careful. Under no circumstances should this military power be given to the Grand General," He Li reminded him.
"He Li, remember this: you are not allowed to talk nonsense from now on!" Qian Sheye said coldly, a glint of black lightning flashing in his eyes.
Chapter Five New Policies
one,
Thanks to Jisu's efforts, Hulei Khan finally agreed to the request to build a post road across the Qionglu Grassland. In exchange, in addition to building checkpoints at both ends of the post road, he also agreed to build a new city for the Rong people in the constellation land and help them develop the grassland's mineral resources. As for the Peace Army, apart from the fact that their merchant goods could pass through the post road at a low tax rate, they gained nothing of real benefit.
But this is only on the surface. In fact, the Qionglu Grassland, which is sandwiched between the Peace Army's jurisdiction, has no choice but to sell its mineral resources to the Peace Merchants. Moreover, this post road only taxes passing merchants, but it completely opens up the land transportation between southern Jiangsu and Yuzhou. Whether it is merchants or messengers, they will no longer get lost. The interaction between the Rong people and ordinary people will also become more frequent. Although there are many minor disputes, it also strengthens the connection between the two ethnic groups.
Thinking of these impending changes, Li Jun couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If acquiring Yuzhou merely gave him a foothold, and seizing Qinggui and the southern Jiangsu prefectures provided him with a strategic rear, then connecting Yuzhou, the Qionglu Grassland, and Qinggui gave him the capital to contend for supremacy. At this time, the territory actually controlled by the Peace Army was already much larger than that of small states like Zhongxing and Bai, amounting to half the territory of the Chen Kingdom. Moreover, both Yuzhou and Qinggui were fertile lands, not only with developed agriculture but also with extremely prosperous handicrafts and commerce.
“Father Khan, there is no time to lose. Now that you have agreed to build a post road on this grassland, I must return to Kuanglan City to begin preparations,” Li Jun said to Hulei. “Therefore, I would like to take my leave tomorrow.”
"So soon?" Hulei asked, slightly surprised. "Why not stay on the grasslands for a few more days?"
“I have been away from Kuanglan City for more than two months. I don’t know how things are there. Although Mr. Feng Jiutian is here, there are some things that I still need to handle personally,” Li Jun said tactfully.
“I’m afraid you’re being too hasty,” Hulei said with a wry smile. “There are three large Rong tribes on the grasslands, and under these three large tribes are dozens of smaller tribes, ranging from tens of thousands to several thousand people. Although I agree to the construction of the post road, I don’t know if they will agree to it.”