Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2083 Kuai Tong's Mission to the South, Relocation of the Capital to Tianjing, and Banquet for Imperial Merchants

Tianjing!

More than a month has passed since the Battle of Henan ended.

In just one month, the city seemed to have forgotten the trauma of the war that had not long ago, and began to recover its former prosperity.

In the past month or so, most of the counties and prefectures in Henan surrendered voluntarily, and the few that resisted were swept away by the Han army.

Even the rough men in the army would use Huangfu Jingya's identity to save face, let alone the civil officials in these places.

Now, all the counties in Henan have completely fallen into the hands of the Han army.

However, Liangguan to the west and Yangguan to the south are not so easy to obtain.

This strategically vital location was not something that either the Song Dynasty or Zhennan would easily relinquish.

In these two trials, Tan Daoji and Yue Fei each attempted to fight a battle, but neither gained any advantage.

"Yangguan is a formidable pass under heaven. If we launch a direct assault, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses! Even if we manage to take it, we will still lose at least tens of thousands of soldiers!"

Inside the palace, upon receiving news of the battle situation at the front, Zhang Liang gently shook his head and said...

In conclusion, this campaign to conquer the south has been a great victory!

Furthermore, they gained victories in three regions, but in reality, the total losses from all battlefields in their southern campaign were not that great.

Even adding up all the battlefields in Qingbei, Guangyin, and Henan, the total loss of troops this time was only slightly over 80,000.

Of these, 50,000 were from the Henan battlefield. After all, that was the main battlefield!
The loss of 80,000 troops was exchanged for the three territories. Compared with the gains, this loss was negligible.

After all, in this battle alone, they captured over 300,000 prisoners across the three battlefields. Just figuring out what to do with so many prisoners would give them a headache for some time.

It's impossible to assimilate all these people into the Han army; a considerable portion will inevitably have to be sent back to their hometowns to resume farming. And this is a massive undertaking.

Anything, no matter how small, becomes a massive undertaking when multiplied by 300,000 or more.

As for generals, the loss of Zhuge Kunlong was the most painful for them.

As for the fact that a Celestial-level expert, Xiang Yutian, had died, no one in the court cared about this loss. The reason was simple: Xiang Yutian wasn't one of their own, so their death didn't bother them.

It's much better for an outsider to die than for one of their own people in the ancestral hall to die.

In fact, the more of these forces that cannot be fully controlled, the better for the imperial court to consume.

Of course, some superficial appearances still need to be maintained.

As for Zhang Liang's claim that taking these two places would likely require the loss of tens of thousands of troops, that was merely a nice-sounding excuse.

Even losing tens of thousands of soldiers wouldn't guarantee the capture of these two places.

The Zhennan Army had already suffered a loss once in Henan Province, and they were unlikely to suffer a second loss. They were not going to abandon their defensive advantages and engage in open battle in Henan Province.

If we don't engage in open battle but instead launch a direct assault, given Yangguan's defensive capabilities, we're bound to suffer a crushing defeat.

As for Liangguan, the fact that Zhao Kuangyin gritted his teeth and transferred 10,000 troops back to Liangguan while the front lines were still fighting shows how much the Song Dynasty valued Liangguan.

"A direct assault may not work, but negotiations are possible!"

“There’s nothing in this world that can’t be discussed!” Zhang Bin nodded in agreement.

He also agreed with Zhang Liang's statement that these two checkpoints were very important, but precisely because they were important, they were difficult to pass.

Whether it's Zhennan or Zhao Song, they would absolutely risk their lives for these two passes.

However, it's unlikely that Liangguan will be taken, but at least Yangguan to the south doesn't necessarily have to be taken through war; negotiation is not out of the question.

"Thirty thousand prisoners, plus Ma Chao, that's not enough of a bargaining chip!"

Wang Yu understood what the two men meant, but whether he could get his hands on Yangguan through negotiation was hard to say!
Zhennan brought a total of 150,000 troops to the Henan battlefield, while Ma Qianli led almost half of his troops out of Henan.

The remaining half did not all die in battle. The prisoners captured by the Han army in Henan Province numbered about 30,000, who were from the Zhennan Army.

Among these prisoners, only Ma Chao held the highest rank. Compared to this incident, his status was somewhat lower.

Ma Chao was the type with bad luck. Although he was covering Ma Yuan and Ma Teng's retreat, he ended up being left behind.

However, after winning that decisive battle, the Han Dynasty prioritized capturing the routed soldiers of Zhongcang, rather than the people from Zhennan.

But after Ma Chao covered Ma Yuan and the others' escape, he was left behind and strayed off course. He accidentally got mixed up with a rout of Zhongcang's army and was captured by Gao Shun along with them.

With only 30,000 prisoners and Ma Chao, Wang Yu asked himself, if he were Ma Qianli, he would never have traded the entire Yangguan Pass for these people.

Even if Ma Chao were just a nephew, or even a cousin, or even if the person arrested were his own son, this kind of business is still unacceptable.

One can change their position in the Han Dynasty, but not in the Zhennan region.

It's not that these people aren't important, but that they are absolutely not as important as Yangguang.

After this campaign to conquer the south, how arrogant has the Han Dynasty become? If it weren't for Yangguan Pass, how could they possibly resist if the Han Dynasty ever attacked Zhennan again?
It can be said that Yangguan is nothing short of their lifeline.

How can one give away their own lifeline?

If it were the Han Dynasty, this business would be feasible, because the Han Dynasty is strong enough now. Even without such a checkpoint, at most more troops would be sent to garrison it, but it would not threaten its survival.

However, the situation in Zhennan is different; it could truly threaten their very survival.

"Your Majesty, if the ruler of Zhennan is Ma Baili, then perhaps there is absolutely no possibility!"

“But if it’s Ma Qianli, then it’s not impossible to discuss it!” Zhang Liang continued.

"Your Majesty, although this matter is not without its flaws, we are still about 50% certain!" Zhang Bin said with a smile.

If it were someone like Wang Yu, of course they wouldn't be replaced; and if it were someone like Zhao Kuangyin, they wouldn't be replaced either.

Fortunately, they were facing Ma Qianli.

Ma Qianli has high moral standards and many ties to his family. He may not be a good person, but he is definitely not a bad one.

However, precisely because of this, such a person is unsuitable to be a ruler in chaotic times. Although Ma Qianli is not currently a ruler, his position is practically the same. Therefore, the downfall of Zhennan is almost inevitable.

"Fifty percent! That's not entirely out of the question!"

With a 50% chance of success, Wang Yu was still very tempted.

He certainly wanted to have Yangguan and Liangguan in his hands.

Liangguan doesn't have any good solutions right now, but since Yangguan is willing to talk, it wouldn't hurt to do so.

Wang Yu didn't actually have any direct impression of Ma Qianli. He had met him once when he was young, but how many years had passed?

If it were a negotiation, Wang Yingkan would actually be the most suitable person, but at this time, Wang Yingkan was far away in the Northern Di.

Although Wang Yingkan has not been active in the Han court over the years, his contributions to the development of the Han Dynasty cannot be denied.

He was not active in the court because he hardly spent any time there; for almost ten months out of the year, he was on business trips.

In his early years, he was on business trips to Huangfu Guyuan's territory. Later, he also briefly went on business trips to Zhao Song's territory. After Zhao Song, he went on long-term business trips to the Northern Barbarians.

Even during the long-term business trips of the Northern Di, he sent his subordinates to Da Wu to keep an eye on Da Wu's affairs.

Now, Nurhaci's three families have fought to the point of near-brain damage, and even Huang Taiji has been sent to Yecheng as a hostage. Wang Yingkan, while not claiming all the credit, certainly deserves the majority of it.

Given that Wang Ying was far away in the Northern Barbarians, it was impossible for him to go on a business trip to Zhennan Army!

In that case, this business trip can only be entrusted to Kuai Tong.

"Alright then, Zifang, you draft an imperial edict, appointing Kuai Tong as the chief envoy and Su Li as the deputy envoy, to go to Zhennan and discuss the Yangguan matter with Ma Qianli!"

"By the way, please have the two elders, Dugu Qiubai and Lang Fanyun, accompany us!"

The reason why two experts at the Celestial level were sent to accompany them was not because Wang Yu was worried that the Zhennan Army would be detrimental to Kuai Tong and his group.

Even someone like Wang Yu never did anything detrimental to an envoy, let alone Ma Qianli.

His precautions were not against Ma Qianli, but against the remnants of the Cang Dynasty.

"Judging by the days, the Empress and the others should be arriving soon, right?" Wang Yu asked again.

Compared to Ye City, Tianjing is undoubtedly a much more suitable capital city.

Previously, since Tianjing was not in our hands, Yecheng was temporarily used as the capital. Now that we have taken control of Tianjing, it is time to officially move the capital.

Although many remnants of the ancient Cang forces still remain hidden within Tianjing, it is still the center of the eighteen Dao of the Great Cang.

Wang Yu would not allow himself to be delayed in moving the capital because of these rats that can only hide in the gutter!
He defeated hundreds of thousands of troops from Dongcang and Zhongcang, leaving only a few rats behind!
If these people don't show their faces, fine, but if they do, all that's left is to kill them.

Therefore, immediately after capturing Tianjing, Wang Yu ordered Yecheng to prepare for the relocation of the capital.

The royal family and officials were only the first batch, and it has been almost a month now. Even if they haven't arrived yet, they should be close by now!
"Your Majesty, the Empress and the Crown Prince crossed the river seven days ago, and they will be able to enter the capital in ten days!"

The Empress's entourage could not possibly travel at full speed like their cavalry, nor could it move day and night like the army in its troop transport vehicles. Even if it were fast, it wouldn't be much faster.

Arriving in ten days is definitely not slow.

As for the safety of the Empress and the Crown Prince's entourage, it is actually guaranteed.

When the Empress and the Crown Prince traveled, they were protected by 20,000 soldiers, including 5,000 Black Riders.

In addition, there are the Sunflower Guards of the Imperial Palace, as well as the guards sent by the Divine Marquis's Mansion and the Six Doors.

In addition, the Imperial Preceptor would naturally also be present.

Therefore, the Empress and the Crown Prince may actually have a higher level of security than Wang Yu's side!
"Very well, after the capital is moved, we shall hold a grand celebration!"

"Zifang, draft another edict on my behalf, inviting the heads of the Eastern and Northern Clans to participate in the grand banquet!"

"This time, I'll have to trouble Yifang and Mengsun. You two should personally go and make sure to invite these two family heads here!"

Zhang Liang's official position was essentially that of Wang Yu's secretary, and drafting imperial edicts was one of his duties. Therefore, the specific task of drafting edicts was directly delegated by Wang Yu to Zhang Liang.

Once he has finished writing the content, he only needs to submit it to Wang Yu for a quick review. If Wang Yu finds no problems, he can then affix his official seal.

Whether it's a great victory in the southern campaign or the relocation of the capital, holding a banquet to celebrate is not a problem.

However, Wang Yu specifically emphasized to Zhang Liang that he had invited the two family heads, Dongfang and Beiming, and even asked them to come over in person. At this moment, both Zhang Liang and Zhang Bin had mixed feelings.

Let's have a banquet to celebrate!
This is clearly a case of ulterior motives; he's just looking for a suitable excuse to meet with these two people in private!
To find such a reason to meet with two of the four great imperial merchants, and moreover, the head of one of those two families, must be the Nangong family.

Regarding the Nangong family matter, it's quite clear that the Han Dynasty has already laid the groundwork!
Not only had the other side completely sided with the defeated Zhongcang, but Dacang had also pinned the blame for the demonic disaster on them.

However, they still did not take direct action against the Nangong family.

Murder isn't something you can just do on a whim; you also need to ensure that the aftermath is handled properly. Only when you can be sure of what will happen should you take action.

Therefore, at this time, the main figures of the Nangong family were actually temporarily placed under house arrest by the Han.

As for the other members of the Nangong family, they were not interfered with much, merely symbolically preventing them from leaving Tianjing for the time being. Of course, this was only superficially ignored; they were all secretly followed by the Luowang network.

This was done to temporarily make it appear that the Han Dynasty had not yet decided how to deal with the Nangong family, thus lowering the other party's guard.

Clearly, Wang Yu summoned the Dongfang and Beiming families this time in order to properly handle the aftermath.

"promise!"

Zhang Liang and Zhang Bin both nodded in agreement.

This matter should actually have been handled by Guan Zhong. The handling of the Nangong incident was, in fact, closely related to Guan Zhong's reforms.

However, given Guan Zhong's status in the Han Dynasty, it was impossible for him to be tasked with conveying imperial edicts.

Moreover, Guan Zhong's work was much busier than theirs, and he had many more things to worry about. It was impossible for Guan Zhong to make the trip just to deliver an imperial edict.

(End of this chapter)