Water Margin people

Chapter 1492 Advice

"Dali surrendered so quickly?"

Sun Lei was a little surprised. Xu Guanzhong had just led his troops to the Dali border during the Chinese New Year. How could Dali surrender in just two months?

"Your Majesty, this is the surrender letter from Emperor Xuanren of Dali, Duan Heyu!"

Zhu Wu held the surrender letter in both hands and handed it over.

"Duan Heyu?"

Sun Lei took the surrender form and read it with confusion.

I have to say that the handwriting is very beautiful. If he didn't know that it was written by a man, he would definitely think it was written by a woman.

"Duan Heyu is the name given by the people in Dali. He also has two other names, Duan Zhengyan and Duan Zhengyan. He is the son of Duan Zhengchun, the Emperor Wen'an of Dali, and the sixteenth emperor of Dali. He is a member of the Bai ethnic group and a native of Dali."

Zhu Wu said.

"Duan Zhengchun? Isn't that Duan Yu?"

Sun Lei smiled and said, he didn't know about Duan Heyu, but he knew very well about Duan Zhengchun's son.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

After hearing this, everyone bowed in unison. Dali's surrender meant that Qi was expanding its territory again, which was a great joyful event.

"Does Xu Guanzhong have anything else to explain?"

After reading the surrender letter, Sun Lei looked at Zhu Wu and asked, the surrender letter was very simple, full of flattering words in a very humble manner.

"Xu Guanzhong said that Dali had many ethnic groups and was surrounded by mountains, so it would be difficult to conquer with a large army. So he gave the task of pacifying the area to Duan Heyu."

"They are locals and are good at local warfare, but Xu Guanzhong is worried that they are cooperating with the rebels and have other plans in secret."

Zhu Wu said.

"Well, Xu Guanzhong's worries are correct. These so-called Shenfu are just because they are not our opponents. They are still waiting for an opportunity."

Sun Lei nodded and said that since Xu Guanzhong knew all this, he would be relieved. He accepted Dali's surrender today and incorporated Dali into Qi State, so he would not allow Dali to have any thoughts of rebellion in the future.

The spring ploughing was successfully completed before dusk. Looking at the cultivated fields, the people were all smiling. They were looking forward to a year of bumper harvest.

After returning to Liangshan, Sun Lei began to prepare for the Western Expedition. The army has set out one after another in the past two months. After he has arranged everything, he will also go to the Western Regions.

“This road!”

Sun Lei looked at the huge map with a frown on his face. He was very dissatisfied with the marked roads, which were winding, bumpy and dilapidated dirt roads.

"It's more than 6,000 miles, and it will take about ten days even if you ride a horse at full speed."

Sun Lei shook his head. What he meant by galloping was the speed of the horse deliveries at the post stations during wartime. That was a galloping without regard for the war horses, and they would change horses when they arrived at the post station and continue. The fastest could reach 800 miles a day.

But this method is only used in extreme emergencies. Soldiers cannot even ride a horse for one distance, let alone 6,000 miles. If they really get off the horse, they will be shaken to pieces.

"It would be so nice if we had cars and trains! We could get there in two or three days singing songs while riding in a car."

Sun Lei now misses the means of transportation of future generations. He dare not think about airplanes, as flying a plane is too complicated and it is beyond his ability to understand, but he can still think about cars and trains.

"Your Majesty, these matters have been dealt with!"

Wen Huanzhang came over with a stack of memorials.

"let it go!"

Sun Lei didn't even turn his head, just looked at the map. "Your Majesty, I have something to say!"

Wen Huanzhang saw Sun Lei looking at the map in deep thought, and after hesitating for a moment, he spoke.

"If you have something to say, just say it!"

Sun Lei still turned his back and said.

"Your Majesty, you are a person of great wealth, and you should not sit in the hall. Your Majesty is responsible for the country, and you really shouldn't lead troops to those remote places! Your Majesty has made great military achievements, so you can certainly be invincible, but the country's major affairs are all in your hands. Your Majesty abandoning the country and going to the military is really putting the cart before the horse."

Wen Huanzhang looked at Sun Lei and saluted.

On the other side of the imperial study, Xiao Jiasui and others who were handling official business were shocked when they heard this. They suddenly looked up at Wen Huanzhang and thought to themselves that Prime Minister Wen was really brave and dared to say anything. Isn't this a clear criticism of the emperor?

Sun Lei then turned around and looked at Wen Huanzhang, only to see that he had a determined look on his face, as if he was ready to be punished.

"You guys are doing a great job. When I was on my southern tour last year, government affairs were handled in an orderly manner, which shows your ability!"

Sun Lei changed the subject. He said that his tour to the south last year lasted several months, and all domestic affairs, big and small, were handled by officials. After he came back to check, he found that everything was fine, so he just signed and stamped the document after he saw that there was no problem.

"Your Majesty, it is only natural for a minister to share your worries, but Your Majesty is the ruler of the world, and these matters should be decided by Your Majesty alone."

Wen Huanzhang felt a little embarrassed by this sudden compliment, but he still insisted.

"If I make decisions on my own, I will become a dictator! There are millions of people in the world, and I can't bear it all by myself."

Sun Lei sat down and said with a smile that although he was the emperor, he was just an individual after all, and the power of an individual was limited.

"We, the ministers, will naturally do our best to help Your Majesty govern the country well."

Wen Huanzhang quickly said that he naturally knew that the emperor alone could not govern a country, so there needed to be layers of officials.

"So, it's good like this!"

Sun Lei said with a smile that what he meant was to maintain the status quo. The current cabinet-like state was good, although it tested the abilities of cabinet officials.

"Okay, you guys continue working, and go to bed early when you're done!"

After Sun Lei finished speaking, he left the imperial study.

Wen Huanzhang returned to his seat helplessly, sat down and looked at the memorials piled up in front of him. He didn't know whether he should be happy or sad that the emperor trusted him so much.

"Brother Wen, His Majesty doesn't like these tedious matters. We will just help deal with them. His Majesty will take care of the real national affairs. You are overthinking it."

Xiao Jiasui looked at Wen Huanzhang with a smile. He knew that Wen Huanzhang wanted to advise the emperor to focus on state affairs, and the generals would take care of the war.

But Sun Lei was not an ordinary emperor. From the very beginning, he did not care about small matters and was not vague about big matters. He never had any problems in major decisions.

"A good swimmer will drown. Your Majesty is wise and brave, and is the greatest emperor in history. But the northwest is too far away. If there is a major event, it will take a month just to transmit the information back and forth. It will take Your Majesty two months to come back. The country is newly established, so this is really inappropriate!"

Wen Huanzhang still insisted on his own opinion that the king should put the country first and should not only seek his own preferences.

"What big deal can it be? Your Majesty has relaxed taxes, and the people all remember your kindness. As for those former nobles and merchants, what waves can they stir up? Without the people, they are nothing!"

Xiao Jiasui smiled and said that the emperor's southern tour last year had already dealt a heavy blow to those secret people. Those who were interested were either dead or disabled, and the rest could not achieve anything. Most of them still hoped to rely on Qi State to open up overseas markets.

"But we have a lot of things to do. We have to deal with those grain merchants."

Xiao Jiasui took out a memorial and said with a smile that the grain merchants were planning to make a fortune by relying on the Western Expedition. Now that the spring plowing season had begun and the grain prices had shown an upward trend.

(End of this chapter)