At the beginning, I gave up my military power with a cup of wine, and I ascended the throne

Chapter 284: Alliance with Qingzhou Hou

"I know the officials in the two states well. I'll kill some, win over some, and give some new positions. Spring ploughing has already begun, so it's a good time to see if there are any fake officials among them."

"It's enough to kill this batch."

Xie Xuanli nodded, "With your prestige and means, even if that guy comes back in the future, he won't be able to cause any trouble."

"If we kill too many people, not only will people be in a state of panic, but someone will have to do the rest."

"How many of the original Jizhou cavalry did you keep?"

"More than 100,000."

He replied: "Most of the rest should be sent back home. There are now 500,000 cavalrymen in the four states. It is impossible for the Northern Wei to move south in a short period of time. There is no need to waste military force."

"Good job."

Xie Xuanli patted Xiao Han on the shoulder and said, "Now that we have obtained the four states, we must manage them well. There are many things that I have not done, and I can only rely on you."

"Don't worry, Lord Marquis."

Ning Xi behind him said softly: "Two years later, when you look at the earth again, it will definitely have undergone a complete transformation."

"With my body, it's unclear whether I can last until two years later."

Xie Xuanli shook his head and sighed: "Xiao Han, you married a good wife. Ning Xi is more capable than her father."

He chatted with Xie Xuanli for a while in the courtyard before leaving. After taking a bath, changing clothes, eating some wine and eating some food, he fell asleep.

Although the war has ceased, the situation in the two states is stable, and preparations for spring plowing are in full swing. There are still many things to be dealt with later.

After annexing Jizhou and Yongzhou states, no memorial has been submitted to the court, and no imperial edict has been issued by the court.

Xiliang and the Central Plains court maintained this strange tacit understanding, or perhaps fear.

Since there was no imperial edict of accountability nor commendation, even the eunuchs in the palace did not come.

The Shangdang army withdrew to the borders of the two Liao states, but the Marquis of Qingzhou sent people to Shuiyun Mountain every now and then.

Everyone knows that the imperial court is waiting for Xiliang, waiting for a memorial from Xiliang Marquis Xiao Han. This memorial will be related to the situation in the entire world and the stability of the emperor's position.

Dominating four states and occupying half of the country, with five or six hundred thousand elite cavalry under his command, if the Marquis of Xiliang is willing, he can lead his troops southward and march into the Central Plains in an instant.

The imperial court had to wait for Xiao Han's memorial to arrive before it could respond. Even the martial arts world had become much quieter these days.

A few days later.

Xiao Han had just woken up, and Pan Yuanshao, who had been waiting outside the door for a long time, couldn't wait to enter the hall.

"Master Hou."

The Xiliang Prefecture chief clerk smiled and said, "The memorial to the court has been written. Please take a look to see if it is suitable. If not, we will revise it. If it is suitable, we will send it to the capital immediately at an expedited speed of 800 miles."

"Otherwise, His Majesty will have trouble sleeping and eating, and will have trouble sleeping day and night."

"Yuan Shao, is it that urgent?"

Xiao Han complained, washed his face with hot water, drank a cup of hot tea, and then took the letter.

There were two letters in total, one was a request to deprive Xie Xuanli of his title of Marquis of Zhenbei, and the other was to ask for money and food.

"This is how you write a petition asking for food and money."

After reading it, he shook his head and said, "But the memorial to deprive Xie Xuanli of his title of Marquis cannot be submitted."

"Change it to the story that the Crown Prince colluded with Zhu Jian, secretly communicated with the Northern Wei, and plotted to usurp the throne."

The two memorials had the same final outcome: Xie Xuanli's title of marquis was stripped and the prince became a traitor.

But Xiao Han cannot bring up this memorial.

"Does the Marquis want the Marquis of Qingzhou to speak?"

Pan Yuanshao pondered for a moment, then nodded: "This is a good idea. If the imperial edict to deprive the marquis of his title comes down, the marquis can also submit a petition for mercy. This way, we can have the best of both worlds."

"Yuan Shao is very much in my heart." Xiao Han said with a smile, "You will meet the Qingzhou envoy again tomorrow. This time, let Qingzhou wait in the court and be our mouthpiece."

"feasible."

Pan Yuanshao said: "I will prepare it right away."

Although the Marquis of Qingzhou seemed not to have participated in this battle, he actually sent troops to help Xiao Han intercept a group of cavalrymen in Qingzhou territory.

The current Xiao Han is no longer the Marquis of Xiliang. He is even more powerful than the Marquis of Zhenbei who once owned three states.

He was now qualified to bargain with the emperor.

In other words, the targets that Xiliang will face in the future will definitely be much more than those that Jizhou faced back then.

Since we cannot rely on the emperor's protection, we should choose to form an alliance with the Marquis of Qingzhou.

Being Marquis of Xiliang could no longer satisfy Xiao Han’s appetite, he wanted to be crowned king.

"Yuan Shao, hand over the secret decree in Zhu Jian's hand to the Marquis of Qingzhou."

Xiao Han is trying to force the emperor to abdicate. He wants food, fodder, military equipment, and the title of king. He must give them to the emperor whether the court gives them or not.

This edict was used by him to force the emperor to abdicate.

If the imperial troops in the two Liao territories had not attacked Shangdang, the emperor would still have an excuse.

But the emperor's edict was in hand, and everyone knew that the two Liaos had attacked Shangdang.

Xiao Han has taken the lead in occupying the righteous position. If a minister attacks his king without justice, that is treason. If the king attacks his minister without justice, it is also unacceptable in the world and everyone will be in danger.

If the emperor does not bow his head, it would be tantamount to forcing Xiao Han to rebel. He would have to ask whether the 500,000 cavalry under his command agree or not.

In this court confrontation, a large number of people in the capital and the Liao army will inevitably lose their heads.

It all depends on who is the unlucky guy who is pushed out to be the scapegoat.

Pan Yuanshao stepped back, and the warm sunlight shone in, casting patches of mottled green shadows. Xiao Han yawned.

"Qing Yao."

"here I am."

"what's up."

Qingyao comes in.

"Go prepare the bath water."

He said, "Your young master wants to take a bath."

After bathing and changing clothes, all the tiredness is gone. Breathing the air of Shuiyun Mountain, mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees, makes people feel relaxed and happy.

In the distance, in the Military and Political Department, people were coming in and out, very busy. Guo Tu had returned and was in charge of the government affairs of the four states together with Pan Yuanshao.

Now is the spring plowing season, and the allocation of food, seeds, and farm tools are urgent matters that cannot be delayed.

Especially in Jizhou and Yongzhou states, people's hearts were just beginning to settle. Two years of confrontation and war left the people displaced and starving everywhere.

A large number of fields were left barren, but fortunately, a large amount of food and warm clothing were transported from Xiliang and Youzhou this winter.

But even so, many people still died of starvation or freezing.

If the farming cannot be carried out in a timely manner this year, there will be unrest in the two states in the autumn.

This is also why Xiao Han wants to lay off more than 100,000 soldiers. These young and strong laborers are extremely valuable.

There is no major war at the moment, so there is no need to maintain such a large number of cavalry.

Moreover, the recruitment systems of soldiers in Xiliang and Jizhou were different. Most of the soldiers in Jizhou were forced to join the army, while the soldiers in Xiliang were recruited through the conscription system.

Regardless of whether there is a war or not, extremely high salaries need to be paid. Layoffs of most of the soldiers can not only solve the problem of labor shortage, but also reduce the burden of silver, money and food.

(End of this chapter)