Kill the enemy and get a wife? I'll single-handedly slaughter my way through the Northern Barba

The Zhenyuan Alliance was a turning point in the war between the Northern Barbarians and the Great Qian Kingdom.

After nearly two years of fierce fighting, the Northern Barbarians and the Great Qian have both gained a chance to catch their breath.

Firstly, the Northern Barbarians withdrew from Jiming City, handing over the entire area south of Jiming City to the Great Qian Dynasty for control.

This includes Elephant Trunk Hill, a strategically important location.

Although the Daqian dynasty did not demand the return of any specific city, it was acceptable to build defensive fortifications using Elephant Trunk Hill as a base.

Secondly, the Daqian and the Northern Barbarians exchanged prisoners.

All the Northern Barbarians, Daqian generals, officials, and soldiers captured in the various battles were released and exchanged.

The Northern Barbarians specifically requested that Lu Qingqing and the other secret guards be exchanged back.

In response, King Li Yan of Qin first sought Zhang Liao's opinion.

After all, Lu Qingqing almost took Zhang Liao's life.

For the sake of the overall situation, Zhang Liao did not make things difficult for Lu Qingqing and agreed to send her along for the exchange.

Thirdly, the two countries agreed to a truce, and the two prefectures of Shuofeng were temporarily handed over to the Northern Barbarians for "temporary administration".

The Great Qian Dynasty could not possibly acknowledge that the two prefectures of Shuofeng were the territory of the Northern Barbarians.

It is even more impossible for them to cede the two prefectures of Shuofeng to the Northern Barbarians.

However, even after reclaiming the two provinces from the Northern Barbarians, the Great Qian Dynasty temporarily lacked the strength to do so.

Therefore, in the peace treaty of the "Treaty of Zhenyuan", the dispute was set aside under the condition of "temporary administration", which facilitated peace talks.

Fourth, the two prefectures of Shuofeng were handed over to the Northern Barbarians for "temporary administration," but the Northern Barbarians made concessions on the issue of the ownership of northern Youzhou.

The Northern Barbarians agreed to return northern Youzhou to the Great Qian Dynasty one year later.

Although the Great Qian Dynasty knew that the Northern Barbarians might not be able to hand over the northern part of Youzhou as agreed a year later.

But at least in the peace treaty, the Northern Barbarians gave the Great Qian Dynasty enough face.

Fifth, after the ceasefire, trade between the two sides was temporarily restored, allowing the people of both countries to recuperate and no longer suffer from poverty and hunger.

Prince Qin of the Great Qian Dynasty, Li Yan, Minister of War Cao Kun, Minister of Rites Yin Li, and General Zhang Liao, commander of Zhenyuan City, all signed the peace treaty.

The second prince of the Northern Barbarians, Nanmuhe, General Boyan Mengke, Minister of War Wang Xun, and Minister of Rites Gu Lie also signed their names.

The Zhenyuan Alliance was thus finalized.

The war was over, and the Liaodong army was about to embark on its journey home. Reinforcements from the south, replacing the Liaodong army, entered the city one after another.

The Northern Barbarian army, which had been lingering outside the city for months, was also about to retreat.

Northern Barbarians, Shenwu Prefecture.

Shenwu City, the Northern Barbarian Imperial Palace.

Emperor Haishan of the Northern Barbarians is forty-six years old this year. He has thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose, and a square mouth. He exudes an imposing aura even without anger, like a majestic lion.

He sat upright in the main seat, his gaze piercing.

"The second son has already signed a peace treaty with Bayan, and sent someone to make a copy."

Haishan waved his hand, ordering an official to deliver the peace treaty to an elderly man with white eyebrows.

The old man was over sixty years old, with a gaunt face, looking like a skinny monkey at first glance.

Although he was not handsome, he was the head of the civil officials in the Northern Barbarian court—Prime Minister Namuhan.

Opposite Namuhan sat a refined young man.

The young man's clothing was completely different from that of the northern barbarians; he was wearing a blue cross-collar Hanfu, which made him look elegant and scholarly.

Namuhan's gaze swept over the peace treaty, and he said leisurely, "His Highness has shown considerable leniency towards the Great Qian in the peace treaty. At first glance, it seems as if our Northern Barbarians have suffered a defeat!"

Upon hearing this, Hai Shan looked up and laughed.

"My good-for-nothing son was competing with someone in lifting a tripod in the palace and almost died on the spot."

"I was saved by a Han Chinese general named Lin Feng, the same general who killed my Northern Barbarian general Zheng Yan."

"We, the men of the Northern Barbarians, will avenge any wrongs we have done, and we will repay any kindness we have received."

"The small concessions made to the Great Qian are a way of repaying the Han people for saving our lives. Prime Minister, please don't blame him."

Namuhan was the head of the civil officials of the Northern Barbarians and a leading figure among the Northern Barbarian nobles.

Even though Haishan was the emperor of the Northern Barbarians, he still treated Namuhan with great respect.

Namuhan nodded slightly: "Your Majesty is right. It is only right that the Second Prince should repay the favor by giving some token of appreciation."

"Now that the peace treaty has been signed and the war has ended, our Northern Barbarians can finally manage the two prefectures of Shuofeng properly."

Emperor Haishan of the Northern Barbarians smiled and said, "What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right. The two prefectures of Shuofeng are vast and fertile."

"With proper management, it will surely become the granary of our Great Qian."

Food is the most important thing for people. The northern barbarians lack food and are not good at farming. If they encounter natural disasters and food shortages, countless people will starve to death.

Therefore, after conquering the two prefectures of Shuofeng, Haishan was preoccupied with the issue of food supplies.

"Zhenjin, what are your thoughts?" Emperor Haishan of the Northern Barbarians asked.

The "real gold" he was referring to was that refined young man dressed in Hanfu.

However, the refined young man's attention was focused on the side and rear of Emperor Haishan.

A woman dressed in a Tai Chi robe sat behind a thin veil, her figure appearing and disappearing in the mist.

A bright red cinnabar mole between her eyebrows and a white veil covering her face made it even harder to see her features.

However, Zhenjin knew that her appearance was stunning, more beautiful than any woman in Shenwu City, like a celestial being.

"Your Highness?"

Prime Minister Namuhan coughed, reminding Zhenjin.

The eldest prince of the Northern Barbarians, Zhenjin, instantly snapped out of his daze: "Huh? Father?!"

Haishan put down the documents in his hand and smiled gently.

"Did you stay up too late last night handling government affairs? I've told you many times not to work so hard."

"If you don't rest well at night, how can you have energy during the day?"

"Tell me your insights on governing the two prefectures of Shuofeng?"

Zhenjin composed himself, stood up, and replied, "Father, I believe that governing the two prefectures of Shuofeng requires a policy of appeasement, which involves reforming local officials, pacifying the people, and encouraging agriculture and commerce."

"In this way, within three to five years, the two prefectures of Shuofeng will be stable, and these two prefectures can become our country's granary."

Hai Shan nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Zhen Jin's answer.

"My son, you have remarkable insight. It seems that the Confucian scholars you invited to lecture you daily have been quite effective!"

Zhenjin smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am merely thinking what Your Majesty thinks. Your Majesty, in fact, I would like to hear more of... the Grand Preceptor's insightful opinion."

Zhenjin's eyes gazed at the thin veil, a strange emotion flashing in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Hai Shan glanced to the side and said, "Grand Preceptor, since Zhen Jin has said so, please elaborate a bit more."

Prime Minister Namuhan raised his eyebrows slightly, but his eyes did not move.

The Grand Preceptor, hidden behind the veil, remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "The prosperity of the two prefectures of Shuofeng is not something that can be achieved overnight."

"However, there is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed. If Your Majesty does not take action, the two prefectures of Shuofeng will inevitably descend into chaos sooner or later."

The Northern Barbarian Emperor Haishan frowned slightly: "Oh? What is it?"

The sound behind the light veil was melodious and clear, like pearls colliding and pleasing to the ear.

"Land grabbing..."

These four seemingly casual words caused the expression on the face of Namuhan, the Prime Minister of the Northern Barbarians, to change slightly.

Upon hearing the Grand Preceptor's voice, Zhenjin felt as if he were listening to celestial music, and his ears were instantly cleared. He couldn't help but take half a step forward.

"Imperial Advisor, what is meant by 'land grabbing'?"

Emperor Haishan also looked towards the veiled figure and asked, "What does the Imperial Advisor mean by this?"

The Northern Barbarian National Preceptor sighed softly: "When the Northern Barbarian nobles went south to fight, their relatives stayed in the two prefectures of Shuofeng. Every family ran horses and fenced off fertile fields, turning the fertile fields of the Han people into their own private property."

"Countless Han Chinese people were displaced, lost their land, and became vagrants or tenant farmers."

"His Majesty decrees that the two prefectures of Shuofeng be transformed into granaries, but the fertile fields of Paomaquan will belong to the nobles."

"Nobles are exempt from land taxes. Your Majesty, how much tax do you collect each summer and autumn harvest?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Haishan's majestic face instantly turned furious.

"Prime Minister, is this really true?"

Hai Shan was extremely angry, not only because he was furious at the group of northern barbarian nobles for robbing gold and silver, but also because he was angry at them for seizing gold and silver.

How dare they illegally enclose fertile farmland?

This conflicts with the national policies that Haishan wants to promote.

They're practically undermining the Northern Barbarian Kingdom!

Prime Minister Namuhan shook his head inwardly, blaming the Grand Preceptor for meddling in other people's business.

Now that the emperor had come to his doorstep, Namuhan had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer.

There seem to be some rumors, but it's unclear whether they're true or not.