The Prodigal Son

The next morning, Ruan Zhi and his group left from Yuwang Pass.

This time, they have to take a slightly roundabout route, going from Yuyang through Hezhou into Kaizhou.

Before leaving, Lü Si even drew a circle to curse Qin Yu.

In the days that followed, Qin Yu and his group stayed at Yuwang Pass for the time being.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Wan, together with Qin Yu, selected some lower-ranking generals of the Chu army with weak willpower and gave them political lessons for several consecutive days.

Under their ideological education and a combination of harsh words and sweet rewards, some of the Chu soldiers deeply realized their mistakes, wept bitterly, shed tears of remorse, and expressed their willingness to repent and reform, contributing to the national defense of Daning.

After staying at Yuwang Pass for about ten days, Qin Yu received a message from Xue Lie.

The State of Chu had already sent nine million to one hundred thousand taels of silver to Yuechi, and Xue Lie and Guo Su began to lead their troops to withdraw from Yuechi.

The day after receiving the message from Xue Lie and the others, Song Xian, who was supposed to return to the capital, came to Yuwang Pass again.

Accompanying him was Tang Chunlai, who was to serve as the deputy commander for this battle.

"Why are you back?"

Upon seeing Song Xian, Qin Yu was somewhat dumbfounded.

What's wrong? Is he reluctant to sacrifice himself?

Or perhaps he didn't want to be a third wheel for Lü Si and Ruan Zhi?

Song Xian smiled wryly, "We had just passed Kaizhou when I was stopped and turned back."

They stopped them?

Who stopped him?

Qin Yu was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized, "His Majesty wouldn't be asking you to take up a post here, would he?"

"Um."

Song Xian said with a bitter expression, "His Majesty sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, ordering me to temporarily serve as the prefect of Wu and Xing prefectures."

Qin Yu was slightly surprised, then looked at Song Xian with a dark expression, "This is the governor of two prefectures! And you're still looking so gloomy? You're making yourself a bit annoying!"

What's wrong? He's not satisfied with the word "temporarily"?

This is starting to resemble Versailles!

"You know my dad's situation!"

Song Xian sighed softly, "Alright, the imperial decree has been issued, there's no point in saying anything more! We still have something to tell you, let's go inside and talk slowly!"

Normally, he would be happy to serve as the governor of both prefectures.

However, his father's health was getting worse and worse.

He didn't know how much longer his father could hold on.

As a son, he still hoped to stay by Song Zhuo's side and take care of him in his old age until his death.

Moreover, he knew the situation in Wuzhou and Xingzhou.

Qin Yu led his troops in two battles here, and Yu Wu and the Chu army forcibly requisitioned a large amount of grain.

The situation in these two states is currently very worrying.

Governing these two states well will probably not be easy!

Being the governor of two prefectures sounds prestigious, but it's definitely not an easy job!

Understanding Song Xian's concerns, Qin Yu reassured him, "His Majesty's decision to temporarily appoint you as the governor of the two prefectures must have taken Song Xian's situation into consideration! It is estimated that once the situation here stabilizes a bit, he will summon you back to the capital."

"I hope so!"

Song Xian forced a smile, then pointed to Tang Chunlai beside him and teased, "From now on, we'll have to call him the Earl of Ningyang."

"No, no!"

Tang Chunlai waved his hands repeatedly, his face beaming, and said, "I really got a great deal this time, entirely thanks to General Qin. I came here specifically to Yuwang Pass to thank General Qin. In front of General Qin, I dare not presume to be the Earl of Ningyang!"

Tang Chunlai kept a very low profile.

He knows in his heart how much he has contributed.

Not only him, but all the officials who were conferred titles this time could be said to have benefited from Qin Yu's influence.

This was especially true for these generals!

How many battles have they fought in this one?

Most of the enemy troops were annihilated by Qin Yu's forces!

Their achievements are nothing compared to Qin Yu's!

They chatted and laughed as they entered the house and sat down. Only then did Tang Chunlai and Song Xian tell Qin Yu about the circumstances surrounding their appointment.

Fang Junji was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Jing'an and appointed as the General Who Guards the East, in charge of the military affairs of the four prefectures north of the Qujiang River, excluding Guanzhou.

Xue Lie was appointed General of Guanzhou and concurrently Prefect of Guanzhou, leading an army of 40,000 and overseeing all military and political affairs in Guanzhou.

Tang Chunlai was enfeoffed as the Earl of Ningyang and promoted to General Pingdong, in charge of military affairs in Wuzhou and Xingzhou.

Guo Su was enfeoffed as the Earl of Yong'an, promoted two ranks, and led 30,000 troops to guard Yuwang Pass.

The imperial court also transferred several generals from the Raojin Navy to Wangjin in Miaozhou to reorganize and expand the Min Kingdom's naval forces.

More generals and officials drawn from various regions will arrive here in succession.

The gold and silver obtained from this negotiation were divided into three parts: one part was given to the Yan Kingdom, one part was kept as funds for disaster relief and reconstruction in Min, and the remaining part was escorted back to the capital by Qin Yu, Yuan Dingguo, Han Chong, Xiong Quhu, Pei Xiao and others, leading the Wudang Flying Cavalry.

The three million taels of silver left in Min were to be allocated by Du Zhiwen.

Du Zhiwen once served as the Minister of Revenue, so he must have been very knowledgeable about how to allocate silver.

In addition, Zhao Luan ordered Yu Jing and some former officials of the Min Kingdom to accompany Qin Yu and his entourage to the capital of Daning before the end of the year to receive their titles.

Because the imperial edict involved too many people, the imperial envoy did not deliver the edict to each one individually. Instead, Fang Junji received the edict on behalf of the emperor and sent someone to deliver it.

On this trip, Tang Chunlai and his entourage also brought Xue Lie and Guo Su's appointment documents. The imperial court will deliver the remaining documents in due course.

After hearing their words, Qin Yu couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

Even Xiong Quhu and the others are going to return to the capital to receive their titles?

Is the female demon planning to give them important positions?

Hmm, never mind!

These people have fought alongside me all this way, so they can be considered my loyal followers!

If the female tyrant wants to make good use of them, it would be a good thing for her.

Having figured this out, Qin Yu stopped thinking about it and looked at Song Xian with a smile, "Since you are the governor of two prefectures, I have something to tell you in advance!"

"Please don't laugh!"

Song Xian joked, "Your smile doesn't sound like a good thing."

"It's not a good thing, but it's not a bad thing either."

Qin Yu smiled and said, "Previously, in order to win over the surrendered soldiers of the Min Kingdom at Yuwang Pass, I promised to reward them with land if we won the battle..."

Then, Qin Yu told the two about the land grant.

Pang Zhan has already compiled the list of those to be rewarded, and he had looked at it a few days ago.

All that's left is to deliver on the promise!

"That's no problem!"

Song Xian smiled, "Min Kingdom suffered significant population losses in this battle, which will certainly free up a large amount of land! However, this matter needs to be reported to the imperial court before a decision can be made!"

"good!"

Qin Yu readily agreed.

That evening, Qin Yu hosted a banquet at Yuwang Pass to entertain Song Xian and Tang Chunlai.

Prior to this, Qin Yu had already sent someone to deliver a message to Xue Lie and the others.

During the meal, Qin Yu inquired with Tang Chunlai about their spoils in Yuyang.

"Don't even mention it!"

Speaking of this, Tang Chunlai was furious. "When we arrived in Yuyang, it had already been looted by the defeated soldiers. Even the imperial palace was burned to the ground. Although we recovered some gold and silver, it was definitely only a small amount..."

According to statistics, they seized gold and silver jewelry worth more than one million taels.

Yuyang is the capital of the Min Kingdom!

One million taels of silver is practically a pitiful sum.

This war in the Min Kingdom has caused countless people to suffer from the ravages of war.

Post-war reconstruction, disaster relief, and other tasks all require a large amount of money and supplies.

Right now, almost all of the seven prefectures in Min are in a mess!

Moreover, winter is just around the corner!

The disaster relief work definitely cannot be delayed any longer!

The little silver they seized was a drop in the ocean compared to the huge mess they had made.

Tang Chunlai was still pouring out his grievances.

However, Qin Yu's mind was already racing...