Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"No need for such formalities, everyone!"

Zhou Kang waved to stop the crowd from bowing to him, then took a step or two back and solemnly bowed amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd:

"You are all pillars of our Great Zhou Dynasty. Without you, there would be no great victory. Therefore, on behalf of all the people under heaven who have been blessed by this victory, I thank you, brave warriors!"

"These are my heartfelt words; you all deserve a bow!"

Having said that, amidst the flattered and bewildered gazes of the assembled commanders and centurions, he coughed lightly a few times, then proclaimed in a clear voice:

"Please, Marquis Champion, receive the imperial decree!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Upon seeing him, Lu Xiao immediately stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

Zhou Kang took the imperial edict from his attendant, glanced at the crowd in front of him, and announced loudly:

"Lu Xiao, the Marquis of Champion and General Who Conquers the North, led an expedition to the grasslands, beheaded a barbarian chieftain, defeated 60,000 enemy troops, and brought peace to the northern frontier. His achievements are outstanding."

"He is hereby appointed Military Governor of Yun Commandery, concurrently holding the title of Attendant-in-Ordinary and Commander of the Imperial Guard; his fief is increased by ten thousand households, and he is granted countless fertile fields, gold, jade, armor, and horses from the capital; he is also granted the privilege of being publicly honored without being named!"

"His wife, Princess Pingning, was granted an additional 3,000 households in her fief, and all his sons were appointed to official positions close to the court."

After saying this, he chuckled and handed the imperial edict to Lu Xiao:

"My lord, congratulations!"

"Thank you for Your Majesty's great favor! Thank you for the Prime Minister's immense kindness!"

Lu Xiao calmly accepted the imperial edict, then stood up and chatted with the other party for a few minutes.

Then, Zhou Kang addressed the assembled soldiers and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Gentlemen, you have all rendered great service in this battle. His Majesty has specially ordered me to announce publicly that all those who have contributed will be promoted one rank, and rewards of money, cloth, and meat will soon arrive at the camp for your enjoyment!"

"In addition, all employees will be exempt from taxes for two years!"

Upon hearing this, all the commanders and centurions were delighted!

Among them were veterans like Zhou Daxing and Zhao Xiaoqi, as well as new recruits who were fighting for the first time in this Battle of Yingjiyuan.

"On behalf of all the soldiers, this humble general thanks His Majesty and the Prime Minister!"

Seeing that everyone was too excited to speak, Lu Xiao smiled wryly, thanked Zhou Kang, and then invited him:

"Prime Minister, when I met you, I knew we would be going to the capital together, so before I leave, there are some things I would like to say to you privately."

"Please go to the second floor!"

On the second floor of the watchtower, Lu Xiao poured Zhou Kang a cup of tea and smiled slightly:

"Now that the Hu King is dead, the Northern Hu will either face internal strife like the Black Sand Chuo tribe did back then, or they will directly establish a new king. Either way, it will take some time, so our Great Zhou is safe recently."

"After much deliberation, I have decided to lead my troops to the Northern Hu royal court before heading south to see how they will respond."

"Milohan had a total of six sons, but only three of them were qualified to inherit the throne."

When Zhou Kang heard him mention this matter, he revealed some information:

"The eldest and second princes of the Northern Hu are useless. They have no other skills except for indulging in pleasure. Therefore, the throne is very likely to fall to the third prince."

"The third prince, Miluosi, is young and impetuous. He has been involved in several of the Hu people's southward invasions in the past. So if he succeeds to the throne, it is possible that another war will break out in the near future."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao frowned slightly:

"Won't the other princes compete for it?"

"Won't."

Zhou Kang shook his head, quite certain of it:

"The other princes of Beihu are not qualified to compete with the power, because their Tongtian Shaman has a good relationship with the Third Prince, and now that he is guarding the royal court, he is very likely to push the Third Prince to the throne after receiving the news."

"However, for my Great Zhou, this is also a good thing."

Seeing the puzzled look in Lu Xiao's eyes, he explained directly:

"As I said before, Bagulun and Miluoxi have a good relationship. If the Third Prince is to become the new Hu King, his prestige and strength alone are not enough to command the various tribes of the Northern Hu. Therefore, he needs to rely on Bagulun's influence."

"How many troops do you plan to take to the Northern Hu royal court?"

"Around eight thousand."

Lu Xiao thought for a moment and gave a precise number:

"I plan to lead 5,000 elite cavalry from the White Wolf main camp, with the remainder supplemented by General Long and Commandant Deng. It will be a way for us all to trample the Northern Hu royal court together!"

"Prime Minister, when we head south, I would like to take three thousand of my elite troops with me."

His statement sounded more like a notification than a request.

Zhou Kang didn't react much to this, and actually supported his decision:

"Very well, once we get to the south, we will definitely need to have our own troops so that we can deploy our forces and fight against the Chu Kingdom."

"However, have you decided who will take over the White Wolf camp?"

His main purpose in coming here this time is to resolve this matter.

Lu Xiao smiled and nodded in response:

"This humble general thinks General Long is quite good."

He explained the reasons for this choice.

Today, the White Wolf Camp is no longer a dilapidated outpost with only a hundred people; its population has reached an astonishing ten thousand!

After several major battles, the White Wolf Outpost had already made a name for itself in the hearts of the Hu people.

If the Hu people were to move south in the future, there is a very high probability that they would choose the White Wolf Camp as their point of attack.

After all, this was a great humiliation for the Hu people.

If we can capture this place, it will be extremely exciting.

Therefore, Lu Xiao believed that the White Wolf Camp would be the main battlefield of the future war.

He took a sip of tea and said earnestly:

"General Long was originally a military general who believed in fame and fortune but achieved it on horseback. He had been a county magistrate for a long time, which was really frustrating."

"Although the Commandant is also a military officer, his most important responsibility is to guard the city and control the troops in the entire prefecture. In these matters, he has more of the characteristics of a civil official."

"If we transfer General Long here, even if he doesn't make any progress, he will definitely be able to defend the White Wolf Camp."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Kang fell into deep thought, and after a moment nodded slightly:

"You're right. In the entire Yuyang County, only Long Gui is the most suitable person to take charge of the White Wolf Camp after you leave. Others are more or less a hindrance."

"I will explain this proposal directly to His Majesty after I return to the capital. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, Long Gui will succeed you."

"Thank you, Prime Minister."

Lu Xiao was overjoyed and thanked the other party profusely.

For him, promoting Long Gui was not only because he was the most suitable, but more importantly because the two had a good relationship.

The Fan family and Wang Qingqing have invested too much energy here, betting almost all of their savings.

With him around before, the Fan family and Wang Qingqing could do whatever they wanted, but once he went south, that situation would no longer exist.

If Long Gui hadn't taken over, both families might have encountered even more trouble.

Both for public and private reasons, Long Gui is the only suitable candidate.

After discussing business, the two chatted for a while, and naturally the conversation turned to personal matters.

Lu Xiao smelled it curiously:

"Prime Minister, I will be heading south soon. What about Brother Zhou and the others...?"

"Has my son caused you any trouble, Lord Marquis?"

Zhou Kang paused slightly, then smiled and spoke after regaining his senses:

"This child has always been idle and lazy; I wonder if he'll behave himself here."