During this period of time, the situation in China was changing rapidly.
First, Great Xia unexpectedly conquered Annam. While it excited the people, it also caused greater uneasiness in ASEAN. Especially the two countries bordering Annam, Southern Palm and Zhen La were even more terrified. They were afraid that one day Great Xia would wield the butcher's knife against them and start a new round of war.
Then, [Yan Huang Alliance] conquered West Chu, Overlord Xiang Yu fell, and the comet pierced through the sun, causing heated discussion among the people. Then, Di Chen was suddenly promoted to Duke, which was unprecedented.
At this time, the forum suddenly revealed that Xiang Yan, Yu Ji, and the others had appeared in Shanhai City. The dramatic scenes that were constantly changing made the players dazzled and excited.
...
Shanhai City, Summer Palace.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
After settling the fainted Yu Ji, Xiang Yan and the others came to pay their respects under the guidance of Qingyi, a scholar of the Secret Literature Pavilion.
When they bowed, Xiang Yan, Xiang Liang, and Xiang Bo could still look normal, at least on the surface. However, the younger Xiang Zhuang's expression was somewhat unnatural, and his bowing was also very stiff.
It was no wonder. A few days ago, they were still the royal family of West Chu, high and mighty. In the blink of an eye, their country was destroyed, and they became a group of wandering people.
Such a huge gap was not something that anyone could immediately turn around.
When Ouyang Shuo saw this, he didn't think much of it and said, "West Chu is Great Xia's ally and Hegemon Xiang Yu is also someone this king respects. This king is deeply saddened by what happened to West Chu.
When Xiang Yan and the others heard this, their expressions were gloomy. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This time, the Xiang Clan was able to survive in the hands of the enemy, and it is all thanks to Your Majesty. The Xiang Clan will be loyal to the country."
Since things had already developed to this point, Xiang Yan and the others could only accept the reality and did not dare to have any other thoughts. Not to mention that the soul of the clan, Xiang Yu, was dead, even if he was not dead, there was no place for the Xiang Clan in the wilderness.
Making a comeback was just an extravagant hope.
The wilderness of today was no longer the same as it had been a few years ago. The wars between the feudal lords were coming to an end, and the large cake that was the wilderness had been completely divided up, leaving no room for others to step in.
Ouyang Shuo nodded his head in satisfaction when he heard Xiang Yan's pledge of loyalty. If the Xiang Clan really didn't know what was good for them and still held onto the lofty attitude of the Imperial Clan of the past, although Ouyang Shuo wouldn't go to the extent of expelling them, he would at most guarantee them a lifetime of riches and honor. He would absolutely not put them in an important position.
Ouyang Shuo didn't hesitate to bestow a courtyard house with four rooms in the city to the Patriarch of the Xiang Clan, Xiang Yan, on the spot. It would serve as the gateway for the Xiang Clan in Shanhai City.
As early as when Shanhai City was being planned, the Construction Department had followed Ouyang Shuo's request and built several official residences in the vicinity of King's City in preparation for rewarding the ministers in the future.
Every time a historical talent came to him, whether it was a civil official or a military general, or a poet like Li Bai, Ouyang Shuo would bestow them with a house to show that the King was generous.
"Thank you, your majesty!"
Xiang Yan bowed and thanked him, his heart finally at ease.
The current Shanhai City was no less prosperous than Royal City, and some places had even surpassed Royal City. Other than the reserved land for the Emperor, there was no empty space in the city.
The Xiang Clan naturally didn't lack money, but it was extremely difficult for them to purchase a house in Shanhai City that was suitable to their status.
A house in a prime location couldn't be bought even if one had money.
The Xia Dynasty was full of vigor and vigor. The civil and military officials in the imperial court were also hardworking and promising, and there were very few who were demoted. Naturally, it wouldn't be like the capital cities in history, where there would be mansions of sinners left behind.
The only way to do so was through Ouyang Shuo's reward.
After thanking him, Xiang Yan tactfully presented two treasures to Ouyang Shuo. Although they had left Peng City in a hurry, the real treasures of West Chu had been taken away by Xiang Yan and the others.
Ouyang Shuo didn't refuse and nodded to accept it.
At this point, the meeting between the monarch and the minister finally came to an end. As for the position arrangement for Xiang Yan and the others, it would have to wait until the new round of army reorganization.
When they were talking just now, Xiang Yan and Xiang Zhuang expressed their intention to hold a position in the army, but Xiang Liang and Uncle Xiang weren't very enthusiastic. They probably wanted to keep their positions and focus on managing the clan's affairs.
Ouyang Shuo didn't mind. Xiang Yan alone was enough.
Especially Uncle Xiang, even if he wanted to become an official in the Xia Dynasty, Ouyang Shuo wasn't very willing. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang was bestowed with the surname Liu and the title of Marquis of Sheyang to repay Uncle Xiang's kindness in saving his life at the Banquet at Hongmen.
Ouyang Shuo really disdained to care about such a person.
As for the other clansmen of the Xiang Clan, they only needed to follow the normal procedures, and Ouyang Shuo didn't need to personally arrange for them.
… …
After sending off Xiang Yan and the others, Ouyang Shuo was full of emotions. Xiang Yu was still Xiang Yu after all. Even though he had children to worry about, he was still unwilling to submit to others and was unwilling to be under someone else.
There were two items on the table. They were the 'meeting gifts' given by Xiang Yan.
If the Xiang Clan wanted to establish a foothold in the Xia Dynasty, Ouyang Shuo's attitude was extremely crucial. Although Xiang Yan was a fierce general, he had lived for most of his life after all, so he still understood the ways of the world.
The two items that were presented were the two most precious treasures of the Xiang Clan.
[Golden Armor Talisman] (Purple Gold): After use, it can form a protective golden light outside the body, immune to all physical attacks. Lasts for half an hour, effective range of 5000 people.
[Jiangdong Warrior Summon Card] (Purple Gold): One-time consumable. After use, it can summon 10,000 Jiangdong Warrior to assist in battle. Lasts for 12 hours.
These two treasures could indeed display miraculous effects if used properly. Ouyang Shuo kept them in his storage bag.
Over the next few days, as the situation in Annan gradually stabilized, other than the Dragon Xiang Army that was ordered to guard Annan, the other expeditionary forces gradually returned to their respective encampments.
The Flying Bear Army was rather special. They would retreat to the Yunnan Province through the border tunnel, then travel all the way north and move their encampment to Shu's Qiang County. There, the commander of the Flying Bear Army, Li Jing, had been waiting for a long time.
That tunnel would continue to be widened and become an important link between the Annan Province and the mainland.
In the battle of Annan, a total of 480,000 imperial guards and 150,000 soldiers from the territorial army in Haifang City were captured. After eliminating the wounded and unqualified soldiers, there were still 57 prisoners of war waiting to be reorganized.
Although the battle results were plentiful, the expeditionary forces also suffered a lot of casualties. Including the navy, the Great Xia expeditionary forces lost a total of 150,000 soldiers in the battle of Annan, which was the largest loss in history.
After calculating the number of soldiers in each department, the actual number of prisoners of war that could be reorganized was about 420,000.
How to reorganize this huge army of prisoners of war had become the top priority of the Privy Council. Ouyang Shuo had to make a decision personally and come up with a plan in advance.
The principle of reorganizing an army was to look at the number gap and strategic positioning.
At present, among the army groups, there was still a gap in the imperial guards and three in the Flying Bear Army. Other than that, the other army groups were all at full strength.
As for the strategic positioning, it was whether to establish the Annan Corps.
After thinking for a few days, Ouyang Shuo finally decided on an army reorganization plan. Apart from filling in the three corps of the Flying Bear Army, the gap in the imperial guards would not be filled for the time being.
All the army groups had suffered losses in this battle, and the new reinforcements had weakened their combat power to a certain extent. As such, it was inadvisable to mobilize elite soldiers to form the imperial guard corps.
Ouyang Shuo assigned the remaining three corps to the Annan Corps.
Ouyang Shuo naturally had his reasons for doing so. In order to control ASEAN, it was not enough to just take down Annan. Ouyang Shuo planned to continue westward and take down Southern Palm and Zhen La in one fell swoop.
This was also the reason why Ouyang Shuo had the Dragon Stallion Army move their headquarters to the Annan Province.
Compared to Annan's eight million players, Zhen La only had 1.2 million, and Southern Palm only had 600,000. The two countries added together were not even a quarter of Annan's.
With Bai Qi overseeing things, the Dragon Stallion Army and the Annan Corps alone were enough to sweep through the two countries. There was no need for the headquarters to send reinforcements from afar.
The cost of transporting troops by sea was still very high.
At this time, the benefits of taking down Annan became apparent. With the Annan Province as a bridgehead, both the transfer of troops and logistics could be settled in Annan. There was no need for a long expedition.
This alone could save them millions of gold coins in military expenses.
In addition to the reorganization of the army, Ouyang Shuo also issued an order to establish the southwest war zone. The commander of this war zone would be the Dragon Stallion Army's Bai Qi, with the Dragon Stallion Army and the Annan Corps under him.
In this way, the structure of the army had been adjusted and Bai Qi was given greater military authority. This could also be considered a reward for Bai Qi's campaign in Annan.
After finalizing the reorganization plan, a series of appointments and removals of generals were also announced.
An imperial edict appointed Xiang Yan as the commander of the Third Corps of the Flying Bear Army. As a famous general of the Chu Kingdom, Xiang Yan had no objections to being appointed as the commander upon his arrival.
The former commander of the First Division of the Third Corps of the Stalwart Tiger Army, Song Wu, was promoted to the commander of the Fourth Corps of the Flying Bear Army. Song Wu had been a commander for several years, and after some consideration, Ouyang Shuo decided to promote him.
This could also be considered a consolation for the Song Clan.
The former commander of the First Corps of the Imperial Guard, Lei Jingtian, was promoted to the commander of the Fifth Corps of the Flying Bear Army. Lei Jingtian had long been promoted to a king-level general, becoming another valiant general of the barbarians after Shi Hu.
This promotion was because Lei Jingtian was indeed worthy of great responsibility, and also because of Ouyang Shuo's care for the Mountain Barbarians.
Xue Rengui, who was the deputy commander of the Third Corps of the Imperial Guard, was directly promoted to the commander of the Annan Corps, ushering in a huge leap.
Pei Xingjian, a famous general of the Great Tang, was also promoted to the commander of the First Corps of the Annan Corps.
The surrendered general of the Annan Corps, Li Li, was appointed as the commander of the Second Corps of the Annan Corps.
This arrangement, in addition to Li Li's own ability, was also to appease the people of Annan and the prisoners of war, and to show that Great Xia treated everyone equally.
Xiang Yu's cousin, Xiang Zhuang, was appointed as the commander of the Third Corps of the Annan Corps.
In historical records, Xiang Zhuang's reputation was not prominent. Apart from showing his face once at the Hongmen Banquet, he was basically invisible. His ability to lead troops was not very outstanding.
Xiang Zhuang was appointed as the commander because of Ouyang Shuo's care for the Xiang Clan.
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