Gaia Year 5, May 15, Summer Palace.
On this day, Ouyang Shuo's son and daughter were born. According to the cabinet's suggestion, the boy was called Ouyang Yu, because he was born ten minutes earlier, he was fortunate enough to be the elder brother. The girl was called Ouyang Luo, she was the younger sister.
As soon as the news came out, all the officials presented their congratulations.
Ouyang Shuo even took the opportunity to announce a general amnesty. As long as the prisoners of Great Xia didn't commit any heinous crimes, they would all be pardoned and released. This was to show that the king's grace was vast and the whole world was celebrating.
Everlasting Palace.
As he gazed at the pair of fair and tender children in swaddling clothes, Ouyang Shuo revealed a rare gentle smile, and there was both the nervousness of becoming a father for the first time and the joy of having a successor.
No matter if it was Yu 'er or Luo' er, the moment they were born, they were already extraordinary. Both of them had a totem on their right forearm. One was a golden dragon and the other was a fire phoenix.
When the palace maids saw this, they were all shocked speechless.
Zi Su, the head of the female officials, said with a smile, "The Prince and the Princess are indeed dragons and phoenixes among men, born extraordinary."
Ouyang Shuo smiled faintly and said: "Pass down the decree, the birth of the King's heir, all the female officials and palace maids of the Xia Palace will be rewarded according to their ranks."
"Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty!"
Zi Su led a group of female officials to accept the decree and express their gratitude.
Ouyang Shuo waved his hand. Finally, he looked at his wife, who was leaning on the bed, and said with a smile, "Madam, you've worked hard. Have a good rest. I'll go to the front hall first and come back later."
Song Jia smiled gently. "Husband, go and do your work!"
…
Ouyang Shuo rushed to the front hall. Other than receiving the congratulatory greetings from the hundreds of officials, he also wanted to see someone. It was the Annan Governor-General, Hu Zongxian, who had just returned from Hanoi.
It had been 10 days since the end of the Annan War. Although the trauma of the war couldn't be healed immediately, the turmoil caused by the war had gradually subsided.
Hu Zongxian wanted to personally report to His Majesty on how to govern the Annan Province.
In addition, Hu Zongxian had also brought a batch of treasures, which were obtained from raiding all the treasuries in King City, including the treasury of Coastal Defense City. All the valuable items had already been transported to the capital.
Just in time for the birth of the heir to the throne, Hu Zongxian could be considered to have touched a good fortune. In the coming days, the governors of all the provinces would come to the capital one by one to congratulate him on this matter.
Among the items confiscated, there was no need to mention the gold, silver, and jewels. As for how to deal with them, the cabinet had its own rules and regulations. There was no need for Ouyang Shuo to worry about it. Naturally, Hu Zongxian only presented two of the rarest treasures.
[Thousand Year Ginseng] (Purple Gold): Top-grade medicinal ingredient that can also be used as a tonic.
Although the introduction was short, it was a truly rare item. It just so happened that Song Jia had just given birth and needed to stop. This thousand-year-old ginseng came at just the right time.
[Truth Listener Talisman] (Purple Gold): Can inquire about a specific person's conversation at a specific time.
Legend had it that Truth Listener was a divine beast that lay beneath Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's scripture table. It could recognize everything in the world through listening, especially when it came to listening to people's hearts.
This was simply a divine tool for eavesdropping, and it could be used in crucial situations.
After accepting the two treasures presented by Hu Zongxian, Ouyang Shuo began to explain his plans for the Annan Province. The first sentence he said made Hu Zongxian excited, "The Annan Province is just a transition. In the future, after conquering South Palm and Chenla, the three regions will merge into one province. I have even thought of a name, it will be called Hanoi Province."
After a pause, Ouyang Shuo said, "Ru Zhen, do well in Annan, don't let me down." The meaning behind his words was already very clear. The future governor of Hanoi would definitely be Hu Zongxian.
If the three regions were to really merge, Hanoi Province would be ranked among the top three provinces in terms of area and strategic position. Naturally, the status of the governor of Hanoi would also rise along with it.
"I will definitely sacrifice my life to repay the king's kindness!" Hu Zongxian solemnly nodded.
"The tunnel connecting Annan and Yunnan is the lifeline of the inland and ASEAN. You have to pay attention to it and cooperate with Yunnan Province. Use this as an opportunity to open up a trade route." Ouyang Shuo continued to instruct.
One end of the tunnel was connected to Yunnan Province's Mengding County and the other to Annan Province's Gaoping County. Hence, it was named Menggao Tunnel. Whether it was Mengding County or Gaoping County, they were both mountainous areas with rugged mountain roads. To really open up a trade route for both sides was not an easy task and required a lot of manpower and resources.
"In terms of finances, the imperial court will provide a certain amount of support. As for the specific operation, it will require the two governors to personally coordinate." Ouyang Shuo reassured Hu Zongxian.
"I understand!"
Hu Zongxian was fearless. He was a person who did practical things and was not afraid of difficulties.
"In addition, the Annan Province has to play the role of a middleman to mediate the relationship between the dynasty and the ASEAN countries, especially Johor, Siam, and other countries. You have to focus on appeasing them and exchanging trade routes to let them feel the dynasty's sincerity. You must not allow the ASEAN countries to become one."
Since Great Xia had no intention of doing so, it was impossible for them to really make all the ASEAN countries kneel down. Wouldn't that mean offending everyone? "Appeasing one group and suppressing another group" was the way of the king.
This point, Ouyang Shuo had to clearly explain to Hu Zongxian to prevent any mishaps.
Hu Zongxian listened and silently noted it down.
Apart from the above three points, the rest were minor details. Even if Ouyang Shuo didn't mention it, the cabinet would also worry about it. In the worst case scenario, Hu Zongxian could still improvise in Annan.
…
Over the next two days, Ouyang Shuo received a steady stream of congratulations. Some came personally, such as Lin Jing, Xie Siyun, and the others. Some sent representatives, such as Feng Qiuhuang.
Most of the congratulatory messages were sent through letters, such as Bloody Romance.
Of course, among the congratulatory crowds, there were also people with other intentions. They were the leaders of some large guilds, but they came for the satellite cities of Annan.
According to the usual practice, Great Xia would hold an auction for the satellite cities and make a huge profit.
Apart from introducing the guilds of the satellite cities, Ouyang Shuo also intended to attract a group of adventurer players to settle down in the Annan Province in order to spread the Han culture and expand its influence.
All in all, Tianshan Sea City was extraordinarily lively these few days.
At this moment, a series of system announcements were suddenly heard, stirring up the atmosphere.
"System Announcement: Congratulations to player Di Chen for becoming the second lord in the China server to be promoted to a capital city. The reward is 90,000 achievement points. Congratulations!"
…
"World Announcement: Congratulations to player Di Chen from the China server for becoming the third lord in the world to be promoted to a capital city. The reward is 100,000 achievement points and 150,000 reputation points. Congratulations!"
…
With the announcement, Di Chen was in the limelight.
In less than ten days, Di Chen completed the capital city promotion mission. It was a godly speed. Just as everyone was in awe of Handan City's promotion speed, another system announcement sounded, catching everyone off guard.
"System Announcement: The second capital city in the China server has been born, triggering the battle system. The ninth battle, the Battle of Cliff Mountain, will officially begin in three days. Please look forward to it. Friendly reminder: The Battle of Cliff Mountain is a non-mandatory battle scenario mission. Only territories that have been promoted to a Level 3 County City are eligible to participate. "
…
It was already the 17th of May, and the month of war was approaching in June. However, a battle was triggered at this time. Even Di Chen was caught off guard by this sudden change.
"Gaia is really capricious!"
Ouyang Shuo, who was receiving the visiting envoy at the Xia Palace, shook his head helplessly.
When it came to this battle, there were many things that could be said about it. Strictly speaking, the Battle of Cliff Mountain was not a grand or exciting battle.
In a sense, there was nothing special about this battle.
If that was the case, why did Gaia choose the Battle of Cliff Mountain as the most representative battle of the entire Song Dynasty? There was no other reason than this battle was related to the inheritance of the Chinese civilization.
The Battle of Cliff Mountain? Also known as the Battle of Cliff Mountain, it was a large scale naval battle between the Song Dynasty and the Mongolian army on Cliff Mountain in 1279 AD. It was also a rare naval battle in ancient China.
As this battle was directly related to the survival of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was also the decisive battle between the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty.
The outcome of the battle was that the Yuan Dynasty won, and the Song Dynasty was completely destroyed. When the Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed, the Prime Minister Lu Xiufu carried the Young Emperor Zhao Kuang and committed suicide by jumping into the sea. Many loyal officials followed him, and 100,000 soldiers and civilians jumped into the sea to die for the country.
After this battle, the Zhao Song Dynasty fell completely. At the same time, it also meant that the remaining forces of the Southern Song Dynasty were completely destroyed. The Yuan Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty finally unified the whole of China.
Since then, China was completely conquered by the nomadic tribes in the north for the first time.
The fall of the Southern Song Dynasty was definitely not a simple change of dynasty. It was a fall of the country, marking the end of the classical era of China. Some people thought that this naval battle marked the decline and fall of the classical Chinese civilization. There was a saying, "After Cliff Mountain, there was no China."
The Battle of Cliff Mountain caused a break in the Chinese civilization that had been passed down for thousands of years. It had a far-reaching impact and lasted until today. The form of civilization in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was very different from before.
The fall of the Song Dynasty also caused China's attempt to change from an agricultural empire to a commercial society to a bubble. It was because the Song Dynasty tried to give up the centralized form of an agricultural empire that it continued to be weak militarily.
With the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, the independent development of China was interrupted. The once highly developed economy, culture, technology, the bureaucratic system that combined the imperial examination with the aristocratic families, the limited imperial power, and the advanced political system were all interrupted. The Yuan Dynasty, ruled by the backward Mongols, began to implement a closed, conservative system that focused on light industry and commerce and concentrated more power. The Confucianism of Cheng and Zhu became the main content of the imperial examination and the official ideology of the government. The Ming Dynasty, which overthrew the Mongols and established the Mongols, took a conservative and closed path.
With such a far-reaching impact, the Battle of Cliff Mountain was destined to be recorded in the annals of history.
It was not difficult to understand why Gaia chose to play out this battle. Similarly, the so-called Battle of Cliff Mountain could not bear the elements of an epic battle. Presumably, Gaia would consider it.
Perhaps, the Battle of Cliff Mountain in the game would be a reenactment of the great war.
As for the specifics, it would only be known after the battle began. Before that, it had already caused a certain amount of confusion for Ouyang Shuo and the other feudal lords, including the choice of faction and army.
In other words, would Gaia set the opposing faction in this battle? Or would it be the same as the Battle of Mobei in the Western Han Dynasty, placing all the feudal lords in the same faction?
Would the main battlefield be on land, or would it be a naval battle like in history?
These uncertainties meant that this would be a very interesting battle.
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