The Imperial Court had established the Northern Frontier Protectorate not only because Ouyang Shuo needed to promote Baihua and the other three, but also because of the strategic needs of the dynasty. It was not purely for the sake of promotion or for the sake of establishment.
For example, the Northern Frontier was far from the center of the dynasty. Although there were transportation formations, it was still inconvenient. Thus, it was necessary to establish a regional organization to coordinate the military and political affairs of the various provinces.
Thus, the Protectorate came into being.
Seeing Lao Ai's eagerness, Ouyang Shuo had to pour cold water on him. "Establishing a Protectorate is a good thing, but there is one thing I must say up front. I hope you can understand."
"Please speak!"
"The ministers of the court have already mentioned to me that the feudal officials cannot serve in one place for a long time, so there is a three-year term limit. They cannot serve in the place where they are based. In other words, they have to serve in a different place."
At this point, Lao Ai's expression became somewhat awkward.
Even so, Ouyang Shuo still had to make things clear to avoid further misunderstandings. "My original intention was for Lao Ai to be the Northern Frontier Protector-General, but since the Imperial Cabinet couldn't get through, I can only trouble you for the time being."
"It's fine."
Although Lao Ai still felt a little embarrassed, Ouyang Shuo's explanation made him feel a little better.
"You don't need to be discouraged. To tell you the truth, once the Imperial Court defeats the Tufan Empire, they will establish a Protectorate of the Western Frontier, and the position of Protector-General will be yours."
In order to prevent Lao Ai from overthinking things, Ouyang Shuo had no choice but to reveal the Imperial Court's plans ahead of time.
He had called the four of them together precisely to dispel the doubts in their hearts and prevent them from suspecting each other and causing any unhappiness.
"Don't worry, I understand."
With Ouyang Shuo's promise, Lao Ai was completely convinced and no longer had any complaints.
"That's good!"
Ouyang Shuo smiled brightly.
In truth, requesting to serve in a different place was both the intention of the court officials and Ouyang Shuo himself. He had long believed that one person could be trusted, but he had to take precautions.
Although it seemed contradictory, it was actually the way to use people.
Lao Ai had been entrenched in the north for a long time. Once he became the Northern Frontier Protector-General, who knew what would happen?
At this point, the Northern Frontier Protector-General could only be chosen between Baihua, Magnolia, and the Siege Lion. Magnolia was stationed overseas and could not leave for the time being, so she could also be excluded.
Between a White Birch and a Siege Lion, Ouyang Shuo chose the Siege Lion.
It wasn't that Ouyang Shuo placed more importance on the Siege Lion. On the contrary, it was just that Ouyang Shuo had higher expectations for Baihua. He had long since prepared for her and was just waiting for the right time.
Ouyang Shuo looked at the Siege Lion and said with a smile, "I'll have to trouble you to oversee the Northern Border Protectorate!"
When the Siege Lion heard this, he was a little surprised. In terms of seniority, Mu Lanyue was the most senior, and Bai Hua was the strongest. How could it be him?
However, since Ouyang Shuo had already decided, the Siege Lion didn't refuse. He stood up and bowed, then said, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. I will definitely do my best to guard the northern border for the royal court."
Ouyang Shuo smiled, "Of course I believe you!"
With that, everyone laughed, sweeping away the awkwardness from before. Through this open and honest conversation, the five of them seemed to have become closer again.
Since growth was inevitable and inevitable, everyone had to learn to adapt to each other and constantly adjust their relationships. This was also a sign of maturity.
Otherwise, it would be fake maturity.
After the group talk, Ouyang Shuo had a private conversation with Bai Hua and Mu Lanyue. The main point was to point out in advance where they would be assigned in the future so that the two of them could have a mental preparation.
It wasn't that Ouyang Shuo was favoring one and discriminating against the other.
"It's hard being a parent!"
Ouyang Shuo, as the parent of Great Xia, had to learn to be fair at all times.
… …
The next morning, Bai Hua and Mu Lanyue left the capital city.
Lao Ai didn't leave because his position needed to be shifted. If Lao Ai was still the Northern Border Governor, there would be a huge difference between the two of them.
In order to avoid embarrassment for Lao Ai, Ouyang Shuo decided to transfer him to Jiangchuan Province after discussing with Lao Ai, taking over the position of Jiangchuan Governor-General from Siege Lion.
The new Northern Border Governor, Ouyang Shuo chose the Changsha County Governor, Han Qi.
As a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, Han Qi had been the Prime Minister for ten years and assisted three dynasties. In the imperial court, he planned strategies and made the court clear and the people happy. In the local government, he was loyal and diligent.
Han Qi could be said to be a model bureaucrat. He was as famous as Fu Bi and was known as "Fu Han".
By the way, Fu Bi had also defected to Great Xia and was currently serving as the Hanzhong County Governor in the Shu Province.
The Siege Lion didn't leave because Ouyang Shuo still had to tell him about the deployment of the imperial court in the Liaojin Province. Although the Liaojin Governor, Huo Guang, was in charge of this matter, the Siege Lion also had to understand and supervise.
There were three main definitions of the imperial court for the Liaojin Province.
First, it was a large province that supplied iron ore and coal.
The Jin Kingdom had limited mining technology and lacked craftsmen. It was a treasure land but didn't know how to develop it. In the hands of Great Xia, it was naturally different.
In the future, the Liaojin Province would become one of the main iron ore suppliers of the dynasty.
Second, it was the core pasture of the dynasty.
Great Xia was located in the south and only had sporadic small pasture. It was unable to form a large scale and had already become a hindrance to the development of the dynasty's cavalry.
With the vast grasslands of the Liaojin Province, the situation would be very different.
The Green Beetle Horses, Mongolian Horses, Ili Horses, and other high quality warhorses bred by Great Xia would be established in the Vast Gold Province to provide the dynasty with an endless supply of high quality warhorses.
Half of the millions of horses captured this time would continue to be grazed, so as to select the best of the best.
Third, it was a place where nomadic civilization and agricultural civilization mixed together.
Destroying the Jin Kingdom didn't mean destroying the Jurchen race. Nearly six million Jurchen could continue to live in the Liaojin Province, and they would also become one of the main herding groups.
In the future, the Liaojin Province would not only have to breed horses but also develop animal husbandry.
At the same time, the Liaojin Province would also introduce agricultural civilization. It was estimated that millions of Han people would move there and live on the grasslands. While developing agriculture, they would vigorously develop industry and mining.
The integration of ethnic groups was also a major feature of the Liaojin Province.
Fortunately, Great Xia had accumulated a wealth of experience in this area and could manage it with ease.
Of course, in order to ensure the stability of the Liaojin Province, in addition to the establishment of the Liaojin Garrison Division, the Northern Frontier Army led by Yue Fei would also move their headquarters to Huining Prefecture to guard the northern frontier.
All in all, the Liaojin Province was a treasure land, but it also needed to be developed step by step. It was inevitable that a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources would be invested in the early stages.
When the Siege Lion got up and went to Wanshi City to take up his post and prepare to establish the Northern Frontier Protectorate, a new round of army reorganization in Great Xia had just begun.
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