On the fifth day of the first month of the second year of Gaia, Mu Lanyue visited Shanhai City.
Before coming, Mu Lanyue had already informed Ouyang Shuo in advance. Therefore, Ouyang Shuo's reception was very grand. All four Division Chiefs were present, including Du Ruhui and Bai Qi, who had just rushed back from the Western City Barracks.
Ouyang Shuo even invited the members of the Shanhai Alliance to witness this historic moment.
Under Fan Zhongyan's leadership, Mulan County officially withdrew from the Shanhai Alliance and dissolved its alliance with the other allies. It became a member of the Shanhai Territory, and all external affairs would be decided by the Shanhai Territory.
Mu Lanyue and Ouyang Shuo signed a contract, changing their alliance to one of subordination.
Mulan County was officially renamed Mulan City.
Mulan Prefecture was established, encompassing the original Mulan County and three subsidiary counties, with Mulan City as its administrative center.
Ouyang Shuo, in the name of the Marquis of Lian Province, officially appointed Mu Lanyue as the prefect of Mulan Prefecture. At the same time, he appointed the various Division Chiefs of Mulan Prefecture.
At this point, the Mulan Mansion had become one with the Mountain Sea Territory, both legally and practically.
In addition to dealing with Mulan Prefecture, Ouyang Shuo also made arrangements for Mu Lanyue.
Mu Lanyue was a first-grade Earl, the second highest noble in the territory after Ouyang Shuo. Therefore, in addition to being a prefect, Mu Lanyue would also enjoy a series of privileges as a noble.
Official positions would change, and she would be governed by the Marquis of Lian Province, but the privileges of a noble were permanent.
Ouyang Shuo designated Mulan Prefecture as Mu Lanyue's permanent fief. Twenty percent of Mulan Prefecture's monthly revenue would be transferred to Mu Lanyue's personal account for her expenses.
In addition, the Construction Division would also build a Earl Mansion in Shanhai City and Mulan City for Mu Lanyue to live in, so as to highlight her noble status and match her status.
Ouyang Shuo's arrangements ensured that Mu Lanyue's personal interests would not be infringed upon. At the end of the game, when the system calculated the achievement points, Mu Lanyue would receive sufficient achievement points.
Bai Hua and the others were dazzled and lost in thought.
"Wuyi is really putting in a lot of effort this time!"
"Yeah, I'm a little envious of Yue Yue. As a noble in the Shanhai Territory, she doesn't have to worry about military or political affairs. and the treatment she enjoys is no different from that of a feudal lord. She's living like a deity! "
"…"
"If those little lords who signed a contract with Wuyi knew how Yueyue was treated, would they be so envious that they would vomit blood? The difference between the two is like heaven and earth!"
"How could that be the same? Yueyue is a member of the Mountain and Sea Alliance!
"That's right, they can't be compared!"
"I say, that's enough. Even if you want to suck up to Yue Yue, you don't have to be so explicit, right?"
"…"
Not to mention Bai Hua and the others, even Mu Guiying and the other old subordinates of Mulan County were relieved to see their lord enjoying such treatment. Their rejection of the Mountain Sea Territory had basically disappeared.
After the ceremony was over, the members of the Alliance of Mountains and Seas dispersed.
Ouyang Shuo had Mu Guiying stay behind to discuss the reorganization of the army. Mu Lanyue obediently left the conference hall. She was only the magistrate of Mulan Prefecture and had no right to interfere with military affairs.
Mulan City was a third-class county, and its military establishment was the same as that of Shanhai City. Each of the three affiliated counties had a city defense camp, so there was no need to reorganize them.
Their headquarters in Mulan City currently had four brigades with a total of 10,000 soldiers. The four brigades included a cavalry brigade, a saber and shield brigade, and two archer brigades.
Ouyang Shuo's plan was to recruit soldiers from the reserve forces of Mulan City and form the Fourth Division of Shanhai City with the existing four brigades as the foundation.
Mu Guiying would be the commander of the newly formed Fourth Division.
In this way, the Fourth Division would be separated from Mulan Prefecture and would be led by General Bai Qi and the military office. Correspondingly, the Fourth Division's pay would also be distributed by Marquis Lianzhou's Mansion.
The pay that Mu Lanyue had previously offered could not be compared to the standard of Shanhai City. Presumably, after increasing the pay, the soldiers would have a greater sense of belonging to Shanhai City.
This was also a great benefit to the reorganization of the military office.
After the establishment of the Fourth Division, Shanhai City's field army would have four divisions, with a total of 54000 soldiers, which was just enough to form a corps.
Ouyang Shuo had no plans to form a corps for the time being.
Whether it was in the military or in the bureaucracy, the most important thing was to pay attention to the balance.
If a corps was formed, then General Bai Qi would be the best candidate to lead it. Right now, Bai Qi had no real position. The position of General was just a title, and his main responsibility was to command during wartime.
Once Bai Qi became the corps commander, the situation would change fundamentally. Bai Qi would control all the field army in his territory, which was undoubtedly a huge challenge for Du Ruhui, who had just taken office.
Ouyang Shuo was naturally not worried that Bai Qi would have any rebellious thoughts, but he had fought for a good environment for Du Ruhui with great difficulty, so he naturally would not personally bury her.
Only after Du Ruhui led the military office and re-established her authority in the army would Ouyang Shuo consider forming a corps. At that time, a new balance would naturally be formed.
Of course, whether it was Bai Qi or Du Ruhui, they could not get around Ouyang Shuo. Ouyang Shuo was the absolute authority and supreme commander of the army, and no one could surpass him.
Back to the main topic.
The Fourth Division was also a mixed infantry and cavalry division, somewhat similar to the First Division.
As for the Fourth Division's encampment, it was chosen to be at Southern Guard Pass.
Thinking of Southern Guard Pass, Ouyang Shuo felt a headache.
The current Southern Guard Pass was too small, and it was close to the basin, which was not conducive to scouting outside.
"Does anyone have any suggestions regarding Southern Guard Pass?" Ouyang Shuo asked.
Apart from Mu Guiying, only General Bai Qi and the Director of Military Affairs Du Ruhui attended the meeting.
Du Ruhui had just arrived and did not know much about the territory, especially the area around Southern Guard Pass. He tactfully remained silent and did not express his opinion.
Bai Qi had arrived a bit earlier than Du Ruhui, but Southern Guard Pass was within Mulan City's territory. Although Bai Qi had heard of it, he had not personally investigated it, so he naturally would not easily express his opinion.
The only one who could answer Ouyang Shuo was Mu Guiying.
Mu Guiying's expression was solemn, and she looked valiant and heroic. She naturally had the most right to speak about Southern Guard Pass. Even more subtly, this was the first time the Marquis was examining her, so she had to bring out some of her own abilities.
Mu Guiying was worthy of being called a heroine. She was not inferior to men, and had an unyielding aura.
She first stood up and saluted Ouyang Shuo, then cupped her fists at Bai Qi and Du Ruhui, and said in a clear voice, "North of Southern Guard Pass is the boundary of Xun Province, and also the birthplace of the Kingdom of Tianping's uprising. There is no doubt that the Kingdom of Tianping will be a formidable enemy in the future. Thus, this general believes that we should find a suitable foothold in Xun Province and use it as a stronghold before the enemy gains a firm foothold. Only in this way can we attack when advancing and defend when retreating. "
"As for the current Southern Guard Pass, the pass is old. If we station a large number of troops there, it will be enough to resist the enemy's attack and ensure that Lianzhou County will not be lost. However, Southern Guard Pass is too close to the basin. To the north of Southern Guard Pass, there is a canyon that is several hundred meters long. Once we pass through the canyon, we will reach the boundary of Xun Province. This general once went out of seclusion to investigate, and the canyon becomes wider the further north we go. When we reach the northern exit, it is actually over a hundred meters wide. If the enemy builds a large checkpoint on the northern side, it will be enough to block our army's path to the north and turn us into turtles in a jar. "
Ouyang Shuo nodded. Everything had its pros and cons. While Southern Guard Pass guarded Lianzhou Basin, it also became an insurmountable obstacle in the basin's communication with the outside world.
Mu Guiying continued, "This general's suggestion is to build a large military stronghold on the northernmost side of the canyon. We will use it as a stronghold and station a large number of troops there. Outside the stronghold is a vast expanse of flat land. We can attack Xun Province at any time. "
A military stronghold and a checkpoint were two completely different concepts.
A checkpoint's main function was to collect customs and was a passageway.
The military fortress was different. It was a small city with complete facilities and permanent fortifications. It was suitable for long-term defense.
Attacking a checkpoint was easy, but attacking a stronghold was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Mu Guiying's suggestion coincided with Ouyang Shuo's. He smiled and said, "Very well, we will do as General says. We will build a military stronghold at the mouth of the canyon. The name of the stronghold will be Mulan Stronghold, and Mulan Manor will be responsible for its construction. The Fourth Division will be stationed at Mulan Stronghold. "
"Yes, Sir!"
After deciding on the general direction, the military administration would be in charge of the specific reorganization of the army. The design and construction of Mulan Stronghold would also be completed by the various departments. Ouyang Shuo didn't need to worry about it.
With Tianping Heavenly Kingdom's momentum of development, there was still enough time to build Mulan Stronghold.
Ouyang Shuo wanted to know what the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's army would think when they arrived at the mouth of the canyon and saw the magnificent stronghold in front of them.
Speaking of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it was about time for them to make a move. He just didn't know which territory would be unlucky enough to become Hong Xiuquan's first target.
Ouyang Shuo left Mu Guiying and the other two behind to discuss the specific reorganization of the army. He walked out of the main hall alone and found Mu Lanyue, who was still in the manor. He led her to the study.
To be honest, Ouyang Shuo really didn't expect that Mu Lanyue would be so decisive. Before he even opened his mouth, she had already taken the initiative to propose the merger. This made him feel less awkward.
It was precisely because of this that Ouyang Shuo was more intimate with Mu Lanyue.
The impression that Mu Lanyue gave Ouyang Shuo before was that she was naive with a hint of black-bellied.
After this matter, Ouyang Shuo had a whole new level of respect for Mu Lanyue.
On the surface, Mu Lanyue was still so carefree. She followed Ouyang Shuo into the study and looked around. She was completely a curious little girl.
Seeing this scene, Ouyang Shuo could only shake his head and sigh.
Ouyang Shuo had high hopes for Mu Lanyue. He hoped that Mu Lanyue's vision wouldn't be limited to a small place like Mulan Manor.
In the future, her territory would be incomparably vast.
Ouyang Shuo hoped that Mu Lanyue would be able to forge ahead and become a county governor. (To be continued.)
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