"My Lord, you must be tough on this matter."
Seeing that South of Rosy Clouds was a little hesitant, Zhang Liang immediately persuaded her with a firm attitude.
Zhang Liang knew that if the two fortresses could not be completed in a short time, all the previous achievements would be rootless and difficult to sustain.
"I understand."
South of Rosy Clouds nodded and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Zi Fang. I will find a way to persuade everyone." But her smile was a little forced.
"In fact, this is not a bad thing for my Lord." Seeing this, Zhang Liang comforted her and said, "My lord, as long as you facilitate this matter, not only in the city-state of Xiangnan, but also in the territory of the two major provinces, you will have a certain prestige, which will be of great help to your future actions."
Hearing this, South of Rosy Clouds' eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "Since you say so, even if I have to sacrifice my face, I will handle this matter properly."
In the end, the more sophisticated a person was, the greater his potential ambition was.
Zhang Liang's words hit the nail on the head of South of Rosy Clouds.
Otherwise, how could Zhang Liang be called a Master Strategist?! He could put forward different views according to the character and weakness of the Lord, so as to achieve the purpose of persuading the Lord to accept the advice.
In comparison, Fan Zeng and Zhang Liang, who were in the same era, were really worlds apart.
After the discussion, South of Rosy Clouds turned and left.
Zhang Liang looked at the back of South of Rosy Clouds, and a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes.
"In the end, is it still too small?"
In the hall, there was a faint sigh.
…
That afternoon, there was a breakthrough in the talks of the coalition forces.
No one knew how South of Rosy Clouds operated, but in short, the lords generally accepted Zhang Liang's plan and gave up the attempt to divide the spoils.
The gold coins plundered in this battle, in addition to the pension for the dead soldiers, would all be used to build the two fortresses to ensure the safety of Guilin County.
In addition, the lords had also reached an agreement on the number of garrison troops.
Guilin County would maintain a standing army of 150,000. Among them, Xiangnan City-State would send a total of 100,000 troops, and Northern Sichuan Province would send 50,000 troops.
The army would build an indestructible line of defense with the two fortresses as the core.
As for the shortage of soldiers, part of it would be filled by the surrendered soldiers of the Taiping army, and the rest would be shared among the territories.
In order to reach this agreement, South of Rosy Clouds had no choice but to make many concessions on the appointment of officials in Guilin County. As the initiator of this war, Rosy Cloud City had almost zero control over Guilin County.
Correspondingly, because Gu Hen Xiao had contributed General Li Mu, he would have the biggest say in Guilin County. Even the prefectural governor was nominated and appointed by Gu Marked Xiao.
Although the lords did not brutally divide up Guilin County, they did not give up on exerting their influence over it. The transactions and entanglements involved were hard to explain in a short time.
Fortunately, Zhang Liang's plan was basically implemented.
November 24th, Guiping Pass.
Around a quarter to three in the afternoon, the two Mountain Barbarian independent divisions finally arrived at Guiping Pass.
Unfortunately, the battle within the pass had already ended.
What the Mountain Barbarian soldiers saw was only a battered and ruined pass, as well as the several thousand tombstones that had been added to the deep forest outside the pass. They were extremely dazzling under the sunlight.
That afternoon, all of the Mountain Barbarian soldiers rushed to the cemetery to send off their comrades who had died in battle.
Under the setting sun, this scene was especially shocking.
Ouyang Shuo stood on top of the city wall, gazing into the distance. He did not move for the entire afternoon.
The soldiers felt that ever since he learned that the five thousand Mountain Barbarians in Xuan Wu Pass had all died in battle, the Marquis had suddenly become silent. He often gazed into the distance, thinking about something.
This scene also affected the mood of the soldiers in the pass. The entire pass was immersed in a heavy atmosphere, unable to extricate themselves.
Even the soldiers who had rendered meritorious service did not receive the Marquis's commendation according to convention.
When Pei Ju saw this, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.
Logically speaking, as a leader, he should not show his personal emotions, especially his weak side, in front of his subordinates. This kind of behavior would be a heavy blow to the prestige of a leader.
Because for the soldiers, the Marquis was an omnipotent existence.
Any trace of Ouyang Shuo's abnormality would be interpreted by his subordinates, which would then lead to a crisis of trust.
Needless to say, it was such a long period of 'melancholy'.
That night, Pei Ju finally could not bear it anymore. He hurried to Ouyang Shuo's study, preparing to persuade him.
For Pei Ju, this was where his duty lay.
Under the dim light, there was nothing abnormal about Ouyang Shuo's expression. In his hands, he was flipping through a set of blueprints. It was the blueprints of Gui Ping Pass.
"Old subject Pei Ju greets the Marquis!"
Seeing this, Pei Ju bowed slightly.
"You're here? Sit! "
Ouyang Shuo casually raised his head, his voice flat and tasteless, lacking the usual domineering air.
"Marquis …" Pei Ju hesitated to speak.
Ouyang Shuo's bad mood did not mean that his senses were not sharp. Finally, he realized that there was something wrong with this old official's state tonight. Or rather, something was very wrong.
He put down the blueprints and said with a smile, "Grandpa Pei, if you have anything to say, feel free to say it."
"Then, this old subject will be bold," Pei Ju said.
"Go ahead." Ouyang Shuo nodded.
"The dead have passed. The Marquis should put down his burdens, focus on the future, pull himself together, and become a role model for the entire army. A defeat should not have caused the Marquis to be in such dire straits. "
Pei Ju's words were a little blunt, so blunt that Ouyang Shuo blushed with shame.
Hearing this, Ouyang Shuo revealed a bitter smile. "I understand what you mean, Grandpa Pei. However, some things may not be as you think. "
"I'd like to hear the details!" Pei Ju nodded.
"Look!" Ouyang Shuo picked up the blueprints again and said, "I've been thinking about a problem for the past two days. The fall of Guilin County is already an established fact. The problem now is, how should we make up for it? "
"Marquis, what do you mean?"
Pei Ju's eyes gradually flashed with a glimmer.
"Build a fortress!" Ouyang Shuo said resolutely, "With Gui Ping Pass as the foundation, we'll build a large-scale fortress that can rival Mulan Fortress."
Ouyang Shuo's thoughts were exactly the same as Zhang Liang's.
"We can't determine if the enemy still has the ambition to invade Xun Prefecture. No matter what we think, Gui Ping Pass has become the only barrier to the north of our territory. This barrier was bought with the blood and sacrifice of tens of thousands of soldiers. We can't lose it. "
At this point, Ouyang Shuo's emotions fluctuated a little.
"I'm afraid we won't be able to take back Guilin County in a short period of time." A trace of melancholy flashed in Ouyang Shuo's eyes, and he continued, "That's right, we have to station troops in the north of our territory. Since the Leopard Tao Corps led by Han Xin can't be stationed in Guilin County, let them temporarily set up a foundation in this new fortress. "
"That's feasible." Pei Ju nodded in agreement.
"I want you to be responsible for the construction of this fortress. I wonder if you're willing?" Ouyang Shuo asked.
"That's exactly what I want." Pei Ju nodded.
According to Ouyang Shuo's orders, Pei Ju was originally supposed to go to Guilin County. However, the sudden fall of Guilin County suddenly made this old official 'unemployed', and his situation became awkward.
To Pei Ju, the fall of Guilin County was also a stain on his reputation and shame.
Therefore, Pei Ju had long wanted to personally erase this stain. Wasn't being responsible for the construction of the fortress the first step of putting his plan into practice?
If he really had to take up a post in Shanhai City, Pei Ju would probably be a little unwilling.
It had to be said that Ouyang Shuo had a unique vision when it came to using people, and he often hit the nail on the head.
"Should the new fortress be called Gui Ping Fortress?" Pei Ju asked.
"No." Ouyang Shuo shook his head, and a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes, and he said in a low voice, "In Guilin County, in front of Gui Ping Pass, Shanhai City suffered an unprecedented defeat. The glory of the Golden Dragon Banner was tarnished for the first time. How could such an extraordinary humiliation be forgotten in a single day? Therefore, the new fortress shall be called Withered Fortress, to commemorate this great defeat. If you want to avenge this, then pick up this withered glory! "
"Withered Fortress."
Pei Ju muttered these four words, feeling the weight of the weight.
"Since that's the case, I suggest that we carve a huge monument of shame in front of the Withered Fortress to remind the soldiers stationed in the fortress not to forget today's humiliation."
"That's a good suggestion, let's do that." Ouyang Shuo nodded in agreement.
Late at night, the ruler and the official reached an agreement again.
"I'll take my leave!"
Pei Ju looked at the pitch-black night outside the window, stood up, and said goodbye.
"Pei Ju." Just as Pei Ju was about to walk out of the door, Ouyang Shuo's voice came from behind, "I will remember Pei Ju's warning today."
Hearing this, Pei Ju turned around and smiled, "Since the Marquis has such an understanding, I have nothing to worry about."
The ruler and the official looked at each other and smiled.
The next day, Han Xin led the Leopard Tao Corps to Gui Ping Pass.
The three armies finally met at Gui Ping Pass.
Ouyang Shuo naturally had complete trust in Han Xin. Even if the commander of the opposing army was the famous general from the Warring States Period, he would not be able to win against Han Xin.
Han Xin's arrival also meant that it was time for Ouyang Shuo to leave.
Originally, Ouyang Shuo should have arrived in Tianjing City long ago, but because of this incident, he was delayed for several days. He did not know what kind of chain reaction this incident would have on Tianjing City.
Seeing that there was no hope of taking back Guilin County in a short time, Ouyang Shuo could only bear the pain and deal with the matter at hand. That day, Ouyang Shuo, Han Xin, and Pei Ju had a secret discussion for the whole day.
The next day, Gaia Year 2, November 26.
Ouyang Shuo led the Mountain Barbarian army, his face dark, on the road to Tianjing City.
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