After leaving Three River Town, Ouyang Shuo did not stop. He took the guards and the three thousand Divine Martial Guards and traveled day and night, finally returning to Shanhai City on the 22nd day of the eleventh month.
As soon as he returned, there was a bunch of things waiting for him to take care of. The Southern Protectorate Manor that had been quiet for a while became lively again. There were people coming and going and they were all officials from various departments.
Ouyang Shuo arrived at Shanhai City around seven in the morning. After washing up and getting rid of the dust from the journey, he casually ate some breakfast before moving to the study to deal with government affairs.
It was rare to see such a diligent ruler.
In the reception room, the line of officials waiting to see the ruler was already full.
The first people Ouyang Shuo saw were Zhang Yi, the Chamberlain of Dependencies, and the recently appointed Xiahou Dun. The matter they discussed was the cooperation with West Chu.
The envoy sent by the Chamberlain of Dependencies had already returned from Peng City. They brought the goodwill of West Chu's Hegemon Xiang Yu and expressed a strong interest in the cooperation plan proposed by Shanhai City.
"You're saying that West Chu doesn't want to accept gold coins for their coal, but they want us to use weapons and equipment to barter?" Ouyang Shuo asked Zhang Yi.
"Yes."
Ouyang Shuo smiled, "Xiang Yu has a good plan."
West Chu was located to the east of the Central Plains. The north and south were attacked by Di Chen and War Wolves, two player lords. In the west, Emperor Wu of Han was not friendly with West Chu because of historical reasons.
It was not an exaggeration to say that they were surrounded by enemies.
Therefore, even if West Chu obtained gold coins from trade, they would not be able to buy anything. Bartering was the best choice.
"Then, should we reject West Chu?" Zhang Yi asked.
"No." Ouyang Shuo shook his head and smiled, "Why should we reject them? Accept them. "
Ouyang Shuo ordered the Chamberlain of Dependencies to contact West Chu. One was to solve the coal shortage in their territory, and the other was to secretly support West Chu, allowing them to wrestle with Di Chen and War Wolves in the Central Plains!
Selling weapons and equipment was a win-win situation.
Ouyang Shuo ordered Xiahou Dun, "Don't be too strict on the price of weapons and equipment. Just keep 30% of the profits. If necessary, give West Chu a batch of weapons and equipment in advance as a deposit for coal. "
Xiang Yu was a bit greedy. If he did not give him some benefits, Ouyang Shuo was worried that West Chu would be slow in mining coal and affect the production.
"Understood."
It was only when Xiahou Dun took over as head of the War Preparedness Division that he realized the depth of Shanhai City's resources. In comparison, the weapons and equipment of the Three Kingdoms period could not be put on the table at all. They were simply broken copper and rotten armor.
"Ruler, do we need to continue the alliance with West Chu?" Zhang Yi asked.
Xiang Yu's attitude towards this visit was still somewhat reserved. He only agreed to the plan of exchanging coal for equipment, but his attitude towards the alliance between the two forces was ambiguous.
After all, being defeated by Shanhai City's army on the battle map was still a great humiliation to Xiangyu. He could not get over it and was unwilling to let go of his past grudges with Shanhai City.
Ouyang Shuo smiled. "Let nature take its course. There's no need to deliberately make friends."
West Chu is completely controlled by the Xiang Family so the Chamberlain of Dependencies can't do anything about it. Instead of doing something to disgust Xiangyu, it was better to do nothing.
Ouyang Shuo believed that as long as he could taste the sweetness of exchanging coal for equipment, he would not have to worry about Xiang Yu not taking the bait. For West Chu, using a pile of useless "black soil" to exchange for weapons and equipment, there was no better deal than this.
"Understood." Zhang Yi understood tacitly.
Ouyang Shuo suddenly thought of something and said to Xiahou Dun, "That's right, Yuan Rang, after the merger of Lingxi City, the Combat Division has to speed up the deployment of its unique siege equipment industry. Set up production bases in all the major provinces, especially the border areas, to ensure a sufficient supply of siege equipment for the frontlines."
Unlike other prefectures, Lingxi City was once the hegemon of the Yunnan Province and had a very deep foundation. Kunming Prefecture had become the largest prefecture in the territory as soon as it joined Shanhai City.
What was even rarer was that Lingxi City had some special industries, especially in the military industry. It was one of the top military industries in the [Alliance of Mountains and Seas].
This merger would be a very good supplement for the Combat Division's military industry.
Xiahou Dun replied, "Reporting to Ruler, Lingxi City has sent people over to discuss the merger of the military industry. There is already some progress and it is progressing smoothly."
"Is that so?!" Ouyang Shuo smiled. Bai Hua was indeed generous.
At the mention of Bai Hua, Ouyang Shuo thought of something. The other three of the Four Beauties had already arrived at Shanhai City and were waiting for Ouyang Shuo to arrange positions for them.
Some time ago, when Ouyang Shuo was inspecting the three prefectures of Lingxi, Bai Hua had specially sent a letter to Ouyang Shuo to explain the matter. After the merger of Lingxi City, the three sisters were not willing to stay by Bai Hua's side and wanted to show off their talents on the big stage of Shanhai City.
After the merger, Kunming Prefecture had its own system of operations and was also restricted by the 'Territory Code'. The three sisters could no longer do as they pleased in Lingxi City like before.
Since that was the case, it was better to let go.
Ouyang Shuo was naturally very happy to receive the letter. The three sisters were not mediocre people. They would probably be able to find a suitable stage in Shanhai City and shine.
…
After sending Zhang Yi and Xiahou Dun off, Ouyang Shuo asked Bai Nanpu to invite the three sisters over for a chat.
Looking at the secretary's back, Ouyang Shuo suddenly fell into a daze. Counting the time, Bai Nanpu had been by his side for two and a half years. He had been a clerk since the beginning of the first year of Gaia.
Until now, he had been working diligently.
"I should find an opportunity to let him go down and gain some experience," Ouyang Shuo thought.
Just as Ouyang Shuo was in a daze, a seductive female voice sounded from outside the door. "I say, Great Lord, you really are a busy man."
It was: Before the person arrived, the voice came first.
As they spoke, Violet, Red Eagle, and the three sisters in green leisurely walked in.
"The three of you, please take a seat!"
Ouyang Shuo smiled slightly and did not respond to Violet's words. This little vixen was not to be trifled with. If she pestered him, even if he did not die, he would lose a layer of skin.
Seeing Ouyang Shuo in person, the three immediately lost their temper and sat down obediently.
"Bai Hua has mentioned your situation to me. If you have any ideas, feel free to speak. Today, we will speak freely." Ouyang Shuo personally poured tea for the three.
Indeed, the three of them had a share in Lingxi City. The compensation from the merger was not limited to Bai Hua alone. In the future, the three sisters would be rewarded with corresponding titles and fiefs.
"You will agree to any request?" Violet looked at Ouyang Shuo coquettishly.
Ouyang Shuo nodded. "As long as it is reasonable, any request is fine."
"Hypocrite!" Violet muttered. She did not know why, but she had originally been looking forward to meeting Ouyang Shuo. But when she actually saw him, she felt a trace of nameless anger in her heart.
Perhaps it was because the man in front of her was too calm and composed.
"Second Sister!" Green Dress gently tugged on the corner of Violet's clothes and reminded her softly. The other party was no longer an equal ally, but a monarch.
Although they were familiar with each other, they could not be too presumptuous.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, the third sister, Red Eagle, spoke first. "I still want to hold a position in the army."
"Sure." Ouyang Shuo nodded and said, "How about becoming the commander of the Fan Lihua Army's Third Division?"
In the battle of White Stone City, the Fan Lihua Army had suffered heavy losses, and the commander of the Third Division had died in battle.
Red Eagle had originally been the commander of Lingxi City's Imperial Guard Division. Following the merger of Lingxi City, the Imperial Guard Division had temporarily been reorganized into an independent division of the Imperial Guards and placed under the command of the Imperial Guards Commander, Huo Qubing.
In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Red Eagle had already taken the initiative to step down from his position as the commander of the Fan Lihua Army's Third Division. In terms of ability, there was no problem at all.
"This is good!" Red Eagle's eyes lit up. He was not looking for anything else but Fan Lihua. "I've long heard of this female general. I am very willing to serve under General Fan Lihua."
Red Eagle was indeed the style of a soldier. He spoke straightforwardly and even considered himself to be a general.
Ouyang Shuo also smiled when he saw this.
"What about the two of you?" Ouyang Shuo asked Violet and Green Dress.
Violet calmed down a little and said, "You know that I'm best at diplomacy. If possible, it would be best if I could serve in the Chamberlain of Dependencies. "
"That couldn't be better." Ouyang Shuo nodded and said with a smile, "How about this, we will set up an External Publicity Department under the Chamberlain of Dependencies. You will be the director, and you will be mainly responsible for the territory's publicity and diplomacy with the player forces. How about that?"
"I can understand the diplomacy of the player forces, but what do you mean by the territory's publicity?" Violet was a little confused.
The modern society's publicity department was naturally a heavyweight department, but this was an ancient setting. How could they publicize it? Storytelling? Or claptrap?
Ouyang Shuo smiled. "Shanhai City established the 'Shanhai Daily' a long time ago. Unfortunately, it hasn't been operating well. I want to put the 'Shanhai Daily' under the management of the External Publicity Department to strengthen the newspaper's influence in the territory. How about it? Are you confident? "
Violet's eyes lit up. "No problem."
"Then it's settled." Ouyang Shuo nodded and looked at Green Dress. "What about you?"
Green Dress was not only the brain of Lingxi City, but also one of the three female Zhuge Scholars of the wilderness. In his previous life, she was an existence that was as famous as Peerless Elegance. How could Ouyang Shuo look down on this little girl?
"I haven't thought about it yet." Green Dress was a little vexed.
In Lingxi City, Green Dress had always been the brain of the team. She didn't have any specific duties. Now that they were in Shanhai City, the situation was somewhat awkward.
Compared to Lingxi City, Ouyang Shuo had countless capable people around him, and he didn't lack brains. Besides the various chiefs, there was also the Protectorate General, Jia Xu, and recently, Chen Gong.
In comparison, Green Dress didn't have much of an advantage.
Ouyang Shuo frowned when he saw this. After receiving White Birch's letter, he began to think about the arrangements for the three sisters. Violet and Red Eagle's arrangements weren't a last-minute idea.
Otherwise, the position of the commander of the Fan Lihua Corps' Third Division wouldn't have been vacant until now.
Only Green Dress was something Ouyang Shuo couldn't decide on.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
