After Zhang Liang left, South of Rosy Clouds wrote two letters.
One was sent to Ouyang Shuo as a letter of surrender. The other was sent to Lord Chunshen, secretly informing him of the surrender. South of Rosy Clouds was playing on both sides. It was truly cunning.
…
Shanhai City, Xia Palace.
After receiving South of Rosy Clouds' letter of surrender, Ouyang Shuo faintly smiled, "At least you know when to advance and when to retreat."
Just as Zhang Liang had predicted, since the South of Rosy Clouds was willing to surrender, then Ouyang Shuo would naturally not treat them unfairly, and it saved him a great deal of trouble.
Following the surrender of Rosy Cloud City, the situation in Xiangnan Province was basically settled. Under the attack of the Second Imperial Guard Corps and the Fifth Leopard Army Corps, it was only a matter of time before the entire North Sichuan Province was conquered.
In addition to Shu, which was already in the pocket of Great Xia, the entire southwest region was under the jurisdiction of Great Xia.
If they were to include the Jiangchuan Province that was going to be incorporated into Great Xia's rule sooner or later, the Great Xia Kingdom's territory would be doubled, and the empire's strength would rise to a new level.
Of course, in order to completely digest all the provinces, Great Xia still needed some time to adjust.
Since the situation in the southwest had been settled, Ouyang Shuo's other backup plans could follow suit.
"Guards!"
"Here!"
"Order the Third Imperial Guard Corp to immediately teleport to Wanshi City and coordinate with the Wanshi Corps and the Fourth Leopard Corp to attack the western part of Zhangwu County and conquer the entire county."
"Yes, sir!"
Before setting out to sea, Ouyang Shuo was most worried about Hardstone City.
Since Wanshi City had already submitted to Great Xia, Ouyang Shuo had to ensure the strategic safety of Wanshi City. Apart from establishing the coastal fleet, the most important thing was to expand the strategic depth of Wanshi City.
Presently, Wan Shi City and Handan City each occupied half of Zhangwu County. In this way, Handan City's army could threaten the safety of Wan Shi City at any time. This is something Ouyang Shuo could not tolerate.
Once they conquered the entire Zhangwu County, not only would Hardstone City own two counties and gain valuable space for development, but the border with Handan City would also be reduced to one-fifth of its current size.
With such a narrow border, as long as the fortifications were built and one or two field legions were stationed, it would be enough to ensure the safety of Hardstone City.
In the battle of Swordsman City, the 50,000 elites of Handan City were completely annihilated.
Right now, Handan City has to defend against Luo Feng City in the west and West Chu in the south. Their military strength is stretched thin and no matter what, they will not be able to stop the attack of the Great Xia.
If Di Chen was smart enough, he would have taken the initiative to give up the western part of Zhangwu County and draw a border with Hardstone City.
…
October 17th, Naughty Stone City.
Around ten o 'clock in the morning, Lu Bu led his troops to Wan Shi City. Without stopping, he headed straight for Zhangwu County.
Every move of the Great Xia Imperial Guards was under the watch of the [Yan Huang Alliance]. As soon as Lü Bu's army appeared in Hardstone City, the [Imperial Wind] knew about it and quickly reported it to Lord Di Chen.
When Di Chen got the report, his face became serious. "The old fox finally wants to kill us."
The moment Lian Po escaped back to Handan City, Di Chen had a bad premonition. After discussing it with Peerless Elegance, this feeling of unease became even stronger.
But at that time, Di Chen was not sure where the League of Mountains and Seas would launch their attack. It seemed that Wan Shi City, Luo Feng City, or West Chu were all possible.
It was not until the Great Xia Imperial Guards were teleported to Hardstone City that the situation became clear.
"Tell me, does the old fox only want half of Zhangwu County this time, or does he want to kill us?"
Thinking of this, Di Chen's whole body stiffened, and an inexplicable trace of fear grew in his heart. The destruction of Swordsman City was tantamount to tearing a hole in the [Yan Huang Alliance], forcing Di Chen and the others to face the bloody truth.
"In this battle for supremacy in the wilderness, even the noble members of the [Yan Huang Alliance] can't stay out of it."
Before this, the [Yan Huang Alliance] did not need to confront the Great Xia Dynasty head-on, which was equivalent to wearing a golden kasaya. As the scattered lords of the wilderness were gradually destroyed, this kasaya could no longer protect the [Yan Huang Alliance].
Thus, the golden body of invincibility was broken.
This was the source of Di Chen's fear. The sudden pressure almost made him lose his footing.
Peerless Elegance was also a little uncertain. "From the battle reports from the frontlines, whether it is Luo Feng City or West Chu, there are no signs of invasion. It's just that the Great Xia Dynasty often acts unexpectedly, so we have to be careful. "
"In your opinion, what should we do?"
"The two legions deployed in Zhangwu County are the mainstays of the territory. Once they suffer heavy losses in battle with the Great Xia army, the territory will become incomparably weak, and I'm afraid it will cause a chain reaction. When that time comes, even if Luo Feng City and West Chu have no intention of invading us, they will not miss the opportunity to beat them when they are down. "
Di Chen's eyes twitched slightly. He was obviously not used to Peerless Elegance's metaphor, but in the end he did not say anything. "You mean we should take the initiative to withdraw from Zhangwu County?"
Peerless Elegance nodded and said, "There is no gain without loss. Decisively withdrawing from Zhangwu County will protect the two legions and at the same time stabilize the situation in the east of the territory, so that the army of Wan Shi City will not dare to cross the line. In this way, we can also deter Luo Feng City and West Chu, so that they will not dare to have any improper thoughts. "
Di Chen was obviously a little unwilling.
Once they gave up the western part of Zhangwu County, Handan City would only be left with three counties. On the contrary, the originally unremarkable Wan Shi City would suddenly have two counties.
As the saying goes, one side loses while the other gains, but the two sides are evenly matched.
This made Di Chen feel very aggrieved. Since when could a nobody like Lao Ai be on equal footing with him?! This was an unbearable humiliation for Di Chen.
Peerless Elegance comforted him, "Retreating now is for advancing in the future. We will first take a step back, retract our fists, accumulate our strength, and then hit back hard, returning it to the enemy ten times over. "
"The most important thing now is to carry out Plan Z. Once the plan is completed, we will be truly invincible. At such a critical juncture, there is no need to fight based on personal feelings. "
Di Chen sighed in his heart, looking a little desolate. He waved his hand and said, "Let's do as you say!"
…
On the morning of the 18th of October, before Lü Bu's legion had even reached the frontline, the news that the army of Handan City had taken the initiative to withdraw from Zhangwu County came out.
When the news came out, the outside world mocked and ridiculed Di Chen, saying things like, "How can you say that you have no clothes? We just sent a light cavalry unit, and Di Chen was so scared that he wet his pants and fled. This is subduing the enemy without a fight."
When these words reached Di Chen's ears, he was naturally furious.
"Men, get rid of those gossiping fellows for me."
Di Chen couldn't do anything to Great Xia, but it didn't mean that he couldn't do anything to the ordinary players. It was just that this method was a little low. Under normal circumstances, even Di Chen wouldn't do this.
But now, Di Chen, who was angry and embarrassed, couldn't care less.
On the same day, the players who had mocked him the most were assassinated by the secret agents of [Imperial Wind]. They died on the spot, causing a huge uproar.
Unexpectedly, Di Chen's move was quite "effective."
In the following period of time, the ordinary players didn't dare to openly criticize Handan City. No one wanted to get killed because they were addicted to talking.
Di Chen's move was a little scary.
When Ouyang Shuo heard the news, he just laughed coldly. "Digging his own grave."
Although he said that, Di Chen's initiative to retreat still surprised Ouyang Shuo. This way, the other backup plans that he had prepared would all be useless.
The battle in the north could only end here.
"I wonder who taught Di Chen. He's really brilliant." Ouyang Shuo felt a little regretful and a little emotional.
At this time, Ouyang Shuo was discussing the follow-up arrangements for Hardstone City with the Cabinet and the Privy Council.
Cabinet Chief Jiang Shang suggested, "Your Majesty, after conquering Zhangwu County, Hardstone City will usher in a long period of stability. Since Hardstone City has already submitted to our dynasty, the current structure is a little inappropriate. I suggest that we take this opportunity to completely remodel the structure of Hardstone City in order to pacify the people and uphold the law. "
What Jiang Shang meant by inappropriate was that although Bi An had already submitted to Great Xia, he still enjoyed the privileges of a lord. He could decide the civil and military affairs of Hardstone City alone, which went against the principle of Great Xia's civil and military affairs.
When Hardstone City had just submitted to Great Xia, Ouyang Shuo didn't interfere with the internal affairs of Hardstone City. He only took over the diplomatic power of Hardstone City to prevent the people from becoming unstable.
But just like Jiang Shang said, the situation in the wilderness had changed greatly. Hardstone City had finally gained a foothold in the north, and it was indeed time to truly integrate into Great Xia's system.
"Minister, how do you think we should remodel the structure of Hardstone City? I'll say this first, Bi An has contributed greatly to the imperial court, so we must not neglect him or disappoint the people. "Ouyang Shuo expressed his stance.
Lao Ai's previous submission was mainly due to the fact that Wan Shi City could not hold the fort alone in the north and had to find a strong backer to defend against the aggressive attacks of Handan City. It was somewhat of a 'last resort'.
Even so, Ouyang Shuo didn't want to take advantage of them.
Jiang Shang nodded and said with a smile, "I understand Your Majesty's intention. I suggest that we establish a province in the north with Fengtian County and Zhangwu County as the support, and appoint Bi An as the provincial governor. "
"This is a novel idea."
There had never been a case of forming a province with merely two prefectures in the empire.
Jiang Shang explained, "Although the two counties in the north are small, their strategic position is extraordinary. Not to mention the internal control of Handan City, the external environment is equally complicated. Within the country, there are Jurchen tribes in the northeast and even more powerful Mongolian tribes in the northwest. They are all formidable enemies of the dynasty in the future. Moreover, they are neighbors to Goryeo, making them a strategic location. "
"With these few strategic points to rely on, establishing a special province is not considered overstepping our boundaries."
Ouyang Shuo was deeply in agreement.
The north was one of the key areas for the dynasty to expand in the future, so it was necessary to plan ahead. Now that Hardstone City had a higher standard, it was also giving the north a higher starting point.
After thinking for a while, Ouyang Shuo finally said, "Then we shall do as you suggest. Integrate Fengtian County and Zhangwu County, establish the Northern Frontier Province, and appoint Bi An as the northern frontier's governor."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Jiang Shang smiled and bowed, very satisfied with this.
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