"Yes." Qingyi smiled. "Half a month ago, Pei Renji and his son from the Pei Family came."
"It is indeed good news. Invite them in quickly."
Ouyang Shuo put aside the matter of Wannan Province and prepared to meet Pei Renji and his son first.
"Yes!"
Pei Renji was born in the Pei Family of Hedong. He served as Emperor Wen's bodyguard during the early years of the Founding Emperor Era before joining the army to destroy the Chen Dynasty and attack Tuyuhun and Taowu.
In the 13th year of Daye, when he was ordered to suppress the Wagang Army that occupied Luokou, he was restrained by the supervising censor Xiao Huaijing and was forced to surrender to Li Mi. In the first year of Wude, he advised Li Mi not to fight Wang Shichong, but Li Mi didn't listen, resulting in the defeat of the Wagang Army. Pei Renji was also captured by Wang Shichong and made the minister of the Board of Rites.
In the second year of Wude, after Wang Shichong became emperor, Pei Renji and Yuwen Rutong plotted to assassinate Wang Shichong and support King Yang Dong. In the end, the matter was leaked, and Pei Renji and his son Pei Xingyan were killed.
Compared to his father, Pei Xingyan was more famous.
Pei Xingyan was brave and good at fighting. He was invincible in every battle and was known as the 'enemy of ten thousand'. In the historical novel, Pei Yuanqing was based on Pei Xingyan. He was known as the third hero of Sui and Tang, the Silver Hammer General of the Eight Hammers of Sui and Tang.
Pei Xingyan also had a younger brother called Pei Xingjian, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. He didn't appear in the wilderness this time.
After a while, Pei Renji and his son were brought to the imperial study by Qingyi. Although Pei Renji was close to fifty years old, he was still energetic. He had a long white beard, a purple robe with cloud patterns, and a black iron helmet. He looked strong despite his age.
Pei Xingyan followed behind his father. He was tall and sturdy, wearing a silver armor and blue robe, looking extraordinary.
"General Pei Renji (Pei Xingyan) pays his respects to His Majesty!"
The two of them bowed respectfully.
In the Pei Family, Pei Ju was the governor of Somalia and Pei Yun was the head of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Both of them held high positions. Many of them worked in the imperial court or the local government.
The arrival of Pei Renji and his son was a matter of course.
Ouyang Shuo wasn't the only one who was happy. Pei Ju and Pei Yun, the two magnates, were also secretly delighted. This was because the Pei Clan only had roots in the civil officials and didn't have any roots in the Great Xia army.
The arrival of Pei Renji and his son just happened to make up for this shortcoming. The Pei Clan, or rather, the Pei clan, was bound to shine brightly in Great Xia and become an aristocratic clan once more.
"Generals, please rise," Ouyang Shuo said, "Father and son soldiers, both of you are brave generals."
"You flatter me, Your Majesty!"
Pei Renji was a shrewd old man, and he had been by Emperor Wen's side before, so he had a good grasp of the situation. Pei Xingyan stood behind his father and looked curiously and reverently at the emperor who was about the same age as him.
As a brave general, Pei Xingyan's courage was not small. Before he came, he did not have much of an impression of Emperor Xia, so he did not take it seriously.
But as soon as he stepped into the Imperial Study and saw the young Emperor sitting casually in the seat of honor, Pei Xingyan immediately felt an invisible pressure on him. He didn't dare to be presumptuous anymore and obediently retracted his aura.
Pei Xingyan could faintly feel a murderous aura emanating from His Majesty, causing one's heart to tremble. Only then did Pei Xingyan believe that the rumors about the King's extraordinary martial arts were not just flattering words.
While they were chatting, Ouyang Shuo checked their attributes.
[Name]: Pei Renji (King Level)
[Dynasty]: Sui Dynasty
[Identity]: General of Xia Dynasty
[Occupation]: Senior General
[Loyalty]: 75 points
[Commander]: 70 [Force]: 78 [Intelligence]: 50 [Politics]: 50
[Specialty]: Valiant (Increases troop's attack power by 15, increases troop's speed by 20)
[Remarks]: Young Master Renji is valiant in martial arts, good at archery and horses, and is known for his military strategy.
… …
[Name]: Pei Xingyan (King Level)
[Dynasty]: Sui Dynasty
[Identity]: General of Xia Dynasty
[Occupation]: Senior General
[Loyalty]: 80 points
[Commander]: 68 [Force]: 87 [Intelligence]: 48 [Politics]: 45
[Specialty]: Valiant Ten Thousand (Increases troop's attack power by 25, increases troop's speed by 10)
[Remarks]: Pei Xingyan is valiant and good at fighting. In every battle, he is invincible. He is known as "Valiant Ten Thousand".
Pei Xingyan was indeed a valiant general. His [Force] was off the charts. He was indeed worthy of the title "Valiant Ten Thousand". However, Ouyang Shuo was puzzled that Pei Xingyan's loyalty was higher than his father's.
Ouyang Shuo didn't know that the moment he saw him, Pei Xingyan's loyalty increased by 10 points. To a valiant general like Pei Xingyan, there was nothing more admirable than a king with extraordinary martial arts skills.
After chatting for a while, Ouyang Shuo suddenly asked, "General Pei, do you know Li Mi's whereabouts?"
Previously, when Shan Xiongxin and wang bodang came to join him, Ouyang Shuo felt that something was amiss. He secretly ordered the Mountain Sea Guards to keep an eye on wang bodang in an attempt to find Li Mi's whereabouts.
He didn't expect Li Mi to be as cunning as a fox. He hadn't contacted wang bodang for a long time. When he saw Pei Renji, Ouyang Shuo suddenly remembered that Pei Renji and his son had interacted with Li Mi before.
"This …"
Pei Renji was stunned by the question. There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes.
Ouyang Shuo's sharp eyes caught the flicker in Pei Renji's eyes. His expression became solemn as he said, "Why? General, is there anything else that you can't tell me?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Pei Renji's heart trembled. He knew that the king wanted to kill him.
It was taboo for a general to be disloyal.
Pei Renji clenched his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Pushan has indeed contacted me." Pei Xingyan's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise when he heard this. Obviously, he didn't know about this.
Ouyang Shuo smiled and didn't ask for details. He said directly, "Very well. After you go down, work with the Mountain Sea Guards to find this person. I can let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, you should know what the consequences will be. "
"I understand."
Although Pei Renji couldn't bear to do this, he didn't dare to disobey. If something happened to him, it wouldn't just affect him, but the entire Pei clan's honor.
"You may leave!"
The current Ouyang Shuo no longer needed to beat around the bush.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
… …
After sending off Pei Renji and his son, it was almost noon. Ouyang Shuo should also return to the rear palace for lunch. Before leaving, he ordered Qingyi, "Have Mister Zhang Liang come over in the afternoon."
Ouyang Shuo wanted to hear Zhang Liang's opinion on how to deal with the changes in the Central Plains.
"Understood!"
… …
Three o 'clock in the afternoon, in the imperial study.
Qingyi personally brewed a cup of top-grade white tea for Ouyang Shuo and Zhang Liang, then quietly retreated outside.
With the opening of the trade route, the palace didn't lack famous China teas such as West Lake Longjing, Biluochun, Dahongpao, and Tieguanyin. However, Ouyang Shuo only loved the white tea produced in Lian Province.
It was just a habit.
As one of the original specialties of the territory, the white tea couldn't go unnoticed.
The teacup also had a long history. It was an authentic blue and white porcelain teacup made in Jingdezhen that was sent by the Siege Lion. Ouyang Shuo took a sip and said with a smile, "Although it's not famous, it's still a good cup of tea."
Zhang Liang was silent.
This was the first time that the ruler and his subject were facing each other. Zhang Liang didn't know the king's background, so he couldn't speak carelessly.
Ouyang Shuo didn't mind. He put down the teacup and went straight to the point. "The Yan Huang Alliance took over Wannan Province at lightning speed. Is there a deeper meaning behind it? Will there be follow-up? What do you think?"
"From what I see, there are signs that the Yan Huang Alliance is playing a big game of chess."
The signs that Zhang Liang mentioned didn't refer to the information that everyone knew, but the information provided by the Mountain Sea Guards. In order to let the Ministry of Information play a real role as a think tank, Ouyang Shuo had already informed Shen Buhai that apart from some sensitive information, the Mountain Sea Guards had to make a copy of the information they obtained and send it to the Ministry of Information.
If necessary, the Ministry of Information could also ask the Mountain Sea Guards to find out some specific information.
With the Mountain Sea Guards' powerful information system, Zhang Liang, Jia Xu, and the other strategists could truly know about the world without leaving their homes.
Therefore, although Zhang Liang had only been in Great Xia for a month, with his intelligence, he was already familiar with the situation in Great Xia and its surrounding areas. He could really make plans.
In comparison, the original Rosy Cloud City was really too weak.
Although the Mountain Sea Guards couldn't find out about the Yan Huang Alliance's most mysterious "Plan Z", they could still find some clues. The Yan Huang Alliance was speeding up their internal integration.
True integration.
As he said this, Zhang Liang suddenly took out a map. It was a simplified version of the Mountain Sea Guards' [China Map]. It included all 18 provinces in the China region.
"Your Majesty, please take a look." Zhang Liang pointed to the Central Plains. "After the Yan Huang Alliance takes over the Southern Anhui Province, they just need to take over the Central Plains Province or the Ludong Province where West Chu is. Then, they can completely connect the six territories together."
Ouyang Shuo's eyes narrowed. The Yan Huang Alliance's territory formed a hollow circle with the Central Plains Province as the center. However, the existence of West Chu and Fallen Phoenix City divided the circle into two.
For some reason, Ouyang Shuo suddenly thought of Gaia's Six Hegemons of Handan City.
If it wasn't for Ouyang Shuo, the current Fallen Phoenix City would have been a core member of the [Yan Huang Alliance]. If that was the case, the [Yan Huang Alliance] would have been able to easily unify the Central Plains and the Northern Regions, taking over all of the China Region's elites.
"So, before entering the game, they started planning all of this?"
Ouyang Shuo secretly raised his guard, but also felt lucky. If he had chosen not to build his village in the southernmost Lianzhou Basin, the Great Xia Dynasty might not have reached its current height.
Pointing to the Taiyuan Province, Ouyang Shuo said, "Zi Fang, you missed something. As long as we take over Fallen Phoenix City, the Yan Huang Alliance's territory will also be connected."
"Your Majesty is right." Zhang Liang did not refute. "But according to the difficulty, this is obviously a bad plan."
Ouyang Shuo nodded. "If that's the case, we have to remind Xiang Yu not to let the Yan Huang Alliance swallow West Chu." Although the Great Xia Dynasty and West Chu were not hardcore allies, Ouyang Shuo did not want to see West Chu fall.
"We can remind him, but with Chu Bawang's personality, it might not be of much use." In terms of understanding of Xiang Yu, Zhang Liang, the number one strategist under Liu Bang in history, was unparalleled.
"In your opinion, how should the Great Xia Dynasty salvage the situation?" Ouyang Shuo asked.
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