Tianliangyuan

Chapter 424 Xuzhou

Seeing that everyone's opinions had clearly gone astray, Qu Shiji quickly asked, "Your Majesty, the Mohe are already in such a state, should we still fight them?"

Yes!

This is the most urgent problem.

Before Emperor Yong'an could make a decision, another urgent report came from outside.

This time, the Mohe king sent a letter of surrender eight hundred li away. If they didn't surrender, his head would be chopped off.

After Qu Shiji finished reading the surrender document, everyone relaxed, and some even burst into laughter.

"Our Great Xing Army is mighty!"

"mighty!"

Whether they were military officers or not, everyone felt a surge of morale at this moment. The army of Daxing would always be the strongest and invincible!

"Your Majesty, we must issue another decree to Chief Steward Xu, otherwise he might really wipe out the Mohe completely."

These words reminded Emperor Yong'an.

He knew Xu Han's personality well. He only told him to hit hard, and never told him to stop, so Xu Han just kept charging forward.

If this war doesn't end soon, I'm afraid even some of the smaller, more peripheral countries will send envoys.

Emperor Yong'an's worries have come true.

Several delegations of envoys from small countries are already en route, they just don't know it yet.

"Immediately issue an imperial edict to Xu Han, ordering him to rest and recuperate in place. As for the Shiwei and Mohe regions, uh, establish a Protectorate General. As long as the indigenous people lay down their weapons, they can live and work in peace."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

As for the many subsequent issues, such as what to call the Protectorate General, which official to send to guard it, or how to deal with the remaining royal families of the Shiwei and Mohe, these will all be discussed and decided by His Majesty and his advisory group.

Not urgent.

Xu Han's current rest and standby is actually a form of intimidation.

If he hadn't received this imperial decree, Xu Han's intention would have been to simply annihilate the Mohe people and then head north or east. However, there weren't many places left for the army to operate in the east, as they were nearing the coast.

The area that Xu Han conquered was quite large.

The combined strength of one Shiwei and one Mohe was equivalent to that of a large prefecture in Daxing.

Therefore, it was inevitable that a protectorate would be established here.

As for the remaining royal families of the Shiwei and Mohe kingdoms, Xu Han did not order them to be mistreated; at least they were fed and cared for well and would not die.

Xie Zheng was eager to go home. He had been thinking about his wife ever since he learned that she was pregnant with twins.

Xu Junfeng, on the other hand, felt that the beating wasn't enough, and he muttered under his breath, mainly complaining that these people were too weak to fight.

"It hasn't been that long. I thought it would take at least a year or two to fight. I didn't expect these two small countries to be so weak. Sanlang, if we just go back like this, I feel like we're letting down the grand scene that sent us off."

Xu Junfeng's thought process is different from that of ordinary people.

Fang Liang, who was standing next to him, also thought it made sense: "That's really true. It seems like the battle was too easy. I feel like we haven't even made any achievements yet, and this matter is already over."

Zheng Tuo was also somewhat helpless, crossing his arms and gazing at the sky in silence.

The young marquis, who had come along to earn military merit, also looked helpless: "I felt like I was just getting into the swing of things when suddenly I was told I had to take a break. Tsk, this fight wasn't satisfying at all. Now I know why you all love fighting. I finally got this opportunity, and I was thinking I had to make a big contribution to compete with Sanlang. Now look what's going on, what's the point of fighting anymore!"

Fang Liang had a more explosive temper. He angrily kicked an old shelf away: "It's all the Mohe's fault! Why did you have to send over the surrender letter? Couldn't you have been a little tougher? Look at the Shiwei King, how much backbone he had! He didn't even surrender after we killed him!"

A prince from Shiwei, with tears in his eyes, cried out: "We didn't want to surrender! We just didn't have the chance to surrender! Is this how you fight? You chased us around, at least give us a chance to speak!"

One of the captured Mohe nobles also looked desperate: "After fighting like this, our king finally had a chance to submit the surrender document. These Daxing Army are utterly despicable!"

The people nearby quickly stepped forward and covered our mouths: "Keep your voice down, or we'll be dead!"

They're already prisoners, how dare they insult them?

Isn’t this seeking death?

In any case, the war is coming to an end, which is a good thing.

Moreover, the weather here is so cold right now that everyone is wrapped in animal skins, otherwise they can't keep up with the cold.

As the year draws to a close, His Majesty's decree has finally arrived.

The messenger was Cui Chong, the emperor's son-in-law from the capital. His Majesty specially sent him to deliver the decree, which shows how much he values ​​this battle.

After hearing the imperial decree, Xu Han felt completely numb.

After Xu Junfeng helped the man up, he still asked blankly, "Prince Consort Cui, what did you just say His Majesty bestowed upon you a name?"

"His Majesty has named this place Xuzhou. The Shiwei and Mohe people live together, but they must be dispersed and not crowded together. In addition, the court has already escorted a batch of prisoners here, which should arrive by the end of the first month."

"How many prisoners?"

"Including men and women, there are approximately four thousand people in total. In addition, His Majesty has ordered the relocation of two thousand households from the Anbei Protectorate. With this, Xuzhou can now be a decent place to live."

Your Majesty's arrangements are indeed excellent, but the problem is that Xuzhou is not suitable for farming, or rather, it can only be planted once a year. Unlike the capital, where two crops can be grown a year.

If you plant wheat here for one season, you can't plant anything else after the harvest.

"His Majesty has considered the issues you are worried about. Some people in the court have suggested that farming and nomadic herding can be carried out simultaneously. As long as they have food and drink, they will not invade our Central Plains again."

That makes some sense.

However, the Shiwei and Mohe people are not very good at farming, so His Majesty arranged for two groups of prisoners and civilians to come.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Xu Han led his army to set off in August, and by the time they arrived here, it was already September.

Xie Zheng's vanguard army, however, had been rushing day and night, so they arrived earlier.

But it's not even Chinese New Year yet, and all we've done is fight for a few days. Some of these scoundrels haven't had enough of the fighting.

Fang Dazhuang was still muttering, "It's all the General's fault. If he had fought a little slower, we might have been able to fight for another two months."

Fang Liang interrupted, "Father, are you crazy? If we fight too slowly, the Shiwei will probably surrender before we even have to fight the Mohe. Then we'll have even less to fight."

Fang Dazhuang choked, realizing that it actually made a lot of sense.

Xie Zheng glanced at the bickering father and son, then turned to find Xu Han.

There's basically nothing going on here, and he wants to go back to Beijing as soon as possible.

However, His Majesty had not issued a decree, so he had to ask whether he could return to the capital.

"What's the rush? Zhao Zhao's pregnancy is a joyous occasion. There are so many people in the manor taking care of her, why would they need you? Besides, what can a grown man like you do? Going back will only make Zhao Zhao despise you. Listen to me, just stay here and rest the army. See what happens next, whether His Majesty orders us to continue north or stay put."