"You don't even want a single county?"
The group behind Zhang Ruohai felt a chill run down their spines. This Prince of Xiliang was far too ambitious; he didn't even care about a single prefecture. It was truly terrifying.
They were somewhat at a loss and looked at their leader Zhang Ruohai.
"Given the prince's strength, he naturally wouldn't even consider Youning Commandery."
"However, Your Highness has lofty ambitions, and your future plans will certainly not stop at Xiliang, so you will always need some people to get things done!"
Faced with this awkward situation, Zhang Ruohai's expression changed slightly, but he did not panic at all, because he had already considered this possibility and was mentally prepared.
After all, Lin Yi's current strength is enough to sweep through the two kingdoms of Jushi and Shachi in the Western Regions, so he can naturally take Youning Commandery. Therefore, he doesn't need the Zhang Clan to add icing on the cake.
However, there are some things that the prince still lacks.
"Hehe, Zhang Clan's idea is quite good, but do you think our lord is short of people to do things? Besides, if you want to send him out of Youning Commandery, can you really send him out?" Xun Yu said meaningfully after hearing his words.
As a member of a prestigious family, he naturally knew their character. At first, they spoke of unwavering loyalty and righteousness, but in reality, they were just looking for good fortune and avoiding misfortune, with little true loyalty, so their value was not high.
The idea of offering up Youning Commandery is even more unreliable; such a large county cannot be given away so easily!
Although Zhang Ci is the governor of Youning Commandery, it would probably not be so easy for him to send the entire Youning Commandery away as a package, after all, Li Anlan is not a fool.
The Hao Clan's existence is a constraint on the Zhang Clan; they are their first line of defense!
From this perspective, this so-called gift is nothing more than an empty promise, its value even less than what Xiliang could have gained through its own conquest.
Zhang Ruohai glanced at Xun Yu, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Although this man is the Prime Minister of Xiliang, he is a completely unknown fellow. I never expected him to have such foresight, and he seems to know a lot about the aristocratic families.
He chuckled dryly, "Your Highness, rest assured. As long as Your Highness gives the order, our families will hand over Youning Commandery to you. We don't ask for much; we just want Your Highness to treat us all equally."
Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. This Zhang Ruohai was quite willing to put aside his pride and humble himself to this extent, preparing to conquer Youning Commandery and hand it over to him.
This old fellow has some insight; he saw the overwhelming momentum in Xiliang and decided to pledge allegiance to me ahead of time.
For a powerful family like the Zhang Clan, this was undoubtedly a huge gamble; if they lost, they would face utter ruin.
Zhang Ruohai's personal visit this time also represents his sincerity.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but smile and say, "Since Elder Zhang is willing to help my Xiliang, I naturally won't turn him away. As for the matter of Youning Commandery, I will send someone to contact you later!"
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince of Xiliang!"
Zhang Ruohai's eyes lit up. Although Lin Yi hadn't agreed to his request, those words were undoubtedly a promise, and this was an opportunity.
Whether I can seize this opportunity is another matter.
Lin Yi nodded slightly and smiled, "You've probably heard about my personality; I love making friends. Since we're all friends, it's natural to help each other! Right now, for the sake of commercial development in the North, I intend to promote the operation of money shops and banknotes, which is exactly the time when I need friends!"
Huh!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruohai instantly understood and couldn't help but get excited.
He patted his chest and solemnly said, "Your Highness, rest assured, for the development of the North, my Zhang Clan will not shirk our duty, and I believe my friends think the same way!" After speaking, his gaze fell on the person behind him, who suddenly realized what he meant.
"Indeed, the North is our home. For the development of our homeland, the Chen Clan has an unshirkable duty!"
"My Yuan Clan has no other intentions than to serve Your Highness. When I return, I will exchange all our family's money to support Xiliang!"
"How wonderful! I have been waiting for this for a long time. Now that His Highness has taken the lead, how can my Lu Clan lag behind!"
The group was ecstatic. If they didn't know what to say at this moment, they wouldn't deserve to be called a prestigious family. This was the perfect time to show their loyalty.
"Hahaha! With your help, how can the North not develop!"
Seeing how sensible they were, Lin Yi couldn't help but laugh; he just loved talking to smart people.
Although he had many talented subordinates and didn't need these aristocratic families as his own, he could still use them as a weapon, leveraging their influence to extend Xiliang's reach into the heart of Great Ning.
These established families are undoubtedly the most professional when it comes to doing this kind of thing.
"Your Highness flatters me!"
Everyone wore smiles; now that they were on the Xiliang ship, they were safe for the time being.
Forehead!
Xun Yu, watching their gleeful expressions, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. These people thought they had gotten a good deal, gaining the prince's approval without having to risk their lives to take Youning Commandery.
Little did they know that there's no such thing as a free All Under Heaven; they're celebrating too soon.
He murmured to himself, "Although this is just a small money exchange, the power within it is so great that I'm afraid you few companies really can't handle it. Perhaps we'll need to bring a few more in!"
Just then, a rapid sound of galloping hooves suddenly came from outside, causing Zhang Ruohai and the others to change their expressions. Could it be that the Prince of Xiliang had turned against them and mobilized his army to deal with them?
That can't be right, they don't need an army to kill us!
Grunt!
Zhang Ruohai had been relatively calm, couldn't help but swallow hard. Suddenly, he became somewhat unsettled. What had happened?
Lin Yi glanced at them and smiled, "Elder Zhang, don't worry, this is just the army returning from the western expedition, not the enemy! Since you're here as guests today, you might as well get to know some familiar faces!"
We had already received word that Jia Xu and his men would arrive in Xiliang Commandery tonight, and it seems they are quite punctual.
"The army that marched west?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruohai breathed a sigh of relief; at least they weren't here to wipe out his group.
He chuckled dryly, "So you're the brave warriors from the Western Expedition. They all helped us open up trade routes to the Western Regions. We must thank them properly today."
"Yes, we really need to thank them!"
The others realized this was a great opportunity to build rapport; missing it would be foolish.
Led by Lin Yi, the group left the villa and headed towards the military camp not far away.
really!
The leaders were none other than Jia Xu and Bai Zizai. They had finally retreated, and now only a small force remained in the Western Regions, waiting for Pang De to take over their defense.
"Greetings, my lord!"