"Your Highness, the Prince of Xiliang, this..."
The kings exchanged glances, their eyes filled with panic, even fear.
We definitely can't turn against them, since we can't beat Xiliang. Even if we combined our strength, we probably still wouldn't be able to defeat them, because Xiliang is just too strong.
But if we disagree, it could be a catastrophe.
Jia Xu glanced at the group and sneered, "Gentlemen, you need to understand that our lord is giving you a way out. If you hadn't come today, you should know what the future would have been like!"
Grunt!
These words sent chills down everyone's spines. The seven armies of Xiliang were no match for them, let alone Northern Liang, which was also under the rule of the Prince of Xiliang. They were even less of a match for them.
If the Prince of Xiliang were to settle scores in the future, the common people would probably be fine, but people like themselves would likely be wiped out.
The example of the King of the Jushi Kingdom serves as a stark warning!
The group exchanged glances, then couldn't help but look at Tu Xiu, the strongest among them. They were now waiting to see what choice he would make.
Tu Xiu remained calm, as he had anticipated this outcome.
With Xiliang being so powerful, our initiative to surrender is merely icing on the cake. If we wait until Xiliang destroys the Northern Barbarians, Lin Yi probably won't even bother to talk to us anymore.
As the king, he naturally understood the thoughts of those in power.
People who want a quick and easy solution never want any extra trouble, and the current Prince of Xiliang is clearly no exception.
Taking a deep breath, Tu Xiu said in a solemn voice, "My Green Leaf Kingdom is willing to surrender the entire nation to Xiliang, even to the point of relinquishing its kingdom title. I only ask that the Prince of Xiliang give my son a chance, so that he may truly become a Xiliang citizen, a person loyal to the Crown Prince!"
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. This requirement was far too low; all they needed was for his son to become a citizen of Xiliang.
"What a clever person!"
Jia Xu's eyes lit up. This Tu Xiu was indeed a clever man. He had given his own reward to his son; this move was brilliant.
It seems like an ordinary thing, but it has a mysterious aspect to it.
As the king of the Green Leaf Kingdom, Tu Xiu existence poses a threat to the Green Leaf Kingdom, making it unlikely to have much of a chance.
But his son was different!
His son lacked Tu Xiu's prestige and made no contributions to the Green Leaf Kingdom, so Xiliang had no reason to worry about him and would face fewer restrictions when employing him.
This tactic of retreating to advance is brilliant!
Lin Yi couldn't help but chuckle. This guy really went to great lengths. He laughed and said, "I can grant you that wish. You can even continue to serve as an official, but only under my command in Xiliang!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
Tu Xiu immediately changed his address to "Lord" and then bowed down.
The others' expressions changed slightly, and they hesitated, wanting to refuse but lacking the courage.
At that moment, the image of Bai Zizai slaughtering the Xining Army flashed through their minds, and they couldn't help but shudder.
"We pay our respects to our lord!"
After a moment's hesitation, Meng Chihu and the others followed suit and bowed down. They had no other choice now. Rather than being slaughtered later, they might as well make a decision sooner and surrender to Xiliang.
Seeing this, a smile flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. It seemed that these people were terrified of Bai Zizai.
"Since you all have your hearts set on Xiliang, then I will naturally not turn you away."
"I will establish the Western Regions Grand Commandery of the Western Regions, governing six prefectures including Green Leaf, Mengshi, and Icefield. The first Grand Protector will be temporarily appointed by the strategist Jia Xu, while the prefects will be appointed by several kings."
"At the same time, the people of the six prefectures enjoyed some of the benefits of Xiliang, and were allowed to grow potatoes and other grains..."
Lin Yi said in a deep voice.
After some thought, he chose to establish a Grand Protectorate in the Western Regions rather than a vassal state.
In the future, the Western Regions will all belong to Xiliang, so he naturally wouldn't create trouble for himself. Instead, he directly established a Grand General's Office, dividing the six kingdoms into six prefectures, and using the Grand General's Office to suppress and govern these six prefectures.
Ma Chao is actually more suitable for this position, but he is currently in the Northern Barbarians territory, so let Jia Xu take over for now.
As for the positions of governors of these six prefectures, the kings will temporarily fill them, and they can be replaced later after the transition period, so it won't cause any delay.
They're just a few small countries; they can't cause any trouble.
"Thank you, my lord!"
"On behalf of the people of Green Leaf Commandery, I thank you, my lord!"
Everyone's eyes lit up. Although it seemed like a demotion, in reality, nothing had changed. They had simply gone from being kings to prefects, with a new Grand Governor's Office above them.
That makes sense.
The key is that with the help of Xiliang, the people will live a better life, which is the last thing we can do for them.
Jia Xu to the side, exchanged glances and said with a wry smile, "My lord, now that I've been given the position of Grand Commander, I'm afraid those guys will all be eyeing me with covetous intent!"
This is a position with immense real power, comparable to that of a feudal lord, and now the lord has given it to me.
No wonder the lord summoned me earlier; it turns out he had this plan all along.
"Hahaha, I naturally trust my strategist. We can hand over the right person to him later, but for now, we'll have to trouble Wenhe." Lin Yi couldn't help but laugh heartily.
At the same time, a loud notification sound startled Lin Yi.
A light he had never seen before flashed in his mind, a golden-purple luster that brightened Lin Yi's eyes; it was truly an unexpected delight.
This is actually a gift package worthy of a feudal lord!
"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have won over the people with Win People Over with Virtue and successfully subdued the four kingdoms of the Western Regions, established the Grand Commandery of the Western Regions, and received a grand gift package worthy of a feudal lord!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have acquired 100,000 Qing Province Troops!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the top-tier general Xu Chu!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained Cold Forged Armor!"
After seeing the rewards appear, Lin Yi handed Tu Xiu and the others over to Jia Xu and returned to the Xiliang Villa to take stock of his gains.
First of all, the appearance of these 100,000 Qing Province Troops has already made up for everything. Even if they are not top-tier elites, it is still a super prize.
With a little training, their strength will surely increase greatly.
That was bad enough, but then Xu Chu appeared, which was an even bigger surprise – he's a super bodyguard!
With him by his side, Wang Yue would finally have a bodyguard, freeing him up.
The third reward surprised Lin Yi. This cold-forged armor was quite rare. After carefully examining its attributes, he was overjoyed. This thing was actually so awesome.
Its defensive capabilities are several times greater than ordinary chainmail; its strength is even enough to deflect ordinary arrows—it's definitely high-end stuff.