"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Ma Chao and the others arrived quickly, their eyes shining as they looked at their lord, ready for another round of military exploits.
"My dear ministers, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise and sit down!" Lin Yi said with a smile, glancing at everyone.
These were all his old brothers who had fought alongside him to establish the empire, so all the court officials actually had seats, and he didn't need that kind of prestige.
Looking at the ministers before him, including not only advisors like Xun Yu, but also super generals like Ma Chao, Ran Min, and Guan Yu, Lin Yi felt a surge of heroic spirit.
Any one of these people could have stirred up a storm in their own region, yet now they are all under his command, a veritable constellation of brilliant talents.
If we don't achieve something truly remarkable, we'll be letting down these talented individuals.
His gaze fell upon Ma Chao, and he said in a deep voice, " Mengqi, now you are the Grand Commander of the Western Regions, and I entrust the affairs of the Western Regions to you. In addition, I entrust Gongsun Zan's White Horse Volunteers and Huang Zhong's Divine Archery Army to you."
Adding to Pang De's original army, Cao Hong's army, and Tu Xiu's army, the Western Regions now have nearly 600,000 troops. Are you confident you can take over the Western Regions?"
Since this is the best time, don't miss it!
"An army of 600,000 will annihilate the Western Regions!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's eyes lit up, and he immediately became alert; this was a big job.
Once he conquers the twenty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, he will be famous throughout the West, which will be incredibly rewarding.
He exclaimed excitedly, "My lord, rest assured! If I can't even conquer the Western Regions, how will Ma Chao ever show his face before His Majesty? Your Majesty, just wait to hear my good news!"
"Very good!"
Lin Yi smiled more. He liked Ma Chao's confident and arrogant tone; this was the kind of aura that Great Liang needed.
He said in a deep voice, "Very well, then the Western Regions are entrusted to you."
Then came the matter of the Zhennan Dynasty.
" The Jackal Kingdom has officially changed its name to the Lianshan Governor's Office, serving as a forward base for attacking the Zhennan Dynasty, with Zhang Liao temporarily appointed as the Protector-General of Lianshan."
" Ran Min, I hereby appoint you as the Grand General of the Southwest, to reinforce the territory of the Jackal Kingdom. At the same time, familiarize yourself with the climate of the plateau, so that one day you may completely conquer the Zhennan Dynasty."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ran Min's eyes lit up, and he immediately became excited.
ah?
Zhang Fei, standing to the side, paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Your Majesty, didn't you have me sign a friendly agreement with the Zhennan Dynasty? Why are you still targeting the Zhennan Dynasty?"
That's going back on your word; it feels a bit unfair.
" Yide, do you think a dog can change its nature of eating shit?" Jia Xu said with a smile.
"What's the meaning?"
"The meaning is simple: the Zhennan Dynasty has always been a pack of wolves and tigers, burning, killing, and looting everywhere. Their current desire for friendship is simply because they can't do anything to us. Given the opportunity, they will not hesitate for a second; it's like a leopard can't change its spots."
Cao Cao, standing to the side, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Lin Yi nodded and smiled, "Allied nations are merely compromises between countries. There's no such thing as true, pure friendship; it's all about exchanging interests. Once there's a greater benefit, they might abandon even their own father, let alone allies."
Talking about friendship between countries is a bit of an overreaction.
In fact, his initial strategy was to first hold back the Western Regions, and then use the advantage of his cavalry to launch a blitzkrieg against the Zhennan Dynasty Zhennan Dynasty, destroying it before the enemy could react.
However, the idea was ultimately rejected because of altitude sickness.
The Zhennan Dynasty was known as the "tyrant of the plateau," and that wasn't just a figure of speech; the high-altitude atmosphere there did have some impact on the people of Great Liang.
The impact was particularly significant on warhorses.
The altitude of the Jackal Kingdom was much lower than that of the Zhennan Dynasty, but even so, when the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry first charged forward, their fighting strength was slightly weakened, and their warhorses even showed signs of being unaccustomed to the terrain.
If it weren't for the exceptional quality of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, things might have been quite troublesome.
If the Jackal Kingdom is like this, then the Zhennan Dynasty would probably be even more unaccustomed to it. Therefore, the army needs to adapt first, otherwise they will suffer losses.
With Ran Min and his men in charge, the Zhennan Dynasty can't do much anyway. We might as well take over the Western Regions first and completely control the trade routes.
Altitude sickness?
Zhang Fei was speechless. This altitude sickness was so powerful; he never expected it to be so severe.
The others were also bewildered and impressed. This Zhennan Dynasty actually had such an advantage. No wonder they could run rampant there. It seems they were all villains themselves.
"Your Majesty is truly learned and talented; we are all deeply impressed!" said Li Ru newly joined official, with a flattering expression.
Ha ha!
Hearing his words, Lin Yi couldn't help but laugh and say, " Wenyou, this time I've appointed you as the military advisor of the Jackal Kingdom. You can contribute your efforts to help them build a perfect forward base."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost!" Li Ru smiled and nodded, accepting the task directly.
With them guarding both locations, Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. This lineup was enough to destroy the enemy, and they could even exceed expectations in completing the mission.
Compared to these two places where there are still enemies, other places are basically in a state of self-sufficiency, so there isn't much trouble; it just requires pacifying them.
With the assistance of the Net and Taoism, governance was actually not that difficult; on the contrary, it was quite easy.
The only problem is the food supply; this is absolutely essential, or it would have very serious consequences.
He looked at Mi Zhu, his chief steward.
Mi Zhu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the grain Your Majesty previously distributed to the people of the South is being harvested one after another, and with the grain grown in the fields of those aristocratic families, we have no shortage of grain at all!"
Pfft!
When the family's grains were mentioned, everyone burst into laughter.
These aristocratic families are truly pitiful. They finally managed to get seeds from Jia Xu, but before they could even harvest them, they were wiped out by Li Anlan and his wife. They've essentially become pawns in each other's schemes.
That's fucking unlucky.
Lin Yi was also somewhat amused and exasperated; the aristocratic families had indeed suffered a great loss.
However, sweet potatoes and potatoes alone are not enough for food; staple foods are still needed. This super rice must be promoted rapidly.
"Your Majesty, this super rice has already been planted, so all the fields belonging to the imperial estates have been planted. Once it's all harvested, the grain yield of Great Liang will be an absolutely staggering number," Mi Zhu said with a smile.
Lin Yi gave him an approving look and smiled, "Very good, Zizhong, you've worked hard!" There aren't many people who work so diligently like this, it's great to have such a hardworking one.
Considering Guo Jia and Jia Xu, who loved to slack off, Mi Zhu was practically a model worker.