After resolving matters of state, Lin Yi returned to the Imperial Garden and leisurely lay on a chair, basking in the sun. He finally had time to check the system.
Now that the vast Western Regions have been conquered, the system rewards should have arrived by now.
Sure enough, it was instantly flooded with messages as soon as I opened it.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on your great military fortune! You have swept through the nineteen kingdoms of the Western Regions and completely controlled Western Regions land. You are rewarded with Marquis Dingyuan, Ban Chao, and the Protectorate of the Western Regions with 200,000 troops."
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully suppressing Jite, the leader of the Western Regions Allied Forces, by using force to subdue others. Reward: Zhang Juzheng, who defied fate. Reward: 3,000 elite management talents!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for using force to subdue others and forcing Ase, one of the military advisors of the Frostwest Empire and the strategist of the Western Regions Forces, to surrender with his pants down. As a reward, the chief eunuch Zhao Gao has been granted 10,000 eunuchs."
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully intimidating the Western Regions by using force. Reward: Sugarcane Planting Method and Optimized Sugarcane Seedlings."
Holy crap!
Upon seeing the first few rewards, Lin Yi's eyes lit up with excitement, but when he saw the chief eunuch Zhao Gao, his face turned green.
"Damn it, system, you're rewarding me with this? Is this a curse that I'll die in my second life?!" Lin Yi said irritably.
This fellow is a master at bringing down nations, and this omen isn't good at all, which makes him very depressed.
However, even ruthless people have their uses. Plus, the system has given us 10,000 eunuchs, so let's use them to add another knife to the Great Liang.
These eunuchs were the most ruthless, lest people lose their sense of awe.
Aside from that, the first two rewards made Lin Yi very happy.
Ban Chao, the Marquis of Dingyuan, was a ruthless man who subdued a country with just thirty-six men. He was definitely a top-notch diplomat and also a capable assistant with both literary and military talents.
Ma Chao was capable of All Under Heaven, so it was more reliable to have Ban Chao suppress the Western Regions. This combination was called the "Double Chao Combination".
He also gave Ma Chao 200,000 troops from the Protectorate of the Western Regions, which should be troops from the Han Dynasty. Ma Chao could use them to conquer more than 50 countries within 30 years, so their fighting strength should be sufficient.
Compared to Ban Chao, Zhang Juzheng was in no way inferior, and was even called one of the ten most famous prime ministers.
The reason he claimed to defy fate was because the Great Ming Dynasty was basically doomed at that time, with a depressed domestic economy and a military force that was utterly worthless.
Finally, after Zhang Juzheng came to power, he carried out large-scale reforms, not only reforming taxation and the economy, but also reforming land and the military, which led to a period of revival.
The only pity was that his reforms touched the interests of many powerful forces, so he was eventually purged in his later years, as the emperor could not withstand the pressure.
However, once they joined Lin Yi's forces, those problems disappeared.
The entire Great Liang is decided by Lin Yi's word, and even now, few people would object to disbanding Great Liang. This is the absolute ruling power of the system.
Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel excited, and said quietly, "With my full support, and with some comprehensive optimization of reforms, Zhang Juzheng is a man who can accomplish great things!"
Just then, Jia Xu wanted to slack off, so let Zhang Juzheng fill in for a while and let him vent his frustrations.
The subsequent rewards were sugarcane planting methods and optimized seedlings, which surprised Lin Yi somewhat. With these, sugar production could be further optimized and increased in mass production.
This is all about economics, it's all about money.
With a thought, Zhang Juzheng and the others appeared before Lin Yi.
"Your subordinate, Ban Chao, greets Your Majesty!"
"Your subordinate, Zhang Juzheng!"
"Your humble servant Zhao Gao greets Your Majesty!"
After the three men emerged, they immediately pledged their loyalty, becoming 100% loyal.
Lin Yi nodded slightly and smiled, "Everyone, please rise. With your help, the Great Liang will surely reach new heights in the future!"
His gaze fell on Zhao Gao, and seeing his upright expression and unwavering gaze, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.
If I didn't know he was a cunning and wicked villain, I would have thought he was a good guy. He's really good at hiding his true nature.
After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, " Zhao Gao, from now on you will stay by my side, responsible for serving tea and water, and doing other small errands as well."
Serving tea and water?
Zhao Gao was slightly taken aback. This task was very simple; even a lowly palace maid could do it.
When he heard about the minor errands that followed, he suddenly realized that he was probably being asked to do some shady things—a job specifically designed to stir up trouble.
I like!
He said excitedly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, serving tea and water is something I excel at, and I guarantee it will be flawless and I will absolutely not disappoint Your Majesty!"
"Hmm, not bad!"
Lin Yi nodded slightly. This person seemed to be quite intelligent, having seen through his thoughts immediately. He decided to keep him by his side.
This is a dog that bites, but is extremely loyal to its owner; that's a domestic dog.
As long as I live, I'll keep him alive. If I die a day before him, that's his lucky day. Such a person cannot be kept.
Then Lin Yi looked at Ban Chao, and after thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice, " Ban Chao, I will give you two choices. One is to appoint you as a regular diplomat of Great Liang and put you in charge of the Court of Diplomatic Reception."
The second option is to make you the Grand Governor of the Western Regions, managing the entire Western Regions and enhancing the power of the Great Liang in the Western Regions.
Now, only cleanup work remains in the Western Regions. Those who needed to be killed have been dealt with, and what remains is some work of education and rehabilitation.
This might be a bit difficult for Ma Chao, since he excels at subduing people with martial arts, but it's a piece of cake for Ban Chao, who is a master of verbal sparring.
His feat of conquering a country with only thirty-six men was something that wouldn't have been possible without considerable skill; now, it's precisely the time for him to do just that.
As for Ma Chao, he is a military general, it would be a waste to let him govern the region, he should be allowed to beat up the Frostwest Empire.
"Your Majesty, I choose to serve as the Grand Commander of the Western Regions, but I hope that this position will only be temporary!" Ban Chao said in a deep voice after a moment's thought.
Why?
Lin Yi was slightly taken aback. It was quite interesting that someone would voluntarily demote themselves.
Ban Chao remained calm and smiled, saying, "I have just joined your ranks and have yet to achieve any merit. To assume such a high position would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among others. Even if Your Majesty All Under Heaven absolute power, you must at least give All Under Heaven a fair chance."
Your Majesty, I hope my abilities are sufficient for the position of Grand Governor of the Western Regions, rather than causing you distress.
He knew in his heart that even if the entire court was filled with the emperor's men, the people of the All Under Heaven still had eyes.
If you fill all your own people with your own, the common people may not say anything, but they will probably still harbor resentment. In the end, if there is no hope left, then they will simply give up completely.
It would be a terrible thing if the people lost their ambition.