Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2606 Yue Fei Raises an Army to Station in the Southern Frontier, Bai Qi's Mighty Army Enters the Underworld
Tian Qi's offer to surrender to the Han was tantamount to giving the Han a free way out, which was almost like a windfall. Wang Yu naturally couldn't refuse them.

This is a great boon for the upcoming campaign to conquer Qian in the south, which will take place a few months later.

If Xingbei Road falls into the hands of the Han Dynasty, it will naturally be equivalent to providing the Han Dynasty with a second battlefield.

The reason the Han Dynasty forced Tian Qi to cede a concession to them was to establish a foothold so that they could easily open a second front later.

Now, the nail has become a springboard, and a huge one at that, allowing for a direct and complete solution.

This is more than just a good thing; it's like a pillow being handed to someone who's sleepy, or charcoal being sent in the snow. For Wang Yu, who is about to wage a decisive battle against the Great Qian Dynasty with the full strength of his nation, there could be no more timely and favorable variable.

Wang Yu suppressed the unrestrained laughter that was about to burst out, and solemnly reassured Tian Wen and Zou Ji with a few words.

It was nothing more than the usual platitudes about how the King of Qi was wise and compassionate, which pleased the Emperor greatly, and that he would make proper arrangements for the situation. The Emperor also promised to read the official letter carefully as soon as possible and discuss the specifics with his senior ministers.

He then instructed the eunuchs to escort the two to the guesthouse with the highest level of courtesy and to make proper arrangements for them, ensuring that they were treated with utmost care and respect.

Once Tian Wen and Zou Ji's figures disappeared outside the palace gates, their footsteps faded into the distance, and only his most trusted and important ministers remained in the side hall, Wang Yu's tense and serious face finally relaxed.

An irrepressible smile spread from the corner of his mouth, quickly engulfing his entire face, and finally bursting into a deep yet incredibly joyful laugh.

"Hahaha...hahahaha!" Wang Yu shook his head, walked into the hall, and almost clapped his hands in celebration.

"Yi Wu, Kongming, did you both hear that? Tian Qi... has come to surrender voluntarily, offering its territory and submitting to us. This is truly heaven's help!"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan, a smile in his eyes, but he appeared even more composed.

"Your Majesty, this is indeed an unexpected joy and a major turning point. With Tian Qi's surrender, our army's southern expedition will no longer require a strong attack on the northern front where Jiang Chaoyu has deployed heavy troops. We can directly penetrate the heart of Daqian from Xingbei Road, or form a pincer attack with the main force. The strategic initiative has already changed hands."

The Yangdong Road, where the Zhennan Ma clan is located, is not only the border of the former Da Cang. Further south, it is also the northern frontier of Da Qian. Both sides have built a lot of defensive measures here, and the defense line has been continuously improved generation after generation.

Otherwise, Jiang Chaoyu wouldn't have insisted on defending the last two counties of Yangdong Road to the death; once lost, it would be difficult to take them back.

After all, there won't be another time when the Zhao Song dynasty could trick the Ma family, and it's unlikely that the borders will be so vulnerable again.

In fact, during that battle, Jiang Chaoyu used all the spies that Daqian had planted over the years, all of whom had been painstakingly placed there day after day for years or even decades.

Guan Zhong, his eyes equally piercing, interjected, "Not only that, by taking over Xingbei Road, our army gained local manpower, grain reserves, and guides familiar with the geography!"

"Although the Tian Qi army has just suffered a defeat, it still has many elite soldiers who can fight against the Qian army. With a little reorganization and pacification, they can be turned into our forces. As a result, the pressure on the northern front of the Great Qian will increase sharply!"

Compared to Xuanxiao, who was engaged in major battles almost every year, Tian Qi was not in such a miserable state, and its national strength in all aspects was abundant.

The army, the money and provisions—these are all online, but soon, they will belong to the Han Dynasty.

The Great Qian Dynasty originally had eighteen provinces, but unfortunately three of them fell into the hands of the Ming Dynasty. Now, Xingbei Province is also about to fall into the hands of the Great Han Dynasty, leaving only 14 provinces at most.

In particular, the Great Qian Dynasty has neither had the opportunity to recuperate effectively nor has had the time to do so. Even the southern provinces have not settled down, making it incomparable to the Great Han Dynasty in this respect. Conversely, the Great Han Dynasty, after acquiring Xingbei Province, will suddenly possess twenty-three provinces.

If they were to launch a southern expedition, Da Wu would almost certainly interfere with them. Otherwise, there would be no need to cooperate with Zhu Ming; they could have taken over Da Qian on their own, at most it would just take a little more time.

"Your Majesty, in this case, we must send a capable general and a large army to Xingbei Road by sea as soon as possible to prevent Daqian from making a desperate move after receiving the news, and also to prevent Tian Qi from having any disloyal intentions," Zhang Liang suggested.

Whether Xingbei Road is under the control of the Han Dynasty will have a significant impact on the upcoming southward campaign.

Once the Great Qian receives this news, it will certainly spare no effort to mobilize its troops to deal with Tian Qi before the Great Han's troops arrive.

It's no wonder that these two people came so secretly; this kind of information must be kept secret, and it must remain so for some time to come.

Until the Han army arrives in Xingbei Road, they cannot afford to let their guard down.

"Indeed, Zifang is absolutely right!" Wang Yu walked back to his desk, his laughter gradually subsiding, but the light in his eyes shone even brighter.

"This matter should be handled as soon as possible. Zifang, I will trouble you to make this trip with the imperial edict, to confer upon Tian Wu the title of Duke of Qi, with a fief of ten thousand households."

"The Tian family will be granted more land and property, and a pardon from death, exempting them from nine deaths..."

"Tian Wen is hereby granted the title of Duke of Xingbei..."

Previously, although Xuanyuan Xuanxiao had also led a group of Yan officials to surrender to Han, their surrender to Han was completely different in nature from that of Tian Wu.

One surrendered to the Han Dynasty only after wiping out its entire army, while the other surrendered with all its resources. Moreover, Tian Wu was the first force to surrender to the Han Dynasty with all its resources.

In response, the Han Dynasty naturally had to show the appropriate sincerity, and at the same time, set an example for all the powers in the world.

Therefore, Wang Yu directly granted him the titles of Duke of the State and Duke of the County, along with a series of privileges such as a pardon from death.

In fact, this was only the initial reward.

"Order Bai Qi to lead 100,000 Shenwu Army troops south to integrate the various armies in Qi and establish the Tian Ce Legion. Change the title of Shenwu General to Tian Ce General and temporarily assume the position of Tian Ce Grand General to oversee Qi."

"Rename Guo Ziyi, the Left General of the Imperial Guards, to the Divine Martial General, and command 200,000 Divine Martial Army soldiers."

"Order General Yue Fei to send his troops south to intimidate the Qian region. If there is any trouble in Qi, he may lead his troops to provide support."

Following the investiture, the next step was to make personnel arrangements for Wang Yuxin.

The Divine Martial Legion originally numbered 300,000, but after 100,000 troops were sent south, only 200,000 remained.

However, after transferring Guo Ziyi to serve as the new Divine Martial General, Wang Yu did not intend to recruit new soldiers to replenish the 100,000 troops of the Divine Martial Legion.

It's already the end of the year, and we're preparing to send this legion to the battlefield in the spring. There's no need to recruit soldiers at this time.