The ninth son of the emperor was demoted at the beginning. I have a famous Chinese general.

"Yes, I see."

Liu Wenjie bowed.

"Well, back off."

Liu Yongde waved his hand and said.

After Liu Wenjie left, he stood in front of the window and remained silent for a long time.

"My Lord, how could you have given birth to so many troublesome sons?"

After a moment, Liu Yongde sighed and looked worried.

........

At the same time, Anxi Protectorate.

Fang Xiaolian sat upright in the study.

Standing below were Fang Shijie and Li Xin.

After being released by Ning Quan, Li Xin returned to Anxi Protectorate yesterday.

"Protector General, please save my father."

Li Xin said with a sad face.

"Of course I want to save your father, but there are 40,000 Hulan soldiers besieging Changhe City. How can I save him?"

Fang Xiaolian shook his head and said bitterly.

He and Li Chenglin are old friends, but he really can't do anything.

"What should I do? Should I just watch my father get trapped?"

Li Xin became anxious when he heard this.

"That's not certain. Now it depends on whether the eldest prince will take any action."

"If the eldest prince is willing to take action, we can give it a try."

Fang Xiaolian said in a deep voice.

"The Protector General contacted the Crown Prince?"

After hearing Fang Xiaolian's words, Li Xin was overjoyed.

"Well, I sent a letter to the eldest prince a few days ago. It's about time for a reply."

Fang Xiaolian nodded.

"But will the eldest prince take action?"

Li Xin said worriedly.

"Nine out of ten, if he really refuses, then I won't be able to do anything."

"The only thing I can do is write a letter to the Ninth Prince, begging him to spare your father's life."

Fang Xiaolian pondered for a moment and said.

“Thank you, Protector General.”

Li Xin said gratefully.

"You're welcome. You're my son-in-law. We're all family. This is as it should be."

Fang Xiaolian waved his hand.

........

Outside Hulun City.

After staying in Hulun for several days, Ishihara and Li Taiheng were finally about to return to the capital.

Ning Quan personally went to the city gate to see them off.

"My two lords, take care on your journey."

Ning Quan said with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Goodbye."

The two men bowed slightly to Ning Quan, then left with their team in a mighty manner.

"Lord Li, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to His Majesty when we return this time."

In the carriage, Ishihara sighed.

Ishihara was very upset that he came all the way to Hulun but returned empty-handed.

The key reason given by the Ninth Prince was obviously perfunctory.

If His Majesty knew this, he would be furious.

"If there's anything difficult to explain, we just need to answer truthfully."

"Don't worry, His Majesty won't blame you or me. At most, he'll just give us a few scoldings."

Li Hengtai said indifferently.

"Oh, I can only hope so."

Ishihara sighed.

After a few pleasantries, the two returned to their respective carriages.

Ning Quan watched the convoy go away, then returned to the county government office.

After sending the two imperial envoys away, he felt relieved.

After returning, Ning Quan immediately called everyone together to discuss the matter.

Soon, Li Jing and others arrived.

"The imperial envoy has just been sent away by this king. Everyone knows the reason he used."

"It's hard to say what kind of violent reaction His Majesty will have after learning about this."

"So, we still have to make the necessary preparations to prevent any unexpected events."

Ning Quan looked at everyone and said seriously.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. We understand."

Everyone said in unison.

"Your Highness, regarding His Majesty's reaction."

"I believe that Your Majesty will not be too radical and will most likely tacitly accept Your Highness's rule over Beiting."

"Of course, Your Majesty will certainly not accept this. I suggest Your Highness submit a memorial to express your loyalty to Your Majesty, which will also give Your Majesty a way out."

Afterwards, Zhuge Liang stepped out.

"Well, the Prime Minister's idea is very good. Then please write a memorial for me."

"I don't want to fall out with him, at least not yet."

Ning Quan nodded.

"I obey the decree."

Zhuge Liang bowed in agreement.

"General Li, has there been any news from General Huo?"

Ning Quan looked at Li Jing and said to the side.

"Your Majesty, yes."

"General Huo just sent back news the day before yesterday that the Huyan tribes have been basically pacified. He is currently negotiating with them about their surrender. I think it won't take a few days for the Huyan tribe to surrender."

Li Jing reports.

"Well, that's good. Once the Huyan tribe surrenders, there will be no more threats to our north. We can take advantage of this time to recuperate and seize Changhe."

"I heard from General Xiang that Anxi has cavalry stationed on the Beiting border. What are they planning to do?"

"Rescue Changhe City?"

Ning Quan suddenly asked.

"Your Majesty, on the third day of our siege of Changhe City, the Anxi cavalry has been stationed at the border."

"But it's clear that they are exerting more pressure. Neither I nor General Xiang think they will launch an attack."

"Even if they attack, our army is ready. General Lu and General Guan are leading the cavalry to keep an eye on them."

Li Jing cupped his fists and said.

"Well, in that case, then I am relieved."

"General Li will have to take on more responsibilities regarding military matters in the future."

Ning Quan said solemnly.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best."

Li Jing said firmly.

"Well, so good."

Ning Quan nodded slightly.

"By the way, I heard that the slave soldiers who participated in the battle this time performed very well."

"I intend to use this opportunity to restore their civilian status. What do you think?"

Ning Quan said again.

"Your Majesty is wise. The slave soldiers have made meritorious contributions in this battle and should indeed be pardoned."

"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and we all agree."

Li Jing, Zhuge Liang and others said in unison.

"Okay, since everyone agrees, let's do it."

"Not only them, but also their families must be pardoned."

"Your Majesty has mercy."

Zhuge Liang and others praised him upon hearing this.

"Except for the pardons, how many slaves do we have left?"

"Your Majesty, there are still more than 20,000 left."

"More than twenty thousand?"

"Let's free these slaves as soon as possible."

Ning Quan waved his hand.

"Your Highness, are you all free again?"

Zhuge Liang was immediately surprised.

"Well, they are all free again. Our purchase of slaves is only a temporary measure. Hulan cannot and should not have slaves."

"But there's no need to rush this matter. It can be completed within six months or a year."

"But the Han slaves must be taken as soon as possible."

Ning Quan said with certainty.

"I understand. I will get to work now."

"General Li, how many troops do we have now?"

"I feel that the composition of our forces seems a bit disorganized. Do we need to reorganize them?"

Ning Quan continued.

"Your Highness, our total military strength currently stands at 67,000 men."

"The composition of the troops is somewhat complex. There are 7,000 Donghu cavalry, 8,000 Huyan cavalry, 5,000 Anxi cavalry, 13,000 Persian soldiers, 12,000 Qinglongzhai soldiers, 7,000 slave soldiers, 5,000 of our own soldiers, and 7,000 of His Highness's cavalry and auxiliary troops."

Li Jing reported the military situation to Ning Quan.