Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Seven days later, Aung San and Suk Kyi returned to the Mengjiang camp.

The second negotiation went much more smoothly than the first. Sihanfa agreed to almost all of Shen Lang's conditions, and even the border demarcation was completely redefined according to Shen Lang's agreement.

This is not an attempt by Luchuan to make amends for its shameful act of invasion.

During this period, news of the complete annihilation of Luchuan's 80,000-strong main force spread almost throughout the entire Indochina Peninsula region.

Those tribes and states that had suffered under the oppression of Luchuan seized this opportunity to rise up in rebellion, and a massive "anti-oppression" uprising was inevitable.

Is this okay?

I, Luchuan, am the rightful ruler of this land. How dare you, a bunch of unruly people, rebel against me?

I may not be able to defeat the State of Chu, but I can certainly deal with you barbarians.

We must fight!

Moreover, Sihanfa was too preoccupied with suppressing this uprising to handle other matters, and had no choice but to reluctantly agree to any conditions proposed by Shen Lang.

He knew that only by regaining control of the Mengjiang River basin as soon as possible could he mobilize his troops to participate in suppressing the rebellion and maintain Luchuan's hegemony in the central and southern regions.

The war of invasion of Nanzhao had actually escalated to this point, something that Sihanfa and the people of Luchuan could never have imagined, not even in the wildest dreams of the Chu Kingdom.

However, all of this was naturally Shen Lang's doing, using the resentment accumulated by various tribes in the Central and Southern regions against Luchuan's oppressive rule over the years to instigate their rebellion.

The drumming method is simple and brutal, which can be summarized as: hit, hit hard, don't be afraid, I'll protect you.

As for how this farce would unfold after he left, Shen Lang didn't even consider those things.

The agreement process went very smoothly, and the two parties formally signed the contract an hour later.

It is called the "Chulu Mengjiang Friendship Agreement".

However, the content of the treaty was slightly modified.

The original compensation amount of 24 million taels of gold was changed to 10 million taels, and Shen Lang kept the remaining 14 million taels of gold.

After Aung San solemnly handed the four storage rings containing 24 million taels of gold to Shen Lang, he added:

"General Shen, please go back and tell your Empress that Luchuan had no intention of offending Great Chu. It was all a misunderstanding."

Shen Lang: "Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, your king should know in his heart. But don't worry, I will pass on the message. I hope that our two countries can live in peace and never fight each other again."

"Farewell."

After a pointless and hypocritical exchange, Aung San bowed to Shen Lang and then returned to the Royal Palace with Su Ji.

As soon as everyone left, Jiang Shangxian came running to Shen Lang's side and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"Brother, I've never admired anyone in my life except you! In less than three months, you've completely subdued Luchuan."

Furthermore, by ceding territory and paying reparations, he brought such a vast fortune to our Great Chu, truly making him the first person in history to achieve this!

Shen Lang shook his head: "Your Highness, the matter here is temporarily settled. After a few days of cleaning up, we should return to the capital."

However, there are a few things I still need to explain to the Prince. Negotiating with Luchuan is my duty as the Pacification Commissioner.

But it was you, Your Highness, who spearheaded the invasion of Luchuan, not me.”

"What?" Jiang Shangxian was stunned. "Brother, are you alright? You actually don't want such a great opportunity?"

Shen Lang smiled and shook his head: "Your Highness should know that the reason I volunteered to come to Nanzhao was to send troops to suppress the civil unrest in Jinling."

This was a desperate measure taken to avoid impeachment and criticism from both the court and the public. However, further military achievements at this time would only incur even more suspicion from both sides.

To be honest, I'm not afraid of the civil and military officials in the court, but I'm worried about the Empress's suspicion. After all, throughout history, those who have achieved great merit and overshadowed their rulers have never had a good ending.

I don't want to be the next target of suppression, nor do I want to one day fight the Empress for my life, causing widespread suffering and death in the court.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian immediately became anxious: "Brother, how many times do I have to tell you before you believe me? My nephew is definitely not that kind of person!"

Your meritorious service will only solidify her throne and elevate her prestige in court and among the people. How could she possibly fear you?

Shen Lang shook his head: "I understand everything you're saying, but I don't know how now. But what about after I completely seize power?"

Would they still allow any stains that could be detrimental to themselves at that time?

People change. Now that the Empress is weak, it's natural that she needs to use people.

But once the momentum is established, the next step is to eliminate anyone or anything that is detrimental to oneself.

Jiang Shangxian shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "Brother, listen to me, my imperial nephew is definitely not as bad as you think."

If she didn't have feelings for you, she would never have trusted you so much and entrusted the new army to you. In fact, she had already...

Shen Lang interrupted him: "Alright, Your Highness, there's no use talking about this now. Just do as I say. The invasion of Luchuan is your command."

"And the merits of the soldiers' bravery are enough; the rest, let time decide."

Jiang Shangxian grinned: "Brother, to be honest, even if I report it as you say, will the officials in the court believe me? Will His Majesty believe me?"

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes: "Whether you believe it or not is not important, what matters is your attitude. Your Highness, do you really not understand the intricacies of this?"

Jiang Shangxian pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: "I understand."

Shen Lang continued, "Furthermore, regarding the compensation for soldiers who died in battle, I plan to distribute thirty taels of gold to each of them in the name of the Empress."

The wounded will receive twenty taels of silver, and all participating soldiers, including the wealthy gentry and their retainers, will receive five taels each.

Those who perform exceptionally well will be rewarded with at least ten taels of silver, and two hundred thousand taels of gold will be set aside to reinforce the border and advance the construction of the Laoshan Garrison.

"What do you think about leaving another 100,000 taels of silver for Mu Yuanying to help resettle the civilians of Nanzhao affected by the war?"

"I have no objection. You earned all of this yourself, brother. You can decide how to arrange it as you see fit."

What opinions could Jiang Shangxian possibly have?

This is a cause for national celebration, and it's happening in the name of the Empress, which shows that Shen Lang doesn't really care much about his reputation.

"But brother, I must remind you that Mu Yuanying and Tang Zhao have already sent a messenger to the capital with great urgency to impeach you for killing prisoners without authorization."

"Let them impeach me all they want. The worse my reputation, the safer I am."

Moreover, the moment I appear in the capital, all voices impeaching me will vanish.

Seeing Shen Lang's certainty, Jiang Shangxian felt relieved: "Very well, since there are no objections, let's prepare to withdraw the troops. I will personally write a victory report and send it to His Majesty in the capital."

"Also, don't publicize the contents of the treaty for now. If anyone asks, just say that the war reparations received under this treaty total ten million taels of gold."

As for the remaining fourteen million, I will personally hand it over to the Empress. Only with the money in her hands will her throne be more secure, and industrial development can proceed smoothly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian was deeply moved: "Brother, you've truly been incredibly devoted to our imperial nephew. But weren't you worried she might harm you before? Why are you doing this now...?"

Shen Lang shook his head: "One thing at a time. At least for now, the Empress still trusts me."

Since she trusts me, I naturally can't let her down. As for the future, we'll deal with that later.

After speaking, Shen Lang put his hands behind his back and silently watched the ever-flowing river upstream of the Mengjiang River.

"Truly, the landscape is as beautiful as a painting."

……

Inside Weiyang Palace.

"Mother, there is no need to persuade me any further; this is absolutely impossible."

"My son, are you really not going to reconsider? I'm doing all this for your own good."

Your cotton cloth has nearly driven your uncle's silk cloth business into bankruptcy.

For the past few months, he hasn't been able to sell a single bolt of silk, and his family is almost starving.

We're all family, why can't we be lenient?

Due to the high production capacity of the Royal Textile Mill, the traditional weaving industry, which relied on primary hand workshops, was squeezed out of the market.

A new type of textile machine can produce twenty bolts of cotton cloth a day by a skilled weaver, and an apprentice can easily produce at least five bolts of cloth a day.

In the traditional textile machines of the Great Chu Dynasty, no matter how skilled the female workers were, they could only produce a piece of silk cloth in five to seven days at the fastest, which was already considered a very fast speed.

In comparison, the new loom completely outclasses the traditional loom, even overwhelming it.

Moreover, once cotton cloth was introduced, it immediately gained popularity and quickly seized the market, directly causing a huge impact on the traditional textile industry.

Over time, those aristocratic families who relied on the silk trade were squeezed out of their livelihoods and could no longer survive.

They then jointly wrote a letter to the Empress Dowager, urging the Empress to disband the textile factory and not to "compete with the people for profit."

However, having tasted the benefits of industrial innovation, how could Jiang Mengxuan possibly choose to stop?

Even when Ji Yuxi approached her under the guise of "family," she refused without hesitation.

Ji Yuxi was very displeased, but she still tried to appeal to emotions: "My son, I know that you and I are not blood-related mother and daughter."

But no matter what, I am still the Empress Dowager of the Great Chu Kingdom, and ultimately, I am family with you.

"Can you really bear to watch your loved ones be driven to ruin and death because of you?"