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

Ban Dingyuan and Wang Xuance exchanged a glance, both understanding Shen Lang's intentions from each other's eyes.

This is an opportunity, an opportunity to change one's life ideals, a tremendous opportunity to step into a revolutionary era.

Ban Dingyuan took the lead, walked to the sand table, picked up the pointer and pointed directly to a spot on the Xiliang topographic map.

"In my opinion, the key to controlling the border between Xiliang and Yongzhou lies in Longyou Road."

Shen Lang immediately stood up and looked over, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Ban Dingyuan continued, "Although the terrain in one part of Longyou Road is flat, it is not easy to defend."

However, it was the only way for Qiang and Hu cavalry to enter Guanzhong.

If a fortified tower were built in the Longyou region, and trenches were dug around it, and the Imperial Guard were equipped with new weapons to hold the position,

With just a few thousand men, they could stop an advance of hundreds of thousands of cavalry; moreover, the Longyou region had fertile soil and water.

It can provide the garrison with the daily rations they need, even if the supply lines from the rear are delayed.

The defending army could also hold out for two years with its stored provisions.

Wang Xuance was not to be outdone, and pointed to another location as well.

"The Qiang and Hu peoples are, after all, barbarians. Although their customs are fierce, they lack the profound cultural heritage of the Central Plains."

In contrast, the Sichuan region, separated from the Guanzhong Plain by only one mountain, requires more attention.

King Jiang Chong of Shu belonged to the faction of the empress's relatives and had long harbored rebellious intentions.

Since assuming the title of King of Shu, he has secretly recruited no fewer than 300,000 soldiers.

They also maintained contact with various Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) forces in Sichuan. Now that the royal army has recaptured Chang'an,

With the Guanzhong region responding, Your Majesty's throne will no longer be threatened by any external force.

This move will surely make the King of Shu uneasy. If he were to raise an army, his first target would undoubtedly be the Guanzhong and Yongliang regions.

After all, although the Shu army was fierce, it lacked enough cavalry for long-distance marches, while Yong and Liang provinces had been the main source of warhorses for the dynasty since the reign of Emperor Taizu.

If the King of Shu wants to gain power, he will inevitably have to take Guanzhong first. Therefore, I propose that we establish garrisons and fortresses in Guanzhong, Liangzhou, and Longxi to prevent any changes in the situation.

Shen Lang listened silently to their explanations, and his opinion of them improved.

After the two finished expressing their opinions, Shen Lang replied in a deep voice, "Once the Jinling Military Academy is established, you two should submit your resignations to the Six Ministries directly."

"Thank you, General!"

Upon hearing this, the two expressed their gratitude in unison.

During the march, Shen Lang mentioned to the two the matter of building a military academy and the related courses.

After hearing Shen Lang's military academy plan, Ban Dingyuan and Wang Xuance immediately felt a strong desire to attend and hinted several times that Shen Lang could reserve a spot for them.

Now that I heard Shen Lang's promise, I finally felt relieved.

"When will we set off?"

Jiang Shangxian asked a crucial question.

Shen Lang turned around and sat in the seat of honor: "This time, let Lü Meng and Zhang Dingbian lead the expedition to Xiliang."

Qu Yi and Meng Gong's troops will remain with me to garrison Chang'an; I cannot extricate myself from the situation in Guanzhong for the time being.

I can only leave after the imperial court sends someone to replace me and the situation stabilizes.

This is a very helpless move at the moment.

Although the Imperial Guard, numbering ten thousand, possessed fierce firepower and was able to suppress the Western Xia in every battle.

However, because the railway had not yet been opened, the number of tens of thousands of people scattered across such a large area was simply insufficient to hold all the regions.

With Chang'an now recovered, and before Changsun Yang received an official title from the court, no one but himself could keep those wealthy and powerful families in check.

If we continue the full-scale attack on Xiliang at this point, and something happens to our rear, we'll have no way to retreat.

Therefore, after recapturing Chang'an, Shen Lang felt powerless to conquer the entire Western Liang.

The situation in Guanzhong was complex and complicated. The powerful clans had not yet won over the people, and they also had to face counterattacks from Shu and Western Xia at the same time, which was exhausting for them.

Thinking about this, Shen Lang felt a pang of regret.

If I hadn't taken Jiang Shangxian's advice and gone to that son-in-law selection event, would things be much easier for me now, and I'd still be at home eating hot pot and singing?

He couldn't help but look at the fat man who was sitting with his legs crossed and shaking, and he felt an urge to slap him twice.

But thinking about it carefully, wasn't it just my own foolishness?

Well, what's done is done, let's just take it one step at a time.

"Everyone, it's getting late. Go back and rest first. Once the military supplies arrive, we'll set off for Xiliang immediately."

"Yes!"

……

The following evening, Shen Lang politely declined the banquet invitations from various powerful families in Chang'an, and sent Prince Jiang Shangxian to attend them in his place.

After all, Jiang Shangxian is the current Empress's uncle, and with this relationship, as well as being a member of the imperial family, it would not disgrace the status and position of these powerful clans to have him step forward.

As night deepened, just as Shen Lang was about to undress and rest, Jiang Shangxian approached him, blushing.

"what's up?"

Shen Lang asked casually, not paying any attention to the expression on Jiang Shangxian's face.

Jiang Shangxian opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he looked ashamed to speak.

"If you're not going to say it, then don't. It's getting late, Your Highness should rest."

"and many more."

Jiang Shangxian hurriedly said.

"I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What's wrong? What trouble did you get into?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian suddenly knelt down in front of Shen Lang and slapped himself hard.

This scene almost made Shen Lang jump out of his skin: "What's going on? Can you stop being so jumpy!"

"Brother! I'm so sorry! It's all my fault for betraying you!"

Jiang Shangxian immediately burst into tears, sobbing pitifully.

Shen Lang raised an eyebrow, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation. He immediately stood up and said coldly, "Stop crying. I'll hold up the sky for you even if it falls. What exactly happened?"

"You really have to take charge of this."

Jiang Shangxian wiped away his tears and explained with a look of annoyance.

"Tonight, Changsun Yang invited me to dinner, but I drank a few too many cups and my mind became muddled. Changsun Yang then brought up your marriage to me."

Because he had a few too many drinks during the meal, his mind went blank, and he actually agreed to Changsun Yang's invitation to meet you at Jinchi Lake with his daughter.

"Brother, what am I going to do? You are the imperial son-in-law chosen by the Great Chu royal family! I actually betrayed you! If His Majesty finds out, he will skin me alive!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Shen Lang's trouser leg and burst into tears.

Shen Lang was completely stunned, never expecting to get involved in such a melodramatic plot.

"Get off!"

He shoved Jiang Shangxian over the ground.

"Explain yourself clearly. Are you really just saying this because you're a drinker?"

Jiang Shangxian immediately stopped crying, his eyes darting left and right as he changed the subject: "Yes, it's because I drank too much, otherwise why would I have agreed to such a thing!"

Shen Lang immediately raised his voice: "Tell the truth! Otherwise, you can explain to the Changsun family yourself tomorrow."

If the situation in Chang'an changes as a result, it'll all be your responsibility. At worst, I'll just pack up and flee to the far north to become a bandit!

Jiang Shangxian immediately took out a money bag, opened it, and saw that it contained valuable jewelry and agate.

"Fuck!"

Even though Shen Lang had handled tens of millions of taels of gold in compensation, his eyes still lit up when he saw the pile of jewelry in front of him.

"This is the first time I've realized I'm worth so much?"

He picked up a transparent agate, held it up to the candlelight, and analyzed it through the intelligence system. It was worth at least three hundred taels of silver.

And this money bag contains at least a hundred coins, which means...

"A date that costs 30,000 taels of silver? Hahaha, interesting."

Thinking of this, he said with a stern face, "You caused this trouble. You must feel guilty if you keep all the money. How about this, the Imperial Guard is short of military supplies, so let's split it 30/70."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shangxian immediately became displeased: "Brother, that's not fair of you. I worked hard to earn this money, and you're taking 30% of it all at once. That's going too far."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang immediately kicked him: "You still want 70%? Damn, even a Gatling gun firing until it's smoking wouldn't be able to pierce your skin!"

Jiang Shangxian was immediately thrown to the ground, but upon hearing Shen Lang's words, he did a somersault to his feet.

"You still want 70%?"

"Why don't you go for me tomorrow? You're always nagging about wanting a concubine, aren't you?"

"Okay, okay, 70% it is, alright?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang smiled and took 105 gems (out of a total of 150) from the bag.

"Qu Yi! Exchange all these jewels for silver, and I'll treat the brothers to a few drinks later!"

Qu Yi took the bag that Shen Lang tossed to him, weighed it in his hand, and asked blankly, "Instructor, what's this?"

"Your instructor is the money I get from selling myself!"

"Thank you so much, instructor! You're so generous!"