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

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Empress was very generous; each of the soldiers who performed the war dance received ten taels of gold, which made them overjoyed, and they all knelt down on one knee to express their gratitude.

Just then, Amber came to the Empress's side without saying a word and said a few words.

The Empress smiled slightly upon hearing this, and with a flick of her phoenix sleeve, she said, "All of you, step back."

"Long live your Majesty."

After the soldiers left, Guo Huaizhi asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty looks relaxed. Could it be that the matter in Shu Commandery has been resolved?"

“Nothing can be hidden from you, Master.” Jiang Mengxuan smiled faintly. “Indeed, everything has been resolved. The sect rebels gathered in Shu have all been executed on the spot.”

Guo Huaizhi: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"There's nothing to be happy or unhappy about."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled calmly, seemingly unconcerned about the matter, as if it were all to be expected.

This unprecedented confidence stems entirely from the strong national strength behind it.

With strong national power as a backing, one can easily engage in these schemes and plots. Even if one fails this time, one can quickly adjust strategies and focus one's efforts on the next.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the stakes between the two sides were extremely unbalanced.

The Empress can fail countless times without damaging her foundation, but the rebels will be doomed if they lose even once.

Understanding this, Jiang Mengxuan could only silently admire Shen Lang's broad vision and perspective, and was also grateful that he was the love of her life and would always be on her side.

"Alright, I've been here for two days. Tomorrow it's about time I set off for Shu County to clean up the last vestiges of this mess."

"This humble general will arrange for men to personally escort His Majesty there."

"No need, General Guo, you just need to guard Guanzhong."

Jiang Mengxuan rose and addressed all the officials who had participated in the banquet, saying, "I am well aware of your sincerity these past few days, and I have also witnessed the grandeur of Chang'an."

"Once the internal affairs of my Great Chu are settled, I will attempt to reopen the Silk Road, spreading the prestige of my Great Chu westward to the Pamir Mountains."

Guo Huaizhi clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general looks forward to seeing that day."

Guo Huaizhi had seen the prosperity of the Silk Road in ancient dynastic books and had always longed to see the most glorious period of the Chu Dynasty.

For this reason, he wrote to Shen Lang privately several times, hoping to propose to the Empress the idea of ​​restarting the Silk Road.

However, Shen Lang had previously inspected the geographical and climatic environment of Yong and Liang, and after analysis, he gave Guo Huaizhi a reply that greatly dissatisfied him.

Because of the meaningless and unsustainable exploitation of resources by the Qiang and Xia rulers, large-scale desertification occurred in the area west of Liangzhou in the northwest region.

In addition, the presence of bandits, foreign tribes, and horse bandits led to a serious deterioration in public security, making it a pipe dream to restore the prosperity of the Silk Road in its heyday.

Shen Lang's advice was to stabilize the Guanzhong region and prevent further desertification, while the Silk Road concept was almost entirely rejected.

His approach was to utilize the high-quality mineral resources of the Northwest to bring about industrial development in the Guanzhong region and improve the lives of ordinary people, thus persuading Guo Huaizhi to abandon his unrealistic fantasies.

This greatly angered Guo Huaizhi, and the two had an extremely heated argument over it during their correspondence.

Although Guo Huaizhi had been stationed in Chang'an for many years and understood that what Shen Lang said was true, he had never given up his dream of the Silk Road.

There's nothing we can do about it; human power is ultimately too insignificant in the face of factors like nature.

From the founding of the First Emperor to the end of the Ma Yao era, the Chinese civilization gradually migrated eastward over the course of more than two thousand years, driven by factors such as population growth, climate change, and increased productivity.

From the moment Emperor Wu ordered Huo Qubing to open up the Hexi Corridor and Zhang Qian established contact with the Western Regions, a solid foundation was laid for the prosperous Silk Road of the Tang Dynasty.

From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the economic center of China was always in the Guanzhong and Heluo regions in the north, hence the saying that whoever controlled Guanzhong controlled the world.

This period marked the peak of Chinese civilization's outward expansion and exploration, embracing all things and embracing diversity.

It wasn't until the An Lushan Rebellion that Chinese civilization gradually shifted from an active expansion and openness to a conservative and introverted one. At the same time, man-made geographical and climatic factors also gradually changed the historical trajectory of Chinese civilization.

The Guanzhong region was developed on a large scale from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, but it declined rapidly in the following century. The biggest factors for this were frequent wars and unrestrained land development, which led to increasingly serious desertification.

Ultimately, as the climate gradually turned from warm to cool, the Tibetan Empire, which had been entangled with the Tang Dynasty for almost its entire life, perished, and the mission that history had entrusted to the Guanzhong and Heluo regions came to an end.

Correspondingly, after hundreds of years of development by the Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin, and Southern Dynasties, the economy, climate, and soil of the southeast region were sufficient to support a larger population, and by the mid-Tang Dynasty, it had gradually replaced Guanzhong as the new economic center.

As a result, a large number of people gradually migrated southeastward due to various factors such as war and climate change, and the mission of the Silk Road became history with the fall of the Tang Dynasty.

The subsequent unified dynasties of Yuan, Ming, and Qing were far less successful in expanding into the Western Regions than the Han and Tang dynasties. The main reason for this was that the harsh climate in the northwest had exceeded the productivity limits of the feudal dynasties that relied on a small-scale peasant economy.

A region that cannot generate tax revenue for the central government and even has to spend a lot of money every year to maintain order is destined to be difficult to maintain for a long time. Once its finances shrink, rebellion will inevitably occur.

The Qing dynasty made contributions to the modern map of China, a point that is beyond doubt and requires no rebuttal.

But to claim that the expansion and governance of the frontier regions surpassed those of the Han and Tang dynasties would be utterly ridiculous.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on Ma Yao. Given the world situation during Ma Yao's time and his outdated governance system, it would be a miracle if he could govern the border regions well.

At the same time, the harsh climate also limited the expansion and governance of the border regions under the rule of the Ma dynasty.

Even in modern civilization, managing the economy of border regions remains a headache for the entire nation. Both China and America across the sea have been troubled by the construction of their borders.

Therefore, Shen Lang would never invest a large amount of public funds in the Silk Road, which offered no hope whatsoever. He would rather use that energy and effort to develop maritime colonial power and plunder more resources.

The core of materialism is putting interests first, abandoning all unrealistic fantasies, and replacing illusions with practical work.

However, for Guo Huaizhi, who has a strong sense of nostalgia, the reopening of the Silk Road is absolutely necessary.

Of course, the final decision still rests with Jiang Mengxuan.

After the banquet, Jiang Mengxuan had just returned to her brand-new palace to rest when Cao Zhengqing, the chief official of the Ming court, cautiously approached the Empress and asked:

"Your Majesty, would you like someone to attend to you tonight?"

The Empress was taken aback, a barely perceptible hint of coldness flashing in her phoenix eyes.

"presumptuous."

Qingwen pointed at Cao Zhengqing and said angrily.

"Who in the world doesn't know that His Majesty and the Emperor are deeply in love? Are you trying to sow discord between them? You deserve to die."

Cao Zhengqing hurriedly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant knows that you and the Emperor have a deep affection for each other, but you are His Majesty."

You can choose any man in the world. Now that the Emperor is not here, I was afraid you would be lonely in your empty room, so I arranged for some male concubines to serve you.

Jiang Mengxuan thought for a moment and then said directly to Qingwen, "Take down this conspirator and hand him over to the Imperial Guards for strict interrogation. I want to know who his accomplices are."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengqing's eyes widened immediately: "Your Majesty, this servant is not a traitor! Your Majesty is wise!"

Did I say you were a traitor?

Cao Zhengqing was speechless. Before he could even refute her, Qingwen knocked him unconscious and dragged him out of the palace.

After dealing with this incident, Jiang Mengxuan gracefully lay down on the soft and comfortable couch.

"Ah Lang, I miss you."

……

Yuzhou, Governor's Hall.

"My lord, the head of Dugu Yun has arrived. Please inspect it!"

"The Shushan Sword Sect has been destroyed, and all of its properties have been sealed and are awaiting confiscation!"

Dong Biao, carrying Dugu Yun's severed head and covered in blood, arrived at the governor's hall. He bowed deeply to Fa Xiaozhi, his face filled with undisguised excitement.

At this point, two days and one night had passed since the explosion on the eastern railway line.

"Lord Dong, you've worked hard. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Prefect."

The governor's hall was filled with local officials, each with a trembling and anxious expression.