Martial Arts: My achievements in Beiliang were so great that they threatened the lord's positio

The emperor gritted his teeth and said, "Didn't he claim that the 300,000 iron cavalry of Northern Liang were unmatched in the world? Why couldn't he even stop tens of thousands of Northern Python troops?"

"Your Majesty, the King of Beiliang is getting old and may be losing his strength."

Cao Zhengchun continued to explain.

These words were undoubtedly an implication to the court officials that Lin Xuan had broken with Northern Liang and was now loyal to the court.

"Your Majesty, an edict of accountability should be issued to Northern Liang."

Someone immediately understood and stepped forward to make the suggestion.

"This battle resulted in the annihilation of 130,000 enemy troops, a truly rare and great victory. The General Who Guards the North should be richly rewarded."

"His Majesty."

Minister Gu of the Ministry of War, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and asked, "How should the three tribes of Doyan be arranged?"

Your Majesty, I have heard that the General Who Guards the North has privately established garrisons and incorporated troops from three different divisions into his forces. I fear this action is inappropriate.

This was precisely what the emperor found difficult to handle.

The three tribes of Duoyan possess 100,000 iron cavalry. If they were all placed under Lin Xuan's command, the power of this General Who Guards the North would expand rapidly.

However, if the imperial court intervenes, not to mention whether the three tribes of Doyan will obey, Yan County lost most of its troops in the Battle of Duanlong Pass. How will it then counterbalance Beiliang in the future?

After a moment's hesitation, the emperor made his decision and said firmly, "The General Who Guards the North has the right to establish his own government. Since the three tribes of Doyan are willing to accept his amnesty, they can serve him."

This move would both deter the southward incursions of nomadic tribes from the grasslands and help defend against the Northern Python.

"Your Majesty is wise."

The emperor's attitude was clear, so the Minister of War said no more.

"The General of the Northern Garrison will be rewarded with 50,000 taels of gold, 100,000 taels of silver, 10 cartloads of pearls and jade, and 30 cartloads of silk and cloth."

He was promoted to the rank of General Who Guards the North and established Yan Prefecture in Yan territory. The area from Tianxian Pass in the west to the grasslands east of the Misang River in the east was all included in the jurisdiction of Yan Prefecture.

General Lin Xuan, the General Who Guards the North, concurrently serves as the Prefect of Yanzhou. He has the authority to establish prefectures and garrisons, and is also granted an imperial sword. He may act as he sees fit within the territory of Yanzhou.

"Cao Zhengchun".

"Your servant is here."

"I hereby appoint you as Imperial Envoy, to escort 500,000 shi of grain and all rewards to Yan to reward the soldiers on my behalf."

"Your servant obeys the decree."

Cao Zhengchun bowed to receive the order.

"Let's set off in the next few days."

The emperor nodded slightly: "Draft another reprimanding edict and send it to Qingliang Mountain."

The King of Northern Liang has delayed military operations and disobeyed imperial orders; he must be severely punished.

All the officials understood that such a generous reward showed the emperor's determination to cultivate the General Who Guards the North into a trusted and important minister.

In the past, the imperial court had to rely on Northern Liang to defend the border and resist Northern Mang. Now that the prefectures have been abolished and the states have been established, it means that the imperial court's defense of the northern border will no longer depend solely on Northern Liang.

"The world is about to change."

Many people sighed inwardly.

A great victory spread throughout the land in just half a month, and everyone in the Central Plains knew the illustrious name of General Lin Xuan, the Great General Who Guards the North.

In one battle, they annihilated 130,000 Northern Python cavalry, and even the Northern Python's military god, Tuoba Pusa, was defeated by them.

It can be said that the Battle of Duanlong Pass propelled Lin Xuan's reputation to unprecedented heights.

of course,

There was also someone behind the scenes who used Lin Xuan's influence to suppress the prestige of Bei Liang.

But the results of the war are undeniable.

The heads of 130,000 Northern Python soldiers.

In contrast, the Northern Liang's inaction, not only failing to provide aid but also allowing the Northern Python Army to enter the territory,

This has drawn much criticism.

The censors seized the opportunity and, like mad dogs, submitted memorials to impeach Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang.

Within Yanzhou

After the war subsided, Lin Xuan returned to Yanzhou City, where the cavalry of the three Duoyan tribes had already withdrawn to the grasslands.

Qiboer and Mahaduo returned to the Doyan garrison with the army, while the Great Chanyu Arutai stayed temporarily in Yanzhou City.

The post-war period was filled with numerous and complex issues that urgently needed to be addressed.

Although the imperial court's bestowal of honors had not yet been issued, Lin Xuan already anticipated that the rewards would be substantial.

Firstly, the emperor needed to win over the hearts of the people, and secondly, he also wanted to support him in order to counterbalance the Northern Liang.

Spring plowing in Yan County was unaffected by the war. The immediate priorities were to provide compensation for the fallen soldiers, replenish the ranks, and establish garrisons in the three tribes of Duoyan.

Arughtai stayed behind for one last thing.

Lin Xuan handed over the matters to Prince Qing and Arutai for discussion, while he himself summoned his generals and advisors to the General's Mansion.

Zhuge Qing, Luo Wentong, Zhu Duan, Meng Jiao, Tian Hu, Jia Xiong, Zhang Long, Wutugu, Qin Yuanba and others all arrived in the hall.

Huyan Lie guarded Duanlong Pass, Zhang Wei was stationed at Luanshi City, and Xue Toutuo guarded Tianxian Pass, where he was locked in a stalemate with Chen Zhibao.

"This victory in Yan County is thanks to the strategies of you gentlemen and the brave service of our soldiers."

Lin Xuan gestured for everyone to take their seats, and a waiter served tea.

He continued, "The rewards will be distributed after the imperial court issues its decrees."

Everyone showed joy.

After drinking his tea, Lin Xuan said, "There are many important matters at hand that cannot be delayed."

"Mr. Zhu."

"General."

Zhu Duanhe stood up and replied.

"I trouble you and Ziyuan to distribute the pensions for the fallen soldiers, and their families will be exempt from taxes for three years."

"The general is benevolent."

Zhu Duanhe exclaimed, "This is a rare sight in the world."

"The Criminal Investigation Department and the Secret Service will monitor the entire process, and all compensation funds from the government treasury must be delivered to the families of the fallen soldiers."

"Rest assured, sir, I will handle this matter properly."

Zhu Duanhe solemnly agreed.

Lin Xuan looked at Meng Jiao: "Our army suffered heavy casualties in this battle; the Xuanjia Army and the Eight Hundred Battalion were almost completely wiped out."

"Although the Northern Python has been defeated, it may not be able to return; the Northern Liang is also watching from the sidelines."

Recruiting soldiers to bolster military strength is of utmost urgency.

"The General has set the target; within a month, I will have recruited the full number of soldiers."

Meng Jiao was full of confidence.

"The Xuanjia Army has been replenished to 30,000."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment, "Expand the Eight Hundred Battalion to Fifteen Thousand Men."

In addition, a new Tiger-like Battalion with 20,000 men was established from the existing garrison troops; a new Infantry Vanguard Battalion was also established, also with 20,000 men, half of whom were heavily armored and half lightly armored.

After the expansion, in addition to the cavalry of the Qianniu Three Guards and the Duoyan Three Guards, Yan County will have one army, one cavalry, and three battalions, totaling 85,000 troops.

The troop strength has nearly doubled compared to before.

"Yes, sir!"

Generals like Meng Jiao were eager to try, and their staff were also very excited.

They were not afraid that their lord had ambition, but rather that he lacked foresight.

"Jia Xiong, you are now in charge of training the Trapped Camp."

Lin Xuan looked at Jia Xiong: "If you can't train a skilled infantry unit, I'll transfer you to the mess hall as a handyman."

"Rest assured, General!"

Jia Xiong solemnly agreed.

He had been stationed in Luanshi City during this battle but had not achieved much merit. Now that he had this opportunity, he should give it his all.

Lin Xuan also felt helpless. He was unwilling to expand his army too early, but unexpectedly, the Northern Python arrived suddenly and openly opposed the Northern Liang.

Without strong soldiers and fierce generals, how can we intimidate Liangmang and win over the three tribes of Duoyan?

Fortunately, the battle yielded a considerable amount of spoils from the Northern Python.

The Northern Pythons' more than 10,000 heavily armored cavalry were defeated head-on by Qin Yuanba's 2,800 battalions, suffering more than 9,000 casualties.

Otherwise, it would be very difficult to assemble the equipment for 15,000 heavy cavalry.

Now that we've already torn off all pretense of civility, there's no need to hold back; let's expand our army.

The Yan Prefecture had ample grain reserves, and with the tens of thousands of warhorses, hundreds of thousands of shi of grain, and numerous weapons and armor seized from Tuoba Pusa, it was sufficient to support this military expansion.

As for imperial rewards, they were mostly for promotions in official rank and power.

He hadn't had high hopes for supplies like military rations and weapons.

After discussing the specific arrangements for expanding the military force with everyone in the hall for a long time, they had dinner together as evening approached before leaving one after another.

As I walked back to my courtyard, the sun was about to set, dusk was deepening, and the brilliant sunset glow from the horizon spilled into the courtyard. The verdant bamboo branches swayed gently in the wind, and a melodious zither tune drifted over.

In the waterside pavilion by the courtyard,

The market is currently in a state of shock.

When the great battle broke out, she did not go to Duanlong Pass, but instead escorted Mu Qing'er to Qianniu Sanwei.

"Big Pan, your piano skills have improved a lot since then."

He said with a smile.

"Young master."

Da Pan'er opened his eyes, and the faint sword energy floating around him gradually subsided.

Lin Xuan had sharp eyes and could tell her current cultivation level after a short look—her body was full of sword energy and her spirit was high, so she was probably not far from breaking through her cultivation level.

"Have you had dinner yet?"

He asked casually.

"Not yet."

Dapan shook his head: "I don't feel very hungry."

"That's perfect, I'll have dinner with you later."

Lin Xuan said in a joking tone.

"Alright, then this servant will be waiting for you, young master."

Da Pan'er's eyes lit up, and he pursed his lips slightly. His expression made Da Pan'er's heart flutter slightly, and he quickly turned around and walked towards the study.

There are urgent matters to attend to right now, so I can't linger here.

"Giggle..."

Hearing Dapan'er's clear laughter behind him, Lin Xuan thought to himself, "I'll tease this girl some more tonight."

In the study,

Mu Qing'er and Lin Yunqin were facing stacks of documents, their expressions focused and their brows slightly furrowed.

The vermilion brush in his hand never stopped.

"Is it still not finished?"

He came in and asked.

"It was almost over, but this morning the Prince's Office Assistant sent over the reports on the compensation for the three guards of Duoyan and the fallen soldiers."

"And they're all urging us to approve it as soon as possible."

Lin Yunqin said with a worried expression, "Young master, why don't you ask two more sisters to help? They can share some of the burden."

"Well..."

Lin Xuan smiled and said, "The capable should do more, after all. Who told our little Qin'er to be so smart and capable?"

"Whenever you praise me, it's never a good thing."

Lin Yunqin muttered to herself, "Every time she praises me, she has to give me a bunch of tasks."

"Bring me the report from the Three Guards of Doyan."

He took the document from Mu Qing'er and began to read it carefully.

The three guards of Duoyan are of great importance and must be handled properly.

After all, these three tribes have 100,000 cavalrymen, and they cannot be suppressed too much, nor can they be left unchecked.

The key to striking the right balance lies in how Wang Qing manages it.

Fortunately, Prince Yuan did not disappoint; the document clearly outlined the official positions and personnel arrangements for the three tribes.

The position of commander of a thousand households was selected from various tribes, and most of them were the chieftains of their respective tribes.

Each thousand-household unit has two deputy thousand-household commanders, who are directly dispatched by the General's Office and are responsible for civil and military affairs respectively.

The deputy commanders of the military were in charge of troop training and conveying military orders from the general's office; the deputy commanders of the civilian office were in charge of commerce, agriculture, and trade with Yan County within their jurisdiction.

Both of these deputy commanders held positions of real power, and it was only through a combination of carrot and stick that Prince Yuan managed to persuade Arutai to accept the arrangement.

In addition, Arutai, as the Great Chanyu of the three Doyan tribes, entered the General's Mansion and served as a fourth-rank General Who Conquers the Barbarians.

This allows for maximum control over the three parts of Duoyan.

"Ziyuan truly deserves to be my chief strategist."

Lin Xuan put down the document and said, "This matter was handled very well."

"Young master, please don't praise people like that in the future."

Mu Qing'er gently reminded him, "If the Prince's Assistant heard this, he would feel terrible."

"Yes, yes, strategist Qing'er is right."

He smiled and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Young master, this is a challenge letter sent by Chen Zhibao."

Mu Qing'er stood up and took a document from the bookshelf: "It was delivered yesterday. That white-robed military immortal has led 50,000 elite cavalry and is already stationed outside Tianxian Pass."

Lin Xuan glanced at the challenge letter, then casually tossed it into the wastebasket and shook his head, saying, "Send the order to Xue Toutuo to hold Tianxian Pass firmly and not to leave the city to meet the enemy."

"I knew from the start that you wouldn't confront him."

Mu Qing'er smiled gently.

"There's no benefit in winning."

Lin Xuan curled his lips: "Losing a fight would be embarrassing, and there's no way your young master, being as shrewd as me, would do something so unprofitable."

"If he's willing to wait, let him wait. Wait until the autumn harvest, until it snows. Eventually, Chen Zhibao will get impatient and withdraw his troops."

It wasn't out of fear of Chen Zhibao.

However, this confrontation was entirely unnecessary.

It's basically a waste of time.

What is his identity?

The general, who was stationed in the northern frontier and concurrently served as the governor of Yan Commandery, was busy with important matters every day. He had to recruit new soldiers, manage various affairs in the commandery, and appease the Qianniu Three Guards and the Duoyan Three Tribes.

Where would they find the time to play such childish games with Chen Zhibao?