The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

"This record shows your titles. The head of the Xu family holds the title of Marquis of Cheng. His Majesty was outspoken that day, and we, as his subjects, naturally have to fill in any gaps!"

"To show our sincerity, we have specially changed the ancestral home of your Xu family, Taikang County, to the Marquisate of Taikang County in the Western Regions!"

You can play it like this?

Taikang is one of the capitals. If you take this name to the Western Regions, it's like having a separate family genealogy!

The head of the Xu family, a down-on-his-luck man who fled from his hometown of Taikang, was even more attached to his hometown, and he almost knelt on the ground with trembling knees.

"Your subject, Xu Jiahe, Marquis of Taikang County in the Western Regions, hereby receives the imperial decree: Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Seeing this, Zhou Peigong nodded. He himself was from Jingmen and also looked forward to one day bringing honor to his ancestors. So he opened the second page and read aloud:

"Your specific fiefdoms will be announced at the end of the year. Next spring, the army will depart for the frontier. Patriarch Xu, you should prepare capable individuals from your clan in advance. If they can catch His Majesty's eye, entering the court will not be difficult!"

Zhou Peigong wrote this mainly because Liu Mu had not received Subutai's military report and naturally did not know the current situation of the Siberian Plain.

But the only certainty is that with Subutai's forces, he absolutely has a chance to take it.

When these words reached the ears of the gentry, they realized that this was the opportunity the emperor was giving them to prepare. At least a thousand people would be needed to go, which would require sufficient food and farming tools, etc.

Next, Zhou Peigong read out the titles of nobility to all the gentry, such as Luyi County in the Western Regions, the birthplace of Laozi; Yanggu County in the Western Regions, the hometown of the tiger-fighting hero; Tangyin County in the Western Regions, the hometown of Yue Fei; and Pei County in the Western Regions, the hometown of the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, etc.!

These counties, renowned throughout China, will once again become famous in the Western Regions, perhaps even living up to their local reputation.

Three days later.

The story of the banquet at the Yangzhou government office spread, but very few people knew the specifics of it.

Some people with ulterior motives sent gifts and inquired with the gentry present that day, only to receive a single sentence in return.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"We have chosen to go through fire and water for Your Majesty!"

Upon receiving such explosive news, everyone assumed that these people had received tremendous benefits from the emperor, but were simply unwilling to reveal it.

As the story spread, it became increasingly bizarre, eventually evolving into the claim that the Han emperor had discovered mountains of gold and silver and was leading gentry who supported the Han dynasty to mine them.

But only the gentry felt bitter; they wished more people would fall into the trap, so how could they possibly speak the truth?

After all, the mentality of pretending to think plums are sweet when they themselves are sour, and trying to trick others, is ingrained in the bones of most people.

After three days of hard work, Liu Mu finally sobered up and arrived at the Yangtze River to review the troops.

"Your Majesty, the 56,000 troops of the ten garrisons have all been replenished with ammunition and assembled. Marquis Zhao's 30,000 troops are all stationed in Fengyang Prefecture to guard against the Qing Kingdom!"

"The remaining Green Standard Army soldiers, plus qualified militia from various regions, number 100,000!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mu swallowed hard. He hadn't expected that his army would surge by 100,000 after just conquering Jiangbei, even after excluding those over forty and under sixteen.

"Pei Gong!"

"Our Great Han is determined to follow the path of elite troops, eliminating those over thirty years of age once again, and then establishing garrisons along the coast, still ten garrisons will suffice!"

Huaibei is a plain, while Huainan is mostly hilly. It is also located in a strategic area. In times of chaos, people fight for power, and in times of prosperity, they fight for water resources. In short, for the past two thousand years, it has been a constant battle.

Therefore, there are elite troops here.

From as far back as the past, there was the Northern Army, the most formidable fighting force in history.

Nearby, there was also Chang Yuchun's Huaibei Iron Cavalry.

By distributing land to ten garrisons, 60,000 elite soldiers can be trained, which would be a powerful weapon for conquering large countries.

As the Minister of War, Zhou Peigong had been in charge of arranging these garrisons for the past two years. He nodded upon hearing this, showing his familiarity with the task.

Next, Liu Mu inspected the Green Standard Army and the rebel army again. After finding no problems, he gave orders to Liu Dingbian.

"Summon all the adjutants for a meeting in the main tent after the incense has burned for a while."

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he strode towards the main tent. Suddenly, he smelled a fragrance, which was not from rouge or face powder, but from the unique body fragrance of a young girl. He immediately drew his sword and held it to the neck of a passing soldier.

"Which bastard dared to bring a woman into the military camp!"

"How hard is your head?"

Liu Mu was indeed intent on killing them. He hadn't been shortchanged on his military pay, and he was rewarded for his military achievements. Yet he still carried on the bad habits of the army. He had no one to blame but himself for being killed!

Zhou Hu, who had just been promoted to lieutenant general for his meritorious service, knew immediately that something bad had happened and knelt down almost instantly.

"Your Majesty, it was this humble general who brought it!"

"But before you kill me, could you please speak with me privately? I have something important to report!"

Liu Mu recognized Zhou Hu; he had followed Ji Nanshou from Ningguta to the Beijing garrison. The fact that Zhou Hu had risen all the way to the rank of brigade commander showed that he was quite capable, so Liu Mu waved his hand.

"Come in, everyone!"

Upon entering the main tent, the soldier whose neck Liu Mu had held a knife to had removed his helmet, revealing a heroic appearance; he was none other than Princess Zhu Xin of the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, I am Zhu Xin, the Princess of Huai, of the Ming Dynasty. After the previous uprising failed, I submitted to General Zhou. I hope to see Your Majesty and save my Zhu family bloodline!"

Zhu Xin finished speaking almost in one breath, not daring to refuse in the slightest. Just now, outside the tent, he felt like his head was about to fall off.

"The Princess of Huai, Prince of the Ming Dynasty?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Liu Mu realized what the princess was thinking; she wanted to make him, Liu Mu, her concubine.

Accepting this Ming princess would be more beneficial than accepting Wuyun, after all, the Manchus had only been in power for thirty years, and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions were full of anti-Qing and pro-Ming forces.

The most important of them all is Taiwan!

That place is full of descendants of the Ming Dynasty.

Once we capture this Ming princess, she will be one of our own. The Great Han will no longer be just an empty shell, but something that exists inside and out. Attacking Taiwan will then be both reasonable and legal.

Most importantly, this princess looks a bit like Li Jiaxin.

Zhou Peigong, who had followed Liu Mu in, was frantically giving him meaningful glances, and even moved closer to tug at Liu Mu's cloak, as if afraid Liu Mu wouldn't see it.

Liu Mu slapped Zhou Peigong's hand away, then looked at Zhou Hu, who was kneeling on the ground, and went forward to help him up himself.

"This kind of thing needs to be reported promptly, not disobeyed military orders. A six-month salary deduction is imposed. Do you have any objections?"

Zhou Hu was excited. What was a half-year salary deduction? In the army, food and lodging were provided. In this chaotic southeast, he could easily earn more than a hundred taels of silver with a simple gesture.

Before Zhou Hu could even express his gratitude, Zhu Xin stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I entered the military camp because I hadn't seen you for three days and was anxious. It has nothing to do with General Zhou. Punish me if you must!"

My dear great-aunt, do you know what you're doing?

Is this taking the blame or stripping me of my credit?

Just as Zhou Hu was about to say something, Liu Mu reached out and pressed down on his shoulder, looking at Zhu Xin with a rather interesting expression.

"Alright, wait until I've dealt with the military matters!"

"I'll punish you properly next time!"

"Liu Dingbian, take the princess to the government office immediately. Remember, take her to a side room, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Dingbian scratched his head. "His Majesty has gone astray since entering the Central Plains. He's started learning how to keep mistresses in gilded cages!"