Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

Qin and Han had anticipated this.

How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

Sichuan, as the gateway to Southwest China, holds an extremely important strategic position!

How could Emperor Zhao Gou possibly tolerate this important place falling into the hands of someone beyond his control?

It should be noted that in the Song Dynasty, it was almost impossible for someone of a different surname to be granted the title of king.

Even princes had to follow the proper order, progressing step by step from Duke to Prince of the Second Rank, and then to Prince of the First Rank.

Throughout the Song Dynasty, there were very few non-royal ministers who were granted the title of king while still alive, and most of them were posthumously awarded honorary titles. The most typical example is Yue Fei's title of Prince of E.

Yue Fei's achievements were already quite high, weren't they?

This seal was only sealed after his death when his name was cleared.

Qin and Han now hold considerable military power and occupy the Shu region, which, in the eyes of those in the court, is tantamount to treason.

"Emperor Zhao Gou was furious in court, saying, 'Sichuan is in chaos before the rest of the world,' and he regarded you as a major threat, even more so than the Jurchens in the north."

"So they sent people?" Qin Han could guess without even asking.

"Yes." Ju Jian nodded. "The imperial court has appointed an imperial envoy to travel to Shu Prefecture with the imperial edict. According to the journey, he is expected to arrive in less than a month."

One month...

Qin Han arrived in front of the geomantic map.

Time is running out.

The arrival of the imperial envoy from the court brought only two possible outcomes.

One common tactic is to recruit and appease the enemy.

Give him a minor official position, then find a way to strip him of his military power, effectively sidelining Qin and Han, and finally find some excuse to send him to the capital to be dealt with.

This was a common tactic used by Song Dynasty emperors to deal with those whose achievements threatened their authority.

Another option is to directly declare him a traitor and order all armies in the land to come and punish him.

Neither of these options is what Qin and Han want for the time being.

The Shu Prefecture, which had been built up by countless Ming Cult disciples who died, could not be handed over to others so easily.

"It seems we need to take a slow approach to dealing with the Jin troops outside the city and first take control of the entire Sichuan province."

Qin Han's gaze moved across the map, eventually settling on several important prefectures and counties surrounding Shu Province.

Guanzhou, Qiongzhou, and most importantly, Luzhou, which has the advantage of the Yangtze River waterway!

"Summon Yang Xiao, Yin Tianzheng, Dong Tianbao, Zhang Junbao, Wu Xingqi, and the others to see me!"

After Qin Han finished speaking, he added two more sentences.

"Also, inform Li Jing and Qin Qiong to come along as well!"

"Yes!" Ju Jian accepted the order and quickly withdrew.

In the courtyard, only Qin Han and A Zhu, who was still somewhat at a loss, remained.

"Go and rest now. I'll arrange for someone to investigate your parents and sister later."

Qin Han's tone remained gentle when speaking to A Zhu.

"Thank you, young master."

Azhu thanked him quietly, knowing that Qin Han had important matters to discuss.

Qin Han watched A Zhu's departing figure.

Now is definitely not the time for romance.

Before the imperial envoy arrives, the area surrounding Sichuan must be turned into a playground for Qin and Han emperors to rule!

At that time, whether it's offering amnesty or conquering, the initiative will be firmly in our own hands!

In less than half an hour.

The existing team of Qin and Han was now complete.

Everyone also learned that the imperial court was about to send an imperial envoy.

"They're all here."

Qin Han walked out from the back hall and sat in the main seat.

There wasn't a single wasted word; it got straight to the point.

"As you all probably know, the imperial envoy is on his way and will arrive in Shu Prefecture in a month at most."

"One month..." Yin Tianzheng's expression turned grave. "The imperial court's intentions this time are ill-intentioned. Are they planning to discard us after we've served our purpose?"

"Eagle King is right," the impetuous young Dong Tianbao was the first to agree.

"My lord, in my opinion, who cares about some imperial envoy? Just kill him when he comes! We have 200,000 troops now, what are we afraid of some worthless emperor? At worst, we'll rebel against him!"

"Tianbao, don't be impulsive!" Zhang Junbao was completely numb.

Why is my own brother so irritable now?!

Yang Xiao glanced at the two brothers and knew that the sect leader thought highly of them, otherwise he wouldn't have sent them over.

"Although our Ming Cult is now strong and well-equipped, it is only located in the gateway to Shu Prefecture and its foundation is not yet stable. To rashly break with the imperial court would be the worst possible strategy."

Not to mention the armies from all over the land coming to conquer us, we will also be besieged by the surrounding three continents and fifteen counties, leaving us in a desperate situation.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Are we really going to hand over the Shu Prefecture, which we fought so hard to conquer, to those incompetent officials in the imperial court?"

Zhou Dian, however, felt that Dong Tianbao suited his temperament very well, and then retorted indignantly.

Everyone here is one of our own, so we'll definitely talk about these things openly.

Only Li Jing, Qin Qiong, and Xiao Feng, who arrived later, remained silent.

Li Jing and Qin Qiong already knew everything, and Xiao Feng didn't comment on the matter. After all, he wasn't a Han Chinese anymore, so why would he want to stop the Qin and Han?

"alright."

Qin Han raised his hand, silencing the argument among the group.

"Although Tianbao and Zhou Dian's words were impulsive, they were right about one thing. Shu Prefecture cannot be handed over, and Sichuan is even less likely to be handed over."

"But Left Envoy Yang's concerns are valid. Now is not the time to break ties with the court. We lack legitimacy and authority, and if we openly rebel, we will become the target of public criticism."

Qin Han got up and came to the huge Sichuan geomantic map.

"Therefore, we need to do some things before the imperial envoy arrives."

All eyes were on him.

"That is, to completely control the entire Sichuan province!"

Qin Han drew a large circle on the map with his finger, encompassing all the prefectures and counties within Sichuan.

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Take over the entire Sichuan province in a month?

This...this is insane!

It is important to know that within Sichuan, in addition to Shuzhou, there are several other large prefectures such as Chengdu Prefecture, Lizhou Prefecture, and Tongchuan Prefecture, which govern dozens of counties.

Although these places were left in a power vacuum after Wu Xi's rebellion, many local powerful families and loyal garrison troops still remained.

To think that it could be conquered within a month is simply a pipe dream!

"My lord, this matter... is probably not easy."

Even the usually composed Li Jing couldn't help but frown.

"A month is too short a time. Although our army is large, most of them are newly formed troops with insufficient training and weak joint combat capabilities. If we force a war on multiple fronts, we will probably be bogged down in a bitter struggle, which would be a losing proposition."

"General Li is absolutely right." Qin Han nodded.

He has already begun to address his subordinates as generals, revealing his wolfish ambitions.

But the Ming Cult disciples have one advantage: they are not afraid of death. They are the kind of people who will bite off a piece of your flesh even before they die.

Rather than calling it the Ming Cult or the Demonic Cult, it's more like a cult. The level of brainwashing it possesses is something the Northern Heaven and Earth Society could never learn in a lifetime.

He had already considered this issue.

"We cannot subdue them using conventional methods. I can guarantee that each place will have its own people transmitting intelligence from within the city, and if necessary, we can even open the city gates to assist."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Jing, his eyes carrying a sense of testing.

"Li Jing, if every prefecture, city, and county had these inside agents, what would you do?"