Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

Inside the study of the prefect's residence.

Qin Han sat in the large armchair that originally belonged to Lü Wende, casually flipping through the household registration and grain ledgers of Xiangyang City.

After Guo Jing handed over the military tally, the handover of the defense of Xiangyang City went extremely smoothly without any obstacles.

The elite Tiger Guards quickly took over the four city gates. The guards, who were originally starving and emaciated, now treated the King of Qin like a god after they had their fill of food and received their pay in real money.

Qin Han put down the account book, picked up the celadon teacup beside him, and took a sip.

With Xiangyang now completely captured, Guo Jing, regardless of whether he helps them or not, will at least no longer be used by the imperial court.

Moreover, the fate of that dead eunuch, who turned into a dried-up corpse, is enough to keep those good-for-nothings in Lin'an quiet for quite some time.

Just as he was thinking about who to transfer from Sichuan to Xiangyang.

Jiang Yuyan walked into the study with a letter in her hand.

"Master, a letter from Xixia specifically requests that it be delivered to you."

Qin Han raised an eyebrow. Western Xia?

He took the letter, unfolded it, and glanced at its contents, a strange expression on his face.

The letter was actually written by Princess Li Qinglu of the Western Xia Kingdom, as it was signed by her at the end.

The wording was very polite, saying that he had long admired the King of Shu's reputation and had specially invited him to attend the marriage contest held in Xingqing Prefecture.

Attending the ceremony?

Qin Han tossed the letter onto the table and, combining it with intelligence from the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven), quickly analyzed the situation in Western Xia.

Li Qiushui, a concubine of the Western Xia Dynasty, was the grandmother of Princess Yinchuan.

It's no coincidence that this letter has now been delivered to me.

Li Qiushui's ostensible purpose was to find a husband for her granddaughter, but in reality, it was a political maneuver employed by the Western Xia to navigate between the Mongols, the Qing Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty.

Find the strongest ally and win over the most powerful backer.

The Western Xia was located in a strategic location in the Western Regions. The Mongols and the Qing Dynasty were eyeing it covetously from the north and south, while the Southern Song Dynasty to the east, though weak, was still bigger than a horse.

Li Qiushui is trying to find a balance.

Meanwhile, this Shu King, who has suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the last two years, commands hundreds of thousands of troops, controls the entire Sichuan province, and is also causing trouble in Shandong and Xiangyang, while also having an ambiguous relationship with a Mongol princess.

In the eyes of the Western Xia people, it had probably become the most desirable piece of meat.

"Your Highness?"

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Jiang Yuyan tentatively spoke up.

"Should I investigate the origin of this letter?"

Qin Han snapped out of his daze, looked at the eager expression on her face, and waved his hand.

"No need to investigate, I know what I'm doing."

He folded the letter again and put it in his pocket. Come to think of it, it really had been a long time since he had seen his cheap uncle.

I got up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the streets of Xiangyang were bustling with people, and the shouts of soldiers training could be heard from afar. The city was already showing signs of his rule.

"Pass down the order to have the Tiger Guard Battalion prepare a thousand light cavalry to accompany them."

Jiang Yuyan's eyes lit up, her big eyes sparkling.

"Is Your Highness going to Western Xia?"

Qin Han turned around, his smile deepening.

"They've already sent an invitation; wouldn't it make me seem impolite not to go?"

As he spoke, he walked back to the desk and took out a secret report from the drawer.

That was the latest intelligence sent back by the Luo Wang (a secret intelligence network), which clearly stated that several Mongol princes, Qing Dynasty envoys, and people from the Southern Song Dynasty were all on their way to Western Xia.

I never expected to be involved myself.

To put it bluntly, this marriage contest was a game of strategy.

Whoever married Princess Yinchuan would be deeply bound to the Western Xia. Similarly, when the Liao Dynasty married Yelü Yan to Qin Han, it was to deepen the relationship between the two sides.

Li Qiushui wanted to use the marriage proposal as a pretext to test the strengths of all the various factions.

Meanwhile, various factions also wanted to probe the Western Xia's strengths and weaknesses to see if it was worthwhile to invest in deepening relations.

"interesting."

Qin Han threw the secret report into the brazier.

"Li Qiushui is using her granddaughter as bait to lure a bunch of fish up so she can slowly pick and choose."

"Unfortunately, she doesn't know that I am not a fish, but someone who goes into the water specifically to catch fish."

Jiang Yuyan smiled, she loved seeing her master so composed, especially when she was being bullied by her master.

That feeling... was simply indescribable.

"Your Highness, should I make arrangements beforehand?"

Qin Han glanced at her and noticed that this woman would get excited from time to time... He gave her a strange look.

"Your martial arts skills are quite good now, but the situation in Western Xia is very complicated. Li Qiushui's decades of experience are not something you can handle."

"Go and call Guo Jing and Huang Rong here."

Jiang Yuyan immediately agreed and withdrew, demonstrating extremely high efficiency.

Not long after.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong then walked into the study together.

Guo Jing's complexion had regained its rosy hue, and he walked with a powerful stride, no longer showing the dejected look he had before.

He has now completely come to terms with things. Since the court doesn't value him, he'll just follow Qin Han for now and see what they're up to.

"King Qin, you've come to see us?" Guo Jing clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.

Qin Han pushed the letter on the table in front of Guo Jing.

"Princess Yinchuan of Western Xia is seeking a husband and has specially invited me to Xingqing Prefecture to attend the ceremony. I intend to go there in person."

Guo Jing and Huang Rong exchanged a glance. Huang Rong, quick-witted, immediately saw through the trick.

"Your Highness, the Western Xia do not hold marriage proposals earlier or later, but they sent an invitation precisely when you arrived in Xiangyang. I'm afraid their intentions are not good."

Huang Rong frowned slightly, her analysis was quite logical.

"The Western Xia has always been hesitant and indecisive among the various powers. This time, by sending out invitations to all sides, they probably want to use the marriage proposal as a pretext to carry out their alliances and counter-alliances."

Qin Han nodded, acknowledging Huang Rong's keen insight.

"It is precisely because they come with ill intentions that I must go and see what kind of show Li Qiushui is putting on."

He looked at Guo Jing.

"During my absence, the defense of Xiangyang City will be entirely entrusted to you for the time being."

"Leave two thousand Tiger Guards to assist you in defending the city. If the Southern Song court sends those fools who don't know their own mortality again..."

A murderous glint flashed in Qin Han's eyes.

"No need to waste words with them, just beat them to death with sticks. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong!"