The battle at Yumen Pass far exceeded Zhang Xiu's expectations.
No one could have imagined that a simple night attack would collapse the 50,000 Union army. Pound surrounded the remaining 20,000 Union troops, encircling them without fighting, and waiting for Laidan to surrender after the king's food and supplies were exhausted, because All the Alliance army's supplies and supplies were in Pound's hands, and even if they made a surprise attack, they would not be able to return without enough supplies.
Therefore, there are only two ways left for Laidan and the others, either to fight to the death or to surrender.
Encouraged by Yu Bing, the Allied forces launched an attack, but Pound's defense was tight and the Allied forces failed. Finally, after running out of food, Lai Dan tied up Yu Bing and led the kings of the Western Regions to surrender.
Pound ordered these kings to be sent to Chang'an.
The kings of the Western Regions countries have not yet arrived, and Pang De's battle report has been sent to Zhang Xiu. Looking at the victory report, Zhang Xiu's face lit up with joy: "Ling Ming fought well in this battle! Not only did he not harm the Western Regions countries, The king also captured more than 40,000 people. In this way, the entire Western Region will no longer have the force to fight against me, Dajing. After this battle, the Western Region will belong to my Dajing territory!"
Jia Xu and others congratulated the emperor.
Zhang Xiu said with a smile: "There is no need to say congratulations. The most important issue right now is the management of the Western Region. After all, the place is remote and difficult to manage effectively. Even if officials are sent there, no one is willing to go. If we use local People manage local people, this is no different from before, do you have any good suggestions?"
The study pavilion became quiet.
Everyone is thinking rapidly about the governance policy for the Western Region.
The Western Region is remote, with grasslands, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. The situation is relatively complicated. Moreover, the territory of the Western Region is very vast. It must be guarded by troops to ensure the peace of the countries in the Western Region. But who would be willing to guard this shabby place in the Western Region?
Jia Xu spoke first: "Your Majesty! The Western Region is a large area with a small population, and the regions are far apart. It cannot be managed according to the methods of the Central Plains. To establish Zangzhou with the intention of a humble minister, the governor will naturally be dispatched from Chang'an. The management of each place must be done by the local people, but they are not allowed to raise soldiers or hide weapons or horses secretly."
"Select 20,000 elite soldiers from the captured soldiers and horses from various countries, and then select 30,000 people from our army who are willing to go to the Western Regions. Select a commander from the capital to manage the army and guard Zangzhou. At the same time, we will improve the military pay and living conditions in the Western Regions. Only in this way can we ensure that the Western Region is worry-free.”
Everyone nodded silently after hearing this.
Liu Ye added: "Children of school age from all over the Western Regions who are willing to study can be sent to Chang'an or Jincheng College to study. After the scientific examination, policies can be relaxed in a targeted manner and they can be admitted as officials. All talented scholars can be appointed to official positions. Win over the hearts and minds of all the Western Regions and stabilize my Dajing’s control in the Western Regions.”
Zhang Xiu nodded.
This method is good. As long as people's hearts are towards Dajing, the stability of Dajing's Western Region is certain.
But who to send to manage the Western Region is also a headache. The Western Region has just been pacified. If you want to manage the Western Region well, you must meet two hard conditions. One is to understand the local language, and the other is to have a firm heart. Without these two conditions, one would not be able to stay in the Western Regions. The commander-in-chief is fine, as he only needs to manage the troops, but the governor is not. The governor must be chosen carefully.
Zhang Xiu looked at the three people from Shang Cheng Pavilion: "In recent years, talents have emerged in large numbers in the scientific examination. You all have many talents. You all write a memorial and come in. I will take a look and then talk."
In fact, Zhang Xiu already has a candidate in mind.
The Western Region is no different than other places. It is necessary to find someone who has rich experience in dealing with foreign affairs and is decisive and seasoned to serve as the governor of the Western Region. This candidate is almost ready to be announced in Jingguo. It depends on how the ministers below recommend it.
He wanted to see their recommendations. The Western Region was a bit remote, and it was also a state. Once appointed, he would also be the official of the frontier. With the rapid development of commerce and trade, commercial exchanges in the Western Regions have gradually become more frequent, and the economy will surely develop rapidly. By then, the situation in the Western Regions will not necessarily be worse than other places.
Of course, it depends on how the three of them recommend it, whether it meets Zhang Xiu's wishes.
"Here!"
After receiving their orders, the three of them stood up and left.
…
That night, secret notes from Jia Xu, Li Ru, and Liu Ye were delivered. Three boxes wrapped in yellow brocade cloth contained their recommended candidates. Under the red candlelight, Zhang Xiu looked at the three boxes for a while and said to Su Jin: "Open it and read me the names of their recommenders."
Su Jin is also an old fox. When Zhang Xiu said this, she knew that the emperor already had a candidate in mind.
Afraid that what the three ministers recommended was not what the emperor had in mind and would vent his anger on himself, Su Jin walked over cautiously, picked up Jia Xu's box first, took a deep breath, and slowly opened it: inside was a brand new moon It's English paper, with no less than a hundred words written on it, and the handwriting is neat and beautiful.
Su Jin swallowed his saliva and read: "My minister Jia Xu recommended Deng Zhi, Marquis of Yiyang, as the governor of Zangzhou for three reasons: Marquis Yiyang is an old official of Dajing and is loyal to Dajing. This is one of the reasons; The Marquis of Beizhou has extensive experience in governing foreign races for a long time, which is the second factor; the Yiyang Marquis is both civil and military, strong and concise, and can handle the affairs of the Western Regions, which is the third factor."
Zhang Xiu clapped his hands and laughed: "Uncle knows my heart!"
Su Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said with an apologetic smile: "Xiang Jia is worthy of being my Prime Minister of Dajing. He has both vision and talent. I really admire him."
Zhang Xiu hummed and motioned to Su Jin to read the other two's recommendations.
Su Jin was a little nervous.
Slowly opening Li Ru's secret letter, his eyes quickly flashed into the box. When he saw the words "Yi Yanghou", he instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He read the reason for Li Ru's recommendation with a smile on his face; then he looked at Liu Ye's , also three words: Marquis of Yiyang, Su Jin finally relaxed wholeheartedly, only to realize that she had already sweated through her clothes, and she read the reasons for Liu Ye's recommendation with ease.
Zhang Xiu's face lit up with joy.
Jia Xu and the others still focused on the overall situation. These three old foxes were usually very cautious, and they probably racked their brains to think about Zhang Xiu's favorite person when recommending candidates.
Deng Zhi had followed Zhang Xiu when he raised troops in Nanyang. He was considered a veteran minister of the Jianlong dynasty, and he had many years of experience in governing foreign races. For the position of governor of Zangzhou, Deng Zhi was the first choice.
"Su Jin!"
Zhang Xiu's voice was brisk, revealing his happy mood at the moment.
"The slave is here!"
Su Jin was also happy.
Zhang Xiu: "I heard that Jia Xu's son Jia Mu is a good man and has handled the affairs of the Qiang people very appropriately. I went to the Jia Mansion to convey my order: to make Jia Mu the governor of Beizhou, succeeding Deng Zhi."
"Here!"
Su Jin, carrying the imperial decree, turned around and headed towards Jia's mansion.
