Su Qi'an, Su Fengling and others stood on Jiaozhou City, looking into the distance. As they waited patiently, there was a faint flicker of fire in the darkness ahead.
Immediately afterwards, a large number of soldiers rode horses and approached quickly. Behind the cavalry, infantry armed with halberds and shields came with an imposing manner.
There were about ten thousand or more of these people, and they were very powerful. At the front, a big flag was flying, with the words "Split Mountain" written in white letters on it.
Seeing the familiar army, Su Qian and his men immediately came down to the city tower and greeted them at the city gate.
After a while, Xie Cang arrived at Jiaozhou City with his Shanshan Army. He immediately got off his horse and saw Su Qi'an in the crowd at a glance.
His face was excited and he hugged her. Su Qian was also very excited. The two hugged each other for a long time before they separated.
Xie Cang looked Su Qi'an up and down and laughed, "Haha, Brother Su, you and I haven't seen each other for three years. I didn't expect to meet in Jiaozhou. I have been waiting for this day for a long time."
"We haven't seen each other for three years, but Brother Xie's style is still the same. Your reorganized Mountain Splitting Army is completely different from three years ago. No wonder it can sweep through Nanzhou. When I saw you today, I admired you."
Xie Cang's arrival made Su Qi'an very excited. He could almost see the extraordinary power of the Splitting Mountain Army behind him at a glance.
Not only the increase in personnel, but also the weapons and armor in hand are qualitative changes.
Not only the number of cavalry has increased, but the heavy armored infantry has also been greatly improved. Behind the army, heavy ballistae and siege vehicles are arranged neatly.
The total strength of the army definitely exceeds 10,000, and in addition to their fierce aura, they also have an aura that has been battle-hardened.
Su Qi'an could tell with just one glance that the reorganized Split Mountain Army was not as strong as the Dongshan Army.
When the two met, they were very eager. If Tong Zhan hadn't reminded them that this was not a place to reminisce about old times, they might have continued chatting.
Looking at his former subordinate Tong Zhan, Xie Cang sighed, patted his shoulder and said, "Tong Zhan, how have you been these past few years?"
"It's all thanks to the Marquis. My subordinates have learned a lot by being by your side."
"Haha, yes, yes, I sent you to Brother Su back then. It seems to be right."
"Go, go, go, go to the city first, and then talk about it after entering the city."
Xie Cang waved his hand and took the lead into the city with Su Qi'an, followed by the Splitting Mountain Army behind him.
"Brother Xie must have experienced a lot in the past three years, and his temperament has also changed a lot." Feeling Xie Cang's heroism, Su Qian sighed inwardly.
But then I thought about it, not to mention Xie Cang, even he himself was the same. From the cautious young scholar at the beginning, he has now become the powerful Dongshan Marquis.
Time can change a lot, but it cannot change their true intentions.
Su Fengling did not show up when they entered the city this time. When Su Qi'an was wondering, a subordinate came to bring a message, saying that His Highness the Ninth Prince had rested, and the next matter would be left to Su Qi'an to handle.
Su Qi'an was startled by these words, but he felt a little more grateful. His Highness Ninth Prince did not show up at this time, firstly because he did not want to disturb the reminiscence between him and Xie Cang.
The second is not wanting to bring pressure to Su Qi'an, which is equivalent to delegating power to Su Qi'an to handle all matters in Jiaozhou City, confirming that Su Qi'an is the actual person in power in Jiaozhou.
His Highness Ninth Prince is a child of the royal family, and has exclusive privileges in the Daliang states. This privilege has advantages and disadvantages.
Lee saw that everything Su Qi'an did, including declaring war on Li Kang, was supported by His Highness Ninth Prince, so he could boldly go ahead and do it.
On the downside, if His Majesty the Ninth Highness appears in public many times and makes comments, some people may accuse His Majesty of being involved in local affairs many times, thereby stimulating conflicts between the local government and the royal family.
Great Liang is not the Great Liang that it was when the country was founded. There are conflicts between the local government and the royal family. Especially after so many years, the collusion between local aristocratic families and local officials has reached a point where it is difficult to return.
There are more and more conflicts with the royal family. Today's royal family does not have the ability to eradicate such entangled local connections. Therefore, sometimes the royal family's children visit in secret, and only intervene as a last resort.
In Jiaozhou, fortunately, there is a special Marquis like Su Qian. Without his intervention, it would be difficult for the Ninth Princess to eradicate the cancer of Li Kang.
Therefore, after the war in Jiaozhou ended, the Ninth Princess should not come forward, she would not come forward.
She believed that Su Qi'an could rectify the chaos in Jiaozhou.
With the arrival of Xie Cang, tens of thousands of indigenous troops in Jiaozhou City evacuated Jiaozhou City and stationed outside the city.
The defense and public security of the city are all handed over to Su Qi'an's Dongshan Army and Xie Cang's Split Mountain Army. .
None of the three elders had any objections to this resolution, and they evacuated Jiaozhou City with their troops.
As soon as the three senators and their native troops were stationed outside the city, the three senators made some complaints.
"It is true that Lord Su was the first contributor to Li Kang's defeat, but Lord Su drove us out of the city. Isn't this a bit excessive?"
"Yes, what Lao San said is reasonable. In this counterattack, our indigenous army has made the greatest contribution. Without our restraint, how could Lord Su capture Li Kang so quickly? Now that the Mountain Splitting Army has arrived, they will We are outsiders, which is a bit ruthless. This Split Mountain Army is a soldier of Nanzhou. People from other states come to interfere in Jiaozhou's affairs. This..."
The great elder on the side took over the words of the three elders and expressed his own opinions. At the end, he stopped abruptly.
But what did he mean? It was obvious that he was suspected of inciting, and he was also trying to put more pressure on the two elders who had remained silent.
As long as the two elders stand on their side, the war that ends tonight may not end so easily.
But this time, the two of them were disappointed. The two elders, who had been silent for a long time, spoke at this time.
"I advise you two to be aware of current affairs. Since you are counterattacking Li Kang and siding with Lord Su, you must not have other thoughts."
"The period before the Mountain Splitting Army came was the best time. You didn't take action at that time. Now that Lingdong Marquis is here, you have other thoughts. This is not the way to die."
"Finally, don't blame me for not reminding you. During the waiting period, Lord Su was probably ready to take action. Unfortunately, you don't have the courage. Now, don't hold me back until you die."
The outspokenness of the two elders did not make the two elders angry, but instead showed a look of surprise on their faces.
After being stunned for a long time, they came back to their senses. They wanted to ask the two elders again, but they looked at them with their eyes closed and seemed to be paying no attention.
The two of them didn't ask, but looked at each other and could see the fear in the other's heart.
They are not stupid. If it is true to what Elder Er Er said, fortunately they did not take action just now. If they really attack, I am afraid it is them who will die.
They were on guard against Su Qi'an, so how could Su Qi'an not be on guard against them.
It just depends on who can't bear it anymore, is blinded by the lard, and takes the lead.
Fortunately, they endured it. In retrospect, His Highness Ninth Prince was still in the city. Was this a covert attempt to support Su Qi'an and believe that Su Qi'an was the lord of Jiaozhou?
Thinking of this, both of them got wet on their backs. They were secretly glad that they knew the current situation.
At the same time, in a room on the top floor of the state capital, Xie Cang stood by the window and looked far away. From the direction he looked, he could just see the indigenous troops stationed outside the city.
Xie Cang looked at it for a while, looked away, and said with a smile, "Brother Su, it seems that you are quite intimidated in Jiaozhou. This indigenous army is really willing to take action. It seems that there is no need for the Mountain Splitting Army to take action this time."
"They are aware of current affairs." Su Qian said with a smile.
Although he was smiling, his words were filled with coldness. Xie Cang stepped forward, took a serious look at Su Qi'an, and said.
"Brother Su, you have worked hard these past three years. I can't help you with Xizhou's affairs, but this time, if you need it, just ask, and I will definitely lead the army out."
Looking at Xie Cang with a sincere expression, Su Qian smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Haha, if Brother Xie takes action," I'm afraid that Xizhou will be wiped out, and Nanzhou Mu will probably come to settle the score with me. "
"Oh, that's wrong. I'll go and tell Mr. Gu. Don't worry. Don't say anything else. When the time comes, I'll go back and the Splitting Mountain Army will be transferred to you.
You use. Xie Cang shook his head and said.
"Brother Xie, I appreciate your kindness, but I want to resolve the matter in Xizhou myself, so I won't bother you."
"But…"
Xie Cang wanted to continue speaking, but was stopped by Su Qi'an, who looked at Xie Cang and said seriously.
"Tang Feng is targeting me. If you are involved, even if we fight back to Xizhou, you will be implicated. And by the way, Li Kang has been eliminated by me. Is it possible that I can't deal with Tang Feng with my strength?" ?」
"Okay, okay, let's put this aside for now. There are still a lot of things to deal with in Jiaozhou. I won't be in a hurry to return to Xizhou for a while. We will talk about this later."
"By the way, you told me in your letter that you had something important to discuss with me during this military expedition, and you had to meet in person to discuss it. What exactly is it that makes you so cautious?"
As Su Qi'an changed the subject, Xie Cang also knew that there were some things that once Su Qi'an decided, it would be difficult to change. He also understood that Su Qi'an did this for their own good.
For now, he could only put this matter aside. Xie Cang calmed down and said to Su Qi'an.
"Brother Su, this time I was ordered to support Nanzhou. In addition to receiving the order from Mr. Gu, there is another thing. Mr. Gu requested me. I hope that Brother Su can go to Nanzhou after handling the affairs of handing over the state. Mr. Gu wants to see you. you."
Su Qi'an was a little surprised by this request. To be honest, Su Qi'an didn't know much about this Nanzhou shepherd Gu Hua.
Even the Ninth Princess didn't know. The only thing she knew was that this man was very prestigious in Nanzhou and was very loyal to the Great Liang royal family.
It’s unclear how much this kind of loyalty holds.
I thought that Xie Cangzhi, the Nanzhou shepherd, might ask for some excessive things afterwards, such as ceding part of the land or some financial compensation.
Su Qi'an was already ready for negotiations, but Xie Cang only had one request. He asked Su Qi'an to go to Nanzhou and Gu Hua wanted to see him. After that, he had no other requests.
This suggestion was too easy compared to what Su Qian thought.
Although he didn't know what the Nanzhou Mu was up to, Xie Cang admired this man very much. He was a student of the Duke of Chu back then.
Even if this person is good at pretending, no matter how ambitious he is, compared to Li Kang, his character should not be that bad.
After thinking about it, Su Qi'an agreed to go on this trip to Nanzhou.
