Xiang Yan was stunned by the conditions Su Qi'an offered. These were not conditions at all, they were simply taking away his power.
If Su Qi'an's previous proposal to command the military was to suppress him, and it was a show of force, then this time it was to completely evade him and make him the bare commander. Even he had to obey Su Qi'an's command. This is really So humiliating.
Even if Xiang Yan had a handle on Su Qi'an, he would never agree to such an excessive request.
When Xiang Yan came back to his senses, the softness in his eyes completely dissipated, replaced by a cold feeling.
He stared at Su Qian coldly and said, "Su Hou, your conditions are too much. If it weren't for the fact that you are a member of the royal family, I would definitely take you down."
"His Royal Highness the King of Yue, a son of the royal family, is respected by me and is equally loyal to the royal family of Daliang. But in our Daliang Dynasty, when has there been any law that stipulates that a child of the royal family can seize local military power without any reason!"
"Su Hou, if you do this, I suspect that you are disloyal."
Xiang Yan spoke with confidence and was not afraid of Su Qi'an's threat to him.
Although that idiot Liang Kun, due to his own reasons, had something to fall into the hands of Su Qi'an, and he was blackmailed.
But this is definitely not the reason why Su Qi'an can easily take away his military power, sideline him, and occupy Yuezhou.
If it could be so simple, just to remove the state captains who hold military power, the twelve states of Great Liang would have been in chaos long ago.
If such a simple trick could work, no matter where Su Qian's turn came, Su Kang, the king of Yue, would have already taken action.
In more than ten years in Yuezhou, even Su Kang had never fought against him. Just because of this outsider, he wanted to seize his power in just ten days. Don't be kidding.
Xiang Yan's face suddenly changed. Su Qian's face was calm. He shook his head and said, "I think Lord Xiang may have misunderstood what I meant. I am not taking away your military power or ostracizing you."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in Yuezhou. I was invited here just to quell the war in Yuezhou."
"Obtaining the position of commander-in-chief of Yuezhou is just to better command the entire Yuezhou military force. When the war is over, this military power will naturally be handed over to Lord Xiang."
"As for the rectification of Yuezhou's officialdom, I think you know it well, sir. Even if I don't take action, there will always be a cleanup after the war in Yuezhou is over."
"Clean it up early, at least the adults can still take some initiative."
"Hmph, Su Hou said so righteously, do you really think that I am a three-year-old child?" Xiang Yan sneered.
Xiang Yan didn't believe Su Qian's explanation at all. They were all high-level officials in important positions. Anyone who could reach this position was an old fox.
If you really believe Su Qian's words, once you hand over power, there is a high chance that you will get it back later.
Human nature is greedy. Who would remain calm in the face of the power in charge of a state?
Su Qi'an said that a three-year-old child is still about the same.
Su Qian didn't care about Xiang Yan's distrust. He looked far away, looked at the Yuezhou soldiers gathered behind him, and said softly.
"Whether you believe it or not, Mr. Xiang, please follow your Excellency. I would like to remind you that the success or failure of the war in Yuezhou has nothing to do with me. I can leave and return to Jiaozhou."
"But what about you, Lord Xiang? If you can pull away easily, if nothing else, the entire Yuezhou Navy has been wiped out. Lord Xiang should only have 30,000 troops in his hands."
"From the initial strength of 50,000 troops, we lost about 40% in one month. With the tens of thousands of remaining Yuezhou soldiers under your command, sir, ask yourself, are they a match for this group of menacing pirates?"
Su Qi'an's words struck a sore spot in Xiang Yan's heart. Before Su Qi'an came, his 50,000 Yuezhou soldiers lost 10,000 in a fierce battle with the pirates due to negligence in preparedness, thus maintaining the stalemate between the two sides.
They originally wanted to fight back, but things didn't work out. Just five days ago, the pirates who had been stationed in the first and second counties got the news from somewhere and knew where the navy was docked.
Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, they caught them off guard and dispatched 20,000 pirates in one go, leaving only 10,000 to hold on.
Although Xiang Yan quickly mobilized troops to support the counterattack, after the war ended,
Ten thousand naval soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and less than a thousand survived.
Of the twenty ships, ten were burned and eight were scuttled. Only two survived. These two ships were mainly placed in the shipyard for repairs and did not go out with the navy.
In this battle, the number of pirate casualties reached 10,000, but being able to defeat the Yuezhou Navy was worth all the casualties.
The consequence of the defeat of the Yuezhou Navy was that Xiang Yan's army could not patrol along the river as before, but could only retreat to seven or eight counties to defend Yuezhou City.
Without the help of the navy, the pirates who were stationed in the two counties no longer had to worry about the Yuezhou navy attacking from the waterway, encircling them and cutting off their retreat.
It can be said that the navy's disastrous defeat undoubtedly broke Xiang Yan's arm. Naturally, Xiang Yan strictly guarded against such things that lowered morale and prohibited external reports.
But unexpectedly, Su Qi'an still found out.
Xiang Yan didn't want to admit it, but the fact was just as Su Qian expected. Without the help of the navy, Xiang Yan didn't know how long the 30,000 Yuezhou soldiers in his hands could resist.
Once Yuezhou is lost, it will not be simple accountability, but the loss of lives.
Therefore, in order to make up for the losses, Xiang Yan originally wanted to recruit ships manufactured by Liang Kun's private shipyard to make up for the gap.
Although civilian ships and military ships are two different concepts, there is not enough time now and it is simply impossible to manufacture them on a large scale.
Xiang Yan also didn't expect that this kind of private shipyard that does business with pirates would one day be able to play a role.
According to Xiang Yan's plan, once enough ships are collected, it shouldn't be a problem to launch a counterattack with the help of the Mountain Splitting Army brought by Su Qi'an and Xie Cang.
When the war is over, the private shipyards will be shut down immediately. This was supposed to be done quietly and secretly, but the people below are so useless.
Forget about catching a strong man, he actually caught Su Qian's head, and made such a big fuss.
In order to protect his own interest group, Xiang Yan could only abandon Liang Kun.
But Su Qi'an refused to give up and directly poked his pain. Even though he was dissatisfied and angry with Su Qi'an, if Su Qi'an and Xie Cang really left.
He is likely to fail in this battle and lose his life by then.
But if the military power is really handed over, who can guarantee that Dongshan Hou will mobilize his troops to assassinate him secretly.
This is also possible. No matter which choice he makes, his life will be in danger.
Just when Xiang Yan was undecided, Su Qian's voice sounded in his ears.
"Lord Xiang, I have time for you to consider, but I don't have much time left for you. How to make a decision is up to you, Sir."
Xiang Yan raised his head. There was no figure of Su Qi'an in front of him. Not to mention Su Qi'an, even the Sixth Highness Su Kang was not there. He followed Su Qi'an away.
Under the escort of a group of guards, Su Qi'an, Xie Cang, and Su Kang left the burned shipyard and headed towards Shuixiang City.
When Su Qi'an returned this time, he had already chosen the location and lived in Shuixiang City. He just took advantage of his free time to instantly rectify the government officials in Shuixiang County.
Su Kang and Su Qi'an walked together, and they talked along the way.
Su Kang was very sympathetic to Su Qi'an's experience and said apologetically, "I didn't expect Suhou to encounter such a thing in Shuixiang City. It was my negligence. Since Suhou wants to renovate Shuixiang City, I will give my full support. During the rectification period, no officials will intervene."
Su Qian nodded and said with a smile, "Then thank you, Your Highness, King Yue."
Su Kang waved his hand and then said, "Suhou, the matter in Shuixiang City is a trivial matter, but you just asked Xiang Yan so bluntly for military power. It seems that he will not agree."
"You also know that the Yuezhou Navy has been wiped out, and the situation in Yuezhou is now in danger. If the Mountain Splitting Army does not dispatch, Yuezhou may be really in danger."
Su Kang's worries were not unreasonable. Originally, he had the upper hand in terms of military strength, but after two battles, the superiority in military strength was basically gone, and the only thing he could rely on was city defense.
But this group of pirates is very powerful. After many years of fighting with the Yuezhou soldiers, their strength cannot be underestimated. What Su Kang is most worried about now is that the Dongzhou soldiers
If you can't hold back the invading pirates and Japanese pirates.
By the time they return for reinforcements and join up with the Yuezhou pirates, it may be the end of Yuezhou.
He invited Su Qi'an, naturally he didn't want to see Su Qi'an leave, but Xiang Yan suppressed him firmly, causing Su Qi'an to be angry for many days.
Even if he really left, he still had a clear conscience. Su Kang's face was full of worry, and then he sighed and said softly.
"Hey, this is also my fault. I am incapable of helping Suhou. He can't even fight against Xiang Yan. I didn't pay attention to the reminder given by Suhou earlier. By the time I realized it, it was already too late. This may be Yuezhou's. Take your life."
Su Kang's face was filled with sadness. This was the first time that Su Qi'an saw the sixth prince losing confidence like this.
The sixth prince was not like this when he was in Kyoto. "Maybe it's because the war in Yuezhou is not going well." Su Qian thought in her heart.
Looking at Su Kang, who was looking sad and sighing, Su Qi'an comforted him, "Your Highness, Sixth Prince, you don't have to be so unsure. I believe Xiang Yan will make the right decision."
"Even if Xiang Yan insists on holding on, Su will not leave Yuezhou. Since he is invited here, he will definitely help the Sixth Highness. It will just be more troublesome, but by then, the Sixth Highness may be asked to help."
Su Qi'an's words gave Su Kang some relief. He looked up at Su Qi'an and said seriously, "With Su Hou's words, I am more confident."
"Please rest assured, Hou Su, I will definitely let Xiang Yan hand over his military power and give Su Hou a satisfactory answer."
Now, Su Kang's expression was as gloomy as before, and his eyes were shining with light.
Su Qi'an's words just now were like grabbing a life-saving straw and giving him hope.
After talking all the way, Su Qi'an soon returned to Shuixiang City. After a brief farewell to Su Qi'an, Su Kang quickly returned to Yuezhou City with his men.
It seems that they are preparing for Su Qi'an to obtain the military command of Yuezhou.
This kind of waiting did not last long. About three or four days later, news came from Yuezhou City.
The highest command of the war in Yuezhou was handed over to Su Qi'an, the Marquis of Dongshan. All soldiers in Yuezhou, large and small, must obey Su Qi'an's orders before the end of the war. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy.
