The turmoil began

The Emperor had finished enjoying the merit of destroying a nation, and it was time for him to share his joy with everyone.

So, no matter how unwilling he was, he had to grant titles and rewards to his sister and brother-in-law.

Otherwise, how would the officials see him? How would the people of the world see him?

This matter dragged on until May of the third year of the era name era before a final decision was reached.

On May 8th of the third year of era name, The Emperor made the final decision at the court assembly, ending the dispute that had lasted for several months.

Grand Princess Roujia, Zhao Xiyao, was enfeoffed as the Grand Princess of Zhennan, with a status equivalent to a Prince of the Blood, nominally leading the entire Southwest region and being permitted to open her own residence and establish an administration.

This title was very interesting; in the history of Great Gan, or even in this world for over a millennium, no woman had ever held such a title.

Even less so was any princess allowed to open her own residence and establish an administration.

In everyone's eyes, there seemed to be no difference between this Grand Princess of Zhennan and a Prince of Zhennan.

It also meant that the Emperor had recognized Zhao Xiyao's rule over that region in terms of legal legitimacy.

In fact, it was also Emperor The Emperor's final bit of stubbornness:

'Aren't you, Gao Yuan, so impressive? I'll make my sister your direct superior; if you have the ability, then go ahead and rebel against your own wife.'

Zheng Wan and Song Yao received the titles of Second-Rank Mandated Ladies, and even Little Chili Pepper Mu Qing managed to get the title of Fifth-Rank Lady of Suitability.

Wen Pin, Xia Luqi, and Huo Jun, who were under Gao Yuan's command, received the military rank of General of Dingyuan, Senior Fifth Rank.

This was effectively turning them from a guerrilla force into a regular army.

Even Song Yong and Mu Sheng received officially recognized positions, being granted the peerage of County Baron.

The heap of rewards made many old foxes realize the underlying meaning:

The Emperor wanted to disperse Gao Yuan's merit; he didn't want him to be too prominent!

Sure enough, for Gao Yuan, not only was his peerage not promoted, but his military rank was only raised from Junior Third Rank General of Yunhui to Senior Third Rank General of Huaihua.

Although the Emperor pretentiously rewarded him with a hundred beauties and two carts of jewels and jade,

everyone knew that Gao Yuan likely wouldn't even see a single hair of those hundred beauties.

As for those jewels and jade pieces, they were purely throw-ins.

The Emperor made it so obvious that the entire court was in an uproar, yet the Zheng and Song families, who should have been closest to Gao Yuan, didn't even show any intention of speaking up.

As for the reason, it was simple: Gao Yuan had sent word back.

Gao Yuan used these losses to exchange for the Emperor's indulgence in one matter.

With so many foreigners now in the territory, and many infants born through the hard work of development over the past few years,

Gao Yuan was now in urgent need of a group of literati—not necessarily great scholars, but the kind who could serve as primary school teachers.

The Zheng and Song families could naturally help Gao Yuan gather these people, but how to send them out became the problem.

Sending a large group of literati over was not as simple as when Governor Wang Chuan and Wang Fu sent people of pariah status or criminals.

Since Gao Yuan had taken this loss, it would be difficult for the Emperor to say anything about the Zheng and Song families doing this.

As for those two carts of jewels and jade, Gao Yuan really couldn't be bothered to keep them.

As soon as they arrived, he had them sent to Guangzhou for Gao Zhong and Wan Sanqian.

In Guchang County, the sounds of gongs and drums filled the air; the original Military Governor's Office was being renovated, and after merging with the neighboring courtyard, the plaque for the Grand Princess of Zhennan's Residence was officially hung.

"Zhao Xiyaos informal address, look, this front courtyard is now divided into two sides; the right side belongs to the Administrative Council, and the left side belongs to the Governor's Office;"

"The backyard is where we live our daily lives. This is the main hall; the main courtyard is yours, and the ones on the left are for Wan'er and Yao Yao;"

"These two courtyards on the right are for me and Qingqing. Behind them is the garden of the original courtyard, which I've converted into drill grounds and barracks..."

Gao Yuan excitedly introduced their new home to Zhao Xiyao.

As Zhao Xiyao listened, she pouted her small mouth.

"Husband, why aren't you living with me? Why do you have to live so close to Qingqing?"

"Uh... isn't this closer to the barracks?"

Zhao Xiyao didn't speak, her large eyes blinking as she stared at Gao Yuan, filled with grievance and resentment.

Gao Yuan admitted defeat and could only patiently explain to her,

"If I move into your courtyard, what will the three of them do? None of them have children yet."

Gao Yuan was twenty-two this year, not yet having reached his twenty-third birthday, and was just entering his golden years.

But Zheng Wan and Song Yao were six years older than him, and they were approaching thirty.

With no children, how could the two women not be anxious?

Zhao Xiyao liked to act coquettishly with her husband and loved to cling to him, but she was definitely not an unreasonable girl.

Knowing she couldn't monopolize her husband, she could only grumble a few times before saying no more.

Moving into the new home meant that the Southwest region, under Gao Yuan's command, was entering a new era.

This was no longer the place where Local Chieftains were kings, but had a new master, a new hegemon.

Gao Yuan's regime was no longer the weak force of the tenth year of Taichu, which had only two prefectures and three or four thousand troops.

Instead, it now had serious official recognition, nearly thirty prefectures, a population of over a million, and a powerful force of over thirty thousand soldiers.

However, everyone's gaze did not stay on the Southwest for long because two major turmoils occurred.

In the land of Shandong, years of famine combined with the intensified exploitation by aristocratic families and corrupt officials finally caused the accumulated grievances to explode.

The cause was no longer traceable; it was only known that while the Imperial Court was still immersed in the joy of the merit of destroying a nation, a rebellion broke out in Dengzhou.

Initially, it was just some tenant farmers with farm tools seizing a farmstead and capturing some weapons.

Soon, more and more tenant farmers joined in, and the turmoil quickly swept through Dengzhou and Laizhou.

These rioting farmers soon gathered into a torrent, sweeping through half of Shandong.

By the end of September, half of the prefectures in Shandong had fallen, and the local Zhechong Garrisons were simply unable to cope.

In October, two large armies, the Left Guard and the Right Valiant Guard, arrived in Shandong to suppress the rebellion, and the peasant uprising was quickly extinguished.

Although the turmoil in Shandong was suppressed, it was like the key that opened Pandora's box.

In November, as winter set in, the true turmoil finally began.

Large-scale rebellions broke out in Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, and other places.

At the same time, two pieces of bad news arrived, leaving the Emperor and ministers of Great Gan bewildered.

A band of horse bandits successively captured Ganzhou, Suzhou, Guazhou, Dunhuang, and other places.

Not only did it cut off the Silk Road, depriving Great Gan of a large chunk of tax revenue, but it also blocked the retreat of the Anxi Protectorate.

More importantly, Great Gan lost an extremely important horse-breeding ground.

Raising horses wasn't like raising cattle or pigs, where you could just find a place to pen them in.

Horses need a sufficient amount of exercise; otherwise, they cannot become qualified warhorses.

This was the importance of horse-breeding grounds.

Before the news of the fall of Ganzhou and other places could be digested, something else happened in the north.

The Turks and Khitans surrendered and then rebelled again, taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to break away from the control of the prefectures and return to the grasslands.

It seemed that Great Gan suddenly went from prosperity to teetering on the brink of collapse.

The Sixteen Guards armies were putting out fires everywhere, but they were outnumbered and simply could not keep up.

In December, the Emperor issued an edict to requisition troops from Jiannan Circuit, South of the Ranges, Jiangnan West Circuit, and other places.

With Mao Biao, the Military Governor of Jiangnan West Circuit, as the commander, the army was led north to suppress the rebellions.

As it turned out, once Mao Biao left, rebellions appeared in Jiangnan West Circuit as well, and Wuchang, Huang State, Ganzhou, and other places fell one after another.

Mao Biao's army had just reached Yangzhou when it had to turn back south to suppress the rebellions.

The turmoil recorded in the original book finally broke out after Gao Yuan had gained a firm foothold.

Gao Yuan, stationed in the Southwest, was currently looking at the intelligence sent from various places, searching for his own opportunity.