214: Stabilize Shazhou, Beiliang is watching closely

Chapter 213: Stabilizing Sha Province, Northern Liang's Tiger-like Gaze

The Wang, Zhai, and Fu families will now be Li Chang'an's loyal watchdogs.

A Zhai Family official suddenly shouted, "Huang Boren and five other families colluded with Northern Mang, intending to assassinate the King of Tang!"

"These people are utterly audacious, their crimes unforgivable, and their families deserve to be exterminated!"

Li Chang'an nodded in satisfaction; what the official said perfectly aligned with his thoughts.

"Very good. You risked your lives to protect this King, which stabilized the situation."

"This King will submit a memorial to recommend your officials for a promotion!"

"However... the other five families are deeply entrenched in Sha Province, and there are still many lingering poisons yet to be eradicated."

Upon hearing Li Chang'an's words, the officials of the three major families felt a chill in their eyes, and the Family heads instantly felt a chill down their spines.

The deaths of two families' members just now were their doing!

Li Chang'an, with his strong army, wasn't afraid of retaliation, but their three families couldn't afford it.

The spokespeople of the three major families kowtowed in unison, each offering suggestions.

"Your Highness! Those five families are heinous criminals; our Wang, Zhai, and Fu families are irreconcilable with them!"

"We are very clear about the backgrounds of those five families, but my manpower is truly insufficient."

"We humbly request Your Highness's permission to ask the Brocade-Clad Guards to assist us in eliminating the remaining evils, leaving no stone unturned!"

"We will definitely risk our lives to protect the King of Tang and restore peace to Sha Province!"

Indeed, they were all clever people, knowing how to adapt to the circumstances.

"Since that is the case, Qing Niao, send the Brocade-Clad Guards to assist the three Family heads. Act in secret and do not let any news leak out."

Qing Niao immediately accepted the order, and the three major families were now eager to try their hand.

Eight families had become three, meaning their status would rise significantly.

The Brocade-Clad Guards, taking these people, departed under the cover of night.

Li Chang'an knew that the general situation was settled, and his mood relaxed considerably. Not only had he quickly resolved the chaos in Jinchang Commandery, but he had also unexpectedly gained Xue Songguan.

"Qing'er, it's late. Come back to the Tang Royal Mansion with this King to rest."

The amnesiac Xue Songguan had seen quite a bit tonight and was now somewhat fearful.

However, feeling Li Chang'an's hand around her waist, she suddenly felt much more at ease.

The Prince was a great figure, and what he did just now were great deeds, for the sake of stabilizing the Sha Province situation.

She was merely a common girl; what did these disputes have to do with her?

Now that she was with the Prince, her latter half of life should be worry-free.

"Your Highness, be careful. This concubine will support you."

That night, Sha Province underwent a drastic change. Apart from the Wang, Zhai, and Fu families, the other five families were all annihilated by the Brocade-Clad Guards.

Not only Jinchang Commandery, but the three commanderies of Sha Province under Huang Boren's rule were also not peaceful.

The Brocade-Clad Guards, with their keen insight, thoroughly investigated all branches of the five families in the three commanderies.

With galloping cavalry, all three commanderies were thoroughly cleansed.

Li Chang'an knew that if one was to act, one must cut the weeds and pull up the roots.

People are all afraid of authority, and this fear, when spread among a group, can turn into reverence.

The people of the three commanderies of Sha Province, including the refugees from Qingcang Commandery, secretly admired Li Chang'an's methods and courage.

Li Chang'an returned to the Tang Royal Mansion with Xue Songguan and called Hong Shu to accompany them.

Hong Shu looked at Xue Songguan, whose eyes were now clear, and was visibly shocked.

"Xue Songguan, who hurt you so badly?"

"You are a Peak expert of the Zhi Xuan realm; there are not many people in the world who can hurt you."

Xue Songguan was blushing and leaning in Li Chang'an's arms. Hearing Hong Shu's words, she immediately sat up.

"Who are you? Do you know me?"

"Do you know my past? I seem to have forgotten."

When this question was asked, even Hong Shu herself didn't know how to explain.

She had only met Xue Songguan a few times and knew nothing about her past.

If it weren't for a joint assassination mission, they wouldn't even have met.

"I... I've only met you a few times. I know your surname is Xue, but I don't know your past."

Xue Songguan was a little disappointed and continued to lean into Li Chang'an's arms.

Everything around her was strange; only Li Chang'an was somewhat familiar.

"I vaguely feel that I've lost some memories."

"But that seems to have been a long time ago. I really can't remember."

Li Chang'an stroked Xue Songguan's waist and said, "Qing'er, if you can't remember, then don't."

"Losing memories like this, perhaps you'll never remember it for your whole life."

"This King only knows that you are my Qing'er. Even if your enemies come looking for you, this King will block them for you."

Xue Songguan held Li Chang'an's hand, her heart pounding. "This concubine thanks Your Highness for your favor. Fortunately, I met Your Highness."

Hong Shu stared at Li Chang'an and Xue Songguan with wide, beautiful eyes.

The Prince was too amazing; he had conquered Xue Songguan not long after going out.

Moreover, the Prince knew that Qing'er was Xue Songguan, yet he wasn't afraid of her disguise at all.

Li Chang'an held Xue Songguan's hand and gently kissed her lips.

Xue Songguan immediately trembled all over, overcome with shyness.

Li Chang'an said, "Qing'er, this Miss Hong Shu is this King's concubine."

"She was acquainted with you before. How about not letting her leave tonight?"

"In terms of martial arts, she is not as good as you, but in terms of saber techniques, she is an expert."

Hearing Li Chang'an's words, Hong Shu inexplicably felt her body heat up.

She indeed didn't want to leave. What if Xue Songguan was disguised and intended to harm the Prince? She had to protect him closely!

"Yes, Sister Xue, it's also fate that you and the Prince met."

"This little sister shouldn't disturb your good time with the Prince, but now that your eyes are injured and it's inconvenient, it's good if this little sister helps you."

Xue Songguan was a year older than Hong Shu, but she was completely inexperienced in such matters. Her face was already flushed red.

"Your Highness, you're so naughty. Do I still need someone to teach me such things?"

As she spoke, Li Chang'an had already gently untied her belt, everything so skillfully done.

A night of madness.

Hong Shu finally felt relieved; Xue Songguan had not made any assassination attempts from beginning to end.

She herself couldn't believe that the great Devil Head of Northern Mang was so gentle and compliant.

From this day on, another blind concubine was added to the Tang Royal Mansion.

Fortunately, Xue Songguan's eye injury did not last long; the Spirit Medicine Li Chang'an exchanged in the Myriad Heavens Mall cured her eye injury.

When Xue Songguan's beautiful eyes regained their luster, she was even more captivated.

It turned out that her Prince was so handsome and extraordinary. Xue Songguan felt that she was incredibly lucky, truly finding a good husband with her eyes closed.

Not long after the situation in Jinchang Commandery stabilized, fifty thousand of the two hundred thousand refugees in Qingcang Commandery directly defected!

Among the two hundred thousand refugees, at least twenty thousand could be recruited into the army!

Moreover, these people all harbored deep hatred for Northern Liang.

The reason they came to defect was, on the one hand, Li Chang'an's clean and decisive methods, which gave them hope for a stable life.

On the other hand, the highly respected Gui Han Army had all submitted to Li Chang'an, and they also came out of admiration.

Northern Liang.

Han Laoshan was killed, but there were still many Fushui Bureau spies in the three commanderies of Sha Province.

Although Li Chang'an ordered the Brocade-Clad Guards to start clearing them out, the infiltration of intelligence agencies was the most difficult to eliminate.

When Xu Xiao received the news, he was somewhat shocked.

"Is Li Chang'an crazy?!"

"He directly killed the prefect sent by the Li Yang Dynasty! Is he trying to rebel?"

Li Yishan replied, "He will definitely submit a memorial to the Li Yang Dynasty, saying that Huang Boren tried to assassinate him."

"Sha Province is far from the capital, and with the testimonies of those great families, the Li Yang Dynasty won't find any fault."

"More importantly, His Majesty the Emperor hopes that Li Chang'an will grow strong in Sha Province."

"This Li Chang'an, though young, is quite ruthless, causing heads to roll in Sha Province!"

Xu Xiao frowned and said, "The Fushui Bureau said that Han Laoshan went to Jinguyuan and never returned. Could it be that Li Chang'an killed him too?"

Han Laoshan and the Fushui Bureau operated separately. As Xu Xiao's guard, he didn't need to be accountable to the Fushui Bureau.

Therefore, the Fushui Bureau also didn't know Han Laoshan's exact whereabouts.

Although Han Laoshan wasn't Northern Liang's strongest expert, he was still among the top ten.

If he was truly lost like this, Xu Xiao would really feel heartbroken.

Li Yishan said, "Han Laoshan went to instigate Huang Boren to restrain Li Chang'an. We didn't necessarily expect it to succeed."

"Now it seems that no matter how the Li Yang Dynasty reacts, Li Chang'an must be eliminated!"

Xu Xiao gritted his teeth and said, "There are fifty thousand cavalry at Jiayu Pass!"

At this moment, Li Yishan stroked his beard and then said, "Not enough!"

Xu Xiao continued, "That's right, Li Chang'an is now a major hidden danger. We absolutely cannot let him establish a foothold in Sha Province."

"I will immediately order Chen Zhibao, Yuan ZuoZong, and Yan Wenluan to immediately dispatch troops to sweep the border tribes."

"In that case, we need to ensure we can always free up one hundred thousand troops. Plus a branch of the Great Snow Dragon Riders and the Iron Pagoda, that should be enough to crush Li Chang'an, right?"

Although Northern Liang had many soldiers, most of them were guarding the border, and the movement of the army was closely watched by Northern Mang.

Li Yishan nodded and said, "Your Highness is wise. We can no longer underestimate Li Chang'an."

Xu Xiao clenched his fists, his tone resolute, "When the three-year period is up and Feng Nian returns, this old man will personally flatten Sha Province!"

Martial Emperor City.

Wang Xianzhi, the second strongest under heaven, excitedly arrived at the training grounds where his Disciples practiced.

"Where is Gong Banque? This Master has figured out another True Qi circulation method that will definitely unlock Li Chang'an's Esoteric Buddhism Karmic Obstruction!"

"A mere twenty-year-old boy dares to pose a problem for this old man."

Wang Xianzhi's gaze swept around, but he didn't find Gong Banque's trace.

His eldest Disciple, Yu Xinlang, ran out, "Master! Second Junior Brother ran off, saying he was going to the Northwest."

Wang Xianzhi had tried several methods without success, and Gong Banque no longer believed Wang Xianzhi could resolve the Karmic Obstruction.

Hearing Yu Xinlang's words, Wang Xianzhi couldn't help but fly into a rage.

"This brat, he actually doesn't believe Master!"

He said to Yu Xinlang, "Go to Sha Province and capture Gong Banque!"

Yu Xinlang said, "Master, I might not be able to defeat him."

Wang Xianzhi's eyebrows furrowed, and he angrily said, "Then you go and get hit by an Esoteric Buddhism Karmic Obstruction yourself, and then come back for Master to resolve it!"

"You don't want Master to admit that Li Chang'an is the strongest under heaven, do you!"

...The situation in Jinchang Commandery completely stabilized a few days later.

Li Chang'an arranged for Su Su and Zhao Dingxiu to fill all the positions of the officials who were killed.

The vacant positions left by the four killed families could only be temporarily filled by the children of the existing four families.

However, these four families were very obedient and disciplined now, capable of maintaining the smooth operation of the Prefectural Office.

Li Chang'an didn't even wait for an imperial decree and directly made Zhuge Liang the Prefect of Sha Province!

With Zhuge Liang's ability, given this province, he could overthrow Northern Liang in a few years.

But Li Chang'an had the System, and this time would be compressed by several times.

The industries left vacant by the five major families, such as restaurants, shops, and trade, were taken over by the current prominent families.

However, vital industries like Ore, salt and iron, and casting, even those in the hands of the existing three families, were all brought under the Tang Royal Mansion by Li Chang'an.

Kuitun Commandery was mainly focused on trade, so there were basically no major disturbances.

The two hundred thousand refugees in Qingcang Commandery experienced significant fluctuations, with many of them showing intentions to defect.

However, they still couldn't be sure what kind of person Li Chang'an was.

Because previously, the Northern Liang Army was nominally part of the Li Yang Dynasty, but the Northern Liang Army used refugees to train soldiers and raise Gu, causing heavy casualties among the refugees, though not to the point of extinction.

Therefore, the two hundred thousand refugees harbored deep hatred for the Northern Liang Army.

In Qingcang Commandery, children could be seen everywhere playing soccer, and the balls they kicked were the heads of Northern Liang soldiers.

Due to Zhang Yichao's influence, fifty thousand refugees, bringing their families, defected to Jinchang Commandery.

Inside the Tang Royal Mansion's main hall, everyone was discussing subsequent development matters.

Zhang Yichao was very confident about the refugees' defection, "Your Highness, the fifty thousand refugees who have come to defect should all be sincere."

"When this subordinate managed Sha Province more than ten years ago, they were all obedient citizens under this subordinate's rule!"

"Later, when the Guiyi Army was driven out of the three commanderies, this subordinate was no longer able to take care of them, which led to them becoming refugees."

"What's more troublesome now is that these fifty thousand refugees have nowhere to settle, and they are also short of food in the short term."

After hearing Zhang Yichao's words, Li Chang'an was not worried. "General Zhang, don't worry. We can not only settle fifty thousand refugees, but we can also settle the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand!"

"We have seized a lot of money and provisions on our way from Yong Province to Sha Province, which can support these refugees for a short period."

"We have already reclaimed Yumen Commandery. This King plans to take over immediately and can settle these refugees in Yumen Commandery."

Zhang Yichao worriedly said, "Your Highness, the Fan People are fickle. Will the Six-Jewel Dharma King truly fulfill her promise?"

Li Chang'an smiled and said, "General Zhang, don't worry. The Six-Jewel Dharma King must fulfill her promise!"

"I have already written to her, and I believe she will be in Sha Province soon. We will know then."

Zhang Yichao knew that once Li Chang'an decided something, he would not easily change it, and he had never made a mistake, so he accepted the order and stood aside.

Li Chang'an continued, "Regarding the development in Sha Province, Kong Ming, how do you plan to proceed?"

Li Chang'an and Zhuge Liang had discussed this matter many times along the way.

Now, Zhuge Liang's stating it was equivalent to a formal announcement.

Zhuge Liang spoke eloquently, "Your Highness, fellow colleagues, the three commanderies of Sha Province can be smoothly handed over today."

"After the three commanderies are stable, we will take over Yumen Commandery from the White-Robed Guanyin, and then relocate some refugees into it."

"The able-bodied young men among the refugees can be recruited into the army, which can greatly increase our military strength."

"After that, we will dispatch troops to attack Gantai Commandery. With Shanshan's current strength, they should be unable to resist."

"After completing the above two steps, Sha Province will have five commanderies and approximately one hundred thousand soldiers."

After hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Gu Dazu, Li Cunxiao, and Lu Xu all believed him implicitly, as they had witnessed Li Chang'an's development all along the way.

Subsequently, Li Chang'an issued orders.

"Li Cunxiao, Lu Xu, I order you two to lead the Xuanjia Army and the White Horse Volunteers, a total of seven thousand men, to receive Yumen Commandery."

"Zhang Yichao, I order you to continue training the Guiyi Army, preparing for the elimination of Shanshan!"

"Gu Dazu, reorganize the Sha Province local troops and select those who can fight!"

"Zhuge Liang, fully take charge of Sha Province's government affairs and raise provisions and military equipment!"