Chapter 306: Shan Mountain Yang

At the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, Da Wang turned around in a circle, then swiftly reversed course to launch a victorious strike against the mountain states beyond the pass.

This small place could not compare in strength to the Wusun or Qiuci; Da Wang waved his hand grandly and bestowed upon them the name 'Yang Commandery of Shan'.

The property within the new commandery was actively 'presented' to Da Wang, and upon seeing the Shan Yang people trembling before him, Da Wang felt as refreshed as a spring breeze.

He became overly dramatic, feeling he could not always play the villain; he wanted to sing the white face, so he simply had Wei Shen step forward to intimidate the populace.

After going through the process a second time, it became routine; he issued a proclamation to all the people of the realm, informing them they had changed nationality, henceforth their lord would be the You King of Northern Jin, henceforth they would pay taxes like the five commanderies of Beijiang, and henceforth they would become people of Northern Jin.

Do you have any objections? Disagree?

Send them away.

Compared to being alive, who rules matters little to the common folk.

When Da Wang had largely pacified Shan Yang Commandery, Zhang Tu and Zhou Ke also arrived; Shanshan had already been formally renamed 'Shan Commandery'.

Da Wang felt the new name sounded more like a Northern Jin commandery; in his words, he wanted the Shan people to have a new, formal sense of belonging.

Wei Shen curiously pressed further: "……Then why didn't you rename Che Shi?"

Wei Ke smiled, feeling he could guess the answer.

Da Wang proudly flicked his little head: "They aren't split, are they? Aren't they divided into two parts? I, the Prince, prefer to unite them! Still no name change—just call them Che Shi hahaha~"

Wei Shen: ……Childish, no!

Wei Ke: Indeed.

Before withdrawing his troops, Da Wang meticulously drafted a .

No one knows what the Western Regions states felt after reading it, but at least the several members of the Bai Li family who read it were so enraged they could jump up.

The content is very simple: Da Wang formally declared that the eight great commanderies of Beijiang now belong entirely to Bai Li Jing, and may be called Beijiang State or Northern Jin—he himself does not care which.

Five of these commanderies were taken back from the Xiongnu and Xianbei; three were newly conquered by him.

Henceforth, whoever dares to reach out toward these eight commanderies, his cavalry can swiftly help chop off that tactless hand, mission accomplished.

He also wrote that Da Wang is deeply dissatisfied with the Western Regions states' behavior of besieging Jade Gate Pass during sensitive times and plotting to encircle and annihilate the Changzhou southwest army; this time he deliberately exited the pass to destroy three states as a warning to the Western Regions.

Next time anyone meddles in Northern Jin's affairs, Shan Commandery, Yang Commandery, and Che Shi Commandery will meet the same fate.

The latter part is Da Wang's boastful essay, claiming that in reclaiming Beijiang these past days, he has already accumulated and formed a force of 200,000 Xuanjia cavalry and a powerful infantry with confidential numbers. Henceforth, if any nation crosses any border line of the eight Beijiang commanderies, the Xuanjia cavalry of Youzhou will relentlessly pursue them to their homeland until the state is destroyed.

The signature reads: Bai Li Jing of Northern Jin.

After finishing, he tossed it to the diligent student Wei Ke, asking him to help copy several more copies; after clearing up Shuofang, he would also send one copy each to the Xiongnu and the three Xianbei tribes.

Upon receiving it, Wei Ke felt an itch in his hands upon seeing those wordings.

"Can it be revised?" He sounded a bit arrogant, didn't he?

Da Wang shook his head wildly: "No, it must remain in its original flavor."

Wei Ke: ……

"Your Grand Tutor……"

Da Wang showed a bewildered expression: "Ah? Is there such a person? Never mind him, my hand hurts."

Having temporarily settled affairs beyond the pass, Da Wang swiftly turned back, fearing the Xiongnu might react and strike back.

After bidding farewell to his maternal grandfather and Tang Qian, he set out with his entourage now augmented by several new companions. On the return journey, besides Wei Ke, he also gained the Xue brothers.

Da Wang was quite willing to bring them along; people, he never minds having more.

It was when Wei Shen learned of this that he muttered, "Could it be that these are hostages sent by Tang Qian?"

This caused Da Wang to react for a moment……

Now Da Wang has not yet mastered all of Liangzhou; there are still Xiongnu people within Liangzhou territory, and he lacks a complete terrain map—even if enemy troops entered, he would not know; Da Wang remains quite anxious.

"For example, Martial Might—I've already repaired its city walls; if they seize it again, wouldn't we have to blow it up once more?"

Absolutely not.

This time, going to Shuofang, besides his own 20,000 cavalry, he also brought Tang Qian's 50,000 garrison troops, reassigning them as Shuofang's garrison. Da Wang trusts people without doubt, directly letting Tang Qian appoint a Shuofang garrison commander.

That man is Zhu Chen, originally a Colonel; Da Wang generously ennobled him as a Third-Rank Pacify-the-North General, letting him henceforth oversee all Shuofang military affairs, and also rewarded him with a flowery dagger.

The newly appointed Pacify-the-North General felt thrilled; although the dagger is ornate, it can cut hair when blown—what a fine blade!

Now the garrison at Jade Gate Pass trusts Da Wang completely; although Shuofang City is not yet in hand, Da Wang had already appointed generals, and no one finds anything wrong with that.

After the people left, Wei Shen gave him a thumbs-up gesture.

"Fine, Da Wang, the general says appoint just as he says."

Da Wang proudly: "Of course, after all, it doesn't cost money."

Wei Shen: ……

Along the route, every small county and town is not overlooked; Da Wang must sweep through each, killing any Xiongnu without mercy.

Heading to Jade Gate Pass by following the southern mountain base, now turning back involves passing through many major cities.

Retaking Zhangye, then moving forward leads to Ye.

The Xiongnu in Ye are now few; the broken walls and ruined ramparts—though easier to attack than any other city's fortifications—have left the entire army's morale deeply low.

The Jade Gate Pass garrison lost ten thousand comrades on the Ye battlefield, including the Commander-in-Chief of the West.

Da Wang's situation became even more complex: after storming Ye, not a single Xiongnu remained inside the city; corpses were gathered and directly thrown into Xiongnu territory to the north.

Beyond Ye lies Beidi, another famous battlefield. After the Xiongnu were slaughtered, Beidi nearly became an empty city.

The entire troop grew heavy-hearted; not speaking of wanting to become more prosperous and lively, this land does not know when it might recover to its former desolate state.

When the first snow began to fall in the north, Da Wang marched directly north from Beidi to Shuofang.

Actually, there is a piece of land between Beidi and Shuofang that was allocated to the Xiongnu. If one were to pass through Jin Dynasty territory, they should detour southward, but Da Wang has not yet attacked the Xiongnu homeland, and due to the timing being unfavorable, he will not be courteous and take a detour.

It was also a coincidence—after entering Xiongnu territory for less than half a day, they encountered Xiongnu troops on a narrow path.

When Da Wang heard the scout's report, he smiled for the first time in a long while, saying, "An encounter battle? Excellent—let's taste what it's like to fight on someone else's turf!"

……………………