Chapter 203: The People are Peaceful and Healthy, the Commoners Increase Yearly, a Prosperous Age Descends!

At the South City Gate of Enter Yanjing, the crowd surged like a winding long dragon.

Whether it was the Qianyuan mission or the Korean envoys who had come from afar, none showed impatience; they just followed the queue silently, waiting patiently.

"Using earthen walls as a line of defense is not as good as building a Great Wall with the hearts of the people."

Once these words were spoken!

Yuwen Liqian, Xie Chunan, and the others all fell into deep thought, complex expressions flickering in their eyes.

Wu Long's gaze swept over this Enter Yanjing, and his heart became increasingly certain.

If Qianyuan wants to conquer the world, its first formidable enemy is this Yan territory, this Prince of Yan!

The Empress's diligence and tireless efforts over these years—personally taking the lead in farming, moving the capital south, building water conservancy, widely recruiting talent, opening the North-South Imperial Examination, and raising the status of commerce—these series of achievements could be hailed as the deeds of a sage monarch in any era of the Great Qian.

It would not be weaker than this Prince of Yan, and the Great Qian's army is invincible in the world.

This was also the source of Wu Long's confidence!

Zou Lin's heart also surged with complex emotions; as a subject of the Great Qing, he always held a special feeling for this Prince of Yan.

In this era, the four kingdoms were all recuperating, and the world's situation seemed to be in a delicate and fragile balance.

He knew well that with just a slight friction, this land could be covered by the flames of war again, and the neighing of warhorses would resound through the sky once more.

The famous generals of the world might be excited by this, looking forward to making meritorious deeds on the battlefield, where one general's success is built on ten thousand bones.

However, the suffering behind this is always borne by the common people at the bottom.

Whether the country is prosperous or declining, the common people always suffer the most.

Just at this moment!

The crowd suddenly stirred.

"It's the Zhuxie clan of the Great Royal Court of the Shachi Tribe," someone exclaimed.

Everyone followed the gaze and saw tall, pitch-black horses coming toward them; the procession was vast, with a full hundred people.

The attire of these horsemen was completely out of place with those around them, appearing exceptionally unique.

They were tall and majestic, more robust than ordinary people, wearing coats made of fur, with everyone carrying bows and arrows on their backs. Their skin was quite dark, their eyes fierce, and they wore green gemstones on their foreheads, with deep and three-dimensional facial features.

The entire procession exuded a fierce aura!

Their appearance was neither like that of the Central Plains people nor like the nomadic tribes of the North Wind, but carried a unique exotic flair.

Wu Long also recognized this group of people, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes!

"The Zhuxie clan!"

The reputation of the Shachi Tribe's knights was thunderous throughout the world.

Back when the Great Qing was founded, the Shachi Tribe emerged from the vast mountains of the north, fought south and north with the Gao Zu, made great military achievements, and was finally enfeoffed with the Shachi Kingdom seal, enjoying glory for a time.

And the Zhuxie clan was the royal clan of the Shachi Tribe, extremely noble.

Gao Zu even bestowed the surname Zhou upon the Zhuxie, and the two countries were forever brothers in alliance, with deep and heavy affection.

However, the wheels of history roll forward, and the balance between strength and weakness is always hard to escape.

The weak must be bullied!

When the North Wind moved south, the Shachi of that year not only did not send troops to help, but instead took advantage of the fire to rob and betrayed the alliance.

The Shachi monarch of that generation even restored the Zhuxie surname, as if to completely erase the brotherhood between the two countries.

Wu Long pondered inwardly; although the Shachi Kingdom had only nine hundred thousand subjects, everyone was good at fighting, and it was claimed that there were thirty thousand archers.

Of course, most of this was bragging.

When fighting against Qianyuan back then, the Shachi soldiers were also not inferior, being heroic and incomparable.

It could be said to be one of the strongest cavalry in the world.

The North Wind tried to conquer them back then, but the tribe was heroic and good at fighting, yet fierce to the extreme, like a wolf pack in the high mountains, and in the end, they did not succeed.

Logically speaking, the people of the North should hate the Shachi Kingdom. But the surrounding common people seemed to have no great reaction, which made Wu Long feel a bit strange.

When the North Wind mission came to the North, what they saw most was resentment and dissatisfaction.

It seemed he saw the confusion of this Prince of Qianyuan.

Among those present, the ones who knew the Yan territory best were the people of the Great Qing.

Yuwen Liqian remembered.

"I remember that six years ago, something happened in the North."

"After the North was pacified and the White Horse Alliance of the four kingdoms was signed, the Shachi Kingdom dared not move south again, but they also did not belong to the two countries."

Everyone nodded!

The White Horse Alliance was indeed a major event that changed the world. The signing of the alliance caused the world's landscape to undergo earth-shaking changes.

Apart from the fertile land and vast grasslands occupied by the four kingdoms, there were hundreds of tribes and small countries on the borders.

And there were more than a hundred nomadic tribes and small vassal states in the North, and this area was also called the "Northern Territory."

Facing the countries of the Northern Territory, both the North Wind and the Yan territory chose a policy of wooing.

Some tribes or small countries respected the North Wind, while others were close to the Yan territory.

And the most powerful among them was Shachi; they chose a "fence-sitter" strategy toward both countries.

They took the benefits of the North Wind while maintaining an ambiguous relationship with the Yan territory.

This delicate balance made Shachi's position in the Northern Territory increasingly important and complex.

Until twelve years ago, the Shachi monarch suddenly passed away.

Du Hui smiled and interjected: "Princess, are you referring to the civil strife in the Shachi Kingdom?"

Yuwen Liqian nodded lightly; this matter was indeed the first war sparked after the White Horse Alliance, and the whole world had heard of it.

The cause of the matter was not complicated; after the Shachi Khan passed away, logically, the eldest prince should have succeeded to the throne.

However, the Khan's favorite concubine found her lover and usurped the eldest prince's throne.

This fifteen-year-old eldest prince had no choice but to flee to the Yan territory to study, and spent five years there.

"That eldest prince of the Shachi Kingdom not only passed the Imperial Examination during his five years of study in the Yan territory but also became a County Magistrate in the Yan territory and got married and had children."

Wu Long was greatly surprised upon hearing this: "A citizen of another country being able to serve as an official in the Yan territory—this is truly unheard of!"

In Qianyuan, this situation was absolutely impossible.

Xie Chunan explained: "In the Yan territory, as long as one passes the assessment of the Prince of Yan's Mansion, no matter which country one is a citizen of, one has the opportunity to become an official. This is the tradition of the Yan territory and also the unique way the Prince of Yan's Mansion selects talent."

Du Hui continued: "In the sixth year, the Shachi Kingdom sent envoys to the Yan territory, demanding the handover of the prince, otherwise they would threaten to lean toward the North. But the Yan territory did not hand over the prince, nor did it give any response."

Shachi was furious; with the support of the North Wind, they intercepted and killed the Yan territory's merchant caravan on the trade route leading to the Northern Territory. Fortunately, one person escaped back to the Yan territory, crying and knocking on the door of the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

"More than a hundred people were all killed, and the Shachi Kingdom even arrogantly threw their heads on the border of the Yan territory, shaking the Yan territory."

"The Prince of Yan's Mansion sent envoys to negotiate, demanding that the Shachi Kingdom hand over the culprits who killed the merchant caravan and compensate for the merchant caravan's property. Unexpectedly, the envoy was not only shaved bald but also kicked out."

"Thus, the memorial from the Prince of Yan's Mansion was submitted to Mount Zhongnan, asking the Prince of Yan to make a decision."

"The next day, Mount Zhongnan summoned the eldest prince of the Shachi Kingdom to the mountain."

"On the third day, a letter stamped with the two words 'Shenzhou' descended from Mount Zhongnan."

Yuwen Liqian heard this and remembered that their customs clearance document was stamped with this Prince of Yan's private seal.

These two words "Shenzhou" seemed to have more credibility than the official seal of the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

Or rather, it was this person's name.

Du Hui spoke slowly: "To show its full support for Shachi, the North Wind deployed 400,000 troops in the Northern Territory, eyeing them covetously."

He paused slightly and continued: "At that time, Shachi also firmly believed that the Yan territory would not easily start a war; after all, the Northern Territory was all vast deserts with extremely harsh environments, making it difficult to find them. If the Yan territory sent troops, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain."

"Moreover, they only needed to hand over an insignificant prince."

Compared to Qianyuan, the Yan territory was the most distant among the countries, and daily interactions were mostly with the Han and Chu kingdoms.

Wu Long did not know much about the affairs of the Yan territory and admitted:

"Mr. Du, when did you learn to be so mysterious? Speak quickly, speak quickly!"

He was particularly interested in these matters of war, especially the diplomatic strategies of various countries, which was also a manifestation of strength.

Du Hui looked at Wu Long and smiled: "This letter actually only had two sentences."

These words caused everyone to listen attentively.

"The Shachi prince has a sincere heart; we should help him restore his country."

"Whoever offends the people under the Yan territory's rule, even if they are far away, they must be executed."

Speaking of this, Wu Long could not help but laugh upon hearing it:

"The Prince of Yan is indeed domineering!"

Du Hui continued: "Thus, the Yan North Army sent 30,000 troops to conquer the North, and the world was shaken. Everyone thought this war would last for several years, because the Northern Territory was hidden deep in the desert, and Shachi, although a country, existed in the form of tribes. They could flee with their families, and it was the end of the year when the weather was cold, and the terrain was complex, making it extremely difficult to attack. This was also the confidence Shachi had in provoking the Yan territory!"

Wu Long seemed to have begun to analyze the situation of this battle; the Shachi Kingdom could wait for the enemy to tire and also occupied the advantages of time and terrain.

It was indeed a hard battle!

Xie Chunan, however, knew the outcome of this battle.

"Unexpectedly, it only took forty-two days for the Yan North Army to break through the Shachi Royal Court. The Shachi Queen and her lover were all captured and taken to Enter Yanjing to be beheaded."

"The eldest prince of the Shachi Kingdom, who had been wandering for nearly seven years, cried bitterly and re-ascended the throne as Khan. He changed the surname of the Zhuxie clan to Lu and even swore an oath that from then on, Shachi would have no swords or iron chains pointed at the Yan territory."

"The Yan territory built the Northern Territory Commandery in the countries of the Northern Territory, implemented benevolent governance, and the countries submitted, respecting the Prince of Yan as the Earth Khan."

Wu Long was greatly surprised; he could not believe it.

Destroying a country in forty-two days, and it was the famous Shachi.

Yuwen Liqian, however, sighed at the last three words.

"Earth Khan!"

This is the true respectful title for a suzerain state from nomadic peoples and various countries.

Du Hui laughed and said:

"What's ridiculous is that the 400,000 troops of the North Wind didn't move a single soldier or shoot a single arrow."

Wu Long guessed it; after all, there was the White Horse Alliance.

The North Wind naturally dared not move troops, otherwise, the four kingdoms would attack together.

Yuwen Liqian looked at the more than a hundred Shachi knights not far away; they dismounted one after another, knelt at the South City Gate of Enter Yanjing, kissed the ground, and the leader shouted:

"Earth Khan!"

"Earth Khan!"

The shouts rose one after another, resounding through the clouds.

Xie Lingxuan could not help but be lost in thought, thinking of the past fifty years of this Prince of Yan.

Seeking the Dao in his youth, becoming a general at twenty, driving out foreign enemies and solving the world's crisis in six years.

Becoming the Prince of Yan at forty, bestowing grace on the Yan territory.

Solving the troubles in the North, defeating Shachi to subdue the countries of the Western Regions.

Building the Northern Territory Commandery, incorporating the North Sea Lake.

Leaving the parks to the common people, internally practicing benevolence so the people are not chaotic, and externally sending troops with martial moderation.

"The people are peaceful and healthy, and all nations are in harmony."

"The commoners increase yearly, and the land is expanded for generations."

The millions of common people in the Yan territory shouted in this era:

"We are fortunate to be born in this time; a prosperous age has descended!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 204 =====