Chapter 216: Good Men Go to the Western Regions

The entire palace.

Was deathly silent.

Everyone felt the uncontrollable killing intent radiating from the old Emperor Xie Tianyao at this moment, and subsequently, they all knelt down.

This long essay by Liu Dahao.

Its overall ideology is actually just a few simple points.

First, the empty city; regardless of whether it is killing, expelling, or enslaving, he intends to destroy all the ancestral temples, altars of soil and grain, religious customs, and laws previously held by these Western Regions nations.

Then, the Construction Corps management; from top to bottom, prisoners are exiled and granted their freedom. By being self-sufficient, this will advance the entire Western Regions...

A militia-style management of the legions!

In this world, this is absolutely the first time.

Without a doubt, this will be a new method of colonization, a system that will make the Western Regions forever unable to escape the control of the Longyan Dynasty.

However...

Those present were none of them fools.

So many prisoners, so many soldiers, all running off to develop the Western Regions, and this Western Regions Commissioner is none other than Liu Dahao... no matter how one thinks about it, it feels wrong.

It is equivalent to Liu Dahao hoodwinking so many people from the Longyan Dynasty into going to the Western Regions... and it is even a militia organization.

The civil and military officials could not help but wonder.

So many soldiers...

What is this Liu Dahao trying to do!

It was not just these civil and military officials; in fact, Xie Tianyao had already thought of this layer, which is why he said that this Prefect Liu had once again presented him with a difficult problem.

What a troublesome little brat!

Xie Tianyao could not help but sneer.

Could it be that this brat found out that the assassination of Sikong Jing was arranged by him, with the goal of inciting their determination to conquer the Western Regions? So, is this move considered a return gift to him?

He suddenly wanted to look up to the sky and laugh.

There was a feeling of meeting a worthy opponent; yet this feeling was so absurd—him, a man over sixty, meeting a worthy opponent in a little brat in his early twenties?

He suddenly laughed at himself.

Why was it that none of his own sons could compare to this Prefect Liu?

However...

This checkmate by Prefect Liu had truly put him in check.

The Western Regions...

Xie Xuan...

This was a thorn that had been stuck in his heart for over thirty years! He dreamed of completely conquering the Western Regions; he dreamed of expanding the territory.

However...

At this moment.

Looking at all the civil and military officials, the only ones capable of achieving this were the Yinzhou Army!

And only this Western Regions Construction Corps of Prefect Liu could realize everything he wanted.

"Speak! Continue speaking!"

He pondered incessantly in his heart, but his face remained expressionless.

At this, the civil and military officials looked at one another, and no one dared to speak.

Only the Prince of Qin coughed and stood out, cupping his hands and saying: "Emperor, the mere Western Regions are a barbaric land, parched and barren, and have been a land abandoned by the gods since ancient times. Conversely, our Longyan is vast and rich in resources, beautiful and prosperous; it is a difference as between heaven and earth. Conquering the Western Regions is merely for the prestige of a great nation, nothing more."

"The taxes from the Western Regions are like a cup of water on a burning cartload of firewood, not worth mentioning. It would be better to let them be and fend for themselves. In the glorious Longyan, why fear a place of exile like the Western Regions?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd nodded one after another.

This was where their vision differed from that of Liu Zheng; these people still felt that the Western Regions were not worth fighting for. If Xie Xuan were not in the Western Regions, they would not even bother to rebuild the Protectorate.

What was the point of wanting such a poor place?

To call them 'father' and ask for rewards?

Nowadays, the Longyan Dynasty can barely take care of itself; who has the time to manage them?

They were completely blind to the resources and importance of the Western Regions.

"Hahahaha!"

The old Emperor, Xie Tianyao, also laughed loudly: "Good, what kind of waves can the mere Western Regions stir up? Lao Zhou!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou trembled all over: "This old servant is here!"

"Promote Liu Dahao to State Marquis of Yinyang, concurrently serving as Western Regions Commissioner. The Western Regions are a barbaric land, and the imperial court has no time to attend to them; regarding the administration of government, the Commissioner may act at his own discretion!"

"As Longyan expands its territory, grant a general amnesty to the world; prisoners from the nine provinces may all head to the Western Regions to regain their freedom!"

Once these words were spoken, the civil and military officials knelt down one after another, shouting 'Long live, long live, long ten thousand years'.

The tone had already been set; who would dare to say a single word of dissent?

At this moment, the expression on Zhu Zhen's face could not have been uglier. Just this morning, he was in the Nine Ministers Chamber laughing at the Prince of Qin; he had not expected the slap in the face to come so quickly.

The father and son of the Liu Family, whom the Emperor had ordered to be investigated, were once again soaring to success...

And this time, the Liu father and son were in the Western Regions; it was a case of 'the sky is high for birds to fly, the sea is wide for fish to leap'—if you wanted to manipulate them, you would be unable to do so.

With a single order.

The whole country was in an uproar.

The Yinzhou Army had actually fought all the way to the Western Regions? While the common people were excited, they also received this order.

A general amnesty for the world; prisoners could go to the Western Regions to settle down and start a career. Not only would they regain their freedom and have all past crimes forgiven, but the imperial court would also provide some gold and silver as a subsidy.

The prisoners, upon hearing this, were both happy and worried.

What made them happy was that they would no longer have to sit in prison and could regain their freedom... but what worried them was that going to the Western Regions was just exile, wasn't it? Going to such a godforsaken place, what would their fate be?

But fortunately...

It was still better than Ningguta, right? Ningguta was known as a living Hell; as the saying goes, "Exiled to Ningguta, never to return through the pass, and to be a slave to the armored men." These armored men were already prisoners of war, the lowest of the low; to be a slave to them, how miserable would that be?

Not only would they fail to regain their freedom, but they would also have to serve others as slaves.

But going to the Western Regions meant being a free citizen!

And there were subsidies!

Thus, this group of people, after a moment of hesitation, decided: Go!

Throughout the entire Longyan, across the whole country, a trend of going to the Western Regions was set in motion.

These criminals, dragging their families along, set off in a grand procession to meet a fate they knew nothing about.

At the same time.

In Yinzhou Prefecture, a notice was posted.

"Jointly Build the Western Regions, Recruitment Order!"

A single notice drew countless onlookers, and the crowd was stirred to excitement.

"What? Blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans—all ten taels of silver a month?"

"General laborers, two taels of silver?"

"This..."

The crowd erupted. Who had ever seen such high wages!

Furthermore, there were benefits, medical coverage, preferential treatment for family members, travel expenses...

In short.

It was one sentence.

Join the Western Regions Construction Corps; we are in urgent need of talent. Once you arrive, you will be part of the Militia, with all kinds of generous treatment. If you want to bring your family, you can; if not, we will take your wages and bring them back to your family!

Once you arrive, you have a house, status, and even slaves...

With this, it wasn't just Yinzhou.

The whole country erupted.

There was such a good thing? Although people in ancient times valued the concept of home and country, what if you couldn't get enough to eat? Could you watch your wife and children starve?

Facts proved that in the late Qing Dynasty, many people who couldn't get enough to eat traveled across the Western Ocean and to Nanyang to work, just to earn a bite to eat for their families.

And...

Two taels of silver a month was enough for a family's expenses for a whole year!

Go!

Why not go?

A storm was suddenly whipped up.

Good men, go to the Western Regions!

Skilled craftsmen from all under heaven rushed one after another to Yinzhou to sign up, and then underwent half a month of "pre-job training," preparing to head to the Western Regions.

And at this moment.

Dayuan Kingdom.

Xie Xuan finally received this long-delayed military report, stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and glared fixedly at Jiao Zhe, who was kneeling on the ground, shouting angrily: "What are you saying? Cheshi is lost?"