Chapter 244: The Egoist

Xie Chan was startled.

Without a doubt, these few positions were all of high status and great power.

Women's Army?

Could it be that she was expected to lead a bunch of women into battle? After glancing at the description following this position, it was indeed so...

Xie Chan scoffed.

She had been raised as a boy since childhood, and her path in martial arts was the same.

Leading a group of women, what could they possibly accomplish?

Behind-enemy-lines Guerrilla Force? What kind of nonsense was this? Then, after reading the description, Xie Chan almost stabbed Liu Zheng on the spot! Asking her to lead a group of people to cause trouble in those countries in the Northern Western Regions that had not yet submitted to the Protectorate? Or even sneakily harass them?

She was a Princess of the Dayuan Kingdom!

How could she do such a shameless thing, equivalent to treason!

So...

It seemed there was only one left?

General of the Feathered Forest Army, responsible for the internal security of the Protectorate, a position of high status and great power, equivalent to the Imperial Guard of the Imperial Palace! Primarily responsible for the security of the Protectorate, Liu Dahao, and Liu Zheng.

Xie Chan's eyes lit up.

Wasn't this exactly what she wanted?

This was a key position!

If she could truly control the security work of this Protectorate, then if she wanted to make any moves against this Western Regions Protectorate in the future, wouldn't it be easily within her grasp?

She immediately said, "Lord Liu, Xie Chan is willing to serve as a General of the Feathered Forest Army!"

Qingyang Shuo and Liu Zheng then looked at each other and smiled.

It was just as expected!

Another report of good news was sent to the place where Xie Chan lived.

Qingyang Shuo laughed and said, "Young Master, this Xie Chan is indeed a bit suspicious."

Liu Zheng was also left between laughter and tears.

Because in the Longyan Dynasty, the surname "Xie" mostly belonged to the royal family. Of course, there were exceptions... but after all, these prisoners were registered when they were escorted here.

Out of 150,000 people!

There was not a single woman of the Xie Clan!

Even if there were omissions in the registration, this woman's martial arts skills stunned everyone; if it were truly so, it should have attracted others' attention long ago... However, she seemed to have popped out of nowhere.

In other words, this Xie Chan was very likely a spy sent by the Dayuan Kingdom.

Originally, in such a situation, one should immediately arrest her first...

However, Liu Zheng did not think so.

So what if she was a spy?

Now that the Protectorate was newly established, the Thirty-six Kingdoms of the Western Regions were in a state of panic. Liu Zheng keeping this Xie Chan was to tell these Western Regions people... Come, we welcome your submission. Our Construction Corps welcomes your joining; whether you are a spy or truly here to surrender, we accept you entirely, without the slightest hesitation.

And...

This Xie Chan's ability was truly not insignificant; even Qin Zhangfeng admitted that if he were to face this Xie Chan, he feared the outcome would only be a fifty-fifty split.

"My Lady, this..."

Since she had become a Yulin General, she naturally could no longer live with that group of prisoners. The Protectorate still allocated one of the former noble residences in Yanqi City to them.

Xiao Tao was a bit anxious: "My Lady, what is going on... are we, are we really going to be officials here in Yanqi?"

Xie Chan also felt it was quite unbelievable and was confused.

Wasn't she here to assassinate Liu Zheng?

Why did she muddle-headedly become this Yulin General?

To hide her embarrassment, she coughed: "Xiao Tao, what do you know? Have you never heard of King Goujian of Yue, who slept on brushwood and tasted gall? He served as a groom for the Wu King, and only then did he rise up to restore his country! What we are doing is called: if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub? Now the Dayuan Kingdom's national strength is weak; after a few years, we can take back the lost territory!"

"At that time, our true purpose can be revealed, understand?"

Xiao Tao gasped in surprise, not expecting the Princess's plan to be so grand and meticulous. She stopped saying anything else.

The next day,

Ling Chen finally came to take office for the first time.

On the first day of taking office, he submitted a detailed policy proposal that was incredibly surprising.

He believed.

The Western Regions Protectorate should develop according to the strategy of "Human Nourishing Soil" proposed by Governor Liu; the Western Regions are arid and lack water, and if one wants to develop the Western Regions, this problem must be solved first!

Liu Zheng and Qingyang Shuo, upon seeing this viewpoint, looked at each other in shock.

Because this problem was indeed the first thing the two of them had thought of.

Liu Zheng had been thinking about how to build the Western Regions these days. The Western Regions had many deserts and Gobi, and if one wanted to change this situation, there was only one method!

Planting trees, this was inevitable.

But planting trees was, after all, a long-term strategy; as the saying goes, it takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to cultivate people. The changes brought about by planting trees would only be visible after at least several decades...

Then, what was something that could be seen right now?

South-to-North Water Diversion!

There must be water!

Now, the 200,000 members of the Western Regions Construction Corps were filled with enthusiasm, just waiting for the Western Regions Protectorate to give the order to begin true large-scale construction.

However...

How to build?

Liu Zheng's idea was, first, to disperse the people of the Construction Corps to search for water sources; whether by digging wells, or utilizing groundwater or river water, everything must be put to use.

Next.

Was a massive plan in Liu Zheng's mind.

South-to-North Water Diversion!

Or East-to-West Water Diversion!

Therefore...

Hearing that Ling Chen's thoughts coincided with his own, Liu Zheng's eyes flickered as he asked with a smile: "Sima, explain in detail."

A flash of light shone in Ling Chen's eyes, and he chuckled: "Young Master, if you wish to divert water, you must build canals! But this matter is of great importance; Ling Chen believes that if we are to build canals, we will inevitably come into conflict with Liangzhou..."

And then.

He chuckled: "Young Master, have you ever thought about simply taking Liangzhou into your own hands?"

"Pfft..."

Liu Zheng spat out a mouthful of water.

Qingyang Shuo held back his laughter, his eyes seemingly saying, "I told you so."

This kid!

He is simply a madman!

Having just taken office, he is already eyeing Liangzhou like a tiger! In his mind, there is not a trace of the concept of ruler and subject that people of this era should have. His thinking is very simple: he is just for the Protectorate, for the father and son of the Liu Family!

As for the others...

Whatever Prefectural Governor of Liangzhou, whatever Longyan Dynasty.

In his eyes, they are absolutely nothing!

Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "Lord Sima, how are we to take Liangzhou?"

It was Ling Chen's first time holding a high position, so it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous, but he firmly suppressed the nervousness and excitement in his heart and said in as calm a tone as possible: "This depends on the imperial court's attitude toward this Imperial Examination!"

"Young Master, if the Emperor intends to promote the Imperial Examination, Liangzhou will not be able to escape from our grasp!"

Qingyang Shuo could no longer hold back and laughed out loud: "Congratulations, Young Master, for gaining such a valiant general!"

Liu Zheng gave a bitter smile.

Yet in his heart, he felt.

This kid...

He really didn't know if he was a valiant general or a disaster.

But regardless.

He is an extremely typical egoist! To be honest, Liu Zheng needs such a person in the Western Regions!

His eyes burning, he asked: "What does Sima think..."

Just at this moment.

"Imperial Edict, the Imperial Edict has arrived!"

"Young Master..."

"The Emperor, the Emperor intends to promote the Imperial Examination! Congratulations, Young Master!"

"What?"

The group looked at each other with joy.

They could not help but look at Ling Chen in disbelief.

Could this fellow, who looked so unremarkable, actually have the ability to prophesy?