Chapter 479: Chapter 239: Post-War Transactions_
Translator: 549690339
By then, in less than two months, these two will establish their countries in Xichuan and officially ascend the throne as kings.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan’s heart stirred, and he asked, “Where will their fiefdoms be located, and has the court made any plans?”
Yang Jing stroked his beard and said, “In detail, it is roughly planned that the Qiao Family Head will establish Hanzhong with Wushan Prefecture, Linjiang Mansion, Yuzhong Prefecture, Jiange Prefecture, and Nanchong Prefecture.
Venerable Jihui will establish Xichuan with Anyue Prefecture, Tongchuan Prefecture, Chengdu Prefecture, Panshi Prefecture, and Xuanwu Prefecture.”
Hearing the names Hanzhong and Xichuan, Lu Yuan instantly understood that this was the result of negotiations between Jihui and Qiao Kangquan on how to divide Xichuan.
With Qiao Kangquan establishing a nation and ruling over Wushan Prefecture, Linjiang Mansion, and Yuzhong Prefecture, the implication was already very clear.
The person intended by the court to exchange territories with Lu Yuan was the Qiao family, who had even closer ties with the court and had many marital alliances with the coastal aristocratic families.
Letting Qiao Kangquan occupy the more populous southern three prefectures of Hanzhong would not only strengthen the faction close to the court but also make use of the fact that the Qiao family already had many military connections, making them capable and battle-hardened.
Especially by occupying Hanzhong, they could be considered as the court’s trusted guard on the northern border, defending against the Zhou people.
On the other hand, if the other party occupied Hanzhong, they could also follow the Han River downstream and directly attack the western city, Fangling, and Guining three prefectures belonging to Lu Yuan.
In short, the court’s arrangement could be considered a very well-thought-out one.
The majority of the benefits had been given to Qiao Kangquan as compensation, so the original capital, Chengdu Prefecture, and the more prosperous surrounding four prefectures were given to Venerable Jihui as his fiefdom.
Having a capital in hand was enough to appease the other side.
The court’s skill in maneuvering in these political matters was truly impressive.
However, Lu Yuan didn’t have much to say about it.
Currently, in the southern three prefectures of Hanzhong, a third of the people had been moved by him, leaving at most a hundred thousand households with over five hundred thousand people.
With this population, the newly established Hanzhong country, even including the two Xichuan prefectures, would have about 800,000 people.
With 800,000 people, the limit for their military recruitment would be 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Even considering the need for corvee labor and recuperation, a population of this size could reasonably support a force of 10,000 people.
So, no matter how they recuperate or exhaust their soldiers, besides the threat of Qiao Kangquan, who is an Inborn Grandmaster, the newborn Hanzhong country will pose virtually no threat to Lu Yuan.
No matter how the court concocts or plans, it would still be of little use in the face of a vast chasm of power.
Therefore, upon hearing the news from Yang Jing, Lu Yuan just laughed and offered his congratulations: “It is a joyous occasion that Venerable Jihui and Qiao Family Head can successfully establish their countries. My Changsha country will have two more friends as neighbors. I will send a messenger to attend their coronation ceremonies.”
Seeing that Lu Yuan didn’t oppose the arrangement, Yang Jing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “That will be just fine. I will be the envoy from the court side when the two countries are established, and I will accompany the envoy from Changsha.”
Lu Yuan smiled warmly, “I will have to trouble Martial Proclamation Marquis Yang Jing to take care of the envoys from those countries.”
Yang Jing said, “No problem.”
Afterward, they chatted a bit more, and Yang Jing, having achieved his goal, tactfully took his leave.
On the second day, after yesterday’s troop withdrawal, the Zhou soldiers outside the city had been reduced by a third. The remaining few were expected to retreat in just three to five days.
As such, besides arranging for people to monitor the withdrawal of Zhou soldiers, Lu Yuan secretly left the city without alerting anyone.
Huangshi Pavilion.
When Lu Yuan arrived and made sure that no one was hiding nearby, He Basheng, clad in red, was already waiting for him in the pavilion.
At this time, a fire stove was burning in the courtyard, and a pot of Qingyuan tea was placed atop it, its faint fragrance wafting through the air.
“King of Changsha, the tea is ready. Please take a seat.”
He Basheng smiled warmly at Lu Yuan and pointed to the seat opposite himself, then began to pour tea for them both.
After pouring tea for both of them, He Basheng set down the hot teapot and introduced the tea with a smile, “This is the specialty Qingyuan tea from Shuofang Prefecture of our Zhou country, known for its strong flavor and a touch of the desert’s roughness, just like us martial artists. Drinking it is like experiencing life, and I love it the most.”
With that, He Basheng picked up his cup of tea and took a sip, his expression one of deep enjoyment.
Lu Yuan glanced at the tea cup before him, but being cautious by nature, he showed no signs of drinking it.
In today’s world, there were countless strange poisons.
His own queen, in particular, came from the Poison Sect, experts in dealing with poison.
After establishing a good relationship with Lan Cai’er, Lu Yuan had once asked her if there was any poison that could specifically target Inborn Grandmasters.
The answer, of course, was affirmative.
Although Inborn Grandmasters were like a single, unified entity, with their True pneuma flowing to repel all toxins, there were still some bizarre poisons that could temporarily weaken the Inborn Grandmaster’s state and even render them incapable of using their True pneuma.
At least, the Poison Sect possessed such poisons.
As for the effectiveness of this poison, Wuyang Marquis Li Gui, who had grown out of a tomb and become a tree, was the most qualified to speak about it.
So, after learning of the existence of such poisons, Lu Yuan became wary of various exotic poisons.
Although He Basheng’s face was full of smiles and seemed friendly, Lu Yuan was not to be deceived by these surface appearances.