The problem in central Sichuan was solved without bloodshed, but Qin Xiao was also happy.

However, there was no news from southern Xinjiang, which made Qin Xiao a little unhappy.

After Pei Xiaogong came to Beijing to remonstrate, Qin Xiao also gave him a reward, but still ordered him to command the southern army, and deployed troops and horses to maintain pressure on southern Xinjiang.

In fact, solving the southern Xinjiang issue is particularly important to Qin Xiao's overall strategy.

If the southern Xinjiang issue is not resolved, Pei Xiaogong's tens of thousands of troops will have no choice but to be dragged south.

These days, Qin Xiao spends almost every night with Meier.

Of course, this is not just to be intimate with Meier, the most important thing is to learn the art of governing the country from Meier.

After all, Meier had assisted Xiahou for many years and was quite knowledgeable about political affairs. She taught Qin Xiao a lot of her experience. She also analyzed the situation of each state in the Tang Dynasty to Qin Xiao one by one, and even told Qin Xiao about the talents of officials in each state to the best of her knowledge.

Over time, Qin Xiao gained a deeper understanding of the situation in the Tang Empire.

Everything was complicated, which also made him understand that it is difficult to conquer the world, but it is even more difficult to govern the world.

Qin Xiao knew that in the last few years when Xia Hou was in power, the empire had actually experienced too many shortcomings, and many problems had accumulated, even to the point of being irreversible.

Under such circumstances, in order to restore prosperity to the empire, we must first eliminate many shortcomings and carry out drastic reforms.

Qin Xiao had already been mentally prepared for this.

He is a man of extraordinary courage. If there is a cancer in the empire, he has enough courage to remove it.

However, precisely because of the problems of the empire itself, many things cannot be rushed, especially the recovery of Xiling, which is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

To regain Xiling, we need to recruit and raise troops and horses, and the treasury needs to be filled. To make the treasury full, we cannot exploit the people. We can only make the empire on the right track and make the people's lives rich, so that the treasury can begin to be filled.

Therefore, it is simply impossible to carry out massive armaments in the empire at the moment.

The troops to regain Xiling can only be mobilized from the existing troops, and the two most important troops are the Southern Army and the Northeast Long Rui Army.

Gu Baiyi was stationed in the northeast and trained cavalry. This was military preparation for the capture of Xiling from the very beginning.

But it was just training troops in the Northeast, and the strength was not enough to compete with the Wutuo Khanate.

Among the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses gathered in Xuzhou, Qin Xiao has ordered the soldiers and horses from each state to return to the state. Although some troops can be transferred from each state at that time, after all, the states also need soldiers and horses to be in charge. If all the soldiers and horses are gathered in Yongzhou, most of them will be killed.

The states in Tang Dynasty are empty, and trouble may arise.

In this way, the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses of the Southern Army are particularly important.

Maintaining the troops of the Southern Army and the four northern towns puts considerable pressure on the empire's finances every year. If we continue to recruit troops, it will only make the already weak treasury even worse.

Therefore, Qin Xiao's thinking was to take the lead in solving the southern Xinjiang issue, thereby liberating the southern army and transferring it to Yongzhou to prepare for war.

Moreover, it was also clearly learned from Meier that Southern Xinjiang has always maintained a strength of 20,000 troops, which has actually become the biggest burden on the two counties in Southern Xinjiang.

Using the strength of two counties to support 20,000 troops and horses for a long time is actually an unspeakable hardship for the people of southern Xinjiang.

The Murong family has always levied heavy taxes on the two counties in southern Xinjiang, so that they can barely support military expenditures.

But this also caused the Murong clan, a common people in southern Xinjiang, to complain.

In fact, southern Xinjiang has launched turmoil from time to time over the years, but with the power of 20,000 soldiers and horses in Murong's hands,

It was too strong, and it suppressed the unrest time and time again, but because of this, the Murong family's foundation in southern Xinjiang had actually been shaken long ago.

Today, the situation in southern Xinjiang is not as peaceful as it seems on the surface, and has even entered a vicious cycle.

In order to maintain the huge expenditure of 20,000 soldiers and horses, Murong had to impose heavy taxes on the people of southern Xinjiang. This aroused people's thoughts and rebellions. Under such circumstances, the Murong family must have strong troops to suppress the rebellion.

If we dare not reduce our troops, such a vicious cycle cannot be solved at all.

Nowadays, Murong's ability to still be in charge of Southern Xinjiang relies not on prestige, but on the sharp blade of the Southern Xinjiang Army.

Once this army weakens or even disbands, the Murong family will be in disaster.

Meier also explained that when Xiahou was in power, the Southern Army actually had the opportunity to take advantage of the turmoil in Southern Xinjiang to march in and regain it. However, Xiahou was worried that once the war started, the Southern Army would fall into the war in Southern Xinjiang. In such a situation, it would probably lead to the North

Coveted by various tribes.

Moreover, before Qin Xiao took the Northeast, the Liaodong Army was nominally affiliated with the Tang Dynasty, but in fact it was a separatist force. Xiahou had never been at ease with the Liaodong Army.

Precisely because Xiahou encountered the rebellion of three states and seven counties when he first ascended the throne, he was still frightened, so he never dared to order the southern army to invade southern Xinjiang, for fear that the rebellion of three states and seven counties would happen again.

In addition, the Prime Minister Xia Hou Yuanzhen also had selfish motives. He had always used the Southern Army to train him as a counterweight to the Taishi family, and he did not want the Southern Army to fall into war easily.

The fact that the Murong family in southern Xinjiang has been able to survive is certainly due to the Murong family's skill, but the more important reason is actually the scruples of the Xiahou brothers.

Under Meier's detailed analysis, Qin Xiao also made up his mind that before regaining Xiling, even if it had to go through a difficult battle, he must first win the southern Xinjiang. Only with no worries can he concentrate the power of the Tang Dynasty.

, launched the final offensive against Xiling.

However, after learning the details of Southern Xinjiang from Meier, Qin Xiao knew that there were huge problems within Southern Xinjiang.

Before attacking the main enemy, we must first unite all the forces that can be united.

There were many forces in the two counties of southern Xinjiang who complained against the Murong clan. Qin Xiao knew that if he instigated rebellion against the Murong clan in southern Xinjiang first, or even developed forces against the Murong clan in southern Xinjiang, then when the southern army launched a full-scale offensive against the southern Xinjiang

, it must be twice the result with half the effort.

Tang Rong has said before that pawnshops also have influence in southern Xinjiang. In this way, they can use pawnshops to make first moves in southern Xinjiang.

Of course, the Southern Xinjiang Strategy will only be implemented as a last resort. After all, if the Southern Xinjiang issue can be resolved peacefully, that would be the best.

Qin Xiao had been waiting for the Murong family to send someone to Beijing, but instead of the Murong family, he waited for the envoy from the Bohai Kingdom.

The envoy from Bohai State was escorted all the way to Beijing by soldiers and horses sent by Gu Baiyi.

The arrival of the Bohai envoy to the DPRK surprised Qin Xiao, but Qiuniang followed the team to Beijing, which Qin Xiao was not surprised at all.

Because Qin Xiao had already sent people to the northeast to bring Qiuniang back to Kyoto.

After all, the Northeast is a land of bitter cold, and Qiuniang is from the south. If it weren't for Qin Xiao, she would not have stayed in the Northeast.

Gu Baiyi is now taking care of the affairs of the Northeast, and while sending someone to escort the Bohai envoy to Beijing, he also sends Qiuniang to Kyoto. This is a matter of course.

Although Qiuniang and Qin Xiao are not married, they have long been

Now that they are married, sending someone to send Qiuniang to Qin Xiao is the right thing to do both emotionally and rationally.

However, Qin Xiao was still a little shocked by the leader of the Bohai Mission who led the team to Kyoto.

Because the person who led the Bohai delegation to Beijing this time was actually King Bohai Yongzang.

This was really beyond Qin Xiao's expectation.

When he learned that King Yongzang was coming in person, Qin Xiao also gave the King of Bohai a lot of face.

Not only did he send the Minister of Rites to go out of the city to greet him personally, but after King Yongzang arrived in the imperial city, Qin Xiao personally went down the steps to greet him, and walked into the Yanying Hall with King Yongzang holding hands.

The main hall was already overcrowded. Officials of the fifth rank and above from Kyoto were all coming to pay homage today.

King Yongzang is in his thirties, perhaps because he has lived as a puppet for many years, and looks much older than his actual age. He entered the palace side by side with Qin Xiao, one old and the other young, the contrast is clear.

This trip to the Bohai Sea did bring a lot of congratulatory gifts. After King Yongzang entered the palace, except for one deputy envoy, the rest of the delegation waited outside the palace.

Qin Xiao did not neglect King Yongzang and placed a chair beside his own chair, which flattered King Yongzang.

"The Tang Dynasty and Bohai have always been friendly neighbors." Qin Xiao said with emotion, "It's just that your country has a Yuan Gaijian who is very ambitious. Regardless of the good relationship between the two countries, he actually covets the Tang Dynasty. This

This led to a period of bad relations between the two countries. Now that the King of Bohai has come to court in person, I am very happy."

However, the deputy envoy had already stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying respectfully, "To inform the Great Emperor of Heaven, the thief Yuan Gaijian of the Bohai Kingdom has been executed!"

Qin Xiao was startled and looked at King Yongzang.

"The Great Emperor, Yuan Gaijian went on a military rampage and forced our Bohai soldiers to station troops in Buyeo Prefecture, which is so heartbreaking." King Yongzang said cautiously, "This man even went to the farm town of Buyeo Prefecture in person to take charge, but suddenly fell ill and was unable to report to the Celestial Empire.

March. This is God's punishment for him." After a pause, he continued, "The country's thieves are crazy, but we, the Bohai Kingdom, also have passionate righteous men who killed Yuan Gaijian in Nongcheng and beheaded him."

Qin Xiao thought of Yuan Gaiyin almost instantly.

Yuan Gaiyin deliberately planned to kill Yuan Gaijian in order to avenge the murder of his mother, and through Qin Xiao's introduction, he learned about the existence of Eulji Yuanban.

Qin Xiao prompted Yuan Gae-in and Eulji Wonban to join forces. According to the plan, Yuan Gae-in created an opportunity to identify Yuan Gae-gon's true identity, and then Eulji Yuanban and his group took action to assassinate him.

Qin Xiao was not personally involved in this matter, and he never knew whether Yuan Gae-in and Eulji Won-wan had reached an alliance or were planning.

Now that he heard that Yuan Gaijian had been assassinated, he almost instantly concluded that if nothing unexpected happened, this was the joint work of those two people.

Although King Yongzang only said a few words, Qin Xiao knew that if it was really Yuan Gaein and Eulji Yuanban who had done it, the plan behind it must be carefully plotted and carefully prepared, and the actions were not like Yongzang.

Wang said it so easily.

The civil and military ministers in the palace were all surprised when they heard that Yuan Gaijian had been assassinated, but they were even more excited.

Everyone knows that Yuan Gaijian is a powerful man. He controls the Bohai Sea and poses a great threat to the Tang Dynasty. Now that he has been killed, it is of course good news for the Tang Dynasty.

All the ministers felt that this was indeed God's blessing for the Tang Dynasty.

But no one knows that when Yuan Gaijian was assassinated, he was still here in Qin Xiao.

"It is Bohai's good fortune that the national traitor was executed." Qin Xiao said with a smile, "But I wonder how the Bohai soldiers in Fuyu Prefecture would react to this?"

"Yuangai

Jian is guilty. The officers and soldiers of Bohai have always been coerced by him. We, Bohai, have never disrespected the great emperor and the Celestial Empire." King Yongzang said hurriedly, "Yuan Gaiyin, the son of Yuan Gaijian, is even more loyal to Bohai and even more loyal to the Celestial Dynasty.

He was loyal. He wanted to make the two countries friendly from generation to generation, so after Yuan Gai Jian was executed, Yuan Gai Yin took control of the military and ordered the withdrawal of troops."
To be continued...