Then, Li Mu wrote to Handan, asking the court to assign officials and requesting tax exemptions in Yan. He then ordered to appease the people of Yan, maintain order, and restore normalcy.
He also asked Jin Mao to deliver the batch of prisoners from five years ago and send them home in batches according to their place of residence.
Li Mu was not only good at leading troops to fight, but in the past few years in Dai County, in order to manage the place well, he hired many teachers to teach him, and often wrote to Zhao Kuo and the ministers in the court to ask for advice on governance and learning issues.
Li Mu also studied economics and trade, deepening the commercial exchanges between Daijun, Yan State, and Donghu. War is fought for money. Only by developing the economy well can we be invincible.
In order to develop Daijun, Li Mu also invented the first local government investment attraction in this era, using the unique advantages of Daijun and the preferential treatment provided by the government to attract businessmen to do business in Daijun.
Before Zhao Guo arranged for officials to come over, the entire Yan State was under his control.
"Post the notice, and also inform the people in the city that the city gates will be open as normal from tomorrow, and everyone can come and go freely." After Li Mu arranged all the important things, the sky was already turning white.
Li Mu didn't have time to rest, so he led dozens of riders out of the city. According to the information, he found a remote village and knocked on a house. A man about the same age as Li Mu walked out. Seeing Li Mu, he was surprised at first, and then leaned over
He asked, "The guest has come from afar, please come in and rest."
"You don't want to ask me who I am?" Li Mu got off his horse and asked curiously.
"The only person who can appear here at this time, and who is so young, is Zhao Guo Li Mu. I have heard that Zhao Guo is thirsty for talents, and today's meeting is even better than the rumors. I think the general must have just captured Jicheng." The man.
asked.
"Yes, it's only been a few hours since our Zhao army captured Jicheng last night." Li Mu looked at the man, "With your foresight, sir, you shouldn't be trapped in a place like this? Is it because of General Qin Kai?"
"Although the State of Yan does not reuse my father, it has no restrictions on us. I was originally serving as the county magistrate in Yuyang, but I resigned and returned home some time ago," the man said.
"Sir, did you expect the fall of the Yan Kingdom?" Li Mu was very surprised. He didn't expect that not only Qin Kai had extraordinary abilities, but his son was also quite far-sighted.
"I'm just making some guesses, but I never expected that the Yan State would perish so quickly." The man sighed. Although the Yan State did not reuse his father, he grew up in the Yan State after all, and learned that the Yan State
How can one not feel sad when the country is subjugated?
"Yuan'er, why don't you invite the guests in?" At this time, a dark-skinned man wearing a coarse cloth jacket walked out.
Qin Kai is about the same age as Le Yi, but he looks much older. His eyes are bright and energetic, but occasionally there is a flash of sadness.
When the sound of horse hoofbeats was heard in the distance, Qin Kaixin made some guesses, but he didn't want to believe it. He still hoped that the person who came was an envoy sent by King Yan and that he could be used again.
But the moment he saw Li Mu, Qin Kai knew that his wish had failed.
"Dad." Qin Yuan shouted.
"Junior Li Mu has met General Qin Kai." When Li Mu heard that the person coming was Qin Kai, he quickly leaned down and saluted.
"No, I'm no longer a general." Qin Kai waved his hand in a gesture of invitation.
Li Mu signaled his guards to stay outside and wait, and entered the home with Qin Kai.
"General, please explain your purpose of coming." Qin Kai said directly after sitting down.
"This is the letter that the king asked me to deliver to the general." Li Mu took out the letter from his arms and handed it to Qin Kai.
"Thank you, King Zhao, for your kindness. It's just that I'm old. I've been used to leisurely activities for the past few years and can't stand the constraints of the court. I'm really sorry." Qin Kai looked at it in general and refused directly.
Zhao Guo gave him a very generous treatment. As long as he agreed to serve as an official, he could obtain the title of 19th-level Marquis of Lun.
But from the beginning, Qin Kai had no intention of becoming an official. The reason why he invited Li Mu into his home was because his hometown would be included in the rule of Zhao State in the future, and he had to consider it for the whole family.
Zhao Guo cannot be offended, and Li Mu cannot be offended either. If he refuses, he can only refuse politely.
As early as a few years ago, King Zhao and Le Yi wrote to him, asking him to serve as a general in Zhao State, but he refused.
Perhaps because of his experience as a hostage, Qin Kai has a more rural background than most people.
Even if he is not reused in Yan State, he is unwilling to leave Yan State.
"Not to mention the title of marquis and general, wouldn't the general want to leave a fief for his descendants after his death?" Li Mu said.
"Fiefdom?" Qin Kai was a little confused.
Although Qin Yuan told him about the Zhao State's reform, Qin Yuan was located in the Yan State and could not know the details. Qin Kai himself did not care about the matter, so he did not know much.
"Yes, the fiefdom of our Zhao Kingdom can be passed on to our descendants." Li Mu said.
"Pass it to the descendants, hahaha, how could King Zhao do this? Now the Zhao State has land to enfeoff to its ministers. What about a hundred years from now? What about two hundred years from now? How can the Zhao State have so much land to enfeoff? Moreover, the vassal states that have been enfeoffed,
The first and second generations will still obey Zhao, but what about after the tenth and eighth generations? King Zhao is following the old path of the Zhou Dynasty," Qin Kai said.
"How can the king not know what the general knows?" Li Mu asked, "Besides, for the general and his descendants, isn't the fiefdom the most important thing?"
Qin Kai looked at his son and felt a little moved in his heart.
When he was young, he was a hostage in Donghu and was unable to marry and have children. He did not marry and have children until he escaped back to Yan State and became famous.
Don't say that in this era, in future generations, you will have children only when you are old.
Therefore, he doted on Qin Yuan very much. Qin Yuan was also talented and lived up to his father's expectations. He not only read poetry and books, but also practiced martial arts.
Qin Kaixin no longer had any thoughts of sailing across the sea, but he didn't want his son to be delayed because of him.
Li Mu is right. For the Qin family, the most important thing is the fiefdom. As for the fate of Zhao State in the future, what does it have to do with Qin Kai?
"The famous generals of the Zhao Kingdom such as Yun, Le Yi, Lian Po, Tian Dan, Wei Wuji, Pang Nuan, Le Cheng, including you, the general, are all ten times more powerful than me. Even if I arrive in the Zhao Kingdom, I will only be a mascot.
It’s just King Zhao’s wisdom.” Qin Kai waved his hand.
Li Mu knew that Qin Kai was not rejecting, but negotiating terms with Zhao Guo.
The number of official positions in a country is limited. If there are many generals and few soldiers, it is destined that some generals will not have the opportunity to lead troops.
And after seeing Li Mu's age, coupled with his record of conquering Jicheng and destroying the Yan Kingdom in less than ten days, Qin Kai didn't think that King Zhao would leave Li Mu alone and use him, an old man who was not a direct lineage and whose abilities were not as good as Li Mu's.
.
"What if the king asks the general to retrain a strong force from Liaodong?" Li Mu said with a smile.
The Liaodong Jianbing used to be the exclusive military spirit regiment of the Yan State and the pride of the Yan State, but they have been destroyed by the Imperial Guards of the Zhao State.
After that, although the Yan State reorganized the Liaodong Jianbing, they only had the same name.
"Liaodong Jianbing has been buried in history forever. I can train a legion with the same talent as the former Liaodong Jianbing, but it will never reach the military spirit. Zhao State does not lack an ordinary super elite legion."
Qin Kai shook his head.
Super elites may be very precious to the Yan State, but they are not scarce to the Zhao State.
In his impression, both Le Yi and Tian Dan, as long as they are given enough troops, are capable of producing an elite army. If they go to the battlefield a few times, they may become super elite.
For the State of Zhao, one more Liaodong strong force is not much, and one less Liaodong strong force is not much.
"Dad." Qin Yuan couldn't help but say, but he knew how deep his father's feelings were for Liaodong Jianbing.
When Tian Dan returned to Qi, almost all the Liaodong soldiers were wiped out. Qin Kai locked himself in a room and did not go out for a day. When he came out the next day, he was nearly ten years older.
Five years ago, during the Battle of Yan-Zhao, the Liaodong soldiers encountered the Imperial Guards of Zhao and were completely wiped out. That time, Qin Kai locked himself in a room for three days and three nights and did not go out. When he went out, his eyes were already covered with bloodshot eyes.
, hair is all gray.
"So what if they are reorganized? After all, they are no longer the strong soldiers they once were." Qin Kai said bitterly.
Li Mu opened his mouth, not knowing how to persuade him. He had played all his cards, but Qin Kai still did not waver.
Suddenly, Li Mu suddenly thought of something and said, "Don't you want the general to be able to personally lead his troops north to destroy Hu one day?"
"Zhao Guo wants to take action against the Hu people?" Qin Kai couldn't sit still for a while. Li Mu's words scratched his itch.
The most proud thing he has done in his life is to conquer Donghu two thousand miles from the north. However, due to various factors, Yan State could only shift its focus from the north to the south, making his original plan to annex Donghu completely come to nothing.
But Li Mu's words once again ignited the fire in his heart. As long as Zhao State can pacify Donghu and prevent the people of Yan from being intruded by Hu people from now on, it doesn't matter if he sells these more than 100 kilograms to Zhao State.
"That's right, and it won't take too long." Li Mu said solemnly. Before Zhao State puts its focus on the Central Plains, it will definitely ride on the grasslands and wipe out the enemies behind it.
"Even if you are lying to me, I will admit it." Qin Kai sighed and defeated Dong Hu. This was his lifelong dream. Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, he would still be willing to gamble.
"This junior will not lie to the general. When the time comes, this junior will definitely recommend the general to the king as his commander-in-chief." Li Mu said happily. He finally lived up to Zhao Kuo's trust and invited Qin Kai to the Zhao Kingdom.
Qin Yuan also smiled. In his heart, he still hoped that his father would join the Zhao Kingdom. He knew that his father had always wanted to fight on the battlefield.
"One more thing, I would like to ask Brother Qin Yuan to serve as a staff member. He can give you some advice, so I hope you won't refuse." Li Mu looked at Qin Yuan.
"Guidance is not a big deal. I would like to learn from the general." Qin Yuan said happily.
Qin Kai did not leave with Li Mu. He would leave directly for Handan in a while, while Qin Yuan went to Jicheng with Li Mu.
A few days later, the letter from Handan was delivered to Li Mu.
Zhao Kuo first praised Li Mu's achievements and named him Lord Wu'an, but the ceremony would not be held until Li Mu returned to Handan.
Then the State of Zhao established the area south of Shanggu County and the north of Hejian County, namely Jicheng and its surroundings, as Guangyang County.
Li Mu was appointed governor of Youyan, in charge of Guangyang County, Shanggu County, Yuyang County, Youbeiping County, Liaoxi County, and Liaodong County for a term of five years, allowing Li Mu to recover other counties as soon as possible.
Zhao Kuo agreed to Li Mu's request and exempted the six counties of Yan from paying taxes for three years.
As for officials, the court plans to retain about half of them who have a good reputation or are capable, and the remaining officials will be transferred from the country and promoted by half a grade or one grade.
In addition, Handan College also received some official quotas, but the highest position was only county magistrate.
To be an official in Zhao State, one must start from the grassroots level. Strong ability can lead to rapid promotion, but one must stay at the grassroots level for a period of time to understand what it is like below.
"I didn't expect that I became the Governor of Youyan. It seems I can't be lazy anymore." Li Mu smiled and shook his head. Originally, he planned to lead his troops back to Handan until the imperial court appointed him to see if he could join the Central Plains battlefield.
Unexpectedly, the governor turned out to be himself in the end.
"Fortunately, the imperial court agreed to waive taxes for three years. All that's left is to investigate the land, re-measure and divide the fields, unify weights and measures, use the same text for books, use the same track for carriages, unify the currency, and establish a college. There are also 200,000 captives who must be released as soon as possible.
, various places must be pacified as soon as possible, and banditry must be eradicated, so as not to affect the autumn harvest." Li Mu thought in his mind.
The State of Yan has died, but the State of Zhao has not yet been able to control this land.
The vacuum period of rights and laws, without restraint, will breed a lot of violence, and even the nobles in various places will not only not stop it, but may also add fuel to the flames.
In just a few days, Li Mu had already received news of rebellions in some places.
What Li Mu has to do is to firmly capture the lowest common people of Yan State and fight against the nobles of Yan State.
Unifying weights and measures will have an impact on the common people, but exempting taxes will minimize this impact. In an era when one meal is too late, immediate benefits are the most important.
The State of Zhao exempted the common people from taxes, and everyone would accept it even with a little trouble in other places.
As for the carriage on the same track, it means to unify the distance between the two wheels of the carriage so that the distance between the wheels is the same.
These days, there are basically dirt roads, including in Zhao State. Although roads have been built continuously in recent years, the cement official roads are only a very small part compared to all the roads in the country.
The dirt road is constantly rolled back and forth by vehicles, and two ruts with the same width as the wheels will be formed on the road, which are rails.
When the vehicle is driving, the two wheels placed in the rails will be more stable, reducing friction, reducing the consumption of animal power and the wear and tear of the vehicle.
If you do not drive along the track, more animal power will be consumed, the loss of the vehicle will also increase, the driving speed will be greatly reduced, and it will be more bumpy.
There is a saying called "cars but not square tracks", which means that this road is narrow and has only one car track.
If the tracks are not unified, in the future, vehicles traveling between the two places will have to change trains every time they reach the border, or they will not use the tracks. This is very troublesome and will not allow Yan to truly integrate into Zhao.
Of course, if all roads could be paved with cement, there would be no need for cars to run on the same track, but this is impossible.
"Build another official road leading to Liaodong, connecting Yan and Zhao as a whole, and delaying other roads. It just allowed the governor of Jinbo County to send over 100,000 newly captured Yan troops. The construction of the Yan Kingdom depends on
They are here. There is enough food and grass in Jicheng, so there is no need to worry about it for the time being." Li Mu looked at Qin Yuan aside, "Tell me, tell me which nobles in the Yan Kingdom are the most powerful."
Li Mu planned to find some of them and use them as examples to scare the monkeys.
