In the Western Regions in winter, a thin layer of snow covers the area, making the wind and sand much smaller.
Lin Ze stepped into Loulan City, the capital established by him personally, and said to a street vendor: "Inform the Western Region that all officials of fifth rank and above will arrive in Loulan City within half a month to participate.
Anyone who is late to the meeting will not be allowed to come to the meeting in the future."
Dressed as a hawker, Qian Hu, a member of the Imperial Guard, first looked at Lin Ze carefully, then with an ecstatic expression on his face, he knelt down on one knee, cupped his hands and said, "I obey my command."
Then he didn't even want to stand at the stall anymore, he ran away and disappeared into the streets.
Lin Ze smiled and continued walking towards the newly built mansion in the city, which only had the word "Lin Mansion" on it.
This mansion is not big. It is less than one-fifth of Lin Ze's Shuhou Mansion in Chang'an. The only thing that is amazing is that it was designed and built by Lin Ze himself.
The people guarding the "Lin Mansion" are a group of veterans who had to retire from the army due to injuries.
The military merits and pensions these people received were not enough to support their whole families, including themselves, so they were naturally very happy to have a job to make a living.
Whether it was from the perspective of winning people's hearts or making full use of human resources, Lin Ze felt that this method was very good.
Following the example, not only Lin Ze, but also Han Xin, Chen Ping and others, the guards and servants at home were all from the military.
The petty officials employed by various government agencies will also give priority to these people.
Some people may think that Lin Ze is harsh. Even soldiers who have been through life and death, or who have been injured on the battlefield, do not receive pensions that are enough to support their families.
Lin Ze could only say sorry for this, even the Qin State's hundreds of years of savings could not withstand such a torment.
When Lin Ze came to the door of Lin's Mansion, the guard had already recognized him, knelt down on one knee, and shouted loudly with gratitude on his face: "Welcome the Marquis back to the Mansion."
"Get up, there's no need to be polite," Lin Ze said without stopping and walked into the house.
Suddenly a surprised voice sounded: "It's really the Marquis who is back. I'm going to pay my respects to the Marquis."
Lin Ze turned around and took a look, and said with a smile: "Wu Fan, you have a keen sense of smell. As soon as I came back, you received the news and rushed over. Get up first."
Wu Fan straightened up and said with a little embarrassment: "To be honest with the Marquis, my subordinates have been waiting for the Marquis to come back in Loulan City for this period of time, so they got the news so quickly and rushed over."
Lin Ze nodded slightly: "Follow me in and talk."
The two of them came to the study one after another. Lin Ze sat on the Grand Master's chair and motioned for Wu Fan to sit down too.
"How is the situation in the Western Region these days?"
Wu Fan smiled bitterly when he heard this and said: "It's not that good. Since the Marquis left Chang'an a few days ago, countless guards in black have been ordered to sneak into the Western Regions, spreading rumors and waiting for opportunities to shake the prestige of the Marquis."
"My subordinates secretly killed some, but they attracted the pursuit of Qin Guoting Lieutenant Commander. If my subordinates had not been alert, I am afraid that this life would have been handed over."
"My subordinates knew that they were no match for Qin Guotingwei, so they could only hide, but this caused more turmoil in the Western Regions."
"Fortunately, His Majesty did not explicitly issue a decree to deal with the Western Region, otherwise the situation would only get worse."
Speaking of this, Wu Fan's expression changed: "Didn't the Marquis go to the Taoist Palace to take refuge? Why did he suddenly appear in the Western Regions again? Could it be that he ran away and had some hidden secrets?"
Lin Ze shook his head and said: "There is no hidden secret. The reason why I can appear openly is because I worshiped Taoist Saint as my teacher and was promoted to the realm of heaven and man."
Wu Fan was surprised at first, and then he was overjoyed: "Congratulations to Mr. Hou for achieving the fruit of immortality. From now on, he will live as long as the heavens and be powerful in the world."
Lin Ze waved his hand and said: "There are many great powers above the realm of heaven and humans, but I cannot say that I am powerful in the world."
Seeing that Wu Fan still wanted to continue flattering, Lin Ze interrupted: "No need to say more, I have to do something when I enter the mortal world again this time. Since you are here, I will talk to you first.
A few words."
Wu Fan's face straightened up and he said respectfully: "I respectfully listen to the Marquis' instructions."
"Come here, bring a pot of tea. Forget it, you all go. If you have anything to eat or drink, bring some."
Lin Ze suddenly said something to the guard at the door and pushed him away.
When Wu Fan saw this, his palms became slightly sweaty, realizing that what Lin Ze was about to say was not simple.
Then Lin Ze stared at Wu Fan and said in a deep voice: "I want to openly stand on my own."
Wu Fan was startled and asked subconsciously: "Why?"
As if he realized that his reaction was wrong, Wu Fan added: "According to what my subordinates have seen, the best situation is that the Marquis is in this situation now. He listens to orders but not announcements. He is called a minister but is actually a prince."
"If you openly stand on your own initiative, it will only anger His Majesty the Qin Emperor. With his character, he will never accept his ministers' open rebellion and will definitely lead his troops to attack."
"Although the Western Region is large, the products are barren and the people are only a few million. It is really powerless to resist."
"If the Marquis just wants to indulge in the emperor's addiction, my subordinates will never persuade him. If the Marquis really intends to dominate, my subordinates will think that it is better not to openly stand on his own."
Lin Ze looked at Wu Fan, who had a solemn expression and was giving serious advice, and smiled and said: "Times have changed, and I have to stand on my own. You don't need to persuade me, just do as I tell you."
Wu Fan opened his mouth, and finally lowered his head slightly: "Please give me your instructions, Lord Marquis."
Lin Ze tapped the table with his fingers and said in a deep voice: "I have three things to tell you."
"First, find a way to find Han Xin, Zhang Han, and Yu Ziqi, and ask them to rush to Loulan City within half a month. It would be best if you can bring troops to come. If you can't bring troops to come, then leave the army and rush alone.
Come."
"Secondly, didn't you just say that there are a lot of spies from the Black Guards in the Western Region? You will lead the attack personally. If you can catch them, you will be arrested. If you can't, you will be executed. I have the final say in the Western Region, and no one is allowed to get involved easily.
.”
"Third, let the news out that the current Qin Majesty is a fake, and the real late emperor passed away five years ago."
"The fake Emperor Qin imprisoned the second emperor and plotted to conquer the Qin Dynasty. I hope all loyal people in the world will fight against it."
After Lin Ze finished his third sentence, Wu Fan looked at him with a shocked face, unable to speak for a long time. The master really planned to openly stand on his own, and the road would be dark.
As a subordinate, Wu Fan advised him all he thought he should do. Now that you have made a decision, you just have to abide by it.
So Wu Fan stood up and replied: "I will definitely not disappoint the Marquis. Without further ado, I will resign first."
Lin Ze nodded slightly and said, "Go."
After Wu Fan left, Lin Ze stood up and came to a huge map of Qin.
The Western Region is located in a corner, with the land of Guanzhong to the east, the endless desert and the Tianshan Mountains to the west, the Kunlun Mountains to the south, and the northern wasteland to the north.
In addition, it is indeed desolate, a tasteless place that is tasteless and a pity to abandon.
Originally, it was because it was of low value in the Western Region and easily disliked by others that Lin Ze chose to set up here just to protect himself. Now it seems that it was a bit of a miscalculation.