Elise and others entered Jiaozhou and learned from the Southern King that Xichuan had been completely pacified, leaving everyone dispirited.
"It's all over!!" Elise's sharp voice trembled, venting her grief and resentment. "Xichuan, what a divinely blessed land for missionary work! Ruined because of Liang Xiao..."
After conquering various regions of Xichuan, the hundreds of thousands of Xichuan soldiers began a thorough investigation into the followers of the Rejuvenation Sect in each area.
Once discovered, they were immediately arrested. If they could not repent, or if it was discovered they had taken human lives, they would be executed.
Faced with such decisive searches, those Rejuvenation Sect followers with wavering faith, if educated with "Refuting the Rejuvenation Sect"...
"I fear there will be no place for our sect to stand in Xichuan from now on!"
Yan Jun and others, who returned to Jiaozhou from the Daliang Kingdom, were filled with hatred.
Gaozu of the Great Qian, Prime Minister Zhuo Mingfeng, Marquis Dingguo Gongsun Wuji, Heavenly General, Marquis Anguo Liang Xiao, the Holy Emperor of the Great Qian Xiao Qing, the Son of Heaven of Daliang Mu Cheng, the Northern King of Daliang, the Marquis of Zhenguo of Daliang, the Marquis of Zhenbei of Daliang...
For hundreds of years, the Rejuvenation Sect had made arrangements in this land. Every time the land was on the brink of collapse and annihilation, someone would always step forward to turn the tide and save the dynasty from ruin!
Until now, the meticulously laid plans of the Rejuvenation Sect in the Great Qian Kingdom were shattered by Liang Xiao, effectively banishing them completely!
This also meant that the Tianri Tribe, who had waited for two thousand years, could no longer dismantle the Great Qian Kingdom from within!
"Where is Duan Hong?" Elise asked anxiously.
"They are still in the capital of the Great Qian, under strict surveillance by the court, afraid to act rashly..." Yan Jun sighed.
Elise lamented with annoyance, "We shouldn't have played such tricks on Liang Xiao from the start. He seems to be well-versed in such matters, his vigilance is unprecedented."
Everyone fell silent.
Now, they didn't want to hear that name anymore...
Half a day later, over a hundred people from the Helian family also fled from Xichuan to Jiaozhou. Upon hearing the news, they all wailed.
"Our clan vows to avenge ourselves and flay Liang Xiao's bones!!"
Everyone's expression was complex.
Even in Xichuan, they could not do anything to Liang Xiao. How could they possibly seek revenge?
Gongyang He, who had been silent all along, finally couldn't help but sigh, "The Great Qian Kingdom is so powerful, it will surely arouse deep fear in surrounding countries. We still have a chance! Xichuan is in ruins and desperately needs development. The Great Qian currently has no power to march south to Xichuan and Jiaozhou. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiaozhou must consolidate its defenses everywhere, block information, and as soon as any Great Qian army invasion is detected, destroy all official roads immediately!"
Dugu Qun reminded them, "Old man and I will contact the Yan family of Daliang and ask them for their advice, lest the Great Qian unify south of the Heng River."
The Southern King and the Brocade Robe King also understood the gravity of the situation and immediately arranged for defense.
After a series of suppression and conquests by Liang Xiao, all the major rebels in the Great Qian Kingdom were forced into exile, and they eventually gathered in Jiaozhou!
Relying on the immense wealth of each family, Jiaozhou maintained close contact with the Peacock Dynasty, hiring Peacock Dynasty slave soldiers solely to urgently develop military strength.
Xichuan and Hanzhong were about to be merged into the former Yizhou. Yizhou was exhausted and in dire need of reconstruction.
But all the soldiers and civilians had smiles of hope on their faces.
The Rejuvenation Sect, the Helian family, and all the landlords and powerful families who had exploited the people were driven away or eliminated by their Marquis Anguo. They no longer had to live in constant fear!
Upon receiving the carrier pigeon's message from the capital, Hanzhong urgently dispatched someone to Fucheng.
Liang Xiao instructed Nan Jiyun and Liu Fan to guard Jincheng, while he himself remained in Fucheng, making it convenient to receive information from Hanzhong and various parts of Xichuan as soon as possible.
Upon learning that Xiao Qing intended to re-establish Yizhou and wanted his recommendation for the governor of Yizhou, Liang Xiao immediately sent someone to notify Liu Fan.
Liu Fan smiled wryly, "Please convey to the Marquis that I am now more skilled in military affairs. While internal affairs are not a problem, they are limited to one or two cities. The governor of such a vast province is truly beyond my capabilities. The Marquis surely understands my limitations..."
After receiving Liu Fan's reply, Liang Xiao suddenly remembered something and pouted, "Send a carrier pigeon to Luzhou and ask Li Xiuyun."
Zhuo Ying still had a large number of carrier pigeons that could be sent back to Luzhou, so he immediately dispatched someone to deliver Liang Xiao's proposal to Luzhou.
"Governor of Yizhou?"
Upon receiving the news, Li Xiuyun fell into silence.
Li Xiuyun's wife worried, "The court recently announced that His Majesty intends to promote you to a third-rank official. Suddenly going to be a governor, who knows when that will end..."
Hearing this, Li Xiuyun smiled calmly, his gaze deep. "When the Marquis Anguo and I defended Luzhou together, it is still vivid in my memory. Now that the country needs us, we have no excuse. But what truly moved me were the words the Marquis Anguo spoke to me about military and state affairs when we were in Luzhou."
Under everyone's curious gaze, Li Xiuyun sighed with emotion, "The rise and fall of the nation are the responsibility of every common man! My family has received great kindness from the state, and I have been exceptionally promoted by His Majesty. I must dedicate my loyalty and wisdom to stabilize Xichuan."
Li Xiuyun finally accepted Liang Xiao's proposal and urgently notified the capital.
The capital also received Liang Xiao's carrier pigeon. Three days later, it received another carrier pigeon sent back by Li Xiuyun through the shadow guards of Luzhou.
After Xiao Qing consulted the opinions of his officials, he immediately made the decision, appointing Li Xiuyun as the Prefect of Xichuan, and also concurrently serving as the Military Advisor of Xichuan for his meritorious service in the defense of Luzhou.
The prefects of various regions in the Great Qian Kingdom varied in rank according to their jurisdictions.
The position of Governor of Yizhou was currently extremely important, managing an entire province, temporarily set at third rank!
Liu Fan was appointed as the Prefect of Jincheng to assist Li Xiuyun in developing Yizhou, with Nan Jiyun leading troops to provide defense.
The court and the public alike envied them, praising, "Prefect Li previously came to the aid of Luzhou in an emergency, and now he is rushing to Xichuan's aid, truly a 'Rescuer Prefect' worthy of being recorded in history."
Cheqi General and Marquis Dingguo Gongsun Ye was overjoyed in Jiangnan. The Marquis Dingguo's residence was also not idle. In response to the call from various prefectures, they dispatched a large number of personnel, carrying money, grain, and new crop seeds from the Zhuo family, to Yizhou to relieve the suffering people and assist in cultivation.
A large amount of funds was transported from the central government to Yizhou to improve the livelihoods of the people.
The Xichuan popular uprising was also an attempt by the Helian family to transfer the conflict between themselves and the people, claiming that all suffering was caused by the exploitation of the court.
Some of the people, incited by followers of the Rejuvenation Sect, even if they didn't believe it, were forced to participate in the uprising due to their extreme poverty. Upon learning the truth, they were filled with regret.
After half a month of verification, unregistered and hidden households were reported to the court. Liang Xiao had a preliminary understanding that the population of Xichuan exceeded four million three hundred thousand.
Including the Hanzhong area, the entire Yizhou had a population of over five million, which was a considerable number.
Of course, this also included the tens of thousands of people who fled Xichuan during the popular uprising.
However, such a large population required sufficient food support to prevent possible years of famine.
This was also the Land of Abundance, with fertile soil, capable of growing a large amount of new crops, especially sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes have only one-fourth to one-third of the calories of the same weight of rice, but they have the advantage of high yield and are more helpful in combating famine.
Rice, which is more storable than sweet potatoes, must be kept in the granary for emergencies.
When Yue Yun returned from Hanzhong, Liang Xiao saw the somber expression on his face and hurriedly asked, "Out of those over ninety thousand people, how many are willing to stay?"