On July 23, 427, the Great Jin Dynasty, in the Taiyuan Hall of the Imperial Palace in Canglong City, Dajin, Empress Dowager Zhou, who was sitting behind the curtain, spoke to hundreds of court ministers on both sides of the hall: "All the ministers should have known the memorials sent by the guerrilla general Liu Ji to the court. What do you think of the few things Liu Ji mentioned?"

Liu Heng, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, who was sitting in front of the curtain, looked joyful at this time. The several things Liu Ji mentioned in the memorial this time made Liu Heng, the young emperor, sincerely excited.

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, first said: "Reported to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and Liu Ji, the matter of the East Bo tribe returning to the east and the four Protectorate Mansions in the Western Regions, I believe that people should be sent to the Western Regions to verify quickly. Once this is verified, the East Bo tribe and the four Protectorate Mansions that have been in the Western Regions for more than 100 years will be rewarded immediately."

Yang Zhong, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of Personnel, then stepped out and continued: "The East Band tribe's return to the east and the four Western Regions' advocacy are all heroic feats. If verified, these two things that shine in history should be immediately announced to the world to demonstrate the mighty emperor's grace of our Great Jin!"

"I'm going to discuss it!" "I'm going to discuss it!"

After the Taiwei of the Ministry of War Dou Yan and the Taiwei of the Ministry of Personnel Yang Zhong, dozens of ministers came out to express their agreement. The East Return of the Eastern Band tribe and the four Protectorates in the Western Regions that had been held for more than a hundred years were equivalent to gilding the face of the Great Jin court. These ministers wished that they could immediately announce these two things to the world so that everyone in the world would know.

Empress Dowager Zhou nodded and said, "I guess Liu Ji would not fool the court in these two things, but it is necessary to verify it. So what do you think about the preparations that Liu Ji asked to personally manage the land occupied in the Western Regions and the grassland occupied by the grasslands? And the people of the Eastern Band tribe and the soldiers and civilians of the four Western Regions, how should our court settle the place?"

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, hesitated for a moment and said, "According to what Liu Ji's memorial, his army has not only captured eight vassal states in the Western Regions of our Great Jin Dynasty. Zhu Qi's country, Xuju, Shiqu country, Daxu country, Wengda country, Qiwu country, Dana country and Yuanba country, and captured ten provinces under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Governor's Office of Gaochang State. On the grassland, Liu Ji's army has occupied a large number of grasslands after defeating the Hu coalition forces of the ten tribes led by the Khitan tribe, which shows that the combat effectiveness of Liu Ji's army is indeed very strong."

After pausing, Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, continued: "But it is precisely because the army under Liu Ji's command is too powerful and has the power to be too big to lose. I believe that Liu Ji should not be given more authority, and that I should find a way to limit Liu Ji's power as soon as possible. As for the people of the Eastern Band tribe and the soldiers and civilians of the four Western Regions Protectorate Offices, I believe that they can be moved to Qianzhou to resettlement."

At this time, Empress Dowager Zhou sighed and said, "Now the situation in the southeast is in corruption, and there must be no more trouble in the north. The Ai family felt that they could agree to Liu Ji's request and let Liu Ji deal with the Hu people of all races on the grassland and Gaochang Kingdom in the Western Regions. What do you think?"

When Empress Dowager Zhou mentioned the situation in the southeast of the Great Jin Dynasty, the Grand Marshal Dou Yan sighed secretly, turned his head and glanced at his deputy Minister of War Han Renji.

In April this year, the 200,000 imperial guards in the capital led by General Li Hong of Cavalry, as well as the 150,000 xiang army and local troops in Suzhou, as well as the 150,000 xiang army in several states around Suzhou, were defeated by the hands of the huge enemy Zhang Mingqi in the southeast. The 500,000 imperial army was wiped out by 400,000. General Li Hong of Cavalry only fled from Suzhou with only 100,000 people, and almost all of these 100,000 people were imperial guards.

Now the army of the giant gangster Zhang Mingqi has not only occupied the entire Suzhou, but also captured half of Qiongzhou and Lianzhou county, and its troops have expanded to more than 1.5 million.

General Li Hong, the cavalry general, led 100,000 imperial guards and 180,000 xiang troops and local troops to guard the remaining half of Qiongzhou. General He Guangzong, who was dispatched by the imperial court, launched a fierce battle with the army of the giant enemy Zhang Mingqi in Lianzhou.

The General of the Cavalry Li Hong and the General of the Cavalry He Guangzong recently sent memorials to the court for help, hoping that the court could send them additional reinforcements. Because of the superior strength of the troops under the giant gang Zhang Mingqi, the imperial troops in Qiongzhou and Lianzhou were at a disadvantage in the battle.

Now, the 800,000 imperial guards in Canglong City have been taken away by the two generals of the Cavalry, and the remaining 400,000 imperial guards have been lost. The remaining 400,000 imperial guards, the bosses of the Dajin court are no longer going to send to several southeastern states to quell the rebellion. Faced with the requests from General Li Hong of the Cavalry and General He Guangzong of the Cavalry, the Dajin court could only order the local officials of the southeastern states to recruit soldiers on the spot and participate in the battle to wipe out the giant enemy Zhang Mingqi.

The reason why Zhang Mingqi rebelled was because the 40,000 troops formed by Zhang Mingqi, as the county magistrate, fell into the eyes of a major official of the thirteenth family. This important official of the court wanted to bring this army of more than 40,000 people into his family's pocket, so he deducted Zhang Mingqi the charge of a fanatic bandit. After he was about to punish Zhang Mingqi, he arranged for his family's children to take over Zhang Mingqi's 40,000 troops.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Mingqi was forced to rebel in the end and a huge enemy in the southeast was created. As for this important official in the court, Han Renji, Minister of War.

The Grand Marshal Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, said respectfully to the Empress Dowager Zhou: "It is still the full consideration for the Empress Dowager. Now the huge enemy in the southeast is Zhang Mingqi, a major trouble for the court. Since the army under Liu Ji has actually occupied the land in the Western Regions and the grasslands, the court should do a favor. I suggest the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate of the Great Jin Western Regions and the Beiting Protectorate of the Great Jin Dynasty. The Western Regions Protectorate of the entire Western Regions, and the Beiting Protectorate of the Northern Grasslands, and Liu Ji is the first protector of the two protectors."

Empress Dowager Zhou nodded and said, "Just follow what Taiwei Dou said! In addition, Liu Ji was promoted to the general of the capture of the enemy. The Western Regions Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate have the right to appoint the Zhenyuan General, the guerrilla general and the partial general on their own. You only need to report to the court! The people of the Eastern Band tribe and the soldiers and civilians of the four Western Regions Protectorate, will be directly placed by the Western Regions Protectorate!"

At this time, Zheng Kai, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of Revenue, came out and said: "Report to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, I believe that the Anxi Protectorate, the Jinshan Protectorate, the Kunling Protectorate and the Mengchi Protectorate should be retained, and these four Protectorate can be placed under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate of the Western Regions."

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, immediately nodded and said, "The Grand Marshal of Zheng is reasonable, I will discuss it!"

Empress Dowager Zhou immediately said, "Authentication!"

Next, Empress Dowager Zhou changed the topic, "My dear ministers, what are the current situation in the southeastern states?"

At this time, Xiao Su, the only general of the cavalry in the capital, spoke: "Report to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the troops under the command of the rebel Zhang Mingqi are now numerous. The combined troops of General Li Hong and General He Guangzong of the Cavalry are less than half of the rebels' army. Therefore, I believe that the additional reinforcements should be sent to General Li Hong and General He Guangzong as soon as possible."

Empress Dowager Zhou said sadly: "Now half of the 800,000 imperial guards in the capital have been sent out. The remaining 400,000 imperial guards must protect the security of the capital. Where should the court dispatch troops to General Li Hong and General He Guangzong? Do you have to draw border troops?"

General Xiao Su, the cavalry, immediately suggested: "Empress Dowager, the border army cannot be used. I believe that the wing army in some states can be transferred to the southeast. Now the states of the prefect, prefect and county magistrates of each state have basically planned to build local troops. In this way, the garrison tasks in various places can be handed over to the local army, and the wing army in each state can be allowed to support General Li Hong and General He Guangzong."

Empress Dowager Zhou pondered for a moment and asked Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, “What do you think of General Xiao Su’s suggestions?”

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, frowned and said to General Xiao Suwen, "Now the combat effectiveness of the Xiang army in each state has dropped sharply. The last time General Li Hong of the Cavalry was in Suzhou, he would not have been defeated so badly if he had not been influenced by the Xiang army. Now let the Xiang army in each state support General Li Hong and General He Guangzong. I am worried that he will repeat the same mistake?"

General Xiao Su quickly said, "Don't worry, General Dou Hong and General He Guangzong have learned the lessons of Suzhou's defeat. While fighting against the troops under the thief Zhang Mingqi, they are reorganizing the gathered wing army and local army. Perhaps the wing army of each state will go to the southeast to wipe out the thief Zhang Mingqi, and then they can transform themselves and allow our Jin Dynasty to gain another million elite troops!"

According to the twenty-four prefectures of the Jin Dynasty, the total number of troops registered by the imperial court exceeded 2.4 million, which was more than the combined number of imperial guards and border troops. However, the Xiang army was very serious in paying empty salaries, and the actual number of people was far less than 2.4 million.

Queen Mother Zhou finally said: "Taiwei Dou, then your Ministry of War will quickly study a plan to increase troops and send more wing troops to General Li Hong and General He Guangzong."

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, said: "I obey the order!"

After the morning court, the Emperor Liu Heng of the Great Jin Dynasty followed the Empress Dowager Zhou to return to the Ci'en Palace where Empress Dowager Zhou lived. After Liu Heng entered the Ci'en Palace, he ordered the eunuchs and palace maids to retreat first, and then asked the Empress Dowager Zhou: "Mother, why didn't you issue an order to let Liu Ji lead his troops to the southeast to quell the rebellion? The southeastern states account for half of the taxes of our court. If there is chaos there, our court will not be able to live a difficult life."

Empress Dowager Zhou shook her head and said, "Now the battle between Liu Ji's army and Gaochang team is about to break out, and the Hu people of all ethnic groups in the grassland are eyeing each other. At this time, it is impossible for Liu Ji to lead troops to suppress the rebellion in the southeastern states. Moreover, it is not so easy to let Liu Ji quell the rebellion."

Liu Heng turned his head and looked at the bedroom. He found that the eunuch and the palace maid had indeed gone out. He immediately lowered his voice and asked Empress Dowager Zhou: "My mother, haven't you secretly sent someone to surrender Zhang Mingqi? Does that Zhang Mingqi really want to be a rebel all the time?"

When Empress Dowager Zhou heard this, her face turned a little ugly. She turned her head and looked at the bedroom, and then whispered: "The Ai family had not had time to tell the emperor about this matter that the people sent by the Ai family to surrender Zhang Mingqi have been unrecognizable. The Ai family suspected that they had not seen Zhang Mingqi at all and were likely to be intercepted and killed halfway."

Liu Heng suddenly showed anger, "Mother, those people must have done it. They must not want me to control the military power!"

Empress Dowager Zhou patted Liu Heng on the shoulder and said, "Emperor, don't be impatient. The Ai family has made new arrangements. As long as Zhang Mingqi is not determined to rebel, this time the Ai family will likely add millions of soldiers to the emperor's hands."

"Mother, what should I do with Liu Ji?"

"Liu Ji is not in a hurry. He still needs to block the counterattack of Gaochang team. We just need to show kindness to him for the time being."

On the afternoon of July 23, in a study room in the Great Jin Military Department’s Office, Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, sighed and said to Yang Zhong, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of Personnel, “The Empress Dowager has made many moves recently!”

Yang Zhong, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of Personnel, snorted coldly, "A female person actually wants to take power back from our thirteenth family. She is simply delusional and forced herself to force her to accompany the late emperor!"

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, shook his head and said, "Not to! Not to reach that point! Her little thoughts cannot be hidden from us. It is impossible for her to surrender Zhang Mingqi to obtain military power!"

Yang Zhong, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of Personnel, frowned and said, "Zhang Mingqi's power is getting stronger and stronger. The business of our several families in the southeastern states has been greatly affected. Whether it is suppression or pacification, the southeastern states must be calmed down as soon as possible."

Dou Yan, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War, stroked his beard and said, "It doesn't matter if you lose a little money. This time, we took advantage of the rebellion in the southeast and let our thirteen families control more troops."

Yang Zhong suddenly realized, "Is it your plan for Xiao Suti's suggestion?"

Dou Yan said calmly: "Now in Qiongzhou and Lianzhou, our thirteen families are all here. This time we can have at least one million soldiers to divide, and each family will not suffer any losses. As for how to divide, our thirteen families have to sit together and discuss it."

Yang Zhong frowned again and said, "The officers of the wing army in each state have always been hereditary. Can they hand over the military power?"

Dou Yan smiled slightly and said, "When you arrive at the front line, there are some things that cannot be controlled by them."

Yang Zhong then asked, "What should I do with that Liu Ji? Have you really given him all the positions of the Protectorate of the Western Regions and the Protectorate of the Beiting Protectorate?"

"That Liu Ji is like a monster. Now he not only captured Zhu Qiguo in the Western Regions, Xuju, Shiqu, Daxu, Wengda, Qiwu, Dana and Yuanba, but also captured ten provinces under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Governor's Office of Gaochang. Until now, Gaochang still has no choice but to deal with Liu Ji. Maybe maybe there will be another top family in our Jin Dynasty. We are just buying a favor for the people."

"Gaochang State is not that easy to mess with. Now that Liu Ji has occupied so much territory in Gaochang State, it may not take long before he will be driven out of the Western Regions."
Chapter completed!