After signing a truce treaty with Gaochang State and officially annexed the fourteen provinces and sixteen vassal states of Gaochang State, Liu Ji embarked on the way back to Qianzhou with the Tiger Ben Army, Mo Dao Army, Xuan Armored Soldiers, Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, White Horse Congyi, Crane Camp and Wei Wuzhu, as well as two cavalry brigades and twenty infantry brigades of the Guards Corps, and embarked on the way back to Qianzhou.

The remaining ten infantry brigades of the Guards rushed from another route to the Beiting Protectorate Palace together with the five cavalry brigades of the Grassland Legion.

The grassland army of Beiting Protectorate, currently stationed, also has twenty cavalry brigades and five infantry brigades, of which five cavalry brigades have been expanded in recent times to cope with the threats of the surrounding nomadic peoples.

These ten infantry brigades of the Guards will be classified as the Grassland Legion according to Liu Ji's order. In this way, the total strength of the entire grassland Legion will become twenty-five cavalry brigades and fifteen infantry brigades. I believe that with the army of the Grassland Legion, which is a 1.6 million army, even if the Xianbei people who moved to the grassland north of the Beiting Protectorate, dare not easily act rashly against the Beiting Protectorate.

Because Liu Ji obtained 58,000 elite soldiers produced by the system from dozens of beauties in Gaochang City, making the total strength of the seven elite troops under Liu Ji's command more than before, and had exceeded 360,000.

Among them, there were more than 21,000 Tiger and Ben Army, more than 30,000 Mo Dao Army, more than 16,000 Black Armored Army, more than 24,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, more than 26,000 White Horse Congyi, more than 60,000 camps, and more than 187,000 Wei Wu soldiers.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of veterans in the Polu Army, so Liu Ji no longer needs to transport elite soldiers produced by the system to various brigades of the Polu Army. In this way, Liu Ji can maintain the scale of these seven elite troops, which is equivalent to adding several trump cards to the Polu Army.

Before Gaochang State signed a ceasefire treaty with the Polu Army, King Mujheshid of Gaochang State had asked the Polu Army to release all the royal members of Gaochang State. Liu Ji did not want to kill all the royal family members of Gaochang State now, so he generously sent most of the royal members, even many nobles and the families of these nobles to the Lai Province where King Mujheshid was located. However, Liu Ji detained the fifteen princesses, six daughters, and fifty-four beautiful wives and daughters of the royal family or nobles. These beauties of Gaochang State will fill Liu Ji's harem.

The king of Gaochang Kingdom, Mujheid, had no other choice than being angry, had no other choice than his fifteen princesses and six daughters. Now King Mujheid had little strength left and he had no capital to compete with the Polu Army. Therefore, King Mujheid could only bite his teeth and swallow it up when it was occupied by Liu Ji.

Liu Ji no longer cared about whether he was angry with Gaochang Kingdom King Mujheid. This time, the Polu Army could sign an armistice agreement with Gaochang Kingdom, which can be said to leave a way out for Mujheid. Otherwise, if the Polu Army continued to attack, the last province in Mujheid's hands would definitely be captured by the Polu Army.

Even if King Mujheid of Gaochang Kingdom hates Liu Ji, he no longer has the strength to cause trouble for Liu Ji. Including the remaining three governors' offices in Gaochang Kingdom, Liu Ji no longer cared too much. The combined forces of the entire Gaochang Kingdom will be difficult to threaten the Western Regions Protectorate controlled by the Polu Army.

However, the Western Regions Legion stationed at the thirteen states of the Western Regions Protectorate are still not easy. Although the Western Regions Protectorate has not yet bordered the Dayuan Kingdom, Cheshi Kingdom and Anxi Kingdom, these three countries will definitely regard the Polu Army and even the Western Regions Protectorate as their strong enemies after this war.

As the strength of the Polu Army became stronger and stronger, Liu Ji's ambitions became greater and greater. The territory of the Western Regions Protectorate will definitely not stop at the current thirteen states. If you have the chance, Liu Ji would not mind subordinating the entire Western Regions, including the Dayuan Kingdom, the Cheshi Kingdom and the Anxi Kingdom, under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Protectorate.

After this war with the four powerful countries in the Western Regions, the Western Regions Legion has become the largest legion among the Polu Army, with twenty cavalry brigades and forty infantry brigades, with a total force of more than two and four million.

The population of the thirteen states of the Western Regions Protectorate was only about 27 million, which also included nearly 10 million people in five new states and millions of Jin people who moved to the Western Regions Protectorate.

With this population of 27 million, he supported a standing army of 2.4 million. To be honest, it was already a bit of a military force. However, before setting off to return to Qianzhou, Liu Ji still ordered several garrison battalions to be formed in various states of the Western Regions Protectorate, and each garrison battalion was also organized to be about 8,000 people.

Liu Ji is now truly rich and powerful. The capture in Gaochang City alone is enough to support the current millions of troops of the Polu Army for at least twenty years. Therefore, in the Western Regions Protectorate, the Beiting Protectorate, and even Qianzhou, it can still maintain very low land taxes and commercial taxes. Liu Ji does not need to plunder the people's wealth and ointment to support the millions of Polu Army under his command.

Just when Liu Ji led his troops back from the Western Regions Protectorate, the Suzhou Xiang army that surrounded Canglong City and attacked Canglong City for more than two months, but still did not break through the walls of Canglong City.

For more than two months, the Suzhou Xiang Army has been mainly encircled and its attack on Canglong City is not strong. After more than two months of siege, the Suzhou Xiang Army suffered less than 250,000 people.

In fact, the Suzhou Xiangjun also attacked Canglong City for two days, but the walls of Canglong City were too high, and the imperial army in the city was full of troops. Suzhou Xiangjun lost a lot of money in the two-day attack, but it was almost difficult to attack the city walls of Canglong City. Even if the Suzhou Xiangjun successfully climbed the city wall, it was quickly wiped out by the imperial army on the city wall. The nearly 250,000 people lost in the Suzhou Xiangjun in more than two months, most of which were lost in the two days of attack.

Although nearly 250,000 people were lost, the Suzhou Xiangjun's military forces in the Canglong City area have not declined but increased. Thanks to the continuous reinforcements from several southeastern prefectures, the Suzhou Xiangjun's military forces in the Canglong City area had reached twenty-six guards.

Seeing that Canglong City is so difficult to fight, Zhang Mingqi, the commander of the Suzhou Xiang Army, finally decided to siege Canglong City. After all, although there is a lot of food stored in Canglong City, it will eventually be exhausted. You must know that Canglong City not only has more than one million imperial troops, but also millions of people, who have to consume tens of thousands of stones of food every day.

During the past two months, the Suzhou Xiang Army siege Canglong City and carried out a series of major moves in several southeastern prefectures.

Now, in addition to half of Suzhou, including Qinhuai City, the seven states in the southeast of the Great Jin Dynasty, are also controlled by the imperial army. The remaining Qiongzhou, Suzhou, Lianzhou, Zhejiang, Fuzhou, Hangzhou and half of Suzhou have been occupied by the Suzhou Xiangjun. A large number of imperial troops have changed their courses and joined the Suzhou Xiangjun.

The more than 100,000 elite border troops stationed in Zhejiang and Fuzhou also surrendered to the Suzhou Xiangjun under the leadership of various generals. Now, in addition to the twenty-six guards in the Canglongcheng area, the Suzhou Xiangjun also has twenty-eight guards in the entire southeastern prefectures. Many newly formed guards of the Suzhou Xiangjun were formed based on the troops of the original court.

Facing the siege of the Suzhou Xiang Army without attacking, although there is no danger in Canglong City for the time being, as the siege of the city becomes longer and longer, the hearts of the people in Canglong City have become more and more fluctuating.

On the evening of March 7, 429, the Great Jin Dynasty, in a study room of the residence of Wu Ziyu, the Minister of Personnel of Canglong City, the Minister of Personnel, Wu Ziyu, the Minister of Personnel, said to the Minister of Revenue Zhang Shunran, the Minister of Punishment Chen Sikai, the General of Cavalry Xiao Su and the General of Cavalry Li Hong: "Now the Xiang army of Suzhou has been besieging Canglong City for more than two months. Although the Xiang army of Suzhou still has no choice but to defend and attack Canglong City, the grain stored in Canglong City is enough for the military and civilians in the city to eat for three months. I think our thirteenth family should make plans early!"

The Li family where General Li Hong is located has now joined this small group among the thirteen-generation family, so Li Hong also appeared here on behalf of the Li family today.

General Xiao Su frowned and said, "According to the news just coming from the Western Regions Protectorate, the Polu Army under Liu Ji's command had forced Gaochang to sign a truce treaty and ceded a large amount of land to the Polu Army. In this way, the main force of the Polu Army can return to Dajin from the Western Regions to Canglong City to rescue the siege. Should we wait a little longer? After all, the food in the city is still enough for three months, and we still have time."

At this time, the Minister of Revenue Zhang Shunran said: "The Polu Army can even defeat the coalition forces of the four powerful countries in the Western Regions. Once the Polu Army comes to Canglong City with the power of great victory, it may be able to relieve the siege of Canglong City by the Xiang army of Suzhou. But who knows whether Liu Ji, the general of the Conquering Guard, will have any ill intentions? If Liu Ji wants to rebel, perhaps even Canglong City will not be able to stop the Polu Army under Liu Ji's command!"

General Li Hong of the Cavalry said in a deep voice: "What should our families do? Could it be that we will open the city gate to welcome the rebels in Suzhou into the city?"

In fact, General Li Hong of the Cavalry had always opposed the family's contact with the Suzhou Xiang Army. After all, Li Hong led his troops to the Red Turban Army, the predecessor of the Suzhou Xiang Army, and had a lot of battles in the southeastern states. In the past few months, Li Hong has led the imperial army and fought hard with the Suzhou Xiang Army. Li Hong had many loyal subordinates and relatives and friends, all died at the hands of the other party. Li Hong had no favoritism for the Suzhou Xiang Army.

However, the family's orders are difficult. Even if Li Hong is unwilling, he has to represent the Li family to attend the meeting held by a small group among the thirteenth family that has already been connected with the Suzhou Xiangjun.

Chen Sikai, the Minister of Justice, hesitated for a moment and said, "In fact, it is not impossible to welcome the Suzhou Xiangjun into the city. After all, Zhang Mingqi, the commander of the Suzhou Xiangjun, gave us the conditions for the thirteenth family to be relatively generous. If we hand over Canglong City to Zhang Mingqi, our thirteenth family is still among the top families in the entire Jin Dynasty!"

Zhang Mingqi was not willing to fight to the death with the Thirteenth Family in Canglong City. Now Zhang Mingqi has already extended an olive branch to the Thirteenth Family. As long as the Thirteenth Family dedicated Canglong City to the Suzhou Xiangjun, the official positions of all the important officials of the court among the Thirteenth Family will remain unchanged, and even the Thirteenth Family can still control the sixteen guards of the Imperial Guards.

Zhang Mingqi also promised to the Thirteenth Family that Zhang Mingqi would not touch the interests of the Thirteenth Family in the prefectures and counties of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Of course, Zhang Mingqi would not come to Canglong City for nothing.

The Jin court will establish a new position as prime minister, and its position will be above the six divisions of Taiwei. Before the emperor takes power, he will take over the emperor's military and political power in the Great Jin Dynasty.

In addition, the number of imperial guards in the Canglong City area will also be expanded. The original sixteen guards will be expanded to the thirty-two guards. In addition to the sixteen guards controlled by the thirteen family, the other sixteen guards will be adapted by the Suzhou Xiangjun.

General Xiao Su of the Cavalry immediately said, "What Zhang Mingqi said is very nice. According to his promise, even if he controls the authority of the Jin court, the interests of our thirteen-generation family will not have much impact. But who can guarantee that Zhang Mingqi will keep his word? What if we don’t give Canglong City to the rebels of Suzhou and Zhang Mingqi repents again?"

General Li Hong of the Cavalry followed and said, "General Xiao is right. Zhang Mingqi surrendered to the court and was appointed as the governor of Suzhou Prefecture by the court. However, Zhang Mingqi was not the same. Such a capricious person can make people believe in his words! Once we open the gate of Canglong City, we are just people who serve as the peddler and I will be the fish. At that time, our thirteenth family will be allowed to be controlled by Zhang Mingqi!"

Wu Ziyu, Minister of Personnel, said in a deep voice: "No one knows whether Zhang Mingqi can keep his word. However, our thirteenth family still controls the imperial guards of the Sixteen Guards and hundreds of thousands of servants of each family. Even if Zhang Mingqi repents, our thirteenth family is not without the ability to resist. Moreover, our thirteenth family holds the imperial guards of the Sixteen Guards and hundreds of thousands of servants, which is a restraint for Zhang Mingqi. Zhang Mingqi may not dare to take the blame for the world and take action against our thirteenth family."

General Xiao Su frowned slightly and said, "Even if the five of us agree to offer Canglong City to Zhang Mingqi, what should we do with the other eight families? Can we still secretly open the gates of Canglong City with the other eight families on their backs? In that case, our thirteenth family would be split, and Zhang Mingqi would not have any concerns about our thirteenth family!"

Wu Ziyu, Minister of Personnel, said flatly: "Our thirteen-century families decided not to split, especially at this critical moment. Once there is a split within our thirteen-century families, it is equivalent to giving Zhang Mingqi a chance to repent. As for the other eight families, we can talk about them one by one. I believe there are still many sensible people in the other eight families. Whether to offer Canglong City or not, let's talk about them after exploring the other eight families!"
Chapter completed!