Just as Wu Feng set off for Shuangduiji, Xiao Tang, who stayed in the northwest, also received an official letter from the Yanjing Zhongzhou Imperial Administration.

Frowning and slowly reading the content of the letter, Xiao Tang calmed down and handed the letter to Su Qin, who was sitting next to him.

Although Su Qin has not yet clarified his official position and work, Wu Feng and Xiao Tang have already included him in it. Wu Feng firmly believed in his own principles, did not doubt the use of people, did not use suspicious people, once decided, he boldly appointed, when he left the northwest to go to Luzon, he clearly instructed Su Qin to assist Xiao Tang in handling the military and political affairs of the entire northwest, and the high level of his position can be seen. Su Qin was also very moved, and did his best to assist Xiao Tang in handling the affairs of the Northwest, and he did not slack off at all.

Seeing that Su Qin had finished reading the letter, Xiao Tang turned his gaze to Su Qin's face: "Brother Su, what do you think about this matter?"

After thinking silently for a moment, Su Qin said: "Two days ago, we received the news from Brother Yanjing Guji, I didn't expect the efficiency of the imperial administrative department to become so high, in my opinion, the matter of your lordship's expedition to Luzon this time must have caused a lot of turmoil in the DPRK." ”

"Yes, my lord is young and promising, his words and deeds are unique, and he is already disliked by many people in the court, and my lord has always been friendly with the lower classes, and he is hated by those conservative nobles in the court. Xiao Tang nodded approvingly, "Before I set out for Luzon, I also raised this issue with my lords, and at that time, my lords also agreed with me, maybe my lords also made other arrangements." ”

"Well, now our northwest foundation is still shallow, and we still need to have a good relationship with the Imperial Center, and many issues related to the national economy and people's livelihood still have to rely on the Imperial Center. I think there are pros and cons to going to Luzon, but I think it's a good time, the pros far outweigh the disadvantages, and it's worth taking some risks, maybe if you miss this opportunity, it's hard to get this kind of opportunity again. Because Su Qin was not in charge of specific affairs, from the analysis of the expedition alone, he was in favor of seizing the opportunity to expand his power, and he also knew that Xiao Tang was not very in favor of this expedition.

"Brother Su, you don't know anything. I'm not stupid, don't I know that this is an excellent opportunity? I also hope that we can develop and become strong as soon as possible, not to mention that North Luzon is still a treasure land rich in natural resources, but now the finances of the northwest have reached the point of difficulty. As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move, the grain and grass go first. The first thing to do when fighting a war is to talk about logistics support, then it costs money, fighting a war is consumption, fighting is money, of course, adults have also said that it is necessary to fight a war in order to obtain more benefits, but it will take a while to convert the benefits into cash, unless you can directly obtain monetary compensation. Xiao Tang explained with a wry smile, "Don't hide it from Brother Su, now the finances are only enough to maintain normal operation for three months, and if there is really any natural disaster [***], there is really no way to deal with it." ”

"It's really embarrassing for Brother Xiao, but it's December now, as far as the current situation is concerned, the weather in our northwest is quite normal, even if there is a big snowstorm, our northwest agriculture is mainly farming, and there will not be much loss." I heard from the Economic Development Agency that they have asked Qingyang to prepare the herders in their northwest corner of the land, including the Yuli people, to winter and prevent disasters, and there should be no big trouble. Su Qin nodded understandingly, after all, the northwest has a thin foundation, there are no reserves, and the tax reduction and exemption policy to stimulate economic development is implemented, and there are many wars in the northwest, so it can be maintained to this point, I don't know how much thought it took Xiao Tang.

"Alas, I hope that my lord can make a profit on this expedition and make up for the consumption of this expedition, and I am thankful. By the way, let's not talk about these digressions, let's discuss this matter at hand. We must report it to the Lord at once, and ask him to return immediately, and this letter is urgent. Xiao Tang shook his head and returned to the topic.

"Well, I have to let the adults know immediately, and I don't know what the details of the situation in Luzon are, the news that I came back the day before yesterday said that I have basically controlled the entire North Luzon, and there should be no big problems. But the adults may have to stay there for a while, and a lot of work has already begun, and I am afraid that it will not work without him. Su Qin analyzed carefully.

"Although the official document of the General Administration is urgent, it also takes into account the actual situation here, anyway, it is less than two months before the Spring Festival, and it is enough to go back to report before the Spring Festival. Northern Luzon has just been pacified, and there must be a lot of things, and there are no adults in charge, and many things are difficult to settle in time. Yesterday, Mu Haoran had already sent someone in advance to ask me to allocate more manpower for him, and the lord intended to ask him to serve as the city guard of Vito City and manage the entire Northeast Luzon region. Xiao Tang also muttered, "This Northwest Luzon also needs to build a central city, I don't know how much financial and material resources it will cost, but if you don't build it, you can't do it, I think adults will also be worried." ”

"Mu Haoran is calm and down-to-earth, diligent, and good at taking the strengths of others to make up for his own shortcomings, although he is younger, but he is fully qualified for this position, our Lord Li is not younger than him. As for the complex ethnic composition of Northwest Luzon, the west, south, and north are all bordered by external forces, and it is too far away from the base area of our Northwest County, and it may be difficult to stabilize the rule without building a city. "Su Qin attaches great importance to the strategic position of North Luzon and has a very long-term vision.

"Yes, once this Northern Luzon is developed, it can become a bridgehead for us to enter the Middle Continent, and its rich products can also be continuously imported into the empire, and the benefits brought by it cannot be calculated in terms of money, so no matter how much money you spend, you have to spend it. However, I think the local people of all ethnic groups also have a strong desire for the development of the local economy, as long as reasonable planning, good at guiding, should be able to raise a lot of construction funds, of course, our investment here is also essential, but at present we in the northwest can not do anything, only to see if the adults can return to Yanjing to report on the work of the party can achieve good results, so as to win some financial support for us, even if it is a loan. Xiao Tang, an important surname in Northern Luzon, is still very clear, and he knows that the money that should be spent should not be spared at all, because the benefits obtained will far exceed the investment.

"Brother Xiao, do you think there will be any danger if the adults return to Yanjing to report on their work this time?" After being silent for a while, Su Qin suddenly asked a question.

"Danger, what do you mean?" Xiao Tang paused, seeing that Su Qin's face was very solemn, and he also became serious.

"There are all kinds of things, but I am mainly worried that His Majesty will feel that the expansion of the power of the Lords is too fast and endanger the rule of the central part of the Empire, which means that it endangers the rule of His Majesty and his successors, and is not conducive to the Lordship. Su Qin said carefully, you must know that saying these words can be punished as rebellion.

Xiao Tang didn't open his mouth for a while, obviously considering the possible surname of this situation. For a while, there was silence in the room, only the charcoal in the charcoal basin in the center of the room crackled.

After a long time, Xiao Tang said faintly: "Although the birds are all hiding the rabbits and the dead dogs, with the current situation, it should not have developed to that point. The current prestige of the lord is also obvious to all in the government and the opposition, not to mention that this expedition to Luzon has opened up the territory of the empire and expanded the prestige of the empire. There has to be an excuse to blame others. ”

"I hope so. I am mainly worried that His Majesty the Emperor is old, and if some people close to me slander him too much, if the Emperor is dizzy, it will be too late to regret it. ”

"Although he is old today, his mind is not confused, you only look at the many princes forming gangs, and which one of them has pulled the person who is really in charge, then the purge every few years is enough for anyone to stand firm, do you say he is confused?" Xiao Tang's words were very affirmative.

"But when it really threatens the royal family's own interests, the truth that blood is thicker than water is in the first place, and everything else will be put aside. Today's surname is ruthless, and it is known both inside and outside the court. The big man has caused a lot of jealousy and hatred, which I have heard of in Yanjing, and there are many royal people. Su Qin's words were still full of doubts.

Xiao Tang let out a long sigh, "What you said is indeed reasonable, but I think it is imperative for the adults to return to the capital to report on their work this time, and it is impossible for the adults to give up their return to the capital for this reason." I think it's better to report the situation to the adult first, and when the adult returns, we will give him our opinion. ”

The Empire's Shuanglong Drama Banner and the Northwest Army's Jinpeng Banner waved in the wind as the troops marched forward, and Wu Feng and his party quickly marched to the west with his Guards Wing as the core and the 1st Wing of the 3rd Division as the vanguard. Vito City is more than 200 kilometers away from Shuangdui, and the whole trip takes only four days. However, the Guards Wing was the most elite unit under Wu Feng's command, and the 3rd Division was a pure infantry division composed of Gaoyue people, and its marching speed exceeded that of other mixed divisions, and it took only three days to reach Shuangduiji.

The army also passed through many towns and villages along the way, but the local people did not seem to be hostile to these outsiders, and seemed a little indifferent. In their eyes, it seemed to be the same who would rule them, after all, the central government of Luzon had not paid much attention to the region, and much of the administration was mere formality, and the real administration was mainly confined to the cities and larger market towns. Of course, there are also some well-informed people who have heard some rumors, only to know that the rule of this area has changed hands, but the specific situation is not clear, so the road seems to be extraordinarily peaceful.

When they arrived at the double stack, it was a different story. In addition to the army led by Liang Chongxin and the officials headed by Lu Man, the director of the Northwest War Readiness Administration, who arrived later to greet them on the main road outside the town, almost all the important people of the various ethnic groups in Northwest Luzon also came to the intersection outside the town early to greet Wu Feng's arrival, and in their opinion, leaving a good impression on the future de facto masters of the region may be able to win more control over the interests of their own people or groups.

Accompanied by Liang Chongxin, Wu Feng had a cordial conversation with people of all ethnic groups and all walks of life, Wu Feng's approachable and sometimes kingly demeanor left an excellent impression on them, and then Wu Feng and the army officials and these gentry and celebrities reviewed the drills of the First Division, the strong strength of the First Division made these local celebrities smack their tongues, and the Third Division that followed made them feel even more shocked, seeing these Gao Yue barbarians waving like arms under Wu Feng, they were completely subdued.

The personnel of the Northwest County, headed by Lu Man, have exchanged views on the formation of the Shuangdui Local Autonomous Government and the construction of the Shuangdui City on many occasions, and the selection of important political officials, urban construction planning, and the preparation for the establishment of the local garrison have also been basically finalized. Due to the work carried out quite solidly in the early stage, Lu Man and people of all ethnic groups and all walks of life quickly became acquainted, especially Lu Man's merchant style is in line with the appetite of the local businessmen of all ethnic groups, the work is progressing very smoothly, and now the arrival of Wufeng makes the establishment of the Shuangdui Autonomous Political Axe and the construction of urban facilities in Shuangdui City become a matter of course, and the people of the entire Shuangdui are immersed in excitement.