Chapter 254 Flat ground and tall buildings rise from the ground

"Then the lower official retired first. The fifty-year-old man said respectfully, and then retreated and left Shen Chengao's study.

"Could it be that you, Zhang Huaming, really have hands and eyes that are so powerful that you can put the Xiyun Empire in a desperate situation? Hmph, the old man will never let you succeed. Looking out the window at the breeze and the swaying green leaves, the expression on Shen Chengao's face gradually became ruthless, and his eyes were full of resentment, "Even if you die in the country, the old man will definitely take you to the funeral." The voice was so low that even the wind outside the house could not help but tremble in horror.

Western Xia Plain.

After almost half a month of rest, Qin Xiaotian and others finally dealt with the affairs of the Xixia Plain, and successfully took possession of the entire vast Xixia Plain completely for themselves, and joined the territory of the Xia Dynasty Empire.

With the ability of the Xia Dynasty Empire or the Xiyuan Empire, it is no longer a problem to conquer the small Philippine and Yue countries, but both countries have a tacit choice to let them fend for themselves, because no matter which of the two countries tries to occupy the Philippines and Vietnam, the other country will spare no effort to stop it, which has given the Philippines and Vietnam a chance to breathe for hundreds of years.

These territorial issues have been resolved, but now Qin Xiaotian has a big problem in front of him that gives him a lot of headaches: the 300,000 captives of the Xiyuan Empire.

What to do with these captives has become a topic of frequent discussion in the Xia Dynasty military camp recently.

Some people think that they can wait until the Xiyuan Empire sends people to negotiate Jiāo to change conditions, and then they can slaughter them fiercely and make them bleed once, while others think that they can directly kill all the 300,000 soldiers in order to deter the world and the Xiyuan Empire, and see if they dare to oppose the Xia Dynasty Empire again.

Qin Xiaotian was not satisfied with these two opinions, and waited for the Xiyuan Empire to send someone to negotiate, this is okay, but what should be done about the food and housing of 300,000 soldiers? According to the calculation of the average food of two catties of rice per person a day, it is equivalent to 300,000 soldiers consuming an extra 600,000 catties of grain a day, and his Xia Dynasty Empire is not full of food, why should he raise this group of guys in vain. In the past half a month alone, he has eaten nine million catties of grain, which is fortunately because the grain and grass of the Xiyuan Empire have not been taken away, otherwise Qin Xiaotian would have to be in pain.

As for killing 300,000 soldiers, to be honest, Qin Xiaotian really had this thought, and the reason was naturally to use this to establish his authority and let the Xiyuan Empire see his own methods. But then I thought about it, and I felt that Liwei was Liwei, but I was afraid that I would also end up with a cold-blooded and brutal infamy through the ages. So after weighing the pros and cons, he had to abandon the idea.

"Brother, let's talk about it, give an opinion, otherwise it will not be a way to drag on like this all the time. Qin Xiaotian said helplessly to Zhang Huaming, who was sitting on the side.

"It's not that hard to solve this problem at all. Zhang Huaming said with a good smile.

"Damn, you have a good idea, why didn't you say it earlier, it gave me a headache for several days. Qin Xiaotian had an urge to rush up and choke Zhang Huaming's neck, and couldn't wait to say, "Hurry up, tell me what the solution is." ”

"It's very simple, since you don't think it's worth raising them for nothing, why don't you turn them all into your free volunteers?" Zhang Huaming said meaningfully.

"How do you say it?" Qin Xiaotian couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this, and he didn't understand the meaning of Zhang Huaming's words for a while.

"You stupid, now that the Xixia Plain has fully captured the territory of the Xia Dynasty's empire, bordering the Yīn Wind Pass, which is the first pass in the world, you can directly order those captives to build a large fortress near the Yīn Wind Pass, which can be used to confront the Yīn Wind Pass, and after the Yīn Wind Pass is captured, the two can be used as horns and rely on each other, and refuse anyone to be outside the country. Isn't it the best of both worlds? Zhang Huaming scolded with a smile.

"Hey, that's a good idea. You kid really has a good head, but his heart is too poisonous, and it took me so many years of brain power in vain. When Qin Xiaotian heard the explanation, he suddenly realized, clapped his hands, and said excitedly, and said with a degraded sentence to Zhang Huaming in passing.

Chapter 254 Flat ground and tall buildings rise from the ground

"Even you dare to disobey my orders, do you think anyone can and poop on the old man's head?" came from the study, and Shen Cheng's low yīn sen's angry voice came from the study.

"Boom"

Before the words fell, a loud noise suddenly came from the Shen Mansion, and the people in the Mansion who were busy with their own things were stunned and followed the prestige, and found that two figures suddenly flew out of the study of the head of the family, Shen Chengao, uh, no, maybe it should be said that two corpses were thrown out, falling from the air to the ground like a kite with a broken string, smashed into a mess, and changed beyond recognition, but the careful people of the Shen Mansion still found that these two corpses were the two subordinates who were in charge of waiting for the head of the family in the study.

Someone else died

The subordinates of the Shen Mansion were shocked in their hearts, silently looking at the two corpses that still had a few body temperatures left, and secretly shook their heads and sighed, feeling that their backs were cold, the soles of their feet were cold, and their hearts were occupied by inexplicable fear.

This is the thirty-first person who has died in the Shen Mansion this month, and on average, two people will die tragically every day because of various trivial mistakes.

Under the Shen Mansion, people couldn't help but feel sad in their hearts, and no one knew that the person who was lying on the ground and being watched by everyone one day was himself.

Everyone quietly glanced at each other, and several people walked up and carefully closed the eyes of the two of them who were full of horror before they died, and prayed silently in their hearts, before they carried the two corpses down gloomily.

Shen Chengao naturally didn't care about the death of these subordinates, what he wanted to do most now was to kill people and vent the monstrous hatred in his heart, otherwise he believed that the word would definitely be driven crazy by that strong hatred.

"Pass on my order, the whole country has entered a state of first-level combat readiness, and all armies are ready to attack the Xia Dynasty Empire at any time. Shen Chengao stood in the study with an indifferent expression and said to a fifty-year-old man who had just been called over by Shen Chengao.

"Lord Duke, now due to the fiasco of the Western Xia Plain, the people of the empire are panicking, if you attack the Xia Dynasty Empire again at this time, I don't know if it will cause the people's emotions to rebound. The fifty-year-old man said hesitantly.

"This duke still needs you to dictate to things?" Shen Chengao glanced at the old man, snorted coldly, and continued, "It is precisely because the people of the empire are now panicking and feel that the imperial family and the imperial ** team are unreliable, so this duke wants to create an opportunity that can allow the army and the imperial family to regain the trust of the people of the empire. What's more, in the next war in the west, the emperor ** was defeated miserably and became the laughing stock of others, if he didn't take advantage of the fact that the hearts of the people were full of emotions unwilling to defeat and launched a war against the Xia Dynasty Empire, when would it be?"

"Yes, Lord Duke is both wise and brave, but the subordinate officials are not strategic and judgmental enough, and please don't blame Lord Duke. The fifty-year-old man was frightened by Shen Chengao's glance, and nodded again and again.

"Duke Ben is not in the mood to listen to your sycophants now, if you have that time, you might as well plan a specific plan to attack the Xia Dynasty Empire. Shen Cheng said with a blank face, "How did the Dongxuan Empire and the Southern Yan Empire react?

"The royal family of the Southern Yan Empire has already been contacted, but their emperor Nangong Yunfeng simply rejected our proposal to join forces with him to attack the Xia Dynasty Empire at the same time. As for the Dongxuan Empire, we haven't been contacted yet, after all, we are in secret contact this time, and there is no official visit notice from the Empire, so it is a little difficult to contact the royal family of the Dongxuan Empire for the time being. The fifty-year-old man carefully and secretly wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and said.

"Nangong Yunfeng actually rejected the proposal?" Shen Chengao asked with some surprise, "Nangong Yunfeng has always boasted that he is a generation of heroes, and his favorite thing is to expand his territory and leave a name in history. How could he give up the great opportunity to join forces with us to carve up the Xia Dynasty Empire?"

This time, he sent people to secretly contact the Southern Yan Empire and the Dongxuan Empire, the purpose was to join forces with them, and attack the Xia Dynasty Empire at the same time. According to Shen Chengao's original idea, Nangong Yunfeng, the emperor of the Southern Yan Empire, should strongly agree with this proposal. As for the Dongxuan Empire, it has always been on one side, giving people a sense of unfathomability, and Shen Chengao has rarely fought with them, I don't know what the final result will be, but I think they should refuse this proposal.

But unexpectedly, the final result was completely unexpected by Shen Chengao, and the most important thing to support became resolutely opposed. This was a great blow to the plan he had originally made.

"This, the lower officials don't know. According to the information obtained by the lower officials, Zhang Huaming appeared in Luocheng, the capital of the Southern Yan Empire, some time ago, and caused a great conflict, and even held the eldest prince of the Southern Yan Empire hostage. But then, strangely, the matter ended up being closed. Moreover, when Zhang Huaming founded Xuantian Sect, the prince and princess of the Southern Yan Empire also went to the Five Fingers Mountains to participate in the so-called opening ceremony to congratulate them. The fifty-year-old man was also suspicious and told what he knew.

"Could it be that Nangong Yunfeng and that Zhang Huaming have already reached some kind of ulterior agreement before?" Shen Chengao frowned, his heart sank suddenly, and there was a faint sense of foreboding. If this is the case, the Xiyuan Empire is in danger.

At present, the Xiyuan Empire still has the strength to fight in the face of the Xia Dynasty Empire, and if the enemy adds the Southern Yan Empire, which is more powerful than the Xiyuan Empire, the Xiyuan Empire will definitely be defeated.

Shen Chengao suddenly felt that an unprecedented crisis was surging towards him from all directions, and his heart was full of a little uneasiness. This is almost something that has never happened to Shen Chengao, who has always been very confident and conceited.

"No matter what, we must first investigate the relationship between the Southern Yan Empire and Zhang Huaming, and we can't let go of anything. In addition, step up the contact with the imperial family of the Dongxuan Empire, and be sure to strive for the greatest possible cooperation agreement with them. Shen Chengao said decisively.

"Xia Guan understands. The fifty-year-old man was also taken aback by Shen Chengao's words to himself, if the Xia Dynasty Empire and the Southern Yan Empire joined forces to deal with the Xiyuan Empire, then it would be okay, and the Xiyuan Empire would perish, so he hurriedly nodded and said yes, and a figure suddenly appeared in his mind, and his heart couldn't help but move, hesitated slightly, and said to Shen Chengao, "Lord Duke, there is something that may be of some use to us." ”

Say. Shen Chengao glanced at him and said directly.

"According to the report sent by the lower officials, although Nangong Yunfeng, the emperor of the Southern Yan Empire, rejected our proposal, their eldest prince Nangong Hua seems to be very interested in this proposal. According to the official's speculation, this Nangong Hua is likely to have a grudge against Zhang Huaming because of the fact that Zhang Huaming had held him hostage before, if we target Nangong Hua, I am afraid that there is a certain possibility that Xìng can complete the plan. The fifty-year-old man said, his cloudy eyes gradually lit up, as if he had found a breakthrough to solve the predicament of the Xiyuan Empire.

"Yes, if the information is reliable, it is entirely possible. The enemy of our enemy is our ally. Yes, immediately step up contact with Nangong Hua, and be sure to reach our cooperation. Shen Cheng was shocked and said in a deep voice. Now the situation of the Xiyuan Empire is not good, and it is necessary to unite all available forces to form an alliance to jointly fight against the Xia Dynasty Empire.

"Yes, Lord Duke. The fifty-year-old man hurriedly answered, as if he remembered something, and asked cautiously, "Lord Duke, how should the matter of the Xixia Plain be handled?"

"Victory and defeat are a common thing in soldiers, and defeat is defeat, how to deal with it?" Shen Chengao asked in a salty tone.

"Well, does Xia Guan mean that we still want to send troops to re-garrison the Western Xia Plain?" the fifty-year-old man was stunned for a moment and said.

"Will you send it again to disgrace the Xiyun Empire?" Shen Chengao stared at the fifty-year-old man and asked coldly.

"The Duke is angry, and the lower officials have no such intentions. It's just that the Xixia Plain is an important fortress of my Xiyun Empire, and if it is lost, I am afraid that it will threaten the mén household yīn Fengguan of our empire. The fifty-year-old man broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly explained.

"The Western Xia Plain doesn't want it, they give it to them if they want it, but the Yīn Fengguan definitely can't afford to lose. If the old man remembers correctly, the army stationed in the YĪN Fengguan should have 200,000 troops, plus the YĪN Fengguan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with cliffs on all sides, and the moats are heavy and insurmountable. Shen Chengao said proudly.

The Yīn Fengguan, where the most important mén household of the Xiyuan Empire is located, is about three kilometers away from the Xixia Plain, and is the largest barrier in the north of the Xiyuan Empire, and is known as the first pass in the world.

The height and width of the city wall have the characteristics of following the mountain, the height is generally 10~17 meters, and the width is 7~8 meters on average. In steep places, there are also cliffs that can be as narrow as 3 or 4 meters wide. The outer side is very steep and difficult to attack, and the inner side is very low, which is easy to climb the wall and fight.

Since ancient times, the city has been dangerous, and the natural danger has to be in the yīn wind.

This poem praises the yīn wind pass, from which we can know the danger of the yīn wind pass, which is known to the world.

It is precisely by virtue of this moat that the Xiyuan Empire can endure on the main road. Although the current situation in the Xiyuan Empire is a little bad, Shen Chengao is still full of confidence in Yīn Fengguan.

"Don't worry, Lord Duke, Your Majesty will pass on your orders immediately. The fifty-year-old man said respectfully.

"Besides, what is your opinion on the 300,000 captives?" Shen Chengao asked with a casual look on his face when he mentioned the 300,000 captives. These 300,000 soldiers captured by the Xia Dynasty Empire were like thorns in his throat, and every time he mentioned it, he felt very aggrieved. Throughout the ages, there has been a country whose army has captured so many soldiers, and the Xiyun Empire has really created a historical first this time, which is a great shame for Shen Chengao's life.

Shame is shame, although Shen Chengao doesn't want to mention it, but after all, it is about the lives of 300,000 soldiers, and it is more related to the thoughts of the people in the empire about the empire.

"The lives of 300,000 soldiers, involving at least 300,000 families and millions of people in the empire, are a matter of great importance and must be handled carefully. In the humble opinion of the following officials, they must find a way to redeem them all, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable. The fifty-year-old man thought for a moment and said with a solemn face. As early as when 300,000 soldiers were captured by the enemy, he already felt the seriousness of the matter. But he thought of a lot of ways, but there was no other way than to redeem people, and it depended on the mood and attitude of the Xia Dynasty Empire, otherwise he might not be able to redeem it.

"What the old man asked was how to redeem people. Shen Chengao said with some annoyance. Who doesn't know how to redeem people, the key question is how to redeem them, and what conditions to exchange with the Xixia Empire, which will not seriously damage the interests of the Xiyuan Empire, but also bring them all back safely. That's the first thing he's thinking about right now.

Shen Chengao knew very well in his heart that although he had never seen that Zhang Huaming, judging from the rumors alone, it was by no means easy to be with him, and if he wanted to redeem people, the conditions he proposed would be very harsh, and he would even make himself bleed. That's what upsets him the most.

Although he is not the monarch of the Xiyuan Empire, he is no different from the lord of a country because of his power, the Xiyuan Empire is his bag, and the Xiyuan Empire suffers a loss, that is, he suffers. Who wants to have something in their pocket snatched alive?

"This ......" The fifty-year-old man heard this, his face stiffened, and he was speechless for a while. Not to mention, he thought about it for a long time, and he couldn't think of what conditions to use to exchange them for the most suitable value.

"Forget it, let your elm head figure out a way, I don't know if I have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Horse Moon, if there is nothing else, I will retire for the time being, this Duke wants to stay alone for a while. Shen Cheng's proud face sank, waved his hand impatiently, and said in a very irritable mood.