The Black Cloud Army that remained in the Western Regions Protectorate totaled 14,000 people.

10,000 Qiuzi, 3,000 Gaochang, and 1,000 Haitoucheng.

Those who are willing to stay will be divided into local fields, and those who are unwilling to stay will return to Luoyang after three years.

Of course, the Western Regions Protectorate can mobilize more than these, and there is also a town army composed of powerful troops, which can also make up about 10,000 people.

In the event of a big war, the tens of thousands of young and strong slaves controlled by the Western Regions Protectorate can make do temporarily, and the countries of the Western Regions are also obliged to send troops to assist, in addition to Liangzhou, there are 10,000 Black Cloud troops in Weishan.

With these forces, the south of the Tianshan Mountains is impregnable.

Murong Chui can kill tens of thousands of turtles and horses with 5,000 men and horses, and Zhang Hao and Lu Guang can ride 5,000 horses to the north of the Tianshan Mountains.

Looking to the west, there is no chance that the country that is qualified to challenge the elite of 14,000 black clouds.

Coupled with Murong Chui, Wei Shan, Liu Gaozhi, Zhuge Kan and other generals, Li Yue can return to Luoyang with confidence.

Cannibalizing the entire Western Regions is a long process, and there is no need to rush for a while.

The Western Regions Metropolitan Protectorate is set up, which means that the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and the east and west of the Green Mountains are all within the scope of the "Metropolitan Protection".

Li Yue secretly praised the breadth and profundity of Chinese culture in his heart, and Daliang did not come to occupy the Western Regions, but to protect the countries of the Western Regions, and stood on his feet in righteousness.

However, the rank of the Western Regions Protectorate in the Western Han Dynasty was more than 2,000 stones, and the administrative level was only equivalent to a county, so it was impossible to control such a big situation.

The Eastern Han Dynasty, Wei and Jin Dynasties' Western Regions Changshi Mansion was simply hung under the Liangzhou Thorn History Department.

It can be seen that Wei and Jin actually don't think much about the Central and Western Regions.

Li Yue was promoted to an administrative level, directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, with a status slightly higher than that of the domestic state, and the military power belonged to Murong Chui, how to fight and where to fight was his business, and the political power, financial power, and appointment and dismissal power belonged to the imperial court.

Let the Western Regions Protectorate have a certain degree of military autonomy, and it will not be out of the control of the imperial court.

Now everything is still in the initial stage, and in the future, there will be a Honglu Division and a school office to fill in various officials.

For Murong Chui, Li Yue is absolutely assured.

First, he is the Xianbei Murong Department in Liaodong, there is no foundation in the Western Regions, Liangzhou is more Xianbei, and there are more tribes like cattle hairs, all of which are just bearing the name of Xianbei, and the internal identity is not as good as that of the Xiongnu.

Second, it is precisely because he is from Xianbei in Liaodong that he can keep a certain distance from the local scholars in Liangzhou.

Without the support of the local nobles, it would be difficult to succeed even if they raised troops.

Murong Chui is now around forty, and Li Yue will transfer him back to Luoyang after five or six years.

The famous generals in the Liang army are like clouds, although they are worse than Murong Chui, but they are enough to deal with the countries of the Western Regions.

gave Qiuzi an edict of encouragement, and officially embarked on the journey back to Kanto, Li Yue now knows why Liangzhou took the word "Liang".

Although the ice and snow melted, it was still as cold as a knife.

Li Yue pondered, since he took the Western Regions, he could plant cotton, and in the future, he would have to wave his troops to Mobei, Haidong, and the west of the Green Mountains, and it would definitely not work without warm crops.

Leather goods are not something that everyone can afford.

In these days, rich families can afford to use bedding made of catkins.

Keeping out the cold can become a topic of Taixue, Li Yue came up with the topic, and they came up with results.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of dollars of money and grain are invested, and there must be some splashes.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, cotton had been introduced from Tianzhu to the Lingnan region, and it was only used for weaving, and there was no need for cold protection in Lingnan.

Now cotton has appeared in the Western Regions, but there is not enough food in the Western Regions, and the arable land is limited, so it cannot be planted on a large scale.

In history, cotton was really implemented on a large scale, and it was Emperor Hongwu who forced the people to plant it, and cotton was used on a large scale.

Since Zhu Hongwu can get it, Li Yue, the Hongxing Emperor, can also get it.

There is no technical difficulty in this thing, and it is a matter of an edict to breed good breeds.

If the land is vast and sparsely populated today, the north of the Tianshan Mountains is the most suitable and ideal place for cotton planting, with sufficient sunshine and fertile water and soil, for the sake of cotton, Li Yue will also swallow the Seven River Valleys.

At this stage, it can only be tested on a small scale in Guanguan.

In the future, those who study too much must combine theory and practice, devote their energy to practical technology, geographical discovery, search for new crops, etc., and must keep up with the rhythm of the expansion of the beam.

Otherwise, it will be like the Western Jin Dynasty, where the national elite talks about metaphysics all day long, vassals are elegant, and detached from reality, so that they are powerless under the butcher's knife of the Hu people.

The horse went east, and on the eighth or ninth day it returned to Guzang, and the shepherd's men had already prepared the new horses.

The soldiers changed horses, rested for a day, ate two meals of meat, and set off again, and in a few days they set out again, and in a few days they entered the pass.

At this time, it was April, and Guanzhong was full of spring, not as cold as Liangzhou.

The fields were crowded with people, full of slaves and farmers who were ploughing.

However, it was not peaceful, in the fields, there were servants carrying swords and bows, and they were on guard, and there were cavalry patrols from time to time.

Wang Meng used fierce medicine to govern Guanzhong, and Guanzhong quickly recovered its vitality.

However, the various races are mixed, and they are still wild and untamable, and precautions are necessary, and there is no one who has been consumed for one or two generations, and the hatred and estrangement between each other are difficult to eliminate.

To the boundary of Chang'an, Wang Meng and Zhou led a group of Yongzhou officials to greet them.

Wang Meng's body is thin, there is an extra layer of frost white between his temples, and Zhou Lian's face is dark, like an old peasant.

"Your Majesty's sweeping of the Western Regions is comparable to the two Han Dynasty!" Wang Meng gave up.

Zhou Lian also saluted.

"When did you, Wang Jingluo, learn to flatter?" Li Yue laughed and dismounted.

There is still self-knowledge of this.

The Western Regions only gnawed the lower half, the south of the Yangtze River has not yet been unified, and the northern Tuoba Shiyijian jumped up and down.

The people in the key countries have just escaped from hunger and cold, and they can barely eat, far from reaching the height of the two Han Dynasty.

Wang Meng also laughed.

Zhou Lian became sentimental, "After a long time, Your Majesty's demeanor is still the same, which is gratifying, but the minister is old." ”

Where Daliang is hungry and cold, he is there, always appearing in the most difficult places, can he not consume energy?

However, although Zhou Lian does not have a strong sense of presence in the court, he has a very high reputation among the people, and the people of Lianghuai and Liaodong have called him his father, "The parents of those who gave birth to me, the one who lives me, and the father." ”

"Who said that you are dying old, according to me, you are in the prime of life!"

Zhou Lian has been farming all year round, exposed to the wind and sun, and his face looks old, but in fact, his body is strong and his complexion is also good.

Standing with Wang Meng, one seems to be weak, and the other is as steady as a rock.

Li Yue took the hands of the two, and sighed with emotion in his heart, both of them are diligent and dedicated people, and there is no property in the family, except for the son-in-law who takes over the mantle, the other sons go their own ways, talented people in politics and the army, and those who are not talented, work in the family and farm, and live honestly.

Although the scholars gradually decayed, the scholars did not, and in the long course of history, there will always be some people with noble conduct.

Wang Meng offended many people, and it is also a good thing for his descendants to keep a low profile, so as not to become the target of others' attacks.

Zhou leads Hei Yunxun to the old, the more low-key he is, the more he will go far.

(End of chapter)