"Your Highness, there is an urgent message arriving at the northern inn!" Suddenly a guard reported.
"Say." Ning Wanjun nodded.
"The spies discovered that the Shenzhou Army had left their garrison early in Jin Dynasty and formed a group to head west!"
This news immediately caused a commotion among the crowd.
"They are going to support the Western Region!" He Guicai slapped the fan in his hand, "Can Leizhou not be defended by the local border troops alone?"
The princess couldn't help biting her lip.
Xia Fan noticed this detail and asked, "What's going on?" Logically speaking, this situation in Qiguo is definitely good news for Ning Wanjun's goals. The weaker the dynasty is, the smaller the threat to Shenzhou will be, but the opponent's expression seems to be quite anxious.
"I... a partner who is both a teacher and a friend, serves in the Leizhou border army." Ning Wanjun hesitated before saying, "With him in charge of the western border, it should be impossible for Gao Guo to enter the hinterland of Leizhou. I originally I have made an agreement with him that if there is an uprising in Jinxia, he will also respond in Leizhou, but now..."
"Your Highness—"
As soon as Xia Fan opened his mouth, she interrupted him. "I know, I know everything. I am worried that there will be no changes to what has happened. If the frontier army is still there, he will definitely inform me of the news. If the frontier army has been defeated, he should also be able to rely on Survive within my own power. I have to focus on what’s right in front of me.”
Ning Wanjun regained her energy as she spoke, "Advisor He, what do you think of the situation in the west?"
"The border army is in danger!" Since most of the princess's team came from the border army, their faces were more serious. He Guicai said bluntly, "The emergence of refugees means that some counties and cities in Leizhou have been lost. The Gaoguo army can threaten When you reach these places, you must have crossed Pozigou to the Brownstone Beach area. This should have been the home ground of the frontier army. In the past ten years, Gao Guo has not been able to break through this line of defense. If the Jin defense line fell, the imperial court also mobilized With the support of the Shenzhou Army, there must be a big problem with General Ba!"
"Where are the others? Do they also hold the same view?" Ning Wanjun looked around.
No one expressed any objection.
"In that case, let's talk about how Jin Xia can take advantage of this situation." The princess stood up and said, "First of all, let me put it up front. It is impossible for us to support the border army, whether it is troops or logistics. We do not support our intervention in the war in Leizhou."
Xia Fan couldn't help but take another look at the other person.
She was obviously worried about her partner before, but when it came to business, she had completely suppressed her unnecessary emotions. Ning Wanjun is undoubtedly qualified for the position of head coach of the First Army.
"Bizhang thinks so too." Xu Sanyang nodded. "Bizhang suggests sending a scout team to Leizhou to investigate the situation. By the way, we can also get more information from the refugees."
"Yes." The princess responded briefly.
"As for Jinxia City... our army may be able to take advantage of the Shenzhou Army's departure to capture one or two more territories." Xu Youyi continued, "I guess not in big cities, but counties or towns should be fine. If Jinleizhou is in chaos, The imperial court will definitely not care about us. As long as we block the news and prohibit traffic, it is not difficult to hide it for half a year."
"No." Xia Fan couldn't help blurting out.
"Master Xia, why?" Xu Youyi asked with his hands raised.
"That's not governance? It's occupation. A blockade will spread panic among the people, and it also requires a large number of manpower. If the locals don't cooperate? Or are they resistant? I'm afraid we won't get much in half a year."
The other party probably uses this method often at the border, Xia Fan thought? You can search for supplies to the maximum extent from those scattered residential areas, but if you put them in Shenzhou, it will do more harm than good.
"I agree with Xia Fucheng's point of view." Staff He said to help? "Honestly? Ever since they repelled the Dongsheng Kingdom's attack? It's not difficult for the army to do anything they want. Some things that require the cooperation of the people can be done just by saying hello, and the rewards can be paid later. In this case, I am still the first An encounter. Now I really believe that what Xia Fucheng said about the 'New Jinxia' is not false? If so? I think we should treat it the same way in other places in Shenzhou."
"How can such a good thing happen?" Xu Sanzhong frowned, "If it weren't for the pirate incident that created a vacuum in government power, it's hard to say whether this General Affairs Bureau could have been established. Of course I know that winning the hearts and minds of the people is a good thing, but How could those local officials just watch us decentralize power?”
"This... how about we focus on Jinxia City itself first?"
"Then let go of this rare opportunity?" He handed over to the princess? "I am unwilling to accept my humble duty."
"General Xu, how long will it take for the Shenzhou Army to come back?" Xia Fan asked him.
"The army won't move lightly? This move will take at least three or four months." Xu Sanzhong has obviously thought about this problem. "As soon as December comes, it may snow in the west at any time. If it is not an emergency, the Shenzhou Army I would not choose to march long distances at this time. Relying on the big cities for supplies and waiting until the weather gets warmer before setting off back to Shenzhou is the safest choice. Of course, these are all based on the success of the war. If Gao Guo is more difficult to deal with... "
That means that Shenzhou will usher in a rather long gap period.
No wonder he didn't want to sit back and wait for Jinxia.
Xia Fan pondered for a moment, then turned to the princess and said, "Maybe we can change our thinking and complete the expansion without relying on the army."
"How is that possible?" Ning Wanjun asked in confusion, "Those local officials will not listen to my orders."
"My idea is... let the Privy Council Office go first." Xia Fan organized his speech, "There will be no Privy Council Office in the capital of a state, so these places only have contact points, or nothing at all. If the Jinxia City Privy Council Office wants Expanding one's influence and opening branches to other towns and even counties does not violate any prohibition."
The reasons for only setting up the Privy Council in the state capital are simple. First, it consumes money. Second, there are not so many questions and pilots to dispatch. In addition, the priests do not interfere with local government affairs, so there is no need to spread them out.
But Shangyuan City never said it was not allowed to do this.
"-But what you want to set up is not a branch of the Privy Council, but a general affairs bureau?" He Guicai's eyes lit up and the fan swinging in his hand stopped. "If in the name of preventing evil spirits, whether it is registration, publicity or Any assistance can quickly increase Jinxia’s influence.”
"This is indeed the main idea." Xia Fan agreed, "Winter is a difficult season for ordinary people. I believe there is no shortage of good opportunities to increase your reputation. The army is not unnecessary, because there are not enough in the Privy Council. Special alchemists are stationed in various places, so whether it is dealing with small evil spirits or deterring local snakeheads, an armed force is needed to deal with it."
"In addition, I don't intend to release only the civil affairs department. The Privy Council should still perform its duties - to eliminate evil spirits or the sources of evil spirits." At this point, his voice deepened, "I don't know how many officials dare to say that they are incorruptible. Leile, have you ever violated the laws of Daqi? If you just imprison them and report them to the capital for disposal, can they be considered reasonable and fulfilling their duties? "
Even if the higher-ups don't agree with Jinxia City's approach, it's hard to continue to reinstate the tainted officials to their original positions. Once the Ministry of Personnel re-appoints people, the gap during this period will be enough for the Secretariat to take over the government's functions.