This incident was so sensational that Yan Liqiang led his army and only stayed in Yingwei County for one night. The next day, he led his army back to Pingxi City. On the way back, the people of Qiyun County came to welcome them with food and drink. That scene moved Yan Liqiang.
On the day of his return, in order to thank the folks of Pingxi County for their support, Yan Liqiang led his triumphant army to hold a grand entry ceremony in Pingxi City. The streets were deserted and the ceremony was extremely grand. All the soldiers who had accompanied Yan Liqiang on the Western Expedition, including the Longya Army and the troops of several big bosses led by Situ Feixing, all entered the city amid flowers and applause, accepting everyone's praise and congratulations.
On this day, Pingxi City was even more lively and festive than during the Chinese New Year.
That night, Yan Liqiang formally held a grand banquet in the Qiyun Governor's Mansion to entertain his generals, the civil and military officials from Ganzhou who came to Qiyun County, and representatives of many wealthy and powerful families.
After the banquet, Yan Liqiang and Lei Si came to the study together, and they had their first formal private conversation since this meeting.
"Li Qiang, although you have become the King of Pingxi now, you are also the target of public criticism. This position is not an easy one. I fully support you in Ganzhou, but it is hard to say what will happen outside Ganzhou. The imperial edict of the Jinzhou court has raised you to such a high position. It seems glorious, but it is also a biting cold when you are at the top!" Lei Sitong said to Yan Liqiang earnestly while drinking sobering tea.
In fact, Lei Sitong has been secretly observing Yan Liqiang over the past two days, wanting to see if Yan Liqiang was feeling proud after becoming the King of Pingxi, and whether he could remain stable. However, after two days of observation, he found that Yan Liqiang was not proud at all, but became more cautious. This was also the case at the banquet today. He then spoke his true feelings to Yan Liqiang. Now, his relationship with Yan Liqiang is not just that of superiors and subordinates in officialdom or partners who make a fortune together. The two are not only friends, but also fellow disciples of the Yu Luo Sect. They not only have common interests, but also shoulder the same mission. This relationship is closer than others can imagine.
Listening to Lei Sitong's words, Yan Liqiang smiled. To be honest, he really didn't like the title of King of Pingxi, because this title always reminded him of the story of Wu Sangui and Wei Xiaobao. Of course, he couldn't tell this reason to others. Since the court of Jinzhou gave him this title, he could only accept it. After all, from ancient times to the present, no prince had been able to choose a title for himself after becoming a prince.
"I know that at this moment the governors of several other northwestern states are probably trying to figure out how to deal with me, the King of Pingxi, who suddenly climbed over their heads and wanted to take away their military power. These governors have just been local emperors without the constraints of the court for a few days, and they may still be thinking about how to continue the position of local emperor from generation to generation. If I suddenly show up, no one will be happy!" Yan Liqiang said as he leisurely took a sip of tea.
Seeing Yan Liqiang's understanding and knowledge, Lei Sitong let out a long breath, "It's great that you can see this. The governors of other states will not dare to jump out and oppose you at this time, but you, the King of Pingxi, are probably just a figurehead in their hearts. You must be mentally prepared for this!"
"Haha, it doesn't matter. I don't plan to do anything to them for now. Let them be happy for a few more days. As long as I have the title of King of Pingxi, it's enough. Now I can't even take care of the Gulang Grassland and the Black Jie Tribe. I'm not interested in what's happening on their little piece of land for now..."
Lei Sitong nodded seriously, "Li Qiang, I have to remind you that the reward of the meritorious grassland you promised for the killing of the Hu order should be fulfilled as soon as possible. This matter is of great importance and involves the interests of countless people. If you are not careful, it will cause a huge storm and a big mess. There will also be villains involved. You must come up with a plan to fulfill it as soon as possible. Didn't you notice just now that during the banquet, none of the representatives of the wealthy families attending the banquet actually proposed to fulfill the meritorious grassland. This is not something to be happy about. Those people have the most land deeds for the meritorious grassland in their hands, but because your current identity is extraordinary, no one is willing to be the first to tell you about this in public, so as not to make you hate them, but behind the scenes, those people's thoughts are hard to figure out..."
Yan Liqiang also nodded. "Thank you for your reminder, sir. I know what to do. I was waiting for someone to bring up this topic during the banquet just now so that I could give them a reassurance. Since no one has said anything, I will ask the Governor's Office to issue a notice tomorrow to reassure them. Then I will arrange for the payment of the grassland merit land..."
"Well, that's the best. What do you want to do next?"
"The next step is naturally to reward people according to their merits. I have too many territories now, and the existing staff and organization are no longer able to cope with it. I must make adjustments. This time the adjustments may be quite large, and will involve all aspects of the Longya Army and the Governor's Office. I have wanted to make a move before, but the timing was not right. Now that I have returned from a great victory and have to plan to build the Pingxi Palace, I can put some of my previous ideas into practice. There is one thing I would like to ask for your support..."
"Oh, what's the matter?" Lei Sitong asked curiously.
"The scale of the Archery Club in Qiyun County is limited. With the great victory of the Longya Army this time, there must be more young people who want to join the Archery Club this year. At this time, I think it is time to promote the Archery Club throughout Ganzhou. I plan to build a Archery Club in every county in Ganzhou. Please support me!"
"Hahaha, this is good news. Even if you didn't say it, I was going to tell you. I couldn't ask for more!" Lei Sitong rubbed his hands and showed his signature "Lei Lao Hu" smile again. "I'll take care of how much land the archery clubs in the counties of Ganzhou need and where they want to be built. Just let people choose the places. But I have one request. After those archery clubs are built, I will select 10,000 soldiers from the Ganzhou army to study in the archery clubs in various counties for a year. Don't be secretive!"
Yan Liqiang glanced at Lei Sitong and said, "Okay, deal!"
"By the way, my nephew followed you to fight a few battles this time, and he has become more and more wild. He doesn't want to return to the Ganzhou Army and wants to follow you..."
"Haha, no problem. I just happen to be short of a battalion commander..."
The two looked at each other and laughed...
…
At noon the next day, there was a notice on the government bulletin boards in Pingxi City. The Qiyun Protectorate had begun to prepare to honor the contracts for grassland merit land obtained in the Killing the Hu Order. Those who held the grassland merit land contracts in the Killing the Hu Order were requested to go to the designated processing locations in Pingxi City and Yingwei County to register and count the contracted acres of grassland public land in seven days. In the future, all grassland merit land held by a person will be grouped together as one plot of land. If someone holds multiple grassland merit land deeds that need to be merged, a new merit land deed can be issued...
When this announcement came out, it seemed calm on the surface and did not seem to cause any sensation or change. But in fact, the impact of this announcement was invisible. Many people who had previously been worried about whether the contract for the grassland and merit land of Sha Hu Ling could be redeemed immediately were relieved at once. The prestige of Yan Liqiang, the King of Pingxi, also rose at once.
(End of this chapter)