Chapter 266 Come forward
Zhang Huli made no secret of his thoughts. All eight major clans in Baekje sent people to surrender, but they were almost all abandoned and killed.

Even in Silla, there were several true generals who secretly rejected the Tang Dynasty and were dealt with by Zhang Huli according to military law. If it were not for Princess Deman who rushed back from Chang'an to appease them, Silla would most likely have joined forces with Baekje.

Only Jin Deman, who had witnessed the strength of the Tang Dynasty, knew that His Majesty was definitely not a monarch who would retreat after one or two failures.

Perhaps Silla, Baekje and the remnants of Goguryeo could repel Zhang Huli and Luo Yi, but the Tang Dynasty would send troops again. How many major wars could a small country like theirs endure?

Not to mention fighting against the Tang army, they would inevitably have more defeats than victories. Even if they won every time, the size of the Tang Dynasty would still be enough to wear them out.

Isn’t Goguryeo during its heyday the best example?

The King of Silla, oh no, the Prince Daifang of the Tang Dynasty received the court book and the emperor's private letter, which mentioned the intention to grant a marriage between the King of Chu and the princess, which made him very happy and satisfied.

Since he had decided to submit to the Tang Dynasty, he naturally sought out all the information about the upper echelons of the Tang Dynasty. The King of Chu was a new noble who had replaced the King of Qi in guarding Bingzhou.

Although it was not the best expectation, His Majesty the Emperor did not take his daughter as a concubine, but as he had no children, he was not too obsessed with it.

So while Jin Zhenping was packing up the royal property, General Luo had already ordered people to arrange naval ships to escort his wealth.

Of course, he also gave him a lot of treasures and land that was inconvenient to take away. As for whether he could keep it, it was no longer his business.

After hearing his eldest daughter talk about the prosperity of Chang'an and Luoyang, he couldn't wait to spend his remaining years there.

As for the ancestral legacy, there is nothing that can be done about it. The sacred bones have been passed down until now, but he and his brothers have no sons. This is because the ancestors have not blessed them well. If anyone wants to blame someone, they should blame the ancestors first, not him.

Perhaps this is God's will. Maybe when he arrives in the Central Plains and marries more concubines, he might have a son. The title of Prince can also be inherited, which is always better than having a cheap son-in-law.

With Prince Daifang thinking this way, he no longer cared about his people. Except for a few trusted confidants who were to be taken to the Central Plains, the rest were left to the command of General Luo.

Luo Yi and Zhang Huli had a tacit understanding. Only by joining his team would they avoid becoming consumables in Zhang Huli's hands. They could even snatch gold and silver from the nobles and even occupy their land when suppressing rebellions in the rear.

And because of Wei Zheng's opinion, most of Luo Yi's subordinates were common people. These people had suffered from poverty and oppression by aristocratic families. Once they gained power, they would kill without mercy. Only they were the cornerstone of the Tang Dynasty's rule over Liaodong.

As for the local officials in Liaodong, what the imperial court lacks the least now is officials.

Therefore, among the Three Kingdoms of Liaodong, Zhang Huli was rumored to be a bloodthirsty demon from the East, who came to kill all living beings on the land of Liaodong. His fame even spread to Japan.

He himself did not care about this. He believed that those who are not of our race must have different hearts. Moreover, since Luo Yi wanted to stay here, he did not have to worry about the trivial matters of post-war appeasement. He could just pat his butt and go to His Majesty's side.

However, Zhang Huli asked Wei Zheng in private: "Lord Wei, I have worked with Luo Yi for a long time. He is indeed an ambitious man. If we allow him to win the hearts of the people in Liaodong, what will happen in the future..."

"Are you afraid he will rebel?"

Zhang Huli nodded: "After all, this is the land of the Three Kingdoms, enough to establish a kingdom. If Luo Yi continues to secede and defend himself, your majesty's reputation will be damaged, which is something I don't want to see."

Wei Zheng shook his head and smiled, "The general is indeed loyal, but you overestimate Luo Yi. This man is fierce and cunning by nature, stubborn and unrighteous. He is now able to show his kindness to his subordinates.

But you see, as soon as the war is over, he will be unable to resist exploiting his subordinates. Once the people’s hearts are dispersed, he will be nothing more than a Protector of Andong, and the court will set up various military governors to control him.”

Zhang Huli thought about it and realized that Luo Yi was indeed a brave and diligent man in battle, but outside the battlefield, he was indeed a bad person and not worth making friends with. Even General Qin Dan, who was the first to befriend him, unconsciously distanced himself from him. "In this way, I can return to the capital with peace of mind."

Wei Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Since the general has mentioned this, there is something I was supposed to do, so I will entrust it to the general. After all, I still have to stay and work with Luo Yi."

"Your Excellency Wei, please feel free to speak."

"According to the rules, the spoils of war should be presented to His Majesty and returned to the imperial treasury. I have a rough estimate of the gold, silver and treasures that Luo Yi received. Please ask for them before you return to the capital."

Zhang Huli understood as soon as he heard it. With Luo Yi's greedy nature, he would exploit his subordinates even if he was well fed. If his food was taken away and he was starving, he would be even more ruthless.

But Zhang Huli began to worry again: "If we criticize too harshly, it will provoke a mutiny, which will be a waste of time."

"General, rest assured. I will control him and not let him go too far. Liaodong has a large piece of land. I believe that the soldiers would rather have land that they can pass on to their children and grandchildren than some material possessions."

Zhang Huli nodded. He was one of the emperor's personal guards and had been the emperor's personal bodyguard since he was the governor of Zhuo County. He was not afraid of offending people, and even having enemies all over the court might be a better thing.

.........

"Your Majesty, Duke Ping has been killing too many people in Liaodong. He even refused to surrender even though he could have ended the war long ago. Every extra day of fighting means huge losses."

The emperor readily agreed: "I will issue an order. My lords, the most urgent matter is that Liaodong lacks officials. I don't know who the officials are. Under the Andong Protectorate, we need to set up a Duwei Mansion, which requires many military generals to be stationed."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go."

"I am willing to relieve your majesty's worries."

Both civil and military officials were quite enthusiastic. Although Liaodong was bitterly cold, it was a vast territory and the emperor was far away, so it was a place where they could display their talents.

The emperor waved his hands and said, "I understand your feelings, but you are all pillars of the court. You need people to carry cold water and people to boil hot water. It is not a long-term solution to rob Peter to pay Paul."

Zhang Sun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, in the past two or three months, Your Majesty has promoted many talented people from Jiangnan, many of whom have not yet been appointed to positions."

"I plan to fill the four counties of Xihai, Heyuan, Shanshan, and Qiemo with these talented people. Using force to pacify them is not a long-term solution after all."

Changsun Wuji was of course aware of this situation, so he immediately continued, "Your Majesty, in the recent imperial examination, Your Majesty re-employed more than a hundred officials. If there are vacancies in Liaodong, can you select some officials from among them?

These people all have experience in local governance and may be useful in times of emergency."

Li Jiancheng looked at Zhangsun Wuji with a deep gaze. The older generation of Guanlong nobles suffered heavy casualties after the abdication. Those who managed to survive resigned from their official positions and stayed in the government.

Now it is the turn of young people to step forward and compete for the position of leader of a faction.

………………

(End of this chapter)