The Great Tang world, America.
The sudden reappearance of the world passage made Li Ji and the others instantly tense.
The three thousand supervisory troops rushed to the scene, ready to welcome the new batch of immigrants.
However, the people who appeared this time were different from those they had encountered before.
After a brief moment of daze, these people quickly calmed down. Not only that, they actually adopted a defensive formation.
It was clear that these were all veteran generals who had been through many battles; ordinary people could not have such quick reactions!
The crowd parted, and a female general emerged from within. Her gaze swept around the area before settling on Li Xiaogong.
She then strode quickly forward, clasped her hands into fists, and bowed.
"Mu Guiying, along with the Yang family of the Great Song, under the command of Duke Anguo, have come to assist in pacifying the people!"
"Please instruct me, King of Hejian!"
Li Xiaogong was stunned by her words and scrutinized Mu Guiying for a long while.
"I recognize you! It's just that since we last met, you seem to have changed."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you seem... even more beautiful?"
Mu Guiying smiled charmingly. "Thank you for your compliment, King of Hejian. But now is not the time for such talk. Could you please tell me what I should do?"
Although Li Xiaogong was inclined to chat with her, time was not on their side. He nodded and said.
"In that case, you will lead your men to guard the southern side of the passage. Once the immigrants arrive, immediately take them ten li away before settling them."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Mu Guiying bowed and immediately returned to the Yang family members, reporting her mission to Empress Dowager She.
These people were not all subordinate generals of the Yang family; there were also members of the Gao, Cao, and Shi families.
After listening to her relay the orders, She Saihua, Gao Huaide, Cao Bin, and Shi Shouxin, after a brief discussion, passed down the military orders.
"Raise the banners and act according to the orders!"
"Yes!"
The combined strength of the four families numbered only a little over a thousand people. Although not many, they were still from prominent military families. The unified response drew the attention of Li Ji from afar.
Four large banners were raised amidst the crowd. After retreating a certain distance outwards, they took up positions on the southern side of the passage, leaving only a few individuals to await at the passage itself.
"What's going on?" Li Ji asked Li Xiaogong worriedly via the walkie-talkie.
Li Xiaogong casually replied, "It's reinforcements sent by An Zhi, led by Mu Guiying. They say they are from the Yang family of the Great Song."
Li Ji felt somewhat bewildered. He also knew Mu Guiying, but he hadn't expected these immigrants to be people from her era!
As they were conversing, another group of immigrants emerged from the passage.
The family retainers of the four families, who were stationed near the passage, stepped forward to greet these immigrants.
"Yang family, Gao family, Shi family, Cao family, under orders, please follow us!"
These immigrants had not yet regained their senses when they were stunned by their words.
The four great families appearing together, and under orders – besides the current emperor, who else could command them?
As a result, with almost no effort, the people from the four families "coaxed" these immigrants away.
"Holy crap, was it that easy?" Li Ji exclaimed, watching the immigrants being led away.
Hearing the voice from the walkie-talkie, Chai Shao, who was guarding in another direction, scoffed. "What do you know! Do you know what those four banners represent?"
"What can they represent?" Li Ji asked, confused.
Chai Shao began to show off, boasting about some information he had learned from Li Xiuning earlier.
"Yang, Gao, Shi, Cao – these four families are the top military families of the Song Dynasty! With them appearing together, how could these immigrants not obey?"
"Hiss~" Li Ji gasped and looked towards the four banners on the southern side of the passage.
Damn, what a formidable background!
With the appearance of the four military families, not only was the pacification of these immigrants surprisingly smooth, but as more and more immigrants appeared, the ranks of the four families also gradually expanded. After all, not all the servants of the households were in Kaifeng City.
Family retainers sent out of the city on errands, descendants of the four families guarding the border, and some friendly officials from the past were brought into the ranks of the four families.
Everyone gathered around Mu Guiying, listening to her explain the current situation.
"So, the Great Song is gone?"
"And this place is actually the Great Tang?"
Among the Yang family contingent, Kou Zhun looked at She Saihua, Gao Huaide, and the others, utterly bewildered.
"Sigh~ Even the Emperor has been abducted by Duke Anguo. We should have expected this day to come," Gao Huaide grumbled dejectedly.
The founding generals had only enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet before such an event occurred.
The Great Tang had twenty-four meritorious officials in the Lingyan Pavilion, and countless skilled generals. The fate of the Gao family here was truly worrying.
However, Lü Duan shook his head and refuted, "That can't be said. You also know that natural disasters have been frequent in various regions recently, and memorials requesting disaster relief have piled up like a mountain!"
"If Duke Anguo hadn't employed such astonishing means, it's likely that as he said, no one in the Great Song would have been spared!"
After saying this, he looked at Mu Guiying and asked, "General Mu, could you introduce us to the Tang generals guarding this place?"
Mu Guiying readily agreed. "Lord Lü, please follow me."
She had also heard of Lü Duan's talents, and since he was recommended to Zhao Guangyi by Fang Er, she didn't need to worry too much.
They had only taken a few steps when Kou Zhun and Zhao Pu also followed.
Hearing footsteps, Mu Guiying glanced back at them. Kou Zhun was also a talented individual designated by Fang Er, but Zhao Pu seemed to be not highly regarded in front of him.
Therefore, she warned, "Chancellor Zhao, it would be best if you refrain from speaking later."
Zhao Pu immediately felt incredibly awkward, but as an experienced elder, he quickly forced a smile. "General Mu, please rest assured. This old man is merely here to listen."
Mu Guiying nodded noncommittally, and upon reaching Li Xiaogong, she clasped her hands.
"Greetings, King of Hejian. These few wish to see you."
Li Xiaogong raised an eyebrow. "Who are they?"
Mu Guiying introduced them. "They are all officials of the Great Song. These two are Lü Duan and Kou Zhun, both of whom Duke Anguo has praised as capable ministers."
"This gentleman's name is Zhao Pu."
It was a concise introduction. Lü Duan and Kou Zhun were inwardly delighted, but Zhao Pu's face fell somewhat.
Why was he only introduced with a mere six words?
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaogong's eyes lit up. Anyone praised by that young man must be capable!
He then greeted the two with great enthusiasm and a smile. "I was wondering who it was, but it turns out to be you two!"
"An Zhi has spoken of your deeds frequently. I have long heard of you."
"Welcome, welcome, hahahaha!"
Zhao Pu's face darkened further.
Kou Zhun, however, with his extremely low emotional intelligence, uttered an untimely remark.
"Kou Zhun of the Great Song, pays his respects to the King of Hejian of the Tang Kingdom."
"May I be so bold as to ask, how did Duke Anguo evaluate Kou?"
Li Xiaogong's smile froze instantly.
Damn it!
He was merely being polite, why was this fellow not playing by the rules?
He hadn't even heard of Kou Zhun before. Who knew what Fang Er's evaluation of him was?
Lü Duan, however, discerned a hint of something from his expression and quickly tried to smooth things over. "King of Hejian, please forgive Brother Kou. He's just like this, like a duck, straightforward."
"Regardless of how Duke Anguo evaluated Brother Kou before, that is a private matter between Duke Anguo and yourself, and it is not to be publicized."
"Moreover, with so many people waiting to be pacified, now is not the time to discuss these matters."
Upon hearing these words, Li Xiaogong's impression of Lü Duan improved dramatically. He stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile.
"Hahahaha, Lü Duan, right? Very good!"
"I like you!"
"Tell me, what brings Sister Guiying to bring you to see me?"
Kou Zhun, somewhat impatient, spoke first. "We wish to know—"
"Shut up, did I tell you to speak?" Li Xiaogong, fearing he would ask the same question again, interrupted him before he could finish.
Kou Zhun looked bewildered, still not understanding what he had done wrong.
Lü Duan quickly advised, "King of Hejian, please calm down. We merely wish to know how the Great Tang plans to resettle so many people."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaogong moved his hand from his shoulder and, putting his arm around Lü Duan's neck, said with a laugh.
"Hahahaha, as expected of the talent that fellow An Zhi favors! He cares for the people. Good, very good!"
However, Lü Duan was made uneasy by this gesture. The Tang circle was indeed chaotic, with countless men who favored male companionship, and even Crown Prince Li Chengqian kept effeminate boys. Could this King of Hejian be interested in his appearance?
Before he could figure out how to distance himself from Li Xiaogong, he was pulled towards the rear of the Tang army formation.
"Come, come, come, sit down and talk with me over there."
Lü Duan was so nervous that cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His right hand instinctively went to his backside.
He was already over fifty years old, would his reputation be ruined in his twilight years?
Behind the supervisory troops, a set of chairs and a table were set up, with tea and pastries on the table. A stove burned nearby, and steam rose from the kettle.
After seating Lü Duan in a chair, Li Xiaogong sat down beside him.
The attentive guards poured tea for the two and then quietly withdrew to wait at a distance.
"Here, try some of our Great Tang tea. How does it compare to your Song Dynasty tea?"
"You drink, and let me tell you slowly!"
Li Xiaogong gestured to the tea on the table and then began to explain the policies for pacifying the populace.
He recounted, in meticulous detail, a series of measures such as tax exemption for three years, relocation allowances, and official promotions.
Regarding civil affairs, he, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, and Chai Shao were not particularly skilled. Now that someone recognized by Fang Er had stepped forward, he was happy to share the burden.
Zhao Pu was ultimately old, at 64 years old, he felt a bit weak in the knees and lower back after standing for a while. Seeing an empty chair nearby, he quietly moved towards it, hoping to rest for a moment.
However, before his buttocks even touched the chair, he heard Li Xiaogong call out to him, "Old man, that chair is broken. Be careful not to break your old bones!"
Zhao Pu felt extremely awkward and had to retreat to his previous position.
A while later, he tried the same tactic again, quietly approaching another chair.
But before he could sit down, Li Xiaogong called out again, "Old man, that one is broken too!"
Zhao Pu: ...
Damn, was he being targeted by the chairs?
But he failed to notice the disdainful smile on Li Xiaogong's lips. Just a Song minister, and he dared to think of sitting as an equal? Was this old man's brain flooded?
Meanwhile, Lü Duan was completely captivated by the series of policies for pacifying the populace and completely failed to notice Zhao Pu's predicament.
Giving money to everyone as a relocation allowance – how wealthy must the Great Tang be to undertake such a grand gesture?
He suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Li Xiaogong.
"This old man thanks the Great Tang for its benevolence on behalf of the people!"
Li Xiaogong helped him up, guided him back into the chair, and then laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, you don't have to thank me for this. It's all the work of that fellow An Zhi."
"By the way, since An Zhi said you are a capable minister, how about it, are you interested in continuing to serve as an official?"
"If you agree, I can offer you a fifth-rank governor position for pacifying the populace, how about it?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Duan's already anxious heart tightened again. He used the action of drinking water to conceal his unease.
After putting down the teacup, he gritted his teeth and made his decision, shaking his head to refuse.
"Thank you for your favor, King of Hejian. This old man's body is already half in the grave. Since the times have changed, I only wish to live on, to find my family."
A fifth-rank official, offered so casually!
If it were before, Lü Duan would have seen it as the Great Tang's eagerness to recruit talent, a special measure for special times.
But after Li Xiaogong's overly friendly gestures, he strongly suspected ulterior motives!
This fifth-rank official position was probably not clean~
Li Xiaogong, seeing that he had been refused, felt his affection for Lü Duan increase.
To treat power like dirt, he was indeed the talent that young man had taken a liking to!
Such a person must be kept to contribute to the construction of the Great Tang. He was a member of the Li family, and he had to do his utmost in such matters!
Therefore, he personally got up to refill Lü Duan's water.
"Don't rush to refuse, you don't quite understand the situation here."
"The place we are in is not within the Great Tang, but a landmass overseas. Its area is several times larger than that of the Central Plains."
"It has not yet been developed, nor have administrative districts been demarcated."
"As a fifth-rank governor for pacifying the populace, I guarantee that the scope of your authority will exceed your imagination!"
However, he did not know that the more enthusiastic he was, the more uneasy Lü Duan became.
"Your Highness, this old man has a hidden ailment that makes it inconvenient to serve as an official."
Li Xiaogong, with a determined look, pressed further, "Oh? Can you tell me about it?"
Lü Duan glanced at Mu Guiying beside him, then leaned close to Li Xiaogong with some embarrassment and whispered, "Your Highness, this old man suffers from hemorrhoids. Recently, I have been experiencing continuous bloody stools, gushing like a spring. I fear my time is short."
Li Xiaogong was amused. He slapped the table and laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, I thought it was something serious."
"It's just hemorrhoids. The renowned physician Sun Simiao will arrive here soon. When he does, he can simply operate on you!"
"Not only will he cure you, but he will also perform plastic surgery, ensuring your future smoothness!"
ps: Seeking opinions, what do you think about adding emojis in the main text? You can post your thoughts in the comments section here.