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Chapter 483: 240: Triumphal Return_3

How could they be happy?

Qiao Kangquan was even more troubled.

His title was the King of Hanzhong, and his kingdom was called Han State. How could it be called Han State without Nanzheng City?

Jihui, that bald monk, even had Jinguan City, which solidified his status as the King of Xichuan, didn’t he?

Yet they had lost Nanzheng City.

Every time Qiao Kangquan thought about it, he felt like vomiting blood from frustration.

Apart from this, not long ago, Lu Yuan had ordered Zhou Qing to relocate the families of the Civilian Braves, which was also a headache.

Xichuan Prefecture had experienced war and their population was already sparse. Now, with so many people being relocated, wasn’t Lu Yuan taking flesh from Jihui and Qiao Kangquan?

Having such a large chunk cut from them, who wouldn’t feel pain and hatred?

Despite the pain and hatred, they had no choice but to yield to the circumstances.

Though they were soon to establish a kingdom and declare themselves as king, what was the state of their Han state and Changsha state across the river?

Frankly, the two countries were not on the same level.

After the Northern Expedition, Lu Yuan could easily gather more than 200,000 elite troops and had 17 prefectures with millions of people.

Han State, on the other hand, could barely muster 20,000 or 30,000 troops and had only five prefectures and 600,000 to 700,000 people.

With nearly a ten-fold difference, even if Qiao Kangquan had declared himself king, he would have no confidence to argue with Lu Yuan about right and wrong.

Thus, they had to accept the losses they suffered this time.

Not only did they have to accept it, but when facing Lu Yuan, Qiao Kangquan even had to smile and express his gratitude: “Thank you, King of Changsha, for guarding the prefectures of Xixiang, Nanjiang, and Baishi for me. I will never forget this kindness and will repay it in the future.”

Lu Yuan watched Qiao Kangquan’s miserable expression, waved his hand with a smile, and said, “No need for formalities. Since we are allies, we are family. There’s no need to thank me for helping my own family.”

“You’re right, King of Changsha.” Qiao Kangquan suppressed the nausea in his heart, nodded, and then smiled and invited, “I will ascend to the throne on the tenth day outside Nanjiang Prefecture. I hope you will grace us with your presence at the ceremony.”

Normally, the process of founding a kingdom should be like Lu Yuan’s: building the Heavenly Altar, ascending to the throne with a sacrifice to heaven, and inviting envoys from other countries and domestic dignitaries to attend the ceremony.

But now, Hanzhong Prefecture was in a difficult situation, and Zhou people had recaptured Nanzheng City and stationed 100,000 troops there with considerable strength.

Can you guess what attitude these Zhou people have towards Qiao Kangquan’s Han state?

So, for Qiao Kangquan, it was necessary to establish his kingdom quickly while Lu Yuan’s army was still around to give him some confidence.

Otherwise, if he delayed, once Lu Yuan left, the Zhou people might come with a large army of 100,000 to spectate his coronation.

Would Qiao Kangquan still want to found a kingdom then?

Therefore, although they knew it was hasty, under the circumstances, Qiao Kangquan had no choice but to proceed quickly.

He wanted to take advantage of this time to found a kingdom, establish a name, and then work to raise an army to defend against the Zhou people.

‘Fortunately, Jihui has agreed to my request. After the founding of Xichuan, he will send 10,000 troops to help defend Hanzhong.

At that time, I will recruit another 20,000 or 30,000 troops, and with a total of 30,000 or 40,000 people, we can barely defend against the Zhou people.’

However, as a result, the impoverished soldiers and fierce warriors made it more difficult for Han State to revive its vitality.

It was all because of Lu Yuan.

If Nanzheng City were in my hands, with the power of this mighty city, I would need only 20,000 troops, plus myself to guard it, and there would be no fear of Zhou people’s 100,000-strong army attacking.

Yet today, they found themselves in such a predicament. What a pity! What a pity!

Qiao Kangquan said “What a pity!” twice in his heart, but his face still showed a sincere invitation.

Such self-cultivation and grace, truly befitting of a noble family’s master.

As for this request, Lu Yuan had no objection and quickly nodded, “In that case, I will stay a little longer. After attending King of Hanzhong’s coronation, I will leave.”

Qiao Kangquan hurriedly replied, “I look forward to your presence.”

On the second day of the eleventh month of the eighth year of Hongdao, Qiao Kangquan offered a sacrifice to heaven outside Nanjiang City, formally ascended to the throne, and established the Kingdom of Hanzhong, which included Xichuan and Hanzhong provinces and their five prefectures.

Afterward, he used his 5,000 Qiao family troops as the backbone, recruited 25,000 new soldiers in Han State, and formed the military power of Han State.

On the fifth day of the eleventh month, Saint Jihui held a grand ceremony in Jinguan City, gathered thousands of core Buddhist disciples, and attracted tens of thousands of believers in Xichuan. He then officially announced the establishment of Earthly Buddha Nation.

Xichuan Buddha Nation was established.

Afterward, Jihui straightened out the country’s affairs, using monks to govern the country and Buddhist teachings to enlighten the people, and initially stabilized Xichuan.

Then, Xichuan sent 10,000 monastic soldiers to Hanzhong, to help defend against the Zhou people.

On the eighth day of the eleventh month, Lu Yuan led the army back to Xicheng Prefecture in Xiangyang and left 20,000 troops there under his disciple Chu Wei to guard against Hanzhong.

On the fifteenth day of the eleventh month, the army arrived in Xiangyang, and Lu Yuan left 50,000 troops under his disciple Zhou Qing as the governor of Xiangyang, guarding the Northern Border.

The next day, he took Lan Cai’er and led the remaining troops back to Changsha City.

On the second day of the twelfth month, the Northern Expedition army, which had been away for a year, finally returned to Changsha City.

Cui Changqing and Sun Siwen, the two ministers who stayed behind to manage the country, led the city officials and residents to welcome the army 10 miles outside the city.

On the day of the triumphant return, there were laughter and congratulations everywhere.

After that.

On the second day after returning to the city, Lu Yuan, after discussing with Cui Changqing and others, set a date and decided to hold a wedding ceremony with Lan Cai’er on the 23rd day of this month, welcoming the official mistress of Changsha State.

So, just after the grand return of the army and only two days of celebrations, Changsha City was bustling again.

All the streets and alleys in the city began to hang lanterns and banners.

Inside and outside the royal palace, preparations for the ritual began.

The envoys from various countries who were staying in Changsha were sent invitations to attend the ceremony.

Everything related to the wedding was being prepared in an orderly manner.