Chapter 382 Auntie, may I call you Mo'er?
After Xiao Mo and other generals returned to the capital, the fighting on the frontier temporarily ceased, but everyone knew that a major war would soon break out.
At this time, the Qin state was at the height of its power, having conquered the three major states of Wei, Chu, and Yan, as well as countless smaller neighboring states.
In the history of the Warring States period, such a situation had never occurred before.
From the lowest to the highest levels of society, everyone in the Qin state is now striving to unify the world.
Moreover, at this time, Qin was indeed the most likely state to unify the country in the entire Warring States period.
The remaining three states, Qi, Zhao, and Jin, had had various frictions in the past.
But now, they know perfectly well who their biggest enemy is.
Therefore, the states of Qi, Zhao, and Jin were already preparing to join forces against the state of Qin.
They originally planned to take advantage of Qin's weakness and launch an attack on Qin.
However, because the Jin state suffered heavy casualties after the great battle at Huaishan City, and later the Jin state itself was also plagued by war, some of the feudal lords in the country were even more eager to make trouble.
The states of Qi and Zhao had no choice but to help the state of Jin catch its breath, at least until Jin could recruit some more soldiers.
The Qin state is not in a hurry to take action.
Over the years, especially after Xiao Shi's last suppression of the rebellion, the Wei Kingdom has been unable to cause any more trouble.
The Qin state's generous treatment of the local residents of Wei made the people of Wei have little reason to resent it.
For ordinary people, the greatest happiness is simply to survive and, more importantly, to live a better life.
After all, who would like chaos and turmoil?
Not to mention that all the kingdoms under heaven originally belonged to the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It was after the Zhou king enfeoffed the feudal lords that, with the passage of time, the rites and music collapsed, and various feudal lords stood side by side, which led to the current situation.
Looking back thousands of years, we were all one family.
The most crucial task for the Qin state was to consolidate the territory it had just acquired from the states of Chu and Yan.
In addition to sending various generals to garrison the states of Chu and Yan and reducing taxes for the people, the Qin state also...
The Qin ruler also supported some local noble clans that were no longer in power, instigating conflict between clans within the Chu and Yan states to create a check and balance, preventing them from having the energy to cause trouble.
At Xiao Mo's suggestion.
The Qin state also vigorously promoted the idea that "since it is Qin land, it is Qin people" in the territories of Chu and Yan.
In some areas severely affected by war, the Qin state dispatched officials and soldiers to provide disaster relief, organized the local people to resume farming, and provided different policies according to the different circumstances of the people. Many people could even enjoy a full tax exemption for the next ten years.
Furthermore, Xiao Mo suggested recruiting men from Chu and Yan into the army.
Everything was voluntary, not forced.
They were treated like ordinary Qin soldiers.
Soldiers and officers of the original armies of Chu and Yan who do not wish to remain in the army may leave.
However, Qin's military merit system was extremely attractive to the people of Yan and Chu.
Because ordinary people can indeed change their fate based on their military achievements.
In a short time, many men from Chu and Yan joined the Qin army.
The Qin army was greatly expanded.
With the implementation of a series of supporting policies, the people of Chu and Yan felt a greater sense of belonging to the Qin state.
If anyone were to rebel and disrupt their current good life, these people would be the first to object.
In Sichuan, after several years of development, Li Bin and his son have achieved great success in water management.
Since its construction, the Dujiangyan Irrigation System has greatly improved the flood control situation in Sichuan.
The land that was originally uncultivable has been transformed into fertile soil, and the annual grain yield has reached astonishing figures.
This gave the Qin state great confidence for its subsequent conquests.
Five months after Xiao Mo returned to the Qin capital, news came from the Xiao family.
Xia Qingke, the mistress of the Xiao family, is seriously ill.
Although Xiao Mo didn't have much contact with Xia Qingke, she was, in any case, Xiao Mo's aunt.
Xiao Mo immediately sent a message by flying sword to his father in the Northern Wilderness and his elder brother who was still in the Shaking Mountain Sect.
Upon receiving the letter, Xiao Shi and Xiao Yichuan immediately returned to the Xiao residence.
Upon seeing his mother, Xiao Yichuan, a burly man who had ascended to immortality and stood eight feet tall, burst into tears.
Xiao Yichuan held his mother's hand, repeatedly saying, "Mother, I'm sorry," and "Your son has not been by your side to fulfill his filial duty."
“Silly child, this is how the path of cultivation is. I am already happy for your longevity and the achievements you have made. Why do you need to apologize?”
Xia Qingke gently stroked her child's hair.
But the more his mother said that, the more Xiao Yichuan cried.
On this day, Xiao Shi also had a long private conversation with his wife.
In Xiao Mo's view, this was a normal thing.
After all, Xia Qingke was Xiao Shi's first wife.
Even though Xiao Shi was away fighting battles for many years and rarely came home, there was still some affection between them.
However, to Xiao Mo's surprise, the matriarch of the Xiao family actually called him over and wanted to have a private talk with him.
"aunt."
Upon entering the bedroom of the eldest wife of the Xiao family, Xiao Mo bowed respectfully.
"Frost King, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat."
The matriarch of the Xiao family smiled slightly and said softly.
Xiao Mo nodded and sat down on the stool next to Xia Qingke's bed.
Looking at the woman in front of him, even though he had only met her a few times, Xiao Mo couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Her life force was about to be extinguished. Although her face still had a little color in it, it was the last glimmer of life that her life was about to give off.
"The Frost King."
"Auntie, you can just call me Xiao Mo," Xiao Mo said.
"Then may I call you Mo'er, ma'am?" Xia Qingke asked with a smile.
Xiao Mo paused for a moment, then nodded: "Of course."
"Mo'er," Xia Qingke looked at Xiao Mo, "This is the first time I've called you that. Cough cough cough."
Xia Qingke wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at Xiao Mo gently:
"You are really amazing."
Although you were born out of wedlock, you were granted the title of king through your own abilities. Now, Mo'er, your prestige is in no way inferior to that of your father.
Before, I was worried that my son might not be able to inherit the title of Prince of Zhenbei in the future.
Later, I realized that you, Mo'er, didn't care about or need this so-called 'King of Zhenbei' at all.
On the contrary, I, having lived a whole life, am still so petty and narrow-minded.
“Aunt, please don’t say such things. It’s only in a mother’s nature to want what’s best for her son,” Xiao Mo said.
"That's true, but I'm not only Yichuan and Yishe's mother, but also the mistress of the Xiao family. When your father is not at home, I can only manage the entire Xiao family."
Therefore, I cannot do this just for my son, but also for the Xiao family.”
Xia Qingke placed her hands on her chest, leaned against the headboard, and continued speaking.
“You and your father both think I blame you for ‘harming’ Yishe.”
Yichuan also felt that I blamed him for not protecting his younger brother.
But none of the three of you know this.
I don't know if I ever blamed you.
There's only one person I blame, and that's myself.
The person who truly killed Yishe was not anyone else, but me, her mother.
Because I know that Yichuan's heart is not in the court, but in the clouds on the mountain.
So I projected all my thoughts onto Yishe.
Is Yishe's desire to become the Prince of Zhenbei solely due to his own will, or is it for my sake that he wants to become the Prince of Zhenbei?
If it weren't for me, how could this so-called 'King of Zhenbei' have become his obsession, ultimately leading to a grave mistake?
In the end, it turned out that the person who valued the title of "King of Zhenbei" the most was the one who truly cared for it.
It's me.
(End of this chapter)
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