Chapter 1 Supplement to the Disposal of the Aristocratic Families

After what happened with the Yang family at the Dragon Gate Inn, the psychological warfare against the aristocratic families of Bei Liao might be greatly weakened, but Yunzhou still announced supplementary regulations regarding the disposition of those aristocratic families who had defected to Dongping. If the property registration could not be verified, it would be temporarily registered according to the declaration of the aristocratic family. After Bei Liao was conquered in the future, no aristocratic family was allowed to forcibly take over the property. Various property transfers that occurred during the period when they left their original place would be handled after the investigators of Dongping had conducted investigations and collected evidence. Those aristocratic families who had committed extremely heinous acts, disregarded laws and disciplines, and endangered the lives and property of others would be dealt with at that time. Because of the different systems between Dongping and Bei Liao, the clauses involving commercial law and tax law would generally no longer be pursued. As for criminal offenses, investigations and evidence collection would be carried out under the presumption of innocence, and they would be pursued. When investigating such events, independent cases would be tried independently, and there would be no implication of relatives and friends. Under normal circumstances, both parties in the lawsuit would be encouraged to settle out of court.

These statements were very unfamiliar to many people in Bei Liao. The entire legal system of Dongping now was many times stronger than it had been several years ago. The governors and local officials no longer had the power to judge cases, only the power to approve the results of the trials. Yunzhou had established local courts in every city, had four circuit courts, and had put into use solemn and magnificent buildings like the Yunzhou Grand Court in Ganduo. A large number of excellent investigators of criminal, civil, and economic cases had emerged in various places in Yunzhou, most of whom were retired veterans, especially members of the scout troops in various armies. Although it could not be said that the legal system was separated, it at least had a rudimentary form.

After Yunzhou announced these terms, Tan Xiaopei immediately approved them and established relevant institutions in Zhenbei Pass, also responsible for handling the surrender and property registration of the aristocratic families of Bei Liao, and all methods would be in accordance with Yunzhou.

In any case, these measures could not eliminate the strong atmosphere of confrontation between the two countries, or rather, the fact of the confrontation. While announcing these terms of surrender and recruitment, the Tianxuan Army and the garrison of Zhenbei Pass, plus a part of the Imperial Guard, as well as the elites of the local garrison troops who had successively received orders to support the north, were being configured and mobilized. The major war reserve warehouses in Zhenbei Pass, Yicheng and other places in Dongping were fully opened, and there were absolutely sufficient weapons, armor, medicines, and food inside. In two or three months, the army on the Zhenbei Pass route would complete its attack preparations and be put into operation against Bei Liao. Moreover, due to the previous battle results, their attack surface was much larger now, and they could even directly attack the capital of Bei Liao, or the headquarters of the Eastern Route Army, Shuangliao.

In Yicheng, a force of more than 10,000 people was loaded onto ships and secretly transferred to Crescent Island. On Crescent Island, four hundred cargo ships and warships transferred from various places would arrive one after another within a month. These ships would send more than 10,000 specially trained troops belonging to the Dongping Navy, together with their required warhorses, various weapons and equipment, and a considerable amount of rations to the coast of Bei Liao at one time. The coastal defense of Bei Liao was equivalent to nothing to the powerful Dongping. On the long coastline, there were actually many places where this huge fleet could have two days of undisturbed time to calmly land, and then gather and flee far away, becoming a steel knife inserted into the heart of Bei Liao.

Now, there had been even more gratifying changes. After a long talk with Ye Tao, Kagas made it clear that he understood Ye Tao's attitude towards their tribes. Yunzhou would accept them like the Benlang Plain and Northern Grassland tribes, and help them integrate into the Dongping system, but they themselves had to understand that this integration required a certain process for both parties. Now, the entire north, under the efforts of Ye Tao, Tan Weixin, Dai Yun and others, was completely different from its previous poor and destitute appearance. Now, although the foundation remained to be consolidated, the entire Yunzhou and surrounding areas were already one of the richest areas in the world. It was unlikely that the northeastern tribes represented by Kagas would be able to achieve the same rate of development as Benlang Plain at that time. But in terms of improving life, there was great potential. How fast the development was and how much the improvement was, all depended on the tribe's own attitude.

Kagas was satisfied with Ye Tao's frankness. He then drew out the short dagger that Ye Tao's guard actually allowed him to keep on his body, cut open his palm, clenched his fist and swore in blood to submit to Dongping, be loyal to the Tan family's royal court, and be loyal to Ye Tao and his bloodline... Ye Tao's power in the entire north was becoming more and more unshakable. Ye Tao immediately sent Kagas and his party on an airship directly to Crescent Island. They would serve as guides for the Marine Corps of the Navy, leading the Navy to meet with their tribes, and then they would set off a bloody storm in the weakly defended north of Bei Liao.

Kagas also confessed that although the tribes were preparing for war because of the unbridled exploitation and oppression of Bei Liao, they had never thought that the war would come so quickly, and they had not expected that Kagas, who would have taken several months to come to Yunzhou, would be able to fly back in a very short time. Their war preparations there would inevitably be insufficient. However, now with the powerful Qihai Merchant Company fleet, the supply was no longer a problem. As long as they could occupy a port in a short period of time, they would obtain an absolutely sufficient amount of materials, including weapons and armor that were far superior to most of the Bei Liao army.

Naturally, these things would take time to happen. For the time being, only the Yunzhou troops were directly confronting Bei Liao. The day after Ye Tao issued the attack order, Dai Yun set off with a part of the army from Ganduo. She would meet with the main force at the temporary camp in front, and then command this army, responsible for the attacks on the central and northern routes. This included the fortress area and the Da Lun Mountains, which both Yunzhou and the West Route Army of Bei Liao had spent a lot of energy and money to build up the confrontation. These were all tough nuts to crack. In order to achieve the combat effect, almost all the main battle infantry battalions and three heavy equipment battalions in Yunzhou were assigned to this route, and the Frost Wolf Army would be temporarily commanded by Dai Yun, fully responsible for reconnaissance work. Cheng Chi would continue to serve as Dai Yun's deputy general.

Tan Weiran would lead the Jingyun Cavalry, the Silver Wing Army, all the Veterans' Battalions, and a Guards Cavalry Battalion, a force of about 70,000 people, to be responsible for the attack on the northern route. They would pass through the northern foothills of the Da Lun Mountains, and then directly into the enemy's hinterland. This route was almost entirely cavalry, in order to ensure extremely high mobility. They would maintain some supplies through plunder in the style of the grasslands, and ensure the supply of medicines and other items through air drops and air transport. They would release the destructive power of Yunzhou's main battle battalion level to destroy all the production and living bases of the West Route Army. Now it was war, and on the territory of the West Route Army, there was no such thing as who was a civilian and who was a soldier. It was a place where almost everyone was a soldier. Even though this combat method would have a huge impact on the civilians of Bei Liao, this was war. Yunzhou had indeed prepared a sufficient amount of food and clothing to provide relief, but that had to wait until the end of the war. The task of this army was to cause as much loss as possible to the West Route Army, so that they would be unable to confront the offensive led by Dai Yun on the front.

This time, Ye Tao would personally lead the Blood Kirin Army to attack from the southern line. Although the Blood Kirin Army still had only 50,000 people, which was the smallest number of troops in the three armies, no one dared to underestimate the combat power of the Blood Kirin Army. The Blood Kirin Army's reputation as the number one army in the world was built on actual combat, not their own boasting. They had luxurious equipment, an average cultural level that was terrifying in this space and time, and training that was so strict that it was unimaginable. So much so that even being able to stay in the Blood Kirin Army and be recognized as an ordinary soldier would be praised as a hero. The Blood Kirin Army had not moved for many years, and when they were about to show their claws again, underestimating them was tantamount to courting death. The reason for choosing the Blood Kirin Army to be responsible for this route of attack on the southern wing was because the Blood Kirin Army was not only strong, but also very comprehensive. The terrain on the southern wing was relatively complex, with many mountains and hills. The places where the enemy wanted to intercept them and where they could deploy their troops were also limited, and almost every confrontation with the enemy would be a tough battle. The Blood Kirin Army would have to open up a direct road from Yunzhou to Zhenbei Pass in as short a time as possible. Moreover, they had to eliminate as much of the enemy's living forces as possible in a series of battles.

Lu Dan would take over the entire western defense against Xiling, and Yilan, the future governor of the Northern Grassland, had already led the newly formed elite cavalry of the Northern Grassland south. Although Ge Lan had been in charge of the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau for many years, he also abandoned his status as a civil official in the face of such a great war, and led 100,000 Benlang Plain disciples to the front line.

This time, the Northern Border Pacification Office was really gambling on all its strength. Their three armies, the main battle troops plus the auxiliary troops, the garrison battalions participating in the battle, the troops from Benlang Plain and the Northern tribes, and the Veteran's Battalions that were temporarily compiled to take over the local defense, so that some of the better combat power of the garrison battalions could free up their hands, the veterans who had been discharged within a year who were re-enlisted, and the clan soldiers of the Dai family and other families, etc., all added up to more than 400,000 troops of all levels. And the troops used to supply the front line, in addition to the baggage battalions, there were nearly 50,000 civilians... And countless people were actively producing in order to ensure the supply of various materials to the army. When Yunzhou was mobilized like this, almost more than half of the families were related to this war.

When the three armies gradually advanced according to the orders, various government orders were also unsealed in various places, and the entire north entered a state of war.