Chapter 232 Human Heart

Chapter 232 Human Heart

Chapter 232 Human Heart
The city of Ye was very peaceful the day after the war, even a little too peaceful.

Compared with the elders of Ji County who wholeheartedly welcomed the imperial army, the people of Ye City were indifferent.

In fact, it’s not their fault.

Four years ago, Wang Jun captured Ye City, and the Xianbei people celebrated there, with more than ten thousand deaths.

Two years ago, Xincai King Sima Teng took control of Yecheng and exploited the people in every way, causing many families to be broken up and many people to die.

A year ago, Ji Sang captured Ye City, and tens of thousands of people died.

This year, Shi Le captured Yecheng again. Fortunately, not many people died, and Shi Le was still willing to enforce military discipline.

Besides, there probably weren’t many people left to die in Yecheng.

Just over a month after Shi Le captured the city, Shao Xun recaptured the city that had been abandoned by the enemy army.

In four years, the palace changed hands four times, countless people died, and the loss of property is incalculable.

If you were a citizen of Yecheng, would you have a good impression of these soldiers coming and going?

If you were a citizen of Yecheng, how loyal would you be to the Luoyang court?

Shao Xun walked on the wide and straight street.

The soldiers were facing a powerful enemy, with a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps.

All citizens were ordered to keep their doors and windows shut and not to peek outside. Anyone violating the order would be treated as an assassin.

Even on the roofs of the houses on both sides of the street, there were archers from the Yamen Army climbing up, staring everywhere with burning eyes.

Shao Xun was very unhappy about this, but everyone insisted on doing it.

He could only remain silent about this.

Yes, he has become the core of a rising military and political group.

The warriors of this group don't care what the people of Yecheng think, or even what the emperor's family thinks. They only want to protect their own interests and don't want to see the group fall apart.

If Shao Xun was assassinated in Yecheng, no one would have enough prestige to take up the responsibility and inherit the position of leader.

The Guangcheng Zewu Group is bound to disintegrate.

"Open the door!" Shao Xun randomly picked a civilian's house and said.

This is a small courtyard, perhaps there is more than one family living in it.

Tang Jian didn't waste any time and started knocking on the door.

After a long time, an old man tremblingly opened the gate.

The soldiers, as ferocious as wolves and tigers, rushed in instantly, filling every corner, and some even used spears to poke a pile of firewood in the corner.

The old man had never seen such a scene before, and he was so frightened that he began to tremble.

Shao Xun patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'm not here to look for deserters."

After saying that, he walked straight into the main room.

The house is divided into three rooms. The left side is the bedroom, which might be where the old couple lives, because at this moment there is an old woman hiding in the house, looking at the armored warriors who squeezed in with fear in her eyes.

They all looked indifferent, their hands on the hilts of their knives, their eyes scanning the surroundings, and when they fell on her, it was as if they were looking at an object.

The old soldier who has rolled among the dead several times does not take other people's lives seriously, and sometimes even does not take his own life seriously.

There is also a bedroom on the right side of the main room, and at this time a scream was heard.

Shao Xun walked in, and several Silver Spear Army warriors were about to lift the quilt on the couch.

Two girls, one big and one small, were huddled under the quilt, huddled in the corner, shivering.

"Enough!" Shao Xun said.

The Silver Spear Army warriors immediately retreated and stood solemnly with their weapons in hand.

The old man stumbled in, saying repeatedly: "General, you can't do that! General, you can't do that!"

Shao Xun supported him and asked, "What are you afraid of, old man?"

The old man was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say, and could only look at the two girls nervously.

"Is this your granddaughter?" Shao Xun asked.

"Yes."

"Where's your son?"

The old man's eyes turned red when he mentioned this.

Before he could say anything, the old woman in the bedroom opposite sobbed and said, "I originally had three sons. The eldest son followed King Chengdu to attack Luoyang and never came back. The second son was conquered by Ji Sang and they all said he died in Dongwuyang. The third son died of a sudden illness before he grew up. Even the wife of my eldest son couldn't stand it and ran away..."

At this point, the old woman burst into tears.

The old man signaled with his eyes, constantly winking at the old woman, worried that she was crying too hard and would annoy the soldiers, so he would just kill her with a single knife.

Shao Xun walked to the couch.

The small thin blanket could not cover the bodies of the two girls at all, and most of their shoulders were exposed.

The old man tried to step forward to stop them but was held down by two of his personal soldiers.

Shao Xun took off his cloak, put it on the girl's shoulders, turned around and asked, "It's already past noon, why are you lying on the couch?"

The old man was stunned.

"The Lord is asking you a question." Tang Jian reminded.

"This..." The old man hesitated for a while, then said, "The King of Chengdu, the King of Nanyang, the King of Xincai, Ji Sang, the governor, and Shi Dahu came and went frequently, and many clothes in my house were confiscated. Now there are only two sets of clothes, whoever goes out wears it."

Shao Xun sighed, he had guessed it long ago.

Compared with the farmhands in the fortress, the self-cultivating farmers and city residents were particularly miserable because no one protected them.

Of course, if the war progresses, life in the fort will deteriorate sharply, it is only a matter of time.

He pulled Tang Jian over and gave him a few instructions.

Tang Jian did as he was told immediately.

A moment later, some personal soldiers brought in some pieces of silk and linen, and someone else brought in some bags of grain.

"Please accept the cloth and make some clothes for them. Hide the food and don't let anyone know." Shao Xun said to the old man.

The old man opened his mouth wide in disbelief.

"I'm not a good person. I have to feed my soldiers first and make sure they have good food and drink, and then I'll consider whether the people are living well." Having said that, Shao Xun patted the old man on the shoulder and said, "But sometimes, I can be willful."

After saying that, he glanced at the two girls.

The older one turned away shyly, while the younger one opened his eyes wide and looked at the burly "lord".

Shao Xun smiled, turned and left.

The soldiers lined up in neat rows and followed behind him, their armor clanging as they filed out of the door.

"The seized property that belongs to the people of Yecheng must be returned immediately. The rest must be packed up and transported back to Liang County." Shao Xun ordered.

"Yes." Tang Jian agreed.

Shao Xun continued walking on the deserted street. The property seized in Yecheng was obviously not all looted in the city, but also a large amount of money and grain from surrounding counties.

Shao Xun is not a good person. He cannot take nothing at all, but he will not pretend to be blind to what he sees under his nose.

Just like when he marched into Guanzhong, he suffocated to death 5,000 Xianbei cavalrymen who were burning, killing and looting in the city, half out of righteous indignation and half for other purposes. It would have been fine if he didn't see it, but he had many concerns and couldn't do whatever he wanted. But after seeing it, he could no longer remain indifferent and could not be on friendly terms with the Xianbei like Sima You, Dai Yuan and Liu Kun.

Human beings are inherently contradictory.

On the 27th, Shao Xun, just like he did in Xiangcheng, collected the remains of the victims in Yecheng and its surrounding areas and held a joint funeral with officials and soldiers.

At the same time, he seriously considered the power arrangements of the three counties of Ji, Wei and Dunqiu after returning from the expedition.

Power hates vacuum the most. If you don’t fill it, someone else will naturally fill it.

Ji County already has a father-in-law, Yu Chen, whose prestige has gradually risen in the past few years and his control is still very strong.

Dongyu County was also looted by Shi Le, but now everyone has retreated, so a small army can occupy it.

Wei County is too sensitive, and Yecheng is a place that the court is keeping a close eye on, so it is impossible to give it to you. But outside of Yecheng, it is not impossible to operate.

The key is the human heart.

The people are on your side, so even if you cannot become a governor or a prefect for the time being, you can still actually control this land.

If people’s hearts are no longer there and there is no justice, then things will be really difficult to deal with.

In the Battle of Yemagang, in the absence of the governor and the provincial governor, Shao Xun defeated Liu Han's army alone. He estimated that the people still had support.

What we need to do now is to continue to consolidate and wait for the news to gradually spread and ferment.

He still needs to stay in Yecheng for a while.

Retreating right after a battle will result in the loss of at least half of the benefits, which is not what a wise person would do.

On the 28th, the messenger reporting the victory left Yecheng and rushed to Xingyang and Luoyang.

The news of the Battle of Yemagang was also spreading rapidly across Hebei Province.

******
After leaving Yecheng, Shi Le fled all the way north, gathering some remnant soldiers and defeated generals along the way.

At the end of October, we arrived in Zhongqiu in a hurry.

After counting, he found that he only had 1,500 cavalry and 2,700 horses. Even if the infantrymen who stayed in Zhongqiu and Xiangguo were combined, there were only two or three thousand people.

After resting for a day, he heard that the pursuing troops had passed Handan and were heading straight for Xiangguo, so he led the less than 4,000 infantry and cavalry north to Changshan.

When they were halfway there, they even felt that the infantry were moving too slowly, so after assigning their generals to lead them, they continued their march towards Jingxing.

What does it mean when it rains but the roof leaks? Shi Le is a typical example:

On the fifth day of November, Shi Dahu, who had just arrived in Jingxing, encountered tens of thousands of soldiers from Youzhou and the two counties of Changshan and Zhongshan.

He had no intention of resisting at all. He left behind some of the people who were still transporting supplies and fled westward to Hedong.

Fortunately, the Youzhou soldiers did not take him seriously. After capturing a batch of valuables, they left happily.

This battle really made Shi Le cry without tears.

Before the Battle of Yemagang, he commanded more than 62,000 infantry and cavalry in Yecheng, and there were 30,000 infantrymen in Zhaojun and Changshan areas transporting money, food and livestock.

If we count the few troops left behind in Zhongqiu, Xiangguo and other places, the number of troops is nearly 100,000.

After the Battle of Yemagang, most of the 60,000 soldiers were wiped out, and 5,000 to 6,000 of the 30,000 troops transporting supplies were also killed by the Youzhou people.

The number of cavalrymen he personally brought back to Hedong was only 1,500, and at least half of them were old thieves from Qingzhou under the command of Wang Sang and Liu Ling. It was not certain whether they would be asked to return in the future.

It was amazing that several thousand of the infantrymen abandoned in Shandong finally managed to run back.

In other words, he can now directly control only 30,000 infantry and cavalry, most of whom are new recruits.

Of the 7,000 Jie and Wuhuan cavalry, it would be good if only 5,000 could return, or even only 4,000.

It’s time to think carefully about how to fight next year.

At the same time that Shi Le retreated to Hedong, news of the defeat also reached Liu Han's capital, Puzi County.

Liu Yuan was leading his men hunting in the mountains. After watching the scene, he was silent for a long time and then called the Grand Herald Fan Long.

After Fan Long arrived, he met clan members such as Liu Xuan, Liu Meng, Liu He, Liu Cong, Liu Yao, Liu Huanle, as well as foreign relatives such as Hu Yanyi.

Apart from them, there was only one person who was special: Shan Zheng, the chief of the Di people and the General Zhenxi.

His daughter Shan had just been made empress, on par with Empress Huyan - yes, the Han Dynasty now had two empresses, namely Empress Huyan and Empress Shan.

Fan Long had met this woman once before. She was originally the emperor's concubine, but was made queen perhaps in order to win him over.

Fan Long did not have much objection to His Majesty's behavior.

In the early days, we had to do this in order to win people's hearts. There was no other way.

But this woman was so beautiful that she was coveted by many people, including General Liu Cong.

Beauty is a disaster and a hidden danger.

"I knew Shao Xun in my early years. He summoned me many times, but he didn't come to help me. What a pity." When Liu Yuan said this, he had a look of regret and some nostalgia in his expression, as if he was lamenting the passing time.

"Your Majesty, I have failed to do my job well and have come to this point. Please punish me." Fan Long stepped forward and bowed.

"Why do you have to do this, Mr. Fan?" Liu Yuan reacted and quickly pulled Fan Long up, sighing, "I don't blame Mr. Fan, I just feel sad that talented people are not being used by me."

Fan Long straightened up, a look of gratitude on his face.

"Let's talk business." Liu Yuan said, "Just now, Mr. Shan suggested that the court send troops to Guanzhong, but the people were undecided. Suddenly, we heard about the defeat in Hebei, and the people were even more confused. Mr. Fan is my right-hand man, can you give me some advice?"

Fan Long glanced at everyone's faces from the corner of his eyes, and after thinking for a while, he said: "I have heard that there is no two suns in the sky, and no one can have two masters. The people of Jin are killing each other, and they are living in misery. On the steps of the palace are the dark men who have ruined the country, and there are many useless people in the rivers and lakes. Such a weak sign should be attacked."

"Oh?" Liu Yuan smiled and said, "I dare not underestimate the rulers and ministers of Jin, so why do you, Mr. Fan, underestimate them? In the Battle of Yemagang, Shi Le's 60,000-man army collapsed, and Shao Xun, Marquis of Luyang, was so powerful that he shook the Three Terraces. With such a powerful spirit, how can Jin be said to be destroyed?"

"Sixty thousand newly joined soldiers cannot stop twenty thousand brave soldiers." Fan Long replied: "The Han Dynasty has two hundred thousand strong soldiers, but they are not something Shao Xun can resist. The day when the royal army marches south, it will be the time for Shao Xun to surrender to the wise master."

Liu Yuan laughed out loud.

It was not difficult to see that Fan Long was observing his expression and speaking in accordance with his meaning.

However, he did have this intention, but he just hadn't made up his mind yet.

"You should go to Luoyang again and find out the truth for me." Liu Yuan ordered.

"I obey your order." Fan Long replied.

"How do you think we should deal with the situation in Hebei?" Liu Yuan asked again.

"Your Majesty should send an envoy to appease Prince Pingjin." Fan Long replied.

Since Hebei is not the direction of the imperial court's military deployment, it is necessary to appease Shi Le. At least, he should be encouraged to continue to control the manpower, material resources and military forces of Hebei, Jin State for the imperial court.

"Pass the imperial decree, granting Shi Le the title of General of Andong and Grand Commander of the Three Departments. All other staff positions should be reported to me immediately, and the authorities should approve his request." After pondering for a moment, Liu Yuan made a decision and gave the order.

As soon as this decree was issued, the next main attack direction of the Huns was basically clear: either Luoyang or Guanzhong, and Hebei had been ruled out.

"You should study the tactics Shao Xun used to defeat Shi Le. Who knows, we might meet him one day." Liu Yuan turned around and looked at Liu He, Liu Cong, Liu Yao and others, and said, "He is coming for our Han Dynasty. The Silver Spear Army is also a powerful force. Be careful when you meet him in the future."

"I obey your order." Everyone responded.

(End of this chapter)