Chapter 741 Conqueror

Chapter 741 Conqueror

Chapter 741 Conqueror

After the Battle of Wenxi, the only thing left to do in Pingyang, Hedong and Xihe counties was to pacify and eliminate the remaining enemies.

The big war has ended and it is unlikely to happen again. After all, after fighting for a whole year, both sides are a little exhausted and can no longer fight.

On December 16, Shao Xun led his personal army and the Yicong army south from Shilou Mountain and arrived in Pingyang.

He did not rush into the city, but walked around the city first. After all, he was quite interested in this capital city that had been built on a large scale by the Huns.

This city is located in Jindian Town, southwest of Linfen City in later generations, on the west bank of Fen River.

There is Guye Mountain to the west of the city, and on the mountain there is the Dragon Son Temple, where many nobles from Pingyang go to worship.

Pingyang was actually built according to the Luoyang model, and even the names of the city gates were taken from Luoyang. For example, where Shao Xun is now is Ximing Gate.

"Lord Fan, I heard that Liu Cong once broke through this gate, entered the palace and killed Liu He?" Shao Xun pointed his whip at Ximing Gate and asked with a smile.

Fan Long was captured by the cavalry sent by Hou Feihu to pursue him. Because he had an old relationship with Liang Gong, he was not treated as a prisoner. On the way back to Pingyang with the army, he was treated well, so he looked good at the moment.

"That's right." Fan Long responded in a low voice.

"Mr. Fan is my honored guest, why should you be so reserved?" Shao Xun took his hand and whispered, "Mr. Fan should know someone in the Six Barbarians tribes, please recruit some for me."

"Yes." Fan Long bowed.

Shao Xun looked at him with satisfaction.

This is a professional worker.

If you are in Han, you should serve Han; if you are in Jin, you should serve Jin. That's fine.

"How big is this city?" Shao Xun pointed at Pingyang again and asked.

"If we count the houses and buildings outside the city, the radius is ten miles. Construction began when Liu Yuanhai was in power, and continued during the reign of Liu Xuanming, and was finally completed." Fan Long replied.

Shao Xun nodded and said, in fact, it is not small.

Compared with Luoyang, Pingyang is slightly larger, which is twenty miles from east to west and fifteen miles from north to south.

Of course, the urban area includes both areas inside and outside the city walls. If we only count the area inside the city walls, Pingyang and Luoyang are very small, not as good as the slightly larger county towns during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Times are developing, and the national strength of the Han and Wei dynasties was ultimately inferior to that of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

"How about the North and South Palaces?" Shao Xun asked again.

"This was built in imitation of the palace city of Luoyang," Fan Long said. "It was completed in the middle of the Jiaping period, and the Huiguang and Wenming Palaces, which were originally located outside the city, were also enclosed. It is now a complete project."

"Let's go in and take a look." Shao Xun became interested and said with a smile.

The imperial army quickly led the way, and the group entered through Ximing Gate.

Like Luoyang, Pingyang Palace City is located in the northwest of the city.

On the streets, every household had their doors and windows closed.

The soldiers were on high alert with a guard post every three steps and a sentry post every five steps.

Shao Xun walked slowly because he wanted to observe the city more and savor the pleasure of being a conqueror.

When they arrived at the Yunlong Gate on the east side of the palace, Hou Feihu led a group of officers and soldiers to step forward and salute.

Shao Xun secretly complained: How did he know that I was going to enter the palace?

"Flying Tiger has made great progress." Shao Xun looked the student up and down and said with a smile, "He defeated Liu Cong in one battle. I don't know how many people envy him. Wang Que'er and Jin Zheng tossed and turned and could not fall asleep after hearing this."

Everyone laughed along.

Hou Feihu also smiled and said, "It's all because of Master Shao's good teaching and the bravery of the soldiers that we won this victory."

"No need to be so modest." Shao Xun said with a smile: "Come on, follow me into the palace, take anything you like, Master Shao will secretly reward you first."

The laughter grew louder.

The palace ladies and eunuchs in Pingyang all knelt on the ground, silently listening to the new conqueror's unbridled and high-spirited laughter, with mixed feelings in their hearts.

After entering the palace, the most eye-catching building is the Guangji Hall.

This is the main hall of the Han Palace, where Liu Yuan and his son Liu Cong held court meetings. There are also side halls on the east and west sides.

"The city is big, and the palace is not small either. In my opinion, the Guangji Palace is not smaller than the Taiji Palace." Shao Xun said with emotion as he stood in the square in front of the palace.

"My lord, Chen Yuanda once said, 'Before the reign of Emperor Guangji, it was enough to hold court with all the queens and entertain all nations.' This is where the Han emperor ascended the throne, died, held court meetings, conferred titles, and held banquets. Although it is called a palace, it is actually a palace. After Yuan Hai's death, Liu Cong conspired in the East Hall and killed Liu He in the West Hall." Fan Long said softly.

Shao Xun glanced at the east and west side halls and sighed, "The Xiongnu's national strength is already weak, but they have been building this palace. How can they not be defeated?"

Laozi was very careful when building the Liang Palace, trying to extend the time and reduce the burden. However, Liu Cong didn't care at all. He wasted national strength just to enjoy himself as quickly as possible. This was one of the reasons for his defeat.

Of course, on the other hand, the national strength of the Xiongnu was not that bad. At least they could support such luxurious cities and palaces. All the buildings were completely comparable to those in Luoyang. I really don’t know what to say.

Shao Xun quickly entered the Guangji Hall.

The hall was empty except for a few Black Shadow Army soldiers on duty.

Shao Xun was very satisfied that all the palace artifacts were still there. There was no need to waste people's energy to make things for the Liang Palace, and they could just move them back as they were.

Soon, his eyes fell on the throne.

Under the gaze of the crowd, he strolled around in a relaxed manner. When he arrived in front of the throne, he gently stroked it, turned around and sat down.

Everyone was shocked and lowered their heads.

As a subject, even if you capture the enemy's palace, you cannot sit on the throne of the false emperor.

"This throne is really exquisite and sophisticated." Shao Xun looked at the throne inlaid with gold and jade and sighed, "Can it be moved back to Bianliang?"

The staff members who came with the army looked at each other in bewilderment, but Hou Feihu responded loudly: "Mingsir, I will send someone to load and ship it away right away." The throne? What's the big deal? Master Shao can't sit on it?

"I don't know how much money the people spent on this seat. It would be a pity to destroy it." Liu Quan, the general of Heqing Town, secretly regretted that someone had gotten there first, so he hurried to make amends and said loudly, "The palace in Bianliang is not yet finished and is still short of chairs. This seat is just right to be shipped back to avoid wasting it."

Shao Xun looked at Hou Feihu and Liu Quan with approval. They were both loyal talents and should be further utilized in the future.

"Don't worry." After retracting his gaze, he continued, "Send a message to Bianliang, and ask all the government offices to send some assistants to Pingyang to escort a batch of wealth and goods. Please consult with the Prime Minister and the two military commanders of the shogunate on how to raise funds. Bingzhou has just annexed, and I still need to stay here to pacify it for a few months."

After that, he added: "Pass on my military order. General Wang Que'er of the Left Army will concurrently serve as the governor of Hedong. He will lead the army south at a rapid speed and station troops in Anyi and Jiexian. We will wipe out the remaining enemies and pacify the local area."

"Jin Zheng returned to Lishi and Zuoguocheng to pacify the counties, and appointed Chen Ling Tian Mao as the governor of Xihe. He also sent a message to the various Hu people, ordering them to march south to Pingyang immediately."

"The State of Liang appointed Hou Feihu as the General of Conquering the Enemy Army and temporarily stationed him in Pingyang."

"Send a letter to Taiwei Wang, asking him to elect Xiahou Cheng in the name of the court. Hurry up and come directly to Pingyang to serve as the governor after he is appointed as an official."

"The Xiongnu's stored goods must be counted immediately and then sent to Bianliang. After the officials hand over the goods, they will distribute rewards according to the soldiers' roster. The two camps of the Silver Spear and the Left and Right Camps and the Black Cannon Left Camp will each be given four pieces of cloth. The Yicong, Zhuosheng, Luoyan, Xiaoqi and other troops will each be given three pieces of cloth. The rest of the troops will each be given two pieces of cloth."

"Invite all the tribes of Bingzhou to come to Pingyang. In the first month of the year, I will hold a grand feast for the elders of Bingzhou in Guangji Hall."

"Those who have achieved 'extraordinary feats' (being the first to reach the summit, beheading a general, seizing a flag, or breaking through an enemy line) in this battle, please report the names as soon as possible. In addition to the rewards from the army, I will also give you beauties from the Han Palace."

"In Hongnong, let Shifuhou lead the army to drive out Pu Hong. Tell him that this is the last chance, so try your best."

"The chieftains of the Di, Qiang and Jieba tribes scattered in various places sent special people to recruit them, count the population of their tribes and compile them into a list."

"Hanoi needs to transport another batch of food over. Please work hard."

"How to deal with the captured Liu Han officials will be decided by the shogunate officials and then reported to me."

"The Wang family manor in Pi County will be wiped out immediately. This matter will be handled by General Wuya Yang Quan. The captured Xiongnu surrendered soldiers will also be handed over to you. Move out as soon as possible. I want to see the heads of the Wang family members before the New Year."

"Post notices everywhere, ordering the defeated soldiers to hand over their weapons, return to their hometowns, and settle down."

"That's all for now." Shao Xun waved his hand and stood up.

******
In the afternoon, Shao Xun and his generals continued to inspect the Han Palace.

The commander of the imperial army, Yang Qin, arrived at Jianshi Hall in advance and took Wang Shen and others to the side hall.

The Jianshi Hall is located behind the Guangji Hall and functionally serves as the bedroom of the Han emperor.

Like the Guangji Hall, there are side halls on each side, the western one is called "Shangqiu Pavilion" and the eastern one is called "Chongming Temple" - they were once destroyed by an earthquake and later rebuilt.

At this time, eunuchs such as Wang Shen were detained in Shangqiu Pavilion. They all looked pale and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Yang Qin looked up and out the window. Lord Liang had already entered Jianshi Hall with the generals and was strolling around. If nothing unexpected happened, Jianshi Hall would become Lord Liang's bedroom for the next period of time.

After retracting his gaze, Yang Qin looked at the jade carving in his hand and said, "The name of the eunuch Wang Gong is well-known in Pingyang. Everyone says that the Wang family is extremely wealthy and noble, and even the princes and nobles cannot compare to them. Why did they only find a few valuables?"

"Before Emperor Cong of Han left, he confiscated most of the wealth to reward the soldiers. I really can't give it out." Wang Shen said, shedding a few tears.

Yang Qin looked at him and sneered.

Wang Shen's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "I just remembered that there is a manor in the southeast of Pingyang..."

"Tong Qianjin." Yang Qin shouted.

"exist."

"Take a hundred soldiers with you and go to the village to take away the valuables."

"Yes." Tong Qianjin took the order and left.

Yang Qin paused, then moved closer to Wang Shen and asked in a low voice, "Where does your daughter live?"

"Wen Ming Palace." Wang Shen's crying slowly stopped.

I don't know why, but my heart was pounding. Although I lowered my head, my eyes suddenly lit up.

"Why not Zhaode Hall?" Yang Qin asked.

"This is where the Empress Fan lived..." Wang Shen said, and then explained further.

The harem is a general term, including palaces such as Zhaode, Wenming, Huiguang, (same as "Huang") Yi, and Zhuze Baitang.

Liu E once lived in Zhaode Palace. Later, Liu Cong wanted to build a separate Huangyi Palace for her, but Liu E advised against it: "I heard that you are going to build a palace for me. Now Zhaode is enough for me, and Huangyi is not urgent. The world is not yet united, and disasters are still numerous. It will cost manpower and money, so you should be especially careful."

Of course, in the end it was only delayed for a period of time, but Liu Cong still spent the people's efforts to complete it.

Zhaode and Wenming Halls are the main halls of the harem area - theoretically speaking, Jianshi Hall can also be considered a part of the harem.

"You have been in the harem for many years and are familiar with everything." Yang Qin moved closer and whispered, "The Empress Fan, the Left Empress Wang, the Central Empress Xuan - well, the Right Empress is dead, so please invite that little noble lady Liu, and send these four people to a certain palace for discipline, and assign someone to guard and comfort them..."

Wang Shen understood immediately and said, "Huangyi Palace is fine."

"Why?" Yang Qin asked.

"This palace was built by Liu Cong with great effort. It has carved railings and jade buildings, and everything you need. There is also a hot spring pool, where Cong often enjoys the snow with his concubines while playing in the pool." Wang Shen said flatteringly, "In fact, there are thousands of beauties in the harem, and there are many who are more beautiful than the three queens. I heard that Lord Liang never brought his women with him when he went to war. It has been seven months, and it is really hard to hold it in..."

“Shut up!” Yang Qin scolded lightly, and said disdainfully: “Do you think Lord Liang wants anyone? That’s Emperor Wu of Jin. Besides, beauty is not the first choice for Lord Liang. You know shit!”

Emperor Wu of Jin took over the harem of the defeated and moved it to Luoyang as a whole. He even took the palace maids with him. He was so hungry that he didn't care about what he ate.

Yang Qin had been with Shao Xun for a long time and knew that he was still very picky about food, and his taste for food was different from others. However, there was no need to tell others this "core knowledge".

"Then lock her up in the Phoenix Palace. Lock her up for a while, and report to me immediately when her period comes." Yang Qin thought for a moment and said, "Don't talk nonsense, keep your mouth shut. Most of Liu Cong's concubines and palace maids will be awarded to meritorious officials, and a small number will be sent to the Liang Palace to make up for the shortage of palace maids. Don't make decisions on your own in this matter."

"Okay." Wang Shen nodded repeatedly.

Yang Qin looked at Xuan Huai and the others again and said, "Please persuade them to give up the money and goods as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)