Chapter 744 Redemption

Chapter 744 Redemption

Chapter 744 Redemption
The wind blew from the north, shaking the steely water.

In the newly built palace south of Taiye Lake, Liu Cong leaned on the couch, looking at the gloomy sky outside, silent.

Liu Can sat patiently on one side.

He seemed very busy, and from time to time an official would come in and ask for instructions in a low voice.

Liu Can replied again in a low voice. After the official received the accurate information, he saluted to the two men and left quietly.

The layout of Chang'an is very strange.

The emperor brought more than 4,000 people across the river, and lost most of his capital. The nine counties west of Tongguan, including Jingzhao, Beidi, Fufeng, Xinping, Shiping, Anding, Nan'an, Lueyang, and Tianshui, were all conquered by Crown Prince Liu Can over several years. Only Fengyi and Shangjun, newly established by Liu Han, were conquered by the previous emperor.

Of the eleven counties of Liu Han, nine were conquered by Liu Can.

Officials are appointed by him.

The tribal chiefs submitted to him.

Aristocratic families married into marriages with him and his trusted generals.

To put it bluntly, it has little to do with Liu Cong.

Before Shao Ze began to attack Bingzhou, Liu Cong was very happy to see this situation. After the national policy of "crossing Yong and Bing" was proposed, Liu Cong even pushed it hard.

Up to this year, the immigration that had lasted for six years had never stopped. Even the Shanyutai was set up in Chang'an in order to lay a solid foundation for Liu Can and consolidate his position. After all, the legitimate crown prince Liu Yi was not dead yet.

But the situation in the world is changing rapidly, and everything is happening too fast.

Unintentionally, the Xiongnu lost ten counties in Guandong within three years, leaving only eleven counties in Guanxi, which was embarrassing.

Although Liu Cong was called the Son of Heaven, he actually did not have much influence in Guanxi.

Even the five Xiongnu tribes that were loyal to him in the early years are not sure who they will listen to now. After all, six years have passed. During these six years, Liu Can has continuously made achievements and established prestige. It is hard to say who those tribes will listen to - most likely they will not listen to Liu Cong.

In short, he was no longer worthy of the title of Son of Heaven, as the Crown Prince Liu Can had surpassed him.

Of course, Congge is very clear about this.

When Shao Xun defeated Shi Le and took control of all of Hebei, the knowledgeable people in Pingyang had already realized that Bingzhou could not stop the Shao bandits who had countless manpower and resources in Henan and Hebei, so the policy of "taking control of Yong and Bing" was accelerated.

At the military and political level, the specific manifestation is the transfer of manpower and material resources - especially the transfer of the Xiongnu headquarters, as well as the adoption of active defensive tactics externally.

However, the results of the several trips down the mountain were not good. As the battle progressed, active defense turned into passive defense, until this year's disastrous defeat.

The national policy of "conquering Yongzhou and annexing" was not without effect. At least after many years of implementation, it brought the Xiongnu a complete Yongzhou, half of Qinzhou and a small half of "Henan" including Shangjun. The so-called "Henan" refers to the Hetao grassland, which was named because the Yellow River at that time flowed eastward along the southern foot of the Yinshan Mountains (around the Uga River). It was not until the Qing Dynasty that the Yellow River changed its course and flowed from further south.

To be fair, the "Spanning Yong and Bing" strategy was half successful, at least the territory of Guanxi was gained, but Bingzhou was indeed lost.

Liu Cong does not regret his actions over the years too much.

You know the condition of your own body. It has been in poor condition since three years ago. You feel powerless and dizzy. The only reason I have been able to hold on until now is because of the obsession in my heart.

He won't live for too long, maybe three to five months, maybe one or two years, that's all.

No one will join a king who will not live long.

Therefore, Liu Cong was very free and easy. When he was outside Puzhou Pass, he issued an edict to let the crown prince govern the country, which was equivalent to formally handing over power.

Liu Can had obtained power and had the righteous right to exercise it, so he had no complaints.

Besides, his father looked like he would soon die, so why bother to do something so embarrassing? He could just quietly wait for his father to die, not to mention that he still had some gratitude towards his father.

So he often visited his father and used the Jianzhang Palace, which had been rebuilt in recent years, as his father's residence to show his filial piety.

"Is the situation in Guanzhong stable?" Liu Cong retracted his gaze and asked.

"Build these mansions first..." After Liu Can finished explaining to an official who came over, he looked at his father and said, "Don't worry, father. There is nothing wrong in Yongzhou."

He was too lazy to even call him "Your Majesty" now, but Liu Cong didn't care and just asked, "Where's Qinzhou?"

"There are Chinese people in Lueyang and Nangan counties. In Tianshui, there are imperial troops stationed. Chen An is attacking Zhang Chun and others under Sima Bao, and they will be defeated soon. Yinping, Wudu and Longxi counties are still being pacified." Liu Can said, "Next year, the Shao bandits will be unable to advance westward, so there may be a chance."

"If we take these three counties, we will be facing Liangzhou." Liu Cong looked at the map hanging in the hall and sighed, "How do you plan to deal with it?"

"I am also hesitating." Liu Can frowned and said, "Some people in the court think that we should attack Liangzhou in the west, destroy the Zhang family, and take all the eight prefectures and forty-six counties. However, some people think that Liangzhou's troops are strong and it is not appropriate to act rashly. Now is the time to cross the northern mountains, attack Henan, pacify the tribes, and strengthen the foundation. In the areas along the river in Shangjun, we should build more military camps and mansions to prevent Shao's troops from crossing the river and advancing westward."

Simply put, should we attack Hexi or go north to the Hetao grassland?

"What do you think?" Liu Cong asked.

"I think that after Shao has rested and recuperated, he will definitely find a way to move westward, so Henan is more important." When saying this, Liu Can's face looked a little ugly.

After all, life is more important. The pressure from Shao Ze is too great, so I have to go all out.

There are many internal conflicts among the Zhang family in Liangzhou. If you don't attack them, it will be difficult for them to take the initiative to send troops to attack you, and they cannot reach a unified opinion internally.

Judging from their actions in recent years, they have mainly been gathering refugees and reclaiming wasteland, and their intention to secede and protect themselves is very obvious - there was no threat from the west, and it would be stupid to create a threat.

"That's right." Liu Cong closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then sighed and said, "I heard that Guanxi has had abundant rainfall in the past two or three years, and the pasture in Henan is lush and plentiful. Is that true?"

"Yes." Liu Can nodded and said, "There is abundant pasture in the mountains, riverbanks and even in the sand dunes, and the cattle, sheep and other livestock are increasing. There are many descendants of the Xiongnu, Di Qiang, Xianbei, Jie, Wuhuan and other tribes scattered among them. If we manage them well, it will not be a problem to have an additional 100,000 soldiers."

After Emperor Wu of Han defeated the Huns, he settled a large number of Hun surrendered people here, and later many Qiang people migrated here.

By the late Western Han Dynasty, things had gotten somewhat out of control.

After the demise of the Xinmang Dynasty and the establishment of the Later Han Dynasty, the control was greatly reduced. The local Huns nominally submitted to the Han Dynasty, but in fact they acted on their own and continued to encroach on the south.

By the time of Emperor Ling, the Xiongnu royal court had moved to Lishi. The Fen River Valley further south was filled with Xiongnu tribes, and the Guanzhong Sanfu area was also filled with Hu tents, so that the Han court had to build defenses in Hedong and Pingyang in an attempt to stop these nominal Han subjects from burning, killing and looting.

During the late Han Dynasty, Cao Wei and even the Jin Dynasty, they completely lost control of this land and did not even submit in name.

Today, the largest population on this fertile grassland is the Huns, followed by the Qiang, then the Di, Xianbei, Wuhuan, Jie and all kinds of mixed Hu whose ethnicities are unclear.

Migration between tribes was very frequent, and no one could really figure out how many people there were and what ethnic groups they belonged to. Tuoba Dai and Liu Han were probably the two largest regimes in Henan, with the former having slightly more influence and the latter slightly less.

But together, they only occupied one-third of Henan's territory and population. The rest was completely "dark jungle". After the "neutral monsters" fought each other, they reached a balance, but there were still people constantly coming in and out, disrupting the local situation, and then fighting again.

Generally speaking, these Hu people did not have a unified regime, but their folk customs were wild and fierce, and their fighting power was not weak. Otherwise, Tuoba Xianbei, Xiongnu and even Liangzhou would have annexed them.

Liu Can wanted to win over these people through both political and military means, but he was actually helpless.

"Since the Tiefu clan moved west from Xinxing and Yanmen, they have been at odds with the Tuoba clan. They have surrendered now, entirely because they were defeated in the war. We can think of a solution." Liu Cong said, "But——"

He wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed and said, "It's up to you."

"Okay." Liu Can agreed without hesitation.

"Has the envoy to Pingyang been sent?" Liu Cong seemed a little tired and asked with his eyes closed.

"Yes."

"That's good."

Liu Can smiled slightly.

His father wanted to use gold and silver to redeem some of the captured ministers, royal family members, and concubines, and he "basically" agreed, but not completely.

Some ministers can be redeemed at will, but some cannot.

He did not intend to redeem most of the royal family members, and only a few of them were worth redeeming - value to Liu Can.

As for the concubines, he thought they could all be redeemed.

However, Shao the thief should have already enjoyed them, right? Which man could resist the temptation to capture the enemy's palace and enjoy the wife and daughter of his mortal enemy?

Does father mind that his woman has been enjoyed by the thief Shao?
Liu Can thought that he probably didn't mind. He didn't mind either, as for women. In history, Liu Cong saw that Sima Chi had no women around him, so he gave him Concubine Liu. After Sima Chi died, Liu Cong took the woman back and continued to dote on her.

Seeing that his father had nothing to say, Liu Can bowed and left. He still had a lot of things to do. There was no other way. The pressure from Shao Ze was too great, and he could not afford to be careless.

******
The envoys sent by Chang'an finally arrived in Pingyang a few days before the New Year. At that time, Shao Xun held a dinner in front of Jianshi Hall to entertain meritorious soldiers, Bingzhou gentry, Hu chieftains, and some surrendered officials of Liu Han who were about to be employed.

After receiving the letter, he chuckled.

Liu Cong was sentimental, but he hadn't enjoyed the three queens yet, so how could he give them to him? Of course, even if he enjoyed them, he couldn't give them back to him - how could I take out the things I put into my piggy bank?

"Do you want to go back to Chang'an?" At the highest point of Shangqiu Pavilion, Shao Xun stood behind Empress Xuan, overlooking the lights of Zhaode, Wenming, Huiguang and other palaces in the north.

Xuan bit her lips lightly, with a hint of panic in her eyes, as if she was afraid that someone was watching them in the dark.

She was still a little cold.

The gorgeous crown did not bring her much warmth because there was nothing inside.

From time to time, two bulges would appear on the upper part of the crown, and the shapes of the bulges kept changing, as if something was moving inside.

"Think." Xuan's head was dizzy and she didn't know what she was saying.

"How long have you been in the palace? You're already thinking about Liu Cong like this?"

Under the crown, the hairy legs and white legs are entangled together, forming a sharp contrast.

Perhaps because she had practiced dancing, her white legs were often lifted up and she was required to perform difficult moves, so that Xuan had to support herself on the windowsill with her hands.

The sweat-soaked hair slid down from the forehead in strands, obviously suffering an extremely strong impact.

Xuan's tears fell.

In the evening breeze, the wind chimes in front of the Zhaode Palace rang gently. They were made for her by Emperor Liu Cong when he was extremely bored, and she regarded them as treasures.

When she saw the wind chime, she seemed to see Liu Cong.

It was as if Liu Cong was quietly watching her sweaty and miserable appearance in the night.

Maybe it’s not just Liu Cong.

There were many officials who surrendered tonight at the banquet. Whenever she thought of their looks, Xuan almost cried.

"So innocent? Liu Cong is so blessed." Shao Xun took out a hand and gently wiped away her tears.

After wiping the tears, he reached his hand in again, and the force seemed to be even greater.

Xuan cried out softly and tears flowed down her face. She secretly hated herself for not being able to live up to her expectations because she actually felt the happiness contained in the pain. Her whole body tensed up and she got goose bumps.

The sound of the bells in the wind grew louder, as if they were angry.

"Liu Cong wants to redeem you, but he is just dreaming." Shao Xun said, "If I lose the battle, my woman will end up like this."

Xuan seemed a little impatient, and more like she was trying hard to restrain herself.

Amid the increasingly loud sound of wind chimes, unstoppable tears flowed down her neck, across her upper body, accumulated in the depression at her waist, then flowed onto her round and smooth, high protrusion, and finally rolled to the ground amidst the intense vibration.

The dark clouds quietly dispersed, revealing the bright moonlight, illuminating the two people who were pressed together in the attic.

"Will Liu Cong still want you?" A devilish voice came to my ears.

Xuan could hardly control herself, she was so ashamed that she cried and laughed at the same time.

After a long while, Shao Xun sighed with satisfaction: "It was fun."

After saying this, he gently picked up Xuan, put her on the couch, and said with a smile: "I have three ambitions. The first is to lead the army to attack distant places, capture their rulers and punish them in person. The second is to lead the army to attack distant places, capture their rulers and punish them in person. The third is to marry all the most beautiful women in the world, regardless of whether they are relatives or not. Now I have fulfilled all my ambitions."

Inside the attic, Queen Wang, Lady Fan, and Noble Lady Liu all lowered their heads upon hearing this, not knowing what they were thinking.

(End of this chapter)