Chapter 914 Well behaved

Chapter 914 Well behaved

Chapter 914 Well behaved
After the Silver Spear Right Battalion stood at attention beside the salt pond, they shouted in unison three times: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The sound shook the whole area and the murderous aura was overwhelming.

Everyone on the Xianbei side was shocked and suspicious, and many nobles subconsciously put their hands on their waists, but soon let go.

After the right camp was in position, the 6,000 soldiers in the middle camp formed into five columns and ran in small steps.

They were even more exaggerated. They stood directly opposite the 3,000 guards of the Dai Kingdom. The two sides' formations were only ten steps apart and they could reach each other and fight at any time.

In the wilderness, there were still large groups of soldiers marching. They were the tens of thousands of Jie cavalry that Liu Ye had mobilized.

They split into several groups, circling in the distance, splashing up large clouds of dust.

The leaders of the tribe became even more uncomfortable, and the warriors who followed them subconsciously looked at the place where they were stationed, as if they were thinking about how to take their leaders out and escape back to the tribe if the relationship broke out.

There was no expression on Wang's face, as if all this had nothing to do with her.

A moment later, a large group of knights came galloping from afar, as many as two thousand.

Everyone wore a shining silver helmet and looked very majestic.

After they rushed to the bank of the salt lake, they immediately dismounted, took out their round shields and swords, and pushed out the followers who had followed the Xianbei leaders without any courtesy.

The Xianbei people were in an uproar and glared at Shao's personal soldiers.

The guards didn't tolerate them at all and continued to push them.

The followers all turned their eyes to their respective nobles. Without orders, they dared not take action, but it was a pity that the nobles did not give any response.

The Jie cavalry in the distance moved a little closer, looking at them eagerly.

The followers were intimidated and after a moment of stalemate, they retreated dozens of steps reluctantly.

After a set of smooth little combos, the atmosphere in the field changed unconsciously, and it seemed a little different from the beginning.

Shao Xun stood watching from a distance. After seeing that everything was ready, he came to the bank of the salt lake accompanied by his personal military commander Huang Zheng and others.

He was dressed in golden armor, his steps were steady and powerful, his expression was leisurely and contented, and when he walked among thousands of troops, it was as if he was strolling in the garden.

He quickly stopped, glanced around, and asked, "Since you have seen me, why don't you bow?"

When asking this question, he put his hands behind his back and spoke in a neither loud nor soft voice, as if he was asking something like "Have you eaten?" Everything seemed very natural.

Wang stared at the man for a long time, then suddenly smiled, turned her head and said something.

The nobles looked at each other, sighed in their hearts, and prostrated themselves on the ground, saying, "Greetings to the King of Liang of the Great Jin."

Shao Xun did not let them get up either. He walked back and forth on the grass in his military boots. Suddenly he stopped in front of someone and asked, "Bu Liugu?"

The man was about fifty years old. When he heard the question, he immediately raised his head, forced a smile, and said, "That's right."

Shao Xun stood with his hands behind his back and said, "A few years ago, Yu Lu came south to attack me. There was a boy from the Bu Liu Gu clan who was too outspoken and I pulled out his tongue."

As soon as these words were spoken, the old man's expression changed slightly, and the faces of other people who could understand Jin language also looked unhappy.

"During this war, the Shanyu Protectorate asked your tribe to collect cattle, sheep and horses, but it seems that your request was rejected?" Shao Xun asked again.

The old man panicked when he heard this and subconsciously looked at Wang.

Wang frowned slightly. She didn't expect the man to ask such a tricky question right away, which made all the ideas she had prepared before go to waste.

"Your Majesty..." Wang was considering her words and was about to say a few words on behalf of Bu Liugu when she was interrupted by Shao Xun.

"According to the law, this is no different from rebellion. How should it be handled?" he asked bluntly.

Wang was silent.

Bu Liugu's eyes flickered.

The soldiers of the Silver Spear Right Camp were wearing helmets and armor, looking at them eagerly.

The soldiers of the Silver Spear Camp stared at the Dai Kingdom's guards on the opposite side.

He looked at other people's equipment, their morale, their murderous intent, and then looked at himself, and suddenly felt discouraged.

"Your Majesty, why not punish some people, cattle and sheep?" Wang finally reacted. She walked to Shao Xun, raised her face, and said in a tone of anger and shame: "In this battle, Bu Liugu sent 3,000 elite cavalry to guard against the thieves of Qifu Yuanchi together with General Duan Wenyang. He did a good job. Although he is guilty, he can be given a lighter sentence because it is his first offense."

At the end, he glanced at Bu Liugu and said, "How about fining him 1,000 households, 3,000 horses, 20,000 cows, and 100,000 sheep?"

Shao Xun pondered for a long time.

The tribal nobles kneeling on the ground signaled with their eyes, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Wang looked at Shao Xun confidently, as if she knew what choice he would make.

As expected, Shao Xun quickly said, "Well, it's just a small punishment, but a big warning. Remember this in the future."

Bu Liugu was somewhat unwilling to accept this. He looked around and saw that no one was pleading for him. He felt very angry, but he had to bow his head and said, "Yes, sir."

"If you pretend to obey and regret it after returning, the punishment you have now will not be just this." Shao Xun said.

After saying that, he came to another person and looked at him quietly.

This person's heart skipped a beat.

"Shouldn't the people of Da Mogan clan (also known as Da Moyu clan) be at Tailuo River? They have come here from such a long distance. Their loyalty is commendable." Shao Xun sneered.

Da Mogan was a little nervous when he saw Shao Xun's fake smile. He said hesitantly, "Yi Huai is a wicked man, so we should abandon him and leave."

"But I heard that when Qiu Dun was hastily crossing the river, your troops collected boats and provided cattle and sheep for them?" Shao Xun asked, "A total of 11,000 people crossed the river and fled westward. You helped a lot, didn't you?"

Da Mogan subconsciously wanted to stand up, but was quickly held down by Shao's personal soldiers.

"Your Majesty, please do not believe the rumors. Someone must be slandering me." He cried out for injustice.

"This is what Madam Wang told me." Shao Xun said.

Da Mogan subconsciously looked at Wang.

Wang lowered her head and said nothing, not knowing what she was thinking.

Da Mogan was desperate. He looked at Shao Xun and said, "Your Majesty, before the victory or defeat, I was still a minister of Yi Huai. What was wrong with helping him? Now that I know my mistakes and have changed my ways, why do you have to pursue me so relentlessly? If you investigate one by one, how many of you here have not helped Yi Huai? Some even fought for him."

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked and angry.

Shao Xun laughed and said, "You are still making random accusations. Do you want to put you in an unjust position?"

Da Mogan's face was gloomy and uncertain. He didn't know whether to continue begging for mercy or simply incite others to rebel.

Shao Xun looked at him and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill you. But those people in your tribe who helped the tyrant should have been dealt with by now."

Da Mogan turned pale when he heard this.

"I have mobilized the elite troops of Kelan and Yicong's elite cavalry to Tailuo River." Shao Xun patted his face and walked away.

Then he looked at everyone.

All living beings are different.

Some people looked down at the ground.

Some people looked him in the eye and refused to back down.

Some people look straight ahead, neither sad nor happy.

"After three years of fighting, can we still make a living?" Shao Xun suddenly asked.

Everyone was a little puzzled.

Of course, the loss is huge! Is there any need to ask?
Apart from anything else, the pasture was trampled into a mess. The grass is definitely not lush enough this year, so how to survive the winter is a problem.

It is possible that some of the livestock will have to be slaughtered. After years of war, there are not many livestock to begin with, and life will be even more difficult next year.

"The king is going to allocate military rations to help you, why don't you thank him quickly." Wang stepped forward and said loudly. Everyone suddenly realized what was going on, and for the sake of the food and the silver spear soldiers arrayed on the side, they bowed one after another and said, "Thank you, king, for the reward."

Shao Xun glanced at Wang with interest.

Wang turned her head away, as if to express dissatisfaction, and her eyes accidentally met with Liu Ye's not far away.

I don't know when this woman left the venue.

At this time, he was riding a horse with a bow on his arm, followed by a large group of Jie cavalry, hesitating and wandering.

Wang looked at her carefully and found that she was indeed pretty, but she was quite hostile towards her and hardly concealed it.

She sighed secretly.

******
In the yurt, Shao Xun took off his golden armor, put it aside, and then sat down on the felt carpet.

Wang dismissed the maids in the tent, then sat in Shao Xun's arms with a stern face, and said aggrievedly: "Why do you have to save my face in front of others? I will deal with people like Da Mogan who are indecisive sooner or later."

"Don't try that." Shao Xun glanced at her coldly and said, "Be direct. I don't want to beat around the bush with you. Since we sent out the troops, we have only captured more than 4,000 soldiers and 30,000 men, women and children. It's really not enough."

Wang choked and looked at Shao Xun. Seeing that he was not joking, she put away the disguise on her face.

She was silent for a while, then said softly, "During the Northern Expedition two years ago, you took away 60,000 to 70,000 people, and Pingcheng was completely emptied. Isn't that enough?"

"After several years of fighting, countless people were killed and wounded. Some tribes saw that the fighting had no end, so they simply migrated away."

"The Gaoche tribes in Mobei used to pay tribute from time to time, but they stopped paying tribute last year. It's obvious that they no longer take the Tuoba clan seriously."

"Even now that we have captured Shengle, there are less than 500,000 people in the country, which is nothing compared to the millions of people during its heyday."

"Are you going to destroy the Dai Kingdom before you are satisfied? If there is unrest in the country, how will Li Zhen and I survive?"

When he said this, his eyes turned slightly red.

Shao Xun looked at her intently, knowing that this was half true and half false, not entirely an act.

"Will it be good for you if Tuoba is thrown to the ground?" Wang noticed Shao Xun's actions, shed two tears, threw herself into his arms, and choked up, "You've been gone for two years. You haven't come to see the child since he was born, and you don't care about us mother and son. That's not all. You showed off as soon as you arrived at Yanchi. How do you want those tribe leaders to see me?"

"If the Tuoba clan is gone from the grassland, there will be others." Wang continued, "There are descendants of Tuoba Pigu to the west of Beiyi Mountain. Do you think no one will surrender to them? If they develop ambitions and brazenly move eastward to unify the grassland, will that really be a good thing?"

Shao Xun's expression eased slightly.

Wang felt even more aggrieved and said, "Yesterday, we were still clearing out the old members of Yihuai and found 10,000 strong and brave men, including their families, a total of more than 50,000 people, and set up another unit."

"What is the use of this unit?" Shao Xun asked.

"You don't care about Li Zhen, but I, as a mother, cannot do that." Wang sniffed and said, "These 50,000 people are all Li Zhen's followers. They will be handed over to him when they grow up. They are the foundation of his life. If you are worried, you can send some officials to help govern them, and I will also send people to look after them."

Shao Xun nodded slightly and said, "I will consider this matter."

Wang reached out her hands, hugged Shao Xun's neck, buried her face in his chest, and whispered: "You are Li Zhen's father, he is your child, of course you have to take care of him. After returning to Pingcheng, you should visit him more often. He is two years old and looks a lot like you. When he grows up, he will probably ask where my grandfather is."

After hearing this, Shao Xun finally relaxed his expression and said, "I was negligent. I will give you two an explanation in the future."

"What explanation?" Wang said in a muffled voice.

Shao Xun turned her face around, looked into her eyes, and said, "What if I bring you two to the Central Plains?"

Wang's heart was pounding and her eyes were a little complicated.

"Tell the truth in front of me." Shao Xun said.

Wang's tears, which had just stopped, began to flow again, and this time she was really sad.

"Are you reluctant to give up the feeling of holding power?" Shao Xun asked.

Wang turned her face away, and after a long while she said quietly, "More than three years ago, I brought Shi Yijian to Pingyang. At that time, I had nothing, was humiliated and laughed at, and my heart was dead."

"You gave me a riding cap in the first month of the lunar year. I was so happy. I still remember it and wear it all the time."

"Sometimes, I don't know why. The precious stones, beautiful pearls, and silks and satins presented to me by others could not move me at all, so I just gave them away without thinking. Only that riding cap..."

Shao Xun looked at her quietly, distinguishing carefully.

When Wang said this, she was sincere and there was no acting or falsehood.

A seventeen-year-old woman, whose life is in danger day and night and whose moods fluctuate greatly, will cling to every straw and magnify every touch of emotion infinitely.

Even though she has now tasted the sweetness of power and has changed a little, the emotion she felt at that moment more than three years ago was real and lasting.

After saying this, Wang fell into silence for a long time.

"Why don't you say anything?" Shao Xun asked.

As if encouraged by something, Wang suddenly looked directly into Shao Xun's eyes and asked, "Am I worthy of you now?"

Shao Xun was stunned and didn't know how to answer.

Wang laughed at herself, with mixed emotions in her eyes, as if she was disappointed, relieved, angry, and a little relieved.

"I am a Hu girl, I know." Wang sighed softly.

All her inner emotions were revealed in front of Shao Xun, without any concealment or trace of performance.

She knew very well that in front of a shrewd man like Shao Xun, concealing and performing would only backfire and make him disgusted and alert. There was no point in that.

He is not the kind of man who loses his mind when being coaxed, and he can tell the falsehood.

Instead of that, it’s better to speak your mind openly.

If you want him to believe you, you have to deceive yourself first.

"You have 500,000 people. Even if every household sends out one man, you still have 100,000 cavalry." Shao Xun said helplessly, "That's more than my cavalry. I should ask myself if I am worthy of you, Yinling."

"What a coward." Wang said angrily.

Shao Xun was speechless and could only change the subject: "Since you have prepared troops for my son, have you divided the pastures?"

Wang rolled her eyes at him, hugged his waist tightly, and murmured, "He is your seed, and I am your woman. Why should I bother with the effort when a man is by my side?"

Shao Xun was somewhat pleased to hear this, and after a moment's silence he said, "Salt Lake is quite good, so why not give it to my son as a pasture? I am planning to establish a county in the northwest of Mayi..."

Wang hummed and said, "I'll listen to you."

"I heard that you built Liangcheng..." Shao Xun said, "There is already Liangchang County in Yunzhong, so it's a bit redundant. Let's just call it 'Liangcheng', the cool and cool. Liangcheng is a county, which governs Shanwu, Woyang, Liangcheng, and Wucheng counties, and is governed by Liangcheng. You should comfort the people of these four counties. From now on, the three counties in Shannan will become Mayi, Yunzhong, and Liangcheng. As for Dai County, I need to take it back."

When Wang heard this, she said angrily, "Are you afraid that I'm living too comfortably?"

"Don't worry, you can move the soldiers and civilians of Dai County." Shao Xun said, "Besides, the newly acquired land in the west can also be used to establish two counties, Dingxiang and Wuyuan. I heard that Shi Le and the tribes in the former land of Shuofang County have been fighting for three years, and both sides are exhausted. You may take advantage of the opportunity to attack and establish another county. There are a lot of silks in our country, which can be distributed to reward the leaders of various tribes, and they will be happy."

Wang did not answer.

"How is it?" Shao Xun shook her and asked.

"That woman must be Shi Le's wife, right? She has a high nose and deep eyes, and her eyes are amber in color. How could you dare to eat her?" Wang said.

Shao Xun was so annoyed by the woman's train of thought that he could only say, "That's it."

After saying that, he couldn't help but raise his voice, slapped the woman's hips hard, and said angrily: "You are flattered by being the center of attention, right? You are so stupid that you don't even know it!"

"Those tribes are big, and you must know that they are indecisive and their people are unstable. When something really happens, how many of them will be willing to fight for you? If you want to really drive these people, you can only rely on rules, and the grassland is precisely the place where rules are least followed."

"If I leave, do you dare to say that there will be no rebellion in the country? There are some things that I am too lazy to say more."

"After the punishment here is completed, you should stabilize the situation first. Later, I will attack the Xiongnu. The Xianbei cavalry will be a great help to me. At that time, I will need to dispatch 70,000 to 80,000 cavalry to attack from north to south. Henan is too big, and I can't manage so much. I must give some land with abundant water and grass to reward meritorious officials. Official titles, gold and silk will not be less. You can make arguments accordingly. I believe that the leaders are not fools and can see the benefits."

Wang hummed again, being unusually well-behaved.

(End of this chapter)