Chapter 1020 Emperor

The imperial carriage of the Dayan Emperor crossed the Bian River.

Upon approaching Shangjing City, they saw swathes of the former Qian populace coming to "welcome" them.

To say they were joyfully welcoming the king's army didn't seem quite right;

But to say they hated them… wasn't quite so strong either.

Firstly, the Jindong armored soldiers within the city, with their cold, stern sabers, truly intimidated the people.

Those who should have rebelled had already rebelled, and had been suppressed;

Those who should have hanged themselves to show their loyalty or burned their families to prove their resolve had either corpses that were cold or ashes that had scattered;

Those who should have secluded themselves at home, engaging in non-violent non-cooperation, weren't bothered or harassed.

Most importantly, the Regent's entry into Shangjing this time was different from the last, because Zhao Mugou had chosen to surrender. Although he himself had suffered great humiliation as the Son of Heaven, he had indeed preserved the capital region from suffering another baptism of war like it had in the past.

Therefore,

Everyone had a direction they could choose, and often the fear of death was the fundamental nature of all living beings.

The people naturally cooperated where they should. In any case, they had been facing officials the same way for hundreds of years, especially the people of the capital, who were… familiar with such scenes.

The Emperor of Yan had arrived,

And they went out of the city to welcome him.

When the Emperor's carriage passed by, they could also kneel down and be led to shout "Long Live the Emperor!"

Ji Chengjue's gaze, through the curtains of the carriage, swept over the rows of kneeling faces, numb and bewildered, and he did not immerse himself in the tide of "Long Live."

He silently spat out the grape seeds in his mouth, and Eunuch Wei reached out to receive them;

The eunuch Zhang beside him picked up a piece of silk to gently wipe the corners of His Majesty's mouth.

"It seems that the Zheng fellow has governed Shangjing quite well."

The Emperor's perspective on things was definitely different from ordinary people. From the moment he crossed the Bian River, he had been observing. The former Qian capital had now returned to a systematic operation. Although the efficiency was still very low and there were still some gaps in the structure, it was indeed already functioning.

As a conqueror, to be able to achieve this in such a short period of time… was indeed remarkable.

However,

Since he was Zheng Fan,

The Emperor also found it to be reasonable.

In fact,

The reason why the Prince of Jingnan had repeatedly protected the Zheng fellow,

And why the Emperor had repeatedly promoted the Zheng fellow to the standards of a high-ranking official,

Was not only because the Zheng fellow knew how to fight,

But also because of his ability to govern the area, which was extremely important.

In contrast, those war-mongering military men who had higher or the same rank as the Zheng fellow back then were far behind and could not be seen at all.

Only by standing at a global perspective, from the perspective of an operator and ruler, can one more clearly perceive how important this type of talent that Zheng fellow is.

The conquered territory needed blood transfusions and support from other garrison military leaders, while he could not only quickly achieve self-sufficiency and self-development, but also radiate his military influence as much as possible.

It was simply too considerate;

Compared to this, the so-called raising a tiger as a threat was simply not worth mentioning during specific periods.

As the carriage was about to enter the city gate, the formal welcoming team finally appeared.

"Let me guess, that Zheng fellow definitely won't come to welcome me personally. He'll probably send his son."

Eunuch Wei, who had just received a report from outside, immediately smiled and said:

"Your Majesty, you guessed wrong this time. Regent is right in front welcoming you."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, the Dayan Emperor Ji Chengjue was slightly taken aback, and then he propped himself up and stood up, while self-deprecatingly saying:

"Damn it, why do I have a feeling of being flattered."

Eunuch Wei and Eunuch Zhang smiled at each other upon hearing this, and stepped forward to help the Emperor tidy up his dragon robe.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

Outside, came the salutes of the Imperial Guards.

In the entire Dayan, there was only one person who did not need to report at all when meeting the Emperor.

And no one dared to step forward to stop him and ask him to wait.

First, as people by the Emperor's side, they clearly knew the true friendship between their Majesty and him;

Secondly, because no one dared to bear, and no one could bear, the consequences.

Just imagine,

One day, the Regent came to see the Emperor,

And was stopped,

And the guard said he needed to report it,

Then,

What would happen next?

If this Prince waited quietly, that would be fine, but according to this Prince's temper, if he didn't plan to wait, but instead chose to turn around and leave…

Half of Dayan's sky could collapse in an instant!

The curtain was lifted from the outside,

"Hey Ji Lao Liu, are you a woman who has to put on makeup before going out;

The sun is so big today, and I've been waiting for you outside for so long but you still haven't come out."

"Greetings, Regent, may Your Highness have good fortune!"

The palace maids and eunuchs inside all knelt down,

Even the two great eunuchs who had just helped the Emperor put on his dragon robe knelt down to pay their respects,

Especially Eunuch Wei, who knelt so properly.

Eunuch Wei was really scared. Back then, he had just made a joke, and for ordinary people, it should have been an honor, after all, not everyone could be worthy of being "appreciated" by the Chief Eunuch.

But it just so happened that this master, since that day,

Almost every time they met, his official position, title, and power had been elevated by a large margin.

Now,

First he broke Chu, then he destroyed Qian,

Of the three great national wars, he indirectly participated in one and directly commanded two.

His status and position could no longer encompass his merits,

Even if the Prince of Jingnan returned, and the old Prince of Zhenbei was resurrected, when it came to merit and ranking, this master could undoubtedly sit in the first seat.

"Oh, Eunuch Wei, haven't seen you in a while."

Came the Regent's warm greeting.

In Wei Zhonghe's heart, countless horned demons immediately rolled up,

God,

How long would this master hold a grudge!

"This humble servant congratulates Your Highness for destroying the country!"

Eunuch Wei immediately showed a smiling face in response, like a blooming daisy.

Fortunately, the Emperor spoke at this time, scolding:

"I say, Zheng, what are you rushing for? I originally thought it was your son who was coming to greet me, but I didn't expect you to come personally."

"So if it was my son who came, you wouldn't have come out?

Alas,

Good thing it was me who came."

The Emperor rolled his eyes at the Prince,

And said:

"Let's go."

In the spotlight, the Regent in his python robe and the Dayan Emperor in his dragon robe walked out of the carriage together. The Regent rode a pixiu, while the Emperor rode a black, handsome steed. The two entered the city side by side.

"Why didn't you ride a pixiu?" Zheng Fan asked.

"There aren't many pixiu to begin with. Why would I ride one? It's a waste.

Oh right,

I almost forgot,

You're getting bolder and bolder now. Aren't you really afraid of messing up this time?"

"I won't mess up." Zheng Fan shook his head, "If we're just talking about fighting now, I can't think of anyone I could lose to."

"Tsk tsk, listen to that, listen to that. You really know how to climb up the pole and brag about yourself. Zheng, we've known each other for over ten years, how come your skin is getting thicker and thicker?"

"You'll understand once you personally take up a knife and charge into battle a few times."

"Oh?"

"Thick skin can block knives and arrows."

"Zheng Fan, do you think I'm a fool?"

"You're probably tired of hearing flattery about your brilliance and divine martial prowess. Only here can you hear a different kind of wind. Cherish it."

The two most respected people in Dayan were laughing and scolding each other very naturally as they walked;

The originally arranged and prepared ceremony was temporarily cancelled at their respective waves.

The two of them,

Were the biggest rules in the world today, and also the people who made the rules.

"The next focus should be suppressing the rebellion, right?" The Emperor asked.

"No rush."

"What do you mean?"

"We're already in the rice jar. There's no need to be greedy and eat too much at once. It's not good to burst your stomach.

Shangjing, we've taken it; the Three Borders, we've also taken them; half of Jiangnan, we've also taken it.

Let's slowly digest what we've eaten first;

My generals are currently fighting everywhere, but their strength is not enough, so it's difficult to make any major breakthroughs. It's better to just leave them there and maintain the situation.

First, we ourselves need time to integrate and stabilize; second, we can also give those Qian people who are unwilling to submit to Dayan time to hurry up and gather together, so that we can get it over with once and for all in the future."

"We still have enough soldiers." The Emperor said, "I brought a lot of soldiers this time."

"But that's not how soldiers are used."

"Alright, I'll listen to you on military matters."

"Yes, there's one more thing I didn't say before, and that is that the Qian surrendered soldiers must also be gathered before they can be used, otherwise there will be problems on the battlefield."

"I do have an idea about this, to imitate your military system in Jin Dong, and also establish a standard household system in Qian to divide and collect the loyalty of the Qian army."

Hearing this, Zheng Fan turned to look at Ji Chengjue.

"What, are you unhappy that I'm plagiarizing your system?"

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "I heard that you conferred the title of Duke of Donghai on Zu Zhuming?"

"Yes."

"You are the Emperor, and you stand in the Emperor's position. From the time Qian was destroyed, I know you can't wait to turn the Qian people into Yan people in an instant, to become your people and achieve long-term stability.

But you're giving out titles for military merits and transplanting the standard household system,

Ji Lao Liu,

What do you think the Dayan soldiers who risked their lives to expand the territory for you will think?

Indeed,

You have your reasons, and I know that your approach is correct from a global perspective.

But you are first the Emperor of Dayan, and then the Emperor of Zhuxia.

If there really comes a day when Qian, Jin, and Chu all rebel, then in the end, only the old Yan people will be willing to fight for you to the end.

If you chill their hearts, do you expect the Qian, Chu, and Jin people you won over to protect you?"

The Emperor has the Emperor's position,

The Regent has the Regent's position;

Zheng Fan is the undisputed number one in the Dayan army, and since he has this position, he must bear this responsibility, which is the most basic "virtue must match position."

You have to fight for the interests of the group and class you represent.

Of course, Zheng Fan's reminder was not purely out of the narrow internal interests of the military group, because what he said was indeed the truth.

The world has just been settled, but the war will not stop in the short term.

If the hearts of the Yan soldiers are hurt at this time, who will continue to be willing to work for you in the future?

Chen Yang has the merit of breaking Shangjing, but because of the so-called "offsetting merits and demerits," he has not yet been granted the title of marquis.

But a surrendered general was granted the title of marquis first?

"I know you're doing this for my own good." The Emperor said.

Because if Zheng Fan had any selfish motives, he would not have mentioned this at all. In fact, he could have directly fueled the flames and further divided the relationship between the court and the army.

"However, I have also considered these things. The Marquis title of Zu Zhuming was something I was inspired to do. After all, the previous Emperors of Dayan, especially my father, were stuck in their hearts by these Three Borders for decades.

I'll have Wei Zhonghe give you a list later, which contains the list of rewards I have drafted. You can add to it and then give it to me. There are quite a few marquis this time."

"Alright."

"Qian is really a good place. Zheng, what do you think about me moving the capital here?"

"The Son of Heaven guards the country's gate."

Ji Chengjue heard this and pondered.

After the nominal unification of Zhuxia, the predictable future threat to Dayan would still come from the desert.

Either the desert barbarians would once again have a new barbarian king, or… the western forces would extend through the desert.

In comparison,

What indigenous people, what Northern Qiang, what savages, what Shanyue people were all minor troubles. The real threat in the future would still be in the West.

The Emperor said: "I know the meaning of your words, but from the perspective of national governance, Shangjing is barely considered the center of Zhuxia."

Geographically, it was also relatively central, and economically and culturally, it was the undisputed central area.

"Not necessarily."

"Not necessarily?"

"If we go on a Western expedition in the future, Dayan will be the center."

As soon as Zheng Fan said this, Ji Chengjue was a little surprised and moved.

However,

He did not continue to ask about this topic,

But said:

"Then let's make it the secondary capital first;

By the way,

The next thing is still the old rule. You are in charge of military affairs, and I will assist in other aspects."

"Don't, the war is over, I'm going home to lie down."

"If you don't sit in Shangjing, who will? Do you expect me, the Emperor, to live here directly?

Besides, you worked so hard to win, are you willing to hand it over to someone else and have something unexpected happen?"

"My brother-in-law is still there. He stabbed me in the back this time, so I have to go back and settle the score with him.

As long as a capable official is arranged to manage and guard Shangjing.

The Northern Qiang and the indigenous people can be pacified first, and then focus on clearing the remnants of the Qian Dynasty. It's just a matter of time and effort, not difficult."

"Recommend someone."

"Xu Wenzu."

"Alright."

Perhaps it was difficult for outsiders to believe, but in the process of entering the city side by side and laughing and scolding, the Emperor and the Prince of Dayan had completed the arrangement for such a large country.

After entering the palace,

The Emperor was going to prepare for the Grand Court Assembly.

Last time, the Qian officials kowtowed to the Regent in the hall, which was a bow of the conquered;

And this time,

The Dayan Emperor came on behalf of the legitimate order, and what needed to be done was to re-establish a real governance order in Shangjing, in Daqian;

In other words, last time, everyone was trying to save their lives;

And this time,

It was so that they could continue to be officials in the future.

Zheng Fan also had to prepare. The Emperor was summoning the Qian officials, and he, Zheng Fan, had to appease the Qian surrendered generals, as well as the Yan military heads who had come with the Emperor.

Civil and military affairs, he and Ji Lao Liu were each responsible for one, which was a tacit understanding.

"Your Highness, this is the list of rewards that His Majesty has asked you to supplement."

Eunuch Zhang sent over a yellow scroll.

Zheng Fan reached out and took it, nodded, and then rode the pixiu out of the palace.

Since Ji Lao Liu had moved into this palace, it was not appropriate for him to stay here as well. However, he found a Prince's Mansion in Shangjing City as his temporary residence.

This mansion was where the former Emperor lived when he was a Prince. Later, it was renovated and supplemented several times. Although it did not have the majesty of the imperial palace, it was definitely exquisite and quiet.

After all, that Qian Emperor, who was known as the Supreme Daoist Emperor, was a master who knew how to enjoy life.

Civil and military factions,

Each went back to their respective homes, each looking for their respective mothers.

Zheng Fan rode the pixiu to the front of his mansion. Outside, many guards from various generals were already waiting. When they saw the Regent, they all knelt down to pay their respects.

Their generals were already inside.

Zheng Fan rode the pixiu directly in, and casually took out the decree of reward and glanced at it,

Well,

Just glanced at it.

Because it was empty above, but it had the seal.

Blank imperial edicts with seals were not uncommon, at least for the Regent, he was a professional at making imperial edicts.

But this blank imperial edict meant one thing, and that was that the Emperor had completely delegated power and allowed him, Zheng Fan, to decide on the rewards in the army himself.

Even who would be the military merit marquis,

Was also decided by him, Zheng Fan. After all, the Emperor had hinted at this when he entered the city.

At this time, Zheng Lin walked out of the courtyard next door with his blind godfather, and happened to see his father sitting on the back of the pixiu.

He saw his father throw a bright yellow imperial edict over, and Zheng Lin reached out to catch it.

"Heh heh."

His father laughed twice and rode the pixiu straight into the front hall.

Zheng Lin was just about to open the imperial edict in his hand, but he heard his godfather next to him say:

"No need to open it, it's blank."

"Hmm?" Zheng Lin first made a sound of surprise, and then turned, "Oh."

His godfather really didn't need to open the envelope to read the letter, and the imperial edict was the same.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be a decree of reward, military merit reward." The blind man said.

"So, the Emperor's intention is to let my father decide on the reward himself? Doesn't this mean completely delegating military power?"

"Yes." The blind man nodded, "That's why I have always told you that this Emperor is not simple. Your godfather and I are still planning the division of the postwar territory for your father, who would have thought that he would be more direct and give more."

"Isn't he afraid?"

"Afraid of what? The more he gives, the more stable he will be. The more stingy he is, the more dangerous he will be.

Lin'er,

This is the same as a young couple discussing the bride price and dowry before getting married.

As long as one party wants to take advantage, it will often end up in a mess, with a hundred or a thousand discomforts in their hearts.

But if both parties are generous and don't want to take advantage, they can be willing to give more.

If you want to take advantage of me, even if you take advantage of me by one penny, I will feel uncomfortable in my heart. If you don't want to take advantage and act generously, I won't feel bad if you invite me to drink for ten taels of silver."

"Godfather, don't worry."

Zheng Lin reached out and patted the back of the blind man's hand.

The blind man took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, and smiled:

"I'm not worried, I haven't had any hope for your father for a long time. My hope is on you.

The iron triangle of the late Emperor and the two Kings of the North and South,

The pattern of your father and the Emperor in this generation,

Can no longer be changed.

But who can guarantee the next generation."

"Yes." Zheng Lin responded, "Lin'er will not let godfather down."

"Lin'er is so good."

"Since Lin'er is so good, then godfather, help me reject the marriage with the Zu family."

"Don't even think about it."

"But I promised to help godfather rebel if I had the chance."

"Yes, so the crown prince married one, and if you don't marry, wouldn't you be at a loss? He, Zu Zhuming, will definitely be the guardian of one side of Qian in the future."

Zheng Lin: "I…"

"It's just a woman, what are you worried about? Doesn't your father have four wives?"

"But my father's were all robbed, not arranged marriages."

The blind man reached out and touched Zheng Lin's head and said:

"Your father's was also arranged."

"Heh, who can arrange him?"

"Your mother."

……

On this day,

The Dayan Emperor accepted the kowtow of the Qian officials in the hall, and Zhao Mugou once again knelt forward to confess his sins to the Dayan Emperor, saying that he was a monkey wearing a crown, and that the other party was the true destiny.

The Emperor announced that Shangjing would be established as the secondary capital of Dayan, and the six ministries and the inner cabinet would be established in imitation of the Yan capital court structure.

On this day,

The Dayan Prince accepted the salutes from the Yan and Qian generals in the courtyard of the Prince's Mansion;

Ji Wujiang and Zu Zhuming, representing the Yan and Qian generals respectively, congratulated the Prince and reaffirmed the Regent's irrefutable position as the true number one chair in the Dayan army.

The Prince publicly conferred the title of Military Merit Marquis on Jin Shuke, Chen Yang, and a group of other meritorious generals.

Chen Xianba was named a Count. He had many military exploits, and he also had the head of a Zhuguo, so there was nothing to criticize.

Tian Tian was also named a Count. He was the son of the Prince of Jingnan. Being named a Count meant taking a route similar to Ji Wujiang's in the past, and the degree of tolerance was also very high.

Zheng Man was also named a Count.

His military exploits were actually not enough, his qualifications were not enough, and he didn't have Tian Tian's background.

But as the undisputed number one mountain in the Dayan military,

The Regent needed to forcibly support an unqualified person to make him qualified, in order to show the Regent's "nepotism"!

Everything has two sides. Excessive nepotism will lead to the collapse of the organizational structure, but moderate nepotism will also help to enhance cohesion,

Otherwise,

Who would be willing to follow you?

Two people were omitted from the list of appointments.

One was Liang Cheng, who was the first to contribute in the battle to destroy Qian, and the other was Gou Moli, who perfectly completed the coordination and auxiliary tasks in the two national wars.

Liang Cheng was too lazy to accept the new appointment on the official side. He had long seen through it. Besides, Zheng Fan's soldiers were Liang Cheng's soldiers, so what else did he need?

As for Gou Moli, he took the initiative to ask not to be appointed, saying that they were all family members, and appointing titles and official positions would make them estranged.

Little Gouzi's dream was not to be promoted to a higher rank, but to squeeze into the ranks of the "gentlemen".

In short,

Everything was spiraling upwards for the better.

The reason for the spiral was that

Zhao Yuannian wanted to show off in Jiangnan before entering Shangjing to accept the removal of the title of emperor, so he forcibly organized the army to develop the Jiangnan territory against Jin Shuke's opposition.

But his subordinates were completely a mob, and they couldn't even beat the volunteer army spontaneously organized by the people in the Jiangnan area. Instead, they were defeated in a somewhat embarrassing manner.

Fortunately, Jin Shuke led his troops in time to help him clean up the mess and finally defeated the volunteer army, otherwise Zhao Yuannian would have lost face.

But even so,

After Zhao Yuannian entered Beijing and lost the title of emperor, he was still named Prince of Qian;

And Zhao Mugou,

Was back where he came from, and was named Prince Rui again.

The curse of the lineage of Prince Rui's Mansion will continue to continue without accident.

In addition,

The Emperor appointed Xu Wenzu as Grand Commandant to supervise the secondary capital.

It is said that before entering Shangjing, Xu Wenzu first cried bitterly in front of the willow tree that the Prince had planted before;

After being appointed Grand Commandant, he ran to the willow tree again and cried for half the night, but this time he brought wine and accompanied the willow tree, telling the story between him and the Regent;

Saying that he and the Regent met as early as possible and were attracted to each other as confidants;

Saying that he had also joined the Sixth Lord's party early on, and that His Majesty was indeed a wise ruler for eternity.

What Xu Wenzu probably would never know was that

Back then, in front of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, Shatuo Queshi deliberately smashed the carriage that Xu Wenzu should have been hiding in with one punch, which was ordered by his confidant Zheng Fan;

And that he was inexplicably abducted into the red tent and held in custody for a long time, and finally had to ride two horses to death before he was able to run back to Huto City in an extremely embarrassed and difficult manner, was thanks to the current wise ruler.

After all the arrangements were made,

The Regent would travel south along Qian Jiangnan, take the old road, pass through the Xie family's territory, and then turn back to Jin Dong.

A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late; a prince takes revenge, tonight is the night.

He, Zheng Fan, must not report the kindness of his brother-in-law stabbing him in the back. How could he feel at ease going home to soak in the hot springs?

Although Qian had not been fully restored, the core area was basically in the hands of the Yan people, and the resistance forces in Qian, scattered in the east and west, could not become a major climate at all.

After solving the Qian Kingdom, under the general trend, what chance did his already half-crippled Chu Kingdom have to make a comeback?

And the Emperor,

Will also return to Yan Capital.

"The Imperial Beast Supervisor has cultivated four new pixiu. How about allocating one to each of your three cubs?"

"How come the Imperial Beast Supervisor is suddenly so productive?"

Pixiu are very difficult to cultivate after all, they are not pixiu beasts.

"The Imperial Beast Supervisor has developed a new method that can extract soul blood from the old pixiu essence in the palace, and the success rate is much higher."

"Four are too few, let me pre-order eighteen first, for my guards, so that there will be enough prestige when going out."

"Dream on!"

"Heh, the nature of a merchant, stingy."

"Zheng, when I return to Beijing, I will build the Lingyun Pavilion you mentioned and put you in the first place."

"I said, if you are really sincere, give me a place in your imperial ancestral temple."

"Bullshit, would you, Zheng, want me to enter your family's ancestral grave!"

"Come on, I'll leave a space for you by my side."

The Emperor was stunned for a moment, and then cursed:

"Bitch!"

The Prince sitting on the back of the pixiu waved his hand,

And said:

"Goodbye, beast."

……

The Emperor returned to his carriage.

The team also headed north.

After crossing the Bian River,

Wei Gonggong, who was originally serving tea while reviewing the booklets, silently put down the tea and took a step forward.

At this time,

A woman in white with a plump figure walked in and knelt down to salute.

Behind the woman stood a eunuch in red robes, seemingly accompanying her, but also seemingly guarding her. The little eunuch back then was not so little now.

The Emperor put down the pen in his hand and asked while kneading his slightly sore wrist:

"You are not in the Imperial Beast Supervisor breeding pixiu for me, why did you run all the way here?"

The woman's mouth showed a smile, and in an instant, a charming aura flowed out, enough to brighten the spring scenery.

"Your Majesty,

A pixiu manifested in front of the people, and told the people a method."

"Oh, a method? Can this method breed more pixiu?"

The woman in white shook her head,

The charm and amorous feelings on her face were all gone at this moment,

Immediately,

What she said,

Made the atmosphere in the carriage,

Instantly drop to a terrible freezing point:

"A,

A method that can make the Regent leave naturally."