sovbooks Chapter 1491 Lingering Poison, Benevolent Governance
Chapter 1491 Lingering Poison, Benevolent Governance
Chapter 1491 Lingering Poison, Benevolent Governance
On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the sixteenth year of Yanxi, at dusk.
The setting sun, like blood, dyed the sea a crimson hue, like molten gold.
Sima Zhao stood on a high point on the dock, the sea breeze lifting the hem of his black cloak, making it flutter.
Before us, hundreds of ships of all sizes crowded the harbor.
The ship was laden with aristocratic families, artisans, and books forcibly relocated from various parts of Qing and Xu provinces, as well as the last batch of gold, silver, and silk transported from Pengcheng.
"How many haven't boarded yet?" Sima Zhao's voice was hoarse as his gaze swept across the chaotic dock.
Zhong Hui bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, there are still more than 7,000 people, all of whom are the last artisans and doctors to move out of Donghai and Langya counties."
"At this rate, everyone should be able to board the ship by noon tomorrow."
Sima Zhao nodded and looked towards Pengcheng in the west.
The smoke column is no longer visible, but the distinctive smell of scorched earth still lingers in the air.
"How is it on the other side of the Huai River?"
“Reported three days ago.” Zhong Hui lowered his voice. “As instructed by the Lord, the old military equipment was abandoned in five places on the north bank of the Huai River, all within the sight of the Wu army’s patrols.”
"When abandoning the site, they deliberately created the illusion of fleeing soldiers looting, leaving behind scattered money, broken carts, and even more than ten corpses dressed in armor."
As for where the body came from... these days, it's not easy to find a living person, but it's not hard to find a dead one?
Sima Zhao's tense expression finally eased slightly: "Has anyone from the Wu army crossed the water to investigate?"
“Yesterday, small boats of Wu troops approached the north bank, but did not dare to land. This afternoon, the number of Wu troops patrolling the opposite bank has increased significantly.”
A glint of light flashed in Zhong Hui's eyes. "I'm certain that by tomorrow night at the latest, Wu troops will cross the Huai River and seize it."
“Those bows and crossbows were all good bows, and the leather armor, though old, was intact. For the Wu army, it was too tempting.”
"Alright." Sima Zhao turned around and looked at the crowd boarding the ship.
An old craftsman was shoved by soldiers because of his unsteady gait, and some of the woodworking tools in his basket fell out.
The old craftsman knelt down to pick up the items, but was kicked away by a soldier.
Sima Zhao frowned, but did not speak to stop him.
He looked at Zhong Hui: "After boarding, proceed with the final step."
"Does Your Excellency mean... to sink old ships and block the waterway?"
“Yes.” Sima Zhao’s gaze fell on the dozen or so dilapidated warships deep in the harbor. “Load these ships with stones and sink them in the main channel and berths.”
"If the Han Kingdom wants to rebuild this port... it will first need to spend six months cleaning up the seabed."
Zhong Hui bowed deeply: "I will take care of it immediately."
Sima Zhao walked alone to the end of the dock.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long.
"Feng Yong..." Sima Zhao murmured to himself, "My decision to cut my losses today is not out of fear of you, absolutely not out of fear of you..."
He turned and walked toward the largest ship.
At the bow of the boat, a large flag embroidered with the word "Sima" was planted.
Just then, the sound of rapid, torrential hooves came from the direction of the port.
A swift horse broke through the twilight, its body drenched in sweat. The rider lay prone on its back, holding a command flag adorned with red feathers aloft.
"Urgent report—! Urgent report from Langya—!"
Sima Zhao suddenly turned around.
Zhong Hui strode forward to meet him. The rider tumbled off his horse, almost collapsing to the ground, and pulled out an urgent report from his robes, presenting it to him with trembling hands.
"Great General... Langya City... Zhuge Dan has rebelled!"
Sima Zhao, who had been completely calm, suddenly changed his expression.
He strode forward, grabbed the silk scroll, and unfolded it. In the last rays of daylight, he could clearly see the hastily written yet shocking characters:
"Zhuge Dan occupied Langya City and claimed that the Zhuge family had lived in Langya for generations. How could they abandon their ancestral graves and hometown and move to the cold and desolate land of Liaodong?"
"The three thousand soldiers guarding the city all joined their rebellion."
Sima Zhao's hand, gripping the silk scroll, bulged with veins, not from fear, but from the fury of being devoured by his own dogs.
He slowly raised his head and looked westward.
“Zhuge… Dan.” Sima Zhao squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, “What a fine ‘living in Langya, never abandoning his hometown’…”
When Dongxing was defeated, Zhuge Dan was primarily responsible. Sima Yi originally intended to take advantage of Zhuge Dan's constant anxiety and recommend him to pacify Xuzhou, so that he could do his job well.
Unexpectedly, Sima Zhao's oversight gave Zhuge Dan an opportunity.
"I left you to guard Langya because the Zhuge family has a long-standing reputation in the area and could assist with the relocation of people... How dare you..."
Zhong Hui strode forward and lowered his voice: "My lord! Zhuge Dan's betrayal was timed with extreme cunning!"
"He chose this moment to launch his attack, clearly taking advantage of the fact that my army is about to board the ships and will have no time to return and quell the rebellion!"
Sima Zhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "He's waiting for the right price..."
Zhuge Dan's family had lived in Langya for generations, and their roots were deep-rooted.
Now he is closing the city to his own devices, using the pretext of not abandoning his hometown.
Clearly, this was addressed to the local people of Langya.
At this time, rebellion was mostly motivated by a desire to surrender cities to the Han state.
Sima Zhao glanced one last time in the direction of Langya, stood up, and said to Zhong Hui, "Send the order to proceed with boarding as planned and set sail according to the original schedule."
Zhong Hui was taken aback: "That Langya..."
"Langya?" Sima Zhao looked westward; dusk had completely swallowed the horizon, with only the last trace of blood-red afterglow remaining on the sea.
“If Zhuge Dan wants it, then give it to him.”
Sima Zhao turned and walked toward the warship, "order the remaining navy to head north immediately, and all the infantry to board the ships, leaving none behind."
"Send the order to Zhuge Dan," Sima Zhao said finally, his voice drifting away on the sea breeze.
"Tell him that since you, Gongxiu, are attached to your homeland, I, Zhao, will bestow this city upon you. I hope you will guard it well and not fail the elders of Langya!"
Zhong Hui bowed deeply: "Yes!"
The ship slowly sailed away from the dock.
Sima Zhao stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the receding coastline.
On the sea, hundreds of ships, like a group of silent black behemoths, slowly sailed into the darkness of the deep sea.
-
Just as Sima Zhao was traveling by boat to Liaodong.
Liu Chen was also in the central command tent with Zhang Yi, Li Yi and others, finalizing the details of the plan to enter the city and pacify the people.
Suddenly, a guard rushed in from outside the tent: "Your Highness! A report has come from the camp gate that a special envoy from Chang'an has arrived with imperial credentials, saying that he has an urgent secret order!"
"Special envoy from Chang'an?" Liu Chen was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Zhang Yi.
There are daily exchanges of news between the army and Chang'an, so why would they send a special envoy again?
He straightened his clothes and said, "Please come in quickly."
The curtain was lifted, and a young official dressed in a light blue, narrow-sleeved military uniform and wearing a Jinxian hat entered with his head bowed.
This person was as tall and straight as a freshly cut bamboo, and his steps carried a lightness and stability unique to martial artists.
Although he deliberately concealed his movements, the smooth and powerful lines of his shoulders and arms could be vaguely seen as his robe sleeves moved slightly while he walked.
He held a scroll of silk sealed with sealing wax in both hands and bowed, saying, "This humble official has come to deliver an urgent military document on the orders of the General Who Guards the East."
The sound... made Liu Chen's heart skip a beat, and his expression changed slightly.
He forced himself to calm down and said to Zhang Yi and the others, "Please step back for now, and allow me to speak with the special envoy alone."
Once only the two of them remained in the tent, Liu Chen stepped forward and asked urgently in a low voice, "Crown Princess?! Why...why have you come here?!"
The envoy looked up and saw none other than the Crown Princess Feng Ying.
She blinked, a sly smile playing on her lips, and her voice returned to its original clear and melodious tone:
"Naturally, I came under military orders."
Liu Chen was both anxious and angry. He pulled her to the corner of the tent and lowered his voice to a whisper:
"Nonsense! This is a military camp! You are the Crown Princess, how can you disguise yourself as a man and infiltrate the army? What if you are discovered..."
"Who dares to see through it?" Feng Ying waved the silk scroll in her hand, the silver seal of the General Who Guards the East clearly stamped on the sealing wax:
"I am a military advisor appointed by General Zhen Dong and here to serve in the army."
She paused, a smug gleam in her eyes, "The documents, seals, and official stamps are all complete. Even General Zhang Yi couldn't find any mistakes when he inspected them."
Liu Chen took the silk scroll and unfolded it. It was indeed a handwritten order from Zhen Dong, appointing "Feng Ying" as the military secretary and assistant to the Crown Prince's pacification mission.
Liu Chen sighed, "How could the General of the East... allow you to act so recklessly?"
“How can this be considered nonsense?” Feng Ying said seriously. “My mother said that she was about the same age when she followed the master to fight across the world.”
"Now that Qing and Xu have just been pacified, everything is in need of rebuilding, and we are in dire need of people. Although I am a woman, I am literate and know arithmetic."
"He is more familiar with his father's old practices of pacifying the people and comforting the masses. Coming to the army is precisely to share the Crown Prince's worries and serve the court."
As she spoke, she lightly touched her sword with her right hand, "Besides, if we really encounter danger, my martial arts skills should be enough to protect Your Highness."
Upon hearing this, Liu Chen felt both amused and helpless.
He knew that Feng Ying's martial arts skills were among the best of the younger generation in Chang'an.
He really had no way to refute that.
"I know you've suffered injustice, and I know your martial arts are superb. But life in the army is harsh and fraught with danger. If anything were to happen to you..."
"Is Your Highness afraid that I will be a burden?"
Feng Ying looked up, but she wasn't angry. She said softly, "If Your Highness insists on sending me back to Chang'an, then I will go back."
"But if I go back, I might end up filling in that abandoned well in the East Palace."
"Fill the well?"
Feng Ying said softly:
"Since His Highness left the capital, those young ladies in the Eastern Palace have been fighting even more fiercely, both openly and secretly."
"Today you send me a box of rouge, tomorrow I will give you a piece of Shu brocade, and the day after tomorrow someone will accidentally fall into the water... I am annoyed by this, so I would rather not see it."
Feng Ying spoke casually:
"I'm thinking, if all else fails, I'll just put all those troublemakers who keep bothering me when I get back in there, one by one, and have some peace and quiet."
"At that time, I wonder whether His Highness will punish me or praise me for managing the household well?"
Liu Chen sighed again, his voice filled with a resigned weariness.
He was actually a little scared.
"Is...Is Your Highness threatening me?"
The crown prince tried to put on a stern face, but his voice betrayed him by softening three points.
"I dare not," Feng Ying said, lowering her eyes but speaking steadily. "I am merely stating... what might happen after we return to Chang'an."
"If Your Highness feels it is inappropriate for me to be in the army, then please send me back."
Shall we send you back to fill the well?
The tent fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, Liu Chen let out a third long sigh, a sigh filled with resigned helplessness.
He reached out and gently straightened Feng Ying's crooked cap, saying, "Your cap is crooked, what are you pretending to be a soldier for?"
Feng Ying's eyes lit up: "Your Highness has given your permission?"
"How can I refuse?" Liu Chen smiled wryly. "There are a few conditions that you must agree to."
"Your Highness, please speak!"
"First, in the army, you are only 'Military Advisor Feng' and must never reveal your identity."
"Second, you must stay by my side at all times and must not act on your own. Third..."
Liu Chen paused, then softened his voice, "If you feel tired or encounter danger, be sure to tell me."
Feng Ying smiled, a smile as bright as the first thaw of spring ice, instantly illuminating the dim military tent: "Your Majesty... no, Your Majesty obeys!"
She suddenly remembered something, took out a small brocade pouch from her bosom, and handed it to Liu Chen: "Oh right, Mother also asked me to bring this."
Liu Chen took it, opened the brocade pouch, and inside was a jade pendant: "This is..."
"It was given to me by Aunt Yang from Shandong. She said that as long as I show this to Aunt Yang from Shandong, I can get her full help."
Liu Chen gripped the jade pendant tightly, feeling its cool, smooth texture.
He looked at Feng Ying and suddenly realized that, indeed, one should marry a virtuous wife...
Zhang Yi's voice came from outside the tent: "Your Highness, it's past noon. Shall we proceed with the original plan to enter the city?"
Liu Chen put the jade pendant into his pocket, straightened his clothes, and then adjusted Feng Ying's hat.
"Send word to enter the city as planned." He paused. "Also, this Military Advisor Feng will be temporarily assigned to my personal guard to serve by my side."
"promise!"
The curtains were lifted, and the autumn sunlight poured in like a waterfall.
Liu Chen walked out first, followed closely by Feng Ying with her head down.
Liu Chen mounted his horse and glanced back.
Feng Ying walked towards the green horse she had brought, lightly placed her left hand on the saddle, and leaped up as lightly as a swallow skimming the water, landing steadily on her seat.
The entire set of movements was smooth and natural, without any hesitation.
A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the guards around him.
What a horse!
Excellent riding skills!
But seeing that the Crown Prince's expression was normal, everyone lowered their eyes and stood respectfully.
Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.
Feng Ying blinked and mouthed silently, "Your Highness, please give me your guidance."
Liu Chen smiled slightly, turned around, and spurred his horse forward.
The army set off, its banners fluttering in the wind.
The outline of Bonggo Castle gradually became clear under the autumn sun.
Although Sima Zhao pleaded for an extension of three months, until September.
But the fact that they were willing to give up those extra three months shows the generosity of the Han Dynasty.
If he refused, Sima Zhao had nothing to say.
Before setting off from Chang'an this time, the Grand Marshal had said:
Since Sima Zhao said that it would take time to inventory, register, and relocate people, then we should proceed city by city and place by place.
After each location is inventoried, the next location is taken over, proceeding gradually.
At the same time, he exerted maximum pressure, and if Sima Zhao failed to hand over the goods after completing the inventory, he directly drove away the officials of the puppet Wei regime and forcibly took over.
However, it seems that Sima Zhao has no lingering attachment to Qing and Xu, and his actions are even faster than expected.
At this moment, the city gate of Fenggao City at the foot of the slope opened wide.
But what poured out of the city were not the garrison troops, but the elderly and children, ragged civilians.
They crowded on both sides of the official road, staring blankly at the unfamiliar army.
It wasn't fear, but a kind of almost numb despair.
"Your Highness." Li Yize, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward, holding a scroll of household registers that had just been verified.
"Fenggao City originally had 3,700 households and 21,000 people. When the Wei army withdrew, they burned down three granaries and forcibly relocated more than 400 craftsmen and doctors."
"The city currently has fewer than 15,000 inhabitants, most of whom are elderly, weak, women, and children."
Liu Chen was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where is the grain?"
"The Wei army burned all the government granaries. But according to the elders in the city, Sima Zhao ordered that they be 'all returned to the people,' but in reality..."
Li Yi paused for a moment, then said, "In reality, they allowed their troops to plunder the grain stored by the people, leaving only ten days' worth of rations, and loading the rest onto ships and taking it away. Now, many households in the city are running out of food."
Liu Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the emaciated people below the slope.
He suddenly dismounted and walked towards the crowd.
"Your Highness!" Zhang Yi hurriedly tried to stop him.
Liu Chen waved his hand and walked straight to a woman holding a baby.
Of the entire army, only Military Advisor Feng followed closely behind, never leaving his side.
The woman appeared to be about thirty years old, and the baby in her arms was as thin as a puppy, its cries as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
When the woman saw Liu Chen approaching, she was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground, trembling all over.
"There's no need for that." Liu Chen bent down to help her up, took out his water pouch from his bosom, and handed it to her. "Give the child some water."
The woman took it in a daze, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold it.
Liu Chen turned around and ordered those behind him: "Pass on the order! The work team shall enter the city immediately, set up ten soup kitchens, and distribute three days' worth of rations per person."
"Secondly, the official teams were divided into four groups to patrol the city and provide medical care to the seriously injured and sick. Finally, the artisan teams prioritized the repair of wells and the dredging of ditches."
Orders were passed down one after another.
Down the slope, the work team, which had been waiting in advance, began to operate like a finely woven loom.
Physicians carried medicine chests and hurried in, while craftsmen pushed wooden carts loaded with tools into the city.
Interspersed among them were students from the Royal Academy—this was their graduation internship.
In less than half an hour, ten large pots had been set up at the city gate, and the aroma of millet porridge, like a gentle rope, slowly pulled the numb crowd back to reality.
Liu Chen remounted his horse and addressed Li Yidao:
"Li Qing, you will lead your men to investigate all unclaimed land and houses in the city and register them. Three days later, in accordance with the 'Han Law - Land Granting Order,' distribute them to the landless displaced people."
"Your Highness, shall we wait for Chang'an...?"
“No need to wait.” Liu Chen interrupted him, his gaze firm. “My father has granted me the authority of ‘Ambassador for Pacification,’ which allows me to make decisions on the spot.”
"The people of Qing and Xu cannot wait, and the benevolent rule of the Han Dynasty... cannot wait even longer."
He rode his horse slowly into the city.
On both sides of the street, people began to crawl on the ground, starting sporadically, and then spreading like a tide.
An elderly man with white hair trembled as he held a bowl of hot porridge he had just received, tears streaming down his face: "Your Highness... Your Highness is so benevolent..."
Liu Chen bowed in return from his horse.
He saw on the street corner that several Han Chinese physicians were cleaning the wound of a displaced man with a broken leg.
At the alley entrance, craftsmen had begun repairing the well damaged by the Wei army; the well pulley creaked and groaned, like a song of rebirth.
He reined in his horse and stopped in front of a newly set-up soup kitchen.
Under the canopy, a student from the Royal Academy was using newly made wooden spoons to serve porridge to the people, filling each spoon to the brim without skimping on anything.
The Han Dynasty has no shortage of food, only a shortage of people, and the only fear is that the people are not satisfied.
The queue in front of me, however, was in perfect order.
Liu Chen looked for a long time, then suddenly whispered to Zhang Yi:
"General Zhang, do you know that the two words 'benevolent governance' carry a weight heavier than a thousand pounds? It is not charity, but responsibility; not power politics, but conscience."
Zhang Yi solemnly replied, "This humble general accepts your instruction."
As the sun sets, the shadow of Fenggao City grows longer and longer.
But this time, the shadows held not only despair, but also the smoke rising from the soup kitchen and the busy figure of the physician…
And a faint glimmer of hope rekindled in the eyes of the people.
Zhang Yi spurred his horse to catch up and whispered, "Your Highness, scouts report that the main force of the Wei army has withdrawn from Langya and crossed the sea eastward. However, they are on the north bank of the Huai River..."
"The north bank of the Huai River? What happened to the north bank?"
(End of this chapter)