Chapter 838
Establishing a Nation Is Not in a Hurry, Conquering the World Is the First Priority
In the autumn of the sixteenth year of the Zhizheng era, as the morning mist began to rise, after a night of fierce fighting, the battle in Dadu had completely subsided. Apart from those who had died in battle, the remaining 200,000 soldiers had all been captured by the Han army. In order not to affect the lives of the people in the city, these 100,000 prisoners were all imprisoned in the camp outside the city for guard.
Once everything was almost cleared up, the south gate of Dadu was opened, and Han soldiers and civilians lined up on both sides, with Han flags planted all over the city walls of Dadu.
At this moment, Chen Jie was riding a warhorse, wearing a black royal robe personally sewn by Su Yunjin. Under the morning light, Chen Jie exuded a commanding royal aura.
stomping on...
The horses' hooves pounded on the bluestone slabs of the long street, making a clattering sound that sent shivers down the spines of the entire city.
The one leading Chen Jie's horse was Chen Xiaohu, the commander of the White Tiger Army. However, no one felt that this was an insult to the commander of the White Tiger Army. Instead, they felt that this was the greatest favor to Chen Xiaohu. Being able to lead the horse for the Prince of Han was definitely a blessing from his previous life. The Prince of Han had been completely mythologized by his soldiers.
Countless soldiers have already associated the King of Han with a god.
At this moment, Chen Xiaohu led his horse slowly towards the palace, not in a hurry.
The palace had returned to calm. Fu Youde had taken over the palace. Unlike when he first entered the palace yesterday, there was no longer any scene of eunuchs stumbling around carrying lacquer boxes, palace maids hiding behind the artificial hill with their hair disheveled, or eunuchs throwing gold and silver into the well. It was truly a scene of the apocalypse, which frightened the nearby people so much that they dared not go out, and even the dogs in the alley dared not bark.
Even worse, there has been very little smoke rising from chimneys in the city these past two days, and many people are surviving on cold food.
Why did they dare not light a fire? Because if they did, they would be easily discovered, and if they were discovered, their lives would be in danger. So the people were all terrified and stayed at home. Those with cellars hid in their cellars, and those without cellars were all trembling with fear and dared not go out.
Rumors were rampant among the people, the most outrageous of which was that the Han army would massacre the city for three days after entering it.
This terrified the common people. A massacre of a city is absolutely the most horrific thing in the world. The reason why the common people were so terrified was because they had all heard their ancestors talk about the cruelty of the Mulan people. Therefore, they all knew that after the city fell, it was the common people who would suffer. There had never been an exception from ancient times to the present.
This is catastrophe, catastrophe.
The people were prepared to be robbed, humiliated, and slaughtered. There was nothing they could do; it was their fate.
The people were fully prepared, and they hadn't slept all night in fear, but the city was unexpectedly quiet. The army on the streets marched in an orderly fashion, with neat formations and no misbehavior.
The people were all bewildered. This army seemed different from others. However, some people said that all crows are black, and there is no army that doesn't massacre cities and rob people. They believed that the enemy was trying to lull them into a false sense of security and then deliver a fatal blow when they revealed a weakness.
However, Chen Jie didn't care much about what the people thought, because time would calm everything down. When they stepped out of their homes and saw that the whole city had returned to peace, they wouldn't have much resistance anymore.
As Chen Jie thought about it, the horse had already been led by Chen Xiaohu to the front of the imperial city, Dadu, a giant city that had dominated the south for a hundred years. Chen Jie nodded slightly, and at this moment, Fu Youde, who was responsible for guarding the city wall of Dadu, ran over and immediately bowed to Chen Jie.
I have met the King of Han.
Chen Jie looked at Fu Youde and said, "You've worked hard. Has anything gone wrong in the city?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde immediately replied: "Reporting to the Prince of Han, everything is safe and sound within the imperial city. All the maids, eunuchs, and guards have been detained separately. Furthermore, Your Highness, I have sealed off the main hall but have not found any trace of Emperor Qianshun."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "There is a secret passage under the dragon throne in the palace, which leads outside the city. Emperor Qianshun has already fled Dadu."
"what?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde said, "I will immediately go and report to Commander Zhang, and send men to pursue them."
Chen Jie waved his hand and said, "No need, just let him leave. He should have already met up with Phagpa and headed to Mount Mulan."
Fu Youde was taken aback: "You know about the Prince of Han?"
Chen Jie said, "Alright, take me inside the Great Qian Imperial Palace. Last time I came to Dadu, I didn't have the chance to see where the emperor lived."
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde and the others immediately agreed. At this moment, Chen Xiaohu led the horse and brought Chen Jie into the palace. Chen Xiaohu then said, "Brother Jiu Si, there are some things I don't understand."
Chen Jie said, "If you don't understand, just ask. What can't we, brothers, talk about?"
Chen Xiaohu said, "Wasn't your battle with Phagpa too childish? You only exchanged one palm strike and he left. It looked like children fighting."
Hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Chen Xiaohu and said, "Then what do you want to see? Do you want to see the world collapse and rivers of blood flow?"
Chen Jie said with a grin. Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu said, "Then you guys should fight for a while longer. Although two mountains collapsed, I always felt that you didn't use your full strength."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie smiled and said, "Go all out? We have already become one with the Heavenly Dao, how can we go all out? If we go all out, we will probably all perish. Phagpa is a monk, and I am the emperor. How can I not consider the people of the world?"
"Actually, the outcome of our battle was decided by that one palm strike. That palm strike may seem insignificant, but there are actually some intricacies involved. That palm strike was actually a contest of understanding the universe."
"I told you before, our individual strength is actually at the fifth level of the Fusion God realm, and the difference between us is the difference in our understanding of the world."
"I won with that palm strike because I represented the power of the entire nation, while he only represented the power of Buddhism. The power of Buddhism is ultimately no match for the power of the entire nation."
"So I won, but killing him is absolutely impossible. The best outcome would be for him to die and for me to be seriously injured, but I felt it wasn't worth it. He probably felt it wasn't a good idea either, so we reached an agreement: he would go into seclusion and I would unify the world."
Chen's explanation was very simple, and Chen Xiaohu replied, "That's it?"
"What else do you want?"
Chen Jie looked at Chen Xiaohu and said, "Do we really have to kill until rivers of blood flow? Why bother?"
Chen Xiaohu pondered for a moment and said, "But you and Zhu Chongba are still friends, so why are you fighting to the death?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde paused for a moment. Chen Jie said, "You all know that two tigers cannot share one mountain. Zhu Chongba and I have the same goal: to become the king of the world. He is not someone who is willing to submit to others, and I can never bow down to him."
"Therefore, the conflict between us is irreconcilable, and it is a matter of life and death."
“But Phagpa is different. He doesn’t want to be the king of the world. He is not Emperor Qianshun. His ideal is to be a reclusive master. He has been doing these things all these years to maintain the court of the Great Qian Dynasty in order to repay a debt of gratitude.”
"As you and I both know, he used to be a slave on the grasslands. It was Emperor Qianlong who discovered him and gave him the opportunity to study Buddhism. He has been repaying this kindness for a hundred years."
"He has protected the Great Qian Dynasty countless times over the past century, and we have almost repaid his debt of gratitude. The last debt of gratitude he owed was the palm strike I gave him on the earthen hill. That palm strike was a test, but also an explanation."
"The test was because after that palm strike, we knew each other's strength and that he couldn't beat me. If we fought head-on, the final result would likely be his death and my serious injury, which would be bad for both of us. So he didn't need to go that far."
"The explanation is to show that he has repaid the kindness of the founding emperor. If he hadn't struck out with this slap, the kindness would not have been repaid; but by striking out with this slap, the kindness would have been repaid."
“He has now returned to his true self, and he is free to be a monk.” Chen explained, then added, “It’s not the core issue; I’m still very willing to make friends with people.”
As Chen explained, he followed Chen Xiaohu and the others into the palace and saw the main hall where the emperor held court and conducted state affairs, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
At this moment, Chen Jie dismounted and walked step by step toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Soon he arrived at the Great Court Hall, where he saw that the former splendor was gone and various ceremonial items were scattered on the ground.
At this moment, Chen Jie stepped past these ceremonial items and walked step by step to the highest point.
Arriving at the dragon throne, Chen Jie looked at it, touched the golden dragon head, and then plopped down on the chair.
It's not very comfortable; it's a bit uncomfortable on my butt.
But sitting here looking down, I really do have a feeling of looking down on all living beings. Finally, step by step, I have come to this position today.
Chen Xiaohu and Fu Youde stood below watching Chen Jie. Chen Xiaohu then spoke up, "Old Fu, don't you think the Prince of Han looks like an emperor today?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde glanced at Chen Xiaohu and then said, "It's not just that he looks like him, isn't he the emperor?"
Chen Xiaohu was taken aback, then quickly added, "Look at me, I still can't wrap my head around it. Yes, after today, won't this world belong to Brother Jiu Si?"
Fu Youde continued, "General Tiger, the capital has been captured, and the world is about to be pacified. Shouldn't we persuade His Majesty to take another step forward?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu nodded and said, "Yes, let's stabilize Dadu first. Shi Gengming sent a message this morning that Hebei and Shandong were pacified almost instantly with just a proclamation. These places have been taken without bloodshed, and the restoration of the Han dynasty's thirteen routes of territory has been completely completed."
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde asked, "Do you think the King of Han would satisfy these demands?"
Chen Xiaohu chuckled and said, "Of course not. Otherwise, why would the King of Han compile a world map? All the lands illuminated by the sun and moon are our Han territory."
At this moment, Chen Jie spoke up: "Chen Xiaohu."
"Your subordinate is here."
Chen Jie said, “Pass on my order to post notices to reassure the people. Today the world is at peace and the capital is liberated. I hereby make a three-point agreement with the people: all soldiers and civilians in the capital will be subject to death for murder, punishment for injury, and punishment for theft.”
"In addition, three major disciplines were promulgated for the army: all actions must be obeyed, not a needle or thread must be taken from the masses, and all spoils of war must be turned over to the public."
"In addition, eight points of attention were emphasized: speak politely, conduct fair trade, return borrowed items, compensate for damaged items, do not hit or curse people, do not damage crops or property, do not harass women, and do not mistreat prisoners."
"This world will soon be ours, and we must cherish it, do you understand?"
Chen Jie looked at Chen Xiaohu and said, and Chen Xiaohu immediately replied, "Yes, I will arrange it right away. We should cherish the property of our own people."
Chen Xiaohu immediately agreed, and then Chen Jie said to Fu Youde, "Fu Youde, you are in charge of managing the 100,000 prisoners outside the city. Keep an eye on them."
Fu Youde clasped his hands in a fist salute.
At this moment, Chen Jie said, "By the way, bring Zhang Dingbian, Xu Da, and the others here."
Upon hearing this, the two immediately agreed, and then Chen Jie said, "By the way, have Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da come here."
"promise!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu and Fu Youde responded and then went out. Soon after, Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da came in and saw Chen Jie sitting on the dragon throne.
Both of them seemed somewhat dazed.
Chen Jie looked at the two of them and said, "What, don't you recognize me?"
The two men immediately came to their senses, cupped their hands, and said, "Greetings, Prince of Han."
Chen Jie said, "No need to be so polite. How is the security in the city?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian said, "Reporting to the Prince of Han, all the nobles in the city have been basically brought under control. There are still some who tried to escape in the chaos, but we should be able to capture them all by tomorrow morning. By the way, Your Highness, we found Old Hama in the prison. He was crying and begging to see Your Highness, saying that he was imprisoned for offending Emperor Qianshun because of us, and that he has rendered meritorious service to the Han Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie chuckled and said, "Let's find an opportunity to deal with it. That old bastard has done a lot of bad things, and it's time for him to pay the price for what he's done."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ding clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."
Chen Jie said, "Yes, maintaining stability is still the priority in the city right now. I've already had Xiao Hu distribute my policies, and we'll need you all to work hard next."
"We will dedicate ourselves to this cause."
Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da clasped their fists in greeting at the same time, and Chen Jie nodded. At this moment, Zhang Dingbian looked at Chen Jie and said, "Your Highness, now that the Great Qian Dynasty has been destroyed, shouldn't we establish a new country?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Da immediately clasped his hands and said, "Please, Prince of Han, ascend the throne."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the two men, their faces filled with excitement. Establishing a state, being enfeoffed as marquises and prime ministers, restoring the Han dynasty—what an allure! Who wouldn't be tempted by such things? Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da were just ordinary people; how could they not be excited?
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da and said, "Building the country isn't urgent. Right now, I need you to do a few things."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The two clasped their fists together, and Chen Jie said, "Zhang Dingbian, I appoint you as the General of the Western Route. You will travel from Dadu to the Mulan Grassland to clear out the enemy there as far as possible. I will give you one year. After one year, however much territory you conquer, we will build a country that is as big as that."
"Xu Da, I hereby appoint you as General of the Eastern Route. You shall leave Dadu and march northeast to conquer the Liaodong region beyond the Great Wall. All of this shall be incorporated into my Han Dynasty."
"Is it possible to complete it within the same year?"
"can."
Xu Da clasped his hands in a fist salute and then said to Chen Jie, "Your Majesty, rest assured, everything will be completed within a year."
"Okay! Let's get to work."
Chen Jie waved his hand! (End of Chapter)