On March 3, 627 in the Chinese calendar, the 800,000-strong army finally arrived at the Hetao after a long march. Haotian did not go to the capital Yanzhou, but directly led his army to the Holy Capital of Niantian. Chu Xiangcheng returned to the side.
By the time they arrived, the senior officials of Hetao were already waiting here. So Haotian led the troops and civilians of Hetao to burn three pillars of incense in front of the millions of people who died in the battle of Tianyi and Dingzhou, telling them that their great revenge would be avenged.
At this moment, a piece of bad news hit Haotian like a thunderbolt. Under the gaze of thousands of soldiers, Haotian staggered suddenly. Fortunately, Luo Xiang beside him had quick eyesight and quick hands to hold him up.
"What happened?" Zhang Yuewan asked in a low voice with a solemn face.
Xue Qingcheng and others shook their heads at the same time. They were all confused. The Shenzhou rebellion was in full swing. Li Tieming and others gathered hundreds of thousands of troops in an attempt to cross the river with the Hetao army. After hearing this, Haotian just smiled disdainfully. What happened?
What news made Haotian so upset?
Xin Jiao frowned and whispered: "Li Xiao and Guanying committed suicide."
"What?" The girls were all shocked. Li Xiao and Guanying were Haotian's old subordinates. They were old brothers who came out of Qingyun together. Haotian raised troops in Dingzhou. Both of them made great contributions at that time and were called
Haotian has been entrusted with an important task. Among the second-level generals in Hetao, Li Xiao is the well-deserved number one. In terms of seniority, apart from Feng Jing and others, Li Xiao is the most important person in the military. Guanying is the soul-eating commander.
, in charge of the entire underground world of China. Why did the two of them commit suicide?
"Are you sure it was suicide?" Qiu Mu asked with a frown.
Xin Jiao nodded: "I'm sure, the two committed suicide at the same time. Whisper, my husband is in a very bad mood."
The originally grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven ended in a hurry because of this incident. With a gloomy face, Haotian and his subordinates hurried to the tent where Li Xiao committed suicide. Looking at Li Xiao and Guanying lying calmly on the ground,
Haotian took a long breath and slowly covered them with white cloth.
Standing up, Haotian performed a standard military salute to the remains of the two men. Luo Xiang, Feng Jing and others remained silent and also saluted at the same time. For a moment, there was silence in the tent.
"You two, why are you doing this? It's obviously not your responsibility, so why do you insist on carrying it on your shoulders?" Haotian shook his head.
Everyone was silent, and Luo Xiang sighed softly: "My lord, maybe they are just like the Kipchak Khan. They are both tough men, and there are things in their hearts that they cannot avoid. There are some things that they have to face after all.
right."
Everyone understood what was going on. In the battle of Dingzhou, Li Xiao led a lone army to fight out of Dingzhou City in order to protect Haotian's two sons. Of the tens of thousands of soldiers, only Xin Jiao, Fu Ruoshui, and Li were left.
Xiao Xiao and Jiao Zhongxin protected the Hao Jin brothers and escaped smoothly. If Li Xiao hadn't fought to the death, the Hao Jin brothers would have perished. However, Li Xiao has been secretly feeling guilty for his escape from the battle over the years.
The same goes for Guanying. Lu Bumi was his soul-devouring subordinate and failed to dig out this big spy in time, which ultimately led to the Battle of Dingzhou. Countless people died in the war, including Tianyi, and almost all high-level officials in Hetao
Family members all died in the battle. Although his comrades did not blame Guan Ying, Guan Ying still could not escape the guilt of his conscience.
Over the years, perhaps the biggest spiritual belief that has sustained the two of them is revenge. Now that the great revenge has been avenged, the two of them have fulfilled their wish, and naturally they have to face the responsibility that they should have shouldered two years ago.
"Come, give me a grand burial! Let's bury them here in the Holy Capital of Niantian. This is the place where they were born, and they can also be considered home." Haotian took a deep breath, barely suppressed his tears and said: "The two of them
, do you have any relatives?"
"No. Qingyun was massacred, and their families were all killed in the war." Luo Xiang said.
Haotian actually knew it, but there was still a trace of luck in his heart. Like Li Xiao and Guanying, how could the other Hetao soldiers be the same? Hetao conquered the world and achieved great achievements in the history of China, but behind these great achievements,
But millions of soldiers died on the battlefield. Looking at the two white bodies, Haotian couldn't help but think of those familiar faces: Zhan Shutang, Wang Xian, Yin Zhongzhi, Wei Huangchao, Du Yue, Lu Zhen,
Xu Tou, Ke Biwu...
"Sir, give me an order. Notify Li Tieming and others to put down their weapons and surrender immediately. I, Haotian, promise to give them fair treatment. Give them three days. After three days, if they are still stubbornly resisting, then don't
Blame me, Haotian, for being ruthless!”
Luo Xiang and others frowned at the same time, but they all knew that Haotian was in a bad mood now, so they bowed and said yes, and slowly exited the tent.
Soon, only Haotian and Xin Jiao were left in the tent.
"Husband, if you are sad, just tell me, I am listening." Xin Jiao and Haotian sat cross-legged on the ground together and whispered.
Haotian quickly pulled a soft cushion for Xin Jiao. Spring has just begun, and the temperature in Hetao is still very low. If it were in the past, Haotian would not care, but Xin Jiao's body has lost all his internal strength, and he is no different from an ordinary person.
Therefore, Haotian is also very concerned about her body.
"You are different now. You should pay attention to your health."
Xin Jiao's face turned red and he lowered his head and said, "You know?"
"You are my wife, how could I not know? Haha, isn't this a good thing?" Haotian said with a smile, but he did not get entangled in this matter, but held her hand and said: "Jiao
, in fact, I really don’t like fighting, and I don’t want to kill people, but in my position, I have to do a lot of things I don’t like. Haha, I originally thought my heart was numb, but looking at the two of them
I still couldn’t help but shed tears.”
"Humans are not grass and trees, how can they be ruthless?" Xin Jiao sighed: "Everyone has his own inner persistence, and they can be regarded as benevolent and benevolent. Husband, the most important thing right now is the rebellion south of the river. Put down the rebellion as soon as possible, and the people
We can also return to a stable life as soon as possible. Compared with the peaceful life of the people all over the world, this is just a small thing."
Haotian nodded: "I know, but I still can't help but feel sad. Jiao, tell me whether Li Tieming and the others will accept my order. If they don't, I'm afraid there will be another round of bloodshed."
Haotian's edict was sent to the Holy Capital of Tiandu. Li Tieming and other key rebels were all summoned to the palace by Emperor Zhongxing. Everyone fell into deep thought as they looked at the extremely rude edict drafted by Luo Xiang himself.
"I asked you all to come here today because I want to understand your attitude." Emperor Zhongxing said in a deep voice.
Looking at the cowering people, Li Tieming said angrily: "Everyone, do we still have a way out? The fair treatment that Haotian Xiao'er said is to maintain the current status unchanged? Starting from the day when troops were sent to attack Tiandu Shengjing
, we have no way out. Moreover, even if Haotian is willing to let us go, do you think Luo Xiang and Chu Xiangcheng will let us go?"
Everyone suddenly realized that Haotian is a man, but Luo Xiang and Chu Xiangcheng are definitely scum with extremely bad character. They will never allow themselves and others to continue to live in the world. They are Haotian's elders.
Even if he kills himself and others, Haotian will definitely not cause trouble for them.
"Haotian's expedition to Sashan and the Western Continent, although he returned victorious, the losses must be considerable. After all, neither Sashan nor Obsburg are fuel-efficient lamps. Otherwise, with Haotian's usual toughness, he would never
Such an edict will be issued." Li Tieming analyzed.
Zhu Zhao and others were convinced that Haotian and the Hetao Army were acting domineeringly, and the orders they issued were always domineering and high-spirited. Basically, it was either fight or surrender. How could it be like now, when a decision was made within a limited time of a few days.
"How about expanding the army and preparing for war?" Han Cheng whispered from the side.
"If we can still expand the army, do we still need to sit here?" An Yongchang glared at him. Years of war have put the Shenzhou Dynasty, which was originally quite abundant in population and resources, into a dilemma of tight soldiers.
Chu Xiangcheng's original retreat was completely premeditated. When An Yongchang and others took over the power of Tiandu Shengjing and the local government, they sadly discovered that there was not even one tael of gold and silver in the warehouse, and the entire population
All the information was quietly transferred by Hetao. What they got was just an empty shell. Not only could they not obtain any supplies, they also had to bear all the expenses of the people under their rule.
After the Hetao gained control of the world, a lot of infrastructure construction was carried out. After years of war, especially in the areas south of the river, the original economic system was basically destroyed and countless people were displaced. In order to solve this problem, the Hetao implemented large-scale
The work-for-relief method. Therefore, roads were re-paved between various state capitals, and river dams were built as soon as possible during the dry season in winter. The projects were carried out vigorously, and the people had something to do. Not only did they have food to eat, but they also
You can still get a decent salary, which is natural for people's minds.
Since the Hetao army obtained a large amount of gold and silver during the Unification War, especially after the clan destroyed Jinhua Mitsukoshi and the Eastern Japanese Dynasty, the Hetao treasury was full. Haotian planned to hide wealth from the people, so he lowered taxes and reduced taxes.
Various measures such as establishing business travel checkpoints and increasing government labor wages are aimed at making society prosperous in the shortest possible time. Therefore, when migrant workers were called in to build roads and dams, their remuneration was actually twice as much as normal.
As soon as Emperor Zhongxing and others took over the power of the country, they suddenly discovered that they had to face such a huge mess. According to statistics from Guanxiang, the salary they paid for these labors every month was as high as 20,000 taels of gold, equivalent to three dollars of silver.
One hundred thousand taels.
The treasury cannot be counted on. As for taxes, in addition to commercial taxes, Hetao implements the Spring and Autumn Tax Law. Chu Xiangcheng has already collected the taxes to the treasury. It is not an easy task to maintain the expenditure of such a large country. An
Yongchang has been so worried these days that his eyebrows and beards have turned a lot gray. In the end, he had to use the cold winter to temporarily stop the construction of road projects and set up more checkpoints to increase national revenue.
But as a result, the ordinary people are not happy. There is no food growing in the fields in winter, which is a typical slack period. According to China's practice, this is the time when the country recruits laborers for work. Especially once these projects are stopped,
They would have nothing to eat, so the people naturally refused to agree.
And the merchants are also complaining. After Hetao unified China, all kinds of previous exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes were abolished, and countless checkpoints were removed. From Danzhou in Huai River to Tiandu Shengjing, only one tax was paid. But now, in order to maximize the
To raise funds, there are at least ten checkpoints in this section of the journey alone, so that the price of goods from Huai River to Tiandu Shengjing has doubled several times.
An Yongchang initially planned to blackmail those wealthy families and ask them to donate some military salary. However, he sadly discovered that all the wealthy families who were close to the Hetao had retreated to the north of the river.
They were all supporters of the restoration of Emperor Zhongxing. It was okay to donate part of their military pay, but if they wanted to extort money, there was no way. So now An Yongchang felt so sad that he wanted to cry as soon as he held the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue.
However, what depresses them the most is the yearning of ordinary people for the rule of Hetao. Li Tieming originally thought that his family had been entrenched in Qinchuan for three hundred years. As long as he climbed up and shouted, the people would respond and eat pots of pulp.
, followed him to expel the Hetao. However, he had raised the flag of righteousness for a long time. Except for the former best friends of the Li family, few ordinary people came to apply. Even those idle local ruffians shook their heads when they heard that they were fighting against the Hetao.
.
"Why are we at war with Emperor Haotian? When Emperor Haotian was governing Qinchuan Road, we had things to do, food to eat, and low taxes, and local officials were polite to others. Although we are rogues, rogues also have professional ethics.
ah."
As for ordinary people, it is even simpler: "We will follow whoever can keep us fed and will not be crushed to death by the powerful like ants. Of course, those barbarians are not among them."
Privately, the people were talking one after another: "It's not a joke to start a war with Emperor Haotian, right? If they could defeat the Hetao army, why would they surrender in the first place?"
Li Tieming was so angry that he immediately ordered Li Tiezhan to force soldiers to join the army. As a result, the soldiers came, but these recruits were listless all day and became energetic at night - all ready to escape under the cover of night. Li Tiezhan had no choice but to order the execution.
The continuous sitting method temporarily stopped the desertion phenomenon.
With the Li family's strong foundation in Qinchuan, it is impossible to recruit soldiers, let alone other places? Therefore, recruiting soldiers is absolutely impossible.
An Yongchang looked at everyone and sighed helplessly; "Now, there is only the last path to choose."
"Guanying, he died at the right time!" Li Tieming suddenly laughed and said.