Chen Qing's army did not chase the defeated Jurchen troops. He arrived at Datong City the next morning, and Tang Qian personally went out of the city to welcome King Yong and his army.
"Your Majesty, please see me for your humble position!"
"Thank you for your hard work, General Tang. How many casualties did your brothers have?"
"Nine people were killed and 33 wounded, all casualties during the attack on the military camp. We also killed more than 700 Khitan soldiers."
After hesitating, Tang Qian continued: "Beizhi did not use Iron Rhinoceros, but used Iron Dog Fire Thunder to attack the smaller auxiliary gate. Iron Dogs are enough. Beizhi is very worried that Iron Rhinoceros will blow down the city wall."
Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "You are the commander of the siege. It is up to you to decide how to attack the city. I only look at the results."
"I understand my humble position, thank you for your trust, Your Highness!"
"How is the situation in the city?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.
"Reporting to Your Highness, I humbly ordered the entire city to be under martial law. The ban has not been lifted yet, and the city is very quiet!"
Chen Qing nodded and ordered the entire army to enter the city to rest. The 70,000-strong army marched into Datong City in a mighty manner.
The capture of Datong City was of great significance to Chen Qing. First, the safety of Hedong Road was guaranteed, and the sword originally hanging above his head was gone. Secondly, it made the Western Army's control of the northern area more complete, and the eastern threats of Lingzhou and Fengzhou were eliminated.
has also disappeared, which is of great significance to ensuring the security of the entire northern Sichuan and Shaanxi.
The city of Datong is very quiet. There is not a single pedestrian on the street. The various buildings still look different from those in the mainland. There are flat roofs, bevels, and various styles. There are even several domes built in other people's yards. This is quite surprising.
It's very simple, all kinds of building materials are saved.
Chen Qing then came to the auxiliary gate of the West City, which was the city gate that was blown up by the iron fire thunder. Chen Qing was very interested in this. This can be said to be the first time that the iron fire thunder was used to explode a city gate in actual combat.
The city gate was previously blocked by the Song Army with huge stones. Now it is being moved away. The last huge stone has been removed, revealing the broken city gate. To be precise, 70% of the city gate has been blown up, including the entire left half of the city gate and the right side.
Only half of the city gate was broken, and only the broken half of the city gate was still hanging on the city cave.
Chen Qing picked up a fragment of the city gate and took a closer look. He could see that the city gate was very worn. Although it was very thick, the wood was obviously loose and rotten. No wonder an iron dog could blow it to pieces.
Of course, city gates in various places have basically experienced decades of wind and rain, and are almost all equally decayed, which means that it is enough to explode the city gates with iron dog fire thunder.
"Your Highness!" Zhang Xiao walked quickly with a Sogdian next to him, followed by a tall Han man, who was none other than Yu Shouzhong, the leader of the intelligence spies of the Song Army, and the shop owner Commodus who provided them with protection.
"Dongzhu Kang, we meet again!"
Chen Qing met Commodus in Jingzhao. He was a very good Sogdian businessman. He came to Datong Prefecture to open a store in order to investigate the intelligence of the Song army.
Commodore bowed and saluted, "Allah bless your highness!"
Yu Shouzhong also knelt down on one knee and saluted, "I see you for your humble duty, Your Highness!"
Chen Qing nodded, "Thank you for your hard work. Your intelligence was very timely and allowed me to change my plan and successfully attack Datong City."
"I feel ashamed of my humble position and haven't done much."
Chen Qing added: "After this is over, you can take more of your subordinates and go directly to Luoyang. You don't have to go back to Jingzhao. Luoyang is short of manpower. You will serve as the deputy manager of the Henan Prefecture Intelligence Station. It is best to leave tomorrow."
"I despise my duty and obey orders, I despise my duty and resign!"
Yu Shouzhong wanted to go back to prepare and apply for a dozen scouts from Tang Qian. Time was tight, so he took leave first.
Chen Qing smiled at Commodity again and said: "I heard that the people here in Datong Mansion are very tough. They will use knives if they disagree with each other. They are very powerful. Is that true?"
Commodore shook his head like a rattle, "No! This statement is absolutely false. Although there are many ethnic groups here, they really live in harmony. I have been in Datong City for more than half a year and I have not seen a single fight. Even the Jurchens said,
The people of Datong are very obedient."
Zhang Xiao next to him said with a smile: "I had a few words with Dongzhu Kang just now. He said that Datong Mansion is not as complex and difficult to govern as we feared. In fact, Datong City has a very strong business atmosphere and has been peaceful and peaceful for decades.
The residents in the city value harmony and get along harmoniously. As long as we continue to position it as a commercial city and carry out trade with the grassland, it will continue to remain stable."
Chen Qing smiled slightly at Commodus and said, "Thank you, Dongzhu Kang, for your suggestion!"
Commodus said quickly: "Actually, I have another suggestion!"
"Dongzhu Kang, please speak!"
"It's about the Mongol shops. Tens of thousands of Mongol and Klei merchants were driven away, and their wealth was robbed by the Jurchen army. But in fact, these properties are still in the city and they haven't had time to transport them away. Can you kindly ask me?
His Highness asked them to come back and give them some of their belongings."
Chen Qing thought for a while and smiled: "I can return the shop and goods to them, but they will go back to the grassland!"
"They did not return to the grassland. They all lived temporarily in Xuande County in the northwest."
"Okay, Dongzhu Kang, find someone to inform them! I will allow them to come back."
"Thank you so much, Your Highness!"
Chen Qing asked again: "Are there many Jurchens in the city?"
Commodore shook his head, "There are almost no Jurchen people. There are only a few Jurchen merchants who sell medicinal materials. They have all gone back to Liaodong to collect the goods. The medicinal materials in Liaodong are mainly collected in winter."
"What about the Han people?"
"There are many Han people, but the largest number are Khitans. About half of them are Khitans. They are generally gentle and have lived here for generations. After the Liao Kingdom was destroyed, they became obedient people of the Jin Kingdom. Now I am afraid they will become His Highness's sons again.
People."
Chen Qing is not against ordinary people of this foreign race. What he is against is the nobility. Ordinary people just want to live peacefully and do not care who rules. But the nobility will have ambitions. However, the Khitan people are not a big problem. The Khitan aristocrats
They were basically killed by the Jurchens.
"Are there any officials in the city who are more suitable and have a good reputation?"
Commodus hesitated and said, "I do know a very good official. He is a member of the army from Cangcao of Datong Prefecture. His name is Yelv Qiyan. He is a very kind man. Unfortunately, he is a Khitan."
"It doesn't matter if you are a Khitan person. What matters is your character. Make sure you can be trusted by me."
"Your Highness, this Yelvqi is good-looking and trustworthy!"
Tang Qian, who had been silent next to him, said: "He is in charge of the warehouse supplies. The warehouse is in good order and has been sealed with seals. It is well protected and has not been attacked by the defeated army."
Chen Qing has been fighting in the north and south for so many years. Chen Qing is well aware of the importance of local snakes. To quickly stabilize a county or even a state, he must rely on local snakes. As for some local snakes that harm the people and dominate one area, they can be dealt with slowly later.
"Bring this Yeluqiyan to the big tent to see me, and I will ask him personally."
Yelv Qiyan never dreamed that he would be received by King Yong, which made him surprised, happy and uneasy. What made him especially speechless was that Yu Shouzhong, whom he had gone to the county government to vouch for, was really a Song army scout.
He was also working for the Song Army. No wonder Wanyan and Lisa couldn't find the Song Army spies. Who would have thought that the Song Army spies were actually Sogdians.
Yelu Qiyan came to the military camp outside the city and was taken to a certain tent by the soldiers. "Please wait a moment, we will report to His Highness!"
In the big tent, Chen Qing is arranging the transportation of supplies with Zhang Xiao. Datong City is indeed a strategic town. There is an astonishing amount of food and grass supplies. There are 370,000 shi of food alone, 600,000 dans of fodder, and various numbers of soldiers.
Thousands of sets, as well as millions of catties of pig iron and copper ingots, two hundred thousand catties of coarse silver, thirty thousand taels of gold, and hundreds of thousands of cloth and sheepskins.
Chen Qing was really surprised. This was something they had never thought of before they sent out troops. Chen Qing immediately realized that there might be a mine nearby.
Zhang Xiao said with a smile: "I think the food and grass should be left in Datong Mansion, and other supplies can be transported back to Jingzhao. As for the method, I suggest taking the Yellow River waterway."
Chen Qing nodded, "The Yellow River waterway is good, I have also thought of this, but it may not be until the beginning of next spring."
"There's no rush, we can transport it slowly!"
At this time, the soldiers reported at the tent door, "Your Highness, Yelv Qiyan is here."
"Invite him in!"
Not long after, the soldiers brought a middle-aged man in, knelt down and saluted, "Young man Yelu Qian pays homage to His Highness King Yong!"
Chen Qing saw that he was about forty years old, with dark and rough skin, a square face, a lion nose, and copper bell eyes. His appearance was very rough, but he did things very well. Even Zhang Xiao praised him.
He does things in an orderly manner, which shows that this person is rough in appearance but delicate in heart.
Chen Qing saw that his vision was very upright, so he couldn't help but nodded secretly, and said with a smile: "Yelu, please join the army!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yelv Qiyan stood up.
Chen Qing motioned for him to sit down again, and then asked: "I saw thick iron, copper ingots, and rough silver in the warehouse. Is there a mine nearby?"
=====
[Lao Gao may have a bit of heatstroke and wants to take a rest. There are only two updates today, please forgive me! 】