Because Xiao Cheng had already thought of touring Jiangzhou County a few months ago. When the news reached Jiangzhou City, the civil and military officials naturally did not dare to neglect and started making preparations to pick him up early.
After careful selection and weighing the pros and cons, the Jiangxia Mountain in front of you was chosen as Xiao Cheng's temporary place!
When Xiao Cheng came here, his interest couldn't help but get up. He immediately put aside his jade chariot and climbed up the stairs accompanied by a group of civil and military courtiers.
Walking on the mountain trails, you are surrounded by beautiful rocks and greenery, and the scenery is particularly pleasant. On both sides of the mountain roads, you can even see poems left by former literati from time to time.
Xiao Cheng looked at the surrounding scenery with interest, smiled at the ministers around him and said:
"This is a temporary place, and the place I chose is really good! It's in Jiangzhou City, but far away from the residential areas, so it won't disturb the people. I also like the scenery here very much!"
Cheng Bushi on the side heard the words, and his serious face couldn't help but smile, and continued:
"Your Majesty, your Majesty! This Jiangxia Mountain is long and winding, shaped like a snake, with its head facing the river and its tail inserted into the bustling city. If the army guards here and is condescending, Jiangzhou City will be under control. It is indeed a battleground for military strategists!
Your Majesty is here, and it is convenient for the army to protect you."
Xiao Cheng listened to what Cheng Bu didn't know and couldn't help but turn his head to look at him. He sighed helplessly and said:
"When you talk about the beautiful scenery in the mountains, I feel murderous. Why, you led the troops from Xiangzhou County and fought all the way to Jiangzhou County. Haven't you fought enough?"
Cheng Bushi heard the words and immediately didn't know how to reply.
Wu Zixu on the side quickly took over the topic and said:
"Your Majesty, speaking of Jiangxia Mountain, there are more than 20 pavilions and pavilions such as Baiyun Tower, Liuyun Pavilion, and Yilan Pavilion. You can overlook the Yangtze River and Jiangzhou City. They are all good places to visit... and this
Over the past few months, the Jiangzhou City government has organized manpower and hired Mohist disciples to build a row on the mountain for Your Majesty and all the officials to live in!"
When Xiao Cheng heard this, his brows moved slightly and he couldn't help but shake his head and said:
"You're still spending money? You shouldn't spend so extravagantly. It's really not possible. If the government office in the city is vacated, wouldn't it be possible to live in it?"
Xiao Cheng's tour was to win people's hearts, and the cost was not small. Along the way to Jiangzhou County, the total cost of the trip to Jiangzhou County was nearly two million taels of silver.
This goes without saying in Jiangzhou City. The hearts of the people in the city are on the Xia Kingdom side. If you want to appease the people, Xiao Cheng must spend this money less!
Speaking of which, if Gongsun Ying hadn't triggered the effect of the training card and let Xiao Cheng collect a million taels from the wealthy merchants of Qianyang Mansion, the palace treasury would have been empty by now...
So at this time, when he heard that Jiangzhou City Government spent a lot of money on this temporary hotel, Xiao Cheng suddenly became a little unhappy.
After hearing what Xiao Cheng said, Wu Zixu quickly explained:
"This Jiangxia Mountain originally had complete facilities. It was just a temporary recruitment and a short rest. In fact, it didn't cost much..."
Speaking of this, Wu Zixu said helplessly:
"Moreover, in Jiangzhou City, every spring and summer, there will be waterlogging due to heavy rains or rising water upstream. It would be a helpless move for His Majesty to set up his palace on Jiangxia Mountain!"
Due to the terrain, weather and other reasons, Jiangzhou City often suffers from waterlogging. It may not be a serious disaster, but it will always have an impact on life in the city.
The civil and military officials of Jiangzhou City really had no other choice, so they tried their best to find this place with extremely high terrain, beautiful scenery, and a place in Jiangzhou City that was convenient for the army to guard!
Hearing this, Xiao Cheng subconsciously raised his head and looked towards Jiangzhou City down the mountain.
In the distance, the mighty Yangtze River roars past, and the water is turbulent. There are lakes and lakes all over the city, and there are many water veins. With such a terrain, if there is another heavy rain, it would be strange if there is no waterlogging!
When Xiao Cheng thought of this, he could only nod slightly and continued:
"I didn't know the details, so I wrongly blamed you!"
When the ministers heard this, they didn't even dare to speak.
Everyone walked along the mountain road to the halfway point of the mountain, where they were temporarily staying.
It is said to be a temporary palace, but after all, it was built in Jiangzhou City several months in advance. It occupies a large area and has all the palaces and pavilions. It can be called a palace!
Xiao Cheng looked at it, glanced at Wu Zixu who was standing aside, and raised his brows slightly.
This is what you said, it doesn’t cost much?
When Wu Zixu saw this, he just chuckled twice and did not speak.
Just because the terrain of Jiangzhou City is not good, the local officials in Jiangzhou City neither dare to let Xiao suffer from waterlogging in the city, nor do they dare to let Xiao Cheng live outside Jiangzhou City.
This can be considered to have a reason, and the local officials must have been embarrassed by this. Xiao Cheng didn't want to embarrass them too much, so he didn't continue to blame, and just regarded the matter as a matter of course...
Feng Bao was asked to arrange for the entourage to stay temporarily, while Xiao Cheng led a group of important civil and military officials to find a palace and began to discuss national affairs.
Xiao Cheng sat at the top, looked around at the important civil and military officials present, and said in a deep voice:
"In these days, are there any changes in the Xia army in Yuzhang County, Xunyang County, Nanyang County, and Rong County?"
Nanyang County belongs to Yudi, north of Jiangzhou County.
The remaining three places belong to the nine counties in the south of the Yangtze River. Xunyang County is to the east of Jiangzhou County. Yuzhang County borders Jiangzhou County and Shaoyang County respectively. And Rong County is to the north of Shaoyang County, close to the sea.
Nowadays, these four counties are the front lines between Yun and Xia. The Xia army that had previously withdrawn from the southwest defense line was scattered among the four counties. The Xia Kingdom even dispatched many soldiers and horses to station here to resist the Yun Kingdom's attack.
, and wait for the opportunity in order to regain the lost land of seven counties!
Upon hearing Xiao Cheng's inquiry, Cheng Bushi immediately took a step forward and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, after the Battle of Jiangzhou County, Xia's southwest defense line collapsed. The many elite troops deployed here suffered countless injuries. The more than 100,000 troops and horses that were withdrawn were few of the elite. Now they are intensifying their training and no troops have been mobilized.
meaning."
At this time, Wu Zixu also opened his mouth to report:
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the urgent report from Beijing last year? There was a white disaster in the northern grasslands. The Turkic Governor Khan ordered all the Turkic tribes to raise troops and go south to plunder."
Hearing this, Xiao Cheng nodded immediately and said:
"I remember this! Yu Zhaoling also sent people here at that time to counteract his righteousness. He wanted to make an alliance with me and suspend the war, so that he could free up his hands to deal with the grassland tribes."
Having said this, Xiao Cheng couldn't help but chuckle and said:
"I had no intention of continuing to use troops, but I wanted to scare Yu Zhaoling, so I did not receive the envoys he sent."
Xiao Cheng knew that it was better to bite off more than he could chew, so he planned to spend some time digesting the results of the seven southwest counties.
However, in order to frighten Yu Zhaoling, Xiao Cheng deliberately pretended to be tough at the beginning. He even ignored the etiquette between the two countries and directly refused to meet the Xia envoy.
Wu Zixu heard this and continued to speak:
"Last year, the northern border of the Xia Kingdom was freezing and it was really difficult to use troops. The Xia army just fortified the walls and cleared the fields without fighting. The Turks reluctantly captured two small border towns and suffered many casualties before withdrawing their troops."
"And just yesterday, I received an urgent military report. Half a month ago, the ice and snow in the north melted, and winter passed. Emperor Xia immediately issued an order to mobilize all the elites in the north to attack the grassland..."
When Xiao Cheng learned about the military report that had just been delivered from Wu Zixu, he frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Is he so sure of me that he doesn't dare to take advantage of this moment to continue sending troops?"
Today's Xia Kingdom has lost all its elite troops in the southwest. Even though there are more than 200,000 troops in the four counties, most of them are untrained recruits and are not strong in combat. It can almost be said that the Xia Kingdom's airs are completely based on
The elite from the north are holding on.
And the power of the Turks is not weak! At this time, Emperor Xia had the courage to send out all the elites from the north to attack the Turks, and he was not afraid of the pressure of fighting on both sides. This directly confirmed that the Yun Kingdom would not continue to use troops.
ah!
Although it is true that Xiao Cheng has no intention of continuing to use troops, having his plans revealed makes Xiao Cheng a little unhappy.
Yang Dayan on the side couldn't help but muttered:
"Why should your majesty be troubled? If you didn't continue to use troops before, it was because your majesty wanted to take it easy. But Xia Guo took the initiative to present the opportunity to us, so why should we be polite to him..."
"Your Majesty, the last general has asked for orders to lead his army as the vanguard to capture the two counties of Xunyang and Yuzhang, and approach the capital of Xia Kingdom!" Yang Dayan stepped out of the line and shouted with cupped fists.
"This matter is not as simple as General Anton thought..."
Wu Zixu first retorted, and then quickly explained:
"After all, it involves Turks. Emperor Xia doesn't know His Majesty's original plan. He is betting on Your Majesty and does not dare to risk the disapproval of the world and take advantage of this opportunity to launch troops again!"
Yun and Xia proclaimed themselves emperors of each other, and they both adopted the Central Plains etiquette system in their country. It has been passed down for six hundred years, and it is the orthodoxy recognized by the people of the world. The dispute between the two countries is that brothers go over the wall, and the meat is rotten in the pot.
But once the Turkic tribes of the steppe are added to this, the nature is completely different.
As long as he dares to take action, the good reputation that Xiao Cheng has worked hard to build and accumulate since he ascended the throne will be destroyed in one day. The legitimacy of the Yun Kingdom will be greatly damaged!
Xiao Cheng sighed helplessly, shook his head, and said regretfully:
"It's a pity. I originally planned to use this condition to continue asking for some good things from Xia Guo..."
Having said this, Xiao Cheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his mind, his brows moved slightly, he changed the subject, and said with a smile:
"Perhaps, we can still use it!"
Hearing this, everyone looked confused. After subconsciously looking at each other, everyone immediately bowed to Xiao Cheng and said in unison:
"Your Majesty, please make it clear!"
"Inform the Xia Kingdom's court that I agree to put the war between the two countries on hold for now, but they need to send envoys to submit their credentials!"
Having said this, Xiao Cheng paused for a moment, then continued:
"In addition, those people in the martial arts world who were assassinated today must have remnants of their accomplices. Send an order to Dongchang, stick sticks, search Jiangzhou City, and arrest them with all their strength... Be careful, this time, I will survive!"
Want to live?
When the ministers heard what Xiao Cheng said, their eyes turned, and their faces showed a thoughtful look...
——
Northern border, Turkic territory.
After the ice and snow melted, the spring feeling that had been suppressed all winter could not wait to emerge from the soil. The vast grassland was now full of green.
This means that the surviving herders have passed the test of life and death caused by the grassland white disaster.
Although they lost a lot of cattle and sheep in the disaster, more or less relatives were lost in each tent...
But in the end, they still survived this disaster. According to the previous customs of the Turks, these herdsmen should go out of their tents at this time, cook sheep and slaughter cattle, sing and dance, celebrate the tribe's remnant life together, and welcome the spring together.
arrival.
But this year, with the arrival of spring, there is also the deafening sound of horse hooves.
At this moment, the Xia border troops, wearing black armor and with a murderous aura, entered the Turkic territory and came to the front of the Turkic tribe named "Utra Tribe".
The leading general of the Xia army slowly reined in the horse, with murderous intent in his eyes, pointed his spear diagonally forward, and yelled:
"Kill, leave no one behind!"
The officers and soldiers of the Xia army under his command immediately galloped towards him and charged towards him.
The cry of killing came, and the Xia army soldiers raised their sharp blades as bright as snow and rushed into the Utra tribe to kill them wantonly.
At this time, even though there were brave warriors from the Utra tribe who were not afraid of death, they grabbed their bows, arrows and scimitars, jumped on their horses, and bravely resisted the Xia army.
However, the Utla tribe, which had lost part of its youth due to plundering southward and was raided by the Xia army, looked extremely fragile at this time with a small number of resistance.
Blood is constantly flowing on the grass, dyeing the green red, bringing a chilling atmosphere to the vibrant spring day.
The shaman from the Utra tribe, with a wrinkled face and an old body, suddenly had muscles all over his body, and his body suddenly grew more than ten feet tall, struggling to resist the incoming Xia army soldiers.
In his mouth, he was still shouting in Turkic language:
"Don't stay to resist. All of you should flee north. Go to the royal court and tell the Khan that the Xia people are coming to kill you!"
The old shaman just shouted a few words and immediately attracted the attention of General Xia Jun.
The next moment, an arrow with a shimmering cold light penetrated directly through the priest's throat. The hurried shouting in Turkic language suddenly stopped. A group of Xia army soldiers rushed forward and stabbed him randomly.
Hack and kill.
As soon as the shaman died, the last resistance of the Utra tribe collapsed in an instant. The remaining tribe was young and strong, and no longer cared about the old and weak members of the tribe, they rode horses and fled northward crazily.
Behind them, following closely, were the Xia Army's elite light cavalry who were responsible for chasing down the fleeing enemies.
The leading general of the Xia army stopped his horse and stood on the ruins of the Utra tribe. He looked at the surrounding environment, nodded with satisfaction, and shouted loudly to the Xia army officers behind him:
"According to His Majesty's decree, we attacked the Turks in the north, expanded the territory for 500 miles, established Yunzhong County, built a city here, named it 'Beiyu County', and placed it under the jurisdiction of Yunzhong County!"
A group of Xia troops were in the north and had deep hatred against the Turks. At this time, they heard that the Xia Emperor ordered to attack the Turks in the north and built a city here. They suddenly looked excited and excited, and shouted in unison:
"I will obey His Majesty's will!"
The high morale soared to the sky. The military might shook the grassland.