On the tenth day of June, after completing all reorganization matters and dispersing all the captured civilian soldiers, Zhao Yanxun finally ordered the main force to march eastward.
The so-called "disbanding the civilians and defeating the troops" is actually an inaccurate statement.
Of the large number of people here, only tens of thousands chose to return home. Others were willing to stay in Hanoi County and wait for the autumn harvest before returning home.
And the people and soldiers who have returned home now are not completely useless to Zhao Yanxun, but will become his propagandists, letting more people know about his benevolence as King Yong.
In the past few days, the number of people under his actual control has been increasing.
However, after the first-level system was locked, the functions of the second-level system were also adjusted. One hundred thousand people must be added before he could upgrade his subordinates.
The 70,000 to 80,000-strong army marched eastward, stretching for more than ten miles, but did not encounter any resistance along the way.
The two cavalrymen of the imperial court had already withdrawn to the west of Jishui and did not dare to send troops to harass.
Obviously, the imperial court planned to shrink down and form a defense line like a copper wall to block all Yong's troops to the west of Jishui.
As the army marched, Zhao Yanxun led only 400 people from the front guard, walking back and forth among the army.
It is midsummer now, the weather is extremely hot, and the daily march is not very long.
It is almost two hundred miles from Donghefu to Jishui, and it takes almost four days for the army to march.
Of course it can be faster, but it will cause the army to become exhausted, which is unnecessary.
The eastern part of Hanoi County, including Gyeonggi County, is basically a plain. Although it is more suitable for growing food, it is not conducive to military defense.
After losing Zhenxi Pass, except for a few rivers, there was no danger to defend west of the capital.
The fertile fields are thousands of miles away, and the wind blows the wheat waves, but it is a beautiful scenery.
As he was walking on the official road, Zhao Yanxun glanced at the wheat field and said to Wang Shiwei, the governor of Hanoi on the side: "Look at this scene, there will be a big harvest this year!"
After that night's "light show", Wang Shiwei, like other officials, obeyed destiny and surrendered to Zhao Yanxun.
The next autumn harvest will be organized by this group of officials to provide strong support for Yong's army.
With this food, Zhao Yanxun could stabilize people's hearts after taking the capital.
The food that can be exchanged by the system is difficult to support an army of 100,000, and it is impossible to feed a million people in Gyeonggi County.
No matter how holy and righteous Zhao Yanxun packages himself, if the people below him can't even eat, then he can't even hope to have a good reputation.
What's even more dangerous is that without food, people will starve to death, and it will cause unrest near Gyeonggi, which is not conducive to him integrating all forces and restoring order nationwide.
That's right, Zhao Yanxun's concerns at this moment were no longer just focusing on the imperial court in the capital, but also considering the overall situation across the country.
The rebellion in the southwest and the separatist tendencies in the south made him feel a little troublesome.
At this time, Wang Shiwei said from the side: "Your Highness, although there is a bumper harvest, the wheat seedlings still have to grow!"
"What do you mean?" Zhao Yanxun turned around and asked.
Just listen to Wang Shiwei say: "This time the army marches eastward and tramples a lot of wheat seedlings. I hope your highness will learn from it!"
"Is this happening?" Zhao Yanxun glanced at Wang Shiwei and other officials.
Another official said: "Your Highness, this statement is indeed true. Indeed, many wheat seedlings have been trampled!"
Zhao Yanxun really didn't pay attention to this. After all, he had never encountered such fertile and wild conditions during his previous marches.
Wang Shiwei then said: "If your highness doesn't believe it, you can go to the field and check it yourself!"
Zhao Yanxun did not hesitate, so he rode his horse closer to the field.
The official road is less than two feet wide. Yong's army marched with 70,000 to 80,000 people. Of course, it was impossible to just use the official road.
If this is the case, the entire marching team will be longer, and it is not conducive to the gathering of troops, let alone mutual support.
Therefore, when the army marches, it is at least nearly a hundred meters apart horizontally, so it will inevitably march in the ground.
Although there is a spacing between the rows of wheat, they are closely spaced, so it is easy to get trampled if you are not careful.
The army marches all the way from Donghe Prefecture to Jishui, which will indeed lose a lot of food.
"Zhang Meng..."
Zhang Meng, who was guarding the perimeter, quickly rode forward and said, "I'm here!"
Zhao Yanxun said in a deep voice: "Immediately pass on the order. The whole army is not allowed to destroy the wheat seedlings. Anyone who violates this will be whipped twenty times!"
Zhang Meng immediately replied: "I accept the order, and I will send someone to deliver the order now!"
But at this moment, Zhao Yanxun got the horse off his crotch, and the wheat seedlings shook its thigh, causing it to throw its tail out of the horse's tail in shock.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the horse's tail swept down a large area of wheat seedlings, and many ungrown wheat ears fell to the ground.
This... is rather embarrassing, and Zhao Yanxun also feels very embarrassed.
He had just given an order to destroy the wheat seedlings and whip them twenty times, and so many people at the scene heard it.
This damn horse, this damn horse's tail... Zhao Yanxun cursed in his heart.
The next moment, Zhao Yanxun glanced at Wang Shiwei, secretly thinking that this guy should be a smart guy who could save him from the siege.
"The king's mount and the destruction of wheat seedlings are all due to my inability to restrain them, so I should be punished!"
The next moment, Zhao Yanxun said firmly: "The military order is like a mountain...Zhang Meng, get the whip!"
Military orders must be implemented like a mountain, just so that the whole army can take a warning, and Zhao Yanxun can take the opportunity to show off.
Of course, the premise is that Zhao Yanxun can ensure that he will never be whipped, otherwise it will damage his authority and become a joke.
Yes, Zhao Yanxun can indeed guarantee that he will not be whipped.
Even if Zhang Meng and the soldiers in the front guard cut off their own heads, they would never be more reluctant to use violence against Zhao Yanxun.
Therefore, after Zhao Yanxun gave the order, Zhang Meng did not move at all.
"Zhang Meng, are you deaf?"
Hearing Zhao Yanxun's scolding, Zhang Meng still didn't respond and knelt down on the ground with a plop, his face still looking a little aggrieved.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Meng defended himself: "Your Majesty, how dare I be disrespectful? Please take back your orders!"
Zhao Yanxun immediately shouted and asked: "Military orders are like mountains, and they must be implemented. Are you going to let me take the lead in violating military orders? Will I be trapped in an unjust situation?"
Zhang Meng didn't know how to answer this, so he knocked his head on the ground for a while, pretending to be an ostrich to avoid the question. Anyway, he would not go to "execution".
In fact, Zhao Yanxun's two questions were not asked to Zhang Meng, but to Wang Shiwei and other civil servants at the scene.
These people are familiar with the scriptures and naturally know how to argue.
Sure enough, when the situation was at a standstill, Wang Shiwei stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, you can't do this!"
"You also want to be trapped in injustice?"
Zhao Yanxun's rhetorical question seemed a bit pretentious, but in the eyes of the guards present, he looked extremely righteous.
Wang Shiwei also said righteously: "Your Highness's body is worth a thousand pieces of gold. How can you add torture to your body?"
"It is certainly good to strictly observe military discipline, but His Highness is responsible for the safety of the world, how can he only pay attention to military discipline?"
"If His Highness commits suicide, not only will he not be able to maintain military discipline, but it will also upset the morale of the military and lead to defeat in the campaign. Wouldn't it be a waste of time and money?"
Then Wang Shiwei said: "His Royal Highness upholds the destiny and is wise and decisive. He would never do such an unwise thing!"
According to Wang Shiwei, if Zhao Yanxun insisted on whipping himself, he would be an unwise person who does not understand justice.
Sure enough, it was a civil servant who opened his mouth to argue with black and white... Zhao Yanxun couldn't help but sigh.
After Wang Shiwei's words, some officials immediately spoke out: "What Mr. Wang said is absolutely true. Your Highness should carry on the past and open up the future. Naturally, you don't have to follow the rules like ordinary people!"
Next, more officials tried to persuade me, and they came up with more tricks.
Finally, Zhao Yanxun said in a deep voice: "What you said makes sense, but since I was wrong, I should be punished!"
"Come here, take off my armor, use your armor to take the punishment for me, and give me thirty lashes!"
This is Zhao Yanxun's idea as a perfect ending to this "show".
Seeing that Zhang Meng still didn't move, Zhao Yanxun angrily shouted: "Zhang Meng, why don't you hurry up and execute him!"
"Yes!" Zhang Meng answered with great difficulty.
At this time, Wang Shiwei and others had no choice but to persuade them. They also felt that this was the best of both worlds.
But even so, for Zhang Meng and others, whipping Zhao Yanxun's armor was an extremely difficult task.
Bang... Bang... Bang...
Seeing the guards flogging their armor, Zhao Yanxun on horseback had a serious expression, but he laughed in his heart.
What's the difference between me and that thief... Zhao Yanxun sighed secretly!