Shen Xu asked Pei Zhiyuan to pick a few capable confidants to manage the multiple teams of the Imperial City Guard and the Patrol Team, and also appointed his uncle, Captain Song, as the commander of the Yulin Guard.
Yuan Shengjie had no objection to these matters, and he and the Ministry of Personnel quickly approved the document.
At first, Shen Xu was worried that Captain Song would have trouble convincing the crowd; after all, he was a small-town captain. Most of these Yulin Guards were residents of Panshi City, and some even came from aristocratic families.
But Captain Song subdued several ringleaders with his martial arts in just one afternoon. In addition, he was the one who sniped the national teacher to death, so the Yulin Guards were very convinced of him.
Now, the situation in Rock Imperial City has basically stabilized.
As for some chronic diseases, they will always exist in every dynasty and it is impossible to eradicate them all at once. It is good enough as long as the general direction is stabilized.
In the hall, Shen Xu continued to instruct others on the tasks that needed to be carried out. Most people cooperated. There were a few who pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, but it was difficult to detect them at the moment. At the moment, the main focus was on suppressing the rebellion, and there was no time to take care of these people.
She confiscated all the residences of the Imperial Master, as well as the property of his lackeys, minions, and opportunists. From the time the late emperor fell seriously ill to the young emperor's death, the Imperial Master had been in office for just over six months, but he had amassed a fortune of tens of millions of taels through levying heavy taxes.
Together with the silver seized from the homes of his followers and lackeys, the total amount was as much as 35 million taels, which was enough for the national treasury to earn half a year.
In the past two months, the imperial teacher has implemented a policy of increasing taxes. In addition, the construction of the temporary palace has just begun and has not yet been officially put into construction. The national treasury is currently very full and it is entirely possible to recruit another army.
Of course, firstly, there was no need for it, and secondly, the court's reputation had already been ruined, and it was difficult to recruit elite soldiers and generals at this time.
Shen Xu ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 10 million taels to the reconstruction of Dongning Prefecture, released the people, and adjusted taxes.
He ordered all provinces to implement the new policy promptly, and those who refused to implement it or pretended to obey it but secretly disobeyed it would be directly charged with treason. Those who took advantage of the opportunity to cause rebellion, rebellion, and spread rumors would be severely punished.
Benevolent governance is the main approach, with both kindness and severity being applied.
In the next few days, Pei Zhiyuan buried his wife with great honor and erected a monument and burned incense for General Yu's family.
Shen Xu ordered his men to take a large block of ice from the saltpeter ice pond, chisel it into an ice coffin, and temporarily place the little emperor's body in the ice coffin.
After she had given instructions for all this, she handed several lucky bags to Captain Song, Advisor Ma, Xiao Mingcheng and others who stayed in the capital, asking them to be careful.
He told them how to deal with the Yang family's army in the southwest when they encounter it next time.
Shen Xu ordered people to carefully place the heads of the Imperial Master and Cao Jing on a carriage that contained climbing mechanisms and various weapons. She asked Pei Zhiyuan to pick a few personal guards, and also picked two of the Imperial Master's former secret guards from Yuan Shengjie's command, and prepared to set off.
"Okay, it's time for us to head to the northern defense line to meet the legendary Grand Marshal Su Yi and the Northern Wolf Leader, Xue Yan."
"Lady Prime Minister, the journey to the Northern Defense Line is long. Aren't we bringing too few guards? What if we encounter an attack?" Yuan Shengjie asked her respectfully, standing beside the carriage.
"It's okay, I'm surrounded by expert guards." She patted Yuan Shengjie's shoulder gently and said solemnly, "General Yuan, the safety of Rock Imperial City is in your hands."
Yuan Shengjie looked up at her in surprise and couldn't help asking, "Why does the female prime minister trust me so much?"
Shen Xu curled his lips into a faint smile and replied, "Because I discovered that General Yuan is a pure minister."
Yuan Shengjie scratched his head, not understanding what she meant.
"In short, I believe you can defend the Rock Imperial City."
Yuan Shengjie bowed his head, clasped his hands together, and bowed in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Lady Prime Minister, for your appreciation."
"Okay, let's go."
Before leaving, Shen Xu went to see Lao Qian of the Ximen Street Storytelling House, stated his position, and asked Lao Qian to write a letter back to the north to persuade his "brother" to surrender and cease fire.
Lao Qian was the contact person of the northern Xue family in Panshi City. He immediately released a carrier eagle to pass the message to the north.
On the tenth day after they set out, they received a reply from the North, which contained a few concise words: The arrow is on the string and must be shot.
The meaning is very clear: there can be no ceasefire in a war without a winner.
Seeing that the Xue family in the north was unwilling to surrender and cease fire, Pei Zhiyuan and several guards became worried again.
The situation is tense at this time, and the war is at a stalemate, which will inevitably lead to huge internal friction.
Whether other states take advantage of the chaos or foreign nations like Beihai Yanyang take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, it will cause huge losses to Haoyue Kingdom.
Shen Xu replied calmly, "Don't worry, I will personally go and persuade both sides to cease fighting."
She personally sent a letter to the Xue family in the north, listing the pros and cons of continuing the war, and it was still a letter of persuasion for surrender.
When she was about to reach the royal cavalry base camp, she received a handwritten reply from Xue Yan, the commander of Yuji Pass.
He said that in the current war situation, both sides had no way out. The court would not easily forgive his rebellious behavior, and he would not easily give up this excellent opportunity to overthrow the royal army.
He said that there were tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians from the north behind him, and there was no way out except to defeat the royal cavalry.
The meaning is very clear, war is necessary.
Shen Xu held the letter in his hand and pondered for a long time, not even noticing Song Lin coming in.
"Xiu Xiu, it's time to change the bandage on your leg."
Song Lin brought some clean water and a towel. Seeing that she was holding the letter in deep thought, she ignored him and simply sat down beside her and lifted her calf to check the injury.
More than ten days had passed since the wound on her leg healed. The deep wound on her calf had already scabbed over and it looked like it would not affect her walking anymore.
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