Chapter 364: The Fox-like Emperor
The vast grassland is a holy land where nomadic tribes thrive and grow. It is easy to defeat these future enemies, but it is not easy to completely conquer these wild and fearless tribes.
In more than half a year, the Regent Zhao Defang led more than 60,000 elite soldiers of the Song Dynasty to defeat and conquer several large tribes on the Mongolian Plateau. How to settle them is a headache. If they
are dispersed and settled in their original places, it will not take many years for these tribes to be unified and strong again. The contract of surrender is just a parchment book that can be torn up at any time.
"Set up two provinces and send officials and troops to garrison and manage them!" The Regent Zhao Defang finally made a decision. "However, I will move those Mongolian tribes away."
Yang Yanzhao and Cao Wei didn't know why the prince looked at these Mongolian tribes differently. After entering the Mongolian Plateau, he first attacked them. When withdrawing, these weak Mongolian tribes were also the focus of attention.
But neither of them asked who the Regent Prince was. This move must have his deep considerations.
Cao Wei's fair face had turned dark red, but his eyes were brighter and brighter. He smiled and asked, "Your Highness, these Mongolian tribes have more than 200,000 men, women, old and young, and countless cattle, horses and sheep. Where should they be relocated?"
"Here!" The Regent Prince Zhao Defang's slender fingers fell on the map, the northernmost east.
"Although the climate here is cold, the fertile black soil is suitable for farming. These Mongolian nomadic tribes, I will give them a new job to make a living, let them change from herdsmen to farmers. After a few years, will they still be skilled in riding and shooting, brave and good at fighting?"
Looking at the Regent Prince with a cunning smile, Cao Wei and Yang Yanzhao were simply in admiration. The prince was reluctant to cause too much killing, so this trick was both brilliant and damaging.
Cao Wei volunteered, "Prince, I will lead the troops to escort these 200,000 people to the far north. When the officials sent by the court arrive, you can return to the court!"
The regent prince Zhao Defang smiled and said, "It will take two months for the officials sent by the court to arrive. I can't wait and will return to the court in the next few days.
Cao Wei, you don't have to lead the troops to escort these relocated Mongolians. "The lieutenant general asked, if anyone is willing to settle there, I will ask the emperor to appoint him as a provincial governor."
After the military meeting, Regent Zhao Defang proposed this plan. After the generals were silent for a while, Cheng Haonan, who was escorting supplies to the front line, spoke up, "Your Highness, Regent, I am willing to lead my men to escort these Mongolians to move there and settle down."
"Okay! General Cheng, I will give you 20,000 soldiers and horses. You will be responsible for escorting these Mongolians to migrate. You can let them eat all the horses and sheep along the way, but the cattle must be left behind to work as oxen.
I will send people to deliver food, seeds of various crops, and farming tools to you. You will lead these more than 200,000 people to open up thousands of acres of fertile land there and build a big capital city."
Cheng Haonan clasped his fists and asked for orders, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will not fail you!"
A migration team of more than 200,000 people, herding horses, cattle and sheep that were more than the population, set off on the journey under the escort of 20,000 troops. ...
It is hard to leave the homeland, but it is better to leave under the order that you will be killed if you don't leave.
These Mongolians left their homeland in misery and sorrow, not knowing where they would be relocated to, whether there were lush grasslands there, and how many of them would be able to reach their destination alive.
Regent Zhao Defang acted swiftly and decisively. When he returned to Beijing, he sent a letter to the court asking it to send an army to transport food and farming tools to the destination as soon as possible. He also kindly instructed to organize a team of experienced craftsmen and farmers to provide technical guidance to the Mongolians who could not build houses or farm. ………………
Five years later, these Mongolians who were forced to migrate by the Song army, eating the fragrant northeastern white rice and living in sturdy and cold-proof adobe houses, would often think of the ridiculous things that happened on the migration road when they lived and worked in peace and contentment without war, killing and looting. When
hundreds of thousands of sheep were eaten up and they had not yet reached their destination, the tribesmen burst into tears. When the horses were eaten up and they had not yet reached their destination, pairs of scarlet eyes stared at the cattle. The Song army escorting them beat them with whips and scabbards, saving thousands of oxen.
When their eyes turned blue with hunger and their legs trembled, thinking they would die on the road, they saw thousands of carts of food coming from behind.
The farmer who was sent to teach them how to plough the fields refused to leave after seeing the harvest of the second year. He asked someone to bring his family over to settle down in this fertile black soil.
On the wall of a majestic city, the governor of Heijiang Province, Cheng Haonan, the Marquis of Zhenbei, was inspecting the city defense. His resolute square face was tanned black, and his eyes were like torches!
"Marquis, the two new policy reform inspectors, Wu Qi and Wu Ren, will arrive today. Will you go out of the city to welcome them?" "
Wu Qi and Wu Ren" two adults? Cheng Haonan, the Marquis of Zhenbei, smiled. Others did not know these two new policy reform inspectors, but he, Cheng Haonan, knew them. They were the most noble His Royal Highness the King of Chu and His Royal Highness the King of Xiang!
"The two gentlemen have come from thousands of miles away. This marquis will go out of the city three miles to welcome them."
The deputy general beside him bowed and responded, and went down to make arrangements.
When a dusty team of more than a thousand people appeared in his field of vision, Cheng Haonan showed a smile on his face. He turned around and ran to the bottom of the city wall, took the civil and military officials who had been waiting in line, and rode out of the city on war horses
to welcome them. Cheng Haonan, the Marquis of Zhenbei, led the officials of Chunhui City to the three miles outside the city to greet them. He exchanged polite greetings with the two gentlemen, Wu Qi and Wu Ren, the New Deal Reform Observers, and welcomed the two gentlemen into the city.
"The Marquis has ordered that the two gentlemen have been received. Please go home for dinner!" The staff of the Marquis' Mansion stopped the officials following behind.
The officials who were driven away were all puzzled. The Marquis was not a stingy person, so why didn't he allow us to go to the Marquis' Mansion for the welcoming banquet?
Marquis of Zhenbei Cheng Haonan welcomed the two imperial envoys into the banquet hall, bowed and said, "Cheng Haonan pays respects to His Royal Highness the King of Chu and His Royal Highness the King of Xiang!"
The two princes, pretending not to know Cheng Haonan, laughed and offered their hands to support him. The King of Xiang joked, "Marquis Cheng, there's no need to be so polite! It's been a few years since we last met. You've become a high-ranking official and been granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei
. I'm so jealous and envious!" "Your Highness, you're joking. You and the King of Chu have made great contributions to the implementation of the New Deal reforms of the Song Dynasty. The second-rank official positions you have earned with your real abilities are in no way less honorable than your titles as princes." Cheng Haonan truly admired the two princes.
"Hahahaha..." King Xiang laughed triumphantly, "Lord Cheng, we two brothers love what you said. It hits the spot for us."
The maids brought the rich food and wine to the table one by one, and Cheng Haonan invited the two princes to sit down.
The King of Chu smiled gently and said, "The rice grown on this black soil is especially fragrant. Lord Cheng, we brought you six hundred bottles of Maotai wine. When you go back, please fill our carriages with the rice you produce here!"
"Six hundred jars of Maotai wine? Thank you so much! Thank you both princes for your kindness. I have plenty of rice here. I'll pack as much as you can take away."
His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu smiled faintly again, "To be honest, these six hundred jars of Maotai wine were sent by my sister-in-law, the Regent Princess. She also wanted your rice."
Cheng Haonan was a little amused, "Every year the princess sends people to deliver fine wine and various medicines, and the rice is also returned in full loads. Why did she entrust this matter to the two princes this year?"
Prince Xiang interrupted, "Next year we won't need carriages to transport it. Six large sea-going ships have been built. Believe it or not, the princess will definitely send a few large ships to deliver supplies to you and transport the rice back?"
"Big sea ships? By sea transportation?" Cheng Haonan's eyes lit up. "I have opened up more and more wasteland here, and the rice can't be stored even if the warehouses are several times full. It's too laborious to transport it by land by horse-drawn carriages to the capital every year. It's much more convenient to transport it by sea with ships."
"Let me tell you an interesting story. Before leaving the capital, my brother and I went to the palace to say goodbye to the emperor and the regent brother, and we happened to see the emperor and the regent brother arguing." King Xiang paused deliberately.
"What's going on?" Cheng Haonan was startled and asked anxiously.
Prince Xiang smiled and continued, "Brother Regent Prince has resigned from his post as regent and is moving to the Penghu Islands overseas with his wife and children.
The Emperor was so angry that he sat on the ground and cried in protest, 'The Song Dynasty is so vast, can't there be room for your family? You can go wherever you want, why do you have to settle on a broken island overseas? I miss you, when can I see you again in this lifetime?'"
The Emperor and His Royal Highness the Regent Prince are not enemies, but rather have a deep uncle-nephew relationship. Cheng Haonan breathed a sigh of relief. His mood was still a little heavy. "I heard that His Royal Highness the Regent resigned from the post of regent and that the Emperor would rule the country personally, but why did the prince move overseas?"
The King of Chu explained, "The Emperor truly trusts the Regent, and the Regent is not leaving the capital to avoid suspicion.
When the Emperor was so angry that he cried and protested, the Regent said that it was the princess's idea to move overseas to the Penghu Islands. The princess said that when shipping develops and flourishes in this world in the future, the Penghu Islands will be the maritime gateway to the Central Plains of the Song Dynasty. The Regent's Mansion is going to open up a paradise on that beautiful island to live in, and also to build a military base so that future generations can guard that overseas gateway for the Central Plains!"
Cheng Haonan was in awe!
He was filled with emotion: "His Royal Highness the Regent has retired after his success, and the Regent Princess is not greedy for power and wealth, and is always thinking about the stability of the Song Dynasty and the peace and prosperity of the people. They are truly a pair of carefree, loyal and righteous couple!
However, the Regent and his wife are the pillar of the Song Dynasty. If they are gone, this vast Song Dynasty..." Cheng Haonan did not dare to say the following words.
The three of them were silent, but the King of Chu smiled and said, "All the ministers in the court have this worry, but I think that the emperor has performed well since he took power, and he is definitely a wise and courageous monarch. The Song Dynasty will be as solid as a rock."
"The emperor is not only wise and courageous, but also cunning and ruthless. Five years ago, several ministers in the court wanted to use some conspiracy when the regent led the army on an expedition. The twelve-year-old emperor used cunning wisdom and thundering means to deal with them. When the emperor who takes power as an adult governs the vast Song Dynasty, there will definitely be peace and stability on the four seas and the borders." His Royal Highness the King of Xiang used derogatory words, but the admiration in his tone was genuine.
Cheng Haonan, the Marquis of Zhenbei, felt the same way. When his father and brother committed treason, the emperor was so cruel that he even wanted to chop off the heads of his own grandfather and uncle. It was only after the Regent Princess kept her promise and begged for mercy that the Cheng family was spared.
"The emperor is wise, decisive and ruthless, which is a blessing for the Song Dynasty. Only this vast Song Dynasty can be stable." Cheng Haonan said the truth.
"Did the emperor finally agree to let the Regent Prince and his family move overseas?" Cheng Haonan thought of the issue he should be concerned about.
His Royal Highness Prince Xiang smiled, "Otherwise, we say that our emperor is as cunning as a fox! The emperor made a request. He was tricked by the uncle and aunt to sit on the throne, and has been a senior laborer for many years. He wants the Regent Prince and his wife to leave the young prince Zhao Wubing to him and help him revise memorials as a laborer, before he is willing to let the uncle and aunt go. The Regent Prince was so angry that his face turned green, but seeing the emperor's pitiful and aggrieved look, he finally agreed helplessly."
Cheng Haonan laughed when he heard it, "The emperor is wise and intelligent. With the young prince Zhao Wubing as a thread in his hand, he is not afraid that the uncle and aunt will never come back and they will not be able to see each other."