The world was initially unified
Now that the war in the Jinzhou area has been completely quelled, it is time for the army to return to the capital.
People lined the streets to see them off as they returned to their homes.
Li Decheng, deeply grateful to the people of Jinzhou Prefecture who had provided the army with ample food during their displacement, immediately wrote a petition, determined to stay in Jinzhou Prefecture to help the people rebuild their homes. Many soldiers also spontaneously wanted to stay and submitted their own petitions.
This is not in accordance with military law and discipline. Han Zhang was in a dilemma and looked at Mu Chuan.
The post-war recovery work required the support of the imperial court, and the soldiers' willingness to stay saved a lot of the cost of personnel relocation.
Han Zhang had no objection, but as a general, he needed to strictly abide by the law to manage the army. If he made an exception and gave his soldiers extra expectations, the cost of executing subsequent military orders would rise sharply.
Mu Chuan is a member of the imperial family, holding a higher rank than Han Zhang, and is also the Emperor's right-hand man. With his approval, there would be no worries about the future.
Mu Chuan naturally understood Han Zhang's predicament. He took out his private seal and pressed it on Li Decheng's petition: "I will make the decision on this matter. Soldiers who are willing to stay can stay. We will also deal with the prisoners of war and traitors. I will write a letter to the Emperor."
The people's homes were destroyed, and repairs would require money and time. Especially now that it was the beginning of winter, Han Zhang was worried that there would be a famine in the Jinzhou region, so he left most of the grain behind and only took the amount needed for the journey back to the capital.
As the army was about to set off, Mu Chuan stood beside Wang Pan'er and waved goodbye to Han Zhang.
Seeing that Mu Chuan did not join the procession returning to the capital, Han Zhang asked curiously, "Aren't the Prince and Princess going home?"
Wang Pan'er said, "My relatives and roots are all in Jinzhou Prefecture. I can only feel at ease if I stay here."
Mu Chuan shook his head: "There's nothing urgent right now. If Pan'er wants to stay, I won't go back."
The Prince and Princess were newlyweds, a time of blissful bliss, and it was only three days after their wedding that they were forced to join the army. Now that the war was over, it was understandable that the Prince wanted to spend more time with his wife. Thinking of this, Han Zhang's face showed a teasing expression: "Then I wish the Prince and Princess a harmonious marriage. This humble general will take his leave first."
Mu Chuan nodded, watching Han Zhang lead his army back to the capital in high spirits.
After the army left, the people dispersed and began to return to their homes to clean and sweep again.
Wang Xiaoyao and the other ladies from the Thousand Machines Pavilion led everyone to escape in time, and there were no serious casualties.
The city-state construction of the Northern Di was far behind that of the Great Xia. After they occupied the prefectural city, they did not have the heart to destroy it, and the Jinzhou Prefecture was well preserved.
The only loss was the grain and wealth left in the city, which were looted from house to house by the Northern Di people.
Wang Pan'er took Mu Chuan's arm and said, "It's good that you came to investigate the illegal iron case. If we had continued to let the ironware be sold to the Northern Barbarians, I can't imagine how far the Northern Barbarians would have developed."
"The external troubles have been resolved, and now we need to deal with the internal problems." Mu Chuan pulled Wang Pan'er's hand down and intertwined their fingers instead, following behind Wang Xiaoyao and Wang Chengxi: "There is conclusive evidence that the Minister of Revenue has colluded with the enemy. With this victory, he has lost his backer, and we are ready to start by targeting the Ministry of Revenue and begin to purge the court."
The power center of the Great Xia Dynasty is about to be reshuffled, and the court will inevitably be shaken. How come Mu Chuan can stay in Jinzhou Prefecture as if nothing happened?
Wang Pan'er asked curiously, "Such an important matter, don't you need to go back to the capital?"
Mu Chuan squeezed her hand that was being held: "My current connections are all inherited from my mother. As the eldest princess, she has great authority and her orders are much more effective than mine. Since my mother is willing to step forward, I don't need to worry about it. Besides, I can't just sit back and do nothing in Jinzhou Prefecture. I still need to deal with prisoners of war and traitors."
“Alright, let’s follow Xiaoyao first and help her restore the Thousand Machines Pavilion. Then my medicinal cuisine restaurant will have enough manpower to rest and recuperate.”
Their estate was some distance from Jinzhou Prefecture and should have been unaffected by the war, but restoring their shops was the top priority right now.
The shop assistants had all gone home to prepare for the day, so the three Wang sisters and Tao Shuo had to roll up their sleeves and do everything themselves.
The Northern Di were a nomadic people whose lifestyle was far inferior to that of the Xia Dynasty, which had already achieved agricultural civilization. In particular, the people who attacked the city were all men who were good at fighting. The buildings in Jinzhou Prefecture were not damaged much, but the interiors of the buildings had been ravaged and made a mess of things.
They were cleaning the shop with great enthusiasm, with Mu Chuan, Xian Ying, and Mo Feng helping out, constantly bringing water to wash the rags and moving out the things that Wang Xiaoyao no longer wanted, which had been used by the Northern Di.
It must be said that Wang Pan'er was too naive. She thought she could repair the shop in peace. Just as they were getting into the swing of things, Li Decheng came knocking on their door.
Li Decheng only knew how to lead troops into battle, but not how to build cities. Fearing that he might do more harm than good, he could only lead his soldiers to Muchuan.
Upon seeing Mu Chuan, he immediately said sincerely, "At present, there is no prefect in Jinzhou. After we transported the supplies into the city, we had no idea where to start. This humble general begs Your Highness to take charge of the overall situation!"
"Looking for me?" Mu Chuan waved his hand and pointed at Wang Xiaoyao, "The person in charge is right here!"
More than half of the people in Jinzhou Prefecture owe a debt of gratitude to Wang Xiaoyao, so it is indeed the will of the people to have her in charge. Moreover, she already has thousands of women under her command, and she was able to manage the refugee camps in an orderly manner during the war. Such talent is more than enough to take charge of the overall situation.
Li Decheng did not care about Wang Xiaoyao's status as a woman. When Mu Chuan spoke, he immediately changed direction and bowed to Wang Xiaoyao again, saying, "Please take charge of the overall situation, Pavilion Master."
"General Li, you flatter me." Wang Xiaoyao threw down the rag, washed her hands in the water, and hurriedly returned the greeting to Li Decheng. "It is indeed easy to achieve twice the result with half the effort when there is no leader. I took the lead before the new prefect took office, thanks to the trust of the villagers."
Li Decheng nodded repeatedly and immediately directed the soldiers to pull the supply wagons into the backyard of Qianji Wanying Pavilion, where Wang Xiaoyao would make overall arrangements.
Wang Xiaoyao stared at the baggage train, thought for a while, and said, "I still need to ask General Li for a favor."
"Please speak, Master."
"Help me capture Mr. Nine Fingers. The refugee camp was built based on his blueprints. With him overseeing it, there's no need to worry about anything going wrong."
This was Wang Xiaoyao secretly plotting in his mind. The elusive old immortal, who was like a dragon, disappeared again as soon as he returned to the prefecture. If he was going to do something big, he had to find a capable person to bring out.
Finding someone for the military is a very simple matter.
In just a few hours, the soldiers carried the Nine-Fingered Immortal into the Thousand-Machine Pavilion.
Yes, they carried him in, chair and all.
He looked at Wang Xiaoyao with a mournful expression.
Wang Pan'er pressed down on the corners of her mouth, feeling her face twitch slightly, and then turned to look at Mu Chuan. Their eyes met, and they both couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Mu Chuan leaned close to Wang Pan'er's ear and whispered, "What a pity. With that kind of skill and courage, if he were a man, he would definitely be a prime minister."
Wang Pan'er raised her eyebrows and said proudly, "Being a woman is no different. She led most of the people of the city to escape and set up a camp in the mountains. Even storybooks wouldn't dare to write it like this."
Who can argue with that!
Mu Chuan, who was Wang Xiaoyao's mentor, was also full of pride.
After the Qianji Wanying Pavilion was cleaned, it became Wang Xiaoyao's temporary workspace.
The following day, the Thousand Machines Pavilion officially issued the task of rebuilding the city after the war, and those who completed the task could exchange it for food. The food consisted of what was left in the camp and the supplies brought by Li Decheng, in the same manner as when they were in the camp.
Wang Pan'er wanted to help, but Mu Chuan dragged her out.
Wang Pan'er said with dissatisfaction: "Repairing the city is no small matter."
Mu Chuan simply pulled out his trump card, burying his head in Wang Pan'er's neck and pleading, "Xiao Yao has plenty of manpower on her side, can you come and help me?"
This trick always worked, and Wang Pan'er immediately surrendered: "Is this proper? A dignified prince acting coquettishly in the street."
She tried to push him away several times, but couldn't get rid of Mu Chuan, who was skilled in martial arts. Helpless, she said, "Speak, what is it?"
Mu Chuan immediately raised his head: "Help me deal with the prisoners of war and the traitors."
"Me?" Wang Pan'er pointed to herself. "What other tricks are there to dealing with prisoners of war and traitors?"
"There's quite a bit to it." Mu Chuan released Wang Pan'er and led her towards the dungeon, saying as they walked, "The Northern Di are no longer a threat. Those who are useful are sent to do hard labor, while those who refuse to submit are sent to the guillotine. The most important thing is the traitor. We need to follow the clues and catch their superiors and accomplices who managed to escape, to prevent future troubles. Severely punishing the traitor will also deter those who might harbor evil intentions."
"It sounds important, but what can I do if I go?"
“I need your brain.” Mu Chuan tapped Wang Pan’er’s head. “From my observation, although you and Xiao Yao are both extremely intelligent, your intelligence is different. Xiao Yao’s advantage lies in her decisiveness and action, while yours lies in your keen insight and foresight. So Xiao Yao is fine in managing the overall situation, and you following me to interrogate the traitor is the best way to make the most of your talents.”
It seems that what Mu Chuan said is indeed true.
Wang Pan'er turned her head and scrutinized Mu Chuan as well: "I think you're not bad either. On the surface, you're arrogant and aloof, and unapproachable, but in reality, you're cunning and insightful. Your cousin, the Emperor, is even more so; he's a perfect example of a sesame-filled glutinous rice dumpling with a white exterior but a black interior."
"White-cut black?" Upon hearing the new term, Mu Chuan was stunned for a moment, but then he understood what Wang Pan'er meant by pretending to be weak to take advantage of others. "That's called hiding your strength and biding your time."
"Good, good, good." Anyway, it doesn't matter what the words are. As long as Mu Chuan, that cousin of the emperor, can work hard to govern, whether he is white in disguise or black in disguise, it makes no difference to the common people.
When the two arrived at the dungeon, they found soldiers wearing face masks carrying things out, and the stench was overwhelming even from dozens of meters away.
Wang Pan'er covered her mouth and nose, her stomach churning instantly, and her face turned extremely pale.
Mu Chuan pulled Wang Pan'er back quite a distance.
He didn't dare tell her that these were prisoners who hadn't been released in time due to the outbreak of war, and had long since starved to death in the dungeon because no one cared for them. How could Wang Pan'er, a young girl, possibly endure such a fate?
Mu Chuan secretly cursed himself for his lack of foresight, then summoned the soldiers and ordered, "Have your general bring the traitor to the court for questioning."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
