coobybook Chapter 1046 The Triumphant Return of the Army
Chapter 1046 The Triumphant Return of the Army
After a moment of silence, Li Che suppressed his anxiety and turned to Huai En to ask:
What is the latest itinerary of Yang Zhongsi's troops? When will they arrive in Beijing?
Huai En immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, we received an urgent military report half an hour ago. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, the army will surely arrive at the camp outside the capital within three days."
“Three days,” Li Che repeated in a low voice, then nodded.
When the army returns to the capital and presents prisoners of war at the temple, it certainly serves to deter villains.
But Li Che knew that the remaining power of the aristocratic families was not in the imperial court, but in the prefectures and counties.
What are aristocratic families? Such as the Langya Wang family, the Hongnong Yang family, etc., all have the place name first and the surname second.
The strongholds of these powerful families have always been in the local areas; the imperial court in the capital is merely a microcosm of their power.
He withdrew his gaze and looked again at the four senior officials before him: "The triumphant return of the army is certainly a good thing, but we cannot allow these local demons and monsters to delay and neglect their duties."
"This matter should not be decided hastily. Let me think about it for a few days before discussing it further."
"Here."
After the four left, Li Che pondered for a moment, then turned and walked towards the bookshelf.
Pressing a button slowly opened a secret room in the wall.
He had been living in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for quite some time before discovering this secret room, which must have been left behind by Emperor Qing.
There wasn't much inside; it must have been moved away by Emperor Qing long ago. But it was a good place to hide secrets.
Upon entering the secret room, there was only a table and a futon.
Li Che lit the oil lamp, sat down at the table, and took out a small booklet from under the futon.
"I'd like to see how long these bastards can hide," Li Che gritted his teeth. "If you push me too far, I'll dig up your whole secrets!"
. . . . . .
Three days later, in the capital city.
The summer sun was unusually bright, and from early morning, the streets were already packed with people.
The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Bodyguards went out early to stand guard on the streets, surrounded by eagerly waiting civilians.
Today is the day the victorious army returns to the capital after its southern expedition.
The people were overjoyed; the army had returned, and the war was finally over.
The people of Qing are warlike, but they do not kill each other, especially when they are fighting civil wars.
If the enemy is a barbarian tribe, the people would love to keep fighting until the barbarians are wiped out.
At the end of the Chen hour (7-9 AM), a commander's flag appeared on the distant horizon, fluttering in the wind.
Immediately afterwards, the heavy footsteps grew clearer and clearer, as if the earth itself was trembling slightly—the sound of thousands upon thousands of military boots striking the ground in unison.
Before long, the main force entered the city.
The first thing that catches the eye is the vanguard cavalry.
Following that was the main infantry formation.
Swordsmen, spearmen, musketeers... each type of soldier marched in turn.
The oppressive atmosphere lingered, causing the onlookers to involuntarily hold their breath.
However, what terrified the people on both sides the most was not the army's murderous aura.
Instead, many soldiers had dense pockmarks and scars on their exposed faces, necks, and the backs of their hands!
Especially under direct sunlight, those uneven marks appear particularly clear.
Everyone could see that those weren't scars from battle, but rather marks from smallpox!
"My God... what, what is that?"
"Is it smallpox? When I was a child, there was a outbreak in my village, and those who survived had this condition."
"Weren't they supposed to be quelling a rebellion? How come they all contracted the plague?"
"What are you afraid of? Can't you see they're all fine?"
"Yes, he looks very energetic, it's just his face..."
The people whispered among themselves, and some subconsciously shrank back.
But soon, a well-informed person whispered an explanation: "Don't be afraid! Haven't you heard? The imperial court has a miraculous method called cowpox vaccination. Getting vaccinated will prevent smallpox!"
"The epidemic in Qiongzhou was brought under control thanks to this. The pockmarks on these soldiers' faces are probably from smallpox vaccination. This is what they call 'surviving a great calamity brings good fortune'!"
"Vaccination? Inoculating your body with cow's smallpox vaccine? Is that even possible?"
"Why not? Didn't you see they all came back alive? Would the imperial court harm its own army?"
"So that's how it is... They were heroes! They suffered so much to quell the rebellion and fight the epidemic..."
The discussion gradually shifted, with the people's fear replaced by curiosity, and then turning into respect for the soldiers.
People began to examine the soldiers more closely and noticed that although their faces were pockmarked, their eyes were bright and their steps were powerful, showing no signs of being afflicted by the epidemic.
Those pockmarks, however, became a special kind of medal.
The watchman, mingling in the crowd, breathed a sigh of relief.
As early as the beginning of the pandemic, Li Che issued a strict order to block the news in order to avoid causing panic.
I didn't expect the news to be so well contained; the epidemic was over and it still hadn't reached the capital.
The soldiers' pockmarked faces couldn't be hidden, so to avoid frightening the people, the night watchmen had to carry out another propaganda campaign.
Just then, the crowd gasped in surprise again.
But then they saw hundreds of rebel leaders, core members of powerful families, and their families, all bound together by ropes, staggering along under the escort of victorious soldiers.
Most of them looked fearful and desperate, a stark contrast to the proud and upright soldiers around them.
The head of the Wang family, who was at the head of the family, was disheveled and shackled. The few people who recognized him were greatly shocked.
In the private rooms of the restaurants lining both sides of the street, some officials dressed in plain clothes looked even paler.
Most of them had intricate connections with prominent families in the south, whether through marriage, old acquaintances, or business dealings.
When they previously obstructed reforms, they were not without wishful thinking.
They felt that the emperor was far away and the imperial army was trapped in Qiongzhou. The emperor's control over the local area might not be as strong as they imagined, and the powerful families still had room to maneuver.
But seeing the head of the Wang family reduced to a prisoner completely shattered their illusions.
That was the Wang family, a top-tier aristocratic family. They were all wiped out in front of the emperor's army and became prisoners awaiting slaughter.
Is the world about to change?
Are the powerful families that have dominated this land for thousands of years about to exit the stage of history?
Under the banner of Marshal Yang, Yang Zhongsi, with a solemn expression, slowly swept his gaze across both sides of the street.
Although he was over sixty years old, his back was as straight as a pine tree, and his sharp eyes made people afraid to look directly at him.
When his gaze occasionally swept across the shadows behind the window frames on the street, everyone there felt a chill run down their spines and hurriedly retreated into the darkness.
. . . . . .
Inside the imperial city, the square in front of the Xuanzheng Hall has been transformed into a venue for a triumphant banquet.
Lanterns and colorful decorations were hung high, and the aroma of food and wine carefully prepared by the imperial chefs filled the air.
Civil and military officials were seated according to their rank, while Li Che sat high on his throne, his gaze calmly fixed on the end of the square.
Yang Zhongsi removed his battle-worn armor and changed into the court robes of a first-rank military officer.
Following behind him were a group of meritorious generals, including Wang Sanchun, He Conglong, and Wang Hu.
As the group approached and bowed in respect as the master of ceremonies announced their greetings, Li Che's gaze involuntarily fell on Wang Sanchun's face.
This notorious general, whose face was already rugged, was now covered with dozens of pockmarks of varying depths.
Li Che's heart suddenly clenched, and an indescribable emotion welled up inside him.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects!" the crowd shouted in unison.
"Rise, generals! Take a seat!" Li Che's voice was gentler than usual.
Everyone expressed their gratitude and took their seats.
Li Che first raised his cup, leading all the civil and military officials in toasting the victorious soldiers, and said some words of praise and encouragement.
Once the atmosphere had eased somewhat, he turned to Yang Zhongsi and inquired in detail about the army's casualties, which the latter reported in detail.
Li Che listened attentively, sometimes frowning, sometimes sighing.
Then, he inquired about the combat experiences of Wang Sanchun and other generals one by one, and gave his evaluations. All the generals listened attentively.
In terms of military affairs, Li Che's prestige was no less than theirs.
After all, the general who won the most battles in the entire Daqing was none other than the emperor before him.
This is one of the reasons why Li Che was not afraid of military generals whose achievements overshadowed his own.
After the consolation session was over, Li Che's voice gradually turned cold: "What has become of the rebel leader?"
Yang Zhongsi put down his wine cup, cupped his hands, and replied, "Your Majesty, the heads of several powerful families who instigated the rebellion, knowing their crimes were grave and they could not escape the law when the city fell, have all committed suicide."
"Among them, only Wang Huanzhi, the head of the Wang family, failed in his suicide attempt but was saved in time by General Wang. He has now been brought to the capital to await His Majesty's judgment."
"The remaining 347 key members of the rebels and private army leaders were also captured."
“They got off easy.” A cold glint flashed in Li Che’s eyes. “That Wang Huanzhi who didn’t die… very good.”
He paused, his tone revealing undisguised murderous intent: "Order the Ministry of Justice to work with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to conduct a thorough interrogation, and make sure to uncover the truth about the Qiongzhou rebellion and its connection to other forces!"
"All the principal offenders shall be punished for the heinous crime of treason!"
These words sent a chill down the spines of many officials present.
His Majesty is indeed unwilling to let this go, and I wonder how many people will be implicated.
However, at that moment, a slightly hesitant voice rang out:
"Your Majesty, this humble general...this humble general has something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Wang Sanchun, whose face was covered in pockmarks and looked ferocious, stand up.
Li Che was also slightly surprised. He raised an eyebrow at him and said with a smile, "You rascal, when did you learn to be so long-winded? Speak your mind. Today is a victory celebration banquet, and no one is guilty of speaking out."
Encouraged, Wang Sanchun raised his voice: "This humble general has heard... that His Majesty intends to exterminate the entire clan of the rebels?"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.
Even Yang Zhongsi glanced sideways, seemingly surprised that Wang Sanchun would speak up at this moment.
Li Che narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly: "They instigated a rebellion, opposed the court, causing widespread suffering and casualties among the soldiers... Do you think they shouldn't have died?"
Wang Sanchun immediately bowed and said urgently, "Of course they deserve to die! These bastards have harmed so many brothers and sisters; they deserve to be torn to pieces!"
Then, changing the subject, his voice lowered: "This humble general wanted to say that their families may not know the truth..."
The surprise in Li Che's eyes deepened.
Who is Wang Sanchun? He is a fierce general who has fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He is always ruthless and has never shown the slightest mercy to his enemies.
How could a trip to the South have given rise to such womanly compassion?
If it weren't for this particular occasion, Li Che would have pointed his finger at him and said:
No matter what you are, get off Old Wang right now!