Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 3967 Ruined Chang'an
The rain stopped for a while, the sky was overcast, and the air seemed to be able to hold water...

Although the rebellion has subsided, the situation has not yet stabilized. The water level of dozens of rivers in Guanzhong has not dropped. Embankments everywhere.

Zhou Daowu rode on with his helmet on and armor on, and led a group of soldiers along the official road at the foot of Lishan Mountain to Chang'an, and arrived at the bank of Bashui in the middle of the night.

The calm and soothing Bashui River in the past is now turbid and turbulent. The turbulent river rushes down with branches, wooden stakes, and even animal carcasses washed up upstream.Standing on the shore, the Baqiao has long been destroyed, and only the remaining dilapidated piers are riddled with holes. It can be seen how fierce the battle in Chang'an was that day.

I don't know how many people will pay a heavy price for watching Guanlong's army indifferently and even helping the evildoers...

It's just that there is no need to lament and regret, it is so cruel to stand in line at the court, and if you stand right, you will naturally gain rich benefits, and if you stand wrong, you have to bear the corresponding consequences.

Everything is up to oneself, and no one can blame others.

He also did not want to be involved in this power struggle, so he avoided Liaodong and stayed out of it. When the outcome was decided after the turmoil, he would re-enter the court to fully support the winner. Although the benefit was the lowest, the risk was also the smallest.Unexpectedly, after all the calculations, it will still be affected...

The pontoon bridge was erected on the turbulent river, and the wooden boat used as the pier was washed by the water, causing the whole wooden bridge to be wobbly. Zhou Daowu had to dismount, and led the soldiers to cross the pontoon bridge. After reaching the opposite bank, he got on his horse and went straight to Chunming Gate. .

When they arrived outside the Chunming Gate, they saw the Zuowuwei on the left side of the city gate and the Youtunwei on the right side facing each other leaning against each other. The army has gone through great battles. Once in Liaodong, they drove straight to attack the city and pull out strongholds. Once in the Western Regions, they defended the territory and defeated the barbarians.

That's all for Cheng Yaojin. He has made great achievements in the military and horse half his life. He is one of the only remaining famous generals who have achieved great achievements in the early days of the founding of the country. As a younger generation, Fang Jun's performance is amazing. No one in the younger generation can match him. Very high self-esteem, but also had to bow down.

It is inevitable that I feel a little regretful in my heart, why did I turn against Fang Jun back then instead of building a good relationship...

Soldiers from the gate of the city had already greeted him, and he recognized Zhou Daowu, the son-in-law. After giving the salute, he inspected the seal and ribbon of the documents and the customs clearance disk, and after confirming that they were correct, he asked, "I don't know why Governor Zhou entered the city?"

Zhou Daowu said: "I went to the east with the army, and I was sent to Ping Rang City to escort the prisoners back to the country. Today I return to Chang'an and enter the city to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

The soldiers led him to a house under the city, registered and reported according to the form, and then gestured to the soldiers on the city to put down the drawbridge, open the city gate, respectfully send him into the city, and stand aside: "Please enter the city, general! "

A group of soldiers was sent to monitor Zhou Daowu and his own soldiers, and they went straight into the city gate.

……

It was cloudy today and it didn't rain, but Zhou Daowu entered the city from Chunming Gate and rode his horse across the long street, but he didn't see a single pedestrian along the way, only a group of Donggong Six soldiers who passed neatly from time to time, fully armed and fearsome.Dongshi, Pingkangfang, and Chongrenfang on the north and south sides were originally the most prosperous places in Chang'an. Usually, there are clouds of merchants, pedestrians like ants, and barbarians in strange clothes can be seen everywhere, but now they are deserted and depressed.

The signs of damage after the war can be seen everywhere on the walls, houses and shops along the street.

Zhou Daowu couldn't help sighing. Since the former Sui Dynasty built the metabolic energy process in the old Han Dynasty as the capital of the empire, this city has become a part of the world. It is not only the core of imperial power, but also gathers wealth from all over the world. When the Tang Dynasty was established, Zhenguan came With great efforts to govern and the prosperity of all industries, it has already become the largest and most prosperous capital in the world. At its peak, there were nearly one million soldiers, civilians, and merchants inside and outside Chang'an.

Now it is suffering from the flames of war, and once it was dilapidated, I don't know how many years and hardships it will take to restore its former glory.

Although the country is big, belligerent must perish.

The ancients did not deceive me...

Pass Yanximen and walk along the long street to Chengtianmen. What he saw on the way shocked Zhou Daowu even more. The main gates of the East Palace and Taiji Palace were riddled with holes, damaged and collapsed. Masonry, timber, foundation clearing, rebuilding.

Standing in front of Chengtianmen, looking south, the imperial city, which used to be the residence of many central government offices, was almost razed to the ground. The dilapidated houses were demolished one by one by the soldiers. Yi.

Zhou Daowu stood there blankly, a little in disbelief.

Although he was born in the Zhou family in Runan, he moved to Chang'an after his father's death. He grew up here since he was a child, and he was forbidden in and out of the palace. It's hard to imagine that a war would destroy such a magnificent and prosperous city of Chang'an...

……

The guards outside the Chengtian Gate stepped forward to inquire about their identities. After entering the palace to report, Zhou Daowu got off his horse and followed two servants into the palace. Wherever he looked, he was more and more horrified and shocked. It is hard to say what kind of tragedy this majestic Taiji Palace has gone through. How can it be more dilapidated than the Chang'an city?

In the past, the magnificent, exquisite and luxurious Taiji Palace was in a mess, the beautiful scenery was almost completely destroyed, broken walls and ruins were everywhere, and the gorgeous palaces were damaged to varying degrees, and dense scaffolding covered every corner of the palace. , Countless craftsmen are climbing up and down to repair it.

Arriving outside the Hall of Martial Virtue, the servant came in to give a performance, Zhou Daowu waited outside the door, he felt a chill on his forehead, looked up, the clouds were densely piled up, and the fine raindrops fell, forming a line and converging in a blink of an eye. The dilapidated Tai Chi Palace was shrouded in misty rain and mist, making it even more desolate.

After a while, the servant turned around and said in a respectful voice: "His Royal Highness is discussing matters with several ministers in the palace, please come in and have an audience with Governor Zhou."

Zhou Daowu frowned.

When he returned to Chang'an this time, he wanted to meet the prince in private, to get the prince's forgiveness, and not to pursue the matter of killing the prisoners any more. …

It's just that we've reached the end of the land, and it's inappropriate to think about retreating.

I had no choice but to nod, tidy up my clothes, bravely lifted my feet up the stone steps in front of the door, and entered the Hall of Martial Virtue under the gaze of two lifelike white jade lions...

There was a faint sound of disputes in the hall, and when Zhou Daowu stepped into the hall, it stopped abruptly.

Zhou Daowu collected his mind, walked into the hall, the light was a bit dim, he squinted his eyes slightly, and saw that the crown prince was sitting at the main seat, Xiao Yu, Liu Jie, Fang Jun, and Ma Zhou sat on the left and right respectively, and they all looked up at him at this moment It seems.

After a few strides, he came to Li Chengqian, knelt down on one knee, gave military salute, and said loudly: "At the end of the week, the Taoist is ordered to escort the captives back to the country, and come to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Chengqian was as gentle as ever, with a smile on his chubby face: "It's difficult to travel through thousands of mountains and rivers after returning from Liaodong, and the roadwork has been hard. Seeing that your face is dark and thin, you must have suffered a lot. It’s better to rest in the future, so as not to hurt Linchuan.”

"Tao Wu" is the word of Zhou Dao Wu, it is written in words, not in name...

Zhou Daowu saw the prince's warm and caring expression, his heart was relieved, and he said gratefully: "Thank you, Your Highness. I will return from Liaodong at the end. I encountered heavy snow and extreme cold, and the road was blocked by heavy snow. In desperation, I had to stay in Liaodong City. I thought of Chang'an in my heart." The situation is burning with anxiety, if you take one step back tonight, I implore your highness to come down!"

As soon as the words fell, Liu Ji, who was sitting upright beside him, frowned and asked, "May I ask how many captives Zhou Dudu was ordered to escort back to the country?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Daowu's heart sank, he was indeed targeted, but it was not Fang Jun as expected, but Liu Ji, the one who killed a thousand swords...

Guilty replied: "There are tens of thousands of people."

Liu Ji sneered: "I don't even have the exact figures, so it can be seen that Governor Zhou is not very concerned about this military affairs... So these prisoners have all arrived in Guanzhong at this moment? The time is just right, and Guanzhong is suffering from the rebel army , A lot of waste is waiting to be built, and a huge amount of manpower is urgently needed to rebuild it. The general's trip is like sending charcoal in the snow, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will reward it."

Li Chengqian touched the short mustache on his lips, feeling a little embarrassed.

Zhou Daowu's killing of captives has long been rumored, and Li Chengqian also believes that this is probably the case, but he has heard of the rumors circulating in the market that "torting captives hurts the peace of heaven" and so on. As a last resort, it's fine to punish Zhou Daowu a little bit. You can't blame Zhou Daowu for the defeat of the Eastern Expedition and the injury of the father for the sake of a few prisoners, right?

At any rate, he is also a meritorious person, and his own brother-in-law, Zhou Daowu can't bear such a serious crime...

But Liu Ji made this matter clear at this moment, so he, the prince, can't pretend to be confused. There must be an explanation for right and wrong.

Zhou Daowu had already greeted Liu Ji's eight generations of ancestors in his heart at this moment, but no matter how angry he was, he had to take off the hood on his head and put it beside him, kneeling on the ground instead, with a voice of shame and guilt: "His Royal Highness Mingjian , the climate in Liaodong is harsh, the roads are difficult, and the supplies for the winter are extremely scarce, causing a large number of captives to suffer from frostbite. The army has been dragged down. Although this is a helpless move, it really violates the military law and is willing to be punished!"

Liu Ji said disdainfully: "You said it lightly. Torturing and killing captives hurts the peace of heaven and makes the gods pour down their anger and lead to the setback of the Eastern Expedition. How can it be easily exposed by mere sentence of punishment?"

Turning his head to look at Li Chengqian, he said: "Your Highness, I implore the three justices to conduct a joint trial. Once Zhou Daowu's killing of prisoners is confirmed, he should be beheaded according to the law, as an example to others!"

Zhou Daowu's expression changed drastically in fright...

(End of this chapter)