The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 523 Post-War Disposal
In the battle of Bagongyuan, the Zhou army was victorious and defeated nearly [-] Northern Han soldiers. Among them, more than [-] who refused to surrender were surrounded and killed, and nearly [-] who surrendered were recruited. Chai Rong was given the title to follow the army and handed it over to Shi Yanchao was led by a general named Tang Jingsi.

The Zhou army's casualties were also considerable, with over [-] killed and the rest all wounded.

The doctors and herbs Zhu Xiu and Liu Ci brought from Jincheng were simply not enough. A large number of seriously injured people were divided into two batches and sent to Jincheng and Gaoping for treatment respectively.

Whether you can hold on during the journey depends on whether your fate is strong enough.

After cleaning the battlefield, a large amount of discarded military equipment and armor was harvested, and many were picked off the corpses of fallen soldiers.

Liu Ci ordered people to dig a huge pit under the Beihai Highlands, pile up dry firewood and hay, fill it with the corpses of Northern Han soldiers, pour kerosene on it, and the fire burned for two days.

The dead soldiers of the Zhou army were first simply buried. They took off their clothes, armor and hats, and collected the bamboo tags they carried with them, which were engraved with their names, origins, and military status. Then the corpses were arranged neatly and a brief and solemn sacrificial activity was held.

Chai Rong personally presided over this mourning ceremony. There was no paper money or incense. The blazing fire and billowing smoke of the Northern Han soldier corpse pit not far away were the best sacrifices to the fallen soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

On the makeshift altar, Chai Rong made the first sacrifice, and Zhang Yongde and Li Chong entered the second ceremony. When it was the turn of the final sacrifice, Chai Rong suddenly pointed at Zhao Kuangyin and said: "Yuen Long, who is standing behind you?"

Zhao Kuangyin turned his head and met Ma Renyu's eyes, both of them were taken aback.

"Reporting to your majesty, his name is Ma Renyu, and he is a forbidden soldier from Yulong Zuozhi!" Zhao Kuangyin said hurriedly.

Ma Renyu was stunned and at a loss. Fortunately, Yang Xin, who was beside him, reminded him in a low voice: "Why don't you hurry up and come forward to see your Majesty?"

Ma Renyu's face turned red, and he quickly took a step forward, knelt on one knee and clasped his fists, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Ma Renyu, please pay homage to Your Majesty!"

Han Chongyun muttered sourly: "Stupid Qing!"

Chai Rong sized him up and said with a smile, "Get up and talk."

Ma Renyu stood up, faced the gazes of the Emperor of Zhou and many generals, and lowered his head uneasily, his young face turning red from suppressing his emotions.

Zhu Xiu looked at it with great interest, and it turned out that this young man was Ma Renyu, and he was also a great general.

Glancing at Zhao Kuangyin, Zhu Xiu was a little jealous. Zhao Da had a really vicious vision. The people he brought with him on this expedition, including Ma Renyu, Zhang Qiong, Yang Xin, and Han Chongyun, were all fierce men who were remembered in history.

Regardless of Han Chongyun, Zhu Xiu was quite interested in the other three.

Especially Ma Renyu, this tough-headed young man is quite likable.

Chai Rong smiled and said: "On the battlefield yesterday, when I was charging, I seemed to hear you shouting loudly behind me?"

Ma Renyu blushed and said, "The villain saw the soldiers running away in panic, and he said those words out of anger."

Chai Rong said: "Have you read a book?"

Ma Renyu said honestly: "I read some in my early years, but I was just interested in having fun and martial arts, so I focused on practicing martial arts."

The generals laughed in good faith, and Chai Rong also smiled and said: "Not bad, not bad, he can be considered a versatile man in both civil and military affairs."

Ma Renyu scratched his head and smiled innocently.

Chai Rong thought for a while and said: "Ma Renyu fought bravely and killed countless enemies. He was specially given a brocade robe and a jade belt and was promoted to the commander of the bow and arrow control crane!"

Ma Renyu opened his eyes wide and was stunned.

Zhang Yongde smiled and said: "Commander Ma, why don't you thank me quickly?"

Only then did Ma Renyu react. He was overjoyed and kowtowed quickly: "I thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Chai Rong smiled slightly: "From now on, you can call yourself a minister, and you can be called the last general in the army."

"The last general. The last general obeys the order!" Ma Renyu was so happy that he couldn't help but grin.

Chai Rong said to Zhao Kuangyin again: "Yuan Lang sacrificed his life to protect me. I saw it with my own eyes. I will reward him together when he returns to Beijing!"

Zhao Kuangyin knelt on one knee and clasped his fists: "How can I spare my life as a minister? I am willing to fight to the death for Your Majesty!"

Chai Rong's eyes were full of admiration, "Zhao Kuangyin and Ma Renyu will be sacrificed by you two!"

The two of them accepted the order to express their gratitude, and performed the final sacrifice on behalf of thousands of soldiers to comfort the heroic souls of the Zhou soldiers!

For the two of them, this is a supreme honor!

Countless hot eyes fell on the two of them, especially Ma Renyu. After a great battle, he was promoted from an insignificant soldier to the commander of the archery commanding force in front of the palace, and received the Emperor's Golden Mouth Award.

This is undoubtedly the carp leaping over the dragon's gate, and the future is bright from now on.

Zhu Xiu stared at Ma Renyu, he was the No. 1 person who received rewards for his meritorious service after the Battle of Bagongyuan, and he will definitely be remembered by Chai Rong in the future.

However, judging from the flirtation between him and Zhao Kuangyin, they have a close relationship. It seems that Zhao Daer still misses his charity society and desperately wants to attract talents and strengthen his power.

Zhu Xiu secretly became vigilant.

Chai Rong said softly: "Zhu Xiu, I would like to compile a song specifically for this battle and pass it on to future generations as a commemoration. Do you have any ideas?"

Zhu Xiu was thinking anxiously and cupped his hands and said, "I'm not good at melody, but I do have one song with lyrics."

Chai Rong smiled and said, "Read it and listen."

Everyone looked at him. Zhu Xiu cleared his throat and sang slowly: "First take the twelve prefectures of Shanxi, and other elements will attack the Yatou. Looking back, Qin Si is as low as a horse, and gradually the Yellow River flows straight north."

Zhu Xiu's voice was slightly hoarse and low when singing, and it sounded quite interesting when combined with the windy and sandy scene in the wilderness at this moment.

Chai Rong's eyes were a little moist and he murmured: "Very good, let's call it "Sacrifice to Gaoping""

After burying the corpses of Zhou soldiers, the army set off for Gaoping.

In the vast hilly fields, the long line of the Zhou army was winding like a snake. Songs to commemorate Gaoping rang out from the former army. There was no tune. They were only shouted in the simple and rough voices of the soldiers, which sounded particularly desolate.

Soon, the entire army began to sing this song over and over again without stopping.
~~~
The Zhou army rested in Gaoping for three days and gathered more than [-] defeated troops. The most ridiculous thing was that two defeated generals, Fan Aineng and He Hui, ran back to Gaoping in disgrace and asked to see Chai Rong to apologize.

Chai Rong did not receive them, but asked them to stay in the camp temporarily.

In the imperial tent, Chai Rong summoned Zhang Yongde and Zhu Xiu.

"I want to hear your opinions on how to deal with the generals of the East Chamber Army." Chai Rong looked at the two of them and said.

Zhang Yongde and Zhu Xiu looked at each other, motioning for Zhu Xiu to speak first.

Zhu Xiu said seriously: "May I ask what your Majesty's ambitions are?"

Chai Rong was silent for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Open up new territories, unify the world, and create a prosperous age!"

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "In this case, Your Majesty should strictly enforce military discipline, punish those who violate the military law, and rectify the three armies!"

Zhang Yongde solemnly said: "I also mean this!"

Chai Rong hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "Come here! Take Fan Aineng, He Hui and the rest of the East Xiang Army to the head, commander, commander, and Ma Bu. We all know that Yi Yingjun will be detained and imprisoned! We will summon the officers and men of the three armies tomorrow, I want a public trial on this case!”

On that day, hundreds of wolves and tigers from the imperial guards rushed into the camp and captured hundreds of generals from the East Wing Army.

At noon the next day, Chai Rong was dressed in military uniform and sat high on the general platform. The generals were sitting on both sides. In front of the stage, the soldiers of the three armies were arrayed. The first to be escorted to the stage were the two generals Fan Aineng and He Hui.

The two of them already knew that they would be sentenced to death, so they fell to the ground and cried bitterly, kowtowing desperately and begging for mercy.Zhang Yongde said sternly: "Fan Aineng and He Hui escaped before the battle, causing the East Wing Army's formation to be scattered and easily defeated by the enemy. According to military law, they should be beheaded in public display!"

A swordsman and axe-man came forward and pushed the two of them down, facing the soldiers of the three armies. No matter how hard they struggled, they could not break free.

He Hui suddenly cursed: "Zhu Xiu, my son! You went to His Majesty to make slanderous remarks in an attempt to kill me! Even if I were a ghost, I would never let you go~"

Zhu Xiu pouted, too lazy to argue with a dying man.

Chai Rong was furious: "This animal is so arrogant that he beheaded him and exposed his body for three days!"

Zhang Yongde shouted angrily: "Cut!"

The swordsmen on the left and right wielded long-handled swords, aimed at the necks of the two men, and chopped them off. The two bloody heads rolled off the stage, and the soldiers of the three armies were shocked!
Zhang Yongde then yelled at the name angrily, and every time he said a word, a head fell to the ground. A total of 72 generals were beheaded, and the bloody heads rolled to the ground.

Fan Aineng and He Hui's men in the East Chamber Army will kill two-thirds of the fleeing army.

The scene of a public trial of military law execution greatly shocked Zhou Jun.

Military discipline was greatly improved, and Chai Rong's emperor's prestige in the army increased day by day.

Zhou Jun continued to rest and recuperate in Gaoping, waiting for the news to come back from Jiangzhuling and Diaohuangling.

On this day, Zhao Kuangyin came to visit Zhu Xiu's tent.

"It turned out to be new tea before the rain. It's really a treat for literary talents!" Zhao Kuangyin happily held the tea bowl and sipped it.

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "If Big Brother Zhao likes it, he can take some of it away."

"Then I won't be polite!" Zhao Kuangyin said with a smile.

After chatting for a while, Zhao Kuangyin glanced outside the army tent, and said softly, "I don't think His Majesty has any intention of withdrawing the army. Could it be that he wants to continue fighting north?"

Zhu Xiu suppressed her smile and said: "To be honest, Brother Zhao, my younger brother is also worried about this matter."

Zhao Kuangyin frowned and said, "But there is a shortage of food in the army, and the food from Kaifeng is only sent to Huaizhou. If the army goes north, how long can the existing food last?"

Zhu Xiu shook her head: "It's less than two months."

Zhao Kuangyin smiled bitterly and said: "Does your Majesty think that Taiyuan can be conquered and the Northern Han Dynasty destroyed in two months?"

Zhu Xiu whispered: "Your Majesty is in high spirits, and I am afraid he has made a plan to attack Hedong. Yesterday evening, outside the imperial tent, I heard your Majesty and Zhang Consort quarreling, and it seemed that this was the reason!"

Zhao Kuangyin sighed: "Even Zhang Consort's persuasion is useless. It seems that Your Majesty really wants to attack Taiyuan!"

"Taiyuan's city defense is solid, and there are tens of thousands of Northern Han soldiers defending it. It is impossible to capture it easily. Once our army goes north, it is impossible for the Khitans to sit idly by and do nothing, and it is even less possible to win." Zhu Xiu lamented.

Zhao Kuangyin frowned and encouraged: "How about you go and persuade His Majesty?"

Zhu Xiu waved her hands hurriedly: "Brother Zhao, please don't harm me! Even Consort Zhang was scolded for trying to persuade him, let alone me!"

Zhao Kuangyin said: "Don't be afraid, you are His Majesty's brother-in-law, and His Majesty will never chop off your head no matter what! Besides, there are us, you take the lead, and we will come later!"

Zhu Xiu opened his eyes wide and cursed Zhao Da in his heart.

This guy didn't dare to persuade Chai Rong, so he encouraged him to be the leader!

What a black-hearted and evil person!

Zhu Xiu smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty has a strong temperament, and it coincides with the great victory of Bagongyuan. At this time, all the generals are trying to persuade you together. I am afraid that it will annoy your Majesty and think that we are going to launch a military remonstrance! You must not do it!"

Zhao Kuangyin thought about it, and Zhu Xiu's words made sense.

"Then what should we do?" Zhao Kuangyin looked helpless, "Your Majesty refuses to retreat and continues to attack Taiyuan with no chance of winning. Doesn't it become a dilemma?"

Zhu Xiu sighed: "Let's take it one step at a time. Your Majesty is not a stubborn person. He will naturally wake up when he sees that the march to the north is not going well."

Having said that, Zhu Xiu knew that Chai Rong was determined to attack Taiyuan this time and wanted to destroy the Northern Han Dynasty in one go.

When you finally hit the wall, you will only look back when you know you must go against it.

But Zhu Xiu didn't dare to say such things to others, let alone in front of Chai Rong.

The young Emperor Zhou was very proud and arrogant. At this time, he ran to tell him that the Zhou army would be defeated at the gate of Taiyuan. How would he believe it?

When the battle is really defeated, some people will accuse Zhu Xiu's curse of causing the army's defeat.

Therefore, Zhu Xiu had long wanted to understand that during this expedition, he would never give any advance warning. Everything would develop according to the historical trajectory. At most, he would lay ambushes in Jiangzhu Ridge and Diaohuang Ridge to see if there was any chance of expanding the results.

Zhao Kuangyin saw that his instigation failed, and he did not have the courage to speak out and remonstrate, which offended Jun Yan, so he had to sigh and leave.

He had just left for a while when Zhu Wu entered the army tent.

"Brother, I'm telling you, that Zhao Da is not a trustworthy person! You must be wary of him!"

Zhu Wu said in a low voice.

Zhu Xiu asked him to sit down and said with a smile, "Brother, why did you say this?"

Zhu Wu snorted coldly: "Our inner palace is next to Zhao Kuangyin's military tent in front of the palace. Last night I passed by the entrance of their tent and heard them saying bad things about you!"

"Hehe, what are you talking about?" Zhu Xiu poured tea, becoming interested.

Zhu Wu said angrily: "When I heard it, it was Han Chongyun's voice. He said that you relied on your brother-in-law relationship to get the opportunity to go to war. Instead of staying at the rear to escort the grain and grass, you even sent people to intercept Liu Chong in a whimsical way!
He also made wild claims, saying that Your Majesty has too much trust in you, and that sooner or later you will become like Wang Jun and bring trouble to the imperial court! "

Zhu Wu said bitterly: "If Shi Xiangwen is around, I have to let him rush in and tear that guy's mouth open!"

Zhu Xiu didn't take it seriously, and said with a smile: "I don't need Shi Dalang to deal with that guy. Don't worry, brother, I have my own way to teach that guy a lesson!"

Zhu Wu cursed a few curse words in Huainan slang, and then said: "That Ma Renyu is quite a kind person. Listening to his tone, I admire you quite a lot. He said that you are about the same age as him, but you are already the founding county magistrate." Your Majesty is really amazing! He also said that one day, he would be like you and become famous!"

Zhu Wu said hey: "This damn thing sounds like a human saying!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and rubbed her chin thoughtfully: "What did Zhao Kuangyin say?"

Zhu Wu said angrily: "Then Zhao Da'er didn't say a few words! But I vaguely heard him say to Han Chongyun, advise him not to provoke you again. After all, there is a big gap in status between you two. No matter what, both of you are named Han. He was at a disadvantage, and he also said something about crotch humiliation, lying on the ground and tasting courage. I didn't hear it clearly, and I didn't understand it either!
In short, Zhao Dal'er is a very well-off man, so you must be very cautious when dealing with him! "

Zhu Xiu smiled, and a strange color flickered deep in her pupils.

Judging from Zhu Wu's words, Han Chongyun's resentment towards him continued undiminished, and he only wanted revenge, but Zhao Kuangyin did not persuade him to let go of the grudge, but advised him to endure it for the time being.

The difference between these is interesting.

"Brother, I don't care about Zhao Kuangyin for now, but there are three people around him, you might as well make more friends!"

"Which three?"

"Ma Renyu, Yang Xin, Zhang Qiong!"

(End of this chapter)