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Chapter 859: Extra: Heavenly Power (I)

That night, Jiang Shaohua tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Cui Du knew that she was in a bad mood, so he put his arm around her and patted her on the back a few times: "Shaohua, don't blame yourself. There will always be casualties in war."

Jiang Shaohua sighed gloomily: "I know. Over the years, so many soldiers have died in the border army. The list of pensions is almost full of a warehouse. I have never seen most of them."

Yu Chong, however, was a military commander who had been loyal to her since she was ten years old, and was her true confidant.

Yu Chong's death in battle was like being stabbed in the waist and abdomen, it was so painful.

"He didn't have to die." Jiang Shaohua's voice was a little choked up: "He didn't have a fatal injury. As long as he stayed behind, he would be fine."

"The combat effectiveness of those garrisons is mediocre, so someone must be in charge of the battle. In order to hold back the Rouran barbarians and for the great victory of Daliang, he exhausted his last bit of energy like a candle..."

Jiang Shaohua couldn't continue.

She leaned into Cui Du's arms and cried silently.

"I was too impatient. Originally, I could have waited two or three months until the imperial court's 100,000 reinforcements arrived before sending out the troops. With sufficient troops, I could have fought more calmly and would not have had to fight so desperately. It's all my fault..."

Cui Du interrupted her in a low voice: "You can't say that. That was the best time to send troops. If we wait for two or three months, the Rouran barbarians will have already run away. If we send troops and find no enemy by then, it will only be a waste of military supplies."

"Sending troops in time is the right decision. You are not wrong."

"General Yu fought desperately for Daliang and the emperor. Even in the underworld, he will rest in peace."

"I know you're sad. If you want to cry, just have a good cry. I'll be with you."

Jiang Shaohua cried heartily until four o'clock in the morning, then fell asleep.

Yu Chong's figure appeared in the dream.

Yu Chong was still about 40 years old, tall, with a straight back and sharp eyes. He saluted her with his hands. When he raised his head, he looked like a 60-year-old veteran: "Your Majesty, it is worth dying to lead the troops on a real battlefield."

"When I reach the underworld, I will lead the souls of the Daliang soldiers and kill the Rouran barbarians once again."

She laughed in her dream and said "OK".

……

After the grief, there are still a lot of things waiting for her.

The Rouran barbarians' nest was razed to the ground, and the scattered soldiers who escaped were no longer a threat. However, in the vast grassland, there were not only Rouran, but also Tatars and Gaoche tribes.

Next, should we continue the conquest, or use relatively harmonious means to balance the grassland forces?
The civil officials accompanying the emperor basically agreed with the latter.

The generals were all excited and clamored to continue the expedition, taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to razed the grassland in one fell swoop.

Among them, General Zuo, Duke of Weiyuan, was the most radical.

General Zuo led 100,000 elite soldiers to the border army. As a result, they did not catch up with the most intense battle, and the Rouran barbarians' nest was razed.

While others were regretting Yu Chong's death in battle, General Zuo said, "To die on the battlefield is the best fate for a general."

Rather than die of old age or illness in bed, General Zuo would rather be buried in a foreign land wrapped in his horse's hide.

Speaking of which, General Zuo is not young anymore, he is already 65 years old this year. For a general who has experienced many battles, the cruelest ending is to grow old.

General Zuo insisted on sending troops to conquer the grasslands, and he defeated all the Tatars and Gaoche tribes, killing them until they bowed their heads and submitted, and he killed them so that they would never dare to invade the border again.

Jiang Shaohua was so angry that he laughed. In front of all the ministers, he scolded General Zuo: "Duke Weiyuan is bloodthirsty! He wants to fight so much, but I won't give you any soldiers. You can go to the grassland by yourself on horseback. Kill as many as you can, how about that?" General Zuo: "..."

General Zuo was choked and speechless.

Jiang Shaohua's smile faded, his expression solemn: "War is not a goal, but a means. Killing is a last resort. I think that the deterrence to the tribes on the grassland is enough. It is not appropriate to start another war."

"Unless the Tatars and the Gaochas take the initiative to come and attack us, Daliang will not take the initiative to send troops to provoke a war."

All the ministers responded respectfully in unison.

General Zuo should have been a step slower.

Jiang Shaohua raised his eyelids and twitched the corners of his mouth: "Duke Weiyuan is dissatisfied with what I said?"

General Zuo's heart skipped a beat. Her Majesty's power grew stronger day by day. A single glance from her made him feel cold in his heart and said, "I dare not."

"It's good that you don't dare." Jiang Shaohua's expression was indifferent, and he was ruthless in knocking General Zuo: "I know you are still unwilling to accept it in your heart, but as a military general, you have to obey orders."

Civil officials are like pens, and military generals are like swords.

When writing, one should write articles in accordance with the emperor's wishes.

The blade is sharp and the handle must be held in the hands of the emperor.

If the blade has its own will, it means that the emperor cannot control the generals. Such a blade is extremely dangerous and must be removed.

Her Majesty was implying something. General Zuo felt very uncomfortable and stood up to show his loyalty: "I am loyal to Your Majesty, and the sun and the moon can testify to my loyalty."

Jiang Shaohua smiled faintly: "Duke Weiyuan, don't panic. I dared to use you and made you Duke Weiyuan back then. How could I punish you for your words today?"

"I don't plan to fight any more wars. However, the necessary deterrence must be maintained."

"I will send a letter to all the grassland tribes that are famous to come to see me."

"It would be best if they are willing to submit to Daliang. If not, I will let Duke Weiyuan lead the troops to show them the power of Daliang's cavalry."

General Zuo was overjoyed when he heard this and agreed immediately.

General Fan stood up at the right time and expressed to Her Majesty the Empress that he was also willing to lead the troops to fight.

Jiang Shaohua was much more polite to General Fan, and said with a smile: "Don't worry. I don't want to fight, but if they don't know what's good for them and still want to knock on the pass and rob the valley from time to time, I won't be polite to them."

"During this period of time, you should let the soldiers settle down and rest. You never know when they will ride their horses to the battlefield to kill the enemy again."

……

There are countless tribes of all sizes on the grassland. Some small tribes with hundreds of people may still exist today, but they may be annexed tomorrow.

Of course, not everyone is qualified to receive the letter from Daliang. One must have at least a thousand cavalrymen to be qualified to be mentioned.

By this calculation, there are seven copies of the letter of credence that need to be sent out.

As the Minister of Rites, Chen Jinyu was responsible for drafting the letter. After reading it, Jiang Shaohua ordered Lu Zhen to stamp it with the imperial seal and then send troops to deliver the letter.

As soon as the letter was sent out, the grassland tribes arrived at the border.

If we calculate the time, they came here without stopping as soon as they learned that the Rouran had been wiped out. They were so frightened that they were terrified.