As of mid-November of the first year of Zhangwu, although the situation in Bashu had been generally stable, the sudden acquisition of such a vast territory required countless matters to be dealt with. Some matters could be delayed, but the military affairs part could not wait. , cannot be delayed, so Chen Chong still has to make some arrangements before returning to Beijing.
On the one hand, although Liu Fan suffered huge losses due to the defeat, he still had nearly 30,000 people in Jiangzhou, and there were still many people in Yizhou who were Liu Fan's old troops, so they should not be underestimated. Therefore, it is not appropriate to withdraw troops on a large scale at the moment, and a heavy general must be stationed in Bashu. This important task naturally fell on Duan Xuan. Chen Chong used Duan Xuan as the temporary governor of Yizhou, and Yang Fu was the governor of Yizhou. He led 40,000 people and stationed them in Jiangyang and Dianjiang.
On the other hand, since June, more than ten barbarians including Langli and Niucheng in Zhuti, Zanggao, Yuexi and other Jiangnan counties took the opportunity to cause chaos. They thought that there would be a long-term stalemate between the Han and Shu armies, so they robbed passers-by on the county roads and gathered property. Although they only had a few hundred people, they were quite resentful. After the war ended, the barbarian commanders still refused to cease their troops, and for a time new officials were blocked from taking office. This had to be dealt with, so Chen Chong appointed Pang Tong as the governor of Zhu Ti and led 5,000 troops to deal with the matter urgently.
In addition, there is the issue of prisoners, but this is not difficult to handle. Most of the Shu soldiers were registered by the state government and then sent back to their hometowns. As for the important officials and generals of the Shu Dynasty, they were all escorted to Nanzheng by Chen Chong, preparing to go to Beijing together when Chen Chong returned to the north. This was Liu Xie's initiative after learning about Chen Chong's victory, and suggested taking the opportunity to hold a large-scale prisoner ceremony for him. Chen Chong wanted to refuse, but the victorious soldiers were extremely happy and proud when they heard the news. Chen Chong couldn't help but agree to it, so he agreed.
As for the rest of the spring plowing, mountain bans, promotion of talents, etc., Chen Chong also wrote out the instructions and asked Yang Fu to pass them on to the new Yizhou governor who was about to take office.
On the day when he set out to return north, the sky was gray and oppressive, but Chen Chong walked among the bare maple trees and felt that his head was open again, and then he saw the dancing graupel snow between the sky and the earth. The snowflakes fell on the mountains and rivers in spots. It disappeared quickly like dewdrops evaporating. When Chen Chong saw this situation, he couldn't help but think: At this time, the land in Guanzhong must have become the same color as heaven and earth.
So a group of people put on their fur coats and headed north. Ma Chao and his party followed Chen Chong north. He had confirmed that he would sacrifice prisoners together with Chen Chong when he returned to Beijing, so he was extremely excited on the way. When he had nothing to do, he came to say hello to Chen Chong, and then brushed his horse by the stream, planning to look good in front of He Jiafang when he returned to Beijing. Chen Chong couldn't help but laugh when he saw this, but he also understood the young man's desire to become famous. But when he thought about it in a blink of an eye, Ma Chao was actually already thirty-six, and he was no longer young. It was just that he was too mature. Although he had experienced many battles, he was not good at killing people, so he often thought of death during the bloody storm. If people think too much, they will become indifferent and lose sight of the vicissitudes of life.
Just when he thought of the word death in his mind, Chen Chong couldn't help but shudder, and he thought of his wife at home. I have been fighting this battle for nearly a year. Is the princess still living in seclusion at home alone? Does she still hate herself? Chen Chong couldn't get an answer. He just remembered that when he saw the princess's eyes at home, he would feel that her eyes were filled with the horror of spying on his soul. Although her words were still gentle, there was a look of death in her eyes, which he absolutely did not want. You'll get it wrong. So what good way can I do to comfort her when I go back this time?
Chen Chong tried to think about this problem one night, but soon discovered that this problem seemed so profound to him. He could easily lay out new policies related to the fate of the country, but it was difficult for him to understand the inner meaning of a soul, just like a blind man could not After figuring out the shape of a tiger, Chen Chong finally gave up on this idea. Because he asked himself: "What else can I do?" Then he replied: "I have done everything I can do, and I really don't know what to do." He made up his mind and continued to try his best in the future. He cared about his wife, but Chen Chong didn't know what the outcome would be, so he stopped thinking about it. But in any case, this brought some darkness to Chen Chong's journey back north.
After more than 20 days of trekking, Chen Chong and more than 3,000 people who accompanied him finally rushed back to Guanzhong before the New Year. At this time, Liu Xie had been waiting in Chencang for a long time. When he saw Chen Chong coming back, he immediately rode a horse to congratulate him and said jokingly: "My uncle destroyed Shu with a partial army and has been shining through the ages. I really envy me." Chen Chong knew that although he was joking, in his heart He was also eager to make achievements, so he comforted him and said: "Now that the land in the west is leveled, we don't need to worry about many things. In this case, next time I will advise your father to let you accompany the army to the east, and I will sit in the center." After Liu Xie heard this, he felt relieved.
Then the group continued to rush to Chang'an. By this time Liu Bei had also returned to Xijing, and everything was ready, so on the day of Xinhai in the twelfth lunar month, Chang'an held a grand prisoner dedication ceremony.
Liu Bei led the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty to Xi'an Gate, just south of Weiyang Palace, and was captured. Chen Chong, on the other hand, led the soldiers to cross the Wei Bridge from Weibei, then set off along the Ouchi Lake in the West City, and then went eastward around the city for twenty miles through the Wang Canal, and finally entered the city via Longshouyuan. When Chang'an heard of such a great victory, the streets and alleys had already been deserted, and everyone went out of the city to watch the victorious soldiers. Along the way, there were many ladies and gentlemen on both sides, vying to see the elegance of the cavalry.
Ma Chao led the Fufeng knights to ride forward. He was now wearing a military uniform with a colorful brocade robe, followed by hundreds of knights riding five-color horses. The military flags were fluttering in the wind, making him look heroic and magnificent. Behind was Jiang Xu's troops. Two hundred people fired arrows into the sky in unison. The momentum was extremely shocking, which caused the people of Chang'an to cheer and scream. Then came the infantry formation led by Yin Feng, fully armed and wearing Mingguang armor, walking step by step. Suddenly, in the winter, the cold light of the iron blades they held was eye-catching.
Chen Chong was currently riding a Qingzhui, wearing a turban on his head and a green robe with a curved collar. He was inconspicuous among the bright armor, and his leather boots and mount were even stained with snow and mud. But everywhere he passed, the people all recognized the Prime Minister's identity and cheered and cheered for him. This made Chen Chong smile a little and wave slowly to the people around him, but his expression could not hide the tiredness.
Suddenly, he saw his only son Chen Zhang among the crowd. Chen Chong was about to nod in greeting, but unexpectedly, Chen Zhang seemed to have something on his mind and did not respond. This situation made his heart tighten, and he suddenly had a very bad premonition, but the crowd around him started to move, and he was quickly squeezed out of the crowd. When Chen Chong wanted to look for it again, he could no longer see it.
Chen Chong's expression only changed for a moment, and he soon calmed down. He knew that he couldn't show anything at this moment, but he still smiled at everyone. The last people who followed him into the city were the many prisoners and surrendered ministers obtained from entering Shu. They were said to be prisoners, but in fact they were not mistreated, nor were they tied with ropes. They just followed Han Yue on foot, waiting to pay Liu Bei the courtesy of a courtier.
When some old people saw this scene, they couldn't help but think of the scene where Huangfu Song presented prisoners to Dong Zhuo in the second year of Chuping. They talked privately: "Back then, Huangfu's chariots and cavalry were so majestic when they presented prisoners. Who would have expected that a year later, they would end up in a fire in the ancestral temple." , I think such a tragedy will not happen again now."
Besides, the sacrifice of prisoners has been completed, and Chen Chong leads the troops to come to Liu Bei. Liu Bei was so overjoyed that he won a complete victory in the expedition against Shu and captured many people. He did not let the generals and the Shu people go home, but directly held a banquet in the palace to entertain everyone. Everyone drank and drank all night long, and the king and his ministers had a great time. The banquet was not dispersed until after noon the next day. In just one year, the imperial court suppressed Shu in the east, opened up borders, and became more powerful. It can be said that there are two out of three parts of the world. Liu Bei and Chen Chong had worked hard to manage Kansai for twenty years, but they had always suffered from the fact that although they had won consecutive battles, there was no significant progress in the situation. Nowadays, the country dominates the west, has rich people, and neglects the east and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. How can Liu Bei not be elated? After removing the banquet, he ordered someone to take a pot of wine and go to comfort the spirits of Xu Shu, Gongsun Zan, Liu Xuan and others.
Speaking of the ministers who surrendered in Shu, Liu Bei made great use of most of the ministers who surrendered before the war. For example, Li Hui, Gong Zhi, Li Yan, and Wang Ping were all given the rank of captain, while Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu were given the rank of Zhenjun. General, General Wei De, treat him with great courtesy. As for the remaining Shu officials captured after the war, Liu Bei also hired them one by one after appraising their talents. For example, Dong He and Wu Yi were summoned to serve in the Central Dynasty as servants, while Yan Yan and Liu Min were sent to the Changshi Mansion in Yunbei, where they were appointed as surrendered captains and Woye captains respectively.
During the banquet, Liu Bei also called the Shu people to him, talked with them, and asked for their views on the situation in Jiangnan.
Pan Jun sat at the head of the table and naturally replied: "Liu Fan originally wanted to take advantage of the situation after provoking a fight between his two grandsons, but unexpectedly he lost his foundation. Now Sun Quan has gained power, and Liu Fan is only left with a mere The defeat of the three counties is just around the corner.”
Liu Bei asked: "In your opinion, what should the court do?"
Pan Jun said confidently: "The imperial navy does not have many, and Sun Quan's ships are like clouds. Therefore, the imperial court urgently uses troops to quickly capture Xiangyang and Jiangling, and station troops on the south bank. In this way, the whole territory can be captured."
Liu Bei laughed, turned around and said to his left and right: "Chengming has a big appetite! Now that he has won Bashu, the navy matter will happen sooner or later."
He asked Pan Jun again: "You followed Liu Fan from Jingzhou, and then switched to the prime minister in Hanzhong. You have seen battles. Comparing the two of them, which one is stronger and which one is weaker?"
Pan Jun thought about it and said: "Liu Fan's strategy is the best, and the prime minister is invincible in battle. It can be seen that the treacherous path is not as good as the upright path."
Everyone laughed, with Pan Jun as the leader of the Shu officials. However, just after the banquet, he mentioned to Chen Chong that he was going to re-appoint Pan Jun and make him the governor of Jizhou, but Chen Chong objected.
Chen Chong said: "This person is hypocritical in nature but strong in intelligence. He is a naturally cruel and sycophantic official. He pretends to be outspoken, but is actually trying to cater to his superiors. If he is reused, it will definitely cause disaster in the future. It is better to let him hold a noble position and just use it as a reference for planning." "
When Chen Chong said this, although Liu Bei disagreed, he still obeyed his advice and appointed Pan Jun as the Shaofu, leading the attendant, and asked him to take charge of the palace's property and miscellaneous affairs. After everything was done, Chen Chong was about to resign and go back to his hometown to investigate the situation. Unexpectedly, Liu Bei politely asked him to stay, saying that he would invite him to another family dinner.
