On this trip back to Kyoto, Xiao Chen didn't bring many people with him. Just like when he came, he brought basically brothers from Dongchang.
Now he needs to hide his edge, and the main army still stays on Qinghuang Island.
Xiao Chen was not in a hurry. The carriage and horses were slow along the way, and several beauties were riding together.
She squeezed his shoulders and rubbed his back, washed and cooked meals for him, and waited on him with extra care.
However, they also heard some complaints from ordinary people.
Tengyang Wuzi, who had experienced the pain of annihilation of her country, could not help but feel a little distressed: "Poor people in Dachu, the emperor they worship is unkind, and when the enemy army pressed on, they abandoned his life and death. Now, the people are in dire straits..."
There were many displaced people on the road, all of whom were forced to have no way out by Daqi's cavalry.
Even if Zhao Xifeng intended to minimize the losses of the common people, he could not achieve perfection.
When war breaks out, the most injured are the innocent people.
Xiao Chen sighed softly: "I'm afraid these people are not only the result of Da Qi's army suppressing the territory, but also the result of Chu Yanwu's forcible annexation of land and the collection of taxes."
"Without land, they were forced to become tenant farmers. They spent money to cultivate the land, and the family was burdened with additional taxes. The death of camels did not happen overnight, but was the result of accumulation over time."
"Why are the people's lives getting more and more miserable? Why before the war comes, instead of all the people united to fight the enemy, they complain. Chu Yanwu is the culprit."
The reason why he moved slowly was to see Da Chu's current situation.
Looking at it, my heart suddenly felt sour.
Xiao Chen thinks that he is not a good person, but he is not unforgiving or hard-hearted.
A man like him, who amasses money and is lustful, still has national justice.
But as the king of a country, Chu Yanwu used all the people as tools for his own benefit...
It's really sad! What a shame!
Xiao Chen ordered: "The whole army listens to the order, speeds up the march, and rushes back to Kyoto as soon as possible."
Xiao Chen had expected to encounter some people in dire straits, so Xiao Chen specially prepared some money and food on the road.
If you encounter it, spread it out a little bit.
Although it's not much, the courtesy is light but the affection is heavy.
Even just half a piece of hardened cake may give a person hope of living.
Along the way, Xiao Chen also gained a lot of prestige, and his reputation reached a new level.
After less than half a month's journey, we finally arrived in Kyoto.
As soon as he stepped into the palace gate, the people in the palace were already waiting for him.
"General Xiao, you are finally back. His Majesty and the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty are waiting for you in the main hall!"
What a ridiculous privilege.
All of them are stupid birds waiting for food. Why treat him as a father and wait for him to feed him?
Tengyang Wuzi frowned, a little unhappy: "We are all exhausted physically and mentally after traveling for a long time. If you really care about us, shouldn't we let people rest for a while first?"
"Or if he was more sincere, he would come in person."
The eunuch was speechless for a moment.
If Chu Yanwu wanted to lose face, he would have handed over military power to Xiao Chen when Da Qi invaded the border. Why wait until this urgent moment?
He could only hold on to a smile: "General Xiao, your Majesty is naturally sympathetic to your hard work."
"It's just that the situation is critical now, and some things cannot be delayed. Please..."
"Okay, Your Majesty has spoken in person. If I don't go, what will happen?"
Xiao Chen comforted the others: "You should go back home first and let them cook something delicious. I miss the taste of the capital a little bit."
With that said, he followed a group of eunuchs into the hall.
The moment they saw Xiao Chen, everyone seemed to see a god coming.
However, after not seeing each other for just a few months, Xiao Chen seemed to be taller, full of energy, with a round face, and his whole person exuded a radiant spirit.
Compared to Chu Yanwu...
Xiao Chen was still quite surprised.
This dog emperor was sucked dry of his energy, how could he become like this!
how to say? He was now in a state where he had been hungry for seven or eight days and hadn't slept.
The whole person feels lethargic and extremely tired!
Zhang Dongyang, who was standing nearby, reminded: "General Xiao, why are you still in a daze when you see His Majesty?"
Xiao Chen retracted his thoughts and gave a symbolic salute: "I am here to see you, Your Majesty."
"General Xiao, there is no need to be polite. I am really happy to have you back."
"This time Daqi is coming with great force. By relying on rumors from outside, they want to defeat our Dachu in one fell swoop. Now the country is in danger."
"General Xiao, as the pillar of the country, I can only ask you to step forward at the critical moment!"
Xiao Chen smiled: "Thanks to His Majesty's respect, I will definitely do my best to repel the enemy and protect my family and country, but only...a hundred thousand troops."
Xiao Chen paused for a moment, but Chu Yanwu spoke first: "General Xiao, you also know that the situation in Dachu is now at its peak, and the 100,000 troops are doing their best."
"Back then, you defeated a country with tens of thousands of people. One hundred thousand was more than enough for you, not to mention that you had General Zhao to cooperate with you?"
"If I can value your talents in a positive way and trust you, you will definitely live up to my expectations!"
This old guy Deng, he couldn't wait to put a high hat on him before he even said anything?
He was afraid that he would want more from him if he thought he had too little.
Xiao Chen reluctantly suppressed the anger in his heart and said with fear: "Your Majesty has misunderstood. What I mean is that although there are one hundred thousand soldiers, fighting a war requires not only manpower, but also financial resources!"
"Military supplies, armor and equipment, chariots, horses and weapons, these are all essential!"
He looked at Chu Yanwu eagerly: "Your Majesty, do you know if these are available?"
Chu Yanwu's face froze, he had a fart!
Giving an army of 100,000 people was the result of his careful consideration after staying up all night.
He actually asked for something else now.
Although these things are necessary for military needs, he was greedy for money and lustful in the past, and had collected a lot of money in private. Why can't he use it to subsidize himself? Do you have to bleed a lot?
Chu Yanwu's face was gloomy, and he was obviously unhappy. He could only use the national treasury deficit as an excuse.
But Xiao Chen knew very well that although the treasury didn't have much money, the internal funds for my role were definitely huge!
Hasn't this old boy been squeezing the people?
Xiao Chen didn't hide it, "Wei Chen was originally from some families, and he was brought back with the general."
"It's just that along the way, I saw many people suffering from dire straits and fiery torture, so I lost my wealth."
"It's really unbelievable that there are so many poor people in the vast Chu, and they have all their money and food unknowingly."
"Now that I have nothing, it is really difficult to feed an army of 100,000 people. I don't know... what should I do?"
Not only Chu Yanwu, but all civil and military ministers were swept by him.
All Xiao Chen had to say was: Give me all your money!
