Under Liu Chengyou's personal welcome, it was already evening when we arrived at Zhending City. There was only a little bit of the setting sun left in the sky, and the warm breeze was blowing, which made it extremely comfortable.
The two brothers walked side by side, still talking casually. Liu Chengxun mostly took the initiative to bring up the topic. As for Liu Chengyou, he always showed a reserved demeanor.
He, the eldest brother, seemed to suddenly show a keen interest in the war, or in other words, Liu Chengyou's military career in the past few months.
The Zhending City in the dusk was illuminated by dots of lights, with distinct layers and lots of people, making it look quite lively. With the city as the center, many temporary refugee shelters were set up on the periphery. The lights flickered, a little blurry, and looked a little dreamy in the hazy twilight.
Inevitably, there is noise and chaos, but amidst the chaos, order is clearly reflected. It seems very contradictory, but it can make people feel the rare stability in troubled times.
Although many refugees and refugees were evacuated by Liu Chengyou to resettle in the counties and cities under Zhenzhou's jurisdiction, Zhending is still the largest gathering place. Including the original civilians and troops, the number is tens of thousands. All the way through the camp, Liu Chengxun found that there were many people who were obviously hungry, but they were not noisy, fussy or moaning. Even if the dusk fell, you could still find the hope contained in the expressions of many people.
When the army passed by, either out of fear or respect, the people along the way took the initiative to retreat without warning. Seeing such people being managed in an orderly and orderly manner by Liu Chengyou, Liu Chengxun was surprised and sighed.
However, in all peaceful atmospheres, there are always disharmonious things. Under the city gate, a square platform was built with several thick wooden stakes erected on it. Some people were tied to the wooden stakes. They all seemed to be strong people. They were tied with ropes and could not move. Everyone looked very desperate, and a few of them were still in a state of unconsciousness, probably after being exposed to the sun during the day.
"Erlang, who are these?" Liu Chengxun asked Liu Chengyou doubtfully, pointing at those people.
Liu Chengyou said calmly: "They are all death row prisoners who are about to be executed!"
This is a execution platform, used to execute prisoners. Judging from the strong smell of blood surrounding the platform, it can be seen that many people have been killed.
Seeing Liu Chengxun's curiosity, Liu Chengyou explained it briefly. The refugee Liu Chengyou basically carried out semi-military control. In order to stabilize order, several temporary decrees were issued. Those who steal will die, those who rob will die, those who fight will die, those who disobey orders will die, not to mention wounding and killing... Basically, the red line of punishment is reduced to the lowest.
Those people on the execution platform obviously violated Liu Chengyou's prohibition, and were arrested by the patrol soldiers, exposed to the public, and executed the next day.
After listening to Liu Chengyou's plain description, Liu Chengxun was stunned, took a breath of the bloody air, and then said hesitantly: "Is such torture too harsh?"
Liu Chengyou glanced at Liu Chengxun, his eldest brother, with some unbearable eyes. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou replied softly: "To punish the country, use heavy codes."
Liu Chengxun obviously wanted to say something, but Liu Chengyou pointed directly into the city gate and changed the subject and said: "I have ordered people to summon the Zhending civil and military forces to welcome the eldest brother."
Looking at his brother's calm face that was both unfamiliar and familiar, Liu Chengxun opened his mouth, but sighed and said nothing. He secretly speculated in his heart that Erlang's murderous intention became so serious due to the influence of the killing spirit on the battlefield.
Naturally, Liu Chengyou didn't care about his elder brother's complicated thoughts at this time. He turned to look at the soldiers patrolling the camps, and then glanced at the people on the execution platform. He withdrew his gaze and regained his composure.
Harsh punishment? that's for sure. However, I have to wonder why it is so easy to achieve harmonious coexistence when hundreds of thousands of people gather together in and outside the city. Farmers, merchants, workers, women and children, and even thieves and criminals were mixed in. Liu Chengyou had already seen that kind of disorder and chaos before.
Under such circumstances, establishing a strict order is definitely better than disorder. Although it is simple and crude, the effect is direct and useful. The results at this time are proof. Even if it's a bit overkill, it's worth the price.
Since Liu Chengyou is accepting these refugees, they must abide by the rules. In fact, as long as they abide by the rules, there is no need to worry about their lives. And those who are killed for violating the law are always those who are disturbed.
Zhending City is a different scene. The city walls have obviously been repaired, and the destroyed houses are also being rebuilt. With so much cheap people's power, Liu Chengyou took the opportunity to make good use of it.
At the state government office, Liu Chengyou's arrangers, civil and military officials gathered to greet Liu Chengxun and attend the reception banquet prepared by Liu Chengyou. The banquet was kept very simple. Liu Chengyou didn't want to create a situation like "the bones of a wealthy family will freeze to death in the smell of wine and meat", and Liu Chengxun obviously understood.
Drinking water instead of wine, looking at the civil and military officials in the hall, Liu Chengxun felt emotional again. His Erlang family is really full of talents under his command now...
The next day, Liu Chengyou continued to put down his work and personally did the reception work, accompanying his elder brother on inspections inside and outside the city. The government, civilians, and military personnel inspected it in turn, and even took Liu Chengxun to several Yan camps.
However, what Liu Chengxun cared about after all was the outcome of the battle in Luancheng. He came here on Liu Zhiyuan's order to escort him south to Tokyo. Liu Chengyou had received the order a long time ago. If he said he was unhappy, he naturally felt it in his heart, and it was not a small one. However, he did not show it at all, and instead actively cooperated.
Liu Chengyou has a very clear mind. Whether it is to please favor or for the sake of the country, he must put aside his personal thoughts. On the contrary, some soldiers expressed some complaints and were severely reprimanded and punished by Liu Chengyou early on.
Based on this matter, Liu Chengyou should exercise his ability. Looking at this issue from the perspective of Jiangshan Sheji, he is very open-minded and is even willing to seize property to ease the national finances.
When he saw the gold, silver, armor, and treasures piled up like gravel in the city, and then looked at the war horses, Liu Chengxun was also dazzled. In fact, the amount of wealth plundered by the Khitans from the Central Plains was so huge, only 30 to 40% of it was actually accumulated by Liu Chengyou. The rest were either distributed as rewards or lost in the war. In addition, many were transported back to the country by the Khitan people. This was something Yelu Deguang ordered very early.
"It is conceivable to what extent our people were robbed and exploited by the barbarians!" Liu Chengxun did not show any greed, but just sighed deeply to express his condolences to the people.
After walking around for a while, Liu Chengxun decisively told Liu Chengyou that he was going to visit Feng Dao and the old ministers of Shi Jin. He seemed impatient and attached great importance to them.
Liu Chengyou continued to act as a guide, leading him there and visiting them one by one. As a result, the eldest prince's gentleness and humility won the praise and appreciation of many old ministers.
From the beginning to the end, Liu Chengyou seemed calm and relaxed, but at the end, he took Liu Chengxun with him to visit Zhao Yanshou again. Regarding You Yan's plan, Liu Chengyou planned to drag his eldest brother into trouble.
