Chengdu in the early winter was really cold. For the Han soldiers from the north, they finally experienced the comfort of Jinguan City. Although they were not reluctant to return, most of them hoped to stay longer and return to the army later.
Since Chengdu conquered and Meng Chang surrendered, the prefectures and counties under its jurisdiction have successively presented surrender forms and administrative records to Chengdu to express their submission. As the imperial edict on how to deal with the aftermath was issued, Xiang Xun did not delay at all. He sent troops and cavalry to inform the various prefecture and county officials, so that they could spread the notice to the people of Sichuan and Shu to show the benevolence of the emperor of Han Dynasty.
In early September, Meng Chang, the Lord of Shu, and his family left Chengdu for Tokyo along with the first batch of fleets heading north. Now that Meng Shu is dead, it is indeed time to share the cake.
The wealth of the Shu palaces, gold and jade, curios, calligraphy and paintings, collections of books, as well as the money and silk from the public treasury, military weapons, official documents, documents, etc. were all loaded on ships by the Han army and exported to Chengdu via waterways. It is said that the Crystal Palace, which Meng Chang spent a huge amount of money to build, along with other palaces with marvelous decorations, were directly demolished by the Han army. It took more than twenty days, but the Shu Palace and the Chengdu official treasury were still not emptied.
By the beginning of winter, there have been hundreds of large and small ships transporting out of Chengdu. There are endless boats on the river, which is really a beautiful scenery. Even so, the ships transporting loot to Tokyo still did not stop.
In order to ensure the smooth flow of waterways, Xiang Xun also sent the formation envoy Guo Jin to lead his army southward and stationed in Jiazhou, suppressing and controlling the prefectures and counties south of Chengdu, and by the way, he dealt a blow to the Xie people who were causing trouble in Ling and Rong prefectures. The Han army did not recognize Meng Chang's compromise to the status of the Li people in Erzhou, and they should be exterminated.
As for those Yu people, they probably gained confidence during the battle with the Shu army, and they dared to gather a crowd to fight against Guo Jin's Han army, but they were naturally defeated in one blow. Guo Jin was ruthless, and he was very strict in running the army. He also liked to kill, and he was not polite to the Hu people. He killed all the thousands of people he captured and exposed them to the wilderness. The Hu people were too timid and did not dare to rebel again. There were also many Shu people. Fear it.
Within more than a month, after replenishing the Shu soldiers, the Shu armies were defeated and the troops were divided once. In addition to Guo Jin stationed in Jiazhou, Zhang Yongde stationed in Yuzhou, Liu Guangyi stationed in Guozhou, Cui Yan stationed in Suizhou, He Zhancheng stationed in Mianzhou, and Li Yan stationed in Zizhou.
They not only suppressed the local area to maintain order, but also planned to have a place to eat. At the same time, the captured Shu soldiers were also stationed with the army according to their place of origin. Of course, the key areas are still Chengdu and its surrounding plain areas and counties.
Due to the war, the Meng Shu court excessively exploited the people's power. When the Han army came, it was the Han's turn to pay the bill. There were many people in Shu who were short of food, so they issued military orders to Xun Yi Zhi, sent food to the treasury, and even took out part of the military rations. After hearing the news, tens of thousands of people gathered in Chengdu to beg for food. The army of Sichuan was allocated by the imperial court, and together with the seizures along the way, the food in hand was actually enough.
However, it was necessary to use military rations. Obviously, the problem was serious. Due to the current situation of "scarcity of food", Xiang Xun had to consider raising food. This matter was left to Zhang Mei, the transshipment envoy.
Due to the high prices of grain and salt in Chengdu, his first knife was to chop down those businessmen. As the largest and most prosperous city in the southwest region, commerce is prosperous, and the wealth occupied by merchants is really a fat and oily piece of meat.
After one bite, Han Jun's mouth was naturally filled with oil. In the city of Chengdu, dozens of wealthy businessmen were seized for "hoarding and evil intentions", their shops were sealed, and their goods were confiscated. Then came the second person. According to the list, they were investigated for wrongdoing, their property was confiscated, their land was confiscated, and their families were imprisoned in Chengdu...
Which businessman had no connection behind him? Using this connection, Zhang Mei started to use his second sword to find out what he wanted, those nobles and bureaucrats in Sichuan who provided protection and convenience for profiteers.
Fighting corruption and punishing law-breakers are politically correct things. Hold high this banner, enforce the law justly, and actually carry out liquidation and collection. With the power in hand, many people were punished with just a few charges.
In this process, the first batch of rewards for the victory of the Han army in pacifying Shu were obtained, and they were distributed to the officers and soldiers, and the military was very happy. Some rumors were also put to rest. After all, they were just looking at transporting goods to the emperor and the court. How could these hard-working soldiers enter this treasured land without any ideas...
These unusual actions of the Han army obviously caused a shock and made the nobles and bureaucrats in Chengdu uneasy. Some smart people took the initiative to offer goods and bribes to the Han generals for protection. In response, Xiang Xun ordered all the accepted officers to be captured and killed.
Xiang Xun had a clear understanding in his mind that collecting his property was the responsibility of the entire army, and the rewards were distributed from top to bottom, and the officers below could not be allowed to mess around. Although faced with temptations all over the place, it is inevitable to put an end to this matter, but on Xiang Xun's side, we cannot open that hole. If we find anyone, we will kill him. If it is not controlled, once it develops, it will be harmed, and it will not be easy to explain to the emperor and the court in the future...
At the same time, those who wanted to use "sugar-coated bullets" to corrupt the Han soldiers took the initiative to hand over the clues and were caught directly, setting off a new round of rectification.
As a result, the elderly and young people in Chengdu really felt the danger, and many people chose to abandon their family property and flee back to their hometowns. Some lucky ones succeeded, but many more were recaptured, thrown into jail, and scrutinized. The reason is also very good. If you are upright, you are not afraid of the shadow. If you are not guilty and have not committed any crime, there is no need to abscond. Of course, it's said to be a review, but in reality it's just waiting to be charged and punished...
As a result, the Shu court dignitaries, bureaucrats, and wealthy businessmen in Chengdu were in a state of panic, unable to escape, waiting, or perhaps waiting to be arrested and raided by the Han army. The huge city of Chengdu seems to have become a huge prison, and as the original owner of this city, he has become a key criminal, always waiting to be traced.
For most people in Chengdu, food prices have fallen, salt prices have leveled off, bullies in the markets have disappeared, and control of entry and exit from the city has become stricter. The market is still prosperous, and the Han army officers and soldiers are the largest group of consumers. They have received a lot of rewards, how can they not enjoy this land of abundance. But under this strange prosperity, the air seems to be oppressive...
A new fortress was built in the north of Chengdu and was very heavily guarded. Rather than a camp, it might be more appropriate to describe it as a prison. There were nearly ten thousand people there, all of whom were the upper class people from Shu and their families and clans captured during this period.
No one would let others take advantage of them when their family property, land and house were taken away, especially since most of these people had certain strength, which would cause future troubles. Xiang Xun simply ordered that all of them be locked up and sent to Chengdu for guarding. At the same time, the "criminals" in Chengdu were also transferred out of the city and strictly monitored and controlled. The Chengdu prison was completely empty.
The actions of the Han army were never limited to Chengdu. Taking down a house in the city was followed by the plunder of its property in the countryside. Officers and soldiers from various places responded to the actions in Chengdu and were responsible for the execution.
Within the walls of the camp, there was constant wailing, and men and women, old and young, were in pitiable condition, all showing signs of fear and hatred.
"Governor Zhao, during this period, all the people detained are in this camp!" Murong Chengtai said to Zhao Pu, who had just arrived, standing on the village tower and looking over the situation in the camp.
"How many people are here?" Zhao Pu asked with a somewhat cold expression.
"Nearly 300 households, more than 10,000 people!" Murong Chengtai gave a rough figure, and then said: "These people are really rich. The silk money confiscated successively is of huge value, the grain is 400,000 dan, and the land of each family is less than 10,000 dan. Some are thousands of hectares, and some are more than ten thousand. It can be seen how skillfully and plundering these people have accumulated such wealth..."
Zhao Pu said: "How to deal with the food and land?"
Murong Chengtai shrugged his shoulders and said: "Food is divided into military ration and official ration. As for the land, it is up to the prefect Zhao and the government to arrange and dispose of it..."
Taking a deep breath and looking at Murong Chengtai, who had a dull expression, Zhao Pu felt a sense of urgency in his heart. This soldier was really fast, ruthless and accurate in his actions.
"How is the public sentiment in various places? Is there any unrest?" Zhao Pu asked again.
Murong Chengtai said: "It's just a little chaos. The imperial court provided food relief to the refugees, reduced their taxes, and eradicated bandits. Most people were grateful. But it is inevitable that a few rebels who missed Meng Shu would plot chaos and change their hands. It’s ok! However, if we want stability in Chengdu and Shuzhong, it’s up to you, Magistrate Zhao, to take responsibility!”
Probably because he was raised in Chengdu, Murong Chengtai's complexion was a bit whiter, but when he saw his faint smile, Zhao Pu was speechless. From what I heard, I was probably here to help them deal with the aftermath. What he saw in front of him was only part of the "results". The army had premeditated, organized, and methodical plundering and rectification. The results and impacts would never be as simple as what Murong Chengtai said.
Zhao Pu took the east route when he entered Sichuan this time. The states in eastern Sichuan are not a big problem. Southern Sichuan is barren and is not an area to take care of. Only in this plain area, he needs to actually visit the situation. ....
After much consideration, Zhao Pu said: "There are tens of thousands of refugees gathered around Chengdu. I am responsible for distributing land, money, grain, seeds, and farming tools. We need the cooperation of the army to pacify them as soon as possible!"
"This is what we should do. I think the commander-in-chief will fully cooperate with the prince!" Murong Chengtai nodded in response.
"Also, these people cannot be detained here for a long time and should be moved out of Sichuan as soon as possible!" Zhao Pu said again.
Murong Chengtai said that he should discuss it with Xiang Xun.
When he left, Zhao Pu was not in a good mood. He felt pressure. From what he observed, the situation in Shu was not optimistic. For one reason, Xiang Xun and the others were too cruel. There was a "Beiying" here in Chengdu, as well as in Mianzhou, Zizhou, and other places.
The only good thing is that the generals still have good control over the army and do not abuse the people in Shu. Otherwise, we will be waiting for a chaos that can destroy Shu...
Even so, Zhao Pu still dared not relax. In the plans of Liu Chengyou and Zhao Pu, they were treated differently, but it was obvious that the suppression of the Shu-Han army was expanded. No way, I tasted the sweetness.
Of course, among the people who were punished by the Han army, there were inevitably innocent people. However, when the floods flooded, people would not care whether they were innocent or guilty. There are joys and sorrows in the world, and fortunes and misfortunes are unpredictable. Either you resist, or you have to suffer.
As for Liu Chengyou, who was far away in Tokyo, it was naturally difficult for him to understand the grief of the nobles, bureaucrats, landowners, and merchants in Sichuan who had their families and fortunes dispersed. He only wanted one result, and he exchanged the suffering of some people for the stability of most people and strengthened the Han's rule over Sichuan and Shu. It was worth it!
