Outside the city gate of Chengdu North City, the battle has ended long ago. The city gate has been opened by officers and soldiers. After cleaning, they welcome the king's division into the city. Wang Jien was riding on the horse, raised his head and looked at the towering city wall, feeling doubt and confusion in his heart again.
He didn't understand why such a strong city only lasted for one day before being breached. Was it because the rebels were too incompetent, or was it because the Forbidden Army soldiers he led were too brave...
It's no wonder that facing this solid city and the tens of thousands of rebel soldiers in the city, Wang Jien was very wary. He never fought an uncertain battle, so he originally decided to raise enough food, grass and siege equipment before launching the attack. He planned to attack the city. If it weren't for the large army of the Liao people from the north pressing down on the border and the emperor urging him to attack the city, he would not have rushed to attack the city today.
I thought it would be a fierce battle with heavy casualties, but I didn't expect it to end in such a dramatic ending. Wang Jien turned his head and looked at a middle-aged man next to him, and asked: "Master Zhang, you are highly knowledgeable and have lived in Shu for a long time. Why do you think the city of Chengdu was destroyed so easily?"
The middle-aged man was Zhang Yong, who was sent by the imperial court to serve as the prefect of Yizhou.
Zhang Yong, also given the courtesy name Fuzhi, initially served as the magistrate of Chongyang County. Later, due to his excellent political performance, he was transferred to Bianjing and served as a direct bachelor of the Privy Council. Later, he became the magistrate of Yizhou. His political achievements were outstanding and he ranked first in the official evaluation. He is He is a well-known capable minister and official. Therefore, after the rebellion broke out in Shu, the first thing Zhao Guangyi thought of was to send Zhang Yong to Shu to take charge of things in Shu.
Zhang Yong followed the Forbidden Army all the way south, and Wang Jien also arrived in Chengdu a few days later, just in time to attack the city. He was also stunned by the Forbidden Army's success in destroying the city in one day. But after analyzing and thinking, he concluded the reason.
Zhang Yong bowed his hands to Wang Jien, smiled and replied: "Your Majesty Wang, you are exaggerating. Although I have served in Shu, I am far inferior to your Majesty in leading troops to fight. In my humble opinion, this is because People in the city used to be barefoot, but now they wear shoes, so they can’t be beaten..."
"These people rebelled because they were oppressed and impoverished. They had nothing, so they had no worries, and they were extremely capable in fighting. But after they succeeded, they became people who oppressed others. Now they have good farmland, delicious food, and beautiful wives and mansions. Naturally, no one can anymore. I want to go all out... Hey, starting from poverty, but losing to peace and happiness, it is very thought-provoking..." Zhang Yongchang sighed.
Different from the sentimentality of a scholar like Zhang Yong, Wang Jien did not have so many emotions. He laughed and said: "Master Zhang has a commanding position and his foresight is impressive. However, I have no regard for these rebels." Anyone who sympathizes, if they really drag us here, then the Liao people in the north will attack us, the Song Dynasty, no matter the cost. When the country is in chaos and China is ups and downs, these rebellious officials and traitors will be the biggest sinners!"
Zhang Yong nodded and agreed with Wang Jien's view.
After entering the city of Chengdu, Wang Jien ordered the messenger to deliver the good news to Bianjing, and at the same time ordered the soldiers to clean the battlefield, clear out the remaining enemies in the city, and strengthen the city walls. Zhang Yong also entered the Chengdu government office on the second day to handle official business.
After entering the city, the Forbidden Army soldiers first ransacked the houses of tycoons and rebel officials in various places. After there was nothing left to rob, they targeted the people in the city.
Not only was this bad behavior that violated military discipline not stopped by Wang Jien, but some loyal generals who made suggestions to Wang Jien because of this were scolded by Wang Jien.
Upon seeing this, some soldiers also followed suit, setting off a trend of robbery in the city. The initial robbery of money and food evolved into the robbery of good women. Seeing that he couldn't stand it any longer, Wang Jien ordered a ban on looting in the city. Only then did these officers and soldiers, who acted like thieves and bandits, restrain themselves.
A considerable part of the property stolen by the officers and soldiers was handed over to Wang Jien, which is why they dared to be so unscrupulous.
Shangguan Boyu threw down his weapon angrily when he returned to the barracks. He was still furious. Today he advised Wang Jien on strict military discipline, but Wang Jien scolded him.
Yang Yunfan on the side was thoughtful. Shangguan Boyu asked: "Brother Yang, Master Wang is so conniving with soldiers to plunder, isn't he afraid of repeating the tragedy of Wang Quanbin when he pacified Shu?"
Wang Quanbin was a famous general in the early Song Dynasty. At the beginning, he led his army to pacify Hou Shu according to the order of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin. It only took sixty-six days to pacify Hou Shu and capture the king of Hou Shu, Meng Chang.
But the overwhelming momentum along the way went to Wang Quanbin's mind, and he believed that the Shu people were weak and could be bullied. The soldiers insulted and robbed the people of Shu at will, but he did not stop them. This later led to the collective resistance of the people of Shu and wars everywhere. It took Zhao Kuangyin two years. After the rebellion was put down, Wang Quanbin was demoted again and again by the angry Zhao Kuangyin, and his reputation was ruined. If the courtiers had not dissuaded him, Zhao Kuangyin would have wanted to kill Wang Quanbin to vent his anger.
Now Wang Jien's behavior is very similar to Wang Quanbin back then, which makes people worry about the recurrence of the past.
Hearing Shangguan Boyu's question, Yang Yunfan hesitated for a while and said: "Even so, I feel that Mr. Wang must have other intentions. Learning from past mistakes, with Mr. Wang's intelligence, he shouldn't not know it, right?"
"Haha, not bad..." At this moment, a hearty laughter came from outside the house, it was Shangguan Zheng, the guard of Jianmen Pass.
"Dad, why are you back? Aren't you going to have a banquet with Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhang tonight to celebrate their success?" Shangguan Boyu asked doubtfully.
"Dad has something to do tonight, so I won't get involved..." Shangguan was saying.
"You just mentioned that Mr. Wang did not stop the officers and soldiers from looting. Do you think of any reason?" Shangguan asked with a smile while stroking his beard.
Shangguan Boyu curled up his lips when he heard this and sneered: "What other reason could there be? It's because the people below are all giving money to Mr. Wang. It's better to embarrass the people under your command by being soft-spoken and short-handed." …”
Shangguan Zheng shook his head after hearing this, then looked at Yang Yunfan and asked, "Nephew Yang, what do you think?"
Yang Yunfan frowned and pondered for a while, then shook his head and answered: "I guess Mr. Wang must have something hidden this time. As for what it is, I don't know. I hope my uncle can clarify it..."
"Yes, Dad, if you know anything, please tell us quickly..." Shangguan Boyu asked impatiently.
Shangguan Zheng walked a few steps, came to sit down in front of the desk, and said quietly: "We were originally planning to fight hard to break the city, but we didn't expect that we broke the city in one day. This is a great thing for us. But it may not be the case for Mr. Wang. Think about it, the imperial army has been in Shu for nearly half a month and has yet to attack the city. With His Majesty's decree, the city was broken on the same day. What does this mean?"
Yang Yunfan looked at Shangguan Zheng in shock and said: "You mean that His Majesty will doubt Lord Wang... to raise bandits to respect themselves?..."
Hearing this, Shangguan Boyu was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat and said, "No way? We all know the situation in Chengdu City. Who would have thought that we could break the city in one day? Lord Wang is right to be cautious. Right? After all! The imperial court has accomplished its mission in one battle. If this battle cannot be won, the entire Shu region may belong to Li Shun..."
