Chapter 387 King Qin (IX)

The surrender ceremony was simple, not solemn, and even seemed extremely hasty and sloppy. However, this was not something Xiao Yan cared about. After he rode his horse into the palace, all the eunuchs and palace maids who remained in the palace prostrated themselves in front of him.

This palace in Hanzhong is not very big, and it is said to be where Emperor Xizong of Tang lived when he was avoiding the Huang Chao Rebellion. It has a very old feel, but things and people have changed, and it is impossible to see any traces of the past.

Xiao Yan was still riding on his horse, looking at the layers of palaces. He could imagine how panicked the king and his ministers of Shu must have been in there.

There were short footsteps behind him, and the voice of Concubine Xu followed closely: “General, please treat the people of Shu well!”

Xiao Yan turned around and glanced at Little Concubine Xu. Behind her was a woman who was equally graceful and elegant. However, the latter had a look of panic on her face. She seemed to want to pull Little Concubine Xu away, but she didn’t dare to come forward because of Xiao Yan’s gaze.

However, Concubine Xu seemed to have thought of something and immediately stepped forward and bowed to the ground.

Although she was not yet thirty, she was very graceful, a mature beauty. Although she was not as heroic as Shuliduo, she had her own beauty. Little Concubine Xu was even more so. If Xiao Yan’s memory was correct, this woman should have been called Lady Huarui in later generations. As the saying goes, “Flowers are not enough to describe her color, and stamens are not enough to describe her appearance.” In Xiao Yan’s opinion, she was also a national beauty.

The two sisters each have their own charm and look somewhat similar. At this moment, the elder Concubine Xu pulled the younger Concubine Xu to kneel down together. When they looked up at Xiao Yan, they actually felt a unique sense of temptation.

Wang Jian is old and frail, but he knows how to enjoy life.

Gong Yangzuo, who was guarding outside the palace gate, licked his lips tactfully and was about to wave his hand to ask Ye Bushou to take the king and ministers of Shu to another place, as if to make room for Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan looked up and saw Wang Jian’s shoulders trembling slightly. He didn’t even dare to turn his head, let alone look over here. The ministers who had just turned their heads back to look over here also withdrew their gazes, pretending to be unaware and looking at the ground without saying a word.

At this time, there is no doubt that if Xiao Yan immediately ordered the two Xu sisters, who were more noble than the imperial concubine in Chengdu, to be sent to the room, or even skinned them like two white sheep in the main hall, the Xu sisters would probably have to endure it silently, and the emperor and his ministers would have to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

Especially the eldest Concubine Xu, maybe she noticed Xiao Yan’s gaze, or remembered Xiao Yan’s identity and authority, she couldn’t help but tremble slightly, and her body lying on the ground twisted a little, which easily aroused Xiao Yan’s desire.

But in the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan suppressed this fantasy.

As a man, it is normal to like beauty. Even though the surrendered ministers strongly opposed it, Xiao Yan let Ba Ge stay with him. It is hard to say how ridiculous it was.

However, for a man, if he can only succumb to his own desires, it will not be a big deal. Insulting the concubines of the fallen monarch can be a big or small matter, or in some ways, it is not worth mentioning.

It has always been like this in this era. Some people would even generously give the food to their subordinates as rewards after enjoying it themselves. The more horrifying ones might even cook the food into human flesh soup afterwards.

Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, warriors’ brains have been somewhat sick. In the process of constantly killing people and preventing themselves from being killed, their psychology has been distorted to the extreme. These actions are very normal.

However, Xiao Yan accepted Wang Jian’s surrender and was willing to untie him in public, not for the purpose of defiling the imperial palace and sleeping with all the concubines of Shu.

He gave the order to Yang Zuo:

“Leave the Lord of Shu behind, along with the few close ministers who serve him. Everyone else, go back to your homes. If you have family members in the city, go and report that they are safe.”

As he spoke, he glared at Gongyang Zuo fiercely. If Gongyang Zuo took the king and ministers of Shu away at this time, even if he didn’t sleep with Er Xu, he would have slept with her, and he couldn’t even wash it off. Who could he go to for justice?

Gong Yangzuo grinned and didn’t object at all.

The ruler and his ministers of Shu were all stunned, and Wang Jian was clearly prepared to be punished. He knew how wonderful his two concubines were. Xiao Yan was a young and energetic warrior, and a winner. There was no reason for him to continue suppressing his desires after speeding for hundreds of miles under high pressure.

“This General Tiance…” Zhou Xuang whispered, “He is really coming for the entire Great Shu.”

As for sleeping with Wang Jian’s concubines, if Xiao Yan did it, he would be very happy, especially sleeping with two at once, not to mention that it was equivalent to being a husband… This feeling of conquest and excitement is difficult to describe to others, and it is even more difficult for ordinary people to experience. At that time in Youzhou, Xiao Yan did not avoid Shuliduo’s temptation, which was the reason.

But if he doesn’t do that, and continues to treat Wang Jian and the entire Shu royal family well, and adopts a conciliatory policy towards the Shu ministers, then it will be absolutely beneficial to him.

This will not only quickly stabilize Shu and increase the possibility of surrender among Shu’s ministers, but also take a long-term view. It will be a good signal and start for other princes.

If Shu was destroyed, Wang Jian was humiliated by Xiao Yan, and the royal family was also humiliated and persecuted by Xiao Yan, then when Xiao Yan pacified other princes in the future, not to mention what would happen to the generals and soldiers under him, their royal families and rulers would definitely fight Xiao Yan to the end and would never surrender.

This General Tian Ce… is very ambitious.

Zhou Xiang couldn’t help but think so, and when he looked at his old friend Yu Chuansu, the latter’s eyes clearly showed the same idea.

The elder Concubine Xu, who was lying on the ground, was stunned for a moment, and the younger Concubine Xu beside her was also shocked.

Then they heard Xiao Yan’s voice coming from above their heads: “Whether to treat the people well is not up to me, but it is up to you, the Shu soldiers and civil servants who have not surrendered yet. The Lord of Shu has surrendered to me, so I am willing to stop the war. However, if the remaining Shu troops in Chengdu or other places still want to resist, I can’t just do nothing.”

After Xiao Yan finished speaking, he waved his hand at the two Xus and said, “You can follow the Lord of Shu. I will allow you to choose a place to stay in the palace. There is only one thing: you are not allowed to run around.”

After saying that, Xiao Yan was too lazy to go deeper into the palace. Gongyang Zuo was leading the people to clean up the place, and Ye Bushou would not let any fish escape the net in the palace.

But before he left, he suddenly pointed his whip at Concubine Xu and asked, “Are your father and brother both serving in Chengdu?”

The young Concubine Xu was still in a daze, and seemed not to have understood what Xiao Yan had just said. The elder Concubine Xu quickly brushed the messy hair by her ears, still bowed to the ground, and said in a sad voice: “My father and brother are indeed in Chengdu. My father is the General of the Cavalry of Shu, my eldest brother is the Grand Tutor, and my second brother is the Minister of the Court. They are all staying in Chengdu now…”

Xiao Yan glanced at the eldest Xu Concubine. He had deployed scouts throughout Shu and obtained a lot of intelligence. There were basically few good rumors about the second Xu. However, Wang Jian was still alive, so the eldest Xu Concubine was not too extreme. In the original historical time and space, after the eldest Xu Concubine’s son Wang Yan ascended the throne of Shu, the second Xu began to let go of herself completely. She was so tyrannical that she sold official positions and pretended to be elegant, which were all the basic practices of the second woman.

But after a brief contact, Xiao Yan could see that although the younger Concubine Xu was not a white lotus, she was not as cunning and scheming as the elder Concubine Xu. Among the two Xus, the elder Concubine Xu was obviously the dominant one.

In this world, every regime has a dispute over the crown prince, the Liang Dynasty was like this, and the Shu Kingdom was even worse. Concubine Xu was determined to make her son the crown prince. This time, she brought her son and Wang Jian to Hanzhong, and she did not miss any opportunity. However, Concubine Xu was very scheming. She came with him, but left her father and brother in Chengdu to guard the small court in Chengdu, so as to cut off the crown prince who was temporarily supervising the small court in Chengdu from having the opportunity to ascend to the throne overnight.

And with Xiao Yan’s insight, he naturally noticed that after he ordered Wang Jian to stay, Concubine Xu was relieved and felt a hint of regret and unwillingness.

This woman is interesting.

Xiao Yan hummed, and said to Er Xu: “You can write a letter to your father and brother in Chengdu, explaining the pros and cons. This king is not a bloodthirsty person. If your father and brother perform well in Chengdu, this king can guarantee that your father will be granted the title of duke in Daliang.”

The eldest concubine Xu was really delighted. She immediately put her hands together in front of her forehead and bowed to the ground: “I thank the king for his grace and reward.”

Xiao Yan ignored her and continued to point the whip at Little Concubine Xu: “Why don’t you bow?”

Little Concubine Xu looked up, looking a little at a loss.

Only when she got closer did she realize that Xiao Yan looked actually very good, although his clothes and armor looked a little dirty, as if they had not been taken care of for a long time, and there was a layer of unkempt short beard on his lips and chin, which looked messy.

However, Xiao Yan has a good temperament and his facial features are more three-dimensional. Although his cheeks are extremely thin, his face is very distinct. Even though his skin is tanned, one can still vaguely tell that he is a handsome man.

Of course, he is a handsome man with a heroic and tough look.

The eldest concubine Xu was a little stiff. She raised her head slightly and glanced at the two people’s faces quietly. She secretly cursed her sister for being too stupid and wanted to speak out to help, but she heard Xiao Yan say again: “Forget it, you were willing to plead for the people before, which is very good. I will allow you not to bow.”

After saying that, Xiao Yan rode away on his horse. He did not stop when passing by Wang Jian. Judging from his direction, he seemed to be heading towards the granary.

Wang Jian bowed to Xiao Yan and kept doing it even after Xiao Yan walked a long way. Of course, he was not willing to do it, but Gong Yang Zuo, who had obviously had bad intentions just now, and a large number of night guards and soldiers were still in the palace. At this time, these people were around him, so Wang Jian dared not not do it.

“I wonder if this… old general…” Zhang Ge was one of the people who stayed with Wang Jian. At this time, he stood up and smiled at Gong Yangzuo: “Is he planning to…”

Gong Yang twisted his beard and ignored him. He just looked at the palace buildings and said casually, “Seal it off and drive everyone out.”

The night warriors and armored soldiers behind him all responded to the order and immediately charged in with their spears in hand.

Zhang Ge was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said: “Old General, Old General, King Song said that he would allow the Lord to choose a palace to live in…”

Gong Yangzuo sighed and glanced at him: “Can we only live in the palace?”

Zhang Ge held his breath for a moment, and Tang Wenjian beside him did not dare to speak. However, Yu Chuansu, who had always been loyally accompanying Wang Jian, ignored his anger and said hurriedly: “My house is still spacious. If the old general thinks it is suitable, can you ask the king to stay with me temporarily?”

Gong Yangzuo laughed hoarsely and patted Yu Chuansu on the shoulder: “It’s you, not bad, my king likes your backbone. Stay here, stay here, and don’t run around.”

Yu Chuansu was choked for a moment. He could see without turning around that Zhang Ge and Tang Wenjian were looking at him with unfriendly eyes.

Wang Jianyi had no other choice. He could see that Gongyang Zuo’s status in Xiao Yan’s eyes was not low. As a king of a fallen country, what kind of treatment could he ask for?
When the Second Xu came over, he just glanced at the Little Concubine Xu solemnly, and then without saying anything, he took a few ministers and went to Yu Chuansu’s residence under the protection of Ye Bushu.

——

After Xiao Yan received the report of Gong Yang Zuo Shicai’s behavior at the granary, he just said “oh” and had no other reaction.

Gong Yang Zuo is a wonderful person. He has rich experience and knows how to handle things most appropriately.

Xiao Yan showed goodwill by allowing Wang Jian to continue living in the palace representing the emperor’s residence. This was a signal of treating the royal family well, and it would only be beneficial to Xiao Yan if it got out.

But what if Wang Jianruo really wants to continue living there?
The way that the ram left dealt with it was: No, you really want to live here? Old man, you really think you are a dish even though I gave you face, don’t you?

The good name belongs to Xiao Yan, but Gong Yangzuo has to bear the bad name. Xiao Yan just said it, and it doesn’t matter if Wang Jian moves in. But Gong Yangzuo doesn’t think so. Since Xiao Yan can’t do the work of weakening the royal family of Shu himself, why don’t I, Gong Yangzuo, do it for him?
Anyway, Ye Bushu was Xiao Yan’s murder weapon.

Xiao Yan was very satisfied with Gong Yang Zuo, but he would not reward him in any way. In Ye Bushu’s system, there was a reward and punishment system.

He was giving instructions to the military officers and clerks beside him: “Reject Li Si’an’s proposal to build a palace with the bodies of the Shu army, and ask Wang Jianli to immediately prepare a baggage camp for me to bury the bodies and rest in peace, and try to treat the wounded of the Shu army.”

As he walked, he looked at the storage conditions in the granary and said, “Also, have Wang Jian write an imperial edict in the name of the Shu Kingdom court to Wang Xiancheng, the governor of Kuizhou, ordering him not to mobilize the navy without authorization, but to stay in place and wait, surrender to Shi Hongzhao’s troops who are coming south from Nanyang, and lead Shi Hongzhao’s troops to quickly enter Shu!”

Many instructions were quickly issued, and each one had a dedicated person responsible for quickly delivering it. After Xiao Yan looked at the reserve grain, he did not linger any longer and immediately went into the government office in the city.

The Guide Army soldiers entered the city and controlled the four gates and important intersections, and then used the Xingyuan government office as the central military headquarters. Xiao Yan needed to issue orders here to let Yu Zhong’s troops, who were trying to seize Dingjun Mountain at Bailao Pass, and Li Si’an’s troops, who were annihilating the troops in Yangzhou and Chenggu, quickly sweep through the entire Hanzhong and completely destroy Hanzhong’s vitality.

As for the common people in the city, Xiao Yan specially called in Zhang Ge and others who were said to be very concerned about surrender, and assigned them some temporary positions, ordering them to lead the Yebushou to pacify the entire city and accept refugees from all over Hanzhong.

In fact, up to this point, because the process was so fast, most people did not know that Wang Jian had surrendered. But it didn’t matter anymore. If they could continue to issue orders to various parts of Shu in the name of the Shu court, it would obviously be easy.

After being busy for a long time deploying military affairs and other matters, when the dark clouds in the sky dispersed and the sun set, Xiao Yan dragged himself to meet the two most important people in this surprise attack on Nanzheng.

The ancestor of the corpse is Hou Qing.

The ancestor of corpses is Hanba.

(End of this chapter)