Chinese New Year

Chapter 526 Prime Minister’s Mansion

On the last day of July, after three days of searching the entire city, Shao Xun entered the city surrounded by his generals and officers.

The civil officials were fine, but the military generals were very unhappy.

In the great battle three days ago, more than 7,000 Le soldiers, infantry and cavalry were killed in battle, more than 5,000 were captured, and about 17,000 people escaped back to the city, and the rest were basically scattered.

After Shi Le fled back to Yecheng, he reorganized his defeated troops. He only had 17,000 to 18,000 infantrymen available, as well as more than 10,000 able-bodied men from Yecheng and 10,000 cavalrymen.

That night, two or three waves of cavalry fled, with nearly 7,000 people gone, and the people in Ye were in panic.

From day to night, the Jin army attacked the city continuously, breaking through several times and climbing onto the top of the city wall. Although they were pushed back, the fact that they could climb onto the top of the city wall itself meant that the city was in great danger, especially since they were only auxiliary troops.

When the generals gathered around Shao Xun to discuss the matter, they were all excited and patted their chests to ask for battle, saying that they would select the best troops the next day and would be able to capture Yecheng before sunset.

But the development of the situation was beyond everyone's expectations. That night, many people left the city, some surrendered and some fled. Except for a few soldiers from Shi Le's army, most of them were newly recruited servants from wealthy families.

Jinming Gate was opened in the second half of the night, which disappointed the generals who came with the expedition, except Yang Dan and Yang Pengzu.

But maybe there was still a chance, wasn't there? The main part of the war was over, but it wasn't completely over.

Shi Le still had more than 30,000 infantrymen in the counties north of Yecheng.

The number of cavalry is not large, but there are still some. Moreover, in this battle of Yecheng, Shi Le recruited about 20,000 cavalry. The casualties would definitely not exceed 3,000. The main force is still there, but they may not listen to Shi Le anymore.

Lord Chen would not give Shi Le the opportunity to recruit troops again.

After the military supplies and equipment are stockpiled, the troops will soon be dispatched to the north. As for how soon this "soon" is, it could be - tomorrow?
At noon, Shao Xun and his party arrived near Ye Palace.

He entered through Zhongyang Gate.

There are seven gates in Ye, three on the south side, Zhongyang Gate in the middle, Fengyang Gate on the west, and Guangyang Gate on the east.

There are two gates on the north side, the Ju Gate on the west and the Guangde Gate on the east.

There is a gate on the east side, called "Yingchun Gate", also known as Changchun Gate and Jianchun Gate.

There is a gate on the west side, called "Jinming Gate", also called Baimen.

Yingchun Gate and Jinming Gate are located opposite each other from east to west. The street between the two gates is the east-west axis of Yecheng, dividing the city into two parts, north and south.

Except for a small number of government offices, warehouses and military camps, most of the southern half is Lifang - residential, commercial and handicraft areas.

After Shao Xun entered Zhongyang Gate, the street he was walking on (Tongtuo Street) was lined with densely packed neighborhoods on both sides.

The lifang has a wall with a gate on it. Inside the wall are several buildings where a number of people live.

There are about thirty neighborhoods in the entire Yecheng City, where most officials and common people live.

In fact, there is a lifang in the northeast corner of Beicheng District, commonly known as "Qili", which is where princes and nobles live. It is magnificent and luxurious, but it has been destroyed in the war, leaving only broken walls and ruins. It is not suitable for living, so Shi Le's generals did not live there.

The chariot rumbled forward, with the personal soldiers holding large shields to provide protection on both sides.

Front, back, left, and right, soldiers were like clouds, and flags blocked out the sun.

There was a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps outside the wall, most of whom were soldiers of the Silver Spear Army.

There were also a few soldiers from the garrison army on guard on the streets inside the city wall.

This kind of pomp and security is really not something that ordinary people can compare to, and it is not much different from that of the emperor. Even the "street clearing" carried out before the emperor's travel is often not so exaggerated.

The carriage soon reached the end of Tongtuo Street.

This is a crossroads that intersects with Jinmingmennei Street (or Yingchunmen/Jianchunmen/Changchunmennei Street).

The carriage stopped quickly.

Shao Xun was not wearing armor today, but a light blue robe. He stood on the street with his hands behind his back, looking carefully at this famous northern city that he had conquered.

"Greetings, my lord." There was a rustling sound of armor leaves, and dozens of officers, led by Li Chong, Yang Dan, Wang Que'er and Jin Zheng, came together to pay their respects.

They were in front, and the shogunate clerks were behind. He stood in the center of Yecheng. Seeing this scene, he really wanted to compose a poem.

But he couldn't utter a word for a long time. He just nodded and walked forward.

The officers retreated to both sides and followed him.

Cai Cheng led his personal soldiers and took a few quick steps, rushing to enter Sima Gate first.

The so-called Sima Gate is one of the main gates on the south side of Ye Palace. There is a Chique Tower in front of the gate, which was built by Cao Cao.

Before entering, Shao Xun looked up. The palace walls had been severely damaged after being ravaged by war. Some places had even collapsed and were only blocked by wooden fences.

Sima Gate should have been built later because it looks newer.

After entering the palace, it is the so-called inner court of Ye Palace, where Cao Cao handles government affairs on a daily basis.

Behind Sima Gate there are courtyards facing each other on the left and right. On the left are the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Grand Censor's Mansion, and the Shaofuqing Temple, and on the right are the Fengchang Temple and the Danong Temple.

The houses were dilapidated and had been through many wars, and the sight was horrible.

Shi Le occupied Ye for several years and sent people to rebuild some of the buildings for use as government offices, but he did not renovate all of them.

Shao Xun turned left and entered the Prime Minister's Mansion.

"Are you Zhang Mengsun?" Shao Xun asked, looking at a middle-aged man standing under the window.

This man is quite tall and thin, with a typical appearance of a middle-aged scholar.

But his eyes are very big, and there is a sense of depth when he looks at people.

Oh, what a thoughtful person!
"Zhang Bin of Zhao County greets Lord Chen." Zhang Bin bowed.

Shao Xun returned the greeting and looked around. He was in the Listening Hall, which was Cao Cao's main office.

The Prime Minister's Mansion is roughly a square in shape, with doors on the east, west, south and north walls, of which the east and west gates are the most commonly used.

The mansion is divided into three parts: front and back.

The first entrance is where guards and clerks live and work.

The second entrance is the Hearing Hall. On its left is the palace, where Cao Cao received audiences from all officials. On its right is the guesthouse.

The third courtyard is the backyard, also called "Xiangshe", where Cao Cao and his family lived on a daily basis.

The Prime Minister's Mansion had just experienced a great battle, killing more than a thousand people including the pseudo-guerrilla general Wang Yang. After cleaning up yesterday, Shao Xun planned to move in temporarily, because this was one of the few relatively intact buildings in Ye Palace.

"Please sit down." Shao Xun asked people to remove the desks and couches in the room and replace them with tables and beds, and then asked people to fetch water and make tea.

The generals have been ordered to disperse.

Several assistants followed in: Hu Wufuzhi, the chief academician of the Western Pavilion, Yang Chen, the right military commander, Liu Anzhi, the attendant to the imperial court, Xi Jian, and Yu Chen, the lieutenant of the Sili Army.

They also looked curiously at Shi Le's most important adviser.

He was from Zhongqiu, Zhaojun, and his father Zhang Yao was the prefect of Zhongshan.

When the previous emperor was in power, he renamed Sima Hong, King of Taiyuan, as King of Zhongqiu, and made Zhongqiu County the State of Zhongqiu. As the local boss and second-generation official of Zhao County, Zhang Bin served under King Zhongqiu as a supervisor.

This was a military position, which he did not like and was not good at. After falling ill, he was directly dismissed from office and then stayed at home for a long time until Shi Le appeared.

There were too many people like this in the Jin Dynasty. Their family background was neither good nor bad, and they could not be called a small noble family, after all, they had been officials for two generations in a row, but they could not be called a big noble family either, because Zhang Bin was dismissed from office after all, and it would be much more difficult for their family to move up.

His decision to defect to Shi Le must have been made after careful consideration, not on impulse.

This is a man with his own ideas.

"Meng Sun is a member of the Dahu army. He is called the chief secretary, but he is actually in charge of the important task of the prime minister." Shao Xun pointed to the hearing room and said with a smile, "Is this where you handle government affairs on a daily basis? This shows that the Dahu army trusts you."

Zhang Bin looked at the table and said nothing.

Cai Cheng brought tea, and Shao Xun invited his staff and Zhang Bin to enjoy it together.

For a moment, the tea was filled with mist and the sound of sipping could be heard continuously.

After putting down the tea bowl, Shao Xun looked at Zhang Bin again and said, "Can Mengsun teach me about Hebei?"

Zhang Bin also put down the tea bowl, and at the same time, the image of Shao Xun in his mind became richer: This is a straightforward person, he doesn't like to play empty games with you, he likes to be straightforward.

To be fair, this is not a qualified bureaucrat who plays power games. He has a strong military color. He is direct and clear. He doesn't even want to be polite, but he is very real.

Considering his background, it is understandable.

But there seems to be a difference. Some people who come from the lower classes, after rising to high positions, like to pretend to be cultured and rigidly learn the way of doing things of scholars, which often backfires and makes people laugh.

After Shao Xun became successful, he continued to do things his own way without making many changes. He could be distinguished from the crowd at a glance because he was too different from the scholars around him.

This is a warrior with outstanding vision, strong will, clear purpose and straightforwardness!

In an instant, Zhang Bin had thought a lot.

"If Mr. Chen wants to pacify Hebei, there is only one strategy," said Zhang Bin.

"tell me the story."

"Move the shogunate to Yecheng, use it as a base, and vigorously manage it, then we will have some success."

"Oh? Are you saying I can't defend Hebei?"

"Most of the eight passes of Taihang are located in Hebei. Liu Kun of Jinyang is weak and can hardly stop the Xiongnu. If Liu Cong comes down from Bingzhou, he will be unstoppable. Hebei is vast and flat, with no strategic locations to defend, so it will be hard to defend. Chen Gong's residence in Henan may disappoint the scholars in Hebei, and it will be difficult to win their hearts. Even if they are attached for a while, some will definitely surrender to the Xiongnu over time."

Shao Xun pondered in silence.

Zhang Bin is speaking from a strategic perspective.

Hebei is a plain, and its terrain is lower than that of Bingzhou. The eight passes of Taihang Mountain are basically controlled by the Xiongnu, such as Huguan.

It is quite difficult to attack Bingzhou from Hebei, and it is easy for someone to come down the mountain and break into the rear and cut off the retreat.

The only way is to take Hebei as the foundation and Yecheng as the hub, make great efforts to manage the counties, make them like an iron bucket, and win the hearts of the people. Only then will it be possible to win the tug-of-war with the Xiongnu forces and counterattack into Bingzhou, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers.

In short, without Bingzhou as a vassal, the forces in Hebei are very vulnerable, with their soft underbelly directly exposed to the enemy's front, and they need to put a lot of effort into management. But if you don't come to Hebei, how much management effect can you get? I'm afraid it's not twice the result with half the effort.

But Shao Xun couldn't stay in Hebei for a long time, at least not now.

Nothing else, just fundamental issues.

The generals and soldiers were from Henan, and most of the officials were from Henan. He also married into Henan gentry and had close relations with them. How could he possibly come to Hebei? That would alienate his close subordinates and allies and bring disaster upon himself.

He was also observing Zhang Bin.

Through what he just said, he was sure that Zhang Bin still had some regional awareness, and his first target of allegiance would be the princes of Hebei. If it really didn't work, he would consider other people.

Of course, most scholars these days were divided into different regions. Not to mention Henan and Hebei, even within Henan Province, people could be divided into several factions based on different counties and kingdoms.

Zhang Bin was one of the smartest men of this era, but he was not out of touch with the times and was inevitably influenced by the trends and values ​​of the times.

"Would Mengsun be willing to join my staff?" Shao Xun asked.

Zhang Bin shook his head.

Shao Xun didn't force it, he laughed and said, "It's already noon without me noticing, let's eat first."

(End of this chapter)