The imperial city had been captured, and a palace building was set on fire, with thick smoke billowing. Other cities in Jinyang either surrendered or were captured. The defenders were attacked from inside the city and it was difficult to put up any effective resistance. The wide ramp inside the city wall that could accommodate several carriages running side by side could not be defended.
The aftermath of the battle was still going on in the city, but for Guo Shaozhong's army, the war was over.
Guo Shao walked down from the South City Tower. When he passed the ramp of the city wall, his face looked a little heavy, but he did not speak, just kept silent. The ground was full of corpses, and there was almost no place to step. He could only walk on the corpses. His boots were soaked with blood, and the toes in his socks were very slippery; most of the blood on the brick and stone corpses had coagulated, but there was still a lot of blood, probably tissue fluid from the human body.
He had participated in too many battles, so he didn't feel much about this kind of scene, and he was a little numb, but it was still uncomfortable. Because he was not a person who hated humans, he had sympathy and many of the most intuitive emotions towards people.
After leaving the city, there were still many post-war matters to report and arrange. Seeing that Guo Shao didn't pay much attention, the generals and ministers around him arranged everything for him.
Guo Shao's previous tense, efficient and sharp performance was gone, his firm and decisive words disappeared, and now even his movements were not so decisive and forceful, and he became silent and slow.
Even he himself was surprised. He thought he would be happy and excited after conquering Jinyang, but when this moment came, he just felt relieved. Maybe the excitement of self-expansion will come slowly, but not concentrated at a certain moment; the fruits of victory are not intuitive, nor are they immediately effective, but they are far-reaching.
Lu Chengyong led the horse over, and after he got down from the city, he jumped on the horse and led his elite soldiers along the north-south main road towards the imperial city. Not long after, someone reported that Wang Pu from the front camp military mansion outside the city had also entered the city.
Guo Shao rode in front of the imperial city of the Northern Han Kingdom and looked at it for a while. It was the first time for him to see the power center building complex of this dragon city with his own eyes. The inside and outside of the imperial city had been controlled by the Zhou army, and there was a sentry every five steps on the road into the city. Guo Shao rode his horse and drew his sword and went straight into the imperial city.
Outside the main hall of the Northern Han Imperial Palace, Guo Shao waited for a while, and Wang Pu, Zuo You and others caught up.
The Zhou army soldiers around him noticed that the emperor riding on the tall black horse was shouting and cheering, but Guo Shao ignored them. He calmed down from the nervous and passionate emotions. After ascending the throne, Guo Shao never personally went to the battlefield to fight. He won great victories again and again. He knew that success could not only rely on agitating the emotions of the soldiers, but precisely because he took the right path in most practical matters, adjusting the concepts of the army at all levels like a captain at the helm.
Wang Pu and others dismounted and bowed. Wang Pu's old face was very excited and he said: Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have captured the capital of Northern Han in just half a month. Your Majesty's power is admired by the whole world.
No need to be polite. Guo Shao got off his horse and threw the reins to Lu Chengyong who was leading the horse in front.
Guo Shao thought deeply and felt that he could not scold the ruler of Northern Han as he did before the war. He should at least respect the ruler, because he himself was also a ruler and he could not belittle the ruler's status too much; instilling in the soldiers and the people of the world the impression that the ruler would be nothing if he lost would only make his own position uncomfortable.
He calmly said to Wang Pu: The Lord of Northern Han was bewitched by some treacherous ministers in his own court. Those treacherous ministers, for their own glory and wealth, disregarded the greater good and led the Liao army to massacre their own people, putting the Lord of Northern Han in an unjust situation and causing great suffering to the people of Hedong and the people of Da Zhou. They must be severely punished, but the people of Hedong are always looking forward to the arrival of the royal army to save the people from the dire straits.
After Wang Pu heard this, his face darkened. He thought for a long time and said: Your Majesty is wise. You can see through the long-standing ills of the Northern Han Dynasty at a glance. The officials of the former camp military office will verify the evidence and have the families of those treacherous ministers convicted with just cause to comfort the world.
Guo Shao was very satisfied with Wang Pu's insight, and he immediately stepped up the steps with his sword in hand. Surrounded by military generals, personal soldiers, and civil officials, he walked up to the palace of the Northern Han Dynasty in a large group.
When they arrived at the palace gate, they saw a young man in a yellow dragon robe and two rows of civil and military officials kneeling in the hall. When people saw a group of people coming in, they looked up at Guo Shao and others, and no one knew who was the emperor; Guo Shao was wearing military uniform and armor, and looked like a military general.
But suddenly someone shouted: We, the guilty ministers, are here to pay our respects to the Emperor of the Great Zhou.
I don't know how he recognized Guo Shao, maybe it was because he saw the officials in purple official robes surrounding a man in armor.
Guo Shao strode up and walked straight to the man in the dragon robe, who should be the Northern Han leader Liu Jun. Liu Jun held the imperial seal with both hands and held it high above his head, unable to utter a single polite word. Guo Shao noticed that his hands were shaking, and was a little disappointed. The Northern Han army was still very combat-capable, but the family foundation left by the Northern Han Emperor Gaozu; the Northern Han leader in front of him was obviously not as good as Liu Chong, who was always looking for an opportunity to attack the Central Plains.
Guo Shao also said nothing, stretched out his right hand and grabbed the jade seal back without any hesitation, looked around angrily, and the emperor and his ministers in the hall hurriedly bowed their bodies even lower.
At this moment, the long-standing resentment that the Guo family of the Great Zhou had usurped the Liu family's throne and was considered an irreconcilable feud was suddenly resolved.
Guo Shao turned away from the main hall without much interest and walked out. He dismissed his attendants on the steps, turned to look at Wang Pu and Zuo You, and said in a deep voice: Find a cup of poisoned wine and send it to Liu Jun to save some trouble.
Wang Pu didn't say anything, but he didn't object either.
Zuo You clasped his fists and said: Your Majesty, I will take care of this matter and announce that the ruler of Northern Han died of anger and sudden illness.
Guo Shao nodded, twisted his upper body, raised his head to look at the double eaves of the great hall of the Northern Han Kingdom, turned around and walked down.
Guo Shao thought there was nothing wrong with not convicting the Northern Han leader and letting him die with dignity. Guo Shao didn't feel anything about the hatred that the Liu family killed Guo Wei's family and the Guo family took away the Liu family's kingdom. It had nothing to do with him. However, in Guo Shao's heart, the culprit of this war was the Northern Han leader. Although Guo Shao was unwilling to convict him, it was hard to accept that so many people died without killing him. Moreover, the Northern Han Kingdom was forcibly destroyed by war, and the Great Zhou had the unconditional right to execute its country, so killing its leader was understandable.
In this world where the strong prey on the weak, those who fail die, that's all.
Guo Shao did not want to worry about other military orders. The front camp military government was mainly composed of civil officials from the Privy Council and had a complete set of civil service organizations. They would make suggestions on how to deal with the aftermath, how to reward and punish, and how to keep the people safe.
Where is Yang Ye? Guo Shao only asked one question at this time.