The sun rose in the east, and the world was enveloped in its glory. The east gate of Youzhou was wide open, and there were crowds of people inside and outside the city. The disarmed Liao officials and soldiers of all ethnic groups were driven to kneel on both sides of the city gate. The former masters became prisoners.
Guo Shao, dressed in military armor, entered the city surrounded by the crowd, followed by Huang Gai's guard of honor. The civil and military officials bowed and shouted: "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!"
The shouts were deafening, and the sound waves roared inside and outside Youzhou. The scene was extremely grand.
After entering the city, guards in armor stood everywhere on both sides of the road and on the city walls. Some Youzhou people also came out of their homes and watched from a distance.
After entering the city, Guo Shao dismounted and walked up the wall along the wide ramp that was convenient for the defenders to go up to the city for garrison. The civil and military officials followed behind him.
The broken parapet wall, the brick floor was full of potholes and even bloodstains could be seen faintly. But as soon as he stepped onto the wall, Guo Shao felt that the view in front of him was suddenly clear. The flat and vast land came into view. Outside the city, there were huge crowds of people cheering and waving military flags happily. It was a grand scene.
Guo Shao breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.
Wei Renpu bowed behind him and said: Your Majesty has recaptured Youzhou by force, and the lost land of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun is now within your grasp. Your Majesty's martial arts are as majestic as the scorching sun in the sky.
Everyone blushed and couldn't hide their excitement.
Guo Shao stood here, and of course he understood the far-reaching impact of this moment on the national destiny for hundreds of years to come. And the simplest and most direct thing is that his throne is basically as stable as Mount Tai. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are something that many people dream of but cannot obtain; in this world, no one else's prestige can be compared with this great achievement.
This fertile land is a strategic location, and it is the foundation for a unified dynasty. The key is that it was seized from the Liao Kingdom by force; the Liao Kingdom is recognized as the strongest country by all ethnic groups in the world, and the Zhou Dynasty defeated it head-on and took back a large piece of land. The facts have proved who is stronger and who is weaker. The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are not only a piece of land, but also a national strength, face, dignity, and prestige.
Even in the history of thousands of years, no matter what kind of person Guo Shao was or what he did, the mention of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun alone would be enough to offset everything. This era and this year name would surely be a household name; perhaps the civil and military officials under Guo Shao would be mentioned many times by later generations and become famous ministers. In the history books of this time and space, those outstanding ministers might be cited for a long time along with Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and others.
Guo Shao stood on the top of the city wall for a long time without saying a word.
Perhaps it was because the Northern Expedition started by the previous emperor lasted too long and cost too much, and suddenly it was successful. Guo Shao relaxed all of a sudden and felt very tired.
This is a new beginning, Guo Shao said in a deep voice.
The wind was strong on the city wall, and the ministers seemed to not hear clearly even though they pricked up their ears.
At this moment, the personal soldier Qin Shitou stepped forward, bowed and said: Your Majesty, Xiao Siwen's mansion has been surrounded and the soldiers are not allowed to enter.
When Guo Shao heard this, he remembered what Lu Lan had asked him for. He thought: Xiao Siwen had escaped in such a desperate situation, his life or death was uncertain, it was impossible for him to take a Haner concubine with him.
He was relaxed and tired at the moment. He did not want to care about the complicated military and political aftermath, so he said to Wei Renpu: Deputy Envoy Wei will be in charge of the front camp military office to handle all the aftermath matters, and those who surrendered in the surrounding cities will be appeased.
Wei Renpu hurriedly bowed and said: I obey your order.
Guo Shao immediately left the crowded and noisy city gate and went into the city with his guards.
When they arrived at Xiao Siwen's residence, they saw that it was surrounded by imperial guards. Guo Shao saw that the gate was tall and knew it was a large mansion, so he said: Bring out everyone inside and settle them separately, and my temporary palace will be set up here.
The general clasped his fists in response.
Guo Shao and his soldiers pushed open the gate and walked in. There was a screen wall inside and another door around it. He walked into the inner courtyard and told Lu Chengyong to ask for their names one by one, take away the unimportant ones and bring the important ones here.
Lu Chengyong bowed and said: I will pay attention to the person named Bai.
Guo Shao nodded with satisfaction after hearing this, and walked to a room to rest. This place was quiet, and Guo Shao felt light and relaxed as soon as he sat down.
But after a while, crying and screaming were heard from inside.
Guo Shao frowned. The eunuch Wang Zhong, who was only paying attention to Guo Shao, went out to ask about this. After a while, Wang Zhong came in and bowed and said, "Your Majesty, our people didn't beat them, but the people in the mansion were frightened when they saw the soldiers entering the courtyard."
After a while, Lu Chengyong walked into the room, turned around and said: Come in.
Then a little girl who was estimated to be less than ten years old walked in silently. Guo Shao was a little surprised. After he ascended the throne, he had seen all kinds of women. He could tell at a glance that this girl was a beauty. She wore a small satin hat, had pigtails, and had delicate skin. Although her eyebrows and eyelashes were thick and her face was slightly different from the common girls in the Central Plains, her facial features looked very pleasing and cute.
Moreover, this girl was very brave. Although her face was pale and she looked afraid, she stood straight when she came in and looked at Guo Shao.
Your Majesty, this young lady is Xiao Siwen’s daughter. Lu Chengyong bowed.
Guo Shao suddenly realized something and said "Oh".
Wang Zhong whispered: I heard that when the Liao people conquered Yizhou, the daughter of Jiedushi Sun Xingyou was raped on the spot by the Liao people. Xiao Siwen's daughter is quite pretty. I will ask her to sleep with Your Majesty tonight to relieve his fatigue.
When the girl heard this, she took two steps back. It seemed that she understood what it meant.
Guo Shao looked at Wang Zhong with a strange look and couldn't help laughing. You thought it would be good if Xiao Siwen's daughter was ten years older. Look at her, she's still a child.
Wang Zhong smiled and said: I think she is about ten years old. It would be nice for Your Majesty to try her.
Guo Shao had not touched women for many days and was in a tense state. Now he was relaxed and free of pressure. Wang Zhong joked with him and shook his heart. However, he still felt that such a young girl was not interesting, so he took it as a joke and said, "Forget it, settle her down and don't hurt her." If Xiao Siwen can survive after returning to Liao, I will exchange his daughter for some war horses, cattle and sheep. It's not too much.
Wang Zhong hurriedly said: Your Majesty is truly kind-hearted.
Speaking of Xiao Siwen, Guo Shao was still wondering if the Liao Emperor would spare him if he ran back.
Guo Shao glanced at the young lady and asked casually, "What's your name?"
The girl actually answered Guo Shao in fluent Chinese, “My full name is Xiao Chuo, and my nickname is Yanyan.”
When Guo Shao heard this, his expression suddenly changed.