Chapter 305

He even dispatched Fu Hao to kill a few of the more excessive officials!

However... this method of killing one to warn a hundred not only failed to produce results, but on the contrary, caused an even greater uproar!

Even... some court officials were already sitting at the gates of Xianyanggong, declaring their refusal to pay taxes!

In this instant, the pressure on Ying Zheng, Zhuge Liang, and Zuo Zuo Zongtang became even greater!

But everyone understood that they could not give in!

In matters like this, there is only the difference between taking one step back and taking countless steps back.

Yet the pressure was also real and tangible!

With the common people unmanaged, government affairs unmanaged, and imperial edicts unable to be conveyed, the entire country was on the verge of chaos!

Zhuge Liang, Zuo Zuo Zongtang, Li Si, Xiao He, Yuan Yuan Chonghuan, Wei Liaozhi, and Ying Zheng had not closed their eyes for days and nights in order to handle national affairs!

And just when everyone was about to reach their breaking point, suddenly, someone arrived!

Xiaoyaozi!

He had come to Xianyang!

Not only had he come, but he also brought news of victory from Ying Su, as well as an edict!

162, Ying Zheng: Tax exemption! If the rebellious son can grant this tax exemption, then I can too!

"Proclaiming the edict of the Second Emperor of Great Qin, Ying Su!"..

"After nine months of hard fighting, Han Xin and Wang Wang Jian, not failing my mission, have killed six and a half million Xiongnu, leaving only over thirty thousand, with only Chanyu Modu leading the three thousand remnants to escape into the snow mountains!"

"Thus, although the Xiongnu have not been completely annihilated, the goal of this battle has been achieved. I hereby appoint Han Xin as Grand General of our Great Qin. Wang Li, having merit in guarding Xianyang, is appointed Marquis of Che! Li Li Yuanba is appointed Left General of our Great Qin, and Li Li Cunxiao is appointed Right General of our Great Qin! When at war, they shall lead the campaigns to pacify the world; when not at war, they shall remain by my side as guards!"

"Xiaoyaozi and the group of experts he brought back have all made great contributions in this battle to annihilate the Xiongnu. To manifest my benevolence, I specially permit them to be granted titles based on the military merit system. In the imperial court, all their military merits shall be tallied, and then titles shall be conferred!"

"As for the rest of the people and the remaining soldiers, they shall be rewarded one by one when I return to Xianyang!"

"Furthermore, although the Xiongnu are destroyed, a large amount of land remains. I will inspect the northern grasslands for one month to prepare for the development of this region! Incidentally, this will allow the soldiers injured in this battle to recuperate and rest!"

"Afterward, on the return journey, I will also pass through the various commanderies and counties of our Great Qin to observe the local customs and folkways. I expect to return to the court in the third month of spring. Before I return, I specially command my father, Ying Zheng, to guard the country and be honored as the Retired Emperor!"

"Zhuge Liang, Zuo Zuo Zongtang, Li Si, and Xiao He are to be the ministers assisting in government, helping the Retired Emperor handle state affairs and govern the country! For any matter, after the five of them have deliberated, they shall have the power of arbitrary decision, and all court officials shall assist with all their might!"

"Now that the Xiongnu have been destroyed and the world is at peace, I hereby issue an edict for the whole world to celebrate together: all common people in the country are exempt from taxes for five years, returning wealth to the people!"

"But... to stabilize national development, the nobles, the royal clan, and the imperial clan, having large families and great industries, should assist with all their might. Therefore, for the next three years of harvest, the grain and crops from the fields of the nobles shall be subject to a ninety percent tax, leaving ten percent for their livelihood!"

"Additionally, there is the report of this victory for all the people of the world to view together!"

At that moment, Xiaoyaozi shouted loudly, conveying Ying Su's edict!

At the same time, he held a thick piece of cloth above his head with both hands and kowtowed toward the imperial throne!

However...

Faced with his edict and his current actions!

In this instant, almost everyone in the entire court was stunned!

Everyone simply could not believe their ears!

Even Ying Zheng was shocked!

What was this edict from Ying Su saying?

Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao were not dead?

The Xiongnu were destroyed? Only thirty thousand left to flee, not three hundred thousand?

And Han Xin, appointed as Grand General?

Most importantly, Xiaoyaozi and the others!

What the hell were they?

They were actually specially approved by Ying Su for the military merit system?

30 And Wang Li was appointed a Marquis? Marquis of Che?

On what grounds!

Just by doing nothing in Xianyang City, he could be appointed a Marquis?

The key is, their Wang family, Wang Wang Jian and Wang Ben were already Marquises, and they wanted to appoint another one?

On what grounds!

Many people were furious!

However... thinking about it a little, it seemed understandable!

Wang Wang Jian had such great merit that his military rank and title had already reached the top, and his son Wang Ben was also almost fully titled.

At this time, it could only be a benefit for Wang Li!

Of course, for Ying Zheng, these were secondary!

What was important was that Li Li Yuanba was not dead?

Li Li Cunxiao was not dead?

And, it seemed that Han Xin's army did not suffer such heavy losses?

If there were really only twenty thousand left, it would be impossible to be wandering outside!

He was excited to the extreme, and without any delay, he immediately had Zhao Gao take all those things over!

Afterward, he checked the victory report immediately!

Must say, it was thick!

It was truly thick!

But there was a reason for its thickness!

This victory report had recorded almost the entire process of the battle!

Not only were there major battles like the Azagu River and the Tuermuhe River!

Even some small battles were included!

It also mentioned rivers, various tactics, and weapons targeting warhorses like the horse-slaying saber and the lasso!

There were even the full topography of the grasslands and distribution maps of various rivers!

To put it bluntly, setting aside the scenes of Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao slaughtering!

This was completely a textbook on grassland warfare!

With this victory report, even if there were no Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao in the future, one could completely rely on this report to strike into the grasslands again!

Ying Su had recorded all of this!

Ying Zheng flipped through a few pages and was so excited he couldn't control himself!

But he hadn't flipped to the part he was most concerned about yet.

What he was most concerned about was the casualties of the army!

Soon, he saw clearly that in this battle, the casualties were actually less than ten thousand!

Before the great avalanche, the Xiongnu had already been killed down to less than one hundred thousand!

Seeing Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao getting closer and closer, Chanyu Modu became desperate, and in his urgency, he directly used his sound technique to shatter the snow mountain, creating an avalanche to block Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao!

But the price for doing so was also heavy!

He had also buried the seventy thousand people behind him alive!

But this did indeed allow Chanyu Modu to escape with thirty thousand people!

Yet Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao, neither of them died!

Even the army behind them did not suffer casualties because of this!

"Hahahaha... A great victory!"

"Truly a great victory!"

At that moment, Ying Zheng looked at this victory report and laughed excitedly!

Likewise, he even held this victory report in his own hands and waved it in front of all the court officials.

Showing them the "Received from Heaven, May You Live Forever" seal stamped on the victory report!

And showing them the record in the victory report that Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao were not dead!

And the casualty record of Ying Su's army!

He plastered all of this onto the faces of all the court officials; the purpose of all this was naturally to tell them not to be too arrogant!

Ying Su was coming back soon!

Li Li Yuanba and Li Li Cunxiao were also coming back soon!

However, although Ying Zheng was very excited, where was all this a topic that the court officials cared about?