Chapter 126: Spoils of War: A Sort-of Princess

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In the eighth month of the first year of Jianzhong, the Divine Engine Left Army, which had fought bloody battles in the northwest for over five months, returned to Dongjing Bianliang to rest and reorganize.

Zhao Yu personally came to Jinglong Gate to watch the victory ceremony.

Jinglong Gate stood in front of the Baolu Palace at the corner of the imperial city. Every Lantern Festival, lanterns blazed here in dazzling splendor, and citizens came in an endless stream to view them, bustling and jostling.

This welcome ceremony was staged on a grand scale. Drums thundered and sheng pipes wailed; the various Imperial Guard units stood in neat ranks on either side, welcoming the Divine Engine Left Army into the city.

The Divine Engine Left Army had given Zhao Yu tremendous face this time — one could say they had swept through Qingtang unbeaten.

This not only terrified the enemy, but also made the Western Army realize that Zhao Yu still had a force stronger and more battle-hardened than their own, forcing them to rein in their arrogance.

It is worth mentioning that alongside the Divine Engine Left Army on this campaign were also Zhao Yu's personal guards, the Golden Spear Squad and the Imperial Dragon Bow Array.

These two units also performed quite well.

Of course, one could also say that, in most cases, these two units fought only the easy battles alongside the Divine Engine Left Army, and their true combat strength has yet to be proven.

But no matter how you put it, these young lords have truly been on the battlefield, seen blood, killed men. At the very least, we should never again see that eternal classic scene where the Emperor went out for a stroll, was attacked by a cook, and over a hundred guards stood by idly watching; nor should we see that farcical scene of the True Religion Great Uprising, where two hundred followers stormed the Forbidden City and slaughtered a hundred Imperial Bodyguards.

It is worth mentioning that among those Zhao Yu promoted seven ranks at once, two were from the Golden Spear Squad and the Imperial Dragon Bow Array — one named He Qingyan, the other named Chen Keli.

According to the memorials from the front and the secret reports of the Divine Engine Left Army's supervising officials, He Qingyan and Chen Keli charged at the forefront in every engagement; one earned the merit of first to scale the walls, the other the feat of slaying an enemy general.

There is also this: when the Humiliation of Jingkang occurred, among the Song defenders of the city, two commanders refused to abandon the city and flee, fought bravely, struggled to the death, and finally gave their lives for their country on the city walls. One was named He Qingyan, the other named Chen Keli. Of the many officials and generals guarding the four walls of Jingcheng at the time, only these two laid down their lives for the nation at the most critical moment.

Zhao Yu did not know whether these two young men among his own guards were the same two heroes willing to die for their country at the crucial moment, but the mere fact that, as his personal guards, they had earned the feats of first to scale the walls and slaying an enemy general out there was already face for him.

Therefore, Zhao Yu promoted He Qingyan and Chen Keli each seven ranks at once, making them leaders of his personal troops, demonstrating that he was unstinting in rewarding the meritorious.

Soon, the Divine Engine Left Army's soldiers, clad in brocade armor, shouldered banners and tiger-crouching cannons, with Thundercrash bombs at their waists, sabers at their sides and crossbows on their backs, marched with ringing, forceful steps — like a steel tide — slowly through Jinglong Gate.

Sunlight fell on their resolute faces, lighting up every pair of eyes brimming with glory and pride.

Wherever they passed, an aura of murderous intent swept through, so that the Imperial Guards on either side did not dare meet their gaze.

Zhao Yu stood on the high platform, watching this battle-hardened force, and the more he looked, the more pleased he became.

Beside Zhao Yu, Li Lin, disguised as a eunuch, was even more pleased. She planned, once Zhao Yu's coffers were a little fuller, to advise him to train three more such Divine Engine armies — to form the Divine Engine Front Army, Divine Engine Rear Army, Divine Engine Left Army, Divine Engine Right Army, and Divine Engine Central Army.

With five armies like this, Zhao Yu might not be able to sweep the world, but he should at least possess military might sufficient to fear no power.

Zhang Shuye and He Guan, along with the Divine Engine Right Army under their command, were also in the welcoming ranks.

Seeing the Divine Engine Left Army in such glory, the Divine Engine Right Army felt both envy and immense pressure, dreading that once they took the field, they would not perform as well as the Divine Engine Left Army.

— Once the Divine Engine Left Army and Divine Engine Right Army had rotated, the Divine Engine Right Army would also set out for the Qingtang battlefield.

Zhao Yu returned to the Daqing Hall to receive the congratulations of his ministers.

Before long, Xia Zheng, Longza, and the Khitan Princess, Western Xia Princess, and Uyghur Princess who had been married into Qingtang Tubo — all escorted back by the Divine Engine Left Army — were led into Daqing Hall to present their surrender documents to Zhao Yu.

Earlier, some ministers of the Zhao Song dynasty had hoped Zhao Yu would release Longza back, to act as the dynasty's representative exercising loose rein over Shanzhou, much as the Zhe family exercised loose rein over Fuzhou.

But Zhao Yu had already rejected this.

Zhao Yu had resolved to implement the prefecture-and-county system in the Qingtang region; to this end, he had even allowed the Western Army soldiers at the front to slaughter the entire families of resisting Qingtang Tubo nobles. Once the bow is drawn, how can it be turned back?

Speaking of which, because the Western Army soldiers at the front had been carrying out the "flattening the cartwheels" business on a large scale, many impeached Seeing Zhang Dun, saying that Zhang Dun had failed to keep strict discipline over his subordinates, allowing such an atrocity to occur in the army — a disgrace to the Great Song. Some remonstrating officials even implored Zhao Yu to punish Zhang Dun and those Western Army generals without mercy, to correct military discipline and pacify the people.

Zhang Dun had already prepared himself to take the blame for Zhao Yu.

Who would have thought that, on this matter, Zhao Yu did not waver in the slightest. He took the responsibility upon himself, saying bluntly: "Minister Zhang is without fault. This is a method to settle the matter once and for all; the decree was issued by Us, and has nothing to do with anyone else."

Unlike the early days when his throne was not yet secure and Zhao Yu still acted with some timidity and caution, now that he had fully recovered imperial authority, Zhao Yu was absolutely willing to take responsibility, and never passed the buck.

This alone, for an Emperor, was already exceedingly commendable.

Moreover, Zhao Yu rose every day the moment the mao hour arrived; no matter how wildly he had caroused the night before, he never let it interfere with his duties.

Zhao Yu had also decreed that whenever a battlefield report arrived from the front, no matter the hour — even in the dead of night — he must be woken at once to read it.

During this period, Zhao Yu had fully displayed his brilliant strategies, magnanimity, diligence in governance and love for the people, clarity in reward and punishment, and skill in recognizing and employing talent.

Furthermore, Zhao Yu tolerated the remonstrating officials and was willing to heed their counsel. Even when some of their remonstrances so infuriated him that he lost his composure, he never actually banished any remonstrating official from the capital. The key point: whenever Zhao Yu realized he was in the wrong, he would correct it.

After so long together, though one could not say they were especially satisfied with Zhao Yu, both the New Party and Old Party ministers were all won over by him, and were willing to work for him.

The reason Zhao Yu looked down on Xia Zheng and Longza, the two Tsanpos, was also this: historically, Zhao Ji had chosen loose-rein rule. Who would have thought that Longza boasted to Zhao Ji that he could cut off Lang'a Kezhang's head and present it to him, but once Longza returned to the Xihe Route, he only dared hide in Minzhou, not advancing a single step. The Zhao Song dynasty had no choice but to accept the fait accompli of Longza's brother Xishe Luosa restoring his kingdom in Shanzhou city.

In other words, Longza was a useless piece of pastry, good for nothing.

And Xia Zheng, who had no legitimate claim and knew only slaughter, was even more useless.

Compared with the two Tsanpos Xia Zheng and Longza, Zhao Yu was actually more interested in the three princesses who had been married into Qingtang Tubo.

But upon meeting them, Zhao Yu learned that the youngest of the three — the Uyghur Princess — was already over forty years old.

This instantly killed his interest in them.

Therefore, after accepting the surrender documents they presented on behalf of Qingtang Tubo, and without giving them a chance to speak nonsense, Zhao Yu waved his hand and had them led away.

As for how to deal with these useless people, that could wait.

Accompanying Tong Guan, who had returned along with the Divine Engine Left Army, saw Zhao Yu's disappointment and smiled faintly.

Turning around, Accompanying Tong Guan presented Zhao Yu with twenty-four beauties from Qingtang, among whom were quite a few Western Region beauties.

Accompanying Tong Guan told Zhao Yu that among them were also several daughters of Xia Zheng and Longza — they could, by a stretch, also be considered princesses.

In fact, had it not been for presenting these beauties to Zhao Yu, Accompanying Tong Guan would not have come back in person at all.

One must understand, this was the heaven-sent opportunity for merit and achievement that Accompanying Tong Guan had waited years for — especially since he had a divine army like the Divine Engine force to rack up military credits.

But so many years of ups and downs had long since made Accompanying Tong Guan see clearly that, more often than not, having ability alone does not let one rise above the crowd; to accomplish something, one also needs a patron to lift one up — only then can one stand out.

And having spent so long by Zhao Yu's side, Accompanying Tong Guan knew well that Zhao Yu had no other flaw — he was simply somewhat fond of women.

Then Accompanying Tong Guan would naturally cater to his tastes.

Put it this way: after reaching Qingtang, aside from fighting, Accompanying Tong Guan spent his time gathering beauties for Zhao Yu.

Accompanying Tong Guan did not only gather them himself; he also had Wang Hou, Wang Zhan, Zhong Pu, and others help him collect them.

Wang Hou and the other Western Army generals feared most that, while they were rolling up their sleeves and going all out, the court would change its mind again and decide not to destroy Qingtang Tubo.

Wang Hou and the others were not shooting in the dark. Over the years, far too many such things had already happened.

Not long ago, the court nearly ordered them to withdraw from the Qingtang region.

Therefore, bribing the Emperor to gain his support for achieving glory and merit is a shared desire among many frontline generals.

Besides, Accompanying Tong Guan has already made it clear: he will not steal their achievements; whoever contributes will have their deeds reported truthfully.

The key point is, this is a rare opportunity to interact with the Emperor—even to make him know their names—who among them wouldn't give their all? In fact, many wish to send their own daughters to fill these positions.

Haven't you seen how Guo Cheng soared to prominence simply because his daughter became an imperial concubine?

More crucially, sometimes the leader may not remember who gave gifts, but he will surely remember who didn't.

Thus, beautiful women from the Qingtang region were collected by Accompanying Tong Guan and the Western Army generals and presented to Zhao Yu.

When ministers offer gifts to express respect and loyalty to Zhao Yu, and Zhao Yu accepts them, it allows ministers to feel the Emperor's acceptance, helping strengthen emotional bonds between ruler and subject, fostering a harmonious atmosphere that makes ministers more loyal in serving Zhao Yu.

Moreover, accepting carefully prepared gifts from ministers demonstrates Zhao Yu's noble status and supreme authority as Emperor, reinforcing the symbolic meaning of imperial power and instilling greater awe toward the throne among subjects, thereby maintaining the feudal ruling order.

However, on the other hand, excessively accepting gifts brings many drawbacks, such as breeding corruption and encouraging extravagance—these negative effects became particularly evident in the later reign of Emperor Qianlong and adversely impacted Qing rule.

But overall, when the Emperor accepts gifts from ministers, it undoubtedly strengthens his rule; from the Emperor's perspective, these gifts must be accepted.

So Zhao Yu said to Accompanying Tong Guan: "Minister, you've thought of everything. Good."

Zhao Yu's single "good" filled Accompanying Tong Guan with overwhelming joy; he immediately reported: "Your Majesty, I have led troops on campaign for months, spending heavily, yet I have economized at every turn. I now have one hundred large pearls, six thousand taels of gold, plus various quantities of rhinoceros horn, jade, coins, silk, and local specialties, which I shall present shortly."

Zhao Yu knew perfectly well this wasn't money Accompanying Tong Guan had saved—it was clearly war loot taken from Qingtang Tubo.

From Accompanying Tong Guan's gesture, Zhao Yu had already guessed that the Western Army had profited greatly.

Think about it: Zhao Yu had issued orders for extermination; most of the powerful chieftains entrenched along the Silk Road's key routes were utterly wiped out by the Western Army. Their accumulated wealth, built over countless generations, now all fell into the hands of the Western Army—who would believe they didn't strike it rich?

Zhao Yu casually asked: "Only you saved on military expenses?"

Accompanying Tong Guan, hearing Zhao Yu's opening, quickly produced a thick stack of gift lists and presented them to Zhao Yu, saying: "Upon arriving in the northwest, I told all the generals: Your Majesty has been living frugally to reclaim Qingtang; we must economize wherever possible. Thus, all the generals have saved some gold and silver, and wish to present them to Your Majesty—please review them."

Zhao Yu examined the gift lists and saw that each Western Army general, according to rank and power, had contributed a substantial sum.

Zhao Yu suspected that recent large-scale anti-corruption campaigns in other regions had frightened the Western Army generals, prompting them to each offer some benefits as tribute, hoping to buy safety.

At such a moment, Zhao Yu must certainly reassure the Western Army. If he provoked them into rebellion, suppression would be impossible—and his reign as Emperor would end.

Zhao Yu handed the gift lists to Huang Jingchen, who naturally understood: Zhao Yu was instructing him to accept everything as listed.

Then Zhao Yu commented on the Western Army: "The Western Army fought well. Keep it up."

With Zhao Yu's words, Accompanying Tong Guan felt reassured, and the Western Army generals could now fight with peace of mind.

At this moment, Zhao Yu remembered something: "The Divine Mechanism Left Army…"

Accompanying Tong Guan hurriedly replied: "My Divine Mechanism Army maintains strict discipline. During this campaign, we strictly followed the new military regulations, committing not a single offense in any location. All spoils are turned over to the state; we do not break into homes even if frozen to death, nor plunder even if starving."

The Western Army's bandit-like discipline was ingrained in its nature—nearly beyond saving—and Zhao Yu had no intention of changing this army, at least not in the short term.

But the Divine Mechanism Army was different; they were the hope of the Zhao Song dynasty, and Zhao Yu did not want them to become like the Western Army.

Zhao Yu had already instructed Accompanying Tong Guan on this matter.

Zhao Yu estimated that Accompanying Tong Guan could handle this minor issue—otherwise, he wouldn't deserve to be called a corrupt minister.

Moreover, there were Zong Ze and Wang Bin as a firewall, plus the entire Divine Mechanism Army's surveillance system and new ideologies—its discipline should not resemble that of the Western Army.

Upon returning to the inner palace, Zhao Yu saw the twenty-four Qingtang beauties presented by Accompanying Tong Guan, especially several with Western Regions features.

How to describe these beauties?

Zhao Yu could only say: "Indeed, Laozu did not wage war on the Western Regions for just a few dried grapes!"

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(End of Chapter)