Chapter 147: Stabilizing the Hearts of the People
y didn't run back the way they came, but instead wanted to go straight through the waterfall to leave. They took advantage of the night, hoping the other side wouldn't dare chase them.As soon as their...The Emperor Zhao accompanied the Empress in a game of chess. When Lan Xin, the female official, reminded them it was time for her to take her medicinal soup, he politely said:
"Your Majesty, your health is paramount. We can play chess anytime. Please take your medicine first."
Seeing the Empress drink a bowl of congee and looking tired, he urged her to rest. He also took his leave and returned to the courtyard next door.
Zhao returned to his courtyard and only then realized that his inner garment was soaked through. He had scared himself so badly.
He didn't know if the Empress had asked him to play chess today on a whim or if there was another reason. He was feeling uneasy, especially since the Empress had mentioned spices. Although he was certain that the spices were fine, it was the incense burner that was the problem. But he couldn't be sure that no one would find out.
He knew that the more critical the moment, the more careful he had to be, otherwise, the fate awaiting him and the second princess would be an eternity of suffering.
The ripples asked the Emperor to come play chess, purely to frighten him. He has a guilty conscience and today he even brought up spices himself, enough to keep his mind troubled for some time.
The Panlong Nation has already mobilized its troops, and the army on the border received orders to begin attacking the three cities occupied by General Fengming, determined to recapture them.
Before, Phoenix's attacks came as a surprise, catching the Dragon Nation's general off guard. They lost three cities in a row. Now that they want to retake them, they have to attack, and attacking is much harder than defending.
Phoenix General was also a maverick. As soon as she captured the city, she took control of all officials, wealthy citizens, and gentry within it. She tightly controlled the food and silver in the hands of the army, then had soldiers ride through the streets and alleys, announcing to the entire city that this place now belonged to the Phoenix Nation.
...and explained the reason. The emperor of Panlong Kingdom sent his fifth younger brother to assassinate the empress, but the assassination failed and he still refused to admit it, so these cities are the compensation from the Panlong Kingdom.
She also stood up for women who were oppressed and humiliated, almost using strong-handed methods to elevate their status. Of course, the precondition for doing so was that the matter was true. Even if she was eager to raise the status of women, she would not disregard the truth; this was a matter of principle.
Of course, there are also some more stubborn people who believe that men are superior and only men deserve to be the head of a household. They are unwilling to live in a city ruled by women and jump out to cause trouble, wanting to leave this city.
"Go, have their household registrations handled separately. Send them away right now. If they don't want to stay here, we don't care. If it weren't for the two cities that still need to be captured, we would have driven these people out long ago."
General Fengming said nonchalantly.
She had long received the imperial eagle letter from the Empress. The Empress instructed her that if she could successfully capture the five border cities, she would relocate the families and dependents of the frontier army to those five cities, displacing the original residents of the cities and moving them to other cities in the Phoenix Nest Kingdom.
First, it can swiftly gather five cities and stabilize the people's hearts. Establishing a united front will make it difficult for the Panlong Kingdom to counterattack, after all, the citizens within wouldn't be inclined towards an enemy nation.
Secondly, it also serves as a way to appease the border troops. Those who have been stationed at the border for many years will miss their husbands and children. Moreover, there are many unmarried female soldiers of marriageable age, and they also need a home. After military households move there, it can solve part of the marriage problem for these women.
Thirdly, it targets the indigenous people within the city. This way, all existing power structures in the city will be completely disrupted and scattered. Then, according to the Empress's wishes, a new order can be established, and it will be less prone to chaos.
"General, wouldn't this incite public anger"
The deputy general whispered.
No, these people were only pushed to the surface to be tested. Those who truly want to leave Panlong Nation will naturally leave along with them. Those who intend to stay hidden will certainly not leave easily.
Real ordinary people don't care if it's a man or a queen in power. What they want is to live peacefully, untouched by war. They will follow whoever can give them a good life.
Feng Ming General said very firmly.
"Understood, sir! I'll get on it right away!"
As Feng Ming had predicted, those who were clamoring to receive the household registers delivered by the yamen officials were dumbfounded. The newly appointed female head catcher didn't waste any words and declared loudly:
"General Phoenix Cry never slaughters the innocent nor forces his will on others. Since you find Dragon Disk Nation agreeable, I shall give you a day to sell your possessions, pack your belongings, and General will have men escort you out of the city."
""
The female head of the police was a retired veteran who had been injured. She was also from one of the fifty military households that were the first to move into the city. General Fengming was her former superior officer. This time, he specially took care of her and gave her this position as head of the police. It was also considered care for retired female soldiers.
She naturally supported her own queen and looked down on these people. Seeing their incredulous expressions, she sneered and said:
“Our Queen is merciful and has never thought of invading other countries. It is your new Emperor who is ambitious and wants to assassinate our Emperor. Our generals only occupied the city without driving you out, which is also because the Queen shows mercy to the people who find it hard to live, otherwise, where would you be able to shout here!”
Your household registration is now ready, and you are allowed to take your personal belongings with you. Move quickly, everyone. Don't make me late for my shift.
She finished speaking and turned to leave. These people were so used to her, if it were up to her, she would have just kicked them out right away, not even letting them take their courtesy bows. It was simply a dream!
The general just said he wants to keep the people calm, so the city can't be in chaos right now. Otherwise, the general would have had people get rid of these brainless fools a long time ago.
Now, with dozens of households holding their household registration documents, they all looked at each other with uncertainty. They originally thought that if a conflict arose, they could incite more people to oppose this group of women soldiers. Unexpectedly, the other party was so decisive, they even prepared the household registration documents and gave them time to prepare, without showing any intention to obstruct. Instead, they were caught in a difficult situation.
Among the onlookers from afar were spies from Panlong Nation. Seeing this, they gritted their teeth. They had originally planned to take advantage of the situation to create chaos, incite conflict between the city’s civilians and Fengqi Nation's soldiers. Unfortunately, the other party didn't even respond, leaving them unable to assist the besieging soldiers outside the city.
Finally, these dozens of families packed up and left the occupied city. After being taken over by the Panlong Kingdom soldiers, they were immediately called in for questioning and then detained at the military camp, with no one paying attention to them anymore.
They wanted to leave, but they couldn't. Food supplies in the military camp were of paramount importance and naturally wouldn't be given for free to ordinary people like them. If they didn't want to starve, they had to spend more silver to buy it. For a while, their money flowed out like water. They were also exploited by soldiers and officers. These dozens of households suddenly regretted their decision immensely.
These messages were all relayed back to the three cities occupied by Fenghui Country and widely publicized.
Don't believe it No matter, you can verify it yourself. The general didn't stop the people of Yuanpan Longguo from leaving.e no longer had to subsidize Chan Ka-shui, and with Pan Nuannuan, the leech, gone, she had actually managed to accumulate some things. Plus, there were still some gold and silver in the corners of her...