Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 414: Personal Expedition to Gaochang (Special thanks to book friend 2019…2101 for the monthly ticket!)

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Don't worry, my beloved! For your sake, I will treat the Gaochang royal family well, and the ancestral temple sacrifices can continue.

But Gaochang State is small, with few soldiers, backward systems, and rampant powerful bureaucrats. How can its people live as prosperously and comfortably as the people of our Great Zhou?

Now that my Great Zhou is the most powerful country in the world, it would be better to bring Gaochang under my rule so that we can share the prosperity and splendor.”

Before Princess Jialuo entered the palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, her father Wang Lusheng solemnly instructed her to put the protection of Gaochang Kingdom in front of Emperor Chai Zongxun of Zhou as her top priority.

At this moment, when he heard Chai Zongxun say that he wanted to incorporate Gaochang into his territory, he couldn't help feeling unhappy.

Chai Zongxun wanted to distract her, so he immediately reached out and pulled Princess Jialuo up, and went to the bathroom to take a bath together.

The residence of the "Guiyi Army Jiedushi" is naturally far inferior to the Bianliang Imperial Palace.

Although there is a dedicated bath, it is located in the main hall in the backyard, which is somewhat inconvenient.

Therefore, Chai Zongxun ordered the palace maids to fill a large wooden barrel with warm water in the back room of the courtyard where Jia Luo lived, and sprinkle it with spices and flower petals.

Chai Zongxun and Jia Luo sat in a tub to bathe together, and their personal palace maids carefully washed their bodies.

In the air filled with white mist and fragrance, Chai Zongxun saw that Jialuo's skin was as white and tender as jade, and her curves were extremely attractive. He couldn't help but be moved, so he hugged her and began to caress and kiss her.

Jialuo responded tenderly, and after a moment, her body became hot.

Chai Zongxun immediately picked up Jialuo and stepped onto the bed...

After the crazy pleasure, the two of them lay on the bed and chatted contentedly.

Princess Jialuo leaned on Chai Zongxun's chest with a red face and sighed:
"Your Majesty, I have also figured it out. Rather than letting Gaochang stand as a small country in the midst of Your Majesty's Great Zhou territory, it is better to return it to Zhou territory. At least it can bring a prosperous and stable life to the people.

With your Majesty's kindness, you will surely allow the royal family of Gaochang to be granted titles and be cared for in Bian Jing.

But now my father is critically ill, and my mother and brother are both in prison, and the evil woman Mo Zang is seizing power.

How does Your Majesty intend to rescue them?"

Chai Zongxun muttered:

“It takes only ten days to get to Gaochang City from here. I intend to lead the army to conquer it myself.

In order to prevent your parents and brother from falling into the hands of Mo Zang, I will send people to Gaochang City to rescue them first.

My beloved concubine, together with the Queen Mother and other concubines, will stay in Dunhuang with the princes and princesses to escape the summer heat, visit various scenic spots, and wait for my triumphant return."

Princess Jialuo nodded and said:
"Your Majesty has worked hard for the country! I am willing to serve you and go to war with you.

The Gaochang area is dry and rainless, so Your Majesty must be extremely careful about the supply of the army during this expedition."

Chai Zongxun kissed Princess Jialuo and said with a smile:

“My beloved concubine reminded me.

With the military strength of our Great Zhou, it would be easy to capture Gaochang! Moreover, the Mo Zang clan has usurped power and brought disaster to the people. I will enforce justice on behalf of heaven and punish the treacherous and corrupt officials. The people will surely follow my lead.

When Future Chang'er grows up, I will appoint him as the vassal king of Gaochang."

When Princess Jialuo heard that her own son, Chai Jichang, was named the Prince of Gaochang, she finally let go of her depression and became happy.

At 9:00 p.m. the next day, Chai Zongxun summoned all his ministers to discuss the expedition to Gaochang.

Chai Zongxun said:

"The population of Gaochang is only about three million now, and it originally had an army of 500,000.

If Mo Zang abuses her power, the number of troops who are truly willing to be used by her and resist our Great Zhou should not exceed half.

With the sharp artillery of our Great Zhou and the brave soldiers, it is easy to defeat them. How about the firearms equipped by the Dunhuang garrison now?"

This time, Chai Zongxun led the imperial family on a tour, and although he was in command of the most elite imperial guards and the Wude Division of the Great Zhou, the heavy artillery was naturally not carried along.

Yang Yanzhao, the commander of the Dunhuang Longxiang garrison, said:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Dunhuang garrison is a military force, equipped with 500 Tiger Crouching Cannons and 200 Yansu Cannons.

If Your Majesty wants to transfer artillery from various provinces in the interior, it will only take a month."

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Gaochang is a small country with few soldiers and is in internal turmoil, so the artillery of the Dunhuang garrison is sufficient.

I have decided to lead 60,000 imperial troops and 30,000 Dunhuang Longxiang garrison troops, along with 300 tiger squat cannons and 200 "Yansu cannons" to march to Gaochang!
Thirty thousand Wudesi were left in Dunhuang, led by the palace eunuch He Zongguan, to guard the Empress Dowager and other members of the imperial family.

Military supplies were immediately mobilized in Dunhuang Prefecture by Governor Cao. Any shortages in the government were purchased from the public at market prices, and the Ministry of Revenue reimbursed the expenses at the end of the year.

The reason why Chai Zongxun did not lead the 90,000 imperial guards and the entire Wude Division to go on the expedition to escort the emperor was that he was somewhat worried about the safety of his own imperial family.

Upon hearing this, all the ministers responded loudly and left the hall to start preparations.

When walking to the backyard, Chai Zongxun said:

"Little Six, I will personally lead the expedition to Gaochang this time, and I will be able to return victorious in about a month.

You lead 30,000 Wudesi soldiers here in Dunhuang, and you must protect the people in my harem!

Tomorrow, we will immediately dispatch soldiers from the Wude Division to Gaochang City to try their best to rescue Queen Yu Gaochang and the deposed Crown Prince.

I am afraid that the Mei Zang clan will kill these two people, after all, they are relatives of my concubine Jia Luo. "

He Yao said:
"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will carry out your Majesty's orders. Together with the Empress Dowager, the two Queens, the other ladies, the princes, and the princesses, we will wait for your triumphant return in Dunhuang!"

After lunch, Chai Zongxun summoned all the imperial family members and announced his decision to personally lead an expedition to Gaochang.

Chai Zongxun said:

"Now Gaochang is ruled by treacherous people, and the people are in dire straits. It is time for me to conquer Gaochang.

This time I will lead an army of 90,000 to go on the expedition, leaving 30,000 soldiers from the Wude Division to guard you, my dear ministers, while you are spending the summer in Dunhuang. I will be back in more than a month.

In order to quell the Gaochang war as quickly as possible, I am bringing my concubine Jialuo with me on this expedition."

The concubines and children were a little worried that Chai Zongxun might not have enough troops to lead the army personally, but they felt relieved after listening to his explanation.

Many concubines begged to accompany the emperor on the expedition, but Chai Zongxun refused and persuaded them to stay in Dunhuang to enjoy the summer.

Prince Chai Jiyu bowed and said:

"Father, you have worked hard for the country and led the army to war. I am willing to serve you and share your worries."

Chai Zongxun thought: Although the country is now united as a solid block, I have taken the imperial family on several trips abroad and have never attracted any rebellious people in the country. This shows that the political situation is stable and the commercial society has also taken shape.

However, this time he was leading the army to fight against Gaochang, as it was a war against a foreign country, and there were uncontrollable variables. It was obviously not safe for the emperor and the crown prince of the Great Zhou Empire to go on the expedition together.

Chai Zongxun said:

“Yu’er’s filial piety is commendable.

As our Great Zhou's national and military strength are now a hundred or a thousand times greater than Gaochang's, it would be a piece of cake for your father to lead the army to conquer us.

As the crown prince, Yu'er will stay in Dunhuang and lead General He and others to protect the imperial family."

After ten days of preparation, the governor of Dunhuang had collected enough food and weapons to feed 90,000 soldiers for three months, and spent 320,000 taels of silver on purchasing supplies from the public.

The clean water was drawn from the snow water flowing down from the Qiyun Mountain, and was transported in ten thousand wooden barrels and five hundred horse-drawn carriages.

(End of this chapter)