Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 425 Two Countries Enter the Territory (Special thanks to book friends 1603…9946 for 2 monthly tickets!)

Khotan had 52 prefectures and a population of 2.6 million.

On October 30th of the 31st year of Kaixi, more than one hundred provincial governors, deputy prefects and 90,000 Longxiang troops sent by the court to take over the various states of Gaochang arrived in Gaochang City.

Chai Zongxun summoned them to the Gaochang Palace on a temporary basis.

After seeing the ceremony, Chai Zongxun said:

"The way of a sage is to make the world public. The Book of Documents says: Only virtuous people should be appointed to official posts. The most important thing for a country is the governance of officials.

Now Gaochang has been incorporated into the territory of my Great Zhou. You, my dear ministers, are the pillars of the court who have been carefully selected. I hope that you can all be honest and dedicated, put the people first, and implement the agricultural, industrial and commercial policies of my Great Zhou that benefit the country and the people in Gaochang.

We must treat all ethnic minorities here equally with us Han people.

The current priority is to develop water conservancy, reduce people's tax burden, and promote the development of industry and commerce. In a few years, Gaochang's economy will surely prosper, and the people will have no worries about food and clothing, and they will be able to live in stability.

If there are those who abuse their power for personal gain and engage in corruption, let's see how long you can escape under the eyes of the "Xiangxian System", the Wude Division, and the Longxiang Guards!"

The ministers thought of the severe punishments for corruption and other illegal acts in the Great Zhou Criminal Code, and they were all terrified. They bowed and promised:

"We, your Majesty, will obey your instructions and abide by the law, putting the people first!"

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly, and immediately asked the eunuch chief of the palace, He Yao, and other people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange for these officials to take up posts in the provincial governments.

As for the 90,000 Longxiang garrison troops, Chai Zongxun ordered them to temporarily rest and reorganize their military equipment in Gaochang City and wait for the actions of Khotan.

Gaochang is an important Buddhist city with many temples. In order to win the hearts of the people as quickly as possible, Chai Zongxun took his concubine Jialuo to the most popular Shanji Temple to worship Buddha on November 1st.

When I got up in the morning, I saw that it was a sunny day with a gentle breeze.

After Chai Zongxun and Princess Jialuo had breakfast, they set out for Shanji Temple, five miles south of Gaochang City, escorted by dozens of personal eunuchs and palace maids and 30,000 Wudesi guards.

The abbot of Shanji Temple, Master Baoqing, had already brought more than 200 monks from the temple to welcome them in front of the temple gate.

Zen Master Baoqing bowed deeply and said:

"I, Baoqing, lead all the monks in the temple to respectfully welcome Your Majesty! Respectfully welcome the Queen!
Your Majesty's arrival has brought glory to our humble temple. No wonder auspicious clouds gathered over Shanji Temple this morning!"

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Stand up! Master, you are too polite. Is that really the case?"

Zen Master Baoqing walked ahead, leading Chai Zongxun and Princess Jialuo along the stone steps into Shanji Temple.

Zen Master Baoqing said:
"Your Majesty, monks do not tell lies. This is indeed the case. The monks in the temple and the villagers nearby can all confirm this."

Chai Zongxun smiled and nodded, thinking: "In the past, Master Chen Tuan said that I came here in response to the call of this time and space, and showed me the great ability to see the future of time and space.

The so-called "unity of man and nature" means that it is possible for the scenery to change due to the person under the guidance of the Qi."

Under the guidance of Zen Master Baoqing, Chai Zongxun and Princess Jialuo visited and burned incense to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in various halls.

Chai Zongxun was the emperor, so naturally he "saw the present Buddha instead of worshipping the past Buddha". Princess Jialuo also followed him in offering incense.

It was already noon, and the monks served vegetarian food to entertain Emperor Chai Zongxun and his entourage.

After lunch, Chai Zongxun and Jia Luo were strolling along the tree-lined path between the temples. They smiled and said to the Zen Master Baoqing who was accompanying them:
"Master Baoqing, I have brought so many soldiers from the Wude Division with me. I am afraid that a vegetarian meal will bankrupt your temple."

Baoqing Heshidao:
"Your Majesty, you are making fun of me. A lot of food, a little food, is just an empty appearance, the so-called 'no person appearance, no self appearance'.

Your Majesty has come to pay homage to the Buddha, and our humble temple is afraid that we may not be able to entertain you in a proper manner. If Your Majesty could come to pay homage to the Buddha more often, I and all the monks in the temple would be delighted.”

Before returning to the palace, Chai Zongxun said:

“In the future, the Buddhist sect in Gaochang will also have to test its disciples regularly by reciting three Buddhist scriptures, and will not allow those who cheat and take advantage of others to sneak in.

I will not eat the Shanji Temple's food for nothing, so I will give you a thousand acres of fertile land near the temple, hoping that you can understand Buddhism and save the people."

Zen Master Baoqing led all the monks in the temple to pay homage and express gratitude, and then escorted him out of the temple for ten miles before saying goodbye.

On November 2, Chai Zongxun received the news of Khotan's surrender from Chen Jixing, the commander of the imperial guards, and was very pleased.

It was immediately decided to send 50,000 Longxiang troops to take over the territory of Khotan and temporarily establish military rule, waiting for the court to send officials and garrisons to arrive.

In the following days, Chai Zongxun stepped up the formulation of the policy guidelines for Gaochang and Khotan, and left behind 2,000 soldiers from the Wude Division to guide the people of the two places to elect and establish the "Local Worthies Bureau" as soon as possible and familiarize themselves with the "jury" system.

On November 10, Chen Jixing led 50,000 imperial troops and rushed back to Gaochang City day and night. Accompanying them were Gaochang King Yuchi Sengkharama and more than a hundred royal family members.

After Chai Zongxun summoned Yuchi Sengkaramo, he comforted him, named him "Duke of Guangde", granted him a fief of 5,000 households, granted him a house in Bianliang, and allowed him to return to Bianliang with the imperial carriage.

After two days of preparation, Chai Zongxun, who was anxious to return to Bianliang before the New Year's Eve, brought his concubine Jialuo, led 90,000 imperial guards, the Wude Division and more than a hundred people from the royal family of Khotan, and set off for Dunhuang, arriving on November 13.

After the meeting, the imperial family members who had been waiting anxiously in Dunhuang were delighted to hear that Chai Zongxun had taken over Gaochang and Khotan in one fell swoop, and they praised him abundantly.

The Queen said the fifth morning:
"Your Majesty is wise and powerful. You have incorporated all of the Western Regions into your territory and opened up thousands of miles of territory in Central Asia. You have accomplished great feats that even the Han and Tang dynasties could not have imagined!"

Fei Jialuo thought of the matter of Mei Zang Liuyun and couldn't help but sigh.

Seeing Fu Zhenzhen, Diwu Chaolu and other concubines looking surprised and asking questions, Chai Zongxun quickly glared at Jialuo, which frightened her so much that she turned pale and quickly tried to find a topic to start a conversation.

After resting in Dunhuang for two days, Chai Zongxun set out for Bianliang on November 16, the 31st year of Kaixi.

It was late autumn at this time, and the climate was extremely cool. The army traveled at full speed along the national highway. When they arrived in Liangzhou, they met officials and the Longxiang garrison who were sent to Khotan to establish rule after the imperial edict.

Chai Zongxun's imperial carriage passed through more than twenty prefectures and cities and returned to Bianliang at 3 p.m. on December 26.

Chai Zongxun led the imperial family on this trip, leaving Bian Jing on June 26th and returning to Beijing on December 26th, a total of exactly half a year.

It is probably unprecedented that the emperor led all the imperial family members to travel away from the capital for such a long time during a peaceful and prosperous era.

Although Emperor Xuanzong of Tang led the imperial family to leave Chang'an and returned more than two years later, that was during the "Anshi Rebellion" to escape the rebels, which is of course not the same thing.

The chief minister of the cabinet, Zhang Qixian, the second chief minister, Li Hang, and the chief eunuch Tang Qi led all civil and military officials, as well as the people of Bianliang who came spontaneously, to welcome the emperor twenty miles outside the west gate.

Hundreds of thousands of people paid great tribute to Emperor Chai Zongxun and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Zhang Qixian said:

"Your Majesty led the imperial family to travel to the northwest. While touring the mountains and rivers, he recruited Gaochang and Yutian as national warriors. His military tactics were superb. I admire him very much!"

(End of this chapter)