After being personally welcomed by Liu Chengyou, it was already evening when we arrived at Zhending City. There was only a little bit of the setting sun left in the sky, and a warm breeze was blowing, which made it extremely comfortable.
The two brothers walked side by side, still talking casually. Liu Chengxun mostly took the initiative to bring up the topic. As for Liu Chengyou, he always showed a reserved demeanor.
He, the eldest brother, seemed to suddenly show a keen interest in the war, or in other words, he was very interested in Liu Chengyou's military career in the past few months.
At dusk, Zhending City was illuminated by dots of lights. It had clear layers and many people, making it quite lively. With the city as the center, many temporary refugee shelters were set up on the periphery. The lights flickered, making it a bit dazzling. It looked a bit dreamy in the hazy twilight.
Inevitably, there is noise and chaos, but amidst the chaos, order is clearly reflected. It seems contradictory, but it can make people feel the rare stability in troubled times.
Although there were many refugees and refugees who were evacuated by Liu Chengyou to the counties under Zhenzhou's jurisdiction, Zhending was still the largest gathering place, with tens of thousands of people including the original people and troops. Passing through the camp along the way, Liu Chengxun discovered , there are many people who are obviously hungry, but they are not noisy, fussy or moaning. Even if the dusk falls, you can still find the hope contained in the expressions of many people.
When the army passed by, either out of fear or respect, the people along the way took the initiative to retreat without warning. Seeing such people being managed by Liu Chengyou in an orderly and orderly manner, Liu Chengxun was surprised and sighed.
However, there are always disharmonious things in all peaceful atmospheres. Under the city gate, a square platform was built with several thick wooden stakes erected on it, and some people were tied to the wooden stakes. They were strong people, tied up with ropes and unable to move. All of them looked very desperate, and a few of them were still in a coma, probably from being exposed to the sun during the day.
"Erlang, who are these?" Liu Chengxun asked Liu Chengyou doubtfully, pointing at those people.
Liu Chengyou said calmly: "They are all death row prisoners who are about to be executed!"
This is a execution platform, used to execute prisoners. Judging from the strong smell of blood surrounding the platform, it can be seen that many people have been killed.
Seeing Liu Chengxun's curiosity, Liu Chengyou explained it briefly. Liu Chengyou basically carried out semi-military control over the refugees. In order to stabilize the order, he issued several temporary decrees. Those who steal will die, those who loot will die, and those who fight will die. If they don't listen, The person who gave the order died. As for hurting others, not to mention killing... basically, the red line of punishment was reduced to the lowest.
The people on the execution platform obviously violated Liu Chengyou's prohibition, so they were arrested by the patrol soldiers, exposed to the public, and executed the next day.
After listening to Liu Chengyou's plain description, Liu Chengxun was stunned, took a breath of the bloody air, and then said hesitantly: "Is such torture too harsh?"
Liu Chengyou glanced at Liu Chengxun, his eldest brother, with some unbearable eyes. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou replied softly: "To punish the country, use heavy codes."
Liu Chengxun obviously wanted to say something, but Liu Chengyou pointed directly to the city gate, changed the subject and said: "I have ordered people to summon the Zhending civil and military forces to welcome the eldest brother."
Looking at the calm face of his younger brother that was both unfamiliar and familiar, Liu Chengxun opened his mouth, but sighed and said nothing. He secretly guessed in his heart that Erlang's murderous intention became worse due to the influence of the killing aura on the battlefield. So heavy.
Naturally, Liu Chengyou didn't care about his elder brother's complicated thoughts at this time. He turned to look at the soldiers patrolling the camps, and then glanced at the people on the execution platform. He looked back and regained his composure.
Harsh punishments? That's for sure. However, we have to think about it. How can it be so easy to achieve harmonious coexistence when hundreds of thousands of people gather together in and outside the city? Farmers, merchants, laborers, women and children, and even thieves and criminals are all mixed together. Among them, Liu Chengyou had already seen that kind of disorder and chaos before.
Under such circumstances, establishing a strict order is definitely better than disorder. Although it is simple and crude, the effect is directly useful. The results at this time are proof. Even if it is overcorrected, the price is worth it.
Since Liu Chengyou accepted these refugees, they had to abide by the rules. In fact, as long as they abide by the rules, there would be no danger for their lives. And those who were killed for breaking the law were always those who were disturbed.
Zhending City is a different scene. The city walls have obviously been repaired, and the destroyed houses are also being rebuilt. With so many cheap people, Liu Chengyou took the opportunity to make good use of it.
At the prefectural government office, Liu Chengyou's organizers, civil and military officials gathered to welcome Liu Chengxun and attend the reception banquet prepared by Liu Chengyou. The banquet was very simple, and Liu Chengyou did not want to create a scene of "the rich people's wine and meat stink, and the bones will freeze to death". Liu Chengxun obviously It also shows understanding.
Drinking water instead of drinking room, looking at the civil and military officials in the hall, Liu Chengxun felt emotional again. The second son of his family now really has many talented people under his command...
The next day, Liu Chengyou continued to put down what he was doing and did the reception work himself, accompanying his elder brother on inspections inside and outside the city. The government, civilians, and military inspected them in turn, and even took Liu Chengxun to several Yan camps.
However, what Liu Chengxun cares about after all is the outcome of the Battle of Luancheng. He came here under Liu Zhiyuan's order to be escorted south to Tokyo. Liu Chengyou had also received the order a long time ago. If he said he was unhappy, he naturally felt it. , is not young yet, but he did not show it at all, but actively cooperated.
Liu Chengyou had a clear mind. Whether it was to please favors or for the sake of the country, he had to put aside his personal thoughts. On the contrary, some soldiers expressed some complaints and were severely reprimanded and punished by Liu Chengyou early on.
Based on this matter, Liu Chengyou should exercise his wisdom. Looking at this issue from the perspective of Jiangshan Sheji, he is very open-minded and is even willing to seize property to ease the national finances.
When he saw the gold, silver, armor, and goods piled up like gravel in the city, and looked at the war horses, Liu Chengxun was also dazzled. In fact, the amount of wealth that the Khitans plundered from the Central Plains was so huge, it was really Liu Chengyou's savings were only 30% to 40%. The rest were either distributed as rewards or lost in the war. In addition, many were sent back to China by the Khitan people. That was Yelu Deguang's order very early. thing.
"It is conceivable to what extent our people were robbed and exploited by the barbarians!" Liu Chengxun did not show any greed, but just sighed deeply to express his condolences to the people.
After walking around for a while, Liu Chengxun decisively told Liu Chengyou that he was going to visit Feng Dao and the old ministers of Shi Jin. He seemed impatient and attached great importance to them.
Liu Chengyou continued to act as a guide, leading him there and visiting him one by one. As a result, the eldest prince's gentleness and humility won the praise and appreciation of many old officials.
From the beginning to the end, Liu Chengyou seemed calm and relaxed, but at the end, he took Liu Chengxun with him to visit Zhao Yanshou again. Regarding You Yan's plan, Liu Chengyou planned to drag his eldest brother into trouble.