Gelofeng had never expected that the Tang Dynasty would suddenly attack Nanzhao without even the most basic greeting. This was so shocking that it seemed to be enough to show the anger of the Tang Dynasty.
"My lord, news has just come back from Chang 'an. The Tang Dynasty has announced to the world that they will destroy Nanzhao as a punishment."
An official suddenly ran over and reported nervously.
"Destroy a country as a punishment? What's going on? Tell me quickly. "
Gelofeng asked nervously.
"My lord, it is said that the Tang Dynasty has obtained a large number of letters between His Excellency Duan and his confidants. These letters are enough to prove that you and His Excellency Duan have been against the Tang Dynasty in every way. Moreover, there is evidence for many things. Some members of the Duan family were also captured by the Tang Dynasty. According to his confession, it was you who asked him to send people to kill senior officials of the Tang Dynasty. He confessed many of your crimes, which angered the Tang Dynasty."
The official explained.
"What? There is such a thing?"
Geluofeng paled in fright. He had never imagined that everything he had done would be known by the Great Tang. How could he not be shocked?
"By the way, who is the captured Duan family member?"
Gelofeng asked nervously.
"It's Duan Chu. He confessed that you ordered him to kill senior officials of the Tang Dynasty."
The official reported truthfully.
"Duan Chu, it's Duan Chu. That bastard. When did I order him to kill senior officials of the Tang Dynasty? That bastard, damn Duan Chu."
Gelofeng was so angry that blue veins stood out on his face. He ordered, "Come on, arrest all the members of the Duan family and behead them for treason. Leave no one alive."
Geluofeng couldn't be blamed for being so angry. After all, he truly hadn't ordered Duan Chu to kill Li An. It was Duan Chu who had stirred up trouble, and after being captured, Duan Chu had placed the crime on him for the sake of her own life. How could he not be furious? Since Duan Chu wasn't home, he could only vent his anger on the Duan Clan. Executing the entire Duan Clan would appease Geluofeng's anger.
"My lord, it's useless to kill the Duan family now. The troops of the Tang Dynasty are coming. How should we deal with them?"
A minister asked nervously.
At this time, Gelofeng had no idea. If the southern countries made trouble, Gelofeng could send troops to fight. But in the face of the giant Tang Dynasty, Gelofeng had no confidence at all. Nanzhao's troops were only tens of thousands, and their equipment was far inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty's troops. Under such conditions, it was almost impossible to defeat the attacking troops of the Tang Dynasty. Gelofeng had no confidence in this at all.
It was obviously impossible to confess to the Tang Dynasty. After all, he did not order Duan Chu to kill Ang Lee. It was Duan Chu's own action, and it had nothing to do with him. He did not want to take the blame. But he did do some of the other crimes, and he could not deny it. This made Gelofeng very difficult.
But the Tang Dynasty had begun to attack, and it would not be long before they reached the capital of Nanzhao. If he did nothing, the fall of the country was only a matter of time. This made Gelofeng very distressed.
"You can all leave! Let me have some time to myself. "
Gelofeng could not think of any countermeasures in a short time, so he could only drive his ministers away. He needed to calm down and think about countermeasures.
In a medium-sized city in the north of Nanzhao, Ang Lee and his troops were stationed there. It had only been three days since the attack began, but Ang Lee's troops had advanced more than 100 miles. For a troop of 20,000 troops to achieve such a speed of advancement, it could be said that it was very terrifying. After all, Nanzhao's troops had resisted, and the design of the city was strong enough. If it were not for the powerful artillery of the Tang Dynasty, it would have taken a long time to capture such a city, or even several months. In the era of cold weapons, it was not so easy to attack a city, especially a city with a particularly high wall. It was very difficult to attack it, and it required a very high price to break it. But because the Tang Empire had super powerful weapons like artillery, it was very easy to break this strong city. It was impossible to do this without artillery.
Standing on the high wall, Ang Lee looked into the city. At this time, more than a thousand troops of the Tang Dynasty were maintaining order in the city. Because the battle had happened too suddenly, the merchants and the people in the city were not prepared, so it was inevitable that they would panic, which would seriously affect the order in the city. The Tang Dynasty's troops entered the city to maintain order, so that the merchants and the people would not be nervous and do what they should do. Of course, all kinds of notices must be put up to let the merchants and the people know why the Tang Empire attacked Nanzhao and the crime of Nanzhao Gelofeng. Only in this way could the merchants and the people be convinced. They must know that the Tang Empire did not invade Nanzhao for no reason. As long as the people lived a peaceful life, the Tang Empire would not make things difficult for them.
At the same time, for better communication, the troops of the Tang Dynasty educated a group of captives and asked them to cooperate with the troops of the Tang Dynasty to reorganize the order in the city and ensure that the people lived as usual.
Because the city had already fallen when the city gate was breached, most of the troops of Nanzhao surrendered. Less than 50 soldiers died in the battle, while only a dozen people of the Tang Dynasty were injured. The casualties of both sides were not serious, so there was not much hatred. However, the local people were Nanzhao people after all. They were still disgusted with the troops of the Tang Dynasty entering Nanzhao. They would not accept the Tang Dynasty in a short time. It would take at least several generations of efforts to make the local people completely accept the Tang Dynasty. This required a process, which could also be understood as the process of assimilation.
Before completely assimilating the people of Nanzhao, it was necessary to maintain a strong deterrent force. At the same time, it was necessary to bring some benefits to the local people. Both of these were indispensable. Maintaining a deterrent force was the most important. Without a strong force, even if all the wealth of the Tang Dynasty was given to the people of Nanzhao, the people of Nanzhao would not be satisfied.
Since ancient times, regardless of the era, the strong were respected. Only the strong could decide everything, and only the strong could set the rules. The weak had no right to speak. Of course, the strong would sometimes take care of the weak and give them some benefits. This way, the weak would be grateful to the point of tears.
At this time, Ang Lee's main force had already set off for Nanzhao. Ang Lee and Chen Long stayed in the city to rest for a while, consolidate their achievements, and appease the people, so that the merchants and people in the city could live in peace and not be so hostile to the Tang Dynasty. That was enough.
For the smaller checkpoints, the Tang soldiers would usually leave two hundred men to guard them, and for the more populous cities, three hundred men would be left behind. Three hundred men would be enough for a small city, and five hundred men would be enough for a larger city. Of course, this was on the premise that there was no Nanzhao army nearby. Otherwise, three to five hundred men would not be enough.
"I can't believe that the Gelofeng of Nanzhao dares to oppose the Tang Dynasty. How bold!"
Zhao Yefu stood beside Ang Lee and said.
Li An chuckled. "Geluofeng truly is very bold. This fellow truly doesn't know the immensity of the heavens and earth. Okay, let's not talk about Geluofeng. Let's change our clothes and find a place in the city to taste the local delicacies."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Zhao Yefu said softly.
The cities in Nanzhao were generally not large. The most populous city, Wangcheng, only had a population of 200,000 to 300,000. The medium-sized city in front of them had a population of less than 20,000. It was a relatively large city in Nanzhao. However, in the Tang Dynasty, such a city could only be regarded as a small city. The buildings in the city were generally one or two stories high. There were no three-story buildings, which highlighted the grade of the city. It also reflected the national strength of Nanzhao and the financial status of the Nanzhao people.
Although the business was not developed, it did not affect the delicious snacks in the city. Of course, Ang Lee's real purpose was not to eat snacks, but to understand the views of the people in the city on the Tang Dynasty. This was very important. After all, this place would be under the control of the Tang Dynasty in the future. If the people were dissatisfied with the imperial court, it would be very unfavorable for the rule.
In order to disguise themselves more, Ang Lee and Zhao Yefu bought Nanzhao clothes. The guards also did the same. Moreover, the guards did not follow closely, but followed 30 steps away. When they entered the shop, only two guards entered the shop, and the other four wandered outside.
Because Li An and the others had used make-up and changed their clothes, they made themselves look ugly. They didn't look much different from ordinary people of Nanzhao. Therefore, they didn't attract much attention after entering the shop. Otherwise, with Li An and Zhao Yefu's good looks, they would definitely attract a lot of attention. That would be troublesome.
Although the war had just ended, the Tang Dynasty's army almost defeated the Nanzhao Army in an instant because it happened very quickly. The casualties on both sides were not heavy. There was no smell of blood in the city. Many people only heard a violent explosion and a burst of shouting, and then the war was over. They did not suffer any harm. The Tang Dynasty's army and the captured Nanzhao soldiers maintained law and order together. The situation in the city was stable.
Therefore, in this case, the merchants and people in the city were not nervous. They did what they should do. Some people did not know that a war had just happened. Of course, most people still knew that they were ordinary people and naturally had no ability to change anything. What they could do was to do what they should do and not cause trouble in the city casually. They especially did not dare to provoke the army of the Tang Dynasty. After all, they still did not know enough about the army of the Tang Dynasty.
When the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty passed by, they would be a little nervous. However, the dozens of customers in the shop were all wearing Nanzhao clothes, which made them feel a sense of security. Naturally, when they talked, they did not care too much.
"It's only been a few minutes, and such a big city like ours has been breached by the Tang Dynasty. It's too fast! There can't be a traitor, right? "
"Yeah! We are not at the border. How could the Tang Dynasty come here in the blink of an eye and break the city? "
"Why did the Tang Dynasty attack Nanzhao? It doesn't make sense! "
"Humph, isn't this bullying the weak? What right does the Tang Dynasty have to bully Nanzhao? It's too unreasonable. "
"It's reasonable. Whoever is stronger is reasonable. You still expect that Nanzhao, a small country, can be on an equal footing with the Tang Dynasty. Isn't this a daydream?"
"Doesn't the Tang Dynasty boast of being just? Why did they attack Nanzhao for no reason? I think the Tang Dynasty is preparing to conquer the world. Our Nanzhao is the first. The Pyu in the south won't be able to hold on for long."
"Who said that Nanzhao is the first? Have you forgotten Dongnu Province? I heard that Dongnu Province is now the Tang Dynasty's Dongnu Province. It won't be long before our Nanzhao becomes Nanzhao Province. Sigh!"
"Sigh, we are all ordinary people. Why do we care about these things? It's not something we can control. Anyway, no matter who is in charge, we will live our own lives."
"Humph, what you said is treason. We are all Nanzhao people. How can we be loyal to another country? You have forgotten your ancestors."
"Who has forgotten our ancestors? Decades ago, this place was not Nanzhao. It was the late king who defeated our lord here. That's why we are now Nanzhao people. Since our ancestors can pledge allegiance to Nanzhao, why can't we pledge allegiance to the Tang Dynasty? How is this forgetting our ancestors? My ancestors are not Nanzhao people."
"That's true! It hasn't even been a hundred years yet. My grandfather and great-grandfather are not Nanzhao people. My father and I are Nanzhao people. Is it worthwhile for us to become enemies with the Tang Dynasty for Nanzhao? Let's just live our own lives! Anyway, no matter who is the master, we are just ordinary people. We can only make a living. If we want to be rich, we should save it! "
"That's right. No matter who is the master, it doesn't seem to have much to do with us. We ordinary people will suffer as we should."
"Hehe, Shopkeeper Li makes a lot of money in a year. What's there for you to suffer? Your family should be living a good life."
"That's not true. We just barely make ends meet. We have to pay a lot of taxes every year. The old men in the yamen also have to show filial piety. After that, there's not much left. If we don't get up early and work late, we might even lose money."
"If even Shopkeeper Li can lose money, it seems that this business is not easy to do! It's all those parasites' fault. They find excuses to show filial piety for money. If it weren't for that, maybe we would be living a good life. "
"Isn't that so? Whether we are merchants or farmers, we can't avoid being exploited. We can't make much money at all. We can only fill our stomachs."
"We merchants can indeed fill our stomachs, but farmers can't even fill their stomachs! We merchants don't suffer for nothing. "
"That's true. However, I don't know how our lives will be after the Tang Dynasty takes over. Will it be worse than before? If we are exploited more than before, then we really can't live a good life."
The group of customers in the store began to talk at once.
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