Ang Lee and Zhao Yefu were sitting in the shop, but neither of them spoke. They just quietly listened to the conversations of the local businessmen and people. What Ang Lee needed to do was to listen more and listen to the real thoughts of the local people. Only in this way could he understand the local situation and formulate a proper ruling law.
Through the discussions of these local people, Ang Lee learned a lot about the situation. This place was not the territory of Nanzhao decades ago. The older generation who lived here were not Nanzhao people at first. It was Piloge who unified many forces in the south of the Tang dynasty and formed a complete unified Nanzhao. Because of this, the local older generation did not have much sense of belonging to Nanzhao, but many of the younger generation already felt that they were Nanzhao people. In a few decades, it was estimated that all the local people would recognize themselves as Nanzhao people.
In other words, Ang Lee's luck was not bad. The Tang dynasty's luck was also very good. When the local people of Nanzhao had not fully recognized themselves as Nanzhao people, it would be much easier for the Tang dynasty to notify them. Of course, the system must be done well. The local people must feel that their lives were better after they surrendered to the Tang dynasty. In this way, the local people naturally would not reject the Tang Empire. They would wholeheartedly be the people of the Tang dynasty. The ordinary people's thoughts were very simple. Whoever gave them a good life, they would side with him. Whoever did not let them have a good life, they would oppose him. They were that simple.
Of course, the necessary suppression by force was also indispensable. If there were no powerful weapons, no matter how good the system was, people would not abide by it. The simplicity of the people was only effective under the suppression of force and the system.
The snacks in the shop were quite delicious. Ang Lee and Zhao Yefu ate a lot. However, they were not in a hurry, so they were not in a hurry to leave. They stayed to listen to what the people were saying. It was not until half an hour later that the two of them left the shop and went to the street to continue observing the situation in the city.
Although they had only undergone a short training, the surrendered Nanzhao soldiers behaved quite well. They did not make trouble and cooperated well with the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Perhaps they were a little resentful in their hearts, but their strength was there. They could not make any waves at all. Even if the main force of the Tang Dynasty was not in the city, the 500 soldiers left behind were enough to deter the surrendered Nanzhao soldiers. After all, there were only 500 Nanzhao soldiers in the city. Fifty of them were killed, and there were only 400 left, which was fewer than the number of soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. With such a small number of people, they could not make any big waves.
Because the war did not cause too much damage, there was an endless stream of pedestrians on the street in the city. The merchants were still doing business, and the pedestrians were not too nervous. However, they were more or less restrained. They were worried that being too high-profile would affect their safety. If they provoked the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, they were worried about their safety.
Seeing that the war did not affect the economic activities in the city, Ang Lee was very satisfied. This was enough. This was what Ang Lee wanted to see.
The Tang Dynasty's army was like a hot knife through butter. It only took them 20 days to reach the outskirts of Nanzhao's capital. This was faster than Ang Lee had expected. It was enough to show the strength of the Tang Dynasty. The rapid progress was not only because the Tang Dynasty's army was more elite, but also because of the cooperation of the spies. Without the cooperation of the spies, the Tang Dynasty's army would not have made such rapid progress.
The Tang Dynasty's army reached the capital of Nanzhao so quickly, which made the Lord of Nanzhao, Gelofeng, extremely nervous. When the Tang Dynasty's army first began to attack, he wrote a memorial to the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty, stating his mistakes and pushing all the blame to the Duan Family. He also said that he had executed the entire Duan Family and hoped that the imperial court would give him a chance to turn over a new leaf.
However, before he received a reply from the imperial court, the Tang Dynasty's army had already reached the city. This was unexpected. He did not dare to lead his army to resist. Running away was the only thing he dared to do.
"Quick, quick, quick. Take all these valuable things with you. Also, take these with you."
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and carry them. "
"Be careful. Don't break anything. Be careful."
Gelofeng's subordinates were busy packing up their valuables. They planned to escape from Wangcheng and go to the south to lie low until the storm died down.
Even the Lord of a country was in a hurry to escape, which showed how low the morale of Nanzhao was. This was a battle between ants and elephants. The ants had no hope of winning. Instead of being a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it was better to give up resistance. This was what many Nanzhao soldiers thought. This was also one of the important reasons why the Tang Dynasty's army advanced so quickly. Otherwise, they would not have advanced so quickly.
At this time, Gelofeng's face was full of anxiety. The Tang Dynasty's army had reached Wangcheng in the blink of an eye and even shouted that they wanted to capture him alive. This made Gelofeng very nervous. According to the situation, once he was captured alive, he would be beheaded. Gelofeng did not want to die. He wanted to live, and escaping was the best way he could think of. Nanzhao was mountainous. As long as he hid in the mountains in the south, he might be able to save his life.
However, Gelofeng's idea was a little too naive. He was now the Lord of the Imperial City. How could he escape so easily? His every move was being watched. Not only were the spies of the Tang Dynasty watching his every move, but also many forces in Nanzhao. Some wanted his treasures, and some wanted to offer them to please the Tang Dynasty.
Although the people of Nanzhao were in awe of Gelofeng, once Gelofeng stepped down from his position as the Lord of the Imperial City, what awaited him was a tragic fate. Those so-called loyal ministers before were just afraid of Gelofeng's reputation. There were only a few people who were truly loyal. The more loyal they usually were, the more unreliable they were.
Because he hadn't made enough preparations, Geluofeng had only taken a few valuables and several hundred guards with him and hastily fled the capital. This sight was naturally seen by the common people of the city, and they despised Geluofeng's cowardly behavior.
Not long after Gelofeng escaped from Wangcheng, the Tang Dynasty's army successfully captured Wangcheng. It could not be said that it was captured. The soldiers of Nanzhao did not resist. They directly surrendered under the leadership of their generals. There were no casualties on either side. It was a happy ending.
After capturing Wangcheng, the Tang Dynasty sent 3,000 soldiers to continue pursuing Gelofeng. The rest of the soldiers were stationed in Wangcheng. There were 10,000 soldiers stationed in Wangcheng. Such a large number of soldiers was enough to maintain the security of this large city.
Ang Lee soon arrived at Nanzhao's Wangcheng. This city had a population of 200,000 to 300,000. It was the largest city in Nanzhao. It had the busiest streets in Nanzhao. It was the administrative and economic center of Nanzhao. Of course, it was also the military center. 40% of Nanzhao's soldiers were here, a total of 30,000 soldiers. However, these soldiers were vulnerable in front of the Tang Dynasty's army, so they quickly surrendered.
The Tang Dynasty's army was large enough. If they kept so many captives, they would naturally be under great pressure. Therefore, Ang Lee ordered to reorganize the captive Nanzhao soldiers. 20,000 soldiers were disbanded, and only 10,000 soldiers were left. The most important thing about these 10,000 soldiers was not how strong they were, but how obedient they were. If they were not obedient, they could not be kept.
In the commercial district of Nanzhao's Wangcheng, the tallest building was a four-story wooden brothel. Because the battle did not break out, the city was not damaged. The commercial activities were still carried on in an orderly manner. The business of the brothel was not greatly affected. Ang Lee naturally would not go to the brothel. After all, Ang Lee had Zhao Yefu by his side. If Ang Lee went to the brothel, Zhao Yefu would be sad.
"Assistant Minister Li, the other two armies have just set off. We have already destroyed Nanzhao. I wonder how the imperial court will reward us."
Chen Zhuang said excitedly.
He cared about the reward very much. After all, his wealth was far less than Ang Lee's. He needed to use the reward to increase his wealth, but Ang Lee did not need these credits.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "I don't want any of the rewards from the imperial court. They will be given to the soldiers who have made meritorious contributions. You just wait to receive your rewards!"
"Assistant Minister Li, what do you think the other two generals will look like when they find out that we have destroyed Nanzhao?"
Chen Long asked curiously.
Li An replied with a smile, "What kind of expression can they have? They'll definitely be extremely shocked and somewhat disappointed. After all, we've taken all the credit. They won't even be able to drink a mouthful of soup, hahaha!"
Speaking of this, Ang Lee could not help but laugh happily. The Tang Dynasty had developed to such a stage that it was extremely powerful and no longer had any enemies. If they really wanted to find an enemy, it could only be the Tang Dynasty itself. It would be enough as long as they could avoid a disaster.
If the Tang Dynasty collapsed one day, it would definitely collapse from the inside. The Tang Dynasty could never be shaken from the outside.
"Let's go for a walk in the city and see if there is anything delicious. This is the capital of Nanzhao. There must be a lot of special delicacies. We can't miss it!"
Ang Lee said happily.
After that, he led a group of people to the restaurant in Nanzhao's royal city to enjoy themselves.
At the same time, in a small valley 100 miles south of Nanzhao's royal city, a group of more than 3,000 bandits surrounded the Gelofeng refugees and asked them to leave their belongings. They did not want people's lives. They only wanted treasures.
"My lord, we are surrounded by bandits."
A subordinate reported nervously.
"Bandits, they are really a tiger in a flat land! Now even bandits dare to attack us. How hateful. "
Gelofeng said angrily.
"My lord, what should we do now? We set out in a hurry and only have 500 loyal and reliable elites. But there are 3,000 bandits. What should we do? "
Gelofeng frowned and thought for a moment. Then he said, "At most, we can give them half of the treasures. If we give them all the treasures, we will lose our foothold. Let's discuss it with them. In addition, let the warriors prepare for war. Once the negotiation fails, we will fight. These bandits really think highly of themselves."
In Gelofeng's view, these motley crew were nothing to worry about. Bandits would always be bandits. Their strength was not high and could not be compared with regular soldiers.
Gelofeng was afraid of the Tang dynasty's army, but it did not mean that he was afraid of the bandits in his territory. Even if he only had 500 men, he had spent a lot of money to train them. They were very elite soldiers. They might be useless against the Tang dynasty's army, but it was not difficult to defeat the bandits.
"Leader, they only gave me half of the treasures and asked me to let them go."
"What? Only half? No, they must leave all the treasures. If it were not for the casualties of our brothers, I would have ordered an attack long ago. Why would I discuss with them? They are already homeless dogs, but they are still so arrogant."
The bandit leader said angrily.
As a bandit, he was often surrounded and suppressed by soldiers, so he was naturally very unfriendly to them. Looking at the soldiers in front of him, he had a desire to destroy them. However, he could also see that these soldiers were quite elite. If they really fought, many of his subordinates would be injured or killed. He was not willing to pay too much of a price, so he let the other party put down their belongings and leave.
The henchman told Gelofeng the bandit's opinion again. Gelofeng walked out of the carriage angrily. He looked at the bandits around him and then returned to the carriage.
"My lord, what should we do now?"
The henchman asked anxiously.
Gelofeng frowned and ordered, "Let the soldiers prepare for war. They are just bandits. Why should we be afraid of them? Prepare for war."
Soon, the 500 soldiers gathered around the carriage and formed a solid square formation. They confronted the bandits who surrounded them and were gradually adjusting their formation. It seemed that they wanted to destroy the bandits.
"Leader, they are preparing for war. It seems that we can't take the treasures without paying a price."
One of the leaders said.
The bandit leader looked nervously at the 500 soldiers who were preparing for war and suddenly had a bad feeling. Although he had 3,000 men and horses under his command and had surrounded the soldiers, he knew clearly what kind of people these men were. They might not be able to defeat the 500 soldiers. The reason why he dared to set up an ambush here was that he heard that the soldiers of the Tang dynasty were coming. He thought that the soldiers would be demoralized and their fighting capacity would be reduced sharply. Moreover, they would not dare to fight with his men. Unexpectedly, he underestimated the opponent. He did not think that if all the treasures were left behind, these soldiers would starve to death. In the face of survival, how could Gelofeng compromise? He would never compromise.
Now that the situation had developed to such a stage, the bandit leader could not change anything. He could only continue to be tough and urge his brothers to prepare for war.
"Hey, soldiers, the army of the Tang dynasty is coming. Are you sure you want to fight? When the army of the Tang dynasty comes, you won't be able to escape."
The bandit leader shouted with a trace of luck, trying to scare the soldiers away.
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