12dz Chapter 552: The Great Xia Dynasty
Chapter 552: The Great Xia Dynasty
"Good stuff, so the trip was worthwhile."
Chen Futu handed a Youth-Rejuvenating Pill to Sun Simiao, which made Zuji envious; he wanted one too.
Sun Simiao refused, saying, "Your Majesty, it would be a waste for me to eat it. Your Majesty should leave it for someone else, or give it to this old gentleman."
Sun Simiao was referring to the Ancestral Sacrifice, and the Ancestral Sacrifice nodded frantically upon hearing this. Chen Futu said disdainfully, "If you want it, then search for the Ice Soul Cold Branch again."
"Tch, I'll collect them then!"
"Old Sun, your contribution is immense, you must accept this."
Chen Futu forcibly stuffed a Rejuvenation Pill into Sun Simiao's hand. After a moment's hesitation, Sun Simiao swallowed it.
Within a day, his appearance returned to its youthful state.
The young Sun Simiao was handsome and extraordinary, captivating Wen Ruyu. The young medical sage's contribution to the Great Xia Dynasty was immense, making the Rejuvenation Pill a worthwhile investment.
In the following time, Wen Ruyu accompanied Sun Simiao to study the medicinal properties of northern herbs. Moreover, Chen Futu seemed to have feelings for Sun Simiao, but he didn't know if she and another Hundred Flowers Valley patriarch were husband and wife. If not, then there would be another card to use to bind Wen Ruyu to the war chariot of Great Xia.
Two or three months passed in the blink of an eye, and the steppe war finally came to an end.
All tribes surrendered completely, and countless cattle, sheep, horses, and supplies were lost. More than 100,000 people died in battle, and about 350,000 to 360,000 soldiers surrendered. The total number of men, women, children, and the elderly from all ethnic groups was about 1.4 million.
On the grasslands, every man is a soldier. Unlike in the Central Plains, where soldiers are recruited, considerations are not given to whether there are male members in the family, whether they have official titles, and so on.
Of those who have surrendered, excluding men, women, and children, there are approximately 400 million men who can serve as laborers. These men have been escorted to the vicinity of Longcheng. As for the rest, Chen Futu plans to find eligible women to marry into the Central Plains or to arrange a marriage contest within the army. This can be considered a reward and also increases the population.
Chen Futu left the Ice Tribe. Since the system hadn't issued the reward yet, it meant that the follow-up work hadn't been handled well. The grasslands were different from the Central Plains; it wasn't enough to just take down the prefectural city.
Qin Liangyu personally led the White-Spear Soldiers to the Ice Tribe.
Zuji marveled at Qin Liangyu, saying, "Special bloodline, the aura of a true phoenix, no wonder she is the Holy Martial Empress."
Qin Liangyu took away the children from the tribe. These children were still young, and the vast world outside was their future. Moreover, it was also necessary to bind the Ice Tribe to the warship of the Great Xia.
It is worth mentioning that the Ice Witch also left the tribe with them. He was responsible for taking care of the children and worried that Chen Futu would mistreat them if their parents were not around.
Ice Witch harbored resentment over Ice Dust's matter, but Chen Futu was too lazy to argue with him. Once Ice Witch witnessed the power and prosperity of Great Xia firsthand, he would change his mind for the sake of his people's future.
As for whether there are other saints within the Ice Clan, the Ice Clan is stronger than the Sand Sea Clan, and conservatively speaking, there are still saint kings among them who have not yet appeared.
The Onan tribe had been driven back to the Ice Tribe by Dian Wei and were not allowed to leave again; moreover, they possessed a vast amount of resources.
Several days later, the army arrived at the royal court on the grassland after a long journey.
Chen Futu saw the head of the grassland king hanging on the city gate; it was the head that Qin Liangyu had personally severed.
"Long live the Holy Emperor! Long live the Holy Emperor! Long live the Holy Emperor!"
The people of the royal court knelt in the streets, filled with fear and trepidation, not knowing what fate awaited them.
Chen Futu did not kill anyone more. He led his group into the royal palace and saw the Central Plains women gathered in the square, weeping.
Many of them were abducted and were not killed because of their beauty, but instead became playthings or concubines of royal officials.
On the other side, the court officials were kneeling. These were the ones who had surrendered long ago. Those who were too stubborn to stand up for themselves had been chopped off. Most of these officials wet their pants in front of Chen Futu.
"Go to the hospital, investigate their backgrounds, and kill all those who are unclean or who have insulted the women of the Central Plains."
"Here!"
Huo Qubing received orders to drag all the officials away, while Li Xiuning took the girls away to inquire about the details.
Then Chen Futu looked at the royal treasury, where gold, silver and copper coins were piled up like mountains, and the mineral storage room was filled with all kinds of black iron ore.
This battle was a great success, yielding more wealth than the defeat of Daigo, but unfortunately, there wasn't much food.
Chen Futu asked Qin Liangyu, "Have you seen my good elder brother, Zhang Shouren?"
"I didn't see it."
"Hmph, he can run fast."
Chen Futu was displeased, but it didn't matter; he figured the other man couldn't cause any trouble.
Qin Liangyu briefly introduced the information she had gathered. Although she had not seen Zhang Shouren, she had found out about him. He had fled before the Great Xia army advanced, and it was he who instigated the grasslands to constantly harass and attack the Great Xia. He had even become the son-in-law of one of the eight tribes of the grasslands and a strategist with considerable power.
"It doesn't matter. Zhang Liang, get ready. We'll be offering sacrifices to Heaven the day after tomorrow."
"Here."
Zhang Liang knew what Chen Futu was up to.
Offering sacrifices to Heaven and sealing the wolf's lair were the highest honors for military generals in the Central Plains throughout history.
Over the next two days, heads rolled outside the royal court, and blood stained the surrounding grasslands. A large number of royal officials, captured tribal leaders, and renowned warriors were all executed.
Chen Fu massacred officials because they were corrupt, abused and sold women from the Central Plains, and killed tribal leaders because he did not want any more leaders to emerge on the grasslands.
Some of the Ice Tribe children also witnessed the execution.
A boy tugged at Chen Futu's sleeve and asked, "Big brother, why did you kill them?"
Chen Futu said, "If we cut off the heads of the foreign races and bury them in the ground, the following year will bring favorable weather and abundant harvests, leading to a prosperous Great Xia Dynasty, and delicious food."
"So it turns out that burying the heads of other races in the ground can bring food and peace. How amazing."
The boys, filled with intense curiosity and fear, were bewildered by the stench of blood.
On that day, the altar was set up, and Chen Futu ascended to perform the grand ceremony. The bonfire in the bronze cauldron roared, black smoke billowed, and the Great Xia dragon flag fluttered in the wind.
Chen Futu raised the golden cup and gazed southward, while all the troops and units stood solemnly at attention.
"Today, the Great Xia has swept away the grasslands and restored peace to the world, all thanks to your valiant fighting and unwavering courage."
"Wind, wind, wind—"
The shouts echoed through the sky.
"I hold a sacrificial ceremony at the royal court on the grasslands, and proclaim to Heaven and Earth that the Holy and Martial Dynasty has continued the legacy of the sages and established an immortal great cause. From now on, all the fertile lands will submit, and the people beyond the borders will cease their fighting."
"The Holy Emperor is Immortal!"
"May the Holy Emperor live forever!"
The generals present cheered with joy.
From this day forward, the grasslands belong to the Great Xia, and barbarian savages will bow their heads before the men of the Central Plains.
The grand ceremony to worship Heaven was a spectacular event, and news of the grasslands' submission spread from Dragon City to the Central Plains like a storm.
The people were overjoyed to hear the good news. This was an immortal achievement. Throughout history, no monarch of any dynasty could have accomplished it. Only the Great Sage Emperor could be called the supreme emperor of the world. He was the only emperor in all of history.
The grand ceremony was completed, and a system notification sounded.