The emperor had no objection to this, as long as Chen Songyu and Princess Jiahe returned to the capital, it would be fine if there were Chen family members in Yunyuan City.
Chen Songyu has two younger brothers, both of whom are extremely talented, so the emperor is relieved.
……
In March of the 16th year of Yong'an, Xiqiang sent troops to attack Dazhou. The troops were divided into two groups. One group of cavalry attacked Guiyun City, and the other group of naval forces attacked Qinghuai City. It can be said that the strength of the whole country was fierce.
The emperor ordered the imperial chariot to conduct the expedition in person, and asked the eldest princess Jiahe to assist the eight-year-old prince Zhou Jingkang in supervising the country.
Meng Shu's eldest brother Meng Huaian was ordered to mobilize 100,000 soldiers and horses from the five major camps in the suburbs of Beijing to escort the emperor and empress to the northwest.
Nine years into their marriage, Meng Shu gave birth to three sons and one daughter to the emperor.
The eldest son Zhou Jingkang, the second son Zhou Jingheng, and the third son Zhou Jingyuan. Their only daughter is their eldest daughter named Zhou Yunyi, who was canonized as Princess Jinghe just one month after she was born.
During this expedition, the emperor and Meng Shu took their eight-year-old daughter with them. The three sons were left in the capital, and Meng Shu's grandmother came to the palace to help take care of them.
Although there are many people serving in the palace, they can only feel at ease if they have their own people.
It was extremely rare in the history of the Zhou Dynasty for the emperor to personally conduct a military expedition, but now that the Holy Emperor insisted on doing so, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty could not stop him and had no choice but to agree.
In addition to the 100,000 troops, the emperor also ordered the governors of each state to send their generals in charge of troops and horses with 5,000 troops each to support Guiyun City and Qinghuai City.
When the army arrived, the battle was already very fierce. Only half of the 100,000-strong army in Guiyun City was left, and less than half of the 20,000-strong naval force in Qinghuai City was left.
This time, the Xiqiang Kingdom used the strength of its whole country. It was determined to capture Guiyun City and Qinghuai City, attack the hinterland of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and even wanted to seize the kingdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I don’t know who seduced these soldiers. They are not afraid of death at all, they all rush forward desperately, and their fighting power is very strong.
It took ten years for the Xiqiang Kingdom to not only build dozens of warships, but also to train its navy in a decent manner, with excellent water quality and no fear of death in a war.
The emperor quickly issued an order to withdraw the navy from Qinghuai City, and the army that came to support blocked the Western Qiang army outside Qinghuai City.
Although two battlefields were opened, the Zhou Dynasty had strong national power and could fully support it.
In the eight years since the emperor came to power, the entire Zhou Dynasty seemed to have been completely transformed. There was no decline at all like when the Queen Mother was in power. The country was strong and the army was strong.
This war lasted for several months. The emperor personally was in charge of Guiyun City, and the queen Meng Shu was in charge of Qinghuai City. The couple watched and helped each other. With the assistance of the Meng family, they commanded appropriately and advanced and retreated in a measured manner.
The two also jointly set up a plan. In the end, they not only annihilated all the troops sent by the Western Qiang Kingdom, but also sent troops to attack the Western Qiang Kingdom.
As Meng Shu once said, the Xiqiang people are bloody and cruel to their core. Even at this point, they are unwilling to surrender or submit to the Zhou Dynasty.
The emperor gave them the opportunity. As long as they surrendered to the Zhou Dynasty and let the officials sent by the Zhou Dynasty manage the Western Qiang Kingdom, they would spare the people of the Western Qiang Kingdom and only deal with some of the greedy and cruel officials.
As for the royal family of Xiqiang Kingdom, they could still retain their glory, but they were rejected.
The emperor was very angry and accepted the advice of the officials. Even if they could not be exterminated, they would at least be beaten until they were unable to fight back, so that they would not be able to fight again for a hundred years. Only then could the Great Zhou Dynasty have Live a peaceful and stable life.
Meng Shu's eldest brother was ordered to lead troops into the hinterland of the Western Qiang Kingdom. As long as they surrendered, they would be tied up and taken away. If they were stubborn and would rather die than surrender, they would be killed without mercy.
This is a war between two tribes. Being kind to the enemy means putting oneself to death.
Meng Yanxing knew exactly what to do.
After the war, Guiyun City was riddled with holes. Meng Shu looked at this familiar yet unfamiliar place and could not regain his consciousness for a long time.
"The Western Qiang Kingdom has been completely defeated. It will not be able to make a comeback within a hundred or two hundred years. It may never recover from the fall and will no longer pose any threat to the northwest of our Great Zhou Dynasty." The emperor gently held Meng Shu's hand. : "I will still let the Meng family guard Guiyun City and Qinghuai City, and send troops to the hinterland of the Western Qiang Kingdom once a year to scare them. If there is a threat, I will immediately nip it in the cradle. In this way... we can protect the northwest forever. Peace."
"Yeah!" Meng Shu nodded after hearing this.
"There are still 100,000 soldiers left in Guiyun City. Guiyun City can be rebuilt in the shortest time, and the destroyed fields can be cultivated again. It won't be long before the peace of the past will be restored here." The emperor said. She felt that Meng Shu felt sad when she saw the place where she grew up being destroyed, so she opened her mouth to comfort her.
"In the past, this place was not peaceful, but from today on, Guiyun City is a quiet and peaceful place. The people here can finally live a peaceful life." It doesn't matter if the city is destroyed, as long as there are still people around, everything can be restored. Meng Shu was open-minded.
She just felt a little emotional in her heart.
"Kang'er sent someone to deliver his handwritten letter. Do you want to read it?" the emperor said with a smile.
"No more!" Meng Shu shook her head: "That guy must be urging us to go back."
Doesn’t she know about the son she gave birth to?
Although Kang'er was raised according to the prince's requirements since childhood, the child was actually a bit playful. In comparison, the second son Zhou Jingheng, who was only six years old, was more stable.
However, she and the emperor had no plans to change the prince.
Although Kang'er is playful, he is very protective of his younger siblings and is an excellent older brother.
This child is not only smart, but also very kind. There is nothing faulty about him inheriting the throne.
As a child, he stayed in the capital to supervise the country for several months. Even with the help of Princess Jiahe's aunt, he must be under great pressure, and he must be looking forward to their return as soon as possible.
"Jiahe has also written us a lot of letters these days. In addition to asking about the situation of the war, he also hopes that we can go back soon. These two aunts and nephews..." The emperor said and shook his head.
His two younger brothers, King Liang and King Jin, were both unreliable. Of course, the emperor could not entrust them with the important task of supervising the country.
It happened that Princess Jiahe stayed in the capital this year, so the emperor asked her to assist his son in supervising the country.
His younger sister usually loves to play and make noise. Even though she is now the mother of three children, she is still the same as before. She often takes the children to the palace. The emperor simply allowed her to live in the palace recently. Li got it.
"Does Shu'er want to stay here for another two months, or is she going back to Beijing?" the emperor asked.
Of course he listens to the Queen on this matter.
"Let's stay for another two months. After nine years of marriage, we finally got out. Now that the war is over and the northwest is stable, we just take this opportunity to visit other places in the Zhou Dynasty, or... take a trip to Jiangnan. ? Play while returning to the capital?" Meng Shu suggested.
