novelden Chapter 986: Fear makes them afraid to resist
Chapter 986: Fear makes them afraid to resist
The second year of Shenghui, mid-May.
After nearly months of rectification and appeasement, order has basically been restored inside and outside Pyongyang.
The dragon and phoenix flags of Daqian fluttered on the city walls, and the soldiers patrolling the streets were wearing distinctive armor and marching in step.
Although the market is not as prosperous as before, it is gradually gaining popularity. Shops have reopened, and the extreme fear on the faces of the people has gradually been replaced by a cautious, wait-and-see calm.
The tragedies of Haizhou and Anzhou are still fresh in people's memory, but the empress's recent actions of personally inspecting the countryside, improving the people's meals, and distributing grain seeds have quietly blown across this traumatized land like a warm breeze.
On this day, Murong Yan sat in the government hall temporarily set up in the side hall of the former Goguryeo royal palace.
The furnishings inside the hall have been slightly modified according to the Daqian regulations, and many Goguryeo-style decorations have been removed, making it appear more solemn and dignified.
She had just finished reviewing a batch of reports from the newly occupied cities in Liaodong and was leaning slightly to listen to Lin Zhen's report.
Today she was wearing the black and gold Su brocade cotton nightgown with the pattern of "Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" - the dress in which the divine phoenix descended to the world.
Especially the wide flared cuffs, with the golden embroidery on the edge slightly visible from the sleeves.
In the solemn palace, the Divine Phoenix Dress has a restrained brilliance and appears more profound.
The extremely dark black Su Jin base material presents a tranquility that absorbs everything under the slightly dim light in the hall. The golden cotton wool and real gold threads woven into it exude a steady dark golden glow, which complements the color of the rosewood furniture in the hall.
On the nightgown, the pattern of the giant phoenix holding up the sky, when sitting upright, is less dynamic and flamboyant, and has more grace and majesty of ruling the world.
The wide flared sleeves were concealed by the long sleeves of her palace dress, but the black jade ring on her left thumb flashed a faint luster in the candlelight from time to time as she flipped through the memorials.
The five-meter-long Su Jin tail spread out on the mirror-like golden brick floor.
Because she was sitting on a wide phoenix chair, the train of her hair was not fully stretched out, but naturally stacked and meandered around the chair, creating a solemn yet casual and lazy mess.
This kind of disorder does not damage the dignity, but rather highlights the noble status, without the need to deliberately stick to formalities.
The softness of the cotton and the comfort of the nightgown allowed her to keep her body relaxed during long hours of government affairs.
Lin Zhen, dressed in his royal uniform, stood beside the imperial desk, holding a newly compiled summary of public sentiment.
He looked at Murong Yan gently and reported, "Yan'er, according to the reports from various counties and prefectures, as well as the observations of the Night Owl spies, since you visited the villages and improved the food for the people a month ago, the resistance of the Goguryeo survivors towards our Daqian has significantly weakened. Many people have begun to accept government management, receiving grain and seeds, and participating in repairs. The market is also gradually recovering. It seems that the policy of appeasement has begun to bear fruit."
Upon hearing this, Murong Yan put down the red brush in her hand and leaned back slightly on the back of the phoenix chair, with the expected slight curve at the corner of her lips. She raised her eyes and looked at Lin Zhen, her phoenix eyes flashing with wisdom and calmness:
"Husband, you see, this is human nature." Her voice was steady, with a hint of indifference that came from a deep understanding of the world. "I slaughtered Haizhou and Anzhou with thunderous means to scare them, to let them know the consequences of resisting me: utter destruction."
As she spoke, she stretched out her right hand, which was wearing a black jade ring, and gently tapped the imperial desk, making a crisp sound.
"And now," she changed the subject, her tone softening, even taking on a hint of laziness, "I am handing over food after the butcher's knife, repairing houses, and distributing farm tools. This is to show them that if they obey me and submit to Daqian, they can live, and even live better than before."
Her gaze, cast outside the palace, seemed to be able to penetrate the palace walls and see the people who were gradually settling down.
"Fear keeps them from resisting," Murong Yan continued, her voice low but every word clear. "And this little benefit is to make them willingly become subjects of Daqian."
She turned her head and looked at Lin Zhen, with a sly smile in her eyes, seeking approval. "Husband, tell me, is this a combination of kindness and force, a combination of firmness and gentleness?"
Lin Zhen looked at her with a slightly proud look on her face, as if she was presenting a treasure, and loved her very much.
He took a few steps forward, arriving in front of the imperial desk. He placed his hands on it and leaned over to look at her, his eyes filled with admiration and tenderness. "My Yan'er is more than just a master of both kindness and power. She is truly adept at ruling her subordinates and understands the changing nature of their hearts. Hardness cannot last long, and softness cannot be maintained. Only by doing what Yan'er does, first shattering their hopes with thunder and then nourishing their vitality with rain and dew, can we truly conquer this land and its people."
After receiving Lin Zhen's affirmation, Murong Yan's smile became even brighter.
Like a little girl, she happily leaned forward from the phoenix chair, reached out and grasped Lin Zhen's hand, which was resting on the table, and gently shook it. "Then, my husband, can we take it a step further? Simply providing food is not enough. We need to make them feel from the bottom of their hearts that being a citizen of Daqian is a thousand times better than being a submissive subject of Goguryeo."
"What do you think, Yan'er?" Lin Zhen held her slightly cool and soft hand tightly and asked softly.
Murong Yan sat up straight, a flicker of determination in her phoenix eyes: "Issue the decree! In my name!"
Her tone became stern, but she did not let go of Lin Zhen's hand.
"First, declare a 30% tax reduction for the newly annexed territories of Liaodong for this year and the next! All unowned land previously occupied by the Goguryeo royal family and nobles will be distributed to landless or land-poor farmers for cultivation, with only a small rent collected for the first three years!"
"Second, encourage intermarriage! Daqian soldiers who marry local women will be rewarded with money and their families will be exempted from corvée labor for three years! Goguryeo women who marry Daqian men will be treated as Daqian citizens and enjoy the same legal protection!"
"Third, establish schools extensively and promote the Daqian official language, writing system, and etiquette! Goguryeo students who enroll in schools will be exempt from tuition fees, and those who excel will be recommended to study in prefectures and counties, or even in the capital!"
"Fourth, conscript civilians to repair the walls, roads, and water conservancy projects in Pyongyang and all prefectures and counties! Work will be used in lieu of relief, with daily payments and rations. Unpaid labor is prohibited!"
"Fifth, a strict order is issued to all armies and prefectures: no harassment of the people, no robbery, and no plunder. Anyone who violates this order will be severely punished, regardless of their rank!"
She spoke one by one, with clear thoughts, obviously having thought it through carefully.
These policies were aimed at fundamentally undermining Goguryeo's basis of resistance, promoting national integration, restoring production, and consolidating rule.
Lin Zhen listened attentively, his admiration growing stronger. When she finished, he nodded and said, "Excellent! Very excellent! This decree will surely win the hearts and minds of the people of Liaodong! Yan'er's actions will benefit this generation and generations to come!"
Murong Yan felt a little embarrassed by the compliment, her cheeks slightly red, and she glanced at him in a reproachful manner: "Husband, you only know how to make me happy."
As she spoke, she gripped his hand even tighter. "Then my husband, can you help me polish these imperial decrees and issue them to the whole country immediately?"
"I obey your command." Lin Zhen responded with a smile, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her smooth forehead gently. "My Yan'er is really becoming more and more like an emperor of the ages."
Murong Yan enjoyed this moment of tenderness, closed her eyes, and a happy smile appeared on her lips.
After a moment, she gently pushed him away: "Go quickly, business is more important."
Lin Zhen then stood up and called the Hanlin scholars outside the hall to instruct them to draft the imperial edict.
Murong Yan picked up her red brush again and wrote a large "approved" on a memorial regarding the repair of destroyed houses in Pyongyang. She also wrote in small characters next to it: "Immediately allocate funds and food, and proceed as quickly as possible to reassure the people."