Traveling through time and encountering war, I took the whole village to escape famine

Chapter 245 Long Live My Emperor Long Live Long Live

Because it had not been opened for a long time, a dull sound was heard from the main gate of Yanqi Pass.

The crowd queuing outside the city to enter the city suddenly exploded.

"Hey! Did you see that, Old Liu? The main gate is open. Does this mean that a distinguished person is coming to visit?"

"Yes! I heard that the main gate of Yanqi Pass hasn't been opened for more than ten years. The last time it was opened was when His Majesty the Emperor personally led an expedition to Beiqi."

"Yes! Yanqi Pass has always been a left-side gate for entry and right-side gate for exit. This is a rule set during the time of Emperor Gaozu. It was Commander Li who saw that there were no civilians leaving the pass recently and sympathized with the difficulty of entering the pass with so many people, so he allowed the right-side exit to enter the checkpoint. I don't know who this noble man is! He can make Yanqi Pass open the main gate to welcome us."

"Stop talking about it. Be careful not to offend the nobles. We can't afford to offend them."

The big iron gate began to move slowly, making a harsh friction sound, and slowly opened towards the inside.

The gate opened, and a middle-aged general wearing silver armor and riding a tall horse walked out, followed by a team of cavalry.

He stopped in front of the carriage outside the checkpoint, dismounted, clasped his fists and saluted, and said in a voice that only the two carriages in front could hear: "I respectfully welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Because it is not appropriate to reveal His Royal Highness's identity, I am inconvenient to give His Royal Highness a big gift. Please forgive me."

"Commander Li, there is no need to be so polite. Just lead the way!" Cheng Yuheng's low but majestic voice came from the carriage.

Li Jinhuai stood up respectfully, "Yes, thank you for your consideration, Your Highness."

Li Jinhuai walked to the window of the carriage of Old Master Cheng and the old lady, bowed respectfully and said, "Uncle Cheng, Aunt Cheng, you have worked hard on the journey!"

Cheng Zhiyuan stared at the boy he had watched grow up, recalling the high-spirited young man back then, who was now thirty years old. He said in a deep voice with satisfaction: "Nephew, it's been a long time since we last met. Are your father and mother okay?"

Li Jinhuai gazed at the prime minister who once called the shots in the court. His temples were now gray, but his majesty and imposing manner remained the same.

"Thank you Uncle Cheng for your concern. My father is in good health, and my mother has been relying on medicine to maintain her health because she is worried about my sister. Now that my sister has been found, I believe my mother will be comforted and will get better soon. I also have to thank Aunt Cheng for helping to find my sister's whereabouts." After he said that, he clasped his fists and bowed deeply to Old Lady Cheng.

Madam Cheng said in a gentle voice: "Nephew Huaijin, there is no need to be polite. Your mother and I are like sisters, and it is fate that I met Jinxiu. Jinxiu's family is in the carriage behind. You two will meet after we enter the pass."

Li Jinhuai looked towards the carriage behind, but because the carriage blocked his view of the person he wanted to see, he pulled his thoughts back and got on his horse, "Your Highness, uncle, and aunt, please follow me into the customs." After saying this, he took the lead and walked in front.

Uncle Cheng pulled the carriage over to the side and let the carriage carrying Cheng Yuheng go first.

The reason why Yanqi Pass was able to open the main gate to welcome them in was because Li Jinhuai knew in advance that Cheng Yuheng was the prince, so he dared to open the main gate to welcome them.

The third emperor of the Dazhao Dynasty, Emperor Yongkang, ascended the throne at the age of fifteen and reigned for 45 years.

When Emperor Yongkang was in power, people in the court were in a panic because he ascended the throne at a young age and it was a sensitive period of regime change when the old emperor passed away and the new emperor was just established.

In addition, Emperor Yongkang was only 15 years old and still young, unable to control the situation in the court, which resulted in the Northeast Province being taken away by the Northern Qi and Western Qi for more than ten years.

Therefore, although Yanqi Pass is no longer a border pass today, it was once one of the border passes of the Zhao Dynasty.

When Yanqi Pass was first built, all facilities were constructed according to border standards.

The fortifications of Yanqi Pass are very strong and can resist the invasion of foreign enemies. At the same time, there are also military facilities such as garrisons and barracks to ensure the combat effectiveness of the army.

At that time, Emperor Yongkang, who had been mediocre all his life, wanted to see the Northeast Province, which was jointly occupied by Beiqi and Xiqi, return to the territory of Dazhao during his lifetime, so that he could face his ancestors in the underworld with dignity.

At his 60th birthday banquet, he promised that whichever prince led the army to repel Beiqi and Xiqi and take back the northeastern province belonging to Dazhao would be made the crown prince.

As the old emperor was already old, the competition for the throne among the princes had become fierce, and the intensity of the competition was beyond imagination. At this critical moment, no one was willing to leave the capital and go to such a dangerous place.

Moreover, the other princes were all good at scheming, winning over court officials, forming cliques and pursuing personal gain. In comparison, when it came to leading troops to fight, they all avoided it if possible.

Jun Qingce, ranked fifth among all the princes, was the son of the late queen. After the queen's death, the emperor never appointed another queen, so he was also the emperor's only legitimate son.

Although Jun Qingce was the legitimate son, he was not favored and was suppressed by the princes born to concubines. His mother had passed away and his maternal family was not prominent. For many years, he endured humiliation and kept a low profile. Except for his confidants, no one knew that he was actually a man of both civil and military talents.

When he heard the emperor's promise to make him the crown prince if he recaptured the Northeast Province, he resolutely volunteered to go to war.

In the end, Jun Qingce won a great victory, defeated Beiqi and Xiqi, and successfully regained the Northeast Province.

Just when he was about to lead his army back to victory, he suddenly received news that the old emperor had passed away and a new emperor had ascended the throne. The new emperor was none other than Jun Qingce's half-brother, the second prince Jun Yanze.

This sudden change shocked and surprised everyone. However, the more surprising thing was yet to come. Along with the news came the imperial edict of the new emperor. This imperial edict announced that Jun Qingce would be named the King of the Northeast and given the Northeast Province as his fief.

This made Jun Qingce and the Northern Expedition Army, who were waiting for the order to return to the court, feel heavy-hearted. Several generals under Jun Qingce persuaded him to lead an army to attack the new emperor.

However, in order to protect the common people from the suffering of war, Jun Qingce gave up the idea of ​​attacking the new emperor, accepted the imperial edict and led his troops to garrison in the Northeast Province, becoming a solid barrier for Dazhao to resist Beiqi and Xiqi.

With the King of the Northeast guarding the country, the new emperor was no longer afraid of Beiji and Xiqi.

With no external threats and no internal worries, Jun Yanze ascended the throne for a few years and lived a life of extravagance, indulging in wine and sex, ignoring state affairs, listening to slander, not being able to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and wantonly killing loyal ministers and good generals.

In order to satisfy his own selfish desires, he forced people to increase corvée labor and built the imperial mausoleum on a large scale, wasting money and manpower. The people lived in dire straits and suffered terribly as he increased taxes year after year.

When disaster strikes, the imperial court not only does not open its granaries to provide relief to the people, but also increases taxes. The situation in the world becomes increasingly chaotic, with bandits and refugees everywhere.

Jun Qingce saw it all and was anxious. He wrote to the new emperor many times to ask him to reduce taxes and provide relief to the victims, but all his requests fell on deaf ears.

In desperation, he could only open the warehouses to release grain and help the people. The reputation of the Northeast King's benevolent rule and love for the people spread from mouth to mouth, and a large number of refugees poured into the Northeast Province.

This move aroused the dissatisfaction of some treacherous ministers in the court. They submitted memorials to impeach Jun Qingce, saying that he intended to rebel.

The new emperor was already wary of Jun Qingce, and now he found an excuse. He issued an edict to strip him of his title and fiefdom and recall him to the capital.

Jun Qingce knew that this trip would be dangerous, so for the sake of the people of the world, he decided to go to the capital to meet the emperor. Before leaving, he entrusted the affairs of Northeast Province to his confidants and told them to protect the people.

Just before he left, a huge crowd of people knelt outside the palace. These people were ordinary people and some scholars. They heard that the prince was about to leave Northeast China for the capital, and they came to kneel and petition him to ascend the throne and become emperor.

"Your Majesty, you are our true emperor!" an old man said with tears in his eyes, "Now the new emperor is unjust and the world is in chaos. Only you can save the people from the dire straits!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please ascend the throne!" everyone shouted in unison.

At the same time, many literati jointly wrote a document to criticize the new emperor. These documents, which contained thousands of words, listed the new emperor's crimes and claimed that only if the prince ascended the throne could the country be stable and the people live and work in peace.

"Your Highness, you have fought in foreign battles for many years and have made great contributions to the country and the people. But the new emperor usurped the throne while you were away from the capital. This is really intolerable!" A scholar said excitedly, "Your ascension to the throne is what the people want and what everyone expects!"

Faced with this sudden change, Jun Qingce felt mixed emotions. He knew that he had a great responsibility, but he also knew that ascending the throne meant that the people of Honda would suffer from war, but now even without war, the people were still living in misery. At this moment, he fell into deep thought...

Just as he was in a dilemma, the people around him pleaded with tears in their voices, "Please, my lord, save the people of the world and save the suffering people."

"Please, my lord, save the people of the world and save the suffering people."

"Please, my lord, save the people of the world and save the suffering people."

……

At this time, the four generals under the Northeast King came on horseback from a distance, and the people spontaneously made way for them.

The four generals came up to him, dismounted, and knelt. The general on the left wing held a box in his hand, opened it, and the four of them each took a corner and draped the dragon robe on Jun Qing's side.

When the people saw this, some of them took the lead in shouting, "Long live the emperor!"

The people followed suit and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

Jun Qingce followed the will of the people and ascended the throne as emperor in the Northeast Province. He ordered four generals to lead the northern expedition army and march south directly to the capital to fight against the tyrant and plead for the people.

Jun Qingce succeeded to the throne and changed the country's name to Xuanyuan.

When the new dynasty was first established, everything was new and fresh. His Majesty the Emperor had a far-sighted vision and promulgated a series of policies that benefited the country and the people.

The most eye-catching measures were the reduction of taxes and exemption of corvée labor, which not only reduced the burden on the people but also allowed them to work and develop production with peace of mind.

At the same time, the imperial court also announced that it would distribute seeds to the people for free, and strongly encouraged land reclamation and provide corresponding rewards and support.

This enabled a large amount of wasteland to be reclaimed and agricultural production to be restored and developed.

For a time, the whole country was flourishing.

A hundred years later, the throne was passed to the current emperor, Cheng Yuheng's biological father.