strictlysupreme Chapter 508 Surrender
Chapter 508 Surrender
Western Regions, Turpan Khanate, Gaochang Royal City.
The Chu army finally arrived at the city.
The boot that had been hanging over their heads for many days finally fell. From the Khan to the civil and military officials, and even the ordinary people, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After being trapped in the invisible and intangible "ghost wall" for many days, everyone is about to collapse. No matter whether they are dead or alive, let's end it quickly!
At this moment, the sun shines through the clouds, dispelling the haze of many days.
The people in the city were surprised to find that the city gate that had been nowhere to be found in the past finally appeared before their eyes!
The guards climbed up to the top of the city wall trembling with fear and saw a hundred thousand black-armored soldiers lined up outside the city. The bronze crossbows were shining coldly, and the two flags with the words "Wei" (Wei) and "Xie" (Xie) on them were fluttering in the wind.
Wei Zhuang signaled the general who could speak Uighur to come forward and speak.
"Listen up, little Turpan boy! How dare you, a small border country, invade Great Chu without reason, trample on the land and mountains of Great Chu, and harm the people of Great Chu!"
"Whoever offends our Great Chu will be punished no matter how far away he is! Today, the Western Expedition Army is under the order of the Emperor to attack the Turpan Khanate. Open the city gates and surrender quickly to save the lives of all the people in the city! If you resist stubbornly——"
He swung his sword fiercely and cut off the flagpole beside him. "When the city is captured, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The people on the city wall suddenly exploded with screams of surprise.
The people in the city all flocked to the streets, with a hint of anticipation on every face.
The people of Da Chu have finally arrived!
Are they going to live the good life as described in the flyers?
Inside the palace, behind the thick palace walls, the Khan of Turpan stroked his gold-inlaid scimitar, and the amber handle reflected a strange light in the sunlight.
Civil and military officials gathered in the royal court, filled with panic.
"Great Khan, shall we surrender or not?"
Prime Minister Muhaner's hair turned white with worry. "If they don't surrender, we must organize guards to defend the city as soon as possible!"
"Defend the city?" The Khan of Turpan smiled bitterly, "Defend with what?"
"The Chu army actually has a sorcerer who can perform evil magic. For ten days, we couldn't even get out of the city gate!"
I guess it would be easy to open the city gate!
Another minister also looked pale: "They have such advanced firearms. I heard that Yesen was defeated before he even saw half of the people of Da Chu!"
"That's right, what can we use to fight against the people of Da Chu?"
They had many elite soldiers and generals, sophisticated weapons, gods of war, and even sorcerers. They had no power to fight back at all!
"That's all!"
One wrong step, one wrong step!
The Khan of Turpan regretted his decision and laughed loudly. His sad laughter startled the birds perched under the eaves of the palace. The flapping sounds of their wings and the sound of horns coming from afar intertwined and echoed in the dead silent royal city.
Just as the Khan of Turpan was preparing to lead his people out of the city to surrender, the city gates were opened by the people!
When the people rushed to the city gate, the guards only put up a symbolic resistance before abandoning their weapons and fleeing. Some even joined the rioting people and tried to open the heavy city gate.
The city gates were wide open and the people cheered to welcome the Chu army.
"Welcome the Celestial Empire's army!"
"The Celestial Empire's army is here to rescue us!"
"People will have a good life!"
The city gates were wide open and the Chu army was on high alert, but who would have thought that a group of enthusiastic common people would pour out of the city gates!
The soldiers who were ready to go were all shocked and didn't know what to do for a moment.
The vanguard officer whispered to Zhou Zhongguang: "General Zhou, shall we continue to fight?"
Another general asked suspiciously: "Is this a trick?"
Zhou Zhongguang turned to Wei Zhuang and Xie Chang'an who were riding on tall horses and asked, "General Wei, General Xie..."
Xie Changan nodded slightly, indicating that he could accept the people's surrender.
When the Baixian magic array was besieging the city, it would report the situation in the city to Jiang Li from time to time, confirming that the people in Gaochang Royal City had been "brainwashed" by the leaflets and were looking forward to the arrival of the Great Chu Army.
Wei Zhuang smiled and said loudly: "My fellow Turpanese, the army of the Great Chu is a righteous army. As long as you sincerely submit to the Great Chu, you will be the people of the Great Chu!"
"The Emperor of Great Chu loves his people like his own children. He will treat everyone equally and will not discriminate against or enslave you. He will also ensure that you all live a good life with plenty of food and clothing!"
The general, who was fluent in Uighur, translated it aloud again, and the people immediately cheered.
"I am willing to submit to the Great Chu!"
"From now on, I am a member of the Great Chu!"
"Long live the Emperor of Great Chu! Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!"
The Khan of Turpan, who was leading his civil and military officials to surrender, staggered and fell backward in anger. He wasn't dead yet, but these untouchables were so impatient!
He had no choice but to order his ministers to separate the crowd and lead all the civil and military officials to the city gate. He endured the humiliation and knelt on both knees: "I am Ma Su, the Khan of Turpan. We sincerely surrender to the Great Chu!"
"Good! The Khan is very understanding. I will report to His Majesty and ask him to give you a lighter sentence. Hahahaha..."
Wei Zhuang laughed heartily.
The soldiers of the Western Expedition Army were also in high spirits, especially those of the Yuanping Western Army. They had been suppressed and beaten by the Turpan cavalry, and were defeated step by step, and almost couldn't even defend the Yumen Pass.
Now, they have captured the Gaochang Royal City without losing a single soldier, and even the Khan of Turpan has prostrated himself at their feet and submitted to them!
Today I have avenged myself, how can I not be proud and feel extremely happy!
The people of Gaochang Royal City took the initiative to open the city gates, and the news that the Khan of Turpan led the people to surrender was quickly delivered to Nangong Qinghe.
Victory in the Western Region is a foregone conclusion.
Nangong Qinghe was very troubled. Do you have to attack the city and plunder the land so quickly?
There has to be a time to hold special examinations. Holding an imperial examination to select scholars is not like picking cabbages in the fields and you can pick as many as you want!
He had no choice but to urge the Ministry of Rites to start the exam as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too late!
Zhou Zhitu had no choice but to hastily hold the exam before the Mid-Autumn Festival, with him, Cui Jue and Feng Wuhu serving as chief examiners.
When the candidates learned the news of the additional special examination, they rushed to the capital at all costs.
I can't catch up and beat my chest and stamp my feet, regretting that I missed the opportunity. I can only get ready for next year's imperial examination.
The Western Regions is so vast, and the Turpan Khanate alone is twice the size of southern Xinjiang. No one knows how many officials will be put in it. They still have a chance!
In addition to participating in the autumn examination, students from Longmen Academy will also participate in the selection of Longmen Commercial Bureau.
For this exam, there was a huge number of students signing up. Although the candidate was the head of a branch of the Longmen Commercial Bureau, he was also a serious official of the seventh or eighth rank!
Jiang Huai was also actively preparing for the exam. He shamelessly went to see his younger sister Jiang Li and asked for her guidance.
Jiang Li said meaningfully: "Third brother, study the customs and practices of the Western Regions carefully, and it would be best if you could brush up on your Uighur language."
"By the way," she added, "you can also sign up for the autumn exam."
Jiang Huai felt a little ashamed. He barely passed the imperial examination and became a juren, but it was still far from enough to get a name on the list of successful candidates in the autumn examination.
"I am a foolish man, how can I dare to hope for the autumn examination? It is better to focus on preparing for the selection of Longmen Commercial Bureau."
Jiang Li smiled slightly: "Interpreter."
The Western Regions are not like Southern Xinjiang. The Six Zhao in Southern Xinjiang border the Great Chu, and the local people have always had exchanges with each other. Many local people can speak the official language of the Great Chu.
The common language in the Western Regions was Uighur. Even the common people in the Yumen Pass area spoke Uighur.
Therefore, if the Great Chu wanted to take over the Turpan Khanate, it would certainly need a lot of interpreters who could speak Uighur.
Jiang Huai suddenly realized that the officials selected this time would basically be serving in the Western Regions. Whether it was the autumn examination or the Longmen Commercial Bureau examination, knowing Uighur would be the best plus point!
Even if I fail in the autumn examination, I won't be able to become the chief or deputy chief of the branch. At worst I can be an interpreter!
So he hired a Western merchant at a high salary and studied Uighur language behind closed doors.
Sure enough, after the autumn examination began, the candidates were dumbfounded to find that in addition to the conventional Four Books and Five Classics and current affairs, they were also tested on the Uighur language!
Although the examiner said that the Uighur language was for reference only, those who have inside information know that it is an extremely important reference!
Anyone with a discerning eye knows that all the officials admitted in this special examination will be thrown into the Western Regions, and they will not be able to take a single step without speaking the Uighur language!
Several chief examiners and officials from the Ministry of Rites worked overtime, and finally the top three admitted thousands of candidates!
Jiang Huai actually passed the exam with the last place score again!
Jiang Xiuyuan and Old Madam Jiang were overjoyed. Even though they were fellow Jinshi, they were both from the official imperial examination system!
Jiang Huai was so grateful that he shed tears. If Jiang Li hadn't reminded him, how could he have seized this opportunity?
After the palace examination, Nangong Qinghe personally selected the top three and second place winners, and announced that all officials admitted in this special examination must go to southern Xinjiang or the Western Regions to serve. If anyone abandons his post and refuses to obey, three generations of his family will not be allowed to take the imperial examination!
At one moment, some were happy and some were sad.
Finally, Jiang Huai was granted the position of a seventh-rank translator and was assigned to the Honglu Temple.