Xiao Qiao found a hidden bronze vessel under the bodies of Shu State soldiers.
This is a circular wheel, in size and thickness, all very similar to steering wheels
To be honest, aside from being blood-resistant, Deng Chan Yu couldn't see any use for this object.
"Miss, do you want to put this away?" Xiao Qiao asked in a low voice.
Deng Chan Yu pondered left and right: "It may also be a ritual article, so let's keep it."
After a stick of incense, Su Quanxiao, with a face full of horror, led over two elephants, which were also spoils of war.
It's hard to imagine how the Shu people managed to transport this object so far to Yong City. They were reportedly planning to use elephants for attacking the city.
Deng Chan Yu gave a severe criticism to Su Quanxiao's strange reaction, "It's a wonder you're surprised by this! You haven't seen the eight-meter-tall Mo Lijing yet! Compared to the Mo brothers, these elephants are at most just mobile ingredients."
Deng Chan Yu was very certain that the gold staff, gold mask, and bronze steering wheel might still be useful in the future, but the elephants were completely useless!
"In the name of Marquis of Jingzhou, send these two 'auspicious omens' to the capital of Changgeng!"
"Package them and send them to the King of Yin, let the elephants contribute to the King of Yin's sacrificial platform!"
She was cleaning up the battlefield at this time when General Sun He came to see her.
Sun He is a martial general from the Three Mountains Pass, who joined the southern campaign of the Deng family and was later appointed as the city defender of Yong City.
This person's martial arts and abilities are average. In the original timeline, when Deng Jiang led the army to attack Xī Qǐ, the Three Mountains Pass and the remaining troops were all captured by Kong Xuān. Later, Kong Xuān also went to attack Xī Qǐ, and Sun He was picked up by Wu Jī's student Wu Jí with a rear-charge spear on the battlefield.
This person is probably at the level of Li Feng and Liang Gang under Yuan Shu in the Three Kingdoms period, and can do a decent job defending a city. As for anything else, don't expect it.
"General Deng, I have an important matter to report," Sun He said.
"What's the matter?" Deng Chan Yu answered casually.
"As reported by the captives, there has been mutual killing inside the Golden Sand City. Three high priests have led their clans away from the city. They are building a fortress on the middle reaches of the Han River, about six hundred li west of Yong City," Sun He said.
"Show me the map."
Deng Chan Yu carefully examined the map. The cartographic technology at that time was rough and guesswork. From Yong City westward, is this the future Hanzhong? Since it is in the middle reaches of the Han River, it is named Hanzhong?
Sun He continued, "General Deng, now that these barbarians have just been defeated and their morale has greatly declined, we can lead our troops to destroy their new city, capture their population, and have these barbarians work for us on the land."
His idea is a standard martial thought of this era: if there's a shortage of food, then conquer territory; if there's a shortage of people, then seize others. If you can't defeat them, that's unavoidable. If you can defeat them, why not fight?
Deng Chan Yu's thoughts are a bit further-sighted.
After capturing Hanzhong, isn't it time to enter Shu?
The Chengdu Plain during this era is a first-class treasure land.
South of Nancun Prefecture, that area is almost barren. There are mosquitoes and flies everywhere, and diseases are rampant. Using Lv Yue to sacrifice to the heavens won't help much, as it will take hundreds of years for these places to be gradually developed.
Bashu is different. At least in the Chengdu Plain area, it has been developed by Shu state. If the Deng family can't stay in Zhongyuan, they can close the door to Bashu and live there for a hundred or eighty years with no problems.
She has always advocated for trade with Xiqu, using furs, ores, and timber in exchange for grain, because of the food shortage. Now that a developed grain-producing area is right in front of them, what should they choose?
"General Sun."
"I am here."
She said, "Please prepare some food for the soldiers you brought. We only brought enough for ten days, so feed all the horses as well, and wait for my message."
"Understood."
Deng Chan Yu closed her eyes slightly, and soon, a black vulture was attracted by the call and landed on her arm like an arrow.
"Go and spy for me, and then tell me everything you see."
She released the black vulture, and after two hours, she obtained information about the enemy's new city.
The city has not been completely built, but the scale looks quite large.
The news of the defeat has not reached back yet, but even though the high priests in the city, who were defeated in the political struggles in Golden Sand City, still lead extremely luxurious lives. The city is inhabited by nobles and some common people, while outside the city walls, there are dense crowds of slaves.
This city has no defense, so Deng Chan Yu immediately decides to attack.
Before, they marched 1200 li in eight days. Now, the distance is about 600 li, but the mountain roads are difficult to travel on. Deng Chan Yu used the black vulture to scout for a route in the sky and led 5,000 troops on an all-out march for three days and two nights to reach the new city of the Shu people.
By this time, the news of the great defeat on the front line had been returned. The slaves were somewhat restless, and the nobles were brutally suppressing them. The two elderly high priests blamed each other for their responsibilities, and in the end, they were directly attacked by Deng Chan Yu's troops and the city gates were broken down. More than one hundred thousand slaves, ten thousand common people, and three thousand soldiers were all captured.
One of the high priests was killed by Deng Chan Yu, and the remaining one chose to surrender.
"Yufu appears! Yufu appears! Our ancestors said that in the future, a woman will rule the land, that is what we call the Mother Goddess God Emperor! Speaking of Her Majesty, it's about the general!" The oldest high priest seemed happier than Deng Chan Yu. His language was fluent enough and he kept on praising her with seemingly endless compliments. He even pushed aside Xiao Qiao who was left dumbfounded by his words.
Deng Chan Yu observed the high priest wearing the golden mask carefully. The priest nodded and kowtowed, seemingly sincere in his surrender.
She didn't intend to slaughter everyone, but having a guide could prove to be useful when attacking Golden Sand City or Sanyang City in the future.
"What is the surname and given name of the priest?"
The aged high priest's Yin dialect had a strong regional accent. After two attempts, Deng Chan Yu finally understood his name.
His name is "Niu," which in Shu means a kind of black stone.
The old priest has been wearing the golden mask all along. Deng Chan Yu respected their customs and did not mind such minor matters. She asked, "Jiu, is Sanyang City farther than Golden Sand City? How many people are there in Golden Sand City?"
"It's a bit farther away. According to Golden Sand City, its population should be over one million."
Deng Chan Yu snorted coldly: "Bullshit! The population of the city of Zhaoga is just over a million."
The old priest quickly assumed a very humble posture: "That must be my mistake. Golden Sand City should have a population of about five hundred thousand."
"You think about it again. I'm giving you a chance, please organize your language."
The old man kneeling on the ground said, "Originally, it was indeed five hundred thousand! When the old king passed away, several high priests wanted to take our people. This led to a great battle. After the war, we were all driven out and brought out more than one hundred thousand slaves. Now Golden Sand City probably has about three hundred thousand people left."
That number is more accurate.
Deng Chan Yu signaled the soldiers to isolate this guy and keep him in custody, and continued to study the map.
It's too far, really too far!
In this era, there are no roads. The journey from the new city she named Hanzhong to Golden Sand City is incredibly winding and over a thousand miles in distance.
Her troops have already reached their limit and cannot continue to attack.
