Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The black wolf banners fluttered in the wind atop the capital city, announcing the change of ownership of this ancient imperial capital.

However, conquering a city is quite different from truly controlling it, especially controlling the heart of a vast, complex empire like Shenjing, which has just experienced abandonment, burning, and chaos.

A change of flag can happen in a day, but winning people's hearts, rebuilding order, and healing wounds require persistent effort, as well as a clear will that combines iron-fisted measures with gentle persuasion.

This will comes from Zhenbei City, from the Prince of Jingbei, Xiao Chen, who, though not present in person, seems to be omnipresent.

"The capital has fallen, but its foundation is not yet secure. Everything is in ruins and people's hearts are restless. The most urgent task is not to show off our military might or to plunder and loot, but to reassure the people, calm their minds, and restore order."

The royal decree from the north was delivered to Han Lie, who had already taken up residence in Shenjing, as quickly as possible.

The order was concise yet carried immense weight, setting an unquestionable tone for the aftermath of the crisis in Shenjing:

First, military discipline is as firm as a mountain.

Any soldier of Hanyuan who dares to enter civilian homes without permission, engage in forced buying and selling, rape, plunder, destroy property, or bully the people, regardless of whether they are officers or soldiers or have merits, will be executed on the spot and their head displayed to the public once verified!

Those directly subordinate to the offender will be held accountable! The enforcement team must patrol day and night, investigate every report, and strictly enforce the law without exception!

Second, relief should be the priority.

Immediately use the grain seized from the government granaries to set up soup kitchens in each neighborhood of the city, distributing soup twice a day in fixed quantities according to the number of people, free of charge, so that the elderly, weak, women and children, widows, orphans, the lonely, and the unemployed and poor can all survive.

Furthermore, a thorough investigation should be conducted to identify and register the elderly, widowed, disabled, and those without support in the city. The government will allocate grain to them and provide regular relief. Before spring, no starving corpses will be allowed to appear on the streets of the capital!

Third, stabilize prices.

The original market officials are hereby ordered to immediately assume their duties and, together with our army's quartermaster, severely crack down on unscrupulous merchants who hoard goods and drive up prices.

The grain, cloth, salt, and other supplies seized from government granaries were released to the market at fair prices to stabilize the prices of essential commodities such as rice, salt, firewood, and charcoal.

Anyone who dares to disobey or disrupt the market will have their property confiscated and will be severely punished!

IV. Improve public order.

Those who were originally from the Five City Garrison and the patrol posts of each neighborhood, and who were willing to serve, were selected and retained to cooperate with our army, patrolling day and night, apprehending thieves, suppressing local ruffians, and clearing fire hazards.

Any bandits who take advantage of the chaos to commit murder, robbery, or harm the local area shall be publicly tried and punished as a warning to others.

Let the people of the capital return to a peaceful world and a bright and clear universe!

V. Recruiting and pacifying those who have fled.

A public notice was posted stating that all former government officials, yamen runners, and soldiers, except for Zhao's core henchmen, would be exempted from past grievances and given employment based on their abilities, or be provided with travel expenses and sent back to their hometowns, as long as they were willing to repent and register their loyalty.

The backlog of official business and civil lawsuits in various government offices may be temporarily dealt with in accordance with reasonable precedents from the previous dynasty, and no delays or shirking of responsibility are permitted. Efforts must be made to ensure that government orders are carried out smoothly and that the people's grievances are heard.

VI. Proclaim benevolent governance.

Immediately print and post the "Proclamation of the Prince of Jingbei to Pacify the People," informing all the people of the city of the aforementioned articles, as well as the Prince's original intention to purge the court of corrupt officials, punish traitors, save the people, and secure the nation.

Alternatively, respected elders and learned scholars from within the city could be selected and treated with courtesy, and their opinions solicited to demonstrate a commitment to valuing talent and ensuring the well-being of the people.

"In short, Shenjing is not a battlefield, but a new territory I will govern, and a new people I will protect. From the moment I enter the city, law and order will come first, and benevolent governance will be fundamental. Han Lie and Chen Dao, you bear heavy responsibilities and must proceed with utmost caution, working tirelessly day and night. Anyone who neglects their duties, allows soldiers to harm the people, or mishandles matters, even if their merits do not outweigh their faults, will be executed without mercy! This order will be proclaimed throughout the entire army and announced to the entire city!"

Once the king's decree was issued, it was as imposing as a mountain and as powerful as thunder.

It leaves no room for ambiguity and no room for any "special circumstances".

It clearly tells every soldier from Hanyuan who steps into Shenjing, every bewildered citizen of Shenjing, and all onlookers in the world: what the King of Jingbei wants is not a ruin that has been plundered, but a stable and prosperous new capital that can become the cornerstone of his new dynasty.

Han Lie and Chen Dao dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Wang's order was copied countless times and distributed to every battalion and every team.

Military officers at all levels were repeatedly reprimanded, the size of the law enforcement team was doubled, and the intensity of patrols was increased to an unprecedented level.

The heads of those who were chopped off in the street and displayed for violating military discipline at the beginning of the city served as a bloody reminder to every soldier: the prince's orders were no joke.

Thus, the people of Shenjing witnessed a scene unlike any other "change of power" in the past.

Those soldiers in black armor no longer looted and plundered like deserters or bandits.

They spend most of their time in the barracks or designated defense zones. Even when they patrol the streets, they maintain strict formations, keep their eyes straight ahead, and do not harm the people in any way.

Occasionally, when soldiers need to purchase personal items, they pay honestly and never forcibly take anything.

Those legendary, ferocious "Northern Wolf Riders" now seemed... strangely well-behaved.

The real change began with the soup kitchens that were scattered throughout the city.

A large pot, steaming hot, was set up, and the thick millet porridge emitted a long-lost aroma of grain.

The emaciated people lined up in long queues, receiving their share of rations to survive under the orderly guidance of the Hanyuan soldiers.

At first, some people were skeptical and some dared not step forward, but when they saw that the elderly and children were actually able to receive porridge, and that the soldiers did not ask for anything extra, and even helped the elderly with mobility difficulties, their doubts quickly disappeared.

The long queue, silent yet filled with a sense of anticipation for a new beginning.

For many impoverished people struggling on the brink of death, these two bowls of real hot porridge every day are more powerful than any fancy promise.

At the same time, prices were forcibly suppressed.

Several unscrupulous merchants who attempted to hoard grain and drive up rice prices to exorbitant levels were raided by the quartermaster and his soldiers. The raiders broke down their doors, confiscated all the grain they had hoarded, and the ringleaders were publicly whipped, paraded through the streets, and had their property confiscated.

The confiscated grain was immediately taken to the market and sold openly at extremely low prices.

The news caused a stir in the market.

The prices of rice and salt, which had been rising several times a day, quickly fell back and stabilized at a relatively reasonable level, like a carriage that had been hit by sudden brakes.

Firewood, coal, and other supplies for winter were also supplied by the government, and prices remained stable.

After observing for a few days and finding that there was no war and prices had stabilized, the shops on the street began to remove their doors and reopen for business.

While it was far from bustling, at least the apocalyptic desolation and madness had been replaced by a cautious, gradually recovering vibrancy of everyday life.

The restoration of public order was most significant.

Patrol teams, composed of personnel retained from the original Five Cities Garrison and soldiers of the Hanyuan Army, shuttled through the streets and alleys day and night.

Several groups of ruthless bandits who had gathered during the chaos to commit murder and robbery were quickly detected, surrounded, and wiped out. The bandit leader was publicly executed, and his head was hung at the entrance of the bustling city.

Those thugs who usually bully and extort money either flee at the first sign of trouble or are caught and severely punished.

Although the nights in the capital were still deserted, at least the people dared to close their doors and windows without worrying about being broken into at any time.

Fire hazards were investigated one by one, and damaged walls and streetlights were gradually repaired.

A long-lost, basic sense of security is beginning to return to the lives of ordinary people.

For the lower and middle-ranking officials of the former imperial court, the notice that "past actions will not be held against them, and they will be employed according to their abilities" was like a ray of light shining through the darkness.

Although the future is uncertain, at least there is hope, and we no longer have to hide like headless flies.

People gradually appeared at the entrances of various government offices. Although the office efficiency was low and the backlog of affairs was huge, at least the cogs at the bottom of that massive bureaucratic machine began to slowly and awkwardly start turning again.

Some simple household registration, public security, and relief matters were able to be handled.

When ordinary people suffer injustice or difficulties, they at least know where to kowtow and where to submit their petitions.

The "Proclamation of the Prince of Jingbei to Safeguard the People" was posted all over the streets and alleys, and literate teachers were surrounded by people, repeatedly reading and explaining it.

The slogans in the proclamation, "Purge the court of corrupt officials, punish the traitors, save the people, and secure the nation," were corroborated by the actual actions taken before them, such as "not looting grain, not killing people, distributing porridge, stabilizing prices, and catching bandits." This caused many people who were originally full of doubts or even hostility towards "Prince Jingbei" to begin to reconsider their views.

In particular, when several elderly Confucian scholars who were quite famous in the capital and had gone into seclusion due to their dissatisfaction with Zhao Chong were invited out by Han Lie with courtesy to consult on public sentiment and political affairs, and were treated with respect and courtesy, it caused quite a stir among scholars and the general public.

"It seems that this Prince Jingbei is not just a warrior who only knows how to kill..." Similar comments began to circulate in private.

Of course, the aftershocks of the chaos have not completely subsided.

Small groups of defeated soldiers are still hiding, unscrupulous merchants are still secretly speculating, the people still have doubts, and Zhao Chong's undercover agents may still be active.

The rebuilt order remains fragile; the enormous relief expenditures are a huge drain on the captured treasury; the old bureaucratic system that has been taken over is inefficient and may pose hidden dangers... problems pile up like mountains.

However, one undeniable fact remains: under the unquestionable royal decree of the Prince of Jingbei, under the strict enforcement of Han Lie, Chen Dao, and others, and under the iron discipline of the Hanyuan Army, the great city of Shenjing, which had just experienced a catastrophe, did not slide further into the abyss of hell. Instead, it stopped its collapse at an astonishing speed and restored the most basic order and vitality.

The streets were no longer deserted; wisps of smoke rose again from the chimneys, and the cries and screams of the night were replaced by the cold wind and the sound of the night watchman's clapper.

The numbness and despair on people's faces were gradually replaced by a cautious, post-disaster exhaustion, and an observation and expectation of a new situation.

All of this was clearly recorded by eyes from the south and from various forces, and transformed into urgent secret reports that flew in all directions.

Prince Jingbei, Xiao Chen, not only conquered Shenjing, but also governed it.

Moreover, his methods of governance stand in stark and brutal contrast to Zhao Chong's exorbitant taxes and his abandonment of the city and flight.

This victory, even more so than the ten major victories at Juma Plain, was more capable of shaking people's hearts and minds, and more effective in dismantling the remaining prestige of the old dynasty and consolidating the foundation of the new dynasty's rule on both moral and practical levels.

When the black wolf flag atop the capital city walls, bathed in the thin winter sunlight, reflected the sparse yet real smoke rising from the city's chimneys, it represented not only a military victory, but also the arrival of a new order and the budding of new hope.

And this is perhaps the power that Xiao Chen has shown after taking control of the capital without bloodshed, a power that terrifies his enemies and forces all discerning people in the world to seriously consider.

The foundation for establishing a dynasty begins with ensuring the well-being of its people.

The initial stability of Shenjing was like laying the first solid and heavy foundation stone under the giant ship rising in the north.

The next destination for the giant ship is already in sight.