I embezzled 100,000 taels at the beginning, and the empress begged me to be more greedy

Jiankang City.

The thirteenth day of the Yan army’s occupation.

The residence of the former Crown Prince Xiao Nian is still heavily guarded by Yan troops. No one can approach this mansion except with Jiang Zuo's permission.

Today, Jiang Zuo came in person, ready to meet Xiao Nian.

As soon as I arrived at the gate of the mansion, I happened to meet a person walking out.

This person is Zhou Bailin.

"Minister Zhou, what a coincidence?"

Jiang Zuo smiled faintly and looked into Zhou Bailin's eyes.

Zhou Bailin's face flashed with a hint of nervousness, and he leaned forward and said, "Hello, Lord Jiang. I just came to visit the Queen..."

He suddenly stopped, not knowing whether he should still call Xiao Nian the prince.

"The prince, right? I just happened to be coming to see him."

Jiang Zuo, however, was quite indifferent.

Zhou Bailin bowed and said, "Then I will not disturb you, Lord Jiang."

"Wait a moment." Jiang Zuo stopped him and said, "What do you think about the matter I talked to you about earlier?"

Zhou Bolin stopped and looked puzzled: "I wonder which one Lord Jiang is talking about?"

Jiang Zuo said: "You are also a talent, are you willing to work for the State of Yan?"

Hearing this, Zhou Bailin was slightly stunned, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "As an old minister of the State of Chen, I am really not qualified to serve the State of Yan. Thank you Lord Jiang for your appreciation."

When Zhou Bailin opened the city and surrendered to the Yan army, he went through a lot of psychological struggle. Now it is really difficult for him to serve the Yan State.

Jiang Zuo said: "But don't worry, you will soon become a citizen of Yan."

Since the Yan army occupied Jiankang City, they have begun to count the household registration and prepare to distribute Yan household registration to everyone in Jiankang City.

It was an inevitable trend for the State of Yan to annex the area around Jiankang City and even the entire former territory of the State of Chen.

Zhou Bailin bowed again and said, "I'll take my leave first."

He didn't want to discuss this with Jiang Zuo, and deep down, Zhou Bailin only wanted to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Jiang Zuo looked at Zhou Bailin's departing figure, smiled faintly, and then stepped into the mansion.

There was a person standing in the courtyard.

Xiao Nian has been locked up in this mansion for nearly half a month and is not allowed to go out.

His heart also became more negative, and he often thought about committing suicide. But when he thought about Chen Guozhi's current situation, he suddenly felt a little reluctant.

The sound of footsteps behind him interrupted Xiao Nian's thoughts. He slowly turned his head and saw Jiang Zuo coming.

"Your Highness, what do you think of the previous matter?"

As soon as he arrived in front of Xiao Nian, Jiang Zuo went straight to the point.

What he was asking about was to let Xiao Nian come forward and persuade other resistance forces to surrender in order to stabilize the people's hearts in the entire Chen Kingdom's former territory. If Xiao Nian really did this, it would definitely consolidate Yan Kingdom's rule in the Chen Kingdom's former territory.

But it was obvious that Xiao Nian didn't want to. He shook his head and said, "You don't need to ask me these questions anymore. I am just a prisoner now and I can't help you."

"If you agree to our request, the royal family of the Chen Kingdom can still get a fiefdom and live out their lives in peace and stability. We guarantee that your generations will be safe and sound."

Jiang Zuo assured.

"I have no interest in any of this."

Xiao Nian still refused.

If Jiang Zuo's request was agreed to, it would mean that the royal family of Chen would give up resistance.

Although Xiao Nian surrendered, he did not want other members of the royal family to submit to the State of Yan. Only by retaining the spark of resistance could the State of Chen have hope of restoration.

Jiang Zuo said: "The 100,000-man army of King Liang that you were expecting has now withdrawn to the southwest. Now most of the Chen State has surrendered to the Yan State. Why don't you consider the other people and end this war as soon as possible."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing the news that King Liang had withdrawn his troops, a hint of uneasiness flashed in Xiao Nian's eyes.

Could it be that the King of Liang, whom he had placed high hopes on, was also unable to resist the Yan army?

The speed of the Yan army's actions was beyond Xiao Nian's expectations.

"Do you regret bringing our Yan army into the city? Do you feel like you were inviting a wolf into your house?"

Jiang Zuo looked straight at Xiao Nian's slightly tired face.

Xiao Nian hesitated for a moment, then put away his thoughts and said, "As long as you can govern this place well and the people live and work in peace, I have nothing to regret. If the State of Chen is still controlled by those treacherous people, who knows how many people will die before these disasters can be quelled."

In Xiao Nian's opinion, the reason why he surrendered to the State of Yan was only for the sake of the people of the world.

But deep down in his heart, he had also felt regretful.

If the defenders had not been allowed to surrender to the Yan army at that time, would the Yan army have been able to capture Jiankang City?

But if he had not surrendered to the Yan army, he might have been killed by the prime minister's party and would never have escaped from the capital.

Jiang Zuo said: "You can rest assured about this. The people of Jiankang City are very happy to become the new citizens of Yan. Now that the war has basically subsided, the destruction of Chen State is a foregone conclusion. You don't have to think about restoring your country."

"If that's the case, then you Yan people will definitely kill me later, right?"

Xiao Nian said slightly pessimistically.

Now, as the Crown Prince of Chen, he is no longer of any use to the State of Yan.

The fall of a dynasty also meant that all its royal family members would be killed, and Xiao Nian was very clear about this.

Jiang Zuo shook his head: "We are not that kind of people. Not only will we not kill you, but we will also treat you well."

Xiao Nian naturally didn't believe these words. He smiled helplessly and said, "It doesn't matter how you treat me, as long as you treat the surrendered Chen army soldiers well."

Jiang Zuo said calmly: "Those in the Chen army who are willing to stay have already joined our Yan army, and those who are unwilling to stay have been dismissed. We did not make things difficult for any of the surrendered soldiers."

Among them, most people have already returned to their hometowns, and some of them even went to Jiangzhou City or other places on the recommendation of Jiang Zuo.

After all, these military soldiers are perfect labor force and can perfectly fill the labor vacancies caused by the battlefield.

"Once you have thought it through, we will let you go. That's it."

Jiang Zuo said this and then left the mansion.

At this moment, the streets of Jiankang City were extremely busy.

"Everyone line up and register to receive your Yan State household registration."

Someone was heard shouting.

People in the Yan State government had already started some administrative work.

Those who were indignant about resisting the State of Yan a few days ago have now joined this team. Everyone knows that the so-called resistance is over and that the State of Yan is about to annex the entire State of Chen. This is an established fact.

"After getting the household registration, you can also go to the granary to get a bag of rice."

After hearing these words, the people of Jiankang City became even more enthusiastic.

It seemed that the fall of the State of Chen had no effect at all on these lower-class people.

It doesn't matter who is the ruler, they will support whoever wins...