Tens of thousands of people gathered in the open and wide area between Baishui and Chunmingmen in silence. There was no breeze to caress the drizzle, and the steady and majestic hoofbeats of the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" were like war drums, trampling on everyone's hearts. , which is unspeakably depressing and unbearable.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the array of "Black Armor Cavalry" guarding the slowly moving huge carriage pulled by six pure black horses. The large carriage was covered with thick felt cloth. Even if there are a few air holes, the situation inside cannot be seen clearly. Everyone knows that it must be His Majesty's coffin.
This heroic and talented hero fell like a comet after the destruction of Goguryeo. Today he finally returned to Chang'an, the imperial capital, and will be buried together with Empress Wende in the Jiuwei Mountain Mausoleum. This passage is destined to shine in the history books. The glorious and prosperous years of war and war will also come to an end.
Like those heroes in history, His Majesty Li Er received the utmost support from the people of the Tang Dynasty. Everyone hoped that he could live a long life, lead the Tang Dynasty to an unprecedented height, and create an unprecedented prosperous age. .
Countless soldiers and generals knelt on one knee in the mud, unable to hold back the sadness in their hearts. These arrogant generals who were rampant in the world and subdued the barbarians who regarded death as life, choked and sobbed at this moment, and burst into tears.
The wind and clouds are changing, and the world is sad.
On the other side, the people in the East Palace who successfully occupied the honor and righteousness after shouting "Welcome to the Holy Emperor" expected that Li Ji might be forced to stop the war under pressure, but they did not expect that Li Ji would be so decisive and straightforward. Rows of soldiers and horses kneeling on one knee radiated out to the surroundings for loyalty, causing the East Palace army to temporarily lose their voice.
A war that was very likely to poison Chang'an, bring chaos to Guanzhong, and make the Eastern Palace face a catastrophic disaster. The entire Eastern Expedition army headed by Li Ji disintegrated and disappeared amidst the shouts of "Welcome to the Holy Emperor." Almost everyone was overjoyed. .
Then, they saw the huge carriage escorted by the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" slowly coming from the head of the Lashui Bridge, passing between the kneeling and dormant troops, which was particularly eye-catching.
The cavalry stepped on the ground neatly, and the copper bells on the necks of the war horses "clacked". In the drizzle, it seemed like a messenger from the underworld. Wherever they went, there was a whimper...
Everyone in the East Palace understood that this meant that Li Ji had allowed the prince to "respectfully welcome the Holy Emperor", but the majestic figure of the past was no longer there, and what was welcomed back was the fallen body.
Led by the prince, a group of civil servants and generals in the East Palace dismounted their horses almost simultaneously and knelt down in the muddy water...
The "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" escorted the huge carriage through the army. When it arrived in front of Li Ji, it finally stopped slowly, and the surrounding areas were silent for a while.
Li Ji knelt on one knee in the mud, not daring to raise his head. He just shouted once again in a deep voice: "My lord, welcome the Holy Master!"
This time, no one wanted to make peace.
Wang Shoushi stood in the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" formation, turned over and dismounted, his robe had fallen into mud and water and was washed away by the rain, and he was already in a state of embarrassment. At this moment, he ignored the attention of everyone, came to the carriage, stepped on the coachman's shoulders and got on the carriage. , and pulled off the huge piece of felt covering the carriage...
Everyone held their breath and stared at the carriage. As the felt cloth was opened, there was no coffin as expected, but a huge and gorgeously decorated carriage.
Everyone was stunned.
It took more than half a year to walk back to Chang'an from Liaodong. Apart from the fact that it was located in Liaodong and it was a severe winter, it was a bit better. Later, the spring warmed up and it became civilized, so it was extremely difficult to preserve the body. Qin Shihuang died violently in the Sand Dune Palace during his eastward tour. The body had already rotted before it was transported back to Xianyang. In order to deceive people, he had to fill it with abalone to cover up its smell... Now that there is a method of making ice with saltpeter, even in the middle of summer At this time, a large amount of ice cubes can also be produced, which can be used inexhaustibly. Filling the inside and outside of the coffin with ice cubes may greatly reduce the degree of decomposition of the body.
Even so, it cannot remain the same for as long as half a year. If the body is just placed in the carriage casually like this, I am afraid that it will have rotted away and only a pile of bones will be left...
The atmosphere of sadness is becoming more and more intense. After death, the majestic British leader and emperor of the Tang Dynasty has traveled thousands of miles and has not been able to be laid to rest. Even his face and complete body cannot be shown in the ancestral temple. How tragic?
This is a shame for all Dongzheng soldiers, and everyone feels deeply guilty.
Wang Shoushi opened the felt cloth, took a step back and stood at the shaft of the carriage, bowed his body, and shouted again: "Slave, please welcome the Holy Driver!"
The surrounding soldiers were in a daze. Logically speaking, His Majesty's body should be transported back to the city as soon as possible at this time and kept in the Ancestral Temple. When all the national funeral arrangements are ready, a state funeral can be held and His Majesty can be laid to rest as quickly as possible... The emperor's chamberlain, Wang Shoushi, shouted "Welcome to the Holy Master" again at this time, which was not only meaningless, but even unnecessary.
Why is this?
Then, in the midst of everyone's confused gazes, a stalwart and familiar figure stooped out of the carriage, his legs slightly apart, his hands stroking the jade belt around his waist, standing on the shaft of the carriage with his arms akimbo, wearing bright armor. The film is sonorous, the benevolent crown is on the head, the sword eyebrows are flying, the eyes are like lightning, and the gaze is awe-inspiring...
Everyone was dumbfounded as if they were struck by thunder. Who else could this man who stood tall on the carriage and arrogantly look down on others if not His Majesty Li Er?
The surrounding soldiers were shaken and almost thought they had seen a ghost...
After all, since the withdrawal of troops from Liaodong, news about His Majesty's death has spread among the army. At first, many people were suspicious. However, during the march, the place where His Majesty was stationed was heavily guarded by "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry", except that Li Ji could enter and exit. Even Cheng Yaojin, Yu Chigong and other Zhenguan ministers and military leaders were not allowed to enter. After repeated visits, everyone recognized the fact of His Majesty's death and believed that Li Ji concealed the news of His Majesty's death in order to stabilize the morale of the army.
Li Ji never deliberately clarified this.
Slowly, the entire empire believed that His Majesty Li Er had died in the Liaodong Army, but who would have thought that His Majesty Li Er was now standing in front of everyone in full force?
Wang Shoushi stood bowed behind His Majesty Li Er, condescendingly taking in everyone's expressions, and then said in a sharp voice: "Get off and go back to the palace!"
The coachman sat on the side of the carriage shaft, flicked his whip, and the six horses driving the carriage moved forward slowly, with the "Black Armor Cavalry" still guarding the left and right.
It was only at this moment that the surrounding soldiers believed that His Majesty was indeed still alive and had not died in the Liaodong Army... Naturally, what followed was ecstasy.
The support for His Majesty Li Er has reached its peak in the entire Tang Dynasty. How sad and sorrowful they were before, they are now so ecstatic!
The nearest generals felt as if a fire had been ignited in their bodies that had been soaked by the cold rain, and their blood was boiling. They could only vent their ecstasy by holding their necks and shouting: "My Emperor, may you live forever!" "
The carriage passed in front of Li Ji, and the mud and water splashed by the wheels splashed on Li Ji. His Majesty Li Er, who was standing on the shaft of the carriage, only glanced at it lightly, then raised his head, looked around at the soldiers and generals in all directions with a smile, and raised his hands to greet him. Congratulations and received more and more feedback from soldiers.
"Your Majesty, may you live forever!"
"Longevity without borders!"
The news that "Your Majesty is not dead" spread from the front to the distance. The soldiers behind who could not see His Majesty Li Er's face were overjoyed when they heard the news. Everyone shouted "Longevity without Borders" at the top of their lungs. All the Eastern Expedition troops It was as warm and surging as a pot of boiling water, expressing my inner love for His Majesty Li Er.
First there were thousands of people, then tens of thousands, and finally more than 100,000 people. The voices of "Longevity without Borders" came and went one after another, rolling and stirring between heaven and earth like rolling thunder, so that the situation changed!
Li Ji's expression remained unchanged. He waited until the carriage passed in front of him, then stood up. Regardless of the muddy water splashing on his body, he got on his horse and followed the carriage silently.
…
When the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" stopped moving forward, it was unknown what happened in the East Palace. The distance between the two was a bit far, and even those with very good eyesight could only see a hazy, unreal view.
It was not until later that the cry of "Longevity without Borders" swept across the countryside bit by bit, and the cheers of the more than 100,000 Eastern Expedition troops who crossed the Ba River resounded through the sky and covered the earth, then their expressions changed in horror.
There was no time to think about what happened. All the troops in the East Palace got on their horses and stood ready. The imperial guards stepped forward and surrounded Li Chengqian in the middle. As soon as the situation was slightly wrong, they immediately retreated to avoid the enemy's edge.
Previously, Li Ji dismounted and knelt down and shouted "Welcome to the Holy Emperor". Everyone thought that Li Ji had given up the idea of competing in Chang'an and was just waiting to transport His Majesty's body back to Chang'an. After the state funeral, the prince naturally ascended the throne. The chaos caused by the Guanlong Rebellion has come to an end, and the Tang Empire will enter a new era.
But who would have thought that at this moment, a sudden change would occur.
It wasn't until the scouts from the former army risked their lives to get a closer look and saw His Majesty Li Er standing majestically on the carriage shaft against the gentle breeze and drizzle that he crawled back to Li Chengqian's horse and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is back. Got it!"
For a moment, the East Palace camp was silent, and the collective was shocked and speechless.
Then, there was an uproar...
Li Chengqian, who thought he had experienced the Guanlong Mutiny and remained calm despite the collapse of Mount Tai, was so shocked that he lost control of his facial muscles. He opened his mouth and squirmed silently for a few times until the muscle spasm on his face disappeared. Then he exclaimed: "How is it possible?"
How could my father not be dead?
At the beginning of the Guanlong Rebellion, the East Palace resisted hastily and was in danger of overthrowing at any time, which led to the demise of the Zhengshuo Empire and the power of the imperial court. The Eastern Expedition army had already withdrawn from Liaodong but had not returned. It sat back and watched the chaos in Chang'an and the East Palace in danger. At first, I thought it was Li Ji who was ambitious and rebellious. But if his father was still alive and had been following the army, what Li Ji had done Everything you do must naturally obey the emperor's orders...
Li Chengqian swayed on his horse, his face turned pale and bloodless.
(End of chapter)
