"Grandpa, Madam, we are here."
Shen Shiqi jumped out of the car, opened the small door at the back of the carriage, and reached out to help Liu Taigong and Wu Zetian get out of the car.
Wu Zetian raised her head and looked up at the sky for the first time in this life:
It was a sunny early autumn afternoon, the sky was blue, the sun was shining directly on her body, and it was a little hot, which made her feel very at ease.
Behind her was the Chu army camp, and in front of her was the Han army, with flags and horns blaring. She supported Taigong Liu, followed Shen Shiqi, and walked towards Liu Ji step by step.
Following them were Lu Fei's second brother Lu Shizhi, his younger sister Lu Yu, and the family members of a group of senior generals of the Han army.
This group of people supported the old and the weak, and suffered from various injuries. They were already walking slowly. Moreover, they were always worried about the changes in Chu's army, and their hearts were tense. They stumbled even more and looked embarrassed.
No one noticed that Wu Zetian was shrinking in her left hand in her sleeve, still holding tightly a bamboo whip she had just picked up from the car.
***
Seeing their grandfather and mother who had been separated for a long time, Liu Fei and Liu Ying jumped for joy. Without waiting for their father to say anything, they ran towards Wu Zetian like a runaway pony.
She took a few steps forward, opened her arms, and felt the two children crashing into her arms. She kept calling "Mother" in her mouth.
Wu Zetian's eyes were red and her vision was a little blurry. She raised her head to look at Taigong Liu and found that Liu Jizheng was holding him up, crying.
Looking behind them, the faces of the rows of ordinary Han soldiers, in addition to joy, also showed sadness, anger and sadness.
Yes, since Liu Ji's uprising in Peixian County, wars have been raging all over the world. Soldiers have left their hometowns to fight for eight years. Who doesn't care about their parents, wives and children at home, and who doesn't want to earn more military honors and return home as soon as possible.
Witnessing the happy scene of the King of Han's family reunion, he naturally felt his own feelings and felt sad.
Thinking of this, Wu Zetian touched the whip in her sleeve, and her heart moved.
This whip was originally secretly hidden by her to prepare for the Chu army's deception during the hostage handover process, but she never expected that it would be put to a new use.
Liu Ji lifted up his sleeves and wiped his tears, walked towards her, and said,
"Madam, I have thanked you for all these years."
Wu Zetian nodded slightly and whispered,
"Today's opportunity cannot be missed. I have a plan that can calm the resentment of the soldiers and win their hearts. I hope the King of Han will make it happen."
Liu Jishang was puzzled. He saw Wu Zetian take two steps back hurriedly, pulled out a bamboo whip from her sleeve, raised the whip with her hand, and struck hard at the corner of his robe.
***
Everyone was shocked, and there was silence among the tens of thousands of people.
Wu Zetian raised her head and said loudly,
“This whip is for the casualties of the Battle of Pengcheng.
Although victory or defeat is a common thing for military officers, after my king entered Pengcheng, he accepted bribes from beautiful women and made him lie down with wine. He forgot about it. As a result, the Chu people succeeded in their attack, and nearly one hundred thousand of our army died.
This is the fault of a sincere king. "
The Battle of Pengcheng was the biggest defeat since Liu Ji launched his army. After entering Pengcheng, he enjoyed himself and underestimated the enemy, causing the 600,000-strong coalition army to be defeated by the mere 30,000 Chu troops under Xiang Yu's command. Countless people died in battle.
If this account is not settled, even if everyone does not say anything, they will definitely not be convinced in their hearts.
Liu Ji opened his mouth in astonishment, but in just a moment, he reacted, turned around and faced the direction of the Han army, and said loudly with a straight face,
"The fault of past defeats was my fault alone, and I am willing to be punished!"
Before he finished speaking, the second whip fell, and the hem of his scarlet brocade robe shattered and flew up, wrapped in the tip of the whip, like a ball of ashes unable to cope with his strength.
"This whip is for the officers and soldiers of the Guandong princes.
All the soldiers followed the King of Han into the Pass, attacked the city, and fought through thorns and thorns for several years, but my king never received any reward. "
At this time, Zhang Liang, Wang Ling and other close officials who were about to rush forward to stop Wu Zetian had realized this and stood by to watch, with uncontrollable shock on their faces.
Liu Ji understood the idea and immediately said loudly,
"Any prince who is in the army will be given a rank of knighthood!"
The third whip came down in response.
"This whip is for the folks in Peixian County.
Three thousand children from Peixian County have been away with you for several years. The elders in their hometown are trapped in the hinterland of Chu State, where they are often bullied and suffer unspeakably. "
Liu Jilue pondered for a moment and then said,
"I have failed the elders of Pei County. Any family that has been bullied by the Chu army will be buried! Be given a title! Be given a farm and a house!"
Thousands of troops and horses, with thunderous shouts.
Liu Jichong winked at Wu Zetian, then stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and said he would stop if he agreed.
"I am very relieved that Queen Lu Pheasant can confront my mistakes. I hope that Queen will always keep this heart and not change her mind."
Wu Zetian threw the whip to the ground, thinking, this is right, this is the Lu Pheasant she wants to be.
Later, regarding these earth-shattering three whips, the historian recorded this -
"Lv Zhoushu: The Chronicles of Emperor Shengshenzhao" says,
"Four years ago, when I returned from Chu to Han, I whipped my great ancestor three times to prick his faults. The great ancestor commended him for his bravery and his kindness, so he made an alliance with his descendants and granted him a burial, a title, and a land and house. Everyone in the army shouted long live. "
***
Amidst the shouts of the soldiers, Liu Ji looked like a smile but said in a low voice,
"How about it? I've given you enough face by doing good things, right?"
Lu Pheasant turned his head, stared at his husband's face, smiled slightly, and said calmly,
"You clearly know that I am not doing this for my own sake.
In the same group of hostages as me, in addition to my own family members such as your father, your two brothers and my sister, there are also many family members of the generals.
Even if your family doesn't care, you still owe them an explanation. "
"I know, I know, that's why I asked you to whip them three times in public. It was enough to calm them down, hehe."
Liu Ji's tone was so relaxed and dismissive that after speaking, he actually laughed at himself,
"I thought you were angry because I kicked our child out of the carriage."
"Oh, that thing, I don't blame you. If you do it again, you will still do this or that."
Lu Pheasant said briefly, carefully broke away from Liu Ji's hand, walked to the two young men who were frightened by the incident just now, gently held their shoulders, and walked towards Guangwu City together.
Liu Ji was stunned for a while, feeling that there seemed to be something different about this lady he had not seen for many years.
***
Unknowingly, Liu Ji's eldest son Liu Fei turned seventeen. He was not tall and had a harmless round face, but in his childishness, he already looked like an adult.
Liu Fei came to the army from his hometown in the past few years. He followed his father on expeditions here and there. He had won and suffered defeats, and he also knew some tactics and tactics.
As he walked together, he whispered to Lu Pheasant,
"My mother just stood in front of the tens of thousands of troops and won the hearts of my father. She was really like a general."
Although Liu Fei and Lu Fei are not related by blood, he has been helped by her to work day and night for many years and take care of the daily life of the family. He respects and is grateful to this resolute stepmother, and sometimes is a little in awe.
"Oh, you have actually realized this level? Thanks to these years of experience in the military, our Ah Da has made a lot of progress." Lu Pheasant said with a smile.
"Yes, mother, when I was young in my hometown in Fengyi, I could only help you with some farm work. Now that I have learned how to ride and shoot, I can help my father in battle to kill the enemy."
"What do you mean, brother? Is it right for my mother to whip my father?"
Liu Ying, who was only seven years old, was still naive and asked confusedly.
"You are already the prince, so you should understand these things. It's okay. I'll tell you slowly in the evening when I get back to the city."
Liu Fei lowered his head and said patiently to Liu Ying.
When he heard the word "prince", Lu Fei's eyes flashed and he quickly glanced at Liu Fei's face.
This is a deep-rooted memory from her previous life, and it is a training she has carried out every day throughout her life. She knows that no matter how well people hide their desire for power, there will always be clues that reveal flaws.
But Liu Fei's expression was as usual, his baby face was calm.
Historically, Liu Fei was the eldest son of Liu Ji's illegitimate son. He had a sensitive and special status, but he was always a fair-weather prince who had no fights with the world.
Perhaps, it was precisely because of his wisdom in protecting himself that he earned a happy and happy death for himself.
Or perhaps, he has been waiting, but he was just unlucky and did not wait for the opportunity to show his ambition.
"By the way, does mother know that over the years, my father has had several ladies by his side?"
Liu Fei asked suddenly, interrupting Lu Pheasant's thoughts.
"Oh, I probably heard about it a little bit.
As the king of Han, your father had a large number of wives and concubines, which was normal. "
Lu Pheasant seemed to know what he wanted to say, and his tone was calm.
Liu Fei lowered his head, not meeting Lu Zhi's eyes, and kicked a pebble at his feet far away.
"There is a Mrs. Qi from Dingtao who is very special. My mother will understand when she sees her in the future."
