Fifty thousand elite Qi troops were arrayed on the south bank of the Han River. The shelling that had lasted for several days on both sides had stopped. The army's phalanx was located in a safe area beyond the range of the artillery.
Emperor Guangde is about to arrive here for the final war mobilization, and the soldiers have been waiting by the river for more than an hour.
The weather is cold.
It was an early morning in the early winter of the seventh year in Guangde. The sky was overcast and the cold wind was blowing. The soldiers in black military uniforms felt like they were in a huge ice cellar.
Not everyone in the motionless cavalry queue froze or fell off their horses. However, the Qi army's military laws were strict and they had to keep their heads upright even if they could not move.
A blood-red sun emerged from the river in the east, and the cold earth seemed to suddenly have a hint of warmth. Three military orders suddenly sounded, and the black feathers on the top of the cavalry helmets rustled, like a flash of light in the cold night. Silk flame.
The horses snorted, and clouds of white mist emerged from their mouths and noses. The soldiers' faces were red from being suppressed by the collars of their helmets. Their hands and feet were cold, and their chests and backs seemed to be covered with ice. Fortunately, Emperor Guangde finally coming.
The soldiers saw the emperor coming from a distance. The horse under Emperor Guangde's crotch was burly and much taller than ordinary horses. He was holding a blunderbuss and holding the reins in one hand. His whole body was covered with medals, as dense as a layer of armor.
Liu Kan is majestic and heroic, he is here.
"Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"
The cavalry thrust their lances into the sky and let out deafening shouts.
The densely packed infantry made similar movements. After roaring three times, the entire south bank of the Han River seemed to be boiling, surrounded by a flowing black ocean.
Emperor Guangde was riding on a tall horse, his eyes slowly scanning the crowd. Compared with the last military parade, Liu Kan was obviously much older, and his temples were already covered with white hair. It was hard to believe that the emperor was only thirty this year.
Emperor Guangde raised his arms and waved at the soldiers. While reining in his horse in front of each battalion officer, he turned his face and looked at him from head to toe:
"Okay, Daqi guard, what's your name? Where are you from!"
"Wang Erchui! Your Majesty! A native of Xinxiang, Henan!" A battalion officer replied loudly, lifting his helmet to reveal a heroic face.
Emperor Guangde smiled and nodded: "Henan is good, and the people in Henan are honest."
Wang Erchui continued to add: "Your Majesty, I will lead 1,000 cavalry and 350 artillery to fight for Da Qi for 5 years."
"Wang Erchui, please return to the queue!" After Liu Kan said this, he rode up to the battalion officer of another infantry team.
"Guard of Daqi, who are you? Where are you from? How many soldiers are you in charge of?" He asked again.
"Fan Biao of Tieling City, Your Majesty! The last general has a thousand soldiers under his command!" Fan Biao had just taken off the mask on his helmet. He gave a standard military salute to Emperor Guangde and said loudly: "The last general also commands 2,000 cavalry. 7,000 infantry and 20 siege tanks. Thanks to the brave soldiers and the protection of His Majesty the Emperor, we defeated the rebels in Yunmeng and killed 20,000 of them!!"
"Well done, Tieling is a big city, maybe Daqi will make Tieling its capital in the future!"
"Fan Biao, let me ask you," Emperor Guangde looked back at Xiangyang City and asked, "If there are comrades you know in the city, such as the Fourth Corps under Qin Jianxun, and you meet your former brother Paoze when attacking the city, what will you do? How to do?"
Without thinking, Fan Biao roared angrily: "Return to your majesty, no matter who they are, as long as they dare to obstruct your majesty or betray Da Qi, the general and the entire army will kill them all!"
"good!"
Liu Kan nodded happily, stepped forward and patted Fan Biao on the shoulder, and told Li Juying, "These horses have lost weight. Give them more fodder."
The queue is endless and there is no end as far as the eye can see.
Emperor Guangde continued walking along the south bank of the Han River.
"Guard of Daqi, who are you? Where are you from? How confident are you in this battle?"
He asked again and again, his tone always rising and falling, and his voice was full of magnetism and contagion.
"Zeng Lifa from Taojiang, Hunan, is currently the battalion officer of the third battalion of the Second Corps. Your Majesty! Last month, General Mo led his two thousand soldiers and killed eight thousand rebels in Suixian County."
"Peach River? It has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and is rich in beauties!" Emperor Guangde's words caused a burst of laughter from the surrounding servants. The emperor turned to the great scholar Kang Jingxiu and ordered: "Give him a two-level promotion."
Kang Jingxiu lowered his voice: "Your Majesty, think twice. I heard that the third battalion massacred Suixian County. Only one thousand of the eight thousand people were rebels, and the rest were common people. I thought that not only would they not be rewarded, but they would also be severely punished... ·”
Emperor Guangde quickly interrupted: "How can there be no one who can't die in a war? I have always been known for my kindness, how can I do such a thing of killing generals in battle? Reward!"
Kang Jingxiu stopped talking and was angry.
Emperor Guangde continued to inspect his troops.
His mount suddenly stopped in front of a blond red-haired Yi officer.
"Then who are you? I thought there were no mercenaries left in Daqi."
Kang Guangxu, the Minister of Rites, urged the horses and was about to step forward to explain. The European officer with a big nose and blond hair in front of the queue had already spoken.
"Araldo of the Kingdom of Sweden, Duke of Armone..."
"Oh, yes, I remembered it." Emperor Guangde patted his forehead, "You are Araldo Amone who escorted the envoys back to Daqi from Europe and was imprisoned by his father. Later, he was naturalized in the Celestial Empire and joined the army. Duke?"
Kang Guangxu, who was standing nearby, was stunned.
Eight years ago, Duke Ammoné went to Daqi to discuss the marriage between the two countries. As a result, he was imprisoned by Emperor Guangde and was forced to have no choice but to renounce his Catholic faith and join the Qi army as a military adviser.
Liu Kan actually blamed this matter entirely on his father.
"Araldo is very capable. How have you been in Daqi these years? If you have any difficulties, please report them to the general manager in time..."
Emperor Guangde stretched out his big hand, tightly held the hairy hands of the Duke of Sweden, exchanged a few words, and hurriedly walked to the next queue.
~~~~~
"Yanzhou Wu Zhichong, 800 artillerymen, are all here, except those who died in action! Your Majesty, please review!"
"Wu Jie from Yueyang! Mo Yuedong from Taiyuan! Yu Buping from Fuzhou!"
At three o'clock in the morning, Emperor Guangde passed by the black queues. His eyes gradually lost focus, and the faces of the soldiers under the banner began to become blurry.
Auxiliary soldiers and civilians were already carrying water for cooking, and others were busy reinforcing tents. The position was filled with all kinds of noises. Craftsmen were hammering on shield carts and battering rams, preparing for the upcoming arrival. Make final preparations for the war.
"And you?"
Liu Kan came to a knight who was covered in blood and dirty.
The style of the armor was very old, and a leaping black dragon could be vaguely seen on the extremely thin black piping. The dragon's tail part disappeared and was smeared with blood. The blood had dried up. I don't know how much time had passed.
Although the armor was somewhat damaged, it was generally stitched quite tightly, and there was a black feather stuck on the helmet.
This is a style of armor that Emperor Guangde has never seen before.
Behind this black knight, Wuyangyang stood hundreds of equally mysterious cavalrymen.
Kang Jingxiu, the oldest among the retinue, had a look of horror on his face at this moment.
"Your Majesty, it will be the end," a ghostly voice came from the closed helmet, as if it was not the throat but the armor pieces that were vibrating, and there was a gentle echo.
