In Datong City, late autumn has arrived, and there are dry grass everywhere.
As an important border town, the gate of Datong facing the border is rarely opened except when there is war.
But today, as the sun rose, the heavy city gate was slowly pushed open with a rumbling sound.
The sun was high in the sky, and in front of the city gate, hundreds of civil servants and military generals wearing various colored robes were standing respectfully.
There are three people at the front, one of whom is wearing a military uniform and standing with a sword on the left side. Although his face is old, he is full of murderous aura. It is Dingxiang Hou Guo Deng, the chief military officer of Datong garrison.
Standing side by side with Guo Deng, in the middle, is an old man with gray hair and a crimson robe. Although he is wearing a civilian robe, his bearing and majesty are not inferior to Guo Deng's. This person is naturally the governor of the Shaobao Military Department. Minister of Military Affairs Yu Qian.
In fact, if you observe carefully, you can see that although the two of them seem to be standing side by side, in fact, Guo Deng is half a step behind.
Standing on the right, also wearing a scarlet robe, but one step behind, is Li Xian, the Minister of Rites newly dispatched by the imperial court.
He has the same name and surname as Feng Guogong, a new noble in the imperial court, but this one is from a pure civil servant background.
When the news of the Emperor's return to the south reached the capital, the Ministry of Rites naturally took action immediately and began to prepare for various rituals.
At the same time, the imperial court also sent officials to greet him and be responsible for the reception. This is what it should be.
According to the route planned by the imperial court for the Supreme Emperor, from Datong to the capital, the Supreme Emperor would stay in Datong for one day, Xuanfu for two days, and Juyongguan for one day.
Therefore, these three palaces need to be presided over by ministers.
Although there was Yu Qian in Datong, he was the governor of military affairs after all and was not specifically responsible for this matter, so the court sent another minister.
The only reason why Li Xian came was that he was one of the few civil servants who survived the Civil War.
Of course, he is also an old minister of the Supreme Emperor...
Behind the three people, there were people wearing military uniforms and official robes, from Fei to Qing, in an orderly manner. All officials of high rank in Datong City were here.
Hundreds of officials lined up to block the entire city gate, but it didn't stop there.
On both sides of this queue, there were more officers and soldiers.
Countless officers and soldiers in armor spread out like wild goose wings with the city gate as the center, spreading out in a mighty manner.
These two "goose wings" kept moving forward, stretching out nearly 500 steps, forming a large pocket.
The middle is empty, leaving a mouth in front and surrounded by soldiers on three sides.
The bright sun is in the sky and the autumn wind is lonely.
It was in this withered yellow ground that a black spot grew from small to large on the distant horizon.
It was a long team, with two to three hundred people. At the front were officials from the Ming Dynasty who were also wearing scarlet robes, and were followed by obviously well-trained escorts.
In the middle of the whole team was a luxurious bright yellow carriage, which was tightly surrounded and rushed all the way to Datong.
The ministers at the city gate suddenly became agitated, and everyone became energetic.
Only Yu Qian and the other three people at the front looked at the approaching car with extremely complicated expressions.
After about a stick of incense, the entire team finally arrived at the front of Datong City.
The leaders Zhu Jian, Li Shi and Luo Qi saw Yu Qian and Guo Deng waiting for them, and they didn't dare to tell them anything.
He turned over and dismounted, cupped his hands and said, "I have seen Yu Shaobao and General Guo. This act welcomes the Emperor's return to the court. Fortunately, we will live up to our orders."
Although Zhu Jian holds the title of Yushi of Youdu, he is not as good as Yu Qian in terms of rank, real power, reputation and qualifications.
Therefore, as the well-deserved person in charge present, Yu Qian accepted their courtesy generously and nodded.
"This trip has been difficult. Fortunately, you have lived up to the emperor's orders. Your Majesty will definitely reward you when you return to the capital. Can the Supreme Emperor be in the carriage?"
Zhu Jian and others naturally knew what was a big deal, so they stepped aside without saying much and said, "This is natural."
Following their side steps, the entire envoy team spread out to both sides. The bright yellow carriage moved forward leisurely and stopped at the front of the team.
Then, the curtain on the carriage opened, and a long-lost face appeared in front of everyone.
Seeing this face again after a year, Yu Qian was filled with emotions, but his movements did not stop at all. With Guo Deng and Li Xian, the three of them took two steps forward and fell to the ground with a sound like Hong Zhong.
"Yu Qian, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Guo Deng, the chief military officer of Datong, and Li Xian, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, pay homage to the Supreme Emperor."
At the same time, hundreds of officials behind them also knelt down and shouted in unison.
"Welcome to the Emperor to return to the court."
Its sound was as loud as smoke, echoing across the vast wilderness, which was extremely shocking.
Among the carriages, Zhu Qizhen was wearing a light blue robe with dragon patterns over the shoulders. He looked at the long-lost Datong City and the Ming Dynasty officials kneeling on the ground, and his mood was not calm.
He had seen this kind of scene countless times in his past life.
Even scenes that were even more spectacular and shocking than this one were something he had become accustomed to and felt that they should be like this.
However, in just one year, time passed by, and when he saw this kind of scene again, he was no longer the Zhu Qizhen of yesterday.
After a long time, a voice trying to control came from the carriage, saying.
"Flat body."
As a result, the ministers who were kneeling in front of the city gate stood up, but most of them still stood with their heads bowed.
Only Yu Qian and the other two looked up at the long-lost king.
However, their expressions are different.
Guo Deng was happy with a hint of guilt, while Yu Qian was as calm as a sigh of relief. As for Li Xian, he was already in tears.
He took a few steps forward and almost fell to his knees again: "Your Majesty, I...
Of all the people present, he was the only minister who survived the Northern Expedition.
At that time, although he was only a doctor in the literary selection department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he was probably one of the upstarts that Zhu Qizhen relied heavily on.
Although he survived the civil war, his official career was almost cut off and he was sent to Honglu Temple to be a small temple minister.
If it weren't for the return of the Supreme Emperor and the need for an orthodox old minister to come forward, he would not have been promoted temporarily.
Therefore, among so many people, he was the most excited to see the Supreme Emperor.
However, as soon as he took two steps forward and before he could kneel down, two people who looked like guards rushed out from around the carriage, holding scimitars and blocking the front of the carriage, with evil expressions on their faces.
One of them said in blunt Chinese.
"Talk from a distance, don't come near!"
Li Xian stopped abruptly and frowned.
Mongol?
Although he had been in the capital for a long time, he could tell at a glance that these two people were not Han Chinese.
Taking a closer look, I saw around the carriage, there were many Mongolians with scimitars on their waists and vigilant expressions like these two men. Adding up, after passing more than twenty of them, I saw that they were well-trained and strong soldiers. .
As a result, Li Xian's expression suddenly changed and he said in a deep voice.
"Who dare to stop me from meeting the Supreme Emperor?"
The two people who stopped Li Xian were not afraid at all, but with a hint of arrogance. They were the same men who had just spoken, and spoke again.
"We are the personal troops of the Grand Master. We are ordered by the Grand Master to escort His Majesty the Supreme Emperor back to the Ming Dynasty's capital court."
As he spoke, he tightened the scimitar in his hand, still facing Li Xian, and repeated what he just said.
"If you want to pay homage, you must speak from a distance and not come near!"
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