The woman in gorgeous clothes glanced at the people around her and saw very keenly that Xu Youchang's armor accessories were the highest ranking here.
She smiled slightly and said to Xu Youchang in raw Shengtang language: "I am - the Lion King of the Golden Desert, the conqueror of the Western Continent, the light of the vast sea, the Holy Lord Khan of the Turkic Empire - the daughter of Ashina Zhijin, Princess Yingyang Hesijia!"
As soon as these words came out, the soldiers of Shengtang including Xu Changyou were shocked. The other party's demeanor, clothing and words all reveal a kind of supreme dignity, which makes people dare not feel the slightest insult.
Everyone suddenly became a little embarrassed and nervous, and some were even considering whether to salute the princess.
Only Li Jiangyao, with a faint light shining in his eyes, had already grasped the handle of the knife. Because he had recognized the other party at this time, it was the woman in black robe who robbed the Shengtang caravan and slipped away from him!
Xu Youchang came to his senses at this time and stepped forward and said loudly: "Last general...oh no, I am Xu Youchang, the captain of the Holy Tang Xuanjia Corps. I have met Her Royal Highness."
Hesijia nodded slightly: "General Xu, although this is a battlefield, and you and I are having a fierce battle. However, I am still qualified to demand the respect and courtesy that a royal family of a country deserves."
Her words were neither condescending nor arrogant. Although her tone was gentle, it contained a condescending and unquestionable feeling.
Xu Youchang quickly responded solemnly: "Please rest assured, Your Highness, our Xuanjia Army is a benevolent and righteous army with strict military discipline. Although the two countries are at war, we will never offend Your Highness."
Hesijia smiled and said, "Thank you for your generosity, General. I once heard from my tribe that the Xuanjia Legion is the most powerful force in the Holy Tang Dynasty. When I saw it today, it was indeed well-deserved. General Xu is so majestic and heroic that he must be famous in China." heroic figure."
Being so praised by the dignified princess of the Turkic Empire, Xu Youchang suddenly felt that his bones were two pounds lighter, and he quickly said humbly: "Hahaha, your highness the princess is ridiculous. The last general is just an ordinary member of the Xuanjia Legion, with no name."
Hesijia seemed to have long been used to men acting stupidly in front of her, so she didn't react much. She pointed behind her and said, "General Xu, this maid of mine..."
Xu Youchang: "Your Highness, don't worry. Since this girl is serving the emperor, she should be treated with courtesy. I can let her stay with you."
Seeing Xu Youchang's cooperation, Hesijia felt a little happy and couldn't help but said a few words of compliments and thanks. Xu Youchang was very happy to hear this, and deliberately pretended to be wise and mighty, and began to chat with the Turkic princess.
Li Jiangyao waited beside him for a long time. Seeing the two people chatting more and more passionately, he couldn't help but poke Xu Youchang in the waist with the handle of the Xingluo knife: "I said you two think I am a dead person?"
Hesijia couldn't help but be stunned when she saw this, and looked at the half-clothed young man in surprise. Suddenly, her body trembled slightly, and she obviously remembered who the other person was.
Xu Youchang smiled sheepishly and quickly pointed at Li Jiangyao and introduced to Hesijia: "Your Highness, this is my close friend Li Jiangyao, the captain of the Zhenjiang Protectorate. Brother, why don't you quickly pay your respects to His Highness?"
"I'm sorry to see you, you big-headed devil!" Li Jiangyao rolled his eyes at him dissatisfied, turned to Hesijia and sneered: "How about it, do you still recognize me?"
Hesijia had already put away her charming smile at this time, stared at Li Jiangyao with bright eyes, and asked without answering: "Pegasus Scout?"
Li Jiangyao also stared at Hesijia without giving up: "Yes, Pegasus Scout, what advice do you have?"
The Turkic princess did not answer, but carefully looked at Li Jiangyao's injuries. After a moment of silence, she suddenly raised her right hand unexpectedly, held it lightly on her chest, and bowed to Li Jiangyao in accordance with Turkic etiquette.
Everyone around was shocked when they saw this, only to hear Hesijia solemnly say: "In the Chechi battle a few days ago, we, the Turkic Blood Wolf, used the advantage of our cavalry to attack the infantry position of the Protectorate sixteen times, but we were still unable to break the formation and win. We had no choice. Only the best of the main force was used, which ultimately led to the defeat. Turks respect heroes the most, so you are qualified to accept my greetings."
Li Jiangyao responded calmly: "Okay, then I will accept a courtesy from you on behalf of the brothers." After saying that, he hung the star and dropped the knife upside down, and also raised his hand towards Hesijia.
The actions of these two men fell in the eyes of all the Xuanjia Army soldiers, and they were all unhappy: It turned out that the Turks were convinced, not by the Xuanjia Army that defeated them, but by the Zhenjiang Protectorate that failed to be defeated by them. .
After Li Jiangyao returned the gift, he stared at Hesijia mischievously: "By the way, you haven't answered my question just now. Do you really not remember me?"
Hesijia smiled slightly when she heard this and responded calmly: "Of course I remember. How can I dare to forget the pain of a tragic defeat?"
Xu Youchang was confused when he heard this. He looked at Li Jiangyao curiously and asked him what was going on.
Li Jiangyao first stared at Hesijia for a moment, and then said to Xu Youchang: "Have you heard about the previous attack on the Shengtang caravan, right?"
Xu Youchang: "You must have heard of it. It was through this incident that Xiao Murong and I obtained your official position as captain."
Li Jiangyao nodded and pointed to the opposite side: "The murder of more than 170 Shengtang merchants was exactly the work of this princess!"
Xu Youchang was shocked when he heard this and looked at Hesijia in disbelief. However, Hesijia was not flustered and smiled lightly: "According to Captain Li, the current war between the Turks and the Shengtang has tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. Are the soldiers also my work?"
She turned to Xu Youchang and said: "General Xu, it is true that I am a Turk, but as the princess of the empire, many things are beyond my control. No matter what happened before or what happens now, I am just a spectator. I just came here to observe and review from the perspective of the royal family. If you insist on putting the blame on me, I have nothing to say. To borrow a common saying from your Shengtang, if you want to kill or behead, you have to do whatever you want."
Xu Youchang was stunned for a moment and asked: "Li Jiangyao, are you making a mistake?"
"That's right. If you take her back for interrogation, everything will be clear." Li Jiangyao sneered: "Since the princess said she was just a spectator and not involved, we have to figure out the situation."
-
Xie Guang held the secret letter sent by Xin Ya and read it three times before looking at Sima Junjun Di Xian who was standing next to him: "What do you think about this matter?"
Di Xian: "If the news is true, Commander, our opportunity has come."
Xie Guang did not comment. He put the secret letter on the table and looked out the window.
Is God really giving me a chance to thank someone?
This secret letter, which flew across thousands of miles of borders and was delivered to him immediately, contained only one sentence or eight words:
Jinsong died of illness and returned to the imperial capital quickly.
Nian Jinsong, the Shangshu Ling who initially supported Li Chengwu's succession to the throne, and now the Crown Prince, Tutor and Right Prime Minister, the pillar of the dynasty, suddenly died so quietly.
Nian Jinsong is an upright and upright official.
He started as a small clerk in the county government, and successively served as county magistrate, governor, governor, then censor Zhongcheng, Shizhong, Shangshuling, and finally promoted to the first-level crown prince, Taifu and right prime minister. He worked conscientiously and steadfastly all his life. Steadily, he rose from a small local government office to the pinnacle of the power center of the Holy Tang Dynasty.
When he was alive, he was respected as the mainstay of the dynasty's political arena. It can be said that it is no exaggeration. Precisely because of Nian Jinsong's existence, a delicate balance has always been maintained between the two major bureaucracies of the imperial court, civil and military.
During the eight hundred years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the dynasty was frequently at war, and there were hardly many Tianan birthdays.
It is precisely because the emperors of the past dynasties advocated martial arts and continued to expand the territory for the Holy Tang Dynasty, so soldiers who came out of the battlefield often had a very high status in this country.
Throughout the dynasties, there were many meritorious generals who supported their troops and respected themselves.
On the other hand, the centuries-long unified environment also brought unlimited prosperity to the Shengtang Dynasty. The territory is vast, the people are numerous, the products are abundant, and the trade is prosperous. A developed social economy has promoted the prosperity of culture. Whether near the temple or far away in the mountains and forests, the light of the Holy Religion shines on the entire empire.
Civilization and enlightenment have made the civil service group, mainly scholars, also develop into a huge force.
As the saying goes, ice and charcoal are different furnaces since ancient times.
The heroic and forthright military generals have always disliked the corrupt civil servants, while the civil servants who valued politeness also looked down on the rude behavior.
Those who are good at writing and those who are good at playing guns and sticks are naturally incompatible. It would be easier to deal with this in normal times, and we could just stay away from each other forever. However, there are always times when they can't avoid each other, such as when they are in court.
Whenever such an occasion comes, it would be simply immoral for the civil and military parties not to quarrel.
If the generals can't win the argument, they will always reach out to touch their waists habitually, wanting to draw out their swords and stab the civil servants several times; but the civil servants can't win the argument, so they spend all day thinking about how to report to the emperor and let them know. His Majesty stabbed the generals several times with his sword.
As a result, overt and covert fights in the Holy Tang court were naturally inevitable.
Especially in Li Chengwu's dynasty, the military faction, headed by Xie Guang and others, always liked to interfere in government affairs; the civil service group, led by Shangshu Ling Tan Shiwen, was eager to intervene in the military and govern the army with civilized forces.
Both sides disliked each other, and they thought about stumbling on each other every day. If Nian Jinsong hadn't been in charge of the overall situation in the court and coordinated the civil and military forces, the emperor Li Chengwu would have had a headache and died.
Twenty years ago, the late emperor Li Chengwen's only heir was still in his infancy. Nian Jinsong, who was the minister at the time, with the strong support of a group of civil servants and military generals, supported Li Chengwen's younger brother, Qi King Li Chengwu, to ascend the throne, and joined forces with him. He made a blood pact to sacrifice to heaven in front of hundreds of civil and military officials. In the name of the holy religion, he agreed to appoint Li Bing, the orphan of the late emperor, as the crown prince. After Li Chengwulong conquered Bintian, the imperial power would be returned to Li Chengwen's lineage.
The King of Qi, Li Chengwu, was well-known as Prince Xiaoyao before he ascended the throne. He was modest and gentle, and he also loved playing games. As a prince of the royal family, his little life was extremely comfortable.
Fighting cocks and racing horses, hunting and having banquets, making friends, composing poems and having banquets, just determined not to get involved in the court, and lived a free and easy life.
But he never imagined that when people were sitting at home, pots would come from the sky.
What came was the most powerful cauldron in the world - the Holy Tang Throne.
In this way, Li Chengwu, who wanted to be free and unrestrained all his life, let Nian Jinsong and his gang inexplicably take the Golden Dragon Throne.
Then, the King of Jin's rebellion broke out, and the chaos lasted for several years.
For the sake of the dynasty's dignity, Li Chengwu changed a lot after he succeeded to the throne. He was no longer as carefree as before, but began to work seriously.
Of course, this class is special. The boss is himself, and he doesn't get any wages.
But Li Chengwu is also very self-aware. He knew very well that his character and abilities were incomparable to those of his dead eldest brother Li Chengwen. Therefore, instead of messing around and giving orders, it is better to give up power to those who are both capable and loyal.
Nian Jinsong is such a person.
From this point of view, although Li Chengwu is not a wise and heroic leader, he is definitely not the kind of fool who "fools around all day and dies after getting too addicted". He has a kind of "I'm just here to be on duty. The consciousness of "retire immediately and give way as soon as the time is up" formed a good cooperation with Nian Jinsong.
And Nian Jinsong had the emperor's full trust and support, and his prestige in the court was extremely high. Xu Lie, Xie Guang, He Jingming, and Tan Shiwen all maintained restraint under his influence and were in a balanced state of "If you don't take the initiative to provoke me, I won't bite you easily."
Once the situation of civil and military infighting was under control, the government and the public soon showed a harmonious and harmonious situation.
The glory and glory of Shengtang once again brought infinite hope to the people of Middle-earth, and people believed that this hope would last forever.
something unexpected may happen any time. After years of hard work, the pillar of the imperial court was finally destroyed.
Nian Jinsong had been in charge of state affairs for a long time. Even though he was seriously ill, he still did not dare to neglect government affairs. In the end, he sprayed a mouthful of blood on official documents and passed away.
The news of Taifu's death shocked all civil and military officials.
Some people are sad, some are secretly happy, and even more people are panicked.
Behind every high-rise courtyard in the imperial capital, people are whispering:
"Next, I'm afraid things are going to change..."
