Hesijia stood alone on a hill behind the Xuanjia Legion camp, looking at the Holy Tang Imperial Capital not far away.
This huge and majestic capital city, like a prehistoric beast, lies quietly on the Jinhe Plain, with a meandering river guarding it equally quietly.
The afterglow of the setting sun spread from behind Hesijia and projected on the city wall that was more than ten feet high, dyeing the green-gray wall that stretched for an unknown number of miles into a soft orange-red.
Various buildings that are much taller than the huge city wall are lined up in rows in the imperial city. They are also covered with a layer of light and warm colors, silently showing the prosperity of the world.
Hundreds of houses are like a chess game, and twelve streets are like vegetable beds.
This is the heart of the dynasty and the glory of the Holy Tang Dynasty.
For eight hundred years, this city, which can be called the most magnificent capital city in the Eastern and Western Continents, has been the dreamland of many emperors and heroes; and many of the stories that happened in it have become familiar legends to children in foreign city-states.
Looking at it, Hesijia was slightly fascinated.
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Taking advantage of Xie Guang's entry into the city, Xu Youchang took a leave of absence from his superiors, sneaked out of his camp, and ran to the hill at the rear of the army to find the Turkic princess Hesijia.
Because he had given special instructions and care before, the Xuanjia soldiers responsible for guarding the prisoners of war did not give much trouble to the princess.
As long as she doesn't run away, her freedom of movement is basically not restricted.
Xu Youchang came to Hesijia's side, also looked at the imperial capital, and asked softly: "Your Highness, this must be your first time here, right?"
Hesijia's eyes still stayed in the distance, and she responded: "No, this is the second time I have seen the imperial capital. It can be regarded as... revisiting the old place."
Xu Youchang was slightly surprised: "Second time? Has His Highness been here before?"
Regarding this question, Hesijia did not answer, but just smiled apologetically.
Xu Youchang knew that there must be some reason for this, and it might also involve some secrets of the royal family of the Turkic Empire, so Hesijia was inconvenient to explain.
He was upright and kind-hearted. In order not to embarrass the other party, he changed the topic: "Hey, where is Anya? Why didn't you see her?"
The Anya Xu Youchang mentioned was the beautiful little maid who accompanied the princess before.
Hesijia smiled lightly and said: "General Xu seems to care about Anya very much and took good care of her along the way. Could it be that... he has a crush on her?"
Xu Youchang was slightly stunned at first, and then defended: "Your Highness the Princess was joking, I was just... I was just afraid that the girl would be frightened, so..."
Xu Youchang didn't say anything further because Hesijia was staring at him with a smile, obviously not believing the reason for deliberately concealing it.
Seeing that Xu Youchang was a little embarrassed, Hesijia was secretly amused in her heart, and also changed the subject: "General Xu, guess what I am thinking about right now?"
Hearing this, Xu Youchang couldn't help but feel sentimental: Could this considerate Turkic princess want to bring me and Anya together?
His old face turned red and he hurriedly responded: "How can a rough man like me guess the princess's feelings?"
Hesijia guessed that Xu Youchang had probably misunderstood, and smiled mischievously: "I'm thinking, if a war breaks out later, should I take the opportunity to escape?"
Xu Youchang didn't expect that the other party not only didn't mention Anya, but also said nothing about the outbreak of war. He couldn't help but feel a little confused: "What does your highness mean? I don't understand."
Hesijia pointed forward calmly: "General, since your Xuanjia Legion left Western Xinjiang, you have been running so fast that your bones are almost falling apart. After finally arriving in the imperial capital, you neither set up camp nor took off your armor. During the break, a large formation of fish scales was placed, why?"
"Fish scale formation? What fish scale formation? Princess, are you mistaken?"
"Am I really wrong? The commander's position is placed in the middle of the formation, and the main troops are surrounded layer by layer. Thousands of people are united to form numerous small fish-scale square formations, one on top of another, deployed in echelons. The formation The front end protrudes outward in a sharp shape, and is the vanguard of the entire army. If I remember correctly, this should be the most classic offensive formation in the Shengtang military system - the fish scale formation, isn't it?"
Xu Youchang coughed to cover up his embarrassment: "Ahem... Your Highness the Princess is certainly wise, I admire you, I admire you."
Hesijia smiled: "General, since your guess is correct, please tell me why I have an illusion: What your Xuanjia Army is facing now is not the Holy Tang Imperial Capital, but the flames of our Turks Where is Maplewood City?”
Hearing the other party's sarcastic words, Xu Youchang was speechless for a while.
What could he say?
The Xuanjia Army, which rushed to support the Western Xinjiang, did not even bother to clean up the battlefield, and returned to the court in a hurry.
The entire army also traveled in stealth, deliberately avoiding all the city stations along the way, and quietly arrived at the imperial capital as if they were conducting a sneak attack.
If you look at the reaction of the Qilin Army on the opposite side, it's like a rabbit with fried hair, jumping up and down as if facing a powerful enemy. In the blink of an eye, the war horns of the city wall's archery towers sounded in unison, and the bowstrings of the heavy ballistae were unwound.
At the west gate of the imperial capital, in addition to the six thousand Qilin soldiers outside Lima City, faint footsteps could be heard from the southwest and northwest corners of the city at the same time. It is not difficult to guess with your heels that a large number of troops are outflanking the west gate at this moment.
Hesijia was not exaggerating at all when she said that the war was imminent.
In other words, the reason why the two sides have not started fighting yet is because the Qilin Legion has exercised maximum restraint.
When Xie Guang left just now, he briefly explained to all his subordinates that Taifu Nian Jinsong might have been assassinated by an traitor, and His Majesty was in danger, so he wanted to go to the city to face the emperor, investigate the truth, and ensure that the imperial court No mess.
If there is any abnormal movement in the Qilin Army during his absence, the generals can follow the instructions of Di Xian, the general who joined the army, and launch a counterattack.
Xu Youchang felt that Commander Xie's order was really nonsense.
Something strange? What kind of situation is considered abnormal?
The Qilin Legion attacks the Xuanjia Legion?
This is the defense area of the Qilin Army. If the other party comes to drive us away, will they fight or not?
Besides, even if we really want to start a war, there must be a strong reason. At this point, who represents the emperor and who is the traitor? Doesn’t it need to be explained clearly in advance?
It is really incredible that such a mess of orders came from the mouth of the famous general Xie Guang.
Xu Youchang considered his words and tried to sound reasonable: "Your Highness misunderstood. We received an emergency report earlier that an important minister in the DPRK passed away suddenly. In order to prevent an accident, our army was ordered to return quickly and took some precautionary measures. But please Don't worry, Your Highness, no matter what happens next, I will do my best to protect your safety."
Hesijia nodded thoughtfully: "Oh, that's it. If it weren't for your explanation, I would have really thought that the famous Black Armor Legion was going to threaten my emperor."
After hearing the half-true joke from the Turkic Princess, Xu Youchang felt very uncomfortable in his heart. However, he didn't know that there was another person who was even more uncomfortable than him.
That person is Li Chengwu, the 30th emperor of the Holy Tang Dynasty.
The news of the sudden arrival of the Xuanjia Legion had already been sent to the palace.
The Emperor of the Holy Tang Dynasty, Li Chengwu, was sitting behind the Dragon Case, looking at the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry Commander Wang Huan and the Prince's Young Master Liu Ce standing below expressionlessly, without saying a word.
The old chamberlain standing beside him noticed that His Majesty's sleeves had been trembling slightly since just now.
Wang Heng couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, Xie Guang is treasonous! Please issue a decree and let the ministers arrest him and hold him accountable!"
Liu Ce coughed lightly and said, "Please be patient, Mr. Wang. I think this matter needs to be reconsidered. Currently, the Qilin Army has 40,000 troops in the imperial capital, and the Jingzhao Mansion has about 15,000 soldiers." , plus your tiger and leopard cavalry, the available troops are at least 70,000. As for the other 30,000 unicorn troops stationed in Pingyang City, once they receive the beacon fire, they can arrive in two days. Therefore, in terms of the current defensive strength of the imperial capital, There should be no problem in ensuring the safety of His Majesty and the capital.”
Wang Heng interrupted the other party: "Because we don't have to worry about His Majesty being in danger and we have no worries, we should take action immediately to capture Xie Guang!"
"What about the crime?" Liu Ce was calm.
Wang Heng said angrily: "Lord Liu, you know what you are asking! The Xuanjia Legion has a hundred thousand troops and approaches the imperial capital without following orders. We should be punished for treason!"
Liu Ce shook his head when he heard this: "Hey, Mr. Wang, how can you conclude that Xie Guang did not follow the order?"
Wang Heng was stunned by Liu Ce's question and subconsciously looked at the emperor.
Li Chengwu was silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "Xie Guang, following my order, led his army to assist Western Xinjiang. The orders, military symbols, and officers were all complete. When the Xuanjia Legion assembled from Bianzhou to the imperial capital, I personally gave them It’s okay to send him off, but if he wants to come back, he will naturally go back to the imperial capital.”
Wang Heng: "Since Xie Guang went to help Western Xinjiang, the victory of the great battle there was still undecided, and Your Majesty did not call him back to the army, isn't this the same as resisting the decree and treason?"
Li Chengwu smiled bitterly: "The previous battle report has already written very clearly. In the battle of Chechi King City, the main Turkic force was completely defeated by Xie Guang, and all that was left was to chase the remaining enemies. From a certain perspective, the Xuanjia Legion has indeed already Mission accomplished. And more importantly..."
He did not continue what he said, and Wang Heng was naturally confused. He only heard Liu Ce say from the side: "Sir Wang, what your Majesty is worried about is the purpose of Xie Guang's move."
Purpose? What purpose?
Wang Heng didn't know why, but he didn't dare to ask questions.
Liu Ce saw that the emperor was silent, so he continued: "Xie Guang's actions today are actually more like a temptation. If you go to him to ask for a crime, he can argue that Western Xinjiang has just been pacified because he suddenly heard that Tai Fu died of illness, chaos arose in the imperial capital, and the safety of the emperor was endangered, so he hurriedly returned to the army without waiting for orders. Xie Guang belongs to the Shangzhu Kingdom, and with the orders, festivals, and talismans in place, he is fully qualified to make decisions on the fly. "
Liu Ce paused and continued: "If we really want to pursue the case, the most Xie Guang can do is admit his mistake and plead guilty, saying that he did not distinguish the truth from the false and disturbed the Holy Master. But he had just made great achievements in Western Xinjiang, and his reckless behavior came from another source. I am so eager to save him, what can you do to him?"
Li Chengwu nodded slightly and motioned for Liu Ce to continue. Liu Ce said, "If we accuse him of treason, what will the soldiers of Shengtang think? Those 100,000 black cavalry outside the city can watch you arrest people. Is there another 50,000 Xuanjia infantry staying in Bianzhou, as well as Xie Guang’s former disciples and the governor generals of various states, will they be willing to do so? Once the military makes a fuss, what will the court do? "
After listening to Liu Ce's analysis, Wang Heng couldn't help but agree: "Well, your words do make some sense. But I don't understand, what exactly is Xie Guang trying to test?"
Li Chengwu sighed secretly: What else can he try? Of course it's my intention.
"Xie Guang is testing the emperor's sacred heart." Liu Ce seemed to hear Li Chengwu's voice: "He probably wants to see how His Majesty's attitude towards him has changed after Taifu Nian's death."
Hearing this, Li Chengwu suddenly waved his hands and said slightly tiredly: "Stop talking! In fact, it's not that big of a deal right now. No matter how stupid Xie Guang is, it won't matter. It's probably because he was too happy about the great victory in Western Xinjiang. Come on. Someone is here..."
The chamberlain agreed softly: "I'm here, old slave."
Li Chengwu: "Go and write an edict to Zhongshu, and order them to prepare an edict immediately: to commemorate the merits of the soldiers of the Xuanjia Army. In addition, inform the Qilin Army that I asked Xie Guang and the others to come back. Don't be nervous. Xuanjia The army is temporarily stationed outside the city, and Xie Guang is allowed to enter the palace to see me."
"Old slave obeys the order."
Li Chengwu turned to Wang and Liu again: "Come on, you two should retreat as well. My body is getting weaker and weaker. After sitting for a while, my waist and back hurt."
When Wang Heng and Liu Ce saw that the emperor had issued an order to expel guests, they hurriedly bowed and excused themselves, and left the hall one after another.
Looking at the two people leaving, Li Chengwu's calm face suddenly looked a little sad.
He looked at the red clouds in the sky outside the window and murmured to himself: "Brother, brother, you left in a free and easy way, but you left the burden to me. What's the point of being the emperor of Shengtang? I'm worried about being tired and haven't taken a vacation. You have to guard against being killed sooner or later. Do you know? I haven't slept well for twenty years. You cheated people, Nian Jinsong also cheated people, and they were all so anxious to die! If he throws these two hands away, who will do it in the future? What about work?"
