Shen Lie stayed in Luzhou for three days and met many old friends whom he had not seen for a long time.
Those people were all Zhenjiang Army generals who had fought alongside Shen Lie in Metasequoia City.
When he resisted the siege of the city by the Turkic Iron Pigeon Army, Li Jiangyao had only 700 Pegasus scouts and less than 2,000 Metasequoia local garrison troops under his command. After so many years of fierce fighting, most of the first batch of 2,700 soldiers had died on the battlefield.
Those who were lucky enough to survive became the backbone of the Xinjiang Army.
After being tempered and baptized by the flames of war, they graduated from the Zhenjiang Army's own martial arts hall, and one after another took on the important task of commanding the army.
Everyone still has a deep impression on Mr. Shen who came to Metasequoia City from the Imperial Capital, and they feel very close to him. For three days in a row, the generals came to visit one after another, and Shen Lie was also touched by the sincere feelings of comrades-in-arms.
He suddenly realized that because of their common fighting back then, he had already been regarded as a comrade by these loyal and upright passionate soldiers and as a member of the Xinjiang Suppression Army.
Three days later, with Li Jiangyao, Xu Youchang, Du Jian and other brothers seeing him off, Shen Lie set out on his way to the imperial capital.
At this time, from Kuohai in the east to Liangguan in the west, the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains north of the river were all under the control of the Holy Tang court. The dust of the raging war finally settled, and the days of peace and tranquility returned. Therefore, Shen Lie's journey was uneventful, and his eyes were filled with vibrant sights, which was gratifying and exciting.
After more than ten days, Shen Lie finally arrived in the imperial capital after a long absence.
Standing outside the tall city gate, looking at the still majestic and majestic capital, he murmured: "Late Emperor, Shen Lie is back, and has returned to the city that you used your life to protect. You have a spirit in heaven, It’s finally comforting.”
After saying that, Shen Lie adjusted his robes and bowed respectfully three times in the direction of the palace.
After bowing, Shen Lie strode into the city and went straight to the Zhuque Gate of the Imperial City.
I remember that back then, he, the head of the Nilin Division, had passed through this palace gate countless times to meet the emperor. With the golden Pisces waist badge given by the emperor, Shen Lie could travel through the entire palace unimpeded.
However, today, he was blocked by the Forbidden Army guards.
"Who is coming? This is an important place in the imperial city. Tell me the origin of your name!"
"My name is Shen Lie, and I am... the Marquis of Chang Ning."
"Marquis Chang Ning?" The officer in charge of the Forbidden Army was originally from the Southern Army and did not know Shen Lie. He looked at Shen Lie who was alone and did not have the appearance of a dignified marquis. He couldn't help but wonder: "I haven't heard of it. What's the matter? Waist badge as a token?"
Shen Lie shook his head: "No."
The officer glared: "Without you, what trouble would you make?! You said you were Marquis Chang Ning, and I said I was Duke Yueyang! Get away quickly and be careful!"
Shen Lie frowned slightly, with a faint chill in his eyes. Although such vulgar and arrogant people are common in the military, this is where the imperial command is after all, and as a forbidden soldier, you should know some courtesy and rules.
Shen Lie suppressed his anger and was about to teach the officer a lesson. Unexpectedly, the other party was more enthusiastic than him. Seeing that Shen Lie still refused to leave, the officer suddenly became angry and cursed: "You bastard, why don't you get out!"
As he said that, he raised the riding crop in his hand and whipped it directly.
How could Shen Changshi, who is known as the living king of hell, have ever been so angry? Not to mention you are just a small school of the Forbidden Army. Even if the commander of the Forbidden Army comes, you cannot be so rude!
Seeing the whip in front of him, Shen Lie calmly took half a step back, barely letting the tip of the whip pass, and then took another step forward, bumping into the officer with his shoulder.
With an ouch, the officer staggered in pain and almost fell down.
"Damn it! This guy is trespassing in a forbidden area, let me catch him!"
As the officer shouted angrily, more than a dozen forbidden troops gathered around and were about to attack Shen Lie.
Just at this time, a group of officials who had gone home from the court came out of the Zhuque Gate. One of them saw the commotion here and couldn't help but turn his head and take a closer look, and was immediately startled.
"stop!"
The one who shouted was none other than Dong Tianxing, the Minister of War.
The old man's legs and feet were very agile. He rushed up to him, pointed at the confused officer and shouted angrily: "Are you crazy? Are you looking for death?"
The officer didn't know Shen Lie, but he had to know Mr. Dong from the Ministry of War. This old man is a big boss who even has to show courtesy to General Ma Hongjie.
He quickly raised his hands and said: "Master Dong, this guy broke into the imperial city without permission, and is under a low position..."
"Shut up! What about this guy and that guy!" Dong Tianxing scolded: "This Master Shen is a close minister of the late emperor and has made great contributions to the Shengtang! All civil and military officials in the dynasty, no matter what their rank or rank, are respectful and polite when meeting him. Even His Majesty treated me with courtesy. Did your head get caught in the door? Why don't you apologize quickly?"
The officer was yelled at by Old Dong and immediately panicked. He quickly turned around and bowed to Shen Lie, begging for mercy.
Shen Lie was too lazy to pay attention to him, pulled Dong Tianxing to the side, and said with a smile: "Master Dong, thank you for coming forward, otherwise Shen would be embarrassed today."
Dong Tianxing scolded the forbidden troops again, waved his hands and said with a smile: "Master Shen, I am not trying to save your face, but I am saving the lives of those unlucky guys. If you had taken action just now, their deaths would have been in vain. died."
"Hahaha, am I that scary?" Shen Lie laughed dumbly: "It makes Shen really become the living king of hell."
Seeing that Shen Lie had returned safely from Jiangnan, Dong Tianxing felt happy from the bottom of his heart. He looked around and asked in a low voice, "Are you going to the palace to meet the saint?"
Shen Lie nodded: "Yes, His Majesty summoned me urgently, and I will be back."
Dong Tianxing said: "Are you in a hurry? If you're not in a hurry, you might as well go home with me first. Let's have a couple of drinks, catch up on old times, and try my wife's cooking by the way. The egg braised noodles she makes are delicious."
Shen Lie originally wanted to accept Lao Dong's invitation, but then he thought that he might not do anything good when he came back this time. It really shouldn't be implicated in Dong Tianxing for no reason when the future was uncertain.
Thinking of this, Shen Lie smiled and said, "Let's do it next time. When I'm done with my business, I'll pay you a visit and make a special trip to taste my wife's cooking skills."
Dong Tianxing knew that it might be inconvenient for him, so he did not force it. He turned around and ordered his staff: "Go to the palace and find the chamberlain on duty. Tell him that Lord Shen Lieshen is back and ask for an audience."
The official agreed, turned and left.
Dong Tianxing asked again: "Master Shen, what's the matter with the emperor asking you to come back? Could it be that he wants to know about the situation of the Jiangnan rebels?"
Shen Lie smiled and nodded: "It should be so. King Huaiyang has fallen, and the Xuanjia rebels will be next."
Dong Tianxing suddenly sighed and said: "Well, you are not in the court, so many things are unclear. The court at the moment, hey..."
Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Shen Lie couldn't help but ask: "Old Dong, what's wrong with you? Have you encountered any injustice?"
"It is indeed unfair!" Dong Tianxing was a little angry: "The treacherous ministers are in power and confuse right and wrong. If Li Dadu, the protector of the Huaiyang army, had not made a clever plan and ran thousands of miles to attack the Huaiyang rebels, how could he have achieved a complete victory so quickly? However, after the war, the heroes Not only did he not get a reward, but he almost got charged. Don’t you think it’s annoying?”
Shen Lie had not heard Li Jiangyao and the others mention it before, so he quickly asked Old Dong what was going on.
Dong Tianxing explained: "The Commander-in-Chief Yin Chengyi deliberately found trouble, saying that Jiang Yao had no regard for the court's rules and regulations, ignored the formulated strategies, and changed the military orders without authorization, showing his disobedience."
"Li Jiangyao has a disobedient heart? What a joke." Shen Lie said coldly: "If he has a disobedient heart, then there will be nothing wrong with the emperor now."
"That's right." Dong Tianxing sighed: "The Xinjiang Suppression Army worked hard to regain Western Xinjiang, worked hard to eliminate the Turks, and then came all the way to help you fight the rebels. As soon as they took action, they Forced Bao Yuchun to retreat and killed the King of Huaiyang. You didn't even say thank you, but you still talked about other people's crimes? What a fucking ghost!"
Shen Lie frowned: "The Governor's Mansion is looking for trouble, what is the reaction of your Ministry of War? What does the Emperor think?"
Dong Tianxing responded: "Wang Shangshu is an old cunning man. He refused to follow Yin Chengyi into this muddy water and offended the military for no reason, so the decision has been delayed. Yin Chengyi and his gang were impatient to wait, so they directly complained to the police. The emperor is there. However, this time the emperor was upright and ignored those boring guys at all, and still asked the Ministry of War to reward the Zhenjiang Army for their merits. "
Hearing what Old Dong said, Shen Lie finally felt relieved: "That's good. As long as the emperor can be upright and steady, he will not chill the hearts of the soldiers."
"But it's only this time. Didn't it chill the Zhenjiang Army last time?" Dong Tianxing said quietly.
Shen Lie was slightly startled: "Last time? What are you referring to?"
Dong Tianxing looked at Shen Lie, shook his head and said: "Master Shen, when you stay in Jiangnan, the information becomes uninformed. The last time, it was about annihilating the Turks and retaking the imperial capital. Let me ask you, have you heard about such a great achievement? Did Jiang Yao receive any reward?"
Shen Lie shook his head: "I really haven't paid attention to this. Didn't the emperor reward Jiang Yao and the Zhenjiang Army for this?"
"I was offered a reward, but it's a pity that Jiang Yao declined."
"Why is this?" Shen Lie was puzzled when he heard this: "How can the imperial court politely refuse a reward for a meritorious general?"
Dong Tianxing smiled bitterly and said: "Then can you not refuse politely? The emperor only agreed to one reward, which is to give Jiang Yao Li Xi, the biological sister of Huaiyang King Li Kuang and Princess Fenyang, and let Jiang Yao be the consort."
Shen Lie's eyes widened in surprise: "This...but hasn't Jiang Yao already married Xiahou Ninghan? How can the princess still..."
Dong Tianxing shook his head helplessly: "The emperor said, let Jiang Yao follow the precedent and turn the main wife into an equal wife, and the two women will serve the same husband. Do you think it is ridiculous?"
"This is not ridiculous! This is shameful! It is a naked provocation!" Shen Lie immediately said angrily: "I said why even a loyal man like Xu Youchang began to be extremely dissatisfied with the emperor and the court. It turns out that the problem lies here. Humiliation The military is tantamount to destroying the Great Wall. What on earth does Li Bing want to do?!"
