At the tense moment when the beacon smoke was billowing on the south bank of the river and a new round of fierce battle was about to break out among hundreds of thousands of troops, an unknown and strange scene happened in the imperial palace thousands of miles away.
Li Bing walked down the stone steps. The torches on the wall beside him swayed in the wind, casting several figures on the ground, shaking constantly.
The chamberlain walking in front would look back from time to time to remind the emperor that the steps were slippery and he should be careful when walking.
A group of people descended another seventy or eighty steps, and finally arrived at the flat bottom, which was already deep in the underground palace. Looking around, they were surrounded by Forbidden Army tigers and leopards riding upright with swords, looking majestic and mysterious.
A middle-aged man who looked like an official appeared from the dark corridor, quickly came to Li Bing, and whispered: "Your Majesty, he is inside."
"Has it returned to normal?" Li Bing asked softly.
"It has recovered." The middle-aged official replied seriously: "Not only is his thinking clear, but his appearance and physique are no longer as scary as before."
Li Bing nodded and asked, "What did he say?"
The official looked around cautiously, and then moved closer, as if he was afraid of being heard by others: "He said... he is Ashina Zijin."
A cold light flashed in Li Bing's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "Lead the way, let me go and have a look."
"According to the order." The middle-aged official agreed, turned around quickly, and led Li Bing deeper into the corridor.
Not long after, several people came to a stone house. The official signaled to the guard at the door, and the guard immediately reached out and opened the heavy wooden door. With a creak, the scene in the room instantly came into Li Bing's eyes.
On a thick and strong wooden frame in the house, a person was being tied with chains. His long hair was disheveled and he was covered in blood. The light was dim and it was difficult to see his appearance clearly.
Li Bing told the servants and guards to stay outside, and then motioned to the officials to go in with him. The middle-aged official was still walking in front. When Li Bing came in, he turned around and closed the door.
"Wake him up." Li Bing stared at the man on the wooden frame warily and ordered.
"Your Majesty, he is awake." The official responded, and then shouted: "Hey, Ash, raise your head!"
Following the words, the person on the shelf groaned twice, and then slowly raised his head.
Li Bing looked at it carefully and was secretly surprised.
Although the other party's appearance has become much more pleasing to the eye, the outline is still the same as it was at the bloodbath wedding, evil and terrifying.
That horrific massacre left such a deep impression on Li Bing that he was still frightened when he saw this man.
"You...are you the Shengtang Emperor...Li Bing?" the weirdo on the wooden stand asked hoarsely.
"Bold!" The middle-aged official raised his foot and kicked the opponent's calf hard: "If you dare to be rude to the emperor, you are seeking death!"
Li Bing stretched out his hand to pull the official, asking him to step back temporarily, and then said in a deep voice: "I am the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. You said you are Ashina Zhijin?"
"Well...it's me...that's right."
"What credentials are there? How to prove your identity?"
"No need... to prove," Ash's heavy hands were firmly fixed on both ends of the wooden frame. His voice sounded hoarse and harsh, but the aura of a proud king who looked down on the world could not be concealed: "I don't bother to pretend to be someone else. !”
Li Bing stared at the other person with burning eyes and waited for a long time before saying: "I believe you are him. Ouyang Lin, please step aside first and let me talk to him alone."
The middle-aged official named Ouyang Lin quickly agreed and then quickly exited the room.
There were only two people left in the stone house, but no one spoke. The quiet atmosphere seemed as if time had suddenly stopped, both quiet and depressing.
"Li Bing, you...are not here to chat with me, are you?" Ashina broke the silence first: "Why..."
"Why?" Li Bing asked.
Ashina showed a cruel sneer: "Why don't you kill me?"
Li Bing shook his head silently and said softly: "You have already died once, haven't you?"
Hearing this, Ashina Zhijin couldn't help being slightly startled, with a somewhat complicated look in his eyes. He snorted coldly and did not answer the other party's words.
At this time, Li Bing had gradually recovered from the secret shock just now, and asked calmly: "Why did you get to this point? Is it brother Shuxuan who did it? Besides him, who else?"
When Ashina Zhijin heard the words "Brother Shuxuan", his body couldn't help but tremble slightly. He didn't know whether it was fear, pain, or resentment. He took a few deep breaths and said harshly: "What does this have to do with you?"
A smile appeared on Li Bing's face: "I just want to find out why you haven't died. Or, in other words, how you escaped from the siege of the Xinjiang Army."
Ashina Zhijin's heart moved: Suppressing the Xinjiang Army? Li Jiangyao? Could it be...that he was suspecting something?
Seeing that the other party didn't speak, Li Bing changed his direction and said, "Brother Shu Xuan, why did he do this to you? Is it purely revenge, or was he being instigated by someone else?"
Ashina sneered and said: "I, why should I... answer you? Li Bing, you are really... really... unlucky to become the emperor of Shengtang. Your moral ability... is so poor." Far."
Li Bing listened to this harsh ridicule, but he knew very well that the other party was deliberately irritating him in exchange for a happy death, and how could he be easily fooled?
"Ashi Nazhijin, let's change the topic." Li Bing said lightly: "Do you want to hear what is happening in the Western Continent right now? Your son Tanli and daughter Hesijia?"
Ashina raised his head suddenly and stared straight at Li Bing: "You, what do you know?"
Li Bing took two steps forward and said proudly: "Don't you beg me? As long as you surrender and beg me, I will tell you the news about the Turkic Empire."
Ashe's face showed a look of humiliation. After waiting for a while, he tried his best to control his emotions and said in a hoarse voice: "As... you said, I am already a... dead person. Everything in the world... in the world , has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Li Bing didn't expect Ashi Nazhijin to be so stubborn. He shook his head helplessly and said with a wry smile: "Forget it, you are already so miserable, I don't understand you anymore. Ashi Nazhijin, do you know? ?Your precious son, Stanley, is dying."
"My eyes and ears sent back news from the Western Continent. After Tanli led the Eleventh Legion of the Golden Tribe back to the Turks, not long after, a fierce battle broke out with the Yakut cavalry under Gema. At that time, the eight pillars of the Turks were divided into The two camps, except for Yunhe and Shenying, all other tribes fell to the Yelun tribe. Tanli and Gema fought for a full year and a half, and fought three large-scale battles in a row, all of which were defeated. The Turks Our neighbor, the Persian Empire, took advantage of your civil war and sent a large army to invade the border. Not only did they occupy a large area of land, but they also kidnapped tens of thousands of people as slaves."
"Before the news was sent back to the imperial capital, Gema was leading various coalition forces to besiege your Flame Maple Forest City crazily. Unexpectedly, Tanli and Hesijia escaped from Shengtang by luck, but they could not escape the pursuit and suppression by their own people. .”
Li Bing's words hit Ashina Zhijin's heart hard. For the first time in his life, this hero who once dominated the world felt extremely regretful and self-blame.
Seeing the other party's expression of extreme pain, Li Bing couldn't help but smile secretly in his heart, but said lightly: "Maybe, I can help them."
Ashina raised his head and looked at Li Bing in disbelief.
"I can send troops from Western Xinjiang to the Turks to reinforce Tanli; I can also send envoys to Persia to ask the Persian emperor to stand with the Flame Maple Forest City. I can even directly warn Gema that if he continues to attack the Golden Tribe , the Shengtang Dynasty will declare war on the entire Turks. In short, as long as I am willing, Tanli Hesijia will not die."
Li Bing stared at Ashi's tight eyes and said solemnly: "However, time is very urgent now. If it is later, I'm afraid it will be too late."
Ashina was silent for a long time, and asked bitterly: "What... do you want?"
Li Bing said with a victorious smile: "I only want one thing - the truth."
"What...the truth?"
"What did you and Li Jiangyao talk about when we were in the imperial capital?" Li Bing asked in a deep voice: "Why did he release Tanli? And why did he let you go? You assassinated me at the wedding this time, and with him Does it matter? If you tell the truth, I will agree to assist the Golden Clan, and I will also allow you to regain your freedom and return to the Western Continent!"
Ashina lowered his head and remained silent. It wasn't until Li Bing became impatient with waiting that he suddenly started laughing, his body shaking slightly.
Li Bing frowned and said dissatisfied: "Why are you laughing?"
Ashina raised his eyes and looked at Li Bing, and asked instead: "Can you believe what I say? You know, these things... there is no answer in your heart, what I say... is what it is, and it cannot be verified , isn’t it?”
Li Bing narrowed his eyes and said coldly: "What do you mean? Do you really not care about the Golden Tribe and your children?"
"To be honest, Li Bing. I...just...just now, I really hesitated in my heart for a short while." Ashina's expression was calm, as if he had turned back into the supreme king of the empire: "I'm thinking...should I take the opportunity to sow discord between you and Li Jiangyao and make you...fall into...infighting!"
He paused, raised his head and said: "However, I still gave up! You...your heart and wisdom are far...far inferior to him! Not to mention, not his opponent. Li Bing, Be honest, maybe... you can still be the emperor in peace for a few more years. Otherwise..."
Before Ashina could finish his words, Li Bing said angrily: "What? You don't want to save your son or daughter?"
"You deserve it? Hahaha..." Ashina suddenly laughed wildly: "If there is anyone else in the world who can help Hesijia, then only...only Li Jiangyao and the Zhenjiang Army!"
