The palace maid in charge of etiquette came forward to remind Concubine Chen: "Empress Qi, the time has come and the banquet can begin."
Concubine Chen nodded: "Let's have a banquet then." Then she took the lead and walked into the Huaqing Palace.
Everyone followed Concubine Chen into the palace and took their seats.
After a while, the announcement from the chamberlain came: "The emperor has arrived..."
Everyone stood up again, quickly arranged their appearance, and then knelt down: "See you, Your Majesty, may your Majesty be blessed with peace and prosperity."
"Today is a private banquet. There is no need to be polite. All your beloved ladies can just sit down and take your seats!" Li Xiang also changed into some more casual clothes today. It was not as grand as when he went to court. As he strode forward, he said: He gestured to the ministers on both sides.
However, even though it was true, how could the courtiers on both sides take this statement seriously? Even those strong generals are not so devoid of emotional intelligence, let alone those civil servants!
Even though Li Xiang said this, these ministers still maintained their original postures, and none of them made any move. It was not until they saw Li Xiang taking the seat that they began to salute one by one before taking the seat.
The banquet officially began. The maids in red and pink palace dresses came in holding eight precious jade dishes and presented meals to the emperor, concubines and guests. At the same time, dancers and musicians also entered the hall. As the melodious sound of silk music sounded, the graceful dancers began to point their toes and dance with long sleeves, and their figures resembled a painting of a dragon painted with a pen.
Amidst the feast, the Nanman cave masters headed by Duan Siping, Mu Zeng, Hou Andu, and Shunanda came to pay homage to Li Xiang.
Most of the civil and military personnel around Li Xiang were northern generals, and they didn't have many contacts with the Southern Barbarians. Even some generals had met many Southern Barbarians on the battlefield, but they basically had no contact with these people.
Therefore, in their inherent impression, they thought that the Southern Barbarian envoys would look unruly and behave in a vulgar and rude manner. But among the envoys, even Duan Siping, who currently has the highest power and status among the Southern Barbarians, bowed his head respectfully, knelt down on one knee, put his right hand on his left chest, and said in a calm tone: "Blessings, Your Majesty."
Even though the Nanman were once an extremely important force used by Liu Che to fight against the Jin army, Li Xiang had no intention of making things difficult. This was unnecessary and would make you look less dignified.
"The Southern Barbarians also have righteousness, and Marquis Mingyi understands righteousness even more. If the swordsmen and soldiers join forces, the lives of both sides will inevitably be destroyed. Now the Han barbarians will be one family. I am very happy. Please stand up."
Although Duan Siping was an emperor in history, and he was an emperor with certain achievements, Li Xiang now only regarded him as one of the many Nanman cave masters.
After the Nanman expressed their willingness to surrender, Li Xiang didn't think much about it. Instead, he generously shared a Marquis of Mingyi with him.
It's not like there is no emperor under Li Xiang. Which one of Li Cunxu, Li Siyuan and others is not better than Duan Siping? Li Xiang had never been afraid of them, let alone Duan Siping!
Only Li Xiang can continue to be strong, and these people will never have undue ambitions! He doesn't have the confidence to overpower Qin Emperor and Tang Zong, doesn't he have the confidence to overpower Duan Siping?
Just like the two men under Chi You, weren't they also born as emperors? And he was also the founding monarch in troubled times! But they still had no ambitions at the beginning. If Huo Qubing hadn't tormented Chi You, which indirectly improved the strength of those two people, and coupled with Li Xiang's influence at that time, these two people would not have developed to this stage today. .
If Li Xiang had just come to this world, he might still be wary of the special identities of these people. But in this troubled world, he has reached this point step by step with difficulty. He has experienced so many scenery along the way, and he is no longer the same person he was back then.
Compared to Duan Siping, Li Xiang was more surprised by Mu Zeng.
If he remembered correctly, this man should have a deep hatred for the Jin army. Countless people from his clan died in the hands of the Jin army. If it were anyone else, this kind of blood feud would definitely be remembered for a lifetime!
But according to the intelligence coming from the floating house, this person was a neutral at the beginning, but after the capitulation faction gained the upper hand, this person turned from a neutral faction into the backbone of the capitulation faction.
Of course, among the many cave masters of the Southern Barbarians, not all the opponents were gone, and not all of them were determined to surrender to the Jin army. The most typical one among them was Meng Huo, the local representative.
But why the Southern Barbarians still advanced so smoothly even when they surrendered to the Jin army? Of course, they had to solve it internally.
Although there was also a blood feud, the group of people represented by Duan Siping belonged to the rational group. When the Southern Barbarians were at their peak, they were about to be conquered by Liu Che.
With the remaining strength of the Southern Barbarians today, if Touting wants to resist the Jin army, then their fate..., then, the fate of the Southern Barbarians...
The Meng Huo people are the kind of impulsive people who only remember the blood feud and are the type who would rather die than run away.
When the interests of both parties are completely opposite, people like Duan Siping will naturally not let Meng Huo drag them into the abyss, while Mu Zeng and Shunanda are more concerned about the people and are unwilling to Meng Huo plunged the people of the Southern Barbarians into the abyss.
From this, they united and handled the matter internally.
Meng Huo, a guy who only wanted revenge, did not expect that others would stab him in the back. Therefore, he was dealt with almost without any trouble.
Mu Zeng and Shunanda were the ones who were unwilling to be cruel. They just wanted to control Meng Huo and wait for the matter to be finalized. Even if the other party was not happy, there was nothing they could do.
As for an emperor like Duan Siping who can start a country, he is definitely a ruthless little expert. Of course, he will not leave such a hidden danger. Even if the settlement is successful, if Meng Huo still refuses to give up, it is still possible Pull them and the Nanman into the abyss.
Furthermore, Duan Siping was more realistic than the others. Instead of wasting Meng Huo in vain, it would be better to use his final value and use Meng Huo's head to show some sincerity in front of his new master.
Duan Siping stood up after hearing the order and signaled his men to present the tribute. "Your Majesty, this is what we present to Your Majesty to express the determination of the barbarian sons to submit to the Jin Dynasty."
Li Xiang waved his hand and asked people to accept the tribute: "Give me a seat."
Gifts are not important, what is really important is Nanman's attitude. If the Nanman were really obedient and sensible, Li Xiang would definitely not mind giving them a few more points.
Duan Siping and others bowed and bowed again, then took their seats.
