The summer sun hangs high, making the walls of Guancheng shine brightly, as if giving this solid and thick military fortress a bright coat. Upstairs in the pass, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty came again, but this time, it was not to inspect the pass, but to wait for the distinguished guests coming from the north.
Liu Chengyou was dressed in a clean black dragon robe, with an imperial crown tied high on his head. He stood upright. The queen and concubines were all dressed in quilts, one on the left and the other on the right. The four princes were also wearing beautiful and luxurious python costumes, standing beside the queen. Behind the wall, the whole scene looked very formal.
The female wall is higher than the heads of the princes. Even the eldest Liu Xu cannot see the scene outside the city, only the white stone wall. Sensing the seriousness of the atmosphere at the scene, even Liu Fang, who is usually the most lively, stood quietly at this time without making many movements and appeared to be well-behaved.
Liu Yang was equally well-behaved and seemed to be able to feel his father's gaze behind him, while Liu Xi was more calm, keeping his eyes alert and silently counting the number of bricks and stones in his field of vision.
Next to them, together with the emperor's family, were the generals who came to visit you at Waqiao Pass. However, compared to the peace of Liu Chengyou's family, the generals are not so stable.
About two feet away, there was a tall general with thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a look of disinterest. This king's name is Dong Zunjie. He was born as a general. He was trained in the army with his father since he was a child. He has extraordinary martial arts skills, knows the art of war, and has the ability to command the army.
Dong Zunjie's military career was not too spectacular. In the early Han Dynasty, he followed his father Dong Zongben to defect to the Han Dynasty and joined the Suizhou Military Academy. He was later transferred to the Forbidden Army and affiliated with the Xingjie Army. During Liu Chengyou's reorganization of the Forbidden Army, his talents were tested. After being promoted, he was later posted as the commander of Weizhou.
During his two years in office, the bandits were suppressed and the territory was suppressed. In the autumn of the fourth year of Emperor Qianyu's reign, Emperor Yelu Ruan of the Liao Dynasty led his army south. The imperial court issued an edict to prepare for war. Dong Zunjie led his troops to Yuancheng and camped in the north to prepare for the war against the Liao Dynasty. However, following the Huoshendian Rebellion and the peace talks between Han and Liao, there was no chance of meritorious service.
In the following years, he successively served as the training envoy of the Dezhou regiment and the commander of the troops and horses of Zhaozhou. Until the autumn of the seventh year of Qianyou, the imperial court once again adjusted the northern defense and the northern army, and finally formed the current defense system with five army envoys and one deployment as the core. Dong Zunjie was transferred to the Baoding Army in the west, among the generals.
Looking at Dong Zunjie's resume, it can be regarded as smooth and uneventful. This person's experience is also representative in the Han army. In addition to his own military talents, he also has the influence of his father. Of course, more importantly, the Dong family and the Linqing Wang Gao family have a close relationship. Kinship.
Perhaps because of his relatively smooth background and official career, Dong Zunyi had a sense of arrogance. When Zhao Kuangyin was traveling, he joined his father, Dong Zongben, and there was a connection with Dong Zunyi. When he was young and energetic, he would argue with him on everything, especially in terms of his always confident military strategy, but he was overpowered by Zhao Kuangyin. He was often left speechless and had nothing to say, until Zhao Kuangyin was forced to take the initiative to resign...
After so many years, the impulsiveness of his youth has long faded, and now he has become mature and steady. Among the Northern Army, Dong Zunkui has a very good reputation. He is good at running the army, fair in deciding matters, open-minded, and has a broad mind. .
But at this time, standing on Waqiaoguan City, basking in the warm sunshine of early summer, General Dong felt a little impatient. His face was not very good. He was drunk last night. Looking at the official road that went straight from Beiguan to the north and extended to the end of his field of vision, Dong Zunzui couldn't help but muttered to Luo Yanxu beside him: "General Luo, then No matter how respected King Yan is, he is a minister of the Zhu Kingdom. His majesty’s kindness to him is too much..."
"We are rough men, strong and strong, so we can just wait here. Marshal An is also a prince, and he is old and stands tall in the city. Even so, there is no need for His Majesty and the concubine to come in person. Still. There are several princes, young and no taller than the top of the city, standing there like schoolchildren..."
After listening to Dong Zunjie's words, Luo Yanxuan remained calm and calm, and responded: "Why, General Dong is envious?"
"Since the founding of the country, I have never heard of any minister or general who has received such respect from your majesty? How can King Yan be so virtuous? I just don't understand!" Dong Zunyi muttered.
Luo Yanyi chuckled: "Brother Dong, you also said that there is no one else in the world who can be so favored by His Majesty. He climbed to the city wall to wait for you. Yesterday, Luan drove north to greet you. Hum, but such a great favor is not necessarily It's a good thing, but I don't dare to envy it..."
"Brother Luo, what do you mean by this?" Dong Zunyi asked.
Luo Yanxuan said calmly: "I don't know if King Yan will be more moved or scared when he sees such a scene when he arrives. However, my guess is that he won't feel too good..."
Dong Luo was not the only one who was talking about the emperor's arrangements and actions. Other generals of the Northern Army were also somewhat slanderous, but they did not dare to speak out loud. An Shenqi was closer to the emperor, but the handsome man had a calm demeanor, without any impatience, and even had a little peaceful smile.
"Officials, look at the generals, they seem to be complaining a lot!" Concubine Gao noticed the commotion around her and said in a low voice.
Glancing at the beautiful woman next to him, Liu Chengyou chuckled and said, "Are you no longer patient?"
Facing the emperor's gaze, Concubine Gao immediately shook her head: "I have plenty of patience, and the official family is here, so I have nothing to say. It's just that the official family attaches great importance to King Yan, which is a bit surprising... ..."
On the other side, Empress Fu thought about it seriously and said warmly: "King Yan has guarded Youzhou for many years and has made great contributions to the stability of the north, but the merit should be commensurate with the reward. The emperor's kindness is as heavy as a mountain and as deep as the sea, but the landslide A tsunami is enough to destroy people, but too much is not enough!"
"What you said is very insightful!" Liu Chengyou smiled faintly: "However, King Yan has done a good job in guarding the border. Now that he has come south to meet him, as the master, I should wait for a while..."
Without explaining too much, Liu Chengyou turned to care about the four princes: "You are still young. If you are tired of standing, go to the side and rest for a while!"
"My father is above me, why should my son be tired?" Liu Xu responded.
"I want to wait with daddy!" Liu Yang said.
There were two older brothers who were the first to express their opinions. Liu Xi and Liu Fang didn't say anything and were still waiting quietly.
In fact, it only took half an hour from the time we received the news that King Yan was coming from the south, to the time when the civil and military officials gathered to wait, until the time King Yan and his party arrived at Guancheng.
When thousands of Yanqi came south, Liu Chengyou took the people directly down to the pass without thinking. The city gate was wide open and he waited in front of the suspension bridge.
On Zhao Kuangzan's side, a group of guards came escorting the empty Luan Jia. When he met An Shouzhong at Baigou Station, he learned from his mouth the purpose of his visit and the emperor's favor. After all, he refused and did not take the Luan Jia. Instead, he protected the Luan Jia very respectfully as if he were guarding the emperor, and accelerated the process. speed.
However, when I arrived at the pass and saw this solemn and grand welcoming scene, my complex emotions became even heavier.
Zhao Siwan, who was standing by, was also surprised and said with emotion: "It seems that the emperor is still aware of etiquette. He is also a charioteer and a personal minister. He is very sincere to the king!"
Ignoring Zhao Siwan, Zhao Kuangzan waved his hand from half a mile away: "Everyone dismount!"
Yan Qi's quality is really very high. He will act upon orders, follow orders and stop them, and fall off his horse neatly.
"Zhao Siwan will accompany me to meet you. The others will stay where they are and are not allowed to come near!" Zhao Kuangzan ordered.
"Your Majesty, it's just the two of us?" Zhao Siwan hesitated.
"Just the two of us!" His tone was unquestionable. He glanced at him and said, "Keep all your swords and weapons!"
"yes!"
Soon, Zhao Kuangzan tidied up his armor, and then he and Zhao Siwan walked towards the imperial court, one behind the other. When he got close to the pass, several feet away, Zhao Kuangzan knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to show his respect: "Your Majesty, Zhao Kuangzan, pays homage to you!"
From the moment Zhao Kuangzan came into view, Liu Chengyou had been paying attention to his performance, and he was very satisfied with the result. He took a few steps forward, helped him personally, and said in a very gentle tone: "King Yan, get up quickly, there is no need to be polite!" "
Lifting him up, Liu Chengyou smiled with emotion and said: "It has been nearly seven years since we parted ways with Yongqing. I haven't seen him for many years. I miss King Yan very much!"
Facing the gentle smile on Emperor Han's face, Zhao Kuangzan's eyes were full of emotion: "I have a shallow moral character. How dare I ask Your Majesty to trust you so much and welcome me in person? I will never accept it. Please come back to Luan!"
"The King of Yan deserves it. I have come here. With the friendship between you and me, the monarch and his ministers, why should we care about some vulgar etiquette!" Liu Chengyou laughed, grabbed his wrist tightly with one hand, pulled it hard, and said: " King Yan has been working hard all the way, and I have ordered people to prepare a banquet in the pass. Today, the generals from the north of our Han Dynasty have gathered together, which can be described as a grand event. Come, let's go into the city, drink and chat..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Han Emperor's hospitality was too much for Zhao Kuangzan, so he could only follow suit, uncomfortably, while maintaining a kind smile with other Han generals...
Zhao Kuangzan was destined to spend his time at Waqiaoguan in trepidation.
