Shen Qiu took the account book and browsed it quickly. He didn't know whether to be happy about Gu Xu's trust in him or worried about the difficulty of this task.
When the six northwest cities were still in the hands of the Daqi Dynasty, they had been suffering from the scourge of the grassland barbarians for many years, and their finances had been unable to make ends meet, so they relied heavily on Luo Jing's help.
Especially not long ago, Xue Nu and Kongxuan Sanren had a fight in Liangzhou City. The massive post-disaster reconstruction, rescue and pension work turned this place into a bottomless pit of money.
Now that the six northwest cities have been occupied by Gu Xu, it is naturally impossible to go to the Daqi court to ask for money.
Now that Gu Xu has raised his flag to rebel, he must recruit troops and recruit talents. The money consumed in the process must be a terrifying figure.
Shen Qiu felt tremendous pressure just thinking about it.
"Next, it's up to Brother Shen to do the hard work." Gu Xu stood up and patted Brother Shen's shoulder gently.
He did not promise Shen Qiu what kind of glory and wealth he would give him after the deed was accomplished.
After all, he wasn't sure whether it would work out or not.
But Shen Qiu knew that Gu Xu had always been a person whose actions spoke louder than words. He now chooses to take such a huge risk to follow Gu Xu, not for profit, but to repay a favor.
…………
Three days later, the King of Yan State, Zhao Yan, led his entourage and appeared outside Liangzhou City, once again shocking the Qi court and everyone.
She was wearing a bright red dress and riding a maroon horse. Her clothes were fluttering in the wind, like a burning flame under the blue sky and white clouds.
Behind her, more than a hundred soldiers were holding sharp weapons, and their metal armor reflected the scorching sun, making it particularly dazzling.
Since Gu Xu had been keeping the gates of Liangzhou City wide open recently, showing an undefended appearance, many civilians swarmed outside the city, wanting to have a look at the beauty of this northern queen.
Of course, what made them even more curious was the emotional gossip between Gu Xu and Zhao Yan.
They wanted to know whether the King of Yan traveled all the way from the northeast to the northwest for political reasons, emotional reasons, or both.
Although it has long been a well-known fact that the King of Dayan was a beautiful woman who captivated the city and the country.
But when they saw with their own eyes Zhao Yan's face that turned all living beings upside down, and her unique charm that was both sharp and demonic, they were still stunned and couldn't recover for a long time.
"Judging from looks alone, she is a perfect match for Mr. Gu... the emperor." Some people couldn't help but sigh silently in their hearts.
A few minutes later, with the sound of gongs and drums, a group of soldiers filed out of the city gate, guarding the black dragon banner.
A magnificent carriage drawn by six horses followed.
The whole body is made of ebony wood, inlaid with gold, silver, jade, precious stones and pearls. The car windows are carved with complex and exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns, and dark embroidered silk curtains are hung.
To be honest, with Gu Xu's current financial situation, he cannot afford to ride in such a luxurious carriage, nor can he afford such a large-scale honor guard.
His carriage was actually modified based on the vehicle of Yu Kunwei, the former magistrate of Liangzhou.
The gorgeous decorations on its exterior are all Gu Xu's illusion formations; the interior is actually extremely simple and plain.
With Gu Xu's past temperament, he didn't even want to waste his true energy on such boring superficial skills.
However, he is playing the role of Emperor Ziwei, a pretender who was once famous in the upper world.
In order not to reveal his secrets, he had to spend his energy on something flashy.
And Zhao Yan seemed to see through Gu Xu's true face beneath his gorgeous appearance.
She couldn't help but smile, her red lips slightly raised, and the whole world was eclipsed for a moment, which also dazzled the onlookers.
"The emperor has arrived!" the soldier at the front of the honor guard shouted loudly.
The sound penetrated the sky, like rolling thunder, lasting for a long time.
Zhao Yan turned over and dismounted, clasped her hands towards the black carriage, and bowed in salute: "Your Majesty, Zhao Yan, pays homage to Emperor Ziwei!"
The emperor of the Central Plains was also called the "Son of Heaven". When they worship heaven, they often call themselves "Chen".
Zhao Yan's "Chen" can be understood as respect for God, and it can also be understood as surrender to Gu Xu.
Only she knew in her heart that the gift she gave her was not the lofty title of "Emperor Ziwei", but the ancient master who led her out of ignorance, the god who brought hope to the world.
The followers behind Zhao Yan also knelt down on one knee and shouted: "Greetings to the Emperor!"
At this time, the door of the black carriage finally opened slowly.
Gu Xu, wearing a white jade crown and a black brocade robe with cloud and dragon patterns, walked out slowly, his clothes fluttering, as if he was walking on the wind and clouds.
He walked straight towards where Zhao Yan was.
One of Zhao Yan's followers held a wooden box and handed it to Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan opened the box and took out an exquisite long whip.
Its jade handle reflected the sun and glowed with luster.
This is the "Jade Horse Whip", one of the twelve famous weapons of the Great Wilderness, a powerful magic weapon passed down from generation to generation by the Zhao family in Youzhou.
In recent decades, it has been shelved in a state of silence.
But at this moment, it showed faint signs of waking up.
Zhao Yan held the "Jade Horse Whip" in both hands and handed it to Gu Xu.
This is an action full of symbolic meaning.
It symbolizes that the King of Dayan gave up the throne he had just obtained and surrendered to the Emperor Ziwei.
It also symbolizes that the two rebel forces in the east and west of Daqi have merged into one.
Gu Xu solemnly took the whip.
At the same time, a guard next to him took two steps forward, opened a finely crafted golden scroll, and read the emperor's edict loudly -
The general idea is that Zhao Yan canonized as the Duke of Yan and guarded the northern border of the wilderness for generations.
Gu Xu did not hold the position of emperor at present, so he carried out the canonization. There is no doubt that it is a treasonous and shocking move.
But at this moment, when seeing such a scene, no one around felt that something was wrong. Instead, they took it for granted. They felt that as the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei, Gu Xu should have such a scene, and should have such a scene. qualifications.
Later, Gu Xu handed the "Jade Horse Whip" back to Zhao Yan's hand.
Zhao Yan took it with both hands and looked at her master, her fellow Taoist, her gods, her master... and her lover with solemn eyes.
In an instant, the jade riding whip shines brightly, like the rising sun, complementing the sun in the sky, dispelling all the haze outside Liangzhou City.
Gu Xu and Zhao Yan, standing in the center of the light, seemed to be immortals descending to earth on the Hongqiao. They were so dazzling that no one dared to look at them.
Zhao Yan clearly felt the power coming from her hand, and felt the connection between herself and the "Jade Horse Whip".
It seemed to have become a part of her body, just like her natal magic weapon "Yizhangwei". (End of chapter)
