The western gateway of Luoyang, the eastern capital, is Hangu Pass.
After the Sui army withdrew, the Detachment of Women was overjoyed, but they quickly picked up the pieces. With enough numbers, in just a few days, Hangu Pass, which had been mostly demolished, with corpses stacked on top of each other and stained with blood, was largely cleared.
Countless corpses were piled up in mountains, nearly half were burned, and nearly half were buried.
Countless sand spread all over the pass, covering up the blood that had solidified into a cocoon.
Countless boulders, huge trees, etc. were carried into the customs. The boulders were piled on the west side, and they were simply piled into a wall, which was more than ten feet high and more than a hundred meters thick. The huge logs were used to build simple wooden houses.
In about five days, Hangu Pass has taken shape. Although it is still a long way from restoring its old appearance, the appearance of the fortress can still be seen. There are still countless people busy in it, making the pass look the same every day.
Somewhere inside the pass in full swing, Li Xiuning was discussing with Li Daoxuan, Wu Meng and other generals the repair of the pass and the stuff of the Sui army. A heroic woman wearing red clothes and a red battle armor came in to ask for instructions:
"I would like to inform you, Eunuch Li of the Lotus Tower (the owner of the Lotus Tower, one of the third floors of the Shadow Mansion), and the Marquis of Wenxiang (Wen Renzhong) of the Cetian Mansion, please see me!"
In the bloody battle at Hangu Pass, both the Sui and Tang armies and the Xinwu Guards guarding Li Xiuning suffered heavy losses.
However, Li Xiuning also discovered a group of talented Detachment soldiers to serve as Li Xiuning's personal guards. Those who can stand out from millions of Detachment soldiers and experience the bloody Hangu War are definitely considered elites. Although they are women,
But it is no worse than the personal guards of other famous generals.
Although the Red Armored Detachment of Women did not say it explicitly, they gradually had the intention to compete with the Xinwu Guards Dream Team led by Wu Meng. This was a handful of female elites who were famous in the world, and they naturally became the target of the Detachment of Women to catch up and surpass them.
"See Empress De Fei! Congratulations to Empress De Concubine for guarding Hangu Pass, winning the agreement from Tang Dynasty, and leading the army of women to shock the world, and her name will be passed down through the ages."
As soon as Eunuch Li and Wenren Zhongfu met, they greeted and congratulated each other with joy.
Li Xiuning's heart trembled, and his face became a little stiff. Li Daoxuan and other Tang generals felt something in their hearts, secretly saying that something was wrong.
Eunuch Li is the owner of the Lotus Building, one of the third floors of the Shadow Mansion, and one of the top leaders of the rapidly growing Lotus Shadow Guard; Wen Renzhong is not only the Marquis of Li Guo Wen Xiang, but also the close attendant of King Li from childhood to adulthood.
When the two of them arrived, there was no need to say anything, let alone proof of identity, purpose of visit, etc. It was not much different from King Li coming in person!
Li Xiuning returned the greeting with a somewhat stiff expression on her pretty face. Li Daoxuan looked at Li Xiuning and asked proactively:
"I wonder if you two have come all the way to visit me. What are you doing? Now that Hangu has been severely damaged, everything is about to be prosperous. Please forgive me for the crime of neglect!"
"General Daoxuan's words are wrong. From the moment the Sui army withdrew, this pass belongs to Li Guo. Even if there is no result in the Li Tang agreement, at least it belongs to Concubine De, and they are all our own people..."
Wen Ren Zhong Junbai turned to his delicate facial features again and responded with a smile. He paused, straightened his expression, looked at Li Xiuning and asked:
"What do you think, Concubine De?"
"As expected..."
Li Xiuning, Li Daoxuan and other Tang generals' expressions changed slightly, and they secretly shouted in their hearts.
"This..." Li Xiuning hesitated for a moment and couldn't respond.
"Empress De Fei, Wei Chen has been following the young master since she was a child. This is the first time that the young master values and trusts a woman so much. I believe that Concubine De will not disappoint the young master, right?"
When Li Xiuning hesitated, Wen Renzhong looked directly at Li Xiuning rather rudely and asked with an obvious pun.
"How dare you..."
A red-armored woman soldier held a sword at her waist and shouted angrily.
Before he finished speaking, Eunuch Li swayed, easily grabbed the red-armored Detachment of Women by the throat, and lifted it up with one hand...
"Be bold!"
"Let go of the leadership!"
"Keng, Keng, Keng..."
There were screams and the sound of weapons being unsheathed. Dozens of red-armored women soldiers present drew their swords and pointed them at Eunuch Li.
The afterimages lingered around, and eight afterimages came across the sky, guarding Eunuch Li and Wen Renzhong.
"stop!"
Li Xiuning was shocked, shouted loudly, and then shouted angrily: "What are you doing? Are you rebelling?!"
The Lotus Shadow Guards and others didn't have weapons, so it didn't matter, but Eunuch Li let go and retreated.
The red-armored women's army hesitated for a moment and put away their weapons.
Li Xiuning looked a little ugly and asked: "Master Li, Marquis Wenxiang, are you here to force me?"
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I didn't do anything. It's just that some people are so unscrupulous that they regard Wei Chen and others as enemies without realizing it!"
Wen Renzhong had a special status and was not afraid of anyone. Facing the angry Li Xiuning, his face remained as usual and he spoke in a leisurely tone.
After a pause, he smiled softly and simply asked: "Of course, if your Majesty really thinks so, it's fine! I wonder if your Majesty still recognizes her identity as Concubine De? Which country does Hangu Pass and the Women's Army belong to?"
"What's the meaning?"
Li Xiuning's pretty face was a little ugly. She didn't know how to respond for a moment, so she couldn't help but ask in a cold voice.
How can a country's gamble be taken lightly?
Not only the Li Kingdom, but also the Tang Kingdom, including Li Xiuning, did not believe that Tang King Li Yuan would really fulfill the Li Tang Agreement as promised. How should we answer this?!
"Literally! It is undeniable that without the young master personally coming forward, the empress would not be able to control Hangu Pass and create Hangu's prestige, let alone form an army of women so quickly. Now that the agreement is clear, it is time to fulfill it
…”
Wen Renzhong said with his usual calm expression. He paused for a moment to let everyone digest what he said, and then continued:
"The young master has only the empress in his heart. The most important thing is to see how the empress chooses. Whether the King of Tang will fulfill his promise is another matter, and the young master does not even care. Now that our army is approaching the pass, we can attack and destroy the country at any time. If we do not fulfill the promise, then
It is the King of Tang who seeks his own death, and he is no better than anyone else!"
Li Xiuning's face changed, her red lips parted, but in the end she couldn't say anything, let alone how to say it.
Li Daoxuan interrupted and reminded: "Now that Hangu Pass is in ruins and is being repaired with all efforts, is it too early to say this?"
"It's too late! If it's too late, the Tang Kingdom will be destroyed!"
Wen Renzhong glanced at Li Daoxuan, said with a smile, and then continued: "You must also know that the Sui army that bypassed Hangu Pass has already passed Yique Pass and Pingjin Pass to kill the Eastern Capital. The soldiers are so fast, how can we let them go?
Will our army just wait and see if the Eastern Capital falls into the hands of the Sui army? My king only cares about what the empress wants. It doesn’t matter what the king of Tang decides. The big deal is just to fight for it!"
"Joke! If the Eastern Capital is so easy to capture, would it still be called the Eastern Capital?"
Li Dao
"What do you mean, empress?"
Wen Renzhong was too lazy to pay attention to Li Daoxuan, looked at Li Xiuning and asked. After a pause, he continued:
"My king doesn't want to embarrass the empress, so he allows the empress to remain neutral and wait for the outcome without helping each other. However, Hangu Pass can only be controlled by the empress. General Tang should go back to support the endangered Dongdu! There is no need to waste time at Hangu Pass.
