In the second year of Zhaoxi, on the first day of October, at the foot of Suoyang Pass, the princes gathered for an alliance. The flags and banners were rolled up, and the flags were like a forest.
October is commonly known as the Yang month among the people. Because the Great Sheng Dynasty was first established, when Bai Jiangxi sent people to unify the world's calendar, he called it: "The moon of yin and decadence, when all the grass has fallen. However, the yang energy is not exhausted, which determines the expectations for the coming year. It can be called the sun and the moon." Hence the name.
At present, six groups of troops from the four states south of Suoyang Pass are standing in formation at the pass. The princes' military formations have deliberately left a broad road enough for three four-horse carriages to pass through side by side. They have no intention of fighting with each other. , and had no intention of retreating, so he just stood at the pass.
An indescribable silence and solemnity enveloped the sky above Cynomorium Pass. Under the blue sky and white sun, it was so quiet that only the heavy breathing of the military formation could be heard.
A shadow was cast on the military formation from high altitude. It was a golden eagle with its wings spread out. Along with the cry of the eagle, it resounded through the sky, and a loud horn was blown in Suoyang Pass at the same time. A large sign with the word "Luqiu" stood at the head of the city. The flag suddenly opened a gap, and a man wearing a crimson official robe strode forward.
However, upon closer inspection, it was found that the man was not the imperial envoy that the Baijiang clan usually used to announce the decree, but a brave warrior who had changed his outer robe with an unknown red flag and draped it hastily over his armor.
Although the person who came here had an ordinary appearance, he was the passerby of Guan Ningwu's death in Wei Liang. He was born with a loud voice. As soon as he opened his mouth, the sound shook the roof tiles. Even if he was standing in the military formation a mile away from the pass, he could speak loudly. Every word can be heard clearly. The enthronement edict written on the yellow silk in his hand is extremely simple and brief:
"Xuan: In times of danger, to inherit the throne of the emperor"
In ancient times, there was an emperor in Baijiang, who relied on thousands of soldiers to fight hard for several years and was able to drive away the ferocious beasts. The glory of his achievements goes back to ancient times, and the waves are fragrant. But today, the soldiers have been fighting hard for a long time, causing the country to overturn and the fertile fields to become barren. As for the ferocious beasts, they have reappeared in recent months. , all the people are dead, the northern land is lost, and the country is in danger. However, under the overthrow of the nest, there is no wise king or general to restore peace to the world, how sad!
The Baijiang family of Luqiu originally relied on heaven's grace to obtain the land of Guannan. Now the Baijiang family has died, and the Zuoqiu family has passed away. Looking at the world, only Weiliang is the mainstay. Therefore, I was ordered to do so in the second year of Zhaoxi's rise to the imperial court. He ascended the base of Suoyang Pass, inherited the emperor's inheritance, ascended the Dabao for the first time, changed Jingshu to the new capital, named Xin, and established Yuan Yaoning. From now on, it is the first year of Daxin Yaoning, and it is also the beginning of the new year.
I think of the great cause, and all those who are sincere and wise will be promoted and rewarded for their merits. If you are small, you will be an official, and if you are great, you will be three ministers. I hope that you will take Guizhou and Li as your top priority and be my comrades. Let’s discuss together good strategies to defend against the enemy and establish the country.
Announce it to the world, and the envoys will know it."
After the edict was read, the military formations of the vassal states below the city did not move at all. After being stunned for a long time, they all fell to their knees in confusion one after another, and the mountains shouted long live.
Then, the main gate under Suoyang Pass opened, and a group of Guan Ning warriors with a thousand people came out and took a stand under the pass wall. In the center of the military formations of each vassal state, a total of six vehicles with different styles also drove out. The same carriages and horses, but as if they had been agreed upon long ago, there was no follower following them.
Under the guard of Guan Ning's soldiers, the carriage slowly moved toward the open door. Behind them, the six-nation military formation, which had always been on guard against each other like tight bowstrings, finally relaxed as if they were relieved.
At the same time, above the city of Suoyang Pass, Luqiu Borong, who had just been declared emperor, just looked at everything happening under his feet coldly, as if he was looking at several nests of ants appearing on the sand at the same time, but his eyes gradually wandered away. .
"Your Majesty, these princely states in the south have finally arrived, and you can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now the princes and kings have arrived at the pass to wait for orders. Do you want to see them?" Seeing that the female monarch had been deep in thought for a long time, a female official behind her
I couldn't help but stepped forward and bowed my hands.
Since the battle in Yujing City a few months ago, the once arrogant Wei Liang Gong seems to have changed. On the surface, it seems that the passing of Fu Zaiyin did not have any profound impact on him, and he even regretted the passing of his brave generals.
The ordinary grief did not last long.
However, those who were interested gradually discovered that Lu Qiu Borong had quietly replaced all the eunuchs and eunuchs around him with women. Even before the edict of ascending to the throne was issued, even the important official positions that had been vacant due to deaths and injuries in the court were still the same as before.
The Chengtian Division, which commanded the 12th Military Guard Army, and Sicheng, the Second Division of the Qing Officials Division, who were in charge of rituals and sacrifices, also appointed several female officials to their posts.
Thinking about it, this resolute-looking female king doesn't want to see any man with outstanding ability around her to replace Fu Zaiyin's position in her heart.
"Of course we have to see you." The new emperor who came back to his senses nodded, but had no intention of leaving, "But not now. All countries are well prepared this time, and asked them to wait a little longer.
There will be more omissions in each other's words, which will be more beneficial to me, Wei Liang."
"I don't know, so what does it mean to come prepared?" The female official next to her looked confused.
"Previously, the kings of the five kingdoms of Huaiyou, Nanhua, Yu, Dun, and Cheng died violently in Yujing City. Now that the new king has just been established, everything is turbulent, and those who have been imprisoned are all pretentious masters. If it hadn't been for my orders before,
I took the head of Chilang and went south to deliver the message. I am afraid that more than half of these princes and kings will not show up at Suoyang Pass today, let alone bow their heads and kneel in front of me."
She paused for a moment and continued, "Nothing in the world can escape the word "profit". Among the banners of various families standing in the woods under the city, there are certainly many weak Yu, Dun and others, who have no choice but to rely on me, Wei Liang.
, in order to seek protection from the threat of man-eating ferocious beasts; there are also Huaiyou who almost lost their country due to the war, hoping to ask me to support them and seek justice."
The new emperor said, pointing to the military formation of the princes at his feet, "But in addition, you see that Chengguo, who was severely injured in the melee among the princes, probably wanted to take advantage of the emperor's new establishment this time.
They reconciled with our Luqiu family and took back the thousands of miles of fertile fields in the vast plains that originally belonged to them. The one that was built over there was Nanhua, who profited from the war and took the opportunity to gain power. He was probably worried about his previous loyalty to Gao Li.
It will make people angry, so I came here to explore the truth, but I am not afraid of another war and disaster..."
These words were spoken calmly, but the determined look on Lu Qiu Borong's face seemed to have clearly seen the vassal states with their own evil intentions. He then changed the subject and asked the female officer behind him loudly:
"Have you seen the Ye Kingdom's Sea Falcon Flag today?"
"Never seen."
The other party shook his head, bowed and prefaced. The new emperor seemed to still be grudged against the young man in white who once defeated him at the foot of Yujing City, and was unwilling to give up:
"Have envoys been sent south to deliver the imperial edict in person?"
"It was passed - it was passed, but -"
The female officer suddenly hesitated, as if she didn't want to refute the other party's interest on the grand day of his enthronement. However, the more this happened, the more relentless Lu Qiu Borong continued to ask:
"But what? The boy in white has already retreated, but now he refuses to come forward to see me. He is determined not to respect me as emperor. As the saying goes, those who obey me will prosper and those who rebel against me will perish. One day, I will let him
Pay the price!”
"That's not the case - it's just that today's Ye State is probably no longer able to advance northward again. It's even unclear whether the young master of the Qi family is alive or dead at this time."
The female officer's answer caused her expression to change. She realized that in just two short months, something terrible had happened to Ye Guo, who was once so rich that he could even compete with Wei Liang.
"The war has just begun to subside, and many of the main routes south have been blocked. However, there are rumors that an elite fleet from the Peng Kingdom arrived from the sea a few days ago, captured Baisha Camp, and massacred the city in Mulu for several days. All living creatures were killed, including birds.
Not a single animal was spared. Perhaps Duke Ye’s head has disappeared at this moment, and he has become a wild ghost with no one to mourn him——"
The female officer bowed and continued to play. Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by the new emperor in front of her waving her hand:
"No. He was able to retreat unharmed after a confrontation with Guan Ning's warriors, and he was able to break out from the attack of galloping wolves. There is no way that the boy in white's life would be so short. But that Pengguo fleet -"
Speaking of this, Lu Qiu Borong's brows gradually furrowed together, "Is Ying Ren here too today?"
"Yes, here we come. Duke Peng Guo only brought dozens of guards. He did not form a formation with other countries at the city gate, but entered the pass early."
"It's good that you're here. I just want to ask him what he wanted to do when he refused to use the blue flames to fight against the wolves, but secretly sent troops south to capture the capital of Ye State!"
After half a stick of incense, the princes and princes, who had been waiting impatiently, finally met the belated new emperor at the tent set up by Lu Qiu Bo Rong in the pass.
The new leaders of Yu and Dun immediately stood up from the table, kowtowed and saluted, and addressed each other as Your Majesty. The Yu State had always been bullied, and the descendants of the Xiu family had already developed a thick-skinned attitude. However,
Lu Song, the new king of the Dun Kingdom who succeeded his elder brother and was already over 100 years old, did his best to smile in front of a woman who was about the same age as his own daughter. His flattering attitude made people laugh and laugh.
Yin Qianzhi on the side was a little hesitant. He wanted to come forward to talk, but he couldn't be neither humble nor arrogant for a while. His face turned red and white, and he didn't know if he remembered the shame of being defeated by Guan Ning's soldiers. The leader of Nanhua Kingdom, Qin Yijian,
He was disdainful of the sycophantic behavior of small countries, and just sat cross-legged, sipping leisurely from a pot of green tea prepared by the attendants on site.
Luqiu Borong's eyes swept over the faces of the princes and kings with different expressions in turn, but he did not stop walking. He went straight to the center of the tent and stood there, and asked in a loud and unceremonious voice:
"Among the countries listed above, most of them attended Gao Li's enthronement ceremony in Yujing, right?"
After hearing this, the overflowing smiles of the two heads of state, Yu and Dun, suddenly froze on their faces, and then their legs went weak and they were about to kneel down, but they were grabbed by the female official who was accompanying Lu Qiu Borong.
.
"There is no need to kneel to me. I suddenly mentioned this matter today just to tell you that I know how to protect myself in troubled times. But since you are here today, I will let it go."
When he said this, the new emperor's eyes looked beyond the descendants of the Xiu family and the Lu family in front of him, and looked at Yin Qianzhi and Tan Yijian who were silent.
After all, the country's national power had collapsed and weakened like an avalanche before, and it was no longer the dominant country in Guannan when Yin went to Jian. When Yin Qianzhi heard the words "bygone bygones" from Lu Qiu Borong, the last traces of fear and doubt in his heart were dispelled.
He crossed his hands, raised them high above his head, and bowed deeply to salute him. Although there was still a trace of worry in his heart, the anxiety of the past few years disappeared at this moment.
Although Nanhua does not have elite soldiers, it is not a weak force. At present, its country relies on the two barriers of Xunshui and Mangdang Mountain to hold on to the easy-to-defend and difficult-to-attack terrain of the Mianzhong Plateau. Therefore, Qin Yijian, who inherited his father's aloofness, is still sitting upright
He just stood there, bowed slightly, and said very calmly:
"Nanhua is willing to do his best to protect Mianzhou's peace forever."
These words were tactful and thoughtful, and their advance and retreat were well-founded. There was no direct conflict with the other party, nor was it clearly stated who was trying their best. To advance, it can be said that the purpose of ensuring Mianzhou's everlasting peace is to defend the capital and to be loyal to the new emperor. To retreat, then
It can be said that it is to establish a solid foundation for Nanhua and his Qin family, and to gather strength for future competition with Wei Liang Yi.
However, although Lu Qiu Borong knew this well, she did not show too much dissatisfaction on the surface. Rather than suppressing the dissatisfaction in her heart, it is better to say that in her eyes, the dissatisfied princes are still
It cannot pose a direct threat to itself.
Her eyes finally landed on Peng Guo Gong Ying Ren. Ever since he paid the bill, he had been standing in the corner. If she hadn't told him, she would have thought that this man with an indistinguishable age but a ferocious appearance was...
The arrogant leader of the Nanhua Kingdom forcibly brought his personal bodyguards into the tent.
"Uncle Ying, I haven't seen you for many years. Are you okay?"
Luqiu Borong nodded to Duke Peng. His father and the other party had fought side by side during the Shuodi Rebellion, and they could be regarded as blood-soaked comrades. However, now this once affectionate title seemed to make the atmosphere between them even more tense.
Become unnatural.
Ying Ren finally walked into the area illuminated by the candlelight. Half of his face was covered in scars like a melted candle, which really startled the other princes and kings who had never met him before.
"Excuse me for your concern, Your Majesty. I have something to say to you. Could you please ask irrelevant people to avoid it?"
Duke Pengguo got straight to the point. This move caused dissatisfaction with Tan Yijian, the leader of the Nanhua Kingdom. He put down the tea cup in his hand and said without any respect in his tone:
"Since all of us here are princes, we must speak openly and honestly. Who do you have the right to expel us from—"
However, before he could finish his words, he saw Ying Ren move and rush in front of him, holding the dagger he carried with him firmly against his throat:
"Little devil, is this the etiquette you have practiced for many years in Nanhua? When I led my army to defend this pass and fight with those Di people and barbarians, I am afraid that you are not there in the world. I have more than 10,000 lives in my hands.
There are thousands of them, so I don’t worry about one more. If you talk too much, it will be as if you have walked into this world from the future, how about that?!"
Such an iron-fisted response immediately made all the princes and kings, including Qin Yijian, dare not say a word. In the end, it was Lu Qiu Borong who broke the deathly silence in the tent:
"Uncle Ying is getting better and better, so I can rest assured. Everyone else should leave. Anyone who enters without permission will be killed!"