Tens of thousands of people gathered in the open and wide area between Baishui and Chunmingmen in silence. There was no breeze to caress the drizzle, and the steady and majestic hoofbeats of the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" were like war drums, trampling on everyone's hearts.
, it is depressing and unspeakable, and the sadness is unbearable.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the array of "black armored cavalry" guarding the slowly moving huge carriage pulled by six pure black horses. The large carriage was covered with thick felt cloth.
Even though there are a few air holes, the situation inside cannot be seen clearly. Everyone knows that it must be His Majesty's coffin.
This heroic and talented hero fell like a comet after the destruction of Goguryeo. Today he finally returned to Chang'an, the imperial capital, and will be buried together with Queen Wende in the Jiuwei Mountain Mausoleum. This passage is destined to shine in the history books.
The magnificent years of the golden war and iron horse will also come to an end.
Like those heroes in history, His Majesty Li Er received the utmost support from the people of the Tang Dynasty. Everyone hoped that he could live a long life, lead the Tang Dynasty to an unprecedented height, and create an unprecedented prosperous age.
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Countless soldiers and generals knelt on one knee in the mud, unable to hold back the sadness in their hearts. These arrogant and powerful generals who were rampant in the world and conquered the barbarians who regarded death as life, choked and sobbed at this moment, with tears streaming down their faces.
The wind and clouds change color, and the heaven and earth share the same sorrow.
On the other side, the people in the East Palace who had successfully occupied the honorable position after shouting "Welcome to the Holy Emperor" expected that Li Ji might be forced to stop the war under pressure, but they did not expect that Li Ji would be so decisive and decisive.
Rows of soldiers and horses kneeling on one knee radiated out to the surroundings for loyalty, causing the East Palace army to temporarily lose its voice.
A war that was very likely to poison Chang'an, bring chaos to Guanzhong, and make the East Palace face a catastrophic disaster. The war was disintegrated amidst the shouts of "Welcome to the Holy Emperor" from the entire Eastern Expedition Army headed by Li Ji. Almost everyone was overjoyed.
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Then, they saw the huge carriage escorted by the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" slowly coming from the head of the Lashui Bridge, passing between the kneeling and dormant troops, which was particularly eye-catching.
The cavalry stepped on the ground neatly, and the copper bells on the necks of the war horses "clacked". In the drizzle, it seemed like a messenger from the underworld. Wherever they went, there was a whimper...
Everyone in the East Palace understood that this meant that Li Ji had allowed the prince to "respectfully welcome the Holy Emperor", but the majestic figure of the past was no longer there, and what was welcomed back was the fallen body.
Led by the prince, a group of civil servants and generals in the East Palace dismounted their horses almost simultaneously and knelt down in the muddy water...
The "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" escorted the huge carriage through the army. When it arrived in front of Li Ji, it finally stopped slowly, and the surrounding areas were silent for a while.
Li Ji knelt on one knee in the mud, not daring to raise his head. He just shouted once again in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I welcome you!"
This time, no one wants to make peace.
Wang Shoushi stood in the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" formation, turned over and dismounted, his robe was already in a state of embarrassment due to the mud and water and the rain. At this moment, he ignored the attention of everyone, came to the carriage, stepped on the coachman's shoulders and got on the carriage.
, and pulled off the huge piece of felt covering the carriage...
Everyone held their breath and stared at the carriage. As the felt cloth was opened, there was no coffin as expected, but a huge and gorgeously decorated carriage.
Everyone was stunned.
It took more than half a year to return to Chang'an from Liaodong. Apart from the fact that it was located in Liaodong and it was a severe winter at first, it was better. Later, the spring warmed up and it became civilized, so it was extremely difficult to preserve the body. Qin Shihuang died violently in the Sand Dune Palace during his eastward tour, and the body was not transported back to Xianyang.
It was already rotten halfway through the journey, and in order to hide the smell, they had to fill it with abalone to cover up its smell... Nowadays, with the method of making ice with saltpeter, a large amount of ice can be made even in the middle of summer, which is inexhaustible.
Filling the inside and outside of the coffin may greatly reduce the degree of decay of the body.
Even so, it cannot remain the same for as long as half a year. If the body is just placed in the carriage casually like this, I am afraid that it will have rotted away and only a pile of bones will be left...
The atmosphere of sadness is becoming more and more intense. After death, the majestic emperor of the Tang Dynasty traveled thousands of miles and has not been able to rest in peace. He can't even show his face and body in the ancestral temple. How tragic is it?
This is a shame for all the Eastern Expeditionary Generals, and everyone feels deeply guilty.
Wang Shoushi opened the felt cloth, stepped back and stood at the shaft of the carriage, bowed his body, and shouted again: "Slave, please welcome the Holy Driver!"
The surrounding soldiers were in a daze. Logically speaking, His Majesty's body should be transported back to the city as soon as possible at this moment and kept in the Ancestral Temple. When all the national funeral arrangements are ready, a state funeral can be held and His Majesty can be laid to rest as quickly as possible...
The emperor's chamberlain, Wang Shoushi, shouted "Welcome to the Holy Master" again at this time. Not only was it meaningless, it was even unnecessary.
Why is this?
Then, in the midst of everyone's confused gazes, a stalwart and familiar figure stooped out of the carriage, his legs slightly apart, his hands stroking the jade belt around his waist, standing on the shaft of the carriage with his arms akimbo, wearing bright armor.
The film is sonorous, the benevolent crown is on the head, the sword-shaped eyebrows are flying, the eyes are like lightning, and the gaze is awe-inspiring...
Everyone was astonished as if they were struck by lightning. This man who stood tall on the carriage and arrogantly looked down upon the society, who else could he be if he wasn't His Majesty Li Er?
The surrounding soldiers were shaken and almost thought they had seen a ghost...
After all, since the withdrawal of troops from Liaodong, news about His Majesty's death has spread among the army. At first, many people were suspicious. However, during the march, the place where His Majesty was stationed was heavily guarded by "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry", except that Li Ji could enter and exit.
Even Cheng Yaojin, Yu Chigong and other Zhenguan ministers and military leaders were not allowed to enter. After repeated visits, everyone recognized the fact of His Majesty's death and believed that Li Ji concealed the news of His Majesty's death in order to stabilize the morale of the army.
Li Ji never deliberately clarified this.
Slowly, the entire empire concluded that His Majesty Li Er had died in the Liaodong Army, but who would have thought that His Majesty Li Er would now be standing in front of everyone in full force?
Wang Shoushi stood bowed behind His Majesty Li Er, condescendingly taking in everyone's expressions, and then said in a sharp voice: "Get off and go back to the palace!"
The coachman sat on the side of the carriage shaft, flicked his whip, and the six horses driving the carriage stepped forward with iron hooves. The carriage moved forward slowly, with the "Black Armor Cavalry" still guarding the left and right.
It was only at this moment that the surrounding soldiers believed that His Majesty was indeed alive and had not died in the Liaodong Army... Naturally, what followed was ecstasy.
The support of His Majesty Li Er has reached its peak in the entire Tang Dynasty. How sad and sorrowful they were before, they are now so joyful!
The nearest generals felt as if a fire had been ignited in their bodies that had been drenched by the cold rain, and their blood was boiling. They could only express their ecstasy by holding their necks and shouting: "Your Majesty, may you live forever!" "
The carriage passed in front of Li Ji, and the muddy water splashed by the wheels splashed on Li Ji. His Majesty Li Er, who was standing on the shaft of the carriage, only glanced at it lightly, then raised his head, looked around at the soldiers and generals in all directions with a smile, and raised his He paid tribute with his hands and received more and more feedback from the soldiers.
"Your Majesty, may you live forever!"
"Longevity without borders!"
The news that "Your Majesty is not dead" spread from the front to the distance. The soldiers in the back who could not see His Majesty Li Er's face were overjoyed when they heard the news. Everyone shouted "Longevity without Borders" at the top of their lungs. All the troops of the Eastern Expedition It was as warm and surging as a pot of boiling water, expressing my inner love for His Majesty Li Er.
First there were thousands of people, then tens of thousands, and finally more than 100,000 people. The voices of "Longevity without Borders" came and went one after another, rolling and stirring between heaven and earth like rolling thunder, so that the situation changed!
Li Ji's expression remained unchanged. He waited until the carriage passed in front of him, then he stood up. Regardless of the muddy water splashing on his body, he got on his horse and silently followed the carriage.
…
When the "Xuanjia Iron Cavalry" stopped moving forward, it was unknown what happened in the East Palace. The distance between the two was quite far, and even those with very good eyesight could only see a hazy, unreal view.
It was not until later that the cry of "Longevity without Borders" swept across the countryside bit by bit, and the cheers of the more than 100,000 Eastern Expedition troops who had crossed the Ba River resounded through the sky, overwhelming the sky, and then their expressions changed in horror.
There was no time to think about what happened. All the troops in the East Palace got on their horses and stood ready. The imperial guards stepped forward and surrounded Li Chengqian in the middle. As soon as the situation was slightly wrong, they immediately retreated to avoid the enemy's edge.
Earlier, Li Ji dismounted his horse and knelt down and shouted "Welcome to the Holy Emperor". Everyone thought that Li Ji had given up the idea of competing in Chang'an and was just waiting to transport His Majesty's body back to Chang'an. After the state funeral, the prince naturally ascended the throne. The chaos caused by the Guanlong Rebellion has come to an end, and the Tang Empire will enter a new era.
But who would have thought that at this moment, a sudden change would occur.
It wasn't until the scouts from the former army risked their lives to get a closer look and saw His Majesty Li Er standing majestically on the carriage shaft against the gentle breeze and drizzle that he crawled back to Li Chengqian's horse and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is back Got it!"
For a moment, the East Palace camp was silent, and the collective was shocked and speechless.
Then, there was an uproar...
Li Chengqian, who thought he had experienced the Guanlong Mutiny and remained calm despite the collapse of Mount Tai, was so shocked that he lost control of his facial muscles. He opened his mouth and squirmed silently for a few times until the muscle spasm on his face disappeared. Then he exclaimed: "How is that possible?"
How could my father not be dead?
At the beginning of the Guanlong Rebellion, the East Palace resisted hastily and could be overthrown at any time, which led to the demise of the empire and the power of the imperial court. The Eastern Expedition army had already withdrawn from Liaodong but had not returned. It sat and watched the chaos in Chang'an and the East Palace was in danger. At first, it was thought that the East Palace was in danger. Li Ji was ambitious and had a rebellious intention, but if his father was still alive and had been following the army, Li Ji would naturally have to obey the emperor's orders in whatever he did...
Li Chengqian swayed on his horse, his face turned pale and without any blood.