The royal train slowly drove into the platform, and before it came to a complete stop, several carriages opened their side doors, and a large group of young and strong soldiers in black uniforms jumped out.
The uniforms worn by this group of people are quite special, somewhere between Guards uniforms and patrol uniforms, and each person wears a dragon badge on their chest.
They are all carefully selected by the Attendant Department, and have gone through many layers of selection to be selected as imperial guards!
The most important indicator for their selection into the Royal Guards is not whether they can fight or how accurate their marksmanship is, but their loyalty.
Every imperial guard who is selected must go through double inspections by Hantong and the Guards. The scope of the investigation is so wide that it not only investigates three generations of ancestors, but also all teachers, friends and relatives. Anyone who is slightly inappropriate will not be selected.
For example, if there is any official background.
Li Xuan's imperial bodyguards were the same as other feudal dynasties. He did not like to use the children of the powerful. On the contrary, he preferred to use the children of poor families with innocent backgrounds.
Because they are the ones who can wear swords and guns in front of Li Xuan, and they are the penultimate line of defense to protect Li Xuan's safety.
More than 200 imperial guards jumped out of the car and soon divided into two groups. On the other side, people went to check around the platform. On the other side, there was a human wall standing in front of the royal palace to make money, with warnings listed.
line, while staring at each person with a scrutinizing gaze. If you look closely, you will find that their hands are always vaguely carrying the Suifa pistol on their waist, and they can draw the gun and shoot at any time!
When these imperial guards stood on guard and patrolled around, there was one person among these imperial guards who looked special. This man was about forty years old. He did not wear the same black uniform as the imperial guards, but wore a
Ordinary Confucian official robes, but in addition to the rank badges worn by ordinary officials, he also wears a dragon badge on his chest.
Although this middle-aged official of the fourth rank was not of high rank, he had a very special status in the political arena of the Tang Dynasty, because he was Wang Changlin, the chief of the Attendant Section of the Hanlin Academy.
He was born in Youjunying. His father was a Tang Army soldier who joined the army in the early days. His father was killed during the Guangxi Campaign. Because his mother also died early, he had no other relatives and was admitted to live and study in Youjunying since he was a child.
Then he entered the Military Class of the Young Military Camp, the predecessor of the Royal Youth Military Academy, to continue his studies. The Young Military Camp at that time was divided into three classes: science class, liberal arts class, and military class. After graduating from the military class, he entered the Royal Academy to study, and then entered the Guards
Military service.
However, it didn't take long for him to be selected to serve in the Attendant Department, and then he was gradually promoted, and finally became the chief of the Attendant Department, the leader of most of the Imperial Guards in the Tang Dynasty.
The reason why I say most, not all, is because there are about twenty first-class imperial guards who are directly under the personal control of His Majesty the Emperor.
To be honest, Li Xuan's personal bodyguards are actually the more than twenty first-class imperial guards. Each of the first-class imperial guards has a military rank of major or above. Each of them is personally selected by Li Xuan, who can immediately
The elite who are blocking Li Xuan!
Wang Changlin just stood in front of the train with his hands behind his back, not moving, and scanning the people in front of him.
As for the royal train behind him, the door has not even opened yet, and the locomotive has not stalled. It can start and leave again at any time!
The civil and military officials on the platform also knew that this was the last security procedure, so naturally they would not whisper to each other at this time, but would just wait quietly.
About ten minutes later, two officials from the Attendance Department walked up to Wang Changlin and whispered a few words.
At this time, Wang Changlin nodded to an official from the Hanlin Academy Secretariat on the side!
After receiving the signal, the Secretariat official immediately took a deep breath and said loudly: "Your Majesty is here!"
After hearing this arrival, all the civil and military officials on the platform cheered up and turned their attention to the door of the royal train.
I saw the carriage door being pulled open from the inside, and two ordinary-looking young men in casual clothes came out first, but people ignored them because they all knew that these two people were His Majesty's personal bodyguards.
Personal guards follow Li Xuan every day, but they basically don't pay attention to them and just ignore them.
After these two personal guards, the ministers saw Li Xuan, who was wearing casual clothes with dragon patterns, appearing at the door of the carriage. Behind him, two other personal guards in casual clothes could be vaguely seen standing two feet behind him.
side.
At this time, the civil and military officials on the platform, led by Jiangnan Taoist Yuan Weiyuan and Army Lieutenant General Xu Lian'an, commander of the First Army, bowed their heads and saluted, and at the same time sang: "I kneel down to welcome my emperor, long live my emperor."
Long live!"
Looking at the dark crowd of ministers bowing and saluting on the platform, Li Xuan walked off the train with a smile on his face, and then stepped onto the red carpet. Then he stretched out his right hand and raised it slightly, saying: "I love you all."
!”
At this time, Yuan Weiyuan, Xu Lianan and others in front of him stood up straight!
After the ceremony was completed, the car doors on both sides were opened, and a large number of civil and military ministers walked out one after another. The person on one side of the car door was headed by Liu Bagou, an old man in the imperial political circles, who was already over 70 years old.
He is not in good health on weekdays, and rarely goes to court to participate in politics. However, he is still the minister on duty in the imperial study room, a bachelor of Jianji Palace, and a highly respected minister.
Behind him were several other ministers on duty and walking ministers from the royal study, and a large number of senior officials from the ministry got off the car one after another.
On the other side, there are the top military officials headed by Hao Bainian. In the lead are all generals from land and sea. This time Li Xuan went on patrol and brought all the generals in the empire, regardless of land and sea, even retired generals.
I brought everything out.
Each of these generals is a guy with deep qualifications and prestige, and some of them can even incite unrest in the army with a single shout. In Li Xuan's eyes, these military bosses are all potential factors of instability.
When he was in Jinling City, he brought all these people to Jinling City, and when he left the capital for a patrol, he also took them with him.
To be honest, Li Xuan wouldn't worry if he didn't take them with him.
Over the years, Li Xuan actually understands very well why the founding emperors like to kill heroes. These people have too much prestige and seniority, and they can't rest assured if they don't kill them!
However, Li Xuan was unwilling to directly kill the heroes and cause instability in the empire, so he could only take these heroes wherever he went.
All he can hope for now is to use his age to survive them all.
If he died in front of them, to be honest, he didn't think that the prince or other princes could suppress these heroes.
If one day he becomes seriously ill and is about to die, he will inevitably follow Zhu Yuanzhang's example and kill a group of heroes to pave the way for the crown prince's smooth ascension to the throne.
After Li Xuan got out of the car and accepted the audience from the officials, he briefly said a few words to Yuan Weiyuan and others. Each of them only said a few words. After speaking to all the more than 20 officials in front,
I just went back to the train.
Immediately afterwards, officials from the Secretariat also announced that the Holy Driver would not stay in Zhenjiang for too long and would set off directly after completing the filling of coal and water in half an hour!
This disappointed many local officials, who were still counting on the Holy Emperor to stay in Zhenjiang for inspection.
But obviously, the Shengjia Special Train only passed through Zhenjiang. It was already very good to be able to meet local officials on the way.
Then a secretary called Yuan Weiyuan and about ten other senior officials from Jiangnan Province and Zhenjiang, saying that His Majesty had summoned them.
After these ten people got on the special train, Li Xuan had a brief chat with them, but the focus was still on chatting with the prefect of Zhenjiang Prefecture and other local officials. As for the Taoist priests of Jiangnan Road and others, after they got on the special train, they would talk with them.
Other civil and military dignitaries accompanied the Holy Emperor as he continued eastward and accompanied the Holy Emperor to inspect the entire Jiangnan Road.
About twenty minutes later, the Zhenjiang Prefecture magistrate and four other local officials from Zhenjiang Prefecture got off the royal train with reluctant expressions.
The time for this meeting was too short. Although it lasted for almost twenty minutes in total, it was divided equally among more than ten people. Even though Li Xuan specifically spoke to the four local officials of Zhenjiang Prefecture,
After calculation, the average time allocated to each of the four of them was only two or three minutes.
But even so, they were very satisfied.
Ordinary mid-level local officials like them usually have little chance to meet the Holy See. Although there are examples of returning to Beijing to report on their duties once every three years, in fact, except for the prefect who can meet the Holy See when he returns to Beijing to report on his work, local officials below the prefect level can also meet the Holy See.
When I return to Beijing to report on my work, I actually won't be able to see the Holy Emperor.
Even if you are a prefect, you cannot actually see him every time you return to Beijing to report on your duties. If the Holy Emperor is busy, or if nothing special happens in the prefecture, and it is not a very important place, then you will not be able to get an interview with the Holy Emperor.
Opportunistic.
This time when the Holy Emperor went on patrol, they got such an opportunity.
After these Zhenjiang Prefecture officials got off the special train, the imperial guards from the Attendance Department also got on the train, and then the officials.
A few minutes later, the leading Guards armed train, puffing white smoke, took the lead to leave the Zhenjiang Railway Station, followed by other trains, imperial special trains, and other special trains.
After watching the special train go away, although the local Zhenjiang local officials regretted that the Holy Emperor did not inspect Zhenjiang, the matter of welcoming the train was finally completed, and there were no problems along the way.
Based on this alone, they can write down "contribution to the meeting" on their resume. Even if it is not a merit, it is still hard work.
The officials in Zhenjiang were relieved, but the local officials along the railway ahead were looking forward to and nervous now.
Like Zhenjiang officials, they only received a temporary notice yesterday and began to prepare overnight. According to the speed of the special train, the special train will arrive in Suzhou in the evening.
After arriving in Suzhou, you will spend the night here!
These days, trains usually don't run at night. It's not that they can't, but because communications are backward and there are no electric lights. It's too dangerous to run at night.
Ordinary trains no longer run at night, let alone royal trains.
The special train passed through Changzhou and Wuxi in the afternoon, but it was the same as when it was in Zhenjiang. It was just a route. The special train would only stop for half an hour to add coal and water.
Li Xuan would also briefly meet with local officials during this half hour, but that was all.
In the evening, when night was about to fall, the special train finally arrived at Suzhou Railway Station, which was also heavily protected by military police!
Although Li Xuan still did not leave the train station and went to Suzhou city for inspection, since the special train would stay overnight at the Suzhou train station, the officials in Suzhou had more opportunities and time to meet Li Xuan.
There was nothing to say all night. The next morning, the special train left Suzhou Railway Station and went straight to Shanghai!
In just a few hours, Li Xuan could see with his own eyes the most prosperous city in the Shanghai Empire!