Chapter 25 The Emperor's "Tour"
Chapter 25 The Emperor's "Tour"
On the magnificent chariot, the emperor wore a crown with twelve chapters of paintings on it depicting the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, insects, algae, etc.
His face was a little pale, but he looked relatively calm. When he met the cheering soldiers and civilians, he even waved to them.
The ministers, wearing the official robes of the five seasons, followed closely.
Because it was autumn, it looked all white and spectacular. According to the rules, the court robes for the five seasons changed with the seasons: blue in spring, scarlet in summer, yellow in late summer (the third month of summer, i.e. June), white in autumn, and soap-colored in winter.
Compared to the emperor, the officials' faces were much uglier.
If the enemy comes, the emperor and empress may not die, but the same cannot be said for them.
The reason why everyone stayed in Luoyang was that they had the same idea as Wang Yan, that is, they stayed in the court, fought for power, sought official positions for their families, and gained benefits. In their hearts, they really didn't want to see war - except for speculators.
Queen Yang Xianrong wore a dark blue robe, and adorned herself with twelve hairpins, a step-shaking ornament, a big bun, and a sash. She had a beautiful appearance and was extremely graceful and elegant.
She looked very calm, as if she was on a spring outing, but if you looked closely at the corners of her mouth, there seemed to be a hint of mockery.
This woman, after experiencing life and death, seems to have become broken...
She couldn't stand her husband the emperor, she couldn't stand the commander-in-chief Sima Yi who controlled the government, she couldn't stand the civil and military officials, and she couldn't stand the nobles and aristocrats.
In her eyes, these people themselves are a joke.
They are incapable of governing the country with civil power, and incapable of suppressing rebellion with military power. They spend their days in intrigues and act like puppets, attending court and leaving it, saying ridiculous things that they themselves do not believe, and doing heinous things like theft and prostitution behind the scenes. What use are they?
Sima Yi, in particular, is a shameless, incompetent and immoral person.
Yang Xianrong still remembers the arrows flying towards her outside the palace. She had never been so close to death.
Sima Yi was also very hypocritical. On the surface, he was very respectful to the emperor and the empress, and no one could find fault with him. But in fact, he had long dismissed the palace guards, and then let his own troops take turns guarding the palace. He also threatened the emperor at every turn to satisfy his desires.
Such a seemingly powerful official, when faced with Sima Ying, who had an army of more than 200,000, was so humble that all matters, big or small, were sent to Yecheng, and he did not dare to make decisions on his own. Until today, when Sima Ying completely turned against him, he dared to make up his mind to fight, what a coward.
Haha, with these guys from the Sima family, why should she open her legs?
She glanced around aimlessly, with the detached attitude of someone watching a giant sitcom—or pantomime, for that matter.
Well, outside the gate of Biyong are kneeling soldiers and generals.
The leader was wearing a white robe, ah, another useless scholar.
Behind him, there were two more people.
The one on the left was wearing armor with sleeves, his head almost buried in the mud, trembling with fear.
The one on the right is not very honest.
He looks very tall, wearing a bright red military uniform, with a bow and a ring-handled sword on his waist, and a huge sword or was it a long knife stuck behind his back.
His head was slightly lowered, but he was secretly glancing at the emperor out of the corner of his eyes, appearing quite presumptuous.
Yang Xianrong could even feel that this person's gaze stayed on her much longer than that of the emperor.
Oh, what a courage! What a dirty mind!
But she was too lazy to care.
Since she had grown up and her beautiful figure appeared in front of the world, she had long been accustomed to the gazes of men of all kinds. There were many disgusting things mixed in, and one could imagine with one's toes.
She used to be disgusted.
Now, she is very clear that her appearance, figure and even identity are also a kind of asset, but no one is worthy of her.
Even the emperor can’t do it!
She glanced at her husband, who had a bruise on his forehead where she had hit him with a vase.
Sima Yong and Sima Ying submitted a petition requesting the execution of Shangshu You Pushe Yang Xuanzhi (Yang Xianrong's father), and he actually seriously discussed the feasibility with court officials.
What's the use of such a man?
Taiyang Yang family, when did you become so trampled upon?
The carriage passed by quickly.
Mi Huang waited for a while before slowly standing up.
Shao Xun was quick to act and gave her a gentle hand. Mi Huang looked at him with satisfaction.
Yang Bao was stunned.
Shao the thief is so good at martial arts, but he can also read people's expressions and has hundreds of thoughts in his mind. Is he still a human being?
"Go back." Mi Huang waved his hand and invited everyone to enter the wall.
"I received news last night that Huangfu Shang has been defeated, and Zhang Fang's army can march straight into Luoyang without any hindrance. Our good days are over, and we may have to go into battle at any time." Mi Huang said, "You should be prepared."
"Commander, there are still some pigs and sheep in the camp. We might as well slaughter them and feast them for the whole army to boost morale," Shao Xun suggested.
"This is a very good plan, you can do it." Mi Huang was in a bad mood and said directly. "Yes." Shao Xun responded.
"Inspector, since the enemy troops have already defeated Huangfu Shang, what's the purpose of the commander-in-chief going on an inspection tour in accordance with the emperor's orders today? Is he going to inspect other places?" Yang Bao asked.
"Haha." Mi Huang laughed loudly, pointed at Yang Bao with his finger, and said, "You, what nonsense are you talking about? You see, Shao Langjun wouldn't say such a thing."
"The Grand Commander is on tour in accordance with the Emperor's instructions. From my perspective, this is just a drill. He will also be on campaigns in accordance with the Emperor's instructions in the future," Shao Xun said with a smile.
Mi Huang glanced at him approvingly, then looked at Yang Bao and said earnestly, "Shao Dubo is younger than you, but he sees things very clearly. When Qi Wang Jiong was executed last year, the Grand Commander used the emperor as a shield. At that time, the emperor and empress were frightened, and more than a dozen officials died. This time, when the army is approaching, he is just using the same old trick and using the emperor as a shield again. After all, few people dare to risk the world's disapproval and openly kill the emperor, so there is an opportunity."
Yang Bao was stunned.
He didn't expect that Sima Yi had such a low moral character that he dared to do such a thing. No wonder he could become the Grand Commander. He was really cruel!
At the same time, he was a little jealous. The owner of the building, Mi Huang, valued Shao Xun and ignored him, which made him feel unhappy.
He thought so in his heart, but he didn't know how to hide it, and it showed directly on his face.
Mi Huang saw this and didn't want to say anything, but soon thought, with Shao Xun's martial arts and knowledge, if he went to the battlefield, Yang Bao would be beaten to death by him? He felt pity for Yang Bao and said, "Yang Dubo, the army has always been based on ability. I don't want to care about your opinion, but I have to remind you that Zhang Fang is not a good person. Although the Guanzhong army he brought with him were originally good people, Zhang Fang indulged himself when he went out to fight. I'm sure you know what kind of people they will become. Hongnong is already eating people and killing prisoners. Do you think Zhang Fang will let you go when he arrives in Luoyang? Will kneeling and begging for mercy be useful? We must be united now and don't make mistakes."
Yang Bao's face turned pale and he was speechless.
"Think about it carefully." Mi Huang snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves and walked away.
******
From mid-September, the war accelerated sharply.
On the 20th, after wreaking havoc in Hongnong, the Guanzhong troops moved closer and closer, causing panic in Luoyang.
On the 25th, in the dark night, several long lines of torches were lined up.
The troops were not very well organized and the noise was quite loud.
The baggage wagons left behind were filled with jars and cans, as well as large and small bags, all bulging with stuff, and no one knew what was stuffed inside.
The soldiers were in high spirits, marching briskly with smiles on their faces, looking like a victorious army.
The sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out, rolling westward, and soon stopped beside a thatched pavilion.
There were more than ten people gathered in the pavilion, wearing bright armor and with fierce looks.
Zhang Fang sat on a stone bench with his legs spread out, chewing some meat jerky.
His notoriety had spread throughout Hongnong, and now it was known to the people of Luoyang. Whenever he thought of this, he felt very proud.
I want you aristocratic families to look down on me!
Haha, I’m coming with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, are you afraid?
When he was stationed in Hongnong, he captured several members of the Yang family, the most attractive of whom were a pair of sisters-in-law.
His sister-in-law was charming and attractive, and his sister-in-law was young and naive. They cooked for him and warmed his bed day and night, serving him for ten days, all under the watchful eyes of their brother and father.
Before leaving, he cooked a meal for the aunt and sister-in-law, and the taste still lingers in his mind today.
All the nobles and aristocrats are shit, just sheep with two legs!
Zhang Fang even began to doubt himself. Why had he been so respectful and admiring to them when he was young?
They are willing to sacrifice their wives and daughters in order to save their own lives.
In order to survive, the lady served the man attentively and was extremely lewd. Has her image as a "goddess" collapsed?
This world is a good place, haha, it’s exactly what I want!
As the sound of horse hooves got closer, the soldiers outside the thatched pavilion drew their swords and bows and looked in the direction of the sound.
After a while, one of the riders dismounted and bowed, saying, "Commander-in-chief, the vanguard has reached Qianjin Gate, and there are no soldiers under the command of the fake Grand Commandant Sima Yi."
"Okay, first occupy Qianjintu and cut off the canal." Zhang Fang slapped his thigh, with a fierce look in his eyes, and gave the order.
"Yes." The knight took the order and left.
Zhang Fang threw away the meat jerky, wiped his hands on his military uniform, and said with a smile: "Sima Yi should be rushing back to help now, right? He looks down on us Westerners. This time, let him see clearly that among all the officials in the court, there is only one who can fight a war, haha."
The personal soldiers and generals also laughed and were very happy.
Qianjinqiao is a large water dam in the west of Luoyang City. There are many stone and brick canals leading to the city. It is the main source of water for the inner city and the palace city. I'll intercept it for you this time, let's see how you drink the water.
It has to be said that although Zhang Fang is a cruel person, he has a clear idea of how to fight a war and is not a reckless person.
Despite their superior military strength, they were still cautious, which was much better than some of the young men from noble families who were just filling in the numbers.
"Have you all rested enough?" Zhang Fang stood up, looked at the dark sky, and said, "We must travel overnight. I want to see Luoyang tomorrow morning."
The generals responded loudly and their morale was high.
(End of this chapter)