Chapter 151: Destiny Warrior
Chapter 151: Destiny Warrior
Xiao Xia and his party stopped in Xianyang County. According to the emperor's instructions, Prince of Jin Yang Guang, Prime Minister Yang Su and Zhang Sun Sheng were responsible for handling the matter.
The 1,970 war horses had been taken over by officials from the Imperial Household Department, and the court had booked a large inn near the south gate of Xianyang to arrange for Xiao Xia and his men to rest.
Almost all the soldiers went to the inn in the city to deposit their money, so the inn seemed particularly deserted. Xiao Xia sat in the room writing a memo, which was a habit he developed after the Three Xiao Fighting. He would record every major event.
To review the events that have been experienced, simply put, is to sum up the experience and learn lessons. Only when reviewing thoroughly will he re-examine his behavior from a third-party perspective.
At this time, there was a knock on the door. Xiao Xia hurriedly got up to open the door. When he opened the door, he was stunned. His father Yang Guang was standing outside.
Yang Guang smiled slightly and said, "Let's go out for a walk!"
"I put on a robe!"
Xiao Xia returned to his room, put away the half-written memo, put on an outer robe, and then followed his father out of the inn.
The inn was close to the city gate, and next to it was the upper city corridor. Yang Guang pointed at the upper city corridor and said with a smile: "Let's go up to the top of the city for a walk!"
Xiao Xia nodded, and the father and son walked towards the top of the city one after the other.
Standing on the top of the south city wall and looking outside the city, the Wei River is not far away, and there are two cities on the other side of the Wei River. The closer one is the old Chang'an, which is the Han Chang'an City, the capital of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and also the capital of the Sui Dynasty when it was first established.
A little further away, the vaguely visible city is Daxing City, which is the current capital, the new Chang'an City.
Yang Guang smiled and said, "You may be wondering why I let you stay in Xianyang instead of letting you go to Chang'an to accept the honor of being summoned by the emperor?"
"Is it related to Buqa Khan?"
Yang Guang nodded and said, "Bujia Khan was a distinguished guest invited by the Tuyuhun people, but we rushed into someone else's house and killed their distinguished guest. No one can justify this. Although everyone knew it during the negotiation, Changsun Sheng firmly denied that Bujia was killed by the Sui army.
The court later issued an official statement that the assassination of Buqa Khan in Tuyuhun had nothing to do with the Sui Dynasty, so the emperor could not receive you publicly, let alone let you drive the Turkic war horses into the capital with great fanfare. That would be tantamount to announcing to the world that you killed Buqa Khan, and the emperor and the court could not afford to slap themselves in the face. "
Xiao Xia smiled and asked, "Did Grandfather see the head of Bujia Khan?"
"I have seen it. The Royal Grandfather is very happy and praises you as the Ban Chao of the Great Sui Dynasty. It is even more amazing that you can drive two thousand war horses back safely. The Royal Grandfather has decided to promote you to the Duke of Xihai County and confer you the fifth-class honorary title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi."
Xiao Xia was silent for a moment and said, "I don't care about being given an official title or a noble title, but I hope the court will treat my fifty-one subordinates well."
Yang Guang smiled and said, "I have tried to get you promoted. Li Wang will be promoted to General of the Imperial Guards, and the fifty soldiers will be promoted to Brigade Commanders and Colonels. Each of them will also be rewarded with fifty pieces of colored silk. That should be good, right?"
Xiao Xia bowed and said, "Thank you, father, for fighting for me!"
Yang Guang nodded and said, "On a public level, your royal grandfather cannot publicize your achievements, nor can he give you more rewards, but privately, you may get an honor that countless people dare not even think about."
"What is it?" "The Lingyan Pavilion Warriors, also known as the Mandate of Heaven Warriors, are the pillars supporting the Sui Dynasty. There are eighteen of them in total. I only know that after Han Qinhu and Yu Qingze passed away, there were only sixteen Lingyan Pavilion Warriors left. If you are absorbed into the Lingyan Pavilion, there will be seventeen. I don't know who they are specifically, but I can guess some. People like Gao Jiong, Yang Su, Yang Xiong, Yang Da, He Ruobi, Yuwen Shu, Shi Wansui, Yu Juluo, and Wei Wensheng must be them. I don't know about the others, and the Crown Prince doesn't know either. Only the Emperor knows."
Xiao Xia hesitated for a moment and said, "The Great Sui already has a court, an army, and counties all over the country. I don't understand why they need to set up such an organization?"
Yang Guang shook his head. "There are some things I cannot say casually, but because you are my son, I can speak to you frankly. The Sui Dynasty was not established through bloodshed on the battlefield, but was the result of a coup. There must have been various compromises before your grandfather could finally take the throne. This has led to the instability of the foundation of the Sui Dynasty, and it can be said that it is full of crises.
The Guanlong nobles inside wanted to do the same and replace the Sui Dynasty. The remnants of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the southern forces, the Turkic forces, and the Donghu forces outside were all lurking in secret, waiting for an opportunity to make a comeback. Your royal grandfather was prepared for danger in times of peace. He needed a group of loyal and righteous officials who could protect the survival of the Sui Dynasty in times of crisis. This is the origin of the Lingyan Pavilion warriors. Your royal grandfather founded this secret warrior group, hoping that they could become the pillars of the Sui Dynasty and support the Sui Dynasty from collapse when it was in danger. "
“Why was I chosen?”
Xiao Xia was puzzled and asked, "I am just a nobody, how could I have the honor of being listed in the Lingyan Pavilion?"
"The warriors of Lingyan Pavilion are all old and need to be replenished with young blood. In particular, your royal grandfather has always wanted to find a younger generation among the royal children to become a Lingyan Pavilion warrior, but he couldn't find one until you appeared. He began to pay attention to you. He mentioned it to me at the last Lantern Festival party. I thought he was just talking, but this time he arranged for you to go to Tuyuhun, and I realized that he really wanted you to join Lingyan Pavilion."
Xiao Xia was stunned, and after a while asked, "Did my grandfather arrange for me to go to Tuyuhun?"
Yang Guang smiled and said, "Of course, do you really think that Chang Sun Sheng took you there on his own initiative?"
Xiao Xia was silent. It turned out that it was his royal grandfather who arranged for him to go to Tuyuhun. No wonder Changsun Sheng could hand over the emperor's golden medal to him. He did not even think of such a simple thing.
Yang Guang continued slowly, "The matter of the Lingyan Pavilion Warriors is very secretive. Except for the Crown Prince and me, the other three brothers don't know its existence, let alone ordinary ministers. Even the Lingyan Pavilion Warriors don't know who the members are, except for the three chief warriors Gao Jiong, Yang Su and Yang Xiong. The three of them are the gatekeepers of the Lingyan Pavilion Warriors. That's all I know."
Xiao Xia nodded, "Thank you for telling me, father. This time I seized a batch of gold and gems from Bujia Khan, including the Khan's golden seal. I plan to present them to my grandfather. Please pass them on for me, father!"
Yang Guang happily said: "Give it to me, I will go to the palace this afternoon and present it to the emperor's grandfather directly on your behalf!"
Emperor Yang Jian was fiddling with the gold pot and other gold items presented to him by Xiao Xia with great interest, while listening to Li Wang's report. Li Wang's real identity was the emperor's left and right attendants, or personal guards, and could be said to be the emperor's confidant. Yang Jian originally intended to send him to protect Xiao Xia, but he didn't expect that Xiao Xia did not need Li Wang's protection, but saved him many times.
"Your Majesty, Master Xiao is indeed extraordinary. He is not only skilled in martial arts, but also has extraordinary courage. After rescuing us from the valley, he did not think of escaping, but led fifty of us to kill five hundred of the enemy, almost wiping them out. Moreover, he sneaked into the Turkic tent alone, assassinated Buqa Khan, and set the tent on fire. Thousands of Turkic soldiers escaped from the burning camp, and he actually led forty-five brothers to attack thousands of Turkic soldiers. This is something I dare not even think about."
"Are you scared?" Yang Jian asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty, I was not frightened. I later asked other soldiers and they all felt the same way. Everyone, including me, was inspired with unprecedented courage. At that moment, we all wanted to die on the battlefield. Your Majesty, following the brave general into battle, the soldiers will also become brave."
Yang Jian completely understood what Li Wang meant by bravery. He nodded and said, "Go on!"
Li Wang also seized nearly two thousand war horses from them. Xiao Xia rewarded the soldiers generously and led everyone along the Jiuqu Road. He recounted in detail all the experiences along the way, especially how Xiao Xia was on guard against Wang Long and used a trick to get rid of Wang Long's greed.
Yang Jian narrowed his eyes and thought secretly in his heart that if Li Wang's description was completely true, then his grandson would indeed be a qualified candidate for the Lingyan Pavilion warrior.
(End of this chapter)