Chapter 618: The Empress Leaves the Capital, the Emperor Enters the Sea
Chapter 618: The Empress Leaves the Capital, the Emperor Enters the Sea
After being away for many days, her bedroom in the Zhao Mansion was still clean and tidy, which meant that her aunt cleaned it frequently.
Zhao Duan rubbed his nose, lifted the quilt, stepped down, walked around the room a few times, and adapted himself to the puppet's body again.
"Well... after the transformation of Gongshu Tianyuan, it is indeed not so dependent on the sun. It can still be used after so many days of standby."
Zhao Duan checked the puppet's condition and silently gave it a positive review.
Pushing open the door, the cool breeze from the courtyard in the afternoon blew towards him. After leaving the front line and returning home, Zhao Duan felt the long-lost tranquility.
Walking along the corridor, I bumped into the maids and servants in the house, all of whom bowed to me in surprise.
"master."
"I've met the master."
Zhao Duan smiled, raised his index finger and put it to his lips, signaling them not to make any sound.
Following the direction perceived by his spiritual sense, Zhao Duan passed through the moon gate and entered the garden on one side of the mansion.
The winter garden is wabi-sabi and monotonous, except for the plum blossoms that still bloom brightly.
There is a patch of plum blossoms planted in the yard of Zhao's house. At this moment, the black branches are dotted with flowers of various colors in the cold wind. However, as it is the end of winter, the flowering period will be over, and spots of petals have fallen to the ground.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan were admiring the plum blossoms in the garden under the afternoon sun.
Two women, one big and one small, were wearing embroidered jackets, one with plump peony patterns and the other with pink roses.
"Woof... woof woof..."
The Pekingese pricked up its ears first, turned its head and widened its eyes, barked a few times subconsciously, and wagged its tail wildly in a flattering manner.
The mother and daughter turned around and showed a look of surprise:
"Da Lang (Big Brother), you're back? Didn't you just go to the front line not long ago?"
Zhao Duan walked over with a smile:
"I just won a battle on the front line, and I came back to tell Your Majesty that I am safe. I just came back from the palace."
An understatement.
There was no mention of the thrilling fighting at Hu Ting.
But how could the mother and daughter not understand that winning a battle is not easy?
Zhao Duan squatted down, rubbed the Pekingese's head, then sat on the stone bench under the plum blossoms and asked about trivial matters at home.
Only at home can he temporarily put aside the affairs of family and country and get a short and complete rest.
After chatting for a while, Eugene Hua found an excuse to send her daughter away. Then this gentle, soft-tempered woman bit her lip, walked over, squatted slightly beside Zhao Duan, raised her head, looked at her stepson's face, and couldn't help saying:
"How long can you stay at home this time?"
"It's just today. I have to go back tomorrow."
"So...are we going to fight again?"
Eugene Hua seemed to sense the heavy weight between Zhao Duan's brows.
Although she didn't know, Zhao Du'an had already made up his mind to go to Binhaidao to have a decisive battle with Prince Jing and put an end to the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" in one fell swoop, so that the court could devote itself wholeheartedly to resisting the troops from the Western Regions.
But the weak woman keenly guessed that Zhao Duan was going to do something big again.
"Isn't war all about killing?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Don't worry, they are just chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning."
Eugene Hua wanted to say something, but Zhao Pan ran back at an inopportune moment.
The cunning girl said, "Mom, is there any detail about what you just told me...eh?"
Eugene Hua stood up quickly, straightened her skirt, and glared at her daughter:
"He's so old, he still has to ask for help when he wants to find something. Forget it, I'll do it myself. Go to the kitchen and ask them to prepare a delicious meal tonight to welcome Dalang."
"Oh……"
……
……
That night, Zhao Duan satisfied his appetite with his puppet body. He did not sleep at night, but instead pondered over his battle plan in the study.
Wait until it gets brighter.
When Zhao Pan came with his dog and knocked on the door to call him for dinner, he found that the room was empty.
……
"Meet Mr. Zhao."
Palace gate.
When Zhao Duan walked in the morning light, the guards at the gate saluted in surprise.
"Is there a morning court today?" he stopped and asked.
"Yes, this should be the time when the court just ended." said a guard.
Zhao Du'an nodded, and under the reverent gazes of the imperial guards, he walked through the deep doorway without going to meet with the officials who were dismissing the court.
He went straight to the Yangxin Palace, but when he arrived at the imperial study, he did not see the empress.
The older female official replied, "Your Majesty must have gone back to his bedroom."
Zhao Duan nodded, then turned and went back to the bedroom. He was familiar with the place, so the palace maid informed him first and then let him in.
"Squeak."
Pushing open the carved door of the empress's bedroom, the morning light passed by his body and sprinkled on the knitted carpet in the room.
Zhao Duan stepped in, lifted the windproof curtain, and saw a familiar figure in white clothes in the "living room". He was sitting with his back to him in front of a huge blue and white porcelain vase, seemingly pruning plum branches in the flower bed.
"Your Majesty. I am here." Zhao Duan bowed politely.
But the empress, who had her back to him, did not react.
"Your Majesty?" Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, raised his head and noticed something strange.
Suddenly, a sweet laugh came from the bedroom next door, where a veil was hung.
Zhao Duan turned his head in surprise, and his eyes lit up.
I saw a "fairy" walking out of the bedroom. She was wearing a plain white long dress and cloth boots. The waist of the white dress was tied with a bright red silk ribbon, outlining her slender waist.
Her long black hair was tied up and hung down to her waistline behind her head, making her look much more capable.
A crystal clear, ethereal face became clearer and clearer.
Xu Zhenguan held a black scabbard in his hand and looked at him with a smile:
"How is it? Will I be recognized if I go out like this?"
Zhao Duan was distracted for a moment, and suddenly realized that the "empress" in the room must be a puppet.
He thought about it seriously and shook his head, "Not appropriate."
The empress raised her eyebrows and looked at herself distressedly:
"Was it revealed somewhere?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Your Majesty is a beauty of nature. Just this face is enough to captivate the world."
Slippery talk... Xu Zhenguan pretended to be angry and said indifferently:
"I will change my appearance after I go out."
She pointed at the motionless puppet substitute in the hall and said:
"Gongshu Tianyuan sent the puppet to us last night. Zhang Tianshi also allowed him to work for the court. Therefore, he will calculate the date and bring the Tianyuan cannon from the capital to Binhai to join us later."
If Wu Xiankui were to take action, the empress would only be able to stop him.
Zhao Duan still needs to eliminate Prince Jing's followers and Qingshan's masters. In this way, the Tianyuan Cannon may turn the situation around at the critical moment.
The Queen continued:
"At the morning court today, I have informed all the ministers of your recapture of the lake pavilion. How are your preparations going?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "I will lead the Shenji Camp to attack Binhai."
The emperor and his subjects smiled at each other, and the empress said, "Wait for me at Binhai."
Zhao Duan nodded, turned around and left the bedroom, heading for the Wugong Hall - time waits for no one, after one day, Hu Ting should be stable. Watch Zhao Duan leave.
Xu Zhenguan's figure flashed, and when he reappeared, he was already in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
She raised her head and looked at the six-hundred-year-old ancestral tablet on the high platform. She walked over step by step, and gently stroked the sword case on the table with her right hand.
"Click."
The sword box opened automatically, revealing the true form of the Taia Sword.
Xu Zhenguan pursed his lips, picked up the Taia sword, and put it into the ordinary black scabbard in his hand.
Then he turned and walked out.
Just one step and the person disappeared.
Walked a few more steps.
The empress has appeared outside the capital. She turned her head and looked back at the capital, her lips moving:
"Thank you, Master."
Inside the Tianshi Mansion, under the big banyan tree, Zhang Yan grunted, and a scroll of heavenly book in his hand emitted a faint glow that shot straight into the sky.
Conceal the secret!
……
……
Lake Pavilion.
Temporary Governor's Office.
Zhao Duan opened his eyes, got out of bed, stretched his body, then pushed the door and walked out of the room.
The door to the next room opened, and the three "guardians" Yuxiu, Jinjian, and Jiyue came out after hearing the voice and looked at him together:
"came back?"
"Yeah." Zhao Duan smiled: "How is the situation in the city?"
Before the three girls could speak, a voice came from outside the yard: "Everything has been settled."
Mo Chou came over. The female official's face was full of fatigue, as if she had not slept all night, but her eyes were bright:
"Hu Ting is now completely in our hands. Some of the enemy troops have escaped, and some have been captured. Governor Ning and his men are currently cleaning up the mess. Do you want to go take a look?"
"No need." Zhao Duan was not surprised. Without the leader and the expert, it was a natural thing to take back the lake pavilion. He said:
"Call the commanders-in-chief of the three armies to hold a meeting."
After a while.
In the conference hall.
Zhao Duan sat in the main seat, listening to the excited reports of the generals. They had just won a great victory, and everyone's face was beaming.
"Commander-in-chief, your reputation in the army is now at its peak. The three camps have no longer had any concerns about you replacing Privy Envoy Xue. Morale is high. After a few days, we can march south to fight the Jiancheng rebels to the death!"
Shi Meng's mouth was stretched almost to his ears, and he spoke passionately.
His generals also echoed and expressed similar views.
Zhao Duan smiled faintly, not surprised. Is there any way to quickly stabilize the morale of the army? Victory, only victory.
However, he shook his head at the general's proposal and said something shocking:
"Next, the Three Thousand Battalions and the Huaishui Military Headquarters will go into defense with Huting as the line. I don't ask you to make any contributions or take back any land. As long as you hold the defense line and prevent the Jiancheng rebels from breaking through the defense line and invading the west and north, that will be the greatest contribution."
After a pause, in the bewildered eyes of the crowd, he looked at Shi Meng again and said calmly:
"The entire Shenji Battalion will march out. Follow this commander-in-chief and board the warships immediately. Go east. Charge into Binhai Road and head straight for Prince Chen!"
Fighting into Binhai? Going straight for King Chen?!
Everyone was stunned and didn't understand the logic behind this decision.
Zhao Duan did not give them a chance to question him, but said stiffly:
“Prince Jing went to Binhai to form an alliance with Prince Chen. If the alliance is successful, the imperial court will be attacked from both sides and will be at a disadvantage.
Rather than doing this, it is better to take the initiative. Before Prince Chen takes action, I will lead my troops to attack and put an end to Prince Jing's thoughts.
This is the decision, no objections will be accepted, you just need to execute it, do you understand?"
Facing his sharp gaze, everyone shut their mouths.
He stood up and saluted: "As you command!"
"Crash-"
Then, a general quickly left his seat and began to work on Zhao Duan's order.
Especially the Shenji Camp, they must set out as quickly as possible.
Mo Chou stayed and stared at him intently:
"What do you want to do? Although what you said makes sense, your goal is not to get rid of King Chen in advance, right? You told me that King Chen is indecisive and only good at naval battles. He is not a big threat at all. Are you going to kill Xu Wen?"
Zhao Duan looked at her with a smile without any explanation.
Mo Chou understood, so her expression changed constantly. She walked over step by step, stared at him closely, and took a deep breath:
"You're such a madman."
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"I have issued a military order. If I fail to kill him within the deadline, it will be my turn to die as a token of my gratitude to the world. Therefore, I must take a risky approach."
Mo Chou's cheeks trembled slightly:
"Then shouldn't you go in a low profile? Why are you going in such a grand manner? You should know that the Shenjiying army is not very useful in the matter of killing Prince Jing. When masters fight, ordinary soldiers can't play much of a role even if they have firearms."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Don't underestimate Prince Jing, do you think he wouldn't notice me secretly taking people to Binhai?
Rather than sneaking over and being discovered and thus becoming alert, it would be better to go openly and with a grand force. If we can lure out Prince Chen as well, we can get rid of these two princes in one go and solve the problem once and for all.
Besides, have you forgotten? Mo Zhaorong, you once told me that the imperial envoy's trip was aboveboard. "
Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back, turned his head and looked at the gray clouds outside the hall gradually splitting apart, revealing the indigo sky, and said calmly:
"This time, I will let the whole world and the whole martial arts world know the consequences of provoking me."
……
That day, Zhao Duan's order spread throughout the army.
There was heated discussion about the Grand Commander's strategy of abandoning the attack and instead raiding the Coastal Road.
Some officers agreed and thought it was a wise move to get rid of King Chen before the decisive battle with the Jiancheng rebels.
Others believe that such a rash move is likely to backfire and cause the situation to collapse.
However, all these doubts were forcibly suppressed by Zhao Duan's rising reputation.
Hu Ting’s victory is enough to shut these people up.
However, the Shenji Camp still needs some preparation time before it can set off.
Before this, Zhao Duan left Mochou, Ning Zechen and others to take charge of the situation, while he took Jiyue, Yuxiu, Jinjian, and a group of worshippers headed by Song Jinxi, and boarded a ship in the gradually warming spring breeze and headed east.
……
……
"Crash."
As the ship passed through the Grand Canal and entered the chassis of the Corniche, the temperature quickly warmed up.
The river water also began to thaw in the spring breeze, leaving only shallow floating ice.
Due to geographical reasons, the Binhaidao itself is relatively warm. After Zhao Duan spent some days in the cabin, he could see with the naked eye that the mountains on both sides of the river had turned dark green, as if spring had come from winter in an instant.
This day, on the deck.
Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back. The river breeze lifted his robe and hair. Zhao Duan looked down at the rolling river water under the side of the boat.
His eyeballs remained motionless, but his mind was moving. He pointed his finger lightly, and a stream of energy shot out. A fish in the river instantly twitched and died as if it had been shot, and blood spread under the water.
He whispered softly: "Are you approaching the peak state of perfection in the world?"
--------
Typos and typos will be corrected first and then revised.
(End of this chapter)