kingnovel Chapter 544: War or Peace, Chang'an Decides
Chapter 544: War or Peace, Chang'an Decides
tick, tick...
The sky was filled with yellow sand, the sun was scorching, and a horse-drawn carriage was moving slowly forward in the vast desert.
The wheels rolled over the sand, making a dull and monotonous sound, leaving two deep ruts behind them, which were soon covered by the constantly rising yellow sand.
The driver was wearing a heavy turban and was whipping the horse's back lightly with the long whip in his hand, urging the tired horse to move forward.
In the distance, the outline of the ancient city of Jiaohe is faintly visible in the heat wave.
A few months ago, this place was a tragic battlefield.
Chen Changan used a brilliant plan here, which brought about a devastating flood. For a moment, the surging waves raged like wild beasts, smashing the Xixia people's tents into pieces.
Then he resorted to fire attack. A raging fire burned in the city. The scorching flames licked every inch of land, burning the Xixia people into a miserable state and leaving them half-dead.
The sounds of shouting, wailing, and exploding flames intertwined together, like a sad song from hell.
Now, as the carriage got closer, the dilapidated scene of Jiaohe Ancient City became clearer.
When the carriage finally arrived at the city gate, a strong wind blew past, and the dust raised was almost blinding.
"Get out of the car and check!!"
The Xixia people had retreated from here, and the Chu people took control of the area again.
"We are Chu people."
Luo Zhuyu took off the scarf that covered her mouth and nose and shook her head.
"Chu people? How did they get here from Xixia?"
"When the battle started, we were already in Xixia, and the border was blocked, so we couldn't get out at all."
Luo Zhuyu answered.
"Who's in the car?"
"My husband was beaten half to death by the Xixia because he refused to obey their rule."
"Open it and see."
Luo Zhuyu was not rejected and turned back to open the carriage.
In an instant, a strong and pungent medicinal fragrance rushed into the nose like a surging wave.
The aroma of this medicine is extremely complex, with a hint of spiciness in the bitterness and a slight sourness in the spiciness. All kinds of flavors are intertwined together, like an invisible big net that tightly binds people's sense of smell.
Looking into the car through the diffuse medicinal mist, all you can see are mountains of medicinal materials.
In a corner of this chaotic and drug-smelling carriage, there lay a young man.
He was so thin that his bones were visible, with his collarbones protruding high like two abrupt and rugged rocks. A piece of clothing hung loosely on his body, the corners of which swayed slightly with his weak breathing, making his thin figure even more prominent.
His face was as pale as snow, completely bloodless, and there were streaks of blood on his cracked lips.
His chest rose and fell slightly, and each breath came with a heavy gasp, as if he was playing a difficult tug-of-war with the pain.
"What happened? Why did the Xixia people use such a heavy hand?"
The gatekeeper gritted his teeth and waved his hand to let him go: "We are at the frontier, and we don't have any doctors with excellent medical skills. You continue to go south from here to Yanmen Pass!"
"There's a doctor there, go quickly!"
Luo Zhuyu nodded and was about to close the door when the patient in the car spoke.
"Brother~" The patient's voice sounded very weak, "I found that there are many people in the city, and they are building it. The battle is not over yet. If the construction is completed, won't it be occupied by the Xixia people again?"
"You say this, I...ah, there is nothing I can do, the people's faith!"
The gatekeeper took a deep breath and looked solemn.
"The people's faith? Who do they believe in?" Chen Changan was confused.
"When the war started, weren't you in Xixia?" The gatekeeper said defiantly, "Of course I admire our Chen Changan, Master Chen!"
"Use your flesh and blood to keep the enemy out of the country!"
"Finally he died!"
"The people were afraid that his soul would be left without support, so they built a temple for him and bowed down to him morning and night!"
"Master Chen, you will never die in our hearts!"
Building a temple because you are afraid that Chen Changan’s soul will have nowhere to go?
The patient's eyes suddenly turned red.
Damn, the dog has horns and is trying to do that to me.
The car continued to move forward. Luo Zhuyu raised an eyebrow and said, "Chang'an, are we heading to Yanmen Pass?"
"No, Aunt Luo, I'm a little tired."
"tired?"
Luo Zhuyu even laughed out loud: "You travel ten miles a day, and you still have the nerve to say you're tired?"
"I'm just very tired~"
"Are you afraid that the emperor will ask you to negotiate with Yinzhu Zhuoma?"
Chen Changan looked at the top of the carriage and said, "Beat the drums quickly and sift the gongs slowly. Stop the gongs and drums and listen to the singing. Stop talking nonsense and listen to me sing the Eighteen Touches.
I reached out to touch my hair, and saw dark clouds covering half the sky. I reached out to touch my sister's head, and saw her forehead was full and murderous.
I reached out and touched my sister's eyebrows, spreading them outward and wide. I reached out and touched my sister's eyes, and they looked at me...
Aunt Luo, I sang well, didn't I? "
Luo Zhuyu curled her lips and said, "Go ahead and run away. I wonder how long you can escape."
……
At Yanmen Pass, Yan Qing led the soldiers into the big tent.
General Li sat in the middle, with a group of soldiers beside him. Chu Xinghe, Chen Yuwei and others were beside him.
On the right side, stood a eunuch, it was Eunuch Jing.
Eunuch Jing walked towards Yan Qing anxiously: "Miss Yan, has the front line received any news from Master Chen?"
It would have been fine if Eunuch Jing didn't speak, but once he spoke, Yan Qing fell silent. Yue Shan, Liu Baizhong and others clenched their teeth.
Chu Xinghe sighed heavily, shook his head and said, "I think Chen Changan is a lucky man, and I don't think anything will go wrong. Eunuch Jing, if you have anything to say, just tell me."
Yan Qing sat down, and the entire tent fell into silence.
Eunuch Jing sighed and nodded, "I came here mainly for two things... the first one."
"Huainan Prince Chen Fusheng rebelled and joined forces with Sakurajima to attack Da Chu. He also killed his mother Chu Yanran and handed Chen Chunhua, Chen Qiuyue and others over to Sakurajima people for fun. His crime is unforgivable. (Note)"
In fact, Chu Xinghe had heard some rumors, so he was not that surprised.
"brute!"
Chen Yuwei trembled with heartache and gritted her teeth without saying a word.
"However, fortunately, Lord Chen had foresight and only brought 500 young men to fight against the Great Chu."
Eunuch Jing couldn't help but admire Chen Changan's foresight: "Thirty thousand young men, with cannons, muskets, and ships, engaged in a bloody battle with Chen Fusheng. To be honest, I have never seen such a one-sided crushing battle!"
"Huainan King Chen Zhan voluntarily gave up the throne and wanted to hand it over to Chen Changan..."
"But the emperor refused."
Yan Qing looked at Eunuch Jing in confusion: "Reject? Chen Changan...isn't he worthy of being crowned king?"
Yue Shan and others all raised their heads and looked at Eunuch Jing coldly.
"of course not!"
Eunuch Jing waved his hand and said, "Chen Changan has made great contributions to the country. The emperor has already decided to make him a king, but not the King of Huainan, but the Regent King!"
"Your Majesty, a hundred years from now, Chen Changan will have the final say in the entire country!"
Regent!
Make it known to the world!
Everyone was excited, but as they laughed, the atmosphere fell silent again.
Although the emperor gave Chen Changan the title of prince, what about Chen Changan himself?
The person is dead, what use is there for the prince!
Xixia!
Everyone was filled with murderous intent. General Li sighed and said, "Well, whether in front of or behind the scenes, Chen Changan is a pillar of the country and can make great contributions to the emperor."
"Eunuch Jing, what is the second thing?"
Eunuch Jing nodded: "Xixia has written to us several times, asking for peace talks, and the emperor has given a reply."
"What did the Emperor say?"
Everyone is very nervous because this is the key!
If the emperor says to go to war, the two countries will be plunged into war and the country will no longer be a country; if he does not go to war, they will feel that Chen Changan's death is not worth it!
How to do?
What would the emperor say?
"The Emperor said," Eunuch Jing took a deep breath, "Whether it's war or peace, Chang'an decides!"
……
Annotation: Actually, the original plan was to defeat Chen Fusheng of Western Xia before rebelling, and then fight on the sea and among the islands, and then go north to fight King Lamor after that.
But the editor said that the book had been completed with 120 million words, so King Lamor died and Chen Fusheng died.
That's it!