91 091

◎The most powerful general in the world.◎

Although Deng Chong was in his early fifties when he left Beijing, he was as strong as a tiger and his hair was as black as ink. He did not take the Pyu Kingdom seriously at all. He just felt that he could continue to fight for the Great Qi for another twenty years.

But before returning to Beijing, Deng Chong looked carefully in the mirror. The man in the mirror had white hair and beard and was skinny. He looked like an old and sick horse that was barely breathing.

Deng Chong didn't want to see himself like this, nor did he want his former brothers and the civil and military officials in the court to see his sickly appearance, and he didn't want to see shock and regret in their eyes.

Hearing Emperor Xingwu sitting on the ground in front of the couch, Deng Chong tilted his head even more towards inside.

A sneer came from my ear: "Why, you're so shy even after going to Pyu Kingdom? This is not like you, Deng Chong."

Deng Chong retorted unconvincedly, "Am I being coy? I'm just afraid the Emperor will be upset. My voice is off. I'm afraid he'll cry like a young woman on the street!"

Emperor Xingwu did not argue with him. He grabbed Deng Chong's shoulders with both hands and turned him around.

The next moment, Emperor Xingwu saw his brother's haggard face, which was shriveled, yellow and full of illness, and Deng Chong saw the tears welling up in the emperor's eyes in front of the bed.

There was nothing to say. Emperor Xingwu used all his strength to hug this brother who fought for the country and for him.

Their shoulders trembled, and they both sobbed when the other was not looking, but soon calmed down one after another.

Emperor Xingwu wanted to help Deng Chong lie down again, but Deng Chong took his hand and pulled him to sit on the couch beside him. He wiped his face and said, "I am just old. My illness has healed. There is no need to lie down all the time."

Emperor Xingwu gripped his shoulders tightly, his gaze glued to Deng Chong's face. "How many indomitable Central Plains warriors have perished in the miasma of Pyu. Yet, you, Deng Chong, have fought back even after being dragged to the brink of death by the King of Hell. I will crown you the world's most powerful general, etch your name in history, and let your fame endure through the ages with the Great Qi!"

Deng Chong grinned and said, "Alright, Your Majesty is the wisest ruler in the world. I will serve you as the most powerful general in the world!"

Emperor Xingwu used the corner of his sleeve to wipe away a string of tears from Deng Chong's beard. He then helped Deng Chong straighten his hair and robes. When everything was done, Emperor Xingwu said to the outside, "Play music!"

He Yuanjing, who was guarding outside the car, immediately raised his hand to the musicians and ceremonial guards that had been prepared on both sides.

The general returns triumphantly, and is congratulated with the sound of sheng and drums!

Emperor Xingwu grasped Deng Chong's wrist again, stood up, and said, "Come, follow me out, and let all the civil and military officials see my great general and great hero!"

So what if the hair is white, so what if the face is old, the soldiers serve the country with blood and sweat, and every white hair and every wrinkle is a glory.

Amid the sound of triumphant music, Emperor Xingwu held the hand of Duke Dingguo, whom he personally conferred when the country was founded, and stood outside the carriage, in front of the ministers.

Seeing Deng Chong's changed appearance, Prince Yong, Lü Zan, and Yang Zhimin were stunned. Military officers like Yan Xizheng, Zhang Jie, Fan Zhong, and Xue Ye, who had known Deng Chong for more than 20 years, were stunned. Even the four siblings of the prince, who grew up listening to stories about Deng Chong and other founding heroes, were stunned.

Deng Chong's entire body stiffened. At this moment, Emperor Xingwu looked at his ministers with disdain and said, "What are you all standing there for? Why don't you respectfully welcome my great general?"

At the command, the princes, princesses, civil and military officials all stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "We respectfully welcome the triumphant return of the great general!"

Emperor Xingwu was the first to dismount, then personally helped Deng Chong down from the carriage. Ignoring the ministers who were still saluting, he grasped Deng Chong's wrist and walked towards his imperial carriage: "Come, today I will ride with the general."

Deng Chong's vision blurred again.

As the imperial carriage slowly drove towards the city gate, it was time for Crown Prince Qin Hong and other royal family members to mount their horses and go to the palace for a banquet with the civil and military officials.

Qingyang mounted his horse and followed his eldest brother, Uncle Wang and his second brother side by side, without even taking a glance at his former classmates.

Qin Renke was reluctant to let go, so as soon as he got on his horse, he turned around and looked at Zhang Su intently, asking Zhang Su to come and walk with him. Deng Chong was a great contributor to the war against the Pyu Kingdom, and Zhang Su had also made many military achievements. He deserved an honor, and it was not disrespectful for him to walk in front of several important ministers.

Zhang Su was about to decline, but Yan Xizheng said with a smile, "Go ahead. Generals, you have served the country well. Today's honor belongs to you soldiers."

Zhang Jie also nodded slightly to his youngest son.

Zhang Su then saluted the ministers, mounted his horse and walked to the side of the Third Prince. Yan Xizheng ordered the 800 cavalrymen behind him to follow, and the ministers walked at the end.

Inside the city, the imperial army formed two rows to block the common people who came to admire the emperor and the triumphant soldiers. The court had won a victory in the war against foreign countries, and the common people were proud of it. They happily commented on the emperor, princes, princesses and soldiers who passed by. It was lively and noisy, and even if they said or did something rude, they would not be blamed by the nobles.

"That must be Princess Qingyang, no wonder the Emperor praised her as a child sent from heaven. She's truly as beautiful as a fairy!"

"Not only is the princess beautiful, she also has the talent of a top scholar!"

"Ah, your highnesses are all so handsome, I can't even look at them all!"

There were so many people and so much noise that the people on horseback could chat without worrying about being overheard by the common people.

Qin Ren tilted his head, looking his good brother up and down, and exclaimed, "The book says that the sun in Yunzhou is scorching hot. You've been away for more than two years, and you've been traveling to the Pyu Kingdom further south for several months. You've definitely gotten a lot darker."

Qin Bing turned around, his eyes scanning Zhang Su, who had a light tan, and his handsome third brother next to him. He said disdainfully to his third brother, "A general needs to be darker to look heroic. If you look like that, the soldiers under you won't respect you."

Qin Ren: "I don't want to be a general either. Besides, I'm catching up with Zhang Su. Second brother, look ahead and don't look back. The ceremonial procession is in disarray."

While the two princes were bickering, Zhang Su just kept his eyes on the front, and in front of him was the little princess in a green brocade robe. Although Zhang Su did not deliberately stare at the little princess's back, he was so close that he could still see her clearly several times, including the jade hairpin on the little princess's head, the little princess's white neck exposed because of her hair, the little princess's back swaying slightly as she stepped on horseback, and the little princess's long legs resting on both sides of the horse's belly.

Several times, because his eyes accidentally fell on places he shouldn't have looked at, Zhang Su had to deliberately look at the people on both sides.

"Hahaha, you don't want to talk to me, and I don't think Zhang Su wants to reminisce with you either!"

Qin Bing saw Zhang Su tilting his head, still tilting it towards the side carrying his third brother, and couldn't help laughing. But just as he finished speaking, Zhang Su turned around, glanced at him, then looked at the third prince and said, "Yunzhou is indeed a little sunnier than the capital, but I'm used to it. Your Highnesses, are you all doing well in the capital?"

Qin Ren knew Zhang Su was also thinking about them, and said with a smile: "We are all doing well. Second brother's martial arts have become more and more advanced, and I eat and drink well. The one who has changed the most is my sister. Look, she started working in the Ministry of Personnel last month, even faster than me."

Since he mentioned the little princess, Zhang Su followed up the topic and said to the little princess in front of him: "Before I came to the capital, I also heard about the princess's talent and reputation, and I admire her very much."

Qingyang smiled and said without turning his head, "You have made great contributions on the battlefield and defended our country. You deserve our admiration. There is no need for such flattery."

Qin Bing continued to interrupt: "That's right, we are tired of hearing all this. Tell us about the battlefield, what the Pyu people look like, and what is the miasma over there?"

Zhang Su answered whatever the two princes asked.

The sunlight shone from behind, and Qingyang could see half of Zhang Su's figure lying on the ground on one side.

Although she did not look back on the way, as early as when Zhang Su and Deng Chong's carriage approached the city gate and when Zhang Su dismounted to salute his father, Qingyang had already looked him up and down several times. She knew that he had become tanner and taller. She felt a little strange when they met again after more than two years, but she was familiar with Zhang Su's respectful attitude when he saw her and quickly looked away, and she was also familiar with his cold and sword-like figure standing beside the carriage.

So what if they were separated for more than two years? Apart from growing taller and older, Qingyang didn't feel any changes in his temperament. Then Zhang Su was either training in Yunzhou or inspecting the border with Deng Chong and Zhang Jian, and finally went to the Pyu Kingdom to fight a battle. How could he have changed?

We have arrived at the imperial city.

Qingyang, who had an official position, participated in the banquet to celebrate the victorious soldiers more openly. Generals such as Zhang Jian and the Yunzhou army had to continue guarding the border, so his father sent officials to hold another banquet in Yunzhou to reward the three armies.

Compared with young generals like Zhang Su, Deng Chong was the center of the celebration banquet in the palace. The civil officials praised Deng Chong's achievements loudly, and the military officers could only toast to express their admiration. Unfortunately, Deng Chong could no longer drink large bowls of wine like before. He started coughing violently after drinking only one bowl, and was ordered by Emperor Xingwu to drink tea instead of wine.

Qingyang used to dislike Deng Chong's rudeness, but now he saw with his own eyes how old Deng Chong had become after a serious illness, and saw his father and uncle Wang's eyes red several times, and Qingyang felt very uncomfortable.

Halfway through the banquet, Emperor Xingwu promoted several young generals who had made outstanding contributions. Among them, Zhang Su was promoted to the commander of the first guard of the West Camp. Like Qin Liang, Deng Tai, and Zhang Heng, Deng Kun, Meng Changchuan and others who were sent to various border troops for training, they were all third-rank military officials.

Zhang Su accepted the order and expressed his gratitude.

After the young generals were all appointed, Emperor Xingwu finally looked at Deng Chong and said, "Duke Dingguo has contributed greatly to the founding of my country, the unification of the southern lands, the northern expedition against the Western Hu, and the southern conquest of the Pyu Kingdom. You are undoubtedly the most meritorious general of this dynasty. Commanding any of the four battalions in the capital would not be enough to reward you for your outstanding military achievements for the Great Qi. Therefore, I have decided to create a new position of Super-First-Rank Grand Commander-in-Chief specifically for you, commanding the troops of the capital and all the troops under heaven!"

Among the civil officials, the prime minister was divided into the left and right prime ministers, but Emperor Xingwu gave Deng Chong the military power second only to himself, which shows the emperor's trust and respect for Deng Chong.

Even Prince Yong was excited for Deng Chong!

Deng Chong, clutching a bowl of tea, burst into tears upon hearing this. He then left his seat, knelt before the imperial steps, and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your grace. If I had not suffered this serious illness, I would have continued to serve you wholeheartedly. But I am old, I can barely ride a horse. I despise a general who can't ride a horse or wield a sword, and I don't want to rely on your grace to become such a general. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and live out the rest of my days in comfort and comfort."

He is in this state and can't even scold his own son, so who else can he take care of?

Rather than occupying the empty position of a general with no real power, and rather than being feared by the emperor because of his great military power, it is better for him to stay at home and enjoy his retirement.

Deng Chong had been to the gates of hell more than a dozen times due to malaria and was estimated to have only a few years left to live. He became indifferent to everything and refused to listen no matter how the emperor on the throne tried to persuade him.

He did not want an official position, so Emperor Xingwu could only give him the title of "the most powerful general in the world" and rewards in kind such as ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand acres of fertile land.

"I bow down to thank you for your grace!"

【Author’s words】

Here they come, 100 little red envelopes. I’ll write about the little princess, Zhang Su and his third brother having a “party” together in the evening~