Chapter 15: The government and the opposition wield power
The bandit army on the western front withdrew from the Western Regions, and outside the city of Qiuci on the eastern front, since Qin Shitao returned to Yili, the eastern front alliance army lost a general. The deputy general organized several attempts to enter the city, but each time he was dragged into the city by the Tang army and fell into fierce fighting.
Over time, the morale of the allied forces gradually declined, and the Tang army showed an extremely tenacious will to resist. Even if it was just a courtyard or a building in the city, the Tang army would fight with the bandits repeatedly and would not be afraid of sacrifice.
The city of Kucha seemed to be repeating the scenes of fifty years ago. The soldiers were not afraid of death and fought until their death.
Every step forward the enemy had to pay a huge price. Such a battle lasted for a whole month. Deputy General Qin Shitao no longer had the ability to attack. He also received news that the main force on the western front was repelled by the defenders of Ili City. Then he ordered to withdraw from the Western Regions. However, the order was simple but difficult to execute. Halfway through the journey, they encountered the Shen Ce Army. Wu Huai had already expected that this unit would retreat there, and made arrangements in advance to annihilate this bandit army.
The ambition of the Central Asian Alliance was once again extinguished, and the Tang Dynasty successfully defended four million square kilometers of land in the Western Regions. Wu Huai appeased the people, rewarded the three armies, and returned to the court.
In January 3187 AD, the whole of China was filled with joy on the eve of the Spring Festival. Chang'an was decorated with lanterns and colorful glazed windows to celebrate the Tang Dynasty's victory in overcoming the crisis in the Western Regions.
At the night banquet, Wu Huai sat in the main seat, absent-minded, expressionless, and seemed unhappy.
A civil official stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we should seize this great victory and demand that the Central Asian nations submit to the Tang Dynasty and pay annual tribute. This move will ensure decades of peace for the Tang Dynasty."
Wu Huai had long expected that someone would make such an admonition, but her own mind was in a state of confusion and she was no longer able to deal with these things.
She just responded softly, then asked the prime minister to preside over the night banquet and returned to her bedroom.
As an emperor, he has long been unable to control his own destiny. His fate is firmly tied to this country and he has no freedom at all.
Wu Huai naturally knew this in her heart, but she also knew that if she did not save the Tang Dynasty from the dire straits, hundreds of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty would be plunged into dire straits, so she had no choice. For the Tang Dynasty, she should have given up everything, but now, she could not let go of that graceful figure.
She took out a jar of pear blossom wine, poured half a bowl of it, sat on the couch, and toasted the setting moon from afar. She drank it in one gulp. Her mind was in a trance. Seeing a figure appear in front of her, she subconsciously reached out her hand, wanting to touch her face, but was grabbed by the person. A female voice came, "Your Majesty, you are drunk."
Wu Huai shook his head, his eyes full of autumn water, and he choked up and said, "How can you be so heartless? You should be the one who understands me the most, but you said that. My heart is really hurt."
The person who came was Princess Li Yao. The pear blossom wine in this jar was quite strong. Wu Huai was so drunk that he couldn't recognize the person at all. He didn't know whether he mistook her sister for Hu Yueqin, or he just wanted to find someone to talk to, so he poured out everything in his heart.
Princess Li Yao stepped forward and hugged her, sighing softly. She didn't know what she had experienced in the enemy camp, and now seeing her sister so sad, she was helpless.
On the second day, Wu Huai sobered up and heard her sister talk about her "glorious deeds". Her face flushed, and she did not answer Princess Li Yao's questions. She just composed herself and went to the morning court. Her original ideal was to restore the Tang Dynasty to its former glory.
Jiang Li'an returned to Chang'an with the Shen Ce Army. She is now a deputy general, and has written a story of the fastest promotion in history.
After the war, Jiang Li'an practiced spear dancing in the yard as usual. For some reason, he always felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. In addition, he had been having dreams at night recently, and the contents of his dreams were all about the little things he had done with Lu Rong years ago.
Ever since she saw Wu Huai and Hu Yueqin, her mentality began to change. Now, her longing for her has reached an overflowing state. Whenever she has nothing to do, she will think of her and want to go to her immediately to watch her every move and every smile.
Even so, she resigned from her official position and became a nominal general, with no real power, but still holding the position of general.
She decided that she would go find her.
Qin Shitao returned to her hometown. She resigned from her position as commander-in-chief, said goodbye to Hu Yueqin, and took Guoguo to live in seclusion in a bamboo forest.
Without the smoke of the battlefield and the shouting of fighting, Qin Shitao calmed down and looked at Guoguo who was squatting on the ground and talking to Xiaohua. There was a sense of tranquility.
It seems that the outcome of this war was not supposed to be like this. We were pushing smoothly into the heart of the Western Regions, but Wu Huai suddenly showed up halfway. I really don’t know whether the plan to kidnap the emperor was a blessing or a curse.
Qin Shitao, like Hu Yueqin, was an orphan since childhood. Although Hu Yueqin lost this carefully planned plan, she was still able to survive in the officialdom because of her outstanding abilities.
But Qin Shitao is different. Since she turned eighteen, she no longer wanted to work for the government. This time she went on the expedition entirely for Hu Yueqin's sake.
What's the use of having martial arts skills? Qin Shitao, who can't even cook, will surely starve to death at home if he lives alone.
But now it’s different. With Guoguo, this thirteen-year-old girl is actually a great cook, at least in Qin Shitao’s eyes.
Guoguo solved the cooking problem, and Qin Shitao just took out his savings to buy groceries and daily necessities every day.
Qin Shitao stopped Guoguo as she was about to run off after the butterfly and pulled her towards him. Looking at the slightly childish little girl in front of him, he softly said, "Guoguo, do you want me to give you a formal name?"
Guoguo scratched the back of his head and said in a childish voice, "Mom once said that naming is a major event in life and cannot be taken lightly."
Qin Shitao smiled and said, "Oh? Guoguo also knows about important life events?"
The little girl raised her eyebrows and said, "Of course, I also know that there are many important events in life, such as getting married and having children."
Qin Shitao stroked her head gently and said, "Well, your mother is right. Naming is a major event in life. Are you willing to let me spend this important event with you?"
The little girl smiled sweetly and said, "Of course, Big Sister is a good person. She can give Guoguo a name. Not only a name, but also all the important events in life from now on, Guoguo will be with Big Sister."
Qin Shitao smiled, thinking it was just childish talk. After thinking for a while, he said, "Just share my surname and call me Qin Qiguo."
A place without order, the capital of Daqi Kingdom - Yundu.
“The late emperor was wise and righteous, virtuous and enlightened, and once established a prosperous era. Now, since the late emperor’s passing, the fortunes of the Daqi nation have declined.
External threats are constant, and internal worries are endless. During the time of the previous emperor, the Second Prince's tribe was wreaking havoc on the border, and the court was leaderless. As the direct descendant of the previous emperor, a wise ruler should be able to pacify the world and bring peace to the world for all eternity."
Since Lu Rongshi returned to Daqi, people have been trying to show their kindness to her almost every day, but she just pretends not to see them. The gifts and other things she receives are placed outside the door, and no one is allowed to enter the hospital.
Now, with the passing of the two saints, Lu Rongshi no longer has anyone she trusts in the court. Only Di Qing, the uncle-master as Jiang Li'an calls him, can she rely on him a little.
The huge imperial court seemed like a foreign country. Lu Rongshi did not find a sense of belonging. After the death of his two mothers, he became indifferent to everything. He had only one thought in mind, to seize the throne and seek justice for his mothers.
In this court, my mother's two younger sisters seemed to be the most suspicious objects. The three sisters used many shady tactics when fighting for the throne, but their grandmother Shirley was powerful and Lu Xiaoyun was good at martial arts, so the two princes did not cause much waves.
But things are different now. Their mother was originally weaker than them in terms of underhanded tactics. In addition, Shirley and Lu Xiaoyun both passed away, and no one can restrict them anymore. If they cannot win the throne, they can fight for the throne of the next generation. Lu Rongshi's two cousins may be the beneficiaries of the throne.
Ever since Lu Rongshi returned to his own courtyard, he has been working to sort out the current relationships in the court. He is only accompanied by Di Qing as his personal bodyguard, and has no other servants.
She had a cold face all day long. After going through so much, she finally learned to disguise herself. And after such a long investigation into the relationship between North Korea and China, the picture gradually became clearer.
The court is now divided into two factions, because Lu Rongshi's mother had already written a will before her death, designating Lu Rongshi as the next emperor.
One faction believed that Lu Rongshi was not capable enough to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being emperor, and wanted to establish a new emperor.
Among the new emperors, Lu Rongshi’s elder cousin, Xue Xi, now holds the power of the imperial guards and is strong enough to be a major candidate.
The other person is Lu Rongshi's second cousin, Lu Xuan, who is insidious, cunning, full of calculations, and plays with power. She is also a major competitor.
As for the other two, the second cousin seemed to be devoted to growing flowers and had no interest in the throne, but secretly she was collecting information from all sides, hoping to get a hand in the pinnacle of power.
The eldest cousin, Xue Xin, is innocent and has a childlike nature. She is the least calculating and pure among the four, and also the one with the least interest in the throne.
The other faction firmly defended orthodoxy and respected the opinions of the previous emperor. It was these people who wanted to gain Lu Rongshi's approval, so they showed goodwill to Lu Rongshi every few days.
Lu Rongshi naturally knew this in her mind, but no matter how good the offer was, she had no intention of accepting it. She decided to develop her own power and lay the foundation for the stability of the throne for at least three generations to come, so as to avoid the current situation.
The best way to develop one's own power is to go to the border to quell rebellion.
During the time of the previous emperor, the Second Prince was driven out of the country. He had been accumulating strength in the border areas and had merged with many forces that were hostile to the Elf Kingdom. Now, his power has begun to take shape and is causing chaos on the border.
Seeing that the various forces in the court were at a stalemate, Lu Rongshi wanted to rush to the border to resolve external threats and lure out the enemy from within.
The ministers tried to persuade him again and again, but to no avail, and so they gave up. Lu Rongshi was determined to go his own way, so they could only wait and see. The power behind him was gradually weakening, and those who wanted to cling to someone bigger always had to find a bigger one to cling to.
The author has something to say:
The second volume is over, and the third volume will tell the story of Jiang Li'an looking for Rong Shi.
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