Chapter 669 Marrying a wife like you is the greatest blessing of my life, Duan Rongshi!
After the army assembled, Duan Rongshi first paid his respects to Madam Pei, and then took Li Qingluo and her daughter Fangfang and mounted their horses together.
He shielded his wife and daughters in front of him, and then rode his horse, leading thousands of troops into the city.
"My Empress, share the throne with me—"
"Li Qingluo—also deserves much credit—"
"Without her, there would have been no victory that lasted two years!"
"She—can also be called 'Long Live the Emperor'—"
The people and the army cheered in unison: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
"Long live the princess!"
She clapped her little hands without any shyness.
Li Qingluo straightened her back, sharing the joy and glory of victory with Duan Rongshi.
Madam Pei, who was walking into the city with her, kept wiping the corners of her eyes.
Seeing her beloved granddaughter receive all the respect and honor she deserved, she felt not only gratified but also deeply moved.
"He was indeed the one I had not misjudged."
"May his true love last forever... and never betray her, just as this land will never betray them."
The city of Mando was bustling with activity for the entire day.
As night fell, Duan Rongshi and Li Qingluo were finally able to steal a moment of free time and have some space of their own.
However, Fangfang was still sleeping next to her.
She clung to her father all day.
Perhaps feeling very imposing, he clung to his father's armor, never even coming down when Duan Rongshi was handling military affairs.
Therefore, Duan Rongshi held her for almost the entire day.
He even fed her dinner himself.
Fangfang was very cooperative today, eating as much as her father fed her.
If Li Qingluo hadn't noticed something was wrong and quickly had the food removed, her little belly would probably have burst from overeating.
After drinking some herbal soup to aid digestion, I finally managed to fall asleep.
Moreover, he insisted on sleeping in his mother's room and showed no intention of leaving.
Li Qingluo then let her have her way.
Anyway, Duan Rongshi wanted to take a few more glances at his precious princess.
Even now, she's still standing by the bed, unwilling to look away, as if she wants to make up for everything she's missed over the past few months.
Li Qing stood aside helplessly and said, "There will be plenty of time to look at it later."
"Come here with me for a moment."
Li Qingluo pulled Duan Rongshi to a low couch to the side.
Then he said, "Take off your clothes."
Duan Rongshi looked up at her and asked, "Luo'er, are you... anxious?"
Seeing that he didn't understand, Li Qingluo simply stepped forward to undress him herself.
"Yes, I'm anxious."
"We need to get you checked urgently. Have you injured yourself anywhere in the last six months?"
When Li Qingluo saw that there was indeed a long, new scar on his chest, tears welled up in her eyes and fell down her cheeks.
Not just here, there are other scars as well.
"you--"
Although he brought along many trusted doctors, they did manage to save his life.
Li Qingluo was still trembling with heartache and lingering fear.
"Where's the soft armor I gave you?"
Why are you still injured?
"Why are you risking your life like this? What exactly do you want to do?!"
She was so angry she wanted to punch him, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to do it, so she slammed her fist on the table next to her.
Duan Rongshi quickly reached out and covered her fist.
"Luo'er, it hurts."
He said with a mixture of helplessness and a hint of happiness, "It really is just a minor injury."
"Your soft nails are very good."
"But there are times when we are caught off guard."
"If it weren't for your soft armor, I really wouldn't have been able to come back several times."
"Luo'er, you are my lucky star. Really, I think about you all the time, and I just want to end this war as soon as possible and go back to you and Fangfang's side."
Li Qinglu sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "So, you signed a peace treaty with the Western Regions and came back?"
Duan Rongshi patted her head: "The Marquis of Gudu is dead, the royal family of Luandi has been wiped out, and the Western Regions will not dare to have any more ambitions toward our Central Plains for at least a hundred years."
"If I don't come back, we'll really have to fight our way to Hara."
"This departure will take at least two years to return."
"After all, the mountains are high and the roads are long, and the journey is arduous. We people from the Central Plains are not used to the climate and water of the Western Regions."
"Even if we reach Hala City, how many of my 300,000 soldiers will return?"
It was already extremely difficult for the soldiers to overcome the difficulties and penetrate into the heart of the Western Regions.
Moreover, completely dismantling the Western Regions imperial court was an achievement that had not been accomplished in hundreds of years.
Duan Rongshi did not want to conquer and swallow the entire continent.
All he wanted was peace and tranquility in the world.
"Completely conquering the Western Regions is not impossible, but this matter must be handled gradually."
"Now the alliance of the thirteen kingdoms of the Western Regions has almost completely collapsed, and they can no longer accomplish anything."
"Unless the Western Regions cleanse themselves again and the various small kingdoms unite, there is still hope for them to make a comeback in the future."
"Now, at least we've beaten them so badly they can no longer pose a threat."
When Bone Lord returned to Hara, he wanted to seize back power.
However, what awaited him was the assassination attempt by the peace-loving faction.
The Luan Di family has ruled the Western Regions for three hundred years.
Now that the government has made it impossible for ordinary people to live a good life, it's time to step down.
After the tragic death of the Marquis of Gudu, the entire Western Regions army fell into disarray.
The faction advocating peace talks quickly seized control of the imperial court and usurped the throne. The new king, Lan Hufeng, took the initiative to go to the front line and advocated for a ceasefire and peace talks.
At that time, Duan Rongshi had just captured or killed the remaining sons of the Marquis of Gudu.
Seeing this display of power, the new king, Lan Hufeng, quickly bowed and paid his respects to Duan Rongshi.
They offered numerous conditions for peace talks, prompting Duan Rongshi to consider them carefully for a long time.
“Every year, in addition to tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and camels, there are also tens of thousands of bolts of gold, silver and cloth.”
“And slaves.”
"And the royal princess..."
Li Qingluo looked up at Duan Rongshi when she reached this point in the booklet.
Duan Rongshi reached out and took it.
"You took the wrong one."
"This is the one I discarded earlier."
"This one is the new one."
Duan Rongshi did not agree to all of Lan Hufeng's peace terms.
He did not want slaves.
They didn't ask for a princess to marry into the country.
Now that the entire royal family of Luandi has been wiped out, he can stop pursuing the humiliation inflicted on Princess Nanping by the Western Regions.
However, neither country would resort to using women to solidify peace.
Therefore, apart from offering tribute, all he needs is for Hala City to submit to the Central Plains and become a vassal state, just like the other small Western Regions kingdoms conquered by Duan Rongshi.
He did not annex the Western Regions.
But we will never allow the Western Regions and the Central Plains to be on equal footing again.
Seeing that if the Central Plains troops continued fighting like this, Lan Hufeng feared that not only would the vassal states be lost, but all the small states in the Western Regions would become part of Lan Hai.
So he had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree.
Then, both sides finally withdrew their troops together.
However, the territory of the Central Plains has now expanded to a place a thousand miles outside Mantuo City.
The remaining conquered territories were left undefined and not clearly demarcated.
However, the Western Regions did not dare to go and occupy them for the time being.
Both sides left it at that, busy recuperating and rebuilding, and from then on, the war officially ended.
Li Qingluo was delighted as he looked at the long stack of books listing the vassal states of the Western Regions.
"Ashi, does this mean we won't have to fight anymore?"
"Soldiers can retire and return to their fields, and the people can live in peace and contentment, and everyone can live their own lives."
"Ah Shi, that's so nice."
"Now I can finally understand why you agreed to be that emperor."
"Because only you can decide how far you want to go, and then you can stop all of this."
"You are doing this for the peace of all people in the world! I was narrow-minded to think only of myself."
"Duan Rongshi, you are my pride and my honor!"
Her eyes sparkled as she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, her gaze filled with adoration and affection.
Duan Rongshi felt a burning sensation in his chest.
Hearing her heartfelt words, his usually calm heart began to beat faster and stronger.
"Luo'er, aren't you also my pride?"
“You have governed Mando very well.”
"You have handled the memorials and state affairs that have been sent to you very well."
"And you also deserve some credit for the peace that exists in the world today."
"If it weren't for your continuous supply of provisions from the rear, if it weren't for your stabilizing the situation from the rear, and if it weren't for your strategy for the westward journey, we wouldn't have won this battle so easily."
Li Qingluo compiled all the extreme weather, terrain, and even local customs he would encounter on his westward journey, as well as the characteristics of those small countries, into a book.
Besides having Xuan Ce, Zhui Yu, and several other assassins accompany her on her journey, it was her booklet that truly played a very important role along the way.
Because she was very meticulous, she even recorded some small things.
Those little things sometimes turn out to be a big help.
Therefore, Duan Rongshi carried not only the Pei family's military strategy, but also Li Qingluo's book on the western expedition strategy.
Moreover, she was the one who secretly instigated the rebellions of Loulan, Wusun, and the Eagle Kingdom.
Duan Rongshi never hid the important things Li Qingluo had done.
Therefore, now everyone in the army and even the whole country knows that the Empress of Great Chu is also a remarkable woman with great talent and vision!
If it weren't for the Empress, countless more innocent men of the Central Plains would have been sacrificed and shed blood.
With the support and promotion of several generals, including Zhuiyu, Pofeng, and Lengdian, Empress Li Qingluo's reputation and prestige are indeed quite high.
It can be said that the people also greatly admired this Empress of Great Chu who came from the mountains and fields.
Duan Rongshi pulled her onto his lap and gently embraced her, saying, "You are the one who deserves the most credit for this great victory in the Western Regions!"
"To marry a wife like you is the greatest blessing of my life, Duan Rongshi."
"In the future, Lanhai Kingdom will be fortunate to have an empress like you."
Li Qingluo: "Lanhai Kingdom?"
"Do you intend to change the country's name—?"
Duan Rongshi lowered his head and blocked the way.
Shh—we'll talk about it tomorrow.
"We should catch up."
You should know that during those months apart, he practically became a monk.
He often couldn't sleep at night because he missed her, so he certainly wouldn't let her go easily tonight.
However, before the two of them had even taken off their clothes, Fangfang sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes and looking at them sleepily, calling out, "Daddy?"
"Mother—"
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