"There are always things to do." Yang Yizhong bowed his head. "But most of the remaining things can be attributed to Hu Caosi (Hu Yin)'s duties, but they are not enough to disturb the emperor's sleep."
"Then go down and rest early." Zhao Jiu said seriously under the candlelight. "Thank you for your hard work, Zhengfu."
Yang Yizhong bowed his head and left, while Zhao Jiu blew out the candle and lay back on the couch. Although he did not toss and turn, he kept his eyes open for half the night, staring at the dark ceiling, and was in a daze for half the night.
The next day.
Emperor Zhao stood up as usual, and because today was the day that the Emperor of Song Dynasty and the Emperor of Khitan parted, Lü Benzhong, Ren Baozhong, Zheng Zhichang, and even Hu Hongxiu, Yue Fei, Wang De and others had naturally made preparations early. Not to mention the military generals who had already made arrangements outside the city, several close ministers and civil officials came to see the emperor, but they ran into Yang Yi Zhong and Liu Yan who appeared together, and they were all frightened.
Ren Baozhong, in particular, had been with him for a long time and had long known that Liu Yan was a man of real power who held important positions in front of the emperor, but he was a serious and down-to-earth person. He had also heard long before that there was another General Yang who was more useful than Liu Yan, but he was several times more sophisticated... When he suddenly saw him this time, he naturally became more cautious.
Although Yang Yizhong looked majestic, his words were gentle, making people feel like they were in a spring breeze...but the more so, the more cautious Ren Baozhong became.
Of course, Emperor Zhao naturally couldn't pay attention to the little actions of his close ministers, because there was a Khitan emperor waiting for him outside the city.
It was the end of the first ten days of July, and the weather was clear and crisp. Zhao Jiu had breakfast and did not put on armor. He wore a cloth shirt with closed sleeves and a gold belt, and led Yang Yizhong and other eunuchs out of the old palace of Xixia. Then, they all mounted their horses, first met Hu Hongxiu who was waiting not far outside the palace, then met Wang De at the city gate, and then came out of the west gate of Xingqing Prefecture. After passing the Tangqu Canal in the west of the city, which was restored to normal, and before reaching the coalition camp, Yue Fei had already led most of the Song army officers and soldiers, and Yelu Dashi had led all the Khitan officers and soldiers to prepare.
Zhao Jiu first met Yue Fei and others, and without stopping, he went to the Khitan army. After meeting with many Khitan officers including Yelu Dashi, as well as Bilege and others, the two emperors were not vulgar people. Yelu Dashi immediately bowed slightly, and Zhao Jiu returned the greeting slightly, then they rode side by side, leading countless soldiers and generals... They had been marching like this for more than a month.
The army was in great momentum, especially at this time when the autumn harvest was approaching at the foot of the Helan Mountains. The mountains were on the right, like galloping horses across the sky; the river was far away on the left, and flashes of light could be seen in the distance across the golden sea of wheat. The army still followed the strict military discipline as when Yue Fei was the commander, and only marched west to the foot of the Helan Mountains before turning south along the mountain. With the dragon flag in the lead, various flags meandered along the mountain along the way, but fluttered in the autumn breeze, which was truly spectacular.
At noon, Yelu Dashi tried to persuade them to continue their journey, but Zhao Guanjia grabbed his hand on the horse and insisted that after this separation, they didn't know when they would meet again, so he had to accompany them for a while. Yelu Dashi had no choice but to agree.
So, the two of them rode side by side and continued walking along the Helan Mountains for a while. In the afternoon, the sun had already set behind the tall Helan Mountains. When they reached a mountain pass, they suddenly saw the autumn sunlight shining through the yellow sand across the mountains, and they could not help but stop their horses.
At this point, both of them knew that it was not a good idea to send them down. Behind them, including Yue Fei, Xiao Wulila, and other generals and people also gathered together, waiting for the Emperor of Zhao Song and the Khitan Emperor to speak.
"His Majesty!"
Yelu Dashi, who was sitting on the right side of the two men, was wearing a cloth robe and a veiled hat, and a golden belt around his waist, which was a gift from Emperor Zhao. After looking at the magnificent scenery to the west for a while, he suddenly turned back and laughed, and was the first to speak. "Beautiful mountains, beautiful waters, beautiful places and beautiful scenery!"
"Who said it wasn't?" Zhao Jiu sat on his horse, pulling the reins and laughing. "It's just that the world is full of beautiful mountains and rivers, where is it not magnificent? We must do our best and not let these mountains and rivers down."
"Your Majesty has never betrayed the Song Dynasty!"
"Dashilin Ya has never betrayed his own country!" Zhao Jiu, with bloodshot eyes, smiled softly. "Please forgive me, Dashilin Ya, for calling me before I leave, but I've gotten used to calling you this."
"It's okay." Yelu Dashi replied with a sigh. "Today's Liao Lord, the past Lin Ya, how could we ever contradict each other? But the past is gone, even if there is success in the future, I have never betrayed my homeland, I am afraid I will still have regrets in my heart!"
"In life, eight out of ten things don't go as planned." Zhao Jiu also sighed. "Who doesn't have regrets? Just do your best and leave the rest to fate!"
Yelu Dashi nodded and was about to say goodbye, but for some reason, he almost burst into tears. He could only bow his head and hold back his tears. After a moment, he forced a smile and said, "That day by the lake, Your Majesty said, 'Ten thousand miles of Yinshan and ten thousand miles of sand'. Today, at the foot of the Helan Mountains, Dashi is really going to travel ten thousand miles. With Your Majesty's poetic talent, I wonder if you have any poems to give me? I can show them off in the future."
Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, then nodded, but then shook his head: "I've thought of an old poem a long time ago, which is very suitable for the occasion, but I feel a little guilty when I talk about it now."
"Why?" Yelu Dashi continued to laugh. "Is it because Dashi can't bear this word?"
"Neither you nor I can bear it." Zhao Jiu answered calmly. "The end of the poem is too ambitious, as if to capture dragons and tigers and sweep the world... Dashilin Ya is heading west to sweep the Western Regions. Although it is a desperate struggle to survive and establish a foundation, it is ultimately a partial peace; and although I have gained the upper hand this time, I will inevitably lose some confidence when I turn around to face the Jurchens who have not suffered any losses."
"That's right." Yelu Dashi nodded. "Your Majesty is right... Dashi's journey to the west is needless to say. The Jurchens seemed to have prepared to retreat back to the two rivers long ago. Their strength is not damaged at all. Your Majesty has restored the situation to this point. You must work harder and make every effort to govern. Otherwise, you really can't capture a dragon and tie a tiger."
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