Chapter 154 Military Parade
The autumn rain was drizzling, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and it chilled everyone to the bone.
Although Zhu Bi's death did not cause a huge uproar, it still served as a wake-up call to all officials.
Think twice before doing something bad. If you don't want others to know, don't do it. The emperor's ability to reach the sky is not something that ordinary people can hide.
Due to weather reasons, today's meeting ended early. There is still one day tomorrow. We will have a day off on the fifth day and a military parade will be held on the sixth day.
After returning to the bedroom, Song Yuzhu took a hot bath. The heat dispelled the coldness from her body. Song Yuzhu dozed off while looking at the bathtub.
Zhao Xiao came back soon. His clothes were soaked by the rain and stuck to his body, outlining his strong muscles.
"Such heavy rain will not affect the military parade the day after tomorrow, right?"
Song Yuzhu opened the map and took a look: "No, the rain will stop tomorrow. It will be sunny in Kyoto for the next three days."
"That's good." Zhao Xiao massaged his neck and Song Yuzhu leaned comfortably on his arm.
"I didn't expect Zhu Bi to be frightened to death. I was planning to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys."
Zhao Xiao couldn't help laughing and said, "Your move is much more powerful than killing a chicken. I just heard the officials below discussing whether Zhu Bi was killed by the lightning you brought down."
Song Yuzhu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "How can I be that powerful?"
"Don't worry about that, as long as we can scare them." Seeing that the water was not too hot, Zhao Xiao carried Song Yuzhu out of the bathtub, wrapped her in a bath towel and carried her to the bed.
"Ask the kitchen to send some ginger soup to dispel the cold. Don't catch a cold."
Song Yuzhu nodded with red cheeks.
Zhao Xiao had to return to the military camp in the evening because the military parade would be held tomorrow.
This military parade has been prepared for half a year. In addition to demonstrating Daqi's military strength, it also serves as a deterrent.
Because spies from many countries had already gathered in Shangjing, there were reports from seven or eight countries in Xuanyi Tower alone.
These include the Jin Dynasty, Huiqi, Goguryeo, Wa, Silla, Tubo, Nanzhao and so on.
The purpose of these people coming here is very simple, they just want to see how strong Daqi's military power is. Song Yuzhu will naturally not let them down.
*
The sixth day of August is the National Day of Da Qi. Six years ago today, Song Yuzhu ascended the throne in Shangjing and established the Da Qi Dynasty.
Time flies. After six years of development, Daqi is no longer what it used to be. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the country is prosperous and stable. This is a rare prosperity in hundreds of years.
The weather is very good today. The rain in the past two days has taken away the last bit of summer heat. The blue sky is cloudless, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.
Perhaps because military parades were new, there were many more people watching than in previous days.
Everyone gathered on both sides of the road and talked in low voices, wondering what the military parade would look like.
At three quarters past three in the morning, the national flag was raised and the national anthem was played. When eight guards of honor walked to the Zhengyang Gate holding the national flag, the onlookers all held their breath.
What clothes are they wearing!
The navy blue top just reaches the waist, and the same color trousers are underneath. There is also a palm-wide belt buckled around the waist, which shows the soldier's thin waist. The whole outfit is well-fitting and neat, which makes people unable to take their eyes away!
This is the autumn uniform Song Yuzhu made for the military camp. It imitates the style of later generations. It is divided into three parts. The innermost part is an off-white cotton shirt, the outer part is a navy blue jacket, and the lower part is the same color trousers.
The coat was specially matched with a calfskin belt with a dagger hanging on it, and black leather boots with rubber soles were worn on the feet. Standing there, he looked as energetic as a small pine tree.
The people were all stunned. Many of them took note of the appearance of the military uniforms and planned to go back and make one for their own men.
Several veteran generals standing on the high platform also stood up and leaned over to check.
Xu Dingkun said: "This dress is really nice! It is convenient for riding a horse and won't trip you in battle!"
Another veteran named Li Ji stroked his beard and nodded: "That's right, I just don't know where to buy it."
General Xu raised his chin with great pride. His grandson was in the army, and after the parade he would ask Yang Ping to get him one to make these old men jealous.
The guard of honor hung the national flag on the flagpole. Suddenly, a huge sound of drums and music came from the city wall, and three hundred musicians played the song of Daqi at the same time.
This song has a simple tune and easy-to-understand lyrics. Almost everyone can sing it, and many people hum along. As the song progresses, the voices get louder and louder, and the people spontaneously start to sing along!
Amudan, a spy from the Jin Dynasty, standing in the crowd, looked coldly at the enthusiastic Qiren beside him, not knowing why they were so excited.
The Qi Dynasty seemed to be different from the Sheng Dynasty back then, but he couldn't tell exactly what had changed. He vaguely felt that this was not a good thing.
However, this was just the beginning. When the Daqi "male model" team walked in from the west gate, the whole of Shangjing was completely boiling!
"Da! Da! Da!" Every step was like a drumbeat, hitting the people's hearts heavily.
Everyone looked towards the west gate of the city.
An infantry phalanx consisting of a thousand soldiers was marching towards this side.
They wore the same military uniform, were the same height, the same body shape, and even had the same expression on their faces, which reflected the unyielding will of the Daqi people.
More than six months of training regardless of wind or rain have made every soldier's steps in the same line, and every raised hand falls on the same point. A thousand people seem to be copied and pasted, walking towards Zhengyang Gate in unison, so neat and orderly that it is frightening!
In the restaurants on both sides of the road, many women leaned their heads out to look, and some even shouted excitedly.
"Ah!!! What a handsome soldier!"
Although these soldiers had received rigorous training, most of them were unmarried men, and their ears turned red when they heard these compliments. However, their faces were too dark from the sun, so it was not noticeable, and they walked even harder.
The infantry phalanx seemed to have given the people a shot of chicken blood, and the cheers never stopped!
The old generals on the platform had mixed feelings. To be honest, many people did not approve of Da Qi and thought they were thieves who stole the country. But from this moment on, they looked at the young emperor with new eyes.
With such elite soldiers and powerful generals, there is no need to worry about instability in the world!
Behind the infantry phalanx was the cavalry phalanx, with a thousand cavalrymen sitting on horses, and even the horses were all tall, dark red horses.
They wore the same uniforms as the infantry, except that they had bows and quivers on their backs, because every cavalryman was an excellent archer.
As soon as Amudan saw these horses, he recognized them as the unique war horses of the Jin Kingdom. They should be the horses given to Daqi as a gift after the last defeat. It was a pity that such good horses could not run on the grasslands of the Jin Kingdom.
However, he also knew that with the current strength of the Jin Kingdom, it would definitely not be able to defeat the Great Qi Kingdom. It would take at least another ten years...
He looked at Zhengyang Gate with a dark gaze. Ten years later, the flag of the Jin Dynasty must be hung here!
*
The cavalry team walked over, and behind them was the navy team. The uniforms they wore were surprisingly different from the previous ones. The colors were brighter, like the azure blue of the sea, which made them look even more handsome.
This short dress completely captured the hearts of the people. Many people decided to go back and make a similar set of clothes to wear. It was so beautiful!
Finally, there was a formation of generals, with Zhao Xiao at the head, followed by Zheng Da'an and Du Chong on both sides, and behind them were generals such as Bai Yizhou, Chai Rong, and Yang Ping. More than a hundred people rode over on horseback.
The Goguryeo princess standing on the second floor of Linlang Tower waved her handkerchief excitedly: "General, General Zhao!"
The maid next to her whispered, "Princess, this is not good..."
Li Xianxiu: "Who cares? Isn't that what all the women in Daqi call themselves?"
She has sent people to investigate these days. The general's name is Zhao Xiao. He is only 26 years old and has not yet married.
Li Xianxiu's face flushed. If it was General Zhao, then even if he didn't enter the palace, it wouldn't be a disgrace to his status. Maybe he could even help his country.
Perhaps her voice was too loud and reached Zhao Xiao's ears, but unfortunately Zhao Xiao sat upright on his horse, indifferent and not even bothering to look at her.
Zheng Daan behind him whispered, "General, there is a young lady calling you."
Zhao Xiao said coldly: "If you don't want to sit on the horse, you can go up and call."
Zheng Daan was thick-skinned and just smiled and didn't care.
After the generals' phalanx passed by, the people of Shangjing were shocked again and again. What were those carriages pulling? !
Five hundred short cannons, a thousand long cannons, and all kinds of novel weapons invented by the Ministry of Military Industry, which they had never even seen!
Amudan clenched his fists and looked over there with burning eyes. This was the purpose of his visit this time - artillery!
Da Jin used this thing to defeat the Jin cavalry. The deafening noise scared their warriors.
I didn’t expect that Daqi had so many such weapons!
The people cheered, some even had tears in their eyes, and shouted: "Long live Daqi! Long live our emperor!"
The shouts of "Long live" rose and fell one after another, forming a wave of sound.
Amudan took a few steps back in fear, his eyes fell on the vermilion star-crescent flag, and a sentence suddenly emerged in his mind: This is what the people want.
Although the Sheng Dynasty was strong in the past, it never gave him such a strong sense of crisis. The current Daqi Dynasty is so strong that he is afraid.
Spies from several other countries had the same idea as Amudan. They all recorded the military parade and prepared to send the news back. Unless necessary, they must not make enemies with Daqi!
Song Yuzhu stood on the high platform with his hands behind his back, looking at the soldiers and civilians below, his heart surging with emotion. He had finally built Daqi into what he had imagined.
Although the current Qi Dynasty is still far worse than the future generations, he believes that in the near future, it will definitely develop better and better!
This unprecedented military parade will never be repeated and will be enough to ensure ten years of peace in the Qi Dynasty!
*
After the military parade, many people asked about the single soldiers in the camp, and surprisingly, quite a few marriages were brokered.
These soldiers receive military pay while in the army and will be assigned jobs after retirement. For ordinary families, finding such a son-in-law is a good choice of spouse.
Li Xianxiu also sent someone to deliver a letter to Zhao Xiao. The content of the letter was very explicit, boldly expressing his love for Zhao Xiao and his desire to marry him.
However, the letter did not reach Zhao Xiao, as he almost never returned to his own house all year round. So the servants sent the letter to the palace together with other rafts.
Zhao Xiao stayed in the army during the day and returned to the palace in the evening. The letters in his mansion were always handled by Song Yuzhu.
After several twists and turns, the letter finally reached Song Yuzhu.
It would be a lie for Song Yuzhu to say he wasn't jealous after reading the letter, but he knew that the Goguryeo princess must have been wishful thinking, and Zhao Xiao was probably unaware of it, so he didn't take it seriously.
He has more important things to do right now, because the Second National Games will be held right after the meeting.
(End of this chapter)
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