Chapter 511: Appointed as Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Rebellion Suppression (5k)
What a sword dance...
Inside the hall, Zhao Duan and Yuxiu were both startled when they heard the voice suddenly. They turned their heads to look outside the hall. Through the entrance hall, they were shocked to see that the female emperor in white clothes in the courtyard had appeared outside the hall at some point.
There was no expression on Xu Zhenguan's pale face, his long black hair hung down behind his head, his right hand was raised in front of his chest, his slender fingers holding the green jade flying sword.
The flying sword that was originally extremely explosive and powerful became as quiet as a quail in the hands of the empress, motionless, as if dead.
Behind the empress and around her, the Zhao family's servants and Eugene Hua and her daughter also came out, but did not dare to get close.
"Your Majesty?" Zhao Duan's mind buzzed, and his instinct as a man told him:
Something bad is happening!
Fortunately, Envoy Zhao was a man of adaptability. After a brief moment of surprise, a bright smile instantly appeared on his face. He stood up and eagerly greeted him:
"Your Majesty, why are you here? Why didn't you notify the palace servants earlier so that I could prepare the bed for you?"
Xu Zhenguan sneered and did not answer.
"Yuxiu greets Your Majesty." At this time, the female Taoist nun also stood up, walked out leisurely, and bowed to the empress calmly.
Xu Zhenguan's phoenix eyes were cold and sharp. His gaze moved back and forth between the man and woman in front of him. He looked at Yu Xiu with a forced smile:
"It's you. When did you return to the capital? I didn't realize you were here."
As she spoke, she threw the dead jade flying sword in her hand casually, and it swam like a fish and returned to the nun's waist by itself.
After a pause, she looked at Zhao Duan again and said calmly, "Zhao Qing, won't you explain?"
Danger... danger... danger!
Although Zhao Duan lacked experience in love, he could sense something was wrong, and said hurriedly:
"The Jade Sleeve Priestess made a sudden visit, and I was unaware of this before."
As he spoke, he looked at Yuxiu for help.
Although the two of them were innocent, Zhen Baogang was unhappy because of Xiao Dong'er's existence, and then another woman came to his house... The key point was that he didn't expect that the empress would come home after he took some time to come back for a while.
"I have heard of Lord Zhao's reputation for a long time and have been curious about him. This time I returned to the capital specifically to seek his advice." Yuxiu explained calmly.
The empress said, "Oh," and said, "Please teach me."
"Right, right, right," Zhao Duan recalled the Golden Crow Flying Knife, smiled and bowed to Yu Xiu:
"Thank you for your guidance, Priest."
Yuxiu looked at him with complicated eyes, and suddenly shook her head:
"Since Your Majesty has arrived, you must be busy. I will not bother you any more. I will take my leave now."
After saying that, she nodded to the empress again and turned to leave.
The shock in my heart spread little by little.
Just now, although she suppressed her own cultivation, she was actually slightly inferior to Zhao Duan in the contest... This result was hard for the proud Yuxiu to accept.
Considering his previous comments on Zhao Duan's strength, he couldn't help but blush.
"Son of Heaven and Earth... Is it really as the rumors say, with talent and advancement beyond human reach?"
After walking out of Zhao's house, Yuxiu turned her head to look back at the plaque on the lintel. She was not depressed, but her eyes became brighter.
The revelation from the gods in the Liao people's altar was more accurate than she expected.
Thinking of some of the words in the secret intelligence she had obtained from Southern Xinjiang, she pursed her lips and became more determined to get Zhao Duan.
——Obviously, what she had just said to Zhao Duan was still reserved and not all.
…
…
She waved her sleeves and left, just as she had come quietly.
Only Zhao Duan was left alone to face the female emperor who came to him in a huff.
"Your Majesty, there are too many people outside. Would you like to come inside and talk?" Zhao Duan forced a smile.
Xu Zhenguan's expression was calm. Feeling the gazes of Eugene Hua and her daughter, she turned her head and smiled warmly at them.
"Madam Zhao, please go and do your own thing. I want to discuss some matters with Lord Zhao."
The main focus is on attitude differentiation.
Then, with the mother and daughter looking flattered, she followed Zhao Duan to the study in the mansion.
In the study.
The door closed with a creaky sound, and Zhao Duan turned around to look at the empress's back:
"Why is Your Majesty here?"
After Xu Zhenguan entered the room, he stopped pretending and his face turned cold. He walked to the main seat at the desk and sat down angrily, like an official interrogating a criminal. He looked down at the scumbag Zhao with his phoenix eyes and said, "A punch!"
"I can't come? I'm disturbing your meeting with Yuxiu?"
Zhao Duan broke out in a cold sweat and swore that he had nothing to do with it.
Xu Zhenguan didn't really think that the two had any relationship, he just felt a little unhappy, so he just listened with a stern face and didn't comment.
Seeing this, Zhao Duan gritted his teeth and walked boldly to the side of the empress, starting to talk:
"Your Majesty, it's been a while since you last visited me. Speaking of which, your Majesty taught me painting last time. I've been diligently studying and practicing these days, and I've made some progress. How about I paint another picture for your Majesty?"
Last time, the two of them did teach painting in this study.
At this moment, there was an ink-and-wash portrait of the empress hanging on the wall.
Xu Zhenguan snorted, "I've been reviewing memorials for most of the day, and you still want me to be your 'model'?"
The word "model" is a "new word" invented by Zhao Duan, and she remembered it last time.
Zhao Duan's eyes turned:
"Your Majesty, you must be feeling tired from all the work of state. I just learned a new massage technique that can help relieve fatigue."
As he spoke, he placed his two dirty hands on the empress's tender shoulders and kneaded them gently.
Xu Zhenguan first twisted his body and "struggled" symbolically, then he snorted and let him do what he wanted.
Zhao Duan smiled slightly, and his ten fingers skillfully changed their techniques, circling around the beauty's neck and exerting force on her shoulders.
This was also what he learned from a blind masseur near his workplace in his previous life in order to get ahead.
"Hmm..." The empress didn't care at first, but gradually, she felt a tingling sensation coming up. She couldn't help but squint her eyes slightly in comfort, and a light hum came out of her nose. Her tense skin also relaxed.
She was not really angry in the first place, and she did not really think that there was any relationship between Zhao Duan and Yuxiu.
The reason why she pretended to be angry was more due to the woman's thoughts - as an emperor, her possessiveness was only higher than that of others.
Now that she had a way out, she took advantage of the situation and softened her tone:
"Why did she come looking for you?"
Zhao Duan did not hide it and told the story. It couldn't be concealed anyway.
"The missing imperial guards of the previous dynasty? Those national treasures?"
Xu Zhenguan frowned slightly: "Is she pursuing those things?"
Zhao Duan was familiar with the shoulder massage, and inexplicably recalled a short video he had seen in his previous life - a customer who had a foot massage asked the technician to sit down, and then rolled up his sleeves to massage the technician's feet...
His eyes couldn't help but move down to look at the embroidered shoes with gold thread under Zhenbao's skirt.
He asked, "Your Majesty, do you know what those national treasures are?"
Xu Zhenguan said: "I know a little about them. They are all very tempting objects for practitioners. However, many people have tried to track them down for hundreds of years, but to no avail.
There's a high probability that she'll get nothing.
As for the divine revelation from Laba...it might not be true. If you're interested, at least reach the pinnacle of the world, be absolutely confident, and bring enough experts with you before you go."
As an emperor and a "celestial being", Xu Zhenguan had little interest in searching for treasures from the previous dynasty six hundred years ago.
"I thought so too, so I didn't agree to her request." Zhao Duan agreed.
Xu Zhenguan said "yes" with satisfaction, then suddenly said:
"I have met Xiao Dong'er. According to your proposal, the court will appoint officials and send an army from the Five Military Camps, with the assistance of the Xiao family, to quell the remnants of the Qingzhou Dao."
Zhao Duan hurriedly said, "I have absolutely no connection with that widow..."
Xu Zhenguan raised the corner of his mouth and interrupted him: "I know."
Huh... You know everything, yet you're still jealous for no apparent reason... Zhao Duan rubbed his shoulders and said:
"Your Majesty has a keen eye. I know that those rumors will not bother you... After all, my love for you is known to everyone in Dayu..."
Xu Zhenguan enjoyed the sweet words of the loyal dog and his mood improved, but he suddenly opened his eyes, anger in his eyes:
"Where are you going with your hands?!"
"...Haha, my hand slipped, my hand slipped." Zhao Duan awkwardly pulled Lushan's claws back from the empress's collar, only to feel the slippery feeling on his fingertips, which was so fascinating.
The Empress sneered, not bothering to expose the scoundrel's despicable intentions, and said:
"During the day, before you returned, Ma Yan sent me some memorials, saying that the interrogation of Li Yanfu and other officials had come to an end."
Zhao Duan tentatively kneaded her fair, finely haired neck with his hands and said:
"What is your Majesty going to do?"
Xu Zhenguan said calmly and firmly:
"Execute immediately. Anyone from the Li clique who participated in the rebellion will be publicly beheaded at Caishikou in the next few days. All three clans will be exterminated."
Well, the latter one cannot be implemented for the time being because most of the families behind Li’s party are in the Huai River, which is an “enemy-occupied area”.
It is conceivable that once the news comes out, this group of local nobles will completely stand on the side of the Eight Kings.
"What about the fate of Prince Heng and his son?" Zhao Duan asked tentatively, "Lock them up? Strip them of their titles? Reduce them to commoners?"
This time, the empress was silent for a while longer before she said calmly:
"Interrogation complete, behead along with the Li Party rebels."
"It's up to your Majesty to decide." Zhao Duan sighed softly, not too surprised by the result.
No matter how much the empress cared about family ties, from the moment the princes rebelled, there was no room for maneuver in the matter.
Moreover, as the first prince to be captured, everyone was concerned about what would happen to Prince Heng, because it represented the court's attitude towards the rebellion.
Xu Zhenguan continued:
"Beheading Li Yanfu and Prince Heng and his son was both a deterrent and a demonstration of strength, and also a 'sacrifice' for the court's subsequent counterattack."
The news that the empress has returned to the capital has spread. It is conceivable that the rebellious princes in various places should have switched to the strategy of splitting, occupying and digesting the territory.
As for the imperial court, the most urgent task was to launch a counterattack while those territories had not yet been completely controlled by the princes.
Once this window of time is missed, it will be difficult to eradicate the vassal kings once they have completely taken root.
"Right now, the Prince of Yanshan in Tieguan Road is being held captive by Luo Kedi's army at Jubei City; the Prince of Hejian is being held captive by Duke Tang in Xiping Road... The only two remaining rebel forces posing the greatest threat are the Prince of Jing and the Prince of Mu.
One of them took over Jiancheng Road, and the other took over Yunfu Road. The two armies each occupied half of the Huai River Road, and Xue Shence led his troops to block them at Linfeng Road.
"Now that the crisis in the capital has been resolved, the Shenji Camp, the Wujun Camp, and part of the Imperial Guards should be mobilized to Linfeng Road to cooperate with Xue Shence and recover the lost territory," Xu Zhenguan analyzed calmly.
"I was just about to tell Your Majesty this," Zhao Duan said, his tone becoming more serious.
"This time, the Shenji Battalion has severely defeated the Qingzhou Army. Their morale is now high and they are heading south. I intend to lead the troops as the vanguard."
Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment, her body still, her delicate head twisted, her lacquer-like eyes staring at him:
"Prince Jing and Prince Mu are both very different from the humble Prince Heng. Your firearms are indeed powerful, but as the Grand Tutor said, they were taken by surprise. Now that Prince Heng has been defeated and the news has spread, they will naturally be on guard and respond. It is impossible to replicate the victory."
Zhao Duan grinned and said:
"I know. So, I don't plan on using this little firearm to actually lead an army into battle. I'm a complete novice at things like marching and arranging battle formations. I can talk big, but I can't really fight in a fight."
Xu Zhenguan was stunned: "Then why are you..."
"Because His Majesty needs it." Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Right now, the most urgent need on the Linfeng front isn't manpower or firearms, but confidence and trust. Your Majesty's return and the news of the Qingzhou troops' crushing defeat can provide confidence to the front lines, but it's difficult for Your Majesty to fully trust those frontline generals, including Xue Shence.
Similarly, the soldiers on the front lines also have to consider the views of the capital. To avoid discord between the emperor and his subjects, many decisions must be submitted to the capital via written instructions... This back and forth, the opportunity for battle is fleeting, so Your Majesty needs a trustworthy and influential person to command the front lines."
As a "civilian" in two lifetimes, Zhao Duan knew nothing about fighting a war, but he had seen pigs run before.
In his previous life, he had read some historical materials about the "Civil War" and was particularly impressed by the trust issues between commanders and frontline soldiers within the large system.
Especially against the backdrop of the rebellion by Zhao Shixiong, Wei Xianzong, and the two commanders of the imperial guards in the imperial city, the loyalty of the empress... and the entire court to the generals leading the troops outside was inevitably questioned.
How can we ensure that the generals on the front line will not surrender to the enemy when the feudal lords are fighting for power and joining forces to besiege the city?
Sending "military supervisors" or "military governors" is the only way that can be thought of.
After much thought, the most suitable candidate is Zhao Duan.
It is absolutely impossible for him to rebel, and he has a record of destroying the Qingzhou rebels, proving that he can be a good commander.
With the title and reputation of "Emperor's Husband", he could, to a certain extent, flexibly "act first and report later" on the front line, so that the battle would not be constrained by the rear in the capital.
"For me..."
Xu Zhenguan was stunned for a moment, as if her heart was hit. Her eyes softened, and she compared the two with her own angry actions just now...a hint of guilt arose in her heart.
Zhao Duan smiled and continued:
"I've made up my mind. After I lead the Beijing troops to the rescue, I'll first meet with Xue Shence to stabilize the army's morale. And then... since the two vassal kings have split the Huai River, each occupying half, artificially forming two 'eastern and western' battlefields, we can work with Privy Councilor Xue to confront the two rebel kings."
"Haha... I'm very familiar with that bastard Prince Jing, but I'm still unfamiliar with Prince Mu of Yunfu. And that general of the Southwestern Frontier Army, Zhao Shixiong, who's of the same gender as me, I've heard his name so many times that I'm almost tired of it. I'm also curious whether this guy has three heads or six arms."
Xu Zhenguan smiled softly. She raised her head slightly and looked at the high-spirited "little imperial guard". She said "yes" softly, and there was a hint of admiration in her eyes.
"Now that you've made your decision, just tell me what you need."
Zhao Duan pondered for a moment, staring at the empress with fiery eyes, his gaze peering inside through the open neckline.
Xu Zhenguan simply said, "You can't break through the defense."
“…”
So Zhao Duan broke down his defense and said, "I need more people, such as Wei Xianzong."
The empress's eyes moved. She had already known about the meeting between Zhao Duan and Yuan Li in the afternoon - Mo Chou had reported it to her in detail.
Knowing that this was Zhao Duan's excuse for himself, he nodded happily:
"Okay, here you go. What else do you want?"
Zhao Duan: "I want a sufficient title, a title that can equal Xue Shence's status."
The Empress said, "I can appoint you as the 'Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Rebellion Suppression', a position higher than that of a Governor, with the power of supervision and control. What else do you want?"
Zhao Duan fell into deep thought again, and then he suddenly picked up a chair and turned it ninety degrees along with the empress sitting on it.
Then, he squatted down in the latter's blank gaze, ready to make a move:
"Your Majesty, I've been massaging your shoulders for so long, would you like to massage your feet too?"
Xu Zhenguan's expression was dull, his eyes showing three parts shock, three parts bewilderment, three parts confusion, and one part disgust...
Next second.
The embroidered shoes, which were as big as a palm and could be held in one hand, were kicked towards him: "Get out!"
Zhao Duan dodged in advance, retreated to the door, and muttered:
"You're angry again, I didn't even take your money..."
After saying that, without waiting for the empress to get angry, he put on the grease, pushed the door open and walked out.
Behind him, there was no expected Taia Sword's killing blow, but only a sullen voice:
"What's your massage technique called?"
She thought it was a good idea and planned to ask her female officials to learn it when she returned to the palace, and give herself a massage whenever she had the chance.
Zhao Duan didn't even turn his head and said something nonsense: "Eighteen touches."
…
…
The setting sun sank into the ground and the sky was darkened.
After the empress had a simple dinner at Zhao's house, she returned to the palace.
Zhao Duan did not go to the palace to join in the fun. After eating and drinking, he turned around and returned to his bedroom.
Light the menorah.
Wait for the orange flames to permeate the room.
He stood on the empty floor, took out the silver scroll, shook it lightly, and the crimson half-armor fell off with a "bang".
Along with it, there was the "crackling" sound of a large number of strange and various weapons and magic tools.
It piled up into a small hill.
Not only that, Zhao Duan also pulled out two large boxes from under the bed, which were full of similar things.
These are all the spoils captured in the battle of Baihua Village, as well as the treasures from the treasury of "Guhuo Zhenren".
"If I feed all of these things to the Scarlet Flame Sacred Armor, it should be able to restore it to its peak condition, right?"
Zhao Duan held the book on "Zoroastrianism" given to him by Zhenbao in his hand, opened the page, and found the page corresponding to the "sacrifice" formation.
Using a brush soaked in specially formulated cinnabar, he drew a complex hexagram array on the floor.
After completing the task, he placed the Red Flame Holy Armor in the center of the magic circle.
Then, he stood at the "casting position" of the formation, pressed his palms on the cinnabar on the floor, and channeled in the powerful energy.
“Squeak—”
The scarlet cinnabar suddenly burned, and the entire magic circle was filled with a mysterious halo, and an illusory blazing flame burned.
The "Holy Red Flame Armor" in the center of the formation lit up, and gradually, the armor began to float up on its own, as if it was worn by an illusory god of fire.
"rumble……"
The black human face mark on the front of the armor suddenly twisted and deformed, opening its "bloody mouth" to reveal a black "hole".
The crimson armor also turned into a furnace.
Waiting to be fed and sacrificed.
"Is that all?" Zhao Duan swallowed his saliva and turned to look at the pile of magic tools and weapons beside him. He had a strong premonition in his heart:
"Perhaps, the holy armor I feed will be more powerful than in the hands of King Heng."
(End of this chapter)
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