Change of command on the eve of battle
The sound of the flute stopped, and the sound of the drum began.
All the dancers stood solemnly, then bent down, put down the sparrow feathers they had been holding, and picked up their axes and shields.
After the "Shao" dance has ended, the next dance to be presented is the "Wu" dance, which celebrates the power of martial arts.
They beat the drums loudly and eagerly went to war.
The dancers suddenly parted, standing in pairs, holding axes and shields, and marching forward attentively to the rhythm.
Compared to the surging and unrestrained nature of "Breaking the Formation," the solemnity of "Martial Arts" lies in the fact that every dancer is fully focused, moving forward in time with the drumbeats, creating pressure on the field through extreme concentration.
The drumbeats gradually increased in speed, becoming as dense as a heavy rain.
With a resounding thud, the drumbeats reached their climax, accompanied by the resounding clang of the bronze bell.
At the same time, thirty-two pairs of axe-shields clashed in the arena. With a loud bang, the metal struck with a clear and resounding clang, and the iron cavalry charged out, displaying their full intent to conquer.
Sixty-four people may not seem like a large number, but at this moment, they attracted the attention of nearly ten thousand people in the audience, and no one dared to utter a sound. Everyone held their breath in anticipation.
The dancers, in pairs, separated instantly without hesitation and continued their steps forward.
As the sounds of bells and drums advance and retreat, each strike, thrust, slash, and advance is not a display of violence, but rather a vivid demonstration of calmness, restraint, focus, and instantaneous bursts of energy.
One strike and they are separated; one leap and they retreat.
Neither rash nor cowardly. Every action is taken only upon command.
"Martial Arts" is not flamboyant, but it showcases extreme restraint and discipline, and the strictness of military discipline.
Like a sharp weapon, it allows for perfect control in all movements, and if it were to kill, it would not shed an extra drop of blood, but would only choke the enemy by the throat.
As A-Qiu danced, he sensed the initial shock and subsequent growing doubts and confusion among the surrounding Northern Qiang people.
If the warrior's dance could be trained to be so responsive, so precise, and so unflappable, then why did the Southern Dynasty suffer such a series of military defeats and utter annihilation?
Could it be that the martial virtues praised in "Wu" are merely theoretical and appear only in sacrificial dances rather than on the battlefield?
Strike. Misalign. Leap. Roar. Settle.
As the loud music of bells and drums gradually subsided, the dancers in the formation froze, their axes and shields planted firmly on the ground, and lay still.
Martial arts are used to stop war. Martial arts are used to punish tyranny. The original creation of the music of "Martial Arts" was to praise the power and virtue of King Wu in his conquest of King Zhou.
The power of martial prowess comes from the restraint and severity of acting on behalf of Heaven.
It also stems from the ability to act when it is time to act and to stop when it is time to stop, demonstrating composure and decisiveness.
As the horn sounded, all the dancers turned towards the altar, bowed three times to heaven and earth, and then slowly retreated.
Even the chief priests representing Heaven and Earth, Huli Jin and Lady Zilu, had to return the salute to this formation.
A Qiu glanced at the scene out of the corner of her eye, but still couldn't see Wan Qiqing.
The next ceremony, which must be conducted within the palace, is the enthronement ceremony where Huli Jin formally ascends the throne as the new Emperor of Wei. At that time, not everyone will be allowed to enter the palace to witness the ceremony.
As everyone left one by one, A Qiu finally made up his mind and quickened his pace to catch up with the others.
Although everyone was wearing masks, she could still recognize the two people at the head of the group. The one holding the purple bamboo flute was Xiao Chang'an, and the other holding the white jade flute must be Gongyi Xiu.
Another person was tall and slender, following behind Gongyi Xiu. He had a commanding presence, but it was impossible to tell whether he was male or female, let alone identify him.
With just a glance, A Qiu felt that this person had an outstanding temperament that was hard to ignore.
But she had no time to think about anything else at the moment. She rushed behind Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an and whispered, "It's me!"
The two men's backs trembled simultaneously, clearly indicating that they had recognized her voice.
Gongyi Xiu hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Follow behind me, and come with me into the hall to watch the ceremony later."
As he had said, A Qiu subtly slipped between him and the man with the unusual demeanor behind him.
The man immediately moved behind Xiao Chang'an. As a result, the four people at the front of the group changed to Gongyi Xiu, Xiao Chang'an, A Qiu, and the man.
This is likely the person chosen to represent the Southern Dynasty in entering the palace to witness the surrender ceremony.
Now that A Qiu was right behind Gongyi Xiu, she couldn't help but ask, "Where did the others go?"
Her heart was set on four people who knew no martial arts: Sun Neiren, Xue Hongbi, Zhang Exu, and Cui Luzhu.
If they were to cause trouble in the hall later, these few people would be the first to be caught and likely to lose their lives. And these were the people that A Qiu was most worried about.
Gongyi Xiu understood what she was thinking and said softly, "They will wait outside the palace."
He paused slightly, then added, "Everyone else is here. We... will advance or retreat together."
Ah Qiu then understood.
Under the current circumstances, none of those who have reached this place have any chance of survival, and it's not just Sun Neiren and her three companions.
However, if Huli Jin can be killed at the new king's coronation ceremony, the Northern Qiang will inevitably be torn apart immediately. For a long time, they will be unable to look south.
That bought the Southern Dynasty some breathing room and left a glimmer of hope for the Han people of the world.
Three simultaneous sounds of bells and drums, coming from afar and drawing nearer, signaled the imminent start of the Emperor's coronation ceremony.
The remaining 10,000 people remained gathered outside the Deyang Palace, while only about a thousand followed Huli Jin's entourage into the palace to witness the emperor's ascension to the throne.
After the crowds dispersed, the entire Southern Dynasty delegation, including A Qiu, was reduced to only twenty people.
Before entering the hall, only Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an removed their masks and calmly led the rest of the people in carrying the state gifts.
What A Qiu held in his hands was the "Landscape Map," symbolizing the unification of the world. And what the tall and imposing figure opposite him held was the world-renowned Emperor's Sword, "Ancestral Dragon."
The remaining people presented jade and pearls, or writing brushes, ink, gold and silk; some were symbols of submission, while others were priceless treasures. In short, they all acted in accordance with propriety and law.
Inside the main hall, civil and military officials were already lined up below the steps, with bells and drums ringing in unison. They sat high in front of the mountain and sea screen on the hall, and on both sides of the nine-dragon throne, brocade fans with peacock feathers were unfolded to welcome the new emperor of the Great Wei, Huli Jin, to ascend the throne.
Beneath the twelve jade tassels of the crown, Huli Jin, dressed in a black robe embroidered with nine golden dragons, slowly walked into the central courtyard and ascended the steps. Closely following behind him was Lady Zilu, still in white robes and gold rings, carrying in her hands an ancient bronze censer, from which fragrant aromas rose gently, like clouds and mist.
Following them were two rows of palace attendants and eunuchs, carrying imperial edicts, jade seals, and other items.
A fleeting doubt crossed A Qiu's mind, for logically speaking, the Emperor's position within the inner palace was not particularly high. Previously, before the altar, she might have been able to approach the Emperor because she held a position equivalent to a half-priestess. But now, at the enthronement ceremony of the previous dynasty, from any perspective, the position immediately following Huli Jin should not be hers.
The appearance of the Emperor at this moment reminded her of something else.
Last night, Hulü Guang forced His Majesty to assassinate Hulü Jin under cover of darkness, but it seems that this did not happen. Whether His Majesty did not make a move or failed in his attempt, Hulü Jin is here perfectly fine.
Given the current situation, it's more likely that the Emperor hasn't taken any action.
If she were to make a move and fail, how could Hulijin allow her to remain alive?
However, this would ruin Hulü Guang's grand plan, and it's unclear how he should respond.
Thinking of this, A Qiu couldn't help but glance at the front of the palace out of the corner of his eye, only to find to his surprise that Prince Ning, Huli Guang, who was originally the second most powerful man in the Northern Qiang and an important minister, was nowhere to be seen today.
A sudden sense of unease arose in her heart.
The absence of Hulü Guang might not seem like a big deal, but the fact that the coronation ceremony proceeded as planned despite Hulü Guang's absence, and that Hulü Jin offered no objection or explanation, foreshadowed a brewing storm within the court.
When her gaze fell upon the highest point in the hall, where the Imperial Preceptor Wan Qiqing was about to unfold the imperial edict and read it aloud, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Given their current position, even during the surrender ceremony, Wanqiqing will remain stationed before the statue of Huli Jin. This would be extremely disadvantageous.
But at this point, there is no other way but to act according to circumstances, there is no turning back.
The edict of accession should have been written in both the Han and non-Han languages. Wanqiqing first read the edict in the Northern Qiang language. Aqiu did not understand the Northern Qiang language, but he could hear that the tone of the edict was solemn, and it must have been preceded by auspicious blessings such as "By the mandate of Heaven, all under Heaven submit".
He read on smoothly, but when he came to a certain word, even with Wan Qiqing's composure and courage, he suddenly stopped, and the atmosphere in the entire hall fell silent for a moment.
At the same time, his gaze sharpened as he glanced down the steps.
At that very moment, the entourage of the new emperor, Huli Jin, was passing in front of A Qiu and his party. The fragrance from the bronze incense burner held by the emperor also wafted to A Qiu's nose.
Although A-Qiu had her eyes downcast, she could see clearly.
What Wan Qiqing was glancing at was none other than the Emperor Huli Jin beneath the canopy.
At the same time, the emperor under the canopy slightly raised his head to meet Wan Qiqing's gaze.
The jade beads on the crown swayed, obscuring his eyebrows and eyes, but A Qiu recognized him from the meaningful smile on his lips!
The person wearing the emperor's robes and the twelve-tassel crown was not Hulü Jin, but Hulü Guang!
Although he was an outsider, A-Qiu felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured down his spine, and a chill emanated from his back.
Before the enthronement ceremony, the emperor would bathe, fast, change clothes, burn incense, and put on his ceremonial robes before boarding his carriage to go to the sacrificial site. Throughout the journey, he would be attended to by his closest palace attendants, and no outsiders would be allowed to get close to him.
Just now, in front of the altar, everyone looked at each other from a distance, and could only roughly see the emperor's clothes and demeanor, but could not clearly see his appearance.
Upon entering the palace, everyone knelt and prostrated themselves along the roadside to greet the emperor, and no one dared to raise their eyes to look directly at his true face.
This is why Hulü Guang was able to reach this place as the emperor.
This also explains why the Emperor followed closely behind him, becoming the closest witness to him during the sacrificial ceremony and the coronation ceremony.
Hulujin must be dead.
The thought of this made A-Qiu shudder, and he felt his hair stand on end.
When exactly did this murder targeting the elder brother and the emperor take place?
It was either after Huli Guang left last night that His Majesty went to Huli Jin's bedchamber to carry out the order, or it was in the early hours of this morning when Huli Jin got up to wash and prepare.
No one can know anymore.
All we know is that they succeeded.
In the hall, Wan Qiqing coughed lightly, which not only attracted everyone's attention but also startled A Qiu from her daze.
She suddenly realized that the hurdle Huli Guang needed to overcome now was Wan Qiqing.
Whether he can successfully become the new emperor of Wei depends on whether the current Grand Preceptor, Wan Qiqing, is willing to acknowledge it.
How will Master respond?
A Qiu lowered her eyes again, and then casually glanced at the hall.
After Wan Qiqing finished coughing, he continued reading the imperial edict without changing his expression.
But as he read line by line, the prince and all the civil and military officials changed color, and then the crowd was in an uproar.
By the time he finished reading, the people in the hall were already whispering and gossiping amongst themselves.
Some people, disregarding social hierarchy, even raised their heads and stared at the emperor under the canopy, their expressions filled with disbelief.
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