Noon.
Outside Yongding Gate in Longcheng, the fiefdom of Prince Jin, Prince Chen Huai'an, clad in golden armor, rode his yellow horse to personally greet Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of the Longcheng army, who had returned in triumph, as well as the Xuanjia Army that had led the western expedition.
Behind him were Prince Chen Longxiang, General Wang Jian, and the generals of the Po Lu Army stationed in Longcheng.
Everyone wore joyful expressions as they chatted and laughed, awaiting the triumphant return of the western expeditionary army.
Thump thump thump!
Thump thump thump!
Soon, the sound of horses' hooves, like rolling thunder, grew louder and louder as they approached from afar.
The generals of Longcheng outside Yongding Gate also came into view of the silhouettes of the Xuanjia army.
Then, a figure in flowing white robes rode ahead of the army, his resolute face beaming with a hearty smile, a smile that seemed to reflect the sentiment of "riding a swift horse in the spring breeze, seeing all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day."
drive!
drive!
Sigh—
Finally, Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of the Longcheng army, who had been galloping towards them, reined in his warhorse when he arrived in front of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
Before his warhorse had even come to a complete stop, he dismounted and knelt before the Prince of Jin, saying, "This humble general, Chen Qingzhi, greets Your Highness, the Prince of Jin!"
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an, who was originally riding on the yellow horse, jumped off and personally helped Chen Qingzhi up, saying with a smile in his eyes, "Vice Commander Chen, please get up quickly!"
After Chen Qingzhi stood up, Chen Huai'an still didn't let go of his hand, and continued with a concerned expression, "Vice Commander Chen has been on a western expedition against Tibet for several months now;"
"This triumphant return of the army deserves the greatest credit!"
Hahaha!
After saying that, Chen Huai'an burst into hearty laughter.
The other generals who went out of the city to welcome the western expeditionary army also shouted in unison, led by General Wang Jian: "Congratulations to Vice Commander Chen on his triumphant return from the western expedition!"
"Congratulations to Vice Marshal Chen on his triumphant return from the western expedition!"
For a time, cheers echoed throughout Yongding Gate of Longcheng, congratulating the Longcheng army on its triumphant return.
This scene immediately caused the tens of thousands of victorious Longcheng Xuanjia Army soldiers behind Chen Qingzhi to straighten their backs, raise their heads, and show proud and honored expressions on their faces.
From setting out in October of the first year of Lingwu to returning in July of the second year of Lingwu, the nine-month campaign was a great achievement for His Highness Prince Jin, and they deserve this cheer and applause!
Zuo Liangcai, the deputy general closest to Chen Qingzhi, couldn't help but burst into tears as he looked at his wife, children, and parents who had come to greet him in the crowd.
At this moment, Zuo Liangcai felt that everything he had sacrificed on his westward expedition was worthwhile!
After a long while, the cheers and applause inside and outside Yongding Gate of Longcheng gradually subsided.
Chen Qingzhi finally had the opportunity to pull the Tibetan envoy, Budegongjie, who had been smiling obsequiously like an outsider, to the front and introduce him to the Prince of Jin:
"Your Highness, this man is Budegongjie, the special envoy of the Tibetan King Dama. He will represent King Dama in presenting the official credentials to His Highness Prince Jin!"
"Budgongjie, this is His Highness Prince Jin!"
As soon as Chen Qingzhi finished his introduction, the envoy of Dharma Tsenpo, whose appearance and attire were distinctly Tibetan, immediately bowed to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin with the highest Tibetan etiquette:
"Your humble servant, Bude Gongjie, on behalf of the Tibetan King Dharma Tsenpo, extends the highest respect and sincerest wishes to His Highness Prince Jin;"
As he spoke, Budgonjee took a white hada from the servants accompanying him and made a gesture as if to present it to Chen Huai'an.
Chen Huai'an didn't stand on ceremony and immediately bowed slightly so that Budgongjie could place the hada around his neck.
Chen Huai'an was already tall, while Budegongjie was of short stature.
Even though the former had already bowed slightly, Budgonjee could only stand on tiptoe and laboriously present the white hada scarf in his hand to the esteemed Prince Jin.
Then, he knelt down before Chen Huai'an and shouted, "Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin!"
The Tibetan followers behind Budegongjie also knelt and bowed to Prince Chen Huai'an, shouting "Long live the King!"
In contrast, Chen Huai'an accepted the Tibetan people's kneeling and greetings with a clear conscience.
After personally leading troops to conquer the Western Regions, quelling the rebellion of the various kingdoms there, and having all thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions present letters of submission and pledge of allegiance, Chen Huai'an had become accustomed to such scenes.
But this scene stirred the hearts of the Longcheng generals, especially those who had followed the late King Chen Polu in conquering the land, and brought tears to their eyes.
It should be noted that even a powerful figure like the late King Chen Polu, during his peak years when he led his troops on two western expeditions, could not subjugate the Tubo Kingdom, which had only recently ended its period of feudal division and established its own state.
However, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin managed to subjugate the once-powerful Tubo Kingdom in just nine months, sending envoys thousands of miles away to surrender.
This achievement alone is enough to be recorded in history!
Not to mention, while Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of Longcheng, was on a western expedition against Tibet, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin also personally led a large army to the Western Regions to quell the rebellion of the various kingdoms in the Western Regions, and ordered all thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions to surrender.
This is why we have the prosperous scene of all countries in the Western Regions being as close as family today.
This was the unification that Zhao Mang, the founding emperor of the Xin Dynasty, had always dreamed of achieving.
Unfortunately, the mighty Emperor Zhenwu, who had built a great empire with all his might, ultimately passed it on to the ambitious and cowardly Crown Prince Zhao Gan. He died without ever witnessing the prosperous era of unity among the kingdoms of the Western Regions.
However, to this day, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin has still not announced his ascension to the throne and established a new dynasty.
Even when he went on expeditions to the Western Regions and Tibet, he still raised the banner of the Great Xin Dynasty, which could be considered as some comfort to Emperor Zhenwu Zhao Mang in the afterlife.
After all, the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions and Tibet were ultimately subjugated by the Great Xin Dynasty.
Let's get back to the main topic.
After a series of greetings and pleasantries, Budegongjie, the Tibetan envoy, finally took out the letter of "Tibet's surrender to Jin" that he had been carrying with him.
He bent over at a ninety-degree angle, presented the official letter with both hands above his head, and respectfully handed it to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
He said respectfully, "Your Highness Prince Jin, this is a letter of surrender personally written by Dharma Tsenpo of my Tubo Kingdom. We wish that Tubo Kingdom and the people of Prince Jin's fiefdom will be friendly for generations to come and never wage war!"
"Your Highness, Prince Jin, please accept our Tibetan Kingdom's letter of surrender!"
"good!"
Chen Huai'an shouted and continued, "I accept the letter of surrender from the Tubo Kingdom. I wish that the people of the Prince of Jin's fiefdom and the Tubo people will be friendly for generations to come and never wage war!"
"Let us maintain friendly relations for generations to come, and refrain from war!"
"Let us maintain friendly relations for generations to come, and refrain from war!"
In an instant, shouts rose from inside and outside Yongding Gate of Longcheng, and tens of thousands of soldiers of the Longcheng army celebrated together.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin raised his arms and shouted: "Tonight, I have prepared a victory banquet for the generals of the western expedition in the Jin Palace. I will personally welcome you all back and reward you for your merits!"
"The Dragon City army is mighty!"
"The Prince of Jin is mighty!"
"The Dragon City army is mighty!"
"Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin!"
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