Chapter 436 Triumphal Ceremony
In the thirty-third year of the Nan Kingdom, there was no snow in the early winter.
The Lion Army pacified the northern border and signed a peace agreement with Luojiang before returning to the capital.
The Huwei Army recovered the eastern and southeastern regions of the Nan Kingdom, wiped out the Black Scale Cavalry, built a border line stretching for tens of millions of miles, and returned victorious.
This national war that lasted for nearly four years finally ended.
It also means that the suffering and anxiety caused by years of war can finally come to an end.
The people were like a rain after a long drought, longing for the mighty army of lions and tigers, and for the two heroes to return with peace in their hands.
To this end, all the big cities and important towns, from Yancheng to Kyoto, spontaneously organized grand ceremonies to welcome the army back to the capital, and the people lined the streets to welcome them.
Kyoto even organized an unprecedented triumphal ceremony with the entire city mobilizing:
A wide triumphal avenue suitable for riding horses was built directly from the gate of Kyoto to the altar, and it was covered with a ten-mile golden red carpet.
The whole city was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, and flowers and fruits were piled up. Three hundred thousand winter chrysanthemums were arranged, and four million pieces of gold and silver foil were specially approved for scattering.
The whole city was filled with joyful people, and the Kowloon official flag and countless ribbons were flying high.
Not only that, Kyoto was a place where dignitaries lived, and not only were the common people vying to celebrate, the nobles were also not to be outdone. They opened the gates of their mansions, invited singing and dancing troupes to perform, and performed dragon and lion dances to liven up the scene, making it as lively as a competition.
In order to record this unprecedented grand ceremony, the palace specially ordered historians to watch the ceremony from the tallest Star-Picking Tower in Kyoto and record the grand event in detail in the history books.
Eight historians were seen standing facing different directions, staring nervously at their responsible positions, fearing that they would miss any scene worth recording.
As they wrote swiftly, they were moved by the enthusiastic scene and could not help but passionately explain:
"The mighty army of lions and tigers has entered the city! Amidst the flying of gold and silver foil and the blast of fireworks, the victorious soldiers, clad in gleaming armor, are returning with a majestic aura! Shaking the whole countryside! The people are cheering and shouting, praising them with 'Heroes!' 'Great!' 'Well done!'"
"Men, women, young and old, rushed out into the streets, their faces beaming with smiles! The wind rustled the flags and streamers, as if even the wind was applauding the soldiers!"
"Look below! The first two generals approaching us are General Huo and General Yun, standing astride their chariots, waving in greeting. Their heroic spirit will endure for centuries! These two generals have fought against the enemy and defended the nation's borders! They are truly living heroes! They are like a match made in heaven, a match made in heaven. They are truly enviable!"
"Behind the two generals stand a group of powerful and majestic generals! Generals Duan Jie, Fu Lin, Rong Yi, Luo Dongdong, and others... standing majestically, with imposing presence, embodying the spirit of a powerful nation!"
"Next, approaching us were the Tiger Might Cavalry Delegation, the Lion Might Infantry Delegation, the Tiger Might Broadsword Battalion, and the Lion Might Chariot Battalion... Look at the high spirits of these soldiers, truly worthy of being our dynasty's valiant defenders! The common people, bearing cakes, fruits, and fine wine, rushed forward to bid farewell to these heroic soldiers!"
"What a beautiful and harmonious relationship between the military and the people! The soldiers, as powerful as lions and tigers, can kill the enemy on the battlefield and be close to the people off the battlefield."
"Speaking of being close to the people... uh, General Rong seems to have gotten a little too excited. He really... kissed the people quite a few times, and they were all beautiful young ladies? And, it seems General Yun used his boots to give General Rong a few hard kisses on the butt... I can't write these down, right? Cross them out!"
As the historians were writing furiously and the whole city was celebrating enthusiastically, more and more people gathered to watch, and the crowd was so dense that no one could move around, and they were all crowded onto the Avenue of Triumph, making it difficult for the soldiers of the mighty army to move forward.
By the time Huo Gannian and Yun Chen led the soldiers of the delegation and finally arrived at the altar, it was more than two hours later than the scheduled time. The cheers of the people and the sounds of dance and music filled the city never stopped.
This meant that Prime Minister Yun Wang, all the officials who came to welcome the army on behalf of the emperor, as well as the imperial guards in charge of the ceremonial guards, could only stand there and stare blankly. They could not hear anything being said, and it was even difficult for them to pronounce the imperial edict.
Yun Wang tried several times, but even if he shouted, he couldn't hear anything at all. Every word was drowned out by the huge cheers.
Finally, Yun Wang was helpless. He stared at Huo Gannian and Yun Chen for a while. Thinking that the relationship between the three of them had long been known to the world and there was nothing to hide, he made a gesture to Huo Gannian.
After Huo Gannian nodded in agreement, Yun Wang directly stuffed the imperial edict appointing Huo Gannian as the regent and Yun Chen as the prime minister into the arms of the two men, and then led the ministers to kneel down.
The people around him immediately burst into even more deafening shouts of excitement, and Yun Wang's head was buzzing.
The triumphal hall ceremony finally ended. According to the rules, Huo Gannian and Yun Chen should immediately go to the palace to meet the emperor, hand over the military power to the emperor, report on their work and attend the night banquet. The ceremony was then over.
But the people were so enthusiastic that they kept hugging Huo Gannian, Yun Chen and the soldiers and refused to leave, and followed them all the way to the palace gate.
The common people were stopped outside the barriers set up by the imperial guards and were not allowed to approach the palace gate.
Huo Gannian and Yun Chen, along with a group of generals and officials, headed towards the palace gate.
As the regent who is now second only to the emperor, Huo Gannian rode his horse in front, with two rows of imperial guards holding flags to lead the way for him, and walked towards the side door.
Huo Gannian stopped at the turning point of the path leading to the main gate and the side gate, and everyone behind him also stopped.
This surprised Su Zhengyang, who was leading the imperial guards to greet him at the palace gate. He didn't understand what Huo Gannian was going to do.
We've already reached the palace gate. Why don't you dismount and remove your sword, or rush in through the side door to see the emperor? What are you stopping for?
Su Zhengyang looked at Yun Chen, who was standing right behind Huo Gannian, with a questioning look, but saw that she looked depressed. Although she had a decent smile on her face, her eyes could not deceive anyone, as they were full of gloom and sadness.
When Huo Gan told her to go, she walked; when Huo Gan told her to stop, she stopped. Her attention was not at all on the ceremony.
There was no other way, Su Zhengyang could only step forward and salute respectfully towards Huo Gannian:
"Your Majesty, what is wrong with the ceremony? Please let me know, and I will correct it immediately."
Huo Gannian did not speak immediately, but paused for a long time, until all the officials' attention was turned to him. Then he sat on the tall wolf-slaying colt, sitting as steady as a mountain, and spoke majestically:
"Open the door."
Su Zhengyang was startled and subconsciously looked up, meeting Huo Gannian's strong and cold gaze.
Does this mean that we are required to open the main gate and enter the palace directly without dismounting or removing our weapons?
Su Zhengyang was shocked and confused, wondering if he had heard it wrong.
Since the founding of the Nan Kingdom, there has never been a regent. Throughout history, only a very small number of royal relatives have been able to hold this position.
Huo Gannian can be said to be the first non-royal person in history to serve as regent.
So what etiquette should be used when dealing with someone of this level of power?
Opening the palace gate that only the emperor and empress can enter and exit should not be too much...right?
After thinking for a moment, Su Zhengyang immediately ordered the imperial guards to open the main gate of the palace. He quickly glanced at Huo Gannian's face and thought, "Are you satisfied now? It's time to go in, right?"
But Huo Gannian still did not move, standing still, as steady as the Buddha on Mount Tai.
Su Zhengyang began to think quickly in his mind, wondering what else Huo Gannian was dissatisfied with, but then he heard Huo Gannian speak calmly and asked a question that frightened Su Zhengyang to death and shocked all the civil and military officials:
"Where's the Emperor?"
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