Chapter 589: Dragon Riders in the Snow, Return to Longyou County
Tang Dynasty, Chang'an.
The Tang army that had fought against the Turks had already returned to the capital. Leading the way were the Tang's Black Armor Army, with their battle flags flying and their armor shining. Their solemn appearance was moving.
The people of Chang'an lined the streets to welcome him and cheered generously.
These valiant and high-spirited men of the Tang Dynasty demonstrated the power and integrity of the Tang Dynasty and washed away the past shame.
From now on, the Tang Dynasty will be an empire standing on the top of the mountains, overlooking all other mountains.
How could this not make the people of the Tang Dynasty feel proud and honored?
The prison van drove slowly by, and inside it was a Turkic man with disheveled hair and a dishevelled appearance. Even though he was in such a miserable state, he still had a sense of nobility.
He was Jie Li Khan of the Turks.
Countless rotten eggs and leaves were thrown at this man, and the people cursed the former Turkic Khan. It was this man who led a large army to the city and robbed most of Chang'an's wealth.
It was also this person who repeatedly allowed the Turks to move south and burn, kill and loot on the border.
"It's so refreshing! It's so refreshing!"
"General Li Jing is truly a famous general of the time. He only led 10,000 cavalrymen and captured Jie Li Khan alive in just three months!"
"Tsk tsk, a real man should be like this!"
The people looked at the general in the front, who was wearing golden armor and had an extraordinary demeanor, with admiration in their eyes.
The news of this battle has spread throughout the world. General Li Jing first led only 3,000 cavalry to raid the Turkic royal city, forcing Jie Li Khan to abandon the city and flee.
Afterwards, after the armies joined together, he led his troops to support the national teacher and forcefully defeated the legendary witch clan army, completely securing the title of the Black Armor Army as the best cavalry in the world.
Then the blood moon came and the whole world was in panic.
General Li Jing ignored the opposition and once again led 10,000 cavalrymen to march into the night to hunt down Jie Li Khan. On the way, he encountered heavy snow that was rare in the past ten years.
It was in such a difficult environment that Li Jing led his troops on a march for three months, crossing the snow-capped mountains. Finally, like a heavenly soldier and a dragon rider in the snow , he defeated in one fell swoop the 50,000-strong army that Jie Li Khan had organized with great difficulty.
It is said that when Jie Li Khan was captured alive, he was still sleeping soundly in his bed.
The war to annihilate the country came to a successful conclusion.
From then on, the East Turkic Empire, which was once so arrogant and boasted a million soldiers and the best cavalry, was destroyed.
"And General Xue Rengui. I heard that he is brave and good at fighting. He was invincible. He killed a famous Turkic general with his Fang Tian Hua Ji. He even captured Jie Li Khan!"
"Look, that general in white robe is General Xue, he's so handsome!"
"I heard that General Xue is highly regarded by the Imperial Master, and the two are old friends. He really has a bright future ahead of him."
"Hey, why isn't the Imperial Master here?"
"Yes, we can win. The national teacher has made great contributions. It is reasonable that he should appear..."
That night, Li Shimin announced the lifting of the three-day curfew. The whole country celebrated and held a large celebration banquet. His face was flushed and he was full of passion. He even personally went on stage to dance the Qin King Breaking the Formation Music with the soldiers.
However, many ministers discovered that of the two great heroes of the expedition against the Turks, Commander Li Jing and Imperial Preceptor Li Daoxuan, only Li Jing was present, and the seat belonging to the Imperial Preceptor remained empty.
After the banquet, Empress Changsun helped the drunk Li Shimin back to the palace.
As soon as the door was closed, Li Shimin opened his eyes. Although there was a hint of drunkenness in his eyes, they were still clear and bright. It was obvious that his previous attitude was pretended.
"Your Majesty, are you still upset about Taichong?"
Empress Changsun, who was familiar with him, did not mean it and said as she poured a cup of sobering soup.
Li Shimin sighed and said, "I can't hide anything from you. How could Taichong suddenly leave without saying goodbye, and even... and..."
He frowned, and the joy he had originally felt from the great victory diminished a lot.
"You even took the initiative to resign from the position of Imperial Master, right?"
Empress Changsun handed over the sobering soup and said.
Li Shimin took a sip and found it extremely bitter and difficult to swallow.
"Who do you think I am, Taichong? Do you think I will be the one to be abandoned when the rabbit dies, and the good bows will be put away when the birds are gone, and that we can only share the hardships but not the happiness?"
"I consider him a dear friend. How could he judge me like this?"
Empress Changsun smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps it is not the Imperial Master who can guess a gentleman's mind."
"Oh? What do you mean, Queen?"
"I think that a great man like the Imperial Master would appear in troubled times and hide in prosperous ones. He is not greedy for the splendor and wealth of the world. Fame and fortune are like floating clouds to him. Now that the world is settled and the sea is peaceful and the rivers are clear, he naturally wants to withdraw and live a free and easy life."
"Humph, how can the world be peaceful and tranquil? Tubo is hiding its ambitions, and evil spirits are lurking in the world. These are all problems. He is free and easy, leaving me here alone with a headache!"
Li Shimin was still indignant.
Originally, this time, he had prepared many titles for Li Daoxuan, and was even prepared to bestow all the Five Mountains on him, and then spend a huge amount of money to support him in establishing his own sect.
But unexpectedly, Li Daoxuan did not come back. He only asked Li Jing to bring back a letter, resigning from the position of national teacher.
He tore up the letter immediately and refused to agree!
If this were to get out, what would people in the world think of Li Shimin?
Empress Changsun hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, in fact, in the long run, this may not be a bad thing."
Li Shimin looked at her thoughtfully and said nothing.
"It seems that Your Majesty has also thought about it. The Imperial Master's achievements are too great to be rewarded or given. Moreover, his cultivation is unfathomable. If he has a disagreement with Your Majesty in Chang'an, who will Zhelong listen to?"
"That's enough."
Li Shimin waved his hand, signaling the queen not to say anything more.
In fact, he knew all of this, but he just didn't want to think about it.
He stood up and opened the window, looking at the bright starry sky outside . He was silent for a moment, and then said loudly: "I am not Yang Guang, and I will never do anything that is harmful to the people and the country. If so, why should I worry about having a disagreement with Taichong?"
He spoke every word with a sonorous and powerful voice.
"Those who cannot tolerate others will not be tolerated by others. If there is a real disagreement, then listen to Taichong, because I may become old and senile, but Taichong will not."
Empress Changsun gazed at the mighty and handsome emperor with admiration in her eyes.
She bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, what you said is the words of a holy monarch. I hope Your Majesty will remember what I said today. I will always remind Your Majesty and personally advise His Majesty!"
Hearing this, Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and then gave a bitter smile.
"You are such a good Guanyin maid, no wonder you said those words just now, it turns out you were waiting for me here!"
Empress Changsun chuckled and said, "I dare not."
Li Shimin looked at her exquisite figure hidden under the gorgeous phoenix robe. Her unique temperament, which was dignified and holy, yet also bright and charming like a girl, made his heart flutter even though he was a little drunk.
Under the candlelight, the queen's beautiful face looked even more charming.
He picked up the queen and said teasingly, "I just realized now that what you said before about trying to guess a gentleman's mind was not too bold. Didn't that mean that I am a villain?"
There was a hint of tenderness in Empress Chang Sun's voice.
"Your Majesty, I did not say that. You said it yourself."
"Humph, then I'll let you take a good look at whether I am a villain or not!"
Li Shimin held the queen in his arms and walked towards the dragon bed. Although the beauty in his arms had been his wife for ten years, he was always infatuated with her.
As the red candles went out and the curtains fell, in the darkness, the dragon and the phoenix cried together.
…
early morning.
Hongzhou, Longyou County.
It is winter now. The snow fell early in Hongzhou this year. Snowflakes fluttered down and thousands of pear trees blossomed overnight.
Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest.
The people of Longyou County were all in high spirits and started sweeping the snow early in the morning with great enthusiasm. Even children aged seven or eight were joining in the sweeping and competing to see who could exhale more cold air.
The court won a great victory, and the emperor once again ordered a reduction in taxes. In addition, the harvest was good this year, so every household was in high spirits.
Over the years, their lives have improved a lot, and some families can even eat meat.
In the past, this would have been something that we could not even think about.
A little girl was holding a broom that was half a head bigger than herself and was sweeping the snow in front of the door with her father. Suddenly, she slipped and fell.
Just as her face was about to hit the ground, a slender jade-like hand gently lifted her up.
The white umbrella blocked the falling snow, revealing a flowing green robe.
"Little girl, be careful."
The girl looked up and saw a young Taoist priest under the umbrella. His eyes were as black as ink and a wooden hairpin was inserted diagonally in his long black hair. In the cold winter, he was only wearing a thin green robe with wide sleeves, which made him look elegant and refined.
He is so handsome!
The girl was stunned for a moment. She thought the general in the picture album was the most handsome man in the world, but compared with the big brother in front of her, he was suddenly nothing.
The Taoist smiled slightly and reached out to pick the snowflakes from her hair. His movements were gentle and his smile was as warm as jade, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.
The little girl suddenly felt that she was no longer cold. Not only that, she felt a little hot, and her face was burning.
"Thank you, big brother!"
She called out sweetly.
The Taoist nodded, then raised his umbrella and turned to leave. It seemed that his steps were not big, but he disappeared in the wind and snow in the blink of an eye.
The little girl stared blankly in the direction the Taoist left until her father came over and called her.
She told her father what had just happened, but her father suspected she was lying because he was also sweeping the snow here just now and did not see any Taoist priests, only his daughter talking to herself.
And if someone really walked there, there would definitely be footprints on the snow, but now there are no traces at all.
It was not until the little girl cried and swore that he began to believe it, but he thought his daughter was possessed by evil spirits, so he quickly took her to a temple in the county.
"Hurry up and pay your respects. The person above is the state master, with boundless magical powers. Back then, he personally killed the dragon that caused trouble in Longyou County!"
"I know, I know, Dad. You've told that story hundreds of times!"
"What a story! That's true. I even saw the Imperial Master from afar at that time! "
Under her father's urging, the little girl had to kneel down respectfully, kowtow and burn incense. However, when she looked up and glanced at the statue of the imperial teacher, she was suddenly stunned.
Although she had worshipped before, she had never taken a close look at the statue. Now, when she saw the statue, someone suddenly came to her mind.
"Dad, the big brother I saw before, and the national teacher... look similar..."
