Gu Yuanbai's purpose was never just to win a war in Western Xia.
One, he wanted to use a big victory to shock the place and implement a series of changes after returning home. Secondly, he wanted to take the opportunity to enter the Western Xia and take the country, which was in a period of weakness and had many good things, for himself.
Fame, popularity, Gu Yuanbai was greedy, he wanted all of these so far.
In a sort of crowd-pleasing way, it relieves the pressure on the munitions at home in Daheng, and it can go to work to quell the negative effects that the quake has brought to him.
As for releasing Liang Yi.
Gu Yuanbai narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Aon Yi's back as he left alone.
He propped up his bow and arrow, the sharp arrow aimed at Li Aung Yi, the wooden bow propped up to full capacity, and lowered it again with a calm face.
Gu Yuanbai also had to use the death of the Western Xia Emperor as a cover.
There is still a little use for Li Aung Yi, the benevolent emperor of Daheng can give him one more day to live.
When Li Angye died, he would send someone to personally inform him. Compared to the false destiny of heaven, he had lost to Gu Yuanbai, who had been preparing for this day and this war for a long time.
Where does the Mandate of Heaven think so highly of you? It's Gu Yuanbai who thinks highly of you.
*
Two months later.
Western Xia Huining City Taishoufu.
Ding Yan raised his head from his heavy winter coat and lightly knocked on the door of the Tai Shou's residence.
The governor Han揾 had already prepared a banquet waiting for him, Ding Yan took off his cloak and coat and handed them over to the boy, the outsiders quietly retired, leaving only the two of them in the house.
Taishou Han raised his cup to gesture with Ding Yan and sighed, "Brother Ziyan, what you said before was right. Luckily, I listened to you and closed the city ahead of time, and all those cities close to the border have already been overrun by the Daheng people."
Ding Yan, who assumed the name Liu Xian, smiled faintly and also raised his cup to drink with him, "It is you, Brother Han, who believes in me."
When he finished, he seemed to remember those days when he was not trusted and sighed heavily.
Han揾出口soothing him a few sentences, Ding Yan shook his head, do not want to talk about it, "the country is broken right in front of us, but Xingqingfu is still spending days and drinking, all things do not care."
Xingqingfu is the royal city of Western Xia, the owner of the royal city at the moment, is the mother of one of the youngest sons of the late emperor, the bystanders call it the little king's wife.
When Tai Shou Han heard this, he couldn't help but look dark, "It's been less than half a month since the news of His Majesty's death came, and they've already tossed the royal city into this state."
Ding Yan sighed, ''Brother Han, you've been staying behind closed doors in Huining City, so naturally you don't know what's going on outside. Xingqingfu says it's spending days and drinking, but in reality it's just deceiving itself and others. Emperor Daheng is too popular, and I've heard that in many of the cities that are being attacked and defended, some of the county magistrates have opened the gates themselves. At this rate, Daheng's army will sooner or later hit Huining City."
Taishou Han sipped a mouthful of lukewarm wine with a sullen face, "He can fight if he wants to, his majesty has been kind to me, I will defend Huining City even if I die. Huining City is easy to defend and hard to attack, give him five months and he won't be able to take it down!"
Ding Yan said in his heart that it was indeed too difficult to attack.
"You still don't know," Ding Yan raised his cup to his lips and lowered his voice, "His Majesty went on a personal expedition, but the snow blocked his way for twenty days, and when the sun finally shone, His Majesty sent his troops to attack Daheng, but then the earth dragon rolled over. After the catastrophe, the people of Daheng captured His Majesty, but the Emperor of Daheng was kind and felt that it was unjust to take advantage of people's danger, so he ordered his people to release His Majesty. Who would have thought that on the second day after releasing His Majesty, His Majesty would instead be killed by Zheng Zhe Pei, a military general of our dynasty, with a single arrow."
The Imperial Han put his cup down violently, furious, ''How could I not know! In Daheng, there is a scholar named Chang Yuyan who wrote an article mocking His Majesty for committing heavenly punishments, and the snow and the earthly dragons, all of which are blamed on His Majesty, and that article has already been spread from Daheng to Western Xia, and I was really enraged when I read it, and it's really a bunch of nonsense!"
When he finished speaking, he looked at Ding Yan, trying to seek approval, "Brother Zi Yan, tell me, is this a crime of desire?"
Dingyan, however, was silent.
Tai Shou Han froze, "Brother Zi Yan?"
It was only after a long time that Ding Yan said, "Brother Han, if I remember correctly, you were once imprisoned in the prison together with the military general Zheng Zhe Pei for exhorting the late emperor to ban incense?"
Mrs. Han nodded.
"When I returned from Xingqingfu, General Zheng's house was being copied and beheaded, and his eldest son Zheng Wencai's reputation was far and wide, and he was originally very respectful of His Majesty, thankful to His Majesty for removing the stigma of the people and banning the matter of the national incense, and also wrote a number of essays to praise His Majesty's benevolence and foresight. But the day he was beheaded, he had a scowl on his face and roared that he had no eyes and said ......"
Mrs. Han prodded, "Say what?"
"The person who said that he sold poisonous incense in Western Xia, causing the late emperor and many of his subjects to fall deeply into the addiction of poisonous incense, is none other than His Majesty today." Ding Yan made a startling remark.
Mrs. Han stood up abruptly, "Impossible!"
"Brother Han, don't be so hasty, I also think this is nonsense," Ding Yan calmly said, "His Majesty is gentle and has been kind to you and I. I just can't figure out why General Zheng, who has always taken revenge and returned favors, is now shooting cold arrows towards His Majesty. I just can't figure out why General Zheng, who has always avenged his enemies and repaid his favors, and who handed over his military power to His Majesty without saying a word, would shoot a cold arrow at His Majesty now? I can't think left or right, and I don't believe in the Zheng family's words, I only think that it's possible that little Mrs. Wang has made something shady, so that General Zheng had to act like this?"
"Yes, yes, yes," said Mrs. Han, sitting down in a distracted manner, "it must be some trick she has employed."
Ding Yan ate his wine in silence, and when he was full, he took a step back and went forward to rest.
At night, Mr. Han was still thinking about Ding Yan's words, and every time he thought of the sentence that His Majesty was a drug trafficker, he felt chills all over his body. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and woke up the lady beside him.
Madame slapped him impatiently, "And what are you thinking about if you're not sleeping?"
Tai Shou Han couldn't help but inform her of what he said with Ding Yan in the day, "Brother Zi Yan personally heard Zheng Zhe Pei's eldest son say something like this ......"
The lady was silent for a long time, ''Squire, you should not be angry when I say the last sentence. Regardless of whether or not this poisonous incense has anything to do with His Majesty, he was one way when he was not crowned emperor, and another way when he was crowned emperor. Who would have thought that he would be the one to ascend the throne? This person is really unpredictable, you, ah, are worried about stepping into the mire if you're not careful."
Mr. Han's face was solemn, "Nonsense."
"You know in your heart whether I am talking nonsense or not," Madame said, "Whether or not His Majesty and Guoxiang have anything to do with it, today's Western Xia is in chaos. If you want to die defending Huining City for the people of Wangcheng, you might as well wait for Daheng's soldiers to come and open the gates of the city of your own accord. When treating a surrendered city, the Daheng people are courteous and benevolent, and the soldiers are first-class disciplined and don't take a single chicken feather from the people. They are at least better than bandits and robbers, better than rebels, and everyone in the world knows these things. If you want to honor your loyalty for the departed sire, you must also always see if the people of the city have the thought of accompanying you to die in defense of the city."
Mrs. Han couldn't speak.
Western Xia had already been hit hard by the incident of Guoxiang, and there were disturbances of all sizes in all parts of the country. Now, with the death of His Majesty, and the rise of the royal city, the invasion of the Daheng people has given the suffering people a hope of relief.
Even more of the people, who were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Benevolent and Righteous.
Mrs. Han tossed and turned all night.
The next day, he went deep among the people with Ding Yan.
After five days, Mr. Han pined away. At this time, another great thing happened in the king's city, which was a great loss of conscience.
The army sent by Mrs. Xiao Wang to defend against Daheng failed, and she went so far as to kill the commander-in-chief general and the ministers who transported food and munitions from the rear, and the court officials are now in danger of being killed by everyone. ①
Tai Shou Han's sighs were unceasing, and the relationship between His Majesty, whom he served and was grateful for, and the Western Xia State Fragrance weighed on him even more. These suspicions were like large trees that had begun to grow, and the more he thought back, the more fishy it seemed.
Is it really none of His Majesty's business?
*
The Daheng army was in high spirits, and after joining with the 100,000 garrison troops, it was even more of an exuberant army.
This army reached the city of Huining only after three months. The people of the city hid in the doors of their houses and watched Daheng's army from between the windows and doorways. Han Mang, the governor of the city, who had originally planned to defend the city to the death by taking advantage of the terrain, opened the city gates in silence.
Gu Yuanbai gave him courtesy, and Daheng's soldiers were as disciplined as rumored.
The situation that the Han揾太守 originally thought he would be subjected to inside and outside did not happen, and the scene of worrying Daheng looting and robbing the people did not happen either.
He entertained His Majesty, the Emperor of Daheng, with fear and trepidation, and after many conversations with Gu Yuanbai, he repeatedly wanted to hand over the rule of Huining City.
Gu Yuanbai, on the other hand, smiled and said, "There's no rush."
Gu Yuanbai stayed for a while in each city he captured.
The household registers were counted and hidden dangers were identified. In order to reform the school in the future, official schools need to be built while this opportunity is available. The policies of Daheng were so favorable to the people that they had to be abolished and re-established in every city. Officials from Daheng had to be rushed here to serve as officials, and the original officials would either be drafted or judged by their ability to stay in the same place, but in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Gu Yuanbai would usually transfer the officials who surrendered voluntarily to serve in another place.
There are also some powerful people who occupy the resources of the country and have become a tumor.
The land was redistributed to the people, the consolidation of Xixia was much more comfortable than the coolness of Daheng, and with 200,000 troops just outside the city, who would dare disobey?
The people, on the other hand, will be dead to Daheng after they actually get their benefits.
While Daheng's army was reorganizing Huining City, Ding Yan, who assumed the name of Liu Xian, secretly met with His Holiness, so he put on his coat and left the city in a dusty manner.
*
Gu Yuanbai was watching Xue Yuan take his medicine.
Xue Yuan, who five months ago could only lie in bed and couldn't move, had long since recovered from his injuries. He was stared at by Gu Yuanbai to the point where his knuckles stiffened, his scalp running numb, and he said hopelessly, "Your Holiness, can you stop eating?"
"You may not," Gu Yuanbai lifted his sleeve, his wrist bone slightly exposed, his brows gentle, "Your injuries are not yet healed."
Xue Yuan subconsciously said, "That little injury, it was healed three months ago--"
He watched as Gu Yuanbai lowered his eyes, and as the shadows lightly covered them, it was a few moments of unconcealed sadness.
"--I'll eat," Xue Yuan didn't even hold on for a snap of his fingers, he threw away the spoon, buried his head and finished a white porcelain potion in two or three gulps, carefully, "I'm done, don't be sad. "
The long, long journey had not brought the slightest color of wind and sand to the saint. The sharp gemstone was polished to a more rounded shape, shining with a warm light that seeped into the heart, causing Xue Yuan's heart to throb with pain just by looking at it.
Gu Yuanbai glanced behind the medicine bowl and curved his eyes pleasantly.
Xue Yuan couldn't help but step forward, "I'm dang good."
"A hundred days for injuries," Gu Yuanbai got up to attend to political matters, "you have to listen to me."
"Fine, as you wish," Xue Yuan followed, "I'll eat until whenever the saint tells me to."
The corner of Gu Yuanbai's mouth hooked as he drew out a zhang folding and said, "It can be stopped after today."
Xue Yuan's eyes lit up, "Really?"
"Seriously," Gu Yuanbai rubbed his fingertips against his knuckles, his jade trigger finger warm and moist like old times, and laughed at him, "You've only been eating the medicinal juice for a few months, and you have this bitter look day after day."
Xue Yuan denied, "Isn't it because I'm worried that a mouth full of bitterness will stink up the Holy Spirit?"
Gu Yuanbai sniffed and looked up at him. The afterglow lifted up, like a red silk thread, entangled and circled around Xue Yuan's body, "I've been drinking medicine for many years, and I've never stopped these days, so it's hard not to think that I stink too?"
"This ...... I don t know," Xue Yuan said slowly, "After all, the saint has not allowed me to touch it for a long time."
The meaning in his words was blatantly obvious, and Gu Yuanbai lost his smile. He put his government affairs aside, propped his elbows on the table, and hooked a finger towards Xue Yuan.
Xue Yuan was like a thirsty person who finally saw a full plum, and in an instant he moved over.
The saint raised his sleeve robe, his wide sleeves hiding the two men's faces, his feathery eyelashes trembled slightly, and he gently sent a lip under the shadow, "What flavor?"
"Fragrant," Xue Yuan closed his eyes, his nose twitching as he sniffed the flavor of the Holy One's lips, "a clear, ethereal scent."
His Holiness was amused and gave him another kiss, soothingly saying, "Good boy. When I've taken care of my political affairs, I'll play with you again in the evening."
Sleeve robe wrapped in the fragrant wind fell, Xue Yuan was the saint this sentence of appeasement to make the tip of the ear red, he stood for a moment of daze, obediently stepped aside and stared at the saint does not move.
After a long time, Xue Yuan's face flushed and his breathing accelerated as he slapped himself.
Xue Jiuyao, why are you acting like a little girl?