Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 113: The Best of the Best (3)

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Chen Xuan, who was standing in front of the window, turned around. "Prime Minister, what wind brought you here?" There was no trace of fatigue on his face, only a gentle smile.As an emperor, Chen Xuan would never show fatigue and gaffe in front of his ministers.This is his responsibility, just like Liu Yi said, even if everyone in the world is asleep, he has to stay awake.At least, it wouldn't show that he was tired.

Liu Yi walked up to Chen Xuan, and looked down at Shouchangze with him, with a leisurely expression, but asked, "Have your Majesty seen all the three strategies of the General's Mansion to attack Lumei?"

"Well, I've seen it."

"I think that since this battle is inevitable, we should prepare early."

"You came to see me, don't you want to invite Ying to lead the army?"

Liu Yi smiled slightly. According to his previous temperament, he would definitely not miss the Battle of Lumei.Now that he is nearly fifty, he is no longer the young general who showed his blood and courage, avenged his master, and tried his best not to use military merits to bring back a woman from the Kanto.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember the secret letter that Emperor Lumei asked me to borrow troops?"

"Well, what you mean is to play a chess piece first in Lumei City." Chen Xuan frowned slightly, the sergeants of the Xia Kingdom have not yet served as mercenaries for other countries.The blood of a sergeant is not for trading.Even if it is nominal, it must be carefully considered.

"Long live the emperor!" "Long live the emperor!" "Long live the emperor!" On the bank of Shouchang Lake on the opposite bank, dozens of sergeants looking at the palace seemed to see the figure of the emperor and the prime minister, and shouted excitedly.Chen Xuan also waved his right hand at them in response.Although the sergeants couldn't see his smile, he still had a smile on his face. It was the emperor's responsibility to make every sergeant feel valued.

"What I mean is that there are already tens of thousands of people living in Lumei City. If a war breaks out, our army will not be able to arrive in time. This army can stabilize the situation if it advances, and protect the people from being harmed if it retreats. Evacuate safely."

Chen Xuan frowned, and asked in a deep voice, "Is the battle of Lumei inevitable?"

Xia Kingdom and Lumei Kingdom, one country controls the eastern section of the long east-west commercial road, and the other controls the western section, and they have cooperated in trade for hundreds of years.If it wasn't for the fact that Lumei Kingdom's national power is too weak, and such a superior position is occupied by Ross or Dashi, it will lead to a powerful enemy becoming stronger and pose a threat to the west of Xia Kingdom. Xia Kingdom is very willing to do business with Lumei Kingdom all the time. go down.The Lumei people are also aware of the goodwill of the Xia Kingdom. The previous Lumei emperors have issued requests to hire the Xia army to fight for them, and they have also suggested that the Lumei army and the Xia army once pinched the Turks, but they all failed. Was rejected by Xia Guo.

"According to the news from the Military Intelligence Department, the emperor of Lumei Kingdom, Alexis, is nearly [-] years old, and his health is extremely weak. He may die at any time in the past few years. The eldest son John is weak, but the eldest daughter Anna is extremely tough. Like the second princess of Anle, Lumei is likely to fall into civil turmoil. Ross in the north and Dashi in the south will take advantage of this opportunity. These two countries have always been enemies of our country. Just sit here and let the land in my river never have a peaceful day."

"Well, it seems that the battle of Lumei is indeed inevitable."

"The minister thought that the matter should be done urgently, and a battalion of sergeants was dispatched first to be stationed in Lumei as Emperor Lumei's mercenary army to prepare for future changes."

"What does the Prime Minister mean?"

"You can select five hundred elites from the four armies of Longya, Huyi, Jiaorong, and Lianrui to form the seventh battalion of the Chengying Army, and go to Lumei as mercenaries to protect our people and support the Western Expeditionary Army." Liu Yi Shen Sheng said.

The Chengying Army, which is rumored to be miraculous in the outside world, actually has no fixed establishment. They often select elites from the imperial guards according to needs, and sneak thousands of miles away to protect the interests of Great Xia.After the task is completed, the battalion may be sent to another place, or it may be disbanded and returned to the original army.But the sergeants who have experienced fighting alone, even if they are scattered thousands of miles away, their friendship is often better than ordinary.

"Okay, I know about this matter, you can discuss it with the marching commander again." Chen Xuan nodded and asked again, "Is there anything else?"

"Borrow His Majesty's imperial seal and write a reply letter to Emperor Lumei Alexei, telling him that our country has agreed to send mercenaries." Liu Yi said solemnly.Emperor Lumei believed in the divine right of the king. In order to show respect, the letter of credence in Xia Guo's reply letter could only be issued in the name of Emperor Chen Xuan.

Liu Yi and Chen Xuan stood by the window of the palace, facing Shouchangze, the two monarchs and ministers looked leisurely, as if they were talking about the rare and exotic animals in Shouchangze, or the arrangements for festivals and rituals.

"Looking at the situation, it must be Prime Minister Liu." Yang Lu suddenly exclaimed in surprise because he had very good eyesight.At that time, Liu Yi led the army to break through the barriers of the Guandong Song army in one fell swoop, besieged Luoyang, and deterred the court of the Song Dynasty from mentioning the strategy of Guanzhong for many years. It is a role model of the ashes.

"Really?" Li Ruoxue exclaimed in a startled voice. Ever since she became a fairy relative with Bai Mudan, in the eyes of girls in Luoyang, Liu Yi is an existence that is infinitely close to perfection.She peeked at Yuan Zhi beside her, a blush appeared on her face.

Zhao Xingde felt a bit sour out of thin air, and cursed secretly: "This old guy is almost fifty."

"It can't be wrong. How many people can stand side by side with His Majesty in front of the window. It can't be someone else with such a casual demeanor." Yu Boyan, who has always been taciturn, also flushed with excitement, "Liu The prime minister and His Majesty once served together in the Hussar Army of Northern Xinjiang, and their friendship is unusual."

Qiu Shiliang and Xin Xingzong didn't urge everyone, but looked at them excitedly with a smile on their faces and yelled, "Everyone was young once." Xin Xingzong couldn't help being a little envious of these young people. "I hope that the vicissitudes of the world will not let you lose your vitality today." The words of the late emperor who visited the prime minister's mansion and encouraged the coordinator Cao Xiaoli seemed to still echo in his ears. "As a county magistrate, Xingzong never embezzled a single penny, never wronged anyone, and never shied away from it. The late Emperor Quanxia knew about it, and he would be pleased."

When Chen Xuan and Liu Yi were no longer in front of the window, the Anton army commanders got on their horses and left with joy on their faces.Leaving Shouchangze, everyone felt that the spring breeze was proud of the horseshoe, and they had arrived in the western capital Dunhuang not long after.In the city of Dunhuang, the Huaiyuan post, which can accommodate thousands of people, is specially used to entertain passing merchants. Zhao Xingde and others lived in the official post specially prepared by Lu Cao.According to the law, Qiu Shiliang and other lieutenants took their badges to report to the Huguo Mansion on the same day, to the General's Mansion on the second day, and to attend the meeting of the Huguo Mansion on the third day. Dispatch these lieutenants.

At the post station, Zhao Xingde found out clearly that if he was selected as a sergeant by the Tiger Wing Army, his family members could allocate a single house and place it next to the Tiger Wing Army camp outside the city near Linquan Palace. one slice.

After settling down, Zhao Xingde and Li Ruoxue toured the city of Dunhuang.Turning around, he found that the capital was surprisingly small. Zhao Xingde estimated that if the western capital of the Xia Kingdom were placed in the Central Plains, it would only be the size of a state city, and Bianjing's population would be at least one million.The capital of Xia Kingdom, which has a vast territory, is so small, "No wonder Chang'an was established as the eastern capital. Otherwise, such a small capital in such a large country would be unreasonable."

Under the plan of Cao, the coordinator of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Dunhuang was simply turned into a political capital.The prime minister's mansion restricted the caravans to stay in the city for no more than two days.There are not even a few restaurants, and brothels and casinos are even extinct.Even the rich merchants in the past could not buy an inch of land or a tile in Dunhuang.The city of Dunhuang only belonged to the court of Xia Kingdom.Shops opened in Dunhuang are all old shops that have been in business for hundreds of years.The store is very large and sells a lot of groceries, and the number of stores has decreased accordingly.

Therefore, although the city of Dunhuang is not big, it looks spacious and tidy.The red sun hangs high in the sky, and more than 2000 officials from the five prefectures work in the yamen.Many of the people hurrying on the street are sergeants, civil servants, passing traders and the like.Because of this, Dunhuang, the western capital, is less prosperous than Chang'an, the eastern capital, and more austere.

"Even if the enemy troops attack the city of Dunhuang, I'm afraid they will leave disappointed." Zhao Xingde thought suddenly.