Chapter 405 The Duke Returns
Accidents always come unexpectedly. After parting with the Red Sect master, Zhao Duan still felt that it was unreal.
Although the sudden addition of a fanatical follower and a lackey is quite unexpected, but regardless of the true intentions, it is still of great significance to be able to capture the leader of the Red Sect in the Western Regions.
Even though this Buddhist monk, who is also in the "worldly" realm, is not as good as the enemy in ghusl in fighting.
But as one of the leaders of the "Five Directions Sangha", the connections and strength she can use are probably still slightly above Princess Manzhu's.
After the secret meeting with him, in the next few days, the subsequent influence of Buddhist Debate gradually stabilized.
Shenlong Temple and the Western Region Sangha tacitly agreed to keep silent and refrain from arguing or quarreling, which greatly disappointed many people in the city.
At the same time, Princess Manzhu also successfully reached an agreement with the empress on the trade details for next year. Everything went smoothly and there were no more twists and turns.
Then, the Western Region Sangha and Princess Manzhu bid farewell to the empress and left the capital to return.
"I thought the princess would stay in the capital for the New Year or something."
The west gate of the capital.
Zhao Duan, wearing an official robe, stood among a group of officials who came to see off the princess. He looked at the motorcade in the distance on the official road, exhaled a mouthful of white mist in the cold wind, and said with emotion.
Next to him were the female detective Si Haitang and the king of detectives Zhang Han. The two colleagues glanced at him, and the former curled his lips and said:
"You seem quite reluctant to let go? Why don't you catch up and follow me to the Western Regions?"
Zhao Duan cupped his fists and raised his hands, looking like a loyal and courageous minister:
"I am loyal to Your Majesty with all my heart. Don't talk nonsense!"
"Haha," Haitang crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, not bothering to expose him.
It was Haitang who led the investigation to find out Mr. Lin's true identity, so she was one of the few people who knew about Zhao's friendship with Princess Wenzhu.
"It's over, it's over. Let's go, I'll treat you to a pickled cabbage pot."
Zhao Duan smiled playfully, waved his hand, and rushed towards the restaurant in the city with his colleagues in the imperial office.
I ordered a large table of sauerkraut in a copper pot and paired it with freshly cut meat, and ate it to my heart's content.
Enjoying the rare peace, a group of Jinyi people sat together and inevitably talked about all the things happening in the city at the end of the year.
As a military general, the topic naturally turned to the matter of generals from all over the country returning to Beijing to report on their duties at the end of the year.
"I'm afraid there are quite a few military attachés returning to Beijing this time, but the three most important ones are still the two princes and one general." Zhang Han, the paralyzed-faced king, sighed with emotion.
Zhao Duan was no longer a political novice and said:
"Tang Guogong, Cao Guogong, and Zhao Shixiong?"
Tang Daren, the Duke of Zhen Guo, was stationed at Xiping Road and guarded the entrance to the Western Region. He was very senior... His name really made him complain.
Cao Mao, Duke of Anguo, was stationed at Tieguan Road to the north of the capital, or to be precise, Jubei City.
The military strength is much lower than the former.
It is said that the northern frontier army was originally to defend the aliens living in the Mubei forest, and they called themselves "Snow Country".
It's just that because the north is vast and sparsely populated, the foreign races of the Snow Kingdom rarely come close to the territory of the Yu Kingdom, and there has been no war for many years. Therefore, Tieguan Road has the smallest number of soldiers and horses, but they are strong and powerful per capita.
Zhao Shixiong is in the southwest frontier of Yunfu Daodu. He has suppressed bandits all year round and defended the Hu tribe in the mountains. He is good at conquering and fighting.
He was once rated as a famous general who could compete with Xue Shence, who commanded the Privy Council's army in Beijing.
"Yeah, speaking of which, how are you going to deal with Duke Tang? I heard that the Duke's family tradition is to protect his shortcomings. You gave the young grandfather a lot of trouble back then." Haitang held the wooden chopsticks and took a bite of the thick meat slices. , curious gossip.
Zhang Han frowned and said:
"Tang Guogong is a sensible person. Wouldn't it be nice to explain it clearly? Besides, didn't the young prince also return to Shenji Camp?"
Haitang made a sound, not believing it:
"I don't believe that those great people are easy to get along with. For example, Cao Guogong in the north is said to rely on their seniority..."
Zhao Duan said nothing, too lazy to participate in the discussion. For him, if the other party talks nicely, he will treat him nicely. If he is unreasonable...
"Da da da..."
Suddenly, on the street outside the restaurant, a dusty cavalryman rode across the street, which caught Zhao Duan's attention.
"Where are they from? Looking at the style of the military uniform, it seems that they belong to Zhao Shixiong of the Southwest Frontier Army." A colleague said during the dinner.
Zhao Duan pursed his lips, and after the meal was finished, everyone returned to the Yamen.
In the afternoon, Zhao Duan received a piece of news:
The commander of the Southwest Frontier Army, Zhao Shixiong, was unable to return to Beijing at the end of the year, citing the unrest among the alien races in Yunfu Road.
It is said that the empress remained silent for a long time and wrote a reply to Southwest to express her condolences to Zhao Shixiong.
……
Xiping Road.
At the gateway to the Western Region, there is a city whose overall color is mainly yellow and gray.
"唏伦LU!"
Outside the city gate, a group of cavalry reined up their horses. On the leader of a mixed-race BMW, a female general sat impressively!
The female general is heroic and about thirty years old, and her appearance is somewhat similar to that of the young father-in-law Tang Ping.
Wearing soft armor and carrying a long bow, the man is on a horse, holding a horse spear in his hand, the tip of which flashes with cold light. His skin color was dark red due to constant sun exposure, and his expression was as unruly as a rouged horse. Tang Zhao tightened the reins with one hand and shouted to the defenders at the city gate:
"Don't open the door yet!?"
The defenders were busy waving their flags, and the city gates were wide open. Accompanied by cheers of "Welcome General Tang back to the city," the female generals holding flags led the crowd into the city.
Then he threw away the cavalry behind him and rode straight towards the "Xiping Dujun Mansion" in the city.
He dismounted in front of the imposing gate of the mansion, threw the heavy horse pole to the oncoming soldiers, and rushed inside.
In the Dujun Mansion, there is a solemn Yamen in the front, and a group of pavilions and pavilions imitating those in the south of the Yangtze River in the back.
Although it is winter and everything is withered, clusters of transplanted cold-resistant green trees still add brightness to the mansion.
"The second lady is back!"
The backyard of Dujun Mansion is the residence of Tang Daren, the Duke of the town. The servants of Tang Mansion were busy packing their things. When they saw Tang Zhao coming back, they all saluted.
As the daughter of a prince, Tang Zhao has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. He followed his father to Xiping Road very early and now serves as a commander in the city.
At this moment, he walked through the pavilions and pavilions. He casually asked where his father was, then walked through the corridor and opened a door.
In the spacious room, there are several bookshelves. In addition to books, there are also long swords and armors on the bookshelves. The pens, inks, papers and inkstones on the large table are all of the highest quality.
At this moment, an old man in rich clothes was splashing ink in front of the table. His appearance was weathered, but his eyes were stern and lively. Although he was standing, one leg could be seen in an awkward posture, making him obviously a lame man.
"Haha, you're back? Did the tour go well?"
Duke Tang Guogong put down his thick brush and smiled at his daughter who barged in carelessly.
Tang Zhao showed no etiquette among powerful people. When he entered, he picked up the teapot on the table and drank heavily. Then he wiped the corners of his mouth, and the rouge on his mouth left a rough red mark on his cheeks.
"When I meet a few dishonest people, I give them a beating and nothing more."
Tang Zhao casually said without caring about the authenticity, and then said:
"When I walked in, what did I see being cleaned up in the house?"
Tang Guogong didn't care at all about his daughter's rudeness and said with a smile:
"You came back just in time. The military affairs here have been arranged and we are ready to return to Beijing to celebrate the New Year."
Tang Zhao's eyes lit up, and then he said quietly:
"I started packing my things before I came back. Old man, do you want to leave me and go home?"
"Haha, how is that possible?" Tang Guogong said with a guilty conscience.
Tang Zhao was too lazy to talk to his father, who clearly didn't have much ink, but usually liked to pretend to be a cultured man, and said:
"It's finally time to return to Beijing. I'm suffocated by wandering around here all day. I wonder if my martial arts has improved this year. I want to give him a try when I go back. By the way, have you written any letters from home these days?"< br>
Tang Guogong knew what she was asking and said leisurely:
"I wrote a letter, but nothing important."
Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment and said:
"Still haven't written anything about Zhao Duan?"
"I didn't say it," Tang Guogong said calmly:
"You also know that your younger brother always makes up his own mind when it comes to things. He doesn't want to say anything in the letter. He is probably afraid that others will criticize him and say that he borrowed his father's guidance."
The father and daughter were at the border in Xiping, and could only learn about the situation at home in the capital through letters. A few months ago, they heard that there was a King of Hell from Zhao in the capital, who was extremely favored by the empress.
After a few months, he was promoted several levels to the fourth level. When he was assigned to the Shenji Camp, he had a conflict with the young master. He beat him to the bottom and drove him out of the barracks. Later, it seemed that for some reason, the young master came back again.
Specific details are not known.
In the few letters sent from home, Tang Ping never mentioned anything about what happened to him, which only deepened the suspicion of the father and daughter. Tang Guogong was okay, and he always upheld the attitude that children should work hard. Since nothing serious happened, There was no rush to delve into it.
Tang Zhao couldn't sit still for a while. Hearing this, he slapped the table and said:
"My little brother cares about face and doesn't want to tell his family when something happens. But I can't pretend not to know!
Where did this pretty boy come from? He got pampered and got promoted faster than a middle-aged man having sex? He must have used the emperor's support to enter the military camp to show his prestige. Otherwise, how could his temperament make him an enemy? Old man, what do you think we should do about this? ”
Duke Tang, who was lame on one leg and had a beard, looked around and said:
"Although I, the general, don't care about red tape, women should also care about words, such as tiger and wolf words..."
Tang Zhao snorted: "If you don't tell me, then I will solve this matter myself. Don't ask me to swallow my anger because you are worried about the emperor's thoughts."
Tang Guogong, who looked kind but actually had already restrained his sharpness, smiled and said nothing, but he acquiesced.
It seemed that in his opinion, it didn't matter even if dealing with the empress's favorites would cause the emperor's displeasure or even suspicion.
"I'm going to pack my things." After Tang Zhao finished speaking, he turned around and left.
Tang Guogong looked at her leaving back, then looked down at the Ming Dynasty poem "Gui Sai Song" written on the paper, and murmured softly:
"Zhao Duan..."
……
Tieguan Road, rejecting Beicheng.
Today, the city gates are wide open, and a large number of officers and soldiers line up on both sides of the road to send Cao Mao, Duke of Anguo, back to the capital.
In front of everyone, the mighty team left the lonely majestic city in the north behind. In front of the team, Cao Mao, wearing armor and riding a horse, with white temples, had no expression on his face.
Suddenly, a light horse came from behind the team.
……
The next chapter will be updated at about midnight
(End of chapter)