After being stationed outside the city for another two or three days, there was finally a new movement in Osgilia.
First, the royal family sent a team of laborers led by an earl and aristocrat. The earl and aristocrat were probably the confidants of the royal family, and the laborers who came with them, in addition to a few nobles, also had two deputy ministers of finance of the empire. , and the special envoy sent by the prime minister.
Speaking of which, the supplies in Osgilia City were already very scarce. After more than half a year of battles, most of them relied on the supplies of the Lantis people at sea.
But after all, such an army as Xia Ya came to the south to work for the king, no matter from which aspect, the central government of the empire must show a gesture of condolence. Otherwise, if someone came south to the king and the army was stationed outside the city, the emperor would not say anything at all. If so, it would be too cheap to spread out.
There are not many things, and the expenses in the city are already tight. I heard that even the emperor himself has been shrinking his clothes and dieting. The so-called Lao Jun is nothing more than a cutscene, and it was originally a procedure that should have been done.
The people who sent the Lao Army were all drawn from the City Guard Army. I heard that for the sake of the royal family, the emperor specially dispatched a small team of the Imperial Forest Army to accompany him. But when this team of Lao Jun came to Xiaya's army station, it still shocked Xiaya's entire army.
—Is this the most elite Imperial City Guard in the Empire? This is the Royal Forest Army with the best equipment and the highest treatment? Just a bunch of beggars!
The Imperial Forest Army can barely guarantee a full set of weapons and equipment, but the city guards are much worse. Most of them can't even put together a complete set of armor. The weapons are also very mixed, and many people are not using the city anymore. The standard swords of the guards seem to be quite a number of weapons used by many people, and they seem to have been seized from the rebels and made up.
As for the materials sent, it is even more insufficient. There is not much food—the emperor now hears that he eats only a few loaves of bread per meal. On the contrary, there are some gold and silver utensils as rewards, and it is said that the emperor moved out of the inner treasury in the palace to store some old foundations.
But if something like this was distributed to everyone in the army, it would be really hard to see.
Therefore, even the earl who is in charge of the labor force seems to have some trouble hanging on his face - when did the empire become so poor!
On the other hand, Xia Ya was very polite. She dragged the earl and talked affectionately for a long time. Everyone had a lively meal. Before leaving, Xia Ya quietly had a box packed and delivered to her. In the Count's carriage.
In that box were some good things that Char had picked out from the loot captured by the large group of rebel prisoners of war.
Those rebels have been entrenched in the imperial capital for many days, but they really grabbed a lot of good things. Unfortunately, in the battle a few days ago, the rebels were defeated, and after the things were captured, they all made a lot of money for our native turtles.
Char Ya specially sent someone to pick out some "boutiques" among those trophies and belongings - those rebels looted many nobles and wealthy families in the imperial capital, and actually got some treasures, Char Ya chose all the high-quality goods and kept them as important use.
In the box given to the Earl, who was Lao Jun, there was a precious vase, first-class copper ware, and some gems inlaid, and it was a valuable work of art! I don't know which noble house the rebels copied from.
On the other hand, the old earl, who opened the box and looked at the vase on the way back, immediately felt emotional.
This Lao Jun... what did it look like!
The supplies of the labor force that I brought with me, all added together, I am afraid that the value is not worth such a vase! Alas, the empire is so weak, it's really not a good thing to be the messenger of the labor force, but it makes those rednecks from the north laugh behind their backs.
The earl received this generous gift from Xi Ya. After returning to the city, he will naturally say a few more good things about Xi Ya, and it goes without saying.
Lao Jun is just going through a cutscene. After this cutscene is over, the next step is the real reward!
Xia Ya waited patiently for another two days. He originally thought that the official appointment order would come down soon, but who knows, this wait has been waited for another three days!
What was the emperor thinking? It's already like this, why don't you just order the reward, what's the point of dawdling
However, while Xia Ya was annoyed, he couldn't help imagining on behalf of the Emperor Garcia. I was afraid that the other party was really depressed and angry... The dignified emperor of the empire was forced by one of his northern generals to award the land. , He clearly killed the other party in his heart... but he could only hold his nose and endure it.
The emperor refused to give an official order for a long time, probably because the last bit of injustice in his heart was at fault.
Xia Ya patiently waited until the fifth day, when the official imperial order finally came down! !
This time, the person in charge of the order was still the earl who came to Laojun last time. The earl received a generous gift from Xia Ya last time, and this time he came here again, and his attitude towards Xia Ya was naturally more affectionate.
Pity these nobles of the imperial capital. If it was in the past, although such a precious vase was considered a valuable thing, how could it be placed in the eyes of a dignified count? But this time the city of Osgilia was destroyed, most of the nobles' homes and mansions were poisoned, and almost all of their family assets were tossed away by those rebels, which was a huge loss of money.
I heard that many aristocratic masters can persist in battles, but after driving away the rebels and bringing people back to their homes, they will draw their swords and wipe their necks on the spot... Many aristocrats are even about to go bankrupt!
The earl, I heard that he is still a distant relative of the royal family. At this moment when the talent of the royalist nobles in the empire is withering, he was a marginal figure in the past, and he gained the trust and appreciation of the emperor at once. He came to Xia Ya twice. The fact that Lao Jun or conveying the imperial order has chosen such a person is enough to show that this guy is very much used now.
What surprised Xia Ya was that this time, there was also a deputy who came to issue the imperial order together, but he was an old acquaintance!
Seeing that the bloated body was so striking among the people in the mission, Xiaya laughed in surprise: "Haha! You fat man!! I miss you so much!"
Saying that, he strode up, opened his arms, and hugged the other side heavily.
Ruhl grinned—he was still injured. Fatty could only pull away Xiaya hard, and said with a wry smile: "Damn, do you want to kill me, or do you want me to die! Take it easy, my old arms and legs are not very smart."
Xia Ya released Ruhl, took two steps back, and stared at the fat man carefully for a while, and his eyes gradually became warmer.
Speaking of which, speaking of many generals in the army of the Byzantine Empire, the personal friendship between Xia Ya and this fat man is the best.
Without him, there are really two guys, one big and one small, one seems to be honest and fat, the other seems to be straightforward and straightforward, but in fact, they are two foxes, one big and one small.
Among the generals in the Byzantine Empire army, the one Xi Ya respected the most was Adric, but the one with the closest relationship was this fat man.
Adrick is Char's old boss, and he has cultivated Char, like a loving father.
And this fat man is like a close friend.
The two looked at each other a few times, with sincere smiles on their faces, Xiaya said, "Why did you come here to give orders, but you were sent here?"
Luer laughed dryly and lowered his voice: "The noise in the city is going to turn skyward, and I was impatient, so I found this messenger and simply hid with you, out of the city, out of sight, and my heart was calmer. ."
Xia Ya listened and glanced at Fatty: "It's noisy?"
Ruhl smiled and glared at Xia Ya: "It's not for you! Your ten thousand cavalrymen are outside the city, making many people very uneasy!"
Immediately, the two entered the camp, and the conveying of the imperial order on the scene was naturally a cutscene. Xiaya summoned the officers and generals in the army to listen to the earl read out the imperial order in public, and then naturally they ate and drank.
Speaking of which, many of the cavalry in Xia Ya’s hands were also former Ruhr’s old subordinates. This time, the two sides were naturally extremely happy. Everyone drank heavily, and after watching the drink, Xia Ya and Ruhl went out of the tent one after another, walked around the camp at will, and came to a secluded place.
Xia Ya looked at Fatty, took out something from his arms, and threw it away.
Ruhl took it, and his eyes lit up: "Tobacco? A good thing from the Zaku! Haha!"
Xia Ya smiled, and after setting him on fire, he saw the fat man with a tobacco roll in his hand, and said with a smile: "I guessed that you must like this thing, this time I came here to return it. I brought some, and I'll leave it with you for a while."
Ruhl squinted his eyes with a look of enjoyment, and said leisurely: "You are so lucky! The tobacco of the Zaku natives is a rare commodity. I heard that these tobacco leaves were hand-made by the girls of the Zaku tribe on their naked thighs. Rolled out piece by piece... hehe..."
Seeing Fatty's sullen expression, Xia Ya pouted, and then said sternly: "What is the situation in the city now, tell me."
After listening to the fat man, he smiled slightly, his face became a little weird, and he gave Xia Ya a heavy look: "You little fox can't guess?"
After a pause, he took a long sigh: "Actually, what else can there be? It's just that everyone is not at ease. Your ten thousand cavalry soldiers are placed outside the city. Your Majesty and you are not in the same heart, and it is not surprising that you are afraid of you in your heart. . This war. It's a military disaster! At this moment, there is such an army outside the city that is not of the same mind as Your Majesty. How can you let our Majesty the Emperor sleep peacefully? But the subtlety is subtle. You, but you are not willing to let you go back right away. While suspicious of you, you need ten thousand cavalrymen to stay outside the city! Because as long as you are here, the Landis people will also be uneasy! Before you come, the city will The situation is that the Lantis people are strong, and we are weak. We are so weak that we have nothing to talk about with each other. Now you have ten thousand cavalry out of the city, no matter how you say it, You are also the flag of the Byzantine Empire army, and the Landis always regard you as one of our group. Just two days after you came, when the Landis talked to us, it was obvious that the attitude was polite. A lot. Hehe... So, there is a lot of commotion in the city now, His Majesty wants you to leave early, but he is reluctant to let you go, and I am entangled in my heart."
When Xia Ya heard this, she smiled noncommittally. Then he said: "The emperor ordered me to go to the city to see me. Do you think I can go as soon as I want? Or will it be delayed for another two days?"
Fatty puffed out a puff of cigarettes from his nostrils and rolled his eyes: "Don't wait, you've got all the benefits you deserve, and the emperor can't make any more concessions, there's no point in continuing to wait, tomorrow morning , you go to the city and ask to see you. I think the emperor's attitude towards you, at least on the surface, will be very good. Even if it is for the Lantis people, he will play a role with you while holding his nose. It's a play where the ruler and his ministers are united."
Xia Ya nodded: "So, I'm going to the city tomorrow?"
"Go into the city." The fat man smiled: "The emperor's order has already been issued in plain text, and things will not change. Your Majesty has to admit this fact now, and he will never make any more attacks on himself. As for your face, you can't be safer when you enter the city now. Your Majesty will not take any action against you. You swagger into the city for an audience, receive a reward, take over an official position, and then walk around the city in a beautiful way. With your army returning north."
After a pause, the fat man thought for a while, and said, "Xia Ya, when you enter the city this time, I will give you an answer. Although our little emperor is not quite right with you in his heart, after all, he is not old enough. Da, speaking of which, the means are far from being as sophisticated as the previous emperor. You don't need to be too afraid... But our prime minister, Lord Sarumbonelli, is a formidable character! This old prime minister, needless to say, is a true leader. It is an important banner left by the late emperor to restrain the military forces, and for whatever reason, the prime minister will try his best to restrain you and suppress you, so you must be prepared to deal with this old guy."
After Xia Ya heard it, he laughed twice: "My duke's title award came from this Prime Minister's handwriting."
Ruhl also smiled, just patted Xi Ya's shoulder and made a comforting expression.
Speaking of which, Fatty didn't have much to do with that headache.
※※※
The next day, Xiaya brought people into the city.
At this point the situation is set. The imperial decree has already been issued, so Xiaya doesn't have to worry about the emperor's attack on him, so he generously left the army outside the city, he only brought a few officers and a dozen personal guards under his command, and then accompanied Beth The officials of the tower, headed by the governor's wife Monica, entered the city to meet the emperor.
Entering the city is already via the Arc de Triomphe.
This is the most majestic and huge city gate in Osgilia, a huge building like a miracle, Xiaya has seen it once before when he came to the imperial capital, this time, look at the huge city gate and the city wall, covered with Traces of war! The city wall is full of dense damage marks, smashed by stone bullets from slings, burned by rockets, and the color of residual blood... The ground is also full of potholes, making it difficult for vehicles and horses to travel.
Especially when crossing the bridge before entering the city, there was a strange smell of rancidity in the air, which made the governor's wife by her side frown along her nose. Xia Ya was stunned for a while, and then she realized that it was the smell of corpse!
Osgilia fought for half a year, and I don't know how many corpses were sunk in the river outside the city! The once clear and beautiful river water has long since turned into a black water full of the smell of death! After the war, the work of cleaning up the river will be a headache for the people in the city for a long time.
Entering Decheng, the scene in front of him made Xia Ya couldn't help but take a breath!
The former great, magnificent, noisy, and full of vitality city has become what it looks like before? !
Looking around, there are broken walls and ruins everywhere. Most of the buildings near the city wall have been demolished. Some of them have been demolished to enrich the city defense materials, and others have been destroyed in street battles! The streets in the city, the lively streets of the past, have long since lost their faces! Walking all the way, there are traces of burning and looting everywhere. There are almost no pedestrians on the street. Most of them are people hiding in the ruins of the shattered houses on both sides. From the windows, beams of awe and fear are shot out.
Large areas of the block were burnt down, torn down, and even walking along the way, you can still see the people who have been charged, with black cloth covering their faces, who are responsible for running back and forth in the block, doing clean-up work, and removing the dead bodies everywhere. , carry them out one by one and gather them together...
Fortunately, it is still winter, and the weather is cold. If you don't clean up quickly, in a few months, the weather will be hot, and the abandoned city after the war will probably cause diseases!
Along the way, in addition to the ruins full of purpose, the most emotional thing for Xia is the eyes of those Osgilia people!
When Xi Ya came to the imperial capital last time, the biggest feeling here was the pride born in the stock of the Osgilia people! As the citizens of the imperial capital, the Osgilia people live in this largest city, known as the greatest city of miracles, the most prosperous and lively imperial capital. Once upon a time, it was a person who casually walked on the street. It is full of pride and arrogance in the bones.
But now it seems that the people who are responsible for cleaning up the corpses, as well as the silhouettes that occasionally flashed from the street corner, in the eyes of these people, in addition to fear and fear, the most is a kind of numbness!
(The city… is dead.)
Xia Ya sighed in her heart.
※※※
Xia Ya was not able to enter the palace to see the emperor immediately—this is a Byzantine rule. As a local general, Xia Ya, as a local general, went to Beijing to see him. He himself had no right to go directly to the palace to see His Majesty!
Foreign generals entering Beijing, according to the rules, report to the military headquarters, and then wait at the arranged residence! Wait for the emperor to be free, and then send someone to summon you, then you are qualified to accept His Majesty's reception!
This is a rule, and it is also a way of embodying the imperial authority.
Before entering the city, Ruhr had a word with Xia Ya. This time, when entering the city, the emperor had already hinted at Ruhr, and everything had to be done according to the rules! Just to let Xia Ya show his respect for the imperial power.
Naturally, Xia Ya wouldn't refuse this request - he didn't lose anything anyway, he just sold the emperor's face.
Besides, my identity is different now. There is the elite cavalry outside the city standing there. Once I enter the city, I am afraid that the whole city will be staring at me in secret!
Especially those Landisians!
At this time, he has to take into account the overall situation, even if he is pretending to show the Lantis people, he must also show a gesture of respecting the imperial power - this is Ruhr's explanation, and it is also Adric's request!
To report to the military headquarters, it was natural that General Laoxia had run away in person, and his subordinates had already handled it, and he himself was temporarily living and waiting in a place he found in the city.
According to the management, the generals entered the imperial capital and waited for the emperor's summons, and they had to wait for a while! This time can be long or short. If the emperor is in a good mood, or if he is not too busy, he might be scheduled to see you in ten days and a half. If the emperor is in a bad mood, or he is too busy to forget you... I'm afraid there will be some waiting for a month or two!
For example, when Xia Ya entered the imperial capital last time to meet with the late emperor, the emperor asked him to come to the imperial capital to receive him by name and surname. In this way, Xia Ya waited for a long time to be received by the emperor when he visited the imperial capital last time. !
But now his identity is naturally different. Since he gave Emperor Garcia enough face, he went to the military to report, waited honestly for the summons, and put on a posture of respecting the imperial power. Naturally, Garcia did not dare to go too far. Take it right - who doesn't know, our uncle General Char's temper is a donkey!
You are on your way, and Emperor Garcia will naturally not make it difficult for you.
In Ruhr's view, after this transition, at most one day in the city, the emperor will order to summon him.
Xia Ya's residence is a slightly more complete house selected in the city. I heard that it is the inheritance of a certain noble. During this war, dozens of members of that noble's family were slaughtered by the rebels. Yes, but this mansion was well preserved because it was valued by a leader of the rebel army and used as his stronghold.
It stands to reason that this kind of house is full of ghosts, and it is not suitable for foreign ministers like Xi Ya to live in Beijing.
And Xia Ya doesn't care much about such ghosts and gods.
In his words: "I marched to fight, killing people like numbness! A murderous look on his face, full of majesty! Even if there is a ghost, it is running away from Lao Tzu!"
He swaggered into this house with his entourage, and was ready to wait behind closed doors with peace of mind.
Unexpectedly, before it was dark, someone came to the door.
The person who came to display was a young man dressed as an imperial official. He looked very clean. When he came to see Xia Ya, his expression was calm and calm, even faint, and there was a sense of restraint and arrogance. .
When Xia Ya spoke, her tone was also light.
"General Xia Ya, our lord invites you to meet me."
Xia Ya looked at the person who came to the door: "You adults? Which one?"
The other party smiled lightly and smiled calmly: "Lord Sarumbonelli, the current prime minister."