"That is Mr. Qiao, the descendant of Qiao Shui's family." When he said this, Captain Hai turned his head and pointed at Qiao Mu who was standing next to him.
The Qiao family? Qiao Shuangsen
This name immediately made Emperor Yonghe's heart tremble.
At first, he did not pay much attention to this old man who did not bow when entering the palace. He just thought that he, like Captain Hai, was a representative of the old soldiers in the isolated city.
The surname Qiao is also very common. It is a common surname.
But when he heard this, he vaguely remembered the Qiao family that had given him a headache in the past, and the "Qiao Zhong" whom he ordered to be beheaded.
Captain Hai continued, "Qiao Shuangsen and I made an agreement. He pretended to be a soldier from Dayan. He claimed to be Dayan's immortal-killing army and the vanguard of Dayan's reinforcements."
"He lied that the Great Yan outside was still concerned about us soldiers and civilians in Lonely City, and specially formed an army to kill immortals in an attempt to rescue us from the desert."
In Hai Siyuan's description, a picture began to emerge.
In an isolated city that had been weathered by wind and sand and where every inch of land was soaked in blood and tears, a soldier from Dayan came.
He said that Da Yan had not forgotten this city, had not forgotten the lonely city destroyed by the hands of strangers, had not forgotten the 100,000 soldiers who bravely set out on the journey...
The disabled old soldier in the city held back his tears and asked the newcomers, when would the reinforcements really arrive
A soldier from Dayan brought a false hope.
But it was precisely this false hope that allowed the lonely city to get rid of its past illnesses and brought new vitality to the lonely city that was already on the verge of collapse.
then...
"He's dead." Captain Hai said slowly:
"Qiao Shuangsen died in the next round of alien bean soldiers attacking the city. He led the charge, before the old soldiers like me, and fought to his death."
This sudden turn of events startled all the ministers, and some of them were unable to react.
"But the next member of the Qiao family came one after another." Captain Hai continued:
"Qiao Shuangsen died in battle, and his father Qiao Ruisen carried the alien's body like a dead dog and told us that he was the reinforcement of Dayan!"
"The aliens' attack is like a tide. This wave comes and goes, and tomorrow another wave will come, and it goes on and on."
"Qiao Shuangsen is dead, and now there is Qiao Ruisen."
"Qiao Ruisen died, and Qiao Ruisen came again. The Qiao family elders passed through the formation one by one, generation after generation, rushing to die first. They told us that reinforcements would arrive and we could hold on for a while longer, but they died before us!"
"They say that the Qiao family motto is to follow the heart. If you think something is right, you should do it, regardless of whether the enemy is strong or you are weak, or whether the interests are right or wrong..."
"They are fake immortal-killing soldiers, but they are real warriors. They made us believe that there are still people in the outside world of Da Yan like us, the remnant soldiers, who still have the will to resist the aliens. I have not forgotten it for forty years!"
These words echoed in the Golden Palace, and all the civil and military officials in the court were stunned.
The Qiao family was actually already somewhat famous in Zhongzhou, especially a few months ago, when Emperor Yonghe personally ordered one of them, named Qiao Zhong, to be thrown into the Tianlao and later executed at Caishikou.
The style of the Qiao family described by Captain Hai was indeed somewhat similar to the martial arts family they had heard of before.
"They are all good boys of the Qiao family." Qiao Mu also nodded in agreement:
"But the Qiao family's men are just taking over the torch from the soldiers and civilians of Lonely City. They are the real heroes."
It’s not that Qiumu is modest, it’s mainly because he doesn’t want to be in the spotlight right now.
Because he is already Qiao Shui. The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without contention.
He took the initiative to request to go to court with Captain Hai, which was actually meant to protect his life to a certain extent, so that he would not be hunted down by strangers or persecuted by villains.
He is not the protagonist today, but Captain Hai and other old soldiers who have not appeared yet are.
If things go well, it would be okay for him to be a supporting role.
Anyway, if he makes a big deal out of it and then dies, he will have to be quarantined for another three to five years, which is not a life for human beings.
Emperor Yonghe sat on the dragon throne in a daze, feeling mixed emotions.
He is the emperor. Although he has to consider the overall situation and not act on impulse, he also knows what is right and what is wrong.
When the Great Yan court was unaware that the remnants of the army in the isolated city were still holding on, the Qiao family pretended to be the "Great Yan Immortal Army" and wiped out the chronic illness of the isolated city. This really shocked him.
Because this is what he, as the emperor, should do.
The old man in the city asked, "When will the six armies really arrive?"
The person who should answer is him, the Emperor of Dayan, not the Qiao family members pretending to be Dayan veterans.
When he saw Qiao Pifu die in Heyang City, he was deeply moved and hoped that one day he could use such a strong-willed Qiao family.
But later on, there was a man named Qiao Zhong who tried to assassinate Emperor Yonghe... that’s another story.
At this moment, one of the court officials in the team of civil officials grasped the key point of Captain Hai's words.
"The Qiao family killed the stranger from the Da Dao Sect?"
The person who spoke was the prime minister of this dynasty. His surname was Li. He was pale and plump, with a round face and quite majestic.
Li Xiang frowned, and there was some doubt in his words:
"How can a warrior kill a foreigner? How can he kill a foreigner? Are you making up a story?"
"Hai Siyuan, let the past be the past, don't mix your emotions into it."
"The warriors of the Qiao family may have done you a favor, but this kind of thing is really a bit absurd."
Many civil officials were thoughtful after hearing this.
Li Xiang is the prime minister of a country, holding the highest position among the officials. No matter whether his words are right or wrong, they have to express their opinions.
“It’s a bit absurd indeed.”
"The path to immortality is not something that ordinary people can follow. Even the most ordinary spiritual roots are only one in a thousand. Therefore, the extraordinary people are the elite of the human race. Among the extraordinary people, those with outstanding qualifications are the elite among the elites, the best among humans."
"Even if a mortal warrior is an outstanding one among them, can he be called one in a thousand or ten thousand, the elite among the elite? Can he compare with an extraordinary person?"
"A mortal warrior is only at the first level, let alone fighting against aliens. An army of mortals can wear him down to death, so how can he kill aliens?"
Many civil officials echoed the sentiment.
"Your statement is so false and absurd."
On the surface, they are talking about the gap between martial arts and immortality, and the difference between immortals and mortals, but in fact, this is not what they want to express.
Back then, the Martial Saint broke into the Taoist temple of the Immortal Gate in Nanzhou and successfully killed a Qingyang Immortal... Naturally, they had heard about this matter.
Whether a warrior can kill an immortal with his mortal form is one thing.
But after killing the immortal, whether he could speak it openly in the court is another matter.
Li Xiang narrowed his eyes and listened to the opinions of many civil officials. He narrowed his narrow eyes and said slowly:
"The Alien War is a thing of the past that happened forty years ago."
"The nine great immortal sects have blessed our dynasty with good weather and good harvests, and we have been in contact for forty years."
"Times have changed. Today is different from the past."
"Our dynasty is now on good terms with the nine major immortal sects, and there are disciples from the immortal sects in various places serving as stewards to deal with the human disasters caused by the demon sects..."
"Hai Siyuan, it is indeed not easy for you to stick to it for forty years. I admire you very much." Li Xiang changed his tone and said seriously:
"But this matter has already passed. Why are you still bringing it up? And why are you making up a story about a warrior killing an immortal?"
"Enough people died forty years ago. Do you think the number of deaths is not enough and hope that Kyushu will start a war again?"
Captain Hai opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.
After untold hardships, the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of people, and forty years of blood and tears in an isolated city, he was able to walk out of the desert forty years later and reach the Golden Palace he had once dreamed of. He was able to tell the past in front of the emperor and tell the stories of the soldiers and civilians that had been forgotten by Dayan in the past forty years.
He wanted to speak from the bottom of his heart, talk about the past comrades who died in the battle, and talk about the deaths of the Qiao family as warriors in the outside world... He didn't want those who fought alongside him to be nameless after their death, so he came to this Golden Palace.
No matter how many rumors about the Dayan Dynasty you heard in Anxi Town, you were still hoping for a lucky break.
Today, he went to the Golden Palace and talked about the past in front of the emperor and his ministers, but was accused of such a thing. He was disheartened and had nothing to say.
No wonder people say that after the war between aliens, the literati in the court lost their integrity and the warriors lost their backbone.
Captain Hai looked as pale as death, and it seemed as if something invisible in his heart suddenly collapsed.
The building has already collapsed.
What's the point of soldiers fighting to the death if they have lost their fighting spirit
Emperor Yonghe was also silent. He seemed to be hesitant and wanted to say something.
He also knew how precious loyal soldiers were in Kyushu today, and the remnant troops who had held out for forty years in isolation and without any help... this was already a great achievement worthy of being recorded in history.
He also knew that he couldn't let the old soldier in front of him feel disappointed... But...
If this old soldier only talked about defending the city and protecting the people in the city, then they would naturally have a harmonious relationship between the ruler and his subjects.
It's not wrong to mention the strange people... But pointing at the nose and mentioning the Dao Sect entrenched in Zhongzhou...
"Don't act on impulse... Think twice before you act." Emperor Yonghe did not speak, but remained silent.
Then the entire Golden Palace fell into a brief silence.
Hai Wuya also frowned. He wanted to say something, but Li Xiang beside him pulled his sleeve:
"Don't act on impulse, Mr. Hai." Li Xiang warned:
"If you want to take care of the world, you should keep a low profile and not offend the Immortal Sect."
Hai Wuya was slightly startled and frowned, realizing that Li Xiang seemed to be hinting at something.
Captain Hai stood in front of the Golden Palace, looking at the civil and military officials in the court with a slightly dazed look in his eyes. At the age of sixty, he was still fighting on the front line of the isolated city, but now his body was a little hunched, and he had lost his former spirit, and all he had was old age and fatigue.
Qiao Mu has been standing behind Captain Hai, silently serving as a supporting role.
But now, looking at the old and haggard appearance of Captain Hai, he couldn't hold it back any longer.
In life, we cannot act recklessly. We need to consider many things and the overall situation...
So although Qiao Mu saw that Captain Hai was indignant when he came to the palace to see the emperor, what he really wanted to ask was, "Does the emperor still care about the soldiers and civilians in the lonely city?" He wanted to ask, "Where are the reinforcements from Dayan?"
But when the words came to his lips, no questions were asked, and all that was left was to recount the bloody history of the lonely city.
He just wanted to seek justice, to let the court and the world know about the forty years of perseverance of the soldiers and civilians in the isolated city. He just didn't want his former comrades to remain nameless after their death.
I was unknown during my lifetime and forgotten by the whole world, so it’s not too much to at least ask for a good reputation after my death, right
So this was his compromise.
No questions asked, just seeking justice for my comrades and a good reputation after death.
But his compromise was actually of little use.
When Captain Hai only talked about perseverance and sacrifice, the civil and military officials in the court did not hesitate to praise him, saying that such a great feat should be recorded in history.
It doesn’t cost any money to praise you anyway.
But when the topic turned to the Xianmen Dadao Sect... they could no longer praise it.
The civil and military ministers of the same generation as Hai Wuya have long been a thing of the past, and now during the Yonghe Emperor's reign, there are few tough-minded civil and military officials in the temple.
"You all have concerns and need to consider the overall situation..."
Qiao Mu talked to himself and took two steps forward.
He walked from behind Captain Hai to his front, straightening his back slightly.
Although old, it is still as straight as a gun.
Hai Duwei, Hai Wuya and others all have some concerns to some extent.
Well, today, let him be the mouthpiece for the Hai family father and son.
"The robber has already robbed your house once, and you're still talking about the overall situation, and shamelessly saying that you'll come visit often when you have time? Your reasoning is that if you anger the robber, he'll come rob again?"
The ministers were slightly stunned and their eyes turned to the old man who had been silent for a long time.
"Will a robber reason with you? If you have a good attitude, kneel down to him, and serve him kindly, he will not rob you?"
Kneeling down only makes it easier for robbers to rob. The only thing that can make robbers afraid is a knife that can fight against them.
"A crude warrior..." a court official scolded:
"Is this the kind of trifling matter of national affairs that you're talking about?"
Qiao Mu said nothing, but reached into the storage bag that the old man in the armory had given him, took out something from it, and threw it on the floor in front of the Golden Throne Hall.
It was a paper man torn into two pieces. Although it was just paper, it still retained a faint aura, unlike any ordinary object.