Gaochang, Qin Mubai came here again. The once royal city of a country is now the seat of the Jinshan Dudufu of the Tang Dynasty, in Gaochang County, Xizhou.
The three hundred thousand victorious troops were stationed at the foot of the Flame Mountain where Qin Shubao had garrisoned in the past. They stopped their horses temporarily to replenish military supplies and rest for a day or two.
Xue Rengui, Yu Wen Hongtai and other former veterans of the Western Expedition came to Qin Mubai and said, now that the Western Region has been leveled and the commander's wish has been fulfilled, should we go to the statue of the commander in the Flame Mountain? Tell him the good news with some condolences
"Okay." Qin Mubai agreed. Let Xue Rengui and others prepare for the sacrifice.
Early the next morning, Qin Mubai held his father's ashes in his hands and took Xue Rengui and other soldiers to climb the Flame Mountain and came to the "temple" built by Qin Shubao by the people of Gaochang. Here, there is a statue of Qin Shubao standing with a sword, three feet high, made of white jade, lifelike and majestic.
It was Beiting Marshal Ni Shuchui who "ordered" the Gaochang people to build this statue. Firstly, it was because Beiting wanted to make peace with the Tang Dynasty and sit on the mountain to watch the tiger fight; secondly, Ni Shuchui and other Turkic warriors also Indeed, I sincerely admire Qin Shubao, a loyal and courageous general.
Today, Beiting coach Ni Shuchui was also present. Without waiting for the primary school students to lay out the sacrifices, he took a few steps forward, caressed his chest, and bowed before kneeling down.
Xue Rengui, Yuwen Hongtai and others looked at him with complicated expressions. There were also some Tang Army generals with burning eyes.
After all, Ni Shuchui was the most direct murderer of Qin Shubao!
"Young Marshal Qin, please use my head to pay homage to your father!" Ni Shusui said.
Qin Mubai stepped forward to help him up and said: "Old Marshal, please get up. My father's death was certainly related to the old Marshal. But at that time, everyone was his own master, and what you did was just your duty; now it has been We are ministers in the same palace, how can we kill each other? My father's last words warned me that there is no selfish hatred in the battlefield, so I should put national affairs first. How could Qin miss the important affairs of the country because of his own selfish anger? ? Let’s not ruin my father’s hard work!”
"Mr. Qin, he is truly an unparalleled hero, I am deeply impressed!" Ni Shui cried and fell to his knees on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly with a thumping sound.
"Old Marshal, please get up." Qin Mubai helped him up again, said a few words of comfort, and led the soldiers to start the sacrifice.
It was late summer and early autumn, when a sudden gust of wind blew up, clouds rolled in the air, and yellow sand covered the Flame Mountain.
Qin Mubai, who was paying homage in front of the statue, saw this scene and suddenly remembered the scene that night when he first came to Lanzhou.
"I remember the night when I first came to Lanzhou. My father called me to the top of Lanzhou City and looked to the west. At that time, there was also yellow sand rolling outside the city. My father asked me what I saw." Qin Mubai Putting down the memorial text, he looked at the distant mountains and misty sea of clouds, and said, "I answered at that time - 'My child only saw a vast expanse'!"
Everyone was silent, listening to Qin Mubai's next words.
"The first kiss made me laugh. He raised his hand and pointed forward, and he said two words - 'wrong'!"
"I asked him, father, what did you see?" Qin Mubai smiled slightly and asked the soldiers, "Guess what my father said?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"My late father said -" Qin Mubai raised his voice fiercely and said loudly - "Great rivers and mountains!"
Its sound is like thunder and its momentum is like a galloping horse!
Everyone present could not help but tremble!
Great rivers and mountains, these four short words contain all of Qin Mubai's feelings for his late father, and the lofty ambitions of Qin Shubao, an old hero!
"Now... from Lanzhou to Gongyue City, the three thousand miles of territory and millions of registered households belong to the Tang Dynasty!" Qin Mubai took a deep breath and said, "Three thousand miles of great rivers and mountains!... Father, you May you rest in peace!”
All the soldiers of the Tang army burst into tears and fell to their knees.
The Queen of the New Moon, Pearl, who came with her, was moved by the scene in front of her and shed tears. He walked up to Qin Mubai, gently held Qin Mubai's arm, and said, "Mubai, although I have never met your father, I know that he is a great hero who stands upright. The people of all ethnic groups in the Western Regions all serve He is a true god! The tiger father has no dog son, and you are also a great hero!”
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "I have never thought about being a great hero, and I have never cared about these false names. All along, I have just tried to do what I should do as a minister and a son of man. Nowadays, big things are happening It’s time for me to retire.”
Everyone was shocked and looked at each other!
"Young Marshal Qin, why do you say this?" Ni Shuchui asked first, "Now you are at the height of your power, destroying Tubo, pacifying the Western Regions, and conquering half of the Tang Dynasty's expansion of thousands of miles of territory! We, the people, are also looking forward to following you. The rest of your life - how can you be so obsessed with quitting?"
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "If I hadn't been in front of my father's throne today, I wouldn't have said what I said from the bottom of my heart. It is true that as a military commander, I have made great achievements. In the next few decades of my life, It is impossible for me to surpass my achievements today. As a minister, I have conquered several countries and conquered thousands of miles. Now that Tubo and the Western Regions have been pacified, in the next few decades, the Tang Dynasty should cultivate martial arts and let this country flourish. Half of the country that had just belonged to the Tang Dynasty belonged to Wang Hua. I inherited the mantle of my father, but I could not make any significant contribution to these civil affairs. Qin will hand over his military power and submit his resignation. I will take my family and retire from the Central Plains... and settle in Samajian!"
"Young Marshal!" All the soldiers of the Tang army were frightened and shouted: "No!"
"How can the Kansai Army not have a young commander?"
"Lanzhou and the Western Regions still rely on you to take charge of the overall situation!"
"If you retire, I and all the brothers will follow you!"
Qin Mubai raised his hand to stop the noise of the soldiers and said: "Brothers, we have been born and died together for so many years, and Qin is really reluctant to be separated from you. But there is a banquet in the world, and one day we will part ways. Qin told you these words from the bottom of his heart, so that you can prepare yourself in advance. When you return to the court, you will receive honors and promotions, enjoy glory and wealth, and continue to serve the Tang Dynasty! We need you loyal and brave generals.”
"Then the Tang Dynasty doesn't need Marshal Qin?" Nishu asked in shock.
Qin Mubai smiled and shook his head, "The Tang Dynasty needs tens of millions of loyal and brave generals, but in the future... half of the 'Qin Marshal' will no longer be needed!"
Ni Shusui was stunned for a moment, while the soldiers of the Tang army, whose tears were still wet, were silent.
The whole place was silent.
"Brothers!" Qin Mubai broke the silence with a loud voice, "After we come down from the mountain, reorganize our troops and return to Lanzhou!"
"promise!-"
After offering sacrifices to Qin Shubao, Qin Mubai and the other soldiers returned to the army, preparing to march back to Lanzhou. When the army was about to leave, a fast-horse messenger came from Lanzhou and delivered a secret message from Pang Fei, who was staying in Lanzhou.
When Qin Mubai read the letter, he couldn't help being surprised!
Pang Fei informed Qin Mubai in his letter that rumors were circulating in Lanzhou that "Qin Mubai wanted to rebel", and people were now panicked. This doesn't matter, this was arranged by Qin Mubai himself. But another thing surprised him - King Wu and his party were ambushed in Jingzhou! King Wu was assassinated and his life or death was uncertain!
Although Qin Mubai had already considered the safety of Li Ke's trip, he never expected that such a thing would actually happen!
At this moment, he thought urgently in his heart: If King Wu has any shortcomings, King Wei will undoubtedly succeed him in the future! I know very well what King Wei is like. He is kind on the surface but cruel in reality. There is absolutely no way he can rub a grain of sand out of his eyes! Even if I hand over all my military power and retire willingly, he will be deeply afraid and want to get rid of me as soon as possible! ... Today I expressed my feelings in front of all the officers and soldiers of the Kansai Army. I just want them to understand that Qin has no objections, no ambitions, and is not greedy for the power in his hands. In order to prevent the army from being affected by rumors, I took this vaccine first. If someone in the court wants to use rumors to attack me, I can get the maximum support from the officers and soldiers of the Kansai Army. Although this move is a bit suspicious of taking advantage of the soldiers, it is indeed psychological...
But if King Wei inherits the throne in the future, not only me, but also people like Xue Rengui, Yuwen Hongtai, and Pang Fei will become the targets of King Wei's purge. I, Mr. Qin, don’t even think about spending the rest of my life in peace and enjoying a good death!
The situation was just like what "Water Margin" said, after Liangshan recruited troops!
"It seems that even if I want to retreat from the rapids, it is indeed not easy to do so!" Thinking of this, Qin Mubai frowned and shouted - "Rengui, Hongtai!"
The second will come in from outside the tent and say, "Here!"
"I have some personal matters that I have to go back to Lanzhou to take care of. You two will lead the way and follow as soon as possible." Qin Mubai said, "The Crescent Queen's precious carriage will also be temporarily entrusted to your protection. No loss will be allowed. In addition, please leave it alone along the way. No matter what kind of rumors you hear, you will turn a blind eye and turn a deaf ear!"
"Yes!" Xue Rengui and Yuwen Hongtai looked at Qin Mubai in surprise and accepted the promise. But didn’t ask any more questions.
Qin Mubai stepped forward and held the second general's hand and said: "Brothers, Qin will not live alone. Even if he retires, I will definitely arrange the future for you brothers who have been with me through life and death. Qin Now...that's all I can do!"
"Third brother!" Yu Wen Hongtai couldn't hold back his impatience and shouted, "You are so out of line today. What happened, tell me? Anyway, I have already said it, where is the third brother? I will follow you wherever you go! No matter how high it is, whether you are in heaven or on earth, even if you are shattered into pieces, I will be buried together with your bones and muscles!"
"Good brother, don't say stupid things." Qin Mubai patted his arm hard and said, "Some things did happen in the court, but I can't explain it to you right now. In short, I will handle it well. , you don’t have to worry.”
Yu Wen Hongtai was anxious and annoyed. He punched hard and roared: "Are there any bastards in the court who say bad things about you behind your back and want to fight against you? - Let's charge forward with our heads high and conquer these thousands of miles of land. Those who are jealous of their talents can The idiot scholar who has nothing to do all day long fights for power and murders heroes! Third brother, if this is the case, I will take my brothers and fight into Chang'an with you and kill all those bastards, so that our Kansai Army can be clean! But invincible in the world!"
"Shut up, what nonsense are you talking about!" Qin Mubai scolded, "The Guanxi Army is invincible in the world. It is used to fight outsiders. How can it attack its own people in the Tang Dynasty? If this is the case, it will be worse than the original Garqin Mausoleum. What's different, even more hateful! - Rengui, Heizi is rude and reckless, you have to keep him under control at all times. If he acts recklessly, tie him up and let him calm down."
"Yes..." Xue Rengui answered the promise with thick eyebrows and clasped his fists. Although he didn't say much, there was a look of worry on his face.
Yuwen Hongtai's face turned red and he didn't dare to say anything.
"Two good brothers, you don't have to think too much, just be at ease." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Although the trees want to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop, Qin has seen many such storms over the years, so it doesn't matter. You guys Your first priority is to stabilize the morale of the army and prevent any trouble in the army. I will take care of everything else!"
"Yes!" The second general had no choice but to agree.
Later, Qin Mubai said goodbye to Crescent Princess Mingzhu, took more than a hundred personal guards, left Gaochang first, and rushed straight to Lanzhou.
The battle for the crown prince, the battle for the heir apparent—this battle is more dangerous than the battle in the Western Tubo Region, and it’s finally time for the decisive battle!
Qin Mubai, who was galloping, kept thinking about the scene when Li Ke was transferred from Youzhou to Lanzhou and the two of them had a hangover.
He remembered that besides drinking and bragging, the two of them also had a fight, which was quite enjoyable.
Li Ke, who was very drunk, said something at that time, which impressed Qin Mubai deeply:
"Mubai, there are many people who say that you and I are colluding with each other, and have evil intentions and ambitions, so we just let them go. I only know that as a man, I can have a confidant like you in this life. Contentment!”
"You and I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe we won't wake up one day, or we suddenly no longer exist in this world. But as long as I, Li Ke, live in this world..."
"My life is your life; your life is my life! - This is my oath!"
The horse is as fast as lightning, and the wind is pounding in the ears.
Qin Mubai muttered this sentence silently, "My fate, your fate... Li Ke, did you expect that this day would come?"