When General Qiao said this, his face looked a little weathered, and his expression was very moved.
Xiao Mubai was not only shocked that his father and uncle were actually a pair of close friends who cherished each other, but also lamented the scene where they met on the battlefield, and how mixed emotions he must have felt in his heart.
After that battle, Khitan City, the frontier of Liang State, and Yucheng, the frontier of Xiao State, were established.
From now on, the distinction between Jing and Wei is clear.
After the war, the two of them met in private.
At that time, the two men were not the all-powerful emperors they are today, but they were just young men with horse hoofs in the spring breeze. They both had the same dream to end this era of war and strife and unify the world to benefit the common people.
So, two hot-blooded young men had a fight with their bare hands.
In the end, they both collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and laughed away their grudges.
Although the positions of their families and countries are different, their hearts are the same.
It was not until the emperors and kings of the two countries ascended the throne one after another and returned to their respective Kyotos to take charge of the government that they gradually discovered that internal strife was far more terrifying than external aggression.
Although the war is bloody and horrific, it relies on one's own ability.
But intrigues, flattery, corrupt officials, and balancing power in the court are far more energy-consuming and cumbersome than leading an army in battle, but they are no less bloody than fighting on the battlefield.
After ascending the throne, the two emperors secretly met again in private.
That was the second and last time.
I'm afraid no one would have thought that in a leaky tea shed on the official road between Khitan and Chongqing, there were two young emperors who talked for a whole afternoon.
General Zhao and General Qiao, who had frightened the other three countries, also took off their armor and met each other for the first time, blowing in the wind outside the tea shed all afternoon.
The two emperors had similar interests when they were young, and found themselves in the same situation after they ascended the throne.
The two people who already cherished each other became more and more sad. They would rather decide the outcome on the battlefield openly and decide the future master of the entire world than spend their whole life resolving internal troubles.
Later, they reached an agreement. If the two of them could not unify the world, they were willing to devote their efforts to cultivate a master of the world.
At that time, King Liang had already appointed Queen Pei, but before the emperor could establish a queen, King Liang betrothed his sister Liang Suyin to the emperor.
This was also the first marriage in the Five Kingdoms later. As a princess, Liang Suyin married all the way to the Xiao Kingdom.
Originally, the emperor strongly advocated making her the queen, but in the end due to various reasons, he had to compromise under the Queen Mother's decree and appointed the current queen.
Although Liang Suyin could only become a concubine in the end, she had always been favored by the emperor. After she gave birth to a dragon heir, she became the most popular in the harem.
When Xiao Mubai heard this, he realized why he had been exclusively favored by the emperor since he was a child. Talent and intelligence were certainly one aspect, but the most important thing was the agreement between the emperor and Prince Liang.
But at the same time, he became more and more suspicious. If this was the case, why did Concubine Li say that the poison on his body was caused by the emperor himself
Just as he was thinking about this matter with a frown, General Qiao sighed slightly and asked him: "Do you know why the queen has no heirs?"
Xiao Mubai shook his head first, and then his eyes showed panic.
General Qiao patted his shoulder with a sad expression and confirmed his idea: "Yes, because of you."
In a flash of lightning, Xiao Mubai's mind went blank.
He didn't know how long the blankness lasted until he remembered what Xia Chu had said to him in the bedroom of Yu'an Palace.
Xia Chu once secretly checked the queen's pulse and said that her loss of qi and blood must be caused by long-term exposure to saffron and musk. But Xia Chu searched everything in the queen's palace, but couldn't find anything like this.
At that time, Xia Chu also vaguely mentioned that there was something wrong with the maid Xi Zhi beside the queen.
He also argued that Xizhi was the queen's personal maid and had been by the queen's side for many years. She was someone sent by the king to serve the queen, so there should be no problem.
I never thought that in order to abide by the agreement, King Liang did not let the queen give birth to a bloodline.
He had always wanted to find the person who harmed the queen, but that person turned out to be himself...
"You don't have to blame yourself too much. This is Prince Liang's decision and has nothing to do with you. Since you were born in Xiao Kingdom, our Qiao family started to prepare for your identity at about the same time." Old General Qiao saw him appear Declined, he said a few words of comfort.
"Why are you telling me?" Xiao Mubai's heart twitched involuntarily, and a cold chill spread across his chest.
His father and uncle never asked him about his wishes and decided his future without authorization.
He even personally deprived the queen of the right to have heirs and made him bear such heavy shackles, just for breaking the agreement they made back then.
No wonder that when he was leading the army in Yucheng, King Liang went to Khitan in person to ask him to meet secretly, and the emperor turned a blind eye to him wandering between the two countries.
His uncle repeatedly asked him about his succession to the throne, but his father let him do nothing about his wealth and power.
He always thought that he was about to die, so the emperors of the two countries believed in him and took no precautions.
But they never expected that these were things they had planned for a long time.
I didn't know anything before, and I thought I was the leader of both countries, strategizing, and had everything under control.
Thinking about it now, every piece of the past is like a clown grinning his blood-red mouth, mocking his self-righteousness.
I don't know if the emperors of the two countries will continue to correspond and use his incident as a daily pastime and joke.
I remember that at the beginning, I also introduced Qiao Mobai. In the Xiaoguo court, my father's face was calm at that time, but in his heart, he didn't know whether he was laughing or not.
He had always thought that the reason why the cities on the border between the two countries were so harmonious was entirely due to him.
This result really depends on himself. Because of himself, the two emperors worked hard to pave the way for him.
"Now that the five countries are in chaos, this is your responsibility. The emperors of the two countries have put so much effort into you. What they want to hand over to you is the people of the world." General Qiao answered his question very firmly. with heaviness.
It was impossible for Xiao Mubai to face him and tell him what he originally thought.
"I've been waiting for you to come." General Qiao walked to the window, and the candlelight hanging outside the room flickered.
The night wind blew slowly, and the silk lantern with the logo of Qiao Mansion was flying and spinning in the wind. The face of General Qiao blended in the night, making it difficult to distinguish.
Xiao Mubai didn't ask him what would happen if he didn't come, but just waited quietly for his next words.
"The matter of counterinsurgency is entirely left to you. I will not give any advice. If you don't even have this ability..." Old General Qiao turned around and stared at him for a long time before continuing: "Not worthy of all the people in this world."
(End of chapter)