It was noon, the sun was shining brightly overhead, cicadas were chirping on the roadside, and a large army was marching slowly along the official road. The army stretched for several miles and had tens of thousands of people. When they saw the army coming, the carriages and pedestrians who were blocking the army on the official road hurriedly made way to let the army pass first. Many people watching the army from the side could not help whispering.
"What kind of thing is this? Sometimes they fight, sometimes they don't, and the troops are moved back and forth. Isn't this a hassle?" In a roadside tea stall, several traveling merchants who were sitting and drinking tea were watching the army passing by outside the stall. One of them could not help but sigh.
"What do you know? The Black Jie people are fighting fiercely with the seven tribes of Shatu on the Gulang grassland. Let them fight each other. Why should the army of the Han Empire rush to the Gulang grassland to fish in troubled waters for the seven tribes of Shatu and shed our blood to fight the Black Jie people? Even if we drive the Black Jie people away in the end, the Gulang grassland will still be occupied by those ungrateful wolves of the seven tribes of Shatu. This is a losing business and we must not do it. It's better for the army to withdraw. Originally, no one in the army wanted to fight for the seven tribes of Shatu. There were complaints everywhere. It's just right to withdraw now. Look at the faces of those officers and soldiers outside. You can't see any sadness on their faces. They are almost singing!"
"Since you are going to withdraw now, why did you say you wanted to fight in the first place?"
"Haha, isn't this because there is a traitor in the court? It was that traitor Lin Qingtian who advocated the use of troops against the Gulang grassland. Now that the traitor has been assassinated, the court is now clearing up the mess and naturally can't do stupid things anymore. We're spending money and blood to make those wolf cubs of the seven Shatu tribes happy. Haven't you heard that the Anxi General Wei Wuji was arrested by the imperial envoy sent by the court a few days ago? The army sent to Pingxi County was naturally ordered to withdraw, and they should withdraw to where they came from. For example, the team outside came from Lanzhou, so they naturally have to go back to Lanzhou..."
Several traveling merchants were talking under the tea stall, and naturally did not notice that not far from them, a young man who looked like a teenager was sitting at a table, drinking herbal tea and eating watermelon to cool off, while listening to their conversation with great interest, and from time to time glancing at the large army passing by on the official road outside the tea stall.
This young man was none other than Yan Liqiang. At this moment, Yan Liqiang had regained his original figure and appearance, but because he was wearing ordinary gray cloth clothes and had no followers around him, he naturally did not attract any attention.
Today is June 18th. After learning the news a few days ago that General Wei Wuji of Anxi was arrested and the situation in the northwest and Ganzhou changed drastically, Yan Liqiang, who had been looking for a master to "heal" because of "going astray", naturally "recovered". Then he said goodbye to Cui Lichen and immediately set off alone to return to Pingxi County. Outside this tea shed is the official road leading to Pingxi County, which is only more than 80 miles away from Pingxi City.
As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Lin Qingtian has always been the core of the prime minister's party. This time Lin Qingtian was "assassinated", and His Majesty the Emperor took control of the court again. Naturally, the many officials who originally surrounded Lin Qingtian collapsed. All the officials who had previously defected to Lin Qingtian either changed their ways or were liquidated by His Majesty the Emperor. Especially the backbone officials of Lin Qingtian's party, one by one they were arrested, killed, or fled. The situation of the entire Han Empire changed accordingly.
In May, the former Minister of Punishments, Gu Chunyi, was beheaded by the Emperor in the capital city for multiple serious crimes. The Minister of War "died of illness" in prison. There was a long list of other high-ranking officials who were dismissed from office, imprisoned and committed suicide. In June, the court's purge of the Prime Minister's party extended to the local areas. Wei Wuji, who was still in great power a few months ago and was preparing to take action against Yan Liqiang, and then led an army of 300,000 to the Gulang grassland to expel the Black Jie people, was naturally taken down. In addition to Wei Wuji, the former Northwest Transport Envoy Jiang Tianhua was also taken down in the officialdom of the northwest.
After capturing these two people, the imperial court's plan to use military force against the Gulang grassland was naturally abandoned.
Even if Lin Qingtian was fine, the imperial court's previous plan to send troops to Gulang Grassland would probably have to be stopped. Because at this time, the Imperial Capital was in a state of tension and turmoil because of the catastrophe predicted by the stone turtle. His Majesty the Emperor and the civil and military officials in the court were all thinking about moving the capital. In addition to moving the capital, the migration and resettlement of millions of people in the Imperial Capital and the capital area was a major event that really tested the imperial court. In this case, the civil and military officials in the Imperial Capital were busy with their own affairs, so where would they have more time, energy, and money to help the Shatu Seven Tribes fight? It just so happened that Lin Qingtian got into trouble, and the imperial court took down Jiang Tianhua and Wei Wuji, two of Lin Qingtian's best friends, and stopped the plan to use troops against Gulang Grassland, leaving the northwest in a mess for local officials to clean up. As for the fight between the Shatu Seven Tribes and the Black Jie people on the Gulang Grassland, it is estimated that before the two sides completely decided the winner, the imperial court would ignore it and prepare to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
Lin Qingtian was indeed the cancer of the Han Empire. As soon as he "died", Yan Liqiang found that the situation of the entire Han Empire, especially his own situation and the situation in the northwest, suddenly became clear. Many problems were solved at once, and the many constraints that had previously bound him seemed to be gone.
It seems that no matter where or what era, getting rid of the core person who created the problem is the fastest way to solve the problem. Yan Liqiang drank tea and muttered in his heart that he had barely contributed to the solution of Lin Qingtian this time, and he had silently made a contribution to the Han Empire, and he was proud of it.
The current situation seems to be good, but Yan Liqiang is only slightly relieved. He cannot really relax or feel happy. There is always a shadow in Yan Liqiang's heart, because he knows that Lin Qingtian is not dead, and Lin Qingtian's true identity is not even a human. At this moment, Lin Qingtian is still hiding somewhere to lick his wounds. In the territory of the Han Empire, or even outside the Han Empire, there are countless evil demons like Lin Qingtian. Who knows what they will do...
Unconsciously, Yan Liqiang was lost in thought.
…
"Boss, give me a pot of herbal tea. By the way, how much do you sell this watermelon for?"
At some point, a voice suddenly appeared in Yan Liqiang's ears. Hearing this voice, Yan Liqiang's whole body trembled slightly. He turned his head and looked at the counter of the tea stall on his right - a fat and sweaty young man of about eighteen or nineteen years old had just come to the tea stall to rest. He was asking the shopkeeper about the price at the counter. Looking at the pile of watermelons behind the counter, he swallowed secretly.
It has been many years since they last met, and the young man's voice has become a little rougher, but to Yan Liqiang's ears, it still sounds so familiar and kind.
Yan Liqiang stood up suddenly and called out, "Su Chang..."
Hearing someone calling his name, the young man turned around and saw Yan Liqiang at a glance. Instantly, the young man's mouth was stuffed with a duck egg, and his eyes suddenly widened. The young man rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he saw. After discovering that everything in front of him was real, the young man shouted with joy, "Liqiang..."
(End of this chapter)