The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 328 Departure

Another war is about to break out.

Qin Tai sighed and slowly sat up.

After listening to the bugle call outside for a while, Qin Tai put on his shoes and walked out of the cell.

He was secretly relieved when the Right Wing was led to Tongguan by the Marquis of Changshan. He belonged to the Left Wing and was not conscripted.

After becoming a villain, Qin Tai felt that the days were repeating themselves, seemingly without any change, except that the number of people around him was constantly decreasing.

Then new companions kept arriving. Fortunately, he was strong and lucky, and survived time and time again.

But the more he faced death, the more afraid he became of war and death, to the point that his legs would go weak at the sound of a bugle.

But Qin Tai knew very well that once the horn sounded, it meant there was no escaping it. Having already fallen into evil, he had no choice.

However, he's still considered to be in good condition.

Qin Tai was the first warrior to be corrupted into evil.

Those were tough times. The Tang Dynasty was surrounded by wolves and tigers, and the emperor even tortured and slaughtered evil people in the army. Even those who had been crippled on the battlefield were almost executed.

Qin Tai was constantly on edge, fearing that one morning he would be dragged away and beaten to death with sticks.

Fortunately, this terrifying pressure did not last long. After the grand ceremony to worship Heaven in Tokyo, and following a tug-of-war between the emperor and his ministers, the emperor compromised and the court took full control of the evil army.

Civil officials are much kinder and more skillful than military men.

On the one hand, they did their best to appease the surviving villains, no longer executing any villains for minor offenses, and no longer using cruel punishments such as skinning, burning, sawing, and dismemberment. On the other hand, they reduced the amount of labor required. At the same time, they called on everyone to perform meritorious service for the Holy Tang Dynasty.

If you perform well in normal times, you won't have to fill the trenches and hit the arrows when you go into battle.

As long as one's merits are sufficient and outstanding, everyone can be pardoned, regain their freedom, and restore their status as a law-abiding citizen!
That's the right thing to do! If we're all killed, who will build palaces for the sage, who will construct his tomb, and who will help the people with the autumn harvest? Who will work for the court for free, only needing to eat two flatbreads a day?

Therefore, the court is wise, and the prime minister is wise!

In the third year of the Qianning era, the court purged the wicked army, and he distinguished himself through excellent reform, earning merit as the Left Wing Commander. He was permitted to grow his hair and beard, and allowed to visit his family once every six months… Finally, he became a glorious citizen of the Holy Tang Dynasty!

Later, the Tang dynasty grew increasingly powerful, and more and more rebels were reduced to villains, including the Dangxiang chieftains of Hengshan. Among his subordinates was a chieftain of Pingxia! Later still, he was recommended by the censor Zhang Cong and appointed as the Left Wing Commander. After the Second Battle of Fengyi, he led his troops in a magnificent display of military might, receiving inspection from the officials of the court.

The good days have finally arrived!
During the inspection, the officials under his command on the left wing received praise from Chancellor Zheng.

After that, everyone had extra meals, with two flatbreads per meal, and if anyone fell ill, the Nine Ministers would send medical officers to provide medicine.

God has been kind to Qin Tai.

It wasn't until roars echoed from outside the prison walls that Qin Tai, who had been in a daze, snapped out of it and rushed to his position. He was surrounded by people he recognized. Qin Tai greeted several commanders, instructing them to straighten their ranks, before turning back.

After an unknown amount of time, a large group of civil officials, surrounded by a group of wicked military officers, walked onto the platform to give a speech.

Including Qin Tai, all the villains held their heads high, looking up at the civil officials with reverence.

Qin Tai held these civil officials in high esteem and deeply respected them. After all, all policies and benefits depended on their efforts to negotiate with the Holy Emperor Yuan. Without them, there would be no thriving Evil Army as it was today! To Qin Tai, they were like his second parents, his masters.

Qin Tai felt at ease and comfortable obeying the imperial court's orders.

Besides, he's gotten used to being treated like a beast of burden and being bossed around, so he can't bring himself to flirt anymore.

Like everyone else, Qin Tai listened attentively to every word his superiors said.

Qin Tai was relieved only after he understood that they were to be taken along to assist the army in logistics and to contribute to the conquest of the Western Regions.

The sounding of the bugle in the prison was undoubtedly the outpost of war, and the most pressing threats to the Holy Tang Dynasty were naturally the remnants of the Bian regime in the east and the One-Eyed Dragon. Although the Bian dogs were no match for the Holy Emperor, and the One-Eyed Dragon had been terrified by the killing, they were still two formidable enemies.

Taking the initiative to attack these two opponents would undoubtedly result in heavy casualties.

Qin Tai has worked so hard to get to where he is today, he doesn't want to die on the eve of ZTE's resurgence.

So if it were an eastern expedition, that would be truly devastating news; I'm afraid half of them wouldn't make it back.

But the Western Regions are different.

It is said that the targets of the campaign are the Tibetans, the Guiyi Army, and various tribes in the northern frontier, and their military strength is very weak.

At this time, the sage led his troops westward, which was like slaughtering pigs and dogs.

He didn't know much about the Guiyi Army, but he had a very deep memory of Tibet.

In his early years, when he was a soldier in Fengxiang, he was sent to capture and rob people alive. The Tibetans were the easiest to bully and the most profitable.

Qin Tai still remembers the year he swept through Wuzhou. He led his troops to massacre a small Tibetan town, filling a whole caravan with wealth and women!
On the way back to the military headquarters, dozens of packhorses died from exhaustion.

Now that the Holy Emperor has decided to travel west by force, following the ways of a sage, he will inevitably carry out a purge of those prefectures and counties that dare to resist.

Slaughter the men and spare the women, or slaughter the young and spare the old, or slaughter only those with wealth exceeding a hundred thousand taels of silver, who are uneducated and unskilled...

Anyway, no matter how you wash it, as long as you wash the city, won't all the wealth belong to everyone?

Even if the samurai soldiers had to grab it first, there would definitely be enough to go around.

Thinking of this, Qin Tai's eyes flashed with a cold light.

He had made up his mind that this trip to the West would not only be about plundering wealth, but also about seizing a beautiful woman!
He is no longer the ordinary villain he once was, but a noble disciplinarian and a glorious citizen.

How can law-abiding citizens and officials not have their own women?
Unfortunately, they couldn't plunder the Central Plains. Even though they had abducted many Hu women during the campaign against Lingxia, they were all targeted by the unmarried soldiers of the warrior army. Although some were left, they were reserved for the common people who couldn't find women. It was too difficult for Qin Tai to get one.

So he lowered his standards and decided to get one from Tibet.

Hmm, she needs to be tall, have a red face, big breasts, and a big butt, otherwise she might get sick and die!

Rob them, rob them of their mother's blood!

He firmly believed that the imperial court would not mistreat those loyal officials who had given everything for the Tang Dynasty.

Perhaps before long, the imperial court will pardon him, grant him his freedom, and allocate him a dozen or so acres of land in some county.
Qin Tai's pupils gradually revealed a beastly, warrior-like appearance. His teeth moved from side to side, making a grinding sound, and his ears were also buzzing.

Just then, the civil officials announced that those who joined the army could keep 10% of the spoils of war, and those who captured heads would be paid as a reward of one-tenth of the original amount.

This single act caused a huge uproar. In an instant, all the villains in the prison raised their arms and roared, "Long live the Holy Tang Dynasty! Long live the Imperial Court!"

"Waaah..." Qin Tai felt his eyes getting hot and his heart warm.

The imperial court is so good to us! With such a country, it would be worth dying in the Western Regions!

"The glorious Tang Dynasty, with its virtuous conduct and military prowess, will prosper for ten thousand generations!" Qin Tai imitated the actions of the civil officials on the stage, extending his right hand diagonally upwards and repeating with the officials in a hoarse voice, "Virtuous conduct and military prowess, will prosper for ten thousand generations!"

A hot breeze blew through his short hair bun, and Qin Tai squinted as he looked around.

In the southern suburbs prison, the remaining villains gathered and swore an oath. They were escorted by officials from the Ministry of Personnel and censors to receive their missions and set off with the Yuan Emperor's army.

The westward expedition has begun!
This time, however, they are fighting for freedom and for their destiny!

...............

Amidst the splashing sound of water…

A gash was torn open in the calm water of the Qingliang Hall.

With a flick of its head, it emerged from the water. Its wet hair clung to its chest and collarbone, cascading down its shoulders and back.

Water droplets trickled down her jade-like face.

The diva tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and her body floated gently on the water's surface, which was covered with colorful petals, as if she was still savoring the deep silence beneath the water.

After a slight pause, her face was fully exposed to the water, her eyelashes fluttering, with tiny droplets of water clinging to their tips.

She took a slight breath, and without hesitation, continued to straighten her body, her graceful waist rising like a lotus emerging from the water.

As the water lost its support, it slid down her chin, stomach, and legs, finally revealing her entire body. Every inch of her skin shimmered with a crystalline luster, and water droplets dripped from her hair, fingertips, and ankles.

Standing proudly in the middle of the water, it exudes an inviolable nobility. "Wonderful, wonderful!" The sage clapped his hands slowly: "Among the flowers of Han and non-Han peoples, noble and lowly, there are many that are lovely, but I alone love you. You may admire them from afar, or you may desecrate them."

A fragrant breeze wafted through the air. The Empress spun around, her arms moving from left to right, her red robes draping over the picturesque landscape. She stood there, her left hand across her chest, looking down at the recumbent emperor reclining in his chair.

Pure, yet alluring.

"What a fairy!" The sage looked at her closely: "With you by my side on the journey to the west, I am better than any painting of the Dunhuang caves."

Because of Li Zhiyuan's birth, they had been waiting for a long time. They had wanted to talk to each other these days, but several days had passed and they hadn't even touched the hem of the goddess's clothes.

It was all ruined by those scoundrels, Nangong and Rounu! They kept a close eye on him, preventing him from meeting. Today, I finally managed to pull the Empress to the Qingliang Palace for a secret rendezvous while they were all busy.

"That kid, he's thinking about that all the time, it's really..." The Empress thought to herself, but didn't say the last two words aloud.

After so long, the Empress Dowager had grown wary of him. The more she looked at him, the more terrified she became, and the mere sight of him caused her pain. If it weren't for the strict watchful eyes of Nangong Chongyan and the others, she suspected that he would be summoned less than half an hour after she woke up each day, and would stay there until the water clock ran out, the candlelight turned to ashes, or she fainted.

On one occasion, he was even taken to Penglai Palace, where He Yuqing and Zhao Ruxin drank tea outside the door.

I have truly fallen into depravity and am truly heading to hell.

The Empress felt numb and guilty. This was the desolation, loneliness, and bewilderment bestowed upon her by the Holy Emperor. Yet, whenever her mind longed to escape, to die, and to pursue a new destiny, she would cling tightly to those beautiful memories, refusing to let go.

"Get ready, we're leaving soon." The sage stood up and tidied her hair. "This time, I'll show you some new scenery."

The diva felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Along the way, who knows what kind of trouble this guy will cause me, or what tricks he'll pull.

She really doesn't want to have any more children!
"Will I follow you wherever you go?" The Empress let him lean on her shoulder.

"The harem and the court are settled in Jincheng Palace, and I will stay there for a few days as well. We'll see how things go after that," the Emperor said. "I'm not comfortable leaving you in Jincheng Palace either, as there are quite a few women who want to harm you."

After saying this, he put on his clothes and left the Qingliang Palace through the back door with the Empress.

There was a lot of noise outside the palace; the palace servants were busy moving.

Hearing that they were going to Jincheng, everyone was excited and full of novelty, chatting happily in small groups.

……

The seat of Jingzhao Prefecture.

The jarring sound of gongs rang out, and large groups of minor officials drove out of the official residence and onto the street.

"When the emperor goes on his western expedition, his carriage will stop at Jincheng. Those who are not at ease should quickly take their belongings and set off with the emperor."

"There are no soldiers left to garrison Chang'an?"

"Why not? Marquis Changshan and his men brought 60,000 to 70,000 troops."

"Is Magistrate Sun of the Capital going or not?"

“We’re not leaving! Lord Sun, Chang’an Wannian, and we are all in the capital.”

"We'll see when the time comes. If someone attacks and you run away, we'll follow them." The people waved and disappeared into the streets.

.........

On the banks of the Ba River, farmers carried their hoes and returned home.

The yellow dog kept circling around him, while his wife nagged in his ear, "Where are you going to hit this time?"

"I understand." He went inside, carefully packed his winter clothes, straw sandals, water bottle, and dry rations, hung them on his person, gave some instructions to his family, and then left through the gate.
Chickens and dogs scattered in the village. A few men who looked like minor officials sat or stood lazily under the locust tree at the village entrance, occasionally shouting at the villagers who were rushing to their destination: "What's there to be reluctant about! We eat the government's grain, but when it comes to hard work, don't we still abandon our wives and work the same road with you peasants? This time it's hot millet porridge and salted vegetables! You gentlemen are kind-hearted, so the food is plentiful! No need for dry rations. If you sell enough labor, you might even bring back a reward for your families."

These petty officials in charge of household registration transfers don't really take people seriously. They can usually squeeze out a few more slots, as long as they have enough people, why bother with anything else? Monks, Taoist priests, prison criminals, servants of wealthy families, street ruffians, what can't they arrest? Cuff them and let them go! It's just a matter of fulfilling the duties of the county constable. Even if Lord Li doesn't pay us extra, we can just get by and be lenient with ourselves.

"Let's go, let's go!" Several experienced laborers waved and led a large group of men over.

The wives, children, and elderly, packed tightly together, simply stood at the back of the roadside, waving and giving instructions.

……

The sun is shining brightly.

On the silent Vermilion Bird Heavenly Street, armored soldiers flowed like a river. Brightly colored infantry and cavalry, in orderly formation, advanced silently.

Messengers carrying identification flags rode past on both sides.

The majestic ancient imperial city stands amidst the clouds and mist, like an old man with a white beard, overlooking the backs of the soldiers on the heavenly street.

Half-furled red flags fluttered in the wind, the sounds of armor, horses, footsteps, and clashing swords mingling and echoing across the martial law-bound streets.

Leopard Army, Ink Departure Army, Fire Sharp Army, Dragon Swift Army, Tiger Swift Army...

A moored army, braving the late summer heat, gathered and moved about, collecting their rewards, leaving the city, and heading west.

……

The deep, ethereal tolling of the bell sounded like a mysterious incantation, and amidst the unsettling clanging of the wheels, the Danfeng Gate swung open heavily.

The sound of orderly footsteps came from the passageway.

The high-ranking officials came into view of the guards. First, ten rows of them were in green, then seven rows in red, and then many more in purple...

The officials in the square stared intently, searching for their superiors in the crowd.

"May your virtues in literature and military prowess endure for ten thousand generations!" The officials solemnly offered their prayer.

With each chorus of prayers, the square responded with deafening shouts.

"Where are Yanziku's henchmen?" Zheng Yanchang glanced at a corner.

"Here come your henchmen!" The turbans were ripped off, revealing the stubble on the foreheads of the heads (a sign of the ruthlessness of Tang Dynasty officials who shaved their heads), and a thunderous, masculine voice boomed in unison.

"On this western tour, I am stationed in Jincheng, while my henchmen are in Chang'an. Is this a profitable endeavor?"

The officials slapped their palms like knives: "If even half a coin is withheld, I'll pour my blood into the bricks of the treasury!"

Zheng Yanchang smiled slightly, flicked his whip, pointed at the Daming Palace, and gently raised his cup: "With such capable men under our command, what do we have to fear from all sides? My men, I entrust you with great responsibilities; do not disappoint me. If you fail in your duties, you will all know my methods!"

Thousands of lowly bureaucrats simply hissed, "Yes, sir!"

Zheng Yanchang swept his hand across the assembled officials, then, without looking back, declared: "Let's go!"

The King of Wu walked beside him, observing everything in silence.

…………

Outside the Silver Terrace Gate, the Emperor boarded his carriage and left the imperial city with his entire family.

Consort Zhao held her newborn daughter, Li Fengzhen, and showed her to him again and again.

Ding Li, Ma Yuanyuan, Ma Fangfang, and their girlfriend Sha Lingshu, whose bellies were slightly protruding, sat side by side.

Luo Fu quietly read the book.

Da Cui rode alongside his attendants on horseback—no, he strolled beside the carriage. Da Cui was indeed Da Cui; he rarely went out, and instead of riding in a carriage, he rode horses with Nangong, Rou Nu, and Zhang Lian.

In the car following behind, a small group of cousins ​​Zhang Hui, Zhang Hui, Zhang Yueyi, and Shi Yuan sat together, chatting intimately about the family history of the Zhang family of Fanyang.

The rumble of carriages and the neighing of horses filled the air as the imperial procession of the central government blotted out the sky.

The sage has once again set out on a campaign.

With over 100,000 troops, marching a thousand miles west, this was probably the largest unilateral military operation in the history of a sage's rule.

(End of this chapter)