Chapter 1018 The World

"Your Highness, everything is ready."

In the morning, Liu Dahu stood outside the commander's tent and reported.

Shortly after,

The tent curtain was lifted,

Zheng Fan, dressed in a python robe, walked out from inside.

Taking a deep breath,

He looked up at the rather gloomy sky and couldn't help but say to the Blind Man and Sword Saint standing in front of him:

"The weather today is quite fitting. I'm afraid many literati in Shangjing will write poems about the heavens and the earth mourning together."

"Does Your Highness want to start with one?" the Blind Man chimed in.

"I don't have the interest, and I don't even know if I've actually written some of those poems."

As he said this, the Prince glanced meaningfully at the Blind Man.

It was the Blind Man and Ji Lao Liu who had secretly created the image of him being both a literary and martial talent.

However, Zheng Fan truly disliked "copying" poems; he had to do it before to set the scene, but that was it.

Now that he had climbed to this position through his own efforts, it seemed absurd to rely on "copying" poems to gain so-called pleasure and a sense of accomplishment.

Immediately, the Prince turned and mounted his Pixiu, and the Jin Yi Guards still cleared the way as they left the military camp.

Outside the camp, the army had already formed their ranks.

After confirming their surrender, the Qian people did not play any more tricks or schemes. The two major garrison camps outside Shangjing obediently completed their disarmament and were now under control.

In addition, the allied forces of Gou Moli and Chen Yang had also marched over from the other side of the Bian River and were probably preparing to cross the river.

After the Qian Kingdom's northern elite was transferred to Jiangnan and then crushed in one fell swoop, only the Three Borders area had some fight left in them in the entire northern defense line; the rest of the places seemed extremely empty.

Zheng Fan was not sure if Ji Chengjue had retracted the imperial decree for nationwide conscription, but it was undeniable that the Great Yan had transferred a large number of troops from Yan and Jin, making the border defenses particularly abundant.

At this time, there was no need to care about whether the troops were elite or not. With everyone's elites either eliminated or unavailable, the war had truly become a pure game of numbers.

Therefore, Gou Moli and Chen Yang could enter with confidence.

With their allied forces stationed there at the Bian River, no more waves could be stirred up in Shangjing.

He, the Regent,

Could "calmly" lead his troops into Shangjing and accept the Qian people's surrender.

"Your Highness."

Liang Cheng, riding a Pixiu, had been waiting for a long time.

"Thank you for your hard work."

A-Cheng had worked the hardest. After the battle of Jiangnan, Liang Cheng barely had a chance to rest before quickly cooperating with the Wu family's naval forces to head north along the Qian River.

"It's not hard work; it's quite enjoyable," Liang Cheng added. "Thank you, Your Highness, for giving your subordinate this opportunity."

Since he usually had a cold and stern image and rarely smiled, a little flattery went a long way.

The Prince smiled, reached out, and lightly slapped palms with Liang Cheng as they passed each other.

After that, Liang Cheng turned the Pixiu around, falling back half a step to walk alongside his master.

Ahead,

There was a large high platform,

Built by the Qian people.

Standing below the high platform, both in front and behind, were the Qian Emperor and the Prince of the Royal Court.

Looking at the high platform, the Prince couldn't help but joke:

"You say, these Qian people might just have this problem in their bones. They often like to exert themselves blindly in unnecessary places.

It's just a platform,

A simple gesture would have been enough.

Why build it so high?

If I didn't know better,

I'd think I was surrendering to the Qian people."

The Blind Man said, "Your Highness, your subordinate thinks that the Qian people might believe that if the altar is higher, the situation above will not be seen so clearly, so that their Emperor can save face as much as possible."

"Still incomprehensible. They've lost everything; why do they still care about face?"

"Your Highness is right. True experts don't like being bound by etiquette and face."

"Let's begin," the Prince urged.

"Understood."

Yan soldiers rode forward and completely surrounded the high platform.

Then, from the Qian people's side to the east, the sound of drums and music came, and then a group of dignitaries knelt on the ground and began to wail.

"Listen to them. They were fine just now, but as soon as the music started, they immediately started crying collectively. Even the professional mourners at funerals aren't as skilled as they are."

Amidst the music and wailing,

The Great Qian Emperor was stripped of his dragon robe by the eunuchs beside him, baring his upper body, and slowly walked onto the platform leading a sheep.

At the same time, the Prince also began to walk up, representing his father.

Both sides arrived on the platform almost simultaneously.

Zhao Mugou looked at Zheng Lin and didn't show any dissatisfaction or anger that the Regent himself hadn't come up. Instead, he knelt down decisively.

He knelt with his back straight because he had a piece of jade in his mouth that needed to be removed by someone else.

"Baa... Baa..."

The little white sheep next to him bleated.

Everyone's attention was focused on the platform at this moment.

The Qian Kingdom's officials were very angry that the Regent himself hadn't stepped onto the platform but had sent a child instead, and they clenched their fists one by one.

On the platform,

Zheng Lin took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve.

First, he wrapped his hand in the handkerchief,

Then, through the handkerchief, he took out the jade from the Qian Emperor's mouth.

After taking it out,

He still looked disgusted as he wrapped the jade up and subconsciously wanted to throw it away, but the dilemma of not being able to throw it away was expressed very clearly.

Zhao Mugou, still kneeling on the ground, looked at the young man's actions in front of him,

But he wasn't angry,

Instead, he chuckled

And said:

"You and your father are very similar."

Zheng Lin finally dealt with the jade. Hearing this, he snorted coldly:

"You're lucky. If you said this to me a few months earlier, you wouldn't have kept your head."

Zhao Mugou was a little puzzled, but unfortunately, the Prince was not interested in explaining it to him. Instead, he took two steps to the side,

And said:

"My father is waiting for you below."

The Emperor nodded upon hearing this and slowly stood up.

Zheng Lin flashed and changed positions, and the Emperor's knees were hit hard, causing him to kneel down again.

"Knee-walking."

Zhao Mugou sighed deeply, nodded heavily, and then slowly began to move his knees forward.

It was much easier to go down the steps, at least he could use his hands to support both sides.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!!"

"Your Majesty!!!"

To the east, those who were eligible to attend this surrender ceremony were the true people of status and position in Shangjing.

They were indignant that their Emperor was being humiliated by the Yan people in this way.

But they maintained excellent restraint.

Those who didn't want to come didn't come.

Those who wanted to die for their country either did so last night or were preparing firewood at home now.

Those who could come and attend here sympathized with the Emperor and felt humiliated, but in essence, they still had the intention of paving the way for the future by changing their allegiance.

In the handover of power, the most humiliated person was bound to be the emperor, and the officials...

To put it bluntly,

With such a large population in the vast Qian Kingdom, the Yan people would definitely have to rely on the Qian officials to govern it.

The Emperor knee-walked to the foot of the platform, his body trembling slightly.

To some extent, he was similar to Ji Lao Liu; he didn't have the talent for cultivation, nor did he put his mind to it, so he was already very tired.

Fortunately,

He finally arrived in front of the Prince's Pixiu.

But who knew that at this moment, the Pixiu began to move, slowly moving to the other side.

Zhao Mugou looked up at the figure on the Pixiu's back in surprise, but he had no choice but to continue moving his knees to follow.

The Prince was riding the Pixiu, taking him for a walk.

Walking not in a circle, but walking the Qian Emperor.

This was a humiliation, a complete humiliation, not talking about any Xia etiquette or caring about any grace.

Even,

Regardless of what kind of psychological trauma this would bring to the Qian people, whether it would make the Qian people hate the enemy together,

Zheng Fan,

Did not care at all.

He just didn't want to be lenient; he just didn't want to give you face.

Today was a big gloomy day,

Without sunshine, it wouldn't be hot, so it was just right to take a walk.

Didn't you still want face?

Didn't you still want to be dignified?

I just won't give it to you.

Not only will I not give it to you,

I will also crush it in front of you!

Finally,

The Emperor's knees had been worn out and were bleeding, his lips were chapped, and his body was swaying slightly, obviously unable to hold on any longer.

And the Prince,

Finally stopped the Pixiu under him.

"Your Majesty, how is it?"

"As... it should be."

Licking his chapped lips, Zhao Mugou still tried his best to maintain his demeanor and said:

"Your Highness, is this... avenging Lord Li?"

From the new information from the Yan people last night, coupled with his previous actions towards him, the attitude of this Great Yan Regent had changed too much at once.

And between these events was the death of Li Xundao.

"I can't say. I'm not familiar with Li Xundao, and even have a grudge against him.

But it's just that,

Hearing the news of his death,

My heart is really not happy."

"Your Highness, I knelt in the palace yesterday to persuade Lord Li and dissuade him...

But Lord Li was determined;

I didn't ask him to bear this infamy in history for me; I was... unwilling.

Of course, Your Highness may not believe it."

"There's no need to believe it." The Prince was not moved by this explanation, but said coldly, "I'm uncomfortable, so I have to find someone to vent my anger on."

"Yes, then, has Your Highness vented your anger? If not, please give me some water. I can still crawl behind Your Highness for a while."

"Zheng Fan, enough!!!"

A woman's delicate shout came.

Immediately afterward,

Zhao Mugou saw a graceful figure appear in front of him.

Suddenly,

The Qian Emperor, who had been able to "sweetly endure" all kinds of humiliation, showed surprise on his face at this moment.

Even if it was just a back view,

Even if it was just a few words,

He had already recognized who the beauty in front of him was!

It's you,

It's you,

Have you finally... finally returned to my side?

The Emperor looked around. What he saw was a large group of Yan soldiers, a dead end with no way to go to heaven or earth.

"It's a pity that even if you come now, you can't change anything...

But,

I am really gratified and happy, because I have finally seen you, I have finally waited for you, my... Empress."

The one who appeared here,

Was naturally the Sword Maid.

At first, she was recovering from her injuries at Nanmen Pass. Later, she followed Fan Li into Gou Moli's army camp. After the news from Jiangnan came, Gou Moli's troops bypassed Lanyang City and quickly went south, and the Sword Maid and Fan Li naturally followed along.

Although Dog Zi's army was still at the Bian River, the two of them had crossed the river first to join in the fun.

Outside Shangjing City,

The Qian Kingdom's capital,

The Great Qian Emperor,

It was easy for the Sword Maid to "think of people when seeing the scenery."

You must know that her first master, Yuan Zhenxing, died on the banks of the Bian River in this capital, in order to block the Yan people's horseshoes and preserve a bit of dignity for this Great Qian.

Therefore,

When she saw Zheng Fan making such a fool of the Emperor, the Sword Maid's emotions suddenly lost control and she rushed out.

She was the Sword Saint's disciple, and his eldest disciple.

She had a very good relationship with Sir Li. From Shengle to Xuehai to Fengxin City, many people had seen them walking in the moonlight as one.

But most importantly,

Although the Prince had never given her a title and she had never considered herself one,

To some extent,

She grew up in the Prince's Mansion and could be regarded as one of the Prince's adopted daughters.

Therefore, not only could she come, but no one stopped her when she rushed out.

Even at this moment, when she suddenly stood between her own Prince and the Qian Emperor, the surrounding soldiers did not instinctively step forward to attack.

But,

When the Prince's eyes fell on her,

The Sword Maid, who had been full of anger, slowly began to feel fear.

She didn't even know,

When did she start... start to fear the man in front of her.

She still remembered when she was very young, near here, on the banks of the Bian River, dragging her master's body while daring to speak impolitely to this Yan Kingdom garrison commander...

But gradually, some things changed.

She had always thought that she was most afraid of the Blind Man, but she had always avoided and denied that she was now most afraid of the man in front of her.

The Prince said, "What did you call me?"

"I... I... that... that..."

The Sword Maid's expression was a little difficult. She came out, she stopped him, she shouted it out, but now, she was at a loss.

This man was always very easy to talk to at home, very lazy, and very amiable, but the Sword Maid knew what the consequences would be if she angered him.

The Emperor kneeling behind her said:

"Girl, don't worry about me. Please step back first. I can do it myself..."

"If you mess around again, I'll order A-Li never to touch you again in his life."

"No!" the Sword Maid shouted.

"..." The Emperor.

At this time,

A figure like an iron tower walked out of the army formation and walked to the Sword Maid.

Without saying a word,

He reached out,

Bent down,

Carried the Sword Maid directly on his shoulder,

Then,

With his fan-like rough palm, he slapped the Sword Maid's butt,

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

He slapped her three times in a row.

Afterward,

Fan Li gave the Prince a simple and honest smile,

Turned around,

And carried the Sword Maid into the army formation.

Fan Li had always disliked talking too much when doing things.

"You're courting death! You're courting death!"

The Sword Maid slapped Fan Li's back in shame and anger.

Being spanked in public in front of millions of people was truly embarrassing.

Fan Li whispered:

"Stupid woman, you don't want to live anymore!"

Fan Li knew his master's temper clearly.

It might be okay if you made him angry;

But if you made him annoyed, then you were finished.

When the Sword Maid heard this, she was no longer angry.

Did he,

Call me his woman?

And on the other side,

The Qian Emperor kneeling there,

Was already looking dull.

It wasn't that he had such deep feelings for the woman in his dreams and paintings,

But this scene

Shattered the last bit of faith in his heart.

Lost... lost.

Completely lost.

Even without the Sword Maid's interruption, the Prince didn't intend to continue playing.

He waved his hand,

Liu Dahu stepped forward with a few guards, found a horse, hugged the Emperor with his upper body bare, placed him on the horse, and then used the reins to hold him in place on the saddle to prevent him from falling off.

Immediately,

The Yan army entered the city!

The Yan army, which entered the city first, quickly divided into several parts. Some controlled the city defenses, some controlled the streets, and some controlled the gates of the imperial city first.

The small number of Qian Kingdom garrison troops left in the city did not resist and obediently handed over their defenses.

However, in order to maintain public order, they also followed the Regent's earliest requirements, put down their weapons, and picked up the sticks prepared for them, similar to those used by yamen runners when court was in session.

When the Prince rode the Pixiu into the city,

This Shangjing City, the pinnacle of Xia civilization,

Was completely taken into their possession.

Although the Prince had entered Shangjing City once when he was a garrison commander, he had entered and exited in a hurry that time, and it was at night, so he couldn't examine the scenery of this great city in detail.

Even though Chen Yang had led his troops into this place in the past, it had also suffered from war, but the chaotic and charred traces of that time were really hard to find now. You had to admire the city's ability to recover itself.

As soon as he entered the Imperial Street, Zheng Fan saw a high-raised frame with a set of clothes and hats placed on it, as well as many elegiac couplets.

It was for Li Xundao.

Interestingly, this city had eaten Li Xundao alive yesterday.

But because of a word from the Yan Kingdom Prince outside the city, the cenotaph was erected overnight, and the elegiac couplets were basically written by high-ranking officials. Obviously, these people were more willing to invest in speculation, and they saw that this Yan Prince seemed to appreciate Lord Li very much.

But this scene was just a little funny in the Prince's eyes.

"Burn it."

"Understood!"

Liu Dahu immediately took people forward and burned the cenotaph along with the frame.

"Xundao, Xundao, martyred, martyred."

Looking at the flames rising on that side,

The Prince couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Thinking back to those years,

He descended the mountain in a white robe and entered the court as prime minister.

He stabilized the southwest, made up for the critical situation, and it was no exaggeration to say that he gave his all.

But who could have expected that,

How white that white robe was back then, how black it would be in future history books.

How enthusiastic the crowd that watched and caused a sensation when he descended the mountain and entered the capital back then... How ruthless they would be when they gnawed on his flesh and blood yesterday.

"He was a character," the Sword Saint said.

The Blind Man beside him shook his head and said:

"Such a character is destined to be written in history books as a Taoist from the back mountain who pretended to be a ghost and tricked the Emperor, making the Emperor believe in such ghost tricks as divine soldiers descending from the sky, scattering beans to form soldiers, and yin soldiers borrowing the way. In the end, when the Yan army killed to the capital, the whole city panicked, and Qian was destroyed.

Moreover, no one will help him clear his name in history books. Only if he, Li Xundao, is a completely despised object can the Qian Kingdom's emperors be shown to be so absurd.

Only then can Qian's destruction and Yan's succession of Qian seem so natural and logical."

Hearing this, the Sword Saint looked at Zheng Fan's back in front of him.

The Blind Man smiled and said: "It's a pity that our Prince only has some admiration for Li Xundao, but no real friendship.

If there were friendship, according to the Prince's temperament, he would definitely clear his name for him, regardless of what the Spring and Autumn brushwork said. Anyway, with a knife on their necks, few historians could really be unyielding.

But as for now, our Prince can only do this much."

"The martial world is still free," the Sword Saint said.

"Yes, the martial world is free. Killing, arson, and doing all kinds of evil can also be called a true hero. So I always feel that it is wrong for the people in the court to look down on the martial world. Even if you really do your best in the court, in the end, won't the shit pot be completely put on you?

Don't you see how bad Jingnan Prince's reputation is among the people of Yan."

The army cleared the way, escorting their Prince straight into the imperial city.

On the way,

The Prince saw with his own eyes that

Every household had a black flag hanging at the door.

The first batch of Yan troops to enter the city had taken the trouble to check many streets and markets while taking over the defenses. Those who did not hang black flags were directly broken into and killed without mercy.

Some people were really tough and would rather die than suffer the humiliation of hanging the flag.

Some people didn't get black cloth last night... They used other brown or gray cloth instead and were not approved, suffering this misfortune.

Last night, the black cloth in the cloth shops in Shangjing City was almost sold out, and because it was needed urgently, there was no time to dye it, so many unscrupulous cloth shop owners raised prices and made a lot of money.

It was from this day that a new idiom was born, called Shangjing cloth expensive.

However, these were all things of the future.

Because the Prince, who issued this order, was too lazy to pay attention to these details, the Yan soldiers who were killing people were too lazy to investigate these details, and the Shangjing people who were hanging black flags and not being invaded and broken into had no intention of feeling angry or wronged for those who were slaughtered.

When the Yan people's sabers once again appeared in this prosperous and ancient city, the people here instantly became extremely obedient.

After all,

Their adults were following behind them.

After all,

Their Emperor, with his upper body bare, was sitting on horseback, still serving as a foil to the Yan people's Regent.

Once,

When Zheng Fan took Xiong Liqing to the Yanjing Imperial Palace to meet the late Emperor, Xiong Liqing, under Zheng Fan's guidance, said that the Yan Kingdom's Imperial Palace was simply shabby compared to the Chu Kingdom's Imperial Palace.

These words

Made the late Emperor laugh out loud and be extremely happy.

Later,

The Chu Kingdom's imperial city was burned by the Jingnan Prince.

Now,

The most glorious and magnificent imperial palace of the former Four Kingdoms had also... surrendered to the Yan people's horseshoes.

This was not barbarism defeating civilization,

Because weakness

Was not a characteristic of civilization.

Inside the hall,

The Prince walked step by step up the dragon steps.

Behind him, on the right side of the hall, stood many Qian Kingdom ministers and nobles, and on the left side were military generals.

Amid the Qian people's dumbfounded gazes and the Yan army's deafening cheers,

The Prince walked to the dragon throne,

Reached out,

Patted the dust that could not possibly exist on the dragon throne,

Turned around,

And slowly but firmly... sat down.

However, those who were careful could find that the Prince did not sit in the center. At least, on his side, there was still some room.

At least, there was enough room to stuff in a Quande Lou Peking duck from Yanjing.

"Long live the Prince! Long live! Long, long live!"

"Long live the Prince! Long live! Long, long live!"

The Qian people on the side could only shout along.

The Prince raised his hand

Signaling silence below. Instantly, the entire hall was silent.

Qian Kingdom's Prime Minister Sun stepped forward and read the surrender edict.

After he finished reading,

The Yan people should have someone come forward to read the Yan people's edict.

But no one from the Yan people came out.

At this time,

The Prince sitting on the dragon throne, said:

"Eight hundred years ago, the Three Marquis opened the borders, and there was the current situation of Xia!

Xia,

Same writing and same species, originally one family.

My Great Yan,

My Yan people,

Have defended Xia against the barbarians for hundreds of years,

Worthy of Xia!

However,

The Helian family and the Wenren family, these two traitors, did not respect the Jin Dynasty and betrayed their masters as servants first.

Afterward, the two traitors started wars without declaring them, provoking border disputes without authorization, and invaded my territory and slaughtered my people. Therefore, my Great Yan raised a righteous army, pacified the two traitors, and welcomed the Jin Dynasty to Yanjing for honorable care to fulfill the friendship of the Three Marquis.

The Chu Kingdom colluded with the savages, which was treasonous, so I led my troops to attack them!

A hundred years ago, the Qian Kingdom's Emperor Taizong took advantage of my Great Yan's decisive battle with the barbarians in the desert, colluded with the barbarians, and ambushed us from behind, doing this act of betraying the righteousness of Xia.

Now there are also collateral relatives rebelling and killing the late Emperor to seize the throne. My Great Yan is raising a righteous army to quell the chaos for Qian and restore this bright world!

Great Xia is gone,

But my Great Yan is still here.

As long as this black dragon flag still stands on the land of Xia,

Then this Xia

Will be guarded by my Great Yan!

You didn't do it well,

Then my Great Yan will help you do it!

You did it wrong,

Then my Great Yan will help you change it!"

The Prince's voice echoed in this golden hall.

Finally,

The Prince leaned back on the armrest of the dragon throne,

And smiled:

"My Great Yan Emperor has announced to the world that

The countries of Xia,

The former emperors, are reduced to princes;

The former rulers, are reduced to marquis or counts.

And they must submit a memorial and personally go to Yanjing to obtain investiture and establishment.

From today,

Whoever dares to overstep,

Okay,

I welcome it.

Not only welcome it,

I will personally lead my Great Yan cavalry to your door,

To congratulate you!"