Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 380

Chapter 380 Companion With The Saber

In the evening, Qin Mubai hosted a banquet at the Governor-General’s Mansion to welcome the father and daughter of the Jiang Xia King. Lanzhou will assist officials to attend together, very lively.

The border area was not as luxurious and extravagant as the capital. In the spacious hall, the army banquet was arranged one by one. The wine urn and barbecue had to be lifted. The Qin King’s Formation Breaking Music was played as a generous military dance. The silver saber swayed to cut the barbecue meat, and the cup was dripping with wine.

The rugged and heroic aura of the frontier army was vivid.

Qin Mubai and Li Daozong were accustomed to such a scene and loved such an atmosphere. Princess Wencheng and Wu Meiniang, who had participated in such a gathering for the first time, were deeply affected and shocked. Being in the middle of such a group of brave men, even a slender woman would be tainted with a wisp of Dry Cloud Heroic Qi.

As a result, Wu Meiniang was drunk, and Princess Wen Cheng was also half drunk.

Wu Meiniang was the owner of a restaurant, and her alcohol tolerance was always excellent. It was rare for her to get drunk. At this moment, her steps were hobbling and her eyes were blurry. Her face was red as if she could pinch out water. Her smiles and frowns were extremely elegant, as if she was tempted by magic.

In this world, there was no man who wasn’t attracted to such a woman.

Li Daozong stared at Wu Meiniang and shook his head, “Mubai, you’re so lucky. Such a peerless beauty in the world … Tsk tsk!”

“Her charm goes far beyond her appearance.” Qin Mubai smiled and said unmodestly in front of the Li Dao Sect, “Her wisdom, talent, knowledge, and spiritual energy far surpass the outside world.”

“Such a woman is rare in a hundred years.” Li Daozong narrowed his eyes and said, “With her beauty, she doesn’t have her talent. With her ability, she doesn’t have the same insight and opinion as a man. More importantly, she has the unique spirit elegance. If this woman is born a man, Mubai will definitely not lose to you and me.”

“That’s.” Qin Mubai smiled and thought to himself, If it weren’t for this bastard like me crossing over to disturb the situation, Wu Meiniang would still be your emperor!

“When will you get married?” Dao Sect Li suddenly asked.

“It’s still early.” Qin Mubai replied casually.

Li Daozong smiled and said, “Then you have to watch closely. There is no man who doesn’t want a woman like her. It seems that you snatched her from His Majesty the Emperor back then, right? You are a bit capable, Mubai!”

Qin Mubai grinned awkwardly and teased, “Does Your Highness also want to interfere?”

“If Your Majesty hadn’t given you an engagement, I would have really wanted to!” Li Daozong laughed unscrupulously, “If there is a man who doesn’t want such a woman, she is either a eunuch or a hypocrite. However, since she is already your woman, then it’s fine. If you want to think about it, this king can’t do such a discordant thing.”

“Haha, Your Highness is so temperamental. This is also where I like to meet you the most.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Come, Your Highness, please drink a toast!”

“Please!-Come to my place after the feast. I have something to ask you in private.”

“You should obey your orders.”

At night, the banquet in the Governor’s Mansion dispersed, and Qin Mubai sent the Li Dao Sect father and daughter back to Xingyuan as promised. Wu Meiniang, who was drunk, was served by her confidants and maids. She went back to the Governor’s Mansion first and then went to the mansion to recover from the drunkenness.

Qin Mubai knew what Dao Sect Li wanted to ask.

Sure enough, not long after he sat down, Li Daozong said, “Mubai, when you were outside Lanzhou City, you told me that the position of Commander-in-Chief of Lanzhou was personally conferred upon you by Eldest Sun Wuji. What does he mean? This king is puzzled.”

“Your Highness, if you understand the situation in Lanzhou and the Western Regions of Helong, you will naturally understand.” Qin Mubai said, “The Imperial Court issued a decree to promote my father to the position of the general manager of the Kansai Dao army and the Protector-General of Anxi. He directly handed over half of the military and political power to him. On the surface, my father is a feudal official who is above ten thousand people, but in reality, he is not.”

“That’s right.” Li Daozong said with a serious expression, “Since His Majesty ascended the throne more than ten years ago, it has been difficult to sweep across Mobei and conquer the Turks.” However, in the Helong and Western Regions, our Great Tang’s influence is still very weak. Not to mention far away, as early as a few years ago, Lanzhou was also in a precarious situation, and could change hands with others at any time. With great difficulty, Lanzhou is managed by your father and son, and the Great Tang has a foothold in Helong. Immediately, you made a great contribution to recovering the Great Fei Chuan Raiding Volume, and Great Tang’s strength on the Western Front increased abruptly. However, this was only limited to Tuyuhun and Lanzhou, even Yumen Pass and Yangguan Pass were still in the hands of Tibetans. This time, Your Excellency has won eighteen consecutive victories in a thousand li assault on the enemy, and it was not easy to subdue Gao Changguo … At this time, our Great Tang will only be considered as having the first inch of strength and territory in the Western Regions, moreover, it is quite unstable. The general manager of the Kansai Dao army and the Anxi Protector-General were powerful enough, but the power they held was small enough. Moreover, they were under tremendous danger and pressure. “To put it bluntly, Changsun Wuji sent your father and son flying out like a kite and threw them into the Western Region of Helong. You will die on your own.”

“Your Highness is wise, he is right to the point.” Qin Mubai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “There are a total of one hundred thousand soldiers in the Lanzhou Governor’s Mansion,” he said. “It sounds like a lot, but our defense line is quite long.” From Tuyu Hun, Dafeichuan to Lanzhou, and then to Qishan Mountain, to the Jade and Yang Pass, north to Ganliang Continent, west to Loulan Gaochang … Thousands of kilometers of Jiang Ye, a hundred thousand troops, in fact, is a drop in the bucket. Moreover, my father in Gaochang, only more than ten thousand military forces alone, like eggs. Don’t say anything about establishing the Anxi Protectorate. I’m worried that if the four surnames Gao Chang were to play any tricks at the instigation of the Western Turks and Tibetans, how could my father defend against the invading enemies from all directions? Thousands of miles into the enemy’s lonely army, victory is easy, difficult to defend. Although Lanzhou was now as stable as a rock and had high morale, this thousand-mile defense line was like a mighty buffalo, but the Tibetan Turks were like iron nails. Even though the buffalo was strong, the iron nails could easily pierce through the hide of the buffalo, and could even be fatal in a single blow. “So … I actually feel like I’m treading on thin ice. The pressure is very great.”

Li Daozong narrowed his eyes and looked at Qin Mubai with rapt attention. He slowly nodded his head and said, “It seems that His Majesty the Emperor’s eyes are always sharp.” Your Majesty had long thought of what you said in the palace and said that he had heard of it with me. Otherwise, even if I always follow his lead, I will not compromise with the main faction and agree to send my daughter to Tibet. Lanzhou was already surrounded by enemies with weak foundations. After your father went deep into Gao Chang, he became even more dangerous. At this time, we can no longer engage in war with Tibet, we must make peace with them and relieve the pressure around Dafeichuan and Tuyuhun. After that, Lanzhou could focus on Loulan and Gaochang until they reached the Western Regions. At this moment, we only have the enemies of the Western Turks and the small kingdoms of the Western Regions left, without the strong enemies of Tibet. Moreover, if the Tibetans agree to negotiate and accept the marriage, it would be my son-in-law of the Tang Dynasty. It would be reasonable to ask them to lend me a helping hand. To have an ally for the sake of eliminating a formidable enemy in the Great Tang Country, my daughter of the Li Dao Sect is worth it! ”

“Your Highness has a magnanimity that I am far from being able to match.” Qin Mubai cupped his fists and sighed emotionally, “Your Highness was once the most resolute warlord, but he would rather gouge out the flesh in his heart than consider the overall situation … With a loyal official like you in the Great Tang, there is no need to worry about subduing the four seas!”

“Too much praise.” Li Daozong smiled and said, “This king has been following His Majesty since he was young. This life has long been at stake.” To be able to live to this day and have children on your throne is already a great satisfaction. Yan’er, she is not only this king’s daughter, but also the daughter of the Great Tang. This king is willing to die, why would Yan’er want to marry him? Hehe! It’s getting too far. I feel that the most urgent matter is to send envoys to Tibet as soon as possible to tell Qizong Nongzan about the peace agreement. Regardless of whether he agreed or not, he could always win a chance to catch his breath for Lanzhou. I see that you have placed the recent military and political focus on the change of defense in Liangzhou, and you know that you are very worried about your father’s safety in Gaochang. Your strategy is correct. “Loulan and Gao Chang have just decided that their foundations are in danger. The main force of Lanzhou should join them as soon as possible to lay the foundation for the Great Tang in the Western Regions.”

“Yes!” Qin Mubai said, “It has been almost a month since I arrived in Lanzhou. I first stabilized the situation in Lanzhou City, and then inspected the defense. I was afraid that there would be chaos in the mainland of Lanzhou or the fall of Yuyang and Loulan. In that case, my father would really be a kite with a broken string in Gaochang.” The change of guard from Liangzhou to Yuyang is almost over, so I can breathe a sigh of relief. Now, it was time to train the military forces and prepare to head west to meet my father. However, the money that the Imperial Court has allocated to me this time is really stingy and stingy. If Mother Mei hadn’t secretly delivered 300,000 stones of grain, I wonder what the situation would have been like. ”

“Mubai, this king knows about this matter. Don’t blame His Majesty the Emperor.” Dao Sect Li stared at Qin Mubai meaningfully and said, “He has his own thoughts and difficulties. Do you understand?”

“I understand … Not only do I not blame His Majesty the Emperor, I do not even blame the eldest Sun Wuji who has allocated military supplies.” Qin Mubai sighed and said, “If I were them, I would not have risen to the brink of war with the fate of the Great Tang.” Actually, from the moment I left Chang’an, I knew very well that … I was like a kite that was sent out by the Great Tang. He didn’t know where he flew or when he landed. The reason for that was because the person who matched them only needed to be released, and he didn’t think about taking them back anymore. To put it bluntly, my father and I, as well as the hundreds of thousands of troops in Lanzhou, are all abandoned soldiers of the Imperial Court. If we win, it will be an additional surprise. “If we lose, the Imperial Court will at most lose one Lanzhou and one hundred thousand troops, and the State Dynasty will not suffer any injuries.”

“It’s cruel, but it’s true.” Li Daozong nodded and said, “Thinking of this proves that you are very wise and calm.” But don’t blame the heavens and blame others. Often, those who achieve great things will die and be reborn. If it weren’t for the Jedi counterattack and the tyranny of burning the boat, what great things could he accomplish? If it was a battle that was certain to be won, there was nothing worth praising after winning. “If you can use the power of Lanzhou and one prefecture to fight against the Western Region of Helong and defeat the Tubo Western Turks and the ten small countries of the Western Region, you will be a true hero who will rise to the heavens!”

“Haha!”

Qin Mubai smiled.

“I never wanted to be a hero. I just feel that there are some things a man should do in his life, regardless of whether he succeeds or fails,” he said with a playful smile as he gently played around with the cup of tea in his hand.

Li Daozong didn’t say much. He didn’t like to say anything heroic. He just nodded and smiled. He changed the topic and said, “I saw a familiar figure at the banquet today. He was sitting alone in an unremarkable corner drinking wine.”

“Your Highness is talking about Hou Junji?”

“Yes.” Li Daozong nodded and said, “I knew you would find him as soon as you came to Lanzhou. However, I also know that he definitely won’t let you do as you please. Do you have any plans or methods for him?”

“I’m not in a hurry.” Qin Mubai smiled, took off her saber from her waist and placed it on the table and chair.

Li Daozong glanced at it and said, “This is not the Returning Righteousness Saber I gave you. It is very beautiful and suits your status.”

“In a place like Lanzhou, not to mention generals, even martial artists and merchants usually follow their swords and blades.” Qin Mubai said, “Your Highness is right. This is an ordinary general’s saber. It has been following me for a while. It has barely been unsheathed, let alone blood. It is only used for decoration.”

“What do you want to say?” Dao Sect Li frowned and asked.

“Hou Junji is like a knife.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “He is simple and unadorned. He also looks a bit obscure and gloomy, just like the Returning Righteousness Saber that His Highness gave me.”

Li Daozong raised his eyebrows and said, “Have you used the Returning Righteousness Saber to fight and kill enemies?”

“Of course. Not only did I use it to direct the Xiangzhou Water War and the Great Africa War to recover, I also personally wiped the enemy’s neck.” Qin Mubai said, “The saber of murder is unsheathed without blood. When you unsheath it, you will see blood. Hou Junji, it’s like he’s shrunk into the scabbard. I won’t show it off or show it off when I’m idle. Only when I’m on the battlefield to kill someone will he unsheath it.”

Li Daozong’s pair of eagle eyes stared at the handle on the table and said slowly, “Killing knives can kill people and injure oneself.”

“But this is definitely not a reason for me to abandon my saber.” Qin Mubai smiled and said with a relaxed smile, “It’s just like the saber that His Highness gave me. Could it be that I abandoned it because it was too sharp and fierce? If that’s the case, why should I be with the saber?”