Chapter 2: Return to Beijing

The emperor is Zhou Shengchen's elder brother, and the relationship is fairly close. But at this time, Zhou Shengchen was no longer influenced by the emperor's intentions.

For example, the loyal Xie Chong not only had an almost father-son relationship with Zhou Shengchen, but also received the emperor's secret order to monitor him.

Fortunately, Zhou Shengchen did not have any objections, and Xie Chong became more loyal to him.

Unable to sleep, he sat up and then stood up. In addition to Xie Chong, there were about ten guards in the tent, and his disciples Hong Xiaoyu, Zhou Tianxing and others were sleeping nearby to accompany the guards.

Who is the most loyal person? Only these disciples and the soldiers inside and outside the big tent are.

He stopped several guards from approaching to greet them, and personally put the cloaks on Hong Xiaoyu and others, and then gently covered Xie Chong's body with the fur robe he was wearing.

His movements were slight, but Hong Xiaoyu and Zhou Tianxing were already awakened. Seeing his actions, Zhou Tianxing was about to speak, but was blocked by Hong Xiaoyu's signal.

Xie Chongzheng, who was sleeping coldly, felt warm at this moment. He couldn't help but subconsciously move his body and woke up.

He felt the fur robe on his body, and after being slightly startled, he saw a brocade robe next to him.

Looking up, Xie Chong saw Zhou Shengchen with a caring look in his eyes, and his eyes immediately turned red.

Seeing him about to get up, Zhou Shengchen quickly squatted down and said softly: "The military advisor is also working hard, so it doesn't hurt to sleep a little longer."

Holding her arm tightly, Xie Chong said in an extremely low voice with choked sobs: "Your Highness, I have something important to report to you."

"It doesn't matter if we wait until dawn. The military advisor can rest for a while." Zhou Shengchen advised.

Xie Chong no longer hesitated, and immediately took out a scroll of imperial edict from his sleeve, tremblingly, and whispered: "Your Highness, please read it."

Zhou Shengchen took it with a smile and said, "The imperial court must have known about our great victory and sent a special edict to reward the three armies."

As the scroll opened, he read the words on it, and the expression on his face changed from joy to solemnity.

When Xie Chong saw this, he knew that he had a deep brotherhood with the emperor, and he was very sad.

Hong Xiaoyu and others couldn't help but stand up when they saw Zhou Shengchen stunned.

Seeing that they were about to get closer, Xie Chong, who wanted to give Zhou Shengchen some alone time to express his feelings, stopped them with a look, and then whispered: "Let His Highness be alone for a while."

After that, he persuaded Hong Xiaoyu and others to walk out of the tent together.

Sitting on the fur cushion, Zhou Shengchen was secretly lost in thought: the current emperor passed away and a new emperor was about to succeed. Beichen is not a peaceful country to begin with, and chaos will soon break out, and chaos will follow one after another.

It is indeed not easy for Zhou Shengchen to get what he wants. He has 700,000 troops and horses in his hands, but there are also many vassal kings and even noble relatives and important generals who hold heavy troops.

If we blindly launch a large-scale conquest, even if we suddenly take action to control the court officials and the new emperor, our own power will still be insufficient.

In particular, the lack of support from noble nobles such as the Tao family, who was both an official and a prominent family, led to great chaos in Beichen. In turn, foreign enemies such as Rouran in the north and Nanxiao in the south invaded separately or together.

The situation is difficult to control, and the country may even be destroyed as a result. Not to mention, it also destroys the original intention of Zhou Shengchen, who had always hoped to save the people from disaster.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Shengchen slowly stood up.

The guards in the tent were like bronze sculptures, their faces and bodies flushed red by the light of the bonfire.

With these loyal and brave soldiers around, Zhou Shengchen has full confidence.

Now that the curtain has been drawn, he needs to show the plot he wants in this world.

The person was ordered to fetch a piece of white silk. Zhou Shengchen took it silently and took out the knife worn on his waist. He cut a strip and tied it slowly on his forehead.

The guards in the tent first looked at each other in surprise, and then they all fell to the ground involuntarily.

Stepping out of the tent, Zhou Shengchen looked at the still busy military camp and stood silently.

Hong Xiaoyu and others noticed that something was wrong with his expression, and when they saw the white silk wrapped around his forehead, they were stunned at first, and then they all came closer to ask.

"My imperial brother has gone. The emperor has passed away." After saying that, he cried and worshiped on the ground in the direction of Zhongzhou.

Everyone knew that he and the emperor had a deep brotherly relationship, and the emperor's death was a national mourning, so they all mourned and worshiped.

Soon the military camp was wrapped in silver, with white flags and flags fluttering in the cold wind. The soldiers put on their suits one after another to pay their respects to the late emperor.

After sitting quietly in the tent alone for a long time, Zhou Shengchen ordered his guards to invite Xie Chong.

"Your Highness, I express my condolences." Xie Chong said with a salute, "Your Highness, please write an ultimatum of prayer and reaffirm in it that you will abide by the previous oath, so that everyone in the imperial court can feel at ease."

After a long silence, Zhou Shengchen replied: "It was the emperor who raised me and allowed me to lead troops to protect the country. When he leaves, I must return to Zhongzhou to pay tribute in person."

Xie Chong was immediately startled and looked extremely anxious. He quickly spoke to persuade: "But Your Highness, you made an oath at the beginning - never to step into Zhongzhou or enter the palace city. Now that the previous emperor has passed away and the new emperor has just ascended the throne, you lead the troops, not to let those with ulterior motives Man, go and frame you for rebellion!"

Zhou Shengchen secretly thought: It is natural to pay homage to the emperor's brother in person; if he does not return to Zhongzhou or enter the palace, how can he get close to and marry Shiyi?

"The king has his own sense of proportion." Zhou Shengchen said, taking off the token from his waist, "The thousands of retainers in the palace and hundreds of thousands of soldiers outside the main tent are all entrusted to the military advisor."

Xie Chong quickly refused: "No, Your Highness!"

Zhou Shengchen put the token in his hand, turned around and walked out of the tent.

Hong Xiaoyu and others had received the news that he was going back to Zhongzhou in person, and they were all waiting outside the tent. Seeing him appear, she took the lead and came forward to salute and said: "The Divine Barracks is ready to go!"

The Shenbing Camp is Zhou Shengchen's close bodyguard team. Hong Xiaoyu wants to use this elite guard to ensure his absolute safety and to intimidate the wretched people in the court.

However, Zhou Shengchen rejected this arrangement from the eldest disciple, waved his hand and said, "The Shenbing Camp will stay in the main camp, and we will only take three thousand cavalry back to Zhongzhou."

Hong Xiaoyu heard this anxiously and immediately hinted: "We are going to Zhongzhou, not back to Xizhou under the jurisdiction of His Highness!"

After saying that, she and the other disciples were so anxious that they immediately fell to the ground, saluted and said, "Master, please think again!"

When Zhou Shengchen saw this, he felt quite emotional: Leaving aside the other soldiers and generals, these ten disciples are all people with outstanding martial arts skills and loyalty. It's a pity that in the original drama, most of them died in vain.

The crowd at the scene was in a happy mood, but Xie Chong did not come out of the tent. It was obvious that while he was thinking about this matter, he was also paying close attention to the development of the situation.

"I went back to pay homage to the emperor, not to fight for the world." Zhou Shengchen said calmly, "Three thousand cavalry are enough."

Hong Xiaoyu and others continued to insist, but saw the curtain of the big tent opened, and Xie Chong stepped out.

Standing next to Zhou Shengchen, he said loudly: "Your Highness is right, three thousand cavalry is enough."

Seeing this kind and wise old man coming out, Hong Xiaoyu and others stood up hesitantly.

Xie Chong glanced at the generals with stern eyes, then turned to face Zhou Shengchen, and said emotionally: "Your Highness, I will go with you. When I followed Your Highness, I had already made an oath - when Your Highness is born, I am alive; if Your Highness is..., I will never live."

After saying that, with tears welling up in his eyes, he put the token into Zhou Shengchen's palm.

Holding the token tightly, Zhou Shengchen nodded to him silently, and then ordered: "The soldiers left behind divided their forces to guard the important towns south of the Great Wall without any mistakes! The military advisor, Hong Xiaoyu and others will set off for Zhongzhou with me. !”

The soldiers will shout loudly, and the sound will shake the field.

Heading south from Tongwan Town in Shuofang County, Zhou Shengchen led three thousand cavalry all the way. Entering the Guanzhong Plain from the mountains and hills, he looked at the passing caravans of horses and camels, and ordered his soldiers to slow down.

"Don't disturb the caravan too much. We can speed up the journey at night." He ordered.

Hong Xiaoyu and others passed the order along the team, and Military Advisor Xie Chong praised: "Your Highness is full of benevolence and righteousness, but it is a pity."

"It is my king's wish to make all the people happy. If what you get in exchange for fighting is arrogance and harassment, what's the point?" Zhou Shengchen interrupted what he wanted to say, "It's a pity that I can't govern the world myself."

Since they could not travel as much as they wanted on the post roads during the day, Zhou Shengchen and others rested more during the day, and then rode fast at night, so as not to delay the daily journey of more than a hundred miles.

You can go faster, but people can persevere, but horses can't. The inns along the road cannot provide such a large number of horses to replace them.

Even so, in less than ten days, Zhou Shengchen and his party had passed through Chang'an, passed Tongguan, and arrived near Zhongzhou.

This cavalry team, all dressed in white, rushed towards them like snowflakes rolling on the ground. The soldiers near the capital were still horrified even though they had been informed by scouts.

A gatekeeper general boldly approached and asked, and learned that King Xiao Nanchen personally led a team to mourn the late emperor. He was immediately shocked by the momentum of him and the strict cavalry he led.

The guard first bowed with the soldiers who followed him, and then asked Zhou Shengchen: "King Xiao Nanchen is here, do you want to enter the city?"

After looking at the city, Zhou Shengchen saw white mourning flags flying on the city towers and city walls, and asked himself, "When will the late emperor come out?"

"The day after tomorrow." The guard replied quickly.

"We will be stationed outside the city and will return to Xizhou immediately after seeing off the late Emperor the day after tomorrow."

The guard did not dare to ask any more questions and hurriedly ordered someone to report the matter to the palace.

At this time, the situation in Beichen Palace was still not stable. After the death of the late emperor, the Empress Dowager Gao and her family were extremely powerful, but because she had no heirs, the concubine Qi really gained power.

Liu Yuan, the general with royal status, and Qinggui Guangguang who were specially invited back. In addition, the prime minister Liu Wei and others, as well as the palace eunuch Zhao Teng and others, all supported Qi Zhenzhen's son Liu Hui to inherit the throne.

At this time, these people had not yet understood the Queen Mother Gao and her power, and were even more worried that the vassal kings and officials inside and outside the court would not accept Liu Hui's succession as the new emperor.

Just when they were still worried, they received news that King Xiao Nanchen suddenly came with his troops.

Standing in the court hall, Qi Zhenzhen looked at his six-year-old son Liu Hui, and then said to these important ministers: "King Xiao Nanchen is stationed outside the city, what should we do?"

Prime Minister Liu Wei said nonchalantly: "He made an oath to the late emperor - never to set foot in Zhongzhou City. Since he has kept his promise and is stationed outside the city, let him deliver the soul of the late emperor and then return to Xizhou."

Although Qi Zhenzhen knew that this was a simple method, he still seemed hesitant.

Everyone was at their wits' end, but Yang Guang suddenly said: "King Xiao Nanchen has a heavy army, and he always obeys the court's orders. This time he rushed back to pay tribute, so he should be allowed to enter the city! No, he should be forced to enter the city!"

After he said this, everyone was shocked.

Guang Guang then explained indifferently: "After all, he has a good reputation, and we can use his mouth to support the new emperor. In this way, other vassal princes who were suspicious of the death of the previous emperor will be relieved because he personally supported the new emperor. We There’s also more support.”

What he said was so sophisticated that everyone thought it was true.

General Liu Yuan asked in agreement: "He should be allowed to enter the city."

Prime Minister Liu Wei had another doubt: "What if he doesn't enter the city?"

"But if he doesn't enter the city and enter the palace, we will get evidence that he wants to rebel. When the new emperor grows up in the future, we will find opportunities to attack him." Yang Guang said slowly, "In short, no matter if he enters the city or Palace or not, it is a good thing for His Majesty."

The people in the palace discussed secretly. In the large tent where the royal army was stationed outside the city, Xie Chong was also worriedly persuading Zhou Shengchen: "Your Highness, after mourning the late emperor, we can neither interact with the officials of the court, let alone stay here. Stay longer and be sure to return to Xizhou quickly."

Looking at the charcoal fire in the brazier nearby, Zhou Shengchen said silently: "This is what we have in mind, but it may not be possible."

Xie Chong was stunned for a moment, but Hong Xiaoyu and others next to him were already worried.

"Just say that we should bring the Divine Arms Camp with us!" She said directly.

Xie Chong was about to scold him for such a suspicious statement, but seeing that Zhou Shengchen was still calm, he had to endure it and said again: "Excuse me, what do you mean by your highness's words?"

"Please think about it," Zhou Shengchen said in an analysis. "This king has a lot of troops, and the new emperor's accession to the throne is not yet stable, and the vassal kings from all over the country may have many doubts. The concubine, the new emperor, and the military attachés of the court want to quickly stabilize the situation. , it is inevitable that they will take advantage of my king’s power.”

Xie Chong and others nodded repeatedly after hearing this, but they didn't know what more difficult questions they had.

After a moment of silence, Xie Chong suddenly said, "Your Highness, do you mean that they will ask you to express your attitude under special circumstances?"

He spoke cryptically, but Hong Xiaoyu and others were impatient.

"They will ask His Highness to go before the late Emperor's soul and swear another oath? But in this case," Hong Xiaoyu said eagerly, "Wouldn't it mean that Your Highness broke the original oath, leaving them with a clue?"

After she finished speaking, Zhou Tianxing and others were anxious, and even Xie Chong expressed firm opposition.

After looking at them, Zhou Shengchen said with a smile: "If this is really the case, if I don't enter the city or the palace, I will be disobeying the holy order and will be suspected; but if I go in like this, I will also violate the original oath."

Everyone murmured that it was true, and Zhou Shengchen continued: "Whether it is good or bad, no one can decide."

Hong Xiaoyu and others were still in a daze. After Xie Chong thought for a while, he couldn't help but pat his thigh and said, "Let Xie make the divination!"

As a military advisor, Xie Chong is naturally proficient in various special skills. When everyone saw what he said, they quickly waited respectfully and looked at him without daring to show their anger.