Chapter 2771 A Lot of Fun

The day of the celebration.

At the main entrance of the palace and on the Xuandemen city wall, bells and drums were already ringing.

A team of royal honor guards appeared first, and then extended to both sides, displaying golden spears, silver axes, flags, etc., followed by the Imperial Guards, wearing shining armor, standing with knives, guarding the surroundings.

Finally, Liu Xie appeared under a huge canopy and slowly climbed up the palace wall.

On the Xuandemen gate tower, a throne has been set up early.

When Liu Xie sat on the throne, Cao Cao led hundreds of officials, three ministers and nine ministers, all departments and departments stood up one after another, and all saluted Liu Xie. Liu Xie waved his sleeves, looking full of momentum, "Everyone loves me!" 』

After all the officials had paid their respects and the canopy representing the emperor was raised high on the Xuande city gate, the soldiers of the imperial army at the top and bottom of the city gate half-knelt with their weapons and shouted: "Long live your Majesty, long live, long live your Majesty." age! 』

This shouting voice has obviously been contacted many times. Not only is it uniform, but also the words are clear and the sound is loud and clear.

Liu Xie had a smile on his face and waved around. He thought that the people could see him. He was like the protagonist standing in the center of the stage, shining brightly.

But in fact, the places above the Royal Street and those closer to him had been cleaned up by the imperial army early. Except for the officials' families and the children of the noble clan, ordinary people could not even think of seeing Liu Xie up close. These common people could not get close at all and could only watch from a distance. They looked at the emperor on Xuande Gate who was as big as an ant and the canopy umbrella swaying like a dog's tail grass.

Liu Xie looked around, and the boredom on his face these days seemed to be completely gone. He smiled and said, "Is it time to start?" 』

It is said that they are left and right, but naturally the only one closest to Liu Xie is Cao Cao. When the prime minister of the dynasty is in charge of all officials, he is in charge of the chancellery, he assists the king at the top, and provides safety for the common people at the bottom.

Cao Cao nodded slightly and said, "The imperial army's mountain call represents His Majesty's personal presence. It is also a signal to inform the troops outside the south gate that the celebration of victory has begun and that they should start entering the city now." 』

Xianjie, of course, represented Cao Chun's great victory in Youbei. At this point, Cao Cao is also glorious, so naturally he will not say that he deliberately made any tricks at this link.

The sound of the mountains calling for long live spread far away outside the south gate.

As for why the barracks were in the north but they went around to the south gate to enter the city, the reason is actually very simple. Because the palace is in the north of Xu County, if you go directly to the north gate, it will not be there in two steps. How can you show the power of Cao's army?

The courtesy officer who had been waiting in front of Xiahou Shang and other Youbei troops hurriedly rushed to Xiahou Shang and shouted loudly: "General Xiahou!" His Majesty has already ascended the stairs! Get started quickly! 』

Xia Houshang had already put on a suit of extremely shining Mingguang armor, with a solemn look on his face, raised his arms and waved forward.

Flags fluttered and military drums sounded.

Carefully selected strong soldiers, dressed in military uniforms, holding high the newly-made banners, marched forward, with armors on their bodies, swords, guns and shields, although there was no horizontal or vertical line like the military parade of later generations. , but the team can be considered neat.

As soon as the military formation moved, the surrounding people who were watching the excitement naturally started cheering.

"Thank you for your victory, thank you for your victory!" 』

The people only knew about the victory because the government announced it in this way, but what did this victory represent or what kind of victory it was? Anyway, if others cheered, they would just cheer along with them.

Cheers rose up one after another, spreading from outside the south gate to inside.

The sound suddenly became louder and louder, like hooks, stretching the necks of the nobles who had reserved seats in the restaurants along the street one by one, and hanging them on the windows, like roast ducks Those poultry in the window display.

Ordinary people who could only stand on the ground were jostling and surging forward. If there weren't soldiers guarding both sides of the street, these people probably wouldn't have blocked the street directly. Those idle people who like the excitement are shouting more and more strangely, pushing people forward regardless, "Go forward, go forward!" 』

The Imperial Guard soldiers on both sides of the street were sweating profusely, their armors were tilted, and their spears were held horizontally, trying desperately to block the surging people. The yamen warriors who maintained order among the crowd also yelled at their necks and tried their best to make the people obey the order.

The children were squeezed in the crowd and cried loudly. Many people were squeezed into the corner wall, and some girls were deliberately blocked by some idle men. Their hands were groped up and down. The shy ones swallowed their anger and ran away desperately, while the aggressive ones were yelling, biting, and scratching...

Suddenly, it seemed that the entire Xu County was in a state of excitement, as if a festival was ushering in that everyone could celebrate.

Wang Chang accompanied the last one, smiling slightly and looking at everything around him.

He can probably be considered a foreign minister, but not completely. After all, General Fei Qian of the Hussars was still a minister of the Han Dynasty, and Wang Chang was also an official of the Han Dynasty now, so he was a little embarrassed. But as the old saying goes, as long as you don't feel embarrassed, others will be embarrassed.

Wang Chang glanced at the Cao family's Youbei army, which was coming from afar and caused a huge sensation. He couldn't help but compare it with the soldiers of Zhao Yun's Northern Territory Protectorate, and then the smile on his face became thicker. .

Cao's Youbei Army, under the leadership of Xia Houshang, everyone held their heads high and marched in an orderly manner. When they entered the south gate, they were in a neat queue, but when they walked to the North and South Streets, they Some are scattered, because when you walk to the street, there are some flowers and fruits being thrown out from time to time. If the accuracy is good, it is thrown in front of the military column, but what if the accuracy is not good?

As for why the common people can't afford white flour buns themselves, but they have spare money to buy all kinds of fragrant flowers and fruits to throw away in vain...

This is of course the high level of consciousness of the people in Xu County!

After all, even in later generations, aren't there still many highly enlightened men who have no money and are trying to get some money to reward retired battlefield technicians?

The key is, if it’s just fragrant flowers and fruits, that’s it. After all, fragrant flowers and fruits are relatively soft, and it’s early winter now. There was no technology to preserve fresh fruits in the Han Dynasty. Where did so many fresh fruits come from, so what about dried fruits? They also had to get it together. The dried fruit hit the armor and made a jingling sound, but it was okay, but how accurate was it that it was thrown randomly? It might have hit the face. I'm thick-skinned, so I resisted, but if it hits my nose or eyes...

If someone feels that he can resist forcefully, he can try it by having someone hit his nose or eyes first.

Of course, not all the things thrown out are hard, there are also fragrant and soft things...

For example, colorful and multi-colored fragrant silk scarves.

This seems to work just fine.

This seems to reflect the deep love that ordinary people in Xu County have for these Youbei Cao soldiers.

However, in this way, whether it was fragrant flowers, fresh fruits, dried fruits, or these fragrant towels that followed, Cao Jun's queue became somewhat scattered, and many soldiers stretched their heads to look at the discarded items around them. The girl wearing a fragrant silk scarf then held out her chest and belly in what she claimed was the most heroic posture.

The young ladies who were responsible for throwing the fragrant silk scarves didn't care at all about the fiery eyes of the soldiers. Instead, they swayed even more and even deliberately exposed their shoulders to seduce the soldiers who had not seen women for a long time. Everyone's eyes are green!

Among those young ladies, there was an idle man with some fancy arms who shouted something about the name of Taipingli Taikangli, offered some discounts or big sales, and got on the bus quickly, which attracted everyone's attention.

Hearing these sounds from a distance, Wang Chang's smile became even stronger.

This land in Shandong is indeed...

Perhaps there was a time when there were no bloody men in Shandong who advocated the iron-blooded way. But now, in Wang Chang's opinion, this so-called victory show is more like a farce, or a sideshow.

Those so-called flowers and dried fruits are just that. Let those prostitutes throw scented towels to the "triumphant" soldiers. What kind of pig brain can this idea come up with? This is simply more shameful than stopping a long-distance runner from displaying the flag. It actually gives foreigners a chance. Maybe it's even more shameful?

There are all these ladies and gentlemen in Shandong. Who would fall in love with ordinary soldiers? Not to mention standing on the street showing off her beauty and throwing her own silk scarves to these soldiers.

Regardless of how loud the slogans are, or how lively the gongs and drums are, specific issues depend on specific actions.

What you think about on weekdays will show up when you act like that. No matter how much cover-up you add, some flaws will inevitably be exposed. Just like the current officials who are preparing for celebrations and celebrations, they feel that such an arrangement It can show the people of Xu County's welcome and joy for the "hero's triumph", but in fact the effect is just the opposite.

How could these Shandong nobles, who lived in the center of the Han Dynasty and had enjoyed peace for a long time, experience the sadness of fighting on the border, with yellow sand filling the sky and corpses wrapped in horse leather? In the frosty and bitter cold of Youbei, for many years countless Han people fought to the death on the frontier, and how many soldiers were stained with blood on the battlefield. And at those times, how many gentry and common people in Yuzhou felt that these soldiers were real heroes and needed to be respected, not as they do now Generally, treated like a sideshow clown?

Of course, Wang Chang just smiled. He was not stupid enough to publicize these issues in public. After all, what a fool hates to hear most is for others to call him a fool. Smart people always like to pretend to be confused.

In this lively and hilarious atmosphere, and even a bit abnormal, Cao Jun's soldiers from Youbei finally walked through the North and South Streets and arrived in front of Gongmen Square.

The Imperial Street before Palace Gate Square is naturally wider.

I don't know how many laborers have cleaned this royal street early on until there is no dust at all, and they would like to lick it with their tongues to make it clean and tidy. On both sides of the street, whether it is the palace wall or the neighbors opposite, colorful silks are hung on the eaves, adding a lot of wealth and prosperity.

The flag-bearing soldiers walking in the front stepped aside one after another, revealing Xiahou Shanglai like stars holding the moon.

Xia Houshang was at the front, followed by the military academy sergeants.

Wearing a shining military uniform, the scales of the armor shone brightly in the sunlight, and the red tassels on his shoulders were also extremely bright red, dancing in the wind.

The musicians above the palace gate also played the most upright elegant music at the right time. Amidst the chiming of the chimes, the music was peaceful and majestic.

In the sound of such music, everyone, whether on the palace walls or on the emperor's side, and the common people, looked solemn and followed the soldiers of the military academy as they marched in line.

At this moment, the hustle and bustle of the people on the north and south streets in the rear gradually quieted down, and the footsteps and scales of the soldiers from the military academy gradually became the accompaniment of the music.

Wang Chang squinted his eyes.

These military academy soldiers seem to have eliminated the double armor, which is the kind of armor like a combat vest, and instead wear sleeve armor, which has stronger protection capabilities, which of course means more cost...

The armor of the military academy is even better, with additional battle skirts, and there are even some colors on the edges of the armor that are different from the iron plates. It seems to be the color of the lining fabric, or is it additional decoration?

Wang Chang didn't see the real thing up close, so it was hard to tell them apart for a while.

As for Xia Houshang at the front, he was covered in bright light armor that protected him from head to toe. The armor plates were specially polished to look like mirrors. They shone with colorful lights under the sunlight, which was very eye-catching.

The flags are obviously new. There are military recognition flags, general flags, command flags, orientation flags, and even colorful flags purely for decoration. These flags are all made of high-quality brocade and look very good.

Arriving directly in front of Xuande Gate, Xiahou Shang dismounted his horse, bowed and walked ten steps forward, took off his helmet, hugged it to his side, then knelt down on one knee and shouted to see the emperor.

Following Xia Houshang's move, the other military academies also acted the same way, kneeling and shouting. For a moment, the sound seemed like a tide, rushing on the Xuande Gate, and the long flags that hit the emperor's canopy were also dancing non-stop.

Wang Chang lowered his head slightly and took half a step back, causing his body to deflect slightly. People around Wang Chang basically behaved in the same way. After all, at this moment, the glory should belong to the emperor. Above the Chongde Gate, except for the emperor Liu Xie, everyone else bowed their heads and bent slightly sideways to show respect for Liu Xie.

But then, Wang Chang discovered a very interesting situation, that is, after the soldiers under the palace wall paid homage, it seemed that Emperor Liu Xie said something, but whether it was the soldiers under the palace wall, or the generals under the palace wall, The courtesy officers around Liu Xie who were responsible for delivering the message seemed to have no reaction. Then, after Cao Cao raised his hand and waved, the courtesy officer got angry and shouted: "Your Majesty has a decree, all generals will be saved!" 』

Wang Chang, who was observing from the corner of his eye, couldn't help but be slightly startled.

This is somewhat interesting...

Normally, the ceremonial officer is responsible for the succession and opening of all aspects of the entire ceremony, and must always pay attention to various changes. Since the emperor has spoken, basically speaking, it must be something like "no ceremony", and The entire process has basically reached this point, so basically, even a fool knows how to pay attention to the emperor's words and deeds at this time, and then pass on what the emperor said.

But the problem is that the ceremony officer was actually a little slow at this time.

This one was a beat slow, but it was actually very short.

If Wang Chang hadn't been paying close attention all along, he might not even have been able to discover it.

Because it was just the skill of the front and back legs, after the emperor Liu Xie said something, Wang Chang, who was standing on the edge, really couldn't hear clearly what the emperor was saying, but he could hear the sound, which meant that the emperor did say something. What, after the emperor said something, the courtesy officer who lived near the emperor did not react immediately, and then waited until Cao Cao waved his hand...

The difference between before and after is just one breath, or the time of one move.

After the soldiers shouted, the lingering sound, and the people on the North and South Streets also cheered, this subtle beat was slow, as if it had been artificially inserted into the original continuous music. There was an eighth of a pause.

Very subtle.

It is also very difficult to detect.

Of course, this could also be a coincidence.

For example, the ceremony officer was in a state of excitement, coupled with the lingering shouts and shouts from the military academy under the palace wall, or the emperor Liu Xie spoke too quietly, so that the ceremony officer beside him failed to respond in time. Heard...

Is this intentional or unintentional?

Xiahou Shang, who was under the palace wall, had already stood up, and was reporting his achievements in the Battle of Youbei in a serious manner, but Wang Chang's mind was not at all on Xiahou Shang's words of merit.

While Wang Chang maintained a humble posture, he focused his attention on the surroundings of the emperor Liu Xie, especially Liu Xie and Cao Cao.

If it's unintentional, then that's fine. Anyway, the etiquette officer made a mistake, just like the news host in later generations who mispronounced the name of the leader. He will deal with it afterwards and punish him if he deserves it. There is nothing to say about this, but what if it is not negligence but intentional? ?

Could it be that Prime Minister Cao Cao wanted to express something through this?

Absolute dominance over soldiers, generals and schools?

Wang Chang thought of this aspect quickly, but quickly rejected it. Because even if Cao Cao didn't take such a move, would it be possible that Cao Cao would lose the command of the army led by the Xiahou family of the Cao family? This is obviously impossible.

The bright words "Cao" and "Xiahou" on the general's flag under the palace wall are enough to illustrate this point. Unless the emperor arrests and dismisses Cao Cao on the spot now, otherwise under the palace wall, And in Yuzhou, Jizhou and other places, did the soldiers led by the generals of the Cao family and the Xiahou family listen to the old classmate Cao or the emperor Liu Xie?

It's almost a matter of not having a second option.

In this case, Cao Cao did not need to show his control over the soldiers led by the Cao family and the Xiahou family in front of the emperor, and there was no need to make such a suspicious move.

Or was it really an honest mistake?

But Wang Chang quickly rejected this idea. In such a large celebration, especially a ceremony that has been prepared for a long time and is not held in a hurry, it is almost impossible for such an omission to occur.

so……

What exactly does Prime Minister Cao want to express?