According to the laws of the Tang Empire, the soldiers who had gone out to war had to return to Chang 'an through the East City Gate. Hence, the Meritorious Post, which was more than ten miles away from the East City Gate, became a very important place. Since the founding of the Tang Empire a thousand years ago, countless famous generals and warriors had passed through this place with glory and achievements. The stables in the post and the poplar trees along the straight official road had witnessed many historical scenes with their own eyes.
Xia Hou looked at the majestic city in the west and remained silent. According to the rules of the imperial court, he and his subordinates had to spend the night in the Merit Inn. They would enter the city the next morning and then go directly to the palace to see His Majesty.
Chang 'an looked extremely majestic in the twilight. The black and cyan city walls reflected the light of the setting sun and glowed with a copper color. It looked indestructible and unusually magnificent.
As one of the four most respected generals of the Tang Empire, Xia Hou, who had been in the army for many years, naturally had deep feelings for Chang 'an. However, not many people knew that although he often returned to the capital to report on his work and the General's Mansion was in the North City, he did not spend much time in Chang' an.
For decades, he had spent most of his time leading tens of thousands of cavalry to guard the cold Northern Borderline. He helped the empire to open up new territory and intimidate the cavalry of the Yan Kingdom and the Left King's Palace.
Now that he had finally left the cold Northern Borderline, tens of thousands of cavalry were all left near the Northeast Border Military Camp in Tuyang City. The imperial court had already appointed General Shu to take over, so there should be no problem.
Only a few dozen soldiers followed him back. The imperial court had explicitly allowed him to bring more soldiers back to Chang 'an. However, he was very cautious on the eve of his retirement and did not do anything that might arouse the suspicion of the civil officials.
In order to reassure the imperial court, Xiahou's two sons were still in Chang 'an, imprisoned in the General's Mansion. As for his legal wife, relatives, and loyal old servants, they had already returned to their hometown a few months ago. They cleaned up the old fields, took out pickles from the old cellar, and dried them in preparation for his retirement.
Of course, that was not Xia Hou's real hometown. His real hometown was in the Cold Region of the Far North, which was the largest tribe of the Desolate Man. As the Desolate Man moved south, he could no longer return to his hometown. Perhaps it had been since the day he betrayed the Enlightenment Doctrine.
"Gu Xi is dead. Lin Ling is dead. Many people who followed me back then are dead …"
As the sun set, the sky became darker and darker. The purple-bronze city wall of Chang 'an was gradually painted with an ominous blood-red color. Xiahou squinted at the wall and thought of his trusted subordinates who had left him over the years at the cost of their deaths. He could not help but feel a little sad.
In spring, the news of Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu's death spread from Chang 'an to the military camp. This news did not make him sad, but made him a little vigilant.
Sadness and vigilance were not emotions that an expert should have. Xia Hou had been forcefully suppressing these emotions, so he began to feel tired and coughed in the twilight.
The Great Tang military was a place that worshipped the strong. An ordinary general would never be willing to cough in front of his subordinates and reveal his weak side. But Xia Hou did not care, because he knew how powerful he was in the eyes of his subordinates, and he knew that he was still powerful.
Defender-general of the State Xu Shi had been coughing for more than ten years, but he was still the number one person in the Great Tang military. No one could replace his prestige or His Majesty's favor.
Xia Hou coughed repeatedly. Perhaps he thought that after entering Chang 'an tomorrow, he would be unarmored and free from the last bit of fear, so he coughed very happily and even seemed a little presumptuous.
The guard captain standing at the gate of the courier station looked at the broad figure of the general in front of him and listened to the coughing. His face revealed a worried expression. In his eyes, the general was indeed still powerful, but he had seen with his own eyes several battles between the general and the powerhouse from the Devil's Doctrine in the Wilderness, so he was very worried.
At this moment, the ground outside the wall of the courier station suddenly trembled a little. Neither the respectful low-ranking officials in the courier station nor Xia Hou's guard noticed this slight tremble.
Although Xia Hou was a powerhouse at the Peak State of Martial Arts and one of the most powerful and terrifying men in the world, he was not a real god, so his cough could not make the ground tremble.
He quietly looked at Chang 'an City under the sunset, then turned around and walked into the courier station.
…
…
Someone was waiting for him in the room of the courier station.
It was an extremely tall and burly man, even taller than Xia Hou by half a head. His expression was solemn and his figure was straight, like an indestructible mountain.
This man wore a cloth robe, and under the thin material, traces of armor could be seen faintly. There was also a solemn aura of talisman inscriptions seeping out from the cloth.
When Xia Hou stood in front of this mountain-like man, he was obviously shorter than the other party, but he felt more burly and stronger than the other party, so he did not need to raise his head.
"If people see Luo Kedi, the commander of the West-Hill Divine Palace Divine Guards, suddenly appearing in the courier station closest to Chang 'an City, they will definitely think that this is a provocation to the Tang Empire."
He coldly looked at the man and said, "I know that you are a proud man, but do you really think that there are no powerhouses in the Imperial Center of the Tang Empire? In Chang 'an City behind us, there are at least ten people who can easily kill you. Appearing in front of me at this time is completely courting death. "
Luo Kedi said, "Since I dared to come, naturally I am not afraid of death. In my opinion, General Xia Hou, returning to Chang 'an City is more like seeking death. Can you still come out alive?"
Xia Hou's expression did not change, and he indifferently said, "In small countries like the South Jin, Song and Yue, your status in the Divine Hall can give you unlimited respect. But here in Chang 'an City, in my eyes, you are just a dog raised by the Hierarch. What right do you have to speak to me in such a tone?"
A trace of anger flashed in the depths of Luo Kedi's eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it and said with a cold smile, "I admit that I am a dog raised by the Hierarch Lord, and you are a lion raised by Haotian. Now that you have lost your spirit, you still want to return to Chang 'an City. Do you really want to make your enemy happy?"
Xia Hou said in a low voice, "This is an agreement between me and the Academy. Looking at the world, who dares to obstruct it? Even that master of yours does not have this ability! "
"The Divine Hall is very happy to see General Xia Hou enjoy a happy old age, but are you really willing to do so?"
Luo Kedi took out a letter with a Rune Fire Seal and handed it over. He said, "This is a letter written by the Hierarch Lord himself. He invites you to West-Hill … no, back to West-Hill."
Xia Hou took the letter, and his expression still did not change.
Luo Kedi said, "The Divine Hall really needs your power. Furthermore, the Hierarch Lord has said that retiring does not mean that you have to live in the countryside forever. There will be a time when you will return."
Xia Hou looked at him, and his two iron-like eyebrows slightly raised. He said, "What can you give me?"
Luo Kedi said, "Since you are loyal to the Empress, then the West-Hill Divine Palace promises that in the future, in the fight for the throne of the Tang Empire, the Divine Hall will do its best to help the Empress's prince succeed."
With the terrifying power of the West-Hill Divine Palace, it was a very sincere invitation for Xia Hou to throw out such a heavy bet a long time in advance.
However, to Luo Kedi's surprise, in the face of the Hierarch Lord's sincerity, Xia Hou did not show the expected emotional reaction. Instead, he said directly, "I won't see you out."
Luo Kedi suppressed his anger and said, "The Divine Hall needs an answer."
Xia Hou said, "I am very grateful, and I will seriously consider it. That is my answer."
…
…
The ground of the Merit Posthouse trembled slightly again. Luo Kedi left quietly. The officials and people in Chang 'an who were preparing for the welcoming ceremony would probably never know that the West-Hill Divine Palace's divine guard commander had once come to Chang' an and tried to lead General Xia Hou to another path.
Looking at the letter written by the West-Hill Hierarch, Xia Hou's face revealed a mocking smile.
He knew that this was indeed a letter written by the Hierarch Lord. Over the years, he had received seven letters written by the Hierarch Lord, and was very familiar with the handwriting on the cover.
He was mocking the intention of the West-Hill Divine Palace — to help the Empress's own prince ascend to the throne of the Tang Empire? If the West-Hill Divine Palace knew that the Empress was his most beloved sister, Xia Tian, and that the prince had half the blood of the Desolate flowing in him and the aura of the Enlightenment Doctrine, would the bigwigs in the Divine Hall still dare to do this?
The mocking smile on Xia Hou's face slowly turned into a self-deprecating one. His fingers slightly tightened, ready to crush the letter written by the Hierarch Lord into powder. However, for some reason, he hesitated for a moment before stopping.
…
…
General Xia Hou, who had been stationed in the Northern Borderline for the Tang Empire for decades, did not raise any conditions and was willing to retire. The officials in the imperial court felt a little strange, but immediately felt much more relaxed. After asking for His Majesty's orders, the imperial court gave the general the highest treatment and honor.
In the early morning, under the warm guidance of the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the respectful gazes of the Yulin Royal Guards, Xia Hou put on a new set of armor and rode towards Chang 'an with dozens of bodyguards.
The official road in front of the East Gate of Chang 'an had long been washed clean. In the solemn music, Prince Li Peiyan of the Tang Empire led the civil and military officials out of the city to wait. Countless celebrities in the city were also waiting eagerly.
The imperial court had already drafted the edict and was waiting for Xia Hou to enter the palace to have an audience with him. At this time, the edict was quietly placed in the palace, with dazzling rewards and titles of nobility.
Looking at the dense welcoming crowd from afar, Xia Hou disregarded the advice of the officials from the Ministry of Rites and dismounted in advance. He pulled Ma Jiang and walked in that direction.
Seeing this scene, the prince smiled and shook his head. He waved away the eunuch beside him who was trying to dissuade him and walked towards him at the same time.
The two met in front of the Departure Pavilion outside the East Gate.
Xia Hou calmly saluted to the prince.
Li Peiyan found it difficult to calm down. Looking at his dark face, he sighed and said, "It's good that you're back."
…
…
The officials of the Tang Empire did not like General Xia Hou, who was famous for his arrogance and violence.
For decades, there had been rumors that Xia Hou had killed prisoners of war and innocent people to pass off his military exploits. No one knew how many laws of the Tang Empire had been violated. However, there had been no evidence. Moreover, everyone knew that this general was highly regarded by the Empress, which meant that he was also highly regarded by the Emperor.
Perhaps for this reason, the people of Chang 'an did not sincerely love General Xia Hou like they did the other three generals of the empire. Although Xia Hou did not kill the Tangs indiscriminately, the simple and direct people of Chang' an always felt that violence was not a real ability.
After all, Xia Hou had guarded the bitter Northern Frontier for decades for the empire. Today, he had retired, but he was still warmly welcomed by the people of Chang 'an. The crowds on both sides of the street cheered and applauded from time to time.
There was a teahouse on the side of the street. The shopkeeper and waiters of the teahouse all ran to the street to welcome the return of the general. No one cared about the business at all. Fortunately, there were not many customers in the teahouse at this time.
Ning Que and Sangsang sat at the table by the window.
He listened to the cheers and applause from the street and looked at the back of Xia Hou, who had just ridden past the teahouse. After a moment of silence, he said, "Compared to when he was in Tuyang City, he really has aged a lot."
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(If I finish it today, I will finish it for this month. I suddenly feel relaxed, just like Xia Hou today. There won't be many updates tomorrow, because my father-in-law and mother-in-law have come back from Yinchuan for a vacation. I will go back to my parents' home with the leaders. Please continue to cast your monthly votes and recommendation votes to support me. At midnight, I will send a special chapter to ask for monthly votes. Friends who have updates to remind you, please forgive me if it disturbs your sleep.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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