Hearing that Li Er had arrived, Li Xiaogong hurriedly ordered a guard to bring Li Xueyan to the carriages outside. That was where the family of the Junwang Manor was. The Junwang Consort had also come to send them off.
After giving his orders, he hurried back to the front of the army to wait for Li Er's arrival.
Today, Li Er did not ride the imperial chariot, nor did he muster a large force. He rode a strong black horse and wore the Mingguang Armor. He only brought a few dozen guards and eunuchs with him. Of course, as the heir to the throne, Li Chengqian also came.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
After Li Er stood on the temporary inspection platform, the civil and military officials, as well as the twenty thousand navy soldiers, were the first to bow and kowtow. Then, the merchants and commoners behind them, followed by the commoners who were sending the bride off. All of them faced Li Er and bowed.
Their voices shook the heavens, each wave louder than the last. At this moment, the world shook! Countless people knelt on the empty ground and around the Ba River. Other than Li Er, no one else stood with their heads held high!
There were no three cries of 'long live' (When meeting the Emperor, the three cries of 'long live' were first passed down from Wu Zetian's coronation), nor were there any kneeling. (In the Tang Dynasty, kneeling was not practiced. Unless it was a large-scale sacrifice to the heavens, one would not kneel when meeting the Emperor.) But Li Zexuan, who was present, was still shaken by these mighty cries.
"Rise!"
Li Er was dazed. How long had it been since he had heard the mighty cries of the soldiers in front of the battlefield! How nostalgic!
After a moment, he came to his senses and shouted.
"His Majesty has decreed that everyone rise!"
"His Majesty has decreed that everyone rise!"
.....
Naturally, there were eunuchs below who passed on Li Er's words.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Tens of thousands of people stood up and then stood ramrod straight by the Ba River.
"Sovereign of the Heavenly Dao, Sovereign of the Heavenly Dao, let the sun and moon remain the same. Soldiers, today, you will set sail. Unlike the usual battles on the battlefield, you will face countless unknown dangers on the vast sea. You are all good men of my Great Tang, and We hope that in three months, you will all return alive!"
"Of course, once outside the borders of the Great Tang, as soldiers of the Great Tang, you must ensure the safety of the people of the Great Tang traveling with the fleet. The people of the Great Tang are not to be bullied anywhere. If they encounter an enemy, they must be exterminated with all their strength! Did you all hear that? "
Li Er roared.
"If you encounter any invading enemies, do your best to destroy them!"
"If you encounter any invading enemies, do your best to destroy them!"
"If you encounter any invading enemies, do your best to destroy them!"
Hearing this, the soldiers of the three armies roared in unison!
The glory of the Tang, the glory of the soldiers, was a glory that they had always defended with their lives. Even without Li Er's words, they would have done so.
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
Even though the custom of shouting 'Long live His Majesty' three times was not yet popular, at this moment, many merchants, peasants, and common people were moved to tears by Li Er's words of love for the people as if they were his own children. An elderly man spontaneously shouted 'Long live His Majesty', and the others excitedly followed suit. In a few moments, the entire Murky Plain was filled with cries of 'Long live His Majesty'!
Those who had experienced the turmoil of the world all knew how fortunate it was to have a wise ruler ruling the country. They truly hoped that Li Er could live to ten thousand years old.
Li Zexuan was infected by this enthusiastic scene, his heart surging with emotion. He couldn't help but follow the crowd and shout 'Long live His Majesty'!
He thought to himself, whether or not Li Er was putting on a show, Old Li's charisma was truly strong. With just a few words, he was able to 'stir' the soldiers until their blood was boiling. Li Zexuan felt that he could not achieve this ability to inspire the hearts of the people.
Li Er took in a deep breath. Of course, he was not putting on a show. He was just saying what he wanted to say. This scene was completely outside of his expectations.
"Where is Li Xiaogong, Director of the Nanyang Army?"
After the cheers dissipated, Li Er looked at the orderly soldiers below and roared.
For this expedition, Li Xiaogong had been given the title of 'Director of the Nanyang Army'. He was fully in charge of the twenty thousand navy and tens of thousands of peasants.
"This general is here!"
Li Xiaogong strode forward and cupped his fists.
"Are the soldiers of the three armies ready?"
"Your Majesty, the soldiers of the three armies can set off at any time!"
Li Xiaogong said loudly.
"Good! Sacrifice! Set off! We wish you all a triumphant return! "
Li Er pulled out the long sword at his waist and pointed it at the blue sky as he roared majestically.
"Yes!"
Li Xiaogong waved his hand, and two soldiers ran up to slaughter the cattle and sheep that had been prepared long ago. They began the last ceremony before the expedition. Of course, the Tang cherished cattle. The cow on the field was an old one that was about to die.
Ever since the Western Zhou Dynasty, whenever an army was mobilized, they would hold a large-scale sacrificial ceremony. They would slaughter cattle and sheep to sacrifice to their ancestors and the gods of the land and grain. All the soldiers would line up, and the slaughtered cattle and sheep would circle the left and right of the formation. They would be called 'martyrs' and announce that 'those who do not need to live will be killed'.
The commander would personally pour the blood of the animals on the weapons and call it 'provocation'. He would symbolically pour some of the blood on the flags, drums, gold, and weapons used in battle. The strange thing was that the chariots that had been drenched in the blood had to be placed back in the warehouse to be preserved. After the sacrificial ceremony, the cattle and sheep would be cooked and distributed to the soldiers.
This time, the fleet was originally going to trade with a small country in Nanyang, but the entire imperial court was preparing for this southern operation as a war. The necessary departure ceremony had to be carried out, and the soldiers' armor and weapons were also the best.
The reason for this was because Li Zexuan had played a huge role in it. He had told Li Xiaogong about the sailing matters, including guarding against pirates and natives, and Li Xiaogong repeated them to Li Er. Li Er felt that it made sense, so he gathered Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Zhangsun Wuji, Li Jing, and the other important officials to discuss. These big shots were all far-sighted people. If Li Zexuan could see it clearly, how could they not see it clearly? Thus, they all seconded the proposal.
Just like that, this huge fleet with sharp fangs gradually took shape. Today, they would set sail and enter Nanyang.
"The ceremony is complete! Set off! "
Around an hour later, the sacrificial ceremony was finally completed. Every soldier was symbolically given a piece of meat. After Li Xiaogong asked Li Er for instructions, he roared and ordered the army to set off!
"Hualala!"
The soldiers, merchants, and farmers followed a rehearsed formation and boarded the ships in an orderly manner. The people who were sending off their loved ones all burst into an uproar. Everyone was shouting the names of their loved ones.
"Father, mother and I will wait for you to come back!"
In front of the crowd, Meng Wenhao's nose twitched. He held back his tears and waved at the fleet. However, his voice was quickly drowned out by the waves of cheers.
.....
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