If one were to say that Hussero still retained some of his Turkic style, it could only be seen in the servants and courtesans of his residence. The majority of the people in Hussero's residence were people of the Western Regions.
In the inner hall, a thick carpet of wool was spread over the floor. Two rows of beauties in red dresses, their wide sleeves fluttering in the wind as they performed a joyous and enchanting dance from a foreign land.
In front of two screens, ten-some musicians were focused on playing the zither, drums, and flutes. The two rows of twelve dancers had their skirts fluttering in the wind, creating a bewitching and enchanting scene.
The author of Volume 34 of "Two Quarters of Amazement", "Indulging in Pleasure at the Ruler's Pleasure, Grand Commandant Yang's Palace Guests", began, "There is not a single wealthy family in the world that does not have concubines. To have a concubine on one's left and a woman of Zhao on the other, to dance and dance in a procession is the greatest thing in life! "
These words exposed the true nature of men. The twelve beauties in front of the hall not only had enchanting bodies, but they also had brown eyes and high noses, golden hair and blue eyes, snow-white skin, or tanned skin that was as smooth as satin. All of them had a unique and exotic charm that was enchanting and alluring.
The beauties were all top-class concubines. The beauty of the concubines had long been renowned in the Tang dynasty, and the dancers of Hussero's residence were all top-class among the concubines.
The wine was also excellent, the best quality Jiannan Spring Wine.
The beauties were beautiful, but Xue Huaiyi could do nothing but look at them. This was the sorrow of being a male escort. Everything he had came from the empress, and what he needed to pay was his body and freedom. Thus, the only thing he could do was drink as much as he could, treating the three cups of wine as those provocative beauties and fiercely swallowing them down.
Yang Fan naturally wasn't restricted by this. However, he wasn't very interested in putting on a show. He was rather averse to flirting without any feelings. If not for this, he wouldn't have kept his virginity to Luoyang when he was pursued by so many hot and passionate Nanyang girls back in Nanyang.
Hussero carefully accompanied Xue Huaiyi by his side. Seeing that Xue Huaiyi was drinking happily, he told him his intentions in a roundabout way. Xue Huaiyi had already heard Yang Fan explain Hussero's intentions to him, so he naturally agreed. Husello didn't expect Xue Huaiyi to agree so readily. He was pleasantly surprised.
In fact, he was worrying too much. He didn't even need to ask Yang Fan for help. As long as he showed some fear in front of Xue Huaiyi, Xue Huaiyi naturally wouldn't use him. In Xue Huaiyi's heart, fighting a war was no different from fighting. Deploying troops and arranging formations were never within his considerations.
His mind was still stuck on the routine of street fighting. "I have a lot of underlings. I'll block both ends of the alley and use people to crush you to death!" If any of the underlings were timid, of course, he would be too lazy to use them.
Xue Huaiyi casually agreed to Hussero's request. When he turned his head to look at Yang Fan, he reminded him with drunken eyes, "This time, you've offended the Supreme Court and the Imperial Messengers Station. Wu Chengsi will definitely want to make trouble for you. When I'm not in the capital, you must be careful."
Yang Fan's heart warmed. "Master, you must also be careful when you go to war. This disciple wishes Master a quick victory and immediate success! "
At this point, Yang Fan hesitated for a moment and then seriously reminded, "Master, you should listen to the opinions of your generals when it comes to deploying troops and arranging formations!"
Xue Huaiyi laughed and raised his cup. "Of course! You don't need to worry too much. When I go out, who can be a match for me? Hahahaha, let's drink, let's drink. First, we can celebrate how easy it is to obtain military merits! "
… …
When the news of Mo Gu leading an army to attack Lingzhou reached Luoyang, the imperial court quickly responded and decided to immediately send troops to counterattack. The Right Guard Supporting the Nation, the Duke of E, and the National Guardian Master Xue Huaiyi were appointed as the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
In the late autumn of this year, Xue Huaiyi was appointed as the Chief Supervisor of the Crusade Against the Path of Defiance. He commanded 200,000 soldiers and had the two Prime Ministers, Yang Zhirou and Su Weiwei, as his advisors. A total of 18 generals who were skilled in battle followed him to the war.
The reason why there were a total of 18 generals was Xue Huaiyi's request. He felt that 18 was the perfect number for the 18 Arhats, which was a good match for him as the Lord Buddha.
Wu Zetian purposely stopped the court for a day so that the civil and military officials could see him off. Not only did the civil and military officials come to the Ten-Mile Pavilion to see Xue Huaiyi off, but there were also relatives of the emperor, members of the royal family, and nobles. It was an extremely grand occasion.
Perhaps it was because Wu Zetian had a new favorite, but she still hadn't forgotten her old love who had accompanied her for more than a decade, or because she felt apologetic towards him, the standard of this farewell party was even grander than the last time Xue Huaiyi led the army to war. This also made the civil and military officials in the imperial court realize one thing: Xue Huaiyi's favorite had not waned!
Outside the Weian Gate, in the Ten-Mile Pavilion, banners covered the sun, and drums and music filled the air.
The 200,000 soldiers had gathered, and their weapons and spears were everywhere. The atmosphere was awe-inspiring.
Li Zhaode stood at the forefront and said to Xue Huaiyi who was dressed in martial attire, "On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, the civil and military officials, the relatives of the emperor, and the millions of people of Great Zhou, I offer this humble cup of wine to His Excellency, His Excellency. I wish that His Excellency will be victorious and successful, and that he will return triumphantly soon!"
Li Zhaode took a cup of wine from the tray and offered it to Xue Huaiyi, then took another cup and offered him a toast.
Xue Huaiyi was dressed in golden armor. He was tall and handsome to begin with, and the Radiant Golden Armor accentuated his brilliance. For those who didn't know his background, just by looking at his appearance and figure, coupled with this kind of armor, he really was an awe-inspiring general.
Xue Huaiyi took the cup and downed it in one gulp without saying a word. The blood-red tassel on his helmet trembled in the autumn wind.
Li Zhaode took another cup and offered a toast to Yang Zhirou and Su Weiwei.
These two Prime Ministers were worried that they would follow Xue Huaiyi, a muddle-headed man who only knew how to fight rotten battles, to oppose the famous Turkic general Moduo. But in front of so many civil and military officials and relatives of the emperor, they didn't dare to show off. They hurriedly raised their cups and drained it in one gulp.
Xue Huaiyi stared at Yang Zhirou and Su Weiwei. Seeing that the two had finished their wine, he immediately put on the stirrups.
Needless to say, Xue Huaiyi's martial prowess and horsemanship were quite good. The way he mounted his horse was elegant and agile.
Xue Huaiyi flipped onto his horse and squeezed the horse's abdomen with his legs. The fine horse galloped forward and galloped for about half a mile in front of the three armies that were as still as mountains. Suddenly, he pulled on the reins. The fine horse neighed and stood up!
With a clang, Xue Huaiyi unsheathed the saber at his waist. The saber cut through the air like a bolt of lightning and suddenly froze in midair. A thunderous roar exploded in the army, "Soldiers, the Turks have the ambition of wolves. They have repeatedly invaded the Great Zhou Dynasty, plundering our wealth and killing our people! Today, we will go to war for the country. If we do not destroy the Turkic Khaganate, we will not return to the court! "
"If we do not destroy the Turkic Khaganate, we will not return to the court!" "If we do not destroy the Turkic Khaganate, we will not return to the court! If we do not destroy the Turkic Khaganate, we will not return to the court! "
The soldiers of the three armies struck the ground with their spears and struck their shields with their sabers and swords, shouting in unison.
Xue Huaiyi faced the sky and laughed three times, shouting: "Go to war!"
With that, he took the lead and galloped into the distance. Wherever the horse passed, a cloud of dust was kicked up.
Li Zhaode smiled, an imperceptible trace of contempt flitting across his lips. With a turn of his body, an imperial guard brought his horse over. The civil and military officials and relatives of the emperor who came to see them off were also chatting in groups of twos and threes, preparing to return to the city.
"Prime Minister, Princess Taiping has a few words to say to Prime Minister, she …"
Just as Li Zhaode was about to mount his horse, a trusted imperial guard quickly walked over and whispered a few words to him.
Li Zhaode's eyes flickered slightly, but he still mounted his horse and sat down firmly. Only then did he arrogantly say: "Then invite Her Royal Highness over!" With that, he kicked the stirrups and galloped away, purposely slowing down the speed of the horse.
Doulu Qinwang originally wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Master Li, but seeing his actions, he knew that there must be a reason, so he did not dare to step forward and disturb him. The civil and military officials were all smart people, who wanted to get closer to this powerful Prime Minister? Seeing this posture, they did not step forward and ask for a snub.
Princess Taiping's groom Xu Houde received Li Zhaode's reply and hurriedly rushed back to repeat to Princess Taiping what Li Zhaode had said. He angrily said: "What a vile person, unexpectedly being so rude! He did not think that when he and Monk Xue went on a punitive expedition against the Turks, just because they had different opinions, Monk Xue grabbed his collar and slapped him until he was dizzy. Monk Xue was not willing to let it go, after returning to the capital, he wanted to punish him for disobeying orders. At that time, he begged Her Royal Highness to put in a good word for him in front of the Emperor. "
Princess Taiping, dressed in men's clothing, was waiting there. Hearing Xu Houde's words, she could not help but smile and said: "Times have changed. The current Li Zhaode is the Empress' most trusted minister, naturally he has the capital to be arrogant. Hehe, if he asks me to teach him, I will go over. "
Princess Taiping was smiling, she was not angry. She asked Xu Houde to bring a snow-white steed, turned over and mounted it, and chased after Li Zhaode who was walking slowly.
Princess Taiping caught up with Li Zhaode and rode side by side with him. She first praised him with a few words, since he was in charge of the Political Affairs Hall, the ruthless officials had almost disappeared. It was not known whether Princess Taiping did it intentionally or not, but this topic happened to scratch Li Zhaode's itch. Li Zhaode immediately spoke with fervor and assurance, expressing his opinion to her:
"Your Royal Highness, the harm of the ruthless officials is more than anything! The ruthless officials of the Han Dynasty, Zhi Du, dared to humiliate the ministers in court, and did not avoid the nobles. When he was a prefect, as soon as he arrived, he hunted down and killed the playboys, destroying the tyrants. The nobles did not dare to look him in the eye, and called him 'Goshawk'. Zhang Tang was even more specialized in ruling the princes, killing the rich merchants, the big families, and the tyrants. He was known for his strength.
When Wang Wenshu was ruling Guangping, he wantonly killed the tyrants in the county. He killed more than a thousand families, and blood flowed for more than ten miles. In less than a year, he killed so many thieves in the county that not even the barking of dogs could be seen. It could be said that he did not pick up the loose ends on the road! These ruthless officials were not only capable, but most of them were very incorruptible. Zhi Du never accepted gifts, and when he was in office, he did not even open the private letters written to him by his relatives and friends.
After Zhang Tang died, his inheritance was less than five hundred gold, and Wang Wenshu did not even have fifty gold. The ruthless officials of the Sui Dynasty, Di Shiwen, were even more willing to live in poverty, and had no extra money. Such officials, capable and incorruptible, should have been praised by the people. But why is it that from ancient times to the present, from the officials to the common people, all hate them to the bone, and let each and every one of them end up with infamy? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
