Jiuxi

Chapter 962: 960 [Thirty Years of Fame and Dust]

December, the first year of Yongning in the Great Qi Dynasty.

As the year draws to a close, good news keeps coming in.

After Lu Chen held a swearing-in ceremony in Yongqiu City, the Qi army divided into three groups and marched north at the same time. They recovered Xinping, Kaocheng, Yuanwu, Lushan, Changyi, Qifeng, Xinxi, Pingyu, Baoxing and other places at an astonishing speed.

Along the way, except for a few Jing troops who resisted stubbornly and were crushed to pieces by the Qi army, the rest all fled at the sight of the enemy.

On the 23rd, the Central Army Firearms Battalion led by Lu Chen used the Pojun artillery to blast open the south gate of Tongbai City, and more than 8,000 Jing troops who attempted to defend the city were completely wiped out.

This marked the complete collapse of Jingjun’s defense zone south of Heluo.

This is the first time in twenty years that Da Qi soldiers have set foot in this important town.

The gentry and common people in the city were nervously and fearfully waiting for their fate to come. Soon they discovered that this Qi army was not the same as the tigers and wolves they had imagined. After entering the city, they did not harm anyone, but at least there were no serious incidents of disturbing the public.

Soon, the military court posted notices everywhere in the city, stating that any Qi army soldiers who disturbed the people would be dealt with severely and strictly according to military law. Citizens in the city could report to the military court teams spread across various districts at any time. At the same time, citizens were welcome to report corrupt officials and local tyrants in the city, especially those traitors who colluded with the Jinglian people to oppress the Qi people.

A vigorous liquidation campaign began.

As a large number of traitors and illegal dignitaries were publicly tried and beheaded, the Great Qi army quickly won the support of local people. Such scenes were not only seen in Tongbai City. The various Qi armies obeyed Lu Chen's orders and carried out a timely settlement every time they recovered a place.

Although the method was crude, it was effective. It stabilized the people's hearts at a very fast speed and gradually shifted towards Lu Chen and the Qi army.

Inside the temporary headquarters, Lu Chen handled dozens of military affairs, briefly discussed the next march deployment with his generals, and then hurried to the back hall.

When Lin Xi and Luo Jiujiu saw him come in, they stood up at the same time.

Lu Chen glanced at the screen that separated the inner room and asked softly, "How is Bingxue?"

Lin Xi said: "She was very sad and just wanted to be alone, so we came out."

Lu Chen walked inside after hearing that.

"Husband."

Lin Xi called him and whispered, "Spend more time with her. Jiujiu and I will go prepare the items for the worship."

"it is good."

There was a hint of warmth in Lu Chen's eyes, and he immediately stepped into the inner room.

The furnishings in the house are simple and elegant. This mansion was voluntarily vacated by a wealthy family in the city to serve as a temporary commander's residence. Being able to flatter Lu Chen was enough to make him overjoyed, and all the furniture in the mansion was replaced.

Next to the large desk in front of the window, a figure was curled up on the armchair.

She stared blankly ahead, her legs tucked in front of her, her hands hugging her knees.

The house was as warm as spring, but she exuded a strong chill, without any trace of the usual refreshing sunshine.

Lu Chen sighed inwardly, his eyes lingered on the document on the table for a moment, then he walked to the armchair and reached out to hold her cold hand.

She turned her head, her eyes were red and swollen, and tear marks were clearly visible on her face.

“Ice and snow…”

Lu Chen felt equally uncomfortable. Although Li Tianrun was not as unreserved towards him as Xiao Wangzhi, he was also an extremely important mentor in his growth. Moreover, he betrothed Li Bingxue to Lu Chen, which not only allowed the lovers to finally get married, but also handed over the heavy political legacy to Lu Chen.

Even if we put all that aside, from a purely military point of view, Li Tianrun was fully worthy of being called a role model. How could Lu Chen not respect him? How could he not feel sad for his passing?

Li Bingxue leaned against him and said in a sad voice, "When I left Beijing last year, my father told me that he would wait until the day when our army defeated Emperor Jing, otherwise he would die with his eyes open. My father also said that I am not only your wife now, but also the banner of the Li family in the army. Even if he passed away, as long as the war is still going on, I cannot return to Beijing for the funeral, because the country is always more important than the family."

Lu Chen held her hand with one hand and put his other arm around her shoulders. He could feel her body still trembling slightly, and he felt more and more pity for her.

"I know that my father's health is not good. He has been holding on to his last breath just to see Da Qi win a decisive victory on the battlefield. When I was at home before, I felt like my heart was being cut by a knife when I saw my father suffering from illness. My father never said it, but I know how painful he has been in these years. I..."

She didn't say the rest, but Lu Chen understood what she left unsaid.

He hugged Li Bingxue tighter and said slowly, "I think that for my father-in-law, although the physical pain was tormenting, what he was really worried about was that we young people would not be able to hold on to the situation, that we would be defeated by a strong enemy, and that the efforts of the older generation over the past 20 years would go to waste. That's why he kept persevering. On the day he received the victory report, I believe my father-in-law was very relieved and happy, and he definitely didn't leave the world with regrets."

"Ah."

Li Bingxue sniffed softly and said, "Father had a tough personality but he wasn't paranoid. He must have passed away peacefully. It's just... it's just that I couldn't see him off for the last time. I feel very sad."

"I know. I feel the same way as you do."

Lu Chen gently stroked Li Bingxue's shoulder and said with a sigh: "Originally, I wanted you to go back to the capital, but considering that your body has not recovered yet, if you have to travel thousands of miles again, I am worried that it will make things worse."

It had been less than a month since the great battle at Lei Ze Plain. Li Bingxue had fought to the point of exhaustion on the battlefield and had been recuperating with the army for the past twenty days.

Li Bingxue sighed.

Lu Chen comforted her, "Father-in-law won't blame you. On the contrary, he will only be proud of you, because without you and the Feiyu Army soldiers fighting to the death, we wouldn't be able to lure Emperor Jing into the trap, and we wouldn't be able to achieve that decisive victory." Li Bingxue naturally understood this truth, and knew that there was no rule in the army to wear mourning clothes to attend funerals. As Lu Chen's wife and the commander of the Feiyu Army, she had to set a good example.

However, the grief over my father's passing is hard to dissipate.

Fortunately, Lu Chen was by her side, comforting her with kind words, which made her feel comforted.

After a long while, Li Bingxue raised her head slightly and looked at Lu Chen, hesitatingly saying, "Husband, will the imperial court's posthumous title for father embarrass you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"The court posthumously awarded my father the title of Loyal and Righteous Prince, and also gave him the posthumous title of Zhongwu. I always feel that there is a mystery behind these two honors."

Lu Chen was silent for a moment.

Among his one principal wife and three concubines, Lin Xi and Luo Jiujiu have almost no good feelings towards the court of Da Qi. Both the Seven Star Gang and the various tribes in Shazhou only stand with Da Qi because of Lu Chen.

Needless to say, Wang Chulong did everything for Lu Chen's benefit. Now even Lu Chen himself was not very clear about how many arrangements Wang Chulong had made for him in the south.

Only Li Bingxue, because of the influence of her family background and personal experience, especially Li Tianrun's words and deeds, has always been loyal to the court.

Lu Chen said calmly, "The title of Loyal and Righteous Prince and the posthumous title of Zhongwu are both honors and compliments for my father-in-law's life-long contributions. There is nothing wrong with it. Don't think too much about it."

Li Bingxue shook her head and said, "But I think the court deliberately emphasized the word loyalty in order to put a constraint on you. Now that you hold the military power of the Great Qi and have made unparalleled achievements in recovering the lost territory, those people in the court will definitely suspect that you have a rebellious heart. If in the future... there is no guarantee that someone will not use your father's title and posthumous title to attack you."

"What about the future?"

Lu Chen half squatted down and looked at her with a smile.

Li Bingxue didn't like beating around the bush, so she asked directly, "Will you take his place?"

The smile on Lu Chen's face became more and more profound.

Li Bingxue looked at him in confusion.

Lu Chen said: "I thought you wouldn't consider these issues."

"Look down on people."

Li Bingxue raised her hand and tapped his forehead gently, saying softly, "I'm definitely not as good as Sister Chulong in these matters, but at least I've seen the twists and turns in the court. You've never eaten pork, but you've seen pigs run. Do you think I can only fight in battles and kill enemies, and I don't know anything else?"

"how could be."

Lu Chen smiled and passed it off, then asked: "If I were to take his place, what would you think of me?"

"You……"

Li Bingxue held his hand and said without hesitation: "I am your wife. No matter what you want to do, I will follow you. If you want to be a loyal minister of Da Qi, I will lead the troops to fight and drive out foreign enemies. If you want to rebel and become emperor, I will help you kill those who stop you. As for the consequences, this is not something I worry about. In short, you and I are husband and wife and we will live and die together."

Lu Chen looked at her with a smile, then stood up and carried her horizontally.

"In fact, most people in this world, including some important officials in the court, have misunderstood my father-in-law."

Lu Chen carried Li Bingxue to the bedside, let her sit on the edge, and continued: "Father-in-law's loyalty is not to the man sitting on the dragon throne, but to the hundreds of millions of people on this vast land. He couldn't bear to see the common people being ravaged by the iron cavalry of foreign races, so he devoted almost his entire life to it for thirty years. Father-in-law is like this, Uncle Xiao is like this, and so am I."

Li Bingxue nodded and said, "I understand."

Lu Chen took out the shoes and wanted to help her put them on. Although Li Bingxue was straightforward, she couldn't help but refuse awkwardly: "I can do it myself."

"Didn't you just say that husband and wife are one? What's this little thing?"

Lu Chen looked up at her and said seriously, "Put on your shoes, let's go to pay tribute to my father-in-law together."

Li Bingxue looked at him steadily, tears welling up in her eyes, but compared with her previous grief and sorrow, her face now showed a little more of the feeling of having met a good man.

After a while, in the courtyard.

Lu Chen stood facing south, Li Bingxue stood beside him, and Lin Xi and Luo Jiujiu stood on his left and right.

The four people bowed and offered sacrifices from afar.

In the cold winter wind, Lu Silently said: "Father-in-law, I will unswervingly fulfill your last wish, drive out the foreign enemies, destroy Jingguo, and return a peaceful and prosperous world to the people."

……

On December 28th, the Northern Expedition Army of the Great Qi advanced on four fronts.

Meet at the foot of Heluo City!

(End of this chapter)