Zhi Xuan

On the day the monarch left for the suburbs, a heavy snowfall fell in the western capital.

Feather-like snowflakes were flying and falling, thousands of soldiers gathered outside the city, and the flags in the ranks were fluttering and hunting in the wind.

According to Xi Yuanhou's will, the Chinese army stayed in the country, and [-] soldiers were drawn from the upper army and the lower army each, and the followers went to the suburbs.

The chariot painted with the totem of the divine bird drove out from the Monarch's Mansion. The driver was nearly two meters tall, with extremely thick arms and thighs. He held the reins firmly with both hands and was able to strangle the galloping horse.

Rong You is not as tall as the driver, but he has a strong aura. He fought with the monarch in his early years and blocked the sword more than once.Covered by black armor, there are large and small scars all over his body, all left on the battlefield.

A centipede-shaped scar wrapped around his neck and ended on his cheek, missing his left eye by half an inch.

Marquis Xiyuan was assassinated back then, and he fought against three of them alone, leaving this scar in his desperate fight.

In that assassination, Marquis Xiyuan was severely injured and could no longer go to the battlefield in person.There were none of the guards around him, and Rong You was the only survivor.The other person's right calf was cut off, and he was no longer able to protect the monarch. The injury was painful, and he died of depression within three years.

Since then, Rong You Mengxiong has become the most trusted guard of Marquis Xiyuan. Even though his skill is not as good as in his early years, Marquis Xiyuan never thought of promoting others.

The chariot left the Monarch's Mansion, led by Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Mi, and everyone in the mansion saw him off in front of the door.

The sons Kang, the son Ming, and the daughters Tao and Ying stood beside their respective mothers in cloaks, sending off the monarch respectfully in the cold wind.There are also a few concubines and female sons who can only stand at the end because their birth mothers do not show their backgrounds.

The sky was gloomy, and the wind whizzed past, rolling through the city of Xidu.

The chariot passed through the long street, the wheels of the chariot rolled over the ground, and the axles turned and creaked.

Clan convoys have long been waiting on both sides of the road.

Chariots carved with various totems joined the team, and the members of the hunting clan followed the monarch and went out of the city together.

Zhixuan was the first to join the convoy, but the driver was behind Miwu, Yang Hao and Fan Xu.Although he is the son of the monarch, if he is not the son of the prince for a day, his status will be lower than that of the minister, so he must accept this arrangement.

The previous monarchs of Xiyuan Kingdom were all powerful. Even if they could not control the army, they could still hold the power in their hands, exercise checks and balances on the major clans, and ensure that they would not become puppets.

The situation in Bei'an Kingdom and Dongliang Kingdom is similar. The relationship between the monarch and the big clan is very delicate, both supporting each other and playing games with each other.In the face of external threats, they will surely be able to twist into one rope. Once the crisis is resolved, they will turn their attention to the country and start wrestling for the regime and military power.Most of the time, the monarch can always control the situation, check and balance the clan, and prevent domestic chaos.

In contrast, the situation in Nanyou Country is not so good.

Nan Youhou has been in power for 30 years. He is addicted to wine and sex all day long and does not think about making progress. It once caused domestic turmoil. The people of the country couldn't bear it, and even expelled the monarch.If the King of Humans hadn't sent envoys, and the barbarians had suddenly sent out large-scale troops, the chaos would have continued and would not subside for a while.

After this incident, in order to punish Nanyouhou, the King of Ren changed his fiefdom from Tong to You, and the name of the country also changed accordingly.

Nan Youhou suffered this change, all the power in his hands was divided up, and he was completely reduced to a puppet.

The reason why he can still sit in the position of the monarch is that the king deters the clan and does not allow the clan to replace him;

To replace him will inevitably lead to a series of troubles.If Bei'an Kingdom takes the opportunity to send troops, the current Nanyou Kingdom may not be able to resist it.

Zhi Xuan got a general understanding of the current situation of the four princes through extensive reading and intelligence gathering.Although he has doubts about Xiyuanhou's early actions, he must admit that as a monarch, Xiyuanhou is qualified in politics and military affairs, especially in governing the country.

The convoy moved forward, and as more and more clan teams joined, a long queue soon formed, occupying the entire long street.

The soldiers outside the city had assembled since dawn, obeying orders and waiting for the king to arrive.

The cold wind swept across, snowflakes fell on the shoulders, and no one moved without authorization.If it weren't for the white mist that condensed from the mouth and nose, it would be like ten thousand statues standing in the snow.

Finally, the sound of wheels came from the city gate, and the soldiers at the head of the city set up copper horns on the female wall. Four people supported it, and one person blew it.

The desolate sound of the horn resounded through the western capital city, straight into the boundless sky.

The gate of the city was wide open, and the emperor's chariot drove out first. Thousands of soldiers held halberds and knelt on one knee at the same time. Their movements were uniform, and the sound of armor colliding merged into a torrent.

None of the armored soldiers made a sound, watched the monarch go, and immediately stood up under the order, and divided into two long dragons, guarding the monarch all the way to the east, and then turned to the north.

Sitting in the car, Zhi Xuan was shocked beyond words when he witnessed this scene.

In my memory, the last time the monarch went to war, he was still a child, and he couldn't go out of the city to see the might of the army.This meeting was his first close contact with the army of Xiyuan Kingdom.

These soldiers were temporarily drawn from the upper and lower armies, and neither the Mi family, the Yang family nor the Luan family had brought out the most elite forces.It is conceivable that the gathering of the three armies and the best of the best will be a shocking scene.

While being amazed, Zhi Xuan couldn't help but want to sigh when he thought of the resources he currently possessed.

Mayfly shaking the tree?

Not exact but not far off.

He is not discouraged.

No one can become fat in one go. Compared with most people in the world, he is already standing on the top of the pyramid.

Ming Taizu started with a broken bowl, and still reached the pinnacle of his life.His start was a thousand times better.It's not his style to be discouraged when he encounters some setbacks.If he could give up easily anytime and anywhere, and would not dare to step forward when encountering a strong opponent, he would have been trampled into the mud in his previous life.

The stronger the opponent, the more he should go upstream.

He is not short of time and status, and resources can also be replenished. If you work hard, it is not yet known who will win.

As the team moved forward, the farther they were from the Western Capital, the more desolate the scene became.

Some villages can still be seen near the city, but it is difficult to see people even if you travel a hundred miles away.Occasionally passing through the clan fiefdom, only a vast expanse of white can be seen due to the heavy snow, and the rising smoke has long been blown away.

Compared with sparsely populated, there are more wild beasts in the snowfield.

Howling wolves and tigers can be heard in the distance, and above the head are goshawks passing through the snow curtain. In the vast sky and earth, herds of beasts are galloping, and the team of ten thousand people still looks small.

The soldiers who explored the road returned and reported that they found a herd of deer ahead, and the number was extremely large.

"After the deer, there are wolves. There are hundreds of them."

With so many wolves, it's likely not a pack.

There are many dangers in the snowfield, wolves, tigers and bears can be seen everywhere, and it is impossible for the team to change course midway.

Reporting the matter to the monarch, Xi Yuanhou directly ordered to proceed according to the original route, hunting deer when encountering deer, and killing wolves when encountering wolves.

It is not impossible for ten thousand soldiers, together with common people, servants and slaves who transport food and fodder, to hunt and kill all the deer and wolves.

Zhixuan was sitting in the car, holding a hand stove specially made by the craftsman in his hand, listening to the report from the servant, learning the order of the monarch, thinking for a while, and ordered his soldiers not to leave the main army easily.

"If you have an order from the king, you can go together. If there is no order, do not act without authorization. Violators will be punished severely."

Regarding Zhixuan's decision, the subjects who came out of the territory had no objections, the people of the country did not mention it, and the common people, servants and slaves were secretly relieved.Only the twenty soldiers that Marquis Xiyuan gave him were dissatisfied, and some of them showed it on their faces.

Zhi Xuan didn't care.

If you make up your mind to develop silently, you naturally have to hide your strength and bide your time.Don't show off the limelight you shouldn't.

With his current strength, what can he do if he rushes forward?The biggest possibility is that he didn't get much benefit, but instead, people with good intentions saw it and gave him more attention and vigilance.

Mi Wu was in the chariot ahead, as well as Yang Hao, and Fan Xu whose attitude was unclear.

The trip is only a day, and there is still at least half a month to go, plus the hunting and return journey, and the close contact with these clan heads, Zhi Xuan has to remind himself to be careful at all times, no matter how cautious he is, he can't be too cautious.

Since it can be prevented in advance, why bother to make amends.

After all, what he is facing is not a game, if he is not careful, he will lose his life.

Facts have proved that Zhi Xuan is not unfounded.

When the team encountered a herd of deer and wolves as scheduled, and when the patriarchs of the various clans sent their men, Mi Wu and Yang Hao unanimously sent people to investigate Zhi Xuan's movements, and even Fan Xu paid special attention.

To the disappointment of the three, Zhi Xuan shrank in the car from the beginning to the end, and the subordinates did not take any action to participate in the hunt.

This kind of performance seems cowardly, not at all like the Marquis of Xiyuan who is easy to conquer.

"Is it really out of nature, or is it a fake?" Mi Wu turned his head and looked behind him, stroking the beard on his chin with one hand, his face full of thought.

Yang Hao had the same question.

Fan Xu knew about Zhixuan's actions, so he did not investigate further, and called back the people he had sent.

Marquis Xiyuan saw everyone's actions in his eyes, held the Wang Ci sword hanging on his waist with one hand, pondered for a moment, and ordered on the spot that the deer he hunted should be picked and given to Zhi Xuan.

"Your Majesty, reward Young Master Xuan."

The servant sent several healthy deer to Zhixuan's team.

Zhi Xuanlue was surprised, as if he didn't expect to be rewarded.Quickly tidy up your clothes, get out of the car and thank Marquis Xiyuan for your reward.

Since he had been sitting in the car with the heater in his arms, Zhixuan couldn't help but sneezed and coughed continuously when the cold wind blew.

Seeing his pale face, Mi Wu and Yang Hao's thoughts suddenly changed at the same time.

It seems that although Gong Zixuan escaped death, his body may not fully recover.Who can guarantee that there will be no accidents when you travel with the monarch while dragging your sick body?

After several times of thinking, the two of them still had doubts, and their wariness had not diminished, but they came up with the same idea and decided not to do anything next.In case things are not confidential, they will be caught as a horse, and instead become a knife in the opponent's hand.

Zhi Xuan returned to the car, and Doctor Sang, who was accompanying him, got out of another rudimentary car, trying to diagnose his pulse, but was gently pushed away.

"It's nothing. If someone asks, they will only say that my old illness has not recovered."

Zhi Xuan did not negotiate but ordered.The tone was not harsh, and the intention conveyed was unquestionable.

Doctor Sang suddenly remembered that when he was in the mansion, Zhi Xuan would occasionally open the window to blow the wind.He reminded him several times, saying that this action would hinder his condition, but he never changed.As far as the performance just now, who would have thought that Zhi Xuan was really fine, and more of an act, and his performance was lifelike?

Being in the monarch's mansion all year round, doctor Sang has seen many deceitful methods, and knows how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.His kind of personality can be called prudence and self-defense at best, but at worst, he is a villain who plays the rudder and repeats himself.

Over the years, he thought he knew the king's concubines and children, but Zhi Xuan in front of him shook his confidence.

Perhaps, he never really understood this young master.

And is it the same for the monarch and the officials in court?