Return of the Swallow

Pang Xiao smiled and nodded, caressing her cheek with his big hand, "I've always known that you are an open-minded person. You don't care about trivial matters. I was previously worried that you would hold a grudge against Boss Qiu and no longer want to associate with her."

"It's okay not to associate with her, but I like Brother Yan very much, and Mr. Mu has helped us a lot. The relationship is so complicated, how can we completely cut off the relationship? As for open-mindedness, I can't talk about it, I'm stingy Very, it’s just that I know what’s most important right now.”

Pang Xiao couldn't help but laugh, "I don't see how you are stingy. It would be very difficult to have the wood in the middle, and I don't want him to be in such a dilemma. Next time I meet Boss Qiu, I'll show him a little more kindness."

"Maybe she will avoid Master Mu next time she comes here." Qin Yining thought about Qiu Feishan's temper and couldn't help but sigh again, "She is a proud person, and she was humiliated by Master Mu twice in front of you. How can she bear it if she loses face? I don’t know how she will feel sad when she goes back. When she comes to see you again, she has to wait until she is completely calm and has passed that hurdle."

Pang Xiao raised his eyebrows, convinced of Qin Yining's words.

Mu Jinghu is a kind person. Of course he hopes that his friends can be happy. It seems that he will have to think more about Mu Jinghu in the future and save some face for Qiu Feishan when he sees her again. Even Sister Yi, a woman, can be so open-minded. Should he, a grown man, still cling to the past and embarrass his brother?

In the next few days, Pang Xiao would look for opportunities to open Mu Jing Lake even if he was in a hurry.

Mu Jinghu resisted at first, but in the end Xu was persuaded and often just kept silent.

When Pang Xiao and Qin Yining went to the capital, they took the same path they took when they came for disaster relief. Needless to say, the people along the way welcomed and loved them, and many people joined the ranks of the Pingnan Army. The Pingnan Army originally set out from the old capital with 100,000 people, but when it arrived in the capital, the number of soldiers and horses following Pang Xiao had become two. One hundred and eighty thousand.

This is a huge number!

When Li Qitian learned that Pang Xiao had brought 280,000 troops and Chen Bingcheng, he was so shocked that he jumped up from the dragon chair in the imperial study. He pointed at the spy who replied and asked in a sharp voice:

"What? You mean, Pang Zhixi brought back 280,000 horses! Where did he get the money to feed so many people!"

"Back to the Holy Spirit, when the prince returned along the way, there were always wealthy squires donating money and food, and the common people followed him voluntarily. On the way back to Beijing, he passed through places where the prince had donated money, so the people who joined the army were accepted all the way back. So far, the Pingnan Army has recruited 180,000 new soldiers."

Li Qitian only felt deeply tired for a while.

The teams of princes from various places are now organized under Ji Zeyu's command.

The total amount was only a few hundred thousand, and Pang Xiao alone brought back 100,000 elite soldiers and 180,000 recruits of the Pingnan Army.

Once Pang Xiao becomes rebellious and Ji Zeyu and Gao Wenliang want to resist the Tatars, who else can control Pang Xiao? Doesn't he, the emperor, stretch his neck and wait for someone to chop him down?

He seemed to have seen the scene of Pang Xiao's army breaking into the city and directly forcing the palace.

Li Qitian's clothes on his back were soaked with sweat, and he didn't speak for a long time.

The spy knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and waited for Li Qitian's instructions.

After a long time, Li Qicai told Xiong Jinshui in a dry voice, "Go, summon all the ministers urgently, I want to go to court."

"According to the order!" Xiong Jinshui heard the order and ran out quickly.

After hearing the words of the emperor and the spies clearly, Xiong Jinshui's heart went cold. If Prince Zhongshun was beaten back, the lives of those who had served the emperor personally would probably be in danger. I originally thought that serving the emperor would be a great thing to achieve in one step, but now I feel more and more like I made a bad move?

For the past few days, the Tatars have been besieging the capital. Commander Ji Zeyu's army has resisted stubbornly. The people in the capital are closely protected, but the fighting and roaring on the battlefield can often be heard. The capital medical center and nearby temples are helping to treat injuries and illnesses, and the common people often see the tragic conditions of those injuries and illnesses.

This was the first time they had come into contact with war at such a close distance, and it was also the first time they had felt the shadow of death so clearly. Everyone is worried. Some people feel that the capital is no longer safe and plan to move their families. Some people also think that the capital is the heart of the Zhou Dynasty. If it is lost, it will be useless for them to escape wherever they go.

Just when people were panicking, the emperor had already attended the small court meeting, but the emperor made urgent arrangements for the large court meeting. Some officials from various ministries were still on errands, and some had already returned home. As soon as they got the news, they all hurried back to Gansu.

The common people were used to seeing the calm demeanor of the high officials, but this was the first time they were so anxious. Many people were secretly talking about whether something important had happened to the court. Are the Tatars about to invade?

Li Qitian had no time to think about anything else. When all the officials gathered, he immediately said: "Pang Zhixi's army of 280,000 troops is expected to be at the city tomorrow. My dear friends, do you have any ideas? You can speak freely, I will never blame you. "

"Your Majesty, I thought that Prince Zhongshun was dedicated to serving the country. This time he led his troops to serve the king. If the prince and the Marquis of Dingbei join forces, the Tatars will be defeated. This is really a great news!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, with only Ding Beihou, the Tatars have been suppressed, and with Prince Zhongshun, we, the Great Zhou Dynasty, will definitely win."

Some people have been supporting Pang Xiao to take over the position of commander-in-chief of the Huben Army, but the Holy Spirit has always been against it. But the war has reached the capital, and once the army is defeated, they will all become slaves of the country! At this time, it is natural to consider whether the battle can be won first, and other things will not be considered at the moment.

Li Qitian remained calm, but Pang Xiao's disapproval could be seen in his slightly frowning brows and his irritable sitting posture that kept changing his angle.

So someone stood up and persuaded: "Your Majesty, please don't listen to the shallow words of these people. Your Majesty has ordered the world's soldiers and horses to be diligent. Prince Zhongshun has not yet done the disaster relief work he was ordered to do. He is not the commander-in-chief of the Pingnan Army, so this time he The troops came here with ulterior motives! Once the wolf is lured into the house, the consequences will be disastrous!"

These words entered Li Qitian's heart, but he did not express his position immediately.

At this moment, the sturdy general stood up, his eyes widened like bells, and his fists clenched tightly, as if he wanted to rush up and punch the man just now.

"Go to hell with your mother for inviting wolves into the house. When the prince led his troops to fight, you were still chewing your nails under your mother's skirt! You are a coward who only knows how to flatter! If you have the ability, you can also carry a knife to kill the Tatars! At this time, you are slandering Prince Zhongshun. , What’s your intention!”

"You! You are a rude and reckless man. How can the Holy One allow you to act wild in front of me!"

"Bah! Stop trying to sow discord between me and the Holy Lord!"

"What we are talking about now is the matter of Prince Zhongshun. Why are you asking so much? The Pingnan Army only has 100,000 people, but Prince Zhongshun has brought back 280,000 people. Isn't it obvious what his intentions are? If it's true? If you don’t have any external intentions, why are you so eager to recruit troops?”

"That's the people thanking the prince for saving lives. How many people did the prince save along the way? The people wanted to repay the favor and voluntarily followed the prince to fight the Tartars. That was the appeal of the prince and the benevolence of the people. Compared with you who can only point fingers. Even the common people who carry hoes are a hundred times stronger than you!"

…

Seeing that the situation below was the same as before, with those who supported Pang Xiao and those who opposed Pang Xiao arguing again, which was not helpful at all, Li Qitian rubbed his brows irritably.

He was extremely regretful now.

If Pang Xiao was not arranged to provide disaster relief, where would he have the chance to win people's hearts? Fortunately, now, his arrangements have all been messed up. Pang Xiao still seems to have won the hearts of the people, but he has become a bad guy.

Pang Xiao was born to conflict with him!

"That's enough." Li Qitian stood up, looked down at His Highness Jin Luan, who had stopped arguing and stood with his hands down, snorted coldly, turned around and walked away.

The ministers looked at each other in confusion. They had never seen the Holy One leave before he was halfway up.

Could it be that the emperor summoned them to a court meeting urgently just because of Prince Zhongshun?

Even though the Tatar display was so tight, I never saw the Holy One so anxious!

Someone with a smart mind has already figured out Li Qitian's taboo from his reaction.

It seemed that Prince Zhongshun was more taboo than foreign enemies.

Qin Yining was standing aside holding Ji Yun's hand, watching Jingzhe and the others neatly set up their tent.

She has been vomiting so much in recent days that she almost gags when she smells rice soup. In addition, he had to rush on his way, and Qin Yining's face was full of exhaustion after all the hard work.

The camps of the 280,000-square-meter Confederate Army stretched for miles. I believe Li Qitian could clearly see the tide of them standing at the city gate.

At this point, the Tatars had not had time to attack, and everything was in time. While Qin Yining breathed a sigh of relief, exhaustion quickly swept over him. He almost dozed off while holding Ji Yun's hand.

Pang Xiao and his men inspected the camp closely. When they came back, Qin Yining had already laid down and slept.

Bingtang sat quietly aside, and when she saw Pang Xiao lifting the curtain and bending over to come, she quickly stood up and saluted.

Pang Xiao waved his hand, first looked at Qin Yining's sleeping appearance, and then made a sign to Bingtang to tell him to go out.

Bingtang nodded and followed Pang Xiao not far from the tent.

"Your Majesty? What are your orders?"

"Is the princess okay?"

"The princess looks weak, but her health is good. Coupled with the previous nursing care, she has made up for the loss she suffered when she gave birth to the two young masters. It's just that she is a little tired from the long journey this time. As long as she takes good care of herself, it won't be a big deal."

Pang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief quietly, "That's good."

These days of running in with the new soldiers brought back by the Pingnan Army, Pang Xiaozi has been busy without touching the ground. Fortunately, Qin Yining doesn't need to worry about anything.

Just as he was thinking this, Huzi came quickly from outside, "Your Majesty, the news of your return to the capital has spread. The emperor held an urgent court meeting. I don't know what was discussed at the court meeting. In short, we didn't get instructions here."

This is also expected. This is how Li Qitian behaves. He will definitely think carefully before opening the first net and waiting for others to jump.

Huzi said worriedly: "Your Majesty, should we wait for the Holy Emperor's orders, or should we go directly and kill all the Tartars?"