About ten zhang away from the east gate of Xizhou City, seeing the oncoming Anxi Metropolitan Governor Li Bu and several Anxi generals behind him, Yuan Qingshan, who was leading the way, waved his hand, and the team behind him stopped instantly.

Yuan Qingshan turned over and dismounted, turned his head to look at the carriage behind him, but did not see any movement for a long time. Just as he was hesitating whether to step forward, Li Tiantu, who was dressed in ordinary clothes, walked out of the carriage with a yellow holy decree. Yuan Qingshan shook his head secretly, the thoughts in his heart were exactly the same as Su Ling'er, but the one who came from the opposite side was one of the few great generals in the Celestial Empire, a high-ranking and powerful feudal official, this young Son of Heaven would still be working under the hands of people in the future, how could he be so undignified?

The capital of Anxi escorted Li Bu to the front of the convoy, nodded slightly towards Yuan Qingshan, who was in the lead, and looked at Li Tiantu, who was slowly coming with the holy decree.

Seeing the white-haired and thin veteran, Li Tiantu was glad that he arrived before the ghost, and he was a little more sad. The Protector of the Anxi Metropolitan seems to be in a high position, but in the bitter cold land of the Western Regions, how many of the generals of the Celestial Empire who have been pampered and pampered in the Central Plains for many years are willing to come to this kind of place? Li Tiantu, who had a solemn face, knew that the matter was important, and spread out the holy decree and said loudly: "The capital of Anxi protects Li Bu to receive the decree." ”

Li Bu, who was three or five thousand miles away from Beijing and had not knelt down for 20 years to listen to Xuan personally receiving the holy decree, couldn't help but burst into tears, kneeling on his knees and trembling: "The old minister is here!" ”

Li Tiantu couldn't help but be moved when he saw this, and suddenly remembered what the lord of Cao Wei said during the Three Kingdoms period: "Lao Ji is in the bush, and his ambition is thousands of miles; In the twilight of the martyrs, the hearts of the martyrs are strong". Peace, war, the most difficult thing is the soldiers on the border. If it weren't for the fact that the power center of the Celestial Empire determined that the old general would have died nine times a lifetime, how could he have awarded such supreme glory?

Trying to suppress the tumbling tide, Li Tiantu said in a deep voice: "The emperor of the Celestial Dynasty ordered that the capital of Anxi today has a degree of command to protect Li Bu, and he has made meritorious contributions to the fight against the Tubo army. In addition, Li Tiantu, the commander of the Beijing Forbidden Army, was sent to concurrently serve as the deputy protector of Anxi to assist in handling the war in the Western Regions. ”

Li Bu, who had already had a hundred battles and would die in the heart of the frontier, was able to wait for the imperial court's mighty imperial grace at this time, which was both expected and unexpected.

It is expected that this kind of pre-death addition to the rank of official has a precedent in the court.

Unexpectedly, the DPRK knew that the Western Regions was a mortal situation, so why did they send Li Tiantu, the commander of the Son of Heaven Red Jingshi Praetorian Guard, to serve as the deputy protector of Anxi, if he came to monitor himself, there was really no need to announce such a monstrous reward. Or to death? I heard that this young upstart has offended a lot of powerful people in the DPRK and China. Li Bu still prefers to believe in the latter possibility.

Li Bu knocked on Longen, got up and took the holy decree from Li Tiantu's hands, and ignored the generals around him, and said with a wry smile: "Commander Li, to say something big, you shouldn't come." ”

Li Tiantu suddenly felt that the non-stop work of the past ten days was not in vain, and said with an indifferent smile: "Old General Li, Li Tiantu did not come in vain this time. ”

Li Bu, whose eyes were shining, didn't know where Li Tiantu's confidence came from, but he didn't bother to think about it, and ordered Qin Lan behind him to beckon Yuan Qingshan to enter the city with the convoy, and he and Li Tiantu rode horses and rode in front to lead the way, while not forgetting to introduce: "Commander Li, the city of Biansai is not as beautiful as the Central Plains, although Xizhou City is large, but there are only 50,000 residents in the city." ”

At this time, the horse team was already approaching the inner city, looking at the empty street, Li Tiantu thought so, and said with a smile: "But what I heard is that Xizhou City is already the most prosperous city in the Western Regions. ”

A few pedestrians on the street all cast respectful and loving glances at Li Bu, and the old general did not forget to respond with a smile, and then sighed lightly: "That's just relative to other military towns." And the Xizhou City, which has tens of thousands of people, is compared with the big city of the Central Plains, which has hundreds of thousands of households, that is the difference between the poor countrymen and the rich and noble city people. ”

Li Bu looked at the Duhu Mansion that was getting closer and closer, and said with great interest: "But I can't leave here." Don't look at the fact that I have written several times in the past few years to ask for resignation, it is just to find a young successor to protect this land. Although I am old, I have never thought of leaving here to return to the court to enjoy happiness, my life is destined to be dedicated to Anxi, even if I die, I will scatter my ashes on this land, mountains and rivers. ”

Li Tiantu was moved in his heart and said from the bottom of his heart: "Most of the capital protects the high wind and bright festival, which is really a blessing for the people of the Western Regions, no wonder it is deeply loved by the people in the city." ”

Li Bu turned over and dismounted in front of a two-story and half-stone building engraved with the Anxi Protectorate on the courtyard, stopped the gatekeeper who was about to step forward to lead the horse, stroked the skull of the yellow old horse under the seat, and said with a complicated expression: "The old man is indeed deserved to lead this sentence of high wind and bright festival." I think that at the beginning, the old man was also reluctant in his heart, and he was purely driven to the Western Regions by a duck. It's just that later, I got used to it. I have been an official for one term, and I don't seek to benefit one party, as long as I don't infame the people, I can be regarded as worthy of conscience. ”

Li Tiantumeng, who was accustomed to the deceit of the DPRK and China, couldn't help but empathize when he heard such flesh-and-blood ordinary words. At this moment, he had made up his mind that even if it was difficult, he would ensure that such a loyal and loving old general would survive the danger of the Western Regions.

Li Bu glanced back at Li Tiantu, who was quiet, and said flatly: "Commander Mu, you don't have to blame the old man for saying something simple and deep when he met you for the first time." The younger generation in the court, except for the demonic grandson of the old man in the North Underworld, the old man is most optimistic about you. It's a pity that the kid's heart is in the rivers and lakes. I don't know why Commander Li came here suddenly, but I would like to believe that it is providence. God has mercy on the Western Regions, and after waiting for five years, I finally came to Anxi and waited for the star of hope. It's time for me to rest, too. People who come to the Western Regions for the first time are resistant to this land, but after a long time, you will fall in love with Anxi. ”

Li Tiantu smiled slightly, and said with feeling: "Old general, I have fallen in love here." ”

Li Bu looked back at the team that was about to follow, and said with a smile: "You go and explain, and then let General Qin take them to rest, tonight Ben Shuai will talk with you by candlelight." The old general entered the capital protection mansion first, although he was in a strong mood, but in Li Tiantu's opinion, there was an indescribable sense of loneliness.

Yuan Qingshan and the hundred-man Yulin cavalry team had been placed in the outer city military camp near the east city gate, and Li Tiantu, Su Ling'er and the others, under the personal leadership of Qin Lan, came to the secluded courtyard in the north that was separated from the Duhu Mansion by two streets.

(End of chapter)