20demayo Chapter 851 Zhao 2 Dog
Chapter 851 Zhao 2 Dog
"My eldest brother's name is Zhao Dafei!"
Hearing Li Che's words, hope rekindled in Zhao Laoshuan's eyes.
He was afraid that Li Che would not remember, so he quickly added: "My nephew is called Zhao Ergou, Your Majesty... do you... do you remember him?"
Zhao Ergou?
The corner of Li Che's smiling mouth suddenly froze, and his heart skipped a beat.
This name... unexpectedly penetrated deep into his memory, instantly reminding him of a sad memory.
Serve the country?
No, not in Fengguo.
It’s in Japan!
On that muddy and bloody battlefield, that tragic shallow landing battle.
Zhao Ergou, a thin, dark-skinned young man with a faint birthmark on his face and a somewhat silly smile...
During that battle, his leg was cut off and the military doctors tried their best but failed to save him.
Li Che remembered that he had personally visited him and asked the military doctor to find a way to save his leg, but in the end, even his life could not be saved.
Later, when he counted the names of the dead, he paid special attention to it.
Zhao Ergou's father, Zhao Dafei, died in battle long before, but his body could not be found, so his name was removed from the military roster.
Zhao Ergou's family...there is not a single male left.
Thinking of this, Li Che's heart sank instantly.
He looked at Zhao Laoshuan's eyes full of expectation, and his throat seemed to be blocked by something.
How should I tell him?
Tell him that your elder brother and nephew are grateful for your life dedicated to the country?
The few eggs he sent were exchanged for the tragic news that his loved ones had died in battle?
At that time, Li Che only felt sad and lost because several loyal soldiers under his command had died.
At this moment, if we put ourselves in Zhao Laoshuan’s perspective, the one who died was a blood relative!
If Zhao Laoshuan knew the truth, he would be so heartbroken.
Yang Xuan, who was standing by, keenly noticed Li Che's emotional changes. She subconsciously tightened the reins and looked at Li Che worriedly.
Li Che was silent for a long time and was unable to speak for a long time.
The expectation on Zhao Laoshuan's face gradually turned into uneasiness.
Finally, Li Che spoke with difficulty: "If that's the case, then I... remembered it wrongly. I know a soldier named Wang Ergou, not your nephew Zhao Ergou."
After saying that, he looked away hastily, not daring to look directly into Zhao Laoshuan's eyes.
"That's it..."
The light in Zhao Laoshuan's eyes dimmed, and he could not hide his disappointment.
But he quickly cheered up and stubbornly stuffed the egg into Li Che's hand: "Your Majesty, keep it. You are a good emperor. I believe that my elder brother and nephew will definitely be able to get land in Fengguo and will definitely live a good life!"
When he said this, his face was filled with strong yearning, as if Fengguo was the legendary paradise.
At least his elder brother did not lie to him. Although he did not know what Fengguo was like, His Majesty was indeed a good man who treated the people well.
After the Fengtian Army broke into the city, it did not harm any of the civilians in the city. Which army in the past could do that?
Because of his love for the emperor, the emperor that his eldest brother defected to was the most wise and good emperor in Zhao Laoshuan's heart.
A good emperor should eat more eggs to nourish himself!
Li Che held the warm eggs and felt that they weighed more than a thousand pounds. His heart was filled with mixed feelings and was sour and bitter.
He did not refuse again, but turned to look at Qiu Bai who had been following quietly behind him.
Qiu Bai understood and immediately took out a silver ingot from his pocket and walked forward to give it to Zhao Laoshuan.
When Zhao Laoshuan saw such a large ingot of silver, he was so frightened that he stepped back and waved his hands: "No! No! Your Majesty, I don't want to receive rewards without merit. A few eggs are worthless..."
"Take it." Li Che said in a deep voice, "This is not the reward for your eggs. This is what I give to your children. You must feed them well and raise them to adulthood."
He stared at Zhao Laoshuan and said word by word:
"Take my money, and you will stay in Luoyang honestly, raise the children, and cultivate the land. Do you understand?"
"Fengguo is far away and the journey is dangerous. As long as you and your brother live well, you will be reunited sooner or later. There is no need to rush now."
Zhao Laoshuan was intimidated by Li Che's aura. He took the silver in a daze and felt it was heavy in his hand.
After a moment of hesitation, he quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! I...I will definitely work hard to farm and raise my child!"
Li Che watched him kowtow in silence, but the depression in his heart did not dissipate.
He looked at the towering outline of Luoyang City in the distance. After a while, he took a deep breath and slowly said:
"Besides, you don't have to think about going to Fengguo."
He paused, his eyes sweeping across the fields before him and the faintly visible farmhouses in the distance.
"Because this place... is Fengguo."
Hearing this, Zhao Laoshuan looked up in confusion.
A bright light flashed in Yang Xuan's eyes, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.
The guards subconsciously straightened their backs.
Li Che said no more, turned around and jumped onto the horse swiftly.
He took one last look at Zhao Laoshuan. The dark, thin man was still kneeling there, holding the silver, his face full of confusion and bewilderment...
Perhaps, there is also a vague understanding.
"Go back to the city." Li Che pulled the reins, and Heifeng neighed and turned his horse's head.
The ceremonial procession started again, and the dragon flag fluttered in the hot summer wind, heading towards Luoyang City.
Yang Xuan followed silently, looking at Li Che's tall but slightly lonely back.
In addition to the admiration hidden in my heart, there is also a bit of indescribable heartache.
"His Majesty......"
Li Che came back to his senses and looked at Yang Xuan with a wry smile on his face. "A general's success is built on the sacrifices of thousands of men. As the ruler of a country, I wonder how many loyal men's bones must be sacrificed to lay the foundation for my throne."
"Your Majesty, I know you didn't do this for the throne." Yang Xuan's voice was soft but firm. "You did it for the people of the world. Why blame yourself for this?"
Li Che smiled helplessly and remained silent.
Maybe I was like this in the past and I am like this now, but how can I guarantee that it will be like this in the future?
It is very difficult to keep your original aspiration in mind. When you sit on the throne for a long time, it is easy to ignore the common people below.
Emperor Wu of Han was like this, Emperor Taizong of Tang was like this, how can I guarantee that I will not have the same thoughts when I get old?
Perhaps, when the world is unified and Daqing is steadily on the right track, it will be time for me to retire.
Power is a huge whirlpool. If you don't get out of it in time, sooner or later you will be assimilated into power itself.
What Li Che didn't know was that at this moment, his other brother in the imperial capital was caught in an even more terrifying vortex of power.
Zhai Yan, who had escaped by chance, and Zheng Mao, who was deliberately let go by Chen Pingzhi, both arrived at the imperial capital at this moment.
The new emperor on the dragon throne was trembling as he listened to their reports.