Chapter 39 - Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains PaintingHearing this, Xiang Tian just smiled without saying anything, while Xiang Qian, who was at the side, felt bitter in his heart as he thought, "Teacher, teacher, you really can"t bring up a pot."
However, what the latter says is not wrong. What really changed Xiang Gan, other than the heavy injuries on his body three years ago, was also what his royal uncle said! "
He could still remember that at that time, his royal uncle was still a hundred meters away from him. Looking at him who had collapsed on the ground and was covered in blood, his royal uncle didn"t make a single move, only coldly staring at him, which made all of the hairs on his body stand on end. It was as if he was being watched by an ancient beast, the latter"s ear transmitted a low and cold voice."Remember, you are a man of the Xiang Family, the son of Xiang Lingfeng, the future king of Storm Country. If you don"t do well, I"ll kill you. Your father won"t blame me for anything.
Those words caused Xiang Qian"s heart, which had originally been boiling with fear, resentment, and vengeance, to suddenly freeze. His blood froze, unable to flow. A chill that came from the depths of his heart spread throughout his entire body.
Remembering that feeling back then, even Xiang Qian, who was holding the wine cup, could not help but tremble slightly.
After conversing with Xiang Qian and Xiang Fei for a while and asking them about His Majesty the emperor of Dragon City as well as the recent developments of the princes, Xiang Tian turned to look at the silver-haired old man who had been eating and drinking wine with an extremely good appet.i.te.
"Old Marshal w.a.n.g, are the South Island and the Rising Sun Nation still stirring up the storm and disturbing the stability of our borders to the southeast of here?"
The old man originally had a large elbow in his hand and was enjoying his meal. However, when he heard this, he immediately put down the food in his hand and looked towards Xiang Lingtian with a serious and respectful expression.
"I am indebted to Your Highness. Since the southeast direction is not as powerful as the King"s Northwest Army, although the South Island and the Rising Sun Island are only two island nations, they often ignore the might of our Storm Country and frequently send pirates and bandits to the southeast border to stir up trouble."
Although I have already sent troops to guard the coast, this group of people is abnormally cunning, appearing and disappearing mysteriously. They often disguise themselves as woodcutter fishermen and mix together in the coastal area.
When Wan Bing talked about the South Island and the other two countries, he looked worried and angry at the same time. The expression on his face was extremely ugly.
Xiang Tian hurriedly consoled him when he heard this, "Old Marshal, what are you saying? You"ve led an army for more than forty years and have already contributed more than enough to the country. Currently, the rogue pirates at the southeast border have been a danger for many years.
Xiang Tian was the most powerful va.s.sal force in the imperial court. He held half of the military power in the entire Wind Cloud Kingdom, and the military power he wielded was even greater than that of this Wind Cloud Nation"s Grand Marshal. However, Xiang Tian did not feel the slightest bit of arrogance or contempt for the latter.Wan Bing was an elder of two dynasties who had fought in the battlefield together with the Grand Ancestor of the Wind Cloud Country for many years. Not to mention his outstanding achievements, he had personally led his two sons to form a death squadron to fight against the enemy during the battle to cover the retreat of the Grand Ancestor.
In the end, the entire army fought to the end, and both of his sons died, while he was also heavily injured and on the verge of fainting. In order to not be captured by the enemy, the latter raised his sword and was about to commit suicide, but was saved by reinforcements.
The latter had lost his two sons forever, but Wan Bing did not complain at all, he was still loyal to the Empire of Feng Yun, and had bowed down to his heart"s content. In his words, "Since my son died on the battlefield, I can"t be at ease.Regardless of whether it was for the merit or for the country, the latter was worthy of his current status, as well as everyone"s respect for him, including Xiang Tian.
However, after hearing Xiang Ling"s comforting words, Wan Bing did not show the slightest sign of relief.
If we don"t deal with it soon, it will become a disaster in the future. The South Island and the Rising Sun Nation are important places in the southeast region of the Wind Cloud Country, and they are important places to the central region of the continent. They are both commercial routes and military fortresses, and if the two countries are not taken care of in the future, it will not be as simple as disturbing our borders. "He said in a worried voice."That"s why I"m so worried. I feel that I"m useless as a military marshal. I can"t even get rid of the tumor on the map of the Empire of Feng Yun."
Hearing the old marshal"s heartfelt exclamation, the joyous atmosphere around the table was swept away as everyone"s expression turned somber.
Beneath Xiang Lingtian"s scholarly face, his sword-like eyebrows finally frowned together. It was like a heavenly lightning that would shake the heavens and earth upon contact.
After a moment of silence, Xiang Tian said to Old Marshal Wanshuang, "Marshal, give me a year"s time. First, you must stabilize the situation at the southeast border. After a year, I will plead for the Emperor to transfer me to the southeast border. At that time, let me meet the bandits of this archipelago.""AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The moment he heard Xiang Tian"s words, Wan Bing, who originally had a sorrowful expression, was stunned for a moment before revealing a look of pleasant surprise!
"Your Royal Highness, are you really going to the southeast border?"
It wasn"t just Wan Bing. Even w.a.n.g Wenjing, Xiang Qian, Xiang Fei, Xiang Jinglei, Xiang Jinghong, and the county governor of the northwest region revealed looks of surprise.
Xiang Lingtian was known as the King of the Northwest, and because he was in charge of the entire Northwest, there were no riots. Even at the northwest border, no one dared to provoke him.
Therefore, if the King Shoulder wanted to go to the southeast border, the consequences would be obvious. It was a matter that concerned the security of the country.Xiang Lingtian nodded his head and said in a deep voice, "That"s right, but I need a year to deploy the military forces from the northwest to prevent any disturbances while I"m gone."
"Your Royal Highness, will this affect the stability of the Northwest?" When Wan Bing heard that Xiang Tian was going to head to the southeast border himself, he was indeed happy, but he was still a little worried about the stability of the northwest.
"It doesn"t matter, the situation in the northwest has stabilized. Those guys don"t dare to mess around while I"m not around, unless they really want to leave the country. Moreover, I think this trip to the southeast will be over in half a year."
Xiang Tian"s words were like a cold, formless gale that caused everyone to feel chills throughout their bodies, even sending gooseb.u.mps down their spines.
Everyone could not help but reveal a shocked expression. The latter meant that in half a year"s time, they would be able to pacify the State of South Island and the Rising Sun Empire that had been the cause of the calamity for over ten years. This kind of tone was too shocking.
"Very good, very good!"
If it was someone else who had said what Xiang Tian had said, then Wan Bing, this elder of the two dynasties, the marshal of the troops, would probably have gone up to spit on Xiang Tian"s body and gave him a big slap, calling him a toad yawning — That was too much!
However, when these words came out of Xiang Tian"s mouth, Old Marshal Wan felt heartfelt joy and gratification, because he believed in the latter"s strength. He believed even more in the latter"s disposition to follow through with his words!Since it was Xiang Tian who said he would flatten the two kingdoms within half a year, then this deadline wouldn"t be too long. Since it was none other than because this person was Xiang Ling, the war G.o.d of the Wind Cloud Nation, even Wan Bing sighed at his existence!
"Haha, your highness, this old official offers a toast to you!" The gloomy expression on Wan Bing"s face had been completely swept away. It was as if a ten thousand jin boulder in his heart had finally landed on the ground. He felt indescribably carefree and carefree.
This old marshal Wan Bin was indeed straightforward. When the issue was resolved, he immediately beamed and started to eat and drink heartily. However, this also caused the atmosphere of the birthday feast to turn lively once again.
At the table, Xiang Qian, Xiang Jinghong and Xiang Jinglei were having a great time conversing with each other, while Xiang Fei was listening to the Left Premier w.a.n.g Wen Jing recount some interesting anecdotes about the various lands. Old Marshal Wan Bing and the other county governors successively toasted Xiang Ling, causing the atmosphere to be extremely joyous.
Waiting until everyone was in high spirits, the old marshal"s face flushed red as he looked towards the crown prince Xiang Qian and Princess Xiang Fei, chuckling, "Your Highness, Your Highness, we"re actually all enjoying ourselves so much. Why don"t you take this opportunity to present a congratulatory gift that you"ve prepared for Your Highness and let everyone broaden their horizons? I"ve heard that both of you have put in a lot of effort in preparing for this."
According to the tradition of the royal family"s elders congratulating their elders, the juniors, whether out of respect or to curry favor with their elders, would prepare their own gifts and personally offer them to their elders at the banquet to express their blessings.
Due to their different thoughts and personal feelings, the gifts they sent out often had something new to them. It made the guests sitting around the table curious. When they heard the old marshal"s suggestion, the Left Premier w.a.n.g Wenjing and the other county governors all expressed their agreement.
Hearing this, Crown Prince Xiang Qian could not refuse and smiled: "I have indeed prepared a gift for my royal uncle. I had originally intended to present it to my royal uncle after the banquet. Since everyone has requested it, I naturally will not ruin your mood."
Finished speaking, Xiang Qian signaled to a servant behind him. A moment later, someone brought up a tray with a brocade box on it. The crown prince took the brocade box, opened the lid with both hands and retrieved a scroll from within!
With one hand holding the scroll and the other holding the bottom of the scroll, Xiang Qian slowly unfurled the scroll in front of the crowd. Everyone first smelled the faint scent of ink floating over, before focusing their gazes on the scroll!
At the bottom of the painting, one could vaguely see rolling mountains. Some were as low as a plain, some were as straight as the dark sky, some were calm, and some were steep and steep.
As the painting continued to unfold, the mountains rose and fell continuously. Rivers and rivers converged and flowed within the painting, and there were more than a thousand boats of various sizes on it. The boatmen holding the oars, the children holding the teapots, and the teachers sitting on the ground were clearly visible.
Above the sky, the sun was rising in the east. Multicolored light shone down from ten thousand miles high, and the sea of clouds was churning. There were even eagles flying in the sky with flocks of birds flying!
At the end of the painting, there were eight bold and vigorous characters written. "Stabilizing the nation, eternal life"!"Alright!"
The moment the painting was completely opened, the observing Left Premier w.a.n.g Wen Jing couldn"t help but exclaim in admiration. Even the eyes of w.a.n.g Xiang Ling, who was shoulder-to-shoulder, lit up the moment he saw this painting.Your Highness, I"m afraid this old one has only seen two people who were able to create such a magnificent painting. One is Song Wen, a master of the Mo Country, who is known as Song Wen, and the other is the king of the State of Yue, Yi Xun Qian, whose painting style is unique and his calligraphy skills are unique.
Hearing this, Xiang Qian nodded at w.a.n.g Wenjing and smiled, "As expected, in regards to painting, nothing can be hidden from Teacher"s eyes!"
The latter stood up and personally held both ends of the scroll, bowing in Xiang Tian"s direction, "Royal Uncle, your nephew knows that you like Mo Bao. In order to congratulate you on your birthday, I have specially gone to the Mo Country and invited their national expert, Song Wen, to create a painting of the thousands of li in three months!"
"Uncle Huang, please serve the nation and protect the great rivers and mountains of our Wind Cloud Country. Nephew wishes you luck like the East Sea, a life longer than Nanshan, and will forever protect our Wind Cloud Country"s thousands miles of rivers and mountains!"
Finishing his words, Xiang Qian bowed deeply towards Xiang Tian before handing over the painting with both hands.
Xiang Tian looked at the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting in Xiang Qian"s hands, his eyes flashing with an undetectable glint. The latter smiled and nodded in relief, "Alright, I"ll accept it. I"ll defend the Xiang Family"s Jiang Shan for eternity."
After saying that, Xiang Tian similarly received the painting with both hands!
When he saw Xiang Tian accept the painting, w.a.n.g Wenjing glanced at the latter without batting an eyelid, before glancing at the crown prince, Xiang Qian.
At this time, a sharp gaze suddenly locked onto w.a.n.g Wenjing, causing the hair on the latter"s back to stand on end. His breathing became sluggish, like a sword touching his throat.