Zhisheng Dongfang Shuo 2 - Celestial Talent

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: By the Wei River, where Emperor Wu dispatched his army into battle. The Commanding Officer's Platform was transformed into a Surrender Platform, adorned with colorful banners and the sound of military music, majestic and grand. Emperor Wu Liu Che, now past his thirtieth year, sat upon the high platform, his heart filled with immense satisfaction, far beyond what others could imagine. He slightly closed his eyes and gazed northward, only to see a cloudless sky and a tranquil universe. Between heaven and earth, a mist of energy rose, scattered and then gathered, forming a character "Wu" in the midst. Shortly after, the "Wu" transformed into an enormous character "Di," soaring through the sky. There was no sight of sages before or after. A green dragon appeared, circling around him, its presence ever-present yet intermittent. Emperor Wu was startled, as if he had seen this scene before, and quickly focused his gaze to examine it more closely, only to find no one in sight. Turning around, he looked around and saw only Dongfang Shuo, sitting half-bent nearby, studying the text of the surrender scroll. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Gongsun Hong, the Chief Justice Zhang Tang, and the Minister of State Fan You, along with the Historian Sima Tan and the young general Huo Qubing, were standing at the corner of the platform, gazing northward. Huo Qubing had been avoiding Emperor Wu lately, even acting childishly about not wanting to go to the battlefield.
With drums and music resounding, Wei Qing and Su Jian, Guo Jie, and other victorious generals arrived. The people of Chang'an were almost entirely mobilized, with dense crowds filling the roads in front of the Surrender Platform, stretching all the way to the banks of the Wei River. In the distance, Emperor Wu spotted a familiar figure—the Princess Pingyang, his sister. She was exceptionally dressed today, holding her newborn son of just a few months in her arms! Emperor Wu couldn’t help but think of Wei Zifu and her son Liu Ju. When the imperial carriage set out earlier, he had wanted to take both Liu Ju and Wei Zifu along, but Wei Zifu refused, saying that Empress Dowager Huangmu was unwell and could not be separated from her grandson for even a day. Only then did Emperor Wu give up.
Wei Qing and his men walked toward the platform, and when they saw Princess Pingyang stepping forward in the crowd, she lifted her child high. Wei Qing glanced at her and smiled, then turned away without looking back, walking straight toward Emperor Wu’s high platform. Emperor Wu’s respect for Wei Qing grew even deeper.
When Wei Qing and his men reached the platform, they knelt before Emperor Wu and bowed three times: "Minister Wei Qing pays his respects to Your Majesty—Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, forever and ever!" Guo Jie and the other generals followed: "Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, forever and ever!"
Emperor Wu shouted, "My dear ministers, your efforts and achievements are great. Please rise quickly!" Wei Qing rose and took a step forward, saying, "Thanks to Your Majesty’s divine fortune, our troops were invincible in this campaign. The ten thousand troops of the Right Prince of the Xiongnu were completely annihilated by our Han army. The crown prince of the Xiongnu, Yu Dan, led his two thousand men to surrender to our realm. The thousand-li fertile land south of the Yellow River will now once again belong to our Han dynasty!"
Emperor Wu cheered loudly. "Minister Wei, your efforts and achievements are great. I will hold a grand banquet for five days to properly reward you!" Wei Qing replied, "We thank Your Majesty!"
Noticing that there were still no Xiongnu troops in the crowd, Emperor Wu asked urgently, "Minister Wei, where is the crown prince Yu Dan? Where is he now?" Wei Qing said, "Yu Dan and his tribe of over twenty thousand people are suffering from (unsuitable climate and terrain) and moving slowly. I have ordered him to return to Chang'an in three days. We will report back to Your Majesty first."
Emperor Wu nodded in approval: "Good. You handle matters well, and I trust you. Ah~ I heard from Dongfang Shuo that the old Xiongnu leader has died. There’s this person called '' (lit. 'one shoe')...