Chapter 1065: The Emperor's triumphant return to Shanghai shocked the government and the public

Lin Lang looked around at the cheering crowd, swung his sword and chopped off the tattered Western Turkic battle flag on the flagpole. He said sternly, "To prevent the outbreak of plague, all adult males in the city must clear the battlefield immediately."

"We must transport all the enemy corpses in the city to a mass grave thirty miles outside the city within three days and burn and bury them!"

"Old, weak, women and children fetched well water to wash the streets, and the pharmacy quickly prepared atractylodes, lime, and realgar, ground them into powder and spread it all over the streets and alleys!"

Lin Lang paused, his eyes sweeping across the blood-stained ground. He said with a hint of concern, "If there are any omissions within three days, when the plague breaks out, the lives of all the people in the city will be in danger of being infected, and all our efforts today will be in vain!"

The people gathered under the city wall were shocked when they heard this. They started talking among themselves and realized the seriousness of the problem.

Lin Lang took out a large number of medical masks from his personal space and distributed them to the people, organizing people to prevent the epidemic in an orderly manner.

All the adult men in the city used horse-drawn carts to transport the piles of enemy corpses out of the city for burning and burial.

Women and children spontaneously formed teams, carrying wooden basins and buckets of water and rushed into the stream. Children followed the apprentices in the medicine house, holding mugwort and spreading the crushed herbs evenly.

As the morning light grew brighter, the people of Tingzhou City all became busy.

The clone used a DV recorder throughout the process and filmed the Tang Dynasty's first documentary on clearing enemy corpses for epidemic prevention, with the aim of letting Li Zhi and court officials see the great victory in Tingzhou City.

After all, in the Tang Dynasty, even if it was an urgent report of 800 miles, it would take at least 8 to 10 days for the news of the successful suppression of the rebellion in Tingzhou City to reach Chang'an.

The team carrying the corpses was winding like a long snake, and the thick smoke from the burning rose into gray-black clouds in the sky.

Women used coarse linen to repeatedly scrub the blood stains from the cracks in the street slabs, and children stepped in the mud and spread lime into every gutter.

Worried that the epidemic prevention items in ancient times were not strong enough, Lin Lang traveled back to the modern era and obtained hundreds of tons of disinfection and epidemic prevention materials, which he distributed in Tingzhou City, instructing the people of the city to clean the streets and sterilize them for epidemic prevention.

When the sunset three days later dyed the city walls red again, although the streets of the city still lingered with the smell of disinfectant, there was no corpse or even a drop of blood. The smell of disinfectant finally overwhelmed the disgusting stench of corpses.

That night.

Night had fallen, and lights were lit in the corner towers of the Chang'an Palace. The candlelight in the Taiji Hall was as bright as day, and the civil and military officials in the hall were whispering about border defense.

Minister of War Ren Yaxiang whispered, "The three-day appointment has expired, and there's been no news from the Emperor's expedition to suppress the Western Turkic rebellion. Perhaps something unexpected has happened?"

The Minister of the Central Secretariat Cui Dunli frowned and said, "Could it be that the Emperor Lin Lang is a liar?"

Cheng Yaojin paced anxiously in the hall, sighing continuously, and said in a rough voice: "When the emperor left, he swore solemnly, he must have been sure of something. His wives and concubines are still in the Tang Palace, it is impossible for him to run away on his own."

Imperial Censor Cui Yixuan said, "We don't even know where the Kingdom of Shanghai is. Your Majesty highly values ​​and trusts my brother Lin Lang. If he is a liar, the consequences will be disastrous."

Yuan Gongyu, the Imperial Censor, said, "As the saying goes, trust those you employ; do not employ those you doubt. Emperor Lin Lang of Shanghai volunteered to lead a single-handed expedition to suppress the rebellion of the Western Turkic army. Even if he failed, our Tang Dynasty suffered no casualties. Your Excellencies need not be so anxious."

Li Ji, a veteran minister of three dynasties, said worriedly, "Master Yuan is wrong. Although Emperor Lin Lang failed to suppress the rebellion in Shanghai, our Tang Dynasty did not suffer any casualties, but we missed the opportunity to fight."

Zhang Sun Wuji frowned and said, "Yes! The people of Tingzhou are suffering. Your Majesty has been unable to sleep or eat for the past three days. I still hope that the Emperor of Shanghai can successfully suppress the rebellion and return victorious."

Su Lie said gloomily, "I've always said that things like ghost seals and ghost soldiers are unreliable. I request your permission to lead the troops to recover the lost territory of Tingzhou, tear off Helu's head, and bring it back to Chang'an for Your Majesty to kick around like a ball."

Li Zhi felt very uncomfortable sitting on the dragon throne, watching the ministers in the hall talking about something. Out of trust in his sworn brother Lin Lang, he gripped the armrest of the dragon throne with one hand, his face ashen, but he never uttered a word.

At this moment, a eunuch suddenly stumbled into the hall, holding up a military report, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Your Majesty!"

"Urgent report from Tingzhou - Emperor Lin Lang has quelled the chaos on the northwest border. The Western Turkic army within Tingzhou City has been completely annihilated, and Ashina Helu has been beheaded! He is currently requesting an audience outside the palace with the enemy general's head!"

"what?"

"It actually worked?"

The hall exploded instantly, and the originally oppressive atmosphere was torn apart by the uproar.

The ministers whispered to each other, their faces filled with disbelief:

"The Emperor of Shanghai is truly a god! He single-handedly defeated the Western Turkic army? This... this is simply unheard of!"

"More than that! Calculate the distance—from Tingzhou to Chang'an, even if you ride a horse at full speed, you can cover 300 miles a day. That would take at least a month to go back and forth! And it's only been three days! Three days! Could he have gone there on a cloud?"

"Is this a trick? How could Ashina Helu's hundreds of thousands of cavalrymen be defeated by just one man?"

"But the military report has arrived, and the head of Ashina Helu is outside the palace...it can't be fake, right?"

Doubt, astonishment, and ecstasy were intertwined in the crowd. Even Changsun Wuji, who had been frowning, was stunned, stroking his beard, and Cheng Yaojin was so shocked that his mouth opened wide.

The faces of all the ministers in the hall were filled with disbelief.

Li Zhi, sitting on the dragon throne, suddenly slammed the table and stood up, a smile instantly breaking out on his face: "Good! You are truly my good brother! You really didn't let me down. Send! Send my brother into the palace!"

Just as he finished speaking, the crisp sound of armor leaves colliding was heard outside the hall.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lin Lang wearing the golden armor bestowed by the emperor. The armor plates shone coldly in the candlelight. His posture was as straight as a pine tree. His left hand was on the sword at his waist, and his right hand was holding an ebony box steadily. He strode into the hall with big strides.

There was a trace of battlefield weather between his brows, but it added a bit of awe-inspiring heroism. Every step he took was steady and powerful, as if he was carrying the wind and smoke of the entire western border.

"My sworn brother Lin Lang, I have fulfilled my mission and am here to see my brother the Emperor!" Lin Lang raised the wooden box in his hand high above his head, his voice clear and loud, penetrating the discussions in the hall.

Li Zhi could no longer hold back. He walked down the imperial steps, quickly stepped forward, grasped Lin Lang's shoulders, and said ecstatically, "My dear brother, this journey is extremely dangerous. Are you injured?"

Lin Lang smiled heartily, his brows full of high spirits: "Thanks to the blessing of my royal brother, I am unharmed and have completely annihilated the Western Turkic army that invaded Tingzhou City."

Li Zhi's pupils dilated slightly, his ecstasy still tinged with disbelief. He asked again, "Brother, are you serious?"

"Absolutely true." Lin Lang's eyes were like torches, and his tone was resounding. "The enemy bandits have been completely slaughtered by the ghost soldiers I summoned. The enemy corpses piled up like a mountain in the city have been transported to a mass grave thirty miles outside the city and burned and buried."

After hearing this, Li Zhi was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

Lin Lang continued, "Before I returned to the Tang Dynasty, I had organized the entire city to implement epidemic prevention measures. Now that the epidemic prevention measures are in place in Tingzhou City, people's lives have returned to normal."

"Good! Good!" Li Zhi patted Lin Lang's shoulders twice, his voice trembling. "My dear brother, you are truly the pillar of the Tang Dynasty! With you around, there's no need to worry about unrest on the border!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, the civil and military officials of the palace began to whisper among themselves.

Changsun Wuji's brows knitted together, and he whispered to Pei Xingjian beside him, "Ghost soldiers? That's... a bit too far-fetched."

Cheng Yaojin also touched his chin, with an expression that said, "This kid must be bragging."

Su Lie frowned even more, obviously feeling that this matter was beyond common sense.

Lin Lang took in everyone's expressions and said loudly, "Brother Your Majesty, I have brought back the head of the young Helu. General Cheng and General Su had dealt with Ashina Helu before when he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Please have them examine it."

"Okay!" Li Zhi nodded immediately.

Cheng Yaojin said "Hey", strode forward and took the ebony box from Lin Lang.

He rubbed the box surface twice with his rough fingers, took a deep breath, and opened the lock with a "click".

When Cheng Yaojin opened the wooden box and saw the head of Ashina Helu, he gasped and then shouted in a rough voice: "Wow! It really is this thief!"

He pointed at the head in the box, turned to Li Zhi and said loudly, "Your Majesty! The enemy general's head that the emperor brought back is absolutely the head of Helu! The scar on the left eyebrow was cut by me when Helu pretended to surrender! There is no doubt about it!"

"Oh..."

The ministers in the hall were instantly in an uproar.

The generals could not contain themselves and rushed forward, stretching their necks to look into the box, and could not stop exclaiming in amazement.

The bravest among the civil officials also tiptoed forward, took a look and then retreated in shock. The timid civil officials had already turned their heads away, but could not help but prick up their ears to listen to the movement.

Su Lie squeezed closer, took a closer look, and laughed loudly, "Yes! It's Ashina Helu! Back then, he was shouting in front of the battle line, and I even killed one of his generals. I would recognize that face even if it was burned to ashes!"

The moment it was confirmed, the doubts in the hall instantly turned into a surge of admiration.

"The Emperor of Shanghai is truly a god! He single-handedly slays generals and defeats enemies, even the most famous generals of the past cannot match him!"

"With the Emperor here, the borders of the Tang Dynasty no longer have to worry about anything!"

"It is a great blessing for the people of Tingzhou to escape the war! This is all thanks to the Emperor of Shanghai!"

The cacophony of praise nearly blew the roof of the hall off. Even Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and looked at Lin Lang with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Li Zhi was so excited that his eyes turned red. He put his arm around Lin Lang's shoulders, almost squeezing him tightly in his arms. "My dear brother! My dear brother! You really gave me a huge surprise!"

"I knew you would succeed in suppressing the rebellion and return victorious!" Li Zhi patted Lin Lang on the back, his voice choked with sobs and joy. "That's all good! The threat from the Western Turkic border has been eliminated, and the northwestern border can be safe! The people of Tingzhou can live in peace!"

"My dear brother, you have made an unparalleled contribution to the Tang Dynasty!"

Lin Lang smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I have no choice but to help you share your worries and save the people of Tingzhou from disaster."

The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated the excited faces of all the civil and military officials in the court. The previous doubts had long since vanished, leaving only the relief that the rebellion had been quelled, the border threat had been eliminated, and the admiration for the hero.

Even the air was filled with a sense of satisfaction and pride, as if even the night breeze outside the hall carried a hint of joyous warmth.

Li Zhi laughed loudly and said, "Come here, pass on my oral order to hold a banquet to celebrate your achievements. I need to think carefully about how to reward you!"

Lin Lang pulled out a DV recorder from his portable space and laughed out loud, "Royal brother, I've filmed a documentary about the enemy corpses scattered across Tingzhou City and the process of transporting them for epidemic prevention. I can show it to you and the others for your review."

After hearing this, Li Zhi's eyes lit up immediately, and he said hurriedly, "That's great! Quick, show me the scene inside Tingzhou City."

The ministers in the hall were all confused when they heard this. They stretched their necks and came forward, looking at the DV recorder in Lin Lang's hand with curiosity.