The war between Xixiao and Chang'an Army is still going on. This protracted battle has been costly and exhausting, and Xiao Wenyuan is exhausted. He himself is an invincible general, but behind those merits are countless injuries. He has many old illnesses, but he has been living a life of luxury over the years, with precious medicinal herbs to nourish him, and he has rarely suffered from recently, for some reason, those old illnesses began to torment him again. The place on his shoulder where the arrow had shot him caused him to feel a sharp pain every time he raised his arm. The place on his waist where the horse's hoof had kicked him used to hurt only on rainy days, but now even under the scorching sun, it hurt so much that he couldn't straighten his back. He also had pain in his knees, ankles, and the cough that would never go away after the injury to his lungs. Faced with these old illnesses that have accumulated over the years, doctors are helpless and have no other options except to relieve the pain. But in the past month, those pain-relieving patches have no effect on him. He is sweating profusely from the pain and can only grit his teeth and endure it. Xianglan found a kind of medicinal fragrance from somewhere. It looks a bit like moxa sticks, but the smell after it is lit is even more fragrant and intoxicating. Xianglan brought the lit medicinal incense to his nose. He took a few deep breaths, and the pain in his body miraculously stopped. Xianglan excitedly told him that she bought it from a Hu merchant, but she didn't know whether the fragrance was good or not, so she only bought one box. Xianglan has Hu blood in her, and she likes all Hu things. The decoration of her house and her daily dress are all full of Western style. This is what Xiao Wenyuan loves most. He likes her temperament which is completely different from that of Han women. Those ministers and merchants, in order to please him, often presented him with treasures from the Western Regions. In order to do business in Xixiao, many Hu merchants even presented Xianglan with the treasures they brought from thousands of miles away. Therefore, Xiao Wenyuan was not surprised that Xianglan was able to get Hu Xiang. On the contrary, he felt very caring that his beloved concubine always made him happy both physically and mentally.
But when the box of Huxiang was used up, the pain came back again. He sent people to look for the Hu merchant who sold this medicinal incense, and finally found the Hu merchant who was drinking to drown his sorrows because of bad business in a corner. This Hu merchant had more than a dozen boxes of this Hu incense, and Xiao Wenyuan asked people to buy them all. The Hu merchant was overjoyed and left the royal city happily with the silver, and vowed that when he returned to the Western Regions, he would collect more Hu incense and bring it all to Xixiao. Since Hu Xiang was cut off, Xiao Wenyuan was tortured by pain every day and couldn't fall asleep. Maybe it was because of poor sleep, even during the day, he was listless and yawning. In just a few days, he lost a lot of weight and looked like he was 20 years older. Now that Hu Xiang has finally been found, Xiao Wenyuan is full of life again. Although he is still pale, the light in his eyes and the high-spirited tone all demonstrate his vigorous vitality. Happy times are always short-lived. Just one month later, bad news came from the front line. General Zhen Ze of Xixiao died at the hands of the female assassin Hongxiu. The Xixiao army was in chaos. The Chang'an army pursued the victory. The Xixiao army was leaderless and suffered repeated defeats. However, the Chang'an army refused to give up and pursued them all the way to the Xixiao Royal City. Outside the royal city, the Chang'an army was cursing. Those responsible for the cursing were all military ruffians. They swore and used obscene words all the time. The soldiers on the city wall were furious when they heard it, but the Chang'an army burst into laughter. Inside the royal city, the favored concubine Xianglan burned incense and prayed, asking God to bless the royal city with peace. The ministers begged Xiao Wenyuan to lead the army in person. As everyone knew, their King Xi Xiao was an invincible and brave general. Xiao Wenyuan stood up, he couldn't hide the fact that his feet were weak. He knew that he was old. He tried to pick up his bow, but when he picked it up, he was suddenly stunned. Why was the bow so heavy? Not only could he not pull the big bow that had been with him for many years, he couldn't even lift it. The ministers lamented that the king was old. But Xiao Wenyuan himself knew that he was not only old, but also weak. His current body finally collapsed. Those incense could only relieve pain and numb his mind, making him mistakenly believe that he was strong and healthy. Xiao Wenyuan asked people to burn all the Hu incense. After the Hu incense was burned, he fell seriously ill. At this time, the Chang'an army was still outside the royal city. Xiao Wenyuan was seriously ill and never got up again. All the chronic illnesses hidden in his body recurred, and the doctors discovered that his internal organs had all decayed. The once victorious general was now a dying man. But Xiao Wenyuan was still conscious. He knew why his body collapsed so quickly. It was because of those Hu Xiang! But the merchant who sold Huxiang had already left Xixiao and his whereabouts were unknown. Gradually, Xiao Wenyuan's mind began to blur, the nights became longer and longer, and the time he was awake each day became shorter and shorter.
Until that day, when he woke up again, he saw the palace maids and eunuchs rummaging around the palace. They took away valuable things, and even the warm jade hanging around his neck was torn off. He wanted them to stop, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. At this time, a graceful figure walked towards him. Ah, this was his beloved Xianglan. When he was betrayed by the whole world, only Xianglan was still by his side. There was desire in his cloudy eyes, and he stretched out his skinny hands like chicken claws, wanting to embrace his beloved beauty in his arms again. Xianglan waved his hand away in disgust and looked down at him coldly, just like when she first met him, she prostrated herself on the ground and worshiped him. "You bastard, go to hell with you. You gave me the sterilizing drug, you deserve to die! Do you know what those Huxiang are? They are the beheading drugs I gave you. You killed my offspring, so I cut off your head. But now I don't want your head anymore. I don't want to let you have it easy, so let those Chang'an soldiers outside cut you into pieces, hahaha!" Xiao Wenyuan looked at Xianglan in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing. Was he dreaming? He actually saw deep hatred in Xianglan's eyes. He wanted to tell Xianglan that she was his most beloved woman. But Xianglan did not give him a chance. She kicked his decaying body a few times and walked away. Walking out of the chaotic palace, a charming woman was waiting for her. She didn't know who this woman was, but she knew that she was sent by He Zongqun to pick her up. If she followed this woman, she would be able to leave this royal city full of unbearable memories forever. He Zongqun kept his promise. Ten days later, Xianglan, disguised as a man, followed a camel caravan and set foot on the ancient Silk Road. She wanted to return to where she came from, where there was her beloved man and the life she longed for. The charming woman who took her out of the royal city was named Hongxiu. She gave her a bag of gold and a knife and told her that if one day the man she loved betrayed her, she should kill him with the knife and then start a new life with the gold. The sun shines on the endless desert, and the sand dunes of all sizes sparkle like gold in the sun. Xianglan, riding on a camel, turns around and looks back on the road she came from. She waves goodbye to this land that belongs to the Han people. She will never come back, but will never forget it. He Ran, who was far away in the capital, finally received a secret letter from the northwest. There were only eight words on the letter: Mission accomplished, Xixiao Kingdom destroyed. The once ambitious Xiao Wenyuan and the Great Xiao Dynasty he founded were ultimately just a short-lived existence in the vast river of history, like a meteor flashing by, a moment of brilliance. He Ran called Xiao Li over and said, "Pick out a jar of wine from the Qingcang Mountain and bury it again." Xiao Li didn't understand why. The wine had been buried for decades. The boss treasured it very much and only gave a jar to the eldest son of the clan when he got married. She thought the rest of the wine was kept for the boss to drink himself, but she didn't expect that he would pick it out and bury it again. What was the boss thinking? Xiaoli didn't understand, but didn't ask. Instead, she buried the jar of wine under the osmanthus tree in the yard. This is a secret that belongs exclusively to He Ran, Feng Xieying and He Zongqun. This jar of wine was the celebratory wine that He Ran left for He Zongqun. She hoped that He Zongqun would return safely, and then she would personally toast him with a glass. But just as Xiaoli finished burying the wine and just stood up, He Ran said again: "Let's bury one more jar." That jar of wine was left for He Zongqun, and this jar was left for Zhou Cangyue. When Zhou Cangyue defeats King Baoxiang, she will also toast him a glass. The wine that He Jinghong buried in Qingcang Mountain with his own hands in the past is worth it. Longxi County, Chang'an Palace. He Shuting could never have dreamed that the Chang'an army not only won the battle, but also reached the Western Xiaowang City in one fell swoop and killed Xiao Wenyuan. He Shuting was stunned for a moment, and after a long time, she calmed down. "The princess is able to plan and win battles thousands of miles away. This is an unprecedented achievement!"
He Jiang cried with joy, and several staff members congratulated him: "Princess, this achievement is comparable to He Ran's battle in Jiangnan." "More than that! In the Jiangnan War, He Ran only drove Emperor Yonghe to Fuzhou, and continued to be the emperor in a different place. But the princess directly destroyed Xixiao, and Xiao Wenyuan and his sons were all killed." "Yes, yes, yes. Just for this reason, He Ran cannot be compared with the princess." "The world's power list should have been re-ranked long ago." "If we re-rank them, the princess and the prince will definitely be on the list." He Shuting couldn't believe her ears. Could she be on the world's most powerful list? Her heart was pounding. When He Zongqun returned to the court, He Shuting asked him, "Which was better, the battle in Xixiao or the battle in Jiangnan?" He Zongqun didn't even think about it: "How can this be compared? The battle of Xixiao destroyed an entire country, how can the battle of Jiangnan be compared?" He Shuting suddenly smiled, and this smile came from the bottom of her heart. After so many years, she was finally stronger than He Ran! "If the world's power list is re-ranked, my son Guochang might be on the list?" He Zongqun looked at her and said firmly: "No!" He Shuting's heart sank, and she asked in a lost voice, "Why?" He Zongqun: "Although the prince is blessed, he is still young. Everything he has now comes from the princess. Princess, you are the one who can be on the list of the most powerful people in the world, not him. Princess, you must remember that first of all you are He Shuting, the master of Longxi, and secondly you are the mother of the prince. Princess, without you, how can there be a prince? Without you, I would not stay in Longxi." He Shuting was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. No one had ever said such words to her. When she was young, she was the daughter of the He family, the child of her parents, the sister of her elder brother, and the daughter of her younger brother; later, when she went to Jinyang, she was also the sister of her younger brother; later, she became the adopted daughter of He Jiang, and with this title, she became the wife of Wu Ji, the daughter-in-law of the Wu family who was not welcomed by her parents-in-law, and the sister who was not recognized by He Ran. She was never herself. And now, He Zongqun told her that in addition to these identities, she is still herself, she is He Shuting. No, she is still the master of Longxi County! At this moment, the ambition buried deep in He Shuting's bones completely broke free from the shackles and grew wildly. From then on, she wanted to be the person who could be on par with He Ran on the list of most powerful people in the world. For some reason, from that day on, her originally innocent and lively son became less cute in her eyes. In fact, even if she did not give birth to the child, she could just pick up a child and say it was Wu Ji's offspring. After all, she was the only woman in Wu Ji. As long as she said that the child was hers, no one would suspect her. When this thought came to her mind, He Shuting was shocked. How could she think like this? Guochang was her pride and all her hope. Amidst this ever-changing situation, the world's most powerful people quietly changed. The King of Qi, who ranked first, has long since become an isolated grave outside the city of Jinling. The body of Liu Shanhe, who ranked third, is unknown where his body was thrown into a mass grave. The King of Han, Wang Hao, has long since died at the hands of Nong Liuniang. Other people on the list, such as Wu Dongming, the King of Kaizhou, and the King of Shu who was once on the list, are all dead. Just like the previous two times, on an ordinary morning, the new world power list was quietly posted in front of the Tengwang Pavilion. In fact, someone later found out that the world's most powerful list was selected by a group of scholars who had nothing to do. What's more, the ranking was very fair. Once the list was released, it was recognized by the whole world. The third ranking of the world's power list, He Ran ranked first. Looking at the world, whether in terms of territory or supporters, He Ran should be ranked first; What is surprising is that the second place is not Emperor Yonghe of Fuzhou, nor Jing Chongguang, but Zhou Cangyue! Zhou Cangyue conquered the two lakes and Shu in one fell swoop, completely destroying the power of the King of Shu, which had been drifting in the wind and rain. He even played the Duke Dingguo Jing Chongguang in his hands, forcing him to cede four counties from the territory of Jiangnan to him. As for the embarrassing fact that he asked He Ran to help manage all the territories he had conquered, it undoubtedly damaged his glorious image, but so what? If Zhou Cangyue attacks you, wouldn’t you be afraid?
Wherever the Huwei Army passes, not even a chicken feather is left behind. In comparison, letting He Ran send people to manage the area will benefit the local people. Ranked third is Zhou Cangyue’s current nemesis, King Baoxiang! In the previous two rankings, Baoxiang Wang was not on the list. The reason why he was on the list this time was because Baoxiang Wang fought in Jiaoying! (End of this chapter)