No matter how much she was reluctant to leave, she had to go when it was time to go. When Princess Yongning came out of the palace, tears were still on her face. However, the people in the palace had already told her not to cry after seeing Li Xiang. If she cried in front of Li Xiang, wouldn't it mean that she didn't want to follow him back to Chang'an? If Li Xiang was disgusted, everything she had done before would be useless.
The vassal states had their own helplessness. Although they sent their own princesses, they should have been able to stand up straight. However, when facing Li Xiang, no one from top to bottom had the courage. Every detail had to be considered. If they made Li Xiang unhappy, it would be like they had done nothing.
Li Xiang's side had also been packed up, and the army outside the city had also been assembled. Some time ago, because many people went out to investigate the news, the military camp was not open to the public. It was only opened to the public in the two days before departure. Many generals of the Nanzhao Kingdom also went in to take a look and compared their troops with the army of the Tang Dynasty. Although it was just a spirit exercise and no actual combat exercise was carried out, they also knew that the army of the Tang Dynasty was much stronger than theirs.
In addition, they had also heard about the power of the Tang army. It could be said that it had almost defeated all the surrounding countries. Nanzhao was one of the few survivors. These people also gave their own army and the Tang army a score in their minds. In the end, these people kept silent.
Su Dingfang was very satisfied with this result. According to the investigation conducted by his men, Nanzhao was originally an extremely peaceful place. Apart from some small-scale incidents, the entire country had not mobilized a large number of troops for nearly ten years. Many soldiers had never even seen a big scene.
In addition to this army, there was another team of more than 2,000 people nearby. This team was the dowry of Princess Yongning. Although the population of Nanzhao was not large, giving slaves as gifts was very popular here, and many people were happy to do so.
When Princess Yongning married into Chang'an, many people thought that the people of Chang'an might not be able to serve her well, so they bought some slaves for Princess Yongning. Three or five slaves per family were not many, but if there were more slaves from a large family, plus the population originally allocated to Princess Yongning, there would be more than two thousand people.
Li Xiang had already given instructions before. Except for the people around him who needed to be investigated carefully, all the others should be thrown outside the city after returning to Chang'an and tested for half a year. No one knew what was going on with these people. If they were to be used rashly, it would be really inconsiderate.
Su Dingfang and Qian Ping were not idle either. When it came to investigation, these two could be said to be veterans. Not to mention in Nanzhao Kingdom, even in Chang'an City where smart people gathered, they would have no problem doing such things. Although it cannot be said that all of their men had been selected, at least those who could get within 50 meters of Li Xiang had been questioned, and their families had also been taken away.
"You will take 400 men with you to escort these people. You will set out after we do. You must strictly count their numbers along the way. If anyone disobeys orders, you can kill them after leaving the Nanzhao capital."
Li Xiang in the city has not come out yet. Su Dingfang gave some instructions to his deputy general. Although these people were the dowry of Yongning's work, Princess Yongning did not know many of them at all. Maybe some of them had ulterior motives. If we encounter such people, for the safety of our store, we can only kill them first.
"Please rest assured, General. I have already told my men that everyone should be equipped with crossbows. They are all ready. If anyone doesn't follow our instructions, don't blame us for being rude to them."
A hint of cruelty also appeared on the deputy general's face. They were Li Xiang's most trusted troops, and they had followed Li Xiang in battles for so long. No one knew how many lives they had taken. If you have any ideas about His Highness, don't blame us for being cruel. Including your families, they may not see the sun tomorrow.
Just as the two were talking, a long team came out of the city. Li Xiang and Princess Yongning's men gathered together and rushed towards the military camp outside the city.
Su Dingfang stopped talking with his deputy general and asked his men to prepare for departure. He also left a lot of guard troops behind the team. Although he expected that the Nanzhao army would not pose any threat to us, as long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was ready to set off, then all the necessary preparations had to be made.
There are countless people who want to kill Li Xiang these days. Since Su Dingfang is always by Li Xiang's side, he will definitely arrange everything properly. You must know that Nanzhao is not a monolithic country. Many people still despise Nanzhao's surrender to the Tang Dynasty. They believe that Nanzhao should stand up on its own.
Moreover, Li Xiang also said that there are many unstable factors in Nanzhao. Maybe they have not manifested themselves now, but it is hard to say in the future. What Li Xiang said was after the Anshi Rebellion. Of course, it is still a long time from now, but there should be some sprouts now. It is normal to ask Su Dingfang to be careful.
"After sending you a thousand miles, we must eventually say goodbye. Your Majesty, please just send me here. We are about to embark on our journey back north. We have received such a warm welcome here. If Your Majesty and everyone else have time, please come to Chang'an City with us. I will definitely do my best to be a good host."
Although there is no Ten-Li Long Pavilion outside the Nanzhao Royal City, if you want to see someone off, it basically ends here. Of course, you have to let the person leaving say it. If the person doesn't say anything, then you have to keep seeing them off.
The King of Nanzhao and a number of senior officials had smiles on their faces, and there was no sign of sadness at all. Instead, the concubines and some princesses in the harem had sadness on their faces. After all, it would be very difficult to see them again in the future. According to what they had learned before, any princess who married into another country basically had no chance to come back to visit her parents.
This time may be a farewell forever. At this moment, the Queen of Nanzhao is still holding Princess Yongning tightly!
