Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 198

He then waved his hand to stop Gao Ying from refuting him, and continued, "Especially my ambition, which you, Gongchu, have long known, is to fully recover Hexi, pacify the Western Regions, and restart the Silk Road, so that the country can prosper. The Western Regions are different from the Central Plains; farming, weaving, and animal husbandry are barely enough to feed them, and they rely heavily on the profits of merchants. Therefore, governing the Western Regions and protecting the Silk Road cannot rely entirely on Chinese farmers and herders; we must also seek out talents in trade. Although I have only recently acquired Liangzhou, I should first cultivate the talents that are suitable and needed—commerce has its own set of knowledge, which cannot be understood simply by reading the books of sages."

He then lowered his voice and said, “Rest assured, do you think I would report to the court just because Yu Ling casually mentions a few names, seeking a salary? They must come from respectable families, have no bad habits or disgraceful reputations, and be literate and capable of arithmetic before I will accept their money. And once they have a salary, I can use the excuse of fearing the court's investigation to order Yu Ling to send them to Liangzhou and place them under my command. Then, why would I be afraid they won't work?”

"Furthermore, since the Yu family has brought their sons and brothers into my service, they will surely be willing to serve me wholeheartedly. People generally despise merchants, hence the claim that Kang Qian secretly colluded with the traitor Shi, acting two-faced, yet no one suspects it. This is because the state despises merchants, imposing numerous restrictions and forbidding them from holding official positions; therefore, merchants naturally will not be loyal to the court—hence Mencius said: 'If a ruler regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then the ministers will regard the ruler as their heart and soul; if a ruler regards his ministers as dogs and horses, then the ministers will regard the ruler as a stranger; if a ruler regards his ministers as dirt and weeds, then the ministers will regard the ruler as an enemy.'"

"If we have something to ask of merchants and something to use, is it acceptable for us to still despise them? In the past, Zheng had Xian Gao, who rewarded the Qin army to save the country. But after the Qin and Han dynasties, such things are rarely heard of. Therefore, due to the state and the opinions of the people, merchants are despised. This should serve as a warning."

Gao Ying pondered for a moment, then bowed slightly and said, "In that case, Grand Commandant, you have considered everything thoroughly. I have nothing more to say. As for those strange arguments you mentioned, I need to go back and sort them out carefully, think them through, and then come back to debate with you again in the next round..."

Chapter Thirty-One: Reunion with an Old Friend

Yu Ling wandered around Guzang City for three whole days. Then Liu Ji and Luo Yiping took him to Chiquan Town, where they negotiated repeatedly. Finally, after calculating the value of the land and market in the town, mainly its commercial value, they arrived at a figure of over 2.3 million strings of cash. Li Ji was not satisfied with this number and asked Yu Ling, "Why not give me a round number, say 2.5 million?"

Yu Ling smiled wryly and said, "Nearly two hundred thousand strings of cash is no small amount, and it is really not advisable to add any more."

Li Ji scoffed, "Liangzhou isn't just about Guzang and Chiquan. There's Changsong in the south, and Jialin and Fanhe in the north. With markets in those three counties, we should be able to scrape together 200,000."

Yu Ling pondered for a moment, then glanced at Li Ji's expression, and finally gritted her teeth and stamped her foot, saying, "Fine, I'll obey the Grand Commandant's order."

Li Ji agreed, "Then I will have people make contracts, one for every five thousand strings of cash. Yu Jun, you should also buy some, and then help me sell the rest among the wealthy merchants in the two capitals—'For every contract sold, I will return one point to you in the future.'"

"May I ask, Grand Commandant, what is meant by a point?"

One percent.

In reality, Li Ji's actions were similar to issuing public bonds privately. Since there were no relevant laws in the country, he could do whatever he wanted.

But then he paused and asked Yu Ling, "We originally planned to raise three million strings of cash, but we are still short five hundred thousand. Would you be willing to provide financial assistance to this town so that the local people can receive their stipends?"

Yu Ling hurriedly asked, "May I ask the Grand Commandant, what are the procedures?"

"Five people are recommended, each with 100,000 strings of cash."

Yu Ling gasped, "Isn't this too much?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "If all the towns had this ability, it would naturally be cheaper. But now it's just me. You are used to doing business, so you naturally know that things are valued for their scarcity."

Actually, other towns might be secretly plotting something similar, but you might not be able to find out, and even if you did, you might not be able to get in touch with them. Besides, I am the Emperor's favorite general, holding the rank of Grand Commandant, and I have just won a great victory. Can other towns possibly gather all these favorable conditions at the same time? If I really submit the list, what are the chances that it will be approved?

Yu Ling considered for a moment, then asked, "How many grades can I get?"

"Eight or nine grades, I guess."

"If one can obtain a sixth or seventh grade, 100,000 strings of cash is not too expensive; if one only obtains an eighth or ninth grade... I humbly request that the Grand Commandant lower the price slightly."

After much debate and negotiation, it was finally agreed that Yu Ling would recommend ten young men to be sent to Guzang as soon as possible. After Li Ji interviewed them, six were retained to serve temporarily under his command. Li Ji would report their merits and request that they be granted official ranks of the eighth or ninth grade. At the same time, he promised that if another battle was fought within two years, their merits would be recalculated, and at least half of them would be promoted to the sixth or seventh grade.

Among these ten people, Baozi Tian, ​​who had helped them back in Weibo, must be included. Li Ji knew that the guy was Yu Ling's relative by marriage, a nephew, and had helped her quite a bit, so he was a reliable person.

The key was a few words Li Ji whispered to Yu Ling, which ultimately led to the deal: "If you trust me, you'll know that the Silk Road will surely be open. But does that mean you only care about business in Guandong and have no interest in the future profits of the Silk Road? If you are interested in the Silk Road, how can you be satisfied with just buying up some land and shops in the Guzang market? Why not take this opportunity to send your sons here to explore the situation in Hexi in advance, make some preparations, and lay a solid foundation?"

"Since you, Yu Jun, cannot consume my five hundred contracts by yourself and are forced to share the profits with others, then by taking the initiative now, you will surely be able to overpower all others and monopolize the profits in the future—does Yu Jun have no such intention?"

So a few days later, Yu Ling set off for the south. He temporarily did not take the five hundred contracts that Li Ji had stamped with his own private seal—it was really inconvenient to use the military governor's seal—but only took a list of supplies, including grain, silk, copper, iron, and timber. He promised to raise the necessary supplies when he returned and to persuade wealthy households in the two capitals to send goods to Guzang in exchange for the contracts.

Li Ji did not go to see Yu Ling off, not because "the matchmaker is sidelined after the bride is married," but because news had just arrived that he was going out of the city to welcome a distinguished person, namely the newly appointed military supervisor of Hexi, Jiao Xiwang.

Jiao Xiwang was Li Ji's old partner. Back when Li Ji was stationed in Weibo, he went to Cheng Yuanzhen to ask for a eunuch who was "quiet and easily satisfied" to serve as the military supervisor. Cheng Yuanzhen then appointed Jiao Xiwang. After Li Ji left Hebei, Jiao Xiwang's life became rather difficult. Locally, Yan Zhenqing, the successor to the Weibo military governor, had always despised eunuchs, and his daily offerings were sporadic, let alone bribes. In the central court, Jiao Xiwang's benefactor, Cheng Yuanzhen, fell from power, leaving him without support or influence.

Thus, he spent all his wealth to bribe the powerful eunuch Wang Jiahe, finally managing to secure a powerful patron. When Li Ji was appointed to govern Hexi, Li Yu ordered Wang Jiahe to report on the candidates for military supervisor. Wang Jiahe then suggested, "The eunuch Jiao Xiwang, who previously served as the military supervisor of Weibo, has a good relationship with Grand Commandant Li and can promptly report the situation within his jurisdiction to the palace. Therefore, I believe he should be appointed to the post in Hexi."

Thus, Jiao Xiwang was sent to Hexi, which was exactly what he wanted. This Supervisor Jiao had little ambition and disliked causing trouble, just as Li Ji had previously requested—he preferred quiet and was easily satisfied. If he were truly sent to oppose a certain envoy, to scheme and plot against him in an attempt to climb the ranks, even if he had the will, he lacked the ability; besides, what good would climbing higher do? The deaths of three generations of powerful eunuchs—Li Fuguo, Cheng Yuanzhen, and Yu Chaoen—had already served as a warning to him.

Compared to other regional envoys, Li Ji neither flattered eunuchs nor despised them like Yan Zhenqing, so at least he maintained a respectable public image. Although he didn't offer lavish bribes, his daily provisions were not lacking—so Jiao hoped to live a life of luxury, with less paperwork, and save up for his coffin; that would be enough for him. Therefore, he earnestly requested his new benefactor, the king, to send him to Liangzhou.

Given Li Ji's current status, he shouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to welcome the military supervisor. However, upon hearing that Jiao Xiwang had brought two thousand Imperial Guards from the Northern Army to serve as the supervisor's bodyguards, he couldn't help but drool. Since he was currently short of both money and supplies as well as soldiers, if he could rekindle his old friendship with Jiao Xiwang, he might have the opportunity to mobilize this force when needed in the future.

Therefore, he personally went out of the city to welcome him. Jiao Xiwang was flattered and hurriedly dismounted to pay his respects. He also said to Li Ji, "An old friend of the Grand Commandant has come with me."

Immediately, a general in red robes loosened the reins, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in a salute to Li Ji: "This humble general, Jing Jiang, greets the Grand Commandant."

Li Ji was both surprised and delighted: "Old Jing, how come you've come to Liangzhou too?"

The last time Li Ji and Jing Jiang met was several years ago when they went to Heyang together to help Li Guangbi resist Shi Siming's rebel army. If Jing Jiang had stayed in the Heyang army and become Li Guangbi's subordinate, he would have had a good chance of returning to Shuofang, and they could have reunited two years ago. However, not long after Li Ji left, he also led his troops back to Shanzhou and continued to serve under Wei Boyu.

In the first year of the Guangde era, Wei Boyu was appointed Prefect of Jiangling and Grand Censor, then transferred to the position of Military Governor of Jingnan. Due to his meritorious service in governing the region, he was soon promoted to Acting Minister of Works and enfeoffed as Prince of Yangcheng. Old Jing then followed Wei Boyu to Jingnan. Last year, when Wei Boyu came to court for an audience, Li Yu inquired about his troops and suddenly mentioned a fierce warrior surnamed Jing, whom I seem to vaguely remember…

Back in Emperor Suzong's reign, when Li Yu first assumed the position of Grand Marshal of the Army, he unexpectedly encountered assassins. At that time, Lao Jing and Li Ji were both on duty outside the hall, and they too brandished their weapons and fiercely resisted the intruders—although Li Ji was more ruthless in his attacks. In recent years, Li Yu has become increasingly distrustful of, and even wary of, the regional military governors, wishing he could replace all the military commanders, military governors, and other officials of the various regions with the generals and officers of the six armies of the Northern Army. Currently, the Northern Army is controlled by his trusted eunuchs Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming, as well as Li Yu's two uncles, Wu Xu and Wu Cou, and the two sides are mutually restraining each other, which makes the emperor feel more at ease.

Unfortunately, the number of officers and soldiers in the Imperial Guard was limited, and most of them lacked experience. Therefore, Li Yu often drew capable people from various garrisons to fill the positions. He thought that even if they only stayed in the palace for a few months, as long as he won them over, they would be grateful for the Emperor's favor and would serve the royal family wholeheartedly from then on. In Li Ji's view, the Emperor's idea was reasonable and his methods were effective, but he was just oversimplifying people's hearts and making things too easy.

In short, upon seeing Wei Boyu, Li Ji unexpectedly thought of Jing Jiang, and thus summoned him to the capital, promoting him to the fourth-rank military commander and appointing him as a general in the Baoying Army. This time, Jiao Xi wanted to be appointed as the military supervisor of Hexi, and he selected guards from the Imperial Guard. Huo Xianming, the left and right lieutenant of the Baoying Army, said, "Jing Jiang of this army has a past with Grand Commandant Li; Old Jiao, you might as well take him to Liangzhou." And so, Old Jing, who had only been serving for less than half a year, followed him to Liangzhou.

Old Jing was naturally happy about this. He was a restless and combative man. He had a promising future serving Emperor Suzong, but he insisted on being transferred to a post outside the capital, going to Shanzhou to rely on his old superior, Wei Boyu. However, Wei Boyu missed the opportunity to fight against Shi Chaoyi and was transferred to Jingnan ahead of schedule. Jing Jiang told Li Ji, "The southern barbarians live in a land of miasma and pestilence. There are only some mountain bandits and outlaws, but no major enemies. Besides, I am used to riding horses and really do not like climbing mountains and descending valleys to search for and kill bandits. It is truly a case of a hero having no place to use his skills!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Jingnan is quite prosperous, yet you say it's plagued by miasma? You haven't been to southern Hunan or Jiangxi, let alone Qianzhou, Fujian, Lingnan, or Guilin..."

They immediately welcomed Jiao Xiwang into the city and prepared a place for him to stay at the military supervisor's residence. Before Jiao Xiwang could even settle in, Li Ji's first bribe arrived. Although the amount was small, it showed that Li Ji's heart was no different from before.

But actually, Li Ji had his eye on Lao Jing. A few days later, he went to Jiao Xiwang to discuss the matter, saying that he was short of people under his command and asked if he could borrow Jing Jiang, who was under the supervision of the military supervisor. He also offered a gift along with the conversation, and Jiao Xiwang readily agreed.

Once Li Ji had secured the loan from Lao Jingshang, he immediately assigned him a mission—his first task was to lead a battalion of cavalry north to the Xiutuze area to suppress the Hu tribes.

Thirty miles north of Guzang City lies the ancient city of Xiutu. Beyond this city, there are no more farmlands, only Gobi grasslands—in later times, the western edge of the Tengger Desert and the southern edge of the Badain Jaran Desert. Although the desert area is not yet vast, it is still mostly barren land for nomadic peoples. Only the areas around Macheng River, Xiutu Marsh, and Baiting Lake have relatively abundant water and grass.

Liangzhou had nearly 100,000 Tang people—at its peak during the Tianbao era, it was said to have exceeded 120,000—while the number of nomadic Qiang and Hu people was slightly smaller, mostly grazing their livestock in the aforementioned areas, as well as the Daxue Mountain and Guzang South Mountain areas in southern Liangzhou. Previously, when the Tubo occupied Liangzhou, fearing that the Tang people would not serve them, they recruited many Qiang and Hu people as soldiers, forming a puppet army. After Qilibuzang's defeat, most of the Qiang and Hu people fled back to their homelands. Although they were also worried about the Tang people's retribution, they were ultimately reluctant to leave their homeland—suitable and unoccupied pastures were actually hard to find—so they all watched the movements of Guzang City with trepidation.

Of course, some were quicker to seize the opportunity and hurriedly sent people to pay their respects to Li Ji to apologize and express their willingness to accept the Tang family's leadership again. However, Li Ji mostly refused to see them, telling them to go back first and wait for the Jiezhen to send someone to discuss the tribute matters.

Then, as soon as spring arrived, several battalions of cavalrymen, full of vigor and high spirits, set out from Guzang City and Chiquan Town, heading north and south to "pacify" the Qiang and Hu tribes.

The Qiang and Hu leaders warmly welcomed them, but the Tang general, with a stern face, rebuked them for their previous allegiance to the Tibetans. He then read out a list, demanding that all the able-bodied men from the tribes listed be bound and executed as atonement. The leaders naturally pleaded repeatedly—although the Tang soldiers were few, only a battalion of five hundred, they were clearly elite, heavily armored and well-equipped. Most of the Qiang and Hu tribes in Liangzhou were small tribes with fewer than three thousand soldiers. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, how could they dare to suddenly break off relations and confront the Tang?

Fortunately, the newly appointed military governor of Hexi, Li Taiwei, was magnanimous and believed in winning people over with virtue. He instructed his generals that the past was past, and all those who had committed crimes could redeem themselves with money. The conditions were not harsh: generals could redeem themselves with five horses or five oxen, while ordinary soldiers could redeem themselves with ten sheep.

In this way, each department could lead away more than a hundred cattle and horses, hundreds of sheep, and more than a hundred sinners. Many poor herders could not even bring out ten sheep. They usually grazed the private property of adults, and how could adults be willing to waste sheep to atone for the sins of their servants?

Old Jing was tasked with this mission, but he was incredibly unlucky. Wei Gao, Chen Lizhen, Xu Yu, and others had been traveling with him for more than half a month and all returned laden with spoils. But Jing Jiang ran into a tough nut to crack as soon as he set out. Not only did they refuse to hand over their cattle and horses, but they also forced their troops to resist. Old Jing did manage to defeat this force, killing their chieftain and capturing over a thousand women and children—the rest all scattered—but his 500 cavalrymen also suffered nearly a 10% loss.

In short, by the time summer arrived, Hexi had collected a total of two thousand cattle and horses, nearly ten thousand sheep—in comparison, Ma Meng had only borrowed one thousand sheep from the Uyghurs, which greatly disappointed Li Ji—as well as more than two thousand Qiang and Hu criminals. The military governor lent the cattle to the Tang people to aid in farming, and the horses were put into the army; the old and weak criminals were purged and made to herd sheep north of Xinquan. As for the remaining one thousand or so, they were not actually slaughtered, but scattered and added to the auxiliary army.

Because those who were eventually brought back were all poor shepherds. As long as they were given enough to eat, it would be easy to separate them from their superiors. With strict training and some ideological work, they could be mostly put to good use in time.

After Yu Ling returned to Luoyang, he indeed gathered nearly a million strings of cash worth of grain and silk, and sent ten of his disciples, including Bao Zitian, westward to Guzang. From June onward, wealthy merchants from both capitals began arriving, transporting goods to exchange for Liangzhou contracts—most of them were merchants already engaged in Silk Road trade. Li Ji used this money and grain to vigorously repair farmland irrigation facilities, build workshops, develop production, and began recruiting new soldiers from among the Tang people of Liangzhou.

Then, in July of that year, an unexpected person arrived in Guzang City...

Chapter Thirty-Two, Clear as Tea

Upon receiving the report, Li Ji didn't even have time to muster his ceremonial guards; he immediately mounted his horse and charged out of the south gate of Guzang. Upon seeing the person approaching, he practically tumbled off his horse and grabbed the man's leg—

"From north to south, I never expected to see my brother again!"

It turned out that this person was none other than Li Bi, the former Zhejiang West Circuit Commissioner and Chancellor.

When Li Bi saw Li Ji, his expression did not seem very pleased. He simply shook his leg and said, "Let go of me. What kind of behavior is this? Please allow me to dismount and pay my respects."

Li Ji laughed and said, "Brother, why bother with formalities? Let me lead your horse into the city."

Li Bi's face hardened: "No, you... Changwei is now one of the Three Dukes, how can you be expected to lead someone's horse?"

“My brother is a Tongpingzhangshi, which is equivalent to a prime minister. The prime minister is above all officials in terms of courtesy, and all who see him, regardless of age, bow to him. Why can’t I lead my brother’s horse?”

"The three highest officials of the court, who are in charge of regulating the yin and yang, are still lower in rank than the chief guard. How can they lead my horse?"

“Although my elder brother is called my elder brother, he is actually like a father to me—is it not fitting for a person to lead the horse for his father and elder brother?”

Li Bi couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he finally said, "On the main road, for Changwei to act like this is a great loss of official decorum, and it's not appropriate for you to manage people and troops—let's mount our horses and ride into the city side by side."

Li Ji then stopped, released his grip, turned and mounted his own horse, taking the lead to guide Li Bi—only then did Yuan Jing'an lead his soldiers and military governor's entourage catch up. Along the way, he pointed out various sights in Guzang City and explained them to Li Bi, who listened with a stern face but remained silent.

He led Li Bi into the inner chambers of the government office and ordered Hongxian to come and pay her respects. Li Bi asked, "Why don't I see my sister-in-law and Zou Shi?" Li Ji replied, "They just gave birth at the end of last year and are temporarily staying in Lingzhou. It's inconvenient for them to travel far. I've already sent someone to fetch them. If you stay in Guzang for a few more days, you can see them. Also, I have three daughters who can be close to you."

He then asked, "I heard that you gave birth to a son, how old is he now?"

Li Bi replied, "He is already two years old, and will be named Li Jie."

Li Ji was about to order people to prepare a banquet and gather a large number of guests to welcome Li Bi, but Li Bi waved his hand and said: "No need, you know I am not used to such occasions - please sit down, I have something to ask you."

Li Ji gave a quick glance to his left and right, and Hongxian understood. She immediately ordered all the bystanders to leave, and she herself bowed deeply, left the room, and closed the door behind her. Only then did Li Ji invite Li Bi to sit down behind the desk, and he sat to the side, smiling as he asked, "Does my brother have something to ask me, or does the Sage have something for my brother to ask me?"

Li Bi gazed into the other man's eyes and slowly said, "I fear that you will not answer honestly when the Sage asks me questions, so I have specially sent me to ask you."

Li Ji shrugged: "If I were a cunning person, even my brother wouldn't be able to get the truth out of me."

Li Bi waved his hand: "It has nothing to do with loyalty or treachery..." Before he could finish speaking, Hong Xian's voice came from outside the door: "The tea is ready, may I serve it?"

Li Ji agreed, and Hongxian opened the door, carrying a tray in both hands. On the tray were a pair of celadon lotus-shaped cups, each with a lid to keep them warm. She placed the two cups on the table in front of them and apologized, "There is no new tea in Liangzhou, please forgive me." Then she bowed and withdrew.

Li Ji picked up the teacup in front of him and gestured slightly to Li Bi, saying, "Brother, please have some." Li Bi knew that his brother liked to brew loose tea, a habit that was almost like that of a country bumpkin who had never tasted good tea... But he had never been fond of tea ceremony, so he was not particularly averse to brewing tea. He was thirsty from walking, so he picked up the cup and lifted the lid.

Seeing the misty steam and the pale yellow tea, which quite complemented the celadon color, I was about to touch my lips when I heard Li Ji say, "I brew tea like this, clear and transparent, yet some people insist on thinking it's boiled tea, making it muddy and murky. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Li Bi took a sip of tea and replied in a deep voice, "You are now a high-ranking official, in charge of a town. If you treat unfamiliar guests with tea, who would doubt your sincerity?"

“A sage must not be a stranger.”

"If you are a sage, how can you be called a 'guest'? You have been stationed in a foreign land for a long time, you should know that people's hearts are fickle."

Li Ji curled his lip: "Alright, let's not beat around the bush—what does Brother want to ask his foolish brother?"

"At the beginning of the year, the emperor summoned you. Why did you refuse to return to court? Don't use excuses like 'Liangzhou has just been recovered' and 'it's inconvenient to leave immediately' to explain your situation."

Li Ji slowly said, “A ruler appoints his ministers based on their abilities, but may not necessarily know their abilities; a minister serves his ruler with loyalty, but may not necessarily make his lord understand his loyalty. I fear that the sage might be momentarily weak, like a fine horse galloping at full speed, only to be pulled back by the reins…”

Li Bi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is your ambition merely to recover Hexi and rescue Anxi and Beiting? Will you return to the court after success? Or will you resolutely refuse to return if you fail?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "Brother, you've got it backwards. If I lose a few rounds and realize that things are hopeless, I might just slink back to court and beg for forgiveness; as for what happens after I succeed..."

Li Bi frowned, and his body involuntarily leaned forward slightly: "And then what?"

Li Ji did not answer directly, but smiled and said, "Brother, there are dozens of regional governors in the world today, and they can be divided into three categories..." As he spoke, he raised his right hand and counted on one finger: "One category is Youzhou, Chengde, Zhaoyi Army, Ziqing Pinglu, Shannan East Circuit, Jiannan West Sichuan, etc. They have always only come to the court to pay homage when they are in accordance with the situation. They are not very willing to go when summoned by the court. The court usually does not dare to summon them without authorization, for fear of causing trouble."

Then he bent his second finger: "In remote and desolate places like Guilin, Rongzhou, Lingnan, and Fujian, it is inconvenient for envoys to return to the capital, and the emperor is too lazy to summon them." He then bent his third finger: "Other regional governors, especially those in Guanzhong, dare not disobey the imperial orders, but when an imperial edict arrives, they will go without waiting for the emperor. However, in their hearts, they may not be willing to go to Chang'an to meet the emperor."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Oh right, there's another type, like Binning today. The envoy is in the court, and the emperor can summon him whenever he wants."

What exactly are you trying to say?

“What I want to say is that the sage hopes that I am the third type, and that after the great work is accomplished, I will follow the example of Lord Guo and become one of the remaining types; but now he asks me, brother, because he is afraid that I will become the first type.”

Li Bi stared intently at Li Ji with bright eyes: "What kind of person do you truly want to be?"

Li Ji smiled and replied, "The second type."

He then explained in detail: “The Tang Dynasty’s greatest enemies are the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tibetans, and perhaps the Uyghurs in the future. My brother knows that I hate foreign tribes for ravaging China, so I am determined to defend against the Tibetans and guard against the Uyghurs. Originally, I wanted to win the Emperor’s favor so that I could lead 100,000 strong troops to sweep across the western border, drive out the Tibetan rebels, and recover our lost territories. Even without the inscription on the Lingyan Pavilion, I could still leave my mark on history. However, since I was stationed in Weibo, my actions have not been smooth. The court not only refuses to fully support me, but also often hinders me from behind…”

"The imperial court also has its own difficulties."

“If it were merely a matter of insufficient financial resources and inadequate provisions, that would be one thing. But the sage sent my elder brother out to serve a group of cowardly and incompetent people. As a result, my fine horse, which had just begun to gallop, was reined in and could not run freely. It is impossible for me to have no resentment at all.”

"I'm afraid you're running too fast and might recklessly cause trouble!"

Li Ji laughed and said, "Is the Sage afraid that I will run too far and become difficult to control?"

"A sage who rules the four seas naturally has such thoughts—do you really think you can escape the sage's control?"

Li Ji curled his lip and slowly said, "Brother, you once reminded me that the state of the world cannot be reversed by one person, and I deeply agree. However, this 'one person' does not only refer to me, but also to the sage." Before Li Bi could refute, he continued in one breath, "I will not pretend before you, brother. In truth, the current emperor's talent and ambition are barely enough to maintain the status quo. There is no hope of restoring the Tang Dynasty to its former glory. I have no choice but to try to give him a push."

Li Bi shook his head: "The current emperor may not be as incompetent as you say. He was confined to the Eastern Palace for a long time and ascended the throne hastily. The rebels were not eliminated and there was suspicion both inside and outside the court. At that time, even if Emperor Taizong were to be resurrected, there would be no hope that he could restore the old order and restore peace in just a few years. However, the current emperor has successively quelled Shi Siming, expelled Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen, executed Yu Chaoen and demoted Yuan Zai, sweeping away the decline since the Qianyuan and Shangyuan eras and bringing a new look to the court. To consider him merely an average ruler would be too harsh."

Li Ji retorted, "Brother, you also misjudged Emperor Suzong in the past..."

Upon hearing this, Li Bi fell silent. He recalled that on their journey to Ding'an with Li Ji, Li Ji had asked him, "Who exactly is the former Crown Prince, the newly enthroned Emperor?" Li Bi had replied that while the Emperor's abilities weren't outstanding, he was kind and honest, a ruler who would maintain the status quo… And what was the result? Judging solely from Li Heng's treatment of his father and son, the word "kind and honest" could not possibly be applied to him!

After a moment of silence, Li Bi sighed and explained, "When I served Emperor Suzong in the Eastern Palace, I later retired to Yingyang. We haven't seen each other for several years, so it's inevitable that we've become estranged..." This was tantamount to admitting that, as you, Li Ji, said, Li Heng's character was not good, and I had misjudged him in the first place—anyway, since the two brothers were having a private conversation, there was no need for formalities.

But then he changed the subject: "Now that His Majesty has reinstated me from Hengshan, summoned me to be a Hanlin Academician, and then appointed me as Prime Minister, I am naturally much more familiar with him, and I believe there will be no more mistakes." He then added: "If Emperor Suzong were still alive, would I have been asked to come here to ask you?"

—Given Li Heng's nature, he appears honest but is actually suspicious and ruthless. If he suspects anyone, he'll set a trap and deal with them immediately. How could he possibly give you a chance to explain?

Li Ji laughed and said, "Emperor Suzong thought himself shrewd. I'm afraid that until his death, he would still think that you were a rough man with the heart of a child. Just like Emperor Xuanzong in his later years, when An Lushan occupied the three towns and secretly amassed troops, did he ever suspect him?"

Li Bi's eyes flashed like lightning: "You don't want to become An Lushan, do you?!"

Li Ji's face darkened: "Brother, such hurtful words should not be uttered even in private. Not to mention that An Lushan was such a foolish and despicable scoundrel, how could he compare to my foolish brother? With his mistakes as a precedent, how dare I harbor any evil thoughts? The Tang dynasty is not yet over, yet we dare to dream of changing the dynasty, which will only bring suffering to the people and will not bring any chance of success!"

He then leaned closer to Li Bi and began a long speech:

"In truth, I do not wish to return to the state of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, which appeared prosperous and flourishing, but were in reality hollow inside and strong outside. The calamity of the regional military governors was already foreseeable. Ideally, we should return to the state of the Zhenguan and Yonghui eras. However, my elder brother told me that times have changed and circumstances have shifted. The central government no longer has the power to govern hundreds of prefectures and counties. We can only tolerate the existence of regional military governors for the time being, and gradually transform them into a three-tiered administrative division in the future—that is, to grant local authorities greater authority while trying to avoid the formation of separatist regimes. How difficult this is!"

"Take Guo Linggong for example. If he had achieved great merit at the beginning of the dynasty and handed over his military power, he could have simply collected his salary, lived a leisurely life in the countryside, and enjoyed the company of his grandchildren. Now, although he has many sons-in-law and wears gold and purple robes, he is actually living in constant fear, as if walking on thin ice. Even without Shuofang, the power of the foreign vassals is strong, and there will surely be those who look up to him as their banner. When the time comes, it will only take an imperial edict to kill them. Moreover, if there is no Shuofang, the emperor will have even less to worry about after killing him. The saying 'the bow is put away when the birds are all gone' may be acceptable for scholars, but for us warriors, we cannot help but be terrified. Lai Zhen is a cautionary tale!"