Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 130

Wei Zhongxi met Ran Mao'er and Li Ji inside the city gate and urgently asked about the current situation. Li Ji waved his hand nonchalantly: "The traitor Li Zhao has been killed by me, Liang Chongyi has been captured, and nearly a thousand rebel soldiers are being held under the city walls."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxi panicked even more—Damn it, two of Lai Zhen's top generals have been dispatched! Who would believe this wasn't Lai Zhen's doing? Although he wasn't Lai Zhen's ally, he was ultimately in the same boat and was forced to cover for Lai Zhen: "Li Zhao is arrogant and Liang Chongyi is ignorant. They must have acted on their own initiative, and it's definitely not Commander Lai's order!"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Whether it is the General's order or not, we will know by questioning Liang Chongyi."

He then turned his attention to Wei Zhongxi: "Has Governor Wei informed Xiangcheng Town about the unrest?"

Wei Zhongxi dared not conceal the truth and could only lower his head and say, "I can vouch for Commander Lai. It was certainly not your intention. I fear it was your subordinates who acted on their own initiative. Therefore, I have already sent someone to inform you..."

Li Ji agreed, then took a heavy bundle from his waist and tossed it to Wei Zhongxi: "I would like to ask Governor Wei to send someone to make another trip so that the commander-in-chief may know that Heaven has saved him from this calamity and that the chaotic soldiers could not accomplish anything. I only hope that the commander-in-chief will be worried, so please ask him to sleep soundly and come to Xiangyang to receive the imperial edict at dawn."

Wei Zhongxi took the bundle with both hands and casually asked, "What is this?"

"Li Zhao's head."

Wei Zhongxi shuddered on the spot and almost dropped the bundle on the ground...

Li Ji escorted Ran Mao'er into the prefectural government office to rest, but he himself did not sleep. He ordered Liang Chongyi to be brought over. Liang Chongyi was extremely honest, kneeling and kowtowing. When Li Ji asked him the reason for this, he quickly confessed about Li Zhao.

Ultimately, Liang Chongyi dared not completely offend Lai Zhen, so he remained silent about Lai Zhen's meeting with his confidants to discuss the matter, which essentially concluded that they would not obey the imperial edict. He only mentioned that the soldiers tried to persuade Commander Lai to stay, but Li Zhao took the opportunity to instigate a mutiny, besieging the imperial envoy, and that—"This humble general was unwilling to comply, but out of consideration for our colleagueship, I did not report it to Commander Lai. Unexpectedly, Li Zhao ordered his men to force me from my bed with sharp blades, and they attacked the imperial envoy and his superiors..."

Li Ji glanced sideways at Liang Chongyi, thinking to himself, "Who said this guy was honest? I think he's much more cunning than Li Zhao!"

He didn't believe almost anything Liang Chongyi said. He was convinced that if Lai Zhen hadn't instigated them, or at least tacitly approved of it, the two generals wouldn't have dared to offend the imperial envoy. "I sent a few men to infiltrate Xiangcheng Town and I was able to get advance notice. How could Lai Zhen, who has been stationed here for so long and has such power, not know about it? If I wanted to stop him, I would have done so long ago!"

However, if it were confirmed that Lai Zhen was actually involved in this matter, it would force him to rebel. If he then sent troops to attack Xiangyang, Li Erlang would probably be the first to be killed as a sacrifice to the flag. Therefore, Liang Chongyi's refusal to involve Lai Zhen was exactly what Li Ji wanted.

Now that I've straightened out the carriages and horses, let's see how Tian reacts.

So he carefully examined Liang Chongyi and slowly asked, "I heard that you are a brave general in the town, with the courage of ten thousand men. Are you disappointed that you dare not fight me tonight?"

Liang Chongyi hurriedly said, "Sir... your name is renowned throughout the land. I am but a firefly, how dare I compete with the sun and moon?" He then tried to ingratiate himself, "To be honest, you once commanded the Baoying Army, and I myself am a former archer in the palace guards, so I should naturally serve under your command..."

Li Ji stood up and told Liang Chongyi to stand up as well. Then he stretched out his right arm with his five fingers spread and said, "Let's test your strength."

Liang Chongyi hesitated for a moment, carefully observing Li Ji's expression. Seeing that he wasn't setting a trap, he mustered his courage and extended his right hand as well. They then clasped hands and pulled them apart.

It must be said that Liang Chongyi's strength was truly remarkable. After Li Ji transmigrated, he possessed an extremely powerful physical body, and in face-to-face combat, he had only lost to two people—one was the fierce Uyghur general Di De, and the other was this Liang Chongyi. Seeing that Liang Chongyi was gradually twisting Li Ji's wrist, his fighting spirit was ignited, and he immediately shouted, "Good strength! Let's see your fists and feet again!"

So he smoothly withdrew the force of his right hand and simultaneously threw his left fist straight at the opponent's face. Liang Chongyi, who was just getting a little smug, was startled by this and hurriedly dodged. Unexpectedly, Li Ji's move was a feint. Halfway through the punch, he suddenly changed direction, grabbed his own right hand, and forcefully pulled Liang Chongyi's arm behind his back.

Liang Chongyi followed the force of the movement, his left hand also assisting. Thus, the two men's four hands became entangled, while their feet tumbled and circled around.

In terms of grappling skills, Li Ji was far superior to Liang Chongyi—firstly, he had been influenced by his previous life's fighting techniques, and secondly, he had learned boxing from Xu Xuanping—his ten fingers were like awls, and with a twist of his wrist bone, he broke Liang Chongyi's tendons and veins, reducing Liang Chongyi's strength from ten percent to only thirty percent.

Li Ji immediately grabbed Liang Chongyi's right arm behind his back, simultaneously raising his knee to strike Liang's lower back. Liang Chongyi attempted a reverse kick, but Li Ji seized the opportunity to press his knee down on Liang's shin, forcing him to kneel on one knee. Liang Chongyi immediately shouted, "Please stop your attack—this humble general has lost!"

A true expert can tell a lot from a single move. Although it was only a fleeting exchange of blows, Liang Chongyi had already grasped Li Ji's strength—if it were merely a matter of brute force, he might have a slight edge, but in terms of the finesse of his techniques, he was far inferior. Was there any point in continuing the fight?

Li Ji smiled, released Liang Chongyi, and nodded in praise: "Truly worthy of being called the number one warrior of Jingzhou, with innate superhuman strength, rarely seen in the world." He glanced to the side: "What does Brother Nan think?"

The general who had been standing by nodded and then smiled, "Back in Shangzhou, I also competed with Erlang in archery and horsemanship, as well as in close combat, but I've never actually fought him—it makes me itchy to try it myself."

Li Ji shook his head: "On the battlefield, with swift horses and long spears, I am no match for Brother Nan; but in hand-to-hand combat, Brother Nan must let me go first." He pointed and introduced to Liang Chongyi: "This is Nan Jiyun, who once guarded Suiyang. You two will be comrades in the future."

Liang Chongyi's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly bowed, saying, "So you are General Nan. I have long admired your name, but it is a pity that we have never had the chance to meet before..."

To be honest, in this region of Shannan and Lianghuai, Nan Jiyun's martial reputation was even greater than Li Ji's. Ultimately, Li Ji was defending against the barbarians in Longxi, a distance too far, and his campaign against the enemy in Heyang was relatively short-lived; rumors inevitably became distorted, making them less credible—for example, Li Zhao, even on his deathbed, still didn't believe it. Nan Jiyun, on the other hand, assisted Zhang Xun in defending Suiyang, repeatedly breaking through enemy lines to seek reinforcements from various places. The people of Lianghuai admired his bravery and were grateful for his virtue.

However, Liang Chongyi's attitude was partly feigned. Firstly, he had long admired Nan Jiyun's reputation, and seeing him leave Shangzhou to join Li Ji, he knew he would surely become one of Li Ji's favorite generals. Secondly, Li Ji's words, "The two of you will be comrades in the future," finally put Liang Chongyi's mind at ease—this meant he was being recruited, so why not quickly flatter this favorite general?

Without such cunning, relying solely on his fighting skills, taciturn nature, and seemingly honest demeanor, how could Liang Chongyi have risen from humble beginnings to become a valiant general under Lai Zhen?

Li Ji didn't sleep all night, ready to react at any moment. He finally made it to dawn when someone came to report: "Commander Lai has crossed the Mian River and arrived in Xiangyang."

Last night, Lai Zhen was truly on edge. First, he heard that Li Zhao and Liang Chongyi had gone to intimidate the imperial envoy—did they really think they could hide it from him?—fearing things would escalate, he urgently summoned Xue Nanyang and Pang Chong for a discussion. Pang Chong stamped his feet repeatedly, saying this was an attempt to harm Commander Lai. Xue Nanyang, however, was much calmer, saying, "Since things have come to this, we can only adapt to the situation. In any case, it was just that the two generals acted on their own initiative, and Commander Lai knew nothing about it..."

Soon, Wei Zhongxi sent a messenger to report that the envoy had gone to Xiangyang to report the mutiny. Pang Chong said, "In that case, the envoy is unwilling to leave immediately and is guarding the post station awaiting reinforcements. Commander Lai, you must not hesitate any longer. You should quickly send someone to restrain the two generals and order them to stop immediately." Xue Nanyang, however, said, "It would be best if Commander Lai went personally to disperse the mutinous troops and rescue the envoy. Then there is still a chance to save the situation..."

Just as Lai Zhen had assembled his troops, news arrived from Xiangyang that not only had the mutinous army been defeated and the imperial envoy safely entered the city, but also that Li Zhao's head had been presented. Pang Chong, seeing this, couldn't help but weep, saying, "It makes one feel a sense of shared sorrow, like the death of a rabbit among foxes!" Xue Nanyang stamped his foot, "A reckless fool, more likely to ruin than to accomplish anything!" He then clasped his hands towards Lai Zhen, saying, "Commander Lai, you should make a decision soon!"

How to decide?

"Either we start an uprising now, using the pretext of requesting the execution of Cheng Yuanzhen, to first capture Xiangyang and then head north to the capital; or... this time we have no choice but to obey orders, lay down our arms and return to the court—there is no longer any chance to hesitate and delay!"

Chapter 48, Having a Daughter and a Son

Lai Zhen had no intention of raising the flag of rebellion, and even though he was almost driven to the brink, this decision was not easy to make. Moreover, Wei Zhongxi did not approve of him opposing the court, and Lai Zhen knew this very well. Xiangyang was a heavily fortified city with several thousand garrison soldiers. Unless Wei Zhongxi was willing to act as an inside agent, it would not be easy to take it in a short time.

— Li Ji entered Xiangyang City overnight, precisely because of this consideration.

Not to mention that "capturing Xiangyang" might only be three-tenths difficult, and then, as Xue Nanyang said, "heading north to the capital" would be nothing but a pipe dream. Unless they contacted Shi Chaoyi, but even if Shi Chaoyi could fly, he couldn't possibly come to their aid in such a short time.

Thus, he hesitated and paced around the hall, unable to make a decision.

What finally made Lai Zhen make up her mind was an urgent report that arrived just before dawn—

"The Shangzhou army, numbering three or four thousand, set out from Wudang Mountain yesterday, crossed the border into our Xiangzhou, and is approaching Gucheng!"

Lai Zhen couldn't help but sigh, "They're going to attack me from both sides... Li Ji, Li Qiyun, they've been planning this all along!"

Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to abandon his ambition and pride. So he ordered his troops to prepare and follow me to Xiangyang to receive the imperial edict. Xue Nanyang asked, "How many troops are you taking, Commander?"

Two hundred soldiers are enough.

When a general went to a town, he would raise a "flag," and the soldiers protecting the "flag" were called "guards." Originally, they were trusted attendants, but they gradually became the private army of the military governor. The garrison in Xiangcheng Town numbered over 20,000, but in terms of guards, there were only 200.

Xue Nanyang advised, "Aren't two hundred men too few? I fear Li Ji might try to harm the commander..."

Lai Tian glared at him: "He dares?!"

He then sighed and said, "Last night's chaos can all be blamed on Li Zhao and Liang Chongyi. At most, I am guilty of lax military discipline. How could Li Ji, a mere official, dare to kill me? If we send a large army to Xiangyang, the imperial envoy will surely be terrified. If we close the city and dare not accept them, it will only confirm my treasonous accusations..."

Pang Chong asked, "Does Commander Lai truly obey orders and move his garrison to Huaixi?"

Lai Zhen smiled bitterly, "What can we do now that things have come to this? I can only hope that I can still challenge the court and request to take more troops to Huaixi... But I'm afraid this imperial decree is different from before, and they may not be willing to let me go east..."

So she led Xue Nanyang, Pang Chong, and two hundred soldiers across the Mian River and headed for Xiangyang. Wei Zhongxi greeted her at the city gate, and Lai Zhen took the opportunity to pull his hand and whispered, "I really didn't know what happened last night. Now that the envoy is safe, does he hold any grudge against me? I hope you will tell me the truth, Lord Wei."

Wei Zhongxi also whispered, "Once the envoy entered the Xiangzhou government office, he no longer showed his face... However, in my opinion, the one in charge is actually Li Ji. Li Ji interrogated Liang Chongyi last night, but this morning he was no longer detained and was released. Perhaps last night's chaos could be resolved with just one head from Li Zhao. Commander, do not worry. If the court questions you, I, Wei, will definitely submit a memorial to defend you."

Lai Zhen was filled with trepidation when he arrived at the government office, where Li Ji stood at the entrance to greet him. Lai Zhen looked him up and down and said, "It's been a long time since we parted in Shanzhou. I've missed you dearly."

Li Ji smiled and crossed his hands, saying, "It's a pity. I originally wanted to join General Lai's army, obey his commands, and gallop across the battlefield. Unfortunately, I came to Xiangyang, but General Lai had to return to the capital, so my wish could not be fulfilled."

Lai Zhen was startled upon hearing this: "Weren't you asking me to go to Huaixi?"

Li Ji stepped aside and said, "Commander, you are a man of great talent. How could a mere military governor of a town possibly submit to you? Please come in. The imperial envoy has been waiting for you for a long time."

Lai Zhen was half relieved and half worried after hearing this. He was relieved because, judging from Li Ji's expression and words, the matter from last night was probably over. He was worried because he would most likely be summoned back to court to sit on the sidelines.

And he wasn't even on the most prestigious bench; he was ranked below Guo Ziyi...

Upon entering and receiving the imperial edict, his mood suddenly soared from the depths of despair to the heights of elation—it was none other than the Minister of War!

Whether or not he entered the Hall of State Affairs was of little concern to Lai Zhen. After all, becoming prime minister was merely a matter of prestige; could a mere military man like himself possibly outmaneuver the civil officials like Yuan Zai through cunning? Even if he were to enter the hall, he would only be left with the role of echoing their opinions. But the Minister of War was a substantive position, a coveted post, and its predecessor was none other than Li Fuguo…

Whether an office holds real power largely depends on the choice of its head official. So, when Li Fuguo was in office, who would dare to usurp the power of the Ministry of War? Although Li Fuguo has left, the position has only been vacant for a few months. Surely, the power wouldn't fall into the wrong hands so quickly.

Yeah, I need to hurry back and settle down!

In short, the carrot that Li Yu is offering is big enough that even if Lai Zhen, whose vision is relatively shallow, were still alive, he wouldn't keep asking for external appointments if he could get this good job.

Especially when Lai Zhencai was tricked by Li Ji and set a trap, he was worried that Xiangyang City would block his way in front and Shangzhou army would attack from behind, forcing him to move his garrison to Huaixi to be under Li Guangbi's command... When his mood was fluctuating, he was most likely to fall into the trap.

He gladly accepted the imperial edict, and the handover of military power between him and Li Ji proceeded smoothly. Three days later, Lai Zhen led his three hundred elite soldiers away from Xiangcheng Town and headed north at breakneck speed. Pang Chong insisted on following, but Xue Nanyang was forced to stay behind.

Because most of the military commanders under the Jiedushi (military governor) were self-appointed staff members, while Xue Nanyang, as the deputy Jiedushi, was officially appointed by the court and could not leave his post without authorization. Furthermore, theoretically, his position was higher than that of Li Ji, the defense commissioner of the four prefectures, and he could directly give orders to Li Ji.

Of course, the court ordered Li Ji to reorganize his troops and head north soon to join forces with the main army to recapture Luoyang. Xue Nanyang was now isolated and helpless—it was obvious that Liang Chongyi had completely sided with Li Ji—so he dared not obstruct him.

Fortunately, Li Ji was outwardly respectful to this deputy military governor. After seeing Lai Zhen off, he checked the roster of the army and did not take over all 20,000 troops, leaving more than half for Xue Nanyang.

Li Ji believed that quality was more important than quantity in the army. If the old, weak, and tired soldiers were not weeded out, chaos would likely ensue in battle. How could he dare to lead them into battle? Moreover, he had never commanded more than ten thousand troops since joining the army, so he did not dare to overestimate his own command capabilities. Great generals are always forged in battle and trained. Even Han Xin would not dare to boast "the more the better" upon meeting Liu Bang.

Therefore, with Liang Chongyi's assistance, five thousand elite soldiers were selected.

Li Ji didn't really trust Liang Chongyi; that guy was far too cunning! If he were just a strategist waving a feather fan, his cunning might be somewhat commendable, but this guy was both a fighter and a scheming genius, knowing when to be fierce and when to be cowardly. Even I couldn't fathom his thoughts...

However, having just taken charge of the army, Li Ji had to rely on veteran generals. He didn't have the ability to inflate his numbers to thousands, and he quickly became one with the thousands of soldiers. It's like when the imperial court appoints a local governor, the first thing he often does upon arrival is to meet with the elders and gentry in the territory. Even if he knows that they have ulterior motives, he has to play along, otherwise his orders will not be carried out smoothly and nothing will be accomplished.

Therefore, after interrogating Liang Chongyi at night, Li Ji deliberately challenged him to a contest of strength, intending to subdue the general with his power. How can soldiers be made to obey orders? All these factors—love for soldiers, fairness, discipline, and skill in battle—cannot be achieved in a short time. Only personal martial prowess can be demonstrated to subordinates most quickly, both intimidating and reassuring them.

However, Li Ji did not expect that Liang Chongyi's strength was greater than his own... Fortunately, he changed his strategy in time and won by skill, and Liang Chongyi immediately showed—at least on the surface—compliance.

Therefore, in the short term, we still need to rely on and heavily utilize this valiant general from Jingzhou.

Li Ji did not stay in Xiangcheng Town for long. He soon led his troops north along the Lishui River and relocated to Xinye.

The stated reason was to protect key locations and be ready to march north to support the main force and recapture Luoyang. In reality, an army stationed in one place for a long time is bound to clash with the local people or collude with powerful families, creating deep-seated grudges and making it difficult to shake its resolve. Only by changing its garrison location could it hope to cut off all factors unrelated to military affairs.

News had already reached Gucheng that Lei Wanchun had led 3,000 Shangzhou soldiers to garrison Xinye County a day ahead of schedule. Upon Li Ji's arrival, he immediately dispersed the two armies and reorganized them—after all, he trusted Zhang Xun's old troops the most. If he didn't infiltrate those battle-hardened soldiers into the Jingxiang army, which was accustomed to mutinies and chaos, he would never feel at ease, even sleeping with his iron mace as a pillow.

He then divided these 8,000 troops into three parts: Lei Wanchun was appointed commander of the left wing, Liang Chongyi was appointed commander of the right wing, each leading 2,600 men; Nan Jiyun was appointed commander of the central army, also leading 2,600 men. In addition, Chen Ruo was ordered to select 200 of Zhang Xun's most reliable former subordinates, each given a warhorse, and form them into elite guards.

Jingxiang had mostly infantry, with very few horses. The Shangzhou army had slightly more, but still less than a tenth of their size. Therefore, the cavalry were all under Li Ji's command, under Chen Ruo's troops.

After the organization was completed, on the one hand, they demanded military provisions and laborers from the four prefectures of Xiang, Deng, Sui, and Ying, and on the other hand, they personally trained them.

Even in Tangzhou, which was not under his jurisdiction, Li Ji sent Yin Shen to ask for grain, using the excuse that when he recaptured Luoyang, he might pass through Tangzhou and ordered the governor to provide for him—or were you planning to send starving soldiers through the territory to plunder everywhere?

The Tang Dynasty established so many defense commissioners and military governors for two main reasons: firstly, to coordinate the forces of several prefectures to fight against rebels; and secondly, because the central treasury was empty and unable to provide sufficient supplies, forcing local generals to procure their own provisions. However, there were many ways to procure provisions. If the local area was wealthy and the local officials were willing to cooperate, a peaceful handover would naturally occur. Otherwise, even within their own jurisdictions, acts of plundering by soldiers were not uncommon. Li Ji naturally abhorred this, but he could use it as an excuse to intimidate the prefect of Tangzhou.

Sufficient food is essential for a strong army; everyone understands this principle, but unfortunately, it's easier said than done. According to Li Ji's investigation, the Jingxiang army was originally divided into ranks, with only the military governor's personal guards and generals' personal guards able to get enough to eat, while the rest were practically drinking thin porridge every day... This was unavoidable, as the war had severely damaged productivity, and the treasuries of various prefectures were half empty. How could they possibly supply tens of thousands of troops?

Fortunately, the autumn harvest had just been completed, and the grain and fodder were temporarily sufficient. Li Ji secretly wrote down calculations on paper and spent a long time figuring out that the grain transported from various prefectures, based on the previous way of eating, would only be enough for these eight thousand people for four months...

Fortunately, Li Shi had mentioned that a military campaign would be necessary by October at the latest. If the order to send troops was received at the end of October, it would take five or six days for our army to break through Luyang Pass, and we would have a month and a half's worth of provisions, which would be enough. Once we joined up with Li Shi, surely he wouldn't neglect our food needs? At least we could pass the buck to him.

So he ordered that the soldiers drill every three days, with each squad (fifty men) as the assessment unit. The top three would receive wine and meat, and the top twenty would be given a full meal. Li Ji's wish was that everyone could eat their fill, have enough protein, and train every day. Unfortunately, his ideal was far from reality.

At the same time, Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, "I'm still short-handed."

In terms of martial prowess, there are Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, whose bravery surpasses that of the entire army. Even Liang Chongyi should be a formidable fighter. But in terms of academic ability, only Yin Shen is barely usable. We can't rely on that charlatan Chang Heng, can we? If we had a wealth of talent under our command, why would we, as the dignified commander of the defense of four prefectures, need to calculate military rations ourselves?

He had no choice but to write to Li Qijun and ask for help—"Do you have any other talented people? Could you spare a few of my nephews?"

Before Li Qijun could reply, Yuan Jing'an made a detour from Xiangyang to Xinye to see Li Ji.

Originally, Yuan Jing'an wanted to follow Li Ji to the battlefield to seek fame and fortune, but Li Ji was worried about Qingluan, who was about to give birth, and instructed the "Overlord Yuan" to stay in Chang'an for the time being—you know the place well, you can hire a midwife or a nanny to help Cui Cuo with his affairs, after all, she is a woman, and there are many things that are inconvenient for her to do personally. Therefore, when Yuan Jing'an suddenly came to deliver the message, Li Ji immediately understood and asked, "Has she given birth?"

Yuan Jing'an replied with a smile, "Congratulations, Second Brother. Not long after leaving Chang'an, Lady Zou has given birth to a daughter..."

"Is Xiaoda okay?"

"Both mother and child are safe and sound."

Li Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief and opened the letter with peace of mind.

When he left Chang'an, Cui Cuo asked, "If you have children, what names will you give them? As their father, you can't be by their side, so you should name them as soon as possible." Li Ji had never thought about this before, but now he was full of plans and went to Xiangyang to summon Tian. He couldn't think of a good name for the time being.

In the end, all I could say was, "Since the saying goes, 'May your son be blessed with a jade pendant,' let's just name him Li Zhang."

"What if it's a daughter? If a daughter is born, should she be named Li Wa?"

Li Ji immediately glared and said, "My daughter, who would dare to use her as a tile? Let her be named Li Bi, so that people will know that regardless of gender, she is a precious gem in my family!"

Not long after he left, on the second day of the tenth month, Li Bi was finally born. Li Ji thought to himself that he hadn't thought it through at the time and had just casually chosen the name. In later generations, the characters 泌 and 璧 were pronounced the same, but fortunately, in these times one was a falling tone and the other an entering tone, so it wouldn't be too confusing...

While opening the letter, he asked Yuan Jing'an, "Since you've come here, you'll be serving in my army. You're not going back, are you?"

Yuan Jing'an clasped his hands and said, "Of course I will follow you... to defend. Madam also said that with her here, your daughter can be kept safe and sound, and there is no need for me to help her anymore." He then ordered a servant to hand over a bamboo box and said, "This is what Madam asked me to bring to the defense."

Li Ji thought it was a change of clothes or some other daily necessities, but when he opened it, he found it was all tightly bound paper packages; as soon as he untied one of the packages, a pleasant fragrance wafted out...

Chapter 49, Butterfly Wings

On the same day that the Li family was overjoyed to have a daughter, Yao Yong, the Imperial Physician, returned from his mission and reported to Li Yu on the situation regarding the Uyghurs.

In fact, several months earlier, not long after Li Yu ascended the throne, he sent the eunuch Liu Qingtan north to the capital to borrow troops from the Uyghurs. Before Liu Qingtan reached Wudejian Mountain, he heard that the Uyghur Khan had personally led a large army south, so he rushed to catch up and caught up with him at Sanshoujiang City.

Liu Qingtan met with Wuyi Chenggong Khan Dunmohedagan and inquired about his intentions for heading south. Dunmohedagan replied, "Shi Chaoyi sent an envoy to tell me that the Tang dynasty has suffered a great loss, and the Central Plains are now without a ruler. He requests that I quickly go there to join them in seizing the imperial treasury." Liu Qingtan was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and hurriedly presented an imperial edict, explaining, "Although the late emperor has passed away, the current emperor has already succeeded to the throne. He is the former Prince of Guangping, who once joined the Crown Prince of Yabghu in seizing the two capitals..."

Dunmoheda then changed his tune, saying, "I am related to the Tang family by marriage, how could I betray them? Although I was misled by Shi Chaoyi, my true intention was to go south to help defend Guanzhong and Henan, and to establish a new emperor for the Li family. Now that the Prince of Guangping has ascended the throne, we should naturally join forces to attack the Shi family." He paused, then added, "However, since that is the case, it is not appropriate for me to meet with him..."

Although the Uyghur Khan was nominally appointed by the Tang Dynasty, most Uyghurs considered the relationship between the Uyghurs and the Tang to be one of equality. At most, the previous Khan—the valiant and powerful Khan Moyanchuo—was the son-in-law of the Tang emperor, making him a generation younger. Now, the Khatun of Dunmohedagan is the daughter of Prince Rong, Li Wan, who is also Emperor Suzong's niece and Li Yu's cousin. Therefore, the two leaders are of the same generation. Given this, if the two rulers were to meet, what etiquette should be observed, and who should bow to whom?

Dunmohedagan was naturally unwilling to kneel, but he also knew that the Tang people valued formalities, and insisting on an equal footing would needlessly damage the friendship between the two countries. Therefore, he decided not to go to Guanzhong.

He pointed to one of his generals and said, "Emperor De, this time you will lead the troops to assist Tang."

Dide was originally a follower of the Crown Prince of Yabghu. If Yidijian had succeeded to the throne, he would certainly not have returned to his country and would have died far from home in Tang territory. However, after a series of dizzying events, the former prime minister, Dunmohedagan, inherited the throne of Khan. He not only ordered the pardon of the former Crown Prince of Yabghu's followers but also specially sent someone to Longyou to recall Dide. Dide had no grudge against Dunmohedagan. Although he also felt that the death of the Crown Prince of Yabghu was too bizarre and that the new Khan might not be without responsibility, for the sake of his own future, he had to play dumb when necessary... So he gladly accepted the order, bid farewell to Li Tan, and returned to the Uyghur Khaganate.

Dunmohedagan felt that Dide was not only a fierce general, but also had been to the Central Plains more than once, and was quite familiar with the geography and other situations, which is why he specifically mentioned his name.