A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1311 Viewing the Sea

September 9th,

After returning to Yingzhou, the emperor offered three kinds of sacrifices to those who had died for the country.

On the 21st, Wu Huaiyu accompanied the emperor back to Linyu Pass.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here to greet you at Linyu Pass."

The weather was already cold, but Emperor Li Shimin still insisted on wearing the robe that the Crown Prince Chengqian had given him. "I have kept my word to the Crown Prince."

The father and son met at Linyu Pass. Cheng Qian threw himself into his father's arms and hugged the emperor with tears in his eyes.

Li Shimin couldn't help but be caught off guard by this hug. He was a little surprised at first, and then very relieved. Even though the prince had grown up, he was still showing his true feelings and concern for him at this moment.

"I am in Dingzhou, and I have been thinking about your Majesty's safety day and night. Now your Majesty has finally returned victorious."

"I was in Liaodong, and I was sending beacons day and night to let you know that I was safe."

"I am always worried."

"Don't worry. I have led troops to fight since I was sixteen. I personally led the army to fight Goguryeo this time. It was very easy for me to defeat it. I was unstoppable and invincible. If it weren't for the early cold in Liaodong, I would have fought to Pyongyang and destroyed Goguryeo in one battle."

Li Shimin patted his son on the shoulder.

"Father, the Emperor is mighty,"

"Hahaha, I am definitely stronger than Emperor Yang of Sui. He sent out millions of soldiers and recruited countless civilians to attack Goguryeo several times, but he always returned in defeat. I only recruited 150,000 soldiers from all over the world, and in just a few months, I have captured dozens of cities."

In front of his son, Li Shimin could not help but brag a bit, of course, what he boasted about were real achievements.

Troops entered the pass.

The emperor moved into the Linyu Palace, his temporary palace.

The prince had already arranged a grand welcoming banquet, and the victorious soldiers were rewarded with wine and meat.

This night,

The emperor and his ministers all drank happily, even Li Shimin drank a few more cups.

The next day, the emperor proposed to go to Hanwu Terrace.

Hanwu Terrace is where Emperor Wu of Han went to Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan Ceremony, then headed east to the sea and along the coast to the famous sacred mountain Jieshi Mountain to offer sacrifices and seek immortality.

In those days, Qin Shihuang also went to Jieshi Mountain to worship gods and seek immortality.

Emperor Wu of Han also built a temporary palace on Jieshi Mountain, organized many activities to worship gods and seek immortality, and, like Qin Shihuang, carved stones to record his achievements.

The emperor and his ministers climbed up the Hanwu Terrace on the Jieshi Mountain to view the vast ocean.

Li Shimin looked at the sea, as if he wanted to experience the scene when the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor climbed this mountain.

"After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty visited Mount Tai in the east, he then visited Jieshi in the north, hoping to use his great talent and strategy to spread the power of the Han Dynasty far beyond the Chinese land."

Li Shimin looked towards Liaodong.
"Emperor Wu of Han destroyed Wei Man Joseon and opened up four Liaodong counties, which enhanced the prestige of the Han Dynasty. Now I have personally led an expedition to Liaodong, and finally avenged the humiliation of the previous dynasty and recovered most of the old territory of Liaodong."

Cheng Qian stood nearby and repeatedly praised his father's great achievements.

"Cheng Qian, while I am still young and these old friends can still fight, I will first destroy Goguryeo and take back Liaodong. I have this mission. In the future, I will hand over a peaceful Tang Dynasty to you."

Looking at the sea,

Li Shimin felt the poetic inspiration coming and composed a poem on the spot.

"Open your collar and gaze at the vast sea; lean on the railing to enjoy the spring fragrance; the accumulated streams flow across the land; the sparse streams lead to the river from heaven; the immortal air condenses over the three ridges; the gentle breeze blows the vast wilderness; the clouds spread colors while the tide blows; the sun shines through the waves..."

The poem is well written, but to be honest, it is definitely not as good as Cao Cao's "Looking at the Vast Ocean from the East of Jieshi". Cao Cao not only likes popularity, but this poem is also very grand.

"Your Majesty, this poem should be engraved on stone and passed down forever." Li Ji praised with a smile.

"You also write a poem." The emperor was in a good mood. Besides being good at horse riding and martial arts, he also liked poetry and calligraphy, and was particularly good at writing feibai.

Li Ji smiled awkwardly. He started to be a thief at the age of fourteen. How could he write poetry? He had killed many people in his life, but he really couldn't write poetry.

"I am a crude warrior, and I am not good at writing, but the general is recognized as a poet, so I would like to ask the general to write a poem for me."

The emperor's poem was not actually written now. He had come here before when he set out to conquer Goguryeo, and then he came up with this poem. It just took him half a year to complete it, and he is reciting it now.

Wu Huaiyu smiled and said, "Prime Minister Yang, please go first."

The line "Looking at Jieshi I miss the Emperor of Han, and looking at Jieshi I miss the Emperor of Qin" in Li Shimin's poem also reveals the emperor's thoughts. In the past, both the Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han had visited Jieshi. One conquered the six kingdoms and unified the world, and the other defeated the Huns and conquered Korea. They were both role models of emperors in his mind.

The emperor also wanted to be a wise ruler who surpassed the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor.
The Emperor of Qin and the Emperor of Han had both visited Jieshi in the east, and now he had climbed it twice. The Emperor of Qin and the Emperor of Han had both performed Fengshan at Mount Tai, but he had never done so.

Wu Huaiyu could feel that Li Shimin wanted to perform the Fengshan ceremony again.

Several times before, when preparing to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, Wei Zheng and his followers either said that the world was not yet at peace, or that the cost was too high and would cost the people money and time, or that there were floods, unusual astronomical phenomena, etc.
Now that all obstacles to the Fengshan ceremony have been removed, who can stop the emperor, with his great victory in the Liaodong expedition?

Yang Shidao likes to write poetry and he has written a lot of poems.

He stood aside, his mind full of poetry and prose, but he never thought about the emperor's true intentions.

Seeing that the emperor had finished the poem he wrote when he passed by Jieshi on the way to the expedition, he immediately composed a poem, which was also about Jieshi Mountain in spring, "Facing the Bohai Sea in spring, the travelers put down their morning clothes. Looking far ahead at Lulong Pass and slanting towards Suzhen Township, the huge waves revolve around the earth's axis, the solitary island reflects the light of the clouds, the setting sun rises above the shocking waves, and the sky is filled with long and terrifying waves..."

"The northern tour was not by the Han empress, and the eastern tour was different from that by the Qin emperor. The flag-raising imperial guardsmen pulled up the young men. The dragons drove the Liao River, and the roc flew out of the Daifang. I will raise the Qingqiu edict to visit Bai Nishang!"

Li Ji clapped his hands and said, "Yang Xiang is a good poet."

Wu Huaiyu smiled and agreed. It can be seen from this poem that Yang Shidao was trying to flatter him. The poem was quite sophisticated, but it lacked real connotation.

Lao Cao's four-character poems are not so ornate in words, but they are majestic and inspiring.

The most important thing about poetry is the artistic conception and thought.

Yang Shidao was a little flattered by everyone's praise, "Taiwei, please write a poem too."

Wu Huaiyu did not want to compose any poem, but Yang Shidao kept asking him to write one. Even Liu Li and several other prime ministers who came with the prince said they wanted to hear the Taiwei's poem.

"Then I will imitate Wei Wu and recite a few lines. Excuse me."

"The Jieshi is raging, the vast sea leans to the north. The vital energy is exhaled and combined, as if it is rising and falling, the long winds are blowing, the waves are jumping for thousands of miles, the hanging streams are surging, the sky is outside the Milky Way. The axis of the earth is high, the wheel is turning the sun; it goes in with Qi and comes out with Gu. I am so lucky, I sing to express my feelings."

Li Shimin listened and nodded in praise, "Huaiyu is worthy of being called the Immortal Poet. This five-step poem vividly depicts the extraordinary momentum of Jieshi Mountain, which dominates the northern shore of the Bohai Sea. The majestic and powerful appearance of Jieshi Mountain is vividly portrayed on paper. After listening to it, people suddenly feel that the sky is high and the earth is far, the sea is vast and the mountains are strange, and their minds are broadened."

The emperor's comments can be said to be a very high evaluation.

"Gentlemen, do you have any more poems?" the emperor asked with a smile.

Changsun Wuji racked his brains to compose a poem, but it turned out that he was not very good at it.

Li Ji couldn't even write poetry, so he called the recorder Dong He and said, "Dong He, among us rough men, you are the only one who is good at both literature and martial arts and can write poetry. Hurry up and write a poem."

Dong He was originally from Henei County, Huaizhou. His family passed down martial arts from generation to generation. He was well-known in Huaizhou and a powerful local tyrant.

Dong He was born in the last years of the Kaihuang period. He was taught by his grandfather and father since he was young. He valued literature and martial arts, and achieved great success at a young age. He became famous in Hanoi when he was just over ten years old and was called a child prodigy.

"Our Dong Lushi studied hundreds of poems and essays when he was six or seven years old, mastered boxing and kicking when he was nine, and mastered the eighteen military tactics when he was ten. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Dong He, at the age of twenty, had already led his neighbors to organize a village army to protect his village, while also concentrating on studying military tactics."

Li Ji vigorously introduced Dong He to the emperor.

Wu Huaiyu knew why he worked so hard, it was because Dong He was his confidant. The two were of similar age. When he was young, Li Ji was the son of the richest man in Caozhou, Henan. He had already had dealings with Dong He in Henei, He Huaiyu.

Later, Li Ji, Huang Junhan, Zhai Rang, Shan Xiongxin and others established Wagang. Huang Junhan later became the governor of Huaizhou, and Dong He had always been under Huang Junhan's command.

He worked with Huang Junhan until the sixth year of Zhenguan, when Huang Junhan went to Kuizhou to serve as the governor. Dong He was then transferred to the Bingzhou General's Office as a military officer and served under Li Ji.

He has been doing this for more than ten years, and now he is a recorder and military officer in Bingzhou Grand Military Governor's Office.
Dong He had been in the army for more than 20 years and his official position was never high, but he was always Li Ji's confidant. When he was under the command of Huang Junhan and Li Ji, he was mainly responsible for training troops.

During this eastern expedition, Li Ji served as the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Road, and Dong He had always been Li Ji's military advisor and offered many strategies.

Li Ji also kept asking for credit for him.

Now he was asked to compose poetry in front of the emperor to show his ability in both literature and martial arts.

Dong He is in his forties, wearing a green official robe, but his elegant temperament cannot be concealed.

"Then I am sorry to show my disgrace,"

"The six mountains of the gods are flooded with ripples. The north wind blows violently, shaking the mountains endlessly. The emperor ordered the giant turtle to carry the dangerous treasure. The crown and hairpins are sent out to the east, and they are regarded as Jieshi. The eyes of the candle dragon are regarded as the sun and the moon. It embraces the vast sky, and it is vast and boundless. I am so lucky, and I sing to express my feelings."

Wu Huaiyu clapped his hands in praise.
The emperor commented, "This Guanlunhai is comparable to Huaiyu's, it is very powerful and charming."

Li Ji took the opportunity to ask the emperor for credit for Dong He, saying that he had served the court for twenty-five years since he returned to Tang in the second year of Wude, and had worked hard and made great contributions. He had been in Huaizhou for six years, Luzhou for six years, and Bingzhou for thirteen years, and had worked diligently. He also shared his advice and suggestions during this expedition to Liao.

"He crossed the Liao River, broke through Gaimu, attacked Xincheng, and conquered Buyeo. What achievements in the East should be ranked first."

Li Shimin nodded,
"I have also heard that Duke Ying has guarded Bingzhou for many years and has trained an elite force."

"Dong He has trained his army well and made new achievements in the expedition against Liao. He should be rewarded and given important positions."

Li Shimin stroked his beard and thought for a while. "Give him the surname Lian, make him the founding marquis of Qishan County, and appoint him as the chief officer of the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office."

He was granted a surname and a title of nobility, and was promoted to the fifth rank official.

After following Huang Junhan and Li Ji for twenty-five years, Dong He, who was only a seventh-rank official, suddenly became Lian He, Marquis of Qishan.

Li Ji was a little surprised.

Wu Huaiyu was not too surprised. He was very clear about Dong He's status in Li Ji's group. Although he had always been a low-ranking official, he was Li Ji's military strategist and a core figure.

Now that Li Ji has entered the court as prime minister, he is finally no longer so low-key and has begun to vigorously promote and recommend his own people.

A seventh-rank clerk and military officer in a small Bingzhou Grand Military Governor's Office was directly conferred the title of marquis. All the generals who participated in the expedition against Liao could not help but breathe faster.

Such a reward for Dong He meant that the emperor would also reward the soldiers who went on the Eastern Expedition very highly. Dong He was just the beginning.

In Wu Huaiyu's view, this not only meant that the emperor wanted to confer great titles on his generals, but also was a sign that the emperor wanted to make greater use of Li Ji's faction.

He saw Li Ji's face flushed with excitement, and also saw Changsun Wuji's face expressionless and a little lonely.

(End of this chapter)