Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 543: The Wise King
Ever since hearing that Li Lin defeated Cui Yuan in Dengzhou, Li Xiyan has not slept well for several nights.

It seemed that suppressing the rebellion was much more complicated than he had expected. He considered whether to lead the navy up the river to attack Jiangling to relieve the pressure on the court. However, without the imperial edict, he did not dare to act rashly.

He submitted the memorial to Chang'an, and waited while making preparations. Occasionally, he thought of Xue Bai, and wondered if Xue Bai's coming to Yangzhou at this time was related to the war situation?

"What has Prince Yong been doing lately?"

"I stay in the house every day, and sometimes I take my female family members to the lake for boating, eating and strolling."

"really?"

Li Xiyan was still worried that Xue Bai would take away his power, so he decided to go and meet Xue Bai in person.

That day, in the western suburbs of Yangzhou, at Zhuxi Lane, and at the Wu family brick bridge.

The water surface is misty and foggy, with pavilions, towering ancient trees and other images reflected in it.

Qinglan stood leaning against the bridge railing, fixing a strand of hair with both hands. Seeing someone coming from afar, she couldn't help but ask shyly, "Are you done?"

"Don't move, there's one last stroke."

Yan Yan was painting, sitting on a small stool, but asked Xue Bai to sit behind her as a backrest. Every time she picked up the brush, she would naturally lean on Xue Bai's arms, admiring the beautiful scenery and beauty in front of her.

After a while, she picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and added the eyes of the person in the painting. Suddenly, the shy yet affectionate eyes appeared on the paper.

Xue Bai couldn't help but exclaim "good" after seeing it.

Yan Yan had become increasingly rude to him over the past few days. She turned around and patted him lightly, saying angrily, "You know I draw well, but you can't draw for me too."

"Learn. Just teach me how to paint."

"You wish." Yan Yan handed the pen to him, "Please write a few words. Your handwriting can barely match my painting."

Xue Bai took the brush and started writing, still maintaining the posture of embracing Yan Yan.

She let him hold her, turned her head to look at his handsome face, and smiled. Then, she seemed a little tired, and lay on his chest without any hesitation, closing her eyes to rest.

It took Xue Bai a while to write on the painting.

Yan Yan looked at it and saw that it was a few long and short sentences. Although it was a little incomprehensible, the artistic conception was very beautiful.

"The Twenty-Four Bridges are still there, the waves are rippling, the cold moon is silent. Thinking of the red peony beside the bridge, I know for whom it blooms every year."

She read it softly, muttering, "I don't know how you can always come up with such good fragments so easily."

"Articles are born naturally."

As they were talking, the person who was going to spoil the fun arrived.

Li Xiyan walked over and said from a distance: "Sanlang is in a very elegant mood."

Xue Bai looked back and put down the pen in his hand. Yan Yan reluctantly sat up from Xue Bai's arms, pouted, and went to the other side of the bridge with Qing Lan to enjoy the scenery.

During the days in Yangzhou, Xue Bai really did not interfere in state affairs at all, but Li Xiyan was worried about him and came to test him with words.

He said he envied him for being able to travel and enjoy the scenery, and wanted to follow his example, but he was worried about state affairs and was afraid of being considered as absent from his post.

Xue Bai heard Li Xiyan's probing intention, waved his hand calmly, and said: "I dare not leave my post without permission. I came to Yangzhou to pick up my wife, and I will leave for Fanyang tomorrow."

"Oh?"

Li Xiyan was a little surprised, but it seemed that Xue Bai really had no plans to do anything in Yangzhou.

He then wished Xue Bai a safe journey and reminded him to be loyal to his country.

The two said goodbye and Xue Bai even walked Li Xiyan for a distance.

In a small courtyard with a private entrance, a young girl went up to the attic and sat down in front of the guzheng. She happened to see a handsome young man waving goodbye to an old man in Zhuxi Lane. Her eyes lit up, and she plucked the strings with her slender hands, and beautiful music flowed out.

This is the unique charm of Yangzhou, as the saying goes, "Thousands of families teach their daughters music first."

Xue Bai was listening to the music and stretching leisurely, but he saw a messenger running to Li Xiyan in a panic from a distance.

In the past two years, there have been too many changes in the world. He has become accustomed to such a hasty report. He was too lazy to ask more questions and turned around to listen to the music.

"Boom."

There was a sound behind him, and Li Xiyan fell to the ground.

Xue Bai then stepped forward to support him.

He saw Li Xiyan's gray beard trembling, disbelief in his cloudy eyes, and the old hands holding him tightly.

"Don't worry, don't worry, what happened?"

"Prince Yong invaded Shangzhou, and the Emperor... the Emperor fled Chang'an!"

Li Xiyan picked up the document in his hand with difficulty and spoke the extremely absurd news in his sad voice.

Who could have imagined that the emperor, who had just changed the beginning of the year to highlight his achievements not long ago and whose lofty words of restoring the Tang Dynasty were still ringing in our ears, would be defeated and forced to flee the capital in the blink of an eye?

"The Great Tang Dynasty." Li Xiyan murmured, feeling extremely sad. "What should we do with the Great Tang Dynasty?!"

The piano music in Zhuxi Lane is leisurely and the years are peaceful, without anyone knowing the chaos and turmoil in the capital.

~~
The next day, Xue Bai and his family packed their luggage and set off for Fan Yang.

He usually disliked the bumpy ride in carriages and preferred riding horses, but this time Yan Yan pulled him into the carriage to talk.

"I heard that something big happened yesterday. Let's discuss it."

"You are quite well informed."

"Seeing that the old governor was so shocked, how could I not ask?" Yan Yan asked, "Aren't you afraid that Prince Yong will really capture Chang'an, and all the results of your hard work will be taken away by him?"

Xue Bai responded calmly, "He can't capture Chang'an."

“How come you see?”

"Let's not talk about anything else. Guo Ziyi is in Fangqiu and can come to the king's defense at any time." Xue Bai said, "If the throne was so easy to grab, why would it be Li Lin's turn?"

"The saints have escaped, so why is it difficult to rob them?"

"That's because the saint is too cowardly, but the country doesn't just belong to saints."

In fact, Yan Yan is also a good partner for plotting rebellion.

Although she came from a famous Confucian family and her father was the most orthodox and loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, she had a rebellious personality under her well-behaved appearance. In the past, she might have only acted naughty and liked to play pranks, but she happened to meet Xue Bai.

She supported her chin with her hand and analyzed for Xue Bai, saying: "If you were in Fanyang, you could raise an army to support the king and take the opportunity to consolidate your power. This trip to Yangzhou has delayed you."

"That's not the case. If I really raise an army from Fanyang to defend the king, it will alert the loyal ministers and generals of the Tang Dynasty. Sometimes if you act too much about what you want, you often don't get it. It's better to be frank."

Yan Yan said: "What's the point of being frank?"

At this moment, someone stopped Xue Bai's carriage in front.

A generous and high-spirited voice asked, "Is Prince Yong here?"

Xue Bai lifted the curtain and came out, then he mounted his horse and rushed forward, asking, "Who is blocking the road?"

It was a middle-aged man in an official robe, with a burly figure and a square face. He politely said, "Li Zangyong, the Chief Clerk of Guangling, greets the Prince of Yong."

"What's the matter?"

"I have long heard of the great reputation of Prince Yong. Now that I know that Prince Yong is in Yangzhou, I have come to meet him."

Li Zangyong spoke with great force. After an ordinary opening remark, his next sentence was very bold.

"Now that Prince Yong has rebelled, the whole world is shaken. I beg Prince Yong to lead the troops from Jianghuai, advance up the river, suppress the rebels and serve the king!"

Following these words, everyone around was startled and fell silent.

Only in the carriage, Yan Yan called Qing Lan over and whispered in her ear, "I bet you that this person must have been arranged by my husband to act."

Qing Lan initially thought that Xue Bai was very popular now, and after hearing this, she also felt that this was something Xue Bai could do. Her husband looked gentle and polite, but in fact, he had many bad intentions.

However, at the front of the team, Xue Bai was unhappy and angry when he heard this, and he shouted at Li Zangyong.

"Don't talk nonsense! I was ordered to go to Fanyang. How can I command the troops in Jianghuai without the will of the Saint? Are you trying to seduce me to rebel?!"

These words were very serious, and Li Zang was so frightened that sweat broke out on his forehead. He hurriedly said, "Let King Yong know that I am also from the royal family and I am loyal to the country. I would never dare to have the slightest intention of rebellion. It is really a critical moment for life and death, so King Yong should act according to his own discretion."

"That's enough." Xue Bai said, "Everyone says that I have ulterior motives, but I have always acted in accordance with orders, and there is no reason for me to take charge of the army in Jianghuai without authorization."

Li Zangyong said, "Prince Yong has just arrived in Shangzhou, but the sage left Chang'an as soon as he heard the news. This must be due to the instigation of the treacherous eunuchs. The sage favors the eunuchs to this extent. When will he issue an order to summon troops from all over the country to defend the king? The generals are away and do not obey the king's orders. Looking at the whole Jianghuai area, only Prince Yong has the highest reputation and merits. He can make Prince Yong's rebels tremble with fear and put down the rebellion as soon as possible."

Xue Bai was determined and waved his hand, saying, "There are many famous generals in the Tang Dynasty, so why should I be the one to lead the troops?"

After saying this, he did not want to say any more to Li Zangyong and asked the team to continue on their journey.

However, Li Zangyong grabbed the reins of Diao Bing in front of him, preventing the team from leaving, and continued to persuade Xue Bai.

As he shouted, when the team reached the city gate, more officials and soldiers came over, blocking the gate and begging Xue Bai to stay and lead the troops.

Yan Yan saw this scene from the carriage behind and was surprised.

She didn't think Xue Bai could be so popular just after arriving in Yangzhou. She was even more certain that this was Xue Bai's conspiracy. She muttered to herself, "Well, he said he was coming to Yangzhou to pick me up, but he really came to fight for power."

~~
On that day, Li Xiyan was discussing with his staff.

Although Yong Wang's rebels were approaching Chang'an, they were a great threat to Yangzhou, or the entire lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Because Cui Yuan failed to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop, it was foreseeable that the rebellion would continue. Therefore, whether Yong Wang captured Chang'an or not, he might send a troop down the river, either to establish a separatist regime in Jiangdong or to collect more money, food, and soldiers.

In order to prevent more places downstream from being captured by Prince Yong, the best way is to lead the army to attack Jiangling as soon as possible, which can not only replace defense with attack, but also make great contributions to the king.

Li Xiyan has made up his mind to do so and has issued orders for his generals to prepare for the expedition.

At this moment, he was making the final deployment, but someone came in quickly and whispered in his ear: "Li Zangyong has stopped Prince Yong, please ask Prince Yong to lead the troops."

"what?"

When Li Xiyan heard this, he was surprised and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

He immediately stood up and paced, wondering why such a thing happened. Was it Xue Bai who had been planning this for a long time, or was it a sudden idea by Li Zangyong?

"Sir, I think this is a speculative move by Li Zangyong."

Finally, one of Li Xiyan's confidants named Yuan Jingyao began to analyze the situation, saying, "Li Zangyong not only wants Prince Yong to command the Jianghuai army, but also wants to establish his reputation as a follower of the dragon."

"He dares!"

"There are always smart people in the world, and there are also many gamblers." Yuan Jingyao said, "Now Prince Yong has raised an army, and the sage has fled. It is enough to show that the defense of Chang'an in the past two years and Prince Pingzhong's elimination of the Hu rebels are all the work of Prince Yong. If Li Zangyong wants to take advantage of the situation, seeing that the sage is mediocre and the prince is cowardly, and Prince Yong has arrived in Yangzhou, how could he miss this opportunity?"

Li Xiyan was furious and shouted, "How is this different from treason?"

Yuan Jingyao said, "They are fighting for the throne, not plotting treason. Prince Yong came alone, and Li Zang persuaded him in the name of the country's survival. Who can say that they are plotting treason?"

The obvious situation is that the Jianghuai generals who followed Li Xiyan or Xue Bai would get completely different benefits. One was only credited with suppressing the rebellion and saving the emperor, while the other also had the credit of following the emperor.

Moreover, the risks they took were also very different. Li Xiyan had never fought in a war, and the outcome of the battle was unpredictable. However, Xue Bai had made great achievements in battle. Even heroes like An Lushan and Shi Siming were defeated, let alone a mere Li Lin?
Yuan Jingyao explained these principles to Li Xiyan bit by bit.

Li Xiyan's face became uglier and uglier. He slowly sat down on the stool and murmured, "If this is the case, what can I do?"

"At this point, there are only two solutions." Yuan Jingyao said, "Prince Zheng may just go with the flow and ask Prince Yong to lead the Jianghuai troops to quell the rebellion. This will not only stabilize the world sooner, but also be a favor to him."

"What's another way?"

"While Prince Yong is still refusing, immediately arrest Li Zangyong and send Prince Yong out of the city. But this also depends on Prince Yong's intentions. If he sincerely refuses Li Zangyong, then it's fine. But if he arranged this in advance, then..."

Li Xiyan's eyes were uncertain as he thought about it.

If he considers it from a personal perspective, by doing a favor to Xue Bai, he can quell the rebellion and gain merit without fighting, which can be said to be a hundred benefits with no harm. But as a member of the royal family, how could he watch his ancestral foundation fall into the hands of a person of questionable status?
Time passed little by little, and finally, he stood up.

"go!"

Li Xiyan hurried to the city gate, having already made up his mind that he could not let the military power of Jianghuai fall into Xue Bai's hands. Not long ago, the court was trying to reduce his military power in Hebei, and this matter had not yet been completed. How could they continue to reduce more?
However, when he walked across the bridges in Yangzhou City, he saw more and more people gathering in front of him.

Just like the night of the Lantern Festival in the lunar calendar, Li Xiyan shouted and squeezed into the crowd.

He looked over and saw Xue Bai sitting astride a horse. Facing the persuasion of everyone, he sternly refused and said that he must obey the imperial edict.

Li Xiyan couldn't help but think of the times he met Xue Bai.

Although the number of times was not too many, each time the other party seemed very frank. Moreover, Xue Bai had indeed not gone anywhere since he came to Yangzhou. Apart from accompanying his family, he had also been sightseeing and had never met Li Zangyong.

In the end, he chose to believe Xue Bai, and judged that Xue Bai had no other purpose in coming to Yangzhou but to take his family away.

However, when he walked into the crowd, cleared his throat, and was about to speak, he suddenly felt something hard and sharp against his waist.

When he looked back, he found that his guards had been separated. The several ferocious-looking men standing behind him were also wearing Jiang Huai's military uniforms, but they were not his men.

"you……"

"We are devoted to the country and ask for your support, Governor."

Before Li Xiyan could say something else, his shoulder was grabbed by the fierce man and it hurt. He could feel a dagger against his waist and was shocked.

He looked around the crowd and saw several military generals of high rank.

"Please ask Prince Yong to lead the Jianghuai region and quell the rebellion!"

Then, a loud voice joined the ranks of people asking Xue Bai to lead the troops.

Li Xiyan felt that the voice was very familiar. He looked carefully and saw Yuan Jingyao standing in front of him, waving his arms high.

He couldn't help but be stunned.

It turned out that what Yuan Jingyao analyzed was exactly what he was thinking. There was no shortage of smart people in the Jianghuai Army, let alone speculative gamblers, and Yuan Jingyao was the one who gambled the biggest and deceived him into a daze.

Li Xiyan finally realized that what happened today was not a whim of Li Zangyong, but a premeditated power grab. I don't know when it started, but many people in Yangzhou City and even in the Jianghuai army had secretly turned to Xue Bai.

This was a mutiny, a rebellion. Unfortunately, he only understood it at this moment. No, he actually still hasn't fully understood it.

He clearly sent people to keep an eye on Xue Bai, but the other party really did nothing and barely left the house a few times. How could he have arranged such a plan?
But in the end, Xue Bai still refused to agree to lead the troops, saying: "You are trying to make me disloyal and unjust!"

After saying this, Xue Bai saw that the city gate was blocked and he did not want to leave. He simply turned his horse around and continued to stay in Yangzhou.

~~
Return to the house and put down the luggage.

After entering the main hall, Yan Yan saw that there was no one else around, so she immediately caught up with Xue Bai and said, "I guessed it, it was you who arranged it."

"I didn't make any arrangements. It's just what everyone wants."

"I don't believe it." Yan Yan said, "But you are with me every day. Tell me how you contacted so many officials and generals to build momentum for you?"

Xue Bai saw that he couldn't deceive her, so he had to smile bitterly and said, "Okay, I'll let Brother Taibai make the contact secretly for me."

"Li Bai? Can he still do this for you?"

"Why not?" Xue Bai asked, "Don't underestimate him. Do you know who his teacher is?"

This question finally stumped Yan Yan. She thought about it and couldn't answer it, so she had to ask, "Who?"

"Zhao Rui was a famous diplomat during the Kaiyuan period. His "Long and Short Classics" is a culmination of Confucianism, Legalism, Military Science, Miscellaneous School, and Yin-Yang School. It mixes black and white, and talks about the rise and fall of a country, expedient strategies, recommending talents, and good and evil in the world. He is best at the study of emperors and diplomacy."

"So, Li Bai was determined to achieve great things, and comparing himself to Jiang Shang and Zhuge Liang was not really too ambitious but incompetent, right?"

Xue Bai smiled and did not make any judgement. He said, "No matter what, Brother Taibai did help me subdue Li Zangyong and others."

Yan Yan couldn't help but wonder: "How did he do that?"

"I wrote a few poems."

"poetry?"

~~
Li Xiyan couldn't believe that one of the masterminds behind this power grab was Li Bai, whom he had always believed to be a man with only poetic talent but no practical skills.

When officials and generals at all levels in Yangzhou City surrounded him and returned to the government office, saying that they wanted to discuss how to persuade Prince Yong to lead the troops, but in fact they wanted to hold him hostage and undermine his power, he saw the "Sir" they were talking about.

"Li Taibai!" Li Xiyan shouted immediately, "Do you know that what you are doing is a serious crime of treason?"

"You have misunderstood, Governor. I have no official title and no rank, so I would never dare to rebel. I only have a passion to serve the country."

Li Bai was still very free and easy at this time. After answering, he no longer paid attention to Li Xiyan, but only discussed with everyone how to persuade King Yong to lead troops to quell the rebellion.

As they talked excitedly, Li Zangyong slapped his thigh and said, "I forgot to take out Mr. Taibai's poem today. The poem is so heroic. If the King of Yong hears it, he will definitely be willing to lead us to achieve great things."

"That's right!" Yuan Jingyao said loudly, "It was after listening to Mr. Taibai's poem that I was moved and decided to follow Prince Yong!"

Li Xiyan listened to what everyone said. It seemed that Xue Bai really didn't know their intentions and was unwilling to accept their support. Everything was planned by them on their own and they forced him.

But when things got to this point, he refused to believe it. He just hated Xue Bai for pretending to be too sincere. He clearly had evil intentions, but he pretended to be loyal and honest.

However, no matter how sad and angry he was, it was of no use. Everyone's stance was completely different from that of him, a senior official of the royal family. They were clapping their hands and cheering Li Bai's poems.

It was a group of poems titled "Songs in Praise of King Yong's Achievements", written by Li Bai based on Xue Bai's achievements over the years, and also expressed Li Bai's expectation that he would quell the war and bring peace to the world.

The generals in the hall were inspired by the spirit of the poem and chose to follow King Yong.

"Prince Yong will set out on his expedition in the first month of the year, and the emperor will present the dragon and tiger flags from afar."

"The tower ship calmed the waves, and the Yangtze and Han Rivers became swimming pools for swallows and ducks."

It is actually March of the first year of Shangyuan, but in fact it is the first month of the lunar calendar.

Perhaps people were not used to the beginning of the year, or they were dissatisfied with the emperor's heavy use of eunuchs, so they deliberately called March the first month of the year.

After finishing one poem, he starts reading the next one.

"The northern barbarians of Sanchuan are in chaos, and the southern barbarians of Sinan fled as if in the Yongjia period."

"But I will use Xie Anshi from Dongshan to talk and laugh with you and clear the Hu sand."

This refers to the story of Prince Yong's military exploits in pacifying the world since An Lushan's rebellion, as a way of thanking An for his comeback. It also hints at the dissatisfaction with the current emperor for once removing Prince Yong's power.

Isn't this also Li Bai comparing himself to Xie An?
In any case, these poems were indeed very inspiring. Everyone sang one poem after another, and became more and more determined to ask King Yong to lead them.

Li Xiyan listened from the side, finally sighed and closed his eyes helplessly.

He knew that people's will was not something he could easily change. If he remained stubborn, his life would be in danger. He had no choice but to agree to take the lead and persuade King Yong to take on the important task.

So, for three consecutive days, Li Xiyan led the generals to Xue Bai's house to persuade him, but Xue Bai refused every time.

But then generals from various states came, and the momentum became increasingly powerful. Xue Bai saw that he was popular and could not refuse, so he had to put forward a few conditions to complete the show.

"I left my post without permission, which actually violated the court's rules. I passed by Yangzhou, and Li Lin happened to rebel. I was grateful to you for not abandoning me, so I had to take on the important task. Now we must agree that I will temporarily take over his position. If the saint appoints a new governor of Jianghuai, I will immediately resign and return to Fanyang. You cannot try to keep me..."

(End of this chapter)