Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 588 Liar
The prisoner camp was cramped and the prisoners were so hungry that they were exhausted and huddled on the ground.

No one dared to speak, only someone could be heard humming a song. It was a very simple tune, but it brought to mind a scene of a shepherd boy herding in the wilderness.

Li Qiwu, who was tied alone in a small tent, also heard the music and soon realized that only Yebudong could play with such artistic conception, so he whistled to match the music.

The sound of the music lingered, but no one noticed that the two of them were communicating through the music.

When the night was still, Ye Budong had gradually moved behind Li Qiwu's tent and whispered, "Alang."

"You're here." Li Qiwu was tied up there, trying to lean over and whispered, "If anyone asks you, you must say that I've been gathering information for the Tang Dynasty, understand?"

"The villain understands."

Li Qiwu has been thinking about how to get out of this situation, and has gradually come up with a solution.

He observed that the Tang army seemed to regard Langjiezan as an important figure in Tubo, and perhaps he could use this incident to gain some credit for himself.

"Find a way to tell your downtrodden master that if he wants to save his life, he must continue to pretend to be an important official of Tubo and cooperate with me."

"Alang, you are my master." Ye Budong said, "I will definitely do it."

Li Qiwu then explained in detail.

He was talking about military and political affairs, which were very complicated, and he was worried that a slave could not convey them. Unexpectedly, although Yebudong did not understand, he tried hard to remember all the contents and had no problem repeating them.

On the other side, Lang Jiezan was thrown back to the prisoner-of-war camp after being questioned. He was worried that he would be exposed sooner or later.

The next day, the captives were assigned to clean up the battlefield and repair Qianling Mausoleum. Although Lang Jiezan was regarded as an important official of Tubo, he could not escape these labors.

He was reluctantly dragged a disemboweled corpse with its intestines spilling out onto the ground, and was whipped for it.

A Tang soldier cursed: "Do you really think you are still a Tibetan noble? If you don't clean up these things, if there is a plague, you will be the first one to be killed!"

Suddenly, a small figure ran over, bent down and stuffed the intestines back into the corpse's stomach, and helped Lang Jiezan carry the corpse.

It was Ye Butong who came. He was very clever and took the opportunity to repeat what Li Qiwu wanted him to say.

Lang Jiezan was both happy and afraid, and asked, "Will it work? Can we deceive those people?"

"Ah Lang said that he is the only one who can protect you now. If you trust him, you will survive."

"You bastard, you treat him as your master so quickly." Lang Jiezan scolded Yebudong a few words, but Li Qiwu's proposal was exactly what he wanted.

At this time, Li Qiwu was kneeling in front of Bai Xiaode.

A letter was handed to him.

"Where did it come from?" Bai Xiaode asked.

"It was the warrior who was sent to the Tubo army by General Bai who gave it to me." Li Qiwu said.

Bai Xiaode then asked, "Okay, then what's his name?"

Li Qiwu could not answer, so he said: "I don't know his name, I saved his life, so he gave me this letter."

"is it?"

"Yes." Li Qiwu said, "I did not surrender to Tubo, but I borrowed troops from Tubo on the order of Emperor Xuanzong. Prince Zhong had colluded with court officials many times during the Tianbao period. Emperor Xuanzong knew his character and was worried that he would cause chaos when the throne was passed, so he ordered me to go as an envoy. However, when Dazha Lugong arrived in Bingzhou, I heard the news of Emperor Xuanzong's death, and I realized that I had done something stupid."

He acted very guilty and slapped himself hard.

"It was then that I realized that Emperor Xuanzong had been deceived again and made the same mistake as when he indulged An Lushan. I immediately wanted to make up for my mistake and began looking for opportunities to gather military intelligence and pass on messages."

Bai Xiaode didn't believe him. With a slight sneer on his face, he said, "Let me ask you, how did you get this letter?"

"I often went in and out of Dazalugong's tent, stole official documents and handed them over to the people sent by the general. Unfortunately, he died in the Tibetan army before he could send them out. When I rushed to save him, it was too late. He returned the documents to me before he died."

After that, Li Qiwu added: "Lang Jiezan, the prisoner captured by the general, is a minister of Tubo. I once made friends with him by buying slaves and secretly instigated him to rebel. He can prove that I am loyal to the Tang Dynasty..."

~~
Things went even more smoothly than Li Qiwu had expected.

Bai Xiaode asked Lang Jiezan a few questions, and after Lang Jiezan's answers, he really portrayed Li Qiwu as a man who was in Cao's camp but his heart was with Han, and who worked day and night for the Tang Dynasty.

After reporting to Xue Bai, Xue Bai pardoned them that day.

"Really?"

Li Qiwu was somewhat incredulous. He walked out of the prisoner camp cautiously and looked back. The soldiers guarding him did not try to stop him.

For a period of time afterwards, he took advantage of his familiarity with Dazha Lugong and helped the Tang army pursue the Tubo army.

It is reported that Dazalugong fled all the way and even made a surprise attack at one point, catching the pursuers led by Guo Xi off guard. As a result, the Tubo army was intercepted by Guo Ziyi in Pingliang.

In that battle, Guo Ziyi inflicted a heavy defeat on the enemy, and Dazalugong fled the battlefield with only a thousand cavalry.

The Tang army finally won a great victory and repelled the foreign enemies.

As soon as the emperor ascended the throne, he turned the tide and won a victory, which established his prestige. He then paid homage to Qianling Mausoleum, thanked Emperor Gaozong and Empress Zetian for their blessings, and prepared to return to Beijing.

During this period, Li Qiwu was worried that Xue Bai would take revenge on him and kill him, and he was very uneasy. After the sacrifice, when the imperial carriage returned to Chang'an, he was relieved when Xue Bai still had no intention of attacking him.

When the team entered Chang'an City, it was already late autumn.

The people of Chang'an City once again flocked to Suzaku Street to pay homage to the new saint and cheer for this year's great victory in the defense against autumn.

Although there were cheers, the people actually seemed tired and numb, and were not as excited as they were when the Anshi Rebellion was just quelled.

At that time, they thought that after driving away An Lushan's rebellion, the prosperous times would soon be restored. However, the following years were still full of disasters, which dampened their expectations. Now, the expectation of a peaceful and prosperous era has dropped to the lowest point.

The people thought that they had only survived another hardship, and it was hard to say how much confidence they still had in the young emperor.

What they didn't know at that time was that after this day, the City of Chang'an would never be invaded by foreign enemies again until the end of their lives. Many, many years later, they suddenly realized that they did not give the emperor the warmth he deserved when he returned to Chang'an that year.

That winter, the prosperous times had not yet returned, and life in Chang'an City returned to peace and simplicity.

Li Qiwu lost his official position and his large mansion. He rented a three-courtyard house in Yanfufang and lived a dull life there for half a month.

He was satisfied that he had saved his life, and he lost his ambition until he met Lang Jiezan again.

It must have been a coincidence. That morning, he went to the gate to sell newspapers as usual and happened to meet Lang Jiezan walking across the street.

Seeing Lang Jiezan wearing a red official robe, Li Qiwu was stunned, and then he suddenly felt jealous.

As a member of the royal family, he once held a high-ranking official, but now he has not been appointed and has almost been demoted to a commoner. How come this Tibetan has become a high-ranking official in the Tang Dynasty?
"Tibetans."

Li Qiwu strode forward, stopped Lang Jiezan, looked him up and down, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Mr. Li." Lang Jiezan seemed much more elegant and saluted with his hands crossed. "I am about to go to the government office, so I won't talk to you any more."

"Come to me at night and we'll talk."

"I'm afraid... it's inconvenient?"

Lang Jiezan was obviously reluctant and even seemed to be speaking in official language.

Li Qiwu was furious and threatened: "We are on the same boat. Without me, would you have been valued by the court? A random prisoner at that time could prove that you are nothing. Do you want me to sue you for deceiving the emperor?!"

Lang Jiezan had no choice but to agree.

"Well, where is Mr. Li? I will come to visit him at night."

That night, not only Lang Jiezan but also Ye Butong came to see Li Qiwu.

After not seeing him for a while, Yebutong looked very different. His hair was combed neatly, and he wore a clean robe. His every move and gesture resembled that of a musician.

"Ah Lang, you didn't lie to me. There are so many wonderful pieces of music in the Tang Dynasty. I can't learn them all in my lifetime!"

As soon as they met, Ye Butong bowed to Li Qiwu and spoke incoherently about his excitement.

He actually got what he wanted and found a job in the music school, where he learned various skills and made a living by playing music, and he was so happy that he didn't want to leave.

Li Qiwu was impatient to listen to these trivial matters. He turned to Lang Jiezan, pointed at his official robe and asked, "What's going on? How can you wear a red robe?"

"I surrendered to the imperial court, and the imperial court appointed me according to my official position in Tibet..."

"Ridiculous! What position do you hold in Tubo? I was the one who covered up your lies."

"I will never forget Mr. Li's kindness."

Li Qiwu was too disdainful to talk to this barbarian and asked directly: "Who do you belong to now? Help me get an official position."

Lang Jiezan was in a difficult situation.

Li Qiwu said: "I tell you, we prosper together and suffer together. If you don't help me, you will have no chance of success either."

"Does Lord Li really want to find a job?" Lang Jie praised: "If you really have such a plan, I will recommend you."

Li Qiwu knew that he must have found a reliable backer and nodded.

He wanted to see what the outcome would be.

Within two days, an official actually came to Li Qiwu and recruited him to the Secretariat.

Entering the imperial city again this time, Li Qiwu had a feeling of being away for a long time. He entered the Secretariat, but turned to the northeast corner and entered the Ministry of Rites. He then walked through the corridor and came to a secluded little house.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk."

"Come in."

The clerk knocked on the door and brought Li Qiwu in. Walking around the screen, they saw a young official sitting at the desk with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Li Qiwu recognized him; it was Yan Quanming.

As the brother-in-law of the current emperor, Yan Quanming is a very popular relative. But how could he be working in such a small and secluded official residence?
It seems that he is in charge of quite confidential matters.

In other words, Yan Quanming was actively forming cliques and factions to increase his reputation in the court.

"Without further ado, I heard that you want to serve the court?"

"That's right." Li Qiwu responded quickly.

Yan Quanming handed over a file and said, "I have read your resume. You went to the enemy camp to obtain intelligence in order to serve the country. Your loyalty is commendable."

"Yan Lang, you are too kind."

Li Qiwu opened the file and took a look. It indeed recorded his heroic deeds of instigating important officials to rebel and collecting intelligence in the Tubo camp.

Li Qiwu was happy with the lie being regarded as an achievement and expressed his loyalty, saying that it was what he should do.

He even thought that the imperial court was too easy to deceive.

Yan Quanming said: "There is still an opportunity to serve the court. Are you willing to contribute?"

Li Qiwu was overjoyed, guessing that Yan Quanming might have seen through his lies, but at the time of recruiting people, he saw his influence as a royal minister and wanted to win him over. "I am willing to serve you like a dog and a horse!"

"it is good!"

Yan Quanming praised him and clapped his hands, saying, "You are a true hero. Then you can go on another diplomatic mission to Tibet."

Li Qiwu was stunned and the excitement on his face immediately faded.

Yan Quanming said: "This is exactly what you are good at, going on diplomatic missions to enemy countries, persuading important officials to rebel, and collecting intelligence. Making the best use of everything and everyone, all for the revival of the Tang Dynasty."

"I……"

Li Qiwu's mind once again recalled the scene of him rolling in the horse manure pile and fighting with Gao Hui, and the corpses on the ground. He reached into the cut abdomen and took out the wax ball.

I finally returned to Chang'an City to live a stable life. How could I go to such a deadly place again?

Li Qiwu almost wanted to say it out loud, he was actually lying, he was actually a waste, a waste who couldn't even dig a hole.

But when the words came to his lips, he said: "I have no choice but to do it!"

That night, the three met again.

Li Qiwu grabbed Lang Jiezan by the collar and scolded him angrily.

"You are harming me! I want an official title, not to die!"

"I don't know either." Lang Jiezan was a little absent-minded and muttered, "I always thought our mission was to inquire about Tubo, but it turns out we are an envoy to Tubo."

"No matter what you do, I won't go." Li Qiwu said, "I'm sick and I need to rest at home."

"We have to go." Lang Jiezan said suddenly.

Li Qiwu glanced at him indifferently, thinking that this barbarian was not qualified to make the decision in front of him.

Lang Jie praised: "We are grasshoppers on the same rope, we have to go."

Although he had been in Chang'an for a short time, he had a very keen grasp of people's hearts.

"I understand now. The reason why the court promoted me was not because they believed our lies, but because of that letter."

"letter?"

"The letter you brought back from Maxiang to Dazalugong."

Li Qiwu understood immediately.

He was so proud of himself before, thinking that he was deceiving the world with his clever tricks. Now it seems that he was just making a fool of himself, and the court had already seen through his tricks.

If he doesn't go, the serious crimes he committed in the past will not be forgiven.

~~
Xuanzheng Hall.

After Xue Bai ascended the throne, there seemed to be no big difference from when he was the crown prince regent, and he still handled state affairs here every day.

Only he himself could feel that the real change was that there were fewer constraints in doing things, not just a few changes in terms of scale.

Yan Quanming entered the palace and said, "News came from Helong that Dazha Lugong has retreated back to Shanzhou."

"Can we take this opportunity to recapture Shanzhou?"

"Not yet. We can't afford the food and fodder. And winter is coming soon, which is not conducive to a decisive battle."

Xue Bai nodded and said, "Any news about Anxi?"

Yan Quanming shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "It's been such a long time, how could there be news now?"

"I'm worried about the troops."

"No matter what, what the court can do now is to follow Li Mi's strategy, contact various states, and isolate Tubo."

After talking about Tubo for a while, Yan Quanming said, "In addition, I have made preparations to instigate civil strife in Tubo."

"Can Li Qiwu be used?"

"can."

Yan Quanming smiled slightly, somewhat sarcastically, and said, "He really thinks he has deceived Your Majesty. Lang Jiezan is the same, and he is still pretending to be an important official of Tubo."

"Scammers are often like this, they always think they can hide the truth." Xue Bai has a deep understanding of this.

In this matter, he is actually not much different from Lang Jiezan. He is just using fraud to climb up the ladder.

Yan Quanming said: "Then let's arrange for an envoy to go to Tubo? In this way, when Feng Changqing arrives in Anxi next year, if Tubo happens to have a riot, we can recover Hexi in one fell swoop."

"Let's arrange it."

"Yes." Yan Quanming said, "Does Your Majesty want to meet the envoy in person?"

Xue Bai thought about it and said, "Okay."

The next day, when Yan Quanming asked for a meeting again, he was accompanied by a young man.

The young man looked around the hall, shocked by its luxury and majesty, and his heart surged. Then, he knelt awkwardly in front of Xue Bai.

"I, Yebudong, greet your majesty!"

"I often hear Yan Quanming talk about you. I know you are young, but I didn't expect you to be so young." Xue Bai said, "Did you do a good job of what I asked you to do?"

Ye Budong said quickly: "It will be done."

As if he was worried that Xue Bai would not believe him, he hurriedly added: "Even if I have to die, I want to die in Chang'an. I will definitely complete the task and come back. Although I am a slave, this is not difficult. I am very smart, please rest assured, Your Majesty."

"It doesn't matter if you're a slave. I was once a slave, about your age, and was involved in a big crime."

Yebudong was deeply moved and said quickly: "I can't compare with your majesty. Your majesty is the one chosen by heaven, and I am a real slave."

"Let me give you a song."

Xue Bai took a pen and paper, thought about it, and composed a song in his mind according to the contemporary gongche notation, and asked someone to give it to Yu Yebutong.

Ye Budong couldn't wait to open it and take a look, which was completely impolite.

Since he arrived in Chang'an, he has been studying greedily day and night. He can naturally understand the gongche notation, but this song completely disrupts the rules of the classic tune that he had worked so hard to figure out.

Although he was unable to understand it at first, he was extremely talented and after mumbling a few words, he realized that the piece of music was extraordinary.

"Alang is right! His Majesty the Great Tang is the greatest composer in the world!"

Yebutong completely forgot that he was in the hall and waved the music score in his hand excitedly.

Just as he said to Li Qiwu, he felt that such a talented emperor should conquer the world.

Although Ye Butong had not seen Li Longji's attainments in music, Xue Bai's attainments were enough for him to study for a lifetime.

In short, he became Xue Bai's most loyal supporter in a very short time.

Only a few days later, Li Qiwu, Lang Jiezan, Yebutong and others set out for Tubo with the Tang Dynasty's delegation.

This must be an extremely difficult journey.

~~
Zamazhisang Palace.

The Yarlung Zangbo River flows slowly among the mountains. The climate here is suitable all year round, and it was the earliest land for growing grains in Tubo.

There are two sandalwood trees in the palace, which were formed from the umbilical cord blood of Trisong Detsen when he was born.

That winter, the young king often sat in the snow, staring at the two sandalwood trees in a daze, thinking about the future of the country.

Compared with the Tang Dynasty, which was plagued by natural disasters and man-made disasters in recent years, the governance of Tubo was not easy. The various loosely-knit tribes did not fully believe in the Zamp, and the ministers of the court also had their own concerns.

Conflicts between religions are also intensifying.

More than four months had passed since Dazha Lugong was defeated in Bingzhou. When the news came back, the regent minister Ma Xiang brushed it off lightly, saying only that Tubo should attack the western front in the future.

Then, he became militaristic and forced the various tribes to fight.

Trisong Detsen believed that this was not going to work, so he intended to negotiate with the Tang court and gain power by successfully reaching his own political opinions. This was a relatively mild way to seize power.

At this time, his trusted minister Yixi Wangpo came and reported: "Zanpu, the Tang court has sent an envoy."

"Oh, who's here?"

"Li Qiwu, the junior minister of the Imperial Household, is the fifth-generation grandson of Emperor Taizu of Tang. He also believed in Buddhism and became a monk."

Upon hearing that the person coming was a monk, Trisong Detsen became very interested and immediately asked to summon him.

His assassinated father was a Buddhist, and the court officials who held power were all Bon believers, who constantly accused his father of promoting Buddhism, which led to the dynasty's downfall.

For Trisong Detsen, this was a matter of clear position.

A small welcoming ceremony was held in the Zamazhisang Palace, and soon Li Qiwu and others met Trisong Detsen.

On this plateau, Li Qiwu felt very dizzy, but he still managed to hold on, discussing Buddhism with the Tibetans, tasting tea, lighting incense and listening to the zither.

The banquet lasted the entire afternoon. Just when Li Qiwu was about to collapse, Trisong Detsen noticed his discomfort and quickly sent someone to invite a Bon wizard.

Taking this opportunity, he also sent away the spies sent by Ma Xiang.

Although Langgyetsen was a poor boy, his father was deposed because he opposed Maxiang's dictatorship. Trisong Detsen was very smart. He noticed that Langgyetsen was in the Tang court delegation and knew that there was something secret to be said.

"I have something I would like to present to the Zamp."

As expected, Li Qiwu immediately seized the opportunity, took out a Buddhist scripture, and said, "This is the experience of this foreign minister who has studied Buddhism over the years. Please take a look at it."

Yixi Wangpo took it and spread it out in front of Trisong Detsen.

A secret letter appeared in front of them.

The Tang court's strategy was an overt one, which was clearly intended to alienate the Tibetan king and his regent in order to ease border threats.

Trisong Detsen could choose not to trust the Tang court, but the problem was that he had no way out. It was obvious in Ma Shang's letter that there was a plan to depose him by force. Every moment of hesitation he took was a risk.

After the banquet, Trisong Detsen asked Yeshe Wangpo, “Do you think this is true?”

"I'm worried that Ma Xiang is constantly replenishing Dazalugong's troops in the name of conquering Anxi in order to deal with the Zamp."

"what should I do?"

Yixi Wangbo thought for a moment and said, "I have a plan to get rid of Ma Xiang."

(End of this chapter)