Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 562 I Bet My Youth on Tomorrow

Li Bai returned to Licheng and met Prince Yong Li Lin in the lobby of the government office.

However, His Royal Highness Prince Yong seemed to be in a very bad mood, with a fierce face and no words. I don't know if he was angry with Li Bai or with himself.

Wei Zichun, the chief official of the palace beside Li Lin, tried his best to wink at Li Bai. The other staff members all looked at Li Bai, who had hurried back exhausted, with an expression of "watching the fun".

People do not look up to him just because he is a world-famous poet.

"Your Highness, Li is back to report."

Li Bai saluted Yongwang Li Lin and said that he had already noticed that the atmosphere in the hall was not right, but he didn't know where the strangeness came from.

"Judge Li (Li Bai is now serving as a judge under Li Lin), where is the seal of the governor of Dengzhou? If the seal is not there, where is the governor Wang Weizhong?

You are in Dengzhou on business, there must be a result, right? "

Gao Shang, who was beside Yong Wang Li Lin, asked coldly. Literati looked down on each other, and he had long been unhappy with the unruly Li Bai.

Just when Li Bai was about to get into trouble, his old friend Wei Zichun, who was always a man of outstanding strategy and eloquence and highly respected in Prince Yong's court, stepped forward to smooth things over and said:

“Your Highness, we have not been able to take over the Jiaodong states smoothly recently. Now we have heard that the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army has landed in Dengzhou. I think it is unlikely that Wang Weizhong will hand over the governor’s seal to Li Taibai.

It would be better to listen to what he has to say about Dengzhou first, and then make a judgment."

Wei Zichun used both defense and attack to not only remind Li Bai and hint to him why Yongwang Li Lin was in a bad mood, but also created an opportunity for Li Bai to defend himself.

If Li Bai can't seize this opportunity, then he is really hopeless.

The jurisdiction of the Tianping Army Jiedushi only included the three places of Jizhou, Qizhou, and Zibo. Before the Tang Dynasty, the political situation was unclear, and a large territory was not a good thing, and it was easy to attract attacks from the Hebei rebels.

Therefore, Li Lin chose to keep his troops in place and lie dormant in these three states.

Now that Li Heng had lost the righteousness of the court, the time had finally come to send the princes out to expand their territory. So Yong Wang Li Lin began to think more actively.

He sent Li Bai to Dengzhou, Li Taiqing to Laizhou, Xue Liu to Yizhou, Cai Yong to Mizhou, and Wei Zichun to Qingzhou, and asked them to persuade the governors of these five states to surrender to him in the name of Prince Yong and the Jiedushi of Tianping Army.

However, except for Qingzhou, which is closest to Qizhou, all other provincial governors directly and categorically refused! One provincial governor even threatened to report the matter to the court!

Li Bai was the person who traveled the farthest on this trip, and was detained by Fang Chongyong for a day, so he returned only a few days after everyone else had returned.

Yongwang Li Lin is in a very bad mood because he is despised by the governors of these states, so it is normal for him not to be good to Li Bai.

Li Lin originally had a good idea. He was a prince and had a chance to become the emperor! If someone supported him to ascend the throne, wouldn't he be able to enjoy a good life after ascending the throne? The return rate of following the emperor was extremely high, and he could just lie down and count the money!

There will definitely be many people coming to join him!
But the cruel reality taught Li Lin a lesson.

The governors of these states had no interest in Li Lin, a prince who had few soldiers, few generals, no money, and had not raised the "flag of justice".

Obviously, if you want others to join you, you need to have strength.

As the saying goes, a blacksmith must be strong himself. Just relying on the title of a prince, he wants the governors of all states to bow down to him.

Haha, I still think too simply of people in this world.

What Li Lin lacked now was strength. In short, he lacked money, food, soldiers, generals, military equipment, and horses. He had almost nothing. The government affairs and livelihood affairs of the three states were also average.

"Your Highness, the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army has now occupied Dengzhou. However, General Fang Jie is very respectful to Your Highness, and he even wrote a letter. I have brought the letter back, please take a look at it."

Li Bai held the letter in both hands and handed it to Gao Shang, who then gave it to Li Lin to read.

The hall fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone present knew that whether Li Bai could get out of this predicament depended entirely on what was written in the letter. If there was something unfavorable to Li Bai, then he would definitely be in trouble.

Yong Wang Li Lin read the letter quickly, then read it again. He looked confused and was speechless for a while.

Fang Zhongyong said several things in this letter:
First, the situation in Dengzhou is complicated, so I, the military commander, can take care of it for Your Highness. Anyway, even if you send someone, you can't control it!

Second, the current situation in the Tang Dynasty is very chaotic, and the political situation in Chang'an is also very chaotic. Your Highness should encourage yourself and not give up on yourself.

Third, the defense areas of Xuanwu Town and Tianping Town are very close, and I will share the military pressure from Hebei for Your Highness.

It's just that it's hard to describe how to cooperate in a few words. I hope Your Highness can come to Dengzhou Penglai and talk about it in person.

If Your Highness is too busy to spare the time, then we can wait until the future. I’m not in a hurry anyway.

The rest of the nonsense was easy to say, except for the third one. Although Fang Zhongyong said it vaguely, his obvious meaning was: If you don’t come this time, you don’t have to come again in the future.

To go or not to go, this is a matter of life and death.

Not to mention that Li Lin was very likely to leave with a small entourage and in a low profile, even if he brought with him 10,000 miscellaneous soldiers, he would be no match for the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army!
So basically, after a person dies, his life is in the hands of Fang Chongyong.

It is because of this that Li Lin felt very embarrassed.

Why did the states of Jiaodong ignore him before? It was because he did not have a commander or elite soldiers who could stand up to the task!
With Fang Zhongyong's full support, this dead chess game came to life.

Li Lin had the title of a prince, Fang Zhongyong had the strength to sweep across the states of Jiaodong, and he also had the six states of Xuanwu Town as his backing. With the combination of the two, Li Lin controlled more than a dozen states!

With such a large territory, although its potential is not as great as Hebei, it also has the strength to compete!
If managed well, this will be the third strongest force in the Tang Dynasty, and there is great potential for success!

But the prerequisite is that he must go to Dengzhou before he can be considered to have entered the door.

This can also be said to be a test question given by Fang Chongyong.

You don't even dare to come to Dengzhou, which is not far away and has no powerful enemies. How can I believe that you have the ability to ascend the throne and become emperor?

Are you worthy?
Prove it to me!

Fang Chongyong’s question is not difficult to answer, but it is a test of one’s mind and temperament.

"Everyone, how about you all take a look?"

Li Lin handed Fang Chongyong's letter to Gao Shang, who read it quickly and said nothing. He handed it directly to Wei Zichun, who then passed it around to everyone.

After the letter went around and returned to Li Lin, the prince who was named Prince Yong by Ji Ge couldn't help but sigh.

I really want to take this step, but...what if something goes wrong!
Li Lin weighed the pros and cons in his mind and was hesitant.

"Your Highness, the current situation is confusing and it is very risky to go to Dengzhou. It is better for Your Highness to stay in Licheng and I will go and talk to Fang Qing on your behalf."

Gao Shang suggested with a humble look.

Li Lin noticed the empty right arm under Gao Shang's sleeve, and remembered that this arm was chopped off by someone.

So he waved his hand gently, obviously not approving of Gao Shang's idea.

Either don't go, or go openly. Sending someone will make you inferior from the beginning.

How can we cooperate in the future?

Besides, Gao Shang's right arm was chopped off by Fang Zhongyong. What could these two people come up with if they talked together? Even if Li Lin was stupid, he knew the interests involved. How could he be led by Gao Shang like this?

"Your Highness, I think you can go. You should even go with a small group and a low profile to show your sincerity."

Wei Zichun saluted with his arms crossed.

Li Lin nodded slightly without saying anything. He looked at Li Bai and asked, "What do you think, Judge Li?"

"I think so too. I guarantee with my life that Your Highness will be safe during your trip to Dengzhou."

Li Bai also took the risk and directly offered to pay with his life.

"Your Highness, you can't do that. Fang Qing's intentions are unclear. If he wants to murder Your Highness, who can take the responsibility?
Judge Li said he would guarantee it with his life, but so what? If something happens to His Highness, Li Bai can't bring the dead back to life by committing suicide!"

The person who spoke was Liu Julin, a general under Li Lin who was responsible for training the army. He directly criticized Li Bai.

The reason why he opposed Li Lin to meet Fang Chongyong was simple, because Fang Chongyong and the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army were both famous and powerful.

If the other party supports Li Lin to take power, then Fang Chongyong will be the first person in charge of the troops under Li Lin.

The military power in Liu Julin's hands might even be controlled by Fang Chongyong.

With such a person blocking the way, Liu Julin's future is basically hopeless. If he doesn't stand up and oppose now, does he have to wait until Fang Zhongyong comes and slaps him in the face?

Wei Zichun immediately retorted: "Liu Julin, don't ruin His Highness's plan for your own selfish desires! If you can't get the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army to work for you, you must destroy them. Can you beat Fang Qing? If you can, I will persuade His Highness not to go to Dengzhou and let you lead the troops to fight Dengzhou!"

Wei Zichun was Li Lin's strategist and was also eloquent. For a moment, he scolded Liu Julin so badly that he didn't know how to respond.

Yes, if you can do it, go ahead! Why aren't you doing it yet?
Faced with this kind of question, Liu Julin, who was born a military man and was not good at speaking, was speechless.

There are only a bunch of rotten birds under his command, and it is enough for them to bully the common people, but what is the combat effectiveness of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army?

That was the top-notch army that was rampant in Hebei and could not be defeated by a large number of bandit troops. Liu Julin was now leading his weak subordinates to attack Dengzhou, which was no different from sending himself to death.

"Okay, stop arguing!"

Li Lin shouted angrily, and the entire government hall suddenly became quiet.

"Just follow what Wei Canjun said. I will go to Dengzhou. You don't need to persuade me anymore."

Li Lin slammed the table, finalizing the decision.

Wei Zichun quickly saluted Li Lin and said, "I will go with Your Highness, and Li Bai will lead the way."

"Please grant me your permission, Your Highness!"

Li Bai also stood up and saluted Li Lin and said.

Having said this, naturally no one would come out to stop it.

Gao Shang sighed silently. He dissuaded Prince Yong from going to Dengzhou, not entirely because Fang Chongyong had cut off one of his arms.

But Li Lin... How could he be Fang Zhongyong's opponent! It was a foregone conclusion that this prince would be used as a puppet by him in the future.

By that time, it would probably be too late for Li Lin to cry.

"That's it, Gao Shang. You are responsible for taking care of the chores in Licheng, so you don't have to come with us. It's getting late today, so we'll set off tomorrow."

Li Lin gave Gao Shang an order, fearing that the eunuch might do something bad.

……

That night, Li Bai dragged his tired body back to his home in Licheng, lay down on the soft couch in the study, crossed his legs and closed his eyes to rest.

His wife, Mrs. Zong, quietly walked into the study and massaged his legs and feet.

Madam Zong’s grandfather was Prime Minister Zong Chuke during the Wu Zhou period. Madam Zong’s mother was a sister of Wu Zetian, so the Zong family had an unusual family background.

Mrs. Zong married Li Bai purely because she was in love and because she loved Li Bai's poems and the so-called "prodigal son's feelings".

To sum it up in one sentence: This is love!
Li Bai had no complaints when he had such a "fan girl" from an official family to accompany him in his middle age, and the two had a good relationship.

Mrs. Zong noticed that Li Bai was in a very good mood today, so she asked curiously, "Ah Lang, you are smiling today, but what good news has happened to you?"

Li Bai was not a scheming person to begin with, and he was completely unguarded against his wife, so he told Madam Zong everything that had happened in the past few days.

However, despite such a happy event, Mrs. Zong did not have a smile on her face.

She said worriedly:
"Ah Lang, Fang Qing's father Fang Youde is well-known throughout the world, and this young General Fang is no ordinary person either. What happened between these people and His Royal Highness Prince Yong is not something A Lang can get involved in.

Now the emperor has killed his father, and the sacred artifact has been dishonored. Outside Guanzhong, there are many people who are ready to make a move.

If His Royal Highness Prince Yong raises an army, it would be great if it succeeds, but if it fails, how will Alang cope with it?"

Hearing this, Li Bai said nonchalantly: "What can it have to do with me? Don't exaggerate."

Li Bai didn't seem to think that anything would happen. Even if Li Lin was defeated, it would not matter to him and he could just live in seclusion in the mountains.

Mrs. Zong continued to persuade him, "Alang is famous all over the world, and everyone is interested in Alang's affairs. If Prince Yong loses, it's hard to say what will happen to others, but Alang will definitely be caught and punished by the winner. Because Alang is too famous, this is a consequence of his reputation!"

The more Mrs. Zong spoke, the more annoyed Li Bai became.

"The world is in chaos now, how can a real man not do something great?

With the help of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army to support His Royal Highness Yongwang, he had the capital to march into Guanzhong. How could a woman like you understand such a major event?

Stop talking! It’s time to go to sleep!”

Li Bai angrily scolded Mrs. Zong, then turned around and ignored her.

Mrs. Zong, who had long been accustomed to Li Bai's temper, could only sigh helplessly, as she had no way to deal with Li Bai.

When people are in good times, they always feel that they can do anything. This is true for many people, and Li Bai is no exception.

In fact, in the eyes of Madam Zong, whether it was Prince Yong or the father and son of the Fang family, the things between them were just a fight between gods. It would affect the livelihoods and even the lives and deaths of thousands of people at any time!

These things are not something that Li Bai, a "mortal" who only knows poetry and prose, can participate in.

Outsiders call you the "Poet Immortal", but don't really think of yourself as an immortal!
Mrs. Zong complained helplessly in her heart that Li Bai had this problem and it was impossible to change it, so she could only let him be.

She quietly left the study and closed the door, feeling worried.

Prince Yong was seeking the support of the Silver Spear and Filial Piety Army, but Fang Qing was in charge of six states.

Isn't this just courting death?

Mrs. Zong, who came from a family of officials, felt that the muddy water Li Bai was wading into this time was really bottomless.

(End of this chapter)