Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 582: The Great Cause of Founding a Nation: Alliances and Alliances

"Luoyang, Luoyang..."

In the bedroom, Li Lin felt that the letter in his hand weighed a thousand pounds.

Wei Zichun is now waiting outside the door for his decision, but Li Lin doesn't know what to do.

He knew that Li Wan's current situation was very bad. Even if Fang Zhongyong defected to him, Li Wan still could not change his fate of being a puppet.

It is hard to say what the final outcome will be. Fang Zhongyong, who has a strong army, can easily tie Wei to his chariot through marriage and other means.

But no matter what, Li Wan was more relaxed than herself at that time. If Fang Zhongyong really wanted to join Wei Jian and the others.

After losing Bianzhou, Li Lin had to retreat back to Qizhou, and his final fate was to wait for death there.

Li Lin didn't want to die. He thought it would be better to live one day at a time.

This reminded him of his recent conflict with Fang Zhongyong over his former daughter-in-law, Yuwen, and he suddenly felt that he was hopelessly stupid at the time.

Fortunately, Gao Shang tried his best to dissuade him, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous! He had to go to Kaifeng County and "clear up the past" with Fang Zhongyong.

"It seems that we have to ease the relationship even if we have to hold our noses."

Li Lin sighed softly and talked to himself.

For a prince like him, there are many paths to take in the world, but few ways to survive.

Li Lin recently felt vaguely that the strategic and tactical level required to fight for the world is actually very high, so high that he cannot see it.

Huangfu Weiming was supposed to be very powerful, but he lost all his main forces in one battle, and was defeated and killed. The risk of leading troops to war was simply too great.

A general who seems to be so majestic and powerful may be defeated in just one battle.

Because of this, the princes who rebelled or were planning to rebel had to rely more on commanders who were good at using troops and soldiers who were well-armed and well-equipped.

As a result, the person holding the sword gradually lost control of the sword in his hand!
"It would be great if I could be as invincible as Emperor Taizong. I am a magic sword myself and will not be controlled by it."

Li Lin sighed and talked to himself. He finally realized the biggest problem he was facing and where the final solution was.

No matter what, if the king cannot lead his own troops, how can he possibly control the arrogant and powerful generals under his command?
Li Lin found that he was too naive before. He shouldn't have taken this path, or even left Guanzhong.

But it's too late to say anything now.

Just as Li Lin was sighing alone in his bedroom, his eldest son Li Wei asked to see him.

Li Wei was brave and strong, and he liked to command troops. Although he had no command experience, he seemed to have the potential to be a famous general.

He has a very strong build, and perhaps in the future he will be able to fight on the battlefield like Emperor Taizong, as at least he has all the "hardware conditions" required.

Of course, Li Lin once had high hopes for Li Wei, but later he found that the soldiers under his command were really unable to fight and Li Wei could not display his abilities, so he gave up his fantasy.

Now that Li Wei had asked for an audience, Li Lin didn't know what to say to him. He quickly put the letter of recruitment that Wei Jian had written to Fang Zhongyong into his sleeve and pretended nothing had happened.

"Father, I request to return to Qizhou to train the troops there."

Li Wei clasped his fists and saluted Li Lin.

Li Lin, the eldest son, did not know that Wei Jian had written a letter of recruitment to Fang Chongyong, so it must be that his brother was stimulated by the abduction of his sister-in-law.

"Are you here to deal with the family scandal?"

Li Lin asked weakly, wondering in his heart whether he should show Wei Jian's letter to Li Wei.

"Father, even if that didn't happen, can't you see it?"

Li Wei asked anxiously.

Although the fact that his younger brother was forced to divorce was a bit irritating to Li Wei, it was not the main reason why he came to ask for military power this time.

After all, it wasn't his wife who was abducted.

"Forget it, if you want to go to Qizhou, that's fine."

Li Lin sighed lightly, took out a golden fish talisman from his arms and handed it to Li Wei.

As for the letter on his cuff, he had no intention of taking it out.

"Go ahead, train your troops well in Qizhou, and don't act rashly."

He waved his hand seemingly disinterested.

Wei Jian's letter made Li Lin realize his own shortcomings.

For those who really "come to the table", tactics like using the enemy's force to counter attack, forming alliances, cooperating inside and outside, and defeating the enemy without fighting are very common and are being widely used.

He also discovered his own shortcomings. Faced with the collapse of the world, deception and betrayal have become the norm. His royal family status only gives him an entry ticket to the game, but it cannot guarantee the loyalty of his talented people.

How to control the complex human heart has become a major problem facing us.

Since Li Wei wants to make trouble, let him do it. After being beaten by Fang Zhongyong, Li Lin has chosen to rule by inaction.

"Thank you for your help, father! I will leave for Qizhou today!"

Li Wei excitedly saluted Li Lin with his arms crossed, then left with the fish token without stopping, as if he was eager to go to Qizhou to lead the troops.

Looking at his departing figure, Li Lin didn't know what to say. After a long while, he finally laughed and shook his head.

Afterwards, Li Lin called Wei Zichun to his study. As soon as they met, he said to Wei Zichun: "Let's set off for Kaifeng County now. I want to have a good chat with Fang Qing."

"Your Highness, the soldiers are arrogant. You must be patient."

Wei Zichun said worriedly, he was still a little worried about Li Lin.

How should I put it? He felt that Li Lin was really no match for Fang Chongyong. The more impulsive he was, the more uncomfortable he would feel.

If you really can't do it, it's better to do nothing. The less you do, the fewer mistakes you will make.

"Don't worry, I've figured it out. Let's set off now without further delay."

Li Lin patted Wei Zichun on the shoulder and said that this time he really thought it through.

Before becoming an emperor, think about how to survive.

……

"Take a bucket of Xinfeng wine, a pot of braised yellow chicken with Huaiyang wine, and a plate of steamed sea bass.

Serve the food faster!"

In the private room on the second floor of Xinghua Tower, Li Bai shouted at the waiter.

These were his two favorite dishes and his favorite wine. When he lived in Chang'an, Li Bai often ate them, but he usually didn't have the money to eat at Xinghua Tower.

This time, Prince Yong gave him enough "travel expenses", and he also had horses from the army to ride on the road, so Li Bai now had a lot of money in his pocket, and it was no problem for him to have a good meal in a restaurant.

"Sir, we don't have what you want in this store."

The waiter at Xinghualou answered helplessly.

"How can there be no one? I am Li Bai!"

Li Bai touched the small beard on his chin and said with a dissatisfied look on his face.

If he were somewhere else and this happened, the shopkeeper might have to come and apologize to him.

But this is Chang'an after all, especially the Xinghua Tower. Many poets and writers have come here and left behind many poems.

So what if Li Bai is so good? What's the difference between you and someone who can write poetry? The man teased Li Bai:
"Mr. Taibai, even if your name is Taihei, our restaurant cannot make these dishes. Chang'an is short of food right now, and local specialties are basically out of stock.

The few fine wines available were monopolized by the powerful and wealthy.

There are only a few dishes that can be ordered in this restaurant right now."

After saying that, he pointed to a wooden board hanging on the wall, on which were a dozen or so dish names, all of which were home-cooked dishes.

Although the waiter was very polite and courteous, the attitude of "eat if you want, eat; get out if you don't" revealed in his words still made Li Bai extremely unhappy.

He originally thought that he might be able to "write a poem for free" this time, but in the end, he got "nothing he wanted"!
This is simply unreasonable!
Li Bai's defense was completely broken.

"Don't eat!"

He got up and left in anger.

The waiter at Xinghualou politely sent Li Bai out, then came back and wiped the table out of boredom.

"The people of Chang'an are starving. Even if Li Bai came, he would have to be more restrained."

The chubby shopkeeper came over and sighed as he looked at Li Bai's departing back.

Yan Zhenqing had people count the food shortage in Chang'an this month, and found that at least 100,000 dan of grain were missing. And the wealthy and powerful were unwilling to open their warehouses to release grain. The impact of the food shortage had caused a great depression in all walks of life.

Xinghualou still has more than ten dishes to serve, and many restaurants have already closed down. Food prices have been driven up, and it is impossible for the prices of dishes to rise to the point where they are unaffordable. The rich and powerful often have their own chefs, which makes it impossible for many unknown restaurants to continue.

Since Huangfu Weiming's defeat, the canal transportation to Chang'an was basically cut off by Li Baochen. The disadvantages of Chang'an as the capital began to slowly emerge.

Li Bai could not change this reality, nor could Yan Zhenqing, let alone the owner and the clerks of Xinghualou.

Li Bai was walking on Zhuque Street bored and wandering around. On the road, a beggar held his thighs to beg. Li Bai kindly gave him a Kaiyuan Tongbao. Unexpectedly, more than a dozen beggars dressed similarly rushed out from a nearby gate and surrounded him tightly.

Li Bai had to work very hard to get rid of them.

Just as Li Bai, in a dishevel, was about to go to Yan Zhenqing's residence in Dunhuafang to have a meal, a young man in a brocade robe blocked his way.

"I am Li Yu, the Minister of Rites, and I am here to invite the son of Emperor Li Xian to meet Mr. Taibai."

Li Yu's words were very polite, but he made his identity clear from the beginning. It was obvious that he did not intend to "interact with others as equals" but to handle official business.

Li Bai saw this and saluted Li Yu, then asked, "So it's Li Zhengqing, what can I do for you?"

He and Li Yu were not familiar with each other at all. To be exact, today was the first time they met.

"My brother invites Mr. Taibai to come to his house for a chat. A banquet has been prepared. Please do me the honor."

Hearing this, Li Bai seemed to understand a little bit what was happening.

It is true that Yan Zhenqing was the prime minister, but he was not omnipotent in the court, and he must have been under close surveillance.

Li Bai is a world-famous poet who is very popular and cannot keep secrets well.

The emperor was Ji Ge's elder brother, and he gave up the throne to Ji Ge. His descendants, at least now, are still living a carefree life. The emperor's family learned that Li Bai came to contact Yan Zhenqing, so they sent people to follow him all the way.

For the powerful families, this method is common and there is no difficulty at all.

There was no place to eat, so Li Bai laughed and said, "That's great. I will respectfully obey your command."

He followed Li Yu all the way to Emperor Rang's residence in the southeast corner of Shengyefang.

The vermilion gate, the green bricks and the black tiles remain the same, and the corner towers on all four sides still look very stylish.

Nothing has changed.

After passing through the large courtyard with four entrances and arriving at the lobby, he saw that the emperor's family had already arrived and seemed to be waiting for Li Bai to take his seat.

There was no one among them that Li Bai knew.

There were already musicians playing drums, and the dancers serving on the side were just pouring wine for the seated people and were not dancing in the hall.

It was obvious that they were all waiting for Li Bai to take his seat.

"Brother, I have invited Mr. Taibai."

Li Yu saluted with his arms crossed to Li Lin who was sitting on the main seat.

"Oh, it's Mr. Taibai. Please take a seat. Please take a seat."

Li Lin pointed to the empty seat closest to her.

The Tang Dynasty was a transitional period between separate dining and shared dining, and the dining table was very flexible. It could be shared dining, meaning everyone sat at one table; or it could be semi-shared dining, meaning everyone sat at one table, but the dishes were divided and served to everyone.

Of course, that kind of solemn and ceremonial dining still implements the method of completely separate meals. People neither sit together nor eat together.

For example, this is the case at this moment.

Soon, one after another of exquisite palace dishes began to be placed in front of Li Bai. Each dish was very small in size, but there were many varieties.

Li Bai was dazzled.

"Mr. Taibai, does His Royal Highness Prince Yong know that the late emperor was murdered by the current emperor?"

Just as Li Bai was looking at the dishes and thinking about which one he should eat first, Li Lin, who was sitting in the main seat, asked slowly.

Ok?
Li Bai subconsciously placed the chopsticks in his hand on the plate.

Is it okay to ask this kind of question casually?

Li Bai was a little dazed, but the dancers, musicians, and servants serving the dishes in the hall seemed to have heard nothing.

Still do what you should do.

"His Royal Highness Prince Yong is very angry and is always thinking about avenging the late emperor to fulfill his filial duty."

Li Bai said perfunctorily.

Li Lin's hatred for Ji Ge, although not to the point of rage, was deeply buried in his heart.

Li Lin's youngest son, Li Yi, was suspected by Prince Yong to be the son of Ji Ge and Prince Yong's wife, Hou Mo Chen. This was also an important reason why Li Lin had neglected his wife in recent years and had no children.

But Hou Mochen could not defend himself regarding the inside story, and Li Lin could not publicly accuse her because he had no solid evidence.

You can't just say that your wife is beautiful and that your father has a precedent of playing with his daughter-in-law, and then say that the child your wife gave birth to is your father's, right?
But this thorn has already been buried and can never be pulled out.

How could Houmo Chen prove that she and Brother Ji had not had an affair?
This kind of thing will only get worse the more you explain it.

With such troubles, if Li Lin still wanted to fulfill his filial duty to Brother Ji, he could only do a great job of filial piety and nothing else.

Li Bai naturally knew about Li Lin's family affairs, and he even blushed when he heard this.

However, Li Lin seemed to have not noticed this at all. He sighed and said, "The emperor is unjust, so wars are raging everywhere. The Tang Dynasty needs someone like Prince Yong to put order out of chaos."

To set things right is a very poetic way of saying it.

What is chaos, and what is righteousness?
Li Bai, lacking political wisdom, didn't know what to say and just focused on eating.

Li Lin didn't expect Li Bai to not respond at all. He was just flirting with a blind man. He couldn't say anything else, so he ordered the drums and music to continue and the dancers to start their performance.

Although the food and wine were delicious, everyone found it tasteless.

After the banquet was over, Li Lin walked up to Li Bai, bowed to him and said, "Mr. Taibai, please come to my study to talk. I have something important to discuss with you."

(End of this chapter)