Ji Tang

Chapter 957 Duel
When the weapon came into his hands, he set off an alarm. If he hadn't seen Li Shimin also pull out a horizontal knife, he would have killed him right away.

"What? Are you worried that I will kill you? Why are you covered in sweat? Aren't you brave? You even dare to interfere in my plans, what else are you afraid of?"

He made a gesture inviting a fight and waved to Ji Song.

"Come on, I've long heard that Duke Xi of the Tang Dynasty has the courage to be unstoppable by ten thousand men. I'm here to give it a try today!"

Ji Song had a sad look on his face. If there was a chance, he would turn around and run away. This is not a fucking competition. Even if it was a competition, he wouldn't dare!
"If you dare to run away, what do you think if I yell to protect you?"

Ji Song's eyes were dizzy. It seemed that he had really offended the emperor this time. If he couldn't vent his anger, it would be endless.

"Your Majesty, please don't scare me. Yes, I did something wrong this time, but the cost of doing so is too high. We have plenty of time to solve the problem in the family. Ten years is not enough for 50 years. If 50 years is not enough, then a hundred years. You You should know that the moment the books and the academy appeared, most of the threat from the family was gone. The reason why you still feel threatened now is because of the thousands of years of heritage. But this heritage will be used up one day, they only It will become weaker and weaker, and the Tang Dynasty will only become stronger and stronger. As long as the kings of future generations are not fools, there will be no chance of a comeback."

"You are tossing back and forth like this, but it is the scholars and common people in the world who are tossing you, so why bother?"

Li Shimin acted as if he hadn't heard anything and shouted: "Watch the move!"

A slash came towards Ji Song. Ji Song did not dare to neglect and quickly blocked it.

"when!"

With Ji Song's ability, it would be easy to take down the emperor, but would he dare?Believe it or not, the emperor became so angry that he cut him into pieces?

"Asshole, who are you looking down on?"

"You were still playing in the mud when I was killing enemies on the battlefield. Show me your strength and let me see if you have the ability to persuade me."

There was another horizontal slash, but he dodged it easily.

"Your Majesty, why are you doing this? Do you still know what I am thinking? It doesn't matter if you want to beat me or punish me, but what is the reason for you to do this? In the eyes of Your Majesty, am I the enemy you must defeat?"

Several consecutive attacks were easily blocked by Ji Song, which made Li Shimin a little embarrassed.

"Stop talking nonsense, defeat me first!"

Li Shimin's swordsmanship is the same as his temperament. It is majestic and upright. He can open and close when he chops, but he can also see some military paths.

Ji Song, on the other hand, followed a light and agile approach. His horizontal sword seemed to come alive in his hands, and all the emperor's killing moves were easily blocked by him.

But if it were possible, he would have surrendered now. What was a glory to others was a worthless burden to him.But he can't. If he dares to admit defeat, whether he can walk out of the palace today will depend on fate.

A few more moves passed, and Li Shimin's moves became faster and faster. Without being able to counterattack, he felt the difficulty.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry for being rude!"

Ji Song split his sword with one move, dodged some distance, and then rushed toward the emperor like a hungry tiger pouncing on food.

Since the emperor wants to see his own strength today, let him see it.Ever since he came to the Tang Dynasty, he had always been wise to protect himself. After he had a family, he even refused to participate in some things.

But for some reason today, when I saw the old county magistrate's fist-fighting attitude, I couldn't suppress the anger in my heart, and this happened.

"Good come!"

"That's interesting. It's not like you to be submissive. This is the style of Duke Tan of the Tang Dynasty."

Seeing Ji Song start to fight back, Li Shimin was not angry but happy.

He has seen a lot of yes-men, and usually he even looks down upon them.

He has watched Ji Song grow up, and he has seen his contribution to the Tang Dynasty over the years. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is an unparalleled national warrior, but this kid is too careful, and he will make decisions before he takes action. Even more so, if you don’t want to use rights, you won’t use them.

Do you really think you don’t know what this guy is doing at Mingzhou Port in the south and Dengzhou Port in the north?Although it is unlikely that he will run away, he is definitely guarding against him as the emperor.

He also saw the private actions of Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong and others.Afraid of me, right? Afraid of me killing the donkey?Or are you worried that your great achievements will shock the master?

What do you think Li Shimin is?Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty?
When Ji Song became serious, Li Shimin immediately felt the pressure.This boy was at the top of the Tang Dynasty in terms of strength and martial arts, and while he was still young, he felt powerless after a while.

But he still held on. When had he, Li Shimin, ever surrendered?Dou Jiande couldn't do it, Liu Heitai couldn't do it, and Xue Ju couldn't do it even more.

"Bang!"

Li Shimin stared blankly at his empty hands, then looked at the horizontal knife that fell to the ground, feeling a little distracted for a moment.

"Your Majesty makes atonement for your sins. I was rude!"

Ji Song put away his weapon, knelt on one knee and said.

"Okay, okay, you are worthy of being my Duke Xi. His martial arts skills are the best in the world. I am old, really old!"

Li Shimin didn't care about the weapons on the ground, but sat down on the steps and waved to Ji Song.

Ji Song hesitated, but still threw away the weapon and walked towards him.

"Sit down and talk to me."

"promise!"

Li Shimin was a little lost in thought and said to himself: "I haven't had such a happy time in a long time. I think back then I was also a famous man on the battlefield. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, the world was turbulent. Some people were hegemons and some were kings. I fought in the south and the north. From Xue Ju in the west to Dou Jiande in the east. My ministers did not disappoint me."

"In the first year of Zhenguan, the Turks heard that the Central Plains was unstable, so they marched south to Guanzhong and deployed their troops on the banks of the Weishui River. I am no match for them!"

"However, God did not disappoint me. The son of the Ji family in Haowen County led his tribe to break the siege of Gaoling first, and then entered the enemy camp alone to behead his generals. In just a few days, tens of thousands of Turkic traitors were wiped out. .”

"Do you know how happy I was when I was in such despair?"

He looked at Ji Song and said excitedly: "It's you, you bought me time, and you gave me the confidence to go to the appointment alone and swear an alliance with the Turks."

"Half a month later, the reinforcements arrived, and the crisis in Chang'an was resolved." Ji Song was silent for a while, and said: "It's just your majesty's magnanimity and style that makes all the people and armies follow you. I just want to protect myself and repay my father's kindness." It’s just a matter of hatred and does not deserve His Majesty’s praise.”

Li Shimin ignored him and continued: "I invited you to join the court as an official, but you refused, and finally gave me a two-year appointment."

"In the second year of Zhenguan, when you entered the court on your first day, I asked you what you wanted to do, but you asked me to go to Sinong Temple, a department that had been idle for a long time. I was very puzzled at the time, but I chose to believe you, even if It doesn't matter if you are wrong, you are still young, even too young, I can afford to wait!"

"In the early spring of the third year of Zhenguan, it was a time of drought, and more than [-] people fled to Guanzhong. Just when I was unable to do anything, it was you who took over this mess and used it to completely develop Sinong Temple. Just a few years later , there will be a great harvest in Guanzhong, the number of acres of land will increase greatly, and there will no longer be any worries about food shortage in Guanzhong.”

"Going north to Mobei, receiving an order in the face of danger, stopping at Mobei, capturing Qili alive, and recovering the national jade seal, which is a great achievement. Then the locust plague broke out, and the locusts covered the sky and the sun, just like the end of the world. It was you who stood up and fought for The Tang Dynasty solved this crisis."

"The methods of the curved shaft plow, columbine, and breeding of fertile fields greatly increased the national power of the Tang Dynasty. He went south to Xuanzhou and Xuanzhou was richest in the world. He created Mingzhou and climbed to the port of Zhouzhou, gathering the world's wealth to support the Tang Dynasty. "

"I can't count all these things, and these are all your contributions to Datang!"

Ji Song showed bitterness on his face and said: "Your Majesty is exaggerating. To be honest, if you tell me, I don't even remember that I, Ji Song, have done so much for the Tang Dynasty. At first, I just wanted to die alone in Zhuangzi, serving my mother." Silly boy, when did you become the person with so many honors you say you have?"

"To be honest, I have never been proud of this. Whenever I see the people with no clothes on their bodies and no food to eat, I feel bad in my heart. The people of the Tang Dynasty are the most hardworking people in the world. I firmly believe that as long as Disturb them less and give them a stable environment. The court does not even need to spend too much energy, and they will repay you tenfold and a hundredfold."

"Actually, scholars and noble families don't care how many people die. The descendants of the sages who inherited Chinese civilization in the past have become a stumbling block hindering the progress of this nation. What does it matter to me whether they die or not?"

"But the people are different. They are the cornerstone of the world. As long as they can be fed and clothed, the Tang Dynasty will be iron-clad. Even if the emperor is arrogant and extravagant, as long as it does not affect the people, they will at most scold them behind their backs. The previous sentence, after it’s over, you’ll have to do whatever you have to do.”

Ji Song had a look of pleading in his eyes and said: "Your Majesty, you want to do great things and become an emperor far beyond the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty. I support you."

"But please don't torment the people. They are suffering too much. They finally have a prosperous age. Just let them live a happy life for a few days!"

Li Shimin looked at Ji Song blankly, really wondering what kind of person he was?Call him talented. He was a leader in the literary world of the Tang Dynasty, and he was both civil and military.

Call him stingy, but he can take care of everyone who offends him.

A little lazy, a little cynical, and a little bit rogue!

But at this time, he thought he truly understood what kind of person this was.

"I promise!"

Ji Song was stunned, looked at Li Shimin in disbelief, and said in disbelief: "What? What did your Majesty just say? I didn't hear it clearly just now, can you say it again?"

Li Shimin rolled his eyes, stood up and walked out.

"Forget it if you didn't hear clearly, just pretend I didn't say anything!"

Ji Song stared blankly at the emperor's back. Suddenly, he fell to the ground and said loudly: "My lord, Ji Song wishes my emperor a long life and good health. Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and he didn't look back, but just waved back.

Chongzheng Hall.

The eldest grandson brought a bowl of soup made by himself and handed it to Li Shimin, who was sitting in a daze on the rocking chair.

"I just had a duel with Ji Song!"

Changsun's hands trembled, and some clear soup was scattered on the ground. Then he said nonchalantly: "It's good to stretch your muscles and bones. You have to work hard at the desk all day, and it's good to relax occasionally."

"Aren't you worried about that boy and me?"

Seeing the emperor's half-smiling look, the eldest grandson said angrily: "If you really wanted to kill him, with his cautious temperament, I'm afraid he would have disappeared long ago. But if you didn't have the intention to kill, even if he was beaten, Having only half a life won’t hurt you either.”

"Hahaha, you see clearly!"

"This kid is very affectionate and can't let go of too much. It's not easy to deal with him!"

The eldest grandson rolled his eyes, put the small bowl on the table and turned away. Soon he heard the sound of sobbing.

"Hey, why are you crying? Who provoked you? Is it that bastard Lao Jiu? Tell me, and I will personally help you deal with him."

The eldest grandson remained silent, leaving Li Shimin anxiously running around, but there was nothing he could do!
"You are still so angry at your age. It's not like you don't know who that boy Ji Song is, but you have forced him to a dead end this time. If there is any accident today, I will give you permission."

Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief and sighed: "I don't know who he is. It's because of this that I have defended him repeatedly over the years."

"Guess what he said? He actually asked me to torment the people? Haha, it's a big joke!"

Then he picked up some unimportant things about the conversation between Ji Song and told the eldest grandson. The eldest grandson was sometimes surprised, sometimes worried, and Li Shimin laughed heartily.

"Maybe I did go too far this time. My ministers have their own concerns, but they also want to do good for the Tang Dynasty. The Luo County magistrate is good, but it's a pity that he is a little older."

When the eldest grandson heard the emperor talking about the county magistrate who provoked Ji Song and even made a fuss in Qilin Pavilion, he was also curious: "Are there many people like this? I heard that there were many people here this time. In order to kill the chickens and scare the monkeys, the prime minister and the others even My children are all in jail.”

"A lot, a lot!"

"I'm very glad that I was accidentally hit by that kid this time and my plan was ruined. But it also made me completely let go of my obsession. It's good to inherit Qian. He will definitely become a promising king. With two generations of kings in charge, the family’s troubles are nothing to worry about!”

"If this incident hurts the hearts of the students all over the world and the many ministers who have dedicated themselves to the Tang Dynasty, I will definitely regret it."

"You don't blame him anymore?" Changsun asked in surprise.

He knew the emperor's temper. He seemed quite generous, but he was also petty. If you offended him, you would be punished sooner or later.

"Let him go? Humph, how can it be so cheap? He will pay off my debts honestly in this life. How can I give up if I don't squeeze him dry?"

Looking at the emperor's stinky face, the eldest grandson rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Okay, okay, I know you are the most powerful, why not!"

After saying this, Li Shimin's face turned gloomy and he said: "But some people have passed. I'm not dead yet. Are you all looking for a way out for yourself? What do you think of me? A tyrant?"

He looked through Chongzheng Hall to the locations of Qilin Pavilion and Wuying Pavilion.
(End of this chapter)