The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 425 Husband Hero

It was the coldest time of the year, and the end of the year was approaching. Heavy snow fell in Bianjing. In just one day, the majestic city in the Central Plains was covered in a blanket of pure white. The red gates, blue tiles, long streets and short alleys were all covered in snow, leaving only a pure peace and coolness between heaven and earth.

As the saying goes, a good year brings good snow. This auspicious saying of snow that was quietly circulated in the streets and alleys of Bianjing, accompanied by the creaking sound of wheels rolling over thick snow, was passed all the way to a huge caravan. Nearly a hundred fully loaded carriages, accompanied by dozens of elite knights, trudged from Hedong, passing through states and prefectures, and heading south. They left Zezhou, turned to Huaizhou, crossed the Yellow River, and passed Zhengzhou... Just as the Liang army, who were closely monitoring them, expected, and as the officials of the prefectures and counties along the way were accustomed to, this team was loaded with heavy gifts sent by the State of Jin to Bianjing. In the past two months, such scenes have become commonplace in Henan Road.

The sudden death of Li Keyong, the Prince of Jin, brought a sudden change to the state of Jin. The Crown Prince Li Cunxu hurriedly returned to Taiyuan with only a few trusted men and guards to take charge of the overall situation, and deployed the whole country's strength to guard against Daliang's intrusion. However, two months later, Liang's territory was calm, and Taiyuan's worries were slightly relieved, and envoys were sent to Bianjing to negotiate. It was not until this unprecedentedly powerful delegation arrived in Bianjing that it seemed to indicate that the young and energetic new King of Jin, who had been defeated by the King of Qin at Gaoliang River, finally put down his posture and sent envoys to seek peace.

After this large group of envoys from the State of Jin arrived in Bian Jing, they were not treated unfairly or ignored. Officials from the Tian Ce Palace and senior officials from the Ministry of Rites of the imperial court received them according to etiquette and made comprehensive arrangements for them. They were even allowed to move freely within the prescribed scope.

So on the second day, the Jin State delegation left the post house and set off, but they did not linger in the city, but drove straight to the famous Houde Stone of Imperial College University and stopped there.

The so-called Houde Stone was built when Qin Wang Xiao Yan re-established the Imperial College on the basis of the original one in Bian Jing. In order to encourage students and promote learning, he took measures to adapt to local conditions and took a natural boulder from the Forbidden Garden and engraved the four characters "Houde Zaiwu" on it as a training ground.

Although the Imperial College was established only two months ago, it is particularly well-known because the big stone is facing the main entrance of the vast school and it is praised by scholars from both the north and the south.

Back to the present, it was the end of the year, and the school, which was said to have recruited more than 500 students from all over the country, had already closed for the holidays. Therefore, there were not many people coming and going in front of the gate and inside the gate. The wind and snow stopped for a while, and under the leaden sky, the huge stone stood silently. On the luxurious carriage at the front of the delegation, the curtain was slightly opened, and a scholar dressed in brocade fur, with elegant temperament and extremely handsome face walked down slowly. He did not rush to move, but just stood under the umbrella with his sleeves gathered, and looked at these four words.

But after a moment, the man sighed: "Not long ago, Zhu family rose from the grass roots as a rebel, slaughtered Tang officials at Baima Station, and sank their bodies into the Yellow River, which made them despised by scholars all over the world. Therefore, my Tongwen Academy has widely recruited scholars and has become a leader in the scholar community. Who would have thought that today, the King of Qin, with just this one stone and four characters, has attracted the hearts of scholars all over the world, and the people's hearts have turned against him, to such an extent..."

The cold wind swept across the empty square, and all the attendants held their breath and bowed their heads, not daring to respond. Only a tall, white-faced, beardless middle-aged man beside him also stood solemnly with his sleeves gathered together, a trace of solemnity flashed across his brows, but he remained silent.

"I heard from someone that there is actually a 'Self-Strengthening Stone' in the city of Bianliang, with the words 'Unremitting Self-Strengthening' inscribed on it?" After a long moment of silence, the man turned around and asked again.

"To be honest with Lord Xue, there is such a huge stone." An official of the State of Jin who was obviously stationed in Bian Jing hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to answer, "After the King of Qin re-established the Imperial College, he set aside an area next to the Tiance Mansion and established the 'Military Academy'. This hall was specially set up for the King of Qin's guards, and its members are all young elites selected from the Dingbadu and Guide armies. These two armies have their roots in Hebei, and there are many sons of generals and powerful people in Hebei, and even the sons and nephews of leaders of various grasslands are mixed in, so the martial arts are very popular. The King of Qin and his confidants often come to teach in person and teach military strategies. Nowadays, the martial arts spirit in Liang is growing day by day, and all over the country, there is an endless stream of ambitious men rushing thousands of miles to hope to get personal guidance from the King of Qin."

"Equal emphasis on civil and military affairs, two peaks standing side by side..." The elegant scholar looked up at the sky, letting a few snowflakes fall on his eyebrows, and his words were filled with emotion that could not be concealed. "Half a year ago, the Qin King's foundation in the Liang Dynasty was still shallow, and both the government and the people thought it would be difficult to last. Who would have thought that in such a short period of time, he could create such an impeccable situation? Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty only five years ago, and now it seems that the Xiao family will replace the Liang Dynasty in the near future."

When the resident official heard this, his face changed slightly, his head lowered even lower, and he remained silent, not daring to respond.

But the scholar seemed to be completely unaware, looking in the direction of Tiance Mansion and Military Academy, and continued: "Now in this Bianjing layout, the Qin Palace is majestically located in the center, with the Imperial College on the left, capturing all the literary hearts of the world; the Military Academy on the right, gathering the martial arts spirits of the four directions; the Tiance Mansion in front is like the military and political center of the Liang Dynasty, and even integrates the lifelines of millions of people in Hebei, Henan, Guanzhong, Qidi, and Shuzhong. The Qin King has been regent for only half a year, but he has already grasped the military, people's livelihood, economy, and talents of such a vast territory. Before, there were people in Taiyuan City who wanted to take advantage of the unstable foundation to join forces with the south to attack? Isn't it just a foolish dream and a dead end!"

"After all, the King of Qin... is the one that the people of Central Plains look up to." The tall middle-aged man with a white face and no beard saw that the topic had touched upon the sensitive issue of the factional struggle in Taiyuan, and that they were in the enemy's capital, so he had to frown and take a step forward, admonishing in a low voice, "Lord Xue, please understand that this is Bianjing after all. Even though there is no one around, we are entrusted by the King of Jin and are on a diplomatic mission abroad. We must be extremely cautious in our words and actions."

The elegant and handsome scholar, Li Cunli, hummed lightly upon hearing this, his expression unchanged, as if he wanted to suggest going deeper into this quiet academy to find out what was going on. At this moment, an official who stayed at the posthouse came running breathlessly on the thick snow. When he got close, he bowed and reported urgently: "Report to Lord Xue! The King of Qin... His Royal Highness the King of Qin is free now, and he will summon the envoys immediately!"

Anyone can enter and leave the Imperial College, but the Tiance Mansion, just two streets away, is a completely different world. A solemn and murderous atmosphere hits you in the face.

Li Cunli and his entourage got back on the car, drove through the snowy streets, and headed for the heavily guarded cardinal site. As soon as they arrived at the gate of the government office, they were stopped by fully armed soldiers. Under the cold order, all members of the delegation, regardless of their status, had to undergo body searches one by one. Blades, iron tools, and even slightly sharp objects were all subject to strict inspection.

While this particularly strict inspection was still going on, a man suddenly walked out of the palace gate. The man was dressed in a crimson official robe. He was Zhang Wenwei, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of the Liang Dynasty and the military advisor of the Tiance Palace. He ignored the ordinary attendants who were still being interrogated. He waited quietly for the search process to end with a sharp gaze, then stepped forward and greeted Li Cunli and others in accordance with etiquette, with an attitude that was neither calm nor indifferent.

However, when his eyes swept over the tall middle-aged attendant with a white face and no beard behind Li Cunli, his expression suddenly changed. His previous reserve was instantly replaced by an indescribable excitement. He actually bypassed Li Cunli, walked straight to the man, and bowed deeply.

"I never thought that this time, the envoy would be accompanied by Envoy Zhang. This is a pleasant surprise! Envoy... do you know me, Zhang Wenwei?"

As soon as these words came out, the members of the Jin State delegation, including several senior officials, who were standing solemnly beside them, were all startled, and then looked at each other, some in surprise, some in confusion, some in understanding, and so on. Li Cunli, however, remained calm, standing aside with his sleeves gathered, his eyes slightly narrowed, quietly observing this sudden change.

The tall middle-aged man called "Zhang Junshi" was obviously a little confused. He paused almost imperceptibly, and a moment of confusion and complexity flashed across his face, and then turned into a bitter smile. He took a deep breath, met Zhang Wenwei's burning gaze, and solemnly bowed in return, his voice low and full of the vicissitudes of life:
"Mr. Zhang, you are too kind. How dare Chengye not recognize me? It's just... it seems like a lifetime ago since we last met. I didn't expect that when we meet again today, it would be like this."

This person is Zhang Chengye, the military supervisor of Hedong. However, his sturdy and strong body, which is enough to attract the attention of fierce generals, forms a huge contrast with his identity as a eunuch. Since the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Chengye has participated in military affairs as a eunuch and has made many achievements. During the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty, he was often sent as an envoy to Weibei and was deeply trusted, so he was appointed as the military supervisor of Li Keyong in Hedong by the Tang court.

Sixteen years ago, Chang'an collapsed, and Emperor Zhaozong of Tang fled to Taiyuan in a hurry. It was Zhang Chengye who was urgently appointed as the military supervisor of Hedong, shouldering the important task of meeting the emperor, thanks to his personal relationship with Li Keyong. Although things did not go as planned, the emperor failed to go, but Zhang Chengye stayed in Taiyuan. After Zhu Wen usurped the Tang Dynasty, Li Keyong followed the Tang Dynasty to resist Liang and reappointed Zhang Chengye as the military supervisor of Hedong. From then on, Zhang Chengye was extremely loyal to Li Keyong and his son. However, even so, he always refused all the official positions and titles of the Jin State given by Li Keyong, and only regarded himself as the "Military Supervisor of Hedong of the Tang Dynasty", as if the long-collapsed empire was still an eternal beacon in his heart.

Zhang Wenwei, a Jinshi in the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, had long heard of this man who upheld the reputation of the Tang Dynasty and acted as a general as a eunuch. When he suddenly heard that Zhang Chengye had secretly come to Bianjing with the delegation, he could not help but go out to greet him in person. Although the two were not old friends and may have only met a few times, at this moment in front of the Tiance Mansion, which symbolized the peak of power in the Liang Dynasty, one represented the glory and persistence of the old Tang Dynasty, and the other was in the center of the new dynasty but could not hide his memories of his homeland. When they looked at each other, they had thousands of words in their hearts.

As for Zhang Wenwei, Zhang Chengye had no reason to blame him. If Zhang Wenwei had not tried his best to mediate the White Horse Post disaster, more people might have died. Even if such people had to surrender to the Liang Dynasty, they could not be said to be disloyal to the Tang Dynasty.

However, with the land of Daliang beneath their feet and their respective missions behind them, no matter how many emotions they had, in the end they could only turn into a few restrained greetings and a heavy sigh, drowned in the cold gazes of the soldiers at the gate and the cold wind of Bianjing at the end of the year.

Zhang Chengye remained silent. The envoys filed into the hall of Tiance Mansion under strict supervision. In the end, only Li Cunli, Zhang Chengye and a few core members were led to the center of the hall by Zhang Wenwei.

The scene in the hall was breathtaking. On the left and right sides, important civil and military officials knelt in groups, their official robes in purple, blue and green were clearly layered, just like a court ceremony. Countless eyes, like substance, silently gathered on the Jin envoy who stepped into this place, and the air was so heavy that it was almost dripping with water. On the main seat, a heroic young man in simple scarlet clothes sat upright. As soon as Li Cunli and Zhang Chengye entered the hall, they bowed at the same time and paid their respects before they could take a closer look at his face.

"On the orders of Li Cunxu, the King of Jin of the Tang Dynasty and the governor of Hedong, the foreign ministers Li Cunli and Zhang Chengye, together with the Jin State envoys, pay a visit to His Royal Highness the King of Qin of Daliang." Xiao Yan did not respond immediately. He first looked at Li Cunli with a subtle scrutiny, and then thought about the fact that this person was the one who took the initiative to invite Jin State to seek peace, which aroused his interest. He tapped his knuckles twice on the smooth rosewood armrests, and then he slowly spoke, his voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard throughout the silent hall: "No need to be polite."

Li Cunli straightened up in response, his eyes instantly swept across Xiao Yan's face, capturing his subtle expression. Then, he bowed again without being humble or arrogant, and said loudly:

"Your Highness, when I left Jin, the King of Jin heard that His Royal Highness Princess was pregnant. He ordered me to bring ten carts of pearls and jade as a gift to express his congratulations. The King of Jin wants to use this auspicious omen to form an eternal brotherhood with Your Highness. From now on, we will put away our weapons, let our horses go to the mountains, and live in peace and prosperity together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan just narrowed his eyes and said nothing. On the left side of the hall, an official in his thirties with a gaunt face suddenly stood up. It was Li Ting, the Deputy Privy Envoy of Daliang and the Attendant of the Tiance Palace. With a hint of a cold smile on his lips, he just coldly rebuked: "I don't understand what your Excellency said. Where does the word 'brother' come from?"

He glanced at Li Cunli with an undisguised sharpness: "Your Highness the Prince of Qin is blessed by heaven and has a son. God has mercy on life, so he allowed your delegation to come to the capital to negotiate peace. I thought you should know the current situation and submit to the orthodoxy of the Central Plains as a vassal. Unexpectedly, the Prince of Jin, who owns a small corner of Hedong, dares to say that he is on an equal footing with Daliang and is a brother? If such arrogant words were heard by the soldiers of the three armies, wouldn't it put Your Highness the Prince of Qin in an embarrassing position? Haven't you heard that if the master humiliates the minister, the minister will die, and the minister must die to avenge the master!?"

Facing this aggressive questioning, Li Cunli's expression did not change at all, as if it was just a breeze blowing towards him. He turned around calmly and bowed to Li Ting, his posture still calm:
"Excuse my poor eyesight, but may I ask who you are…"

"Li Gongdu of Dunhuang!" Li Ting raised his head and called out the name loudly with awe-inspiring aura.

"It turns out to be Li Shumi in person. I have heard of you for a long time." Li Cunli nodded slightly, obviously having done his homework. He raised his head, looked straight at Li Ting with a clear gaze, and spoke in a low voice, but every word was clear, with a sound like metal and stone:

"What the Privy Council said, 'If the master is humiliated, the minister will die', is truly true. This principle applies to His Highness the Prince of Qin, and it also applies to me, the Prince of Jin."

He paused for a moment, looked around at the officials of Liang State in the hall, and said in a deep voice: "In the past, the Zhu family usurped the throne, claimed the throne, and did evil things. My former king of Jin State, as a member of the Tang royal family, upheld justice and used the lonely and loyal land of Hedong to command the world to fight against Zhu Liang. He has been determined for 30 years, and this heart is known to the sun and the moon! Today, my lord has just been established, and he sent an envoy to negotiate peace. It is not because he is timid, but because he respects His Royal Highness the King of Qin as a hero of the time and cares about the welfare of the people. That is why he has made such a sincere move."

He changed the subject and looked at Li Ting sharply: "However, as soon as Privy Councilor Li opened his mouth, he forced our lord to follow the etiquette of a vassal and regard Jin as a vassal state. Doesn't he know that although our lord controls Hedong, it is the place where the people support the legitimate Tang Dynasty? Doesn't he know that the military and civilians in Hedong are united and can keep millions of troops out of the country? Could it be that Privy Councilor Li is trying to take advantage of this auspicious time to restart the war between the two countries and put the people in dire straits?"

Li Ting stood with his hands behind his back, staring at Li Cunli, and suddenly let out a long, clear laugh. He walked forward slowly, with a colder light in his eyes.

"What a legitimate Tang dynasty!" He suddenly pointed his spear at the sky outside the palace, his voice like a bell, "Since the fourth year of Tianyou, the Tang Dynasty has ended. Our Daliang Emperor Taishang has received the throne in Luoyang. This is the will of heaven! In the past, when King Wu defeated King Zhou, Weizi returned Zhou with sacrificial vessels. This was in accordance with heaven and people; Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Guangwu revived it and claimed to have rebuilt Yan and Liu! Now that the Jin envoy has mentioned the legitimate dynasty, I would like to ask if Li Cunxu has seen the blood edict of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty? Has he ever held the imperial seal? He is just occupying Hedong and harboring ulterior motives, using the remnant Tang Dynasty to control the princes!"

Li Cunli was about to interrupt: "Heaven's will..."

Li Ting sneered again: "Since the Jin envoy has spoken of the will of heaven, let's see how today's heroes can accept the blessing of heaven——"

He turned to look at the main seat, bowed, and then raised his head to answer: "When my Highness the Prince of Qin was still young, he led 800 cavalrymen to cross Hebei, marched 700 miles in two days, and killed the two sons of the governor of Youzhou in front of the battle. All the towns in Hebei surrendered immediately after seeing the flag. Is this bravery comparable to Huo Qubing's conquest of the Wolf's Lair?"

"After Hebei was pacified, war broke out in Mobei again. Your Highness personally led the light cavalry to attack the Mobei king's tent for thousands of miles, beheaded the Khan and hung his head on a long pole. All the hundreds of Hu tribes on the grassland came to the court and asked to be his subjects. At that time, the Hu children cried at night and dared not to herd horses. Can such military feats be compared with the Han Emperor Wu's plowing the courtyard and sweeping the caves?"

At this point, the man suddenly turned around and pointed at Li Cunli, his eyes flashing like arrows: "As for the battle of Gaoliang River..." He sneered, "Your Excellency, you know that Li Cunxu personally led 50,000 troops to invade Youzhou at that time. Your Highness personally charged into the battle, beheaded more than 30,000 people, and the river water turned red. Although I have not experienced this battle, I still heard that among the defeated army, there was an old Shatuo general crying, 'This kid is really a god!' May I ask the Jin envoy, did your father have such power to defeat the enemy in front of the battle?"

Even though Li Cunli had done his homework, he never expected this fellow to be so eloquent. His Adam's apple kept rolling, but his face remained solemn. When he raised his eyes, he forced a smile and was about to refute: "When my predecessor was riding a horse, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin was still in my belly..."

But he paused before he finished speaking, and suddenly realized that he had said something wrong. He swallowed the second half of the sentence "How can we defeat the enemy in front of the battlefield?", but his tone suddenly turned calm: "Your Highness is brave and valiant, and I naturally admire you. But our Jin army..." When he said the word "Jin army", he had to take a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, "It is like a strong bamboo in the snow, which has not been broken even after frost and snow!"

"Ridiculous!" Li Ting seemed to hear a huge joke, "Why do you have to deceive yourself? Since Your Highness became regent, you have gone west from Chang'an for ten days and pacified Li Maozhen, the King of Qi, and went south to Hanzhong for three months and defeated Wang Jian of Shu. Now the financial resources of the two Sichuans and the elite troops of Qin and Long have all gone into the treasury of Bianjing. How can such a momentum sweeping across the world be compared with those who occupy a state and steal the title by relying on the influence of their ancestors?"

He suddenly approached Li Cunli and said, "If the Jin envoy really cares about the people's livelihood, he should persuade Li Cunxu to take off his armor as soon as possible and go to the gate of Bianjing to fight. Otherwise..." He raised his hand and pointed outside the palace, "Your Highness's Dingbadu and Guide troops have followed you to conquer Mobei and Bashu. Now they are trying their swords in the frost and snow of Hedong. I am afraid that the fertile fields you saw when you came here will become a land of withered white grass one day!"

As soon as this person finished speaking, countless eyes from both sides of the hall suddenly turned to him. No matter how eloquent Li Cunli was, and no matter how embarrassed he knew that this would be, his Adam's apple just rubbed against his neck a few times like a trapped beast, and the last trace of blood drained from his lips.

Zhang Chengye suddenly stepped forward from the side and back, brushed his wide sleeves across the jade floor tiles, bowed and said earnestly: "The King of Qin is a hero of the time, and the foreign ministers come here with sincerity. Why does Your Highness have to force him with sharp words?"

Xiao Yan tapped the red sandalwood armrest with his fingertips and laughed, glancing at Li Ting who had a stern expression: "Gongdu, please step back."

Li Ting was obviously not satisfied, but he just bowed and respectfully retreated to his original position and knelt down. Xiao Yan turned to look at Li Cunli, his eyes still full of interest: "What did your envoy just say about the 'brotherly alliance'?"

Li Cunli's knuckles were white from pinching, but he still managed to straighten his back. As he bent over, he heard his own voice so soft that it was almost silent: "It was the foreign minister who made the mistake."

Xiao Yan tapped the armrest with his fingertips, his eyes casting a sharp light: "Since you know the severity of the situation——"

He suddenly raised his eyebrows, "This matter can be discussed."

(End of this chapter)