The Great Tang General

Li Bai, who was addicted to alcohol, was still indulged in alcohol at the age of sixty.

His health was not as good as before, and after coming to Nanjing, he could not even travel long distances.

This time he went out of the city with the people to welcome Li Xuan, and it took him a lot of effort.

He was not welcoming the emperor, but a friend he hadn't seen for a long time...

Surrounded by officials, Li Xuan and Li Bai entered Jinling City together.

I did not go to the Jinling County Government Office, but to Li Bai's small courtyard.

There are a few small houses, a pear tree, and a few unopened hibiscus flowers in the corner.

"In the blink of an eye, Taibai has reached the age of sixty, and I am also approaching forty. How is Taibai's health these days?"

In the simple courtyard, Li Xuan and Li Bai sat opposite each other under a pear tree with spring buds.

He had noticed that Li Bai's pace had slowed down and he was not as vigorous as before.

"You can drink a cup of wine every day, but your alcohol tolerance should be reduced and you should not get drunk."

Li Bai answered optimistically.

In this era, a peerless genius and an emperor are not a good match.

The young man who amazed the world grew up to be a great poet.

If one day he leaves this world, he only hopes that his poems can be passed down.

"Wine is a good thing, but too much is harmful to the body, so you still have to control yourself!"

Li Xuan knew that it was useless to persuade Li Bai, but he still tried to persuade him.

He can control his drinking, but without wine, is Li Bai still Li Bai?
Historically, there are three legends about Li Bai's death.

Each one is related to wine.

The most bizarre folk legend is that when Li Bai was drinking in a boat, he saw the moon shining into the water, which was so beautiful that he jumped into the river to catch the moon and drowned after getting drunk.

"My friends all advised me that when He Jian turned 80, he would still trade gold turtles for wine. When life is good, you should enjoy it to the fullest, and don't let the golden cup face the moon in vain."

Li Bai used He Zhizhang's allusion and adapted his own poem to respond to Li Xuan.

But he couldn't live without alcohol. For a wine lover, drinking himself to death is the same as being drunk forever.

Li Xuan smiled and asked Wei Yingwu to bring up some good wine.

The jade liquid from the palace smells fragrant.

This was the first time Li Xuan and Li Bai drank together.

Just taste it and stop!

Li Xuan and Li Bai initially discussed stories and poems together.

There are many anecdotes about Li Bai's travels through the famous mountains and rivers of the motherland.

He also talked to Li Xuan about the personalities of great poets such as Meng Haoran, Wang Changling, and Du Fu.

Li Bai once teased Wang Changling's appearance and Du Fu, "May I ask why you have become so thin since we last met? It must be because you suffered a lot from writing poems in the past."

Now that Meng Haoran is gone, they are all getting old and are too far apart to see each other.

Li Bai is not the same as before, now all that is left is remembrance.

"Taibai, what do you think of me as an emperor?"

After some reminiscence, Li Xuan asked Li Bai with a smile.

"More than the ancient kings..."

Li Bai simply answered Li Xuan.

During the Tianbao period, when Li Bai first entered the Xingqing Palace, Li Longji asked Li Bai: "How does my dynasty compare to that of the Empress Dowager?"

"The Queen's government is run by many hands, and the country is ruled by treacherous people. The way she appoints people is like a child buying melons, not choosing the fragrant ones, but only the fat ones. In our dynasty, appointing people is like panning for gold in the sand, splitting stones to mine jade, and everyone gets the essence."

Li Bai answered Li Longji with this.

Li Longji laughed and said, "The scholar embellished too much."

When Li Bai was young, in order to seek an official position, he said many things he didn't want to say and wrote many poems he didn't want to write.

But when facing Li Xuan, Li Bai spoke the truth.

A sentence similar to that of an ancient king is the highest evaluation of Li Xuan.

Since ancient times, there has never been a king like Li Xuan.

Li Bai read every issue of "The Tang Monthly". The articles and ideas about Li Xuan in it had never appeared before in ancient and modern times.

It may infringe upon the interests of aristocrats and scholars, and may not conform to ancient rules and etiquette, but it always implements the Confucian "benevolence".

Cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country and bring peace to the world.

No one has done it before, but now Li Xuan has done it.

It can be seen that Li Xuan took the idea of ​​"family rule" lightly.

He did not simply break the old rules, but used strong tactics to win over the army and the people's hearts, and then struck back with heavy blows.

Most of the generals under Li Xuan came from the military.

Reform the military and use its own system to implement its will.

Hence the current situation.

"The world is complex and full of shortcomings. Although the ancient kings had their flaws, they still had many strengths. I have always believed that if I worked diligently and wholeheartedly for the people, the people would be forever prosperous. I thought that by enforcing the law and punishing the people, official corruption could be curbed. However, during this southern tour, a shocking situation occurred. People are not satisfied with their suffering and are always looking for more."

Li Xuan was a man of foresight and after twenty years of ups and downs, he was tempered into an emperor.

His greatest strength compared to ancient kings is that he is as fair as possible.

He could accept the outcome that Li was incompetent and was overthrown.

Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.

He hopes that "Tang" can become a "word" that future generations will truly praise.

Rather than being compared with other feudal dynasties.

Li Xuan has never advocated the saying that mistakes may be made in the present, but achievements may be made in the future.

How much cruelty can be washed away by this sentence?

How can future generations enjoy the blessings while letting the previous generations suffer?

Therefore, while benefiting future generations, Li Xuan is also committed to the development of contemporary people.

Even though we know that liberating industry and commerce, too-rapid development will give rise to the desires of the people.

But as long as the Tang Dynasty is the only powerful country in the world, one day it will be able to integrate global resources in the tide of the times and establish a behemoth based on the Chinese nation.

That is the victory of "Tang"!

"I have also heard about the incident in Huaiyin County. There have always been people who are blinded by greed since ancient times. A few bugs on a big tree are not enough to shake the tree. Everyone in the world knows that the Supreme has spared no effort to patrol the south to deter evildoers. If this continues, those demons and monsters will show up sooner or later."

Li Bai said slowly to Li Xuan.

He has also read "Journey to the West" and found it very interesting and was looking forward to it.

In today's "Journey to the West", many metaphors are about corrupt officials in the country. Li Xuan implies that they are "ghosts and monsters" and "demons and monsters".

One of the biggest reasons why "Journey to the West" has become so widely circulated is that it was written by Li Xuan.

Now "Journey to the West" has spawned a group of fanatics who come to the Pure Land Temple in Luoyang and the Hongfu Temple in Chang'an, the temples where Tang Xuanzang stayed.

Some even started their own "Journey to the West", leaving Chang'an and reaching the Western Regions.

There are at least hundreds of "Huaguo Mountains" and "Wuzhi Mountains" in counties and prefectures all over the world.

Officials from all over the country wrote to the court to report the discovery of the "Water Curtain Cave".

This is the influence of culture.

More failed writers began to try to make a living by writing novels, and different forms of novels emerged.

A novel with tight logic, which is popular in the local area.

"I also hope that officials will restrain their desires and work for the people. They represent the will of the people, are respected, and have generous salaries. Why should they be dissatisfied?"

Li Xuan spoke.

In fact, he has decided to carry out the discipline rectification work continuously.

He began to reform the Censorate and expand the supervisory agency.

There were too few officials in the Censorate, and even if Li Xuan expanded the number of censors to thirty, it was still far from enough.

Li Xuan will set up thirty supervisory departments after he returns.

That is, supervise the first department, supervise the second department, supervise the third department... and so on.

The head of each department was the Censor-in-Chief.

The current Censor-in-Chief has undergone two changes and is now a fifth-rank official.

The Supervisory Department had thirteen officials from the sixth to the ninth rank, and more than thirty non-officials.

From now on, not only the Censors would inspect local areas, but even their subordinate officials would be able to inspect counties in accordance with the court's orders and represent the "Son of Heaven".

In addition, every province has an inspection department.

Further inspection of the local area was carried out on behalf of the Governor.

We need to make officials fear the criminal law so that they will be self-disciplined and serve the public. We cannot rely on self-consciousness alone.

"The Supreme Master once said that the Imperial Academy is where prime ministers come from. But I can't grasp it. I often wonder, how can a person become famous by poetry? He must also rule the world and leave his name in history."

When discussing current affairs, Li Bai sighed.

Even when Li Bai was old, he still wanted to "restore order and govern the world."

Historically, it was also in the last years of his life that he became the aide of Prince Yong, wrote "Song of Prince Yong's Eastern Tour" for Prince Yong, and expressed his ambitions.

Just like what Du Fu wrote in history: "Fame is not achieved by writing articles; an official should retire when he is old and sick."

This is the voice of all poets of this era.

The Immortal Poet is also a human being, and he has the same lofty ambitions as the ancients, which have always existed.

Once upon a time, Li Bai also thought that after Li Xuan ascended the throne, he used Gao Shi, Cen Shen, Wang Wei, Wang Changling and Du Fu, so why didn't he use him?

It was not until the appearance of the "Palace of Wisdom" that Li Bai realized that his talent in governing the world was just his wishful thinking.

The reason why Li Xuan is Li Xuan.

Because Li Xuan would never directly promote someone to the sky.

When commanding the army, Li Xuan promoted his generals based on their merits, one level at a time.

Officials such as Du Fu, Gao Shi, Cen Shen, and Wang Changling all rose to their positions step by step.

Li Xuan's most trusted aide, Li Mi, had made great contributions to Li Xuan, but because he had always been a commoner, Li Xuan was not directly promoted to prime minister.

Instead, he first served as the military commander of the Tian Ce Palace, then as the prefect of Fan Yang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and now as the Minister of War.

Now let’s lay the foundation for entering the phase.

Li Bai's goal was to become prime minister. Even if Li Xuan had a good relationship with Li Bai, it was impossible for him to "reach the top overnight."

"Taibai has already gone down in history. Today's prime ministers don't even have two days off a month, and they dare not drink for fear of interrupting their work. How can they be as carefree as Taibai? I guess future generations will definitely call you the Immortal Poet..."

Li Xuan said humorously.

Li Bai is much more famous than the prime minister. In later generations, Li Bai is known to everyone, young and old.

Perhaps the only prime minister who is truly known to everyone is Zhuge Liang.

In fact, Li Bai still misunderstood the "Palace of Wisdom", thinking that it was just a place to teach knowledge, a place responsible for compiling and translating books.

You know, the Chief Academician of the Palace of Wisdom is an official of the "first rank", which is second only to the prime minister.

The real Palace of Wisdom is the place where Li Xuan allowed the Tang people to "transform their thinking", break out of the cycle, and make the Chinese nation spiral upward.

Whoever is the first chief priest of the Palace of Wisdom, as long as he manages the Palace of Wisdom well, he will definitely make a significant contribution to history.

However, Li Bai was too concerned about "saving the world and pacifying the people" and did not choose to serve as the chief priest of the Palace of Wisdom.

"The Immortal Poet... The Immortal Poet..."

Li Xuan's words made Li Bai feel relieved.

The past cannot be brought back, just like the fine wine of today, drink while you can.

It could be that the wine was intoxicating, or it could be that Li Bai's alcohol tolerance had decreased.

After drinking for less than an hour and a half, Li Bai was already slightly tipsy.

Seeing Li Bai singing and composing poetry while drunk, Li Xuan stopped drinking and just talked quietly with Li Bai, talking about the past and present.

The person Li Bai admired most was Xie An.

The poet Li Bai admired most was Xie Tiao.

Li Bai wanted to live in seclusion in the countryside like Tao Yuanming.

Li Bai also yearned for the Taoist philosophy of inaction.

Li Bai has the style of a light-hearted knight, and the spirit of a chivalrous man who "will leave when the task is done, hiding his body and name."

In Li Bai's dream, he could reach for the moon in the sky and catch turtles in the oceans.

He is the reincarnation of Taibai Star, drunk in the human world, and a banished immortal.

He is complex and changeable, naive and serious...

The sun and the moon rise together, and the stars shine brightly. This is Li Bai's realm.

"Supreme Lord, I offer you a sword dance..."

As Li Bai spoke, he drew his sword and danced with it for Li Xuan, just like when he was young.

He wandered around all his life, and his sword had never killed anyone as rumored, but that was all.

At that time, the setting sun illuminated the courtyard.

"It's not good to be too white, your health is more important..."

Li Xuan quickly stood up to stop Li Bai.

In this era, dancing for men was normal etiquette, and even Li Shimin would dance at banquets.

There were also many generals who danced for Li Xuan.

He also wanted to see the sword "learned from Pei Min", but Li Bai was already old.

"I am Li Bai."

Li Bai did not "obey the order" but did his own thing, picking up his sword and dancing in the courtyard.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the white-haired Li Bai stood in the courtyard. Although his body was slightly hunched, his eyes still sparkled with unextinguished ambition.

He slowly swung his sword, and the blade shone coldly in the setting sun.

When he started, his movements were not as swift as when he was young, but each move was full of the calmness and strength accumulated over the years, as if he was telling the world about his unfulfilled ambitions. The wind of his sword fluttered, as if he wanted to break through the shackles of old age and compete with the sun and the moon for glory...

"The sword, that's all."

After Li Bai put away his sword, he looked at the sword and muttered something.

It seems that what I once pursued was let down by myself.

He cannot see through history, and can only feel regret and helplessness.

He had a rough life and longed to make great achievements in his official career, but his wishes were not fulfilled. The twists and turns of fate did not smooth out his edges, and his poems became more brilliant.

After this dance, Li Bai fell drunk.

His wife Zong and son Li Boqin helped Li Bai back to the courtyard to rest.

Li Xuan thought Li Bai was just drunk, but the next day, when Li Xuan was in the county government office, he received news that Li Bai was seriously ill and unable to get up from bed.

This made Li Xuan very worried. He ran to Li Bai's courtyard to visit him before even washing up.

He was fine yesterday, how come he became seriously ill after getting drunk?

That year, Wang Changling went to visit Meng Haoran. Meng Haoran was in high spirits, so he drank a few more glasses of wine and ate some river fish. His old illness relapsed and he died.

Li Xuan doesn't want this kind of tragedy to happen again.

After arriving at Li Bai's yard, Li Xuan saw Li Bai lying on the bed, his face pale and his lips blue.

Li Xuan quickly summoned the imperial physician to check Li Bai's condition.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Taibai's pulse is weak and there is a serious illness in his chest, which seems to be lung abscess! He has not been treated for a long time and has been drinking recklessly. I am afraid... I am afraid it will be difficult to recover."

The imperial physician replied to Li Xuan, shaking his head slightly.

The imperial physician's name was Li Hesheng, and he also taught at Jishengtang. He was one of the best imperial physicians at the time.

"Li Taibai is my friend. I must do my best to save him."

Li Xuan was stunned, but he did not make things difficult for Li Hesheng. He just entrusted Li Bai to him.

Medicine cannot cure fatal diseases. Things like the imperial doctors being executed for failing to cure diseases in movies and TV dramas, or people being furious at the imperial doctors, will not happen in Li Xuan's story.

He values ​​friendship, but he also respects doctors.

Too many diseases that were not fatal in later generations were terminal illnesses in this era, so Jishengtang came into being.

"I will do my best!"

Li Hesheng bowed.

Without having to face pressure from the emperor, the imperial physicians could treat patients and save lives more calmly.

After acupuncture and medical treatment, Li Bai finally woke up on the afternoon of the third day.

He was deeply moved when he learned from Zong that the Supreme visited him every day.

He wanted to drink, but Zong refused to give Li Bai any more wine.

Li Bai felt uncomfortable all over.

He knew that he had not much time left and was not afraid of death.

But Li Bai also has concerns!

What about his wife? What about his son Li Boqin, who was only in his twenties?
He thought of his daughter Li Pingyang again. He was always traveling and failed to fulfill his fatherly love, but his daughter died shortly after she got married.

This is one of the few things Li Bai regrets.

Finally, Li Bai asked Li Boqin to prepare the manuscripts he had compiled in Jinling in the past two years.

He wanted to give all his poems to Li Xuan who would come to visit him next time...

(End of this chapter)