The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 484 Competition
April of the ninth year of Qianqing was the best time for the scenery in Guanzhong.

The emperor invited many ministers in the court to enjoy the scenery by the Wei River, and the empress and Concubine Ning also invited the wives of many ministers.

The queen and a group of female relatives sat on a high slope, from where they could see the children playing.

Little Yu Tu rode his horse on the pasture, drew his bow and shot an arrow, which hit the target.

Then another child rode his horse into the pasture, drew his bow and shot an arrow, which hit the center of the target more accurately than the prince's.

The children watching cheered again.

The thirteen-year-old Yu Tu pulled the reins, and seeing that his opponent had surpassed him in archery, he shouted, "Tell me your name!"

"Chongwenguan student, Wang Xiaojie!"

Yu Tu's eyes lit up with a desire to challenge, and he said loudly, "Too many students in Chongwen Hall have such a person!"

Wang Xiaojie clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Yu Tu asked in a clear voice: "Would you like to serve under the command of the Army Guard?"

Wang Xiaojie also responded loudly: "I just want to study, and I just came here to compete with Your Highness in archery as agreed."

The two children are about the same age, and Yu Tu has a higher appreciation for the child of the same age.

Queen Su looked at this scene and whispered, "When these children get together, they tend to make trouble."

Madam Liang said, "Queen, the children need something more lively."

"Master's wife is right."

Hearing the Queen calling her Master's Wife, Madam Liang laughed and said, "How can I be worthy of the Queen calling me Master's Wife?"

Su Wan held the hand of the teacher's wife and said, "Mr. Liang is your majesty's teacher, so Madam is of course the teacher's wife."

Mrs. Liang covered her mouth and laughed.

The other women nearby all knew that Lady Liang was not someone to be trifled with. Even though she was so kind in front of the Queen, the neighbors all knew that Fang Xuanling's wife was the most ferocious.

Xiao Que'er came with a little girl. The little girl seemed to have just learned to walk and was walking with great difficulty.

Su Wan asked, "Whose girl is this?"

The girl looked at the princess holding her hand, then looked at the elegant queen in front of her, and saluted awkwardly, "My daughter Shangguan Wan'er."

Mrs. Liang explained: "She is Shangguan Yi's granddaughter."

Su Wan looked at the little girl curiously and said, "She is a very smart girl."

Xiao Que'er took Shangguan Wan'er away again. The two girls seemed to get along very well.

In the back, His Majesty and a group of ministers were taking a walk.

When Your Majesty was still the crown prince, you were always alone.

Now that Your Majesty has so many ministers around him, he is no longer alone as he was in the past.

Li Chengqian said: "Teacher, according to the development in the next ten years, money will continue to flow to the Grand Canal and Guanzhong."

The elderly Fang Xuanling leaned on his cane and said, "This is good. With the money centralized, it will be easier for the court to collect taxes."

There was someone pushing a wheelchair nearby, and when Mr. Liang got tired of walking, he could sit in the wheelchair and be pushed around.

Compared to the elderly Duke Liang, your Majesty's uncle, the Duke of Zhao, although his hair and beard are mostly white, is obviously in better health. Even with his hair and beard turning white, he still maintains his demeanor, and has the style of a handsome old man.

There were indeed many difficulties in repairing the canal, but fortunately it took tens of thousands of manpower, more than 100,000 strings of cash, and two years to finally build the canal for water transport.

The current canal can be used smoothly, which can be regarded as a completion of the fortifications left by Yang Guang.

I wonder if Yang Guang thought about the current situation when he dug this canal.

The canal benefited the provinces along the coast, but when the Ministry of Works really began to take over the repair of the canal, it once wanted to scold Yang Guang.

Because Yang Guang collapsed several plains when he was digging the canal, most of the manpower in the second half of the project during the Qianqing period was spent on clearing silt.

The original plan for a maximum of 50,000 people was suddenly expanded to nearly 100,000, and the cost to the court increased dramatically.

Large-scale infrastructure construction is really not something that humans can do, and building a canal is also really not something that humans can do. The government wants to recover the cost of repairs, but it is unknown how many years it will take to get the money back.

Maybe in the process of recovering the investment, something may happen again, and repairs will have to continue, which will increase the cost.

Repairing the canal is not something that can be done overnight. It requires patchwork along the way, and plans can never keep up with changes. The Literary Museum once dispatched thousands of people, and they are still inspecting the geological conditions along the canal.

Fortunately, it can now run smoothly. Now that this transportation line has been built, the court must be prepared to repair it at any time in the future.

Li Chengqian added: "I heard about the wars in the surrounding countries. I let Nanzhao go. I sent an imperial decree to Xiaoboluo and Tubo, and they finally stopped fighting."

Xu Jingzong said: "Duke Zhao, your majesty has been worrying about the affairs of various countries for a long time recently."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "It's not that it's a bother. I hope the world will be peaceful and not full of fighting all the time."

Xu Jingzong said quickly: "I think so too. If the world is peaceful, Your Majesty won't have to worry so much."

Chu Suiliang, who was following beside him, turned pale and thought to himself that he really wanted to tear Xu Jingzong's mouth apart.

Shangguan Yi cleared his throat and was very dissatisfied with Xu Jingzong's words.

However, Xu Jingzong was still a very loyal person. If His Majesty asked him to go to the Western Regions to plant trees, he might really go.

After a brief silence, Changsun Wuji said, "I heard that the Tibetan troops that attacked the Little Bolor Kingdom were led by Rulaijie."

"I have seen this man's name in Wang Xuance's military reports and those of Congling. I heard that he was very old. I didn't expect that he is still alive today."

Zhang Sun Wuji continued, "Songtsen Gampo often says that he is the king of Tubo, but now he cannot control Tubo in Chang'an. Even Sambhota in Tubo cannot compete with Rulaijie in power. Rulaijie has won two great victories in Tianzhu and Pamirs, and he is very prestigious in the Tubo army."

"Your Majesty." Changsun Wuji continued, "Ru Laijie rashly launched a war against Xiaobolü earlier, but Your Majesty ordered him to stop the war with one decree. He is still very loyal."

Li Chengqian chewed almonds in his mouth, "My uncle is right. Rulaijie is using his military power to show his power to me that he can command Tubo. I should give up Songtsen cadres and let him support a new Tubo Zanpu."

"This man is a Tibetan wise man and also a Tibetan minister. This old man is very cunning and calculating. He is a very difficult person. I think he is not easy to deal with."

Chang Sun Wuji whispered: "Why not send someone to assassinate him?"

"Is it really possible?"

Fang Xuanling said: "Your Majesty, I think the assassination was too clumsy."

Li Chengqian asked: "What do you think, teacher?"

After thinking for a moment, Fang Xuanling whispered: "Ru Laijie holds military power in Tubo. He is a minister of Tubo and has military power. Such a person is too threatening."

Morally speaking, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo were brothers. It was not good and not very kind for the Tang Dynasty, as a superior country, to plot against them in this way.

However, his war with Xiaobolü also fully demonstrated how powerful a civil official could be once he gained control of the military.

He didn't even have to look at Songtsen Gampo's expression.

In other words, there were big problems within Tubo and the power was still unbalanced.

Zhang Sun Wuji put his hands behind his back and stopped walking. "Your Majesty, is Lu Dongzan's son still in Chang'an City?"

Li Chengqian peeled an almond and said casually: "He is still sweeping the streets in Chang'an. What crime did he commit back then?" Xu Jingzong replied: "Civil strife in Tubo."

Li Chengqian nodded again, "Qin Ling was able to start a civil war in Tubo, so he still has prestige in Tubo. Maybe as long as he returns to Tubo, he can restrict Ru Laijie and divide the power."

Before his uncle and teacher could speak, Li Chengqian said, "I know it is very risky to do this. I am afraid it is like letting a tiger go back to the mountains. It may also cause troubles. However, the Tang Dynasty has built the Protectorate and Chongwen Hall in Tubo. The troops in Qinghai can attack Tubo directly. Lu Dongzan and Songtsen Gampo will continue to stay in Chang'an. I have nothing to fear."

Fang Xuanling asked: "How should we reward him?"

Li Chengqian said: "Let him compete with the children in horseback archery."

Changsun Wuji smiled knowingly.

Under Xu Jingzong's arrangement, Qinling, the son of Tubo Prime Minister Lu Dongzan, rode to the hunting ground.

When this Tibetan appeared here, the children gathered together suddenly became nervous.

Qin Ling was riding on horseback, holding a longbow in his hand. The quiver behind him was empty of arrows. He let the horse move slowly forward, alertly looking around.

Yu Tu looked at the man with hostility and asked, "Are you Lu Dongzan's son?"

Qin Ling is twenty years old now. He looked at the prince who was much shorter than him, pulled the reins to make the horse step back a few steps, and looked around alertly.

Guo Zhengyi stepped forward and said, "The Tang Dynasty and Tubo are brothers. His Majesty has ordered that Your Highness compete with the son of the Tubo Prime Minister."

Yu Tu picked up his bow and said with a smile, "Great, it just so happens that I have a hard time finding an opponent."

The Crown Prince and Qin Ling each rode their horses to the starting point of the pasture, and their horses were snorting nervously.

Guo Zhengyi handed arrows to the two young men.

The arrowhead of this type of arrow is specially made and cannot take people's lives, but the arrowhead is still made of iron and can also cause skin injuries.

On the high slope, Li Chengqian stood facing the wind, watching the competition on the grassland.

Xiao Que'er led a maid forward and said, "Father, this is Shangguan Wan'er."

Li Chengqian looked at the little girl who was still walking unsteadily and said, "You are Shangguan Wan'er."

She saluted the current emperor.

Seeing his granddaughter walking so close to Her Royal Highness the Princess, Shangguan Yi looked nervous and didn't know what to say.

As the drums sounded, the competition on the grassland began.

When Yu Tu rode his horse towards the pasture, cheers were immediately heard all around, as if celebrating the victory in advance.

Then Qin Ling also spurred his horse and rushed towards the grassland at a faster speed.

The drumbeats were faster and more frequent, and the children watching became more excited.

Yu Tu shot an arrow at a target in the distance, and the arrow landed on the target very accurately.

Then a faster arrow came from behind, flew past and hit the target heavily. It seemed that the force was too great and the target shook backwards a few times.

While he was surprised, he saw Qin Ling riding his horse to the front, ready to shoot an arrow at the second target.

Yu Tu pulled the reins and urged the horse to follow.

The sound of drums around became more and more frequent. Yu Tu caught up with them, and almost at the same time, the arrows of the two men flew off the bowstrings and hit the target.

The target placed on the grassland began to shake again due to the heavy arrows hitting it.

The soldiers holding shields behind the target could even hear the heavy dull sound of the arrow hitting the target.

Facing the third target, Yu Tu pulled the bowstring. His hand holding the bowstring turned red. When the bowstring was fully drawn, he let go and the arrow whizzed out.

At the same time, the arrows of the two men hit the target, and the horses rushed out of the pasture at the same time.

Yu Tu pulled the reins to stop the horse.

Qin Ling said: "You are younger than me, it is amazing that you have such archery skills."

Yu Tu also said: "You are also a very good opponent."

"I was already at this level when I was your age, but I haven't practiced for many years and it's not so good anymore." Qin Ling deliberately raised his voice and said, "If it were before, you would have already lost."

Yu Tu said: "No matter what you did before, I will definitely beat you next time."

After the soldier stepped forward and looked at the target, he waved the command flag towards the high slope, indicating that this time it was a draw.

An eunuch came quickly and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty has decreed that Qin Ling be appointed as the General of the Luoshui Army and go to Tubo to preside over Tubo's military affairs."

Qin Ling shouted towards Gaopo: "Thank God Khan!"

Then the Tibetan left.

Yu Tu returned to Xue Wanbei with a frustrated look on his face.

Xue Wanbei advised: "Your Highness has done very well and has not lost."

Yu Tu whispered, "I will definitely win next time."

"The Tibetans are good at riding and shooting. Your Highness needs many more years of practice if he wants to defeat him. As he said, Qin Ling has been in Chang'an for many years and has lost his archery skills. If it were in the past, perhaps even the old generals in the court would not be his match."

Yu Tu said: "I will win."

Xue Wanbei advised again: "In fact, what your majesty said before is still very meaningful."

"What did Father say?"

"Back then, the generals in the court were still arguing about whether to conquer Tuyuhun, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that right and wrong are not that important to the country. If you only ask about right and wrong, you will only get more confused. If you only talk about winning and losing, people will become more and more unscrupulous."

After hearing this, the frustration on Yu Tu's face faded a lot.

On the high slope, Li Chengqian looked at the Tibetan man going away. When Qin Ling returned to Tibet, he would definitely recruit the Tibetan warriors of that year.

This person will bring endless troubles to Ru Laijie. Even if Tubo is in internal strife again, it will be beneficial to the Tang Dynasty.

There are many people who play tricks behind the scenes.

In terms of strategy, the Tibetans are no match for the Central Plains.

When Qinling caused chaos in Tubo, it was time for the Tubo Protectorate to take action.

A rider came on a fast horse. It was Li Daoyan, who was guarding Chang'an. He reported, "Your Majesty, the general commander of the Silla army has arrived in Chang'an and is here to see you."

Li Chengqian ordered: "Tell him to come see me tomorrow."

"Yes." Li Daoyan hesitated for a moment, and then said, "But he wants to see Jin Famin."

"Then let him see it, it's okay."

Xu Jingzong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go there."

"Thank you, Minister Xu."

"My minister retire."

(End of this chapter)