Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 257 The Theory of Land and Sea
As Zhu Wen was about to say something, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a cold glint in the corner of his eye, as if a sword was flying out.

Without thinking, he instinctively drew his sword to meet the attack.

The sword light came too fast; Zhu Wen's personal guards had no time to provide assistance.

Li Tiao was not wearing armor, which allowed him to move with the speed of a ghost.

This is a move that determines life or death.

As Zhu Wen swung his arm, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade drew a smooth arc. Zhu Wen's eyes followed the movement of the blade, his heart filled with invincibility and selflessness.

Because Zhu Wen was wearing bright armor and a leather helmet, Li Tiao could only strike his neck, which lacked armor protection.

This ability to make judgments was ingrained in Zhu Wen's fighting instincts.

With a crisp clang, Li Tiao's sword broke in two. As the sword fell to the ground, Zhu Wen's second strike arrived.

After cutting off Li Tiao's sword, Zhu Wen slightly flipped his wrist, and the blade slashed upwards.

Li Tiao's previous sword strikes were so decisive that it was difficult to dodge.

With the sword broken, Li Tiao was powerless to defend himself.

As the blade drew near his neck, Li Tiao sighed and awaited death.

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword suddenly flipped over, its spine slamming hard against the back of Li Tiao's neck.

The intense, throbbing pain caused Li Tiao to faint instantly.

Soon, Li Tiao was woken up by being splashed with cold water. He saw that he was bound all over and knew that all was lost.

"I implore Governor Li to order the city's soldiers to cease resistance, so that less blood may be shed," Zhu Wen said calmly.

Li Tiao paused for a moment, then looked up at the soldiers who were staring at each other and said, "Put down your weapons and take off your armor. This battle is over!"

After saying that, Li Tiao looked tired: "General Zhu, is this alright?"

"Li Jiedu is quite a clever man; he didn't mention conditions like saving his own life."

“In the past, Goujian destroyed Wu and wanted to pardon Fuchai’s death. Fuchai said that he was old and could not bear the humiliation, so he committed suicide by sword. Tiao is also a descendant of the royal family, how could he not have this backbone?”

Zhu Wen nodded. When Li Tiao drew his sword and launched a surprise attack, he realized that the other party intended to die together with him.

In a battle between masters, sometimes a single move can decide life or death. Those two strikes just now seemed effortless, yet they almost drained all of Li Tiao's strength. If Zhu Wen had underestimated Li Tiao even slightly, harboring any disrespect, he would now be lying dead on the ground.

For twenty years, Li Tiao ruled Lingnan, condoning the oppression of Han people by the Hu people and gathering pirates to plunder the prefectures and counties north of the Five Ridges. His actions were unforgivable.

Zhu Wen had no intention of saving Li Tiao's life, nor did he hate him.

Li Tiao was able to face failure and death with equanimity, without making any excuses, making him a true hero.

Li Tiao turned his gaze toward the vast ocean, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

No one knows a son better than his father. He knew that Li Yi could not return in time to turn the tide of the battle, so he simply ordered the soldiers to give up resistance and not to fight like cornered beasts.

"General Zhu, can you hear the sound of the waves?" Li Tiao suddenly asked.

"Too far away, I can't hear you," Zhu Wen replied simply and directly.

Li Tiao suddenly laughed.

"But I can hear it. Every leap of the wave exudes the aura of wealth and tells of endless possibilities." "I was born in Guanzhong, but I longed for the sea since I was a child. When I was thirty, I saw the ocean for the first time and excitedly plunged into it. Two hours later, I climbed onto the beach, soaking wet."

“Seawater is bitter and salty, completely different from river water, but it has a special aftertaste when you taste it carefully.” Recalling the past, Li Tiao’s expression was nostalgic: “I have heard that there are many people like me who felt great excitement when they first came into contact with the smell of the ocean.”

After a pause, Li Tiao continued, "The Hu people you killed today also came from the sea. You killed them and seized their wealth, but for the sake of trade, you will attract new Hu people in the future."

Zhu Wen coldly said, "Li Jiedu probably has no feelings for the Hu people."

“What feelings could they possibly have?” Li Tiao sighed. “Whenever they go to a place, they try to bribe high-ranking officials and nobles to facilitate their business. Then they do everything they can to obtain special privileges. If the amount is large enough, they may be able to usurp the territory of another tribe and establish their own country on the land of another tribe.”

It was Li Tiao himself who indulged the Hu people, yet he saw their true nature clearly.

"In other words, if the right opportunity arises, Li Jiedu will take matters into his own hands and get rid of these people."

“That’s natural.” Li Tiao smiled bitterly, “But we still have to borrow troops from their motherland, take the Central Plains, and then discard them when it’s time to divide the spoils.”

Because of Huang Chao's sudden intrusion, Li Tiao's twenty years of efforts in Lingnan were destroyed, and there was no way to talk about a northern expedition to the Central Plains.

"The phrase 'sitting down and dividing the spoils' is quite intriguing," Zhu Wen quipped.

“Those who steal a hook are punished, while those who steal a country become princes. We aristocratic families are no different from you thieves.” Li Tiao said quite frankly: “Isn’t Emperor Taizong of this dynasty the greatest thief of all time? He launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, murdered his brother and forced his father to abdicate, causing domestic turmoil. The Turks took advantage of the situation and marched south. He had no choice but to empty his treasury to bribe the Turks and ask them to withdraw their troops. Three years later, however, he took advantage of the Turks’ disaster caused by a snowstorm, which resulted in heavy casualties among people and livestock, and annihilated the Turks in one fell swoop, washing away the shame of the Wei River incident and making his name live on forever.”

"I am a descendant of the Crown Prince Yin, but I have no hatred for Emperor Taizong. If the Crown Prince Yin had become emperor, his descendants would have numbered in the tens of thousands. Why would it be my turn, Li Tiao? How many times have the descendants of Emperor Taizong killed each other?"

Unexpectedly, this old thief was quite insightful.

He was absolutely right. Decades ago, when Emperor Xuanzong seized the throne, there was a bloodbath, and none of Emperor Wuzong's sons were spared.

"Emperor Taizong's talent surpasses that of the Crown Prince, and naturally, I, Li Tiao, am far superior to him." Li Tiao said, a hint of pride in his expression. "But I have one thing to be aware of: Emperor Taizong, and indeed all the wise and virtuous rulers throughout history, are no match for me."

Zhu Wen was intrigued by Li Tiao's sudden outrageous statement: "What extraordinary foresight does Commander Li possess that sets him apart from the rest of the world? Tell me about it."

Li Tiao shook the water droplets off his hair and turned his gaze toward the sea wall: "Since Emperor Taizong, the Tang Dynasty has invested too much manpower and resources in managing the northern border, which has instead fostered a great threat like An Lushan and ultimately ruined the prosperous era. I believe that the future of our China lies not on land, but in the sea."

"If the barbarians can cross the ocean to establish territories in the Tang Dynasty, why don't we Han people, who are so intelligent, migrate, take risks, and sail in giant ships to establish strongholds in foreign lands, seize foreign ports and coastlines, and create a powerful nation that integrates land and sea?"

In Li Tiao's view, there was nothing shameful about migrating to other countries' territories and seizing their land. The Han people should also learn from the Hu people in this regard.

"Without wealth, humankind is no different from apes in the forest. The ocean is a hundred times more efficient at transporting goods than land. Whoever controls the ocean controls endless wealth."

Li Tiao's remarks were not something an ordinary Han Chinese would say.

Upon closer examination, it makes some sense.

Zhu Wen, however, showed a dismissive expression.

“My master mentioned to me that before Alliance Leader Wang raised his army, someone deliberately bought up a large amount of grain and raised the price of grain, which caused the number of people who died from the famine to increase at least several times. There were corpses everywhere and piles of bones, which gave the rebel army the momentum to rise up. He suspected that this was done by Li Jiedu.”

"Hearing Li Jiedu's words, although he is ruthless, he doesn't act like that. The schemer behind it all must be someone else."

Upon hearing this, Li Tiao paused for a moment, then said, "I certainly did not do that."

"Because Li Jiedu is actually a merchant, and most of the time he has never gone hungry since he was a child, he would never have thought of going to this place."

Zhu Wen continued, "Unless those countries across the sea can produce massive amounts of grain and transport it over at very low cost, the profits from trade will be secondary when faced with tens of millions of mouths to feed. Li Jiedu's vision may be quite advanced, but it is of no practical use."

(End of this chapter)