Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 102 Your Highness, I will not be an official!
"what for?"

Li Shimin was puzzled. When had Goguryeo ever humiliated him?
and many more!

He suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Wen He with hostility: "What did they do to me in later generations?"

"Well, actually it's nothing much. They just distorted history, randomly claimed ancestors, and said that Goguryeo was their ancestor. They not only defeated you but also shot out one of your eyes, and then they made a movie about it... well, the so-called movie was more like a village opera."

Before Wen He could finish speaking, Li Shimin's face had already turned ashen.

He asked Wen He, his breathing heavy, "Then what is the real history?"

Wen He thought for a moment and then said.

"We conquered ten cities, occupied a large area of ​​Liaodong, killed hundreds of thousands, and finally besieged Anshi City. Due to the cold weather and difficulties in transporting food supplies, we had no choice but to retreat. Although you may see this as a failure, the results and gains far outweighed the losses and consumption, and it made Goguryeo tremble with fear."

"This is undoubtedly a great victory."

Li Shimin was furious: "Then why did they fabricate such a story? Did they really think that if I died, there would be no way to verify it? How absurd! How ridiculous!"

"A barbaric little country, a tiny place, how dare you speak ill of me like this!"

Li Shimin gritted his teeth, his voice almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Very well, very well, Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje... If I cannot destroy these kingdoms in my lifetime, I will die with my eyes open in disgrace!"

He never imagined that the descendants of the people on that peninsula would be so shameless.

It's unbelievable that such a thing could be fabricated.

If this story were to continue for several hundred years, some people might actually start to believe it.

They thought that Li Shimin would surrender to that mere small country!
"Your Highness, there's no rush. You still have twenty-three years..."

"Ok?"

"No, you're definitely going to live forever, hehe, long live." Wen He pursed her lips and gave a dry laugh.

Li Shimin snorted.

"I do not ask for ten thousand years. I only need another fifty years, no, even just thirty years, to let me carve out a glorious Tang Dynasty for Gaoming. Then I will be at peace."

He knew very well that there was no such thing as immortality.

If such a person exists, why haven't we seen a single one who has lived from ancient times to the present?

In fact, the reason why Li Shimin took elixirs in his later years was not to pursue immortality.

He suffered too many injuries on the battlefield when he was young, and in his old age he often experienced body pain, which he could only relieve by consuming heavy metals.

Li Shimin sighed, but he quickly regained his dignified demeanor, as if his sighs and anger had never occurred.

"Go and call Xu Jingzong in."

Li Shimin walked towards the head of the table.

Wen He was taken aback. He looked around and then remembered that he and Li Shimin were the only ones in the hall.

Then it would be up to him to summon them.

Outside Lizheng Hall.

Huang Chun and Xu Jingzong stood side by side, both calmly looking at the gate in front of them, neither of them uttering a single word.

They didn't even show the slightest impatience.

They were like two wooden figures.

They didn't know how much time had passed until they heard the palace doors slowly open.

A smile appeared on both of their faces simultaneously.

"Wenxianzi".

"Xiao Langjun."

Xu Jingzong stepped forward to greet Huang Chun before Huang Chun could.

Wen He smiled and returned the greeting: "Lord Xu, His Highness summons you in."

"Yes, yes, thank you for your trouble, Magistrate." Xu Jingzong was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He had not seen Li Shimin for a long time since he was summoned to a private meeting last time.

Although this time it may not be a good thing.

Wen He turned around and went back into the Lizheng Hall. Xu Jingzong consciously stepped aside from him.

After entering the main hall, Wen He, at Li Shimin's gesture, went to sit in the place he had just been sitting. Xu Jingzong then bowed and said, "Your subject Xu Jingzong greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

This ceremony was exceptionally formal; it was unnecessary to do so in private meetings unless it was during a grand court assembly.

His back was almost bent at a ninety-degree angle.

"You may rise, my lord." Li Shimin raised his hand, and Xu Jingzong hesitated for a few moments before slowly rising, as a sign of his loyalty to Li Shimin.

"How is the task of assembling a hundred cavalrymen that I entrusted to you last time progressing?"

Li Shimin guessed why Xu Jingzong had come to see him.

So I let him get straight to the point.

Xu Jingzong, who was about to praise Li Shimin, was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and reported to Li Shimin: "Your Highness, I have been ordered to select one hundred qualified men from the Yuan Cong Imperial Guard and Xuanjia Guard, and they have now been placed in Wude Gate."

Wude Gate?
Wen He was secretly surprised.

If he wasn't mistaken, Wude Gate was very close to the armory.

It seems that Li Shimin really valued the Hundred Cavalry, entrusting such an important position to them.

“But…” Xu Jingzong suddenly hesitated.

Li Shimin squinted: "Just what?"

"I am but a foolish subject. Although I have selected qualified soldiers, I do not know how to train them. I would appreciate Your Highness's instruction."

After Xu Jingzong finished speaking, he adopted a very humble attitude.

Firstly, he was worried that Li Shimin would blame him, and secondly, he wanted to appear as a loyal subject.

But Li Shimin didn't notice his humble appearance at all, and instead turned to look at Wen He.

"You lazy bum, have you been slacking off lately?"

"Huh?" Wen He didn't expect that Li Shimin would suddenly turn his attention to Xu Jingzong, who was giving a good report.

"I'm not lazy. I've been very busy lately, and I'll be even busier later," Wen He argued.

Every day, he had to teach his three little ones at home and also check on the progress of the glassmaking project.

I only have five or six hours a day to play with Xiaorou, let her sleep, bask in the sun, and think about what to eat for lunch and dinner.

In this era where there are no cell phones or computers, he finds it very difficult to even kill time.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's lips twitched a few times.

The Wenhe mansion was practically filled with his spies; how could he not know what this brat was doing every day?

"Since you have nothing to do anyway, you will be temporarily appointed as the Inspector General of the Hundred Cavalry Division starting today, in charge of training the Hundred Cavalry. I will send someone to assist you. Also, Huang Chun!"

Li Shimin didn't give Wen He the right to refuse at all, and after speaking, he turned to another person.

"This servant is here." Huang Chunxin was startled and immediately had a bad feeling.

"Go and help that brat keep order, and temporarily act as the supervisor of the Hundred Cavalry," Li Shimin said.

Upon hearing this, Huang Chun felt a deep bitterness in his heart.

Ruined!
He's only acting temporarily; I'm afraid he'll become the supervisor once that damned Hundred Cavalry is established.

"What, you don't want to go?" Li Shimin asked coldly.

Huang Chun dared not refuse and immediately bowed deeply: "Your Highness has given the decree, and this servant dares not disobey. I am only worried that if I cannot serve Your Highness in the future, those people will mistreat you."

"You don't need to worry about this matter. Just do your job well. But I remind you, you are only an supervisor. All actions of the Hundred Cavalry are decided by Xu Qing and Wen He. You must not use their power to bully others!"

Li Shimin had not forgotten what Wen He had said about eunuchs.

But he had no choice, since he didn't have many people he could trust right now.

We can't exactly ask Changsun Wuji to do these things.

"Is this satisfactory, Minister Xu?" Li Shimin smiled faintly.

Xu Jingzong was clearly dissatisfied and immediately bowed deeply, but before he could speak, a voice came from not far away: "Dissatisfied!"

Everyone was startled. Li Shimin turned his head angrily and glared at Wen He.

Wen He stood up and bowed to Li Shimin: "Your Highness, I can train a hundred cavalrymen, but I will not take office, at least not now. Otherwise, you can let me go back to Gejiazhuang and be a peasant."

(End of this chapter)