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

Chapter 398 Are you afraid that I am not safe, or that he is not safe?
"boom!"

A muffled rumble suddenly came from afar, and the snow on the branches trembled and fell.

Li Shimin's hand holding the wolf-hair brush suddenly stopped, the tip of the brush dragging a sharp black line on the rice paper, destroying most of the nearly completed ink plum blossom painting.

He stared at the crooked ink mark, his lips twitching incessantly. Then, helplessly, he threw the brush into the brush washer, the porcelain brush washer making a crisp sound as it collided with the table, as if venting his anger.

"His Majesty."

Gao Yue stepped forward lightly, carrying a cup of hot tea, a cautious, forced smile on her face.

This was the third explosion heard in half an hour, and His Majesty's patience was clearly running out.

Li Shimin took the teacup with a bad temper, took a sip of the scalding tea, and then slammed the teacup down on the table, splashing some tea that wet the memorials on the table.

"How long?"

His voice was low and deep, carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

"Your Majesty, it has been almost half an hour since the first sound came from the direction of the Forbidden Garden."

Gao Yue replied with a bitter face, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the Forbidden Garden not far away.

In the sky there, a dozen huge, colorful spheres were slowly moving toward Daxing Palace, like a group of giant beasts floating in the air.

"This guy..."

Li Shimin muttered a curse under his breath, but there was little anger in his voice; rather, it was more of a sense of helplessness.

He knew that Wen He was messing around with hot air balloons and grenades in the Forbidden Garden, but he didn't expect that this kid would dare to send a hot air balloon toward the palace and even throw grenades in mid-air.

Gao Yue, standing to the side, dared not respond and could only lower her head silently, her eyes constantly fixed on the hot air balloons that were getting closer and closer.

Li Shimin took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Telescope."

Gao Yue quickly took out the binoculars from the brocade box beside her and presented them with both hands.

Li Shimin took the telescope, adjusted the focus, and looked at the leading hot air balloon.

The three large characters "Wu De Hao" were written on the sphere.

Inside the bamboo hanging basket, Li Yuan was gesturing wildly, his face full of excitement, shouting something unintelligible, and holding a new type of hand grenade in his hand.

Wen He tightly clutched a bag of grenades, leaning against the edge of the basket, her face tense, occasionally glancing in Li Yuan's direction as if urging him to do something.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shimin saw Li Yuan holding the wooden pole on the edge of the basket with one hand and slowly pulling the pin on a grenade with the other. Only after Wen He's anxious gestures urged him on did he leisurely throw the grenade down.

A moment later, a loud "boom" came from below, and a cloud of smoke could be vaguely seen rising from the ground.

"cough."

Li Shimin suddenly felt his throat was dry. He put down the binoculars and unconsciously gripped the lens barrel.

"How could that brat let the hot air balloon get so close?"

He stared at the approaching "Wu De" ship, his hands tightening involuntarily, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.

Gao Yue, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and carefully explained, "Your Majesty, ballistae have been set up outside the Forbidden Garden, and the soldiers are all in position."

The ballista's horizontal range can reach three hundred paces, and the hot air balloon's height looks to be no more than seventy feet, so it should be able to handle it.

But Gao Yue still felt uneasy.

He had witnessed the power of that grenade; if something went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"presumptuous!"

Li Shimin put down his binoculars, gave Gao Yue a curt rebuke, and his eyes were sharp as knives.

"What do I have to worry about? Do you think the Emperor Emeritus would harm me?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yue was so frightened that her legs went weak, and she knelt down with a thud, trembling as she begged for forgiveness.

"This servant deserves death! This servant misspoke, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin glanced at him but didn't pursue the matter further. He simply watched the hot air balloon getting closer and closer, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Actually, there was something else he didn't say.

The range of ballistae would have been significantly reduced when firing into the air, not to mention that hot air balloons could continue to ascend.

If something were to happen, those ballistae would be of no use.

"However, it is indeed getting cold today. Don't let the Emperor Emeritus get cold. Have someone signal with flags to have them land as soon as possible and not get any closer to the palace."

Gao Yue felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly got up and ran to instruct the soldiers to wave the flags.

Meanwhile, inside the basket of the "Wude" hot air balloon, a cold wind howled, whipping up the hem of Li Yuan's clothes.

Wen He clutched the last bag of grenades tightly, his teeth chattering.

"Your Majesty, it's too cold outside. Let's go down. The Xuanwu Gate is just ahead, and it's not safe."

Just as Li Yuan was beginning to enjoy the view of the palace from above, Wen He dampened his enthusiasm, leaving him somewhat displeased.

Are you worried about my safety, or about his safety?

You old man, why do you always ask these deadly questions?

“Of course it’s the Emperor Emeritus.” Wen He chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan knew that Wen He was definitely not telling the truth.

That brat is incredibly shrewd!
He immediately snorted in dissatisfaction, then looked down at the glazed tiles of Daxing Palace, which shone brightly in the sunlight and became increasingly clear.

He turned and glared at Wen He, his tone laced with sarcasm: "You little brat, you're so loyal to him."

"Hehe, it's mainly because it's cold, and I'm worried you'll get cold."

Wen He chuckled dryly, but muttered to himself inwardly.

If we fly any further and accidentally drop a grenade, that would be a huge problem.

Li Yuan snorted.

"Stop saying these things that go against your will."

He looked down at the flags waving below, then glanced at Wen He beside him, whose face was full of tension, and waved his hand helplessly.

"Alright, alright, go down."

Upon hearing this, Wen He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly adjusted the altitude of the hot air balloon in preparation for landing.

He turned to look at the dozen or so hot air balloons not far away, and seeing that they were also beginning to descend, he finally felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

Today was supposed to be the first selection for the "Great Tang Air Force".

Wen He and Li Jing carefully selected a group of soldiers from the Sixteen Guards and the Hundred Cavalry who came from respectable families and were loyal to the Tang Dynasty. They planned to let them experience hot air balloon flights to test whether they had acrophobia and to experiment with the effects of throwing grenades from high altitudes.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the selection process began, Li Yuan arrived upon hearing the news and insisted on riding in the hot air balloon with them.

Li Shimin dared not disobey the Emperor Emeritus's wishes, and fearing something unexpected might happen, he shifted the blame for "blocking the Emperor Emeritus" to Wen He.

Wen He was stared at intently by Li Yuan, and had no choice but to agree.

What troubled Wen He even more was that the "Wu De" hot air balloon he was on originally did not carry any grenades, but after seeing the grenades on other hot air balloons, Li Yuan insisted on taking two packs to try, and deliberately left one pack behind, refusing to throw it all away in the designated open space.

Wen He remained on guard the entire way.

The "filial piety between father and son" in the Tang Dynasty royal family has always been full of variables. He dared not gamble that Li Yuan might suddenly decide to throw a grenade towards the palace.

Fortunately, Li Yuan eventually agreed to land.

When the "Wu De" hot air balloon slowly landed on the open ground outside the Forbidden Garden, Wen He was the first to jump down, her hands and feet feeling a little numb.

Li Yuan was helped down from the hanging basket by the craftsmen. Although his face was a little pale, his eyes were full of excitement.

"This feeling of flying is truly extraordinary! Wen He, next time there's a new hot air balloon, I must be the first to ride it!"

"hehe."

Wen He chuckled dryly, not daring to easily respond to Li Yuan's words.

Now that Li Yuan is no longer bound by the emperor, he is acting more and more arbitrarily. Who knows if he will suddenly have a whim to fly to the Turkic camp in a hot air balloon next time?

In his view, this retired emperor is becoming more and more of a scoundrel!

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. Amidst the rising dust, a group of people dressed in official robes were galloping towards them. The two leading figures were none other than Li Jing, the Minister of War, and Yan Lide, the Minister of Works.

Today marks the first training exercise for the "Great Tang Air Force," involving live-fire coordination between hot air balloons and hand grenades. As the leading officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, they naturally cannot be absent.

Li Yuan caught a glimpse of the two, but showed no interest in greeting them. Before Li Jing and Yan Lide could approach, he flicked his sleeves and spoke to Wen He in a listless tone.

"I have had my fill today. Tell him what happened today. Hot air balloons and grenades are double-edged swords. Today it was me who came, but if someone with ulterior motives comes next time, it won't be as simple as just scaring them."

Having said that, he swaggered toward the waiting imperial carriage, supported by a eunuch.

Wen He watched Li Yuan's retreating figure, her lips twitching slightly.

Sure enough, the old man deliberately approached the palace from the hot air balloon and delayed throwing all the grenades just to scare Li Shimin!
Luckily, I kept an eye on him and prevented him from actually throwing the grenade towards the palace, otherwise it would have been a huge problem.

When Li Jing and Yan Lide arrived, Li Yuan's imperial carriage had just left. Both men breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the carriage's retreating figure.

As a subject, one must consider the dignity of the current emperor and respect the retired emperor. It would be a headache to encounter them face to face. Now, this trouble is avoided.

"Jiaying, your training today went very well!"

Yan Lide stepped forward first, his face full of excitement, making no mention of Li Yuan's matter earlier.

"I saw it from a distance just now. A bundle of grenades tied with stones fell from the sky. The power of the explosion was earth-shattering!"

"Brother Lide, it's not that exaggerated."

Wen He nodded with a smile.

"However, it did exceed expectations."

The scene was quite spectacular, quite horrific, that guy...

Li Jing, however, was not so relaxed. He walked to Wen He's side and said in a solemn tone.

"If the flock of sheep were replaced by the enemy's army, the scene would be even more tragic. The Turks are mostly cavalry. If grenades were dropped from hot air balloons on the battlefield, the roar would surely scare the horses. In that case, the cavalry would trample each other, and the number of people trampled to death would probably be more than those blown up."

Wen He secretly admired her.

As expected of the "God of War" Li Jing, he could instantly connect a training session to a real combat scenario and accurately predict changes in the battle situation.

Yan Lide suddenly sighed, his tone tinged with heartache.

"If hot air balloons are so effective at dropping grenades, shouldn't we put a halt to artillery for now? Since we started developing artillery, the daily copper ore consumption is almost equivalent to half a month's supply for the Ministry of Works. If this continues, the national treasury's copper reserves will be emptied."

Upon hearing this, Wen He quickly shook her head.

"Brother Lide, you can't think like that."

"Hot air balloons dropping grenades are just a temporary expedient. They are too affected by the weather and wind direction. In strong winds and heavy rain, even hot air balloons cannot take off. But artillery is different. As long as there is enough ammunition, it can be put into battle regardless of wind or rain. This is the focus of our future development."

He knew that some technologies might not seem very useful at the moment, but if he didn't persist in research and development now, they would inevitably fall behind in the future.

Just as the Ming Dynasty already had cannons, but the court only knew how to use them and did not know how to improve them, by the late Qing Dynasty, the West had already developed breech-loading smoothbore cannons and howitzers.

Meanwhile, the Qing army was still using cannons from hundreds of years ago, and ultimately could only passively take hits.

Standing on the coastline, the artillery's range was far inferior to that of the enemy, leaving them only able to passively endure the attacks.

He must never repeat the same mistake.

Li Jing nodded in agreement, then raised a question. "Yesterday I went to the workshop and saw the bronze cannons you made. Each one weighs several hundred pounds. Even with wheels and horses, they would be hard to keep up with the speed of cavalry."

"If we encounter a long-distance raid, this artillery will probably be of no use."

Wen He does not deny this point.

With the limited smelting technology of the Tang Dynasty, both bronze and iron cannons were extremely heavy, making it virtually impossible to create lightweight and portable cannons and howitzers.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke with a hint of deeper meaning.

"Duke of Dai, this thing is for use in the final battle, and to be honest, we didn't build cannons to deal with the Turks."

Wen He smiled meaningfully.

The Turks are easy to deal with; with Li Jing around, there are no problems.

He was at most the icing on the cake.

Whether it was artillery or hot air balloons, he always had only two targets.

Goguryeo and Japan!

Upon hearing this, Li Jing nodded with a hint of relief.

He didn't ask, as if he had already guessed the answer in Wen He's heart.

However, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and he stroked his long beard and nodded.

"Indeed, it is rare that you have not lost your way because of the power of the weapons. His Majesty specifically instructed me to teach you more about military affairs. After New Year's Day, you should come to the Ministry of War every day. I will teach you to read military books and analyze battle cases so that you can do more for the Tang Dynasty in the future."

Wen He was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

What the hell!

So Li Jing was testing me just now!

I was secretly pleased with myself, thinking I knew more than Li Jing.

In retrospect, this was like showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu (a legendary general).

Then he heard that he had to go to the Ministry of War every day.

She was so startled, as if she had been pricked by a needle, that her eyes widened instantly, and the smile on her face vanished.

But soon, he smiled in a somewhat ingratiating manner.

"You flatter me, Duke Dai! I only know a little bit, how could I dare to trouble you to teach me personally? Besides, I am a carefree person and I hate to clock in every day. So, is it possible that I don't have to go to the Ministry of War anymore?"

After saying that, Wen He winked at Li Jing.

Li Jing pretended not to see anything, stroking his beard and smiling without saying a word.

This is clearly a rejection.

Wen He was still thinking of trying to advocate for himself, but before he could speak, Li Jing slowly said.

"You built this Flying Ball Camp single-handedly, and the soldiers in the army admire you greatly. Even if I were to agree to your refusal to go, I'm afraid His Majesty would not allow it. Besides, you already hold the title of Director of the Ministry of War, but since taking office, you have only visited the Ministry of War a handful of times, which His Majesty has long been dissatisfied with."

"Okay, then there's no way to refuse."

Wen He pouted, her face full of helplessness.

Even Li Shimin has been brought up, what else can he say?
He could only obediently accept it, but secretly he was grumbling to himself.

I should never have accepted this nominal position in the first place. Now look what's happened, I've gotten myself into this mess.

Will he never grow tall?

Yan Lide watched with amusement and patted Wen He on the shoulder.

"Jiaying, this is an opportunity that others would beg for! The Duke of Dai is personally teaching you military affairs, and His Majesty values ​​you. You should be secretly happy! Besides, it's not right for you to always be absent from your duties. You can take this opportunity to make up for your shortcomings."

Wen He rolled her eyes.

Who wants this opportunity?

Just then, a rapid sound of hooves came from not far away, and a fast horse galloped toward them amidst the rising dust.

The three turned to look, and the person on horseback, dressed in a dark blue eunuch's uniform, was none other than Gao Yue.

Gao Yue dismounted and quickly walked to the three people, bowing respectfully.

"Duke of Dai, Minister Yan, and Viscount Wen, His Majesty is waiting in the Xianchi Hall. He invites the three of you to enter the palace immediately for a meeting."

Wen He understood.

It is likely that Li Shimin, seeing that there was no movement in the Forbidden Garden, knew that the training was over and summoned them to the palace to report the situation.

He nodded and said to Gao Yue, "Please wait a moment, Officer Gao. I'll go and give a few instructions to the Flying Ball Camp and then I'll be right back."

"Alright, I'll wait here."

Gao Yue respectfully agreed, her gaze involuntarily sweeping over the hot air balloon not far away, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Wen He turned and walked towards the hot air balloon camp.

The newly formed Flying Ball Battalion did not have a suitable commander at the moment, so he asked Li Shimin to transfer Zhao Qin over.

Zhao Qin was a trusted confidant of Li Shimin's imperial guards. He was reliable and loyal, so it was reassuring to temporarily put him in charge of the Flying Ball Camp.

As soon as Wen He reached the edge of the camp, he saw a comical scene.

As soon as a hot air balloon landed safely, Zhao Qin, who was in a bamboo basket, clung tightly to the edge of the basket, trembling like a leaf, his eyes tightly closed, his face as white as a sheet, and even his lips were bloodless.

The soldiers and craftsmen watching were trying not to laugh, their shoulders shrugging, some even secretly covering their mouths with their sleeves, clearly finding Zhao Xiaowei's appearance quite amusing.

"Captain Zhao, we've landed, you don't need to hold on so tightly anymore."

Wen He stepped forward, deliberately suppressing a laugh, and spoke in a deliberately serious tone.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qin froze for a moment before tentatively opening one eye. Seeing that his feet were indeed on solid ground, he slowly released his grip, though his fingers were still trembling slightly.

Upon hearing Wen He's voice, he straightened up abruptly, trying to appear calm, though his voice still trembled slightly.

"You, a native of Gaoyang County, what kind of language are you speaking! I'm just... I'm shivering because of the cold, not because I'm afraid of heights!"

If his face hadn't been deathly pale and his feet hadn't been secretly shrinking back, Wen He might have actually believed it.

Wen He suppressed a laugh and went along with what he said.

"Oh? It's cold. Next time you take a hot air balloon ride, remember to wear an extra coat, or you'll catch a cold and be late for your mission."

"There...there's going to be a next time?"

Zhao Qin's voice suddenly rose, and he almost bit his tongue. If only he had known that riding in a hot air balloon would be so scary.

The ground beneath his feet was empty, and the wind made him dizzy. He would never come to Flying Ball Camp!

If he hadn't been holding onto the bamboo basket, he would have definitely collapsed to the ground.

Seeing his panicked appearance, Wen He suddenly had a mischievous idea and a sly smile appeared on her face.

"Of course there will be a next time. I will go to see His Majesty later and tell him that Lieutenant Zhao is exceptionally courageous and calm on the hot air balloon, making him the best candidate to lead the Flying Balloon Battalion. From now on, the Flying Balloon Battalion will be entrusted to you!"

Zhao Qin's face instantly darkened, becoming even blacker than the bottom of a pot. His lips moved, as if he wanted to refuse, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Prince of Gaoyang County, this, this is absolutely impossible! I... am truly not up to the task..."

"Alright, enough with the 'this' and 'that's settled, it's done!"

Wen He waved her hand to interrupt him, not giving Zhao Qin a chance to refuse.

"I still need to see His Majesty, so I'll leave this place to you."

After saying that, Wen He turned and ran, her steps light and quick, afraid that Zhao Qin would realize what was happening and chase after her.

Zhao Qin stood there with his mouth agape, staring at Wen He's retreating figure, his face filled with despair, looking like a wilted eggplant.

How unlucky he was to run into such a troublesome kid!

Someone couldn't help but laugh out loud first, and then the soldiers and craftsmen around them burst into laughter, the sound deafening.

Someone deliberately moved closer and teased,

"Captain Zhao, congratulations! From now on, you'll be the commander of our Flying Ball Battalion. You'll have to take us flying around a few more times and teach us what it means to stay calm and collected!"

"That's right, Lieutenant Zhao! We all saw how steady you were in the hot air balloon just now! You'd better show us your skills next time!"

Zhao Qin's face turned bright red from everyone's laughter, like a boiled shrimp, but he was helpless and could only glare fiercely at the people who were making a fuss, cursing Wen He's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

Meanwhile, Wen He had already run out of the camp and arrived in front of Gao Yue. The cunning look on her face had faded, replaced by a serious expression.

"Sir, we apologize for keeping you waiting. Let's go, lest we keep His Majesty waiting any longer."

Gao Yue smiled and nodded: "You're too kind, Mr. Wen. Please."

The four of them walked together toward Daxing Palace.

Li Jing suddenly turned his head to look at Wen He beside him, his tone filled with curiosity.

"That Captain Zhao... seems to have a fear of heights?"

Upon hearing this, Wen He couldn't help but laugh and nodded in agreement: "That's right. Zhao Qin is afraid of heights. Just now in the hot air balloon, his face was as white as paper. He held onto the edge of the basket and didn't dare to let go, but he still insisted that it was because of the cold weather."

"He's afraid of heights?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Jing's eyes as he looked thoughtfully at Wen He.

"The Flying Balloon Camp is based on hot air balloons. The commander needs to frequently go up into the air with the team for reconnaissance. If you are afraid of heights, then you don't necessarily want to take over the position of commander yourself in the future, do you?"

Sensing the probing gaze from Li Jing, Wen He immediately shook her head and waved her hand.

"Duke Dai, please don't tease me! I'm busy enough with promoting grain varieties and developing artillery right now, how could I have the energy to manage the Flying Ball Battalion?"

"Besides, acrophobia isn't an incurable disease. With a few more exposures to high altitudes, it might just get better. And... don't you think it's quite interesting to have someone with acrophobia as the leader of the Flying Ball Camp?"

You should know that a thousand years later, the first air force commander was also afraid of heights.

But he was still able to build an air corridor that is famous both at home and abroad outside the country's borders.

Thinking of him, Wen He added, "Besides, who says someone who's afraid of heights can't be a leader? A leader's job is to coordinate and formulate strategies, not to be in the air every day. As long as he can manage the discipline and training of the Flying Ball Camp, being afraid of heights is not a problem at all."

After listening, Li Jing couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "You always have some ingenious ideas, but the appointment of generals in the army is a matter of great importance."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"Let His Majesty decide this matter; it is not in my capacity to say more."

Wen He understood.

Li Jing was always cautious and discreet. Unless it was someone like Su Dingfang, whom he valued highly and who had real talent, he would never speak up easily regarding the appointment of generals.

Yan Lide, who was listening nearby, found it amusing and chimed in, "If we really let Lieutenant Zhao be the commander, I'm afraid every time we take off, we'll have to put on a show like this."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh.

Before long, they had entered Xuanwu Gate and arrived near Xianchi Palace.

Gao Yue went in first to report, while Wen He, Li Jing, and Yan Lide waited outside the palace gate.

After waiting only a short while, an eunuch came out to deliver an imperial decree, leading the three to the Xianchi Palace.

(End of this chapter)