Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Ji stared intently at Chi Xin, a cold smile playing on his lips, and asked sharply, "May I ask Wei Honglu, if you were sent as an envoy to the Uyghurs, would you hand over your imperial staff to the Uyghur soldiers to display to others?!"

Wei Shaohua was speechless, and even Chi Xin looked defeated.

Actually, the Uyghurs didn't care about such things, and Wei Shaohua hadn't considered this possibility beforehand. That's why he ordered someone to retrieve the Uyghur banner, and the Uyghurs guarding the Honglu Temple actually did... But Chixin had just claimed that the banner's arrival was like the Khan's personal presence, and now the Khan's authority was being carried away by a mere Tang Dynasty official? If this were reported to the Khan, his first reaction would definitely be: "You bastard, you're really not taking your duties seriously! You've handed over the Uyghur banner to someone else, completely destroying my dignity in one fell swoop!"

Chi Xin thought to himself, "If something like this happens, I'll surely be punished when I get back. The only ones who can save me now are probably the Tang people." So he shouted to Wei Shaohua, "Wei Honglu, save me!" Li Ji immediately ordered, "Stop making such a racket! Seal his mouth!" Then a soldier took off Chi Xin's boots, tore off his socks, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Li Ji then ordered Lu Qi to take his family and staff back to his residence in Pingkangfang, while he himself would escort the Uyghurs to Wannian County for trial. Gao Ying, Yin Shen, and several others volunteered to go as well. Wei Shaohua, however, refused to go, glaring at Li Ji a few times before mounting his horse and riding off—presumably to find someone to complain to.

Therefore, Lu Qi bid farewell to the carriage, saying, "Madam may return to her residence; she is familiar with the roads. I will hurry to pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince and ask for his assistance in easing this predicament."

Cui Cuo wasn't the only one in the carriage; his maid Hongxian was also there—Qingluan was in another carriage with her daughter Li Bi. After Lu Qi left, the wheels rumbled and headed straight west. Hongxian couldn't help but click her tongue and say, "I never imagined that Commander Li would be so... strong."

Cui Cuo smiled wryly, "He's always been reckless. He's only just returned to the capital, and he's already gotten himself into this mess..." Actually, the reason she handed over the Uyghur banner earlier was because she feared Li Ji would act rashly and confront the Uyghurs head-on. She hoped this banner would deter them. She had often heard Li Ji express his hatred for the Uyghurs; although they aided the Tang in suppressing rebellions or defending against the Tibetans, they were known for their widespread burning, killing, and looting, making them practically no different from bandits. Especially since Emperor Suzong had even considered offering up the children of the two capitals, and the Yabghu prince had refused...

Cui Cuo and Li Ji had been husband and wife for many years, and Cui Cuo knew his likes and dislikes well. She knew that her husband would not tolerate such a thing, so she handed over the Tutunfa flag. Who would have thought that they would still end up fighting... Li Ji seemed to have made up his mind to deal a good blow to those Uyghurs.

However, it was not Cui Cuo's idea to send out the banner from Tutun that was suggested; rather, it was Hong Xian's suggestion. When leaving Weibo that day, Hong Xian helped Cui Cuo pack his luggage. Upon seeing the banner, she did not understand what it was. Cui Cuo then recounted how Li Ji had entered the Uyghur Khaganate and received a title and banner from the Changshou Tianqin Khan. He added, "This time, when you go to garrison Weibo, you will mostly have to deal with the Uyghurs. With this title, things may be easier for you in the future—this banner must not be lost."

So today, when Li Ji was besieged by the Uyghurs with his sincere heart, Cui Cuo was worried that a real conflict would be detrimental to Li Ji's future. He casually asked Hong Xian, who suggested, "The Uyghur flags we saw the other day should be taken out; perhaps they can drive the Hu away."

At this moment, Cui Cuo scolded her husband for his recklessness, but was worried about Li Ji's safety. However, as a woman, she couldn't go to the Wannian County government office like Gao Ying and the others, so she couldn't help but frown. Hongxian comforted her gently, "Madam, don't worry, General Li will definitely be alright."

Cui Cuo smiled bitterly, “The country is on good terms with the Uyghurs and is hoping to receive reinforcements to defend against them. But now, my lord has offended the Uyghur envoy… If you were in Weibo, with your strong army, the court might not have dared to punish you. Now that you have returned to Chang'an, if the Emperor were to punish you…”

Hongxian retorted, "So what if we offended the Uyghur envoy? At most, the Khan will break the alliance and attack..."

"You mean the most?"

Hongxian smiled slightly: "If the Uyghurs march south, where will they first attack?"

"Naturally, it's Shuofang."

"Given the looming enemy and the court's need for capable men, how could they possibly punish Commander Li severely? They should simply send him to garrison Shuofang to guard against the barbarians. Would they really bind him up and send him to the Uyghurs? If they did, not only Weibo, but all the garrisons in the land would rebel at once, or at least refuse to reinforce Guanzhong. What troops would the court then have to defend against the Uyghurs and the Western Barbarians? Therefore, punishment is probably unavoidable, but Commander Li's life and future are certainly safe."

Cui Cuo stared at the red line, remaining silent for a long time.

Chapter 44, Congratulations to His Majesty

That afternoon, Li Ji was summoned to the palace and met the emperor in the Penglai Hall.

Upon entering the hall after registering, he glanced around and noticed that besides Li Yu sitting upright on the couch in front of him, there were three other attendants at the low tables on either side: one was the Crown Prince Li Shi; another was also wearing a purple robe embroidered with dragons, and looked slightly younger than Li Shi, whom he suspected was Prince Zheng, Li Miao, who had been newly appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army and Cavalry.

Well, in this kind of situation, with the Crown Prince and Prince Zheng sitting on either side, Li Yu might actually be harboring some thoughts that cannot be openly discussed with others for the time being...

What surprised and delighted Li Ji was the third person. Although they had been separated for several years and he looked much older than before, it was clearly Prince Qi, Li Tan! Had this guy finally been released by his elder brother?

A quick calculation confirms it: five years have passed since Li Heng's death, so no matter how much Li Tan observes mourning in a hut and fulfills his filial duties, the time for a general amnesty should have come.

After bowing, Li Yu asked him directly, "Li Ji, you have just returned to Chang'an. Why didn't you come to pay your respects in a hurry? Why did you beat up the Uyghur envoy in the street?"

Li Ji clasped his hands in court and answered in one breath: "I just came from Wannian County. His envoy Wei Tan has confirmed the facts. A Uyghur merchant killed a Tang person in the East Market out of personal resentment and was imprisoned. He was not a subordinate of the Uyghur envoy. However, the Uyghur envoy Chi Xin, along with his subordinates, armed with weapons, rode from the Court of State Ceremonial into Wannian County to rescue the prisoner, and injured the prison guards. He was wicked and immoral, and violated the laws of our Tang Dynasty. The evidence is conclusive, and the criminals have all confessed without hesitation."

"A life for a life. The Hui merchant is to be hanged, but the Hui envoy Chixin and others are not a matter that Wannian Ling can decide. They should be temporarily imprisoned, and a report should be submitted to the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice—I believe the two departments will soon submit their reports to His Majesty."

He deliberately emphasized the phrase "the evidence is conclusive, and the perpetrators have all confessed," stressing each word heavily. Li Yu frowned upon hearing this. He wanted to question Li Ji further, but felt it would be beneath his dignity—while he worried about damaging relations between the Tang and Hui families, or even provoking a Uyghur invasion, such obvious words of weakness could not come from the mouth of an emperor.

Then, glancing sideways at Li Tan, he asked in a deep voice, "What is your opinion on this matter, my worthy brother?"

Li Tan thought to himself, "Why do you need to ask me in front of Li Ji? This is clearly a way for you to use me to rebuke Li Ji..." He couldn't help but feel annoyed.

— Li Tan was dragged here by Li Shi, and Li Shi was informed in time by Lu Qi, who asked him to enter the palace to explain things to Li Ji and plead for him.

Whether envoys, merchants, officials, or commoners, the Uyghurs had been acting arrogantly and lawlessly in Chang'an for more than a day, and were hated by everyone, including Lu Qi. The problem was that the imperial court needed the Uyghurs' help, and various government offices, including the Court of State Ceremonies and the Prefectural Government, were following the emperor's wishes and deliberately protecting the Uyghurs, or at least turning a blind eye to their misdeeds. Unless he himself was directly offended, why would Lu Ziliang dare to be the first to act?

Furthermore, given his status and character, even with the Crown Prince as his backer, he would likely suffer greatly if involved in such matters, and might not even achieve a good outcome.

Not only that, Lu Qi also did not want Li Ji to get involved in this matter. Even if they happened to bump into each other on the street today, in Lu Qi's opinion, the military commander should find a suitable way to back down and let those Uyghurs go. After all, the security of Chang'an City is not under your jurisdiction, so why make trouble for yourself?

However, the unfolding events, though seemingly lengthy, actually occurred in the blink of an eye. Lu Qi initially didn't have time to interject, and by the time he realized what was happening, he had already missed his chance to stop it—the military commander was already furious, and had straightened his carriage, intending not only to punish the Uyghurs but also to contradict the Minister of Ceremonies. If Lu Qi were to speak up at this moment, he might be seen as a traitor, showing favoritism. Although the Crown Prince had promised him a good official position largely because of Li Ji, if he lost Li Ji's trust, even a slight change of heart in front of the Crown Prince would surely tarnish Lu Ziliang's future.

But Lu Qi couldn't just stand by and watch from the riverbank; he had to hold his post under Li Ji until the very end in order to smoothly enter the ranks of officials in the central government. So when he saw Li Ji and his entourage heading to Wannian County, and the Minister of Ceremonies Wei Shaohua also galloping away, Lu Qi immediately bid farewell to Cui Cuo and his party, and rode off to find Li Shi, both to inform him of the situation and to seek his assistance.

Upon hearing the whole story, Li Shi couldn't help but feel a bit angry and resentful—"Changwei, why are you meddling in so many things?" But after all, Li Ji's return to the west was something he had orchestrated, intending to use him as a backup in times of crisis. At this moment, it was impossible for him to abandon Li Ji. He immediately sent an envoy to the palace to request an audience, and after careful consideration, he also sent someone to inform Li Tan to include the Prince of Qi in the meeting.

After completing his mourning period, Li Tan returned to Chang'an, but from then on, he had no chance to hold any official position and could only live a life of luxury in his mansion, waiting to die. It is said that he recently frequently invited Du Fu to banquets, where they would exchange poems.

In fact, Li Tan had told Li Bi long ago that he did not particularly like Du Zimei's writing style. However, the problem was that many of the famous poets of the time held prominent positions in the capital, and Li Tan dared not associate with them too much, fearing that it would arouse his brother's suspicion. Only Du Fu, as an assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, had not been promoted for several years and was a marginal figure with no power in the court. In addition, he was Li Tan's former subordinate, so there was an excuse for him to associate with Du Fu.

Li Shi knew that Li Tan's friendship with Li Ji was probably no less than his own—after all, Li Ji had once stormed the palace to save the life of the Prince of Qi's uncle, and they had both served in Longyou for several years, defending the barbarians—so Li Tan would definitely be willing to plead for Li Ji, which is why he earnestly requested to go to the palace together to see the emperor.

As expected, Li Tan did not wait for the emperor and hurriedly led his uncle and nephew into the palace together. Li Yu was talking with Li Miao when they were invited in. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wei Shaohua, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, presented an urgent memorial.

When Li Shi was appointed Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces and marched east to conquer Shi Chaoyi—in fact, he only went as far as Shanxian County—Li Yu appointed Yao Zi'ang, the Palace Attendant and Censor-in-Chief, as the Left Wing Army Commander; Wei Ju, the former Grand General of Luzhou and Censor-in-Chief, as the Right Wing Army Commander; Wei Shaohua, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, as the Grand Marshal's Judge and Chief Secretary; and Li Jin, the Attendant Censor-in-Chief, as the Grand Marshal's Military Advisor. These four were his former officials from the Eastern Palace and were relatively trustworthy, so they were used to monitor Li Shi.

Wei Shaohua, at the young age of forty, was promoted to Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, adorned in jade and purple robes, and was highly trusted by Li Yu. Li Yu had even privately hinted to his court officials that Wei Shaohua, with a few more years of experience, could become prime minister. Following this, Wei Shaohua submitted a memorial, stating that Li Ji was arrogant and disrespectful, and had arbitrarily arrested a Uyghur envoy, potentially leading to a military conflict between the two sides. Upon reading the memorial, Li Yu was furious.

Seeing his father's angry expression, Li Shi trembled and dared not utter a sound, only gesturing to Li Tan with his eyes. Li Tan thought to himself, "Li Ji has been kind to me, so if I don't speak up for him, the emperor might become suspicious." Therefore, he straightened his clothes and performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows. Li Yu was puzzled. "I've been here for half a day, why is he suddenly bowing to me again?"

"Our brotherly bond is stronger than that of others, and we are both confined within the palace walls. So, why do you bow to me in front of your two sons?"

Li Tan said, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you. With such a loyal and upright minister, the prosperity of our Tang Dynasty is in sight!"

Li Yu thought to himself, "So they wanted to plead for Li Ji, they even copied the wisdom of their ancestors..."

It is said that one day, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, returned to his inner palace after court, angrily muttering to himself, "I will surely kill this country bumpkin!" Empress Wende, Changsun, asked, "Who is it that you resent?" Li Shimin replied, "It is that old scoundrel Wei Zheng, who dared to insult me ​​in public!" Changsun immediately returned to her inner chambers, changed into her ceremonial robes, and bowed deeply before the emperor. Li Shimin, surprised, asked her why she had performed such a grand ceremony. Changsun explained, "I have heard that only when the ruler is wise can his subjects be truly loyal. Wei Zheng dares to speak frankly and offer advice; only with Your Majesty's virtue could such a loyal minister be found. Therefore, I congratulate you."

As a result, Li Shimin's anger turned to joy, and from then on he valued Wei Zheng even more.

The anecdotes of their ancestors were known to every member of the royal family, so Li Tan, in a moment of panic, immediately imitated them. Li Yu, seeing this, understood perfectly well what was going on. Faced with this situation, he couldn't afford to lose his temper, so he simply reached out to help Li Tan up and asked him, "When you spoke of 'a loyal and upright minister,' were you referring to Li Ji? Now, Li Ji has offended the Uyghur envoy, a matter that is extremely harmful to the country. Why do you still congratulate me?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Tan said, "Your Majesty is well aware of Li Ji's character. Although he may seem somewhat hasty and reckless, this matter concerns the friendship between the Tang and Hui families. How could he act so rashly? I suspect there must be a reason. Moreover, the Uyghurs are abusing their power and bullying others, indulging in lawlessness. The people of Chang'an are filled with resentment. Although my brother stays at home composing poetry and drinking wine, and does not concern himself with state affairs, he has heard quite a bit about it. For example, last month they went out of the Court of State Ceremonies, entered the market and raped people, and even chased the Chang'an magistrate Shao Yue on the street of Hanguang Gate, seizing his horse and leaving. The officials were unable to stop them..."

"The friendship between the two countries is certainly important, but are Your Majesty's divine authority and the laws of our Tang Dynasty not important? If we allow them to run rampant without punishment, I fear that the officials will all slander and turn back, or that some will secretly collude with them; the people and soldiers will all be afraid to turn back. If they were to invade one day, no one would dare to defend us. Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"A small leak, if left unchecked, will eventually lead to a great calamity; a slight oversight, if left unchecked, will eventually result in a great disaster. I humbly request Your Majesty to summon Li Ji and inquire into the matter in detail. If it is indeed Li Ji who was rude and offensive, then we can discuss it separately; if there is a reason for the incident and the fault lies with Hui, then we can take this opportunity to punish him and warn him, so as to prevent any potential problems. Moreover, if Hui was indeed disrespectful and the officials punished him, Your Majesty will ultimately pardon him, which will also show the goodwill of our Tang Dynasty towards Hui, and it would be a way to curry favor with the Uyghur Khan—Your Majesty, please heed my advice."

After listening to Li Tan's words, Li Yu lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Then he turned to Li Miao and asked, "What do you think? Can I possibly adopt all of your uncle's suggestions?"

Li Miao hurriedly replied, "Although I bear a heavy responsibility, I am actually young and inexperienced, and I only know how to study behind closed doors. How dare I offer any opinions on such important national affairs? Besides, with the Crown Prince by your side, Your Majesty should ask me first."

Li Yu then looked at Li Shi with some displeasure.

Li Shi clasped his hands and said, "Actually, I have heard some rumors about this matter..." He then relayed what Lu Qi had said, and finally replied to Lu Qi's suggestion, "I think what Uncle Qi said makes some sense. The Uyghurs are violent and should not be indulged too much..." At this point, he suddenly changed his tone: "However, if we want to punish them and warn them, Li Ji is the best candidate."

Li Yu was somewhat bewildered: "Why is that?"

Li Shi said, “Your subject has three concerns: First, Li Ji is not a court official, but a military man. Therefore, his conflict with the Hui envoys upon his return to the capital is clearly not at the behest of the court, but rather a private matter that he can use to appease the Khan…”

Li Yu slowly shook his head, thinking to himself: This kind of excuse is probably not believable to the other party.

Li Shi continued, "Secondly, Li Ji is also respected by the Uyghur Khan, who bestowed upon him the title of Tutunfa, and today he has also raised his banner. If the Khan is displeased, Your Majesty can argue that this is a matter between Uyghur officials, and that it is inconvenient for our Tang Dynasty to discern right from wrong; the matter should be handed over to the Khan for judgment..."

Li Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself: Sigh, this is not a bad excuse to clear his name.

“Thirdly,” Li Shi softened his tone slightly, emphasizing each word, “Li Ji will be appointed to Shuofang, a region close to the Uyghurs. The Uyghurs will be friendly to the court but not to Shuofang, which is beneficial to the country…”

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. Even Li Tan couldn't help but glance at Li Shi, thinking to himself, "How could you come up with such a reason?!"

Li Shi meant that if Li Ji were appointed as the military governor of Shuofang, whose military region was closest to the Uyghurs, and if he were to become close to the Uyghur Khan like Pugu Huai'en had been, even to the point of being related to him, and if the two sides were to collude and invite the invaders into the pass, it would surely lead to a great disaster. Didn't Pugu and his son once intend to summon Uyghur troops south to aid their rebellion? If, because of this, Li Ji lost the favor of the Uyghur Khan, and the Uyghurs, although close to the Tang Dynasty, were not on good terms with Shuofang, and in the future, when they joined forces to defend against the barbarians, Li Ji would not be able to command the Uyghur troops, then the court would have no worries.

There was a fierce, behind-the-scenes debate within the court regarding where Li Ji should be placed after being recalled from Hebei. Li Shi naturally wanted him to be as close to the capital as possible, but Li Yu was not foolish. He understood that his son was building up his own power base, which is why he summoned Cui Youfu and others for a secret meeting, ultimately settling on Shuofang.

Although the troops stationed in Shuofang were formidable, they were still quite far from Chang'an. Even if Li Ji harbored rebellious intentions, he couldn't possibly march straight in and besiege the city. Moreover, although Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en had been dismissed, Shuofang had long been without a commander due to its arrogant and unruly soldiers. If this were handed over to Li Ji, and he couldn't control them, they wouldn't pose a threat to the central government. But if he could control them… it would be like cutting off the arm of his "in-law"!

Li Yu and his son, though rivals, also understand each other. Li Yu can understand Li Shi's intentions, and Li Shi can also guess some of his father's thoughts. Thus, after receiving a hint from Lu Qi, he came up with this idea: to pretend to be wary of Li Ji, but actually to exonerate him—let's get through this calamity first.

Li Yu, having made up his mind, summoned Li Ji to the palace. He certainly wouldn't praise Li Ji to his face—he intended to give him a minor punishment as a warning, then release the Hui envoys and their party, offering them rewards as compensation; ideally, Li Ji would apologize, but this fool would likely refuse—but reprimanding him directly would make him appear too protective of the Uyghurs, unbecoming of an emperor. Therefore, he gestured to Li Tan with his eyes, meaning: Brother, you should step forward and play the good cop.

Helpless, Li Tan could only ask Li Ji with a bitter face: "The barbarian bandits are pressing us closer and closer, and the country has no power to retaliate. We are relying on the help of the Uyghurs, yet you, without cause... well, not without cause, arrested the Uyghur envoy in the street. If this damages the friendship between our two countries and ruins the affairs of the state, what should we do? You are now an important minister of the court, not a mere honorary military officer of the past. How can you not know the difference between what is important and what is not? How can you act so recklessly?!"

Actually, Li Tan might have thought the same thing. If it had been another official, not Li Ji, who had committed the offense, he would have slapped him across the face long ago.

Chapter 45, The Quanrong Invade Hao

Li Tan questioned Li Ji, and Li Ji, seeing the other's expression, naturally understood that it was at the emperor's behest... This is for the best; some things are truly inconvenient to say directly to the emperor, so I can only trouble you, Prince Qi—

"I have a question that I do not understand, and I humbly request Your Majesty's guidance."

"What's the matter?"

"Is the fate of the nation more important, or the common people?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tan was taken aback, then replied hesitantly, "Naturally, the fate of the nation is of paramount importance..."

"However, Mencius said: 'The people are the most important, the state is next...'" Of course, in front of the emperor, the second half of the sentence, "the ruler is the least important," can be omitted—"Then without the common people, where would the state and the state come from? Now the Uyghurs are fierce and violent. If they are not punished, the people will all resent the court, and some will think that the Three Departments, the Six Ministries, the various courts and the Nine Ministers are not as good as the Uyghur camp. Is this what Your Majesty wants to see?"

"And let me ask you, is Tang a country of the Tang people or a country of the Uyghurs? If the court does not protect the Tang people but instead indulges the Uyghurs, then why should Your Majesty linger here? You should immediately head north and grovel before the court as a vassal!"

Can you say this to the emperor? You're protecting the Uyghurs instead of the Tang people. You might as well just submit to the Uyghur Khan!

Although Li Tan understood that Li Ji's words were actually addressed to the emperor, he was still deeply angered to be scolded to his face by an acquaintance. He immediately rebuked him, "If this leads to the Uyghurs breaking the alliance, or even joining forces with the Tibetans to invade the south, can you bear the responsibility?!"

Li Ji smiled and turned to Li Yu: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten the humiliation of kneeling before the Crown Prince Yabghu outside Chang'an in the second year of the Zhide era?"

When the Tang-Uyghur allied forces recaptured Chang'an, Li Heng promised to return the lands of the two capitals to the Tang, while the wealth and women would go to the Uyghurs. The Uyghur commander, the Crown Prince Yabghu, wanted to enter the city to collect these gifts. Li Yu refused, not out of concern for the Tang women, but because he feared that as the one carrying out the agreement, he would be tainted and unable to clear his name, and that it might even jeopardize his impending succession. Therefore, he knelt before the Crown Prince Yabghu, pleading for the release of the people of Chang'an, promising to fulfill the promise after the recapture of Dongjing (Kaifeng)...

Although both were sons of the rulers, the Tang people generally believed that the Uyghurs were subjects of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the Uyghur Khan was equivalent to a prince, while his crown prince was a rank lower than a Tang prince. This act of superiors belittling inferiors was inherently humiliating. Thus, after Li Yu ascended the throne, he specifically ordered all relevant written records to be erased, including the account of Li Ji beating the crown prince of the Yabghu…

Of course, even Li Miao, who was still a child at the time, had heard about this matter.

Li Ji continued, "I once punched the Crown Prince of Yabghu at the gates of Chang'an, unable to bear Your Majesty's humiliation. Not only was the Crown Prince spared, but even the Khan of the Righteous Khan did not use this as an excuse to break the alliance. Does Your Majesty think that Chixin's status is higher than that of the Crown Prince of Yabghu?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu fell silent.

"Your Majesty, the alliance between the Uyghurs and our Tang Dynasty is a response to the current situation. The relationship between our two nations is not concerned with one or two individuals. Prince Qi is worried that the Uyghurs might join forces with the Tibetans to attack our Tang Dynasty. However, he does not realize that these barbarians are nomadic and would never coexist with us. China is primarily an agricultural society and not suited for nomadic life. They can only plunder people and goods, but dare not seize land. If two nomadic groups form an alliance, they can have both water and pasture. Who will then be in control? I assure you that if the Tibetans plot against the Western Regions, the Uyghurs will certainly fight them and will never agree to peace, let alone join forces against our Tang Dynasty."

"Therefore, the invasion of the Western Regions by the barbarians is not only a scourge to our Tang Dynasty, but also a great threat to the Uyghurs. This is why we requested the Khan to send troops south to rescue them. This was our original intention. However, many court officials are ignorant of the matter and fabricated dangerous arguments to obscure Your Majesty's wisdom. As a result, Your Majesty, moved by the kindness of the Uyghurs, has been quite lenient with their envoys' treachery and has been unwilling to punish them..."

This is a very artful way of putting it. In fact, what Li Ji was thinking was: You are afraid that the Uyghurs will break the alliance because you do not understand the interests of the Uyghurs, so you have indulged the Uyghur envoys so much. But you can't just openly criticize the emperor for being cowardly, can you?

"Moreover, the barbarians mostly fear power but do not cherish virtue. Does Your Majesty remember what happened in the first year of Baoying? Shi Chaoyi sent an envoy back to the capital, falsely claiming that after the late emperor's death, the Central Plains were without a ruler, and asked the Khan to come south to join him in seizing the treasury. The Khan did indeed go south. Fortunately, the imperial envoy Liu Qingtan caught up with him at the Three Surrender Cities, presented an imperial edict, and explained Your Majesty's ascension to the throne. Only then did the Khan retreat, and he ordered Di De and others to join forces with us."

"From this, we can see that if our Tang Dynasty is weak and the Central Plains are in turmoil, then the oaths and oaths are nothing but empty words; if our Tang Dynasty is strong and its army is powerful, even if I kill ten loyal subjects in the street, the Khan may not blame me, let alone break the alliance and attack us. Now, everyone is afraid of the Hui envoys, and even if they act violently in broad daylight, we dare not punish them. When the Hui envoys return to their camp, they will surely say that our Tang Dynasty is weak. If our generals were not foolish and our army weak, how could we endure such humiliation without retaliating? Therefore, the Khan knows that we are afraid and will break the alliance and attack us, so as to prevent our Tang Dynasty's wealth and children from falling into the hands of the Tibetans!"

These words were very clear, and they were something that the Li Tang imperial family had never considered, nor had any of the court officials had ever spoken of. The four men—father, son, uncle, and nephew—were filled with fear and trepidation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Ji crossed his arms, raised his voice, and loudly proclaimed: "Therefore, in order to demonstrate the strength of our Tang Dynasty, and to ensure that our laws are strict and our government is well-ordered, so as to deter the Uyghurs from looking down on us and to quell the Khan's covetousness, I request that the Uyghur envoy Chixin and others be punished according to the law!"

"Those who break prisoners with weapons and injure prison guards should be beheaded! Even if a Uyghur kills someone in broad daylight in the marketplace, he should still be beheaded, not hanged. If this is not done, we will soon see the Khan's banners flying south again, and the Uyghur army approaching Shuofang and Hedong. The various garrisons, seeing the court's cowardice, will all sit on the sidelines and watch, and not a single soldier will come to the rescue. Then the events of Zhou You's breach of faith, and the Quanrong entering Haojing, will surely be repeated today! I implore Your Majesty to make a swift decision!"

The statement, "The story of King You of Zhou breaking his promise and the Quanrong invading Haojing will surely be repeated today," truly frightened Li Yu, who stammered, "How could it come to this..."

Li Ji retorted without hesitation: "If the supervising envoy were to submit a memorial stating that they could run rampant in Youzhou and Chengde, killing soldiers and humiliating generals, and that Li Huaixian and Li Baochen dared not question them, what would Your Majesty think? Soon, the memorials from the ministers urging an immediate attack on the two towns, plowing the court and sweeping away the villages, would flood Your Majesty's desk!"