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Chapter 153 The Banquet at Jinxiang Palace

Emperor Chai Rong of the Great Zhou Dynasty held a banquet in the Jinxiang Hall of the inner court to celebrate the victory of Li Yi, the general of the Imperial Guards who had returned victorious from the conquest of Shu.

Also invited were Li Tinggui and Han Jixun, surrendered generals from the Shu Kingdom.

Li Yi didn't know whether the emperor did it intentionally or simply wanted to save trouble by bringing Li and Han along to his victory celebration banquet.

It's worth noting that these two guys were personally captured by Li Yi, so inviting them to a celebratory banquet is somewhat like killing them with their spirit.

However, Li Yi then thought again that the emperor's appointment of him as the military governor of Zhaowu Army must not have been decided by simply pointing to a spot on a map.

Because Jianmen Pass, known for its strategic importance and the saying "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand," is located within the jurisdiction of Zhaowu Army. This place is the gateway to the heart of the Shu Kingdom, making its geographical location extremely important.

Li Yi guessed that the emperor's decision to enfeoff himself in Lizhou was probably an expression of contempt for Meng Chang, the ruler of Shu.

Perhaps it also carries a threatening tone: the Zhou general who routed the Shu army has a remote military post located in the heart of Shu, so Meng Chang should carefully consider the implications.

As the emperor of the Central Plains with a powerful military, Chai Rong certainly had the confidence to back it up.

Thinking about it this way, it's highly likely that the emperor's arrangement for Li Tinggui and Han Jixun to attend the victory banquet was not intended as an insult. Moreover, to put it bluntly, Li and Han were not qualified to enjoy the "special treatment" from the Emperor of Great Zhou.

It's highly likely that the two were only invited to the banquet incidentally, since it was a private banquet held by the emperor in the inner court, and being invited was a great honor. Li Tinggui and Han Jixun might even have benefited from his presence.

Otherwise, given their status or achievements, they wouldn't be qualified to receive a private banquet from the emperor... If the Shu ruler Meng Chang were captured and brought to Tokyo, then he would be qualified to enjoy this treatment.

Of course, these were all just Li Yi's wild guesses. As for what it really meant, only the emperor himself knew the answer.

……

The main hall of the Later Zhou imperial city was Chongyuan Hall, while the inner hall was Jinxiang Hall. As the central hub of the inner court, this was not Li Yi's first visit to Jinxiang Hall.

The Five Dynasties inherited the Tang system, which included the system of attending court and entering the palace. However, they also developed the system of "living in the palace every five days".

In other words, every few days the emperor would summon officials of the fifth rank and above to the inner palace, allowing his subjects to inquire about his condition and, incidentally, strengthen the relationship between the emperor and his subjects.

It also gave ministers the opportunity to privately report important matters to the emperor.

However, most of the time it was just a formality, like going through the motions of a formal court audience. The emperor could summon his close advisors and ministers at any time to discuss important military and state affairs, and did not need to wait until he inquired about the emperor's well-being to do so.

As a former junior officer in the Imperial Guard, Li Yi was not qualified to set foot in the inner palace. However, since returning from the Battle of Gaoping, his status has been high enough, so he is no stranger to the Jinxiang Hall.

However, he had only followed the crowd and gone through the motions before, and there was nothing he needed to discuss with the emperor in private.

Almost every time, he would wait in the corridor outside the palace, go in step by step to pay his respects to the emperor, and then leave with the civil and military officials.

But this time was different. The emperor specially held a banquet for him in the Jinxiang Hall. Sitting in the hall, enjoying the service of the palace servants, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Of course, the meal was secondary. Li Yi naturally understood that in this kind of occasion, form outweighed substance. What was eaten was not important; what mattered was this special honor.

Emperor Chai Rong followed the frugal style of his predecessor, Emperor Guo Wei, and his daily life was very simple, including his food, clothing and daily necessities. He also kept the same in his banquets, which did not feature any extravagant delicacies. Instead, he served common meat, vegetables and dried fruits, with plenty of wine.

However, no one would really drink freely in front of the emperor; at most, they would take a sip when offered a toast.

Halfway through the banquet, a palace attendant came in to report news of the battle at the Huainan front.

The emperor immediately offered a few more words of encouragement, told Li Yi and the others to enjoy their meal, and then rose from his seat to attend to state affairs.

Although such thoughts seemed extremely rude, Li Yi genuinely felt uneasy eating with the emperor present. Once the emperor left, the atmosphere at the banquet finally relaxed considerably.

Li Tinggui and Han Jixun clearly shared this sentiment. After seeing the emperor leave, they both visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Commander Li!" Li Tinggui was the first to toast Li Yi. "When I was your age, I was just an unknown nobody. I feel ashamed of myself when I think about it."

Han Jixun quickly echoed, "Commander Li is already a regional military governor at the young age of 18, and his illustrious reputation has spread throughout the land. In the future, when Lord Li and I live alone in Tokyo, we will have to rely on Commander Li's help."

Li Yi glanced around and saw that the eunuchs and palace maids were all standing far away, with their heads down and eyes lowered, not daring to look or listen too much.

He raised his cup in return and said, "Lord Li and Lord Han, you flatter us. The three of us serve in the same court and are all His Majesty's subjects. How can there be any talk of one favoring the other?"

Han Jixun quickly replied, "I misspoke."

Li Tinggui lowered his head and remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, as if pondering the meaning behind Li Yi's words.

Li Yi smiled and said nothing more, then invited the two to drink and eat.

He could guess a bit about what Li Tinggui and Han Jixun were thinking. As defeated generals who had been captured, they had no relatives or acquaintances in the city of Tokyo.

To be honest, Li Yi could be considered an "old acquaintance" of the two. Although the process of getting to know each other was not pleasant, they still had a somewhat unusual relationship—as the saying goes, no friendship is formed without conflict.

In addition, Li Yi's current status in the Later Zhou Imperial Guard is already among the top few, making him one of the core figures.

Moreover, he was related to the Emperor of the Great Zhou by marriage.

If Li and Han weren't fools, they would naturally understand that cultivating a good relationship with Li Yi would be absolutely beneficial... Besides, that was all the two of them could do to get along with Li Yi.

None of the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Later Zhou Dynasty would associate with two enemy generals who had no connection with them.

Li Yi doesn't mind Li and Han trying to build a relationship with him, but the current occasion is clearly inappropriate. He'll wait until later in private to discuss it further.

Another half hour passed, and the emperor still hadn't reappeared.

An old eunuch who was serving Li Yi walked behind him and whispered, "Commander Li, it's time to end the banquet."

"Mm." Li Yi nodded slightly.

The three then left Jinxiang Palace under the guidance of the old eunuch.

"Lord Li, Lord Han, I must take my leave now. Once you are settled, if you have some free time, you are welcome to visit my residence... I live in Zhengyang Ward, it's the second one on the left after you enter the ward gate."

At the palace gate, Li Yi bid farewell to Li Tinggui and Han Jixun.

Li and Han are currently staying in the official residence in the guest province, waiting for the mansion bestowed by the emperor to be renovated before moving in.

"Definitely, definitely. I'll be going to bother Envoy Li then."

Li and Han were already more than happy to accept, so they immediately returned the greeting with clasped hands and repeatedly agreed. ...

The emperor's banquet began at noon and lasted for almost two hours. When Li Yi left the imperial city, the sun was slowly setting in the west.

Li Hanchao had already been waiting outside Donghua Gate with his personal guards.

Upon seeing Li Yi emerge, he quickly stepped forward, glanced around, and then whispered, "News has come from the Huainan front that the siege of Shouzhou City is going poorly. The puppet Tang general Liu Yanzhen is taking advantage of the situation to lead his troops straight to Zhengyang, seemingly to cut off our army's retreat across the river."

"When His Majesty learned that Prime Minister Li was preparing to lead the army back to defend the pontoon bridge in Zhengyang, he was furious and has already sent an envoy on an urgent mission to the front line to stop him."

Li Yi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, before realizing that such a thing had indeed happened in history.

However, upon closer examination, this was inevitable. Shouzhou City was impregnable, and a direct assault would be extremely difficult, not something that could be accomplished in just one or two months.

Furthermore, the city was defended by Liu Renzhan, a famous general of the Southern Tang Dynasty. As long as the enemy was determined to hold their ground and did not make any major mistakes, they could hold out for at least a year and a half.

Later, the Zhou army besieged Shouzhou City. If they were unable to capture it after a long siege, the Southern Tang rulers and ministers would not be stupid and would definitely try to outflank and launch a surprise attack.

Thinking of this, Li Yi sighed softly: "It's too late."

Upon hearing this, Li Hanchao asked in confusion, "Brother, are you saying that it's too late for Minister Li to lead his troops back to defend Zhengyang?"

Li Yi shook his head slightly: "It's too late for His Majesty to send someone to stop it."

Li Hanchao was somewhat taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that without His Majesty's permission, you, Prime Minister Li, dared to make the decision to withdraw troops from Shouzhou City?"

Li Yi did not answer directly, but instead asked in return: "Han Chao, do you think the greater crime is the unauthorized withdrawal that gave the garrison of Shouzhou a chance to catch their breath, or the greater crime of the army being cut off from its retreat and thus suffering a complete defeat?"

Different perspectives lead to different answers.

Li Hanchao only thought about avoiding mistakes, so he naturally couldn't understand the logic behind Prime Minister Li Gu's actions. But Li Yi viewed the problem from a god-like perspective; he could deduce Li Gu's thoughts and concerns from the outcome.

“I understand now.” Li Hanchao suddenly realized, “Master Li, you’re choosing the lesser of two evils… Brother, you’ve thought this far ahead. I just didn’t think of that.”

Li Yi smiled but didn't reply. He didn't know much about Prime Minister Li Gu and had never had any dealings with him.

Based on what he knew, this Minister Li was not very brave. During the Battle of Gaoping, he was so frightened by the chaotic soldiers that he hid in the deep mountains for several days and almost starved to death.

Historically, fearing being cut off from retreat, he took it upon himself to lead a large army back to defend the pontoon bridge in Zhengyang, which greatly angered Emperor Shizong of Zhou. If it weren't for his past merits, he might not have been so lenient.

However, as prime minister, Li Gu was very capable of handling government affairs and was also very good at managing logistics.

Whether it was Chai Rong's personal expedition against the Northern Han upon his ascension to the throne, the later war against the Southern Tang, or the campaign to conquer the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, Li Gu arranged logistics perfectly.

However, it would be a bit difficult to ask him to lead troops into battle.

Li Yi was also pondering this. The emperor had clearly sent Li Chongjin on the expedition, but he had appointed Li Gu as the commander of the Huainan vanguard, responsible for controlling and leading the various armies at the front. This was somewhat of a precaution against Li Chongjin.

Historically, after Li Gu withdrew his troops to defend the capital, Emperor Chai Rong was very angry, but he did not immediately dismiss Li Gu from his military post.

Instead, it was only after Chai Rong personally led the expedition to the Zhengyang front that Li Chongjin replaced Li Gu in his pre-battle position.

At this time, with the emperor in charge at the front line, most of the orders came from the emperor. Li Chongjin, the commander of the vanguard, did not actually have much power to mobilize troops.

All of this combined clearly shows that the emperor was not comfortable entrusting the command of the expeditionary force to Li Chongjin so easily.

Given Li Chongjin's sensitive status, it's understandable that Chai Rong would be wary of him.

Thinking of this, Li Yi couldn't help but think of himself... How would the emperor arrange for him in this campaign to attack the Southern Tang?

At the banquet held in Jinxiang Hall today, the emperor did not mention the war in Huainan at all, and showed no intention of sending him to Huainan. This made Li Yi uneasy.

Everything he has now is basically earned on the battlefield. If he misses the opportunity to attack the Southern Tang and gain military merits, he will have suffered a huge loss.

However, deep down, Li Yi was more worried that the emperor had also become wary of him... Although this was inevitable as his status and position rose, it was normal for the emperor to be wary of military generals in the context of the chaotic Five Dynasties period, and there was nothing to complain about.

But we can't even restrict our own opportunities to make contributions, can we?
Li Yi felt that Li Chongjin posed a much greater potential threat to the emperor than himself. Even Li Chongjin had been sent to the Huainan battlefield. Was it necessary for a newcomer like himself, who had less experience and prestige, to be so wary of him?

On his way home, Li Yi was still pondering the matter, and his expression inevitably became somewhat gloomy.

Li Hanchao hesitated several times before finally deciding not to ask any more questions.

As the eldest brother of the Righteous Society, Li Yi, though young, had earned a formidable reputation through several major battles that not only struck fear into the hearts of his enemies but also commanded the respect of his own brothers.

This is not just the power that comes with status and position, but a genuine and heartfelt admiration.

However, upon arriving at the mansion's entrance, Li Yi spoke first: "Han Chao, you are now a general of the military commander level. If you continue to live in my mansion, it will make you seem like my personal retainer... Moreover, with your current status, you should have your own mansion."

"In a few days, I'll have someone buy you a house. It would be best if it were nearby in Zhengyangfang. Then you can pack up and move there."

Li Hanchao hurriedly said, "Hanchao wouldn't dare trouble you, elder brother. There's no rush to buy a house; I can move to the barracks for now..."

Li Yi frowned and interrupted, "Han Chao, do you think I'm trying to kick you out?"

Li Hanchao immediately shook his head like a rattle drum, saying repeatedly, "Hanchao didn't mean that. I know that you are thinking of me, but I really don't want you to be distracted by my trivial matters."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi said seriously, "You and I are sworn brothers, closer than blood relatives... Shouldn't an elder brother worry about his brothers?"

"This... sigh, Hanchao will leave it to you, brother!" Li Hanchao said, his face slightly moved.

"That's right." Li Yi nodded with a smile. "With your older brother here, you don't need to worry about money."

At this point, he added, "Hanchao, you should also consider remarrying. Your parents, wife, and children are all gone. As a mid-to-high-ranking general in the Imperial Guard, how can you be all alone? Buying property in Tokyo in the future, getting married, and having children will make you truly settled."

Li Hanchao naturally nodded in agreement. Then, remembering something, he reminded Li Yi, "Brother, Zhao Kuangyin's father is seriously ill. Should we go and visit him?"

"Tsk, I had completely forgotten about this if you hadn't mentioned it!"

Li Yi then realized that he had been so busy thinking about the war that he had forgotten about the Zhao family. He immediately instructed, "Han Chao, go and prepare a generous gift. Tomorrow you will come with me to the Zhao family to take a look."

(End of this chapter)