Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 156 Border Affairs in Hexi
Since their ancestor Li Hu entered Guanzhong and became one of the Eight Pillars of the Western Wei, the Li Tang imperial family became a core member of the Guanzhong military aristocratic group. Their family also took root and flourished in Guanzhong, and started their own businesses amidst the chaos of warlordism at the end of the Sui Dynasty, eventually establishing the Tang Dynasty.

During the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, members of the Li imperial family performed admirably, and many meritorious nobles emerged. However, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, members of the imperial family were frequently involved in various conflicts and coups, and from the reign of Emperor Taizong onwards, there were continuous tragic incidents of fratricide.

The current sages are friendly and respectful to their brothers, and their human relationships are harmonious, which is a rare peaceful scene in the country. However, beneath this appearance, the sages are also monitoring and guarding against their close relatives in all aspects and with almost no blind spots.

Therefore, during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the close relatives of the Li family made almost no political contributions or achievements. From Prince Ning downwards, they were almost all just tools for the emperor to perform the act of brotherly affection.

However, this does not mean that the Li Tang imperial family made no contributions to the prosperous Tang Dynasty; they still produced many high-ranking officials and generals. Leaving aside distant relatives like Li Linfu, who were already quite estranged from the main branch of the imperial family, there were still prime ministers like Li Shizhi and famous generals like Li Yi.

Both Li Shizhi and Li Yi were descendants of Emperor Taizong. The former was the grandson of the deposed crown prince, Prince Hengshan, Li Chengqian, while Li Yi was the grandson of Prince Wu, Li Ke. Although Li Shizhi served as prime minister during the Tianbao era, his political performance was mediocre, and he mostly appeared as a backdrop to highlight Li Linfu's political maneuvering.

As for Prince Xin'an, Li Yi, he is a famous general from the imperial family who cannot be ignored when talking about the military of the Tang Dynasty. He controlled the Tubo in the west and conquered the two Tubo in the north. He spent half his life on the battlefield and made great achievements. He can even be called one of the most important generals of the Tang Dynasty in the mid-Kaiyuan period before the rise of various Tubo.

Li Yi's achievements throughout his life, even within the entire history of the Tang Dynasty, rank among the top in the imperial family. It was under his and other generals' impetus that the Tang Dynasty's external military prowess gradually reached a climax and peak!

Therefore, when Zhang Dai said that he had long admired Prince Xin'an, it wasn't just polite talk; he genuinely respected this famous general from the imperial clan.

Previously, when he learned that Li Xia was a disciple of him, he wanted to ask Li Xia to introduce him to a visit, but unfortunately Li Xia said that his father was in mourning for his mother and was closing his doors to guests and not seeing outsiders, so he had never had the chance to meet him. Now that he had finally been able to admire the demeanor of this famous king, Zhang Dai was quite excited.

"I have also heard of Zhang Lang's deeds. My son used to work with him and has praised him repeatedly since then. Today, seeing him in person, I can confirm that he is indeed a man of outstanding bearing, possessing the same charm as Lord Yan. He truly deserves the reputation of being a handsome and vigorous young man!"

Prince Xin'an was tall, a head taller than Zhang Dai who was still growing. Seeing the young man's respectful and enthusiastic attitude, he stopped and smiled.

"I am humbled by Your Majesty's praise and appreciation. I previously worked with Jiulang and, knowing his background, wished to be recruited into your school and humbly request Your Majesty's instruction. However, knowing Your Majesty's respectful manner, I regretfully hesitated and dared not disturb you. Now that Your Majesty has returned to the mortal realm, you must have grand ambitions to make your mark. I eagerly await your arrival. If I could be of such honor, I would be most fortunate!"

Hearing that Prince Xin'an's evaluation and impression of him were acceptable, Zhang Dai was delighted and quickly lowered his head to say something.

He had met many famous figures in this world, and even emperors a few times, but he still couldn't hide his excitement when he met a famous general like Li Yi.

Besides Li Yi's own reputation and achievements, he actually wanted to communicate with the top military talents of the current era or ask them for their views on border affairs.

His grandfather certainly possessed rich literary and military talents, but his military thinking was mixed with too many political considerations, and therefore not pure enough.

Li Yi, on the other hand, soon became an important representative and powerful general in the Tang military, and a key figure in the next version of border affairs. His propositions and strategies would undoubtedly have a more profound impact on reality.

“Well, this… Zhang Lang is indeed very eager to learn. No wonder he is already so famous at such a young age. I hope that he can learn from his example and become a friend of his.”

Li Yi hadn't expected that Zhang Shuo's grandson, who had risen to fame this year, would admire him so much. It seemed that his admiration was genuine and not just empty politeness, which left Li Yi somewhat at a loss for words.

He had just finished a three-year mourning period and was currently not holding any official position, let alone having any grand ambitions. So he could only smile awkwardly and say, "Lord Yan is experienced in handling affairs and has profound knowledge. With such a respected elder teaching him the arts day and night, Zhang Lang does not need to seek help from anyone else."

“My grandfather often said that wise men each have their own strengths in managing affairs, and only by learning from the strengths of many can one avoid wasting one’s life. Today, as I am about to pay my respects to Your Majesty, we met on the way and I have not yet fully paid my respects. I hope to visit Your Majesty in the future and be accepted into your service, so that I may express my desire to learn more from you.”

Zhang Dai knew that he was not close to the Prince of Xin'an and that it was not appropriate for him to discuss profound topics. So he bowed again and said.

However, he was worried that Prince Xin'an might not have a deep enough impression of him, so he simply used the time traveler's ability to foresee the future and said to Prince Xin'an, "I have been studying the arts and reading books lately, and I have some concerns in my mind."

With His Majesty residing in the Central Plains, unrest is likely on all sides, especially with the Tibetan ruler being incompetent and his ministers powerful. There's a possibility that border generals might be greedy for merit and recklessly instigate conflict. The King of Hexi, the Grand General, is brave and resolute, more than capable of pacifying the borders and preparing for any eventuality. However, Tibet is not an easy opponent, and a single battle cannot quell the unrest. Furthermore, there are the fickle and treacherous Turks and Uyghurs…”

"I have been away from this matter for a long time, so I am afraid I cannot give Zhang Lang detailed guidance on this!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Xin'an frowned slightly, scrutinizing the young man before him with some suspicion. These matters were clearly not something a young man preparing for the imperial examinations should be considering. Although Li Yi had been away from court for a long time, he still had some sources and knew that Zhang Yue and the newly appointed prime minister, Du Xian, had some coordination and interaction on border affairs strategies.

Now that his grandson has taken the initiative to ask me about border matters, is he trying to test my opinion or simply trying to win me over to support his suggestions? But what is there in my opinion that Zhang Shuo would value?
He observed mourning for several years, which largely coincided with the period when Zhang Yue held absolute power. He did not have any deep friendship or sharp conflicts with Zhang Yue. On the contrary, he had some appreciation and interaction with his disciple Zhang Jiuling. But why would he be won over so soon after the mourning period ended?

Li Yi was unwilling to get involved in the personnel disputes in the court, so he avoided responding to Zhang Dai's words.

However, Zhang Dai was not disappointed. Upon hearing this, he simply bowed and said, "Perhaps it was just a foolish idea of ​​mine, a worrying man's presumption, that I have disturbed Your Majesty with this clumsy opinion. It is truly impolite."

In the winter of the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Tubo (Tibetan) army invaded Hexi. Wang Jun, the military governor of Hexi, led his troops in a counterattack and inflicted a major defeat on the Tubo's rear. This victory in the counterattack also marked the beginning of a high-intensity battle between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty that would last for several years.

Although Wang Jun won the first battle, he underestimated the enemy and neglected his defenses. The following year, the Tibetans captured Guazhou, and even his father was taken away by the Tibetans.

Then, because he failed to pacify the Uyghurs, he was besieged and killed by the Uyghurs, which greatly damaged the Tang Dynasty's military deployment in Longyou and Hexi.

Against this backdrop, Prince Xin'an, Li Yi, and Xiao Song were appointed to lead troops to Shuofang and Hexi respectively to salvage the situation. After more than a year of hard work, they finally stabilized the situation in Longyou and Hexi, forcing the Tubo Kingdom to weaken and sue for peace once again.

With the year-end approaching, the Tang-Tibet war in Qinghai must have reached a conclusion, but it will take some time for the news to reach the imperial court.

Zhang Dai's initiative to discuss this topic now might seem a bit abrupt to Li Yi, but when the news arrives next year, Li Yi's feelings might be different, and he might be willing to discuss his views on border affairs with the insightful Zhang Dai.

In short, regardless of what Li Yi thought, he was indeed quite impressed with the boy.

It was their turn to enter the palace. Zhang Dai, having been invited by Consort Hui, went to another palace to pay his respects to her first, while Li Yi and his family went straight to where the Emperor was. So the two sides said their goodbyes in front of Xuanwu Gate.

"Liu Lang is here! I arranged for your cousin to wait for you outside the garden. Have you seen him?"

When Zhang Dai arrived at the palace where Consort Wu Hui was entertaining her relatives, Consort Wu Hui's eyes lit up, and she beckoned and asked.

"Cousin? I entered through the side gate, not the main gate. Looks like I missed him!"

Zhang Dai was taken aback upon hearing this. He summoned a palace maid to lead the way, instead of going around to the main gate. As he entered, he greeted the king and said, "I can simply come in to pay my respects. Why should Your Majesty personally greet me outside? I will now go out and return with Your Majesty!"

After hearing this, Consort Wu waved her hand and said with a smile, "What famous prince! He's just a clumsy young boy in the household who hasn't yet come of age. He's hoping to learn from you, a young and talented man, so that he can also grow up a bit. Let him wait outside; he'll come back when he doesn't see him! You stay here, and I'll introduce you to some relatives!"

When Zhang Dai entered the hall, he saw that besides Consort Wu Hui, there were other people standing or sitting in the hall. Among them was Consort Wu Hui's brother, Wu Zhong, Zhang Dai's cousin whom he had visited a few days ago but had not gotten along with.

Besides Wu Zhong, there were several other men and women of different ages who were also looking at Zhang Dai with great interest. They seemed to be relatives of the Wu family who had been invited by Consort Wu Hui to attend the banquet in the palace. However, Zhang Dai did not recognize any of these people.

“This is your second cousin, you two have probably already met. These two are from the Duke of Kuai's family, they are also your cousins ​​and aunts…”

Consort Wu Hui pointed to these people and introduced them to Zhang Dai. Zhang Dai stepped forward to greet them one by one. Even if he didn't know these people, he still had to give his aunt face.

"In the past, relatives lived in different places, and I was in the inner palace, so it was not convenient for me to invite you to gather often. Now that the year-end festival is approaching, and my nephew has just entered the world and gained favor this year, I have invited him to meet me. Do you think he is handsome?"

After introducing everyone, Consort Wu Hui pointed to Zhang Dai and said to everyone with a smile.

(End of this chapter)