Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Chapter Thirty-Two, Clear as Tea

Upon receiving the report, Li Ji didn't even have time to muster his ceremonial guards; he immediately mounted his horse and charged out of the south gate of Guzang. Upon seeing the person approaching, he practically tumbled off his horse and grabbed the man's leg—

"From north to south, I never expected to see my brother again!"

It turned out that this person was none other than Li Bi, the former Zhejiang West Circuit Commissioner and Chancellor.

When Li Bi saw Li Ji, his expression did not seem very pleased. He simply shook his leg and said, "Let go of me. What kind of behavior is this? Please allow me to dismount and pay my respects."

Li Ji laughed and said, "Brother, why bother with formalities? Let me lead your horse into the city."

Li Bi's face hardened: "No, you... Changwei is now one of the Three Dukes, how can you be expected to lead someone's horse?"

“My brother is a Tongpingzhangshi, which is equivalent to a prime minister. The prime minister is above all officials in terms of courtesy, and all who see him, regardless of age, bow to him. Why can’t I lead my brother’s horse?”

"The three highest officials of the court, who are in charge of regulating the yin and yang, are still lower in rank than the chief guard. How can they lead my horse?"

“Although my elder brother is called my elder brother, he is actually like a father to me—is it not fitting for a person to lead the horse for his father and elder brother?”

Li Bi couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he finally said, "On the main road, for Changwei to act like this is a great loss of official decorum, and it's not appropriate for you to manage people and troops—let's mount our horses and ride into the city side by side."

Li Ji then stopped, released his grip, turned and mounted his own horse, taking the lead to guide Li Bi—only then did Yuan Jing'an lead his soldiers and military governor's entourage catch up. Along the way, he pointed out various sights in Guzang City and explained them to Li Bi, who listened with a stern face but remained silent.

He led Li Bi into the inner chambers of the government office and ordered Hongxian to come and pay her respects. Li Bi asked, "Why don't I see my sister-in-law and Zou Shi?" Li Ji replied, "They just gave birth at the end of last year and are temporarily staying in Lingzhou. It's inconvenient for them to travel far. I've already sent someone to fetch them. If you stay in Guzang for a few more days, you can see them. Also, I have three daughters who can be close to you."

He then asked, "I heard that you gave birth to a son, how old is he now?"

Li Bi replied, "He is already two years old, and will be named Li Jie."

Li Ji was about to order people to prepare a banquet and gather a large number of guests to welcome Li Bi, but Li Bi waved his hand and said: "No need, you know I am not used to such occasions - please sit down, I have something to ask you."

Li Ji gave a quick glance to his left and right, and Hongxian understood. She immediately ordered all the bystanders to leave, and she herself bowed deeply, left the room, and closed the door behind her. Only then did Li Ji invite Li Bi to sit down behind the desk, and he sat to the side, smiling as he asked, "Does my brother have something to ask me, or does the Sage have something for my brother to ask me?"

Li Bi gazed into the other man's eyes and slowly said, "I fear that you will not answer honestly when the Sage asks me questions, so I have specially sent me to ask you."

Li Ji shrugged: "If I were a cunning person, even my brother wouldn't be able to get the truth out of me."

Li Bi waved his hand: "It has nothing to do with loyalty or treachery..." Before he could finish speaking, Hong Xian's voice came from outside the door: "The tea is ready, may I serve it?"

Li Ji agreed, and Hongxian opened the door, carrying a tray in both hands. On the tray were a pair of celadon lotus-shaped cups, each with a lid to keep them warm. She placed the two cups on the table in front of them and apologized, "There is no new tea in Liangzhou, please forgive me." Then she bowed and withdrew.

Li Ji picked up the teacup in front of him and gestured slightly to Li Bi, saying, "Brother, please have some." Li Bi knew that his brother liked to brew loose tea, a habit that was almost like that of a country bumpkin who had never tasted good tea... But he had never been fond of tea ceremony, so he was not particularly averse to brewing tea. He was thirsty from walking, so he picked up the cup and lifted the lid.

Seeing the misty steam and the pale yellow tea, which quite complemented the celadon color, I was about to touch my lips when I heard Li Ji say, "I brew tea like this, clear and transparent, yet some people insist on thinking it's boiled tea, making it muddy and murky. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Li Bi took a sip of tea and replied in a deep voice, "You are now a high-ranking official, in charge of a town. If you treat unfamiliar guests with tea, who would doubt your sincerity?"

“A sage must not be a stranger.”

"If you are a sage, how can you be called a 'guest'? You have been stationed in a foreign land for a long time, you should know that people's hearts are fickle."

Li Ji curled his lip: "Alright, let's not beat around the bush—what does Brother want to ask his foolish brother?"

"At the beginning of the year, the emperor summoned you. Why did you refuse to return to court? Don't use excuses like 'Liangzhou has just been recovered' and 'it's inconvenient to leave immediately' to explain your situation."

Li Ji slowly said, “A ruler appoints his ministers based on their abilities, but may not necessarily know their abilities; a minister serves his ruler with loyalty, but may not necessarily make his lord understand his loyalty. I fear that the sage might be momentarily weak, like a fine horse galloping at full speed, only to be pulled back by the reins…”

Li Bi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is your ambition merely to recover Hexi and rescue Anxi and Beiting? Will you return to the court after success? Or will you resolutely refuse to return if you fail?"

Li Ji laughed and said, "Brother, you've got it backwards. If I lose a few rounds and realize that things are hopeless, I might just slink back to court and beg for forgiveness; as for what happens after I succeed..."

Li Bi frowned, and his body involuntarily leaned forward slightly: "And then what?"

Li Ji did not answer directly, but smiled and said, "Brother, there are dozens of regional governors in the world today, and they can be divided into three categories..." As he spoke, he raised his right hand and counted on one finger: "One category is Youzhou, Chengde, Zhaoyi Army, Ziqing Pinglu, Shannan East Circuit, Jiannan West Sichuan, etc. They have always only come to the court to pay homage when they are in accordance with the situation. They are not very willing to go when summoned by the court. The court usually does not dare to summon them without authorization, for fear of causing trouble."

Then he bent his second finger: "In remote and desolate places like Guilin, Rongzhou, Lingnan, and Fujian, it is inconvenient for envoys to return to the capital, and the emperor is too lazy to summon them." He then bent his third finger: "Other regional governors, especially those in Guanzhong, dare not disobey the imperial orders, but when an imperial edict arrives, they will go without waiting for the emperor. However, in their hearts, they may not be willing to go to Chang'an to meet the emperor."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Oh right, there's another type, like Binning today. The envoy is in the court, and the emperor can summon him whenever he wants."

What exactly are you trying to say?

“What I want to say is that the sage hopes that I am the third type, and that after the great work is accomplished, I will follow the example of Lord Guo and become one of the remaining types; but now he asks me, brother, because he is afraid that I will become the first type.”

Li Bi stared intently at Li Ji with bright eyes: "What kind of person do you truly want to be?"

Li Ji smiled and replied, "The second type."

He then explained in detail: “The Tang Dynasty’s greatest enemies are the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tibetans, and perhaps the Uyghurs in the future. My brother knows that I hate foreign tribes for ravaging China, so I am determined to defend against the Tibetans and guard against the Uyghurs. Originally, I wanted to win the Emperor’s favor so that I could lead 100,000 strong troops to sweep across the western border, drive out the Tibetan rebels, and recover our lost territories. Even without the inscription on the Lingyan Pavilion, I could still leave my mark on history. However, since I was stationed in Weibo, my actions have not been smooth. The court not only refuses to fully support me, but also often hinders me from behind…”

"The imperial court also has its own difficulties."

“If it were merely a matter of insufficient financial resources and inadequate provisions, that would be one thing. But the sage sent my elder brother out to serve a group of cowardly and incompetent people. As a result, my fine horse, which had just begun to gallop, was reined in and could not run freely. It is impossible for me to have no resentment at all.”

"I'm afraid you're running too fast and might recklessly cause trouble!"

Li Ji laughed and said, "Is the Sage afraid that I will run too far and become difficult to control?"

"A sage who rules the four seas naturally has such thoughts—do you really think you can escape the sage's control?"

Li Ji curled his lip and slowly said, "Brother, you once reminded me that the state of the world cannot be reversed by one person, and I deeply agree. However, this 'one person' does not only refer to me, but also to the sage." Before Li Bi could refute, he continued in one breath, "I will not pretend before you, brother. In truth, the current emperor's talent and ambition are barely enough to maintain the status quo. There is no hope of restoring the Tang Dynasty to its former glory. I have no choice but to try to give him a push."

Li Bi shook his head: "The current emperor may not be as incompetent as you say. He was confined to the Eastern Palace for a long time and ascended the throne hastily. The rebels were not eliminated and there was suspicion both inside and outside the court. At that time, even if Emperor Taizong were to be resurrected, there would be no hope that he could restore the old order and restore peace in just a few years. However, the current emperor has successively quelled Shi Siming, expelled Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen, executed Yu Chaoen and demoted Yuan Zai, sweeping away the decline since the Qianyuan and Shangyuan eras and bringing a new look to the court. To consider him merely an average ruler would be too harsh."

Li Ji retorted, "Brother, you also misjudged Emperor Suzong in the past..."

Upon hearing this, Li Bi fell silent. He recalled that on their journey to Ding'an with Li Ji, Li Ji had asked him, "Who exactly is the former Crown Prince, the newly enthroned Emperor?" Li Bi had replied that while the Emperor's abilities weren't outstanding, he was kind and honest, a ruler who would maintain the status quo… And what was the result? Judging solely from Li Heng's treatment of his father and son, the word "kind and honest" could not possibly be applied to him!

After a moment of silence, Li Bi sighed and explained, "When I served Emperor Suzong in the Eastern Palace, I later retired to Yingyang. We haven't seen each other for several years, so it's inevitable that we've become estranged..." This was tantamount to admitting that, as you, Li Ji, said, Li Heng's character was not good, and I had misjudged him in the first place—anyway, since the two brothers were having a private conversation, there was no need for formalities.

But then he changed the subject: "Now that His Majesty has reinstated me from Hengshan, summoned me to be a Hanlin Academician, and then appointed me as Prime Minister, I am naturally much more familiar with him, and I believe there will be no more mistakes." He then added: "If Emperor Suzong were still alive, would I have been asked to come here to ask you?"

—Given Li Heng's nature, he appears honest but is actually suspicious and ruthless. If he suspects anyone, he'll set a trap and deal with them immediately. How could he possibly give you a chance to explain?

Li Ji laughed and said, "Emperor Suzong thought himself shrewd. I'm afraid that until his death, he would still think that you were a rough man with the heart of a child. Just like Emperor Xuanzong in his later years, when An Lushan occupied the three towns and secretly amassed troops, did he ever suspect him?"

Li Bi's eyes flashed like lightning: "You don't want to become An Lushan, do you?!"

Li Ji's face darkened: "Brother, such hurtful words should not be uttered even in private. Not to mention that An Lushan was such a foolish and despicable scoundrel, how could he compare to my foolish brother? With his mistakes as a precedent, how dare I harbor any evil thoughts? The Tang dynasty is not yet over, yet we dare to dream of changing the dynasty, which will only bring suffering to the people and will not bring any chance of success!"

He then leaned closer to Li Bi and began a long speech:

"In truth, I do not wish to return to the state of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, which appeared prosperous and flourishing, but were in reality hollow inside and strong outside. The calamity of the regional military governors was already foreseeable. Ideally, we should return to the state of the Zhenguan and Yonghui eras. However, my elder brother told me that times have changed and circumstances have shifted. The central government no longer has the power to govern hundreds of prefectures and counties. We can only tolerate the existence of regional military governors for the time being, and gradually transform them into a three-tiered administrative division in the future—that is, to grant local authorities greater authority while trying to avoid the formation of separatist regimes. How difficult this is!"

"Take Guo Linggong for example. If he had achieved great merit at the beginning of the dynasty and handed over his military power, he could have simply collected his salary, lived a leisurely life in the countryside, and enjoyed the company of his grandchildren. Now, although he has many sons-in-law and wears gold and purple robes, he is actually living in constant fear, as if walking on thin ice. Even without Shuofang, the power of the foreign vassals is strong, and there will surely be those who look up to him as their banner. When the time comes, it will only take an imperial edict to kill them. Moreover, if there is no Shuofang, the emperor will have even less to worry about after killing him. The saying 'the bow is put away when the birds are all gone' may be acceptable for scholars, but for us warriors, we cannot help but be terrified. Lai Zhen is a cautionary tale!"

Li Bi finally got a chance to interject: "Why go to such lengths? You're overthinking things..."

Li Ji waved his hand: "A man who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present. Besides, I am still young and do not want to return to court to sit with Lord Guo. I often have trouble sleeping at night, thinking hard about how to please the people and fulfill their wishes, so as not to harm the country or fail the emperor, but also to display my talents and ensure the well-being of my family. To tell you the truth, brother, I can be a loyal minister, even a martyr, but I would never want to be like Zhang Xun, much less like Lai Zhen."

Li Bi said, "If you have such concerns, why not wait until the Western Regions are opened up, then you can resign your official post with me and go into seclusion to cultivate Taoism? After all, life is at most a hundred years, with more suffering than joy. Why not take good care of yourself and strive to live as long as the sun and moon? Even if you don't succeed, the rest of your life will not have been wasted."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji burst into laughter. Then, pointing at Li Ji, he said, "Let's not even talk about how I, your foolish brother, have never had any intention of cultivating Taoism. Now that I have wives, concubines, and daughters, how could I possibly give them up? As for you, elder brother, if it weren't for His Majesty's order for you to return to secular life, marry, and have children, I'm afraid you would have fled back to Hengshan as soon as you were dismissed from your post. How could you possibly travel thousands of miles to Zhejiang to suffer such hardship?"

Li Bi was speechless.

Li Ji said, “I think you understand very well, brother. Although you aspire to cultivate the Tao, you cannot truly sever your ties to worldly affairs. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken me westward with you when Emperor Suzong summoned you. If it were at the beginning of the dynasty, when the world was at peace and the court was flourishing, perhaps you could have followed in the footsteps of Marquis Liu. But now, even if I had driven out the barbarian bandits and recovered the Western Regions, the country has already declined from its peak and will certainly not be able to fully restore its former glory. I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to become Marquis Liu.”

Li Bi remained silent for a long time before smiling bitterly and saying, "You are like a worm inside my belly. Even if you were here for a long time, you wouldn't see me as clearly as you do..."

Li Ji's expression changed: "Brother, you still refuse to accept me as your brother?"

Li Bi shook his head: "Although you are my brother's physical body, your soul... I might as well say you are my friend, and in some matters, you could even be considered my teacher." He then cupped his hands: "Therefore, I hope you will not hesitate to tell me what your plans are, how you intend to live up to the emperor's expectations, live up to the expectations of the common people, do no harm to the country, and also protect yourself—if you did not already have a plan, you would never have mentioned this to me today."

Li Ji nodded and said, "Indeed, I have some plans, but I have already told my brother about them."

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Long-lasting Relationship Between Ruler and Minister

In his private room, Li Ji laid out his thoughts to Li Bi in their entirety. He began by saying:

"The Western Regions were indeed the arm of China. Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions, enabling Emperor Wu of Han to drive out the Xiongnu and bring the Han Dynasty to its peak. The Wei and Jin dynasties followed this path. However, during the great chaos at the end of the Jin Dynasty, the Zhang family established their kingdom based on this, and China was not in contact with the Western Regions for three hundred years. When the Sui Dynasty of the Yang Dynasty acquired Hexi, our Tang Dynasty used this to drive out the Turks and reappointed the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and re-established the Anxi and Beiting garrisons."

"It is evident from this that China can only gain control of the Western Regions when it is prosperous, and it will inevitably lose them when China is in turmoil; it is also evident that if China loses the Western Regions, it will inevitably decline. Because the Western Regions connect the East and the West, if they are under China's control, then merchants from the West can go directly to Chang'an and Luoyang to supply exotic goods, which will greatly benefit China."

"People at the time often thought that what was imported from the West was nothing more than pearls, glass, and gemstones, and even believed that it was of no benefit to small farmers and that it encouraged extravagance. But this is not the case. Today's cucumbers, sesame seeds, garlic, and grapes all came from the Silk Road, feeding countless farmers and satisfying countless gourmets; the pipa and erhu have brought joy to countless people and inspired countless literary thoughts—without grape wine, Li Bai probably wouldn't have become the 'Poet Immortal'!"

"Moreover, just as stagnant water stagnates and a malfunctioning pivot rots, only by continuously introducing Western ideas, culture, and technology—all the vital elements—can China become more prosperous and stand proudly at the top of the world! Take Buddhism, for example, which originated in the Western Regions. Although I don't believe in it, I cannot deny that it has played a certain role in supplementing and promoting the development of traditional Chinese thought and culture..."

Li Bi sat quietly listening, quite engrossed, not even noticing that Li Ji used several unfamiliar words and even inadvertently offended Li Shimin.

Li Ji continued, “Therefore, the Western Regions must not be lost, and the Silk Road must not be severed. Otherwise, it will be difficult for our Tang Dynasty to even maintain its current state, let alone to revive it. In terms of immediate benefits, when the Silk Road is open, the market tax revenue of the two capitals will be ten times that of today. Guzang will become the third most prosperous city in the world. If we can restore it to its former glory, how can the court be in dire straits? And the central government's treasury will be full. As long as the emperor and his ministers no longer indulge in a life of debauchery and neglect internal affairs for external ones, why should we fear the growing power of the regional military governors?”

Li Bi nodded and said, "I am already aware of this, therefore I absolutely support Changwei's desire to reopen the Silk Road. However, regarding Changwei's plans..."

Li Ji extended his right hand and pressed it down lightly, signaling Li Bi to calm down. He then said, "However, as my brother said, the court is currently in dire straits. Even Hebei can only be controlled remotely, let alone the Western Regions. Even if they are recovered, I'm afraid they cannot hold them for long and will inevitably have to be entrusted to others..."

Li Bi frowned: "You want to rule Hexi and also annex Anxi and Beiting, controlling the Silk Road?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Why not? In the past, when the Zhang family was in Liangzhou, they were able to defend themselves with the benefits of the Silk Road and had no chance to compete for supremacy in the Central Plains. The Di, Qiang, Xianbei, and other Five Barbarian tribes came and went, and they were all pacified and controlled, and they were still able to gain some benefits. But if the Silk Road falls into the hands of barbarian bandits, the benefits will only be a small fraction. What will China gain then?"

"If the court could directly control the Silk Road, it would be best for China, but alas, it cannot. To cede it to Tibet would be to cut off our own arm. Therefore, the only way to benefit the court is to appoint an envoy and entrust him with both military and political affairs. Let me tell you, brother, I am truly worried about anyone else ruling the Western Regions alone. That is why I urgently sought to recover Hexi in order to launch a western expedition and support Guo Xin, Li Yuanzhong, and others. If I, your foolish brother, can drive out the Tibetan bandits and stabilize the western border, would the Emperor really send a mere envoy to replace the commander?"

Li Bi frowned even more deeply and asked directly, "Do you want to carve out a territory in Hexi and the Western Regions?"

“What do you mean by separatism?” Li Ji laughed loudly. “Only Geluofeng in Nanzhao could be called separatism; even Zhu Xicai in Youzhou and Li Baochen in Chengde could not be considered separatists.” He paused, then added, “When the state relocated the Qiang and Hu peoples and established many tributary states, allowing their governors to be hereditary, that was actually separatism.”

He then said solemnly, “To establish a separatist regime and isolate oneself from China is of no benefit to either the country or oneself. Therefore, I have been thinking about how to protect my own family and maintain my foundation without separatism. After much thought, I suddenly realized that all my previous concerns were nothing but needless worries.”

What are your thoughts that lead you to say this?

Li Ji replied, “When Yang Gongnan came to serve under me, I treated him as an honored guest, entrusting him with all financial and economic matters. However, he was never satisfied and was not content with his position, still longing to return to the central court every day. This shows that the regional military governors of today are not the feudal lords of Zhou. The staff they employ are not necessarily local scholars, much less family retainers from previous generations. Instead, they are all people from all over the country who have temporarily come to serve in order to achieve merit. Although they have come to serve, their hearts are mostly in the central court. They only seek to make merit in the border regions so that they can return to the court as generals and ministers—such as Feng Changqing, Gao Shi, and my cousin Li Zhenyi (Li Qiyun), all of whom are like this.”

"Firstly, with the Silk Road open, silk and porcelain can be traded to the far west, and exotic goods can be sold to the two capitals. Once the road is cut off, not only will China be in dire straits, but the Western Regions will also be unable to survive. They will inevitably be invaded by Hui and Tibetan tribes, and merchants and people from both the east and the west will lose their hope. So, how could those who have the Western Regions be willing to abandon China and establish themselves independently? Secondly, many of the staff members of the Western Garrison are from China, and they are eagerly awaiting the imperial edict to become governors of China, or even to become prime ministers. So, as long as the imperial court is not in a hurry, who would be willing to follow their master and betray the imperial court?"

"As in the chaos at the end of the Jin Dynasty, the Zhang family of Liangzhou repeatedly sent troops south to assist the Sima family. Their loyalty is still praised today. If the Jin Dynasty had not lasted, and the five horses had not gone south, the Zhang family might not have been able to succeed their brother, let alone establish a separatist regime."

"Wouldn't this be a good thing for the country—for my Tang Dynasty, for the people, and for my foolish brother's family?"

Li Bi pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "And what did An Lushan say?"

Li Ji curled his lip: "An Lushan is a rough barbarian who doesn't like to employ scholars. His staff only includes local scholars like Yan Zhuang and Gao Shang. How can they be compared to my foolish brother? Moreover, if he were in Youzhou, he could sweep through Hebei and advance on the two capitals if he had any rebellious intentions. I am in the Western Regions... no, even if I am only in Liangzhou, the roads are dangerous and the land is barren. How can I lead an army straight down to Guanzhong? Brother's concerns are too unreasonable."

"Even if I believe you have no other intentions, after you pass away, I don't know who will belong to Liangzhou and the Western Regions."

Li Ji laughed and said, "Brother, you are thinking too far ahead. If you had known that Youzhou would be in turmoil during the Kaiyuan era, would you have been able to advise Emperor Xuanzong not to establish a military governorship in Lulong? Would you have allowed the Eastern Barbarians to invade the south?" Then his expression turned serious: "Only by driving out the barbarian bandits, taking over the Western Regions, restarting the Silk Road, and connecting the East and West can China benefit for a hundred years! If we do not take over the Western Regions, China will surely decline; if you do not appoint me to govern the Western Regions, there will surely be a change within ten years!"

"Are you so confident in yourself?"

Li Ji smiled slightly: "Because now, the only one willing to focus on the Silk Road and take action without fear of risk is my foolish brother."

Li Bi stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then sighed, "These are not the words of a loyal minister..."

Li Ji said solemnly, "Brother, don't just think about the imperial family; you should focus on the word 'China'."