Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Bi replied, "Tian Qianzhen is a valiant general among the rebels and is well-versed in the inside story. He should not be severely punished."

Li Tan quickly added, "I think Tian Qianzhen is only loyal to An Lushan, but not to An Qingxu. I imagine there are many like him in the rebel army. So we can pardon Tian Qianzhen and let him recruit other generals to surrender."

After a moment's thought, Li Chu decided, "Now that we have captured the enemy general, we should present him to the emperor for his decision." However, he instructed Li Bi to write down the reasons for pardoning Tian Qianzhen clearly and send a fast horse to present them to the emperor. He suggested that the emperor should personally pardon him and even appoint him to a position.

Li Ji, who was listening nearby, thought to himself that although the Prince of Guangping was mediocre in talent, he was very good at dealing with people.

Having captured Tian Qianzhen alive, Li Chu naturally rewarded him handsomely. As for punishment—even Li Tan was spared—those who followed him were all deemed meritorious and without fault. Finally, he said that once Xijing was captured, the meritorious generals and officials would be listed together, and he earnestly requested the Emperor to grant Li Ji a higher rank and title.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Bi suggested: "Now that An Shouzhong and others have fled, the people in the city will surely be in turmoil. The army should quickly surround them and make a show of attacking the city to force them to open the gates and surrender."

Sure enough, before noon, the "Yan" banner was lowered atop Chang'an city walls, and the gates opened. Elders brought out the captured generals, respectfully inviting the Tang army into the city. Of course, although the various Tang troops under Guo Ziyi had taken over the city gate defenses, none dared to enter first—the first to enter, of course, had to be the Marshal, the Prince of Guangping.

Li Chu then invited the Crown Prince of Yabghu, intending to ride alongside him through the Chunming Gate on the east side of the city. However, the group had barely reached the city moat when they heard a commotion ahead. Fearing further complications, Li Chu quickly reined in his horse.

Rider and send someone to find out what happened.

Before long, the scout returned and reported: "It is the Uyghur soldiers who want to enter the city first, and they are making a fuss at the gate."

Li Chu turned his head and looked at the Crown Prince of Yabghu. The Crown Prince of Yabghu seemed unconcerned and replied with a smile. Li Chengcai quickly helped translate, saying, "The Uyghur soldiers were afraid of offending the marshal, so they entered the city first to collect their duties as agreed."

Li Chu asked in surprise, "What agreement? What value will be exchanged?"

Li Chengcai said, "It was when the Crown Prince of Yabghu met with the Emperor the other day that the Emperor promised that after the Western Capital was recovered, the land and people would belong to Tang, while the gold, silk, and women would all belong to the Uyghurs..."

Upon hearing this, Li Chu's expression changed drastically.

Li Ji rode behind him on horseback and naturally heard everything Li Chengcai said. He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine and a burning fire rose in his chest—this kind of emperor is unacceptable!

It's only natural to reward the Uyghur soldiers who came from afar to help. Since the emperor couldn't immediately offer anything substantial to reward them, promising to do so after the capital was recaptured was also reasonable. The problem is, while returning the "gold and silk" is one thing, how dare you offer to send away "children"?!

The term "children" is contrasted with "gentlemen and commoners" and actually refers to "women." This means that male offspring are important, regardless of their status or academic achievements; I will keep them for myself. However, women are irrelevant and can be given to the Uyghurs.

It's well known that nomadic peoples of the grasslands live in harsh environments, making reproduction difficult. Therefore, they habitually migrate south to agricultural settlements to plunder and abduct people. The men are often difficult to control and are usually killed, while the women are less capable of resistance, making them easy targets for slavery or concubines to bear children. Li Heng understood this perfectly; he knew what the Uyghurs coveted, so he said—"If you want it, I'll give it to you."

But regardless of gender or age, aren't they all people of the Tang Dynasty? Aren't they all subjects of your Li family emperor? Sending money is one thing, but sending people to foreign tribes is simply an act of treason! Who could have imagined that the one sitting high on the throne of the Tang Dynasty would actually be such a great traitor!

The main reason is that in the feudal monarchical era, monarchs often regarded their land and people as private property. Since it was private property, how they disposed of it and to whomever they wanted to give it away was their own business, and no one else could interfere. Losing land would damage the emperor's reputation, and besides, the Uyghurs could not possibly occupy Chang'an and never leave; losing scholars would surely cause the officials to turn against them; losing male members would likely greatly damage the country's strength; so apart from wealth, the only thing that could be given away was "children".

However, children are also human beings; how can they be treated as objects, to be given to whomever you want?

The Chinese tradition of loving the people is reflected in the words of Confucius, which have lasted for thousands of years and are deeply rooted in people's hearts. Although most people in this world consider "children" to be a lower class than "gentlemen and commoners," and the resistance to giving "children" may be less, it is estimated that if the order is issued to the three provinces, it will still attract a flood of remonstrances. Therefore, Li Heng only made a verbal promise to the Crown Prince of Yabghu, and the Crown Prince of Yabghu was also eager to let the Uyghur troops enter the city first to "collect the agreed-upon duty" in order to create a fait accompli.

These guys are all bastards!

Li Ji was already furious when he saw Li Chu's expression change as well. The emperor's promise was verbal, making it easy to shift blame later. But Li Chu, as the Grand Marshal, had recaptured Chang'an and then sent his "children" to the Uyghurs; he was the executor, and there was no way to clear his name. Li Chu was filled with hatred: "Father, do you really want me to be the crown prince? You've pinned such a huge blame on me, which will surely ruin my reputation—at least I'll lose the support of upright officials—and how will I ever have the face to ascend the throne again?!"

Li Chu instinctively turned around, only to see Li Ji, his hair standing on end in fury. Li Bi stayed behind at the Baqiao camp to finish up the work, and Li Tan was ordered to deliver a message to Guo Ziyi, but neither of them happened to be around, so he couldn't find anyone suitable to discuss things with.

Furthermore, if we were to consult with someone, probably only Li Mi would be suitable; even Li Tan wouldn't be appropriate. If Li Tan were to offer a suggestion to reject the Crown Prince of Yehu, and the news were to spread, everyone would surely say that Li Tan was a wise prince, while Li Chu was seen as lacking insight and decisiveness… Would the position of Crown Prince be reassigned? Thinking about it this way, it's fortunate that Li Tan isn't here!

Then he would have to make the decision himself. Li Chu immediately gritted his teeth, dismounted, and knelt before the Crown Prince of Yehu...

He wanted to plead with the Crown Prince of Yehu, "Could we not do this now? Let's talk about it when we get to Luoyang..."

Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince of Yabghu was greatly surprised. Just as he was about to dismount and return the greeting, a man suddenly leaped out from the side, shouting, "Barbarians are rude!" He grabbed the Crown Prince's thigh and pulled him off his horse...

Chapter 52, Uncivilized Barbarians

Let alone the year or so Li Ji had been in this world, even in his nearly thirty years of his previous life, he had never been so furious. The emperor was offering his "children" to a foreign tribe—this wasn't just a disgrace to the Tang people, but a profound humiliation for the entire Chinese nation, spanning five thousand years!

Especially now that his personality has been tainted with the youthful impetuosity of the original owner, he is even more furious.

Li Jiqiang used reason to suppress his anger—you are just a minor seventh-rank military officer. This is not something you are qualified to manage, nor can you manage it. Do you think that if you speak out against it, Li Heng will retract his order and the Uyghurs will accept their fate and give up?

If anyone's going to interfere, it's the Marshal. The main problem is that Li Chu hasn't made a statement yet. If Li Chu is willing to defy the imperial decree and directly criticize the matter, and it doesn't work out, then we can just assume the emperor is drunk again... Last time he was drunk, he almost killed his own son. It wouldn't be surprising if this kind of person did something that would incur the wrath of heaven and the people again.

The emperor issued an order, but the one who carried it out, or rather, the one who ultimately gave the order, was Li Chu. So how could it be the turn of a mere seventh-rank military officer like myself, who had not yet expressed his opinion?

If Li Chu doesn't dare to disobey the imperial decree—given his usual behavior, it's quite possible—I can get angry then, even if it's useless... No, if it really comes to that, I'll chop the Crown Prince of Yehu into pieces with one stroke. I'd rather cause a rift between the two countries than let the Uyghur soldiers easily abduct the women of Chang'an!

However, if the two countries were to fall out, war would inevitably break out, and countless people in the Central Plains would perish as a result... Moreover, I might be cursed by the scholars and officials for hundreds or thousands of years, and if no one overturns my conviction, I would forever be a sinner against the nation! This is truly a difficult decision to make...

He was barely suppressing his anger, hesitating, when he suddenly saw Li Chu dismount and kneel before the Crown Prince of Yehu… Li Ji understood that Li Chu intended to defy the imperial decree, but that guy was inherently weak-willed and didn't dare to use his seniority as an elder brother or the authority of a marshal to stop the Crown Prince of Yehu, or even try to reason with him. Instead, he only knew how to kneel and beg… How could the Li family produce such a coward?!

Seeing that the Crown Prince of Yehu was shocked and even considered dismounting, Li Ji not only did not breathe a sigh of relief, but his anger intensified.

Judging from Crown Prince Yehu's attitude, this matter is probably negotiable. But can such a sordid affair be easily overlooked just because the Grand Marshal of the Tang Dynasty and the future Crown Prince kneels down? This Yehu fellow shouldn't have accepted the Emperor's promise in the first place, yet now he's showing off his magnanimity in front of the Tang people... This bastard, is there such a thing as a free lunch in this world?!

Besides, I have nowhere to vent my anger yet, and you expect me to just swallow it all back? I absolutely cannot let you get away with this so easily!

He had been observing Li Chu's expression while slowly reining in his horse, getting closer and closer to the Crown Prince of Yehu. He immediately took the lead, dismounted, and shouted "Barbarians are rude!" He grabbed the Crown Prince of Yehu's left leg and pulled him down with all his might.

Caught off guard, and with Li Ji's great strength, Prince Yehu was pulled off his horse and fell, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Before he could even process what had happened, he felt a weight on his body as someone straddled his waist, followed by a large fist landing squarely on his face.

At the same time, a series of loud shouts rang in my ears—unfortunately, I couldn't understand them.

Li Ji was seething with anger, and once he did, it was uncontrollable. He had only intended to pull the Crown Prince Yehu off his horse and make him fall on his buttocks, which would both quell his anger and prevent Li Chu's bow from being too humiliating. However, once he actually pulled the man down, his anger surged to the top of his head, and he could no longer restrain himself. He straddled the prince and began to punch him.

I almost failed to beat up Tian Qianzhen last night, and my fists are still itching. Now that such a handsome face is right in front of me, how can I not punch him?

At the same time, he shouted, "Are you a merchant? What do you mean by 'taking a price'? You came to aid Tang, are you here to make a deal? Do you think the women of China are so easily taken by barbarians like you?!"

This sudden, swift movement startled the entire army. Everyone was stunned, their minds blank, and no one thought to stop him. It wasn't until Li Ji's first punch landed that the Crown Prince Yehu managed to turn his face to the side, saving his nose, but the blow caused excruciating pain in his cheekbone and a bruise around his eye. He let out a long, painful cry. Then, as Li Ji raised his fist again, Li Chengcai was the first to react, shouting, "Save the Crown Prince!"

Several Uyghur guards immediately drew their swords, but fearing they might harm the crown prince, they dared not strike despite getting close. On the other hand, Chen Fu and several Tang soldiers leaped and pounced, trying to capture Li Ji with their bare hands. Although they were humble and foolish, they were also angry. Moreover, without orders from their commanders, who would actually draw their weapons to harm Li Ji?

Li Ji jerked his body, and the two Tang soldiers stumbled and fell backward. Chen Fu, however, firmly grabbed his right arm, causing Li Ji's punch to slow abruptly halfway through its trajectory. Li Ji thought to himself, "I didn't realize this Chen Fu was so short and unassuming, yet he's surprisingly strong... Alright, let's test our strength. Let's see if I can land my second punch."

But the second punch failed to land because Yi Tiechui reacted quickly and helped Chen Fu grab Li Ji's arm. Li Ji, now fighting two opponents, was finally at a disadvantage. Just as he was about to switch hands and raise his left fist again, he heard Li Chu shout, "Li Ji, don't be rude!"

Li Ji said angrily, "These barbarians are so rude! Your Highness, as the marshal, kneeling before barbarians, don't you feel ashamed?!"

There was a brief pause, and several Tang soldiers came over, grabbing Li Ji's waist and legs, finally managing to forcefully pull him off the Yabghu prince.

The ground was torn away.

Li Chu hurriedly stepped forward to help the Crown Prince Yehu, who was still dazed. He gritted his teeth, frowned, and glared fiercely at Li Ji with a black eye, spouting gibberish. Li Ji, though pinned to the ground by Chen Fu and the others, still stubbornly shouted, "Prince of Dunhuang, tell this scoundrel what I said, and don't let him remain confused forever!"

Li Chengcai stared at Li Chu, who couldn't help but sigh softly, "Speak."

The Crown Prince Yehu covered his face and, with Li Chu's help, stood up. He listened to Li Chengcai's translation and relay, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. He glanced at Li Ji, who was pinned to the ground, then suddenly drew his long sword and slashed down!

Li Ji stiffened his neck, closed his eyes, and thought to himself, "It's over. My time-traveling journey has come to an end." He only hoped that after his outburst, Li Chu would no longer be a coward and would thoroughly reject this group of Uyghurs. With his own life—even if it implicated Li Bi—if he could save all the women in Chang'an, his death wouldn't be without value.

If I hadn't traveled through time, in that peaceful world, would I have been able to die such a spectacular death? It's definitely worth it!

However, Prince Yehu's sword failed to strike, as Chen Fu knelt down, raised his hands to support his arms, and cried out, "Spare his life!" At the same time, Li Chu also called out, "Brother, wait!"

The Crown Prince struggled, but couldn't break free... His mind suddenly shifted, and he went from anger to laughter, throwing the knife away. Chen Fu then released his grip, and the Crown Prince took the opportunity to pat Li Ji on the shoulder and say a few words.

Li Chengcai looked somewhat embarrassed, but seeing Li Chu staring at him, he had no choice but to translate: "The Crown Prince said that Li Ji is indeed a brave warrior... He said that he himself is also a brave warrior and should not act like a merchant. His so-called taking the women of Chang'an is to receive the Emperor's reward, not to take money... I'm afraid this is a mistranslation."

Li Chu hurriedly said, "It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding." He then ordered Li Ji, "Why haven't you kowtowed to the Crown Prince and apologized yet?"

However, Li Ji still stubbornly glared at the Crown Prince Yehu: "Unless he doesn't abduct women from Chang'an!"

The Crown Prince ignored him, turned to Li Chu, knelt down, and asked, "The Emperor has promised that I may take a woman from the city. Is there anything wrong with that?"

He didn't see anything wrong with it. The nomadic peoples of the grasslands might not have viewed women with more contempt than the peoples of the Central Plains. But the problem was that nomadic rulers treated all their people equally; they were all their private property. Even if Yaoluoge was from the same clan, no one would dare object if he wanted to give her away. So why did the Tang people react so strongly?

He had no idea how much turmoil Li Heng's chaotic order might cause in the court and among the people. His reason for ordering his troops to enter the city first was purely out of good intentions. He knew that although the captured women were women, they also had families, and not all of them would obediently hand over their captives. Conflicts might arise, and a few Tang people might even be killed. If Li Chu entered the city first, he would lose face; if they waited until he had captured the women, they could pretend they knew nothing.

Therefore, Li Chu's dismounting and kneeling was certainly unexpected for the Crown Prince of Yehu, and Li Ji's sudden attack was even more perplexing. He had indeed intended to kill Li Ji, but firstly, the nomadic peoples of the grasslands valued warriors above all else; just now, Li Ji had been riding on his back and throwing punches, and he hadn't been able to break free… and worst of all, he had even cried out! He had truly lost face today! Only by respecting Li Ji as a warrior, and recognizing his superior strength, could he endure the shame and not be looked down upon by his people—after all, Li Ji was a Tang person, and he posed no threat to his family's position, right?

Secondly, maintaining good relations with the Tang Dynasty is the fundamental national policy of the Uyghurs, especially since the Khan seems to be disliking me lately, while favoring my youngest son, Yidijian... If I kill Li Ji, causing discord between the Tang and the Uyghurs, will the Khan use this as an excuse to depose me as crown prince? This expedition was originally intended to establish merit and consolidate favor, so I must not create any unforeseen complications.

Third, Li Ji was a brave warrior of the Tang army, and it was said that he had even saved the life of the Prince of Guangping. Although the Tang army pulled him away, judging from their actions and expressions, they did not seem to harbor any resentment towards Li Ji... Who knew if someone would jump out to avenge Li Ji after I swung my sword? The Tang army and its other Hu troops numbered over 100,000, while my own forces numbered only 4,000 cavalry and were trapped in the Tang camp... Oh well, oh well, this punch I took today was just for nothing!

The Crown Prince Yehu was also a shrewd and ambitious man. After weighing the pros and cons, he immediately made his choice. He not only spared Li Ji, but also immediately knelt down before Li Chu—you have already paid your respects, and I must return the favor—and asked why he could not take a woman from Chang'an.

Li Chu quickly reached out and pulled him up, pleading, "We have only just captured Xijing. If we rush into plundering, we risk losing the hearts of the people. The people of Dongjing will then be loyal to the rebels and it will be difficult to retake it. I wish to go to Dongjing and keep our agreement. What do you think, my brother?"

Li Ji was forced to the side, cursing inwardly: This good-for-nothing bastard, does he even want to betray the people of Luoyang?!

Li Chu was indeed weak-willed by nature, only seeking to avoid the immediate predicament—perhaps once the Emperor returned to Xijing, he would appoint me as Crown Prince. At that time, as Crown Prince, I would no longer be able to personally lead the troops, so the attack on Luoyang might not be my command, and I could leave the headache to someone else—therefore, I had already prepared these words when I dismounted and knelt down. After Li Ji's commotion, he originally had the opportunity to speak more forcefully, but... he didn't react at all, sticking to his original prepared statement.

Taking advantage of the situation, Prince Yabghu quickly said, "Since it is your wish, brother, how could I dare not comply? I will go and take Tokyo for you!"

----------

Li Ji ultimately did not apologize to the Crown Prince of Yehu, who acted as if nothing had happened, ordering the Uyghur troops to be forbidden from entering the city to plunder, and then rode alongside Li Chu into Chunming Gate. Upon hearing this, the people of the city all knelt and bowed, weeping, "King Guangping is truly a sage, a ruler of the barbarians! He has saved us from a great calamity!"

Chapter 53, Everyone, Save Me!

Li Ji was mentally prepared for the possibility that the emperor might order him to be bound and taken to the capital.

He knew that he had beaten the Crown Prince of Yabghu in public, and this matter could not be left unresolved. Even if the Crown Prince of Yabghu dared not blame him, and Li Chu was weak and ambiguous, there was still Li Heng above him. In order to obtain reinforcements from the Uyghurs, Li Heng first sent his daughter and then commoners. On the surface, it was a generous gift from the emperor, but in his heart, he was obsequious. How could he let him off easily?

Otherwise, why would he summon me and Li Bi back to Fengxiang?

If Wei Boyu had brought his troops over and said that the emperor had ordered him to be bound and brought up to plead guilty, that would have been fine. But who would have thought that the other side would be so cunning and had even laid so many soldiers in advance... Upon seeing this, Li Ji couldn't help but feel angry.

Although he was annoyed, he didn't show it on his face. He put his hands behind his back again, coldly surveyed the crowd, and finally fixed his gaze on Wei Boyu, curling his lip: "General Wei thinks highly of me, doesn't he? You tricked me out of my weapons first, and then had my soldiers surround me. Is that why you dare to bind me?"

Wei Boyu couldn't help but feel ashamed, and stammered, "I was ordered to do this, Li..."

Li Ji glared at him: "Oh, it's an order from above, not a decree from the emperor?"

Seeing that Wei Boyu did not answer, he glanced around and noticed that there seemed to be someone hiding outside the courtyard gate. He immediately sneered and shouted, "Does Master Yu not dare to show his face to see me?!"

Actually, "imperial decree" could also be considered "imperial order." Li Ji had deliberately picked on Wei Boyu's grammatical errors—keyboard warriors are all familiar with nitpicking and fabricating charges—and asked this casually, but Wei Boyu couldn't answer. He immediately realized that while the emperor's summons was likely genuine, ordering him to be bound and brought before him, and even using a knife and ambushes, was probably orchestrated by someone else.

It must be Yu Chaoen if it's not Li Fuguo!

So he let out a loud shout towards the courtyard, which indeed frightened the person in question out. Yu Chaoen peeked out from outside the door, but dared not look Li Ji in the eye, and only ordered, "Why aren't you binding him yet? What are you waiting for?"

Li Ji frequently entered and exited the Forbidden City and knew many of the Imperial Guards. He was especially close to his former comrades in the Shence Army, such as Jing Jiang, Chen Fu, and Yi Tiechui. His reputation for bravery had already spread throughout the region, so although the Imperial Guards surrounded him, they dared not make a move. They initially thought it was just a formality; the Emperor had ordered Li Ji bound and brought before him, how could he dare disobey? However, Li Ji showed no intention of surrendering, and the military commander, Yu Chaoen, even urged him repeatedly from behind…

Two guards accompanying Wei Boyu, carrying ropes, dared not rush forward. They glanced at their comrades for help. Several guards, emboldened, slowly approached Li Ji, spears in hand. Li Ji sneered, "Are you so timid and fearful when facing the Tibetans?" Suddenly, he leaped forward, grabbed two spears, and shoved them forcefully to the left and right. The spear-wielding soldiers, thrown off balance by his force, stumbled and fell, knocking over their two comrades on the outer sides as well.

Wei Boyu shouted helplessly, "Li Ji, how dare you resort to violence within the palace walls?!"

Li Ji snatched the two spears into his hands, without switching them, with the spear blades facing backward and the spear tips facing forward. He slightly raised them at Wei Boyu and said, "Since the sage has summoned you, then lead the way. If you want to bind me and take me there... hehe, you'll have to get past the weapons in my hands first!"

A guard peered out, trying to approach from behind, but Li Ji seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Suddenly, he turned around and with a "whoosh," lashed out with the shaft of his spear, knocking the ignorant fellow to the ground.

Wei Boyu looked back at Yu Chaoen, only to see Yu Chaoen glaring and gesturing at him. Helpless, he handed Li Ji's sword to his subordinate, exchanged it for a spear, and prepared to charge forward. Suddenly, he heard someone behind him shout, "General, wait! This Li Ji is very powerful; only I can defeat him!"

Li Ji stared intently and saw a burly man, lifting the hem of his robe, rushing towards him. It was none other than Old Jing. Old Jing reached him, took the spear from Wei Boyu, and, assuming a fighting stance, shouted, "We've only sparred in fists before; today I'll test your spear skills!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "You're such a bastard! You're the one who taught me spear techniques!"

In his previous life, he only knew how to box and had never handled weapons. In this life, Li Ji was trained in folk martial arts and stick fighting. He could swing a sword or a knife a few times, but he had never been exposed to bows, crossbows, or long weapons before arriving in Ding'an. So after Li Ji became close with Lao Jing and other Shence Army generals, he secretly asked them to teach him martial arts—all while keeping it a secret from Li Bi.