The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 23 The Situation

Seeing Li Yao, Li Yan was so scared that he jumped. “Isn’t this Li Yao? Why does he sleep here?” As soon as he said it, he felt there was something wrong. “Ah, no, is he here to help you defend the Pang Xun rebels? He came so fast, but he fell down quickly. Why he looks like hurt and is vomiting blood, why you do not help him up and leave him lying here... Alas, no, this man has Level 3 Qi-refining cultivation, why he got attacked so easily and you don’t have any injuries...”

Speaking of which, Li Yan finally realized the biggest problem. He looked at Li Yan suspiciously, “What is going on with the attack tonight? Why is Li Yao lying here seriously injured but you are fine? Those people in front of the floral-pendant gate don’t look like weak persons and many of them were not injured. Why do they allow themselves to be captured without putting up a fight?”

Even if Li Yan was unreliable, his IQ had no problem.

Li Wei sat down on a high chair and beckoned Li Yan to sit as well. In the other’s curious and puzzled glance, he gently shook his head. “If you didn’t come tonight, everything would be alright. Since you have already come, you are into this muddied water.”

After saying this, Li Ye was suddenly silent. He looked up and looked out of the house and his mind floated far away in an instant.

The fight of Prince An’s Mansion tonight was a far-reaching storm that it would not be easily quelled. For Li Ye, this was his chance to inherit the title of nobility of Prince An, meanwhile, it would also bring him endless troubles.

No one came to visit Prince An’s Mansion, including Chang’an Office which was in charge of social security in Chang’an City.

Li Ye put Li Yao, Li Muzhao and the others into custody all together, and bluntly took all the magic treasures and Dan Pills they carried with them.

The Dan Pills were good for the cultivation and Li Ye rewarded those to the guards of the Prince An mansion according to the credit they achieved in the battle last night. He especially took care of a few cultivators who had high realms in order to let them achieve Qi-refining early.

Li Yu’s Cloud Splitter Spear was a Rank 2 top-grade magic treasure which was very rare. Li Ye called Shangguan Qingcheng and he planned to let her use it.

“A Rank 2 magic treasure is already not a common thing. This Cloud Splitter Spear is even more precious. Why don’t Heir Apparent use it yourself?” Shangguan Qingcheng felt overwhelmingly flattered and she opened her bright eyes wide.

“I give it to you, and you will accept it.” Li Wei’s tone had no room for doubt.

He looked at Shangguan Qingcheng, after a few moments of silence, he added, “The Tao you have cultivated belongs to military generals on the battlefield. So you should carry out training in the coldest and the hottest parts of the year and refine your muscles and bones for many years, then when you are ‘in a great form and obtain a brave and fearless heart’, you become a Warrior Knight. After this, you should peruse military strategies and tactics as well as know battle array. At the time when you can kill enemies on the horse and run the army off the horse, you will achieve the realm of Warrior Master on the battlefield.”

“I heard military generals on battlefield stress most on accumulating richly and breaking forth vastly beauty. One should first ‘read three thousand books over and over again until breaks it, practice with the sword countless times until one can kill the enemy on the battlefield with ease’. Then one can ‘make the troops advance or retreat freely and kill the enemy commander in front of the steel armored troops’. This is the reason why you can achieve Qi-refining in a short time after you have stayed in the Warrior Master realm for many years, after all, you have accumulated enough.”

“But if the Tao of military generals on battlefield is to achieve a realm that one can ‘get great achievements in the art of war, be looked up with owe although one does not show anger, grow a general backbone, gather up imposing force like a mighty general as well as let the army awe and obey him and let villains avoid him’, then the Tao will come to maturity. Furthermore, to be a generation famous general, one should be able to ‘mobilize the army’s power to form the military general’s indomitable forward force, then whose one spear can break the battle formation and one spear can capture the city’.”

Listening to Li Ye speak here, Shangguan Qingcheng’s eyes became like stars full of yearning, but immediately she calmed down. She held her fists and frowned, “one spear can break the battle formation and one spear can capture the city”, this realm has not been achieved for a century, even Prince An was... I dare not...”

Li Ye waved his hand and interrupted her, “What my father didn’t achieve does not mean that you cannot.”

Shangguan Qingcheng startled a moment, his words made her wander in thought.

Li Ye looked at her, “Famous generals stop being self-righteous, even thousands upon thousands of horses and soldiers should keep away from the one in a white robe. This is Chen Qingzhi’s distinguished and admirable style which will be yours in the future and it is my expectation for you.”

Shangguan Qingcheng’s whole body shocked, a realm like Chen Qingzhi, she had never thought about it. This time facing Li Ye’s faith in her, Shangguan Qingcheng was so excited that she couldn’t say a word, only her bright dewy eyes were shining with unusual lights.

“Cloud Splitter Spear is nothing, use it first.” Li Wei held the middle of the long spear and handed it to Shangguan Qingcheng. This moment made him remember the solemn figure in that doomsday for no reason which stood in front of the burning Basaltic Building and screamed: “my blood to bolster your departure, my majesty”.

At that time, Shangguan Qingcheng had already achieved the realm of military generals. If she was willing to leave Li Ye, she could have many opportunities to lead troops in battles. But she did not do that, instead, she had been a puppet emperor’s imperial guard troops commander for nearly twenty years during which she was actually quite content until she died fighting for the puppet emperor.

“I... As ordered!” Shangguan Qingcheng took Cloud Splitter Spear in both her hands, her tone was no longer hesitant but became sonorous and forceful.

When Shangguan Qingcheng was out, Li Yan who was reclining on the couch and cannot help clicking his tongue in wonder, “That is quite generous... But cultivating oneself to come to maturity in military Tao can be very difficult, or else there shouldn’t have no one succeeded for the past hundred years in the Tang Empire. Do you really think this female general is likely to succeed?”

Li Xiao smiled, “The cultivation ways in the Tang Empire which are nothing more than Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Militarism. Nations outside of the country do have other methods–but except the Taoism, the other three methods have pretty much the same degree of cultivation difficulty.”

“Level 1, 2 or even 10 Qi-refining, then building the foundation to achieve Spiritual Masters, these are the division of cultivators’ realms in Taoism and also the most widespread cultivation way the present age. While the cultivation methods in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Militarism are not so specific and don’t have so many steps.”

“For example, in Militarism, after cultivators achieve Qi-refining, they become military generals, after which they will be generals, senior generals, commanders until famous generals. But the cultivation method in Militarism is combined with the Tao of the battlefield and the military life which has requirements for the comprehension of military strategies, wars, and the art of reining soldiers. It’s no use just sitting in meditation and practicing breathing.”

“This is also the reason why there are very few cultivators in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Militarism and it’s difficult for these cultivators to make good because the requirements are too high.”

“While the cultivation of Taoism is much simpler and clearer. Therefore, in the Tang Empire dynasty, being a cultivator of Taoism is absolutely the main trend. Even military generals in the army, successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations and Confucianists who have passed the imperial examination, most of which are cultivating the true Taoism.”

Li Wei continued, “Besides, there isn’t no one in the present age who have touched the realm of famous generals. That one is exactly in Chang’an City now, isn’t he?”

Li Yan thought for a moment, “You mean minister Zhang Yichao who defeated the armies of Tubo and Uighur in Hexi and Western Regions. He recovered the lost eleven states in Hexi and Western Regions on his own. He was the governor of the former Guiyi army, now he has returned to the imperial court and is appointed with an official position.”

Li Wei nodded, “In addition to minister Zhang, there won’t be a second person who can have the opportunity to achieve the Famous General Realm.”

Li Xiao sighed and suddenly became a little sad. He said not without emotion, “If minister Zhang had guarded Hexi all along, he might really have achieved the Famous Generals Realm. But he returned to the imperial court upon receiving an imperial edict and now he lives an idle life in Chang’an City. Even though he has touched the threshold of the Famous Generals Realm, I am afraid that there is no chance for him to go further without battles on the battlefield.”

Speaking of Zhang Yichao, Li Lan could not help but think of the situation on the border of the Tang Empire.

When the Tang Empire squashed the An-Shi Disturbances, the imperial court was forced to move crack troops to rescue because the unendurable corruption in central plains army that they couldn’t block those mutinous soldiers. As a result, the military defense in Hexi and Western Regions was weakened that alien nations like Tubo, Uighur etc took advantage of this situation to start a war and they intruded into places like Western Regions and Hexi from all sides. Under the circumstance that the imperial court was unable to send reinforcements, Tang Empire Military forces in borders were at a severe disadvantage in military strength but they still had fought the bloody battles for decades of years. In the end, they run out of ammunition and food supplies, the officers and men were completely annihilated. Then Hexi and Western Regions were carved up and occupied by nations like Tubo and Uighur.

When Emperor Xuanzong was alive, he aroused his all efforts to make prosperous. With the assist of a batch of virtuous officials like Prince An, he ran this country methodically that made the military governors in awe and obey him. Foreign invasions were averted, and the Tang Empire presented a scene of resurgence.

It’s also at that time Zhang Yichao, a son from a distinguished family who had grown up in Shazhou, Hexi held the flag of driving off hostile troops and recovering the lost territory. He attacked Shazhou and then Guazhou. He created the Guiyi army and had fought bloody battles for decades of years. He finally recovered the lost eleven states, so he presented maps of territory in each state and reported the success to the imperial court.

In the eight years of Xiantong, the emperor Li Cui sent out an imperial decree to summon Zhang Yichao to Chang’an and he was promoted to a higher rank.

From that time Zhang Yichao had lived an idle life in Chang’an City.

Li Yan suddenly said, “After An-Shi Disturbances, there are undoubted facts that the military governors are quite domineering and border invasions town rise from all directions, the situation only differs in the severe degree, serious or not serious. I heard that after knowing minister Zhang stays idle in Chang’an City and not return, Uighur starts using military forces to Guiyi army again. After uncle’s death in Huainan, the troops and horses of Nanzhao also show a sign of waiting to cause trouble in Sichuan and south of the Five Ridges.”

Li Wei was silent.

“At the time of Emperor Xuanzong, Tang Empire was resurgent, and the strength of the country was powerful, so alien nations at the border feared the Empire and hearts of the people across the country toward the imperial court. Thus, Zhang Yichao took advantage of this opportunity and raised an army to recover the territory.”

“But nowadays, the Emperor of Tang Empire Li Cui is incompetent, indulging himself in pleasure, he ignores the conduct of public affairs, ignores political affairs and trusts crafty and fawning people which makes the great power within their grasp. The dim political situation arouses foreign invasions. Mutinies rise from all directions in buffer regions and thieves of the land can’t be completely abstained. Consequently, there is a sign of doomsday and serious disasters are coming.”

“Forget it, don’t say these, all the men in imperial court will naturally worry about the national affairs. It isn’t worthwhile for you and me thinking too much.” Li Wei shook his head and was laughing to himself, “Speaking of your achievement in Qi-refining and that you have defeated Li Yao, they are great news. Although I came here late and didn’t get to help, you should invite me to go to Kang Fu lane.”

Last night, Li Ye told Li Yan about the thing between Li Yao and him. As for the reason why he could beat Li Yao, he owned all to Yuan Tiangang and said that he had got the cultivation method inheritances that Yuan Tiangang left and so on.

At first, Li Yan was shocked, not only shocked by Li Yao’s viciousness and boldness, but also shocked by Li Ye’s good fortune and Yuan Tiangang’s great inheritances.

As to the former, though Li Yan was astonished, he didn’t feel it hard to accept; after all, as a prince who lives in Chang’an City, he knows clearly what the current degree of the Li and Tang Imperial Clan’s fighting over power.

Now the midnight passed, Li Yan had already recovered from being scared. This Prince Pu was a person who didn’t remember. Such a big thing had happened, and he was involved in this disturbance, he didn’t even mean to think about or plan on something, instead, he was always preoccupied with Kang Fu lane.

“I know that you had a trip East Capital and spent quite a few days there that you must miss Qing Guang’er in Splendid Pavilion very much. Well, after a few days, I’ll go there with you.” Li Ye smiled.

“Who is going to look for Qing Guang’er in Splendid Pavilion? Beware of being caught to the Court of the Imperial Clan and get my father’s caning!”

Wu You, with a pair of sheep horn braids on her head, jumped in. Just when she came in, she glared at Li Yan with a look indicating that if you dared to screw around with brother Ye, I would give you hell. Li Yan spread out his hands to show his innocence that it’s Li Ye who just said those words, why you blamed me.

Wu You turned her head, snorted, and ignored him. She smiled and ran to Li Ye. She was about to say something, but her face fell suddenly, and she looked down guiltily. She said bashfully, “Brother Ye, I came late.”

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