Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 52

Li Ji thought to himself, "This must be the downside of not having a common way of sitting with legs hanging down and not having tall furniture. The three of us are squatting in a circle, looking like gamblers on the street..."

He spoke for almost half an hour, covering everything from the terrain and city layout to the reserves of supplies and even the morale of the people. In fact, Li Ji submitted a report almost every night and sent it to Shanzhou the next morning. The two generals had already read those documents, but listening to Li Ji recite them again, they were still able to absorb a lot of new information.

Li Yuanzhong asked, "Officer Li, how did you defeat a barbarian army that outnumbered you by several times with only a hundred cavalry? Could you please recount the details?" Li Ji then recounted the events of that day and said, "It was merely a stroke of luck, coupled with the loyalty and bravery of the Shence Army generals. It is not a model to follow."

Guo Xin said, "We have been here for three days, inspecting the General's troops. Indeed, the Shence Army brought from Shanxian County is the most elite—but instead of placing them on the frontier, they have only left behind some old and weak..."

This complaint wasn't entirely unreasonable. Shortly before An Lushan's rebellion, Tibet had already sued for peace with the Tang Dynasty. It seemed that the western border would be peaceful for at least five to ten years—if the Tang generals didn't recklessly provoke border conflicts. Therefore, border generals such as Geshu Han, Gao Xianzhi, and Feng Changqing were successively recalled to the capital, either to report for duty or to be transferred. Then, suddenly, a thunderbolt struck from a clear sky: the three northeastern towns rebelled, and Hebei and Luoyang fell in an instant. The court urgently summoned the western border troops to return east to defend the capital. Naturally, the strong and brave generals, eager to make a name for themselves—since they wouldn't even see Tibet in battle—all requested to be ordered eastward. Only those who were lazy and unwilling to live would stay behind to guard their posts.

Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong were exceptions. Firstly, their posts were too far from the Central Plains, and secondly, they did not get along well with Xue Tan, the then acting governor. As a result, their applications were not approved. Li Tan was lucky and got lucky.

Guo Xin then said, "I have heard that Inspector Li is an unparalleled warrior who once captured the traitor Tian Qianzhen alive on the battlefield. Seeing this battle, the rumors are indeed true."

Li Ji quickly clasped his hands in humility and said, "How could I possibly be considered an unparalleled warrior? Among the warriors I have seen today, only Wei Nanba stands out!"

Li Yuanzhong said "Oh": "We are stationed in a remote area and do not know any heroes from the Central Plains. What are the deeds of Nan Ba? Could you please tell us?" In fact, if they had not come to the Longyou Military Headquarters and had to inquire about their colleagues so that they could get along with them in the future, they might not have heard of Li Ji.

Li Ji then recounted in detail how Nan Jiyun had assisted in defending Suiyang and broken the siege to seek reinforcements. The two generals listened with astonishment, their faces filled with admiration. Li Yuanzhong then raised a thick eyebrow and loudly proclaimed, "No matter how difficult it is to defend Shancheng, how does it compare to Suiyang? Even if the barbarian rebels are numerous, they may not number two hundred thousand. Suiyang, with its weak troops from the Central Plains, has held out for a year. Are we, with our elite troops from Longyou, incapable of defending Shancheng?!"

This reflects the prejudice of the arrogant and fierce soldiers of the border towns against the soldiers stationed in the heartland. Li Yuanzhong believed that even if the Longyou army left behind some second-rate soldiers, they would definitely be better than the Henan soldiers under Zhang Xun, not to mention the addition of a thousand elite Shence Army soldiers.

Guo Xin looked at Li Yuanzhong and asked, "Brother Li, do you think Shancheng can be defended?"

Li Yuanzhong slapped his thigh: "With you and me here, we can definitely defend it!"

Guo Xin's sharp, knife-like gaze first swept over Li Ji, then shifted to Li Yuanzhong. His previously composed expression gradually relaxed until a smirk appeared on his lips:

"Brother Li says we can hold out, good, then let's hold out and show Ma Chongying what we can do!"

Chapter Seven, The Azure Phoenix Arrives

As dusk fell, Guo Xin, Li Yuanzhong, and Li Ji finally concluded their meeting, reached a consensus, and made a firm decision. They then jointly requested an audience with Li Tan.

Guo Xin expressed his willingness to defend Shancheng for the sake of the commander.

Li Tan was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Can Shancheng be defended? How long can it be defended?"

Guo Xin replied, "The specific plans will have to wait until I arrive in Shancheng before I can report to the commander-in-chief. Although Inspector Li's investigation is already very detailed, a general cannot make military orders without seeing it firsthand."

He paused, then continued, "If Inspector Li's words are entirely accurate, then I request that the Commander-in-Chief select three thousand elite troops, along with enough provisions for three months. This humble general is willing to defend Shancheng against the barbarian invaders. However, we do not yet know when the barbarian invaders will arrive, their numbers, or who their generals will be, so I dare not say how long we can actually hold Shancheng. Furthermore, as Inspector Li has said, the harvest from Shancheng's fields is uncertain, so a prolonged siege would be of no benefit..."

"We must ensure that the grain around Shancheng is completely harvested, even if it cannot be used by us, so as not to supply the barbarian bandits. If a small group of barbarian bandits comes, I will slaughter them in the wilderness, so that they will know how formidable our Tang army is. If they send the entire army of the country, we will try our best to hold out for three months, and then ask the commander-in-chief to send troops to support our return east."

"If we can hold out until next year, the barbarian bandits might run out of food and withdraw their troops on their own initiative. At that time, the food supplies in Shancheng will be insufficient for long and we will have to give up. Otherwise, it will put too much pressure on the transportation of military supplies throughout the prefecture."

"However, my uncle is currently leading nine military governors to garrison Luoyang. He will surely launch an attack in the autumn to advance into Hebei. An Qingxu is an incompetent son, and with his followers turning against him, he can be annihilated in one fell swoop. Then, next year, the Western Army will surely return one after another, and it will not be difficult to recapture Shancheng, and even the Xuanwei and Zhenwu armies."

Upon hearing this, Li Tan frowned slightly—in fact, Li Ji had already anticipated this. If the rebellion in Guandong were completely quelled and the army could return west, Li Tan's tenure as the military governor of these two regions would likely be over. Longyou and Hexi combined had tens of thousands of troops; who would feel comfortable keeping them in the hands of a mere prince? Not to mention Li Heng, even Li Yu would probably be trembling with fear.

Guo Xin's discussions on military strategy were not only eloquent but also extremely cautious. He would never make a definitive statement, guaranteeing that Shancheng could be defended and that he would go to defend it. Instead, he would first set out various conditions and offer different outcomes depending on the situation. However, his understanding of court affairs was ultimately superficial due to his long service in the border regions. Therefore, he did not pay much attention to Li Tan's expression.

He continued his report on the meeting's outcome: "General Li Yuanzhong can be ordered to go to Suihe Garrison, as Inspector Li stated in his report the other day, to abandon the three border armies of Weisheng, Jishi, and Ningbian, and concentrate forces at Suihe Garrison and Dahua City. However, as far as I know, Suihe Garrison is strategically important, but its fortifications are small and cannot accommodate many troops. Moreover, it will surely be attacked by the barbarian bandits this autumn, making it difficult to defend. Defending Suihe is merely to delay the southern offensive of the barbarian bandits, to allow me to consolidate the defenses of Shancheng, and to buy time to harvest the autumn grain."

"Therefore, the main force of the three armies withdrew to Dahua, and could attempt to cross the river and head north to retake Suihe when the fighting in Shancheng was at its fiercest..."

Li Tan interjected, "Is the intention to cut off the enemy's retreat?"

Guo Xin replied, “If the barbarian bandits only come from the south, this move can indeed cut off their retreat. However, they will surely attack from three directions simultaneously... In that case, this move will only demoralize the enemy, support Shancheng, and assist in its defense. After the retreat of the three armies is completed, General Li should also return to Shanzhou. Please ask the commander to allocate him a troop of elite cavalry to be stationed at Xiaoxiakou, so as to ensure the supply of grain between Xiaoxia and Daxia, and also to assist in the defense of Shancheng—this is the strategy we have discussed.”

As Li Tan listened, he unfolded the map, examining it and pondering. Just as he was about to express his opinion after Guo Xin finished speaking, Li Ji added a few more words: "Currently, Ma Chongying is the Grand Chancellor of Tibet, effectively holding the reins of government, and he also has three ministers, all of whom are important officials. If the Tibetan bandits only attack in small groups, that's fine. But if they launch a large-scale attack, it's most likely that Ma Chongying will lead the troops, or the three ministers. I hope the Commander-in-Chief will seek out spies to penetrate Tibetan territory and investigate the character and abilities of these four men, so as to understand the enemy and benefit the war effort."

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Li Tan nodded and said, "Gentlemen, your plans are very profound and detailed. We can follow them." He himself was also very self-aware. Although he was well-versed in military books and had some experience in leading troops, in terms of fighting, he could not possibly be better than veteran generals like Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong. Moreover, the two generals had fought against the Tubo many times, while he, Li Tan, had only fought against rebels, and he had basically just sat in the central army and directed operations from afar.

Therefore, for professional matters, it is essential to consult with professionals. Especially since Li Tan hadn't anticipated the situation would be this bad before his arrival. In the days since Li Ji left, he was not only extremely busy and overwhelmed, but also, during his breaks, pondering the overall situation, he couldn't come up with any good solutions. He even repeatedly advised himself that it would be better to listen to Gao Sheng and simply abandon Shancheng, then concentrate troops to defend Shanzhou—the least mentally taxing approach…

In any case, once the war in the Kwantung region is over, I'll definitely be packing my bags and heading back to Chang'an. Even if I manage to achieve a favorable situation through all my efforts, it will only benefit others. And if the war in the Kwantung region takes another turn, and the Western Army is unable to return home for a while... how long can I hold out in such a terrible situation?

Fortunately, he has always been ambitious and unwilling to be just a leisurely prince. Especially when he was caught up in this turmoil and fled Chang'an, if he hadn't stepped forward, could he have relied on his older brother or even his father to control the situation? If they ruined the country, I wouldn't even be able to be a Prince of Taiping!

That's why he kept encouraging himself until today, when he heard Guo Xin's report, which seemed to be very reasonable. Like a lifeline, Li Tan grabbed it and agreed to everything—"As you all say, I will recruit troops and allocate provisions in Shanzhou. I will be a solid support for Generals Guo and Li. I hope that the two generals will not fail my expectations!"

The two generals went off to prepare, but Li Ji, having finally relinquished his heavy burden and knowing he wouldn't be able to take on another mission until at least tomorrow, finally had a chance to relax for the night. So he had a working meal at the yamen and then rode back to his residence.

Before Li Tan and his party even arrived in Shancheng, Gao Sheng and other former staff members of the government had already inquired about the situation and prepared houses and servants for them. Li Ji's rank was quite low and could not be compared with Yang Yan's, so he was only given a small courtyard with three rooms not far from the government office, and an old soldier was assigned to be responsible for daily cleaning.

Previously, Li Ji had only slept in this temporary new home for one night before packing up and setting off westward towards Shancheng. It took him several days to return, but he hadn't forgotten the basic location. He then spurred his horse forward. It was already dark, and a soldier led the way with a lantern until they reached the courtyard and knocked on the door.

The old soldier opened the door and bowed, asking, "Inspector Li is back... Have you eaten yet?" Li Ji smiled and replied, "I ate at the yamen." He then ordered the old soldier to lead away his horse, while he carried his bundle, took the lantern, thanked the soldier, and stepped into the courtyard.

It was normal for Li Ji to express his gratitude after receiving a favor, but to his surprise, the soldier was flattered and repeatedly said, "I dare not."

When Li Ji arrived at the house, he took off his boots and stepped onto the porch. He reached out to push the door, but the door was pried open from the inside. A woman knelt inside the door, bowing her head and saying, "Greetings, sir."

Li Ji was startled and quickly asked, "Who are you?"

The woman slightly raised her head and introduced herself: "My name is Tao Niang. I was sent by the Military Advisor of the Granary to serve you, sir."

Li Ji picked up the lantern, examined it closely, and couldn't help but frown: "Is it a government prostitute?"

"Exactly."

The military advisor in the governor's office was responsible for logistics, including arranging accommodations and servants for his colleagues and distributing benefits. So it wouldn't be surprising if they sent an extra maid to Li Ji. The reason they hadn't done so before was probably due to a misunderstanding of Li Ji, not knowing that he was a close confidant of the governor... After so many days, they should have found out by now, so they hurriedly tried to fix the situation.

However, when Li Ji looked at the girl named Tao Niang, she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but she was already dressed as a woman. Moreover, although her clothes were not luxurious, they were very beautiful. The key point was that this woman was really good-looking. She had an oval face, big eyes, and smiled before she spoke. She had dimples on her cheeks. In her previous life, she would have been good enough to compete for a second-tier star. How could such a beautiful maid fall into my lap?

Therefore, when Li Ji asked, Tao Niang frankly admitted that she was indeed an official prostitute.

The wives and daughters of criminals were often forced into prostitution by government officials. Those who were not particularly attractive were given menial tasks in the government, while those of above-average looks were naturally required to provide sexual services. In those days, officials of all ranks, whether civil or military, either kept their own prostitutes at home or relied on government prostitutes to satisfy their extra sexual needs, while those of lower rank either went to brothels or depended on government prostitutes. Therefore, it was normal for Li Ji, a newly appointed official, to send a government prostitute to take care of his daily life—but such a beautiful one… the intention of the Cangcao Military Advisor to curry favor and curry favor was far too obvious.

Li Ji couldn't very well refuse, and frankly, ever since he had been served by eunuchs like Ran Mao'er at the Ding'an temporary residence, he had gradually become corrupt and decadent. If there was only an old soldier in the courtyard who was blind, deaf, and hunched over, he would have to do many chores himself—for example, would you really have the nerve to ask an old man to fetch water from the well? It was simply uncomfortable. Whether it was a maid or a courtesan, having another person to serve him was always a good thing.

He simply ordered Tao Niang to boil water, and after taking a bath, Li Ji still sent her to the neighbor's room, sleeping alone in the main room.

It wasn't that Li Ji was being pretentious. He thought to himself, although my soul is no longer that of a virgin, this body is still pure. How could I just sleep with a strange woman?

Give me some time, let's build up our relationship first.

However, on the third day, he took the initiative to go to the military advisor in charge of grain storage and said, "Could you please replace the woman in my room?"

Yang Yan was indeed capable in financial matters. Within days of arriving in Shancheng, he had clearly and thoroughly analyzed the city's treasury balance, annual income, and military expenditures. To support the inevitable major battle after autumn, Shanzhou's existing supplies were clearly insufficient. On the one hand, they needed to plan for supplies to be transferred from other prefectures in the same region; on the other hand, since they couldn't increase their income for the time being, they had to cut costs.

The salaries of officials and the rations of soldiers could not be reduced or embezzled, so Yang Yan had no choice but to strictly enforce financial discipline and prevent extra expenses and waste. Therefore, public meals were strictly handled according to regulations; for someone of Li Ji's rank, meat was often only served at two meals a day…

Li Ji, of course, couldn't tolerate this. It was one thing when the troops were away, but now that he was back in Shanzhou, couldn't he at least have a decent meal? All he ate was coarse grains and pickled vegetables; even the muscles in his arms were atrophying…

Fortunately, Li Tan had offered him a salary of five strings of cash when he hired him. While five thousand coins wasn't a high salary, it was still more than what other officials of the same rank received. Furthermore, the prices in Shanzhou were far higher than in major cities like Chang'an and Luoyang. Plus, Li Ji had government housing and publicly funded military equipment, leaving him with no other expenses. As long as he didn't crave delicacies like a hundred sparrow tongues for a single dish, it would be enough for him to eat his fill. Although Shanzhou was poor, meat was still available—and the sheep in Longxi were quite plump, to be honest—Li Ji thought to himself, "At worst, I'll just skip the canteen and cook for myself."

Therefore, Li Ji had high hopes for Tao Niang—he could certainly cook himself, but he was too busy with work to do so—who would have thought that the woman had never learned to cook, barely managing to cobble together a meal: the meat was tough, the bread was burnt, the soup was bland, and the vegetables were unbearably salty. Moreover, it seemed that during the day at home, she only wrung out a towel to wipe the floor and didn't know how to do any other housework!

Li Ji asked Tao Niang, "What exactly are your skills?"

Tao Niang replied, "I can compose poetry."

Li Ji thought to himself, "That bastard Cang Cao, did you deliberately send a woman to humiliate me?! Or did you just think that because I'm young and strong, you must have a strong sex drive, so you sent someone to warm my bed?"

So he took the initiative to find the military advisor in charge of the granary, first to express his gratitude, and then pleaded, "What I desire is a good cook—Tao Niang is not bad, but I hope that someone else can cook." He also repeatedly stated that it was not Tao Niang's fault, and that she should not be punished.

The military advisor, Cang Cao, readily accepted the advice. That evening, when Li Ji returned home after work, the person waiting for him was no longer Tao Niang, but a slightly older woman—actually only about twenty years old—who claimed to be surnamed Zou and named Qing Luan.

Li Ji first asked, "Is it possible for you to cook?"

Qingluan calmly replied, "I can cook. I can cook meat, pickle vegetables, steam rice, and bake noodles—my specialty is mutton soup with flatbread."

Li Ji was overjoyed and said, "Perfect timing! I haven't eaten yet. There's still some wheat flour and leftover meat at home. Hurry up and make me a bowl... no, make me a big bowl."

Not long after Qingluan left, she returned carrying a tray with a large bowl of mutton soup with flatbread. Li Ji glanced at it and thought the bowl was as big as a washbasin… This young girl was quite strong. Then he realized it made sense; how could a cook wield a knife and lift a pot without strength?

However, your speed is a bit too fast.

Qingluan explained, "I heard that you don't like the meals served at the government offices and usually eat at home, so the fire in the stove is still burning and the water is boiling. The mutton has been stewed first..."

Li Ji smiled and said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness." He first took a spoon, tasted the soup, and found it quite delicious. Then he picked up his chopsticks and ate a bite of mutton, which was stewed until tender. He patted his stomach with a satisfied heart after finishing the whole bowl of mutton soup and flatbread. Only then did he have time to carefully examine Qingluan, who was still serving him.

The blue phoenix's color was slightly inferior to Peach Maiden's, but it was still quite acceptable. The key is, a woman who can capture a man's heart is a truly good woman; as long as she passes the test, she immediately earns an extra thirty points!

She can make delicious mutton soup noodles, and she's also quite beautiful. It's hard to find a woman like that. That Cang Cao Military Advisor really put his heart into it.

/♂

Chapter 8, A Letter from Chang'an

Li Yuanzhong went south to Suihe to garrison and plan the withdrawal of the three armies from the front lines, while Guo Xin headed straight for Shancheng to consolidate the defenses. Originally, Guo Xin intended to send 3,000 soldiers, preferably the Shence Army soldiers first. However, Li Tan regarded the 1,000 Shence Army soldiers as his personal guards and was unwilling to entrust them lightly. In the end, only 3,000 men and more than 1,000 warhorses were carefully selected from the soldiers left to guard Shanzhou and given to Guo Xin.

Gao Sheng had previously reported that the remaining troops in the entire region numbered around 20,000, but they had to be divided among various prefectures, leaving only a little over 7,000 near Shanzhou. This number was insufficient, let alone to defend against a Tibetan attack, and even if Shancheng were abandoned to defend Shanzhou alone and ensure the safety of the military governor. Therefore, Li Ji's next task was to assist the military governor's judge and the military advisor in recruiting able-bodied men into the army.

Three recruitment points were set up inside and outside Shanzhou city, with Li Ji in charge of one. He requested that the heads of Tibetan soldiers recently severed be displayed on spears at the recruitment point to attract brave men. Shanzhou originally had a population of over 40,000, but after the Tibetan invasion last year, tens of thousands more fled from the front lines. Lacking food and clothing, they could only rely on the government's relief efforts, which amounted to nothing more than a thin porridge to keep them from starving. Therefore, many of these people harbored deep hatred for the Tibetans and, wanting a full meal, flocked to enlist.

According to Yang Yan's plan, a round of soldiers should be recruited first, and then the elderly, weak, women and children should be temporarily moved to Lanzhou, Weizhou and other prefectures in the east, and given barren land in the mountains to cultivate for their own food—the government really cannot support so many people.

Each of the three recruitment points had its own standards for recruiting people, with Li Ji's selection method being the simplest. He only required that anyone who could straighten their back without falling over by pressing their hand on their shoulder and exerting 30% of their strength, regardless of height or weight, was at least physically strong and could be selected.

It is estimated that five or six thousand soldiers can be recruited in the end, plus those recruited from other states, totaling more than ten thousand. Li Tan and Yang Yan originally planned to recruit 30,000 new soldiers, but due to the difficulty in obtaining grain in Shancheng, the number was reduced by nearly 70%.

After the able-bodied men were recruited, they should be issued weapons and trained. The Shanzhou treasury was relatively full, and weapons and armor were sufficient, but warhorses were scarce, so most of the new recruits could only serve as infantry. Training was originally the responsibility of the Ministry of War, but Li Tan deliberately prevented them from interfering, entrusting the important task to Li Ji, and ordering Li Ji to gradually expand the power of the military governor's personal guard with one thousand Shence soldiers as the core.

Li Ji had witnessed the training of soldiers several years ago in Fengtian. While later generations might not be as talented as the ancients, they were still knowledgeable and could grasp the knack of many things after observing them for a while. In addition, with the assistance of Shence Army generals such as Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui, the training of new recruits quickly got on track without any major problems.

Li Ji originally thought that being a soldier was about training physical strength, including marching with heavy loads, hand-to-hand combat, standing in formation for long periods of time, and so on. He designed many projects and set high standards. However, in the end, he had to halve the number of projects and cut the standards in half, reducing them to 40%.

There was no other way; food rations were limited, and it was impossible to feed the soldiers large meals of meat and fish every day. Without sufficient high-quality protein intake, how could their physical strength be rapidly enhanced?

He could only carefully select more than thirty burly men who were already of good quality, and then pay extra for them out of his own pocket, so that they could be used as the core force.

In addition, Li Ji carried out extensive political propaganda in the new army. First, he had the soldiers hold meetings to complain about the brutality of the barbarian bandits, striving to create an atmosphere of shared hatred against the enemy in the army. Second, he ordered the elite Shence Army to speak out and debunk the rumors of the barbarian bandits' strength. He said that most of them were just temporarily recruited civilians and might not be as good as the soldiers. They were only victorious because of their large numbers, so there was no need to be afraid.

For more than half a month, Li Ji trained his troops during the day, working non-stop. Fortunately, when he returned home in the evening, he could enjoy a delicious meal, which was some consolation. Although Zou Qingluan claimed that her specialty was "mutton soup with flatbread," she did not rely on just one dish. She would often make it only once every five days, and on other days she would make rice or flatbread, displaying her culinary skills and never repeating the same dish twice.

The Azure Phoenix is ​​quite skilled at cooking. It can cook chicken, duck, pork, and mutton for meat, and sunflower, green onion, melon, and beans for vegetables. Although its cooking methods are limited to steaming, boiling, roasting, and grilling, without frying or stir-frying—in those days, stir-frying was practically nonexistent, and vegetable oil was relatively scarce—it still manages to make everything delicious.

Especially the staple food. The grains in the Longyou region are mainly millet and wheat. In Shanzhou, millet is not grown much—which is exactly what Li Ji was not used to eating—so beans and wheat are grown more often. Therefore, wheat-based foods are the main staple. In those days, most things made with dough were called "cakes". Steamed ones were called steamed cakes (mantou), baked ones were called baked cakes, and boiled ones were called soup cakes.

Qingluan could even make soup dumplings in various ways. For example, she would spread the dough into thin sheets, cut them into pieces two fingers wide and two inches long, and cook them in mutton soup. This was the most basic method. If she cut the dough into long strips as thick as chopsticks, it would later be called "noodles," but now it is called "suobing." If she tore the dough into round pieces the size of her fingertips, it would later be called "cat's ears," but now it is called "botuo." In addition, she could roll out dough, wrap it around meat and vegetables as filling, and make wontons. After draining the wontons, they would be called "crescent moon wontons"—which were actually the prototype of dumplings.

Overall, she was far inferior to the chef of the Prince Qi's mansion. Moreover, Qingluan's skills were mostly those of rural families and lower-middle-class people, so she couldn't produce any delicacies or "Hun Yang Mo Hu". However, she could basically meet the daily needs of a gourmand like Li Ji.

Therefore, Li Ji was quite satisfied with this cook.

When inquiring about her background, it was learned that Qingluan's father was originally a military officer—not of high rank, similar to Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui in the present day—who died from an arrow wound while attacking Shibao under Geshu Han. The fatal flaw was that her father didn't die in the attack itself, but rather was shot in the back while retreating after failing to capture the fortress… This was considered a defeat in battle, and although he died, his wife and children were also implicated; Qingluan and her mother were forced into prostitution.

That was ten years ago. From then on, Qingluan became a servant. Then, three years ago, her mother passed away. Fortunately, before her mother died, she taught Qingluan all her cooking skills. By helping out in the public kitchen, she could reduce the frequency of entertaining guests—completely eliminating it was impossible, after all, this woman was quite good-looking and of a suitable age.

In theory, being a courtesan was almost a lifelong commitment—one had to use all one's skills and even one's body to atone for the sins of one's family—the best outcome being that one would be sold off to become a servant or concubine after growing old and losing one's beauty. It was not uncommon for courtesans in the two capitals to become concubines of prime ministers and then wealthy families, but in remote areas like Shanzhou, being able to enter the home of a low-ranking military officer was already considered good fortune.

Therefore, in Li Ji's view, Qingluan's ability to serve him was a promising prospect for her. When he left his post, if he wished, he could easily spend money to redeem her—after all, he was currently a civil servant, though his future wasn't particularly bright—not being a Jinshi or Mingjing graduate meant he couldn't quickly advance in his career—but he was still a step above military officers of the same rank. Moreover, admiring her culinary skills and pitying her background, Li Ji genuinely considered redeeming Qingluan.

The problem was that as they became more familiar, he found it even harder to take that final step and pull Qingluan onto his bed… Li Ji thought to himself, “I’m basically a good man; I wouldn’t force a woman.” But Qingluan herself didn’t seem to have any particular desire. She simply did housework, bought groceries, and cooked, unlike the previous Tao Niang, who frequently expressed her desire to serve him in bed…

Li Ji couldn't help but feel frustrated—if you had given me even the slightest hint, I would have gone along with it; but since you haven't expressed your opinion, I can't bring myself to do it.

But he soon lost that leisure. Li Yuanzhong sent word that before the three armies of Weisheng, Ningbian, and others had even withdrawn halfway, the Tibetan rebels followed suit and launched a fierce attack on Suihe garrison. This was undoubtedly a signal that the Tibetans were about to launch a three-pronged attack on Shancheng.

According to the plan, the autumn grain between Xiaoxia and Daxia must be secured, so Li Tan ordered Li Ji to lead troops to Xiaoxia to garrison it, to be handed over to him after Li Yuanzhong's return. He was assigned 500 Shence Army cavalry, 500 old soldiers from Shanzhou, and 2,000 new recruits. Li Ji still requested that Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui be his deputies.

The night before his departure, after returning home to settle in, the old soldier presented Li Ji with a letter. Li Ji was quite puzzled; who would write to him?

The most likely writer was Li Mi (Li Changyuan), but Li Mi was far away in Hengshan, a long and arduous journey, and having lost his official position, the possibility of the letter being lost en route was several times higher than its safe arrival. Unless it was something urgent, Li Mi wouldn't have gone out of his way to cause trouble.

Upon taking it and examining it by candlelight, he indeed saw the words "Respectfully addressed to my younger brother, Thirteen Lang" written on the cover, but the handwriting was not Li Bi's.

Upon entering the bedroom, Qingluan came over to set out the meal. Only then did Li Ji unfold the letter, first looking at the signature—"Your foolish brother Ji respectfully inquires about your well-being."

Ah, so it was written by that other Li Ji.

The letter began with expressions of farewell, recounting the recent situation of himself and his uncle Li Qiyun, and inquiring whether Li Ji's duties as the military governor of the two towns were arduous and whether he was in a good mood. Then, it began a lengthy account of the situation in the capital. Li Ji immediately understood that although the letter was ostensibly written by Li Guayan, it must have been at the behest of Li Qiyun.

Within a large family, it was common for members of the same clan to stand side by side in the court, supporting each other. In the end, Li Ji was transferred to a civil post, and Li Qiyun felt that he could try to build a closer relationship with him, as it might come in handy in the future. However, as a court official and an elder, he feared that writing a letter directly to Li Ji would cause controversy, so he entrusted Li Guayan to write it on his behalf.

Otherwise, the two Li Jis had only met a few times and didn't have any deep friendship, so why would they write a letter from so far away? And why would they spend so much time describing court affairs?