Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 436
Chapter 436 Peerless Deceit
“Qin Mubai is dead.”
The news flew from Dafeichuan to Helong like wings, spreading throughout the nine continents of the Great Tang. Different people have different opinions about his death. Some said that he was “loyal to the country”, some said that he was “jealous of the heavens”, some said that he was “finally finished”, or simply, “dead”.
Others would rather not hear the news themselves, or take it rather stubbornly as a rumor.
Tens of thousands of kilometers away, in the governor’s mansion of You Zhou.
The coldness of winter is always the first to visit the borders of eastern Liaoning. There were no flowers in the flower bed, and there was a pot of wine in the pavilion between the weeds and willows.
Li Ke stood alone in the pavilion. His purple brocade robe was crowned as a sage, and his clothes were floating in the wind. He was as handsome and elegant as ever.
The cold wind blew, and the withered grass in the flower bed flew and rustled.
It was like a woman’s beloved dowry, always filled with precious jewelry. It turned out that there was also a chest in the man’s heart. The difference was that a woman would often flip through his dowry, and a man would always keep the box quietly in the deepest part of his heart.
When he accidentally opened the box, there was neither jewelry nor money inside. There were only some old yellowed calendars with some names and some old events written on them.
At this moment, Li Ke opened the empty box. As a result, scenes of him playing around with Qin Mubai as a child, riding with him, and cooking wine in the flowers appeared in his mind one by one. The experiences of the past few years were even more vivid. Ever since they first met Mama Mei, the two of them had been firmly tied together. In the capital, Jiangzhou, Xiangyang, Lanzhou and You Zhou, Li Ke felt that no matter how close he was to Qin Mubai, it was as if his left hand was accustomed to the existence of his right hand.
One day, he suddenly discovered that the other party was no longer here …
“Qin Mubai, you’re a big liar.” Li Ke picked up the wine jug and slowly tilted it a little, letting the wine trickle down into the soil in front of him. He whispered to himself, “You said that the calamity left behind a thousand years ago. What’s going on now? Could it be that you’re still a good person?”
“Stop teasing me.”
“I’ve never encountered anyone more treacherous, crafty, lecherous, and …”
Finally, he was speechless.
His hand lightly trembled a few times, and the wine fell on Li Ke’s gorgeous brocade clothes.
“What, are you still angry?” The corners of Li Ke’s mouth curved slightly and he actually smiled.
“Alright, I’ll punish myself with three cups!” He drank a few mouthfuls of wine against the wine jug.
A gust of wind blew, and the remnants of the grass in the flower bed danced, causing Luo Yingxiao to fall.
“If there is an afterlife, you can become a woman. I’ll marry you.” Li Ke still smiled like that, his eyes blurred as he looked at the distant horizon and muttered to himself, “Perhaps you have turned into a flowing cloud, I only need to raise my head to see you.” Or you turn into a pot of wine, a cup of tea, and pass me through the intestines, without care, but without separation. Or, you brush past me and never get to know each other. “In short, in the next life … you don’t have to be my brother anymore.”
“Be your brother” Li Ke took a deep breath and his expression froze for a long time.
“Too wounded …”
Chang’an, Duke Wei’s Mansion.
In the living room hall, Li Shimin and Li Jing sat opposite each other, drinking tea and playing chess.
Li Shimin propped up the chessboard with his left elbow, his left hand pressing the corner of his forehead, and his right hand holding a black chess piece in mid-air. It had been fixed for a long time.
Li Jing’s expression was still as calm as an ancient well in late autumn. He slowly extended his palm to Li Shimin’s right hand holding the chess piece. Unexpectedly, the black piece fell off.
“Eh!” Li Shimin snapped back to his senses and laughed self-deprecatingly, “I’m absent-minded.”
Li Jing smiled and handed the chess piece back to Li Shimin, saying, “Your Majesty seems to be very worried. Did you hear any rumors?”
“It’s not just me. Did everyone in Manchang’an hear that? I found out after living in the Deep Palace.” Li Shimin slapped his hands on his knees and sighed again, “I can’t play this chess anymore. Another day! … It was me who ruined Brother Jing’s elegant mood. I’ll punish myself with three cups on the wine table later.”
Li Jing smiled and remained silent. He knew that it had been almost half a year since the emperor came to visit an old official he had been idle for a long time. There must be a reason for his sudden arrival today.
“Your Majesty, how about I … go to Lanzhou!” Li Jing suddenly said.
“Huh?” Li Shimin raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, “Brother Jing, why did you say that?”
“The rumors in Chang’an say that Guanxi Army Commander-in-Chief Qin Mubai has died in battle.” Li Jing said, “The Battle of Lanzhou is of great importance. It is far more important than the recovery of Tuyuhun and the Turks in Beiding. Although this old minister is old, he can still serve the country.”
“Brother Jing, with your words, my heart will be much happier.” Li Shimin stood up and walked to the eaves of the hall with his hands cut off from his back, looking towards the northwest. In his words, he did not agree to Li Jing’s request.
Li Jing stood up with his walking stick, walked behind Li Shimin, and stood quietly.
The two of them were silent at the same time. After a long time, Li Shimin said, “Brother Jing, do you believe me?”
“Ning believes it, but he doesn’t believe it.” Li Jing answered decisively.
Li Shimin frowned and did not comment.
“How does His Majesty feel?” Li Jing asked.
“I am very confused.” Li Shimin said, “The frontline commander died in battle, yet not a single military report has been sent back to the Imperial Court. It’s just some rumors from the people … I’m not sure. But Brother Jing’s words are reasonable. Ning Xin believes that such a thing is true or not.”
“Then His Majesty should have planned ahead.” Li Jing said, “Guanxi Army must be handsome every day. Without Qin Mubai, the generals there will not be convinced of each other. Although the Jiang Xia King is in charge of Lanzhou, he is still an outsider, not Guanxi Army’s old lodger. I’m afraid it will be difficult for him to rule the entire army for the time being.”
“Brother Jing, you are truly worthy of being the military god of my Great Tang … Qin Mubai is your closed-door disciple. If something happens to him, the first thing you think about is the overall situation of the military country.” Li Shimin sighed emotionally and said leisurely, “Uncle Treasure left not long ago, and now it’s Mu Bai … I, how can I stand it!”
“Your Majesty, this old minister has once again volunteered to go to Lanzhou!” Li Jing put his walking stick down on the side wall, cupped his fists, and said with a silver beard full of vigor.
Li Shimin turned around and smiled. He stretched out his hands to tightly clench Li Jing’s fists and said, “Brother Jing, there’s no need for you to step out this time.”
“Your Majesty has already made arrangements?”
“That’s right.” Li Shimin said, “I promised a long time ago that if Qin Mubai is not Gaer Qinling’s opponent, I, the Qi Qing soldiers, will fight to the death with Qizong Nongzan!”
“Your Majesty wants to personally march?!” Li Jing said in surprise.
“If the news of Qin Mubai’s death is true, I will personally conquer him.” Li Shimin said resolutely.
Li Jing’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. He slowly nodded and said, “Unless His Majesty personally conquers, this old minister will never give up this position!”
“Brother Jing, it’s rare for you to be willing to tell the truth.” Li Shimin revealed a rare smile and said, “I have been observing the government and the public to select the world. Only two people dare to pick up this handsome seal. These two people are still standing here today.”
“I’d better use my cane!” Li Jing laughed self-deprecatingly and still picked up his walking stick.
“I have thought about it, but not only do I not want to believe that Qin Mubai has died, I also feel that there is something fishy about it.” Li Shimin said, “That’s why I came to Brother Jing for advice.”
“But if there is anything, His Majesty will do so. This old minister will discuss it with His Majesty.” Li Jing said.
“Based on my understanding of Qin Mubai, he should be one of those generals who are determined to win.” Li Shimin said, “Although he is smart, he doesn’t seem to belong to this path. Brother Jing, what do you think?”
“Your Majesty means to say that Qin Mubai is using deception?” Li Jingbai frowned deeply. After meditating for a long time, he shook his head and said, “Isn’t that impossible? If he dares to use such a scheme, then even the people of the world would be deceived. This includes his loved ones and friends.”
“I don’t have any evidence. I’m just guessing. But I have a hunch that Qin Mubai won’t die so easily.” Li Shimin said indifferently. In his heart, he involuntarily recalled the words of Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng. They had said long ago that the Emperor Star did not know how powerful the Demon Star was, and that the moment the Demon Star blossomed, it would be greatly assisted by the Emperor Star.
Since this Demon Star’s aura was so strong, how could it fall so easily? Although the Warlock’s words could not be trusted, they still influenced Li Shimin’s thoughts.
“As far as the frontlines are concerned, our strength is far inferior to that of the enemy. Gaer Qinling has 150,000 Kunlun cavalry under his command, which can be said to be the strongest in the world. The other 100,000 cavalry are also the main forces of Tibet. Together, they account for more than 300,000 troops in Tibet. Their strength cannot be underestimated.” Li Jing slowly said thoughtfully, “And Guanxi Army had suffered Gao Chang’s defeat before, the loss of more than half of the elite main force.” Coupled with the dispersal of too many troops on the battlefield, there were no more than a hundred thousand troops on the main battlefield of Dafeichuan, and at least half of them were recruits. The disparity between the strong and the weak was obvious at a glance. Under such circumstances, it was obviously impossible for a regular soldier to win. Qin Mubai might not be able to use deception. ”
“Yes!” Li Shimin said, “I also think so. If I were to lead the three armies in Dafeichuan, I would have hollowed out my thoughts and sent out a hundred rare soldiers to win. But … if Qin Mubai’s death was really just a scam, then this kid would be too bold!”
“Your Majesty” Li Jing called out, hesitating to say anything.
“En, Brother Jing, please speak. Why should we be taboo?” Li Shimin said.
“This veteran believes that a soldier’s strange dao is complementary to his own. Anyone who can defeat the enemy is the superior art of war.” Li Jing said, “Qin Mubai can be the least skilled or the most skilled of my three disciples.” If you ask him to memorize any paragraph from the book of praise, he will most likely not be able to memorize it. To explain the exquisite flaws of the classic battles of history, he would also squeak. However, he was the most adept at adapting to local conditions and using them flexibly, and he was the one who learned the most vividly. “For example, Hou Jun had already obtained his flesh and blood from training, Su Dingfang had obtained his muscles and bones, Qin Mubai had obtained his divine essence.”
“Are you saying that this is really a big lie that Qin Mubai lied about? Is it a scam of the art of war?” Li Shimin’s eyebrows sank as he asked in surprise.
“I don’t dare to say anything, but with my understanding of Qin Mubai, it’s possible.” Li Jing said cautiously.
“Sure enough, you know that a son is like a father, and a disciple is like a master.” Li Shimin sighed and muttered to himself, “Then he really is a demon star. He dares to use such a bold and absurd scheme …”
“Your Majesty, imagine … if even the people of the world were deceived by him, and Your Majesty and this old minister are still suspicious here, then Qizong Nongzan and Gaer Qinling …” Li Jing stopped the conversation at the right time.
Li Shimin’s eyes flashed with light as he realized, “Then why are they wilting?”
“Indeed.” Li Jing chuckled and shook his head, “But all of this is just our guess. The truth is, we’ll have to wait until the Lanzhou army arrives before we can decide.”
“En” Li Shimin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Then, I’ll wait a bit longer. Let’s see what kind of news Lanzhou will give me.”
Li Jing was speechless. A strange light flickered in his slightly turbid eyes. He thought to himself, “Whether it’s good news or bad news, it must be … enough to shock the world!”
