Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 21

Soon after, news arrived that Guo Ziyi had returned from Hedong to reinforce the area and had defeated the rebel general Li Guiren's 5,000 cavalry north of Sanyuan. Li Heng was overjoyed upon hearing the news and immediately sent an envoy to appoint Guo Ziyi as the deputy commander-in-chief of the army. However, he then turned to Li Bi with concern and asked, "Now that Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi are both prime ministers, if we wait until we recover the two capitals and pacify the four seas, I'm afraid there will be no more official positions or rewards to bestow upon them. What should we do?"

In response, Li Mi suggested: "Since ancient times, official positions have been granted based on ability, and titles have been bestowed to reward merit. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, although the people were governed by prefectures and counties, those who had rendered meritorious service were still generously granted land to pass down to their descendants. This practice continued into the Zhou and Sui dynasties. At the beginning of our dynasty, because we had not yet acquired the Guandong region, the titles were merely honorary. During the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong wanted to restore the ancient system, but this was abandoned due to differing opinions among his ministers. Since then, official positions have been the primary means of rewarding merit."

"Rewarding merit with official titles has two drawbacks: first, if the wrong person is appointed, it will inevitably lead to failure; second, if the position is high and powerful, it will be difficult to control. Therefore, meritorious officials who are appointed to high positions cannot have their positions inherited by their descendants. They can only use their temporary power to seek personal gain, indulge in debauchery and extravagance, and do whatever they want. If An Lushan had a kingdom of a hundred li, he would have been afraid that he could not pass it on to his descendants, and he would certainly not have rebelled."

"Therefore, the best course of action now is to reward meritorious officials by granting them titles and lands after the country is at peace. Even a large country is only a few hundred miles in size, like a small prefecture today. How could it be difficult to control? This would be a benefit for the officials and the country for generations to come."

Li Heng readily agreed with his suggestion, but when he told his brother Li Ji about it that evening, Li Ji immediately flew into a rage—"Brother, you actually advised the emperor to establish feudalism? Do you want to become a sinner for all eternity?!"

Li Bi was taken aback and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Li Ji said, “If meritorious officials cannot be fully rewarded, and if we do not wish for incompetent officials to hold key positions, then granting them nominal titles is sufficient; why impose land grants? Once land is granted, they can monopolize power and recruit their own troops. Even a small amount will inevitably become a threat to the court. The country is currently facing many troubles. If we truly quell the rebellion, I fear that it will not only be Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi who are granted land grants, but also, in the future, if we fight against Tibet or another rebellion breaks out, will those who have rendered meritorious service be granted land or not? Once this precedent is set, I fear that the country's counties and prefectures will gradually fall into private hands!”

"Brother, do you think that granting only a hundred or two hundred li of land would be easy to control? What if the vassal kings join forces? And if someone breaks the law and the court punishes them ruthlessly, it will surely arouse suspicion in other vassal states and lead to war. I fear that if they collude, future ministers will surely advise the emperor to be tolerant. If we tolerate and yield again and again, the authority of the court will decline day by day, and the vassal kings will become even more powerful and difficult to control."

I thought Ah

My brother has a vision that spans ten thousand miles, yet he only cares about the present, neglecting the future!

Li Mi said that Li Ji was overthinking the problem; how could it possibly come to that? The two then engaged in an unprecedentedly heated debate, even a quarrel. Li Ji, in his "keyboard warrior" temper, immediately launched into a long tirade, starting from the Zhou Dynasty, then moving on to Qin Shi Huang's abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of prefectures and counties, the rebellions of the non-royal princes in the early Han Dynasty, the rebellions of the royal princes during Emperor Jing's reign… He went on to the "War of the Eight Princes" in the Western Jin Dynasty, vehemently arguing against the practice of granting fiefdoms. Li Mi refuted each point, and all of his arguments seemed to have merit.

Since the Qin Dynasty, the system of prefectures and counties directly under the central government has been the mainstream, but the idea of ​​establishing feudal states has also emerged from time to time. The two paths have been locked in fierce struggle throughout the ages. It must be said that, depending on the specific circumstances, feudalism also had a certain degree of rationality, or at least temporary rationality. In addition, Li Mi's idea was not impulsive. He had repeatedly considered it before offering his advice to Li Heng, so Li Ji could not persuade him at all.

The two men had different views and vastly different values, yet both were eloquent and persuasive. How could they possibly determine a winner or loser through mere verbal discussion? Moreover, Li Bi finally asked, "Although your words do not agree with mine, they do contain some truth and demonstrate profound thought—were you just an ordinary general of Jin before? Where did you get these insights?" With just one sentence, he withstood Li Ji's fierce attack.

Li Ji could only say, “Brother, among peddlers and laborers, even in prisons and butcher shops, there may be hidden talents. If I were to say that in my previous life I read extensively, but only grasped the general outlines and did not memorize them, thus possessing strategic knowledge and brilliant plans, it would be a pity that I joined the army for the country, but encountered unfavorable times, and was further burdened by incompetent generals and cowardly soldiers, and died before achieving my goal—would you believe me or not?”

I thought Li Bi would scoff and say, "Don't get scolded." But to my surprise, he nodded and said, "Hou Sheng will only ever have the salary of a gatekeeper, yet he has achieved the eternal fame of Lord Xinling. It's not surprising." Then he looked up to the sky and sighed, "If the world is at peace and the traitor An does not rebel, I will go with the wind. Who in the future will know me?!"

Seeing this, Li Ji's anger turned into pity, and he sighed, "Brother, you offer good advice, but the emperor can't use it; brother, you offer clumsy ideas, but the emperor thinks they're good... Who says that the emperor can only use good ideas and not get rid of bad ones? Forget it, I'm just a lowly seventh-rank official, why should I worry about so much?"

He thought to himself: What does it matter to me whether the Tang Dynasty ends or not?

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Guo Ziyi initially won but then suffered a defeat. After recovering Wugong, he joined forces with Wang Sili at Xiwei Bridge and advanced to Yuxi, where they confronted the main rebel force stationed at Qingqu, west of Chang'an. Seven days later, An Shouzhong feigned a retreat, and Guo Ziyi's entire army pursued him, only to be ambushed and routed. Judge Han Ye, supervisor Sun Zhigu, and others were captured by the rebels, and countless military supplies and equipment were lost.

Guo Ziyi retreated to Wugong, and as a result, Yong County and even the entire Fengxiang Prefecture were forced to once again enter martial law...

Li Chu and Li Bi were busy recovering from the defeat, and Li Bi, who was already quite thin, had become even thinner in just a few months, and always had dark circles under his eyes. To make matters worse, with the army assembled, the weather was getting increasingly hot, causing the soldiers to become exhausted and making little progress for months. Even the large amount of tax revenue sent by Wu Qi from Jianghuai was about to run out. Therefore, he repeatedly advised Li Heng to send the main army forward to join forces with the Shuofang army and seek an opportunity to fight the rebels. However, Li Heng remained uneasy and insisted on waiting for the Uyghur army to arrive.

Li Ji privately complained, "Even if my brother is a great commander, he is hampered by a foolish ruler and incompetent generals... If the Later Lord hinders Zhuge Liang and there are no veteran generals like Wei Yan and Wang Ping in the army, I'm afraid Zhuge Liang will not even be able to make it out of Qishan once!"

Li Mi rebuked him, saying, "What are you saying? How can a subject speak ill of his ruler? Besides, Guo Ziyi is a capable general of our time, but there are others in the rebel army as well. Victory and defeat are common in war. How can you regard him as mediocre just because of one or two minor setbacks?" He also warned Li Ji, "Don't pretend to be a reckless man and become truly reckless. Don't speak recklessly all day long. You should know that those eunuchs are still secretly waiting to take revenge on you!"

Li Ji replied, "I will only say these words to my elder brother; I will not utter a single word in front of outsiders." He then asked, "When will the Huihe troops finally arrive?"

The Uyghur troops arrived at the end of August—a hundred thousand troops had gathered in Fengxiang, and they had been waiting for more than half a year. Li Ji was furious when he thought about it—this was shortly after Helan Jinming took office as the military governor of Henan.

Helan Jinming, originally the Prefect of Beihai, traveled a long distance to Fengxiang to meet Li Heng and was given an important position. He then went to pay his respects to Marshal Li Chu and privately questioned Li Bi: "Since Changyuan is assisting the Sage, why didn't he advise against appointing Fang Cilu as commander, leading to Chen Taoxie's crushing defeat? If he hadn't been defeated, we would probably be in Xijing today!"

He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the sixteenth year of the Kaiyuan era and had an old acquaintance with Li Mi, which is why he spoke so bluntly. At the time, they were in a side room of the general's mansion, in Li Mi's private "office," and Li Ji happened to be there as well. He explained on behalf of his brother: "When my brother arrived in Pengyuan, Prime Minister Fang had already been ordered to lead the expedition. My brother also advised the emperor, but the emperor believed in trusting those he appointed and refused to retract his order..."

Helan Jinming couldn't help but sigh, "Is this the will of Heaven?!" He then asked Li Bi, "Do you know Du Zimei?"

"Are you referring to Du Fu, who recently escaped from the Jin Guang Gate of Chang'an, visited the imperial court, and was subsequently appointed Left Reminder by the emperor?"

Helan Jinming nodded and said, "It is indeed this man. He is skilled in poetry and prose. He was once trapped among the rebels. Upon hearing of the defeat at Chentao Xie, he composed a poem..." He then recited in a long voice: "In the first month of winter, the good sons of ten prefectures, their blood became the water of Chentao Marsh. The wilderness is vast and the sky is clear, there is no sound of battle. Forty thousand righteous soldiers died on the same day! The barbarians returned, their blood washing the arrows, still singing barbarian songs and drinking in the city. The people of the capital turned their faces north and wept, day and night hoping for the arrival of the government troops."

Li Ji, listening from the side, was completely numb. This numbness wasn't due to the poem's poignant sentiment, but rather its literary merit. He had recently been collecting contemporary poems through Li Shi and others—Li Mi was out of the question, so he'd poured all his energy into...

Chapter 46, Prince Yabghu

Fang Guan's suggestion to the retired emperor to allow the princes to assume the positions of military governors was undoubtedly intended to weaken the power of Crown Prince Li Heng, and directly led to the rebellion of Prince Yong, Li Lin. Now that Li Heng had heard about this, how could he possibly tolerate Fang Guan? Let alone becoming prime minister, he probably even wanted to kill him!

Li Bi sighed at this, and Li Ji asked in bewilderment, "What you said in the past is no different from what Helan Jinming said. He said that Fang Guan likes to talk big and often claims to be sick and refuses to attend court, instead discussing Buddhism and Taoism with his confidants. Even without Chen Taoxie's defeat, this kind of person is not fit to be prime minister. Why do you seem to have regrets when you hear that he is about to be dismissed?"

Li Bi glanced around to make sure no one was there, then lowered his voice and said to Li Ji, "Prime Minister Fang is afraid to get involved in state affairs anymore because of Chen Taoxie's defeat, but he is ultimately skilled in politics and kind and loving... If Prime Minister Fang is dismissed, none of the other prime ministers are capable of handling things!"

Although Fang Guan held the title of prime minister, he effectively served as one, given his seniority. To be honest, Li Bi didn't think much of Fang Guan either. However, while Fang Guan was prone to boasting, he wasn't entirely a figurehead. Moreover, he had decent personal conduct and knew how to handle people. If he were to be dismissed from his post, who would take charge of the government? The rest were even less of a consideration.

At this time, among the prime ministers of the imperial court, Wei Jiansu had long been sidelined, Miao Jinqing was old and frail, Cui Huan was incompetent, Pei Mian was greedy, and Li Lin was disliked by the emperor because of his overly strong personality; the most troublesome of them all was Cui Yuan, who was jealous of talent and had recently become very close to Li Fuguo...

Sure enough, not long after, Li Heng demoted Fang Guan to Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, giving him a sinecure, and appointed Zhang Hao, the Grand Counselor, as Chancellor. Real power in the court thus gradually fell into the hands of Cui Yuan, the Vice Director of the Chancellery.

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Not long after Helan entered Ming, he finally received news that the Uyghur Crown Prince was leading troops to provide assistance and was about to arrive in Yong County.

Although Li Heng had tricked Geluozhi into leaving, he was worried that the Uyghur ruler would be angry and refuse to send troops to rescue him, or that even if he did send troops, they would not put in the effort. Therefore, he ordered Li Chu to go and meet the Crown Prince of Yabghu.

Therefore, Li Chu ordered Li Tan to stay and guard the headquarters, while he himself, along with Li Bi and guarded by Li Ji, Chen Fu, Yi Tiechui, and others, hurriedly left Yong County and headed north to meet the Uyghur army.

During the journey, Li Ji inquired about relevant information from Li Bi and learned that the "Prince Yehu" was not actually named Yehu...

The Uyghurs, originally from the Gaoche, a subordinate tribe of the Xiongnu, are also known in historical records as the Tiele or Tiele. The Gaoche comprised fifteen tribes, including the Tongluo, Pugu, and Xueyantuo, among others, and also included the Uyghurs, who were historically referred to as the Yuanhe, and were subordinate to the Turks. During the Tang-Turkic Wars, the Uyghurs declared independence, assisted the Tang in attacking the Turks, and ultimately decisively defeated the Eastern Turks, thus establishing their dominance over the steppes and deserts.

Therefore, the Uyghur system largely followed that of the Turks. The Turkic nobility had a title of Yabghu, below whom were She, and then Tegin, totaling twenty-eight ranks of hereditary nobility. The Uyghurs were similar, with the Yabghu as the head of the nobility, leading many tribes and assisting the Khan. Therefore, "Yabghu Crown Prince" in the Central Plains was equivalent to a crown prince with the added title of Grand General.

The Central Plains had more than one king, and the Uyghurs had more than one Yabghu. It is said that after the Uyghur ruler married his daughter to Li Chengcai, the Prince of Dunhuang, he also appointed Li Chengcai as Yabghu, so that he could lead troops with the crown prince to come south and join forces.

However, Li Chengcai probably couldn't command the Uyghur troops... After meeting them, in Li Ji's view, the role of this Prince of Dunhuang was merely that of a translator.

After confirming the enemy's itinerary and speed, the Tang Dynasty troops first set up camp to wait. Soon, the Uyghur soldiers approached the camp, and Li Chengcai, accompanied by the Crown Prince Yabghu, led over a hundred cavalrymen to meet them. Li Chu personally went to the gate to greet them, warmly taking the Crown Prince Yabghu's hand and leading them back to the tent for a chat. Li Ji observed that the Crown Prince Yabghu had hawk-like eyes, a prominent nose, a broad mouth, and a bushy beard, appearing quite fierce; in comparison, Li Chu looked much thinner.

The night before, Li Heng had said that the Uyghur ruler was over forty but not quite fifty, so he estimated that this Crown Prince of Yabghu was at most thirty years old, about the same age as Li Chu, but his face seemed much older... Perhaps it was because of the wind and sun on the grasslands, and the lack of skincare products, plus his long beard, that made him look older.

Even if Princess Ningguo were married to the Crown Prince of Yehu, they still wouldn't be a very good match...

Firewood was lit in the army camp, and mutton and wine were served to entertain the Uyghur soldiers who had followed them. As the hosts, Li Ji and his companions were naturally present—they held official ranks.

The leader of this Uyghur troop, who knew a few words of Tang language, had a very impressive name—Dide. Yi Tiechui asked him blankly, "Does your tribe actually have anyone with the surname Di?" Dide shook his head repeatedly, "Chinese people have surnames, but we have none."

According to Li Ji's historical knowledge, most nomadic peoples of the grasslands did not have surnames as the Chinese do, but only given names, or titles with their tribal names added to them. For example, the tribal name of the Uyghur chieftain was "Yaoluoge," and his real name was "Moyanchuo." He was originally called Dengli Khan, and later changed it to Bilge Khan. Li Heng had just conferred upon him the title of "Heroic and Mighty Khan."

So he explained to Yi Tiechui, who said, "I thought his surname was even smaller than mine... Li Zhiguo is indeed more learned." Li Ji quickly clarified, "Naturally, it was my elder brother who taught me."

A hundred horsemen sat around the campfire, divided into several groups, accompanied by Tang soldiers. The central group naturally consisted of Di De and several other generals, along with Li Ji and his men. The soldiers slaughtered a sheep, cleaned it, and roasted it over the fire. Upon seeing this, Di De and the others' Adam's apples bobbed, clearly swallowing hard. Yi Tiechui, bewildered again, asked, "You are nomadic people; your tribe naturally has many sheep and horses. Does this mean only nobles can eat this, and ordinary soldiers can't?"

Di De pointed to his heart: "I, the general, am also a nobleman. Since leaving the grasslands, I have traveled long distances, eating more dairy products and less fresh meat."

"I haven't eaten lamb for several days." Then, with a fawning smile, he asked, "Roast lamb, wait, can I have some wine first?"

Li Ji immediately ordered, "Open the jar and pour the wine first."

After a few bowls of wine, the Tang army's atmosphere gradually warmed up. Although most of them couldn't understand each other's languages, they could still express some simple meanings through gestures. Chen Fu then asked, "How many soldiers did the Crown Prince of Yabghu bring?" Di De replied, "Four thousand." Chen Fu frowned, "Isn't that too few?"

Di De patted his chest: "The Uyghurs, warriors, rebels, pigs and dogs, four thousand can kill forty thousand." Yi Tiechui said: "There are also many Tongluo and Turkic elite cavalry in the rebel army..." Di De curled his lips, made a fist with four fingers, raised his little finger and pointed downwards: "Tongluo, cowards, Turks, defeated soldiers - in the Battle of Hequ, they were all scattered."

Previously, when Guo Ziyi led the Shuofang army to pacify Hequ and fought against Ashina Congli, the Uyghur ruler personally led 3,000 cavalry to assist him, and it is said that they made considerable contributions. Therefore, the Uyghur soldiers looked down on the Tongluo, Pugu and other tribes who were originally of the same origin, and even more so on the Turks whose country they had long since destroyed.

Then Di De brandished his thick arm and said to Yi Tiechui, "The sheep is cooked, let's eat it. After we're full, let's have a contest, and I'll show you my strength."

So they slaughtered a sheep to eat. Before he was full, with a little food still in his stomach, Di De wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then wiped his greasy hands on his fur robe. He stood up and nodded to Yi Tiechui: "You are strong. Do you dare to compete?"

Among them, Li Ji looked somewhat immature, Chen Fu was not tall, only Yi Tiechui was 1.8 meters tall by today's standards, with broad shoulders, thick back, thick waist and long legs, looking like a very capable fighter. In addition, his words just now seemed to belittle the Uyghur soldiers - at least to underestimate their small number - so Di De chose him to fight.

Yi Tiechui also stood up, took two steps forward, and compared his height with Di De's—they were about the same—and seemed quite eager to try. You see, they were originally generals of the Shence Army, veterans of countless battles. This time, they were ordered to guard the commander's mansion and the Forbidden City, but for a month or two they had only been standing guard and protecting important people, and no assassins had appeared... If they didn't do something, their arms and legs would probably rust.

Although he was rude and reckless, he still knew to ask Li Ji, the highest-ranking person present, first: "Li Zhiguo, is that alright?"

When Li Bi ordered Li Ji to entertain the Uyghur soldiers, he instructed him, "Although they are barbarians, they have come from afar to rescue the emperor. You must make them happy and not look down on them." He paused for a moment, then added, "And do not let the Uyghurs look down on us either."

Therefore, Li Ji thought that since they were all soldiers with excess energy, comparing their strength would make it easier for them to bond. Moreover, winning or losing didn't matter. Winning would certainly prevent the Uyghurs from underestimating the Tang, but even losing a battle or two wouldn't mean the Tang army was weak—fighting and dueling are ultimately two different things. On the contrary, if they dared not accept the challenge since the enemy had already issued it, they would be looked down upon.

Therefore, Yi Tiechui asked Li Ji if he could grant Emperor De's request for a contest. Li Ji thought for a moment, then turned his head and looked at Chen Fu with his eyes, meaning: What do you think of this Yi Tiechui? Can you fight him?

As long as they have some skills and are in the same league as Di De, then we can agree; unless Yi Tiechui is just a pretty face and gets defeated in a few punches and kicks, then it won't look good for Tang people.

Chen Fu understood and whispered, "Iron Hammer is a brave warrior in my Shence Army. He is strong and has fierce moves. He fights bare-handed, and a dozen or so ordinary people cannot get close to him."

The reason for specifically mentioning "unarmed combat" was that Li Zhiguo was still young and had reportedly never been on the battlefield. If he did not know the importance of the situation and ordered them to fight with weapons, it might cause unnecessary trouble. Swords have no eyes, and if a Uyghur general was injured, the marshal would not forgive him!

Upon hearing this, Li Ji immediately turned back to Yi Tiechui, nodded, and then turned to Di De, asking him, "Do you want a literary contest or a martial contest?"

Di De said blankly, "I...I can't read, I don't know how to write..."

Li Ji smiled and said, "It's a literary contest, not a martial one." He then explained, "A literary contest is simply a test of physical strength, such as lifting stone mallets to see how many, or arm wrestling. A martial contest, on the other hand, would be sumo wrestling, wrestling..."

Di De interrupted him, saying, "The martial arts competition is over."

Both wrestling and sumo are types of wrestling. Wrestling emphasizes technique—in the Central Plains dynasties, it was generally considered one of the hundred entertainments, a form of entertainment—while sumo focuses more on physical strength. Emperor De was obviously unaware of the difference between the two, but he understood—it's all about fighting bare-handed, which suits me perfectly.

Sumo wrestling was a common pastime in the army, so Chen Fu was very familiar with it. He immediately ordered his soldiers to clear an open space around the campfire and use spears to draw a circle more than ten feet in diameter on the ground so that both sides could enter the circle to fight—if someone was knocked out of the circle, they would naturally lose.

Yi Tiechui was about to take off his clothes, but Di De only removed his felt hat, rolled up his sleeves, and jumped directly into the circle, beckoning him with his hand. Yi Tiechui was a little confused. He glanced at Chen Fu, and seeing his companion nod in acknowledgment, he also took off his turban, slowly stepped into the circle, and cupped his hands to Di De: "Please—do not pull your hair."

Di De nodded, "Understood." Then, as soon as he finished speaking, he pounced straight at Yi Tiechui. Yi Tiechui hadn't even gotten into position yet, so he hurriedly dodged and grabbed Di De's belt. Di De retaliated by grabbing Yi Tiechui's waist as well, and the two were locked in a tight struggle.

Li Ji observed carefully and noticed that Di De seemed to have the upper hand in strength. He used his shoulder to push Yi Tiechui backward repeatedly. Just as Yi Tiechui's heel was about to reach the circle, he suddenly exhaled and exerted force to stop his backward momentum. At the same time, he twisted his waist to the side, trying to push Di De to the outside.

However, Di De's legs remained as steady as Mount Tai, completely unmoved, as Yi shoved him with his iron hammer.

Chapter 47, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Di De entered the arena a second time, wanting to compete with Li Ji. Li Ji laughed and said, "You've already had one match, so you should rest first. Otherwise, even if I win, it won't be a fair victory."

Dide didn't understand what "winning unfairly" meant, and simply replied, "I'm not tired, I can compete again."

Seeing his insistence, Li Ji stopped trying to persuade him and simply waved his hand, signaling the other to launch the first attack. Di De's expression was solemn, his eyes fixed on Li Ji's chest and abdomen. He spread his arms out in front of him, as if holding a large ball in front of his chest, and tried to take a step forward, but then retreated and returned to his original position.

Yi Tiechui didn't understand, so he asked Chen Fu, "What is he doing?"

Chen Fu stared intently at the situation on the field, not turning around when asked, and simply said, "Li Zhiguo is indeed formidable..."

Before he could finish speaking, seeing that his opponent dared not move, Li Ji suddenly lowered his body, propelled himself forward with his legs, and charged towards Di De like lightning. His body was pressed very low, his head pointing almost directly at Di De's… certain unspeakable part. Di De, seeing this, was horrified and hurriedly lowered his body as well, simultaneously raising his hands, clenching his fists, and slamming them down—

If you maintain this stance and refuse to dodge, my two iron-hammer-like fists will break your spine!

Li Ji naturally had to dodge, but his dodge was not wide. He merely avoided the two punches as if he had eyes in the back of his head, while he moved close to Di De's right side. At the same time, he wrapped his arms around Di De's calves and pulled him forcefully into his arms.

Di De felt a surge of force and involuntarily leaned back, landing hard on his backside. Amid cheers, Li Ji had firmly pinned Di De down by the lower body. Unable to break free, Di De swung his fist again, aiming to strike Li Ji's head. Unexpectedly, Li Ji, like a fish, suddenly leaped forward, spreading his legs to lock Di De's lower body, while his arms spread to the sides, separating Di De's arms.

Di De reacted quickly, his right hand swiftly circling back and grabbing Li Ji's neck. Chen Fu and the other Tang people were all shocked, while the Uyghur soldiers were overjoyed. But before they could shout, Li Ji moved like the wind, grabbing Di De's upper arm near the elbow, his five fingers like pincers, and squeezed hard.

Dide felt a numbness in his right arm and involuntarily let go of his hand.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Ji pressed Di De's right hand to the ground while simultaneously slamming his body downwards. Di De's upper body, which had been suspended in the air, was suddenly subjected to this forceful pressure. His waist couldn't withstand the strain, and as he relaxed slightly, his entire back slammed heavily into the ground, causing him to catch his breath. With his right hand and legs restrained, only his left hand remained, which he could only use to clench his fist and strike Li Ji's ribs. Li Ji parried with his shoulder, and taking advantage of the momentum, inserted his right hand under Di De's body, grabbed his shoulder, and slightly lifted Di De's upper body before slamming him down again.

Emperor De was in so much pain that he saw stars before his eyes...

It turned out that Li Ji saw that Di De was taller than him, and had broad shoulders and a thick waist, so he estimated that he was quite heavy... In addition, after watching Di De's previous contest with Yi Tiechui, he saw that Di De's lower body was quite stable and his strength was great. Li Ji was worried that if he wanted to throw Di De, it would be quite difficult. If he was not careful, he might end up like Yi Tiechui.

—I know I'm strong, but how strong I really am hasn't been fully tested in actual combat, so I can't be careless. But I'm definitely much lighter than my opponent; you can tell just by looking at me…

This is equivalent to a middleweight fighting a heavyweight; they can only temporarily abandon conventional wrestling techniques and try joint locks and body control—so sir, how about learning about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?

Using his joints to lock down the opponent and his own weight, Li Ji pinned Dide firmly to the ground. He estimated that after a couple more rounds of this, Dide would be completely incapacitated, and might even have his spine cracked... This won't do. I just want to win; I don't want to hurt anyone.

So he stopped and looked at Di De. The two of them could hear each other breathing. Suddenly, Li Ji smiled and asked, "It's a draw, how about it?" Di De let out a long breath, shook his head and said, "You win, let go."

Li Ji then released Di De and leaped into the air. The Tang soldiers shouted in unison, when suddenly the curtain beside them was lifted, and Li Chu and the Crown Prince of Yehu emerged hand in hand. Upon seeing this, they were furious and shouted, "What are you doing?!"

Li Ji quickly clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Nothing much, the soldiers just drank some wine and were testing their strength."

Di De quickly got up, approached the Crown Prince Yabghu, and said a few words loudly. At this moment, Li Bi and Li Chengcai also came out, and Li Chengcai helped translate: "He said that he was playing wrestling with Li Ji for fun and lost completely."

The Crown Prince of Yabghu looked at Li Ji with some surprise, and then said a few words in Uyghur. Li Chengcai translated: "He said that this Di De is one of the top warriors of the Uyghurs, and his strength is rarely matched. Unexpectedly, he was defeated by Li Ji, who is half a head shorter than him. So he asked who Li Ji is."

Li Chu immediately laughed and said, "This is Chief Secretary Li's cousin, and he is the fiercest warrior among my guards."

The Crown Prince Yehu said—of course, Li Chengcai had to translate for the Tang people to understand—"With such brave warriors in the Great Tang, why should we worry about losing the two capitals or destroying the rebels?" He paused, then added, "In military competitions, there must be some excitement. The other day, I hunted a killer wolf and gave its pelt to Li Ji."

Once, a soldier brought a smelly wolf pelt and handed it to Li Ji. Li Ji held his breath, accepted it with both hands, and then bowed to the Crown Prince of Yehu in gratitude. He thought to himself, "You, the crown prince of a noble clan, don't you have anything of value to offer? This crudely tanned hide—you actually have the nerve to present it..."

Li Chu was overjoyed and immediately announced, "I have become close friends with Prince Yehu at first sight. We are now sworn brothers. We will offer a sacrifice to Heaven in front of everyone and from now on we will share life and death."

The Crown Prince Yehu, imitating Tang Dynasty etiquette, crossed his hands—though far from standard—and bowed to Li Chu, uttering two awkward Tang characters: "Brother." Li Chu, in turn, grasped his hands, his face full of sincerity—"My dear brother..."

The two then swore brotherhood, referring to each other by age. Li Chu, at thirty-one, became the elder brother, while the Crown Prince Yehu, five years his junior, became the younger brother.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was astonished—Li Chu, you're only thirty-one, yet you already have such a grown son… You must have worked very hard in your youth. As for the Crown Prince of Yehu, he's only twenty-six… Judging by his appearance, people would believe he's thirty-six or even forty-six!

You can't judge a person by appearance...

That night, they drank and made merry. Li Chu and the Crown Prince of Yehu were both drunk. If Li Chengcai hadn't helped with the translation, he probably would have been carried back to his tent. Only Li Bi, who ate little and drank little, remained clear-headed. He took a moment to come out of his tent and warn Li Ji: "Keep the soldiers in check. Do not let them get drunk and neglect their duties."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked in a low voice, "Brother, are you worried that the Uyghur soldiers will raid our camp?!"

Li Bi shook his head and said, "The two families are on good terms, and their crown prince is in my camp. How could there be any raid on the camp?" Then he added, "However, things in this world are often unpredictable and treacherous. If we are not on guard, we will suffer disaster sooner or later. We must be careful."

Li Ji bowed and agreed. Upon returning, he privately warned Chen Fu, Yi Tiechui, and others, taking advantage of their unpreparedness. He had all the Uyghur generals, including Di De, drunk, while most of the Tang soldiers remained clear-headed. Di De, on the other hand, seemed completely unsuspecting, even holding Li Ji's hand and praising his strength and resourcefulness—that guy could only speak a few words of Tang language, so his compliments were hardly impressive.

Li Ji ordered all the Uyghur soldiers to be dragged into the tent, with two Tang soldiers flanking each Uyghur soldier, to sleep together. He himself lay down with Emperor De, fully clothed.