Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 23

Putting aside the past, let's just talk about today. After Li Ji was shot in the saddle, his first reaction was that he had run into an acquaintance, and his second reaction was: "That was a really good shot!"

It was pitch black all around, and he only had a torch in his hand. He was even hiding by the roadside. How good must his eyesight be to hit the target with his "flying sword"? If it were a person and a horse, such a large target, it wouldn't be surprising to hit it. But to hit such a small saddle... Was he trying to shoot a person but accidentally hit the saddle? That possibility was even smaller.

The opponent's target was most likely the saddle; the sword struck squarely, narrowly avoiding his own left leg. What does this mean? Is it a warning or a hint?

If such individuals were subordinates of powerful figures like high-ranking officials or eunuchs, they might be used for personal schemes or state affairs. These extraordinary individuals from the martial world would be perfectly suited for frontline reconnaissance. Therefore, striking the left side of the saddle with the sword might be a reminder to himself: the traitorous general has gone straight to the main road!

If he were a member of the rebel army, would he have used this sword as a warning? He could have simply shot him dead, why bother with a warning? It's not like I was the one drawing my bow to shoot those bandits... I missed, so I used this cryptic warning.

Moreover, the flying sword came from the north. If the rebel general was heading straight for Weinan and had not gone south to Xinfeng, then launching the sword from the south would more easily draw the pursuers' attention in the wrong direction. If the rebel general had indeed gone south to Xinfeng, but this person launched the sword from the north to mislead the enemy... it means that his whereabouts have been exposed, and the rebel general will surely receive the news soon and be prepared! In that case, the risk for these hundred cavalrymen to go south to Xinfeng is extremely high.

Li Ji's mind worked quickly, and in an instant he had already weighed the pros and cons. Fearing that Li Tan and the others would chase south—either a mistake or walking into a trap—he immediately used his reckless persona and shouted, "The opportunity is fleeting, keep chasing, keep chasing!" He then dashed off directly onto the straight road.

Li Tan, Pugu Huaien, and others were still hesitant, but seeing the situation, they had no choice but to spur their horses and follow.

The hoofprints were a bit messy and couldn't be clearly distinguished in a short time. Anyway, going straight or heading south was a gamble, with a 50/50 chance of winning or losing. Since that was the case, we might as well follow Li Ji and see what fate had in store. There were only about a hundred people in total, so we couldn't afford to split up and chase each other.

As it turned out, Li Ji was indeed guided by "divine will," and Li Tan and his men had made the right gamble. After galloping for about five more miles, suddenly the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air rang out, and an arrow shot from afar. The leading knight—Li Ji, who had already fallen behind again—was struck by an arrow in his left arm, where he was holding the torch, and couldn't help but cry out, "Ouch!"

Pugu Huai'en was not alarmed but delighted. He immediately picked up his long spear from the saddle bridge, spurred his horse to gallop, and shouted: "Those who surrender, including An Shouzhong and Li Guiren, will be spared!"

The Tang cavalry, carrying torches, clashed violently with the rebel cavalry who had been hiding in the darkness.

By the time Li Ji caught up, the battle had already begun, allowing him to be positioned on the periphery and better observe the battlefield. The main road connecting Chang'an with the important towns of Tong and Hua was wide, but still too narrow for dozens of riders to ride abreast. Many soldiers were forced to leap into ditches or even charge diagonally into the roadside fields, attempting to flank the enemy. The number of rebel cavalry was roughly equal to that of the Tang army; unless more troops were hidden in the darkness behind them, it was estimated to be only one or two hundred riders.

On the Tang side, Pugu Huai'en was naturally at the forefront of the charge. His long spear swept across the battlefield, and none who stood in his way were spared. However, the horse spear was a powerful weapon for breaking through enemy lines, allowing for direct, direct attacks. With Pugu Huai'en at the forefront, he formed a formidable spearhead. If the Tang cavalry followed behind, they could seize the opportunity to tear through the enemy ranks, greatly increasing their chances of victory. Unfortunately, only four of Pugu Huai'en's men remained behind him, and in the blink of an eye, half of them were killed by the rebel army.

This was because Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui dared not stray far from Li Tan, and of course, they were even less willing to let Li Tan personally go to the front lines to fight. As a result, half of the Shence Army soldiers followed the two men's lead and adopted a defensive posture. So what about the remaining half, that is, Li Ji's troops? Their captain was still lagging behind, and there was no one to command them. Who would dare to fight recklessly?

In conclusion, Li Tan was the commander-in-chief, but he was a general who knew nothing about military affairs.

It was even more difficult to command on the battlefield; Pugu Huaien was the vanguard, but his troops were too few in number and had no coordination with the Shence Army.

Seeing this, Li Ji thought to himself that things were going to get bad. But upon further reflection, he realized that he was fortunate to be at the back, which gave him a chance to get a general overview of the situation. Although his eyesight wasn't very good, he quickly spotted the person in charge among the rebel troops.

He was a silver-armored general, heavily armored and his horse clad in protective gear, as solid as an iron barrel. Guarded by several knights, he stood on one side of the enemy lines. Li Ji saw him gesture, ordering a dozen or so riders to surround and entangle Pugu Huai'en, while the main force spread out to the left and right, slowly advancing towards the Tang army. In an instant, small groups of five or six men were engaged in fierce combat everywhere—on the roads, in the ditches, and even in the fields.

Li Ji tossed aside his torch, drew his sword, and, seizing an opening, deliberately circled before attacking the enemy general. Because he was alone on horseback in the darkness, he was a tiny target, and the rebel cavalry paid him little attention. Those who did approach were quickly cut down by his swift, powerful strike.

He didn't kill them, and immediately started wielding his sword, but that wasn't his forte. He relied entirely on his strength and powerful moves to frighten the enemy into retreat.

As they approached the enemy general, the man finally spotted Li Tan in the crowd, recognizing him as a key figure on the enemy's side. He then ordered his soldiers to charge towards Li Tan while simultaneously drawing his bow, pulling a heavy arrow from his quiver, and nocking it…

Li Ji thought to himself, "This is bad. Li Tan probably won't be able to hold on!"

It's impossible to gamble that the enemy general's archery skills are worse than one's own, right? The key is that Li Tan only has one set of armor, which has limited protective capabilities. Since the Prince of Jianning didn't personally charge into battle before, the armor was naturally designed to be exquisite and imposing, which inadvertently sacrificed some of its protective capabilities.

Li Ji was still some distance from the enemy general, and he estimated that even if he charged immediately, he might not be able to stop the enemy from firing arrows—unless he had a fully grown lance or a long-handled broadsword instead of a horizontal sword…

He was truly desperate—if anything happened to Li Ji, even cutting off the heads of An Shouzhong and Li Guiren wouldn't be enough to atone for it! Besides, he had only risked his life to storm the palace and save this guy half a year ago; how could he let him die now? All his efforts would have been for nothing!

Without hesitation, he spurred his horse and charged towards the enemy general. One of the enemy guards reacted only then, hastily thrusting his spear. Li Ji, unwilling to waste time on him, flicked his wrist and hurled his broadsword at him. The man tilted his head, the blade grazing his phoenix-wing ear guard… but he hadn't expected such force. He felt a buzzing in his head, lost his balance, and slid off the saddle.

At this moment, Li Ji was already two or three horse heads away from the enemy general. However, when he threw his sword, his hands were empty, while the enemy had already drawn his bow fully and was pointing it at Li Tan, ready to release the string at any moment. In desperation, Li Ji simply pressed his hands firmly on the saddle and stomped his feet on the stirrups, leaping into the air and lunging towards the enemy general.

The enemy general only then noticed him, and with a sidelong glance—for fear of missing the target of his bow and arrow, he didn't move his head—he saw a figure leaping over like a large bird, a large hand already close to his face...

Then, with a loud "thud," they crashed into each other and fell off their horses.

Li Ji, acting with cunning, caught the enemy general off guard. After the initial impact, even while airborne, he used his hands and feet to climb up and firmly lock the enemy general's body in place. The enemy general, below, fell backward, dazed and confused, while Li Ji, above, suffered almost no injury upon landing. After the shockwave subsided, the two fell to the ground. Li Ji pressed his left hand against the enemy general's shoulder armor, raised his right fist high, and aimed at the exposed area between the helmet and the neck, especially the bridge of the nose, ready to deliver a powerful blow.

Unexpectedly, halfway through the fight, the enemy general screamed like a pig being slaughtered: "Stop hitting me, I'll surrender!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's grip loosened slightly, and his fist only managed to deflect the tip of the nose. Then the general shouted again, "Stop! Disarm yourselves! We surrender!"

The entire battle, in modern terms, would have lasted no more than seven or eight minutes. Both sides laid down about ten corpses before inexplicably calling a halt. The rebels were all dejected, throwing down their weapons, dismounting, and kneeling on the ground. Li Ji, meanwhile, tore off the enemy general's helmet, grabbed the inner turban, and came to see Li Tan.

The enemy general knelt on the ground, but because he was wearing heavy armor, his knees were difficult to bend, resulting in an awkward posture, almost like he was sitting sideways with one leg to the side. Li Tan did not dismount, but looked down at him coldly and asked, "Who are you?"

The enemy general, with his head bowed, replied, "I am Tian Qianzhen."

Where are An Shouzhong and Li Guiren?

"They've already left, they're heading into Weinan, I'm afraid it will be difficult to catch up..."

"Why did you surrender?" Li Tan was also a little puzzled. Although the commander-in-chief was captured and the morale of the army was in chaos, the enemy was not without a chance to fight back. After all, Li Ji had no weapon and was surrounded by traitorous cavalry. If the enemy risked taking a few punches to the face, their troops would have enough time to cut Li Ji into mincemeat.

Are you so afraid of pain that you can't even take a punch? Although Li Ji's punches are heavy, he might actually kill someone with two punches... but the other party might not know that.

Tian Qianzhen's words were tinged with indignation: "Because they acted on their own, I was left to cover their retreat..."

Tian Qianzhen was also a valiant general in the rebel army and was highly valued by An Lushan. When Geshu Han held Tongguan Pass and refused to engage, and Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi advanced into Hebei, attempting to cut off the rebels' retreat, An Lushan angrily denounced Yan Zhuang and Gao Shang. It was entirely thanks to Tian Qianzhen's persuasion that An Lushan regained his confidence. Later, when the rebels captured Chang'an, the Turkic and Tongluo troops stole horses and fled. Cui Guangyuan seized the opportunity to force Sun Xiaozhe to leave, causing An Shenwei's death from fright. Upon receiving this news, An Lushan appointed Tian Qianzhen as the Prefect of Jingzhao to quell the chaos in Chang'an.

After arriving in Chang'an, Tian Qianzhen quelled the rebellion, stopped the killings, and reorganized his troops, keeping himself extremely busy. Unfortunately, just as things were beginning to improve, Li Guiren and An Shouzhong arrived, their forces wreaking havoc and destroying Tian Qianzhen's newly acquired forces.

Chapter 51, Obtaining Value as Promised

Having captured Tian Qianzhen, Pugu Huai'en came to ask for instructions: Should we continue pursuing him eastward? Li Tan pondered for a moment and then said, "There's no need to add legs to a snake—that's fine."

Although Tian Qianzhen's troops blocked the way, it only took a quarter of an hour. But I imagine that An Shouzhong, Li Guiren, and the others, knowing that the pursuers were behind them, would be as eager as birds released from their cages or fish that had escaped from the net, and would run even faster. It would probably be difficult to catch up with them.

In this battle, although only a dozen or so Tang soldiers died, many were wounded. Having marched through the night and engaged in fierce fighting, they were exhausted. According to Tian Qianzhen, An Shouzhong and Li Guiren gave him half their troops, leaving about two hundred cavalry accompanying them on their march. If these remaining Tang soldiers, exhausted, attacked the larger force, what chance of victory would they have? Besides, we captured nearly two hundred prisoners; they need someone to guard and escort them.

Therefore, Li Tan decided to stop while he was ahead. After all, capturing one general alive was enough to explain to Li Chu. The crime of failing to pursue the enemy without orders could be barely covered up by Tian Qianzhen and the two hundred prisoners. If the losses were greater and there were no further gains, then it would be hard to say.

Therefore, they bound their soldiers, collected the remains of their comrades, and escorted the prisoners, before turning back. The rebels hung their heads in dejection, while the Tang soldiers were arrogant and laughing incessantly. Tian Qianzhen, with his hands bound behind his back and tied to his horse, took the opportunity to turn around and ask the Tang soldiers escorting him, "Who captured me just now?"

The Tang soldier replied, "It is Li Zhiguo."

Tian Qianzhen couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that I would be captured by a mere seventh-rank official."

The Tang soldier escorting him glanced at him, his tone rather unfriendly: "How dare you underestimate Li Zhiguo? Although his rank is not high, it's only because he's young, not because his skills are inferior. Back in Ding'an, he single-handedly killed three assassins, and later in Yong County, he won a wrestling match against a brave warrior from the Uyghur army. Moreover, he is Li Changshi's cousin..."

Upon hearing this, Tian Qianzhen's brows furrowed immediately: "Li Changshi? Is it Li Bi?" After receiving an affirmative answer, he couldn't help but sigh: "I know him now—what goes around comes around. Is this not the will of Heaven?!"

Not far from Xinfeng County, the sound of galloping hooves grew louder ahead, and another cavalry force approached, carrying torches high. It turned out that Li Chu, having waited in vain for Li Tan's return and Li Ji's report, finally realized what was happening and hurriedly ordered Guo Ziyi to send troops to the rescue that very night. Guo Ziyi dispatched five hundred elite cavalry, who rushed to the scene. The general leading the troops was none other than Xue Jingxian, the prefect of Fengxiang County and an old acquaintance of Li Ji.

Seeing that Li Tan was unharmed, Xue Jingxian breathed a long sigh of relief. He then hurriedly sent a fast horse back to report, so that Li Chu could rest assured. He himself accompanied Li Tan, escorting the prisoners, and slowly returned to the city of Chang'an.

Li Chu was indeed deeply devoted to his brother, and he moved his camp overnight from Xiangji Temple in the south of the city to Baqiao Post Station in the east of the city, so as to get news of Li Tan as soon as possible. The new camp had just been set up when Xue Jingxian sent a report, and he was relieved. He went to sleep for a little over an hour, and when he got up at dawn, Li Tan and the others had already returned.

Li Chu went out to greet him at the gate, and Li Tan hurriedly dismounted, knelt on the ground, and said, "Your foolish brother has acted recklessly and has come to accept his punishment." Leaving the army without orders was a serious offense. If he had addressed himself as "this humble official" or "Marshal," Li Chu might have considered handling the matter according to the law. But since he called himself "your foolish brother"... Li Chu's heart simply couldn't harden. So he stepped forward, reached out to help Li Tan up, and scolded him, "You've been restless since childhood and are accustomed to acting on your own initiative. This is one thing in the palace, but now on the battlefield, do you not even consider your own safety? If anything were to happen to you, what would I, your brother, do?"

Li Tan clasped his hands and bowed, replying, "I was afraid that the opportunity would be missed and could not be regained, so I acted rashly for a moment... Fortunately, I returned unharmed and came to apologize to my elder brother."

Li Chu shook his head and said, "This matter is my fault... I didn't expect that the bandits An and Li would indeed escape in the night. Although I heard that you were unable to catch them, you captured Tian Qianzhen alive, which is a great achievement. Why should I ask for forgiveness?" He wanted to quickly put the matter aside, so he turned to Li Bi and asked, "What does the Chief Secretary think we should do with Tian Qianzhen?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rider and send someone to find out what happened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These guys are all bastards!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 52, Uncivilized Barbarians

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The ground was torn away.

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

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

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

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

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