LFHYB -Chapter 144 A-Xuan Didn’t Die Doing Mischief

Li Shimin’s absurd gossip almost wiped away the tragic atmosphere of this conversation.

The tragic mood only returned when Xue Deyin mentioned the name of Yang Xian’s posthumous child.

Riding on the renewed tragic atmosphere, Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin quickly cleared Li Shimin’s speculations from their minds, using sheer willpower to induce a temporary amnesia.

Heave-ho! Filthy thoughts, get out of my brain!

After learning that Xue Deyin had brought Yang Xian’s posthumous child, Li Shimin made no further arrangements.

Yang Min continued to be cared for by Xue Deyin. Li Shimin only arranged for a few experienced wet nurses to assist, lightening Xue Deyin’s burden.

Restoring Yang Min’s status could only wait until Yang Guang’s death.

Of course, Li Shimin could have used Yang Min’s status to “control the emperor to command the nobles,” but he saw no need.

Cao Cao did that because for four hundred years under the Han, many people still believed in the Mandate of Heaven.

When the Jin dynasty fell, who used the Jin emperor to control the nobles?

During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, states fell quickly. The Sui dynasty, though a short-lived unification after the Western Jin, was also only about thirty years old, with no claim to the Mandate of Heaven; the people hated it intensely.

When the Sui fell, he would seize the world openly and fairly. He would conquer it with his own hands, just like Qin Shi Huang and Han Gaozu, needing no abdication from anyone.

Even if Yang Min was still an infant, with the status of a “deposed emperor,” his future would be harsh. The second cousin only had this one child left. Li Shimin would protect him, thus honoring his bond with the second cousin.

Li Shimin instructed Xue Deyin and Xue Yuanjing to keep Yang Min’s secret and told them he would not use the child. When he eventually became emperor, he would restore Yang Min’s status so that the boy could fully realize his ambitions under the new dynasty.

Xue Yuanjing sighed repeatedly, saying: “As expected of Li Erlang.”

Xue Deyin wept and knelt: “Who in the world could compare to Li Erlang’s magnanimity? My lord, please accept my bow!”

He cried as he kowtowed.

Li Shimin did not stop Xue Deyin. After receiving Xue Deyin’s bow, he helped him back up.

Xue Yuanjing glanced at Li Shimin and then at his clan uncle. “I suppose I should start calling you ‘Lord’ as well. My lord, is Xue Bapao the only one who hasn’t called you that yet?”

Li Shimin wiped Xue Deyin’s tears while smiling. “When Xue Bapao returns, you can ask him yourself.”

Xue Yuanjing grinned mischievously. “Alright.”

Xue Deyin, having dried his tears, couldn’t help but smile slyly too.

Meanwhile, someone sipping kelp soup felt a chill down his spine and nearly spilled it on himself.

Xue Shou sighed and said to the nearby man, “General Chen, how many years has it been since we left the Sui?”

Chen Leng, expressionless, grilled some sea fish. “I don’t want to think about that.”

Xue Shou asked, “Have our ships been repaired properly?”

Chen Leng, still impassive, repeated, “I don’t want to think about that.”

Xue Shou felt like crying but had no tears left.

He regretted it—why had he been so eager to achieve merit before those friends and stayed behind on Chikushi Island?

They had indeed captured Chikushi Island, but fate was cruel: they hadn’t expected a terrible storm to hit the island. The soldiers were unharmed, but the warships were heavily damaged.

To the north of Chikushi Island lay the recently seized Wa territory, and to the south, the ongoing war with Goguryeo meant no one could help them. They had no choice but to work with local craftsmen to figure out how to repair their ships.

Although they could reach Goguryeo by small boats, the problem remained: the Sui was still at war with Goguryeo, and they would likely be surrounded by Goguryeo’s ships before even landing.

Goguryeo’s navy wasn’t necessarily formidable, but it was certainly stronger than their small vessels.

Left with no alternatives, Chen Leng and Xue Shou had to farm and fish while repairing ships, all the while waiting for support from the Sui.

As for the idea of ruling the island as kings, neither of them nor the ordinary soldiers even considered it.

When they left the Sui, the dynasty was at its peak; they had no idea that the people of the Sui were now suffering. Chikushi Island was a remote, impoverished place—anyone could stay if they liked, but they just wanted to go home.

The soldiers longed for home and cried daily, yet at the same time fought to drive the Wa forces back from the island.

They wanted to capture the Wa ships, but the Wa were clever, sending only small boats for covert crossings, leaving no chance for the Sui men to seize their larger ships.

When Yang Guang launched his campaign against Goguryeo, he sent envoys to Wa, hoping they would join the attack; if not, they should behave and not interfere with the Sui. Xue Shou had joined the envoy group, honing his skills along the way.

Nearly three years had passed since leaving the Sui. Xue Shou had transformed from the frail, worried sickly boy that Li Xuanba had been concerned about into a muscular, skilled swimmer—a twist of fate indeed.

Chen Leng had left the Sui even earlier, stationed in Ryukyu to train troops in preparation for Yang Guang’s campaign against Wa.

Yang Guang had originally intended to conquer Goguryeo in one stroke and then deliver a harsh lesson to the arrogant Wa. Chen Leng, stationed in Ryukyu, could threaten Wa from the flank and, if possible, deal them a couple of blows.

Now, both men were stranded on Chikushi Island and had formed a deep friendship through shared hardship.

Xue Shou even told Chen Leng that if they stayed on Chikushi Island too long, it would be outrageous if they returned only to find the Sui destroyed.

Chen Leng, serious as ever, replied that if the Sui fell, he would serve whoever became emperor. Bringing his troops along, and with Chikushi Island under his command, he could at least be made a duke. But with the Sui at its height and an intelligent, capable emperor, how could it possibly fall? He still expected the Sui to send ships to rescue them.

Xue Shou felt utterly despairing. Could it be that they would have to wait for the Tang dynasty to be established before Li Shimin and Li Xuanba could spare the resources to build a navy to save them?

Meanwhile, Li Xuanba, already in Qi Commandery, happened to mention this matter to Wang Bo.

“My friend Xue Shou, Xue Bapao, wrote in his previous letter that he was on Chikushi Island. Now there has been no news, and I am worried about his safety. Could you try to gather information from fishermen or deserters from the navy?” Li Xuanba asked Wang Bo.

“I will do my best, Third Young Master. Please rest assured,” Wang Bo replied.

Li Xuanba personally escorted Zhai Rang to Wang Bo’s territory. Wang Bo, who had been feeling low, straightened his posture—a small triumph in front of Zhai Rang. Zhai Rang then dragged him to the training grounds for a sparring session.

Wang Bo’s morale had been low because his men’s loyalty was weakening, and he was struggling to hold things together.

After reading the books Li Xuanba provided, Wang Bo had been diligently implementing the principles he had learned—justice.

He distributed land evenly among the people, regardless of age or gender; abolished Sui taxes except for minimal rent; worked the fields alongside his men; treated his officers generously, giving them the first share of any spoils; used most of his own spoils to hire villagers to repair city walls; and, with Wei Zheng’s help, enacted laws that even punished his own relatives without exception.

Wang Bo’s reputation grew; the people respected him, and his soldiers loved him. Yet conflicts with his men increased, and the actions of local power-holders became more frequent.

Wang Bo wanted to attack the powerful local lords, but someone always tipped them off. He kept missing his targets.

It became clear to him that there was a rift among his subordinates. If he hadn’t recently won battles to placate them with rewards, perhaps his men would have mutinied, with the Sui emperor still a looming threat.

He had been waiting for Li Xuanba to provide guidance.

Most of his subordinates, like him, came from humble backgrounds. He hadn’t been stingy with rewards; he just asked them not to oppress others once in power. Why, then, were they turning against him?

Li Xuanba sighed after hearing Wang Bo’s confusion. “I once told Zhai Rang that officials from humble origins know how to care for the people. That was just an excuse to persuade him. Whether poor or wealthy, there are noble people and despicable people. Sometimes, those from humble origins, when suddenly wealthy, oppress the people even more.”

Wang Bo lamented, “Why? Is it because those born poor are naturally inferior to those born rich?”

Li Xuanba shook his head and said, “Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘Reading makes one wise’?”

Wang Bo looked puzzled. “I’ve heard of it. How does that relate to my problem?”

Li Xuanba said, “It’s very relevant. Come, take a walk with me. I want to see your fields.”

Wang Bo pushed the wheelchair that Li Xuanba had finally managed to make along the bumpy dirt paths between the fields.

Li Zhiyun followed beside Li Xuanba, glaring at anyone who dared to look at their third brother with curious eyes.

It was spring planting season, and many busy villagers were in the fields.

When they saw Wang Bo, they respectfully bowed before returning to their work.

No one knelt, no one panicked. Even though Wang Bo was the highest-ranking “official” here, they still dared to lift their heads and smile foolishly at him with genuine, simple-hearted warmth.

Li Xuanba couldn’t help but soften the corners of his eyes and mouth; his usually calm gaze brightened a little.

“Zhishi Lang, Confucius said that human nature is inherently good; Xunzi said human nature is inherently evil. But I think most people are born like blank sheets of paper. If you confine them in a remote place, even as they grow, they won’t be much different from wild animals—they won’t even be able to speak.”

“Common people have never read books and don’t understand grand principles. They learn life’s lessons from their elders. If they spend their entire lives busy with food and clothing, with no leisure to think about anything else, what right do we have to expect them to understand grand truths?”

“Since Confucius, there have been many capable men teaching the uncivilized in distant lands. How are the barbarians different from the common people of the Central Plains? Only in how much they understand principles.”

“Infinite greed is beastly; that is human nature. To expect people to restrain themselves is to ask them to transcend their nature, which requires education. But obviously, you don’t have enough time to educate them. The circumstances around you won’t give you that time either.”

“This is not your fault; it is the fault of the times.”

Li Xuanba used words common in later internet culture to console Wang Bo, but even in this era, they were true.

The development of productivity makes the spread of knowledge cheaper. The more people who can read, the more wise people there are, and the more likely a group of people wanting to change the world can gather, spreading their ideas further.

It’s like fire: a flame large enough won’t be extinguished by wind and rain, while a candle can be blown out by a single breath.

Even if Wang Bo lived in the late Song period, rising from a poor family, it would not be so difficult.

Li Xuanba said, “But what you are doing is not meaningless. Without pioneers blazing the trail, how would later generations know which path to take? You’ve already done enough. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Wang Bo said, “I’m not being hard on myself. I’m just very angry.”

Li Xuanba smiled. “You think they betrayed you?”

Wang Bo said, “Yes.”

Li Xuanba smiled. “Then you need to work even harder. As long as your reputation for benevolence is high enough, everyone who betrays you will not only be infamous for eternity, they will also find it hard to survive in the present. Is there a better punishment than that?”

Wang Bo was stunned. He looked down at Li Xuanba’s smile.

After a while, he laughed. “Third Master speaks truly.”

He took a deep breath, brushed away the dust in his heart, and smiled again. “When they betray me, I’ll come to you for refuge, Third Master.”

Li Xuanba said, “I’ll have Second Brother send people to protect you in advance. When they betray you, you will be brought away immediately. You now have ample experience in calming the people. After the Tang is established, the work of pacifying the populace may fall on your shoulders.”

Wang Bo said, “Once the Central Plains are pacified, I want to go to barbarian lands and try to educate the barbarians. The struggles at court are too complicated; I can’t even manage my own subordinates. It’s easier to deal with the people.”

Li Xuanba chuckled. “That won’t be easy at all. Fine, I’ll promise you in advance on behalf of Second Brother.”

Wang Bo smiled. “It’s a deal.”

He looked at the fields with sprouting seedlings and the distant azure sky, and the gloom in his eyes was gone.

‘Reading makes one wise,’ he remembered it.

Li Zhiyun looked at their third brother’s back and stepped forward to stand beside him.

“Third Brother, I want to educate the barbarians too when I grow up.”

“Mm, mm, mm, you go first with the army, then let Zhishi Lang go afterward.”

“Hehe, Third Brother understands me.”

Wang Bo watched his two younger brothers playfully bickering, and couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

…

“Bandits using Second Cousin’s banner to rob the Sui army’s supplies on the campaign against Goguryeo?” Li Shimin frowned. “They don’t seem to belong to the same bandit leader, yet they coordinated perfectly?”

The information Li Shimin had received from the Central Plains was limited. It was only now, through Xue Yuanjing and Xue Deyin, that he learned the specific cause of this chaos.

Xue Yuanjing, who kept a close eye on the Central Plains, had detailed information: “I visited Lord Xue, and Lord Gao was there. They analyzed that this time, the bandits’ actions were very different from before. During the second campaign against Goguryeo, there were also bandits seizing Sui supplies, but they were never so well-coordinated.”

Xue Deyin said, “I also found their actions strange, as if they had inside help in the court. The emperor is being toyed with at every turn.”

Xue Yuanjing said, “Lord Gao analyzed that they must have a very formidable strategist. This strategist knows the emperor and the ministers very well, calculating almost every move based on the court’s situation.”

Xue Deyin thought for a moment. “Could it be that Yang Xuangan secretly sent Li Mi to assist?”

Xue Yuanjing glanced at Li Shimin, hesitated, and stopped.

Li Shimin, appearing deep in thought, looked up. “Does Gao Teacher have something to tell me?”

Xue Yuanjing hesitated. “Not exactly a message. Gao Teacher only thinks that the style of this strategy is… somewhat like… somewhat like…”

He stammered. Xue Deyin, confused, interrupted, “Somewhat like what? Why beat around the bush?”

Li Shimin lowered his head in silence for a moment, then raised his face and smiled. “Gao Teacher means that this strategy is not only calculated step by step and anticipates the enemy, but it also shows intimate knowledge of Yang Guang—like… like A-Xuan’s style.”

Xue Deyin: “What?! Third Brother Li isn’t—”

He covered his mouth.

Xue Yuanjing hurriedly said, “My lord, Qingzhi spoke out of turn. He didn’t mean—”

Li Shimin waved his hand. “Enough. Don’t be nervous. I know that right now A-Xuan’s life and death are unknown, and everyone knows his chances of survival are slim. If he were still alive, he would have already sent word home. What else did Teacher Gao say?”

Xue Yuanjing replied, “Lord Gao suspects that Li Third Young Master planted people inside the rebel forces. This whole scheme may have been planned in advance, just waiting for the emperor to finish his third campaign against Goguryeo.”

Li Shimin said, “There are indeed people of A-Xuan inside the rebels. But Teacher Gao really can’t tell that operations like this couldn’t possibly have been fixed in advance? Someone must be constantly adjusting their strategy according to court politics and the war situation, otherwise they could never have withdrawn so cleanly.”

Li Shimin stood up, clenched his fists, and paced back and forth around the room several times.

Then he stopped, took several deep breaths, and slowly loosened his fists.

“Still, it’s also possible that Wei Zheng acted according to circumstances based on A-Xuan’s original plan,” Li Shimin said calmly as he returned to his seat. “Wei Zheng, Wei Xuancheng, is the man A-Xuan planted among the rebels. I haven’t met him, but his intelligence is extraordinary—he might well be capable of this.”

Xue Deyin and Xue Yuanjing were both thinking about how to comfort Li Shimin.

They could tell him that Li Xuanba was definitely still alive—but if that hope turned out to be false, Li Shimin would only suffer an even greater disappointment. Yet telling him not to hold out hope felt just as cruel.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin steadied himself so quickly that they couldn’t even find a chance to speak.

“If A-Xuan is still alive, there will definitely be further moves,” Li Shimin said. “Let me think… let me think…”

He concentrated deeply for a long time. Xue Deyin and Xue Yuanjing didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.

For some reason, both of them felt tense, as if they were being crushed by an invisible aura.

After a long while, Li Shimin looked up, excitement flashing in his eyes.

“A-Xuan once said that after Yang Guang finishes his third campaign against Goguryeo, he will certainly head north to show off. At that time, the Eastern Turks will definitely send troops to intimidate him, to completely sever their subordinate relationship with the Sui. When Yang Guang is besieged by the Eastern Turks, it will be the perfect time for the rebels to stir up trouble—and also my chance to achieve the feats of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing before the fall of the Sui.”

Xue Deyin exclaimed, “Li Third Young Master even calculated that far ahead?”

Li Shimin raised the corner of his mouth but didn’t answer. He continued, “To increase the chances that Illig Qaghan of the Eastern Turks will send troops, A-Xuan will certainly take action. No— I can’t wait for A-Xuan. I should also make my preparations.”

He slapped his thigh and stood up. “Back to Zhangye!”

Xue Deyin said, “My lord, please go ahead. Don’t worry about me—I’ll follow later. Zicheng, you go with the lord.”

Xue Yuanjing nodded. “All right.” It really seemed that something major was about to happen.

Li Shimin immediately mobilized his troops and departed the very next day.

Xue Ju prided himself on his martial prowess, but first Qin Qiong knocked his weapon from his hand, and then he lost to Li Shimin in archery. His arrogance had been worn down considerably.

Li Shimin said to Xue Ju, “With Xue Shaoxuan coming over to my side, my strength has greatly increased. The Eastern Turks harbor rebellious intentions. As a general, one should prepare in advance for His Majesty. Does Xue Shaoxuan dare to go to the grasslands with me?”

Xue Ju had thought that since he wasn’t as skilled as he believed—unable even to defeat Li Shimin’s relatively unknown personal guards—Li Shimin would not value him. But instead, Li Shimin treated him with such courtesy that he was overjoyed.

Xue Ju bent forward and cupped his fists. “Xue is at the general’s command! I am willing to serve as your vanguard!”

Qin Qiong, standing beside Li Shimin, lifted his eyelids briefly—then let them fall again.

Li Shimin patted Xue Ju’s shoulders with both hands and laughed. “No one dares to compete with me for the vanguard position. You’d better follow behind me instead.”

Xue Ju froze. “Ah?”

Qin Qiong let out a deep, loud sigh.

Xue Ju understood the meaning behind Qin Qiong’s sigh and felt conflicted.

The general leading from the front was admirable—but blades and arrows have no eyes. Shouldn’t he be more cautious?

He suddenly had a premonition that he would suffer many headaches in the future. He hoped it was just his imagination.

…

Li Xuanba said to Wei Zheng, “Although I guessed that Illig Qaghan would send out troops, I didn’t expect Yang Guang to order the repair of the imperial roads so soon. He might head north ahead of schedule. I just hope Illig Qaghan can assemble his forces quickly.”

Wei Zheng snapped back irritably, “Didn’t expect it? Wasn’t it you, Third Young Master, who already sent Luo Shixin to intercept the Eastern Turkic trade caravans while wearing Sui armor? And you deliberately let the caravan leader go, telling him that the Eastern Turks are nothing but a dog of the Sui, that anyone can rob them—and also telling him that the Sui emperor is about to head north to summon the Turkic khagan?”

Li Xuanba said, “Just making preparations in advance.”

Wei Zheng asked curiously, “Third Young Master, where did you recruit three hundred strong men? And where did you get the money to support them? Zhishi told me you didn’t take a single coin from him.”

Li Xuanba replied, “I had built many trading caravans earlier. I just contacted one of them. As for recruiting fighters—so long as you have money and grain, people will come. It’s nothing difficult.”

Wei Zheng’s face twisted into a knot.

Nothing difficult? How could it possibly be “nothing difficult”? Aren’t you still sick? When did you contact these caravans? When did you recruit these men?

Even though he had been busy lately and hadn’t seen Li Xuanba for days, the fact that Li Xuanba had quietly assembled a three-hundred-man force right under his and Zhishi’s noses was far too strange.

Wang Bo kept patting his chest, grateful that Third Young Master was not his enemy.

“All right, next time I’ll definitely tell you in advance,” Li Xuanba said, thinking Wei Zheng was upset about not being informed earlier. He soothed him, “I saw that you were too busy, so I didn’t want to trouble you. It was just a small matter, so I handled it myself. It’s not that I don’t trust you—don’t overthink it.”

“Small matter…” Wei Zheng’s face twisted even more. If this was a small matter, then what counted as a big one? Rebellion?

Oh right—they were already in the middle of a rebellion. So even rebellion counted as a small matter now.

Li Xuanba changed the subject. “I also used my caravans in Zhangye to set up an intelligence network. By now, news that the Sui army is robbing Eastern Turkic merchants should already be on my second brother’s desk. I just hope he doesn’t get so angry that he hurts himself.”

Wei Zheng asked in confusion,
“Why would he get so angry he might fall ill just because he found out you’re still alive?”

Li Xuanba shrugged with both hands spread. “Because I didn’t go home and instead went off to stir up trouble.”

Wei Zheng: “……I don’t want him to get sick from anger, but I do hope that when he sees you, he beats the living daylights out of you.”

Li Xuanba, sitting in his wheelchair, laughed so hard he almost rolled off.

Li Zhiyun rolled his eyes. With Third Brother in this condition, Second Brother definitely wouldn’t dare hit him—at most he’d just cry while nagging him. Third Brother was fearless because he knew that. Hmph. So annoying.

…

“The Eastern Tujue trade caravan was robbed by a Sui general in Yanmen Commandery, and the leader claimed to be Luo Cheng?” Li Shimin was dumbstruck.

Changsun Wuji, who oversaw Eastern Tujue intelligence, said, “The Eastern Tujue Khagan sent envoys to question the Yanmen Deputy Governor. The deputy first denied that there was anyone named Luo Cheng in the army, then mocked them, saying that Eastern Tujue were originally the Sui dynasty’s dogs—now that they won’t behave, they deserve to be kicked. And now His Majesty is about to go on a northern inspection tour, telling the Khagan to behave himself. Sigh… what an incompetent official… Eh? Li Erlang, what are you doing?”

Li Shimin suddenly collapsed to the floor, kicked his legs, and burst into loud wailing.

“A-Xuan—A-Xuan is still alive! He’s alive, he’s alive! Waaaah! A-Xuan is still alive!”

Snot and tears streamed all over his face; he looked utterly miserable.

His head buzzed as he cried, his whole body went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground. His face was smeared with snot, tears, and dust.

When Changsun Wuji lifted him up, he realized that Li Shimin had actually fainted from crying so hard in such a short time.

Ignoring the mess all over Li Shimin’s face and clothes, Changsun Wuji slung him over his back and rushed out.

“Doctor! Doctor!”

“Little sister, don’t cry! Erlang will definitely be fine! Go call the doctor!”

“Damn it, why is he still crying even after fainting?! Don’t cry into my neck!!”

“Doctor! Doctor!”

The Pacification Commissioner’s residence in Zhangye erupted into total chaos.