LFHYB -Chapter 179 You Call This Reconnaissance

When Li Shimin and his younger brother Li Xuanba led their troops past Ba Commandery, they didn’t disembark to take a little stroll. They only chatted briefly with the Governor of Ba Commandery, who was waiting at the Yangtze River dock, during the night mooring.

They claimed to have fifty thousand troops, but in reality, there were only over thirty thousand, half of whom were new recruits and laborers. Among the veteran soldiers, only five thousand had come from Longxi; the rest had just recently become veterans under Li Shimin.

The rest of Li Shimin’s elite troops from Longxi were left behind in Guanzhong and Bashu.

If it weren’t for Xue Ju returning to Daxing, and Fang Qiao and others sending over more than ten thousand men, Li Shimin wouldn’t even have known how to allocate his few Longxi veterans.

The territory was vast, but elite troops were too few. Li Shimin and Li Xuanba would anxiously tease each other about how much hair they were losing every day.

Even with just over thirty thousand men, the feed for horses and livestock alone required 100,000 shi of grain per month.

Currently, one shi is roughly 54 kilograms, so 100,000 shi equals 5,400 tons.

And that’s just “to satisfy hunger,” not even full nourishment.

Wars are fought on logistics. Looking at this consumption, it’s clear that a thirty-thousand-strong army couldn’t change routes lightly.

Although the food on their ships looked abundant, it wasn’t even enough for a month. By the time they landed, provisions would be running low, making it essential to quickly capture territory and use local granaries to supply the army.

Staying an extra day in Ba Commandery would be like setting fire to their grain—they simply couldn’t afford it.

The Governor of Ba Commandery, seeing the two young princes in such a hurry to leave, declined all banquets unless he could provide provisions for thirty thousand men, and could only smile wryly as he sent Li Shimin and Li Xuanba on their way.

Though Bashu is often spoken of as a whole, Ba Commandery and Shu Commandery are very different environments.

After the construction of Dujiangyan, the Chengdu Plain became a “Land of Abundance.” At least in Shu Commandery’s Chengdu Plain, prosperity rivaled the Central Plains. Being appointed governor there was considered a privilege.

Ba Commandery, on the other hand, was all high mountains and steep ridges. The court could only really control cities along official roads and rivers; the rest were governed by the local Ba people themselves.

In a terrain like Ba Commandery, where flat land was scarce, providing provisions during turbulent times was extremely difficult.

Officials assigned to Ba Commandery were essentially being punished or exiled; the saying went, “The waters of Bashan and Shuchu are desolate lands,” and Bashan was indeed desolate.

Once Li Shimin’s excitement at the scenery faded, he began worrying about his future empire.

He nudged Li Xuanba, who was ignoring him: “A-Xuan, Bashu is still close by, so the situation is very different. The empire is so vast—how am I supposed to manage it?”

Li Xuanba, fishing, replied half-heartedly: “Think for yourself.”

Li Shimin continued to pester his brother: “How can I think alone? I didn’t even come into this world alone! Stop fishing—you won’t catch anything anyway, so worry with me.”

Li Xuanba wanted to kick his brother into the water.

“What do you mean ‘I won’t catch anything’? I’d have caught a fish long ago if you weren’t bothering me!”

But the boat was small, and Li Xuanba couldn’t escape his brother’s harassment.

He fixed his fishing rod and muttered irritably: “Treat governing the country like waging a war. You know the distance of a campaign dictates how much grain is needed, how many days orders take to reach—these things aren’t unknown to you.”

Li Shimin frowned: “I know, that’s why it gives me a headache.”

He gestured with both hands: “Such a vast empire…”

Then he folded his hands: “I feel like I can only manage this tiny bit of land.”

Li Shimin rested his elbows on his knees, supporting his face with his hands, and fretted aloud: “I still want to expand the territory, to build an empire even larger than the Han or Sui.”

His voice of worry was loud enough that Li Jing and the others, hearing him, fell into thought.

As generals, if the emperor didn’t expand territory, they had no chance to earn merit.

But they were not ordinary generals; more than personal glory, they wanted to relieve their young lord’s worries.

They wanted to follow a wise ruler and contribute personally to a prosperous era. So blind fighting was unacceptable—every battle had to be “worth it.”

Li Jing thought for a moment and said: “If we just send troops, using local soldiers, the grain consumption wouldn’t be much.”

Li Shou said: “Like the Sui, setting up Yingyang Prefectures everywhere? But once the empire falls into chaos, they’d rebel.”

Li Jing: “Even without Yingyang Prefectures, local regions would still rebel if the empire is chaotic.”

Zong Luohu: “What about fighting the Turks? For now, it’s small skirmishes—we can raid the grasslands. But when we send a large army, the tribes will flee far. We’d have to supply ourselves.”

Qin Qiong nodded: “When Emperor Wu of Han campaigned in the Western Regions, he nearly overstrained the Han, which had just recovered under the Wen-Jing reign.”

Li Shimin glanced at Qin Qiong and patted Li Xuanba’s arm.

Li Xuanba: [Uncle Qin reads every day; why are you surprised he knows this?]

Li Shimin: [Wow!]

Li Shimin: [Good!]

Li Xuanba: [You already know it in your heart—why separate the words?]

Li Shimin: [Tired…]

Li Xuanba gave his older brother a subtle look of disdain.

Li Shimin’s worry started the conversation, and the subordinates began discussing among themselves. Li Shimin did not join, only listened quietly.

Li Xuanba moved to another spot to fish.

Just as he finally caught a fish, a golden eagle swooped down from the sky, snatched it, and flew away.

Li Xuanba jumped from his small bench and yelled: “Wudi! Don’t be naughty, watch the hook! If you want the fish, I’ll cook it for you—why steal it?”

Wudi chirped in the air, and when it loosened its claws, the fish fell back into the water.

Li Xuanba: “…”

He took a deep breath: “Hangu, go get it.”

Hangu, resting on the railing by the bed with closed eyes, opened its sharp eyes and spread its wings to fly into the sky.

Hangou: “Chirp chirp chirp! Stop being naughty!”

Wudi: “Chirp chirp!～ Just being naughty!”

Li Xuanba glared at the broken fishing line in his hands, his head throbbing in frustration.

What made him even angrier was that Li Shimin had come over again. Looking up, he saw two eagles fighting in the sky. Then, glancing at the broken fishing line in Li Xuanba’s hand, Li Shimin started laughing uproariously. Laughing, he even called over his friends to join in.

What was so funny about this!

Although Li Jing and the others felt it wasn’t very nice to laugh at Li Xuanba, they couldn’t help but tug at their beards and smile.

Qin Qiong and Zong Luohu asked Li Xuanba if he wanted them to catch Wudi and give him a beating.

Other officers tried to help Li Xuanba fish, hoping to soothe his fragile spirit, which had been irritated by both his lord and the silly eagles.

Li Xuanba waved them off, returned to the cabin, and went to sleep, ignoring everyone.

Li Shimin laughed even harder and deliberately ran to Li Xuanba’s bedside to laugh some more.

Li Xuanba had originally intended to endure it, but he could no longer hold back and ended up fighting his second brother.

Li Shimin stopped laughing, but the ship was still filled with joyous noise. Even the soldiers on the following vessels, hearing the two young princes fight again, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Li Xuanba truly couldn’t understand his second brother. How could every military expedition feel like a picnic?

He even wickedly thought that if he didn’t handle the logistics properly and let his brother go hungry a few times, maybe Li Shimin wouldn’t be so carefree.

Li Shimin, hearing Li Xuanba’s mischievous threat, replied casually: “That’s why I keep you by my side. As long as you have something to eat, I’ll take a bite too. Can you really starve yourself?”

Li Xuanba: “……” He remembered how his brother had always snatched food from him growing up, which made him even angrier.

When they were young, Li Shimin always thought Li Xuanba’s food was tastier than his own. Especially when Li Xuanba was sick and eating something different, Li Shimin would snatch it.

Tasting it: “Yuck,” he’d give it back to his brother, throwing him a look of disdain.

A sick young Li Xuanba: ???

Even if it was the same food—say, a flatbread baked from the same stove—Li Shimin would make sure to take a bite from Li Xuanba’s portion.

Of course, he’d let Li Xuanba take a bite of his own bread too, and if Li Xuanba refused, Li Shimin would chase him down and force-feed it.

Thinking back on his childhood with his brother, Li Xuanba now felt nothing but pain. Luckily, when he was young, he hadn’t yet adapted to this life’s identity. Often sick and weak, he had endured a lot, so he had grown somewhat introverted.

If it were his current self back then, he probably would have fought his second brother at least ten times a day.

And what’s the point of exercising? Fighting with a twin brother is enough to develop abs!

“How could I have a brother like you!” Li Xuanba held his head, lamenting his past self.

Li Shimin looked puzzled: “What did I do?”

Li Xuanba held his head and scolded his twin brother for all the mischief he had done.

Stealing food was one thing, but he even wanted to share his pee! Who wants to share that?!

Li Shimin blinked: “Really?” “Is that so?” “Wow, I did that?” “You still remember such trivial things? How petty.”

Patting Li Xuanba on the head, Li Shimin said earnestly: “A-Xuan, you should learn from me and be more broad-minded. You were always weak, and being so petty only makes your health worse.”

Li Xuanba: “……”

He grabbed Li Shimin and walked toward the edge of the ship.

Li Shimin exclaimed: “What are you doing!”

Li Xuanba said: “Going down together with you!”

The subordinates, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, quickly came to intervene. If they didn’t, the Prince of Taiyuan would drag the Prince of Longxi into the river to die together!

Li Shimin: “Hahahahaha!”

Li Xuanba: “Die, Second Brother!”

Wudi: “Chirp～ chirp～!”

Hangou: “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!!”

Li Shou said to Li Jing: “It’s lively again today.”

Li Jing chuckled: “Yes.”

The ship was filled with cheerful laughter once more.

…

The joyful time on the ship passed quickly. Li Xuanba finally stepped ashore and immediately told his brother to leave quickly.

“You like being the scout, don’t you? Go on, hurry!”

Li Shimin could only laugh helplessly. Had he teased his younger brother too much? But seeing A-Xuan bringing up old grievances was amusing, and watching him angry was even funnier. That was the joy of being an older brother—there would be more next time.

“All right, A-Xuan, set up camp on a high ground by the river. Qin Shubao and I will scout ahead. Zong Luohu, protect A-Xuan and don’t let him wander off.” Li Shimin said. “Li Yaoshi, take a team to investigate the surrounding counties as well.”

Li Jing cupped his hands: “Yes.”

Li Shimin then said to Li Shou: “Uncle, please assist A-Xuan. He shouldn’t be overworked, so it’ll fall on you.”

Li Shou felt very reassured at Li Shimin’s request: “No problem, leave it to me.”

Before leaving, Li Shimin whispered to Li Xuanba: “Though Uncle’s skills are limited, he’s capable of assisting you as a civil official. You must make him work hard and not let him idle, always thinking of going to the battlefield.”

Li Xuanba nodded.

Li Shimin smiled at Li Xuanba, taking only a few dozen guards and, disguised as a common merchant, departed.

They were now in Hubei, on the Jianghan Plain north of the Yangtze River.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Wu had already developed the southern bank of the Yangtze. But after Emperor Wen of Sui ascended, he destroyed many large cities south of the Yangtze, particularly Jiankang, which caused southern development to fall far behind.

Yang Guang’s favorite Jiangdu was actually on the northern bank. He had wanted to develop the south once the King of Goguryeo surrendered sincerely, but everyone he trusted had died, and the King of Goguryeo remained insincere. So development south of the Yangtze was postponed.

Li Shimin, seeking to unify the realm, focused mainly on areas north of the Yangtze. Plans for the south would wait until the Central Plains were pacified.

When they reached the shore, Li Xuanba glanced toward the southern bank.

During the Warring States period, the area south of the Yangtze River had already been developed by the State of Chu, which had once established its capital on the southern bank of the Yangtze.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the lands along the southern bank were also relatively prosperous, and literature there flourished as much as in the Central Plains.

Who would have thought that Emperor Wen of Sui would destroy the city? Now, once again in chaotic times, the population was already sparse. Looking out over the southern bank of the Yangtze, everything appeared desolate—possibly even more barren than in the Qin and Han eras.

He and his second brother had been preparing for a long time; unifying the country would not be extremely difficult, as long as they proceeded step by step. The real challenges would begin only when his second brother ascended the throne.

China had been in turmoil for hundreds of years, and the Sui Dynasty had unified it for only about thirty years, seemingly just a brief flare in a chaotic era.

In history, the Tang Dynasty established a unified empire that lasted three hundred years. Even after the An–Shi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty merely declined; it did not disappear. In terms of governance, it was even stronger than many dynasties at their peak.

Although later generations paid little attention to the post–An–Shi period—jumping directly to the Huang Chao Rebellion, as if the Tang had immediately plunged into chaos—it had in fact been relatively stable for a long time and produced several emperors who revitalized the dynasty.

All of that was thanks to the strong start his second brother had made.

Now, with him added to the mix, could they do even better than history recorded?

“Strategist, why are you sighing?” Zong Luohu asked.

Li Shou teased, “Erlang just left, and Sanlang is already worried about him?”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “I’m not worried about Second Brother; I’m worried about the future, worried about what will happen after unifying the country.”

He clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the southern bank of the Yangtze. “Can Second Brother and I do better than what was originally destined?”

Li Shou: “…” Suddenly, he recalled the rumors. Li Xuanba seemed to have prophetic abilities and had even helped Li Jing with fortune-telling.

Although Li Jing had never revealed what Li Xuanba had said during the reading, the look of pride on his face suggested it must have been good news.

Zong Luohu also remembered this incident.

It seemed the strategist had also read the fortune of Qin Shubao. But since he had arrived earlier, the strategist still hadn’t read his own yet!

Zong Luohu, who was familiar with Li Xuanba, did not hesitate like Li Shou. As soon as the thought occurred to him, he asked, “Strategist, what was the original future?”

Li Xuanba said, “The Reign of Zhenguan.”

Zong Luohu sighed, “The era name is Zhenguan? That’s truly a fine era name. Strategist, did I contribute to the Reign of Zhenguan?”

Li Xuanba nodded, “Yes, you did.”

Zong Luohu happily asked, “Will I become a Duke in the future?”

Li Xuanba said, “In the original future, you will indeed be a Duke, but you die young in the prime of life, defeated in battle.”

Zong Luohu’s face fell. “No, I don’t want to know that.”

Li Xuanba chuckled, “You’re all eager—‘Strategist, read my fortune!’—and now you say you don’t want to know?”

Zong Luohu grimaced. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Li Xuanba patted Zong Luohu on the shoulder in consolation. “Originally, you couldn’t even leave Longxi, and now you’ve come to see the Yangtze. The future has already changed.”

Zong Luohu finally relaxed. “That’s good, that’s good.” He figured he would need to be more cautious in the future.

Li Xuanba sighed inwardly.

It was a pity that Second Brother wasn’t here; there was no one to share his ramblings with.

He hadn’t lied to Zong Luohu—he really did die young, defeated and killed, after losing to his brother Li Shimin.

Li Shou hesitated a moment before asking, “Then what was my original future? To end up frustrated and unfulfilled in Daxing?”

Li Xuanba shook his head. “If my Second Brother can become emperor, how could uncle remain frustrated? Of course, uncle would be a Prince.”

In truth, Li Shentong was a royal prince. But since giving royal titles to all the members of the imperial clan would be excessive, Li Xuanba downgraded Li Shou’s rank by one level.

Li Shou was first delighted, then cleared his throat, feeling it was not entirely a cause for joy. “Well… as a member of the imperial clan, being a Prince is normal. But what about my contributions?”

Li Xuanba said, “Raising troops.”

Li Shou asked, “Besides raising troops?”

Li Xuanba said, “Repeated defeats? And then getting scolded by Second Brother?”

Li Shou: “…”

Li Xuanba laughed, “Don’t tell Second Brother. He would surely say he wouldn’t scold an elder and tell me not to speak nonsense.”

Li Shou sighed, collapsing slightly. “Sanlang is trying to advise me not to think about leading troops on my own, isn’t he?”

Li Xuanba smiled but said nothing.

Zong Luohu looked at Li Xuanba, then at Li Shou, suddenly puzzled.

He had originally thought that it was his own curiosity about fortune-telling that prompted the strategist to say such things to Li Shentong. But seeing the strategist’s expression, he wondered if it was a deliberate prompt, meant to subtly admonish Li Shentong.

After all, Li Shentong was the elder of both the lord and the strategist, and he had not made any mistakes so far. If he wanted to lead troops, the lord and strategist would hardly deny him a chance.

But the lord and strategist clearly believed Li Shentong was not capable of commanding troops, and did not want to give him any opportunity.

Li Shou thought the same.

He even felt a little resentful. His nephews were too disrespectful. He had never lost a battle—how could they conclude he was incapable? If he had followed Li Yuan, Li Yuan would have certainly valued him.

But after pondering for a while, Li Shou shook his head with a wry smile, letting go of that little grievance.

Li Yuan would indeed have valued him, but right now, Li Yuan couldn’t even leave Taiyuan.

Moreover, even if he couldn’t be a commander, by following Li Shimin, his name would appear on the list of generals rewarded after every victory. Historical records would later show that Li Shentong never suffered a defeat.

Thinking this way, it wasn’t so bad.

After all, no matter how capable Li Xuanba was, his health was poor. Li Shimin wouldn’t trust him to command troops alone, so he would always follow Li Shimin as a deputy. Rounded off, the treatment for him and Li Xuanba was the same.

Li Shou not only convinced himself but became increasingly pleased.

He knew he had some abilities, and he was aware of it.

As a nobleman in his forties who had accomplished nothing, he had been mediocre. Li Jing, though a few years older, was at least the county magistrate of Mayi, the second-in-command overseeing the military in the county.

Mediocre as he was, he had hitched a ride on Li Shimin’s glorious carriage. Future generations would praise him as someone who “followed Emperor Taizong on campaigns north and south, undefeated in battle, a famous general of his time”—and he wouldn’t even be tired!

Besides, even if he himself wasn’t capable, his son had grown up. Whatever he couldn’t accomplish in the future, his son could handle.

Li Shou thought of his son, who had stayed in Daxing City after hiding and raising troops together with him. He couldn’t help but ask Li Xuanba again, “Sanlang, what do you think of my eldest son?”

Li Xuanba smiled: “That will become clear once we get to know him better. But from what I’ve seen, he’s brave and strong, so he should be quite capable.”

Li Shou sighed: “If I had known, I would have stayed in Daxing and let my eldest son follow you all.”

Li Xuanba said, “We’re not going anywhere permanently. The empire is vast; it will take several years of campaigning. He’ll have plenty of opportunities.”

Li Shou patted his chest: “That’s good, that’s good.”

After relaxing a bit, he couldn’t help but blame himself: “Alas, I was really foolish. When leaving Daxing, why didn’t I think more carefully? My eldest son may not be perfect at commanding troops, but he’s bold and skilled. He would still make an excellent general. The chance to join your southern campaign should have been his. I’m old now; the family will rely on him in the future. Why compete for glory with my own son?”

Li Xuanba comforted him: “There will be plenty of chances in the future. Besides, holding the frontier has its merits too. Uncle, there’s no need to worry.”

Li Shou wasn’t comforted and continued to feel regret.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much and had left with Li Shimin for the chance to achieve glory. Now, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.

Li Xuanba consoled his uncle for a long time and gave him many tasks to do, which finally lifted his spirits.

Chen Tieniu, who had been quietly standing behind Li Xuanba like background scenery, whispered: “This is what a normal father would think.”

Li Xuanba glanced at his bodyguard behind him and said irritably: “Don’t speak too much. If someone overhears, neither I nor Second Brother can protect you.”

Chen Tieniu replied: “With outsiders around, I never speak.”

Li Xuanba rubbed his forehead: “You could have said… I gave you so many opportunities to achieve glory, could you not be a bit more proactive?”

Chen Tieniu shook his head: “Protecting the young master is my achievement.”

Li Xuanba sighed, failing once again to persuade him.

Not long after Li Xuanba set up camp, the Deputy of Nan Commandery personally came to pay respects.

The Deputy was the assistant to the Commandery Governor and controlled military authority. After the empire descended into chaos, the Deputy became the actual ruler of each commandery. Since governors were often the sons of high officials, they would flee home when turmoil erupted. As a result, many commanderies were effectively led by their Deputies.

When Li Xuanba was in Hedong Commandery, it had been managed by Deputy Ding Rong until Yang Guang sent Yao Junsu as governor.

The empire was in great disorder. Both capitals were overrun with bandits, and the south had long been fragmented by robber chieftains.

In the Jianghan plains alone, there were two so-called rebel kings with tens of thousands of troops: Zhu Can and Xiao Xiane. There were countless smaller rebel kings as well.

The Deputy of Nan Commandery only had a few thousand troops and was already considering which rebel king to join. Unexpectedly, the Princes of Longxi and Taiyuan—Li Shimin and Li Xuanba—arrived. He wept with joy and immediately pledged allegiance.

Whether Li Shimin would rebel in the future was irrelevant; the Sui emperor was already dead. The entire empire was in rebel hands. Joining the Prince of Longxi was far better than joining a rebel of lower status.

Not only did the Deputy of Nan Commandery come voluntarily, but a few days later, Li Shimin sent word via Wudi that Xiangyang had been taken.

Li Xuanba was filled with question marks.

Second Brother had gone with less than a hundred men to scout, yet they had reached Xiangyang, over 200 kilometers away!

In contrast, Li Jing only sent word that the Deputy of Mianyang Commandery had surrendered—not too far, just over a hundred kilometers.

Over a hundred kilometers…

Li Xuanba looked at the envoys sent by Second Brother and Li Jing, utterly bewildered: “Second Brother ran to Xiangyang four hundred li away with fewer than a hundred men, and Li Jing went almost three hundred li to Mianyang with fewer than a hundred men. I thought it was still a chaotic time? Bandits everywhere! What were they thinking?! Aren’t they afraid of dying?!!”

Li Xuanba took a deep breath and slammed the table: “Huh?! This is called scouting?! They went so far, and they’re not afraid of dying?!”

All the officers lowered their heads, silent as the grave, afraid to speak.