Chapter 59: The Luo Book (III)

Inside the Qin Zheng Wu Ben Building of Xingqing Palace, Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty paced restlessly. Last night, the Tubo prince Lüzansi was suddenly assassinated at the Honglu Temple, a problem that truly troubled him. Though a barbarian prince meant little to him, Li Sanlang, the Tang Dynasty had previously reached a non-aggression treaty with Tubo, and the Tubo king had even sent a prince as a hostage. War is a craft of deception—Li Longji himself never believed in righteousness or morality in warfare. Tubo had become a sword hanging over his head; he couldn’t rest until it was removed.

Although war was inevitable between the two nations, he had also assembled the Shence Army to support Ge Shuhan. Yet, in warfare, provisions must come first before troops move. The Tubo people didn’t need provisions at all—this people born on the plateau would mobilize the entire population at the slightest sign of war, fighting and plundering as they went!

“Hmph!”
Li Longji waved his sleeve and sat back down on his throne. He cast a disdainful glance at the ministers in the council hall—his trusted officials summoned on short notice. Usually, they spoke eloquently, but at critical moments, they all became silent! These were his pillars of support, his wise ministers and capable generals!

Yang Zhao, the imperial censor, felt uneasy under his gaze. He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Li Longji. “Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, this was most likely done by the Tubo themselves!”

“Oh?”
Li Longji rubbed his aching forehead, intrigued.

“It’s simple. The Tubo initially came to the capital to form a treaty with our Tang Dynasty, only to deceive us. After that, many Tubo Buddhist monks flooded into Chang’an, spreading evil practices in an attempt to corrupt the common people from below. Then came the assassination of the Tubo’s second prince, clearly the result of careful planning. In my view, this is a two-pronged strategy. In ordinary families, when an elder dies, poor sons still fight over pots and tables—let alone the Tubo royal family. The Tubo king is old and sick, and his princes are secretly plotting to seize the throne. Getting rid of a rival along the way must bring them joy.”

“Hmm.”
Li Longji was fairly satisfied with this explanation. Since ancient times, the royal family has known no kinship. Using this scheme to kill potential rivals and cast the Tang Dynasty in an unjust light—what a vicious plan! Although Yang Zhao’s words were crude, he hit the mark. It seemed his efforts to nurture him hadn’t been in vain.

Yang Zhao glanced triumphantly in the direction of Li Linfu to his right. In his eyes, that old fellow Li Linfu was already on his last legs. Whether in terms of energy or decisiveness in handling affairs, he far surpassed him. The only thing he lacked was the seniority that everyone in the government mentioned. But couldn’t seniority be earned over time? He only needed to wait a few more years, and the position of Right Chancellor of the Tang Dynasty would surely belong to him, Yang Zhao!

“Minister Ge Shu, in your opinion, how is our Tang Dynasty’s defense in the Longxi region at present?”

Li Longji scanned the room before fixing his gaze on Ge Shu Han.

Ge Shu Han stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Your Majesty, sixty thousand men in Longxi are ready at any time to expand the empire for you!”

“Hmm.”

Li Longji nodded in satisfaction. What he wanted were generals who would obey absolutely, soldiers who would pick up their spears and swords at the slightest order.

“Your Majesty!”

Li Linfu opened his wrinkled eyes and spoke loudly, “It’s not the right time to wage war against the Tubo now! Anxi is currently fighting fiercely against the Arabs, while the northern border is engaged in a stalemate with the Khitans. The Nanzhao people in Jiannan Circuit are also stirring up trouble…”

“Enough!”

Li Longji, who was in high spirits, was doused with cold water—how could he not get angry? He still relied heavily on this trusted minister. Although he was a bit narrow-minded, he was indeed a capable chancellor. He didn’t need to explain much; with just a glance, the minister would understand. But over the years, he had indeed grown old. As people age, they become more cautious, hesitating before acting and losing their usual decisiveness. He would defer to anything that could be postponed, but could the Tubo issue be delayed? If he didn’t weaken and intimidate the Tubo during his lifetime, he feared Heng Er might not be able to handle this fierce highland wolf.

Perhaps realizing he had spoken too harshly, Li Longji softened his tone and reassured, “An Lushan is guarding the north, so I’m completely at ease. As for Anxi, dealing with both the Arabs and the Tubo at the same time is indeed tough for Gao Xianzhi. If necessary, he should withdraw his troops to the four garrisons in Anxi first to assist Ge Shu Han in putting pressure on the Tubo’s flanks. As for Nanzhao, we can pacify them for now. Once we’ve weakened the Tubo, I’ll deal with them slowly.” (Note 1)

“Your Majesty’s wisdom is beyond doubt!”

Li Linfu sighed inwardly but refused to say another word in opposition. Having served this Tang emperor for over a decade, he knew his character all too well. Once he made a decision, it was unlikely to change. So why bother speaking further?

“Yuan Yi, draft an imperial edict for the Jingzhao Prefecture, ordering them to find the culprit behind the assassination of the Tubo prince Lüzansi and report the results to me in ten days.”
“I shall obey.”
Gao Lishi nodded and bowed in acceptance.
“Hmm.”
Li Longji sat upright on his throne, straightening his slightly hunched back. Everyone said he, Li Sanlang, had grown old, but he wanted to prove to everyone that he was still the great Khan who managed countless affairs and united the lands under his rule!…
At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, a crowd of people had already gathered. Most of them had come as families, carrying bags and water pots, to listen to the Tubo monk preach Buddhism at the entrance of the mountain valley.
From afar, the grayish-white dirt path of Zhongnan Mountain resembled a crack stretching straight down from the summit, with numerous black dots scattered along it, moving restlessly.
“Brother Kuo, with so many people here, maybe we shouldn’t join the crowd?”
Zhang Yanji panted heavily and complained in a low voice.
“I’ve always found the Buddhism preached by that Tubo monk extremely strange. Today is the perfect chance to find out!”
Li Kuo stepped up another ten steps and explained.
“Strange, so strange. My back is about to turn into a duck’s neck already, ouch!”
Zhang Yanji lost his footing and immediately fell forward.
Li Kuo stepped forward quickly and grabbed his friend’s robe sleeve: “Be careful! There are cliffs on both sides!”
Zhou Wucui, however, wasn’t disturbed at all by Zhang Yanji and continued climbing steadily, step by step.
Zhang Yanji stuck out his tongue at Li Kuo and, looking at Zhou Wucui’s back, rushed toward the entrance of the valley.
“Sigh.”
Li Kuo smiled helplessly and hurried after him.
The place where the Tubo monk preached Buddhism was chosen in a valley of Zhongnan Mountain, likely to attract more believers. After all, although Jianfu Temple was large, it could only hold a few hundred people. But this valley in Zhongnan Mountain could easily accommodate thousands.
The entrance of the valley was shaped like an inverted gourd, wide inside and narrow on the outside. Only after the three of them reached the last step did they see the grand scene before them. Huge rocks on both sides had been covered with yellow paper bearing Tubo scriptures, and thousands of believers kept flowing into the valley under the guidance of several young lamas.
“Good heavens, there are really so many people!”
Zhang Yanji wiped the sweat from his forehead and exclaimed in amazement.
“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s hurry in,” Li Kuo urged, glancing at the sky. They needed to return to Chang’an before the city gates closed at dusk to inform Brother Nan.

As soon as they entered the outer gourd-shaped entrance, they felt the air was extremely murky. Several young lamas stood at the entrance of the narrow pass wide enough for four people, handing each visitor a bowl of holy water and a sacred talisman. Due to the large crowd, people moved slowly. It took about half an hour before Li Kuo and the other youths finally reached the entrance of the pass. The young lama muttered something for a long time before the youths understood that he wanted them to dip their fingers in the holy water and touch their foreheads with it, then attach the sacred talisman. To avoid arousing suspicion, Li Kuo obediently nodded, joined his hands in prayer, and bowed devoutly.

“Please, master, lead us into the pass to listen to the teachings of the Buddhist monks and receive purification for our souls!”

Note 1: Here, “Dashi” refers to the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258), also known as the Black Cloaks due to their black flags. The establishment and consolidation of the Abbasid Caliphate marked a new era for the Arab Empire. With Iraq as its center, they built the new capital of Baghdad on the banks of the Tigris River. This city was magnificent, populous, and a hub of trade, ranking among the world’s major cities alongside Chang’an and Constantinople at that time. The eastern expansion of the Abbasids is an interesting topic. Simply put, it was driven by both the desire to spread religion and to accumulate wealth. From then on, the two great empires in the East and West inevitably engaged in a struggle.