The prison camp was cramped, and the prisoners were so hungry that they huddled on the ground.
No one dared to make a sound, only someone was faintly humming. It was a very simple tune, but it reminded people of a scene of a shepherd boy grazing in the wilderness.
Li Qiwu, who was tied alone in a small tent, also heard the music, and soon realized that only Nobutong could play such an artistic conception, so he whistled in harmony with the music.
There was a lingering sound, but no one noticed that the two of them were communicating through music.
In the dead of night, Ye Butong gradually moved behind Li Qiwu's tent and whispered: "Alang."
"You're here." Li Qiwu was tied there, and he tried his best to lean over and whispered: "If someone asks you, you must say that I have been inquiring about military affairs for Datang. Do you understand?"
"The villain understands."
Regarding how to escape, Li Qiwu has been thinking about this issue and has gradually come up with a solution.
He observed that the Tang army seemed to regard Lang Jiezhan as a big shot in Tubo, and perhaps they could use this matter to gain some credit for themselves.
"You think of a way to tell your down-and-out master that if he wants to save his life, he must continue to pretend to be an important official of Tubo and cooperate with me."
"Alang, you are my master." Yebu Dong said: "I will definitely do it."
Li Qiwu then explained it carefully.
What he was talking about was military, political and state affairs, which was very complicated. I was worried that a slave would not be able to convey it. Unexpectedly, although Ye Butong could not understand, he was able to write down the entire content and had no problem repeating it again.
Over there, Lang Jiezan was thrown back to the prisoner camp after being questioned. He was worried, worried that sooner or later his secret would be exposed.
On the next day, the prisoners were assigned to clean the battlefield and repair the Qianling Mausoleum. Although Lang Jiezan was regarded as an important official of Tubo, he could not escape these labors.
He reluctantly dragged a disemboweled corpse so that its intestines spilled all over the floor, and he was whipped for it.
A Tang sergeant scolded: "Is it true that you are still a Tubo noble? If you don't take care of these things, if a plague breaks out, you will be the first to be killed!"
Suddenly a small figure ran over, leaned down and stuffed the intestines back into the body's belly, and carried the body together with Lang Jiezan.
It was Ye Butong who came. He was very alert and took this opportunity to relay what Li Qiwu asked him to say.
Lang Jiezan was both happy and scared, and asked: "Is it okay? Can you fool those people?"
"Alang said that he is the only one who can protect you now. If you believe in him, you can survive."
"You bitch, you treat him as your master so quickly." Lang Jiezan scolded Ye Butong, but his suggestion to Li Qiwu was exactly what he wanted.
Li Qiwu was prostrating himself in front of Bai Xiaode.
A letter was handed to him.
"Where did it come from?" Bai Xiaode asked.
"It was the warriors sent by General Bai to the Tubo army who handed it over to me." Li Qiwu said.
Bai Xiaode took advantage of the situation and asked: "Okay, what is his name?"
Li Qiwu couldn't answer, so he said: "I don't know his name. I once saved his life, so he handed this letter to me."
"Yeah?"
"Yes." Li Qiwu said: "I did not defect to Tubo, but borrowed troops from Tubo on the order of Emperor Xuanzong. King Zhong had repeatedly colluded with court officials during the Tianbao period. Emperor Xuanzong had known his character and was worried that he would be on the throne.
There was a rebellion during the change, so I was ordered to be sent as an envoy. However, when Dazhalu went to Pizhou and I heard the news of Emperor Xuanzong's death, I realized that I had done something stupid."
He looked very guilty and slapped himself hard.
"It was then that I learned that Emperor Xuanzong had been deceived again and made the same mistake as when he indulged An Lushan. I immediately wanted to make up for my mistake and began to look for opportunities to inquire about military intelligence and deliver news."
Bai Xiaode didn't believe him. With a slight sneer on his face, he said, "Let me ask you, how did you get this letter?"
"I often went in and out of Dazhalu Gong's tent, stole official documents, and handed them over to the people sent by the general. Unfortunately, he was killed in the Tibetan army before he could send them out. When I rushed to save him, it was already too late, and he was dying.
Return the document to me beforehand."
After that, Li Qiwu added: "Lang Jiezan, whom the general captured, is a Tibetan minister. I used the opportunity of buying slaves to make friends with him and secretly instigated his rebellion. He can prove that I am loyal to the Tibetan people."
Datang..."
~~
Things actually progressed more smoothly than Li Qiwu expected.
Bai Xiaode asked Lang Jiezan a few questions, and Lang Jiezan responded. He really described Li Qiwu as a man who was in Cao's camp and in the Han Dynasty, and who worked hard for the Tang Dynasty.
After reporting it to Xue Bai, Xue Bai pardoned them on the same day.
"real?"
Li Qiwu was a little in disbelief and walked out of the prison camp cautiously. Looking back, he saw that the soldiers guarding him did not stop him.
After a period of time, he used his familiarity with Dazhalu Gong to help the Tang army pursue the Tibetan army.
It is reported that Dazhalu Gong fled all the way, and at one point even managed to kill a horse, catching the pursuers led by Guo Xi off guard. As a result, the Tubo army was intercepted by Guo Ziyi in Pingliang.
In that battle, Guo Ziyi severely defeated the enemy army, and Dazalu Gong only fled the battlefield with more than a thousand cavalry.
The Tang army finally won a great victory and repelled the foreign enemies.
As soon as the emperor ascended the throne, he turned the tide and won the battle, which established his prestige. Then he paid homage to Qianling, thanked Emperor Gaozong, and Queen Zetian for her blessing, and prepared to return to the capital.
During this period, Li Qiwu had been worried that Xue Bai would settle the scores and kill him after the fall, and he was uneasy. After the sacrifice, the imperial driver returned to Chang'an, and Xue Bai still had no intention of attacking him, so he felt relieved.
When the team entered Chang'an City, it was already late autumn.
The people of Chang'an City once again gathered on Zhuque Street to pay homage to the new saint and cheer for this year's victory over Fangqiu.
Although there were cheers, the people actually seemed tired and numb, not as excited as before when the Anshi Rebellion was put down.
At that time, they thought that after driving away the rebels in Anlu Mountain, prosperity would be restored soon. However, the following years were still plagued by disasters, which dampened their expectations. Now, their expectations of peace and prosperity have been reduced to the lowest level.
.
The common people thought that they had just survived another hardship, and it was hard to say how much confidence they could have in the young emperor.
What they didn't know at the time was that after that day, until the end of their lives, Chang'an City never encountered any invasion from foreign enemies. Many, many years later, they suddenly realized that when the Emperor returned to Chang'an that year, they did not give him anything.
As enthusiastic as it should be.
This winter, the prosperous times have not yet returned, and life in Chang'an City has returned to peace and simplicity.
Li Qiwu lost his official position and his big house. He rented a house in Yanfufang and lived in a three-in-one courtyard, where he lived an ordinary life for half a month.
He was quite satisfied with being able to save his life and lost his ambition until he saw Lang Jiezan again.
It must have been a chance encounter. That morning, he went to sell newspapers at the square gate as usual, and happened to meet Lang Jiezan walking through the street.
Seeing Lang Jiezan wearing a red official robe, Li Qiwu couldn't help but be stunned, and then he suddenly felt jealous.
As a member of the clan, he once served as a high-ranking official, but now he has not been appointed and is almost demoted to a commoner. How come this Tubo man has become a high-ranking official in the Tang Dynasty?
"Tubo people."
Li Qiwu strode forward, stopped Lang Jiezan, looked him up and down, and said, "What's going on?"
"Mr. Li." Lang Jiezan looked much more elegant and saluted with his hands crossed, "I'm just about to go to the Yamen, so I won't talk to Mr. Li anymore."
"You come to me at night and we have a chat."
"I'm just afraid...it's inconvenient, right?"
Lang Jiezan was obviously reluctant and even sounded official.
Li Qiwu was furious and threatened: "We are grasshoppers on the same rope. Without me, can you be reused by the court? At that time, any prisoner could prove that you were nothing. If you want me to accuse you of bullying the emperor,
A crime?!"
Lang Jiezan had no choice but to agree.
"Okay, where is Mr. Li's house? I'll come to visit you at night."
That night, not only Lang Jiezan but also Ye Butong came to see Li Qiwu.
I haven't seen him for a while, and Ye Butong has also changed a lot. His hair is neatly combed, he has put on clean robes, and he really behaves like a musician.
"Alang, you didn't lie to me. There are so many beautiful pieces of music in the Tang Dynasty that I will never be able to learn them all in my lifetime!"
As soon as they met, Ye Butong bowed to Li Qiwu and talked incoherently about his excitement.
He actually got what he wanted and found a job in a teaching workshop. While learning various skills and playing music to make a living, he couldn't care less about Shu.
Li Qiwu was impatient to hear these trivial matters, turned to Lang Jiezan, pointed at his official robe and asked: "What's going on? How can you wear a red robe?"
"I surrendered to the imperial court, and the imperial court appointed me based on my official position in Tubo..."
"Absurd! What official position do you have in Tubo? I didn't even have to cover your lies."
"I will never forget Mr. Li's kindness."
Li Qiwu didn't bother to talk to this barbarian and said directly: "Who do you belong to now? Find an official for me."
Lang Jiezan felt embarrassed.
Li Qiwu said: "Let me tell you, we are both prosperous and disadvantaged. If you don't help me, you can't even think about it."
"Li Gong really wants to find a job?" Lang Jie praised: "If you really have such a plan, I will recommend him to Li Gong."
Li Qiwu knew that he must have found a reliable backer and nodded.
He wanted to see what the outcome would be.
Within two days, an official actually came to see Li Qiwu and recruited him to the Shangshu Province.
Entering the imperial city again this time, Li Qiwu felt as if he had not seen him for a long time. When he entered the Shangshu Province, he turned to the northeast corner and entered the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites. He then walked through the long corridor and came to a secluded hut.
“Tuk-tuk-tuk.”
"Come in."
The clerk knocked on the door and took Li Qiwu inside. He walked around the screen and saw a young official sitting by the desk, his eyes looking deep in thought.
Li Qiwu recognized him, it was Yan Quanming.
As the wife and brother-in-law of today's wife, Yan Quanming, a relative, was in hot demand, but how could he hide in such a small and secluded official residence to work?
It seems that he is responsible for quite confidential matters.
In other words, Yan Quanming is actively forming cliques to increase his reputation in the court.
"Without further ado, I heard that you want to serve the imperial court?"
"Exactly." Li Qiwu responded quickly.
Yan Quanming handed over a dossier and said: "I have read your resume. In order to serve the country, you went to the enemy camp as an envoy to obtain information. Your loyalty is commendable."
"Yan Lang was so impressed."
Li Qiwu opened the file and looked at it. It really recorded his feats of instigating important officials in the Tubo camp and collecting intelligence.
Lies were regarded as achievements, but Li Qiwu was happy with them and expressed his loyalty, saying that this was what he should do.
He even thought to himself that the court was too easy to deceive.
Yan Quanming said: "There is still an opportunity to serve the imperial court. Are you willing to contribute?"
Li Qiwu was overjoyed and guessed that Yan Quanming might have seen his lies, but when he was hiring people, he took a fancy to the influence of his clan ministers and wanted to win over him.
"I am willing to do the hard work of dogs and horses!"
"good!"
Yan Quanming praised him and said, stroking his palms: "True righteous man, then you will send another envoy to Tibet."
Li Qiwu was stunned for a moment, and the excitement on his face immediately faded away.
Yan Quan said clearly: "This is exactly what you are good at, sending envoys to enemy countries, instigating rebellion against important ministers, and collecting intelligence. Putting everything to good use and people making full use of their talents will help revitalize the Tang Dynasty."
"I……"
Li Qiwu once again thought of the scene of fighting Gao Hui while rolling in a pile of horse dung. Thinking of the corpses there, he reached into his open abdomen and took out the wax pills.
After finally returning to Chang'an City to live a stable life, how could I go to such a dangerous place again?
Li Qiwu almost wanted to say it out, he was actually lying, he was actually a waste, a waste that couldn't even dig a hole out.
But when the words came to his lips, he said: "It is my duty to do so!"
That night, the three met again.
Li Qiwu picked up Lang Jiezan's collar and scolded him angrily.
"You hurt me! What I want is an official title, not death!"
"I don't know either." Lang Jiezan was a little distracted and murmured: "I always thought that our mission was to find out about Tibet, but it turned out that we were on an envoy to Tibet."
"No matter what you do, I won't go." Li Qiwu said, "I'm sick and I will recuperate at home."
"We have to go." Lang Jiezan suddenly said.
Li Qiwu glanced at him lightly, thinking that this barbarian was not qualified to make decisions in front of him.
Lang Jie praised: "We are grasshoppers on a rope, we have to go."
Although he has only been in Chang'an for a short time, he has a very keen grasp of people's hearts.
"I understand, the imperial court re-appointed me not because they believed our lies, but because of that letter."
"letter?"
"The letter you brought back from Ma Xiang to Dazalu Gong."
Li Qiwu understood immediately.
Fortunately, he was still complacent before, thinking that he was a clever trick to hide it from the world. Now it seems that he is simply making a fool of himself, and the court has long seen clearly his tricks.
If he doesn't go, he will no longer be able to forget the serious crimes he committed in the past.
~~
Xuanzheng Hall.
After Xue Bai ascended the throne, it seemed that there was not much difference from when he was the prince of the supervising country. He still handled government affairs here every day.
Only he himself can feel that the real change is that there are fewer constraints on doing things, not just a few changes in scale.
Yan Quanming entered the palace and said, "There is news from Helong that Dazalu Gong has returned to Shanzhou."
"Can we take advantage of the opportunity to regain Shanzhou?"
"Not yet, we can't afford the supply of food and grass. And it's going to be winter soon, which is not conducive to a decisive battle."
Xue Bai nodded and said, "Is there any news from Anxi?"
Yan Quanming shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying: "How could there be news now after such a long time?"
"I'm worried about the soldiers and horses along the way."
"No matter what, what the imperial court can do now is to follow Li Mi's plan to contact various states and isolate Tubo."
After chatting for a while about the Tibetan affairs, Yan Quanming said: "In addition, I have made preparations to instigate civil strife in Tibet."
"Can Li Qiwu be used?"
"able."
Yan Quanming smiled slightly, a little sarcastically, and said: "He really thought he had deceived His Majesty. Lang Jiezan is the same, and he is still pretending to be an important official of Tubo."
"Liars are often like this. They always feel that they can hide something." Xue Bai understands this deeply.
In this matter, he is actually not much different from Lang Jiezan, they are just trying to climb up the ranks through deception.
Yan Quanming said: "Then we will arrange for envoys to go to Tubo? In this way, when Feng Changqing arrives in Anxi next year, if there is trouble in Tubo, we can regain Hexi in one fell swoop."
"Let's arrange it."
"Yes." Yan Quan said clearly, "Does Your Majesty want to meet the envoy in person?"
Xue Bai thought for a moment and said, "That's fine."
The next day, when Yan Quanming asked to see him again, he brought a young man with him.
The young man looked left and right at the main hall, shocked by its luxury and solemnity, and his heart was surging. Then he kowtowed awkwardly in front of Xue Bai.
"Caomin Yebutong pays homage to His Majesty!"
"I have often heard Yan Quanming talk about you. I knew you were young, but I didn't expect you to be so young."
Yebutong said quickly: "It will be done well."
As if worried that Xue Bai didn't believe it, he hurriedly added: "Even if I have to die, I want to die in Chang'an. I will definitely finish my errands and come back. Although I am a slave, this matter is not difficult. I am very clever. Please, Your Majesty
rest assured."
"It doesn't matter if you are a slave. I was once a slave. I was about your age and was involved in a major case."
Yebutong was greatly moved and said quickly: "I can't compare with Your Majesty. Your Majesty is destined by fate, and I am a real slave."
"Let me give you a piece of music."
Xue Bai took the paper and pen, thought about it, and composed a piece of music in his mind according to the Gongchi score of the time, and handed it over to Nobutong.
Nobutong couldn't wait to open it and read it. This point was completely disrespectful.
Since arriving in Chang'an, he has been studying voraciously, day and night, so he can understand Gongchipu, but this piece completely broke the rules of the tune that he had finally figured out.
Although he didn't understand it the first time, he was extremely talented. He murmured a few words and realized that this piece of music was amazing.
"Alang is right! His Majesty the Tang Dynasty is the most outstanding musician in the world!"
Nobutong completely forgot that he was in the main hall and excitedly waved the music score in his hand.
Just like what he said to Li Qiwu, he felt that such a genius His Majesty should conquer the world.
Although Ye Butong has not yet seen Li Longji's musical accomplishments, Xue Bai's accomplishments are enough for him to study for a lifetime.
In short, he became Xue Bai's most loyal supporter in a short period of time.
Only a few days later, Li Qiwu, Lang Jiezan, Ye Butong and others set off for Tibet along with the Tang Dynasty's envoy.
This must be an extremely difficult journey.
~~
Zama Zhisang Palace.
The Brahmaputra River flows slowly through the mountains. The climate here is suitable all year round. It is the earliest field in Tibet to cultivate grains.
There are two sandalwood trees in the palace, which were formed by drops of umbilical blood on the ground when Trisong Detsen was born.
In the winter of this year, the young king often sat in the wind and snow, staring at the two sandalwood trees in a daze, thinking about the future of the country.
Compared with the Tang Dynasty, which had suffered from constant natural and man-made disasters in recent years, Tubo's governance was not easy. The various loose tribes did not fully believe in Zanpu, and the ministers in the court also had their own concerns.
Conflicts between religions are also intensifying.
More than four months have passed since Dazalu Gong was defeated in Pizhou. When the news came back, the regent Ma Xiang brushed it off lightly, saying only that Tibet should attack the western front in the future.
Then, they resorted to militarism and forced various tribes to fight.
Trisong Detsen believed that this was not going to work, so he intended to negotiate peace with the Tang Dynasty and gain power by successfully reaching his own political opinions. This was considered a relatively mild means of seizing power.
At this time, his confidant Yixi Wangbo arrived and reported: "Zanpu, the Tang court has sent an envoy."
"Oh, who is here?"
"Li Qiwu, the Grand Servant and Shaoqing, was the fifth grandson of Emperor Taizu of the Tang Dynasty. He also believed in Buddhism, ordained and became a monk."
Hearing that the person who came was a monk, Trisong Detsen was very interested and wanted to summon him immediately.
His father who was assassinated advocated Buddhism, and the courtiers who held power were all Bon believers, constantly accusing his father of perishing because of the promotion of Buddhism.
For Trisong Detsen, this was a matter of clear stance.
A small welcoming ceremony was held in Zama Zhisang Palace, and soon Li Qiwu and others met Trisong Dezan.
On this plateau, Li Qiwu felt dizzy, but he still managed to hold on, talking about Buddhism with the Tubo people, tasting tea, lighting incense and listening to the piano.
The banquet lasted the whole afternoon. Just when Li Qiwu was about to lose his support, Chisong Dezan noticed his discomfort and quickly asked for a Bon wizard to come.
Taking this opportunity, he also dismissed the spy sent by Ma Xiang beside him.
Although Lang Jiezan was a poor boy, his father was deposed for opposing Ma Xiang's dictatorship. Trisong Dezan was very smart and noticed that Lang Jiezan was in the Tang Dynasty's delegation, so he knew that he had something secret to say.
"The foreign minister has something he wants to present to Zanpu."
Sure enough, Li Qiwu immediately seized the opportunity, took out a Buddhist scripture, and said: "This is the foreign minister's experience of studying Buddhism over the years. Please give it a thumbs up."
Yeshe Wangpo stepped forward to take it and spread it out in front of Trisong Detsen.
A secret letter appeared in front of them.
What the Tang court resorted to was a conspiracy, and it was clear that it wanted to drive a wedge between Tubo Zampu and its regent, in order to alleviate border troubles.
Trisong Detsen does not have to trust Tang Ting, but the problem is that he has no way out. Ma Xiang's letter clearly has a plan to depose him by force. Every time he hesitates, he is taking a risk.
After the banquet, Trisong Detsen asked Yeshe Wangpo: "Do you think this is true?"
"I'm worried that Ma Xiang keeps adding troops to Dazalu Gong in the name of conquering Anxi, just to deal with Zampu."
"what do I do?"
Yeshi Wangpo thought for a while and said, "I have a plan to get rid of Ma Xiang."