If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the tiger's cubs.
This expedition is a major event in his life, and he must fight a good battle. The Tang Dynasty is full of talents, and it is true that people of his status do not need to go through life and death, but this is his personal need.
It doesn't matter if he is killed by the emperor of Luojia Kingdom. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that failure will lead to success. He is a person who has died once, so what if he dies again?
However, the two deputy commanders, Feng Li and Xie Shufang, were frightened. They particularly regretted that they should not have agreed to serve as deputy commanders to Li Tai.
The two people complained about their unlucky fate. The master they had followed returned to the west, and now their fate was tied to the king of Wei. He didn't know the importance and had to go to the enemy country as an envoy.
They knew very well that the Luojia Kingdom was a nomadic nation, and its people had fierce personalities. Li Tai's departure was undoubtedly like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth, and there would be no return.
"Lao Xie, what do you think we should do? If he is gone, the emperor still has many sons. If we are gone, our children are without a father, and our wives are without a husband, what do you think?"
Xie Shufang was also at a loss: "What should I do? He is a prince, so we are just like birds. Brother Feng, we can only wait to be punished."
"Your Majesty, it's true that just the two of us can go on the expedition. We have experienced hundreds of battles and have never seen anything like this. If we have to bring in such a brat, we will succeed only if we fail."
"Who says it's not the case? This Li Tai is favored by the emperor more than the prince. If something happens to him, can we still survive?"
The two people complained endlessly, but what could they do?
Suddenly, Feng Li patted his thigh and said, "Lao Xie, you can tell the emperor, so that we can avoid responsibility even if something happens to him."
When Xie Shufang heard that it made sense, he patted Feng Li on the shoulder and said, "Okay, that's it. You can write a letter immediately and I'll report it to King Wei."
Feng Li immediately took out a pen and ink to write a letter.
Xie Shufang came to Li Tai and said that the two of them had a preliminary plan for the war and needed to report it to the court, and asked Li Tiantian, the carrier pigeon, to make a trip.
The deputy coach made a request, and of course Li Tai, as the coach, could not refuse.
The news that Li Tai was going to Luojia Kingdom alone to serve as an envoy reached Li Shimin's ears. He was furious and immediately ordered Yuchi Gongjing to set off to the battlefield overnight and march to the battlefield in person.
Empress Changsun objected very much: "Your Majesty, tomorrow is the prince's wedding. As a father, you cannot be absent."
"It's just a wedding. That can be compared with Tai'er's life. Wuyou, you are the queen, I feel relieved to have you here."
Empress Changsun sighed and said: "Your Majesty, we are all sons, can't you be too partial? This will hurt the feelings of their brothers."
Li Shimin twirled his beard and said: "The palms and backs of my hands are all flesh. They are all your and my children. How could I be partial? Tai'er's first time joining the army. It would be very dangerous for him to break into the enemy's country alone. I have to set off immediately. If
If we waste time, I'm afraid you and I will regret it for the rest of our lives."
Yuchi Jingde also stopped him: "Your Majesty, the prince's wedding is a national event, and fighting on the battlefield is the duty of the general. I can work hard overnight to stop the king of Wei. You don't need to go there in person."
Li Shimin agreed: "General Yuchi, you are also a father. You have to understand me. I particularly regret letting King Wei go on an expedition. There are countless excellent soldiers in the court. How can he know that swords and arrows have no eyesight at such a young age?"
.leave."
Li Tai, who was far away in Luojia Kingdom, was confident. He did not believe that the emperor of Luojia Kingdom would kill him.
He took out a copy of Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface" from his luggage and admired it for a long time. He said to himself: "I believe that this calligraphy can be fake and real. No one will refuse such a great gift.
"
He originally just wanted to appreciate his masterpiece in his free time, but he didn't expect that something like this would happen. In order to protect himself, bringing this masterpiece with him would only have advantages and no disadvantages.
He arrived at the city gate of Luojia Kingdom on time at noon. As his personal eunuch, Wang Xiaoyang stopped him when he entered the city gate.
"King Wei, we have been waiting for you in the palace for a long time."
The envoy named Cheng Wenjun had a sly smile on his face.
Li Tai held the calligraphy in his hand and strode behind him, admiring the scenery in the city.
"The King of Wei is very high-spirited at a young age and will definitely achieve great things in the future."
"Mr. Cheng received the award. My older brothers are all quite outstanding. A tiger father has no dog son. I am the least capable among our brothers."
Cheng Wenjun smiled and said: "The King of Wei is so humble, I admire you."
Not long after walking, he entered the Royal Palace of Luojia Kingdom. The ministers of the DPRK and the Central Government lined up on both sides of the hall. Everyone looked at him like he was a monster.
A bearded man in his forties sat upright in the center of the hall. Li Tai walked up to him, bowed and said, "Li Tai, King of Wei of the Tang Dynasty, came to pay homage to the Emperor Luo Jia. I specially gave him this calligraphy and painting as a meeting gift."
The emperor said very arrogantly: "I heard that Chang'an City is a prosperous place. You want to send me away with just a calligraphy and painting?"
"Your Majesty, do you know Xizhi, the sage of calligraphy in the Eastern Jin Dynasty?"
The emperor, who was sitting in the center of the hall, immediately became energetic: "You know, I heard that his calligraphy of "Lanting Preface" is a miracle in the world?"
"Oh, really? Submit it."
Li Tai handed the calligraphy to the eunuch. The emperor looked at it and shouted: "It is indeed a priceless treasure. Come and give me a seat."
Li Tai looked at his long face and thought, "What a fool, he can't even tell the truth from the lies."
Li Tai hurriedly said: "There is no need to sit down. Your Majesty, your country has been harassing the border of the Tang Dynasty. Why is this? The Luojia Kingdom is a vassal state of our Tang Dynasty. Please tell us what your intention is to offend our country."
The emperor looked at the calligraphy and said, "Is King Wei coming here to have a showdown with us?"
"Exactly, now that the Tang Dynasty is a world-class power, how can we allow you to wait for a small country to stir up trouble? Today's emperor is determined to kill. If there were no major events in the DPRK recently, he would definitely go to the army himself, kill chickens to scare monkeys, and set an example for other countries. If you
If you insist on touching an egg with a stone, I'll see you on the battlefield."
The emperor stood up and said: "King Wei has misunderstood. Those who do little things at the border are just unruly people. We respect the Tang Dynasty very much. We just want to coexist peacefully. How dare we have any unreasonable thoughts?"
"Your Majesty, it's too late for you to have such an idea now. Our fifty thousand cavalry are eager to fight. We don't want to live with others as neighbors. You should be prepared for war. Farewell!"
After Li Tai finished speaking, he turned around and left, treating the civil and military ministers of the dynasty as nothing.
Emperor Luojia said loudly: "King Wei, don't be anxious, Lian still has something to say."
Li Taifang turned around and asked: "Your Majesty is not going to kill me, right? I'm not afraid."
The emperor of Luojia laughed loudly and said: "How could it be? My soldiers saw a Qin flag in your camp. Who is it?"
"Qin Qiong, Duke of Yi State, I am his closed disciple, do you still have any questions? I think the problems between us need to be resolved on the battlefield, so there is no need to waste words here."
The emperor looked surprised and asked: "Hero Qin Qiong, where is he? Are you his disciple? How can you prove it?"
