The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 197 People with Different Masters Will Fight

Speaking of this, Li Ye shook his head and smiled. “The rebels are not invincible. The reason that they could seize Chang’an is that the vassal states along their way had lost their confidence to the imperial court such that they didn’t block the rebels with all their strength. Now the rebels have occupied Chang’an, but they still need to go on expeditions all round. Up to now, the rebels haven’t even totally conquered Guanzhong. Not to mention Zheng Tian in Fengxiang and the Vassal State Army which is fighting against the rebels at all places. I haven’t heard that the rebels can attack and take a city in a short time.”

Li Yi paused and continued. “As for scholars... If what I know is right, not many scholars are in the rebels. And there are even fewer of them in important positions. Though the rebels go all over the country with great ease, people in the rebels live by plunder. They haven’t governed a place for real. Is it because they don’t want to rule? No. It is because they cannot. There are no such talents in the rebels who can do that. Without a whole team of scholars, the rebels will not be able to manage civil affairs. The present crisis of the rebels is that they don’t have constant supplies of army provisions and material resources. The next crisis is that they don’t have mature policies policy of governing the country so that they cannot make people from all sides surrender to them.”

In the end, Li Ye said slowly, “It was originally a good start that the rebels captured Chang’an. But do the people in the jurisdiction of the rebels really support the rebels? No. Why? You also have said that what the people need is to eat their fill and wear warm clothes. But the rebels will rob all the food the people had wherever they go like locusts. What’s worse, they don’t know how to administer a place and recuperate it. In that case, how can the people support you?”

“Why the vassal states nowadays have been fighting with the rebels? Is it because they are loyal to the imperial court? No. If they had been truly loyal to the imperial court, they would not have made way for the rebels and let them march straight into Chang’an. They had already seen the fact that the rebels didn’t have the ability to rule a country. Sooner or later, the rebels would be destroyed. At that time, the Royal Household of the Tang Empire would surely retake Chang’an. Therefore, the vassal states decided to fight against the Tang Empire together with the rebels. It was just like the situation in An-Shi Disturbances, the rebels at that time also had occupied Chang’an. However, they knew nothing about government affairs and the skills of managing a country. Even though the rebels was a well-trained and powerful army, what could they do? Eventually, they perished.”

“Now that the situation of the rebels is so similar to that of An-Shi Disturbances. There are two purposes of the war between the Vassal State Army and the rebels. First, the Vassal State Army doesn’t want the imperial court to punish them after the crisis. Second, they certainly want to take the opportunity to make contributions and receive rewards from the imperial court after the war. In the name of upholding justice, they can control more places. They can also raise and expand the armed forces to build up their strengths. Ultimately, they can gain great achievements and contend for world hegemony!”

Sharply and straightforwardly, Li Ye remarked. Zhu Wen was stunned again and again. He didn’t understand his words for the moment. Obviously, he was trying to understand Li Ye’s words. But Zhu Zhen did not go into his words seriously. Neither did he know the true meaning of the words said by Li Ye. He only knew that Li Ye said the rebels were going to perish in the end like the Rebellion Army in An-Shi Disturbances. Zhu Zhen could not help being furious. “Sheer nonsense! How can you slander Qi Empire? Don’t want to live?”

“Shut up! Go back!”

Suddenly, Zhu Wen berated and silenced Zhu Zhen. Then, he turned to look at Li Ye. At this moment, he didn’t look so relaxed as he was chatting. Instead, he looked gloomy and solemn.

But after all, he was a senior general of the rebels. His position determined his perspective of thinking. He still didn’t believe that the rebels would die.

The tea shed was quiet. No one dared to speak loudly at this time. Upon seeing the outfits and conducts of Zhu Wen, Li Ye, and others, the few people who were drinking tea became very scrupulous. The owner of the tea shed was even more conscientious and dared not to say anything for he was afraid that Zhu Wen and Li Ye would fight because of the slightest disagreement.

Perhaps in his opinion, the Childe in the black robe was really crazy. He even dared to say that the rebels would perish right in front of the rebels. Wasn’t that a suicide? Moreover, the owner of the tea shed thought that the general was also not an ordinary person. “If an ordinary official heard such remarks, wouldn’t he immediately jump up and unsheathe his saber to kill the Childe in the black robe?”

It was close upon June. The sunshine in the afternoon was still blazing. Outside the cold tea shed, the bright official road was steaming with the heat. Under the mottled shade of the sun, countless fine dust flew up and down in the light columns. Few pedestrians were on the official road. From time to time, several clear chirps came from the woods. People didn’t know where those cicadas were. They could only hear waves of cicadas’ cries.

Here was the border of Dengzhou. Beyond the woods beside the official road was a large area of the fertile field which used to be fertile. Numerous unattended crops in the field withered, the scene of which looked particularly desolate. Farther away, there were mountains, forests, rivers, and the blue sky. Standing in the south end of the interior of Central Plains, people could see the whole world when they raised their heads.

Uprisings of war were everywhere, and the whole world was raging like a storm.

In the calm wilderness located in the center of the world, two young men only in their twenties sat face to face and talked between the gaps of the tumbling war flames. It seemed that they would not stop talking until death. They were destined to be rivals, but they were now discussing the general trend of events, criticizing the state affairs, and commenting on heroes, just like two intimate old friends.

Zhu Wen pulled his collar in the armor, feeling felt a little hot.

He looked at Li Ye. “The army of Qi Empire has experienced countless battles throughout the land with great ease. In the past seven years, we have been fighting in one place after another and walked more than 5000 km. The soldiers in our army are all elites who have fought hundreds of battles. From states and counties to Chang’an, we captured many places along the way and got countless armored equipment from government treasuries. So even the equipment of the most powerful vassal state cannot be better than ours. And those brave soldiers of us have survived from hundreds of bloody battles. Each of them dares to make a frontal attack. Moreover, without too many intrigues against each other, we can be united as one such that our army can develop and grow. Now His Majesty is in Chang’an, and the Army of the Tang Empire is attacking us from all sides. But so what? Isn’t the army of Qi Empire more powerful now?”

Speaking of this, Zhu Wen gradually sorted out his thoughts.

He declared forcefully. “The Royal Household of the Tang Empire declined, and the emperor was muddle-headed. In the court, treacherous court officials gained control. In the states and counties, the people and the officials did not unite. Therefore, the army of Qi Empire could blaze a way through all manner of obstacles and seize Chang’an. We drove the emperor of the Tang Empire to Sichuan, and now the emperor of the Tang Empire stays in a remote part of the country. Since we have achieved so much, why can’t we defeat the vassal states from all quarters? Wherever our army has directed its attack, it can take the cities through bloody battles!”

“There are more than 50 vassal states in the world. Which of them can get in our army’s way? What about Gao Pian?” “He is known as a world-famous general and is considered as an arm of the empire. Our army defeated him, too. Now he is holed up in the city and will not come out. There are millions of soldiers and horses in the world. But in my eyes, they are just a group of sheep. Without a qualified commander, even if all of them come to attack the army of Qi Empire from all sides, what can they do? There are countless persons of exceptional ability in the world, and those who claimed themselves to be heroes are as many as a school of silver carps moving down a stream. But if the army of Qi Empire guards Tongguan, which of those armies from Guandong can capture it?”

“You have also said that treacherous court officials gained control of the court of the Tang Empire, and they are engaged in scrambling for power and wealth. Every force in the Tang Empire doesn’t want to be tie together and goes its own way. All of them are thinking about how to protect themselves and how to expand. As long as the army of Qi Empire can keep Guanzhong, may I ask you who dares to fight against the Qi Empire after 3 to 5 years?”

“What you have said that is right. The Tang Empire doesn’t have enough scholars and talents who can rule the state and deal with politics. But as long as the situation stabilizes, scholars will naturally come to us. You should not forget that the emperor of Qi Empire is also a scholar. If he intends to run the country well, how can he not know how to seek for scholars?”

The more Zhu Wen talked, the more passionate he became. Zhu Wen felt that his hot blood stirred in the chest. He could not help standing up and swung his scarlet cloak in high and vigorous spirits.

He walked several steps back and forth. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at Li Ye. “Soldiers in the army of Qi Empire are like tigers and wolves. All of us in the army of Qi Empire bend our efforts in a single direction. How can the army of An Lushan who was from the Northern barbarian tribe compared to us? How can the disunited army of the Tang Empire be compared to us? The army of Qi Empire has gained an invincible spirit and becomes powerful after hundreds of battles! Now we occupied Chang’an, defeated Zheng Tian, and drove the army of vassal state away. The army of Qi Empire dominates the world, and forces from all sides have surrendered to us. Who can defeat the army of Qi Empire? When no one can defeat us, aren’t the world in the hands of us?!”

As Zhu Wen spoke the last sentence, he showed a dominant temperament. Zhu Wen was full of pride and ambition, which all revealed suddenly. At this moment, he looked as if he were the emperor who overlooked the world!

Li Ye chuckled. “Pa!” He opened the folding fan and waved it gently before his chest. He didn’t stand up, but his imposing manner did not lose to Zhu Wen’s. In fact, Li Ye looked more relaxed and calmer. Gazing at Zhu Wen, he asked placidly, “Are you sure that no one in this world can defeat you?”

Zhu Wen stared fiercely into Li Ye’s eyes.

Their eyes met like their swords collided with each other. Between them, there seemed to have sparks went to all directions.

At this moment, silence expressed more than speech.

“Who are you?” Zhu Wen took the lead.

“Who are you?” Li Ye was in no hurry.

Both of them were unparalleled smart people. If they still could not find something strange was going on after such a long time conversation, could they all be mediocre persons?

“A cultivator who travels around Jianghu has such a profound insight into the trend of the world. Even more, he knows everything about how to fix and stabilize the country. How is that possible? How can he ask who I am in reply in such an overbearing manner?”

“He dared to discuss the strength and weakness of the rebel and the official army, and he has such a deep understanding of that. Moreover, he knows how to win. How can an ordinary junior colonel have such an overbearing manner?”

“In the world, there are countless heroes. In troubled times, heroes will come forth in large numbers. However, how many of them have insights and bearing to achieve great things?”

“And how many of them are on the border of Dengzhou and at the edge of Xuzhou now?”

At first, the owner of the tea shed felt relieved when he saw the two of them talking happily. “As long as they don’t fight, everything will be okay.” The owner thought secretly. His shabby tea shed could not afford any destruction. Although the benches and desks were old and rough objects, the old man gained those things with painstaking efforts. Things like teapots, tea bowls, and tea were not worth a few copper coins, but the old man relied on them to live.

If these objects were broken, where could he get the new ones? He could not make much money from pots of tea. His life was hard, and he only struggled to live. He could not stand any misfortune. The owner was an old man, so he could not afford an accident. If he got hurt, he didn’t even have the money to go to see a doctor.

The old man did not quite understand the words of the general and the Childe, neither did he know what they were arguing about, but he felt relaxed as long as they were nice to each other. However, when he saw that they glared at each other and were ready to start an attack, the old man’s face turned ghastly pale, and his heart was in his mouth. He begged almost all the gods, such as Zhenwu Dadi who knew good and evil, Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who helped people in distress, etc.

The several guests who were drinking tea noticed that something was wrong, and they dared not to stay any longer. In a hurry, they finished drinking the tea in one gulp and put the copper coins they fished out on the desk. Then, they left hurriedly while carrying their luggage. It was evident that they were terrified of getting into trouble. If some ordinary people were fighting, they would even stay to watch the fun. But it was a general who could slaughter without batting an eyelid. If they were not careful enough, their heads would fall to the ground. Therefore, how could they dare to stay a second longer?

The old man stood up and intended to stop them from fighting each other. However, he did not dare to. He became so anxious that he was covered with sweat.

A breeze came. It blew the advertising flag of the tea shed and the hair of everyone on the spot. In the breeze, the old man shuddered.

The Senior and Junior Priestesses were prepared to get up, and the eyes of Song Jiao looked fierce.

Zhu Zhen raised his arm and was ready to make a fist to let the one hundred and more cavalries rush in.

Staring at each other, Li Ye and Zhu Wen were in a stalemate.

However, it was only a moment.

“Zhu Wen?!”

“Prince An?!”

The two men bit their teeth at the same time. Then, fierce light flashed across their eyes, and their murderous intentions revealed all of a sudden. Their vigorous Spiritual Qi burst out.

Zhu Wen unsheathed his saber, took a step aside, and was about to cut. The serious of actions were done in one smooth motion. With a strong wind, the saber chopped vehemently at Li Ye’s head.

“Pa!” Li Ye closed his folding fan and pushed the wooden table to hit Zhu Wen. Meanwhile, sitting on the wooden bench, he slipped a few steps back.

The long saber cut at the wooden table, and suddenly the table broke apart. Fine dust rose abruptly like a cloud.

Song Jiao and the Senior and Junior Priestesses stood up at the same time.

Zhu Zhen clenched his palm into a fist. After that, hundreds of cavalries immediately spurred their horses and ran at full speed!

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