Chapter 20

Listen! Tang army's main tent!

Li Shimin, standing in front of the tent, served tea and water with a face full of flattery.

"Sit down! Sister, take the seat of honor!"

Luo Shixin was tall and slender, not particularly robust, but his bones were larger than those of a woman. Princess Pingyang, wearing Luo Shixin's clothes, which did not fit her, tied her hair with horsehair and dressed as a man, exuding a heroic air, feeling no discomfort at all.

Princess Pingyang kept a stern face, unmoving, and coldly said, "How dare I, Princess Pingyang, trouble the great contributor of our Great Tang, Prince Qin, General of Heavenly Strategy, Grand Marshal, Minister of Works, Grand Administrator of Shandong, Grand Administrator of Yizhou, Governor of Yongzhou, Governor of Liangzhou, Grand General of the Left and Right Martial Guards, and Grand Pillar of the State, Li Shimin."

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the system of three provinces and six departments was not yet perfected, and the official titles were relatively chaotic. Li Shimin had achieved countless military successes, and his titles were so numerous that they could be used as food. He was a chancellor, one of the Three Dukes, and the commander-in-chief of the three armies, all at once.

Princess Pingyang read out the titles word by word, directly forcing Li Shimin into a corner, making him raise his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright! I was wrong not to inform my sister. I had no choice... I couldn't explain to you, so I left Chang'an first." After Li Yuan recalled Li Shimin, the father and son secretly discussed the situation in Hebei. Li Shimin learned that Princess Pingyang had gone to the Qin Wang Palace and did not know how to face his sister, so he did not return home and went straight back to Hebei.

On the way back to Chang'an, Li Shimin was still thinking about how to avoid her, but unexpectedly, Princess Pingyang saw through his trick and came directly to the tent. With the army here, there was no way to avoid her.

Princess Pingyang finally relaxed her stern face and sighed, "Tell me, was his death an accident, or was there a special reason?"

Li Shimin opened his mouth, somewhat hesitant.

Princess Pingyang said, "Speak directly, there's no need to hide it. If I want to investigate, I can. I just don't want to go through the trouble!"

"It was an accident. Arrows in battle are blind, but..." Li Shimin continued, "Brother-in-law was too hasty. Seeing that General Luo Shixin had claimed the major victory, he personally came to me to request the task of dealing with the remnants of Liu Heita. I thought that with Brother-in-law's intelligence, dealing with the likes of Liu Shitan would be more than enough, but I never expected an accident to happen."

When Princess Pingyang first heard Luo Shixin's name, her face showed a strange embarrassment. She had always been decisive and straightforward, and knowing that Li Shimin was deliberately avoiding her, she came at night to force him to see her. She never expected that while taking a shortcut over a wooden bridge, Luo Shixin suddenly frightened her horse, causing both of them to fall into the river. Due to the suddenness of the event, her mouth and nose were full of water, and in her panic, she accidentally bit onto something... At that moment, she really wanted to bite down.

She thought it was just a passerby and would never see him again, but when she was dressing, she found a token in her pocket, realizing that the person was actually Duke of Tan, Luo Shixin.

Hearing the rest, she shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Indeed... Chai Shao, Chai Shao, you are truly a man."

Princess Pingyang was married to Chai Shao at a young age through an arranged marriage. They had no deep feelings, but she had always tried to be a virtuous wife. Until one day, they received a secret letter from Li Yuan in Chang'an, stating that he was going to rebel and asking them to meet in JinYang to avoid being implicated.

After reading the letter, Chai Shao immediately discussed with Princess Pingyang, saying, "I have to go and help your father conquer the world, and I can't take you with me. But if I go alone, what will you do?"

Princess Pingyang, understanding Chai Shao's intentions, let him go alone and stayed behind.

As a woman, Princess Pingyang did not sit idly by. She sold her property, dressed as a man, and started from scratch, forming an army of 70,000 soldiers in Guanzhong, achieving feats that even Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, the most talented civil and military figures, were ashamed of.

Chai Shao's decision to leave Princess Pingyang alone and escape had always been a source of guilt. When he learned that Princess Pingyang not only survived but also achieved great success, it made him feel even more unworthy of her.

To be on par with Princess Pingyang, Chai Shao devoted himself entirely to serving the Tang Dynasty. He was indeed very capable, with both intelligence and military prowess, and achieved significant accomplishments. However, compared to Princess Pingyang, his achievements were like a small stream next to a great river.

After years of effort, he still could not achieve his goal. As the Tang Dynasty was about to unify, the opportunities for further achievements were decreasing. Chai Shao became more and more eager, especially after being inspired by Luo Shixin's great victory, leading him to launch a night attack, which unfortunately resulted in his death by an arrow.

"Sister!" Li Shimin did not know what to say.

"I'm fine!" Princess Pingyang said, "Chai Shao's death has nothing to do with you. Don't feel guilty; it was his choice." Princess Pingyang, due to the arranged marriage, had never had deep feelings for Chai Shao. His act of abandoning her to escape had created a rift between them. Later, his inferiority complex made him view Princess Pingyang as a rival, and all the affection between them was reduced to a mere formality.

"Today, I came not only to ask about this matter but also to request some people from you."

"Who?" Li Shimin's heart stirred, feeling somewhat hesitant, thinking, "It can't be Luo Shixin!" He had already wondered why Princess Pingyang was wearing Luo Shixin's clothes, but did not want to ask.

"Li Zhongwen, Xiang Shanzhi, Qiu Shili!" Princess Pingyang listed three names.

Hearing that it was not Luo Shixin, Li Shimin felt somewhat relieved but then hesitated, "Sister, do you want them... to do what?" These three were the left and right arms of Princess Pingyang in Guanzhong, who later joined Li Shimin after she gave up her military responsibilities.

Princess Pingyang said proudly, "Our Li family has a military background, and Li children have been trained in military strategy and archery since childhood. My decision to give up was not my choice. Now that I have no more concerns, why can't I, like you men, show my skills on the battlefield?"

Li Shimin was overjoyed, "Sister, with such ambition, your younger brother naturally supports you. Li Zhongwen, Xiang Shanzhi, and Qiu Shili were originally your subordinates, so it's fine to return them to you. However, these three are not very capable. I have twenty-three major generals and hundreds of battle-hardened commanders, all of whom are more talented and skilled than these three. If you need them, you can command them freely."

Princess Pingyang blinked and said, "Are you really willing to part with them?"

Li Shimin said generously, "We are family, there's no need to talk about willingness."

Princess Pingyang also said boldly, "I appreciate your kindness, and if I really need them, I won't hesitate. But for now, I'll pass. Your major generals are all proud and arrogant, and I don't want to spend time training them. Li Zhongwen, Xiang Shanzhi, and Qiu Shili, if used well, may not be inferior to your major generals."

Li Shimin looked at the determined Princess Pingyang, seeing a phoenix about to spread its wings.

PS: Ninth place, I cannot express my gratitude to all the readers for their strong support. Thank you.

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