Chapter 65

After Princess Pingyang understood the whole story, she could not blame Luo Shixin without cause. The incident was provoked by Li Yi, and it would be unfair to let him face the situation alone. Relatively speaking, Luo Shixin had already done a very good job. He first used the pretense of rebellion to scare off the guards in Dingzhou, and then, by some unknown means, made Li Yi swallow all the bitter consequences and resolve the matter entirely.

Although Princess Pingyang was very curious about the methods Luo Shixin used, she knew that if she asked, he would undoubtedly tell her without hesitation. However, she wisely did not ask a single question. After all, she was a member of the Li family, and Li Yi was also considered a half-member of the Li family.

Sometimes, turning a blind eye is the best choice.

In the end, Luo Shixin left the prefecture office with Su Dingfang.

Princess Pingyang did not ask, but Su Dingfang, unexpectedly curious, inquired about the reason.

Luo Shixin casually replied, "He kept harping on the fact that you came from the Turks, accusing you of being a Turkish spy. I turned the tables and convinced him that you were actually loyal to China and had come to our Tang Dynasty with intelligence from the Turks. Since everyone was just making things up, he had no choice but to believe it."

Su Dingfang was somewhat incredulous and puzzled, unable to understand why such a minor issue would make Li Yi endure such great humiliation. In terms of military talent, Su Dingfang was unmatched, but when it came to cunning and scheming, he was not as adept, and thus could not see the key points.

In terms of status, Li Yi was far superior to Luo Shixin. As the Prince of Yan and the Left General of the Left Flank Guard, he commanded over ten thousand troops in Youzhou, far surpassing Luo Shixin in every way. However, in terms of position, the gap between them was not so significant. Li Yi, despite his high status, was far from the glory he appeared to have. As a vassal, even though Li Yi now bore the Li surname and was considered part of the Li family, the Li Tang dynasty still kept a watchful eye on him. Few officials in the court were willing to get close to him to avoid any future problems. This is why Li Yi clung tightly to Li Jiancheng to show his loyalty. On the other hand, Luo Shixin, as a top-ranking battle hero of the Li Tang dynasty and the acting Right General of the Right Flank Guard, had accumulated a network of military connections that far exceeded Li Yi's. Therefore, in this campaign, both Luo Shixin and Li Yi were appointed as deputy commanders of the Hebei army, assisting Princess Pingyang in battle, with no distinction in rank.

Given their situation, Li Yi could not bring down Luo Shixin with a non-fatal mistake, and Luo Shixin could not easily undermine Li Yi.

To get the upper hand, the key was to have a valid reason. If the matter escalated, the one with the right reason would have the advantage.

This kind of loss was mutual, like killing a thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of your own.

None of the key figures, such as Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, Pei Ji, Chen Shuda, and Yuwen Shiji, were easy to deal with. The discord between Li Yi and Luo Shixin was well-known, and a simple investigation would reveal their intentions to stir up trouble. To avoid fostering a negative atmosphere, both sides would be punished, the only question being the severity.

Li Yi could not have been unaware of this. He took the risk of being punished to teach Luo Shixin a lesson, just to vent his anger.

However, his schemes backfired, and he not only suffered a beating from Luo Shixin but also lost all his dignity and found himself without a valid reason. If the matter had escalated, he would have borne all the blame, and people would have mocked him.

To protect his reputation, Li Yi had to suppress the matter and agree to cooperate with Luo Shixin.

Luo Shixin, on the other hand, had a different mindset.

He was not the type to retaliate when bitten by a dog.

That would just be a dogfight, and it would be meaningless.

What he wanted was to kill the dog, eat its meat, and drink its broth.

He would not act rashly unless it was absolutely necessary. Such self-destructive tactics were only seen as opportunities by people like Li Yi.

Therefore, Luo Shixin did not use this slight advantage to counterattack. He simply took the opportunity to break Li Yi's teeth and make him swallow them.

These details were beyond Su Dingfang's comprehension.

"However, General, you were right. My time in the Turks was not wasted. I did gather some useful information that might come in handy in the future," Su Dingfang, unable to figure it out, decided not to think too much about it and went along with Luo Shixin's fabricated story.

Luo Shixin, intrigued, asked, "What kind of information?"

Su Dingfang shook his head. "Just some bits and pieces, hard to explain right now. We can discuss it in detail when we sit down... but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. I didn't get inside the Turkish camp, so the information I have is only useful for an attack, and the Tang Dynasty currently lacks the capability to attack the Turks."

Luo Shixin recalled that Su Dingfang's first famous battle in the Tang Dynasty was in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, when he was ordered by Li Jing to attack the Turkish camp, defeating the Turkish guards and driving away the Khan Jiali and Princess Yicheng, laying the foundation for Li Jing's victory with three thousand troops. This made him even more interested in the information Su Dingfang had.

The two found a high-end tavern, booked a private room, and sat down to drink and chat.

Su Dingfang recounted his experiences over the past month in the Turkish camp.

Luo Shixin was amazed. Su Dingfang truly lived up to his reputation as a strategic genius on par with Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. He had a terrifying strategic vision, and everything he observed was considered from a tactical and strategic perspective. In just over thirty days, he had memorized the habits and weaknesses of the Turks, especially their nomadic lifestyle and their settlement in Dingxiang, which gave him unique insights.

"The Turkish Khan Jiali wants to emulate our Central Plains and establish a state on the grasslands, a nation that can last for hundreds of years, not just a tribal alliance held together by interests. However, they cannot change their nomadic habits and cannot stay in one place for long. Excessive demands for change will only create fatal flaws."

Luo Shixin praised him, smiling. "Jiali is overestimating himself. The current state of our Central Plains took over five hundred years to develop, with the great achievements of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Jiali's efforts are just a poor imitation, a laughingstock."

Regarding the Turks, Luo Shixin spoke from the heart, but thinking about the course of history, he felt uneasy: Jiali was just the beginning. The Central Plains had Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and the non-Han peoples would also have their own Qin Shi Huangs—people like Yelü Abaoji, Yelü Hongji, Wanyan Aguda, and Temüjin. They achieved what Jiali could not, unifying the grasslands and establishing a state, then invading the south...

Thinking of the brutal massacres in history, Luo Shixin looked at one of the greatest foreign war heroes of the Tang Dynasty and had a sudden idea: "If I could conquer the grasslands in this era and make them part of the Central Plains, wouldn't people like Yelü Abaoji, Yelü Hongji, Wanyan Aguda, and Temüjin be rendered powerless?"

PS: I passed the driving test, and I'm back to updating. I'll do my best to catch up on the two missed days.