Chapter 17: Tai Jiao Zongzi

Du Rui had already remembered. Previously, he had only felt that the middle-aged man claiming the surname Qin was familiar; now, after waking from his sleep, it suddenly dawned on him—wasn't that middle-aged man none other than Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, whom he had seen at Du Ruhui's funeral hall?

At the time, because the lighting in the funeral hall was dim and Du Rui himself was kneeling in the back, he hadn't been able to see clearly. Furthermore, one could not look directly at an emperor, lest it be interpreted as an intentional attempt to assassinate the sovereign—an offense punishable by death. Thus, while Du Rui had some impression of Taizong, it was not very distinct.

At this thought, Du Rui was instantly filled with chagrin. Not only had he failed to recognize Taizong, but he had also spent a long time following along in disparaging the Tang Dynasty's *Fubing* system. If Emperor Taizong were a petty man, the mere charge of criticizing current affairs would be enough to justify executing him ten times over.

Not long ago, he had been wondering how to catch the eye of the imperial family; now, he had actually succeeded, though the impression left was likely not a good one. Du Rui wasn't necessarily aiming to be enfeoffed as a marquess or become a prime minister to leave his name in history, but since Heaven had arranged for him to be born into this era, it would be a great waste of Heaven's mercy if he did not spread his wings and achieve something great.

He hoped that Emperor Taizong was truly the magnanimous and open-minded monarch recorded in the history books. Since even Wei Zheng could force Taizong into embarrassment several times, surely a ten-year-old boy wouldn't be taken too seriously by an emperor.

Just as Du Rui was vexing himself over a missed opportunity, Taizong Li Shimin was also frowning deeply because of Du Rui's words from moments ago.

In Chengqing Hall, Emperor Taizong sat upon a couch. Crown Prince Li Chengqian, Prince of Shu Li Ke, Prince of Wei Li Tai, Prince of Qi Li You, and several other princes had already arrived and were kneeling opposite their father. Additionally, several ministers, including Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Cen Wenben, sat to the side.

After frowning in thought for a long while, Emperor Taizong looked up at his sons and spoke: "I have summoned you here today to test your studies."

As soon as these words were uttered, Prince Qi Li You's expression grew tense first. Among the princes, he was the one most lacking in scholarship; every time Emperor Taizong tested their studies, he would be severely rebuked.

Emperor Taizong also noticed Li You's expression. Frowning, he continued: "Today, I will not test you on poetry, books, or essays. While those are the words of sages, they are merely the 'minor path.' Instead, I shall test you on current affairs! The Turks have raided our borders year after year, kidnapping our people and demanding tribute. Tell me, if you were in charge, how would you deal with this matter?"

Unexpectedly, the topic of today's examination was not the classics. Li You's face relaxed slightly, but Li Tai appeared somewhat disappointed. Among the princes, he was the best reader; whenever there was an examination, he would receive his father's high praise. However, the question Taizong posed was about practical affairs, which was not his specialty.

As the eldest brother and the heir apparent, Crown Prince Li Chengqian naturally spoke first: "In recent years, the barbarian raiders have repeatedly crossed the borders, killing our people and seizing our livestock. The various prefectures along the border are in untold misery, longing for the northern expeditionary forces as one longs for the sun to break through the clouds. The Turks commit every evil imaginable, killing and burning wherever they go. I ask Father Emperor to dispatch a powerful army to fight a decisive battle against that old rogue Jieli! Your son is willing to serve as a supervisor once more."

After the Crown Prince finished speaking, Zhangsun Wuji, sitting to the side, also observed Emperor Taizong's reaction through the corner of his eye.

Emperor Taizong's face remained impassive. He looked at Li Chengqian and said, "The loyalty and courage of the Crown Prince are most heartening to me!"

Seeing this, Li Tai hurriedly kowtowed and said passionately, "The barbarians are extremely arrogant; our Great Tang can no longer endure this. Your son is willing to follow the army into battle. Though my hands lack the strength to lift a chicken, I can at least shout a few times to bolster the army's morale!"

Li You and the other princes also said in unison, "Father Emperor, please dispatch troops to suppress the rebels!"

The hall was in an uproar, except for Li Ke, who remained silent. Emperor Taizong looked up at him and said, "Ke'er, why do you not speak? I know that among these princes, you are the one who has read the most military treatises!"

Hearing his father call his name, Li Ke hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Father Emperor, your son believes that a decisive battle with Jieli cannot be fought at this moment!"

Cen Wenben grew anxious and shot Li Ke urgent glances, but Li Ke pretended not to see them.

Emperor Taizong glanced at Li Ke and asked, "What is your reason?"

Li Ke replied, "Lately, I have frequently visited the Chang'an horse markets. Recently, the prices of Hu horses there have been extremely low; even top-tier steeds are selling for only two thousand coins per horse, less than half of what they were in previous years. I learned from the Hu merchants that the grasslands have had favorable weather and abundant rain over the past two years, resulting in lush grass and fat horses. From this, one can deduce that Jieli's cavalry is very strong, while our army has always lacked fine horses. Therefore, your son believes that the best course of action is to conserve our strength and avoid the enemy's sharp edge for now."

Emperor Taizong nodded, appearing quite satisfied with his answer, and said, "Then tell me, how should we conserve our strength? What is the true best course of action, and how can we make the combat effectiveness of our Great Tang army surpass Jieli's cavalry?"

A series of questions from Emperor Taizong had effectively stumped Li Ke. Although he was intelligent, he lacked worldly experience; he saw clearly through minor details but lacked understanding of grander strategic matters. After a moment of thought, he said, "If we are to make our Great Tang's military strength surpass the Turks, your son believes that... we must vigorously promote the horse administration (*Ma Zheng*)! That is the only proper way!"

Emperor Taizong's expression did not change. After a moment of silence, he said, "That is a balanced view."

The implication was that while Li Ke's words were reasonable, Taizong was not entirely satisfied. Thinking back to the issue of the military system that Du Rui had mentioned earlier, he felt a slight sense of disappointment toward his sons.

Emperor Taizong's attitude toward Li Ke made Li Chengqian somewhat displeased. The Crown Prince leaned forward and spoke: "While my third brother's words have some merit, war does not rely solely on horse power; it relies even more on courage. Years ago, when Father Emperor first ascended the throne, he met Jieli's two hundred thousand iron cavalry with only tens of thousands of men, and did he not block them outside the gates of Chang'an?"

Li Ke looked at Li Chengqian and responded, "The Battle of Weiqiao was merely a narrow victory. We cannot rely on luck for every battle just because we had one victory! Our army has just endured a bitter struggle at Yunzhong; choosing such a time to fight a decisive battle would be playing right into Jieli's hands, would it not?"

After the brothers' verbal sparring, both looked at Taizong, waiting for his judgment.

Taizong looked at Li Ke and asked, "Then should I simply endure the humiliation of Jieli's repeated border raids?"

Sensing that Taizong was actually satisfied with his previous words, Li Ke grew bold and answered, "How can a small humiliation be compared to the entire realm of Great Tang? We must never lose sight of the big picture for the sake of something small. Enduring a moment of humiliation today is precisely so that the northern expedition may succeed in one stroke in the future!"

Li Shimin raised his head. "Mhm. Today's examination ends here. The Prince of Shu sees the subtle signs and discerns the military trend from the horse market; his words are very reasonable. It shows that in his conduct and work, he is attentive to everything."

At this point, Taizong turned his gaze toward Li Chengqian and said with emphasis, "In this regard, you brothers should learn more from him!"

Hearing this, Li Chengqian naturally felt quite bitter, but he could only respond along with the other princes, "Your son obeys your teachings."

Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance. Both understood that today, while the Emperor was nominally testing the princes' studies, he was actually conveying a message to the court officials—especially to them, the heavy ministers: the grand plan for the northern expedition.

After the officials were dismissed, Taizong kept Crown Prince Li Chengqian behind. He was still satisfied with this son. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the Turkic armies raided the borders, and Luo Yi had raised the banner of avenging the deposed Crown Prince in Youzhou. At that time, the Great Tang's realm was truly as precarious as a stack of eggs. Facing such a crisis, Taizong could only choose to compromise, sending Li Chengqian—who was then the Prince of Zhongshan—to Luo Yi's army as a hostage to buy time.

However, as the Crown Prince, Taizong was not entirely satisfied with him. His favorite son was the Prince of Shu, Li Ke; he had even once praised Li Ke in front of the high ministers as being "as brave and decisive as himself." But the blood in Li Ke's veins was far too noble—he was the descendant of the current Emperor and the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui. Such an identity made it impossible for Emperor Taizong to establish Li Ke as the Crown Prince. Moreover, while Li Chengqian was somewhat cowardly, he was profoundly filial.

"Chengqian! I know you are unhappy!"

Li Chengqian hurriedly kowtowed. "Your son would not dare!"

Taizong waved his hand, signaling Li Chengqian to rise, and said, "As a son, Chengqian, you have done very well. But regarding matters of state and military, you must accumulate more experience. Although your several Grand Tutors are great scholars well-versed in the classics, their mouths are filled with nothing but the words of sages. Cultivating one's character is good, but it is of little use in practical affairs."

Listening to this, Li Chengqian felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. "Father Emperor! Your son has disappointed you!"

Taizong smiled, rose, and walked to Li Chengqian's side, patting his back. "Chengqian! You have not disappointed me. How about this? I see you are also bored in the palace. Why not go out for walks more often, see more, and learn more about the hardships of the common people? What do you think?"

Seeing that Taizong still cared for him, Li Chengqian nodded and wept. "Your son will follow Father Emperor's arrangements!"

Taizong smiled upon hearing this. "I encountered a youth while out of the palace today. He is the concubine-born son of Duke Du Keming of the State of Lai, and he currently lives in the Chang'an West Market. Although he is young, he is quite knowledgeable. Go and chat with him more often; perhaps it will be of some help to you!"

Li Chengqian responded, "Your son obeys the imperial decree!"

Though he said he obeyed, he was not entirely convinced in his heart. He was eleven years old this year and had been intelligent since childhood, earning the favor of both the Retired Emperor and Emperor Taizong. Now, Taizong had given such a high evaluation to a mere youth. With his youthful temperament, he naturally felt a desire to compare himself. He decided he would seek out that youth tomorrow to test him.