"Don't laugh, Lord, lying drunk on the battlefield. How many people have fought in ancient times... It's very heroic, but also very sad!"
Li Shimin put down the bottle of wine and sighed,
"Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, I have experienced dozens of wars, large and small, and many familiar faces are no longer here."
"Their smiles are still in front of me, but I can't hear their voices. They... are all lying drunk on the battlefield..."
"Including this battle, although our army won a great victory, there were also casualties. In a war...someone has to sacrifice."
"Alas! It would be great if everyone was here... War is cruel after all!"
"It's boring. This drink is really boring."
He was originally in a high mood, but after listening to this poem, he felt completely depressed.
Xu Fenglei stood up and cupped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, don't be surprised. I just said it... all my poems are critical."
"When I saw the grand gathering in front of me, I couldn't help but think of those brothers who died on the battlefield, and I couldn't help but hate war."
"As the saying goes, it's better to be a peace dog than a troubled person!"
"I only hope that after this battle, the world will be at peace, and we will no longer have to use weapons! I will no longer have to lead the army to go to war."
Li Shimin nodded slowly.
His eyes fell on Jieli Khan.
Suddenly, he walked up three steps at a time and grabbed Jie Li's collar.
Jie Li: "!!!"
"Your Majesty, you, what are you..." He waved his hands in fear.
"Jie Li, tell me about you! How many people have you hurt without knowing it, and how many families have been destroyed?"
Li Shimin stared at Jie Li and said angrily,
"Our two countries could have lived in peace with each other, and we could have afforded no weapons!"
"If you hadn't repeatedly broken contracts and stirred up trouble, destroyed our border, and abused our border residents, how would we have ended up like this!"
"Um?"
"You...really brought it upon yourself and asked for trouble!"
Jie Li: "..."
"Yes Yes……"
He said bitterly,
"It's my own fault. I'm asking for trouble. Please forgive me..."
Uh-huh.
Li Shimin snorted softly and loosened his collar.
"Come on, pass on the message."
He said in a deep voice to Changsun Wuji,
"The soldiers who died in this battle will be given double pensions."
"There are also soldiers who have sacrificed their lives fighting for the Tang Dynasty since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. If we can find their families, we can count them one by one and gather them together."
"I want to express my condolences to them personally! Back then, the Tang Dynasty was poor and the pensions were very small. Without a male in their family, life must have been very difficult..."
Changsun Wuji looked solemn.
"According to the order."
He responded,
"I will make arrangements tomorrow and do my best to find them all!"
Li Shimin nodded.
"The second decree is that I want peace."
He turned to look at Fang Xuanling and said,
"Five years."
"Within five years, all foreign affairs will be handled by diplomacy. I will not use force again unless absolutely necessary!"
"Although the country is big, if it is warlike, it will perish! After so many years of fighting, both the army and the people are very tired. It is time to take a good rest and live a peaceful life for a few years."
"This decree is promulgated to the world, so that people all over the world can breathe a sigh of relief and relax!"
Fang Xuanling was shocked.
"In compliance with the decree, I will immediately draft an imperial edict."
He said a little excitedly,
"If this can really happen, it will really be a blessing to all the people in the world!"
He was excited, but some of the generals at the table were a little embarrassed.
"Why aren't we going to fight anymore? Five years..."
Yuchi Gong muttered,
"After five years, it's doubtful whether I'll even think about having surgery."
"Hey! Medicine Master, Mao Gong, it seems that we really have to take care of ourselves. Let us enter the retirement life in advance. Come and go!"
He raised the wine glass, but Li Ji and Li Jing ignored him.
"It's just five years, just to sharpen your temper."
Li Ji whispered,
"Although the Turks are dead, there are still many enemies around the Tang Dynasty, such as Tuyuhun, Xue Yantuo, and Goguryeo."
"Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty has always been concerned about it. I don't believe that His Majesty would not care about this fat piece of Liaodong!"
"Pharmacist, do you think so?"
Li Jing looked calm.
"Exactly."
He poured himself a cup and said calmly,
"After five years of rest, Datang's soldiers and horses will be stronger and more comfortable to use."
"We, the generals, should recharge our batteries and wait for them to be activated! If we are thinking about taking care of ourselves in old age, then our life will be wasted."
Are you kidding, retirement?
Raise your ass! He also wants to truly lead an external war!
The corners of Li Ji's mouth rose.
"Heroes think alike."
He picked up the wine glass and handed it into the air.
Ding.
The two of them clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
When Yuchi Gong saw this, his face turned green and he poured the wine from the glass into his mouth.
"If you don't drink with me, I will drink by myself! Beat your sex..."
He muttered,
"Even if we really have to fight then, we won't need you! The grand master is here! He is younger than you and stronger than you!"
"It's really..."
While he was still thinking casually, Xu Fenglei over there had already taken out a seal and a pair of military talismans from his arms.
"Your Majesty's move is really in line with the way of heaven and the people's will. I respect you."
He said with admiration,
"The war is over. This commander's seal and the pair of tiger charms should be returned to His Majesty."
Li Shimin glanced at him.
"What are you in such a hurry for?"
He smiled lightly and said,
"I'm still drinking. Don't bring work matters into your life."
Even so, Li Ershou was unambiguous. With a casual move, he took the handsome seal and tiger talisman from Xu Fenglei's hand.
From this moment on, Xu Fenglei's military power was lifted.
"Of course I'm anxious. This may be a sweet potato to others, but to me, it's a hot potato."
Xu Fenglei spread his hands and said,
"The war was too hard. It was freezing that day. I didn't have enough food or clothing. Every day when I opened my eyes, I had to take care of the food, drink, and urination of 100,000 people, and I had to take care of so many lives. On my body...it makes me collapse just thinking about it!"
"I don't want to suffer this kind of pain anymore."
"Your Majesty, when choosing a commander in the future, please don't consider me again, otherwise I will definitely imitate Na Sai Weng's son and break his own leg!"
Li Shimin couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Promise! That's all you have to do!"
He laughed and cursed,
"Are you willing to be a lame to avoid the military?"
"If all the men in the Tang Dynasty were like you, there would be no need to fight the war, the country would have been destroyed long ago!"
Xu Fenglei shrugged, looking like he was in a bad mood.
Whatever you say, I’m done with it anyway.
I believe you will not let me continue to do this. It will not be good for both of us to destroy a few more countries. It is better to give Li Jing and the others more opportunities.
"That's all. Since you are tired of fighting, I won't force others to do anything."
Li Shimin gathered his commander's seal and military talisman and hummed softly,
"You are not the only one who can use this Tang Dynasty!"
"Like Yao Shi and Mao Gong, none of them are weaker than you, they are just one chance behind! If you don't do it, there will be others who will!"
"You said, right?"
When Li Jing and Li Ji heard the emperor's words, they immediately trembled.
"I am willing to go through fire and water for His Majesty!"
Both of them stood up and held their hands, full of energy.
"Look, look, our Tang Dynasty is rich in generals and handsome men!"
Li Er said proudly,
"Even if there is no one available, I can still lead the expedition myself. Who in the world dares to disobey?"
"Yes, yes..." Xu Fenglei said continuously, "Your Majesty is so powerful and domineering that the whole world follows you."
No matter what the emperor brags about now, as long as he can resign safely.
"If Your Majesty is to lead the expedition in person, then I must be the vanguard!"
Yuchi Gong laughed boldly and said,
"When the time comes, I will escort His Majesty with my sword. Even if there are tens of millions of enemy troops, what should I fear?"
"Hahaha, it's the best, it's the best!" Li Shimin raised his wine glass and laughed loudly, "I hold the bow and arrows, and the public holds the spears with me. Even if there are millions of people, I am nothing! Come on, one of us!"
After swallowing a glass of strong wine, the atmosphere in the pavilion became lively again.
Only Jieli lowered his head and remained silent.
The joys and sorrows of human beings are not understood.
The people of Tang Dynasty were showing off their achievements, the Emperor of Tang Dynasty was boasting, and the Tang Dynasty had become stronger, but in his heart, there was only frustration and sadness.
Everyone present could be said to be stepping on his head and rejoicing...
"Jieli, you danced very well just now!"
Li Yuan held the pipa and said with a smile,
"It works well with my pipa, it's very energetic... another piece?"
Jie Li's face twisted.
But when he raised his head the next second and faced Li Yuan, he was respectful and gentle.
"His Majesty the Emperor likes it, and I will obey your orders."
He stood up again, cupped his hands and said,
"I would like to use my dance to entertain the eyes and ears of the Supreme Emperor."
Li Yuan stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction.
"Okay, okay, the dignified Jieli Khan is now an obedient citizen of the Tang Dynasty!"
He raised his hand and said,
"Come on, give me some wine!"
Jieli Khan, who once frightened him so much that he almost moved the capital to avoid him, has now become a good boy.
This made Li Yuan feel extremely satisfied!
The maid trotted two steps and presented the wine.
"Jieli, I'm very pleased that you can be so obedient."
Li Shimin raised his glass and said casually,
"As long as you can continue to be obedient like this, my promise to you will always be valid, and you can live in Chang'an for the rest of your life!"
"Here, have a drink."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, Your Majesty." Jie Li took the wine glass with fear and drank it down in one gulp.
He was about to dance when he heard a rush of footsteps outside the pavilion.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
A guard broke into Lingyan Pavilion and said anxiously,
"Xianggong Du... Xianggong Du's condition suddenly worsened tonight... He is about to die! Your Majesty, please send an imperial doctor for treatment!"
Li Shimin: "!!!"
Fang Xuanling: "!!!"
Xu Fenglei: "?!!"
"Du Ruhui?"
Xu Fenglei said in shock,
"What happened to him? He was fine before I went on the expedition. Why did he suddenly stop?"
When the question came out, his heart suddenly sank.
Yes.
Thinking about it, it seems that Du Ruhui died in the fourth year of Zhenguan. Historically, he did not even see the Turks being destroyed and the army returning in triumph.
"According to the imperial doctor, it's a heart disease that started a while ago and became very serious."
Fang Xuanling said with a worried look,
"I had been resting for a while and was already feeling better. Who would have expected that today..."
"Alas! He is only forty-six years old..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Shimin shouted:
"Stop, stop everyone! Stop playing!"
The musicians stopped playing, and Jie Li stepped aside knowingly.
"Send the imperial doctor to Du Aiqing's house quickly!"
Li Shimin said anxiously,
"Oh, no, no, no, hurry up and get ready, I'll go there myself! Ask the doctor on duty at the Imperial Hospital to go with me!"
After that, he ran out of Lingyan Pavilion in three steps followed by two steps.
"I am coming too."
Xu Fenglei continued,
"The doctors at the Imperial Hospital may not be of much use, but I might be able to help."
As soon as he finished speaking, several people around him stood up.
"I am coming too!"
"Let's all go! Let's go!"
Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and Yuchi Gong, all the old friends from Tiance, all looked eager.
We were all brothers who shared weal and woe back then. This feeling is not comparable to ordinary friendship!
To put it harshly, if Du Ruhui is really going to die, they can at least meet each other one last time and have a few words to say goodbye, right?
"good."
Xu Fenglei turned to look at Li Yuan, cupped his hands and said,
"Your Majesty, the situation is urgent, I'm sorry."
Seeing that Li Yuan waved his hands indifferently, he turned to Changsun Wugou again and said in a deep voice:
"Queen, please continue to host the dinner."
"I will go to Kemin first."
Changsun Wugou pursed his lips, with infinite worry in his eyes.
Du Ruhui is also her old friend.
"Go ahead and listen. Doctor Sun is not in Chang'an. Please do your best to bring Mr. Du back."
She said sincerely,
"Just like when you saved him..."
"please."
Xu Fenglei nodded solemnly.
"I will."
…
It's night, and the Du Mansion is brightly lit.
A few sobs came from the house, making Li Shimin's face look ugly as he just got off the sedan chair.
"Your Majesty is here!"
Following the eunuch's loud shout, the servant in the mansion quickly opened the door and knelt aside.
Inside the door, Du Ruhui's son Du He was already coming to greet him.
"See Your Majesty."
With red eyes, he bowed to the emperor.
"Get up, how is your father? Is it okay?"
Li Shimin hurriedly helped him up and asked eagerly as he walked inside,
"Weren't you fine the past two days? You can still walk. Why are you suddenly seriously ill again today? Didn't I arrange for an imperial doctor to live in your house?"
"Quick, I'm here with the chief physician, take me to see him quickly!"
Du He wiped his tears and led the way.
"Back to Your Majesty, my father felt better in the past two days and drank two bowls of porridge. He thought he was fine, so he asked the imperial doctor to return to the palace..."
His voice trembled slightly and he said,
"But tonight, I suddenly felt hot, very hot! Then my body began to twitch, and my face turned extremely ugly. My mother and I realized something was wrong and immediately called for the imperial doctor..."
"It's all my fault. I should have kept the imperial doctor, but this time was wasted. Father... he is already unconscious!"
Li Shimin's heart suddenly sank.
"Okay, okay, this is not your fault. I know your father. He doesn't want the imperial physician to serve him for too long."
He comforted him a little and said,
"Let's go in and take a look first. After so many ups and downs, I believe he will be able to survive this time!"
