Chapter 43: Entanglements from Three Old Friends

Qin Ruzhao hurried forward with swift steps and the momentum of the wind, running all the way. His heart hammered like a drum, and the news of the Emperor's urgent summons echoed continuously in his mind, filling every step with tension and unease. The moment he stepped into the Liangyi Hall, he knelt down without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, your humble general has arrived."

His tone carried the crispness and loyalty characteristic of a soldier. Li Chengqian hurried forward, reached out to help Qin Ruzhao up, and his eyes were filled with anxiety.

"Ruzhao, do we still have any other available and combat-ready troops among our three major camps at present?"

Li Chengqian felt like an ant on a hot pan. He stared fixedly at Qin Ruzhao, hoping for good news.

Qin Ruzhao furrowed his brow slightly, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Your Majesty, both the Five-Army Camp and the Divine Machine Camp have followed General Li Ji on the expedition against Xueyantuo."

"Although your humble general still has the Three-Thousand Camp and the Shenwu Army under my command, these two forces are scheduled to set out on an expedition with General Li Jing very soon. We truly have no spare troops available!"

As he spoke, Qin Ruzhao felt a pang of self-reproach in his heart. As a military commander, he was unable to share the Emperor's burdens, leaving him filled with guilt.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian snapped back to reality. He rubbed his head in frustration and muttered under his breath, "Panic breeds confusion; panic breeds confusion."

"As long as they went, that's fine! As long as they went, it's good!"

Seeing this, Qin Ruzhao hurriedly helped Li Chengqian back to his chair and asked with a face full of worry, "Your Majesty, what on earth has happened? If there is anything troubling Your Majesty, please tell your humble general plainly. Even if I have to risk my life, I will definitely resolve it for Your Majesty!"

Qin Ruzhao's eyes were filled with determination. He knew the Emperor must have encountered a thorny problem, and he was resolved to shoulder everything for him.

Li Chengqian patted Qin Ruzhao on the shoulder and comforted him, "It's nothing, I'm fine. Xianhuai only just left."

"Later on, go ask Xianhuai if we can spare five thousand men from the Brocade Guard. If they can be spared, have Xianhuai come to the Liangyi Hall once more."

"Go and attend to your duties first. On this expedition, you must protect yourself well, do you understand?"

With that, Li Chengqian reached out and pinched Qin Ruzhao's cheek. He knew very well that Qin Ruzhao was young and full of vigor, but this campaign would be fraught with danger, and his heart was filled with concern for the youth.

Qin Ruzhao immediately wore a displeased expression.

"Your Majesty! I am no longer a child! I am a Grand General now! If others see you pinching my cheek like this, how am I supposed to face people?"

Flustered and embarrassed, his face turned completely red. Although he understood the Emperor's affection, he still felt somewhat awkward in such a solemn place, while secretly vowing to achieve great merit to prove himself.

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "You rascal grew up before my eyes, what's wrong with pinching you?"

"Huo Qubing was a Grand General at eighteen, and you, Qin Ruzhao, are my Grand General at seventeen. I have high hopes for you. On this campaign against Tibet, you must win some serious glory for me!"

Looking at Qin Ruzhao, Li Chengqian felt as though he were looking at hope itself. He was filled with confidence in him and expected him to shine brilliantly on the battlefield.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

A flash of light crossed Qin Ruzhao's eyes, and he nodded with high spirits.

"Your humble general takes his leave!" A fighting spirit ignited within him, and he turned and strode away, carrying the Emperor's expectations and his own ambitions.

Not long after Qin Ruzhao left, Zhang Xianhuai, who had departed only a short while ago, returned once more.

"Your Majesty, this subject can mobilize another five thousand elite Brocade Guards!"

Zhang Xianhuai also felt a trace of trepidation. Withdrawing these five thousand Brocade Guards might cause the workload of the remaining agents to increase sharply, but the Emperor was undoubtedly placed above all else in Zhang Xianhuai's heart!

"Good!"

Upon hearing this definitive reply, a look of joy immediately appeared on Li Chengqian's face.

"Xianhuai, quickly tell Mr. Qi to equip all five thousand of these Brocade Guards with fast horses, and then go to Xianyang City to bring One-Two-Triple-Zero-Three back."

"Make haste day and night to catch up with Li Ji's main army, but do not disrupt their encampment. Their task is only one! And that is to protect that personal guard of Li Ji!"

Li Chengqian let out a sigh of relief, yet he remained worried about whether this arrangement would be completely foolproof, silently praying in his heart that everything would go smoothly.

"Yes! Your Majesty, I will go make the arrangements right away."

Receiving the command, Zhang Xianhuai hurried off, calculating in his mind how to complete the mission swiftly and properly.

Watching Zhang Xianhuai's retreating figure, Li Chengqian relaxed slightly, though worry still lingered in his eyes. He prayed silently to himself: I hope nothing happens to Father Emperor! The face of his Father Emperor floated into his mind, filling him with deep attachment and apprehension.

...

Inside the command tent of Li Ji's army, the candlelight flickered.

Li Ji's brow was deeply furrowed, and he massaged his temples with a headache.

He was torn by a fierce internal struggle: on one side was his craving for delicious food, and on the other was his cherished reputation. The two emotions pulled at each other in his heart.

His three good brothers—Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and Li Shimeng (Li Shimin)—surrounded him closely, staring at him without blinking, their gazes filled with anticipation.

"Your Majesty! You know very well that I am the Grand Marshal!"

Li Ji complained with helpless resignation.

"Those military physicians came from Xianyang, and they are His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's men. If I ask them for provisions, they will surely report it to the Crown Prince upon our return!"

"What will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince think of me then? Should I care about my reputation as Li Ji anymore?"

His tone was laden with deep frustration, as he only hoped these three good buddies would let him off the hook.

Cheng Yaojin stepped forward, threw an arm around Li Ji's shoulder, and said with a cheeky grin.

"Look at you, so brilliant and mighty. Asking for a bit of food is no big deal!"

"All we need to do is win the battle and fight it well!"

"When we return to Chang'an, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won't have time enough to reward you!"

"He won't blame you over such a trivial matter!"

Cheng Yaojin thought to himself that this was nothing at all; eating a bit of food did not affect fighting a war, and he could not understand why Li Ji was making such a fuss.

Li Ji cast a disdainful look at Cheng Yaojin and retorted ungraciously, "It's easy for you to say when it's not your reputation on the line! This isn't even a matter of whether there's a reward or not!"

"I am afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will think of me, Li Ji, as a glutton! I, Li Ji, at least care about saving face!"

"This matter is truly something I can never, ever do! If you, Old Cheng, want to stab me with a knife right now, I'll accept it!"

The more Li Ji thought about it, the more convinced he was that he could not ruin his reputation of many years for a momentary craving, making his stance all the more resolute.

Seeing Li Ji display such unwavering determination, Cheng Yaojin sighed helplessly.

"Alas, it seems Your Majesty is not destined to enjoy this blessing of food~"

Cheng Yaojin felt a twinge of regret, knowing how difficult it was to change Li Ji's mind once he had made a decision.

Li Shimin also felt somewhat embarrassed. He coughed softly and slowly said, "Li Ji, if you feel awkward about it, then don't go ask."

"It's not that I must have a bite of this food, I just feel that this might well be the last campaign the four of us undertake together."

"When we are old and bedridden, it would be nice to have some memories to look back on."

Li Shimin felt a trace of desolation in his heart. He understood Li Ji's misgivings, but he also lamented that this rare gathering might lose a bit of joy. A flicker of melancholy crossed his eyes as he let out a faint sigh.

Hearing Li Shimin speak thus, Li Ji's heart softened. He stood up from his seat.

"Your Majesty, I will go right now. Your Majesty, please wait here for a moment, I shall return shortly."

Li Ji thought to himself that since the Emperor had put it that way, refusing again would seem too devoid of human warmth, and this might perhaps be the last time he could do such a thing for the Emperor.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde instantly broke into wide smiles of delight.

Yuchi Jingde chimed in eagerly, "Brother Li, don't forget to bring back a couple of bottles of *Xiaobaigan* to moisten our throats! The four of us, two bottles—we won't get drunk!"

Filled with anticipation for fine wine, Yuchi Jingde was already imagining the cozy and pleasant scene of drinking liquor and eating hotpot.

Yuchi Jingde had been acting like a transparent bystander the whole time, but seeing Li Ji stand up, he finally voiced what had been on his mind. The taste of *Xiaobaigan* was simply irresistible to him!

In truth, Yuchi Jingde had been craving that wine for a long time, but he had felt too shy to speak up until now, when the opportunity had finally presented itself.

When Li Ji heard this, he was left between laughter and tears. He thought to himself: *Great! I thought Yuchi Jingde was the only one who cared about my reputation, but it turns out this fellow looks honest on the outside while harboring plenty of little schemes in his heart.*

However, thinking that two bottles of *Xiaobaigan* among the four of them would merely moisten their throats and not get them drunk, Li Ji nodded toward Yuchi Jingde.

"Understood! All my face is completely lost anyway! Might as well make sure we eat comfortably!"

Feeling that since the decision was made, he might as well let everyone be happy and not waste this campaign.

"You two remember this! You owe me a favor!"

Li Ji feigned a stern expression, hoping to let Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde know that he had laid aside his misgivings solely for their sake.

"Of course, of course!" Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde hurried forward, massaging his shoulders from either side.

"Brother Li, hurry back quickly! Your brothers are waiting right here for you!"

"Brother Li, ask for plenty of hotpot, don't be shy! We're only doing this once!"

They waited with bated breath for Li Ji to return triumphantly, their hearts filled with yearning for good food and wine.

...

Carrying the instructions of his sworn brothers, Li Ji strode out of the command tent. Outside, the moonlight was like water, spilling across the encampment.

He took a deep breath, the night air clearing his head slightly. He still felt some lingering hesitation, but greater still was the bond of camaraderie he shared with his brothers.

Along the way, the soldiers on night patrol were full of vigor. Seeing Li Ji approach, they raised their hands in a military salute one after another.

"Greetings, Grand General!"

The voices were neat and resounding.

Li Ji nodded in response to each of them one by one, his expression solemn, while inwardly feeling gratified to have such disciplined soldiers.

Reaching the tent of the military physicians, he stopped in his tracks and took a deep sniff through his nose.

Just as Cheng Yaojin had said, a lingering trace of spicy aroma still floated in the air, refusing to dissipate.

Li Ji mused to himself: *It seems the physicians from Xianyang really do have hotpot! Does Old Cheng's nose belong to a hound?*

He smiled somewhat helplessly.