Side Story Chapter 17: Volunteering for Military Service!

Didn’t Ü-Tsang currently have a truce with the Great Tang? Why would it suddenly start raiding?

In Li Taiyi’s past life, Ü-Tsang really would start raiding the Great Tang, but it would be next year, and it would be on prompting from the Turks. Why now?

The time had been moved up so much?

But a moment later, Li Taiyi understood.

The Great Tang not making peace with the Turks had changed the course of the world. Li Taiyi recalled that the Turks had left with hatred in their eyes, so they had probably already begun to urge Ü-Tsang to start attacking.

The Turks will remain a threat to the Great Tang if they are not taken care of! Li Taiyi said to himself.

On the other end, Gao Lishi was also shocked.

Though he resided in the Imperial Palace, he had some understanding of the territory of the Great Tang.

Longxi was an extremely important location. To its northwest was Ü-Tsang, but to its east was the capital of the Great Tang!

The consequences of Ü-Tsang taking Longxi were unimaginable.

“Today’s morning court will bring up this matter. For lowly slaves like us, knowing is enough. Court affairs are not something we can recklessly take part in.” Seeing Gao Lishi’s shocked expression, Eunuch Li made a casual comment and said no more.

Gao Lishi bowed and said, “Thank you, Sir Eunuch.”

Li Taiyi heard this and turned around to leave.

If his memories were still accurate, the Ü-Tsang raids were only the beginning. Neither his father nor the officials of the court had realized the storm that was about to descend.

No matter what, I have to do something, Li Taiyi thought to himself, and quickly disappeared.

In the bamboo forest, Eunuch Li quickly began to discuss other things.

Eunuch Li seemed to be very satisfied with Gao Lishi, suddenly proposing before he left, “…Right, this one thinks that you have quite some insight. Why not have this one move you away from the Third Prince’s side? The Third Prince is a ruthless and brutal sort, often beating the slaves attending him. Though this has recently lessened, there’s no telling when he’ll change back.”

Surprisingly, the very submissive Gao Lishi decided to walk up to Eunuch Li, bow, and then speak in defense of the Third Prince. “Sir Eunuch is mistaken. The Third Prince is the first master this slave has served, and he will be the last. Moreover, this slave is confident that the Third Prince is not the person everyone says he is, and that he will ultimately change everyone’s impression of him.”

“Oh?”

Eunuch Li was rather surprised, and he examined Gao Lishi with praising eyes.

“This is loyalty, and as a slave, this is how one should truly conduct oneself in the palace. But if something really does happen, you may come and find this one.”

Seeing how determined Gao Lishi was, Eunuch Li simply took it as a young chick imprinting on its first master and did not think any deeper on it.

“This one still has work to do and will take my leave. You should also go back to attend on His Third Highness.”

“Yes. Farewell, Sir Eunuch,” Gao Lishi respectfully said.

Eunuch Li chuckled, and after giving another word of advice, he picked up the medicine cup and headed toward the imperial physician’s court.

Gao Lishi hastily departed.

Given the time that had passed, his master was probably going to be back soon.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind rattled the bamboo forest.

But Gao Lishi did not know that after he was gone, the ‘leaving’ Eunuch Li stopped after walking a few dozen feet. Looking in the direction of Gao Lishi, he smiled.

“Even a minor eunuch at his side will speak up for him. It seems like His Majesty was right. The Third Prince really has changed.”

There had been no inexplicable fondness.

He liked Gao Lishi and often found him to chat not merely because he was diligent, but because of the Emperor’s orders.

One tiny clue revealed the general trend!

Whether the Third Prince had really changed or was just trying to deceive the Emperor could be found out by just asking the people at his side.

“This is also a blessing for His Majesty!”

Eunuch Li smiled as he departed.

……

Once he got back to Jade Dragon Palace, Li Taiyi did not go and read or cultivate as usual. Rather, he immediately summoned Wang Jiuling and gave him a summary of what had happened.

After thinking it over for some time, Wang Jiuling finally raised his head and said, “Your Highness, this is a rare opportunity!”

“Mm, we share the same view. I am prepared to head to the western border and make a name for myself!” Li Taiyi seriously said.

“Amongst the Princes, the one with the greatest prestige is First Prince Li Xuantu, who is in the middle of leading the army on the border against the Turks. The Second Prince has just earned the Emperor’s trust enough to participate in court affairs. He won’t relinquish an excellent chance like this.

“The other Princes don’t have the ambition or daring. Your Highness, this is an excellent chance, one that Your Highness would never have at any other time.”

Wang Jiuling continued to ponder.

“However, this is also very risky. Though Your Highness has gradually begun to alter the impression the officials and His Majesty have of you, it is still far from enough.

“Moreover, even if you do step up, Your Highness is alone and without any strength to call upon. With Your Highness’s current level of strength, doing anything of note on the western border… The load is heavy and the path is long. It’s far more difficult than it seems.

“And if you make a mistake, the First Prince and Second Prince will immediately criticize you in court.”

These were real problems. The border war involved two empires and millions of soldiers. One person alone could not change very much.

The First Prince and Second Prince were able to accomplish things because their wings had fully matured, because they had many faction members to protect them.

As for the Third Prince, he had nothing but his aspirations and Wang Jiuling.

“To back away in the face of difficulty is what the common people do. To know that one cannot and still try is the conduct of heroes, and it is also the path we chose from the very beginning.

“Lord Wang had known that you would enrage the Emperor, but you still submitted that memorial. Wasn’t it precisely because of this principle? Though it was walking toward death to live, how could one know the final result unless they tried?” Li Taiyi sternly said.

Wang Jiuling fell silent. From the Third Prince’s solemn expression, he knew that the man had made up his mind.

‘Walking toward death to live’, ‘to know that one cannot and still try’—these were precisely the traits of the Third Prince that drew the respect of others.

At the beginning, Wang Jiuling had still been somewhat prejudiced, but as they interacted with each other, he gradually came to understand the kind of person the Third Prince was.

He had some special traits that had gradually made Wang Jiuling willing to follow him.

“Since that is so, we will do as Your Highness wills.”

Wang Jiuling added, “This one knows a few hot-blooded fellows in the capital. Though they are not necessarily potential Great Generals, they will undoubtedly be of aid to Your Highness in Longxi.”

“Mm.”

Li Taiyi nodded.

Once Wang Jiuling was gone, Li Taiyi seated himself behind his desk and began to grind ink. After a few moments of thought, he began to write on a blank sheet of paper.

Once he had blown on the ink and let it dry, Li Taiyi passed the memorial to a minor eunuch of Jade Dragon Palace.

“Send this to Taiji Palace.”

“Yes!”

The eunuch hastily departed with the letter.

………

The sky was brightening.

Within Taiji Palace, the Tang Emperor frowned as he reviewed memorials.

Eunuch Li offered a memorial with both hands as he softly said, “Your Majesty, this a memorial from that child of Jade Dragon Palace.”

“Xuan’er’s memorial?”

Though the Emperor was confused, he still took the memorial to read through.

There was still some time until morning court, so why had Xuan’er sent over this memorial? And why to Taiji Palace?

His confusion lasted only until he finished reading the contents of the memorial.

“Xuan’er is volunteering himself to head to Longxi to fight off the enemy?!”

Surprise appeared in the Tang Emperor’s eyes.

He had six sons in all, each one possessing extraordinary talent. The First Prince was on the borders, pushing back the Turks, and the Second Prince had once led the army against Goguryeo. But his most spoiled Third Prince…

This pleasure-seeking son’s flaws were obvious. He had once thought about sending the Third Prince off to the border to train, but he had never been able to make the decision.

He was rather surprised to see this son now volunteering himself.

But even if the Third Prince was volunteering himself, the Tang Emperor was not someone who acted on emotion. He quickly shook his head and put the memorial to the side.

He was pleasantly surprised by the memorial, but the time wasn’t right.

We’ll consider it in the future, the Emperor remarked to himself.

……

It had been three days since Li Taiyi had submitted his memorial, but it had been like a mud doll placed in the ocean, vanishing without a trace.

It seems that Imperial Father has set the matter to the side! Li Taiyi mentally said, his brows furrowing.

After all, this was an important military concern. His excellent performance in those past incidents had changed his father’s view of him, but it was also clear that his father would not lightly send him to the front line when two major empires were involved.

And if his father remained stubborn, Li Taiyi would be without military achievements, meaning that he would never have the ability to contend with his brothers, let alone alter the dark fate awaiting this world.

Li Taiyi’s brow creased even more.

But a moment later, Li Taiyi came to his senses and smiled.

The decree of the sovereign could not be defied!

Making his father change his mind would be no easy task!

But Li Taiyi was confident that he could do it.

“Second Brother, it seems I’ll have to borrow your strength.”

Li Taiyi smiled as he began to grind ink and lay out paper. A few moments later, he made an exact copy of the memorial he had earlier written.

“Ah! So tired! Gao Lishi, accompany this prince on a walk.”

Li Taiyi stretched and then stood up and walked outside.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Gao Lishi quickly walked out.

The two of them left, leaving the hall eerily quiet.

Not long after they had gone…

Whoosh!

A minor eunuch appeared in Jade Dragon Palace. Looking around and confirming that no one was around, he rushed up to the table and began to read the memorial.

“It’s connected to Ü-Tsang! I must inform the Second Prince!”

The minor eunuch’s eyes turned cold, and he quickly departed without anyone noticing.

But the eunuch had no idea that a pair of eyes had been watching him from the shadows this entire time.

As expected!

Someone smiled from the shadows.

This man was none other than the recently departed Li Taiyi.

The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

The eunuch was unaware that Li Taiyi had meant to draw him out from the very beginning.

Everything had gone as expected. In the palace, everyone was spying on everyone else.

Though Huoyuan was dead, the Second Prince still had many spies at Li Taiyi’s side.

This time, however, Li Taiyi was intentionally leaking information.

……

Everything proceeded as Li Taiyi had expected. The minor eunuch from Jade Dragon Palace soon entered the Second Prince’s residence.

“What? Third Brother is writing a memorial to Imperial Father volunteering himself to join the war effort at Longxi?!”

As the sun rose, within a hall of the Imperial Palace, behind a sandalwood desk, Second Prince Li Chengyi was startled to hear the news brought by this eunuch.

This eunuch was the one who had hastily left Jade Dragon Palace and was one of Li Chengyi’s spies.

Li Chengyi now put down his brush.

When the battle report from Longxi had been delivered to Taiji Palace, Li Chengyi had been one of the first to know. He had also been planning to send a memorial volunteering himself to Longxi. After all, the barbarians could not be allowed to run amok.

But now…

“Heh, since Third Brother wants to go, I might as well give him a helping push.”

Li Chengyi coldly laughed, a sinister look in his eyes. As he spoke, he placed his just-written memorial over the candle and burned it up.

He did not lack for military achievements. Several years ago, he had pushed back Goguryeo and made a name for himself.

If his Third Brother wanted to go, he should go.

After all, no one would find it strange if a Prince died on as dangerous a place as the battlefield.

Moreover, with the Third Prince gone from the capital, the court would be his, and he could use this time to firm up his new faction.

“Attend me! Deliver this memorial to His Majesty!”

…………

Time slowly passed, and there was still no development concerning Li Taiyi’s memorial, but Li Taiyi was in no rush. Within Jade Dragon Palace, he carefully studied military texts.

But Li Taiyi was not kept waiting for too long. Several days later, as Li Taiyi was reading, he heard footsteps from outside.

Gao Lishi happily rushed in and anxiously said, “Your Highness, His Majesty has issued a decree. Your Highness has finally gained permission to lead an army against Ü-Tsang!”

Li Taiyi glanced over and then went back to his book. He appeared to have predicted this development, his face unperturbed.

“Second Brother really hasn’t changed at all.”

Li Taiyi finally put down the book.

Everything had been under his control!

A smile appeared on Li Taiyi’s lips.