After the lesson on authority and virtue, the date of early October mentioned by the light screen drew ever nearer.
That also meant the day of the Tang crown prince's departure was approaching.
So during this period, Li Chengqian simply set aside other affairs and devoted himself to spending time with his family.
He read with Li Tai.
He played with Li Zhi.
He listened to his younger sister's worries.
He comforted his mother's concerns.
In the spare moments between these things, he would also go to the Taiji Palace to hear his father recount the old affairs of Hebei that he himself did not know. Sometimes he would spread out the great map and speak about those distant lands that the Tang could not yet reach.
And along the way he would hear the faint note of melancholy in his father's otherwise unmatched confidence.
During this time Li Chengqian gradually came to understand something.
Throughout history there had been countless heroes. Yet his father was certainly one of the greatest among them.
In the fifth year of Wude he defeated all rivals. At that time his father had been only twenty-three years old.
That alone was enough to be called youthful.
Now he stood in the prime of life. Yet no enemy remained on the battlefield who could face him. His arrows were still sharp, but there was no one left to test them against.
And yet he had to sit here watching the light screen recount the heroes of ancient and modern times.
For his father, who still possessed not the slightest trace of decline, such an experience was almost a different kind of torment.
Meanwhile reports from the war in Wa and news of changes in the situation on the Korean Peninsula continued to arrive in Chang'an.
They also stirred in Li Chengqian a longing for the sea.
Although his father had not yet said anything, Li Chengqian had already made a quiet decision.
First he would travel through Hebei.
Then he would campaign in the Western Regions.
And in the end he would surely go out upon the sea.
Only then could he say that he had truly experienced the world of Great Tang.
Amid such calm and trivial daily life, he turned back one day and realized that October had already arrived.
When he entered the Ganlu Hall again, he saw his younger brother Li Tai sitting there obediently like a quail, though his eyes were busily darting about the hall.
Their younger sister, Princess Changle Li Lizhi, was beside their mother, whispering quietly with her.
When Li Tai saw his elder brother arrive, a clear trace of joy appeared in his eyes.
Li Chengqian first went to greet his mother. Then he asked with concern about his sister's health.
This younger sister of his had been frail since childhood. She had originally been betrothed to their maternal uncle's eldest son. Later Sun Simiao declared that Princess Changle's body was too weak and required careful recuperation. Because of that, their father temporarily postponed the marriage.
Otherwise, according to the old arrangement, the wedding should have taken place next year.
Fortunately their uncle understood. Changsun Chong had even expressed his support and recently volunteered to accompany Li Chengqian on the journey to Hebei.
As Li Chengqian's mind wandered through these scattered thoughts, their father arrived.
"Let Us see whether the founding of that Great Ming surpasses Our Zhenguan."
Wei Zheng immediately seemed ready to stand up and point out that the founding of Tang had occurred in the Wude era. But Fang Xuanling quickly grabbed him and pulled him back down.
Thus the atmosphere in Ganlu Hall remained as harmonious as usual.
---
For Qian Chu, only after arriving in Bianliang did he truly observe at close range what it meant to be a "state."
After all, although Wuyue was also called a state, those within it knew their own circumstances.
The Wuyue state had little worth praising in either civil governance or military achievement.
To speak frankly, Wuyue had always excelled in commerce. Its most notable feature was simply its prosperity.
Perhaps because of the light screen's revelations, the Zhao Song emperor seemed to trust him more than before. Some imperial discussions were even opened for him to attend.
Whether it was the layered plans led by Chancellor Zhao Pu to pacify and intimidate the lands of Southern Tang, or the strategic proposals led by Cao Bin regarding the conquest of Liu Han, the level of professional competence in both civil and military matters left Qian Chu greatly impressed.
After witnessing all of this, countless thoughts finally converged into a single conclusion.
Fortunately he had not listened to Li Yu's proposal at the time.
In principle everyone understood the saying that when the lips perish, the teeth grow cold. But between Wuyue and Southern Tang, which one was the lips and which one the teeth?
Li Yu had spoken eloquently.
He proposed that Wuyue supply grain and provisions to Southern Tang. Together they would gather elite troops to resist Zhao Song. The northerners were unfamiliar with southern lands, and transporting provisions would be difficult. They would surely struggle to wage a long campaign. By holding firm they could achieve victory.
Yet when Qian Chu looked at Cao Bin's campaign against Southern Tang that had begun last year, no matter how he examined it, he could not see what was elite about Southern Tang's soldiers.
On the contrary, the Zhao Song imperial army seemed unstoppable. Wherever it fought, it won.
After attending several imperial discussions, Qian Chu became convinced of something.
Even if he had joined forces with Li Yu, their defeat would only have been a matter of time.
The gap between the two sides was not confined to one aspect. It was comprehensive.
From the strategic vision of the Zhao Song emperor, it was also clear that the Song had never intended to leave any state the option of peaceful independence.
Either they would willingly submit their territory and serve the Song, or they would be conquered by the Song imperial army and governed afterward.
Because of this, Qian Chu suddenly felt a trace of admiration for the monk Kongjiong.
With such powerful imperial troops, such capable chancellors, such brilliant generals, and such a flourishing national situation, the ability to squander all that strength and fall into a position of mere regional survival required a rather remarkable sort of talent.
As for the light screen's hint that neither he nor Li Yu would meet good ends, and that there might be many subtle connections between their fates…
Well, since he would be living in Bianliang for the rest of his life, he could always visit Xiangguo Temple to burn incense from time to time.
There would be many chances to interact in the future.
As for Li Yu, Qian Chu could only express sympathy.
After all, Li Congjia had been petty the last time they quarreled and had thrown out enormous sums of money to outbid him for the Li Xian residence.
He had not even considered that if the Zhao Song emperor personally arranged the sale of a residence, how could it possibly be cheap?
In the end the ruler of Southern Tang nearly emptied his treasury.
Fortunately the emperor showed some kindness and left Li Yu with a portion of money. Otherwise he might not even have been able to afford furniture for that residence.
Yet perhaps precisely because of this, Qian Chu had recently heard that Li Yu now secluded himself within that expensive residence, working diligently on literary compositions.
According to some casual remarks from the emperor, Li Yu had even begun experimenting in advance with writing mixed dramas in imitation of Yuan qu. All of it was done for the sake of earning money.
Watching this former acquaintance labor so diligently, Qian Chu could not quite decide.
Was literature written with the intention of leaving one's name in history better?
Or were the mixed dramas written to earn money and repay debts more entertaining?
Qian Chu decided he would wait and see.
"Wende? Wende?"
Zhao Kuangyin's voice instantly pulled Qian Chu back from his wandering thoughts.
He suddenly remembered that he was currently attending a council discussing the campaign to destroy Liu Han.
It was simply that Cao Bin's explanation of the strategy for attacking Hedong had been so detailed that even with maps to aid the explanation, Qian Chu could not help growing drowsy.
His thoughts had drifted.
To be honest, he was not very interested in military formations, and he was even less familiar with the land of Hedong.
Seeing Qian Chu's slightly bewildered expression as he came back to himself, Zhao Kuangyin did not grow angry.
After all, the plan to conquer the mountainous Northern Han did not depend on Qian Chu's advice. What he cared about was another matter entirely.
So he repeated the question.
"If we are to block the Khitan in the north and prevent them from invading Hebei, does Wende have any thoughts?"
With the battlefield clearly marked upon the map, Qian Chu, who was most familiar with maritime trade, answered almost instinctively.
"In this minister's view, if one wishes to manage Liaodong, sea transport is indispensable."