We had a dinner at Li Ke's house, and Yuwen Hongtai and Yin Yang, who had not seen each other for a long time, also joined the table. The two men did not follow Li Ke to Jiangzhou on errands but stayed in Chang'an to guard the palace. After hearing about the case in Jiangzhou, they regretted it and wished they could not participate in it for a while.
The conversation was very pleasant during the banquet, but Qin Mubai did not dare to stay longer after the banquet, because the emperor was still waiting for him to deliver an order! After returning to the palace, he was immediately busy with Princess Gaoyang's affairs, and his official duties were delayed for a while.
So Qin Mubai bid farewell to Li Ke and others, left the palace and went to the palace with Princess Gaoyang reluctant to see her off.
At this time, Li Shimin was enjoying a love dinner with Li Zhi and Li Mingda in the harem. Qin Mubai really missed the two caring and cute little princes after not seeing them for a long time, so he went directly to Penglai Hall. Along the way, he thought to himself: It's strange, how come Li Shimin's children and I are so close to each other and have such a close relationship
Li Shimin was indeed in Penglai Hall, as if waiting for Qin Mubai to come. When Li Zhi and Li Mingda saw Qin Mubai, they shouted in surprise and rushed over: "Wow, the village chief! The village chief is back!"
"Haha! Your Highness, Prince Jin and Princess, how are you?" Qin Mubai was also happy and hugged them from left to right. The two little babies were like little calves that had been separated from their mother for a long time. They clung to Qin Mubai and refused to come down. Their little faces were beaming with joy.
Li Shimin laughed at the side and let them play for a while before letting the wet nurse take them away.
The monarch and his ministers sat down at the table opposite each other, drank a cup of tea, and played a game of chess.
Qin Mubai had played chess with Li Ke before and was definitely no match for him; this time he played chess with Li Shimin and felt even more powerless. This pair of father and son are really alike. When it comes to playing chess, as soon as the game starts, they are very involved. They don't regret the game and don't give in. It's like fighting on the battlefield. The layout is exquisite and there are a lot of strange moves, and real swords and spears are used to attack them. Blood.
Qin Mubai lost three games in a row and was at a disadvantage. Originally, his chess skills were average and this was not his strong point.
During the chess game, Li Shimin did not talk about any official or private matters, and just concentrated on playing chess. At this moment, Cai Cai laughed loudly: "Mu Bai, your chess skills are not good, you need to practice more. Playing chess is like using soldiers, and there are many similar principles. When I watch you play chess, I know that you must not be familiar with it. How many military books are there? It’s not okay for a general to do this!”
"Your Majesty has a keen eye. I really haven't read any military books carefully." Qin Mubai followed his lead and continued. At this moment, he was thinking, why did Li Shimin get involved in the art of war for no reason? The reason why playing chess is related to the art of war is obviously an excuse to open up the topic.
"Haha, you have good qualifications. If you learn the art of war, you will definitely achieve great success." Li Shimin said casually, as if chatting about everyday things, "I joined the army at the age of sixteen and fought in the world for more than ten years. I have read countless military books, plus thousands of The accumulated experience of hundreds of wars can be regarded as a realization in this regard. To be a general, you need to learn some tactics. Courage lies in the use of troops. If a person is good at using troops, he will be able to defeat a large number of people even if he is fearless with one strike. But for the mediocre people who do not know how to use troops, even though they have thousands of troops, they will be like a plate of loose sand and a chicken. The tile dogs are at the mercy of others. Although the world is peaceful and peaceful, the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty must always be prepared for danger and never forget military affairs. At any time, a general must know how to be brave and learn the art of war. First and foremost.”
"Your Majesty taught you earnestly, and I will remember it in my heart." Qin Mubai bowed his hands and bowed, "Wei Chen also wanted to learn more about the art of war, but it is better to study without books. What is said in the book is all vague and elusive, and most of it is elusive, so Wei Chen I feel a bit like talking about military affairs on paper. Even though I have memorized every word of the book, I am still a useless general who does not know how to fight."
"Well said." Li Shimin chuckled, "Studying is worse than having no books. Those who talk about war on paper cannot be appointed as generals. However, the young generals of your generation do lack many opportunities to practice in battle, but if you have personal experience Having an experienced teacher as a guide makes a big difference. It is a great benefit to first enlighten the beginner and then go into practice to consolidate the knowledge."
Qin Mubai's heart brightened: Li Shimin wasn't talking about... asking me to learn the art of war, was he? The King of Jiangxia once promised me to become a disciple of Li Jing. Could it be that he had already persuaded the emperor and was now going to mention this matter? Since the emperor has already started this, why don't I take the initiative and ask for help
"Your Majesty's teachings are very good. In fact, I have asked my father for advice on many art of war. But my father told me that he once had a rough understanding of the art of war, but he was not sophisticated about it. My father said that it is difficult for a bad teacher to produce a good disciple, so it is difficult for him to produce a good disciple. "You are not willing to give me advice." Qin Mubai said, "In this case, it will be difficult to find a good teacher, and the humble minister will be helpless."
"Haha, the most famous generals in this dynasty are the best in the world, and there are even more rare ones in ancient and modern times. Why is it that a good teacher is hard to find?" Li Shimin laughed.
Qin Mubai hurriedly clasped his fists: "Wei Chen is brave, please Your Majesty hire a teacher for Wei Chen and learn the art of war!"
"Haha, children can be taught." Li Shimin nodded and smiled, "Mu Bai, let me ask you. In your eyes, who is the most outstanding general in this dynasty?"
Qin Mubai thought for a while and said: "I have just entered the army and have little experience and knowledge, so I dare not speak nonsense. I just heard my father and others often say that if we talk about the magic of using troops, there are two people in this dynasty who can be called "Leader."
"Which two people?"
"It is you, His Majesty the Emperor, and Duke Wei, Pharmacist Li."
"Haha, Uncle Bao is too flattering to me. How can I compare with Duke Wei with my crude tricks?" Li Shimin said with a smile, "So, do you want to take us as your disciples?"
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "Your Majesty, please stop making fun of me. Your Majesty has nothing to do with your affairs. How can I dare to disturb you? The Duke of Wei is already idle at home and is retiring, and I, a humble minister, do not dare to go and disturb you." ”
"Haha, I really don't have time to recruit any apprentices to teach the art of war, and I will definitely not be able to teach them well." Li Shimin said, "But it doesn't matter to Medicine Master Li. Although he has always been cautious and never accepts apprentices randomly, as long as I teach him After all, he will definitely not shirk."
Qin Mubai was overjoyed and immediately bowed: "I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
"Haha! It seems that you are also thirsty for knowledge!" Li Shimin laughed, "Get up, this is easy, I will write a handwriting for you to go to the Duke Wei's Mansion to visit the sick Duke Wei Li, Pharmacist. The rest. I'll leave it up to you. Although I intend to recommend you to become a medicine master, I don't want to force you to accept him as a disciple. It still depends on whether you have the ability. , let him accept you willingly. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, thank you very much, Your Majesty!" Qin Mubai thanked him happily. I thought to myself, this time Li Daozong really gave me a big favor! This can be regarded as a reward from Li Shimin to me!
"Come here, get that sandalwood staff." Li Shimin called a eunuch and gave him an order. After a while, the eunuch took out a sandalwood staff in a tiger-striped box and gave it to the emperor.
Li Shimin opened the box, took out a bright purple sandalwood crutch, and said to Qin Mubai: "Mubai, just take this to see Duke Wei! After returning from pacifying Tuyuhun, the pharmacist suffered from leg disease and had to walk for a long time. Because of the inconvenience, I specially ordered this crutch for him. Originally, I ordered two crutches, one for Duke Wei and one for your father. But I heard that your father's condition is very serious. It’s getting better, now I don’t need crutches anymore, is this a problem?”
Qin Mubai's heart moved, and he hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Just as your Majesty said, this is exactly what happened. Thanks to God's blessings on your Majesty, my father's condition has greatly improved. Not only does he no longer use crutches, he feels like a boy again. He can shoot a bow with two stones, fight with rice for a meal, and fight with arrows and fists immediately, and no humble minister can be his opponent."
"Oh, is that really true?" Li Shimin seemed a little surprised, "This is really a great good thing! Well, I will visit your Qin family one day to find out about Uncle Bao's condition. If it is really as you said, wouldn't it be? The God of War of the Tang Dynasty is back again! Haha! I’m so relieved!”
Qin Mubai was also secretly happy, thinking: Li Shimin must have known this news for a long time. But when he spoke to me at this moment, he meant to reopen the door for my father. It seems that after this incident in Jiangzhou, I have made a great contribution and brought glory to the Qin family. As a result, my father also gained a lot of convenience. Furthermore, maybe it has something to do with the emperor’s intention to marry Princess Gaoyang to me. After all, they may be the "in-laws" in the future, and it is right for Li Shimin to take care of and support the Qin family. The right time will come when our Qin family regains its glory, and Princess Gaoyang will be more prosperous when she remarries into the Qin family.
This is really in line with what Li Ke said, you can get both people and goods from everywhere!
"I obey the order." Qin Mubai took the crutch with both hands and carefully placed it beside him.
"Jiangzhou and his party, you and Quan Wanji assisted Li Ke and patrolled the herds and rescued the people on my behalf. You have done a lot of hard work." Li Shimin nodded with a smile on his face and said, "You have lived up to my trust in this trip and carried out the things I entrusted to you." Everything has been handled very satisfactorily. So far, there have been no refugees, plagues, or famines. The victims have rebuilt their homes and spent the winter safely. Although I have issued a decree to give you fertile land, gold and silver, it is still not enough to thank you. Gong. Tell me, what do you want?”
"Wei Chen has nothing else to ask for." Qin Mubai cupped his hands and said, "Besides, His Majesty has already given me a generous gift just now. Wei Chen is already very satisfied!"
The implication was that Li Shimin recommended him to become a pharmacist and learn the art of war.
"Haha!" Li Shimin laughed, "Okay! People who love to learn take true knowledge and insights as their wealth. I recommend you as a good teacher, which is better than rewarding you with thousands of gold and silver. Mu Bai, I hope you will be successful in the future and inherit your father's mantle. , and became a famous general of our Tang Dynasty.”
"Weak ministers must do their best!" Qin Mubai bowed his hands.
The Jiangzhou case, which was full of complex and intricate secrets, was just brushed aside by Li Shimin in a few words. After that, the two of them never said a word about Jiangzhou, nor did they talk about Princess Gaoyang for the time being.
Qin Mubai also understood in his heart that letting Princess Gaoyang free must have been Li Shimin's instruction or tacit consent. Why would he deliberately break the window paper at this time and embarrass him
This time, the confrontation between Princess Gaoyang and Li Shimin ended bizarrely with Princess Gaoyang's final victory. In the final analysis, it was Li Shimin's "father's heart" that defeated the "king's heart".
"By the way, you were transferred to Jiangzhou by me last time when you were on vacation. I owe you a lot of vacation time." Li Shimin laughed and said, "The new year is approaching, and you have worked hard on this trip. Just Let’s take a vacation and rest for a while, and then come back to work after the Chinese New Year!”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Qin Mubai secretly rejoiced: Okay, it's a long holiday! I have been really busy and exhausted recently, so I need to rest for a while. Li Shimin's move was also intended to let me spend more time with Princess Gaoyang, and then gave me enough time to find Li Jing's hard-earned apprenticeship, right
Regardless, it’s certainly a good vacation!