Chapter 93: Please Accept My Bow, Sir!

Li Yuanjing had long since foreseen this outcome. Everything was already under his control.

He smiled and said, “Young Lord, your words are not quite right.

“Have you not heard that when the fur is gone, the hide will have nowhere to cling? And that when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold?

“You, Young Lord, command troops and are the pillar of support for the people of Qi Prefecture. A mere piece of calligraphy is nothing at all. If you like it, then it is this student’s honor, and even more the honor of this piece of writing.

“Since this piece of calligraphy has won your favor, I am already deeply honored. How could I possibly speak of cold silver and yellow gold?”

Seeing Zhang Zhiji growing anxious and about to speak, Li Yuanjing laughed and hurried on, “Young Lord, I offer you this piece of calligraphy. If you insist on paying for it, then let that silver be my gift to the soldiers instead, so they may eat a few more proper meals and help safeguard Qi Prefecture, and safeguard the peace and safety of our Great Qian.”

“This, sir…”

In that instant, Zhang Zhiji’s eyes truly reddened. He had a thousand words pressed against his chest, yet for a moment he did not know how to say a single one.

When he had come to Quanzi Village, he had thought Li Yuanjing was merely gifted, with a little literary talent besides.

He had stopped by out of fashion and curiosity, and to receive a piece of Li Yuanjing’s calligraphy would already have been something he could boast about to his idle companions later.

But after seeing the earthwork project in Quanzi Village, and especially after speaking with the old village head and learning that Li Yuanjing had been the driving force behind it, his attitude toward Li Yuanjing had begun to change.

And now, when Li Yuanjing, clearly not a man of wealth, had firmly refused his thousand taels of silver and instead asked that it be used for the soldiers under his command…

Zhang Zhiji was still young.

Born to a noble house, he possessed a far deeper mind than most of his peers. Yet his blood was still hot. How could he not be moved, not stirred, not regard Li Yuanjing with new respect?

“Come.”

“Young Lord, let me have them put this calligraphy away. Enough of these dull matters. Come, let us drink.”

Li Yuanjing gestured for Zhang Kun and the others to collect the piece, have it mounted, and then warmly invited Zhang Zhiji to drink.

Zhang Zhiji finally came to himself. His eyes still somewhat red, he laughed aloud.

“Good, good, good!”

He said “good” three times in a row, then said with unrestrained delight, “Sir, today you and I must drink until we cannot drink another drop!”

Li Yuanjing also laughed heartily. “Just so. If words do not meet, then half a sentence is too much; but when wine is shared with a kindred spirit, a thousand cups are too few. Come, Young Lord, let this student drink first!”

“‘If words do not meet, then half a sentence is too much; but when wine is shared with a kindred spirit, a thousand cups are too few’?”

Zhang Zhiji nearly staggered and sat down hard on the floor.

Only then did he truly understand why even his old acquaintance Murong Kai, that arrogant fellow who looked down on everyone, had praised Li Yuanjing so extravagantly.

This was what it meant to speak with effortless brilliance.

He immediately committed the line to memory, saving it for future use when he needed to show off, and then drank with Li Yuanjing all the more warmly.

…

After another dozen cups, the atmosphere between them grew increasingly intimate and lively.

Zhang Zhiji had already begun to feel the wine, while Li Yuanjing, though his face flushed red from drink, had long since been tempered by experience in a later age. His tolerance was far beyond that of ordinary men.

Moreover, this was not true distilled liquor at all. At most it could be called rice wine, no stronger than the wines of later times, and posed no obstacle whatsoever.

Seeing that his conversation with Li Yuanjing was becoming more and more congenial, especially since Li Yuanjing not only had excellent learning but had also read widely in all sorts of miscellaneous books, knew something of affairs from all corners of the world, and had his own very sound insights, Zhang Zhiji hesitated for a moment, then suddenly grew much more serious and asked, “Sir, I wonder what views you hold on the current situation in Qi Prefecture? I beg you to teach me.”

“Hm?”

Li Yuanjing’s heart jolted; the last traces of drunkenness instantly faded away.

He had thought that tonight, by winning Zhang Zhiji over and leaving a good impression, the matter would be concluded satisfactorily.

He had not expected…

Whether Zhang Zhiji had drunk too much or something else was at work, he had actually asked such a question.

But after only a brief thought, Li Yuanjing made up his mind.

This fellow Zhang Zhiji clearly had a boundless future. He was a true intimate of the Son of Heaven.

If he could build a good relationship with him, even a closer one, then even if there were some risks in the future, for the present stage the benefits were unquestionably greater than the dangers.

Li Yuanjing thought for a moment and said, “Young Lord, this…”

“As a matter of court custom, scholars like me, who have not yet truly entered official service, ought not to speak recklessly on current affairs. But today this student has met you like old friends at first sight, and since you have asked me this question, I shall be bold and speak only of military matters…”

Zhang Zhiji was overjoyed and hurriedly cupped his hands low before Li Yuanjing. “Your righteousness moves me deeply, sir! I shall remember it. Please rest assured, sir. This matter will be spoken by your mouth and heard only by my ear; no third person shall ever know of it!”

“I believe in your character, Young Lord.”

Li Yuanjing smiled, then dipped a finger in the wine and began drawing on the table.

“Young Lord, look. Here is Qi Prefecture. Here is the capital. Here is the Central Plains.

“For these past years I have always wanted to travel beyond the walls, to read ten thousand books and walk ten thousand miles of road. Alas, for many reasons, I have never had the chance.

“But over the years, I have developed a strong interest in geography, and through various channels I have learned quite a bit about it.

“Young Lord, look.

“The main forces of the rebel army are now still operating chiefly in the Central Plains and the northwest.

“Previously, though the Rebel King shouted threats that he would take Qi Prefecture, march on the capital, openly threaten the court, threaten the emperor, and threaten the foundation of our Great Qian, I believe this is likely only a diversion.

“Their true target is probably here.”

Li Yuanjing pointed heavily to a central point below the Central Plains, and said with decisive force, “Fengyang, the Southern Capital!”

“What?”

“The rebel army’s real target is Fengyang, the Southern Capital? How dare those bastards? How dare they! Have they swallowed the hearts of bears and the gallbladders of leopards?!”

Zhang Zhiji exploded at once, springing to his feet, his eyes as though they might devour men alive.

You must know: their old family grave, the tomb of the first Duke of Ying, was also in Fengyang, the Southern Capital.

“Please do not be angry yet, Young Lord. Might you hear me out first?”

Li Yuanjing hastily soothed his temper.

In truth, Zhang Zhiji was indeed a son of privilege. He had received the finest education from childhood, and even now, in his anger, he still possessed his manners.

He promptly cupped his hands respectfully toward Li Yuanjing. “I beg you to teach me, sir!”

Seeing Zhang Zhiji settle down, Li Yuanjing also let out a quiet breath.

He said, “Young Lord, there are three reasons why I make this deduction.

“First, for more than a decade the Central Plains and the northwest have been locked in continuous warfare and have been battered beyond recognition. To put it bluntly, with this year’s weather as it is, how much grain can the Central Plains possibly harvest next year?

“But if the army of vagrants cannot solve its grain problem, then even without the court’s main forces taking action, they will collapse into chaos on their own.

“So grain and supplies are the core problem they must solve.

“Second, in our Great Qian, the past few years have brought floods in the south and drought in the north. Qi Prefecture has suffered a little less than some places, but in truth it has not fared all that well. According to the intelligence of the vagrant army, they likely could not fail to discover this.

“Furthermore, Qi Prefecture is mountainous, with many steep ranges. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the vagrant army wishes to strike from the Central Plains into the heart of Qi Prefecture, they must first seize Old Qi Pass in order to open the road inward.

“But, as you surely know better than I do, Young Lord, Old Qi Pass is a place every strategist must contest. It has always been guarded by the court’s main army. With the vagrant army’s weapons and equipment, it is not impossible to take, but the price they would have to pay would hardly be small.

“Third, Young Lord, though this student has never met that so-called Rebel King, I have heard many rumors about him, and from the things he has done I can roughly judge that his ambitions are absolutely not small.

“In other words, this man is by no means foolish. Rather, he is a man with great aspirations.

“So let us return to the point above. This Rebel King would likely never expend all his strength in a frontal assault on the fortified Old Qi Pass.

“But!”

“Young Lord, you must have realized as well that a man with such ambitions must want to accomplish something extraordinary and become famous throughout the world.

“So if we calculate it that way, what place could be better than Fengyang, the Southern Capital?”

“My inference is this.”

Li Yuanjing also stood up at once, his voice calm and confident.

“In the beginning of next year, or perhaps even before this year ends, the Rebel King will very likely stage a feint against Old Qi Pass, making it appear that he means to drive into the heart of Qi Prefecture and fight our Great Qian to the death.

“But in truth, his main force will bypass the court armies’ encirclement and sweep into Fengyang, the Southern Capital, deep in the region of the Southern Capital Commandery!

“Young Lord!

“This year the harvests across Great Qian have not been good, but the traditional land of fish and rice in Hu and Guang may not have had a poor harvest.

“If the rebel army takes Fengyang first, then when they wish to enter Hu and Guang after that, would it not be as easy as taking something from a pouch?”

Crack.

Crack, crack, crack…

As Li Yuanjing’s splendid exposition came to an end, Zhang Zhiji was already flushed with excitement, applauding wildly.

“Sir, what talent! Sir, what talent indeed!

“Today, to hear such words from you is worth more than my own ten years of reading the sages’ books!”

“Please accept this bow from your younger brother!”

With a thud, Zhang Zhiji actually knelt straight down and struck his head heavily before Li Yuanjing.

…

Many thanks to Brother Big Bear 1669 for his generous support. I am truly grateful. My respects.