Chapter 9: Borrowing Power (First Update Seeking Recommendation)

  Li Linfu, a notorious treacherous minister in Chinese history, was infamous for his jealousy of the virtuous and talented, as well as his honeyed words and sword-like heart. His sinister and cunning deeds are recorded in history books, leaving later generations to gnash their teeth in anger.

  What's more important is that Li Bai was his archenemy. Li Bai had great talent but no opportunity, and he wanted to serve the country with all his heart, but there was no way for him to do so, and in the end it was all because of Li Linfu.

  Li Bai met Li Longji under the recommendation of He Zhizhang and Princess Yuzhen, and Li Longji had a very good impression of Li Bai, and even more praised his talent. However, this made Li Linfu jealous, seizing the opportunity to secretly harm Li Bai, causing Li Bai's favor to dwindle, and eventually being "bestowed with gold and sent back" by Li Longji, losing the chance to serve the country.

  Li Bai's hatred for Li Linfu was so deep that it couldn't be expressed in words. Just mentioning Li Linfu's name made him furious, let alone the fact that Li Changgui's first act after arriving in the capital wasn't to go to the Ministry of War, but rather to meet with Li Linfu, which only added fuel to Li Bai's anger.

  "Li Hanlin, calm down and listen to me for a moment." Li Changguo understood Li Bai's mood, at this time Li Bai was like a barrel of gunpowder, only lacking a spark, if handled improperly, Li Changguo would be the spark that ignites the gunpowder.

  Li Bai's anger did not subside, staring at Li Changguo, without saying a word.

  "There are two reasons why I want to see the prime minister first."

  Li Changguo explained to Li Bai, "Li Hanlin, you know that our Anxi Capital Governor's Office is under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Grand Governor, and the Anxi Grand Governor is also in charge of the Chancellor. How can I not go see the Anxi Grand Governor first?"

  Anxi Da Duhu was the highest official in charge of Western Regions during the Tang Dynasty, and this position was held concurrently by Li Linfu. In other words, Li Changgui was still under Li Linfu. Although Li Linfu did not personally handle affairs in the Western Regions, after all, he was nominally the highest official in the Western Regions, so official procedures had to go through him and could not be bypassed.

  Li Bai suddenly forgot for a moment, and couldn't help but pause, his anger slightly subsiding. He asked: "What's the second one?"

  "Secondly, this is borrowing momentum." Li Changguo smiled slightly.

  "Borrowing momentum?" Li Bai raised an eyebrow, somewhat perplexed, and fell silent.

  "Li Hanlin, you know that the Ansi Protectorate wants to compete with the Arabs, but with the current military strength and financial resources, it is far from enough." Li Changguo analyzed for Li Bai, saying: "Although the Arabs are not as powerful as the Tang Dynasty, they are a large country after all, with vast territory and many troops that can be mobilized. If we go to war now, the chances of the Tang Dynasty winning are less than 40%."

  Li Bai was from Shule City and cared deeply about the Western Regions, after all, that was his hometown. He knew Li Changguo was telling the truth, so he nodded slightly in great agreement.

  "If the Anxi Protectorate wants to have more troops, money, grain and military equipment, the Anxi Great Protector is naturally responsible. Li Changguo smiled, with a somewhat sinister tone: "I don't care if the Anxi Protectorate is surnamed Zhang, Zhao, Li or Wang, as long as he is the Anxi Protectorate, I will go to borrow power."

  The Arab Empire, although not as powerful as the Tang Dynasty, has been pressing and fighting against the Tang Dynasty for decades. However, after all, it has a vast territory, a large population, and can mobilize tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops to fight against the Tang Dynasty.

  Facing such a powerful enemy, the actual strength of Anxi Duhu Fu is far from enough and urgently needs reinforcements.

  If we don't ask Li Linfu for troops, who should we ask?

  This is a shortcut.

  Who would have thought that Li Linfu was the Anxi Da Duhu, and it was his duty to strengthen the power of the Anxi Duhu Fu. As long as he responded properly, Li Linfu would not make things difficult for himself.

  Li Bai looked embarrassed and said, "It's all because I was too impatient and wrongly blamed the brave captain. Here, Li Bai apologizes."

  "Too much said!" Li Bai was a straightforward person, knowing his mistake, he corrected it immediately, and would not drag things out. Li Changguo hastily stopped him.

  At once, Li Changgui ordered Kang De and others to prepare rich gifts and go to pay respects to Li Linfu.

  Li Linfu's mansion was the Xue Wang Villa, which was the largest villa in Chang'an, known as "the best in the capital", with high gates and large courtyards, occupying a vast area of land, with deep forests and gardens, almost like a separate city.

  In front of the Prime Minister's mansion, it was crowded with people and horses, many officials waited at the gate, their faces anxious, hoping to be summoned by Li Linfu.

  Li Linfu was the most powerful minister of the Tang Dynasty, holding the position for over a decade, with deep roots and great influence in the court. Moreover, he was good at guessing the emperor's intentions, so to speak, he was like a tapeworm in Li Longji's belly, able to understand what Li Longji wanted before he even spoke, which is why he was particularly favored and trusted by Emperor Tang Xuanzong Li Longji.

  Of course, he was able to gain Li Longji's trust and favor, and it also had something to do with the fact that he was a member of the imperial family. It is difficult to write a single character "Li", they are all from the Li clan of Longxi, his own people.

  Li Linfu was very arrogant, and instead of going to the imperial court for official business, he handled official matters at his mansion. As a result, high officials who needed to report on official matters had to gather at his mansion.

  "Is this the residence of the prime minister, or a small imperial court?"

  Li Changguo arrived and saw the situation before his eyes, greatly surprised. This Li Linfu was indeed a notorious treacherous minister in Chinese history, daring to be so blatant.

  "This also reflects that a wise king has passed away, and a greedy and indulgent monarch was born." Li Changguo thought for a moment, feeling deeply moved.

  Li Longji has the appearance of a dragon and phoenix, with the talent of Qin Huang and Han Wu. In the first half of his life, he devoted himself to governing the country with all his heart and soul, making the Tang Dynasty prosperous and flourishing like a dream. The famous "Kaiyuan Prosperous Era" is a monument in Chinese history that makes people look up to it!

  However, at this time Li Longji was already tired of politics and indulged in pleasure, the Tang Dynasty began to decline from prosperity, although the turning point was "An Shi Rebellion", the root of the trouble had been planted long ago.

  "The An Shi Rebellion is about to break out, time is pressing!" Li Changguo felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, took a deep breath, calmed himself down and headed towards the door.

  There were many soldiers guarding the front gate, guarding it tightly, and no one was allowed to approach.

  In front of the government office, within a range of ten zhang, it was crowded with people, with no less than hundreds of officials waiting anxiously; within this range of ten zhang, however, it was eerily quiet and deserted, without even a single person in sight, as if this area of ten zhang was a forbidden zone, where nobody dared to take a step further.

  This is Li Linfu's tyranny!

  Li Linfu, although a rare treacherous minister in Chinese history, was a man of great talent and could keep things under control. Even An Lushan feared him. An Lushan looked down on the world and didn't take Li Longji seriously, but he alone feared Li Linfu, and what's more, he feared him deeply.

  It is said that every time An Lushan came to the capital to request an audience with Li Linfu, if Li Linfu did not see him, An Lushan would roll on the ground and loudly shout "The Tenth Son won't see me! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" until Li Linfu saw him.

  Shi Lang was An Lushan's term of address for Li Linfu.

  Li Changguo pushed through the crowd of officials, came to the front, and stared at the soldiers guarding the gate, who glared back at him and shouted: "How dare you! You must have eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gallbladder to be so rude in front of the Prime Minister's mansion!"

  "Anxi Duhu Fu Xiaoyong Xiaowei Li Changguo, has been ordered to come forward and report the victory to Anxi Datuhu!" Li Changguo knew that these little soldiers were just pretending to be brave, so he didn't bother with them and let out a loud roar.

  "Are you from Anxi Duhufu?" The team's face slowed down and stared at Li Changguo.

  "Exactly!" Li Changguo waved his hand, and Kang De and the others carried over a dozen large and small boxes, placing them on the ground. Li Changguo pointed to the boxes and said, "Thanks to the good fortune of Anxi Duhu Fu, the Anxi Duhu Fu captured the small city of Bolu, and obtained extremely rich spoils."

  "Is it a huge haul?" The team leader swallowed a mouthful of saliva, greedily eyeing the boxes on the ground, knowing without thinking that they contained treasures.

  Fortunately, he had a sense of self-awareness and knew that this was for Li Linfu. He suppressed his greedy heart and said: "Wait, I'll go report to you right away." After finishing speaking, he quickly ran off.

  Before long, the soldier returned and said: "The Prime Minister has an order, you must see him immediately."

  Li Changguo waved his hand and Kang De and others carried boxes into the prime minister's mansion.

  Behind her back was a wave of admiring whispers.