Chapter Ninety-Four: Overwhelming Battle Power
Li Zhi realized at once that he had been too impulsive.
He gathered his thoughts, clasped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, as Mencius said, when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility upon a man, it first tempers his will, strains his sinews and bones, starves his body, empties him of comfort, and frustrates his endeavors, so as to rouse his heart and harden his nature, and to increase his abilities where he is deficient...
“As your son and the prince of Great Tang, I should in future serve the state and the people, and achieve worthy deeds. Yet Father has kept me within the palace and given me no chance to temper myself. How, then, am I to know what the lowest officials are doing? What the common people need? Only by going among them and experiencing things with my own eyes can I truly understand!
“I beg Father to grant me this one opportunity!”
After saying this, Li Zhi quietly lifted his head and glanced up.
Li Shimin seemed to be thinking it over.
“Venturing out of the palace is too dangerous. You are still young; wait until you are older,” Li Shimin said. He was not opposed to tempering the prince, only worried that once outside the palace, he might face danger.
To Li Zhi, that did not seem to be much of a problem.
After all, there was Luo Tong and the Golden Saber Guard.
Which assassin would dare make trouble for them?
Li Zhi rolled his eyes and suddenly asked, “Father, in your opinion, whose martial skill in the court is highest? Which army is strongest?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I was only asking casually.”
Li Shimin set aside what he had been doing, thought for a moment, and replied, “If we speak of martial skill, of course it would be General Qin Qiong or General Xue Rengui, though General Qin is presently ill...
“As for armies, that would certainly be my Black Armor Army!”
The Black Armor Army!
Li Shimin’s personal guard!
They were charged solely with his safety, and only he could command them.
Their battlefield prowess might not surpass that of some old and famed veteran forces, but their loyalty was unrivaled in the realm. Precisely because of that absolute loyalty, they would rather die than yield, and often burst forth with astonishing fighting strength.
Li Zhi said, “Very well... then I have under me Guard Commander Luo Tong and eighteen Golden Saber Guards. Their combat strength is formidable as well!
“Since Father worries that I may suffer harm once I leave the palace, why not send out the most capable General Xue Rengui and the Black Armor Army to spar with them? If your son wins, then Father must permit me to leave the palace for training and must not obstruct me. If your son loses, then I shall never mention this matter again and will remain in the palace to study.
“Does Father dare to wager?”
“Hahaha...” Li Shimin laughed aloud. “Zhi'er, do you even know how formidable the Black Armor Army is, and you still dare to fight them?
“Merely average!”
“Hmph! Then Father will let you see what elite troops truly are, and make you concede in complete服 conviction. But let us agree in advance: if you lose, you may never leave the palace again, and you must study diligently under Fang Xuanling!”
“Fine!”
Li Zhi agreed without hesitation.
Setting aside Luo Tong, whose martial arts had already reached an almost transcendent level, the Golden Saber Guards worked together with perfect harmony, advancing and retreating with ease, rarely meeting an equal. Under Luo Tong’s leadership, they could unleash even greater combat strength.
Li Zhi was confident...
He could defeat the Black Armor Army led by Xue Rengui!
Li Zhi paused, then said, “Father must not forget: after your son wins, you will also agree to let me serve as a county magistrate, yes?”
“Fine!”
Li Shimin gave a bitter smile. “You will not have that chance!”
The wager was thus set.
Li Zhi returned to the Bright Righteous Hall.
He told Luo Tong about the matter.
“What? We are to fight the Black Armor Army? And General Xue Rengui as well?” Luo Tong immediately covered his face. “You think far too highly of us. General Xue’s martial skill is peerless under Heaven; how could I possibly be his match? As for the Black Armor Army, their fame is thunderous, and they have never been defeated. Can the Golden Saber Guards even beat them?”
To think...
Luo Tong was actually afraid of battle!
“I thought that after learning the Dugu Nine Swords, your martial skill would be utterly transformed. Who could have guessed that you would not even dare face Xue Rengui? Then what did you learn martial arts for? From now on, do not ask me for any more secret manuals. It would be a waste to give them to you!”
Li Zhi feigned anger.
When Luo Tong heard this, he panicked at once. “Your Highness, please do not be angry. So what if it is Xue Rengui? I can handle him... as easily as playing!”
“Really?”
“Would I lie?”
Luo Tong looked very proud. “During this time, I have already mastered every move of the Dugu Nine Swords. I have also fused the essence of the inch spear into my swordsmanship, and I can now unleash the tenth sword!
“Though General Xue’s spear techniques are extraordinary, I doubt he can so easily dissolve my strikes!”
“And you?” Li Zhi turned to the eighteen Golden Saber Guards.
“We obey Your Highness’s commands!”
Given the chance to face the Black Armor Army, the Golden Saber Guards could not ask for more.
Luo Yi said, “We will not bring shame upon Your Highness!”
“Good.”
“I believe in you.” Li Zhi encouraged them to think of the glory of their forebears. Facing tens of thousands of Xiongnu, they had never feared, had fought a hundred battles and won a hundred victories, and had made countless meritorious deeds.
As descendants of the Eighteen Riders, should they not inherit that same spirit?
A few words of stirring persuasion...
And the Golden Saber Guards were burning with ardor.
They longed to rush onto the battlefield at once and fight the enemy to the death!
“Keep this spirit. Tomorrow’s battle will be yours!”
“Yes!”
Everyone answered in unison.
...
...
In order to obtain free land, Li Zhi was going all out!
The next morning, he brought Luo Tong and the Golden Saber Guards to the palace.
“Your Majesty!”
“The King of Jin seeks an audience, claiming he wishes to contest Your Majesty!” The old eunuch had no idea what was going on.
“So he really came...” Li Shimin chuckled softly, set down the memorial in his hand, and said, “Since he refuses to give up, then let us have a match. Once I beat him, things will be much quieter from now on!
“Pass on my decree: have the imperial carriage go to the Southern Arena!”
The Southern Arena!
Li Shimin’s private training ground!
Only the Black Armor Army was permitted to be stationed there!
Today Li Shimin made an exception and brought Li Zhi, Luo Tong, and the previously obscure Golden Saber Guards into the arena, intending to let everyone witness the splendor of the Black Armor Army.
“In those years, by the Wei River, when I faced a hundred thousand Turkic iron cavalry, I led three thousand Black Armor troops and twenty thousand imperial guards to crush them! Their achievements are no less than those of veteran frontier troops who have seen countless battles, and their combat strength is exceedingly fierce!”
As he spoke, Li Shimin was quite pleased with himself. Then he turned back and said, “You actually dared to challenge them! Admirable courage! But you must be prepared for defeat!”
“Father, please do not frighten us... Your son finally managed to persuade Luo Tong to come. Do not scare him away, or how are we to fight then?” Li Zhi said with a faint smile.
“I am not running away!” Luo Tong huffed in defiance.
“Do you not understand what it means to appear weaker than the enemy?”
“Uh...”
Luo Tong suddenly understood.
The Black Armor Army had defeated the Turks and repeatedly saved Li Shimin from peril, and so they were convinced they were invincible under Heaven. But if they grew too overconfident and looked down on their opponents, they might expose an opening.
After all, the eighteen Golden Saber Guards were not to be underestimated.
Bang, bang, bang!
The drums sounded.
The Black Armor Army marched out of camp and formed ranks beneath the general’s platform.
Xue Rengui clasped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, the Black Armor Army is fully prepared for battle!”
“Good.”
Li Shimin looked over the Golden Saber Guards and said with a cold laugh, “A mere dozen or so men—how could they be fit to fight my Black Armor Army? Very well, I shall send out eighteen men as well. We will compete with equal numbers. Win or lose, it will be fair!”
“Does Father truly mean that?”
“When has a ruler ever spoken lightly?”
Li Shimin remained as confident as ever.