"The Uyghurs harbor intentions of submitting to the Tang—this is good."
Tumidu's name had appeared before in the reports of the Hundred Cavalry Bureau, but Li Shimin had not expected him to be so keenly aware of the situation.
Moreover, his son Poyun had contributed significantly to the Tang campaign in the Western Regions. He could be counted as a general of promise, and it was clear that he sincerely revered the Tang—one who could be summoned at will and would respond without delay.
And yet, the more Li Shimin thought about it, the more complicated his mood became.
Thinking ahead to how Tang Suzong, in order to recover the Two Capitals, would later indulge the Uyghurs and allow them to pillage at will—it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
If not for the gulf of time between them, Li Shimin might very well have marched troops and wiped out both sides together. Even that would not have been shameful enough!
Du Ruhui saw the expression on Li Shimin's face clearly and spoke cautiously:
"Still, these repeated acts of seizing power are troubling. If we are to manage the various tribes, we must guard against such matters."
Li Shimin nodded slowly and temporarily set aside that name which stirred such conflicting emotions.
His attention turned instead to the commanders listed on the light screen.
He first offered Su Dingfang a word of praise:
"Dingfang can pacify the Western Regions and suppress Liaodong. His talent in commanding armies is exceptional."
Su Dingfang straightened his chest slightly.
In truth, he felt deep gratitude toward Prince Zhi for promoting him after ascending the throne.
But if one could achieve merit at thirty, who would wish to wait until fifty or sixty to be praised as a 'late-blooming talent'?
Now that the Emperor's admiration was plain to see, Su Dingfang responded with repeated humility:
"This is not due to my own might, but because I borrowed the Heavenly Authority of the Great Tang."
"And the Tang's mighty reputation comes from Your Majesty's talent."
"Thus whatever trifling fame I possess is entirely due to the afterglow of Your Majesty's virtue."
Li Shiji's eyes widened.
Where is your dignity as a god of war?!
To flatter like this—so shameless!
Li Shiji was indignant.
Li Shimin, on the other hand, was delighted.
Hou Junji was envious.
These were words he could say too!
It was just that if such words came from his mouth, His Majesty would most likely become displeased instead.
Thinking of this, Hou Junji quietly sighed. Who was there to reason with about such things?
Still, since he was not the only one suffering, Hou Junji decided to show concern for an old friend:
"Duke of Qi, are you free tomorrow? Shall we share a drink?"
Zhangsun Wuji stared at Hou Junji carefully for a moment—then silently turned his back on him.
Meanwhile, Li Shimin was already laughing out loud as he looked at another name on the light screen:
"So this Liu Zhengze also has talent for leading troops—truly gifted!"
The Tang Emperor remembered this name vividly.
Liu Ren'gui had been recommended by Ren Ziwei, Duke of Guan, and promoted to Magistrate of Chencang County.
Not long after taking office, Liu Ren'gui had beaten a Zhechong Commandant to death with a rod.
That case had ultimately landed on Li Shimin's desk.
"I examined the evidence collected by Liu Ren'gui. Every item was solid. That Zhechong Commandant relied on his past merits to break the law at will—his death was well deserved."
"The Great Tang is in urgent need of such capable officials. Therefore, I rewarded him with the post of Magistrate of Xianyang."
Speaking of this, Li Shimin felt no small amount of pride.
Had it been his earlier temperament, he would certainly have held Liu Ren'gui accountable.
But recalling the grand achievements of the Flourishing Tang and the praise of later generations, Li Shimin forcibly extinguished his anger, judged the case impartially, and rewarded Liu Ren'gui.
And now, seeing his actions affirmed by the light screen, Li Shimin felt as though his choices had been validated by history itself.
Du Ruhui saw this clearly, rose, and offered congratulations:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty—three more outstanding talents have entered the net."
Liu Ren'gui was currently serving in Xianyang near Chang'an. Du Ruhui still remembered his record—he was not yet thirty.
Zheng Rentai was an old general from the Prince of Qin's household. He had contributed in campaigns against Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande and had also participated in Xuanwu Gate. This year he had just been ennobled as Duke of Guizheng County, with a fief of a thousand households—and he too was only thirty.
As for Xue Ren'gui, the light screen made it clear: his ancestors had held office until his father's early death caused the family to decline. Thus he could not possibly be an unregistered household.
Taken together, these conditions meant the Ministry of Revenue would not find it difficult to locate him.
Li Jing also spoke:
"According to the light screen, when Your Majesty asked this old minister whether I would join the Goguryeo campaign, it was the eighteenth year of Zhenguan."
"At present, this Xue Li is only sixteen years old—precisely the right age to be cultivated."
Earlier, Su Dingfang had felt some sympathy hearing of the man's treatment—one sweeping streets, the other guarding palace gates. Kuangdao Prefecture was not that far from Xuanwu Gate; they could be considered fellow sufferers.
But upon hearing Xue Ren'gui's age, Su Dingfang instantly became alert.
Li Shimin smiled and waved his hand:
"No rush. Let us observe a little longer."
Previously, he had worried that old General Li Jing would have no successor. Now it seemed the Great Tang truly overflowed with talent.
As for the so-called "battle of humiliation" mentioned by later generations, Li Shimin did not take it seriously.
A mere Uyghur tribe—what waves could they stir up?
Besides, later commentators often exaggerated. This might simply be rhetoric meant to raise expectations before lowering them.
[Lightscreen]
[Of Xue Ren'gui, the most legendary aspect was his archery. He was peerlessly skilled, worthy of being called a divine general.
During the early Goguryeo campaign, the image of Xue Ren'gui charging through enemy ranks was recorded in history:
Clad in white, gripping a halberd, quiver at his waist and bow drawn, shouting as he charged first, unstoppable wherever he went.
Even if Lü Bu were reborn, he would still have to yield Xue Ren'gui three parts.
Later, after Li Zhi remembered him and threw him back into the Liaodong front, Xue Ren'gui made it clear:
Even if I've guarded gates for fifteen years, your father is still your father.
At the Battle of Hengshan, forty-five-year-old Xue Ren'gui put on a show:
He charged straight into the enemy ranks without a halberd, galloping on horseback, drawing his bow—enemy soldiers fell with each twang of the string, terrifying the Goguryeo army.
The Goguryeo were furious at such arrogance and sent out their own divine archer.
At Shicheng, that Goguryeo general shot down over ten Tang soldiers. Xue Ren'gui was enraged—and this time, he didn't even bring his bow.
"Charging alone into the ranks, the enemy's arrows all failed; their hands could not be raised. He captured the man alive."
Barehanded, he stormed the formation, dodged every shot from the enemy's divine archer, and seized him alive. It was a new level of handsomeness.
Later, when the two Tang armies were finalized to campaign against Little Du, Li Zhi hosted a banquet in the palace to see the generals off.
Ancient entertainment being scarce, after wine loosened tongues, Li Zhi said:
"I have heard that ancient masters of archery could pierce seven layers of armor with a single arrow. Beloved minister, try five layers?"
Xue Ren'gui set down his chopsticks, drew his bow, and loosed an arrow—five layers of armor were pierced clean through.
Li Zhi was shocked and immediately ordered a suit of Bright Armor to be bestowed upon Xue Ren'gui as reward.
Piercing five layers was, of course, not Xue Ren'gui's limit. Later adaptations altered this scene, having Xue Ren'gui boast on the spot:
"Seven layers? That's nothing! Bring nine—I'll open your eyes!"
One could only say that Xue Ren'gui was still too conservative in front of the Emperor.
Fortunately, the stage ahead was vast.
After hearing that Tang forces were coming to punish him, Little Du did not flee. Instead, he promised heavy rewards and won partial support from the Nine Tiele Tribes, eventually gathering a force of one hundred thousand to meet the Tang army at the Heavenly Mountains.
Even more audaciously, Little Du believed the Tang victories came only from thicker armor and better weapons.
As for courage—surely it belonged to the grassland warriors!
Thus, before battle, he sent dozens of Uyghur warriors to shout provocations before the Tang lines.
Xue Ren'gui calmly rode out alone, charging dozens by himself, executing mounted archery at full gallop.
Three arrows flew in succession—piercing the skulls of three grassland warriors and shattering the courage of the rest.
The wealth and honors Little Du had promised drifted far away. The terrifying might of the Tang army surged back into the warriors' hearts.
No one wished to become the fourth man.
And so these dozens of "warriors" dismounted almost eagerly and surrendered.
The Tang army and Xue Ren'gui alike were stunned.
There are warriors like this?
But they quickly understood—if this counted as bravery, then the so-called hundred thousand troops were merely walking military merit.
With a single command from Xue Ren'gui, the Tang army advanced in full force.
The hundred thousand troops of the Nine Tiele Tribes collapsed on the spot, fleeing in a mass rout.
The Tang army pursued, crossing beyond the desert north, utterly scattering the host.
Little Du died amid the chaos, his body never recovered. The leaders of the Nine Tiele Tribes who had been deceived by him were captured alive.
Xue Ren'gui returned in triumph.
The victorious Tang army sang in unison:
"The general's three arrows pacified the Heavenly Mountains;
The warriors sing long as they enter the Han passes."
From that day on, the Nine Tiele Tribes declined completely, fading gradually into history, never again able to unite and threaten the Tang frontier.]
"Truly—my divine general!"
Li Shimin could no longer suppress the smile on his face.
Even Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde wore expressions of admiration.
They were both duel-generals. They understood well how fond His Majesty was of fierce warriors.
And one duty of such generals was to become the focus of the battlefield, striking at enemy morale with every action.
In this regard, Xue Ren'gui did even better—white robes, riding out alone, even charging an enemy archer barehanded.
One needed only to imagine it to understand how great the morale boost would be.
And in the end, there was even a victory poem.
Qin Qiong murmured in admiration:
"This is killing both body and heart."
Though the Three Arrows at Heavenly Mountains involved many coincidences, once the battle was over and the locals spoke among themselves—
"Oh, you're the Nine Tiele Tribes whose hundred thousand were pacified by three arrows?"
It would be too shameful to even mention.
Li Shimin was already cheerfully instructing Du Ruhui that once affairs concluded, Xue Ren'gui must be found immediately—the Emperor intended to personally test his archery.
Only then did everyone remember:
Ah yes. His Majesty himself is also a master archer.
For example… Xuanwu Gate—
Cough, cough. Let's talk about something else.
Li Shiji felt the pressure on his shoulders grow heavier.
He glanced at Su Dingfang, still gazing upward in thought, then thought of the young general surnamed Xue and his three arrows.
At only thirty-six, Li Shiji suddenly felt old.
What… exactly is my signature skill again?
But glancing at old General Li Jing beside him, smiling serenely, Li Shiji steadied himself.
What use is brute force alone?
A general who destroys nations relies on cavalry deployment, strategic planning, and mastery of combined arms.
Besides, Xue Ren'gui had not yet come of age, and Su Dingfang was only a Zhonglang General.
In terms of starting point, Li Shiji was not inferior.
Li Jing had fewer inner musings and simply offered kindly advice:
"If Your Majesty finds this Xue Ren'gui, this old minister can test his understanding of military strategy."
Li Shimin shook his head vigorously:
"For such a divine general, why bother?"
"He should shatter the enemy with valor and stratagem, striking terror into their hearts!"
Li Jing persisted:
"Only one who possesses both wisdom and courage is a supreme general."
"This Xue Ren'gui has bravery in abundance, yet is obsessed with geomancy and physiognomy. Had he not a virtuous wife, he would have wasted his life."
"His understanding is shallow. He must study military doctrine to make up for his shortcomings."
One ruler, one minister—both famed generals—neither willing to yield over such promising talent.
For a moment, Ganlu Hall fell silent.
The onlookers exchanged glances, faces full of interest.