Chapter 32: The Dragon Trapped in Shallow Waters (Part Three)

The sun slanted across the mountains, tinged with a faint red, and even the cicadas, exhausted, rested upon the branches.
At the banquet, the officials gradually awoke. Li Longji rolled over several times and ended up lying atop Yang Yuhuan, his snores resounding like thunder.
Prime Minister Li and Gao Lishi conversed with laughter; Li extolled the emperor’s thunderous snores, claiming it a good omen—surely the divine deer would arrive, bringing blessings and longevity from the heavens to His Majesty.
The officials below echoed his words, praising the Prime Minister’s insight. Only Hanlin Scholar Li Bai remained silent, shifting his posture and feigning sleep.
A breeze swept across the imperial carriage, halting the snores. Li Longji awoke, and Yang Yuhuan hurried to serve him—bringing tea to rinse his mouth and wiping his face with a damp silk cloth.
Soon, Li Longji’s drowsiness dissipated, his spirit revived.
Gao Lishi, seeing this, whispered with the Prime Minister, agreed upon their approach, and proceeded toward the carriage. A moment later, Li Longji’s delighted laughter rang out from within.
Dismounting, Li Longji rode his prized steed once more, picked up his treasured eagle-bow, and, accompanied by ministers and generals, continued toward the Valley of Flowers with his beloved beauty.
Just then, a large stag, swaying drunkenly, staggered across Li Longji’s path, its antlered head bobbing. It walked a short distance before kneeling and falling asleep, oblivious to the emperor and his retinue.
“Your Majesty, the divine deer has come to offer blessings. Please, shoot it swiftly,” Gao Lishi seized the moment to report to the Son of Heaven.
Li Longji raised his eagle-bow, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and shot at the deer lying thirty yards away. This time, he hit his mark. Yang Yuhuan celebrated beside him, proclaiming that the emperor’s strike upon the divine deer would bring heavenly favor and greater peace and strength to the realm.
All the officials cried out, congratulating His Majesty on capturing the divine deer—a blessing not only for the empire, officials, and people, but above all for the emperor himself.
Chen Xuanli ordered the soldiers to shout “Long live the emperor!” and praise his boundless grace.
Thus, Li Longji sat upon his horse, laughing toward the sky, radiant with joy, his face aglow.

Hanlin Scholar Li Bai reluctantly echoed the celebrations. Gao Lishi, noticing Li Bai’s lackluster demeanor, felt displeased—now that the emperor had hunted the divine deer bestowed by heaven, how could Li Bai appear so indifferent?
Gao Lishi steadied himself, his thumb rubbing against his fingers, and approached the emperor’s horse, intent on requesting that Li Bai compose a poem to commemorate the capture of the divine deer.
Two eunuchs moved forward to seize the deer. Whether from the effects of sedatives or some other cause, the birds of the forest scattered and cried out. Before Gao Lishi could speak, the eunuchs had grasped the deer. Suddenly, the deer awoke in terror, let out a pained cry, broke free from their hold, and staggered toward the mountains and rivers beyond the valley, paying no mind to the emperor or ministers.
Gao Lishi’s face turned ashen; he stood dumbfounded, cursing the wretched deer for escaping at such a critical moment.
The officials, who had been celebrating, now fell silent, none daring to speak—the deer had fled.
Only the birds overhead continued their lively chatter; all in the Valley of Flowers, from the palace officials and both Prime Ministers to Yang Yuhuan, lapsed into uneasy silence, uncertain how to proceed.
Li Longji, basking in his ministers’ flattery, was now vexed—the deer had escaped, arrow protruding from its haunch as it wobbled away. His anger flared.
He slapped his prized steed with the eagle-bow and, though corpulent, became suddenly agile—leaning to retrieve an arrow from the quiver, clamping the horse between his thighs, eyes fixed on the deer. “This time, I’ll pierce you! Divine deer, you shall not escape!”
The horse, stung on its hindquarters and squeezed at the belly, kicked and broke through the crowd, leaving behind his beloved Yang Yuhuan to chase after the deer. Chen Xuanli hastily mounted his horse and ordered the soldiers to protect the emperor.
But it was too late!
A strong wind arose. Hidden in the tall grass, a fierce Turkic outlaw known as Lokdao sprang into action, snatching a spear from a soldier, kicking it several yards away, and using it to scatter the line of soldiers, killing indiscriminately. He charged straight at old General Chen Xuanli, who had just mounted, his armor gleaming but with reins still loose.
Chen Xuanli saw the scarred face of the marauder rushing toward him and sensed impending doom. He could only grip his lance and rein in his horse to face the enemy.
The officials panicked, fleeing in all directions, heedless of the emperor’s safety.
Only Hanlin Scholar Li Bai remained calm. He approached a fallen soldier, whose mouth and nose were bloodied, grabbed his longsword, and without hesitation joined the fray, with the elegance of a scholar, swinging his blade at Lokdao—only to have it knocked aside by Lokdao’s spear.
Chen Xuanli shouted, ordering the soldiers to protect the emperor, and told Li Bai to refrain from fighting, but to seek out His Majesty instead.

At this moment, Gao Lishi led hundreds of soldiers in pursuit of the emperor. Li Bai, knowing he could not influence the battle, rose and drew his sword to help protect Li Longji.
Soon, the soldiers swarmed forward, some firing arrows, others encircling Lokdao, thrusting their spears in unison.
Lokdao struggled fiercely against Chen Xuanli, his back pierced by a stray arrow. Already wounded by the old general, he was now exhausted, surrounded by soldiers, his strength waning. At last, Chen Xuanli struck him down with a single blow, severing his head and ending his life in the valley forever.
Yet Lokdao had fulfilled his mission: to delay Chen Xuanli. He had performed it brilliantly.
The scorching summer wind swept over Lokdao’s corpse. This Turkic warrior died amidst the conspiracy to assassinate Li Longji and disrupt the order of the Great Tang, buying precious time for his master, Tsang Batu.
Meanwhile, Li Longji rode after the deer, repeatedly firing arrows but missing each time. The deer crossed the rocky slope and leapt downward.
Suddenly, the clatter of hooves disrupted the pursuit. A burly man clad in bear skin, wielding a large axe, cut down the approaching cavalry guards, sending both rider and horse flying. Another dozen cavalry rushed in, seeking to protect the emperor, shouting for him to flee.
Seeing the assassination attempt, Li Longji abandoned the deer and hastily turned his horse.
Tsang Batu watched Li Longji turn and glared furiously, roaring like a bear, which startled the emperor’s mount. The horse, out of control, pivoted and charged down the rocky slope after the deer.
Tsang Batu, shouting in Tibetan, declared, “This time, you will surely die!” Swinging his axe with a fearsome flourish, he felled the surrounding imperial cavalry, then spurred his horse in pursuit of Li Longji. Whether Tibet would devour the Tang Empire and whether the border generals would be swayed depended upon the success of this very act.