Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 20

Li Bi shook his head with a wry smile: "It's easier said than done... The Emperor truly trusts Li Fuguo and others, and because of their slander, he almost killed Prince Jianning. So how can I leave so easily? I can only devise a plan slowly and wait for another opportunity. As for Consort Zhang... how could I possibly touch her?"

Li Ji said, "Princess Ningguo is quite clever. She saw this and wanted to take me away from this troublesome place, right? Why won't you agree, brother?"

Li Bi's face darkened, and he said, "You are too audacious. If you can do such a thing in the palace, then if you were to accompany the princess to the Uyghur Khaganate, hehe... If this were to ruin our friendship and cause the Uyghur ruler to resent our Tang, it would surely lead to an even greater disaster!" Before Li Ji could retort, he continued, "I..."

Chapter 43, A Man's Words Are as Good as Gold

When Li Ji heard that An Qingxu had murdered his father and seized power, and that Yan Zhuang was now in charge of the rebel army, he asked Li Bi what kind of person Yan Zhuang was. Li Bi shook his head and said, "I don't know anything about him."

Of the scholars who genuinely followed An Lushan in his uprising, only Gao Shang and Zhou Zhi were truly prominent. In those days, scholars were either talented or distinguished by their family background, so they had all heard of each other and some were even related or close friends. As for Yan Zhuang, although he was theoretically a scholar, he was an unofficial scholar who had entered officialdom through the ranks. He had served in An Lushan's staff from the very beginning, so the court did not have a detailed understanding of his abilities and temperament.

Li Bi then said, "The rebel generals Shi Siming, Cai Xide, Ashina Congli, and others were all bound by loyalty and righteousness with An Ze when he was in the three towns. Now that Qingxu has murdered his father, the court has been able to ascertain the truth. How could the generals not know this? They will certainly not obey his orders..."

Li Ji interjected with a smile, "Even if An Lushan died a good death, we must insist that Qingxu murdered his father; even if the rebel generals are unaware of the truth, the court must still send people to spread the news everywhere."

Li Bi nodded and continued, "This will cause the army to hesitate and make it difficult to maintain morale. It is the perfect opportunity to recover the two capitals and completely quell the rebellion. Given the current situation, even if Yan Zhuang has extraordinary abilities, he is not a threat."

He then glanced sideways at Li Ji and said, "Now you understand my good intentions, don't you? If there were discord between the emperor's father and sons, or among the brothers, it might end up like the situation the rebels are in now..."

Li Bi consistently advised Li Heng to be a filial son and not to break ties with the ruler in Chengdu, thus preventing him from hastily establishing a crown prince. He also tried every means to support Li Chu and protect Li Tan, fearing that if the imperial family were to fall into internal strife, it would be unnecessary to go so far as to commit patricide, which would alienate the people and officials and be detrimental to the overall situation of suppressing the rebellion.

Li Ji complimented him, saying, "Brother, you have great foresight." But in his heart, he thought, "I'm the one who protected Li Tan. Don't take all the credit."

During his audience with the emperor during the day, Li Mi pointed out that the troops from various northwestern tribes were gradually gathering in Ding'an. Even those few that hadn't arrived yet, as well as the foreign troops from Ferghana and the Abbasid Caliphate who claimed to be coming to their aid, were not far away. Therefore, the date for our counterattack was fast approaching.

He suggested that, taking advantage of the internal strife among the rebels, Marshal Li Chu should lead the main force south to Fufeng County to join forces with Fang Guan and Xue Jingxian. This would create the appearance of an eastward advance to contain the rebels near Chang'an—staying in Pengyuan County would not work, as it was too far from the front lines. This would make it easier, as previously discussed, for Guo Ziyi to cross the river south after taking control of Hedong and attack Tongguan, thus completely encircling the rebels on the western front.

Li Heng agreed, but said, "Now that the Uyghur envoy has arrived, let's wait a few days. It won't be too late to send troops after I send Ningguo away for marriage."

That evening, Princess Ningguo suddenly sent a eunuch to the general's residence, saying that wine and dishes had been prepared and earnestly inviting her second and third brothers, as well as the Changyuan brothers, to dine at her residence. Li Chu immediately sighed, "This is Ningguo's farewell banquet..." He then asked the eunuch, "Has the Emperor been informed?"

"Of course I have reported this, and the Sage has already given his approval."

The separation of men and women in the Tang Dynasty was not very strict. In particular, although Princess Ningguo dressed as a young girl, she was actually a married woman, and no one really treated her like an ignorant little girl. However, in those days, the authority of parents was very strong, especially in the royal family. Since they lived together, if a daughter wanted to host a banquet—and she invited not only her two older brothers—she would have to ask her father for permission first.

However, Li Ji was not in the hall at the time. Afterwards, when Li Bi casually mentioned the matter, he couldn't help but think: his first reaction was to ask his father if he had agreed. This Prince of Guangping is really a "filial son"; Prince Jianning certainly wouldn't have thought of this, so he was talented but ultimately had no chance of becoming the crown prince.

After finishing their duties, the four of them went together to the palace to attend Princess Ningguo's banquet. Upon hearing the news, the princess came out to greet them, and everyone noticed that she was accompanied by a young boy, none other than Prince Fengjie, Li Shi. Li Chu's face darkened, and he asked, "Why are you here too?" Li Shi hurriedly bowed and replied, "My aunt summoned me here..."

Princess Ningguo smiled and said to Li Chu, "Shi'er is very clever and hasn't fallen behind in his studies. Your Highness, you don't need to be too restrictive of him. It's only natural for a young boy to be curious and active. Remember, Your Highness, weren't you like that too..."

Li Chu coughed lightly, interrupting the princess, and then said to Li Shi, "Your aunt is far away... It's good that you've come. Just like we're keeping vigil at New Year's Eve, I'm entrusting Li Ji to you. You're practically the host, so you must make sure he's happy."

Li Ji thought to himself, "So what if I eat and drink well? It's the same even if no one's with me."

After entering the hall, guests and hosts took their seats—the princess naturally sat in the host's seat, while Li Bi and his brother sat in the guest seats, flanked by two princes, and a county prince sat next to Li Ji. After exchanging pleasantries, the food and wine were served. Li Ji compared it with the food he had received from Li Tan a few days earlier, and unless there was an intention to slight the guest—which was of course impossible—the Princess of Ningguo was very frugal, a stark contrast to his third brother.

As usual, Li Bi didn't touch his lips with wine, and only took two bites of the dishes—which were definitely vegetarian—before wiping his hands and refusing to eat. Seeing this, Princess Ningguo naturally put down her chopsticks and dagger. Li Bi quickly said, "I have always eaten little, as Your Highness knows. There's no need to worry about me. Please enjoy yourself."

The princess laughed and said, "How can a guest put down his chopsticks and the host continue to eat?"

Li Bi cupped his hands and said, "It's alright, seeing my younger brother here." He glanced at Li Ji, who understood and quickly picked up his wine cup. With food in his mouth, he mumbled, "If the host puts down his chopsticks, it will be inconvenient for the guests to eat anymore—please continue your meal, Your Highness. I will offer you a toast first."

The princess smiled and ordered her servants to fill the cups.

He raised the cup with both hands and said, "How dare I accept Mr. Changwei's respect? I should be the one respecting you."

Li Tan interjected, "You need not be so modest with each other. Today, the only one who deserves a toast is me." He then raised his wine cup and said to the princess, "With the help of my virtuous sister, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Changyuan and Mr. Changwei."

Li Bi hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "I dare not—please allow my younger brother to accept your request."

Li Tan nodded slightly to him, then turned his gaze completely to Li Ji, his expression serious, and said, word by word, "I am deeply grateful to Changwei for risking his life to save me the other day. He has shown me the virtue of saving my life and the grace of giving me a second chance. I have no way to repay him—please drink this cup."

Li Ji laughed, "Your Highness has not just escaped a great calamity, and you have already expressed your gratitude countless times in the past few days. Why keep bringing up such a small matter? I saved Your Highness not for Your Highness's sake, but because I couldn't bear to see those..." Li Bi reached under the table and poked Li Ji in the ribs, forcing him to swallow the rest of his sentence and change his words, "I simply couldn't bear to see anyone being killed innocently, so I helped delay the situation for a while. If it weren't for the Marshal and my elder brother coming to persuade the Emperor, Your Highness wouldn't have been able to get over this hurdle—since my elder brother doesn't drink, Your Highness should offer a toast to the Marshal."

He hadn't said it, but once he did, Li Chu also picked up his wine cup: "We're brothers, no need for thanks. I should thank Changwei for upholding the bond between father and son, brothers." He then glared at Li Shi, who quickly replied, "Of course I thank Mr. Changwei too, but Uncle Jianning won't let me drink..."

Upon hearing this, Li Tan couldn't help but smile: "You're quite adept at shirking responsibility—I'll allow you to take your father's place and join me in respecting the Changwei."

The implication was that this glass of wine was offered to Li Ji by me, and that I shouldn't take it from him—my son could do it instead.

Li Ji had no choice but to accept the toast. Then Princess Ningguo raised her cup in a toast, followed by Li Chu, and so on for several rounds. He was fighting against three opponents at once—Li Shi, not daring to be presumptuous in front of his father, only offered the first toast—and held his own. Of course, Princess Ningguo usually only lightly touched her lips in a gesture of respect, and Li Chu didn't offer many toasts either; his main opponent was Li Tan.

While eating and drinking and chatting about everyday matters, Li Tan was filled with resentment. In the past few days, he had been deliberately suppressing his emotions by assisting Li Chu in handling military affairs. Today, with such an opportunity, he couldn't help but drink a few more cups. As the wine entered his sorrowful heart, his cheeks soon turned red and his eyes became glazed.

Although he was somewhat intoxicated, which made him emotional and talkative, he dared not mention that his father had once wanted to kill him. Instead, he steered the conversation toward Princess Ningguo, saying, "There are many princesses, and quite a few county princesses and county princesses as well. Why did Father Emperor single out my virtuous sister to marry far away to the Uyghurs? This is truly..."

Li Tan's mother, Lady Zhang, died early, and he was basically raised by his half-brother, Li Chu—just like Li Heng raised Li Lin—so he had a deep brotherly bond with Li Chu. He was also closer to Li Chu's two full sisters, Princess Ningguo and Princess Hezheng, than to his other sisters, and naturally couldn't bear to see Princess Ningguo marry far away.

It doesn't matter whether she marries a barbarian or not, but going far away to marry the ruler of the Uyghurs means that the brother and sister may never see each other again. How sad would that be?

Upon hearing this, Li Chu couldn't help but glare at Li Tan: "Third brother is drunk, he shouldn't drink anymore. Are you the only one upset about this? Don't I feel sad too? Does Ningguo herself find it enjoyable? I deliberately didn't mention it because I was afraid that the conversation between brother and sister would become more and more depressing and ruin the atmosphere of the meal. I didn't expect you to not even do any preamble and just blurt it out. It's truly infuriating!"

You've already overcome such a huge obstacle, almost losing your life, how come you still don't know how to behave?

Princess Ningguo forced a smile and replied, "His Majesty places great hopes on the Uyghur ruler and should therefore marry his own daughter to him to show the utmost respect, unlike other vassal states. How could we choose a different princess? My elder sister, Hezheng, Daning, and Yining are all already married, and Baozhang and Yanguo are still young. The only one capable of traveling to a foreign land is me..."

Before he could finish speaking, a young eunuch came to report: "The Emperor is on his way to the Princess's residence."

Everyone hurriedly stood up, preparing to go out to greet him. Li Tan, however, didn't know how to face his father after such a commotion—he was also afraid that if the old man became confused again, he would punish him again—so he hurriedly tugged at Li Chu's sleeve, pleading with his eyes. Li Chu understood and nodded: "You can go out through the back door. I will help cover for you in front of Father."

No sooner had Li Tan left than Li Heng entered the courtyard. Everyone respectfully welcomed him in and offered him the seat of honor. Li Heng sat down cross-legged and waved his hands, saying, "Please sit, please sit. We are family... Even Changyuan and Li Ji are not outsiders, so there's no need for formalities." He then looked around, his brows furrowing slightly, and asked, "Is the extra seat for Jianning?"

Li Chu hurriedly bowed and explained, "Jianning is already drunk. Your Majesty, I was afraid that he would behave improperly after drinking and offend Your Majesty, so I ordered him to go home and rest."

Li Heng snorted and pursed his lips, saying, "When someone has something on their mind, they are naturally prone to getting drunk, just like I was the other day..." He paused, then asked, "What did he say at the banquet just now? Did he express any resentment?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "This was clearly your fault. You were drunk and listened to outsiders, almost killing your own son. Afterwards, you didn't even apologize. Do you expect your son to be without resentment? If you weren't the emperor, Li Tan probably wouldn't even acknowledge you as his father! And you're still scoffing? This feudal patriarch's face is truly disgusting!"

Of course, he was full of contempt, but dared not utter it aloud, and could only remain silent. As for Li Chu, upon hearing the emperor's question, he hurriedly stood up and replied, "Thunder and rain are all the emperor's grace. How could Jianning dare to resent the emperor? Ningguo... Mr. Changyuan, Li Ji and others can all testify that this is absolutely not true."

Li Shi hurriedly chimed in, "Your grandson can also testify that Uncle Jianning did not mention a single word about what happened the day before yesterday."

Chapter 44, Delaying Tactics

Regarding Princess Ningguo's marriage to the Uyghur ruler, Li Mi advised Li Heng, "I have observed that Geluozhi is not impolite, but rather a crude and barbaric border official who does not know etiquette. The officials have been too harsh on him."

"As for the question of whether a princess is real or fake, Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng, who married into Tibet, were not the biological daughters of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhongzong, but since they were considered their own daughters and were granted the title of princess, are they not considered real princesses? Who says there is no precedent for a real princess marrying into a foreign country? As for the concern that the Uyghurs may obtain a princess but not send troops, Your Majesty is the sovereign, and the Uyghurs are the ruler and the subject. Is it acceptable for a sovereign to distrust his subject without good reason?"

Li Heng had no choice but to glance at his daughter, then turn to his son and grandson, guessing that none of them dared to voice their opposition—it was a pity Jianning wasn't there, otherwise, given his personality, he would surely have spoken frankly. Why did he run off first? Truly despicable!

A glance caught sight of Li Ji, and as if grasping at a straw, she quickly asked him, "Li Ji, what do you think?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Of course I'm against marrying a princess off, but even Li Bi couldn't convince me of the reasons—you don't seem to feel ashamed at all—so there's no point in trying, and besides, I have to maintain my image as a boorish person..." So he crossed his hands and said, "Whether a princess should be married off to a distant place is none of my business."

Li Heng urged, "Speaking is no crime. Say whatever you think without any worries." As he spoke, he glanced at Li Bi, implying that there was no need to consider his brother's feelings.

Li Ji slightly raised his head and glanced at Princess Ningguo. He saw that the princess was also looking at him, her eyes filled with expectation and pleading... So, while pondering, he replied, "When men and women marry, the first thing to consider is whether their social status is suitable. Your Majesty and the Uyghur chieftain... are not bad. The second thing to consider is whether their ages and appearances are compatible—I wonder how old the Uyghur chieftain is?"

Li Heng replied, "I am over forty, but not yet fifty."

Li Ji then said, “The princess is still young, while the Uyghur chieftain is old and nearly the same age as Your Majesty. An old man and a young wife may not be able to live in harmony. In my opinion, it would be better if she did not marry him.”

Li Bi glared at Li Ji: "Do you intend to make His Majesty break his promise?!"

Li Chu, who was standing nearby, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and quickly interjected, "Your Majesty has a plan that may allow Your Majesty to keep your promise, and Ningguo will not need to be married off to a distant land."

"Oh?" Li Heng was overjoyed and quickly said, "Go on."

"Now that the He ruler has sent his crown prince to lead troops to aid us, he will be able to lead troops into battle. The crown prince should be about the same age as Ningguo. Why not give Ningguo to the crown prince instead? After we recover Xijing, we can build a residence for him so that he can stay in the capital. In this way, Ningguo will not have to go far away, and Your Majesty can see him whenever you miss him."

Li Heng was overjoyed and exclaimed, "This idea is excellent!"

Li Bi waved his hands repeatedly: "No, to promise the father first and then the son would still be a breach of trust. Moreover, I fear this move would cause discord between the Uyghur ruler and his son, triggering internal strife—and Uyghur turmoil would not be a blessing for our Tang Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Li Heng and Li Chu both felt disheartened, and Li Chu hurriedly bowed, saying, "It was my presumptuous words that almost misled Your Majesty. Fortunately, Master Changyuan reminded us..."

With no one able to come up with a solution, Li Heng had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being. He was just about to say a few words and leave the table to go back and complain to Consort Zhang when Li Ji suddenly asked Princess Ningguo, "If the princess is unwilling to marry far away, why not ask my brother for help? My brother is wise and resourceful and will surely have a good plan to give you."

These words were like a wake-up call. Princess Ningguo quickly rose from her seat and bowed deeply to Li Mi, saying, "The affairs of the state are of utmost importance. I would have no regrets even if I died, let alone marry into a lower family. But I am reluctant to leave my father, brothers, and relatives... If you have a solution that satisfies both, I hope you will teach me!"

Li Bi first glared at Li Ji, thinking to himself, "This guy is always causing me trouble..." But upon further reflection, for the sake of the country, he had to argue his case based on reason; for his own sake, however, he had no choice but to cater to the emperor's personal desires. Now that many officials were saying they wouldn't marry him, and the emperor also seemed to be showing favoritism, if he insisted too much, it might create a rift between the emperor and his ministers...

So he quickly rose from his seat and reached out to help her up, saying, "Princess, why do you have to do this? Please get up and speak."

Then, turning to Li Heng, he slowly said, "As a subject, one cannot allow one's sovereign to break his promise. Therefore, having made a promise to the Uyghur ruler, one must never go back on it. However, if Your Majesty truly cannot bear to see the princess leave, there is a plan to delay the situation..."

Li Mi's plan was that China has its own set of etiquette and laws. When the emperor marries off his daughter to a foreign vassal state, he must order her to leave the palace and personally escort her. The direction she must take, which gate of Chang'an she must exit from, and the distance she must travel are all strictly regulated. Now that Chang'an is still in the hands of the rebels, is the emperor really to marry off his daughter in Ding'an? This is improper, and it cannot be considered fulfilling the proper etiquette towards the Uyghurs…

"This could be a good idea. If Grozhi informs his lord and sends a high-ranking official to explain, perhaps the friendship can be maintained."

Li Heng was overjoyed and said, "Indeed, only Changyuan can dispel my doubts." Princess Ningguo also bowed again in gratitude.

Although it's just a delay, many things in this world can be salvaged if delayed. For example, the Uyghur chieftain might die... After all, people's lifespans are generally short these days, especially for nomadic peoples of the grasslands. The environment is harsh, and there's a lack of medical care and medicine. Even nobles often die young, in their forties. Perhaps if this drags on for a year or two, the Uyghur chieftain will be around fifty when he passes away. Then, who will Princess Ningguo marry?

Everyone was pleased and parted in high spirits. However, late at night, back at his residence, Li Bi couldn't help but glance sideways at the smiling Li Ji and warn him, "You and the princess are of vastly different social standing; be careful not to harbor any improper thoughts." Li Ji retorted angrily, "The princess's marriage to a distant land is not a disgrace to my brothers, but to me alone. Now that I hear she is not marrying, I am overjoyed—how could I possibly have any improper thoughts? Brother..."

You're overthinking it!

Li Ji said it was best that you had no delusions—"However, since the princess has already been promised her marriage, this oath must never be broken... In a year or two, once the Western Capital is recovered, the agreement must be kept. What is there for you to be happy about?"

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Li Heng used Li Bi's plan to send away the Uyghur envoy, Geluozhi. Li Bi then requested to send troops south, but Li Heng was still timid. He could only feel at ease when surrounded by a large army. Therefore, heeded the advice of Li Fuguo and others and simply moved his capital south to Fufeng County.

He even changed the name of Fufeng Prefecture to "Fengxiang," with Yong County, the seat of Fengxiang Prefecture, serving as the temporary capital. Li Bi dared not dissuade him, but he was not pleased. Li Ji understood his thoughts—having the emperor by his side, who could seize military command at any moment, was not a good thing. Especially since the emperor himself was incompetent, and he had a powerful Consort Zhang and a bunch of incompetent eunuchs by his side…

If we stay a little further away, and put aside military issues for now, we will be safe, and so will Li Tan.

There was no other way but to wait until the day the war started—you cowardly emperor wouldn't just follow the army all the way to Chang'an, would you?

In early February, news arrived that Guo Ziyi had pacified Hedong and the rebel general Cui Qianyou had been defeated and fled. But Li Heng had barely celebrated for two days when he received another urgent report—the rebellion of Prince Yong, Li Lin, had been quelled.

Li Lin, rejected by Wu Qi, was unable to seize all the money and grain of Jingzhou. Without a sufficiently secure rear, his attempt to sail east to seize Guangling and Wu was doomed to failure. However, after his defeat, his attempt to flee south beyond the Lingnan Mountains was thwarted by Huangfu Shen, the Jiangxi Inspector, who led his troops and riddled him with arrows…

Li Heng was deeply grieved by this, beating his chest and weeping for several days. He even said to those around him, "Huangfu Shen arrested my brother, neither sending him to the imperial court nor escorting him to Shu, but instead arbitrarily killing him. What kind of reason is this?!" Li Mi lamented to Li Ji, "Huangfu Zhengfu (Huangfu Shen)'s official career is over..." Do you still want the emperor to promote you? Dream on!

Fearing that he might offend the emperor at this critical juncture, Li Chu specially transferred Li Tan to the outskirts of the city to train troops, and even forbade him from staying at the commander's mansion. Li Bi also used the excuse of being busy with official duties to simply settle down in the commander's mansion with Li Ji. Moreover, whenever there was a report to the emperor, he no longer ordered Li Ji to enter the palace, but instead ordered Chen Fu and others to do so.

In mid-February, Guo Ziyi crossed the river and attacked Tongguan, briefly penetrating into Guanzhong and killing over 500 enemy soldiers. However, An Qingxu immediately dispatched troops from Luoyang to relieve the attack, and the Tang army, caught in a pincer movement, suffered a crushing defeat and fled. Generals Li Shaoguang and Wang Zuo were killed in battle, and the frontline commander-in-chief, Pugu Huai'en, barely escaped with his life…

Upon receiving the report, Li Heng immediately bypassed Li Chu and issued an imperial edict, ordering Guo Ziyi to lead the Shuofang army westward back to Fengxiang to join forces and attack Chang'an. Li Bi pleaded with him, but to no avail.

Li Bi's plan was that even if Tongguan couldn't be captured immediately, it wouldn't matter. He would send Guo Ziyi north to join forces with Li Guangbi to directly attack Fanyang, thus cutting off the rebels' base of operations. If Fanyang could be captured, the rebels would inevitably panic and find it difficult to resist the government troops. Even if they couldn't capture it, An Qingxu would surely send troops to its aid, at which point the number of rebels between Chang'an and Luoyang would be greatly reduced.

Furthermore, after traveling a thousand miles from Luoyang to reinforce Fanyang, how much fighting strength would they have left? If Guo and Li find an opportunity to ambush and strike at the reinforcements, they will surely inflict heavy losses.

But Li Heng's heart was set on Chang'an, and he simply couldn't wait any longer.

Li Bi then lamented to Li Ji, "Not only have the Uyghur troops arrived, but Ferghana and the Abbasid Caliphate have also sent troops to relieve the siege. Furthermore, Fifth Prince Yu Gui has sent taxes from the Jianghuai region, and the Fengxiang army numbers nearly 100,000... Your Majesty believes that you can take Xijing in one fell swoop with overwhelming force..."

Li Ji asked him, "Is it not possible?"

Li Bi shook his head and said, "Xijing is easy to recover, but if Fanyang is not captured, the rebels will retreat to Henan and Hebei, and it will be difficult to completely quell the rebellion in the short term. The war will inevitably be prolonged..."

Li Ji reminded him: "Brother, most of the troops from Anxi and Hexi are currently in Fengxiang. As long as Xijing is not recovered, they will not be able to return. Meanwhile, the Tubo have already taken advantage of the situation to launch a large-scale invasion. In my opinion, it would be better to secure Chang'an as soon as possible, release the western troops, and let them go back to resist the Tubo."

Li Bi shook his head and said, "Your concerns are not unreasonable. However, Tibet is merely a minor ailment on the border, while the rebels are the real problem. If we can completely quell the rebels within one or two years, we can then focus all our efforts on dealing with Tibet. But if we first secure Chang'an and then release the troops returning to the west, the rebels will not be quelled, and the court will certainly not be able to transport all the grain and supplies to the western front. In that case, we may not have a chance of winning the war against Tibet."

Li Ji thought for a moment and then asked, "Brother, do you mean that if you try to catch two rabbits at once, you might not catch either?"

Li Bi nodded and said, "This analogy is quite apt. Now we have rebels in front and Tibetans behind. Only by focusing our efforts on one can we achieve victory. If we are distracted, both battlefields will drag on for a long time, which will only harm our national strength. The rebels are currently attacking Nanyang and Suiyang. If they are captured, the Jianghuai region will also become a battlefield, and the national revenue will have to rely solely on Sichuan. Isn't that terrible? As for the Tibetans, no matter how rampant they are, they cannot break through Yumen Pass and invade the interior. Therefore, we can ignore them for the time being."

Seeing that Li Ji still seemed somewhat unconvinced, he added, "And you only know about the advantages of location and people, but haven't you considered the timing?"

"What does the timing matter?"

Li Bi said, “Those currently gathered in Fengxiang are mostly troops from the northwest border defenses and various Hu tribes, as are the Shuofang troops from Hedong and Taiyuan. They are all resistant to the cold but afraid of the heat. If we send them north to Fanyang and use them in the cold countryside, we can hope to eliminate the enemy's stronghold, leaving the rebels with nowhere to go and cutting off their roots. But if we first recapture Chang'an and then take Henan, spring will be in full swing in both capitals, and the heat will be approaching. The government troops will not want to stay and will want to return west. At that time, the rebels will rest and prepare for war, and after the government troops leave, they will come south again. Then this war will truly have no end!”

Chapter 45, The Feudal Struggle

With a large Tang army assembled in Fengxiang, very close to Xijing, the rebels could no longer remain indifferent. Therefore, a few days later, the rebel general An Shouzhong led his army westward to attack Wugong.

At that time, Li Chu ordered Wang Sili, the military governor of Guannei, to defend the Wugong line. He divided his army into two: Guo Yingyi, the military commander, was stationed at Dongyuan, and Wang Nande, the military commander, was stationed at Xiyuan. The rebel army first attacked Dongyuan, and the Tang army suffered a defeat. A stray arrow struck Guo Yingyi in the cheek, piercing his jaw, forcing him to retreat with the arrow still in his hand. However, Wang Nande saw him from afar but was too afraid to come to his aid... Wang Sili was forced to abandon Wugong and retreat to Fengxiang. An Shouzhong pursued fiercely from behind, and the rebel troops reached Dahe Pass, only fifty li away from Yongxian...

Upon receiving the news, Li Heng was terrified and wanted to leave Yong County and retreat to Ding'an. Li Chu, Li Bi, and others persuaded him to give up the idea. As a result, martial law was declared in Yong County, and Li Chu also assigned Li Ji fifty soldiers, ordering him to patrol the city, quell lawlessness, and arrest traitors.

This was Li Ji's first time leading troops, and frankly, he had no experience whatsoever, feeling utterly at a loss. Fortunately, his men were all battle-hardened Shence soldiers. Apart from a few slightly unruly and somewhat lax discipline, they were quite reliable, requiring little effort from this newly appointed officer. More importantly, the army deeply respected brave warriors, and news of Li Ji's fierce fight against assassins, and even his intrusion into the palace, had spread. This official, who dared to storm the imperial palace and even dared to insult the emperor—though not exactly insults, but rumors always grow increasingly outrageous—what soldier would dare to provoke him?

With superiors being cautious and subordinates being respectful, it would be difficult not to lead this team well, especially since there are only fifty people in total...

Li Ji suspected that the assassins might have secretly followed the Emperor to Fengxiang and perhaps even infiltrated the city again. He took this opportunity to search everywhere for any clues. Unfortunately, after more than a month, he had killed more than ten unruly civilians and soldiers who had violated the ban, but he hadn't even seen a hair on the assassins' heads.

Needless to say, the so-called "Mr. Guo" under his command should at least be able to use external weapons or be able to scale walls. These few soldiers could easily take him down with a swarm of them. They are definitely not the kind of people that Li Zhiguo would not need to lift a finger for.

In early April, good news finally arrived: Li Guangbi had defeated the rebel general Shi Siming and others in Taiyuan.

Previously, Shi Siming led an army of 100,000 to besiege the important town of Taiyuan. Fortunately, Li Bi had sent Li Guangbi to garrison the city. Although the Tang army was not large enough to reach 10,000, Li Guangbi commanded with composure. He first built large cannons (catapults) to launch huge stones, killing more than 20 people with each shot. Then he dug tunnels out of the city and entered the enemy camp. The enemy camp fell, the rebel army was thrown into chaos, and the Tang army took advantage of the situation to launch an attack, killing and capturing tens of thousands.

Shi Siming besieged Taiyuan for over a month, but not only failed to capture it, he also suffered heavy losses. When news of An Lushan's death arrived, Shi Siming was terrified and immediately retreated to defend Fanyang, leaving Cai Xide and others to continue the siege. Li Guangbi seized an opportunity to launch a counterattack, inflicting a major defeat on Cai Xide, reportedly beheading over 70,000.

The idea that fewer than 10,000 men could behead over 70,000 is utterly absurd, and there must be a lot of exaggeration involved; it's something everyone's used to. Anyway, they've won the battle, and the siege of Taiyuan is over, so everyone is celebrating, and morale is high again.