Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 196

That very night, Li Ji secretly dispatched experienced soldiers to sneak up on the section of wall in the dark, dig up its foundation, and taste the soil with their tongues. The soldiers returned and reported, "The foundation is indeed more moist than other places, and with the added snow, it should be able to be broken down by ramming."

Li Ji was overjoyed upon hearing this—"It really is about details! Details determine success or failure!"

The next day, they attacked the town again, but the attack was not very intense, and both sides suffered only a few dozen casualties. Qilibuzang, who was in Guzang City, heard the alarm and, despite the still slippery ground, sent troops to rescue Chiwu Town, but was forced to retreat by Chen Lizhen. However, Chen's troops also suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat to regroup.

The barbarian army from Jialin's side also came out of the city to provide relief, only to encounter Wei Gao head-on. Wei Gao, concerned that the ground was slippery and the cavalry would have difficulty galloping, ordered them all to dismount. He first used arrows to hurl at them, and then engaged them in close combat, thus forcing the barbarian army to retreat as well, while his own army suffered relatively few losses.

On the third day, three battering rams were finally completed. In truth, to breach the town gate, all that was needed was a large log, which, even if carried by soldiers by hand, would be effective. However, such crude mechanics would inevitably cause heavy casualties to the attacking side. Li Ji never wasted his men's lives; even with the urgency of the situation, he still insisted on meticulously crafting the battering rams according to military precedent.

The vehicle had six wheels, a canopy on top, and six thick ropes were attached to the front and back, from which a huge log with a sharpened end was suspended.

In Li Ji's mind, if simply killing people gave him a 70% chance of success, then he would take the risk and grit his teeth and bear the losses. Otherwise, he would rather prepare his tools first. Even if it took a day or two longer, he had to be confident that he could succeed in one fell swoop.

So a ram was brought out and given to Chang Qianguang to attack the south gate of Chiwu Town. Chang Qianguang raised his arms and shouted at the front of the battle: "I have already sworn a military oath to the commander-in-chief. If I fail to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, I will accept military law. If I die, do you still expect to live? Moreover, the heavy snow has blocked the roads, making it difficult to transport food and fodder. Even if the people of Liangzhou have to sacrifice their homes to provide for them, how many more days will that last? If we cannot quickly capture the enemy town, I fear that none of us will be able to return to Lingzhou alive! If we fear death, we will surely die. If we sacrifice our lives, there is still a way to live. Those who die in battle will have their wives and children supported by the commander-in-chief; those who dare to retreat will have their lives cut by my swift blade!"

At the sound of drums, the battering rams were pushed straight towards the south gate. Arrows immediately rained down from the walls. The Tang soldiers, mostly protected by wooden shields, calmly pushed the rams closer to the gate—at this point, haste was of the essence; the hastily made wooden wheels and nailed-together battering rams were not very sturdy, and if they tipped over, or even became stuck in the mud, they would be difficult to get up. Then, under the unified command of the officers, ropes were pulled, and the battering rams were slowly raised…

Wood, stones, and fire bottles were thrown down from the wall, but the chariot had a cowhide roof that sloped on both sides and was covered with wet soil under the snow, so ordinary wood and stones could not break it at all. Even when fire bottles were thrown down, they were extinguished immediately with a "hiss" of blue smoke.

After only six or seven rammings, the town gate cracked open, and the Tibetan army hurriedly used wood and stones to block it, engaging in a fierce battle with the Tang army who tried to rush in. Li Ji, seeing from afar that the Tibetans' attention seemed to be drawn to the vicinity of the south gate, ordered the flags to be waved to send a signal.

This signal was sent to the Tang army lying in ambush near Chiwu Spring, commanded by Gao Chongwen. Upon receiving the order, Gao Chongwen immediately pushed out two more battering rams, which struck the unstable section of the wall side by side. A short while later, a deafening roar echoed from outside the town—"The wall has collapsed! The wall has collapsed!"

Gao Chongwen was only twenty-three years old. He was originally a general in the Pinglu Army, but later moved to Huaixi. He was naturally intelligent, but unfortunately, he was illiterate… When Gao Ying recommended this distant cousin to Li Ji's command, he was even ashamed of this. Li Ji practically forced Gao Chongwen to learn to read, and even lectured him, saying, "The only general who is not learned is Wang Ping of the Shu Han Dynasty. Do you want to be the second one? Can you even do it?"

Actually, many generals throughout history have been illiterate, but only Wang Ping is explicitly recorded in historical texts. As for the generals from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, let's not even mention them. The key point is, even if an illiterate guy exaggerates a little, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference, right?

Last year, Gao Chongwen fought a fierce battle with the barbarian army in the valley south of Herong City. His performance was not outstanding. After carefully assessing his abilities, Li Ji changed his command to infantry—don't assume that being born in Youzhou and Pinglu means you're good at commanding cavalry. This time, Gao Chongwen led three battalions of elite infantry, lying in ambush near Chiwu Spring, and used battering rams to ambush the enemy's defenses, achieving a resounding victory.

Especially as soon as the wall collapsed, Gao Chongwen, dressed in heavy armor and carrying a long-handled sword, took the lead and rushed to scale the enemy wall.

The Mo Dao was a powerful weapon in the Tang army. It was about ten feet long, with its blade extending more than halfway down its length. It was specifically used to form formations against cavalry. A brave and strong man could wield it and shatter both man and horse with a single stroke. However, because of its size and weight, the Mo Dao was quite difficult to use. Moreover, the swinging motion required a large range of motion, leaving the body vulnerable. Therefore, it had to be used in formation to coordinate with comrades on either side.

But Gao Chongwen possessed superhuman strength—Li Ji had once arm-wrestled with him. Well, Gao Chongwen didn't dare to win the first round, Li Ji refused to admit defeat in the second, and in the third round, an urgent report came, and Li Ji passed away—he could wield the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) with incredible speed and agility with just one hand. He immediately charged forward with his sword, and when three barbarian soldiers tried to stop him, he cleaved two and a half of them in two with a single stroke.

The Tang army then surged into Chiquan Town, and the morale of the Tibetan army wavered. They only lasted for the time it takes to eat a meal before collapsing completely.

Chang Qianguang was still fighting fiercely outside the South Gate when he heard that the wall next to him had been breached and Gao Chongwen had led his troops into the town first. He was so angry that his hair stood on end. He immediately took his sword and slashed the ground, cursing, "I thought the commander had entrusted me with an important task, but I didn't expect him to make me lure the enemy. This is really too much!"

But after scattering the barbarian soldiers, Li Ji led his army into the town and summoned his generals. He first asked, "Who deserves the greatest credit for today's battle?" Before the generals could answer, he pointed and said, "I consider the Commander Du to be the greatest credit. He led five hundred soldiers to hold back several thousand barbarian bandits. After a fierce battle, with blood flowing down to their heels, General Gao was able to successfully break through the town's walls. Without the Commander Du, it would have been difficult to break through Chiwu Town today."

Upon receiving this commendation in front of everyone, Chang Qianguang's anger vanished like smoke. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "It is all thanks to the commander's excellent command and prior knowledge of the weak points in the town's defenses that we were able to succeed in one fell swoop. How dare I take credit for this?"

Actually, Li Ji originally wanted to attribute all the credit to his own confidant, but as soon as he took his seat, he saw Chang Qianguang with his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes wide open, looking resentful. So he quickly changed his tune. With a formidable enemy at hand, there couldn't be any internal conflicts right now. Gao Chongwen was ultimately of low rank and was one of his own. He could reward and comfort him privately later.

Fearing a shortage of supplies, the Tang army dared not rest for an extended period. The following day, they dispatched half of their forces to attack Jialin County in the north. Along the way, they destroyed several fortified villages used by the Tibetan army for communication and once again forced back the main force of the Tibetan army led by Qilibuzang.

However, the Tibetan army in Jialin County defended themselves quite tenaciously, making it difficult for the Tang army to gain the upper hand for the time being. Wei Gao came to see Li Ji and expressed his concerns: "Now that Chiwu Town has been captured, the Tibetan defense line has been breached by us. However, the remaining enemy forces are holding their ground and it will not be easy to defeat them quickly. In particular, if we take Jialin and cut off the Tibetan army's westward retreat route, I fear that the enemy in Guzang City will fight like cornered beasts..."

Li Ji nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking too. So, how can Chengwu teach me?"

Wei Gao said, "Why not send a letter to the barbarian general, allowing him to retreat to Ganzhou..."

So Li Ji personally wrote a letter and had the captured Tibetan general translate it into Tibetan script, which was then sent to Qilibuzang...

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Presenting a Memorial to the Temple

Qilibuzang was trapped in Guzang City, and his brows were always furrowed with worry.

He knew the Shuofang army was very strong, but he originally thought that with the triangular defensive line of two cities and one town, he could at least halt their advance and wait for the Da Lun army to send reinforcements. The sudden snowfall a few days ago delighted him, but unfortunately, it didn't last long; what followed were several days of clear, sunny days…

In particular, Chiwu Town, which they had thought they could hold for a long time, was captured by the Tang army in just three days. Due to the snowfall, their reinforcements could not get close and were driven back. Although the snow had not completely melted, which might affect the Tang army's supply lines, they also heard that the nearby Tang people were bringing out their winter rations to supply their own army.

Qilibuzang stamped his foot in great anger and said, "If I had known, I would have killed all those Tang people!"

Of course, this was just empty talk. Even if time could be reversed, he couldn't possibly kill all the Tang people in Liangzhou—there were at least 70,000 to 80,000, how easy would it be to kill them all? And if he killed all the Tang people, how much supplies could those nomadic tribes provide to support tens of thousands of troops?

Qilibuzang couldn't possibly estimate how much grain the Tang people could provide for Li Ji, but seeing Li Ji's unbridled advance, he assumed there would be no shortage of food. With Chiwu Town fallen, the fortified position he had painstakingly built up in the short term would naturally crumble, and Guzang and Jialin would no longer be able to support each other; the fall of the city was only a matter of time.

He was prepared to die in battle, but unexpectedly received a letter from Li Ji. The letter said:

"Lanzhou has been experiencing continuous snowfall for days, and Ma Chongying is facing off against our army east of the Tao River. If you hold your ground, you will not receive any reinforcements. Chiwu Town has already fallen to us, and Jialin and Guzang are each defending their own territory. At most, they will fall to us one by one within a month, inevitably resulting in mutual destruction. I have clashed with you, General, more than once, and I have always admired your talent. Since you are in dire straits, why not surrender? I will certainly petition the Emperor to grant you a high rank, no less than what you would have received in the barbarian lands."

"If you, General, are concerned for your family in the barbarian lands and are unwilling to submit, I can clear the way for you to retreat to Ganzhou. I am satisfied that this westward journey has been successful in recovering the entire Liangzhou region. You should first secure the defenses of Ganzhou and Suzhou, and wait until next year to test your mettle on the battlefield, so that I may better understand your military prowess..."

Qilibuzang was still hesitating when his subordinates reported that the Qiang and Hu tribes in the city seemed to be showing signs of instability.

It turned out that Li Ji had contacted the Qiang and Hu tribes through Tang people—after all, they lived in Tongzhou and could find some acquaintances among themselves—and stated that they had only been coerced by the barbarian bandits and their crimes were not serious. He said that if they defected and surrendered, they could be spared their past transgressions. Otherwise, given the current situation, he could take Liangzhou entirely within a month at most. Even if they were lucky enough to escape, would their tribes still dare to linger in their original pastures? Weren't they afraid that he would lead his troops to wipe them all out, leaving no one alive, old or weak?!

—Li Ji repeatedly mentioned "one month," indicating a timeframe he was quite confident about for a strong offensive. As for the Tang army, they couldn't actually guarantee a month's supply of provisions or retreat routes; that was something only they knew, not the enemy.

Qilibuzang then panicked a little, thinking to himself that he had less than five thousand real barbarian soldiers under his command. If the Qiang and Hu tribes rebelled, it would be really difficult to suppress them.

He certainly didn't completely believe Li Ji's words, convinced that the Tang army would surely launch a surprise attack as soon as he left the city's fortifications. But now, with the snow finally melting and the roads slightly easier to traverse, he still had a chance to escape. If he waited a few more days for another snowfall, even if Li Ji opened the passage, he wouldn't be able to get out…

I heard that Mang Re attacked Yuanzhou and his entire army was wiped out, all of them elite barbarian soldiers. If the Zhenfan tribe were to lose another five thousand men under our command, it would be a devastating blow to the nation. At this time, every extra man who can escape will preserve more young and strong men for the nation, seeds for future soldiers.

So they exchanged letters and agreed with Li Ji that the Tang army would temporarily lift the siege of Jialin and retreat forty li to open a passage. Li Ji's condition was that the treasury in Guzang city could not be burned; he could take whatever he could, but he was not allowed to destroy anything he could not carry.

But as soon as Qilibuzang left Guzang City, he ordered the city to be set on fire. Li Ji hurriedly led his troops into the city, drew water to extinguish the fire, and allowed the barbarian army to successfully enter Jialin City and join forces with the garrison—however, thirty percent of the Qiang and Hu soldiers scattered along the way. Li Ji then led his army to press on Jialin again, but Qilibuzang set another fire, rushed to Fanhe, set it on fire again, and fled west into the Yanzhi Mountains…

In this way, Li Ji spent more than half a month to take over the entire Liangzhou region... well, to be more precise, he took over the core counties. When he rode into Guzang City, although he saw the city in ruins and the fire had just been extinguished, with black smoke still swirling in many places, he felt particularly relaxed—because he had just received a report from Bai Yuanguang that the snow belt had indeed moved south, and the border area between Liang and Lanzhou was covered in snow for days.

It would take at least ten days to half a month for the barbarian reinforcements to arrive, nor would they be able to plunder my supply lines. Since Qilibuzang has already abandoned Guzang City, his morale is low, and I don't believe he would dare to hold onto Jialin County or Fanhe County.

As expected, Qilibuzang fled westward, and by the time he entered Ganzhou, most of his Qiang and Hu troops had scattered. Fortunately, most of the Zhenfan troops remained. Li Ji naturally dispatched generals such as Chen Lizhen and Wei Gao to lead cavalry in pursuit, but unfortunately, the enemy was too fast, and the kills were few—Qilibuzang forced the Qiang and Hu vassal armies to hand over their warhorses, leaving almost every Zhenfan soldier with two horses. They were truly swift in their advance and swift in their retreat.

The snow belt continued to move south, and by the beginning of the first month of the following year (the fourth year of the Dali era), snowflakes began to fall in Qin, Wei, Tao, Lan and other prefectures. The Tang army felt that its food supplies were running out and that it could not break through the Tibetan army's defense line in the Taoxi region in the short term, so it gradually withdrew to its garrison. Among them, Li Sheng did not return to Binning, but was ordered to retreat to Xiangwu, the capital of Weizhou.

Ma Chongying led the Tibetan army in pursuit, but due to heavy snow blocking the roads and hindering their movements, they gained very little and were also considering withdrawing. Mangre specially requested an audience with Ma Chongying and secretly suggested: "Please ask Dalun to return to Lhasa as soon as possible."

Ma Chongying said, "Now that Wei and Qin prefectures have fallen, Cheng and Dang are also indefensible. We must strengthen the defenses of all cities to stabilize He and Shan and prevent the Tang people from taking advantage of the situation. I will stay for a few more days until the demarcation is completed and the troops have withdrawn before I leave."

Mangre advised, "If the Great Master does not return in haste, I fear that the Great Master will return to Lhasa first to pay homage to the King..."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chongying was startled and lowered his head in silence for a long time.

The traditional political system of Tibet involved a joint council composed of tribal chiefs to govern the country, with the "Three Ministers and One Debate" presiding over the council. This council held the highest rank and wielded the most power. Compared to the Tang Dynasty, the "Three Ministers and One Debate" could be likened to the Council of State Affairs, but in addition to handling daily military and political affairs, the Council of State Affairs also frequently convened large meetings, summoning all officials of the third rank and above to discuss state affairs.

The term "Three Shang and One Lun" could also be called "Three Shang and Four Lun," because theoretically, the Grand Shang is also the Grand Lun. The four people are of equal rank, but conventionally, the emperor's maternal uncle, plus one or two members of his family through generations of marriage (possibly from the maternal family of the previous emperor), are given the title "Shang," and a non-marriage minister jointly assists in governing.

For example, Shang Jiexi was the maternal uncle of Trisong Detsen, while Langda Zhalugong (Ma Chongying) was a non-marriage Dalun.

Because of his achievements in quelling rebellions and gaining popular support, coupled with his successful defeat of the Tang army and the capture of several prefectures in Longyou and Hexi a few years prior, Ma Chongying's prestige was unparalleled, surpassing that of the other three Shang Luns. This naturally aroused the suspicion of the other three, who then considered joining forces to oppose him—Shang Jiexi was the one publicly chosen to oppose Ma Chongying. Ma Chongying naturally had to deal with this situation, so he suggested that Trisong Detsen emulate the Tang system and formally establish the system of ministers in the Council of State Affairs, with provincial councils under them, thus improving the government structure.

On the one hand, this system would deprive the vast majority of noble chieftains of their right to speak on important military and political affairs; on the other hand, it would also give some noble chieftains the opportunity to join the ranks of high-ranking officials. Ma Chongying used the qualification for entry into the hall as bait to lure the chieftains into supporting his reform policies and strategic plans.

Originally, a victory in this battle, or even a draw despite some gains, wouldn't have significantly damaged Ma Chongying's prestige. Upon his return to court, the new prime ministers would be chosen, and those who sided with him, such as Mang Re, would be considered for selection, forming a powerful force within the Council of State, enough to rival the Three Shangs. Unfortunately, the battle was lost. Not only were the five thousand raiding barbarian troops annihilated on Tang territory, but Huizhou was also lost again, and Qin and Wei could not be held. Judging from the situation, even Liangzhou might be lost…

Mang Re naturally has no chance of entering the Politics Hall—at least not this term—and Ma Chong Ying's prestige has been tarnished, while the qualifications of the other candidates from the party are also in jeopardy. San Shang Lun can bring his own confidants into the Politics Hall, thus forming an overwhelming advantage over Ma Chong Ying's faction.

The only one who benefited Ma Chongying was Shang Jiexi, who came from the east with Ma, and who also bore significant responsibility for the defeat. Ma Chongying's failure stemmed from poor planning, while Shang Jiexi's failure was due to disobedience—first, he expanded the conscription area, causing unrest among the Qiang and Hu tribes in Longxi, thus failing to confuse or restrain the Tang army on the southern front; then, he ignored Ma Chongying's advice and insisted on recapturing Huining Pass, leading to a disastrous defeat. Although the victory at Changcheng Fortress followed, it was only a localized achievement and could not offset the previous mistakes.

Therefore, Mang Re advised Ma Chongying to quickly return to Luoxie and report to the Zanpu, shifting the main responsibility for the defeat onto Shang Jiexi. Only in this way could he hope to at least not lose in the subsequent political struggle. If Shang Jiexi returned first and managed to clear himself of his mistakes, Da Lun, you would likely be sidelined!

"Regarding the defense deployment and troop withdrawal, if Your Excellency trusts me, I will handle it on your behalf."

Ma Chongying remained silent for a long time, then smiled bitterly and said, "It's not that I covet power, but if the three Shangs return, that's fine. But if they bring in some ignorant mediocre people to the government, it might ruin the country's affairs and damage the Zanpu's wisdom..." He then spent half the night explaining his entire plan to Mangre in detail. The next morning, he got up and led dozens of his confidants out of the camp and headed straight for Lhasa.

Mang Re deliberately concealed the news of Ma Chongying's departure, but it was difficult to hide it from Shang Jiexi. However, around noon, Shang Jiexi received a secret report, so he also abandoned his troops and hurriedly returned home—let's see who can run faster!

Two days later, after Liangzhou fell, the urgent report of Qilibuzang's westward flight finally reached the Tubo camp. Mangre stamped his feet repeatedly, lamenting his helplessness—even if Ma Chongying were there, Lanzhou could not send reinforcements due to the heavy snow blocking the roads, and as for Mangre, he had no such authority...

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The news of the recapture of Qin, Wei, and Liang prefectures reached Chang'an one after another. Not long after, Cui Ning, the military governor of Xichuan, also submitted a memorial, saying that last autumn he personally led his troops out of the Western Mountains, penetrated more than a hundred miles into the territory of the barbarians, massacred three fortresses, and beheaded five thousand people...

Cui Ning's report may have contained a lot of exaggeration, but taking advantage of the fierce battle in Longxi, he did not remain idle. He took the initiative to send troops to attack Tubo and achieved some victories, which should be beyond doubt—because the supervising envoy had already reported this in advance.

The court and the people were overjoyed. Then, under Lu Qi's planning and Li Shi's arrangement, thousands of officials and commoners gathered outside Mingfeng Gate, knelt and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and presented a joint congratulatory memorial, attributing all the credit for this victory to the Emperor and praising Li Yu to the point that he almost surpassed Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, and even rivaled Emperors Yao and Shun...

Li Yu was suffering from a minor illness and was lying in the Penglai Palace when he read the congratulatory memorial. He broke out in a sweat and said to his attendants, "Throughout history, emperors have been arrogant and made arbitrary decisions that led to the downfall of the country, all because of such writings. However, I have received this memorial, which is enough to comfort my ancestors!" He then ordered that preparations be made immediately, as he was about to offer his prayers at the ancestral temple. He then sat up and felt a great sense of relief; his illness had miraculously disappeared.

Of course, it wasn't just about reporting to the temple; more importantly, now that the lost territory had been recovered, officials needed to be appointed to govern it, and generals needed to be dispatched to defend it. The generals who had previously rendered meritorious service also needed to be rewarded, and the outstanding funds owed to the various garrisons for their troop movements needed to be paid. Li Yu then summoned his ministers to discuss the matter, and had the two financial advisors, Han Huang and Liu Yan, sit among them. Han Huang was the first to plead poverty, saying that he had already been stretched thin supporting the front lines, and now he could only afford to pay for the troop movements; as for rewards… the treasury was empty, and he simply couldn't afford it!

Li Yu then asked Liu Yan, who had just returned to the capital from the Huai River. Liu Yan pondered for a long time before saying, "I can go again to search Henan, Huainan, and Liangzhe, and ask the envoys to allocate some of the tribute due this autumn to Guanzhong in advance..."

Li Yu interrupted him, asking urgently, "Then do those prefectures and counties still have surplus grain?"

Yang Wan, standing to the side, put on a stern face and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, even the granaries in the capital may not be without surplus grain. However, it is only the first month of the lunar calendar, and spring sowing, summer plowing, and autumn harvest all require money. How can we possibly exhaust all our resources? Even if we order them to pay tribute first, they will still have to work hard to find the right amount. It is unknown how much they can actually produce. Does Your Majesty intend to force the people to rebel?!"

Li Yu smiled awkwardly: "I was just asking casually..."

Taking the opportunity, Liu Yan advised, "Your Majesty, last year's campaign against the barbarians was extremely costly. While the treasury still has some reserves, once the various garrisons begin their demands, the accumulated wealth of the past few years will likely be depleted. In last year's war, we originally thought we only needed to supply the garrisons of Shuofang, Jingyuan, and Fengxiang, but in reality, all the garrisons in Guanzhong mobilized, with no fewer than 100,000 troops deployed from north to south, and we even drove the barbarian bandits far away to Taodong and Ganzhou. Now, many people are displaced and unable to return home, and much land is abandoned and cannot be cultivated again. With limited annual tax revenue, we simply cannot continue to squander resources like this!"

"Does your intention mean that we should adopt a defensive posture against the barbarian bandits?"

"If we wish to recover lost territory, we can focus on one route only and not divide our forces to advance along multiple routes."

"Qingyun, is there something you mean by 'specializing in this area'?"

Liu Yan clasped his hands and said, “The prefectures and counties of Longyou are in ruins. Even if we take them from the barbarians, it will take several years to accumulate enough resources before we can produce anything. Moreover, before that, the court may need to open granaries to provide relief and allocate funds to repair the city. When the financial resources are insufficient, it is really useless to take them. If we want to use troops, the only way is the northern route. Now that we have recovered Liangzhou, if we can also take Gansu, Su, Gua, and Sha, we can connect with the Western Regions, restart the Silk Road, and bring together all kinds of exotic goods to the two capitals. Chinese silk and paper can be sold to the Arabs, which will surely make the treasury full and the national strength restored.”

Li Xian chimed in, saying, "During the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, the annual market tax in Chang'an alone was no less than three million strings of cash. After the An Lushan Rebellion, it was reduced to half of that. After the fall of Hexi, even three hundred thousand strings of cash were hard to come by. If the Silk Road can be restarted, not only can the market tax be restored to the amount during the Qianyuan and Shangyuan eras, but the revenue from the road will also increase significantly. Then Vice Minister Han will no longer be in such a difficult position."

He turned his gaze to Han Huang, who nodded repeatedly.

Li Yu pondered for a moment and said, "However, if we want to take Gansu, Su, Gua, and Sha, we may have to take Lanzhou first to avoid Liangzhou being attacked from the flank and rear; to take Lanzhou, we must first break through the enemy's defense line in Taodong..."

Li Xian spread his hands: "Then it is the matter of Zhujie Town."

Chapter Twenty-Eight, The Third Under Heaven

Li Yu was quite wary of the blood oaths formed by the various regional military governors, but having just won a battle and recovered several lost prefectures, he could not immediately carry out a large-scale relocation. He could only temporarily reward and appease them. He requested that Li Ji return to the capital for an audience, but Li Ji used the excuse that Liangzhou had just been recovered and the people's hearts were not at peace, and delayed his trip.

Li Yu summoned Li Qijun and asked him, "In the past, Lai Zhen, Liang Chongyi, and others refused to obey the imperial edict and return to the capital. When Li Ji was in the capital, he often said that they lacked the integrity of a subject and harbored resentment. Why is it that even today, when I send an envoy to summon them, they still refuse to return? Could it be that they have also secretly harbored rebellious intentions?"

Li Qijun hurriedly said, "Your Majesty must not suspect the general without reason. Moreover, Li Ji has always been highly regarded by Your Majesty and entrusted with your confidant. He has received Your Majesty's favor and would never betray you. In my opinion, it is indeed true that he dared not leave Liangzhou hastily due to the constraints of the situation."

But after saying that, his expression seemed hesitant.

Li Yu patiently said, “You are Li Ji’s cousin and have always been on good terms with him. When Li Ji was guarding Weibo, it was you who was summoned by imperial decree to go west to Shuofang. Therefore, you must be able to understand Li Ji’s true intentions. That’s why I summoned you to ask you. You can speak frankly without any worries.”

Li Qijun said, "I dare not say that I can fully understand Li Ji's true intentions, but I am only aware of his ambitions."

What is his ambition?

"His ambition is naturally to recover Longyou and Hexi, drive away the barbarian bandits, and go to rescue Anxi and Beiting, so that our Tang dynasty can be intact—Your Majesty is well aware of this, so why ask me?"

Li Yu stroked his beard and pondered for a long while before slowly saying, "Indeed, I am well aware of Li Ji's ambitions... Perhaps I have been overcomplicating human nature?"

“If the ruler treats his subjects with sincerity, the subjects will surely repay him with loyalty. If Emperor Xuanzong had not used Yang Guozhong and had instead slandered An Lushan before the emperor day and night, An Lushan might not have rebelled so quickly. I have heard him say that he originally could not bear to turn his back on Emperor Xuanzong and wanted to wait until after the emperor’s death.”

Li Yu patted the edge of the couch and said with a smile, "You are right. Li Changwei once stood guard at the gate and saved me from danger. How could he betray me? It is understandable for a general to seek merit and make a name for himself in history."

The problem of the various towns in Guanzhong was relatively easy to solve. The imperial court had already issued an edict and made some personnel changes. The main change was that, having acquired Qin and Wei prefectures, the position of military governor of Longyou was reinstated, and Li Sheng was appointed to the post. Li Sheng was a former member of the imperial guards who had saved the emperor's life, and he had not personally participated in the alliance of the regional military governors, so Li Yu trusted him. In addition, based on Li Sheng's previous merits, he was granted the title of Duke of Weiyuan, with a fief of two thousand households.

The problem with Shuofang Town was the most difficult to handle. Li Ji had long ago ordered Yang Yan to compile a detailed list of the money and provisions spent on the previous and subsequent military campaigns and submit it to Chang'an, but the Ministry of Revenue kept delaying the delivery. Li Yu was initially worried that Li Ji might be harboring resentment because of this, or that his alliances with various towns and subsequent capture of Liangzhou were a covert attempt to establish a separatist regime. Although Li Qiyun's advice did not completely dispel the emperor's concerns, it did broaden his thinking and prevent him from getting stuck in a rut.

In March, an angel finally arrived in Guzang, appointing Li Ji not only outside Shuofang but also concurrently as the military governor of Hexi, granting him the title of Prince of Wuwei and the honorary title of Grand Commandant.

The Grand Commandant is one of the Three Dukes, a first-rank official. Although he holds no real position, he is extremely prestigious. In other words, in terms of rank and position, Li Ji is now on the same level as Guo Ziyi, who holds the position of Minister of Works—this appointment was completely unexpected for Li Ji.

He had originally thought that since he had defeated the barbarian army and recovered Liangzhou, the court should surely bestow upon him a title of king. After all, he already had several princes under his command. As for the post of military governor of Hexi, his concern was that the court would take back Liangzhou and send him back to Lingzhou, thus removing him from the front line of defending against the barbarians. That was why he had been reluctant to accept the imperial edict to return to the capital. Now that he had been granted the concurrent post, although he was very happy, it was also entirely reasonable.

The appointment of the Grand Commandant was unexpected for Li Ji. He had thought that he would only be given the honorary title of "Pingzhang" – "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" was equivalent to prime minister, but after the An Lushan Rebellion, many envoys were also given this title, which was just for show and did not actually allow them to go to the Zhongshu Menxia to discuss matters. Who would have thought that the emperor would directly bestow upon him the first rank, which, although an honorary title, showed how generous the treatment was.

But was the emperor's appointment meant to show "I have no doubts about you," or conversely, to show "I am very wary of you"? Li Ji really couldn't see through it.

In order to dispel the emperor's suspicions and concerns, Li Ji ordered Gao Ying to draft a memorial of thanks, proposing to return Shuofang Town to the court and appoint a capable minister to guard it.

The key issue is that there are no major roads connecting Lingzhou and Liangzhou, and they are far apart, making travel difficult. With Lanzhou still under enemy control, the route could be cut off at any time. Furthermore, Liangzhou has only recently been recovered, and Shuofang is already rife with problems; Li Ji simply cannot manage it all. Therefore, Shuofang is now a burden for him, and it's better to relinquish it to the court to leave a good impression on the emperor—if Li Ji were appointed to concurrently govern Hexi and Longyou, perhaps he wouldn't be willing to relinquish it.

After obtaining Guo Ziyi's approval, Li Yu appointed Hun Shizhi as the military governor of Shuofang and Bai Yuanguang as the deputy military governor. At the same time, he ceded the three prefectures of Sui, Yin, and Sheng, as well as the two surrendered cities of Dong and Zhong, to establish the Zhenwu Army, appointing Lu Sigong as the military governor and Wen Ruya as the deputy military governor. He also appointed Guo Ziyi, the Grand Minister, to concurrently serve as the military governor of Binning, but he remained in the central court and was not stationed there for the time being.

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Shortly after Li Ji recovered Liangzhou, the Hexi region was hit by snow again, freezing lakes and rivers and bringing a frigid climate that lasted until mid-February of the following year before the ice and snow melted, ushering in the spring planting season.

Li Ji had a very difficult winter, mainly due to a shortage of grain. At the end of the year, several fires set by Qilibuzang destroyed nearly half of the grain reserves in various counties. Although the Tang army fought valiantly to salvage the situation, the remaining supplies were quite limited. Gao Ying roughly calculated that it would only be enough to feed the army for two or three months…

However, Li Ji said, "Although I am in a difficult situation, how much better off are we than the people?" The surrounding Tang people have sent us winter provisions. If it weren't for this boosting morale, we might have already turned back to Lingzhou. How could we spend the New Year in Guzang City? If we were to withdraw from Liangzhou, we would be helpless in the face of the people's fate, and could only look westward and weep. Now that we have captured Liangzhou, how can we ignore the people?

“My ambition cannot stop at Yanzhi Mountain. If I cannot save the people of Liang, how can I expect the people to welcome the king’s army with food and drink when I recover Gansu, Guazhou, and Shazhou in the future?”

Therefore, despite opposition, a considerable amount of stored grain was distributed to the surrounding people to help them get through the winter.

Fortunately, the weather was bitterly cold, and the roads were difficult to travel due to snowfall. Li Ji predicted that the barbarian bandits would not attack again, and the next military campaign would not be until the summer of the fourth year of the Dali era. Therefore, except for the troops in Mingsha City, the rest of the Shuofang army were gradually sent back to Lingzhou for food. At the same time, he repeatedly requested grain from the court, but it was not until he was appointed Grand Commandant and Prince of Wuwei that Chang'an finally sent 5,000 bushels of grain and 3,000 bolts of silk through Yuan and Ling prefectures, which was far from enough.

Li Ji petitioned, noting that, as was the custom during the Tianbao era, the annual clothing allowance for the military governor of Hexi was "1.8 million bolts of silk," while yours is less than one-tenth of that. The court replied: "During the Tianbao era, the military governor of Hexi commanded seven military garrisons including Chishui, Dadou, and Jiankang, and five garrisons including Zhangye, Wucheng, and Jiaocheng, with 73,000 soldiers and 19,400 horses, and thus received a allowance of 1.8 million bolts of silk. How many soldiers and horses do you have now? How can you be so rigid and inflexible?"

Li Ji replied, saying that the Hexi Jiedushi (military governor) was in charge of seven prefectures: Liang, Gan, Su, Gua, Sha, Yi, and Xi, but not Huizhou in the east. However, Xinquan Shouzhuo (garrison commander) within Huizhou was one of the five garrisons under his jurisdiction. Shouldn't he hand over the troops and provisions to me for disposal?

Actually, the old soldiers who were guarding Xinquan have long since scattered. Now, the Anxi and Beiting military camps are dividing their forces to defend the area. Li Ji wants to take this place for two reasons: first, to completely control the supply route; and second, to covet the strong soldiers of Xizhou under Bai Xiaode's command. Although the last battle was a disaster, they are not necessarily useless. At least they can serve as guides when I go to aid the Western Regions in the future.