Chapter 358: Unexpected Turn of Events

The eunuch tasked with informing King Li Qian of Xiliang encountered Li Qian and Guo Ziyi’s large army on their way back at Xiaoguan County in Yuanzhou. Xiaoguan County was located north of Yuanzhou, just over a hundred li away from Qinggang Ridge. After marching all night, Li Qian was exhausted and had set up camp to rest.

More importantly, Li Qian did not want to return to the main camp. His father’s capriciousness and temper terrified him. Moreover, the Shuofang Army led by Guo Ziyi was temporarily under his command, while his own Longyou Army had been taken away by his father. In this chaotic situation, he wanted to delay as much as possible to see if anything would change.

Li Qian held onto a sliver of hope, and surprisingly, that hope came true. He was talking with Changsun Quanxu inside the main tent when a personal guard came to report, “Your Highness, Wen Jinzhong, the eunuch serving Empress Wu, is urgently requesting an audience.”

Li Qian was startled and quickly said, “Let him in!”

Changsun Quanxu stood up and smiled, “Since it’s a family matter of Your Highness, I’ll take my leave first.”

Li Qian nodded with a smile. “General Changsun, please go.”

Just as Changsun Quanxu reached the entrance of the tent, an eunuch rushed in in a hurry. He stepped aside quickly, and Wen Jinzhong rushed in almost rolling along the ground, his face grim as he said urgently, “Your Highness, something serious has happened at the main camp at Qinggang Ridge!”

Changsun Quanxu’s heart stirred. He slowed down, pretending to bend down to adjust his leather boots, but he overheard every word of the conversation inside the camp.

“What exactly happened? Speak quickly!”

“I only know that something has happened to the Emperor. I don’t know the specifics. Yang Guozhong has blocked the news. This is an encrypted message from the Empress, saying only that the Emperor is critically ill and urging Your Highness to return at once.”

Changsun Quanxu was shocked. He immediately stood up and headed toward his own tent in the distance. His tent was heavily guarded—no one was allowed to enter without his permission. The tent consisted of one large tent and two smaller ones. As a deputy commander, Changsun Quanxu used the large tent for work, while the two smaller tents were for his living quarters. Generally, high-ranking generals kept their sleeping quarters as private spaces, and only their most trusted guards were allowed to enter. The same applied to Changsun Quanxu’s tent.

Changsun Quanxu hurried to the back tent, lifted the curtain, and stepped in. The light inside was dim, and a figure was seen walking back and forth with his hands behind his back. Although he was dressed in military uniform, his demeanor was nothing like that of a soldier.

Hearing the footsteps, he turned around and smiled, “General Changsun, do you have any news?”

The light filtering through the cracks in the curtain illuminated his face—it was none other than the former crown prince, Li Heng. It was not surprising for Li Heng to appear in the military camp; the situation in the northern regions was complex and fraught with danger. Li Longji had taken almost all the troops from Guanzhong, which, to some extent, affected Li Yu’s core interests. As the regent, Li Yu could not leave Chang’an, but Li Heng was free to go to the northern regions and participate in the ongoing struggles—he had no choice but to do so.

Li Yu sought out Changsun Quanxu. The Changsun family was a prominent clan from Guanlong, related to the imperial family. Even when Li Heng was the crown prince, their relationship had been very good. Although Li Heng had withdrawn from court, Changsun Quanxu remained a loyal supporter of Li Yu. It was for this reason that Li Longji assigned Changsun Quanxu to assist Li Qian, the King of Xiliang.

Li Heng arrived in Qingzhou the day before yesterday. Hearing that Changsun Quanxu had gone to Huizhou, he took a detour there and met the Tang army. Changsun Quanxu disguised him as a personal guard and hid him in his tent. By chance, Changsun Quanxu overheard news that Li Longji was seriously ill and rushed to inform Li Heng.

Changsun Quanxu bowed and said, “Your Highness, Wu Xianyi sent someone to urgently inform Li Qian that the emperor is seriously ill and ordered him to return to Qinggangling at once.”

“What!” Li Heng was also shocked, the smile vanishing from his face as he immediately realized the severity of the news.

“Do you know anything about the emperor’s specific condition?”

“I don’t. I suppose Li Qian doesn’t either. Your Highness, what should we do now?”

Li Heng lowered his head in thought. In fact, he had already guessed roughly where the problem lay—it was likely due to the aphrodisiac flowers his father had been taking for a long time. He had heard from the imperial physicians that those were actually strong aphrodisiacs that caused severe harm to the body if taken over time. His father had already fallen ill once because of them and was lucky to be saved, but instead of reflecting, he continued to take them even more heavily. It was no wonder something bad had happened again.

It was likely that the illness had flared up again, and this time it could be life-threatening. While Li Heng had expected his father’s illness to recur, that wasn’t important. What mattered most was what measures he should take—that was his top priority.

Undoubtedly, what concerned Li Heng most was military power, which was also his real purpose for coming to the northern regions. There were nearly 200,000 troops in the Qinggangling area, coming from Guanzhong, Hedong, Longyou, and the northern regions. When his father was healthy, he could control all these troops. But now that his father was ill, each group operated independently. Although Yang Guozhong could suppress news, he couldn’t command the troops, as they were directly under his father’s control and could only be replaced through false imperial orders.

“Your Highness, I can control the troops in Guanzhong, but I may not be able to handle those in Shuofang, Longyou, and Hedong,” Changsun Quanxu said in a low voice when he saw Li Hen deep in thought and silent.

Li Hen raised his head and said, “Go quickly and summon General Guo Ziyi here.”

At that moment, a bodyguard outside the tent reported, “General Changsun, the prince has sent word that the troops must set out immediately. Please pack your things as soon as possible.”

“I understand!”

Changsun Quanxu hurriedly left the tent, while Li Hen slowly sat down, burying his face in his palms, his mind in turmoil. Had the moment he had longed for for nearly twenty years finally arrived?

Soon, hurried footsteps were heard outside. The tent curtain was lifted, and Guo Ziyi entered. He was filled with surprise—he hadn’t expected to find Li Hen in the military camp. He also realized that Li Hen’s request for him must not be simple.

Despite his doubts, Guo Ziyi showed no signs of them on his face. He knelt halfway and saluted Li Hen militarily, saying, “Your servant, Guo Ziyi, pays his respects to Prince Yong!”

Li Hen was very satisfied with Guo Ziyi’s attitude. Generally, a general of Guo Ziyi’s rank would only kneel in salute to the emperor or the crown prince; for a prince like him, a simple bow would suffice. Yet Guo Ziyi still knelt in salute to him. This wasn’t because he didn’t understand etiquette—on the contrary, as a nearly sixty-year-old general, he understood etiquette better than anyone. He still treated Li Hen as the crown prince, showing that he was a man deeply aware of social norms.

With just that single bow, Li Hen understood—he could control Guo Ziyi. He returned the salute with a gesture and said kindly, “General, the last time we met was in the seventh year of Tianbao, right?”

“Yes! Your Highness has a good memory.”

“At that time, I was still the crown prince, but now I’m just an ordinary man, while you have been promoted to governor of Shuofang. Congratulations, General.”

In history, Guo Ziyi was able to see things through to the end largely because he was excellent at assessing the situation. He could hand over military power at critical moments, and when the court needed him, he would without hesitation take on responsibilities in times of crisis, earning the trust of several emperors.

Since An Sishun had committed suicide, Guo Ziyi had been pondering his path. He was also well aware of the delicate political situation—various princes controlled their own territories. Although it went without saying he should be loyal to Li Longji, he was also aware of Li Longji’s illness and knew he wouldn’t live long. So who should he be loyal to after Li Longji? Guo Ziyi ultimately decided to be loyal to the crown prince, as he was the most legitimate ruler of the Tang Dynasty.

Thus, upon meeting Li Heng, he immediately understood that Li Heng must be trying to win him over, which was exactly what he had hoped for. Both Li Heng and Guo Ziyi were fully aware of the situation; there was no need for further explanations, as any attempt to persuade each other at this point seemed unnecessary. “General Guo, the emperor is critically ill. I hope you can take control of all the armies except those in Guanzhong on my behalf. Time is of the essence. General Guo, how confident are you?” Guo Ziyi pondered for a moment before saying, “The Shuofang army poses no problem. I have also served as a general in Longyou and enjoy considerable popularity there. I can persuade them to pledge loyalty to the crown prince. As for the Hedong army, I believe that since the other three armies are under our control, the Hedong army alone cannot hold its own. All we need to do is seize control of it before Prince Rong returns.” Li Heng nodded and said, “General Guo, you may proceed first. I’ll have Changsun Quanxu keep Li Qiu occupied.” Guo Ziyi immediately set off as ordered. Li Heng walked to the tent door with his hands behind his back, gazing at the northern sky. Suddenly, he sneered and said, “Fourth brother, you probably never imagined I’d be here!” … Indeed, no one in Shuofang could have guessed that Li Heng would be hiding in Changsun Quanxu’s camp. Beyond that, what no one expected was the arrival in Liangzhou of a cavalry unit of three thousand men from Anxi three days after Li Longji fell into a coma. They took control of Liangzhou, blocking all external communications, and told the local people that they were temporarily stationed there on behalf of the Hexi army, with the intention of leaving as soon as a new army was formed by the court. The local officials welcomed the arrival of the Anxi army—not only because their defenses were weak and they were anxious that if the Uyghurs really crossed from Juyan Lake, they could easily sweep through Hexi and seize all its wealth and people, but also because the Anxi army had strict discipline and never harassed the locals. This made the local officials even more favorable toward them, and they almost tacitly agreed to conceal information about them. Leading this force was Li Qing’an, the governor of Anxi. He set out from Shazhou as soon as Li Longji left Qingzhou. After a long journey, he finally arrived in Liangzhou that afternoon. As soon as he entered Liangzhou, Li Qing’an received urgent news from Hedong: An Lushan had already advanced into Hedong. Although this was within Li Qing’an’s expectations, its actual occurrence still made him exclaim in astonishment.

Of course, this cannot be compared to the An Lushan Rebellion in history. An Lushan did not openly rebel, nor did he have the intention to march directly into Guanzhong; he only wanted Hedong. Thus, he came up with an excuse to intercept An Sishun. In history, An Lushan eventually became the governor of Hedong, which gave him the power to rebel.

Now, it seems history is following the same path in a circuitous way. Once An Lushan gains control of Hedong, his economic resources and military strength will greatly increase, inevitably leading him to rebel.

On the walls of Liangzhou City, with the night wind blowing, Li Qing’an stood at the battlement, gazing eastward for a long time.

“It seems An Lushan’s advance into Hedong has deeply affected the generals!” Yan Zhuang slowly walked up behind Li Qing’an and said with a smile.

“Yes! An Lushan is indeed very bold.”

Li Qing’an sighed softly and said with a bitter smile, “I have a premonition that when the Emperor hears this news, he will be extremely shocked. I wonder if his health can withstand it?”

“I think although the Emperor will be furious, one thing is certain—he will immediately send troops to attack Hedong. Hedong is of utmost importance; it is the birthplace of the Tang Dynasty and must not be lost.”

“Though he may think so and even wish to tear An Lushan to pieces, I’m sure he will eventually reappoint An Lushan as the governor of Hedong.”

Li Qing’an turned to look at Yan Zhuang. Seeing his skeptical expression, he smiled and continued, “In fact, the Emperor only has 200,000 troops at his disposal. Including the armies from Jianghuai, Xiangyang, and Jiannan, the total is at most 400,000. He cannot gather all of them to deal with An Lushan—perhaps only 300,000. Meanwhile, An Lushan already has over 200,000 troops. Their numbers are similar, but An Lushan’s troops are more combat-effective than those of the court. I think the Emperor is aware that if war breaks out, whether he can keep the Tang Dynasty intact remains a big question.”

“Although the General has a valid point, if An Lushan occupies Hedong, the court will certainly not give up easily. They may not go to open war, but the struggle will continue. However, this is good news for the General—future attention from the court will shift to An Lushan rather than him.”

Yan Zhuang couldn’t help but sigh deeply. “When we arrived, many generals didn’t understand why the General didn’t take the opportunity to seize Hexi and only stationed troops in Shazhou. Now it seems the General’s decision was truly wise. Excellent—really excellent!”

Yan Zhuang couldn’t help but give a thumbs up. Li Qing’an smiled and said, “Actually, I just want more time to strengthen my own strength. Let the imperial court fight against An Lushan while we focus on our own tasks. Once they’re both exhausted from fighting, we can reap the benefits.”

As the two were talking, several cavalry riders suddenly rushed over from afar. They were scouts from the Anxi army, bringing a man with them who was speeding toward the city gates.

“Is that the general up there?” one of the scout officers shouted.

“Yes, it is. What’s the matter?”

“Prince Yong has sent someone to deliver an urgent letter to the general.”

“Bring him up to the city.”

Soon, several bodyguards led a man to Li Qing’an. The man bowed and said, “I am Wang Yun, a guard of Prince Yong. By his orders, I came to Anxi to deliver an urgent letter to the general. I didn’t expect the general to be in Liangzhou.”

The guard handed the sealed letter to Li Qing’an. After taking it, Li Qing’an asked, “Where is Prince Yong now?”

“He was in Xiaoguan County when the letter was written, but he should have entered the Qinggangling camp by now.”

Li Qing’an opened the letter and read it by the torchlight. His expression suddenly became extremely serious. Yan Zhuang rarely saw Li Qing’an look so grave, so he was surprised and asked, “What happened?”

“The letter says the emperor is seriously ill and likely unable to handle state affairs anymore.”

Li Qing’an let out a long sigh. “The Tang Dynasty is about to face turbulent times!”