Chapter 364: The Crisis Emerges

In Taiyuan, the capital of the north, a cavalry force of about three thousand men from Hebei slowly entered this city, the heart of the Tang Empire. At the center of the cavalry was a carriage, closely guarded. An Lushan pulled back the curtain and squinted with his small eyes to take in the magnificent city. By now, his army had occupied the entire region of Hedong, except for Puzhou, located right near Tongguan in the southernmost part. It was a wise move—to keep some distance from Guanzhong would allow the imperial court to tacitly accept his control over Hedong. An Lushan adopted this advice. In fact, it took him only half a day to capture Puzhou, which preserved some face for the court and helped him assume the position of governor of Hedong smoothly.

Gaining control of the prosperous lands of Hedong had been An Lushan’s goal for many years. This would not only provide him with a large pool of soldiers but also sufficient wealth. However, the real reason he rushed to Taiyuan was not because Taiyuan had surrendered, but because he had learned that Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty was critically ill at Qinggangling in Shuofang. This news fueled his ambition, and he could no longer stay put, so he rushed to Taiyuan overnight.

As soon as An Lushan’s army entered the city gates, Shi Siming, the commander of Hedong, and Gao Shang, the advisor in charge of military discipline, had been waiting there for a long time. The two hurried forward to pay their respects to the carriage.

“General, thank you for your hard work on the journey!”

An Lushan pulled back the curtain and smiled at them. “You’re the ones who’ve worked hard. I will reward you according to your merits and surely not neglect my soldiers.”

Shi Siming bowed and said, “Thank you, General, for caring for your soldiers. I am willing to lead the vanguard and march straight to Chang’an for you.”

“Hehe! Your courage is admirable, but things are not as simple as you think.”

An Lushan waved his hand, his tone growing stricter. “Your responsibility now is to keep the army under control and prevent incidents like those that happened in Shouyang County. Otherwise, I will hold you accountable!”

An Lushan’s army advanced smoothly into Hedong through Jingxing. At first, the soldiers obeyed military discipline. Although there were occasional minor incidents, no large-scale looting or killings occurred. When a force of three thousand men reached Shouyang County, they were rejected by the county magistrate, who denounced An Lushan as a rebel. Enraged, the commander He Qianian ordered his troops to break down the city gates and publicly execute the magistrate’s family by dismemberment, sparking widespread public outrage. The people of Shouyang County began to resist An Lushan’s army. Then, an incident occurred where five soldiers sneaked into a household, raped women, and were killed. He Qianian flew into a rage and ordered a massacre, killing over ten thousand county residents and plundering the entire county.

When this incident reached An Lushan’s ears, he was furious. At that time, his strategy was to win the hearts of the people across the land, and he had no immediate plans to rebel. He Kaqian’s actions would undoubtedly put him at a great political disadvantage and hinder his efforts to recruit troops in Hedong. He immediately ordered He Kaqian to be beheaded, all the captured women to be released, and sent Gao Shang as an inspector of military discipline to oversee discipline in Hedong.

Shi Siming was also responsible as the commander in the Shouyang incident. At that moment, he dared not defend himself and could only reply in a low voice, “I remember this, sir. If such massacres occur again, please hold me accountable.”

An Lushan’s expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, “Go! Since I’m here today, I can arrange rewards for the troops so that they will remember my kindness.”

Shi Siming bowed and left. An Lushan then said to Gao Shang with a smile, “Sir, please get in the carriage. I have something to discuss with you.”

Gao Shang understood what was needed and did not delay. He got into An Lushan’s carriage. Once inside, he sighed and said, “There is one thing the commander needs to make clear to the generals. The commander’s arrival in Hedong is merely to take over the position of Hedong Jiedushi, not to rebel and seize control of it. Otherwise, if the generals misunderstand, the consequences will be severe.”

An Lushan was stunned and quickly asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“The commander has stationed troops too widely in Hedong, with troops in almost every prefecture. Cases of stealing from the people and raping women occur frequently and are hard to stop. This has led the officials in various prefectures and counties to seriously doubt the commander’s motives. Some areas have already begun to recruit volunteer armies. I’m worried that if this continues, the prefectures and counties in Hedong will rise up in rebellion. Not only will Hedong be lost, but Hebei will also be affected. By then, the commander won’t only fail to take control of Hedong but may also lose Hebei—it’s not worth it!”

An Lushan pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, “You’re right. Since I’m taking over as Hedong Jiedushi, I indeed shouldn’t station troops so widely. I’ll follow your advice and withdraw troops to the key prefectures and counties while enforcing strict military discipline.”

Seeing that An Lushan accepted his advice, Gao Shang felt greatly relieved and smiled, saying, “Actually, the commander needn’t worry about the imperial court. As long as the commander can maintain stability in Hedong and stay out of local affairs, I believe the court will soon recognize him as Hedong Jiedushi. After all, the court also cares about face.”

“I’ll give the court face, but what I want is far more than just Hedong. Do you understand?”

“Of course, sir!”

Gao Shang stroked his short beard and smiled, saying, “I’ve already come up with three strategies for the current situation that will ensure the commander eventually takes control of Guanzhong and rules the whole country.”

An Lushan was overjoyed. This was exactly the purpose of his coming to Taiyuan. He quickly rallied his spirits and said, “Please go on, sir.”
“There are three strategies—short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Let me start with the short-term one. Right now, Li Longji has led the troops from Guanzhong to Shuofang, where they are stuck at Qinggang Ridge. We might as well take this opportunity to seize control of Guanzhong, dominate the court, and use the emperor to command the lords.”
Before Gao Shang could finish speaking, An Lushan clapped his hands and laughed loudly, “Your plan suits my wishes perfectly. I’ll send troops into Guanzhong right away.”
“No! No! No!” Gao Shang hurriedly waved his hands. “We can’t send troops directly—that would be tantamount to rebellion. Moreover, there are still some defenders at Tongguan; it may not be possible to capture it. I have a clever plan to deceive everyone and make this possible.”
“How exactly? Please explain, sir!”
Gao Shang narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Didn’t the officials in Chang’an complain last time that refugees from Hedong entered Guanzhong and stole many plow oxen? The commander could use this as an excuse to send a batch of oxen and horses to the capital, claiming it’s compensation from Hedong. Then, assign one laborer to take care of each ox and horse. In this way, with three thousand oxen and three thousand horses, six thousand people will follow into the capital. Do you understand?”
“Great! What a clever plan.”
An Lushan praised, “This way, I’ll have six thousand troops in Guanzhong, including three thousand cavalry. I’ll also go to the capital myself.”
“The commander might as well wait. Let Qingxu go to the capital first. The commander can lead thirty thousand troops outside Tongguan. Once Qingxu controls the court, the commander can be summoned to enter the capital by imperial order.”
“Hmm! Good idea. What’s next?”
“Next is the medium-term strategy. Once the commander controls the court, he can install Li Yu as emperor and become the right chancellor. He can order Qingxu to return to Hebei to command the troops. Once the situation stabilizes, he can have Li Yu die suddenly and establish a young emperor. Wouldn’t the whole country then be under the commander’s control? The commander can then win over the scholars of the land and use the emperor’s authority to pacify the lords. When the time is right, he can order the Li family to abdicate and establish a new dynasty. This is the long-term strategy. With these three strategies—short-term, medium-term, and long-term—things can be planned gradually. There’s no need to rush. It’s also crucial to win people’s hearts. This is why I’ve repeatedly asked the commander to enforce strict military discipline.”
“Why didn’t you say this earlier? Your words have suddenly cleared things up for me. Very good. I’ll definitely follow this plan. The top priority now is to find oxen as soon as possible.”
Gao Shang laughed. “There’s no need to find oxen. It’s just an excuse for the court. We can explain it once we’re in the capital. If oxen can’t be found, we can replace them with horses—what’s the problem?”
An Lushan slapped his forehead and laughed. “I’m such an idiot! I actually thought about finding oxen. Very well, I’ll order Qingxu to go to the capital immediately.”
He immediately ordered, “Have An Qingxu come to see me right away!”

At this moment, Gao Shang added, “To make the plan to offer a cow succeed, some effort is needed. Moreover, the commander-in-chief has too little influence in the court. This is also an opportunity to win over some court officials. The commander-in-chief might as well consider—who in the court would be the most suitable?”
…
Chen Xilié’s residence in Wuben Fang was not far from the Du Gu family, just two streets apart. These past few days, Chen Xilié had been quite uneasy. He had followed Zhang Yun in opposing Li Yu’s ascension to the throne, fearing that Li Longji might revive. But after opposing him, he regretted it—what if Li Longji didn’t wake up? Wouldn’t that mean offending Li Yu? Ever since Li Qing’an led troops into the capital, he had been in a state of anxiety.
Although Chen Xilié had broken ties with Yang Guozhong at Qinggang Ridge and pledged loyalty to Li Hen, he committed a foolish act after entering the court—he couldn’t resist Zhang Yun’s persuasion and joined him in opposing Li Yu’s ascension. This filled Chen Xilié with deep regret. Ultimately, it was because of his betrayal of Li Linfu and his loyalty to Yang Guozhong that all this trouble arose. He was like a woman who kept remarrying, always seeking the best husband, but only after several disappointments did she realize that the good husbands might no longer want her.
The problem was that the political arena was not like marriage. A woman who remarrys could still find a husband, but a politician who betrays his principles may never regain his prospects. Li Yu would surely never forgive him—he was even worse off than Yang Guozhong. Chen Xilié was disheartened, but he still harbored some resentment. Was this how he would end his political career? He still dreamed of serving as right chancellor for a few more years!
These past two days, Chen Xilié had no desire to go to court. He locked himself in his room, drinking to drown his sorrows and lamenting the unfairness of fate. One morning, while hiding in his study drinking, someone came to report that Ji Wen, the deputy minister of the Ministry of War, wanted to see him.
Chen Xilié was the minister of the Ministry of War, so Ji Wen was his deputy. Chen Xilié and Ji Wen got along well. Initially, they both served under Li Linfu, often drinking together and discussing politics. After Li Linfu’s downfall, they went their separate ways. Ji Wen sided with An Lushan and became his voice in the court, while Chen Xilié sided with Yang Guozhong, resulting in his removal from the position of left chancellor and demotion to minister of the Ministry of War.
Thus, although Ji Wen was Chen Xilié’s deputy, his prestige and actual power in the court were greater than Chen Xilié’s. With An Lushan as his powerful backing, no one dared offend him. Chen Xilié, on the other hand, had lost his influence and was despised by the court officials.
“Ask what he wants.”
Chen Xilié was somewhat displeased. Ji Wen usually didn’t come to see him, so why was he coming now? He had no mood to deal with court affairs.

“Vice Minister Ji said it has nothing to do with court affairs; he just came to visit my lord,” he replied. “Tell him I’m in good health and don’t need visiting.” As soon as those words left his mouth, Chen Xilié reconsidered—offending someone like this wasn’t right. He softened his tone slightly and said, “Very well! Ask him to come to my study.”

Chen Xilié struggled to sit up and ordered his concubine to quickly clean the study, take away all the wine jars and cups, and light incense. Yet even so, when Ji Wen entered the room, he still detected a strong smell of alcohol. Needless to say, Ji Wen had been sent by An Lushan to win over Chen Xilié. An Lushan saw potential in Chen Xilié—his seniority was great, he didn’t have intricate ties to any prince like Zhang Yun, his background was simple, and he had once defected to Yang Guozhong, making him easy to persuade.

An Lushan had two trusted men in Chang’an. One was the deputy general Liu Luogu, who wasn’t part of the power structure but functioned like An Lushan’s representative in the capital. Many shady tasks were handled by Liu Luogu. The other was Ji Wen, who held the high position of Minister of War and wielded great power. He served as An Lushan’s voice in the court. Many of An Lushan’s major strategies were proposed to the imperial court by Ji Wen. For example, An Lushan claimed that the Turkic tribes on the border were difficult to control and requested that they be incorporated into the army but not under the regular Fanyang army structure. This significant proposal was put forward by Ji Wen and eventually approved after being submitted to Li Longji.

Thanks to the success of this matter, An Lushan trusted Ji Wen even more and made him one of his closest confidants. This time, Ji Wen came to win over Chen Xilié with a personal letter from An Lushan, who repeatedly instructed him to bring Chen Xilié to his side.

As soon as Ji Wen entered the room, he smelled the strong scent of alcohol. It might have been understandable if it were night, but it was morning. Chen Xilié was known for taking good care of himself—how could he still drink so much? With this in mind, Ji Wen was confident that his attempt to win him over would succeed about 90% of the time.

“Your subordinate, Ji Wen, pays his respects to the Prime Minister!” Ji Wen bowed deeply as soon as he entered. Chen Xilié waved his hand and said, “Vice Minister Ji, no need for formalities. Come in and sit!”

Ji Wen sat down, and the concubine served tea for the two of them. Chen Xilié, slightly tipsy from drinking, quickly took several large sips of tea to moisten his throat. Then, after a dry cough, he said, “I’ve not been feeling well these past few days and haven’t attended court. I wonder what’s going on there? Are there any major issues in the Ministry of War?”

Ji Wen pointed north and smiled, saying, “The person responsible for these issues lives near Prime Minister Chen. How could Prime Minister Chen not be aware of it?”

“How could I not know? These past two days, Du Gu’s residence has been bustling with visitors—high-ranking officials and humble servants coming in groups. Alas, people really tend to fawn on those in power! Unlike me; even though it’s so close, I refuse to go. Even if I did go out, I’d take a detour. One should have some integrity.”
Chen Xilié sighed deeply, as if everyone else lacked integrity while he alone was like a plum blossom standing proud in the snow. In truth, if Li Qing’an had really come to visit him, he would have rushed out to greet him without even time to put on his shoes. He only regretted that Li Qing’an had no intention of visiting him at all.
Ji Wen disdained him in his heart but agreed verbally, “Prime Minister Chen has always been a model for court officials and a pillar of our Tang Dynasty. If all court officials were like Prime Minister Chen, our Tang Dynasty wouldn’t be so weak. People’s morals have declined!”
Ji Wen’s flattery made Chen Xilié feel extremely comfortable. He narrowed his eyes, gently stroked his long, ethereal-looking white beard, and laughed heartily.
“Vice Minister Ji, you’re too kind. I simply refuse to associate with scoundrels, so I stay at home to rest. Alas! The court is filled with darkness; there’s no place left for me.”
Seeing that Chen Xilié had brought up the topic, Ji Wen followed up, “How could the court do without Prime Minister Chen? In fact, those who achieve great things not only need to have noble integrity like Minister Chen but also must be adept at utilizing various favorable conditions. In this regard, I personally feel that Prime Minister Chen is slightly inferior to Minister Zhang.”
Though Ji Wen’s words were somewhat harsh, they hit Chen Xilié right in the heart. Indeed! Zhang Yun was the main culprit behind opposing Li Yu’s ascension to the throne. Yet Li Qing’an not only didn’t see him as an enemy but also went to visit him personally, which filled Chen Xilié with resentment. Although he understood the reasons, he refused to face them and never wanted to admit why Zhang Yun was known as an indestructible figure in the political world.
This was a weakness of human nature—most people tend to blame others when faced with setbacks, always thinking it’s others who caused their failures rather than reflecting on themselves. Chen Xilié was no exception. He was constantly anxious because he had offended Li Yu, but he refused to admit it was his own indecision. Instead, he blamed Zhang Yun for having ulterior motives and manipulating him into making mistakes, or he complained about bad luck and unfair fate. In short, he would never consider his own problems.
It wasn’t until Ji Wen bluntly pointed out his weakness today that Chen Xilié began to realize something. He lowered his head and remained silent.

Ji Wen took advantage of the situation to press on: “Although Minister Zhang has connections left over from the former prime minister, the real reason is that he’s very good at rallying various forces. For example, he himself is the leader of the scholars in Chang’an and has long controlled the Ministry of Revenue. Now, aside from Deputy Minister Pei Min, everyone else in that ministry is under his control. That’s why Yang Guozhong still can’t get into the Ministry of Revenue. Not only that, but more importantly, he has strong external support.”

“You mean Gao Xianzhi of Jiannan and Prince Ying?”

“That’s right! That’s the real reason he dares to lead the opposition against Li Yu. He’s actually creating an opportunity for Prince Ying to ascend the throne. As long as Li Yu can’t become emperor, once Prince Ying leads his troops here, the throne might not belong to Li Yu anymore. Then Minister Zhang would become the right prime minister, Wang Gong would have Li Qingan’s backing, and he wouldn’t lose his position as left prime minister either. Only Minister Chen is weak, and he’d end up with nothing.”

Chen Xili also knew the reason, but he never wanted to face it. Now that Ji Wen had revealed it all at once, Chen Xili felt utterly disheartened. Deeply depressed, he sighed and said, “I plan to retire and return to my hometown. I don’t want to be an official anymore.”

Seeing that Chen Xili acted like a child—reacting immediately without any of Zhang Yun’s deep cunning—Ji Wen secretly laughed. He then changed the subject and said, “Actually, Prime Minister Chen has every chance to compete with Minister Zhang, and even take control of government affairs and become the right prime minister. Why give up so easily?”

Chen Xili perked up and quickly bowed, saying, “Please, Deputy Ji, spare me your wisdom!”

Ji Wen smiled without speaking. Only then did Chen Xili realize that Ji Wen was referring to An Lushan. His thoughts raced—the only person in the world who could rival Li Qingan was An Lushan. This time, An Lushan’s occupation of Hedong had drawn a lot of criticism, but Chen Xili didn’t think much of it. Hadn’t Li Qingan done the same thing in Hexi? Why didn’t the court officials say anything about him?

If he could gain An Lushan’s support, what would Zhang Yun be? What would Wang Gong be? And what about Yang Guozhong? Although Chen Xili wanted to build a memorial arch, he wasn’t willing to do the hard work. At this moment, his fickle nature resurfaced. He immediately bowed and said, “If I can gain the support of the Prince of Dongping, I’m willing to serve him. Please, Deputy Ji, convey to the Prince of Dongping that Chen Xili is ready to serve him loyally.”

Even Ji Wen didn’t expect Chen Xili to agree so readily. He had thought Chen Xili would ask for conditions or something. It seemed he was truly at his wits’ end. Ji Wen secretly despised such low character—yet this man was still the Minister of War!

Since Chen Xilié had already decided to side with An Lushan, Ji Wen didn’t beat around the bush. He took out a letter and said, “This is a personal letter from the Prince of Dongping to Chancellor Chen. He wants to send oxen and horses to the capital, and I ask Chancellor Chen to ensure this is done.”

Chen Xilié took the letter and read it. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Normally, such matters require the emperor’s approval, but since the emperor is not here and Chancellor Yang is also absent, it actually only needs the approval of the heads of various ministries. Horses and livestock are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Equine Affairs. The head of that ministry, Da Xi Xun, is my student, so I can have him approve this. As the Minister of War, I will order Wang Sili, the commander of Tongguan, to allow the oxen and horses to pass through.”

……

(In history, Chen Xilié indeed surrendered to An Lushan and became a high-ranking official in An Lushan’s Great Yan state.)