Chapter 366: Relief for Tongguan

Li Qing’an led his cavalry team at full speed down Zhuque Street. The sound of hooves was like thunder. Cavalry had already cleared a path ahead, shouting loudly, “People ahead, scatter quickly! The army has an urgent mission and is leaving the city!”
Pedestrians on Zhuque Street hurried to the sides. They watched as the Anxi army, swift as a gust of wind, rushed past them. Its awe-inspiring momentum terrified them so much that they covered their faces, too afraid to look directly. Only after the army was far away did they begin to discuss what might have happened.
The cavalry team slowed down only when they reached the city gates and passed through one by one. When Li Qing’an appeared, Cui Guangyuan, who had been waiting by the gates, immediately called out, “General, please wait a moment!”
Li Qing’an relaxed the reins and stepped forward with a smile. “Brother Guangyuan, have you learned anything?”
Cui Guangyuan stepped forward and bowed. “Time is tight. I’ve only gathered a rough understanding. An Lushan owns about seven or eight estates in Guanzhong, each quite large, with hundreds to a thousand workers and slaves. That’s all the information we have for now. I’ll keep gathering more, and by tomorrow, we may have more details.”
“Very good! If you get detailed information, contact General Nan Jiyun. He’ll deliver it to me as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll follow your orders!”
Seeing that he seemed hesitant, Li Qing’an asked, “Is there anything else?”
Cui Guangyuan shook his head. “Nothing else. Wish the general a smooth journey.”
“Good. I hope to hear news of your promotion too.”
Li Qing’an bowed, turned his horse, and sped out of the city. Cui Guangyuan watched the retreating figures of the Anxi cavalry and murmured to himself, “After countless battles in the yellow sands, my armor remains unbroken. I won’t return until Loulan is conquered. When will I be able to wear golden armor?”
……
An hour later, at Li Yu’s proposal, an emergency meeting was held in the Eastern Palace. All members of the government council rushed there.
Several eunuchs were nervously preparing the meeting venue. Li Yu was anxious, pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. This meeting was extremely important to him. For the first time, the Eastern Palace would have its own army. In the Tang Dynasty’s military system, the Six Commanderies of the Eastern Palace corresponded to military institutions, with their own troops under the Eastern Palace’s command.
But in reality, Li Longji was extremely wary of the Eastern Palace having its own army, keeping the Six Commanderies merely nominal. There were no troops, nor even corresponding generals. Even if there were troops, they would be under strict control by Li Longji.

Today, Li Qing’an proposed to recruit 20,000 soldiers in the name of the Eastern Palace, which meant Li Yu now had another solid foundation on his path to the throne. Today, he would set a precedent unseen in the Tang Dynasty—for the first time, the Eastern Palace would officially have its own army. At that moment, a guard hurriedly brought Nan Jiyun into the Eastern Palace. Having his own army wasn’t that simple. Just like holding water, it first required a container—one that not only had to be legitimate but also ensure funding for recruitment. More importantly, it required the ability to command this army. Although Li Yu was the regent, he lacked all three conditions. Legitimacy first required the emperor’s approval; since the emperor was unconscious, the approval of the Council of State became crucial. Once approved by the Council, legitimacy would be established. Funding was another issue—the Ministry of Revenue was under Zhang Yun’s control. Even if the Council passed a resolution, it would be futile if the Ministry refused to approve funding. Fortunately, Li Qing’an had promised that Anxi would cover the necessary funds, so even if the Ministry cited insufficient resources, recruitment could still proceed. At that moment, Nan Jiyun stepped forward hurriedly, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, Nan Jiyun, Commander of the Hanhai Naval Forces and Lieutenant General, pays his respects to the Heir Apparent!” Li Yu quickly helped him up and examined him from head to toe. Seeing his tall stature and imposing presence, he smiled gladly and said, “I’ve long heard of General Nan’s fame. Meeting you today, I see why you’re so formidable—your reputation is well-deserved.” What worried Li Yu most was his lack of ability to command the newly recruited troops. Though he had many talented subordinates, none could lead troops into battle. Although the Tang Dynasty had many famous military officers, none were under Li Yu’s command. Li Qing’an had left Nan Jiyun behind with a clear intention: since he was providing the funds and supplies, he naturally wanted Nan Jiyun to be in charge of recruiting and commanding this new Eastern Palace army. Li Yu understood Li Qing’an’s intention—having Nan Jiyun command the army meant he would still be under Li Qing’an’s control. But after careful consideration, he ultimately accepted this outcome. After all, he was currently at the mercy of others, and his only reliance was Li Qing’an. Having Nan Jiyun in charge was just an extension of relying on Li Qing’an. Once he truly took power, he could address these tricky issues gradually—perhaps even having Wang Sili replace Nan Jiyun. With this in mind, Li Yu said with a smile, “General Nan, I plan to start recruiting troops today. I must rely on you for everything.” “Your Majesty, my general has strictly ordered me to follow your commands at all times. I will do my utmost to fulfill my duties.”

“Good! With your words, I’m relieved.” At that moment, a guard rushed over and reported, “Your Highness, most of the prime ministers have arrived, but only Minister Zhang is missing. For some reason, he hasn’t shown up yet.” Li Yu turned to look at Nan Jiyun, who smiled and said, “Assassins have appeared near Minister Zhang’s residence. To ensure his safety, I’ve ordered two hundred soldiers to guard his house. It seems he won’t be able to come today.” Li Yu was overjoyed. If Zhang Yun really couldn’t come, it meant the biggest obstacle had been removed. He immediately ordered, “We can’t wait any longer. Since Minister Zhang can’t come, let’s start the meeting right away.” Due to Zhang Yun’s absence, the council successfully passed the conscription plan, aiming to recruit 20,000 soldiers from the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Chang’an. Those who were previously part of the imperial army were given priority. Soldiers would not only receive money and food but also have their crimes of fleeing their homes pardoned. When the news spread, the displaced people living in various districts of Chang’an became extremely enthusiastic and flocked to the three recruitment centers set up in the East and West Markets and in front of Zhuque Gate. Five hundred bodyguards left by Li Qing’an were in charge of recruitment, with each leading forty new recruits. The 200,000 guan needed for recruitment was temporarily covered by Juhai Bank, while the Ministry of Military Affairs provided tens of thousands of sets of weapons and armor. In just two days, an army of 20,000 men was fully equipped and placed under the command of the Six Palaces and Six Commanderies. Nan Jiyun also changed roles from commander of the Hanhai Navy to general of the Eastern Palace’s Six Commanderies. …… Tongguan is located in the eastern part of the Guanzhong Plain, controlling key strategic points in Guannei, Hedong, and Henan. Its location is extremely strategic—there are the Qinling Mountains to the south, Jinggu Valley to the southeast, with 12 connected cities further south; to the north, the Wei and Luo rivers flow into the Yellow River, surrounding the area; to the west, it’s close to Huayue Mountain. The surrounding area is characterized by continuous mountains, steep peaks, deep valleys, and narrow paths. There’s only a narrow path through, wide enough for just one cart and one horse. Old sayings describe its perilous nature as “a path as narrow as one used by monkeys” and “the most dangerous road in the world lies at Tongguan.” Du Fu also wrote in his poem “Tongguan Officials,” “The old man looks at the strategic spot—narrow enough for just one cart. With great effort, he wields his long spear; through the ages, one man is needed here.” Originally, Tongguan had 15,000 troops, but Emperor Li Longji took 12,000 of them on his campaign to Shuofang, leaving only 3,000 troops under the command of Deputy Marshal Wang Sili.

Wang Sili was in his thirties, over seven feet tall, with a robust build and a face resembling a jujube. He was a renowned general during the mid-Tang Dynasty. Originally a general in the Qianniu Guard, he sided with the Prime Minister’s faction during the political struggles of that era and was drawn into Li Linfu’s camp. After Li Linfu’s death, the Prime Minister’s faction disbanded, and Wang Sili resolutely joined the crown prince Li Yu. However, he was ostracized by Li Yu’s civil officials, so he was sent outside the capital to serve as a deputy commander at Tongguan. Now that the main commander had left, he became the defender of Tongguan.

Last night, something unusual happened at Tongguan. A convoy of cattle and horses from Hedong requested to pass through. A scout reported that there were about five thousand horses and over three hundred cattle, carrying silk and brocade, along with six thousand horsemen, escorted by more than three hundred soldiers. The leader was Sun Xiaozhe, a general under An Lushan, who sent a letter claiming it was an imperial order.

Wang Sili knew that Hedong had already been occupied by An Lushan, and he was extremely indignant about this. But as just an ordinary general, he couldn’t rashly comment on matters involving the fate of the nation.

At that moment, Wang Sili stood on the city wall, watching as the convoy slowly entered Tongguan. Over a thousand men and horses had already entered the wengcheng, and the defenders of Tongguan climbed the walls to curiously observe this strange convoy. The distance between the inner and outer cities was only a few hundred steps, yet it was packed with horses and horsemen. A strong wind blew through the city, causing the flags to flutter wildly, completely obscuring an officer in iron armor at the back. He was extremely tall and muscular—none other than Sun Xiaozhe, the leader of the convoy. At the rear was An Qingxu.

Wang Sili looked at Sun Xiaozhe in confusion. Sun Xiaozhe was eight feet tall, extremely muscular, holding a large iron spear, and riding an elite Youzhou horse. He clearly seemed like a formidable general, not just a minor officer as mentioned in the documents.

Under normal circumstances, Wang Sili would not have allowed them to enter, but he had just received a document from Da Xi Xun, the head of the Imperial Stables, stating that these cattle and horses were reserved by the Imperial Stables and asking him to let them pass. He also received an order from the Ministry of War, signed personally by Chen Xilié, the minister of war, and stamped with the ministry’s seal, ordering him not to obstruct them and to allow them in.

With the document from the Imperial Stables and the order from the Ministry of War, Wang Sili had no reason to stop the convoy, so he ordered the gates to be opened.

Due to the narrow mountain roads, only one person and one horse could pass at a time, so the convoy moved slowly. It took half an hour for nearly three hundred cattle to enter. After that, people and horses entered, and the speed increased significantly. In two hours, over a thousand men and horses had passed through.

“Hurry! Speed up!”

Wang Sili heard the stablehands below urging the horses in hushed tones. His brows slowly furrowed—such an urgent tone was usually used by the army, short and forceful. It was strange to hear it from stablehands. He observed them more closely: all were strong and agile, most carrying sabers at their waists, gripping the handles as they urged the horses forward. Their way of holding the swords made him suspicious—they were clearly soldiers, elite troops at that, not mere stablehands. Then he noticed that the horses were all castrated warhorses, not ordinary ones. A bold idea struck him: could this be an army? An Lushan army?

At that moment, several soldiers hurriedly brought a palace guard, who stepped forward and handed over a letter: “General Wang, the crown prince has an urgent message.” Wang Sili glanced again at the cavalry below before opening Li Yu’s letter. After a quick read, he jumped in shock and shouted, “Quick! Close the city gates! Don’t let the cavalry in!”

Alarms rang out over Tongguan, and hundreds of soldiers rushed forward, using spears to drive back the cavalry. “Get out! All of you, get out!” The inner city gates began to creak shut. Sun Xiaozhe, the general leading this force, saw that their plan had been exposed. Without hesitation, he swung his spear and shouted, “Charge in! Take Tongguan!”

At his command, the cowherds driving the cattle and the stablehands tending the horses vanished, transforming into a fierce army. They tore off their outer clothes, revealing fine armor beneath, drew the swords and bows hidden in their clothes, and charged into the weng city with loud cries. Shouts of battle filled the air, accompanied by the deafening clang of weapons.

Sun Xiaozhe spotted the signal officer ringing the bell. He drew his bow, shot an arrow, which pierced the officer’s neck. The officer screamed as he plummeted from the seven- or eight-zhang-high city wall. His cry sounded like a funeral bell in the darkness, awakening and infuriating all the soldiers at Tongguan. The soldiers on the walls shot arrows and threw stones, sending a rain of arrows and hail of stones. The wounded warhorses leaped up, their neighs echoing through the sky.

An Lushan’s army tried to hold back with shields but was pressed back on the mountain path. However, the six thousand soldiers sent by An Lushan were his best-selected elite troops from Fanyang, all highly skilled and battle-hardened. Despite the unfavorable terrain, they continued their relentless attacks, launching wave after wave of assaults on the inner city.

In contrast, most of the defenders at Tongguan were old and weak soldiers left over after the best troops had been taken away by Li Longji. They could only rely on Tongguan’s advantageous terrain to fight against An Lushan’s army, but they were no match for them. Before long, more than half of the hundreds of Tang soldiers inside the barbican were killed.

The key now was the struggle for the barbican. Tongguan consisted of an outer city, a barbican, and an inner city. Only by passing through the inner city gates could one truly enter the fortress. The outer city had already fallen, and An Lushan’s army of over a thousand men was concentrated in the barbican. The barbican was a flat area several hundred zhang wide, located between the inner and outer cities, surrounded by city walls. It was usually used by soldiers for duty rotations and checking outsiders, but now it had become the focal point of the battle for control of Tongguan.

The inner city gates of Tongguan had double doors. The main doors were made of extremely thick cast iron, too heavy for humans to move, requiring massive siege engines to break open. An Lushan’s army did not have any siege engines, so there was only one way to open the inner gates: to storm the city towers, seize the winches, and use them to open the gates.

Thus, the core of the battle became a narrow passage leading up to the city towers—the only route from the barbican to the towers, wide enough for only two people to pass side by side.

Over a thousand of An Lushan’s soldiers and over a thousand defenders of Tongguan engaged in a fierce battle in this passage, which was no more than five zhang long. Dozens of Tang cavalry led the charge, with soldiers closely following behind. At the same time, An Lushan’s army surged forward like a tide. Without time to form ranks, they swung their long swords, held shields, nocked arrows, and charged forward under a hail of arrows. Swords flashed coldly, arrows pierced flesh, and dozens of Tang soldiers in the barbican were beheaded before they could escape.

The smell of blood in the air made An Lushan’s soldiers even more brutal. Even though those at the front were killed, the soldiers behind continued to charge wildly, using corpses as living shields. Their powerful momentum even knocked down dozens of cavalry horses, which then trampled the fallen enemies into pulp.

Hundreds of Tang soldiers held the passage tightly. Crowded together with the enemy, unable to raise their swords, they bit, punched, and stabbed with daggers, refusing to back down an inch. All that could be heard were the sounds of breaking bones and choking gasps before death. Dead and alive were packed together, suffocating the air.

More and more of An Lushan’s soldiers poured into the city gates and launched a fierce attack on the Tang forces under the leadership of Sun Xiaozhe. Sun Xiaozhe was known as one of the three fierce generals of the Fanyang army, along with Gao Hui and Li Riyue. Sun Xiaozhe was the commander of the Youzhou Iron Cavalry, and it was he who led his troops to capture Chang’an in history.

Inside the weng city, corpses lay scattered everywhere. Troops from the Tang army shot arrows down from the city walls, killing many enemies, but the Tang army’s combat strength was far inferior to that of An Lushan’s forces. Fewer and fewer Tang soldiers remained on the pass, while An Lushan’s troops grew in number. At that moment, Sun Xiaozhe ordered that dead men and horses be used to build a “meat ladder.” Although they still hadn’t reached the city wall, it allowed them to attack the pass from the side.

Seeing the critical situation, Wang Sili let out a loud roar, snatched a large sword from his guards, and jumped down the pass. Standing atop the piles of bodies, he swung the sword fiercely, sending blood flying. Seven or eight enemies were split in two by a single swing and rolled down the meat ladder.

Wang Sili’s fierce spirit seemed to infect every Tang soldier. Nearly another hundred Tang soldiers rushed down the pass, fighting tenaciously to drive back the enemy forces that had approached the city walls.

Sun Xiaozhe flew into a rage. He hid behind a horse, drew his bow, and aimed at the mighty Wang Sili. An arrow shot out with a whoosh, hitting Wang Sili in the shoulder. Losing his strength, he dropped his sword.

At that moment, as more and more of An Lushan’s troops poured into the weng city, despair appeared in the eyes of the Tang soldiers. Wang Sili knelt on one knee and sighed deeply, “I never thought I, Wang Sili, would become a criminal of the Great Tang!”

Sun Xiaozhe laughed triumphantly, “Fool! Your death is near!”

He suddenly drew his long sword, its blade emitting a blaze of fire.

Just then, a horn sound came from the west of Tongguan. The loud blast cut through the dark clouds, as if in response, more horn sounds followed from afar. The sounds echoed through the valleys of Tongguan, breaking free from the shackles of death and bringing a glimmer of hope. As the horns blared, Li Qing’an’s reinforcements finally arrived.