Chapter 375: Trust Those You Employ

The military alliance between the Tang Dynasty and the Byzantine Empire was signed without any surprises. The two sides agreed to jointly confront the Abbasid Empire within three years, including coordinating military actions—meaning that if one side went to war, the other must join in. On this agreement, Li Qing’an signed on behalf of the Tang Dynasty and stamped it with his seal.

However, this was only a framework agreement. To implement it in detail, the two sides signed several additional agreements. Under these, the Tang Dynasty agreed to sell the Byzantine Empire 10,000 sets of Mingguang armor and 10,000 crossbows over three years, plus an additional 2,000 Tang crossbows. These weapons were expected to generate 2 million gold coins in revenue for the Tang Dynasty.

Another additional agreement specified the date for their first joint military operation. The two sides agreed to launch attacks on the Abbasid Empire simultaneously in the early days of the eighth month according to the Tang calendar. The Byzantine Empire was to capture the island of Cyprus, while the Tang army was to take control of Sindh and Punjab.

With only 50 days left, time was extremely tight. Li Qing’an didn’t even attend the subsequent trade negotiations. Instead, he led his troops back to Suiye immediately, leaving Yang Fengche to continue with the trade talks.

While sending people to the capital to report the signing of the treaty to the imperial court, he also issued over a dozen orders along the way, instructing the Anxi army to prepare for battle against the Toharans and Sindh in three fronts: east, west, and center.

The western front was at Juzhanti. General Li Guangbi was appointed as the commander of the western army, leading a combined force of 30,000 Han and non-Han troops to attack the Toharans. The central front was at Wuyun Pass in Ilshad, from which one could directly enter the famous Wakhan Valley—a vital route on the Southern Silk Road. The eastern front ran from Lianyun Fort to Xiaobuli, then from Xiaobuli to Dabuli, and finally to Gesimi, which is today’s Indian-controlled Kashmir region. From there, one could directly enter Tianzhu. Li Qing’an assigned the eastern army to General Feng Changqing, whom he had stripped of his military authority, ordering him to lead 5,000 troops from Lianyun Fort into Xiaobuli.

In mid-July, Li Qing’an arrived at Wuyun Pass, located 200 li west of Congling Pass. This was the entrance to the famous Wakhan Valley. The Tubo people had built a large fortress here capable of holding tens of thousands of people—Wuyun Fort. Controlling this fortress meant blocking the most convenient route from Anxi southward to Tocharistan. At the beginning of the Tianbao era, Wuyun Pass was captured by the Tubo people, who stationed 10,000 troops there. Six years later, Gao Xianzhi prepared to attack Lesser Bactria, but the Tang army could not use the Wakhan Valley and had to bypass the Outer Ailai Mountains before entering through the middle section of the Wakhan Valley via the Humin Route. That arduous march marked the rise of Li Qing’an.

After the battle of Lesser Bactria, the 10,000 Tubo troops stationed at Wuyun Pass were forced to withdraw southward due to cut off reinforcements. Wuyun Fort was then occupied by the Tang army, which stationed 3,000 troops there to control the Wakhan Valley and restore the Silk Road along the southern route.

In fact, half a year earlier, Li Qing’an had begun preparing for the campaign against Tocharistan. He gradually increased the troops at Wuyun Fort to 8,000 and transported 100,000 dan of grain, along with a large amount of supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, bows and arrows, forage, dried meat, food bags, salt, tea cakes, wine, and medical supplies—all of which were gathered at Wuyun Fort.

Li Qing’an led 20,000 troops from Suiye, including 5,000 troops from the eastern front, to Wuyun Fort. They were set to head directly to Lianyun Fort through the Wakhan Valley.

That morning, fierce winds blew, and sand and stones flew at Wuyun Pass. Dark clouds rushed in from the southwest, and the air was filled with the smell of impending heavy rain.

The Tang army immediately set up camp higher to prevent floods. Before half of the camp was completed, torrential rain poured down. The soldiers shouted and rushed into the already erected tents. The rain grew heavier, as if the entire Wakhan Valley was engulfed by it.

“Such heavy rain is rare even in the height of summer. In my memory, only the storm during the Zhongyuan Festival in the eighth year of Tianbao was as memorable. That storm lasted five days and five nights, causing floods. A group of merchants from Tocharistan was unfortunately swept away by the floods, and the more than 10,000 jin of silver they brought vanished without a trace.”

The speaker was Zhao Chongjie, the military commander of Wuyun Fort. He was the younger brother of Zhao Chongyi, the former military commander of Shule. Zhao Chongyi had followed Gao Xianzhi to Anxi, while his two brothers, Zhao Chongjie and Zhao Chongji, stayed in Anxi to serve as generals. Zhao Chongjie also participated in the Battle of Xiao Bulu in the sixth year of the Tianbao era. At that time, he was a brigade commander, one rank below Li Qingan. He followed Xi Yuanqing rather than being part of Li Qingan’s scouting system, which meant his promotions were somewhat slow—he only rose two ranks in six years, becoming the military commander of Wuyun Fort and being granted the title of colonel. There were two types of military commanders in Anxi: one was the governor who also served as the military commander, such as Cui Qianyou, the governor of Tingzhou and also the military commander of the Hanhai Army. This was a high-ranking military commander in charge of over 5,000 troops, holding the rank of lieutenant general or general, with a corresponding official rank in the third tier. The other type was the fortress military commander, in charge of fewer than 5,000 troops, like Zhao Chongjie, who held the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel. Since Zhao Chongjie did not participate in the Battle of Talas, his rank was slightly lower, at just colonel.

This time, things had changed—Li Qingan was going to attack Toharistan and Sindh, and it was finally his turn. Zhao Chongjie had been eager for this opportunity for a long time. In the eighth year of Tianbao, he had followed Gao Xianzhi to attack Toharistan but suffered a crushing defeat, an experience that became a great humiliation in his life. This time, he was determined to make a big splash and wash away that shame.

Zhao Chongjie was the Tang general most familiar with the Wakhan Valley. He was the first to notice the sudden heavy rain and promptly informed the Tang army to move to higher ground.

Li Qingan was not very familiar with Zhao Chongjie, but he had a very good relationship with Zhao Chongjie’s elder brother, Zhao Chongyi. He also took special care of the two brothers who stayed in Anxi. For this attack on Toharistan, Zhao Chongjie served as his military advisor.

Inside the tent, there was a huge map of Toharistan, a military map left behind by Gao Xianzhi, which was extremely detailed. Li Qingan stood in front of the map with a furrowed brow. The lack of information about Toharistan and Sindh made him feel uncertain about this campaign.

He deployed a total of 55,000 troops from three fronts: east, west, and central. According to intelligence from the previous year, the combined forces of Sindh and the Persian army in Punjab numbered only about 20,000. That was sufficient to deal with the Persian army, but considering the local forces as well, his confidence was not high.

Li Qingan walked to the tent door and watched the torrential rain pouring down. Suddenly, he turned around and asked, “General Zhao, based on your experience, will this heavy rain affect military operations in the Wakhan Valley?”

“Reporting to the Great General, it depends on the severity of this heavy rain. If it lasts for a short time, it won’t affect the march. But if it rains for more than three days, it’s very likely to cause floods or even rockslides, which will destroy the roads and thus hinder the march. However, that would only happen in the narrowest parts of the Wakhan Valley. Generally speaking, the Wakhan Valley is over a dozen li wide, and at its widest points, even over a hundred li—so there shouldn’t be any impact.”
Li Qing’an nodded. Glancing at Feng Changqing, who had stood silently in front of the map, he smiled and said, “Old Feng, why aren’t you speaking?”
Feng Changqing had only arrived at Wuyun Fort from Yincheng the day before. Compared to last year, he had clearly lost weight. He wasn’t stupid and knew full well that Li Qing’an had taken away his military authority. But he didn’t resent Li Qing’an—after all, the personal letter from Li Longji was still with him! All he felt was frustration. Li Longji had thought too simply, expecting him to join forces with the Prince of Qing to seize power. Was it that easy? Now, he couldn’t even see the Prince of Qing anywhere; it was said he was under house arrest in the State of Shi, just as Feng Changqing himself was under house arrest in Yincheng, unable to leave at will. He couldn’t even mobilize fifty soldiers. The former deputy commander of Anxi had fallen to such a state. Without having to think, Feng Changqing guessed that Li Qing’an was likely already aware of Li Longji’s secret order sent to him.
The reason he was suddenly reinstated was also clear—the Tang Dynasty had a new emperor, and Li Longji’s secret order no longer held any significance.
When Li Qing’an asked him, Feng Changqing forced a smile and said, “I think the Great General is thinking too far ahead. There are still twenty days left until the agreed time with Byzantium. Does the Great General really want to send troops now?”
Li Qing’an shook his head and said, “Old Feng, you haven’t understood the treaty. Attacking the Abbasids simultaneously means launching attacks on them at the same time, not setting off from here. In other words, twenty days from now, the Tang army must appear on land controlled by the Abbasids and launch an attack—either in Tokharistan or Sindh.”
“But what about Li Guangbi’s western army? It’s very close to Tokharistan; it should be able to catch up.”
Li Qing’an laughed at him and said, “Old Feng, after being a civil official for a year, have you even forgotten how to fight?”
Feng Changqing’s face turned red as he bowed and stammered, “Please, Great General, enlighten me!”

Li Qing’an walked over to the map and pointed at Bactria with a wooden stick, saying, “This time, I’ll divide my forces into three groups, with clear strategic goals. Li Guangbi’s task will be to capture Bactria and drive the Arab forces across the Amu Darya River. In this battle, he will surely attack first. Once Bactria enters combat, logically, Khorasan should send troops to reinforce them. But since Byzantium is putting pressure on the Arabs in the north, Mansur won’t focus his efforts on the east. Instead, he’ll concentrate his forces to prevent the Byzantine army from advancing south. As a result, Mansur is likely to send troops from Sindh and Punjab to rescue Bactria.”

Li Qing’an continued, pointing at Sindh and Punjab, “If that happens, those regions will surely be defenseless, giving me an opportunity.”

Feng Changqing sighed and praised, “The general’s strategies are becoming increasingly brilliant. I can’t keep up.”

After a pause, he suddenly frowned and said, “But if that’s the case, one of the general’s armies will be enough to take over Sindh and Punjab. Then what’s the point of me going to Small Bactria?”

“That’s a good question!”

Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Because I want you to attack India.”

“India?” Feng Changqing was stunned.

“That’s right, to attack India. Unfortunately, I don’t have a map here, so I can’t explain the situation to you. But I know that India has flat land, a large population, and abundant food. Moreover, their armies aren’t very skilled in battle. Back then, our Tang envoy Wang Xuance was able to conquer India alone. With five thousand elite troops, I believe you’ll fare even better than our predecessors.”

“But… it seems we have no legitimate reason to attack India,” Feng Changqing hesitated.

“There’s no such thing as no legitimate reason. I don’t need their land, nor do I want to kill their people. There’s no need for that. I’m not a murderer. But I want their food and gold. This time, when you attack India, you must bring back at least two million bushels of food. As for gold and silver, I won’t set a limit—more is better.”

Seeing that Feng Changqing was still hesitant, Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and said, “Old Feng, I want food and gold not for my own desires. With chaos on the horizon in the Central Plains, An Lushan’s ambitions are as obvious as Sima Zhao’s. Once he rebels, disaster will surely strike the Central Plains, and it will be the ordinary people who suffer. I need food to relieve the victims, and I need gold and silver to save the Tang Dynasty’s collapsing finances and taxes. Do you understand? I’m thinking about the long-term future of the Tang Dynasty.”

There were some things Li Qing’an didn’t need to spell out clearly; Feng Changqing understood as well. Li Qing’an was now the Prince of Zhao of the Tang Dynasty, a descendant of Crown Prince Jiancheng, with ambitions to rule the world. Feng Changqing had originally thought he had no hope left and would just spend his life in Yincheng in mediocrity. But he never expected Li Qing’an to rehire him, giving him another chance. If he failed to cherish this opportunity, his life would truly be ruined, ending in despair. He had long understood this truth. Even if Li Longji came to Anxi in person, he couldn’t take away Li Qing’an’s military power. Moreover, Li Longji’s strategy to seize power seemed completely flawed—it not only fragmented the once-strong Tang Dynasty but also allowed An Lushan to grow in power, even leading to Li Longji’s own disappearance in Shuofang, his fate unknown. In such a situation, why should he continue to serve that emperor who brought disaster upon the country and its people? No! Feng Changqing should follow his own path. His interests were tied to Li Qing’an’s—every soldier in Anxi was loyal to Li Qing’an. Why not do the same? Li Qing’an had a magnanimous heart and had rehired him; why not cherish this chance?

At these thoughts, Feng Changqing became extremely agitated. He took out the secret order given to him by Li Longji from his bosom and said with deep shame, “General, this is a secret order from the late emperor, ordering me to assist Prince Qing in taking away your military power. I’ve kept it with me all along—it’s been like a heavy stone pressing on my heart, making each day feel like years. Today, I hand it over to you and plead for your punishment!”

After saying that, he raised the order high above his head, knelt before Li Qing’an, and wept, saying, “Back then, you overlooked past grudges and came to Kucha personally to invite me back and reuse me. Yet I failed to repay you and instead tried to frame you—how heartless and ungrateful of me! Please punish me, General!”

Li Qing’an took the order but didn’t even glance at it before holding it to the candlelight and lighting it. A flame quickly consumed the order, turning it to ashes in moments. He shook it, and the ashes drifted outside the tent with the wind. Li Qing’an helped Feng Changqing up and said sincerely, “A man’s knees should never bow before another—don’t kneel before me easily. I don’t want to bring up the past. I only look to the future. I believe that one day, you, Feng Changqing, will become the commander of the Tang army in Anxi and fight for me across the lands.”

“I surely won’t disappoint you, General!”

……
(Note: Sindh and Punjab refer to the central and southern parts of what is now Pakistan!)