Chapter 418: No Compromise

An Qingzong’s death was not discovered until noon the next day, when his head was hung at the entrance of the East Market, causing great uproar in Chang’an. It was only when officials came to investigate that the guards of the An family realized An Qingzong had already died in his bed, his head missing. The cause of death was undoubtedly related to Li Dong’s visit the previous night. The guards hurriedly reported the incident, and the news gradually reached Li Yu. Fuming, Li Yu immediately sent people to arrest Li Dong, only to learn that Li Dong’s entire family had fled and their whereabouts were unknown. Filled with rage, Li Yu ordered severe punishment for the guards and issued an order to capture Censor Li Dong.

The sudden murder of An Qingzong disrupted Li Yu’s mood. He had been achieving successive victories, amassing wealth and supplies in astonishing amounts, which highlighted the extravagance of the imperial family in accumulating riches. At the same time, his army had grown significantly—recent reports indicated he had recruited 100,000 new soldiers who were being trained intensively. With wealth, supplies, and a large army, his once-tense nerves had relaxed somewhat. But relaxation could lead to problems. An Qingzong’s death was certainly related to the current situation. Li Yu had focused all his attention on the Hanzhong front, trying to prevent the Jiannan army from advancing northward, thus neglecting some internal affairs, which led to the failure in defending An Qingzong.

An Qingzong’s death worried Li Yu deeply. He knew full well the consequences—this incident would surely anger An Lushan and give him an excuse to march into Guanzhong. Li Yu’s head ached as he wondered who was stirring up trouble at such a critical moment.

“Master, who do you think killed An Qingzong?” Li Yu’s gaze fell on Li Mi, who was sitting by the wall.

Li Mi had originally been working elsewhere, but due to the tense situation, he had moved to Li Yu’s imperial study—formerly the position of the historian—at Li Yu’s insistence. At that moment, he was somewhat distracted, thinking about other things. When Li Yu suddenly asked him, he was stunned for a moment before responding, “Your Majesty, are you asking who killed An Qingzong?”

“Yes! I really want to know who did this.”

“Actually, I’ve thought about it. Many people are suspects—the regional princes, Li Qing’an, the retired Emperor Taizu, and even An Lushan himself. Your Majesty, I believe investigating this case now will yield no results. Since the perpetrator came prepared, they surely left no traces. Right now, instead of wondering who killed An Qingzong, we should focus on strategies.”

“Strategies?” Li Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Do you mean An Lushan will attack Guanzhong?”

Li Bi nodded. “It’s inevitable for An Lushan to march into Guanzhong. He’s been looking for an opportunity—neither wanting to be labeled a rebel nor wishing to take control of the realm, but lacking a pretext. Now that Emperor An Qingzong has been killed, if we can’t give him an explanation, or a satisfactory one, he will surely send troops to Guanzhong.”
“If he uses this incident as an excuse, no matter how we explain it, he won’t be satisfied.”
“That’s exactly the problem. Your Majesty must send troops to stop the Jiannan army from advancing north, dispatch forces to defend Tongguan, and prevent the peasants from the various estates from rebelling—fighting on three fronts at once. Does Your Majesty think we have the strength for that?”
Li Yu was stunned. This was his greatest concern, one he had always avoided facing and dared not think about. Now, Li Bi had brought it up abruptly, throwing his mind into chaos.
“Then, sir, can you give me a plan?”
Li Bi smiled slightly. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about this the whole time. Our problem now isn’t a lack of troops, but rather a lack of experienced ones. We’ve recruited 100,000 new soldiers who lack training; half of them don’t even have armor. At best, they can deal with the peasants from the estates, but fighting against the Hebei and Jiannan armies is out of the question. It’s not that I’m criticizing Your Majesty, but even 100,000 experienced soldiers would be no match. If we had the natural advantage of Tongguan and held our ground without fighting, we might be able to resist An Lushan. But sending them to confront 100,000 Jiannan soldiers—with a capable general like Gao Xianzhi and years of preparation on their side, while we lack generals with actual combat experience—Your Majesty, I’m very worried!”
“So what do you suggest?”
“Reallocate troops!” Li Bi said firmly. “Send troops from Shuofang and Hexi, and bring veteran general Guo Ziyi to deal with Gao Xianzhi. I believe only a veteran like Guo Ziyi can handle Gao Xianzhi or An Lushan.”
Li Yu pondered for a moment. “Reassigning Guo Ziyi isn’t a problem, but sending troops from Shuofang and Hexi worries me a bit.”

“Your Majesty, there is nothing to worry about. The Uyghurs are held in check by Anxi, so they have no strength to march south. The 30,000 troops from Shuofang can all be brought to the capital. At least there are still the Dangxiang people at the border. As for the 20,000 troops in Hexi, I believe they are completely useless. Does Your Majesty think these 20,000 troops can stop Li Qing’an’s massive army from Anxi? Instead of letting Li Qing’an send troops to occupy Hexi, it would be better to be magnanimous and return Hexi to him. This way, we’ll even gain his goodwill. After all, Li Qing’an is already Your Majesty’s man, so this would be equivalent to indirectly admitting fault to him. With Li Qing’an’s wisdom, he surely won’t stir up trouble at such a time. Although Li Qing’an poses a threat to Your Majesty, his threat now is far less than that of the King of Shu and An Lushan. Please weigh the pros and cons and make a swift decision, Your Majesty.”

“Let me think more! Think again!” Li Yu paced back and forth in the room, holding his head.

“Your Majesty, stop being indecisive! Make a decision, or all previous efforts will be wasted!”

Li Mi’s last words echoed in Li Yu’s heart like the sound of bells at dawn and dusk. ‘All previous efforts wasted!’ No, he must not let everything go to waste. At that moment, Li Yu finally made up his mind to ignore Li Qing’an for now and focus all his efforts on defending against Gao Xianzhi and An Lushan.

“Pass my order: immediately dispatch Guo Ziyi and the Shuofang troops to the capital, and also send Cheng Qianli and the 20,000 troops from Liangzhou to the capital.”

……

That night, Xingqing Palace was still surrounded by 3,000 troops. The palace was pitch dark, as if dead silent, except for the brightly lit Xingqing Hall. Inside, Li Longji was extremely excited and full of energy. He had been staying up late every day. Although Li Yu had surrounded Xingqing Palace tightly, he couldn’t prevent the traitors within. Two out of the three colonels declared their loyalty to Li Longji, rendering the military siege meaningless. Li Longji could issue orders openly, and even some princes from the imperial family came secretly to meet with him and follow his plans.

Having successfully bribed the troops guarding him, Li Longji felt a sense of achievement and confidence. He was thrilled—this showed that people were willing to change sides, and many saw potential in him.

At that time, Li Longji was secretly receiving two important officials in Xingqing Palace. These two officials, who had fought fiercely against each other some time ago, now sat side by side, discussing important matters with Li Longji. One of them was Zhang Yun, who had been retired, while the other was Yang Guozhong, the current right chancellor.

With the situation having become so tense, Yang Guozhong certainly wouldn’t be gambling and drinking at home. He was also assessing the situation and deciding on his stance—it was time to choose a side.

Yang Guozhong naturally would not pledge loyalty to Li Yu; he favored Li Mao, the eighteenth prince, partly due to Yang Yuhuan’s influence—after all, Li Mao was her ex-husband. More importantly, among all the princes, only Li Mao had always shown him great respect, even sending local specialties to him while he was in Jingzhou. This moved Yang Guozhong, and he decided to support Li Mao.

Li Longji saw through this secret as well, so today he specially summoned Zhang Yun and Yang Guozhong. First, he wanted to mediate between them, and second, since they represented the King of Shu and the King of Jing, there were some things he needed to say in advance.

“Both of you are my loyal ministers, promoted by me personally. There’s no need to mention Minister Zhang—your father was my most trusted prime minister, and your brother married my daughter. As for Minister Yang, he’s not an outsider; he’s my brother-in-law. So, I won’t hide the truth from you. I intend to restore my throne, drive down that usurper who seized it unjustly, and reclaim what belongs to me. Therefore, I need your full support.”

Zhang Yun and Yang Guozhong knelt together. “We are willing to do our utmost to help Your Majesty restore your throne!”

“Good! Good! Please stand up.”

Li Longji, with a hunched back, helped them up and continued, “I know you’re also curious about who will take charge of the Eastern Palace after I restore my throne.”

At these words, Zhang Yun’s eyelids twitched. What did this mean? He had promised him that the King of Shu would rule the Eastern Palace—was he changing his mind now?

Li Longji glanced at him and smiled. “Actually, both Prince Thirteenth, Li Liu, and Prince Eighteenth, Li Mao, are my favorite sons. I intend to choose one of them as the crown prince of the Eastern Palace. But according to seniority, Prince Thirteenth should enter the Eastern Palace first. As for Prince Eighteenth, I won’t treat him unfairly—I’ll ensure he’s satisfied. If he wishes, I’ll appoint him King of Anxi and let him proclaim himself emperor there. That’s my plan.”

By deciding the future crown prince’s position in front of them, Li Longji wanted to reassure Zhang Yun.

Yang Guozhong felt somewhat disheartened. If Prince Thirteenth became the ruler of the Eastern Palace, Zhang Yun would surely surpass him in power. But there was little he could do—the King of Shu, Li Liu, was far stronger than the King of Jing, Li Mao. Strength mattered most, and words were useless in such situations. However, the idea of Li Mao proclaiming himself emperor in Anxi didn’t sit well with Yang Guozhong. Anxi was Li Qing’an’s territory—proclaiming oneself emperor there wouldn’t be easy, especially since the King of Qing, Li Cong, was still missing!

He sighed inwardly and said, “We will absolutely obey the Emperor Retired’s orders, whether it’s I or Prince Jing. As far as I know, Prince Jing has already sent troops and is rushing toward Guanzhong. I believe he will soon arrive to save the Emperor Retired from peril. When it comes to filial piety, no one can compare to the Eighteenth Prince.”
Zhang Yun beside him was astonished. “Prime Minister Yang, has Prince Jing already sent troops?”
Yang Guozhong smiled arrogantly and said, “Speed is crucial in warfare. Prince Jing is worried about his father’s safety, so naturally he will hurry over.”
“Minister Zhang, is there something wrong?” Li Longji asked anxiously, noticing Zhang Yun’s uneasy expression.
Zhang Yun bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I’m very concerned about the assassination of Emperor Anqingzong. By hanging his head in the East Market so publicly, the assassins intended to let An Lushan know about it. I estimate An Lushan will learn of this by tomorrow at the latest. If I’m not mistaken, he will surely use the pretext of hunting down the murderers to march into Guanzhong. An Lushan has sinister ambitions; even if he doesn’t rebel, he will do as Dong Zhuo did and seize control of the court. I’m extremely worried! If the armies of Guanzhong, Jiannan, and Jingzhou fight in Hanzhong, it will ultimately benefit An Lushan. Not only will Your Majesty’s safety be threatened, but Chang’an will also suffer greatly.”
Zhang Yun had been worried all day. He had realized the consequences of Emperor Anqingzong’s death, something he hadn’t anticipated. Before the emperor’s death, he hadn’t realized how important he was. Only after his death did he realize Chang’an was in crisis.
As a seasoned politician, Zhang Yun never wavered on principle issues. No matter how much Li Longji and Li Yu fought, it was a struggle among the royal family, an internal power struggle within the court. But An Lushan was different—he was a barbarian. If he seized control of the court and Chang’an, the consequences would be unimaginable. It would be a tragedy for the Tang Dynasty, and everyone’s interests, including his own, would be severely damaged.
Seeing that Li Longji hadn’t reacted, Zhang Yun pressed on, “Your Majesty, I suggest we pause for now and send the armies of Jingzhou and Jiannan back, so that Li Yu’s troops can reach Tongguan in time. After all, if An Lushan enters Guanzhong, I fear the Tang Dynasty will lose its throne.”
“Pause? Absolutely not!”
Li Longji’s voice suddenly turned stern. “Why worry about him? Do you think they won’t think of that? He has two hundred thousand troops—can’t he assign some to guard Tongguan?”

Perhaps feeling his tone had been too harsh, Li Longji softened his voice and said, “Actually, An Lushan’s uprising might not be such a bad thing. At least it can distract the troops in Chang’an and weaken our enemies. The top priority now is to get the armies of Thirteenth Brother and Eighteenth Brother to the capital as quickly as possible. Once their troops arrive, I’m confident I can deal with An Lushan. Then the situation will be firmly in my hands. Minister Zhang, I was a bit too harsh just now. You don’t know the pressure I’m under. Although he dares not kill me openly, the longer it drags on, the greater the chance he will. I have to act quickly!”
“I understand. I’ll go back right away and urge the King of Shu to send troops, so Gao Xianzhi’s army can enter the capital immediately.”
Zhang Yun stood up to take his leave. Seeing that it was getting late, Yang Guozhong also decided to leave. At that moment, Li Longji said to Yang Guozhong, “Minister Yang, wait a moment. I have some family matters to ask you.”
Zhang Yun knew he must be asking about Yang Guifei, so he took his leave first.
Only Li Longji and Yang Guozhong remained in the hall. Gao Lishi was also there, about ten feet away from them. Wu Ruiniang, who took care of Li Longji, was not present. With Gao Lishi around, she couldn’t join their conversation.
“How is Guifei?”
After a long silence, Li Longji finally asked the question that had been weighing on his heart for half a year. Yang Yuhuan had brought him the brightest moments of his life, but now her beauty had faded, and his love had been pushed into a dim corner. That once-glorious concubine was now far away from him.
Unfortunately, even his last traces of attachment brought him no comfort. Yang Guozhong had no idea about Yang Guifei’s situation. He looked extremely awkward and finally said, “Guifei is living in Huaqing Palace, under strict guard. I’ve been there many times but haven’t been able to see her.”
Li Longji was deeply disappointed. He sighed softly. “Only after losing something do we realize its value. It’s too late for me to regret!”
“Your Majesty!”
Gao Lishi whispered behind him, “Your Majesty’s health is gradually improving. That’s the most precious thing of all.”
Li Longji turned and gave him a grateful look, nodding and smiling. “Grandpa Gao is right. My ability to recover shows that heaven favors me. I must not let it down!”
With that, he stopped thinking about Yang Guifei and said to Yang Guozhong, “I’ve kept you here so that you can convey a message to Eighteenth Brother. I promised his mother back then that I would make him the legitimate heir, and that promise still stands. Now I need to rely on Thirteenth Brother, so I have to say some things against my will. But I promise that in the end, it will be Maor who laughs last.”

Lizhou – this was the essential route from Jiannan to Hanzhong. With its steep mountains, deep ravines, and dense forests, traveling north was extremely difficult. As the saying goes, “The road to Shu is as hard as climbing to the sky,” and this place was a prime example of that. Another 300 li north lay Nanzheng, the major city of Hanzhong.

It was gradually approaching early summer, the rainy season in this region. Light drizzle had been falling for two days and nights, turning the roads into quagmires. The 100,000 troops from Jiannan could no longer march north and temporarily camped inside and outside Lizhou City.

That evening, a group of scout cavalry struggled to move along the muddy mountain paths, leading officers already visible the large camp at the foot of the mountain. “Push harder! Our intelligence is crucial; we can’t afford any more delays!” Although the soldiers were exhausted, they had no choice but to muster their strength and head toward the Jiannan army’s camp at the foot of the mountain.

Inside the Jiannan army’s camp, tents stretched for miles, one after another, forming a vast military force. In the main tent, Gao Xianzhi stood in front of a sand table, planning tactics. Since Li Qing’an had first used sand tables, this useful tool for military strategy had been adopted by various Tang armies, and Gao Xianzhi was no exception. Two years earlier, he had created a sand table representing the area from Hanzhong to Chang’an, allowing him to have a thorough understanding of the terrain and roads there.

The only thing he hadn’t anticipated was the weather. Normally, rain would start falling in this area only in mid-May, but the rainy season had arrived earlier, disrupting his plans. They had been stationed there for two days already. Gao Xianzhi was extremely anxious. The intelligence he had received suggested that the Guanzhong army had not yet reached Nanzheng. If he could seize Nanzheng before them, secure its food supplies, and gain a strategic advantage, he was 90% confident of winning a battle against the Guanzhong army.

Fate seemed against them, and Gao Xianzhi was helpless. After staring at the sand table for a long time with no solution, he turned and returned to the front tent. Suddenly, he saw his daughter sitting at the entrance of the tent – Gao Wu, who had now been promoted to lieutenant general. This sight gave him a headache.

His daughter was already 24 years old and still unmarried. At this age, it was difficult to find a husband, especially for a female general, so no one dared to propose. Gao Xianzhi had given up on finding her a husband.

A few years earlier, his trusted general Zhao Chongjin’s wife passed away, and he expressed his desire to marry Gao Wu as his second wife. He had made this request several times. Although Zhao Chongjin was remarrying and already had children, marrying his daughter might be unfair to her. Yet, since she had no other options, Gao Xianzhi did not object and even hinted to Zhao Chongjin that he had no objections as long as his daughter agreed.

Unexpectedly, not only did his daughter firmly refuse, but she also went and scolded Zhao Chongjin harshly, leaving him utterly ashamed and too embarrassed to mention the matter again. Gao Xianzhi had no choice but to give up as well.
However, an incident that happened not long ago angered Gao Xianzhi greatly. The King of Shu offered to take Gao Wu as his concubine, granting her status equal to that of a royal consort—clearly an attempt to form a marital alliance and strengthen their relationship. Gao Xianzhi tried to persuade his daughter to agree, but she stubbornly refused, even threatening to commit suicide by drawing her sword. This filled Gao Xianzhi with both anger and frustration, yet he was helpless and could only look for another opportunity to talk to her properly.
It was already dusk, with light rain drifting into the tent and wetting Gao Wu’s hair. Unaware of this, she rested her chin in her hand and gazed blankly at the western sky. Dressed in armor, her years of military service had left her face somewhat haggard, but her eyes remained as bright as they had been eight years ago. The usual determination was gone, replaced by a gentle and sensitive gaze, like that of an antelope.
Gao Xianzhi felt a sharp pain in his heart. He knew whom his daughter was missing.
“Wu Niang!” He slowly walked up to her and said softly, “Why haven’t you gone back to your own tent?”
Gao Wu quickly stood up and replied in a low voice, “I heard my mother sent a letter. I wanted to take a look.”
“Oh! Yes, it was just delivered. I was about to send someone to give it to you.”
Gao Xianzhi took a family letter from the table and handed it to his daughter with a smile. Gao Wu took the letter and bowed, saying, “Father, I’ll go now.”
She turned to leave, but Gao Xianzhi called out, “Wu Niang.”
“Is there anything else, Father?”
Gao Xianzhi didn’t know what to say for a moment, so he smiled and said, “Nothing. Go back and rest early. We’ll set off at the latest tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
Gao Wu turned and left. Gao Xianzhi watched her retreating figure and sighed softly, muttering to himself, “All these years, and she’s still so devoted. Sigh!”
At that moment, a bodyguard came to report, “General, the scouts have urgent news.”
Gao Xianzhi was startled and immediately ordered, “Let them in!”
A moment later, several scouts entered the tent, knelt down, and bowed. The leading officer said, “Reporting to the general, there’s new news from Nanzheng.”
“Speak!”
“Nanzheng has been occupied by 40,000 troops from Jingzhou.”
“What!” Gao Xianzhi was shocked. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Jingzhou troops? How is that possible?”

He suddenly turned and rushed back to the side tent where the sand table was placed. Holding a oil lamp, he bent down to examine it closely. He understood that the Jingzhou army had moved from Nanyang to Junzhou, then to Jinzhou, and finally came from Jinzhou. The long distance indicated that Li Mao had already sent troops. Gao Xianzhi was filled with regret and anger; he slammed his fist hard on the sand table and cursed under his breath, “These bastards!”
With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth in the main tent. What to do? The Jingzhou army had already seized the initiative. If they went there now, it was uncertain whether they would be allies or enemies. Even if they were allies, the advantageous terrain and supplies would already be in their hands, leaving the Jiannan army in a disadvantageous position.
After walking a few rounds in the tent, Gao Xianzhi suddenly had an idea. He remembered a strategy from a few days earlier. He had given up on it because he was in a hurry to head to Nanzheng. But now wasn’t it the perfect time to revive that strategy?
Gao Xianzhi turned back to the sand table, his gaze fixed on a road leading westward. Then he remembered a famous tactic: “Build roads openly while secretly crossing Chencang.”