Chapter 420: Unexpected Visitors

The grasslands by the Zhangye River stretched out like an ocean. Herds of sheep grazed leisurely by the riverbank. The lambs born in spring could already stand on their own, taking small steps closely behind their mothers, occasionally glancing curiously at the groups of horses speeding by not far away. The morning sun shone on the Zhangye River. It was May, the season of floods—the river was wide and shimmering, like freshly woven silk, full of luster. A newly built wooden bridge spanned the river, reducing the distance between its banks.

At that moment, a group of a thousand cavalrymen appeared from the north of the grasslands. They rushed along the Zhangye River. These were Anxi cavalrymen clad in black armor. The leading general had a dark, thin face and a tall stature. Seeming to have heard something, he slowly stopped and scanned the surroundings. His narrowed eyes were as cold as those of a wolf.

This Anxi general was Cui Qianyou, who had come from Juyan Lake. He had been sent to Zhangye under Li Qingan’s orders. By now, they were not far from Zhangye City. Suddenly, a group of cavalrymen sped toward them—Anxi army scouts. Moments later, the scouts approached, and the leading officer saluted from his horse, saying, “Saluting General Cui!”

“No need for formalities. Where is the general?”

“The general is in the camp outside Zhangye City.”

“I understand. You may go.”

The scouts bowed and spurred their horses away, crossing the wooden bridge and heading west. Cui Qianyou watched them go before urging his warhorse to speed toward Zhangye City. His more than a thousand followers shouted and accelerated their horses as well.

The hundred-thousand-strong Anxi army had arrived in Zhangye the previous night. Over three days, they had marched nonstop for eight hundred li. The intense marching had left the army exhausted. It was still early in the morning, and the camp remained quiet, with only patrol soldiers moving around. Li Qingan, however, had already risen early. The continuous intelligence reports from Chang’an the previous night kept him awake all night, especially since Geshu Han had also sent troops to Chang’an, which was beyond his expectations.

Inside the command tent, Li Qingan stood before the sand table, planning his next move. They had already devised a strategy for Chang’an—to wait and observe temporarily while waiting for the right opportunity. Now, the key was to deal with the void left after the withdrawal of the troops from Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou.

The current situation was similar to the An Lushan Rebellion in history, when the troops from Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou were withdrawn to Guanzhong. Unlike in history, where the Tibetans occupied Longyou and Hexi, this time, the opportunity fell to Li Qingan.

What troubled Li Qing’an now was whether to take Longyou or not. If he took it, it would inevitablyscatter his forces, making it difficult for him to focus on other matters. But if he didn’t, it would be a pity to miss this opportunity. At that moment, Yan Zhuang standing nearby said, “General, I suggest taking Shuofang first. In that way, Juyan Sea, Lingzhou, and Liangzhou can be united. As for Longyou, I recommend taking the provinces with large populations to lay the foundation for recruiting troops in the future.” Li Qing’an nodded and said, “What you say makes sense. In fact, we don’t need to take all of Shuofang. As long as we capture Lingzhou, the northern gateway inside the pass will be opened. I also want to take Huizhou. This way, we can attack when necessary and defend when needed, and the entire strategy will become flexible. This was actually my idea a few years ago.” “The General’s idea from a few years ago can now be fully implemented. Since the General has already thought it through, I suggest seizing the opportunity without delay.” “I know. I’ll send troops immediately!” Li Qing’an finally made up his mind. He promptly issued several orders, assigning Li Fei Shouyu to lead 10,000 troops to Lingzhou and Nan Jiyun to lead 5,000 troops to Huizhou to occupy that strategic location. At that moment, a bodyguard reported outside the tent, “General, General Cui Qianyou has arrived.” Li Qing’an immediately said cheerfully, “Please invite him in right away!” Moments later, Cui Qianyou walked in quickly, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, “Your humble servant, Cui Qianyou, pays his respects to the General!” Li Qing’an quickly helped him up and said with a smile, “It should be me who goes to Juyan Sea to comfort the soldiers, but due to the busy military affairs, I don’t have a moment to spare.” “Your humble servant understands. With the chaotic situation in the court, the General must consider the overall situation. It should be me who reports to the General.” Li Qing’an smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, “Come! Sit down, and we’ll talk at ease.” The two sat down, and Yan Zhuang also sat nearby. Cui Qianyou gave him a slight nod as a greeting. Having matters on his mind, he didn’t waste time on small talk and said directly, “General, I’ve come this time at the request of the chieftains of the Gelaolu, Shatuo, and Tonglu tribes to launch a full-scale war against the Uyghurs. They’ve been waiting for years and are growing impatient.” Li Qing’an didn’t answer immediately. He paced slowly inside the tent with his hands behind his back. After a while, he turned around and asked, “I want to know your attitude.”

Cui Qianyou thought for a moment before saying, “Since we launched a surprise attack on the Uyghurs’ stronghold the year before last and succeeded, their strength has greatly diminished, and they haven’t recovered to this day. In terms of strength, we have already surpassed them. If the two armies went to war, we would surely win. But strategically speaking, I know the general doesn’t want to start a war too early.”
“Then do you know why I don’t want to start a war too early?” Li Qingan asked, staring at Cui Qianyou.
“Well… I know a little, but I can’t explain it clearly.”
“Then I’ll tell you today. Remember it well!”
Li Qingan said slowly, “Whether it was the Xiongnu, the Turks, or the Five Barbarians’ invasion, the threat to our Han people has always come from the north, both in the past and in the future. So I’m not trying to let one nomadic tribe replace another. What I want is to deal a decisive blow. That’s why I want you to be merciless and kill as many Uyghurs as possible. If we destroy the Uyghurs now, it will only strengthen the other three tribes. The Uyghurs’ strength hasn’t disappeared—it’s just transformed into the Göktürks, the Tongluos, and the Shatuos. That’s not what I want. What I want is for the Uyghurs to be destroyed yet not truly gone. Kill as many of their fighting forces as you can. Once most of them are killed, then destroy them completely. By then, the strength of the three Göktürk tribes will also be severely weakened. Then I’ll take further action—cause them to fight among themselves or create another enemy, like the Khitans, and fight against them for a few more years. Once the situation in the Central Plains stabilizes and the Tang Dynasty’s strength gradually recovers, we’ll turn our attention to them and completely eradicate the nomadic forces. General Cui, I’m entrusting you with this important task because I hope you won’t show any mercy and will carry it out to the end.”
Cui Qianyou nodded slowly. “I understand. I will not disappoint the general’s expectations!”
“Good! You’re also tired. Go and rest first. After resting, take some money and supplies back to reward your men. Then, you must launch the summer purge campaign. I repeat my four-word instruction: ‘Destroy yet not vanish.’ Remember this well.”
…
Cui Qianyou left. Li Qingan stood in front of the sand table in silence for a long time. Then, Yan Zhuang said softly, “General, I’m worried that General Cui might develop feelings for those three tribes after spending so much time with them, and he might not be able to fulfill your mission.”
Li Qingan glanced at him and smiled. “Actually, what you want to say is that you’re worried Cui Qianyou might amass an army and declare himself independent, right?”
Yan Zhuang blushed and nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

“Actually, your concerns are valid. Not only Cui Qianyou, but also Li Guangbi of Turfan and Feng Changqing of Xinde could be like this. It’s not due to them personally, but rather the system. Just as Li Longji kept appointing An Lushan as the military governor of Fanyang and me as the military governor of Anxi, over time, his subordinates became loyal to An Lushan and me. To prevent this trend, the key is to make changes to the system—implementing regular rotations for soldiers and generals, along with regular inspections by censors. Persistence is crucial. I’m already considering putting this system into practice, with a three-year term as a general rule. Next year, I plan to replace Cui Qianyou with Li Fei Yuanli.”
Seeing that Li Qingan had already thought of this, Yan Zhuang felt relieved and smiled gently, saying, “The general hasn’t slept all night. You should rest too!”
Li Qingan stretched and laughed, saying, “I am indeed a bit tired. I’ll take a nap first. We can discuss things this afternoon.”
……
As Cheng Qianli led his troops into the capital from Liangzhou, within just a few days, the trade routes along the Hexi Corridor became active again. Merchants took every opportunity to trade. Just two days after Li Qingan took control of Hexi, camel caravans of merchants appeared on the official roads. These merchants originally intended to go from Juyan Lake to Lingzhou. Guo Ziyi wasn’t strict with them and usually allowed them to enter the region. But since they had to take a long detour, now that Li Qingan had restored control over the Hexi Corridor, the caravans could use it openly. Long-distance caravans with hundreds or even thousands of camels, as well as smaller groups of merchants with a dozen or so mules and horses, began to appear continuously on the official roads.
That evening, a small caravan consisting of five or six people and over thirty horses arrived in Zhangye City. They came from the east, carrying grain on their horses. On the surface, they seemed to be merchants selling grain, but their behavior was somewhat strange. Even though Qiang people wanted to buy their grain, they ignored them completely.
Instead of entering the city or the herder areas, the caravan went straight to the Anxi army camp. They crossed the highly visible white warning line and entered an area within 200 steps. Before they could get any closer, an arrow whizzed past and stuck in the ground in front of them. Immediately, a group of patrol cavalry rushed out of the camp, shouting, “Stop!”
Since they had crossed the white warning line, they were subject to inspection. Any suspicion would mean they would be caught as spies right away. A group of 300 cavalrymen rushed over in an instant, surrounding them and aiming crossbows at them. The leading officer shouted, “Who are you?”

At that moment, a young man stepped forward from the small caravan and bowed, saying, “I am an old friend of your general, and I have come here specifically to visit him.”
The officer glanced at the young man from head to toe. Although he was dressed like a merchant, he had a noble bearing and handsome features, not resembling a common peddler. His tone softened slightly as he said, “I am the officer on duty tonight. The general has ordered that everyone who comes to see him must state their true name.”
“I see,” replied the young man with a slight smile. “Then please convey this message: my old friend Li Qiu has urgent matters to discuss with him!”