Chapter 478: The Smoke of War Rises

Fengxiang Prefecture served as a bridge between Guanzhong and Longyou, and was also the second-largest urban area in Guanzhong. With its vast cities, fertile land, and large population, it had long been one of the prosperous regions throughout history.

As the Tang Dynasty began intensively preparing for war against Tubo, Fengxiang became increasingly busy. Along both banks of the Wei River, laborers pulled heavy ships loaded with food and military supplies, moving them upstream at a slow pace, accompanied by deep chants. On the banks, a massive convoy of grain transporters—carriages and ox carts carrying tall stacks of provisions—set off westward under the protection of the new Anxi army. Convoys organized by various prefectures joined in, forming an even larger transportation force that stretched for miles.

That afternoon, an army of 20,000 cavalrymen arrived from Chang’an. They frequently overtook the transport convoys, racing down the wide roads in formation. At the center of the army, Li Qing’an rode a horse instead of in a carriage. Surrounded by over a thousand personal guards, his warhorse moved at a steady pace—this was Li Qing’an on his way back to Anxi.

Four days earlier, Yang Yuhuan had sent a brief message through the abbot of the Cihang Temple. In it, she politely declined Li Qing’an’s invitation to accompany her to Anxi, citing poor health and the difficulty of traveling long distances. Li Qing’an didn’t understand why she refused to go with him, but her refusal did leave him somewhat melancholic.

However, as the army reached Fengxiang and the atmosphere of preparation grew stronger, the melancholy brought by Yang Yuhuan vanished entirely. His entire focus shifted to the impending war between Tang and Tubo.

The day before Li Qing’an left Chang’an, he had a frank conversation with Li Heng. Li Heng promised to fully support the Anxi army in preparing for battle against Tubo and sent General Wang Sili with 40,000 troops from Guanzhong to assist. They would be stationed in Hezhou, Taozhou, and Diezhou to prevent Tubo forces from breaking through the defenses in Longyou.

As a condition for supporting the Anxi Army, Li Heng also explicitly demanded that the Political Council restore a balance of power. Li Qing’an agreed to his request, resigning from his position as head of the Secretariat and vacating a prime ministerial seat. After closed-door consultations, the Political Council reappointed Cui Huan as vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, sharing power with the head of the Secretariat and thus taking over the seat vacated by Li Qing’an. Since Cui Huan was one of Li Heng’s three nominees, the Political Council once again achieved a 3-3-1 power balance, restoring equilibrium to what had already become an unbalanced power structure.

With the Tang court firmly rejecting the unilateral demands of the Tubo envoys, it meant there was no room for reconciliation between the two nations. After the diplomatic failure, war seemed inevitable.

The 20,000-strong cavalry unit had been on the road for three days. Not far ahead lay Yong County, the administrative center of Fengxiang Prefecture. Beyond Yong County, less than a hundred miles further, they would reach Longzhou, the final stronghold in Guanzhong prepared for war.

Suddenly, a commotion arose ahead. Li Qing’an’s personal guards quickly shouted, “General, look ahead!”

Li Qing’an lifted the curtain to look ahead and saw a cavalry unit from the Anxi Army approaching from afar. It was not large, numbering only about 3,000 men.

Surprised, Li Qing’an thought, Could this be the army escorting his wife back to Chang’an? As soon as this thought crossed his mind, a cavalry officer rushed over—Zhang Yongqing, one of his personal guards. He was the leader of the guard force tasked with escorting Princess Zhao and Li Qing’an’s son back to Chang’an.

“General!”

Zhang Yongqing rushed up excitedly, bowing on horseback and saying, “I have escorted the princess safely all the way and am here to deliver orders from her.”

“Orders?” Li Qing’an laughed. “We’re not even in Chang’an yet! What orders?”

Zhang Yongqing scratched the back of his head, his eyes filled with hope. “I wish to join the general in Longyou.”

“If you deliver the princess to the Du Gu family’s residence in Taiping Fang, Chang’an, then I’ll allow you to join the battle in Longyou.”

Zhang Yongqing was overjoyed and quickly added, “The princess asks the general to come ahead.”

“You brat, you’re only talking about business now,” Li Qing’an joked, then spurred his horse forward. After a few steps, he stopped and turned back, asking, “Where is Li Guangbi’s army?”

“Reporting to the general, we parted ways at Dunhuang. His army should have reached the Qinghai region by now.”

Li Qing’an nodded and rode ahead toward the main forces.

Encountering the convoy escorting Princess Zhao’s entourage, the Anxi army stopped temporarily. At the front of the convoy were several wagons loaded with various chests and boxes. On the largest wagon, his wife Mingyue was peering out of the window, looking this way. Suddenly spotting Li Qing’an, she waved eagerly in excitement.
“Elder brother!” she called from afar.
Li Qing’an rushed over like the wind and grabbed his wife’s hand through the window. He was equally excited. “I never expected to meet you here. I thought you had already crossed the Yellow River.”
“We rushed back to Chang’an in a hurry and arrived several days earlier than planned. Elder brother, are you heading to Longyou again?”
A hint of regret flashed in Mingyue’s joyful eyes. Li Qing’an nodded. “The war between Tang and Tibet is about to begin. This battle is of great significance, so I must go fight in person. I’m sorry I can’t stay with you and the child in Chang’an. But I’ll rest in Yong County for a day—we still have one day together.”
With that, Li Qing’an peeked inside the window again and asked, “Where’s the little one? Why doesn’t he want to see me?”
“He just finished feeding and fell asleep.”
Mingyue carefully took the sleeping child from the nurse and handed him to Li Qing’an, saying with a smile, “Elder brother, be careful!”
Li Qing’an gently held his son. The baby, not yet one year old, was very fair, plump, and adorable. His cheeks were rosy as he slept soundly. Li Qing’an bent down and kissed his tiny mouth lightly. The baby frowned as if pained by his father’s beard, then suddenly opened his eyes. His dark eyes stared at the strange man before him. He pouted and burst into loud cries.
At that moment, the surrounding guards gathered around, peering at the future lord of Anxi. Hearing his loud cries, they all laughed. Li Qing’an simply lifted his son high, and the soldiers cheered, their voices echoing through the sky.
Mingyue’s wagon also turned and followed Li Qing’an’s convoy toward Yong County.
……

As the Tang Dynasty began intensive preparations for war, the 200,000-strong Tibetan army also gradually finished its own preparations. That early morning, the sky was exceptionally clear and blue. Outside Lhasa, deep sounds of horns echoed through the air as groups of fully armed Tibetan soldiers took up formation. The vast Tibetan army, numbering over 100,000, stretched as far as the eye could see—spears like forests, swords gleaming. After years of preparation, the Tibetans had forged 200,000 sets of chainmail and countless swords and spears. They also had 500,000 warhorses, with stores of wheat, barley, and dried beef and mutton filling countless warehouses. Their war resources grew increasingly abundant, and the ambitious Tibetan army set out once again on a campaign to conquer the East and West.

Yet this time, there were differing opinions within Tibet. Ministers Zanxieduolun and Lenchizhadacha opposed fighting against the Tang Dynasty. They believed that although Tibet’s strength had recovered, it was still far from sufficient to conquer the Tang. If conquest was not possible, fighting would only drain the country’s resources and hinder its long-term prosperity. They suggested waiting another ten years to build up strength, waiting for internal strife in the Tang Dynasty before launching an attack, and instead seeking an alliance with the Tang to ensure peace.

On the other hand, military leaders Shangxidongzan and Dazhalugong insisted on going to war. Their goal was first to reclaim lost territories. Dazhalugong even argued that if Tibet did not recover Tubo territory soon, ten years later, when the Tang people became accustomed to the high-altitude climate, those lands would no longer belong to Tibet. Time was of the essence.

The Tibetan ministers, who had endured for years, all agreed with Shangxidongzan and Dazhalugong’s views and called for immediate action. However, the young Tibetan emperor remained calm. He found a compromise by sending Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Dazantunsu to the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang were willing to return Jishishan and the area around the Nine Bends of the Yellow River to Tibet, restoring the borders to those of 749 AD—with the Chilin Mountains as the boundary—then he could agree to another ten years of peace through alliance.

Although Chisong Dezan had already sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, his pragmatic nature made him doubt that the Tang would agree to his demands. Just then, news came from Chengdu: the Tang Dynasty had split into a northern and southern dynasty, and the powerful Geshu Han forces were no longer in Longyou, leaving the region empty. This news delighted Chisong Dezan greatly. He immediately set aside the idea of alliance and peace, sending General Dazhalugong with 50,000 troops to seize Jishishan and Dafeichuan right away.

Today marked his second deployment of troops, with General Shangxidongzan leading 120,000 soldiers on a western campaign.

“Ugh~” As the deep horns sounded once again, the gates of Luoshe slowly opened. Teams of armored guards and ministers emerged from the city, with flags fluttering and banners covering the sky. Then, the young Tibetan king, Trisong Detsen, appeared. Riding a magnificent white horse, he looked young and vigorous, his eyes filled with the desire to expand his territory. Accompanying him was the Tibetan general Shangxi Dongzan, who was appointed as the commander of the western expedition, while another general, Shangjia Su, was appointed as his deputy. The two of them would lead an army of 120,000 troops on a campaign to Anxi. Upon seeing their king, the hundreds of thousands of Tibetan soldiers knelt down, their shouts of praise echoing like thunder and waves. Trisong Detsen nodded in satisfaction, his smile fading as he said solemnly to Shangxi Dongzan, “The people of the Tang Dynasty must think I intend to compete with them for Longyou. But they don’t realize that my true goal is to seize Anxi. This time, you will take nearly half of Tibet’s army. I hope not only to capture Kucha but also to occupy Tokharistan and Sindh, thereby providing Tibet with a steady supply of food and resources. General Shangxi Dongzan, I hope you will bring me better news than Dazhalugong.” Shangxi Dongzan bowed and replied, “Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will surely make Tibet a great power that dominates the West, and I will also bring the head of Li Qing’an to you to offer to the late king’s spirit!” “Very well! You may set off now.” The powerful horn sounds rang out once more, and the hundreds of thousands of Tibetan troops set out. Clad in chainmail, wielding spears and swords, riding warhorses loaded with food and blankets, along with tens of thousands of support troops, they marched in a grand procession toward the northwest. Standing on a high ridge, Trisong Detsen watched his army head west. Then, his gaze turned eastward, his shrewd eyes gleaming with excitement. What good news might Dazhalugong bring him?