Chapter 572: Operation Falcon

When conducting gunpowder experiments, An Lushan brought three thousand men to watch. These three thousand were all his personal guards, but there was a distinction among them: five hundred were called inner guards, his closest attendants who he trusted completely—so much so that they could even guard him while he slept. The remaining two thousand five hundred were called outer guards, who were only considered relatively trustworthy. They could escort his carriage from ahead and behind during his inspections, but must stay at least fifty steps away.

By the time he returned from the gunpowder testing site, it was noon. Taking a nap was An Lushan’s unwavering habit—he would usually sleep for one and a half hours. Even major events like discovering the secret of thunder couldn’t stop him from taking his nap. An Lushan left tasks such as managing the gunpowder production and selecting gunpowder craftsmen to Shi Siming. On his way back, he already snored loudly in his carriage. When the carriage stopped in front of his military headquarters in Youzhou City, dozens of personal soldiers carried the sleeping An Lushan into the mansion using rattan beds.

While An Lushan was napping, aside from his five hundred inner guards who stood guard around his sleeping quarters, the rest of the outer guards returned to their barracks to eat lunch and rest. An Lushan’s military rules were strict—soldiers only had one day off every half month, were forbidden from leaving the barracks at night, and were not allowed to step outside even during the day if there were no tasks, otherwise they would face severe punishment.

However, officers fared slightly better. Although they were also not allowed to leave the barracks at night, they could find excuses to go out during the day. Especially officers above the rank of captain could generally leave the barracks for an hour at noon and in the evening to drink or visit brothels, as long as they didn’t cause trouble. An Lushan usually tolerated this.

After the outer guards returned to their barracks, several officers above the rank of captain agreed to go out for drinks. One of them, a captain named Chen Zhiming, claimed he had a stomachache and didn’t go. After the other officers left, Chen Zhiming pretended to go find a doctor to buy medicine and left the barracks.

Youzhou City, which is today’s Beijing, was once the seat of the Andong Protectorate during the Tang Dynasty and also served as the military headquarters of the Fanyang Military Governor. Through years of development under An Lushan, Youzhou City became very prosperous and bustling. In particular, non-Chinese ethnic groups were given preferential treatment, and many of them moved to Youzhou City, making up half of its population.

To the north of Youzhou City, there was a pharmacy called Miaoshou Huichun Tang. It had several highly skilled veteran doctors, so the pharmacy was very busy. But in reality, it was a stronghold of Li Qing’an’s inner guards in Youzhou.

Li Qingan’s Inner Guard is a new organization established this year; it is essentially the former intelligence agency, now expanded. He drew 10,000 elite troops from various military units and merged them with the intelligence agency to form the new Inner Guard, totaling 15,000 men. Nan Jiyun serves as the nominal General of the Inner Guard but actually reports directly to Li Qingan. There are two main officials: General Hu Peiyun is in charge of the Intelligence Department, which has 5,000 subordinates spread across the country. This department is actually the former Suiye Han-Tang Society; now that the Han-Tang Society no longer exists, its branches across the country have been transformed into Inner Guard intelligence branches.

General Qin Haiyang is in charge of the Inner Guard troops, which number 10,000 men. These troops can be considered the most elite among those directly under Li Qingan’s command. They mainly assist the Intelligence Department in carrying out various special missions.

The Intelligence Department in Youzhou is a first-level branch, with over a dozen sub-branches spread across Hebei Province, totaling more than 400 members. Most of them disguise themselves as merchants, coming from all walks of life. The headquarters is the Miaoshou Huichun Hall.

Miaoshou Huichun Hall has a 20-year history in Youzhou and is a well-known establishment. Many years ago, even An Lushan sought treatment there. Since Li Qingan’s rise only dates back seven or eight years, it is impossible for people to connect Miaoshou Huichun Hall with him.

At noon, Miaoshou Huichun Hall was crowded with people. Those seeking treatment had been queuing since morning, and by noon, the queue had not diminished but grown longer. Several shop assistants carried buckets of porridge and baskets full of steamed buns to distribute lunch to those in line—one bowl of porridge and two buns per person. This is the rule of Miaoshou Huichun Hall: anyone who comes for treatment receives a meal at noon. Even if beggars mix in to get food, they don’t mind, considering it charity.

Captain Chen Zhiming rushed in, holding his stomach. Instead of queuing, he slipped in through a side door, drawing curses from others.

Chen Zhiming entered the main hall of the pharmacy and gave a signal to Manager Zhang, who was greeting patients. Manager Zhang immediately put down his tasks and led Chen Zhiming inside. Manager Zhang’s name is Zhang Yue, in his fifties. He was originally the head of the Hebei branch of the Han-Tang Society and is now the head of the Hebei branch of the Anxi Army’s Inner Guard Intelligence Department. Zhang Yue is also a member of the Yinlong Society. He only recognizes Li Qingan as the young master of Yinlong and sees him as the hope for realizing Yinlong’s grand plan. As for whether it’s the Han-Tang Society or the Inner Guard, it doesn’t matter to him.

Chen Zhiming was also a member of the Han-Tang Society. He had joined it ten years ago. The Han-Tang Society had not thrived much within the Fanyang army, as An Lushan favored non-Han people and excluded Han people, resulting in the society having fewer than two hundred members so far. Chen Zhiming was the leader of the Han-Tang Society within the army. However, few people knew that the Han-Tang Society had shifted to handling internal security matters; only a few key figures among its members in Hebei Province were aware of this, and Chen Zhiming was one of them.

The two entered a quiet room in the inner hall and sat down. Chen Zhiming said, “There is extremely important intelligence that must be reported to Chang’an immediately.”

“What is it?”

“An Lushan has also created thunder bombs. This morning, in Lingyun Valley on the northern outskirts, I witnessed their test firsthand. Their power was immense—the two-zhang-tall wooden frame was shattered to pieces. An Lushan was overjoyed.”

Chen Zhiming then took a piece of white paper, sketched a rough diagram of the thunder bomb he had seen, and handed it to Zhang Yue, saying, “It’s more or less like this. I was standing far away, so I couldn’t see very clearly.”

Zhang Yue took the sketch, his brows furrowed. “How is this possible?”

He certainly understood what it meant for the Anxi army if An Lushan succeeded in developing thunder bombs. He asked urgently, “Who developed the thunder bombs?”

“It was a group of Taoists, said to be from a Taoist temple in Zhaozhou. There were about a dozen of them. An Lushan has treated them as honored guests and is protecting them closely. Shi Siming will establish a Thunder Bomb Battalion dedicated to producing these bombs.”

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yue said, “I will report this to Chang’an right away. But I hope our people can get into that battalion. No matter what it costs, we must make it happen.”

“I understand. I’ll go get some medicine and then return to arrange things. I’ll let you know how much it will cost.”

Chen Zhiming left. Zhang Yue immediately took out silk paper for writing messages and a small notebook from his pocket—this was the password book used exclusively by the Anxi army. Using a fine pen, he wrote two sets of messages that no one could understand, referring to the password book. Once the ink dried, he carefully rolled them up and placed them in two red small envelopes, then quickly headed to the back yard.

There was a cage of homing pigeons in the back yard. Youzhou City had strict controls on homing pigeons; ordinary people were not allowed to raise them. Only with An Lushan’s special permission could one keep them. Since Miaoshou Huichun Hall was a well-established establishment with good relations with the Fanyang army, and needed homing pigeons for delivering medicine and treating illnesses, they had received An Lushan’s special approval to raise them.

Zhang Yue took out two strong homing pigeons from the cage, carefully attached mail bags to their legs, and then threw them into the air. The pigeons flapped their wings and soared high, circling toward the west.
…
In Chang’an, it was already the sixth day of the tenth month. Li Siyue’s Anxi Army returned to Xianyang the day before yesterday. Li Qing’an had given them a deadline of ten days, but they captured Hanzhong in just eight days—including six days of travel. They lost over 1,500 men but killed more than 4,000 enemy soldiers and captured 20,000 others.
Li Qing’an did not suppress news of this glorious battle; instead, he ordered it to be publicized. The battle immediately caused a sensation in Chang’an. Many people there didn’t even know that the 40,000-strong Anxi Army stationed in Xianyang had gone to Hanzhong and captured it in just eight days. It seemed unbelievable, yet it had indeed happened. Praise poured in for the Anxi Army and Li Siyue—titles such as “the best army in the world,” “flying general,” and “invincible and valiant army” were bestowed upon them.
At Li Qing’an’s suggestion, the government issued an order to reward the 40,000 Anxi soldiers generously: 800,000 strings of coins and 200,000 bolts of silk. Compensation was also provided for the fallen soldiers, and 36 meritorious generals were promoted. Li Siyue was appointed Grand Champion General, Supreme Protector, and Duke of Gaochang, receiving 10,000 bolts of silk. Zhao Chongjie was made General of the Cloud Banner, Earl of Jinchang, and granted a purple gold fish bag, along with 3,000 bolts of silk.
Li Qing’an also ordered that all soldiers of the Anxi Army be given three days off to enjoy themselves in Chang’an. Soon, Chang’an became a sea of joy and festivity.
That afternoon, as usual, Li Qing’an was handling military affairs in the camp outside the city. He had just received news that due to the loss of Hanzhong, Li Heng had ordered the withdrawal of troops from Jingzhou. 200,000 soldiers from Jiannan were already on their way back to Bashu. However, this did not mean Li Heng would launch a counterattack on Hanzhong. Li Qing’an knew Li Heng well—he would never risk fighting on two fronts until he had conquered Li Mao, let alone declare war on Chang’an.
These days, he had been considering taking action against An Lushan. Li Qing’an knew that An Lushan’s rebellion was inevitable in history. Even if he killed An Lushan, his subordinates would take his place, giving rise to figures like Zhang Lushan or Shi Lushan. But because of An Lushan’s arrival, the course of history during the mid-Tang Dynasty changed—there would be no more disasters like the defeat at Tongguan or the fall of Chang’an. Yet he wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted to contain An Lushan’s rebellion within Hebei Province and minimize casualties among ordinary people. This way, once the rebellion was quelled, Hebei Province could recover quickly, avoiding a situation like the An Lushan Rebellion in history, which became a turning point for the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty.

For this purpose, he launched a large-scale migration effort to move the people from Hebei Province away. To date, over 400,000 households have been relocated. Although this is still less than half of Hebei Province’s registered population, it has significantly reduced the potential losses from An Lushan’s rebellion. It is now October, and by the end of November, the Yellow River will freeze. At that time, An Lushan’s army will pose a much greater threat to Henan Province. Therefore, Li Qing’an is considering sending more troops there. At that moment, a report came from outside the tent: “Report! General Hu from the Imperial Guard is urgently requesting an audience!” Hu Peiyun’s urgent request must indicate some serious matter. Putting aside his official duties, he ordered, “Let him in!” Moments later, Hu Peiyun hurried in, knelt on one knee, and saluted, saying, “I have urgent information to report to the general.” “Stand up and speak.” Hu Peiyun stood up and said, “I have just received urgent news from Youzhou—An Lushan has developed thunder bombs.” Li Qing’an was shocked. “Is this information reliable?” Hu Peiyun nodded. “It should be true. Some of our people witnessed An Lushan’s tests of thunder bombs.” With that, he handed Li Qing’an a translated report. Li Qing’an took it with a serious expression—this was exactly what he feared the most. An Lushan would also use gunpowder. Gunpowder was not invented by Li Qing’an; it was invented by alchemists as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty. For a long time, no one thought of using it in military applications, until it was finally utilized in warfare toward the end of the Tang Dynasty. Li Qing’an had merely applied gunpowder to military use earlier, but this was like opening a door—no matter how tightly sealed, it could not stop the flow of air. If An Lushan was determined enough, he would eventually discover that the thunder bombs of the Anxi Army were made of gunpowder. In fact, An Lushan was indeed determined; he had publicly offered a large reward to whoever could decipher the secret of the thunder bombs. With such a hefty reward, someone would surely suggest the possibility of gunpowder. Li Qing’an’s plan was to eliminate An Lushan before he discovered gunpowder, but plans often fell short of expectations—An Lushan still uncovered the secret of gunpowder at a critical moment. Li Qing’an quickly scanned the report. From the descriptions and diagrams of the bombs, he immediately concluded that An Lushan’s development of gunpowder was still in its early stages. Without two or three years of technical advancement, they could not have created powerful weapons like thunder bombs. After pondering for a while, he said to Hu Peiyun, “Send orders to Hebei. Tell the people there to find out every detail about the enemy’s gunpowder production at all costs, especially those Taoists—get to the bottom of their secrets.”

Hu Peiyun understood Li Qingan’s intentions—he wanted to get rid of those Taoists. So he said carefully, “General, I’m worried that the Taoists must have already passed on the formula to An Lushan’s forces. Killing them might be useless.”
“No! You don’t understand.”
Li Qingan sneered and said, “Actually, the formula is quite simple; it’s all in the alchemical texts. What matters is the understanding and insight into gunpowder, along with technical expertise. I believe since these Taoists are after money, they won’t easily reveal their knowledge and insights about gunpowder. This is crucial—even more so than the formula itself. Killing these Taoists can at least significantly delay An Lushan’s development of gunpowder technology.”
“Then I’ll order the Hebei branch to take action right away.”
Li Qingan still shook his head. “There’s no need for them to act. I’ll send my First Falcon Camp. The Hebei branch only needs to gather detailed information as soon as possible. They should also find out exactly how many Taoist temples in Hebei are skilled in alchemy. That’s also very important. Go and carry out my orders immediately.”
“Yes! I’ll obey the order.”
Hu Peiyun left in a hurry. At that moment, Li Qingan ordered again, “Send Qin Haiyang to see me at once.”
Qin Haiyang was the leader of the Anxi Scout Army and currently the Right General of the Imperial Guards, commanding 10,000 imperial guards. His camp was located at Baqiao, east of Chang’an. Upon receiving Li Qingan’s urgent order, he rushed to the camp.
He entered the main tent and saluted militarily, “Your humble servant, Qin Haiyang, greets the General.”
“General Qin, I have a mission for you. It’s of great importance, and I hope you’ll handle it personally.”
Qin Haiyang knew that if Li Qingan wanted him to go in person, it meant the mission was extraordinary. Without hesitation, he said, “Please give your orders, General!”
Li Qingan nodded and said, “You may lead my First Falcon Camp to Youzhou. Your mission is detailed in this letter.”
Li Qingan handed Qin Haiyang a personal letter. Qin Haiyang took the envelope and stored it carefully, then said, “Please assign a name for this mission, General!”
This was custom in the Anxi Army—any special military operation required a name. After pondering for a moment, Li Qingan said, “Let’s call this operation ‘Falcon Operation’!”
……