Chapter 619: Insufficient Courage

Like An Lushan in Hebei, the Southern Tang also had a large number of spies in Chang’an. What was even more advantageous for them was that many mid- and low-ranking officials, consciously or unconsciously, acted as messengers for intelligence. Perhaps in their view, the Southern Tang and Northern Tang were merely brothers separated from each other, and since there were many former officials and relatives on the Southern Tang side, it was inevitable that some information would leak out.

Li Qing’an publicly announced his decision to march on Jiangnan at a enlarged meeting of the government council. The news spread instantly throughout the court. Naturally, several pigeons with flapping wings delivered this crucial intelligence to the Southern Tang.

Three days after Li Qing’an made the decision to march on Jiangnan, a top-secret document was placed on Li Heng’s desk. This was undoubtedly a major test for Li Heng, who had just managed to stabilize military power.

As Li Heng was forced to release Gao Xianzhi and return him to the Northern Tang, the military power of the Southern Tang gradually stabilized. Most of the troops came under the control of Crown Prince Li Xi, while several of Gao Xianzhi’s trusted subordinates were divided. Jia Chongguan surrendered to Li Heng, taking with him 20,000 elite soldiers. Xi Yuanqing and Zhao Chongjin refused to compromise with Li Heng. After receiving a letter from his brother, Zhao Chongjie, a lieutenant in the Anxi Army, the two led 10,000 troops through Guizhou and Fangzhou into Hanzhong, joining the Northern Tang forces.

Although Jia Chongguan surrendered to Li Heng, he was not given important positions. Li Heng transferred him to Nanzhao as a governor, far away from the key cities in Shu, and took away his 20,000 elite soldiers. Thus, Li Heng completely took control of the 180,000 troops of the Jiannan Army.

If one added the 120,000 troops in Jiangnan, Li Heng actually had 300,000 troops at his disposal, enough to rival the Northern Tang and An Lushan.

Just as Li Heng was complacent and ready to focus on domestic affairs and finance, news of Li Qing’an’s impending attack on Jiangnan reached him.

For an entire day, Li Heng kept himself locked in his study, refusing to see anyone. It wasn’t until dusk that he ordered someone to summon the crown prince and Prime Minister Cui Yuan.

Li Heng clearly looked exhausted, with swollen eyelids, bloodshot eyes, and a hoarse voice. Sitting behind his desk, he slowly spoke in his usual monotonous tone, “I have thought about it all day… regarding Li Qing’an’s attack on Jiangnan, I have made my decision.”

Prince Li Xi showed an uncontrollable excitement. Yes, Li Qingan’s main forces had gone to Hedong and Henan. Chang’an already had few troops left, and now he was leading tens of thousands of soldiers to Jiangnan. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. If the emperor decided to seize it, he was willing to serve as the commander and lead the army straight to Chang’an to restore their legitimate position.

Li Xi’s impatience stood in sharp contrast to Li Heng’s slowness. As soon as Li Heng finished speaking, Li Xi stepped forward and said, “Father, I am willing to relieve your worries by leading the army to attack Hanzhong and thus seize Chang’an.”

Li Heng gave him a deep look and still spoke in that slightly hoarse, monotonous tone, “Did I say we should attack Chang’an?”

Li Xi was stunned. Didn’t he? He cautiously said, “Father, I believe attacking Chang’an is the best strategy—using it to save Zhao by attacking Wei. Only in this way can we force Li Qingan to refrain from sending troops to Jiangnan. Father, don’t hesitate anymore.”

Li Heng ignored him and turned to Cui Yuan, asking, “Prime Minister, what’s your opinion?”

Cui Yuan bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I believe this is a matter of great importance and cannot be decided lightly. We need more detailed information—such as how many troops Li Qingan has sent and how many remain in Chang’an—to make an informed decision.”

Cui Yuan’s words were logical and impeccable, leaving no flaw. Li Xi inwardly cursed him as a smooth talker who made it seem like he hadn’t said anything. He then said, “Father, regardless of how many troops Li Qingan has sent, one thing is certain: he will personally lead a large army to Jiangnan. That means fighting on two fronts at once. I believe that even if we don’t attack Chang’an, we should still take this opportunity to capture Hanzhong and threaten Chang’an. This will intimidate Li Qingan, preventing him from saving the hundred thousand troops in Jiangnan. Father, don’t hesitate any longer—make a decision!”

“Yes, I have already made up my mind.”

Li Heng sighed, but then spoke to the two of them in a firm and irresistible tone, “I have decided to send troops to Yiling and capture Jingzhou, creating a route for the troops in Jiangnan to retreat westward. This time, I will lead the campaign in person.”

Li Xi was shocked. He stared at his father in disbelief, wanting to say something but unable to speak. Cui Yuan, however, sighed inwardly. He thought of a saying: “A cornered beast still fights, but courage alone is not enough.”

Three days later, Li Heng ordered the crown prince to govern the country while ministers such as Cui Yuan and Wang Gong assisted him. He personally led an army of 100,000 troops on a grand march toward Yiling. The defender of Yiling, Zhang Guizheng, prepared warships and built temporary palaces, waiting for the arrival of Emperor Li Heng of Southern Tang. Twenty days later, Li Heng arrived at Yiling with his army.

……

In Yangzhou, Li Qing’an led 30,000 elite troops from the Anxi Army. After nearly a month of marching, they joined forces with 50,000 troops led by Li Fei Shouyu in Xuzhou. Together, 80,000 troops gathered along the Cao River and marched south. Seven days later, the army reached ten miles north of Jiangdu City.

Eight years later, Li Qing’an returned to Yangzhou. Back then, he had come as a lieutenant general to train troops there, taking with him 500 elite soldiers. After years of battles, less than 20% of those soldiers remained. In particular, during the battle at Shibao City, over 300 of Yangzhou’s 500 soldiers were killed or wounded. The remaining 74 had become key figures in the Anxi Army. Nan Jiyun was the general of the Qianniu Guard, Zhao Zhiyun was the governor of Tuozhicheng, Luo Sheng was the deputy governor of Turfan, and Ding Zhanzhao was the commander of the Beiting Army—all of these capable generals were once soldiers he had brought from Yangzhou.

Li Qing’an rode on his horse, gazing at the desolate landscape of the Jianghuai Plain in the distance. The land was gray, and the sky was gray too, as if a strong wind had swept through, leaving everything in a chaotic state. The river water had stopped freezing after crossing the Huai River. Flat-bottomed boats loaded with dry grass moved slowly across the nearly dried-up river. In the distance, large groups of warehouses could be faintly seen—these were Yangzhou’s major storage facilities.

Li Qing’an couldn’t help but recall his first arrival in Yangzhou eight years ago. Back then, he was young, full of energy and ideals. Now, at 34, he had entered the prime years of a man’s life.

“Shouyu, do you still remember when we were ordered to come to Yangzhou to train troops?” A wistful smile appeared on Li Qing’an’s lips.

Li Fei Shouyu nodded and smiled. “How could I forget? Because of this training, we even missed our last polo match. Fortunately, the Anxi Army won against the Fanyang Army. Otherwise, you, the top scorer of the Anxi Army, would have regretted it for life, right?”

Li Qing’an chuckled. “It wouldn’t be a lifetime of regret, but it would prevent An Lushan from having any regrets. He could still claim that he defeated Li Qing’an back then. But who would have known it was in polo? It’s a shame he didn’t even get that chance.”

The surrounding guards found Li Qing’an’s words amusing and couldn’t help but laugh together. At that moment, the vanguard troops several miles away stopped, and an officer rode swiftly over to report, “Reporting to the great general, the vanguard has arrived at the camp!”

The camp was Li Lin’s northern camp, located about five miles from Jiangdu City. It was made of brick and wood, with rows of barracks stretching as far as the eye could see—immensely large. The training ground was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of cavalry charging at full speed, covering nearly a thousand acres. By the riverbank stood a huge dock, with dozens of warehouses nearby. This northern camp could accommodate at least a hundred thousand troops.

Li Qing’an nodded and ordered, “The troops may enter the camp and station there, following the defensive rules of the Anxi Army.”

The Anxi Army usually set up camps in open fields, surrounded by massive fortifications. There was a watchtower every fifty steps, and four more watchtowers were placed 300 steps in front of, behind, to the left, and to the right of the main camp, ensuring extremely strict defense.

Although this northern camp had walls, it lacked watchtowers. It relied on canal water instead of well water. Clearly, Li Lin’s army had a relatively weak sense of defense, or perhaps they thought they didn’t need such strict defenses since it was close to Jiangdu City. But for the Anxi Army, no matter where they camped, the defense was always strict and meticulous.

The soldiers quickly entered the barracks to settle in. More than 3,000 engineers began building watchtowers along the camp walls, clearing the abandoned ditches outside the camp, and diverting canal water in. Fortifications were installed at the gates. An hour later, the northern camp of Jiangdu had been transformed—neat and orderly, free from its previous laziness and chaos.

At that moment, Li Baozhen, who had just arrived from Jiangyang County, rushed to the front of the camp. A hundred steps away, he dismounted and shouted loudly, “Li Baozhen, the military commander of Huainan, requests an audience with the great general!”

After a moment, the camp gates opened. The on-duty patrol officer stepped out and said, “General Li, the great general invites you in!”

Li Baozhen handed over his weapons and horse and followed the patrol officer to the commander’s tent. Although there were ready-made barracks in the camp, the meeting room was too small to fit Li Qing’an’s large sand table. So he ordered that a commander’s tent and four portable tents be set up specifically for the sand table.

Around the commander’s tent, over a thousand elite guards armed with spears and shields surrounded it, maintaining strict vigilance. The patrol officer led Li Baozhen to the tent and reported loudly, “Great general, General Li Baozhen has arrived!”

“Let him in!”

Li Baozhen adjusted his military uniform and strode into the tent. Inside, there were two huge sand tables. Li Qing’an was holding a wooden stick, discussing something with generals such as Li Fei Shouyu, Zhao Chongjie, Tian Qianzhen, and He Lou Yurun.

Li Baozhen stepped forward, knelt halfway, and saluted, saying, “Your subordinate, Li Baozhen, pays his respects to the Great General!”
“You’ve come at just the right time!”
Li Qing’an smiled and told him to stand up, saying, “Come here! We have something to ask you.”
“Your subordinate dares not. Please give orders, Great General.”
Li Qing’an pointed at Yangan with a wooden stick and asked, “What concerns us most is the Yangan port. Can it accommodate a sea ship carrying five thousand dan?”
Li Baozhen had seized Yangan only by following Li Qing’an’s orders. He didn’t know why it needed to be taken. Hearing about a ship carrying five thousand dan, he was surprised. The largest warships in Yangzhou could only carry five hundred dan, and those were ten old ships captured from Yuan Jingyao’s army. All ships over five hundred dan had been taken to the other side by Li Lin. Where could there be a ship carrying five thousand dan?
Though surprised, he immediately replied, “Reporting to the Great General, according to captured soldiers, Li Lin used to transport salt north using ships carrying three thousand dan. The waters at Yangan are very deep, and several large ships over three thousand dan can dock there at the same time. As for whether a ship carrying five thousand dan can dock, your subordinate truly doesn’t know.”
Li Qing’an nodded and said, “This is a very important issue. Although it seems possible, it still needs to be confirmed. Send someone right away to find out if a fully loaded ship carrying five thousand dan can dock there.”
“Yes! Your subordinate will send someone right away.”
Li Baozhen turned to leave, but Li Qing’an called him back, smiling, “You don’t need to go in person. I’ll send one of my trusted guards to deliver the order. I still have questions for you.”
Li Baozhen scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Your subordinate was too hasty.”
“I’ll ask you another question.”
Li Qing’an pointed at the waters around Hudou Island with his wooden stick and said, “I order you not only to occupy Yangan but also to control the waters in the northern part of Hudou Island. Prevent any sentry ships from the opposite shore from entering. How has that gone?”
“Reporting to the Great General, currently, Hudou Island is occupied by Li Xin, the military governor of Yangzhou, who leads two thousand naval soldiers. Twenty warships patrol the northern waters of Hudou Island every day, ensuring no sentry ships from the opposite shore can enter.”
Li Qing’an nodded and smiled, “Good! You’ve managed to seize Yangan and capture five thousand surrendered soldiers. I’ll record this as your first merit. If you can achieve another merit, you’ll have five in total, enough to be promoted to general. General Li, I congratulate you first.”
Hope appeared in Li Baozhen’s eyes. He clasped his fists and said, “I earnestly beg the Great General to give me another chance to earn merits.”
The several generals nearby laughed at his eagerness. He Lou Yurun said mockingly, “General Li, capturing the south is a piece of cake. If you take all the merits, what will we have? You must leave some for us!”

Li Baozhen felt a bit embarrassed and said to everyone, “I was so eager to earn merits that I forgot about everyone else. I’m truly sorry.”
Li Fei Shouyu smiled and said, “Everyone has a chance to earn merits. Otherwise, the General wouldn’t have brought us here. By the way, General Li, how is the recruitment of new soldiers in Yangzhou going?”
Li Fei Shouyu was in charge of training new soldiers, so he paid special attention to recruitment matters. Li Baozhen quickly replied, “Please rest assured, General Li Fei. The local officials are very capable. In just one month, fifty thousand new soldiers have been recruited. I’ve been training them on your behalf. Currently, those fifty thousand soldiers are stationed in Jiangyang County.”
“That’s good. I need to go to Jiangyang County right away.”
Li Fei Shouyu bowed to Li Qingan and said, “I’m extremely anxious. Please allow me to go to Jiangyang County, General.”
Li Qingan nodded and said, “You may go, but I must remind you that these fifty thousand soldiers will be the backbone force for the court to control the Jiangnan region in the future. You must train them strictly using the methods of the Anxi Army. I will inspect them before they leave Jiangnan. Don’t disappoint me.”
“I understand. I will definitely not disappoint the General.”
Li Fei Shouyu bowed and left the command tent. At that moment, Li Qingan waved his hand, and more than a dozen bodyguards brought another sand table and connected it to the first one. It was a sand table representing the Jingxiang region. When Li Qingan marched to Luoyang, he received news that Li Hen was sending troops to Yiling. He immediately realized that Li Hen was sending troops to rescue Li Lin, thereby opening a path for him to retreat westward. This also showed Li Hen’s weakness—he didn’t dare send troops to Hanzhong but instead attacked Jingzhou.
Li Qingan pondered for a while before turning to Tian Qianzhen and smiling, “General Tian, if you were to intercept Li Lin, what would your plan be?”
Tian Qianzhen knew that Li Qingan was about to assign him a task. He stepped forward and said, “I believe that if Li Lin’s army is defeated, they will surely use the Yangtze River route, leveraging their naval advantages. We are indeed inferior to them at sea, so it won’t be easy to stop their army. The key is to force them to abandon their ships and go ashore. Therefore, I suggest using iron chains to block the river around Jiangning, forcing them to give up their ships…”
“That won’t work!”
Li Qingan shook his head. “Using iron chains to block the river is labor-intensive, but it’s easy to break—just burn it for a while, and it will break. As you said, if we fight on the water, we’ll be at a disadvantage. I won’t let my elite Anxi troops sacrifice themselves in vain. We need to find a way to defeat them on land. Li Lin isn’t a serious threat, but if his hundred thousand troops are allowed to head west, it would be a real shame.”
At that moment, Zhao Chongjie, who had remained silent until then, said, “General, I have a plan that could eliminate most of the enemy forces.”