Chapter 640: The Battle of Shangdang (II)

The blazing distress signals in the night sky alarmed the Shangdang camp. Li Guiren sent General Ashina Congli to lead troops to rescue Changzi County. By the time Ashina Congli arrived with ten thousand cavalry at Changzi County, the Northern Tang forces had already left, and the battle was over. What Ashina Congli saw was a bloody scene akin to a slaughterhouse—more than five thousand Khitan soldiers’ corpses lay scattered inside and outside the county, their heads cut off, their blood staining the ground red. With no residents left, the entire county was eerily silent even in broad daylight, with not a single living person, not even the wounded.
Flocks of crows circled in the sky, emitting shrill caws. Though Ashina Congli had become desensitized to death, the bloody sight before him still sent chills down his spine.
“Are there any survivors?” Ashina Congli demanded sharply.
A lieutenant bowed and replied, “General, there are none. They were all killed. There were 5,340 registered soldiers, and we counted 5,330 corpses—only ten are missing.”
“Damn it! No prisoners!”
Ashina Congli growled through clenched teeth. Yet he had forgotten that they themselves did not take prisoners either—this was the Tang army’s revenge.
Ashina Congli was in his early forties, tall and burly, with a face full of fleshy protrusions that gave him a fierce appearance. He was a Turk from the Jieguo tribe. Seven years earlier, he had led thousands of his people to join An Lushan. An Lushan immediately praised him to the imperial court, saying he had killed the nomads who planned to invade from the south. Li Longji, unable to verify the truth, immediately appointed him General Guiren and rewarded him with a purple gold fish bag.
Due to his exceptional martial skills and bravery in battle, he was highly regarded by An Lushan. However, lacking sufficient experience, he had not yet been able to become a independent general. This time, since Li Guiren was the commander of the southern front, An Lushan appointed him as Li Guiren’s deputy.
Ashina Congli was ruthless, treating the Han people like pigs and sheep, just like other northern barbarians. During An Lushan’s rebellion, he plundered vast amounts of wealth, seizing hundreds of women alone.
The five thousand Khitans in Changzi County, whom the Tang army had attacked, were not under his command but belonged to An Shouzhong’s rear army. Since An Shouzhong had returned to Zhaozhou to transport grain, Li Guiren ordered him to send reinforcements. Unbeknownst to him, what awaited him was such a horrific scene.
At that moment, a group of cavalry rushed over. An officer bowed from his horse and said, “General, we’ve found surviving soldiers.”
Ashina Congli perked up immediately. He asked eagerly, “Where? Bring them to me right away.”

After a moment, ten Khitan soldiers were led forward, with a squad leader at the front. They came before Ashina Congli, knelt down, and burst into tears. The squad leader wiped away his tears and said, “Our brothers were killed in such a cruel manner. Please, General, intervene for us!”
Ashina Congli was disturbed by their cries. Pointing with his whip, he snapped, “Damn it! What’s there to cry about? Get up and speak!”
The ten soldiers dared not cry anymore. Ashina Congli asked them sternly, “How did you survive?”
The squad leader bowed and replied, “General, we were part of the outer patrol team, patrolling in the southern area. On our way back to the city, we saw the Tang army launching an attack. We hid in the woods and thus managed to survive.”
“Then tell me, how many were there in the Tang army?”
“About ten thousand, all cavalry, extremely fierce. I saw hundreds of our brothers try to escape from their camp and hide in our woods, but they were chased by Tang cavalry who beheaded them on the spot. Some tried to surrender, but they were mercilessly killed too. The Tang army doesn’t take prisoners at all.”
As he spoke, the squad leader seemed to relive last night’s events, trembling with fear. Ashina Congli was filled with rage but could do nothing. He ordered, “Bury the bodies here and return to Shangdang!”
…
Li Siyue’s victory greatly boosted the morale of the Tang army. They wiped out over five thousand enemies while suffering only about three hundred casualties. This glorious victory undoubtedly gave the Tang army immense confidence. Li Qing’an immediately ordered rewards for each head taken—thirty guan per head, along with a promotion. Even those who didn’t capture any heads were given five guan. For a time, Li Siyue’s troops were overjoyed, much to the envy of the other soldiers.
Inside the main tent, hundreds of high-ranking officers from the Anxi army gathered. Li Siyue recounted the details of the night battle to Li Qing’an and the other generals. Unlike last night, he was surprised to find Li Guangbi there as well. Since Li Guangbi had come from Changping Pass, he must have passed through Changzi County—yet they hadn’t met along the way. Though puzzled, Li Siyue continued to describe the battle of the previous night.

“We were detected by the enemy when we were two hundred paces away from their camp. According to our Anxi Army’s training, when the enemy is a hundred paces away, soldiers must leave their tents and form ranks, with archers and crossbowmen already in position. But the situation I encountered was completely different—the Khitan soldiers weren’t sleeping in armor; many were even bare-chested. Those weren’t the main issues. More importantly, I found that the Yan forces had no experience in night battles, or rather, no training for them at all. The enemy in the camp might not have been prepared, but the Khitan troops inside the city were fully armored. They collapsed in battle as soon as fighting started in the streets, clearly unaccustomed to fighting at night. I think this is a major weakness of the Yan forces, and we should make full use of it.”

At that moment, Li Qing’an saw that Li Guangbi seemed to have something to say, so he smiled and said, “Does Guangbi have any different opinions? Please speak!”

Li Guangbi had arrived at Li Qing’an’s camp two hours earlier than Li Siyue’s troops to report on the military situation. He indeed came from Changzi County, but he didn’t pass through the county town. Instead, he led a thousand elite guards to bypass it from thirty li to the south, and thus failed to notice Li Siyue’s surprise attack on Changzi County.

However, he didn’t fully agree with some of Li Siyue’s explanations. Seeing that Li Qing’an allowed him to speak, he stood up, bowed to Li Siyue, and said with a smile, “First of all, I would like to congratulate General Siyue on achieving his first great feat—killing five thousand enemies, which greatly boosted the morale of the Tang army. Although this battle was small, its significance is great. But there is one point I don’t quite agree with General Siyue’s conclusion.”

Li Siyue and Li Guangbi were of the same rank. Li Siyue was the governor of Hezhong, while Li Guangbi was the governor of Turfan—both were important forces in Anxi. After Li Qing’an left Anxi for the east, they secretly competed for the position of Anxi military governor. Although Feng Changqing ultimately won, their relationship wasn’t as close and united as outsiders thought. On the surface, they got along well, but secretly they competed with each other.

Li Siyue returned the bow with his fist and said solemnly, “Please give me your guidance, General Guangbi!”

“I dare not claim to give guidance. I just think Siyue is being too shortsighted. It’s true that the Yan forces stationed in Changzi County are not good at night battles, but that doesn’t mean all Yan forces are bad at them. You must remember that the Yan forces in Changzi County are all Khitans, part of An Lushan’s barbarian troops, not An Lushan’s Fanyang army. I think it’s a bit hasty for Siyue to conclude that all Yan forces are bad at night battles.”

Li Siyeh’s expression gradually darkened, clearly showing displeasure. He could tell there was more to Li Guangbi’s words—his claim that he was being shortsighted was nothing but an excuse; the implication was that Li Guangbi was mocking him, as if to say, “It’s just that you killed five thousand Khitans—aren’t they regular troops? Do you really need to make such a fuss?” This was his territory, and mocking him in front of so many of his subordinates was clearly a display of disrespect.

Li Siyeh bowed slightly and said coldly, “How does General Guangbi know it’s not the case? Has General Guangbi ever engaged in large-scale night battles with the Yan forces? I don’t think so! Throughout the winter, all we saw was General Guangbi coming and going across the frozen Yellow River, eventually retreating to Henan. We still hoped the Longyou forces would capture Wei Bo and drive Tian Chengsi’s troops back to Youzhou!”

Li Guangbi indeed disapproved of Li Siyeh’s excessive boasting. But after successfully ambushing a few thousand Khitans, Li Siyeh arrogantly claimed the Yan forces were not good at night battles, as if he were the main commander in attacking An Lushan. This annoyed Li Guangbi greatly. Moreover, although Li Siyeh was the governor of Hezhong, it was Li Qingan who had won all the battles there. Li Siyeh had never fought a single battle and had simply reaped the benefits of Li Qingan’s efforts, then presuming himself to be the nemesis of the Arabs and boasting in court that he was the second most important figure after Anxi. This filled Li Guangbi with disgust.

Seeing Li Siyeh mock him in public for crossing the Yellow River several times without acknowledging it as a major strategic move, Li Guangbi became furious. Just as he was about to retort, he noticed Li Qingan staring at him coldly. Li Guangbi had no choice but to suppress his anger, say nothing, bow to Li Siyeh, and sit down.

Silence filled the tent. Everyone could tell there was some kind of conflict between the two generals. Although their commander was indeed a bit arrogant, this was still Li Siyeh’s territory, with most of the people in the tent being his subordinates. Li Guangbi’s criticism was undoubtedly a public provocation. But with Li Qingan sitting in charge, no one dared speak up, not even Wei Boyu, one of the deputy generals who had participated in the ambush. He was even angrier and wanted to stand up and rebuke Li Guangbi, but Xi Yuanqing pulled him back and whispered, “Be mindful of your status!”

Wei Boyu glanced at Li Qingan and also dared not speak. Of course, it would be Li Qingan who would mediate the conflict between the two commanders. Whoever stepped forward would become the scapegoat.

After a long while, Li Qing’an said coldly, “I still said yesterday that we could exploit the conflict between Li Guiren and Li Huaixian. Who would have thought that today, there are two Li Guirens and two Li Huaixians in my army? I don’t know whether this is An Lushan’s luck or my failure as a commander. Should I hold a banquet to apologize to you two? Do you need it? Someone, prepare a banquet for me!”
Li Siyue and Li Guangbi knelt on one knee at the same time. Li Siyue apologized to Li Qing’an, saying, “I was arrogant and ignorant, failing to live up to the general’s high expectations. I am willing to accept punishment to calm the general’s anger.”
Li Guangbi also said, “I ignored the overall situation and acted out of self-interest. I am also willing to accept the general’s punishment. Please calm your anger.”
Li Qing’an waved his hand and said to everyone, “It’s late. Everyone, go back!”
The people stood up one after another, bowed to Li Qing’an, and left the tent. Li Qing’an then said to Li Siyue and Li Guangbi, “You two go back too. I want some quiet time alone.”
The two had no choice but to bow and leave. Even so, they did not reconcile in front of Li Qing’an and simply walked away in silence.
Li Qing’an watched them walk away and shook his head. Having reached such high ranks, they still acted like fools, unable to handle matters tactfully, which disappointed him slightly.
Especially Li Guangbi. Although what he said was true—just because the Khitans didn’t fight at night didn’t mean the Fanyang army couldn’t—he could have told it to himself privately instead of embarrassing Li Siyue in front of so many subordinates. Li Qing’an didn’t believe he didn’t understand even the most basic principles of conduct. This only showed that Li Guangbi held deep prejudice against Li Siyue.
With his hands behind his back, Li Qing’an slowly walked out of the tent. The moonlight outside was bright, casting a cool glow on his face and highlighting the deep, unfathomable look in his eyes.
To be honest, he knew better than anyone about the conflicts among his generals. He still clearly remembered the undisguised joy in Li Siyue’s eyes when he punished Duan Xiushi by transferring him back to Guannei Circuit. The relationship between Duan Xiushi and Feng Changqing was also strained. After Feng Changqing replaced Duan Xiushi, he first purged some of the generals promoted by Duan Xiushi.
In fact, Li Qing’an knew better than anyone that the culprit behind these conflicts among the generals was none other than himself. To this day, the position of Anxi Jiedushi remained vacant. When he left Anxi, he had declared that he would choose one of the generals there to succeed him as Anxi Jiedushi.

Anxi’s main generals—Duan Xiushi of Suiye, Feng Changqing of Xinde, Li Guangbi of Tohara, Li Siyeh of Hezhong, Cui Qianyou of Beiting, and Li Fei Shouyu of Hexi—all had the potential to succeed him. However, by delaying a decision, he allowed competition to arise among these six men. Coupled with their personal conflicts, this led to mutual distrust and rivalry among them. It could be said that this was Li Qingan’s deliberate strategy. Before finding a way to prevent regional warlords from gaining too much power, he couldn’t allow one person to dominate, nor could he let these six men become too close, especially in the distant Anxi, where the imperial court’s control over the troops was relatively weak due to geographical constraints. According to his plan, he would assign Li Siyeh to guard Hezhong, Li Guangbi to Tohara, Feng Changqing to Suiye, and Li Fei Shouyu to Xinde. He intended to rotate them every two years and send censors to supervise the troops. But that wasn’t enough—he also wanted to create conflicts among the generals so that they would keep an eye on each other and distrust one another, just as Ge Shu Han had once reported to Li Longji about An Sishun recruiting private troops. As a leader, the worst thing is for subordinates to be united and harmonious—this has been true throughout history. “General, you’re worried about those two, right?” Wei Qingping, his aide, walked up to him and said with a smile. Li Qingan smiled in return. “It’s nothing. Their relationship has always been poor. A little conflict won’t bother me.” Wei Qingping sighed. “Now I understand why General must come to Hedong in person to command the battles. Only you can keep them in check and coordinate their actions. Otherwise, the consequences could be severe!” “Indeed! Although I believe they won’t ignore each other, coordination will definitely be an issue. If Li Guangbi is besieged, even a delay of just one hour by Li Siyeh could lead to an irreparable defeat. That’s why I must come and take command myself.” After saying this, Li Qingan smiled at Wei Qingping again. “Being a commander is also a form of art. Though they don’t respect each other now and their conflicts seem sharp, with proper handling, those conflicts can become a driving force, pushing them to compete with each other. Didn’t Li Siyeh defeat five thousand men from Changzi County today? Tomorrow, I’ll give Li Guangbi the same chance—to cut off Li Guiren’s supplies.”