Chapter 69: The State (1)

It was unknown what Lady Li Lu had said to Shen Liniang. In any case, as soon as Liniang returned to her room, she locked the door and cried softly alone. Li Kuo, of course, knew nothing of this, for as soon as he left his mother’s room, he received an imperial edict ordering him to go to the palace immediately.

The newlywed official wondered what could have made the emperor so anxious that he sent for him at once and offered money to the messenger in hopes of learning more. But the eunuch only pushed the money back with a wry smile, saying he knew nothing.

Having dealt with the emperor several times before, the young man had some understanding of this wise ruler. In his view, although the emperor was indeed brilliant and had created the prosperous Kaiyuan era, it was somewhat disrespectful to say that he sometimes behaved like a child, often acting impulsively in matters of pride. Could some major incident have occurred this time, provoking the emperor’s anger?

Urged by the messenger, the young man quickly changed into his court robes and entered Xingqing Palace with the messenger. These days, the emperor had been staying in the Office of State Affairs almost constantly. Aside from some necessary court sessions, he rarely attended to governance. As for the daily petitions that needed his approval, he left them all to Yang Zhao, just as he had done with Li Linfu before—only the person had changed, but the essence remained the same.

With the emperor’s deliberate support, Yang Zhao was now in high favor, gradually overshadowing the ailing Li Linfu. However, the emperor had not removed Li Linfu from his position as right chancellor, and as a subject, Yang Zhao did not dare to go too far. Many of Li Linfu’s former subordinates were instead sent to serve as governors or other officials in distant regions. Though their ranks had risen, it was not as comfortable as staying in Chang’an.

Ascending step by step, Li Kuo was stunned by the scene before him the moment he passed behind the peony screen.

“Worthless scum! A bunch of useless fools. By the time I need you, you all turn into dumbards. Why did I raise you? For what purpose?”

High-ranking officials such as Yang Zhao, Chen Xilie, Wang Chao, and Cui Qian knelt in a row, enduring the emperor’s furious wrath. On the fine red Persian carpet lay piles of petitions, and everyone held their breath, not daring to look up.

“Your Majesty, General Li has arrived,” the messenger said sharply, bowing to Li Longji.

“Your humble servant Li Kuo pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live the emperor!” Li Kuo replied by kneeling down and kowtowing.

“Oh, Minister Li has come. Come here and take a look at this petition.”

Li Longji glanced at the key ministers kneeling beneath the imperial desk and snapped, “Get up as well. Have you become addicted to kneeling?”
Li Kuo stepped forward, picked up the memorial Li Longji had pointed to, and flipped through it briefly. The young man grew more and more alarmed as he read, his eyebrows eventually furrowing tightly.
“Your Majesty, this…”
The young man didn’t know how to respond either and looked at Li Longji in distress.
“It seems this isn’t baseless after all.”
Li Longji sighed and waved his hand. “Previously, the manager of the Prime Minister’s office hoarded iron weapons privately. I thought it was an isolated incident, but look at this memorial—the Arabs are clearly preparing for war, intent on attacking our four garrisons in the Western Regions!”
What the Emperor said was indeed true. From the content of the memorial, scouts from Anxi had discovered a large number of unidentified riders in the Kunlun region. Although their identity couldn’t be confirmed as Arabs yet, it was almost certain. Moreover, the Arabs had been reinforcing their forces in Khorasan for some time now, with heavy troops gathered in Bukhara. All merchants passing through had to present permits to prevent spies from infiltrating.
Looking at the current situation, among the foreign tribes, only the Arabs could rival the Tang Dynasty.
“Gao Xianzhi complained to me, saying that Anxi is vast but sparsely populated, with severely insufficient troops to defend every fort. But does he know that I’m equally helpless?”
Li Longji shook his head and continued, “Our Tang Dynasty has just waged a major war against Tubo, and we must also guard against the Khitans and Xixia in the north. Where would we find extra troops to strengthen the border defenses for Gao Xianzhi?”
“Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Arabs have long coveted our four garrisons in Anxi. We must be vigilant. How about sending the militia from Huainan to reinforce the border under General Gao?”
It was Yang Zhao, the currently influential Left Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, who spoke. In his view, the militia from the central provinces were of little use and would be better deployed in Anxi under Gao Xianzhi’s command. This way, Gao would have enough troops and wouldn’t keep sending complaints. It would also give them, the high-ranking officials, some peace.
“Send militia to Anxi?”
Li Longji frowned, pondering carefully. It was indeed a possible solution, but these militia had never been to battle—could they withstand such immense pressure?
“Your Majesty, absolutely not!” Wang Xuan interjected, opposing Yang Zhao’s proposal.

Wang Xuan glared at Yang Zhao and said, “These local troops are only for defending prefectures and counties. Their combat strength cannot compare to the imperial guards in the Central Plains, let alone the border troops. The elite forces of our Tang Dynasty come mainly from Anxi and Youyan. If we send these local troops to Anxi, won’t it just give Gao Xianzhi reason to mock us, saying our Tang Dynasty has no useful people?”
He didn’t really think these local troops were that weak; he just opposed anything Yang Zhao supported. The sudden illness of Prime Minister Li Linfu had thrown the balance of power in the court into disarray. Yang Zhao, who had always kept a low profile, suddenly took action, transferring many of Li’s loyalists to remote prefectures—a clever tactic of promoting them on the surface while demoting them in reality. If he didn’t resist, in a few years, wouldn’t Yang’s followers have wiped out all of Li’s supporters?
As Li Linfu’s right-hand man and a key figure in his faction, Wang Xuan was naturally bound to Li Linfu. At such a critical moment, how could he not fight? How could he not compete? Why could Yang Zhao rise so quickly just because his distant cousin, who had clung to him for favor, became an imperial concubine?
“Your Excellency Wang is mistaken!”
Yang Zhao wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Since Wang Xuan had drawn his sword, he wouldn’t back down! Was he just a lowly governor of Jingzhao? Next, it would be his turn!
“In Yang’s view, it’s the general who matters, not the troops! As the old saying goes, it’s easy to find thousands of soldiers, but hard to find a great general. With General Gao Xianzhi’s skills, any troops can be brought to their best. Besides, elite troops are also forged through training. The reason local troops in the Central Plains are less combat-effective is that they’ve never fought or seen blood. Sending them to Anxi is to train them through actual combat. Only then can our Tang Dynasty maintain a balanced military force.”
Wang Xuan also refused to back down. He raised his chin and said, “Your Excellency Yang is full of bookish ideals! The battlefield is no place for games. Sending local troops to face the Arabs’ long spears or curved swords? They’re all subjects of our Tang Dynasty. How can His Majesty bear to let them die?”
“Enough!”
Seeing the argument intensify, Li Longji slammed the table in anger. These men who were his right-hand men and key ministers were only thinking about their own interests. Normally, it might not matter—after all, he was the emperor, ruler of the whole land, and wouldn’t care about such petty favors. As for using public power for personal gain, as long as it wasn’t excessive and didn’t cross his limits, he wouldn’t pursue it too closely.

But what is the situation now? The great devourers are focusing their attention on the four towns of Anxi, yet these key officials still have the leisure to engage in intrigues here, scheming to outwit one another!
“Let’s put aside the matter of the militia for now. Lord Li, what are your thoughts? Share them with us!”
Li Longji nodded at Li Kuo and gave him orders.
“Your servant obeys!”
Li Kuo bowed in a military salute, thought for a moment, and said, “In my humble opinion, rather than sending militia officers to Anxi from afar, it would be better to recruit brave soldiers once again in Guanzhong!”
In Li Kuo’s view, Yang Zhao’s suggestion was unworkable. Firstly, aside from the criticized combat effectiveness of the militia, there was also a severe shortage of troops. In a military unit of a thousand men, perhaps not even seven or eight hundred could actually wield weapons. Secondly, although the militia’s combat strength was weak, they were still part of the official military structure. If they were sent to Anxi, who would fill the vacant positions?
On the other hand, if brave soldiers were recruited, although their combat strength might also be weak, they wouldn’t have these two problems. Moreover, since these soldiers were recruited through conscription, the court allowed them to be exempt from taxes for life, with all their equipment and provisions provided by the state. Most importantly, they could bring their families and be assigned land and houses, meaning their status could be passed down from generation to generation—father to son, brother to brother—ensuring they remained soldiers throughout their lives.
Such privileges would surely foster a sense of belonging among the soldiers, motivating them to fight to the death for the Tang Dynasty!
Upon hearing this plan, a glint appeared in Li Longji’s eyes. In fact, the idea of recruiting brave soldiers originated with him, Li Longji. Since the second year of the Kaiyuan era, he had been recruiting such soldiers to send to the border towns—how had he not thought of it himself!
“Lord Li, there is some truth to what you say. But Guanzhong is home to many prominent families—how many would be willing to go to the Western Regions?”
Li Longji frowned, raising a doubt. In the past, brave soldiers were mostly recruited from soldiers about to be demobilized, or at the very least from border provinces. Anxi was vast but sparsely populated, clearly not capable of recruiting enough soldiers. Thus, only the densely populated Guanzhong region was relatively close to Anxi.
“That’s simple. If Your Majesty entrusts this task to your servant, I guarantee I can recruit a elite force for you!”
“Oh?”

Li Longji narrowed his eyes slightly, examining the young man before him carefully. He found it increasingly difficult to understand this spirited youth; for some reason, he could faintly see a reflection of his own youth in him. A young bull full of vigor! This youth was different from ordinary nobles—his early hardships had made him mature at an early age. Abandoned by his family at a young age, this stubborn youth would not consider things from his family’s perspective. He was acting for himself, for the Tang Dynasty, and for Li Longji himself! At this thought, the emperor’s worried expression finally dissipated.