Chapter 62: Taking Bones (II)

Li Heng angrily slapped the window bars and shook his head.
“Why be so pessimistic, Your Majesty? Don’t you have loyal ministers like Lord Li Zun by your side?”
Yu Chaoen appeared behind Li Heng at some point and draped a robe over him. “It’s autumn now, and the weather has turned cold. Your Majesty must take care of your health.”
Li Heng smiled bitterly and waved his hand. “Li Zun can indeed be considered a loyal minister. When I arrived in Pengyuan Commandery, if it weren’t for him coming out to greet me and providing clothes, food, and supplies, I really don’t know if I could have held on.” (Note 1)
It was only after his group arrived in Pengyuan that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately ordered his son, the Prince of Guangping, to urgently recruit soldiers, gathering over a thousand in total. His second son, the Prince of Jianning, selected tens of thousands of warhorses from the Pingliang stables. With the additional troops that followed, his forces finally began to take shape.
The army rested in Pingliang. While training and organizing the troops, he also replenished their supplies. Li Zun was truly respectful and fulfilled his duties as a subject. Thinking of this, Li Heng felt a little relieved. It takes time to test a person’s true nature—only in times of chaos can one tell who are the loyal ministers and who are the traitors.
“Yet there are far too few such loyal ministers. Otherwise, our Tang Dynasty wouldn’t be in such a mess. I feel ashamed before our ancestors and the state.”
Thinking of the few dozen civil and military officials around him, Li Heng’s spirits drooped again, and he sighed.
“Why belittle yourself, Your Majesty? Tang Dynasty has fallen into this state because the retired emperor indulged in pleasure and neglected state affairs. Now that You Majesty have ascended the throne, with the help of loyal ministers and capable generals, you will surely be able to quell the rebellion and revive Tang Dynasty!”
Yu Chaoen paused for a moment before continuing, “Moreover, the situation isn’t yet beyond redemption. Du Hongjian, the governor of Shuofang, is indeed an outstanding general. His subordinates—Wei Shaoyou, Cui Yi, Lu Jianjin, Li Han, and others—are also rare talents. Didn’t Your Highness decide to wait before proclaiming yourself emperor after listening to their advice?”
Yu Chaoen always stepped forward to guide Li Heng when he was confused and at a loss—truly a loyal minister.
“I’m doing this for Tang Dynasty and for the common people. I hope my father can understand. But it seems I may fail to live up to his expectations and quell the rebellion right away… Besides, Shuofang is closer to the rebels than Pingliang. I’m afraid… alas!”
When Yu Chaoen brought up this matter, Li Heng felt somewhat despondent.

Anyway, the origin of his throne seems somewhat questionable. If it weren’t for his father sending the imperial seal from Shu not long ago, he still wouldn’t have been able to let go of that weight in his heart. Now that he has followed the advice of his ministers and declared himself emperor in Lingwu, he must have become a thorn in An Lushan’s side. With Shuofang so close to the rebels, if they attack, who should he send to fight them?

“Pingliang has an open terrain with no natural defenses, making it unsuitable for large armies to station there. You were right to come to Shuofang! Du Hongjian, who is in charge there, has always been loyal to the court and is deeply devoted to it. Moreover, Shuofang has ample food supplies and a strong military force. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne in accordance with the will of heaven, a single call from you will surely draw responses from soldiers and civilians everywhere. Your Majesty can certainly mobilize border troops from various regions in the north, as well as the powerful cavalry from Helong. With the cooperation of generals like Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi in Shuofang, they can surround the two capitals and wipe out the rebels and quell the uprising.”

Yu Chaoen frowned slightly, bowed deeply to Li Hen, and spoke soothingly. Li Hen had been under his care since childhood. To speak disrespectfully, he was good in every way except for being too indecisive. In times of war, even a single mistake in judgment could ruin the excellent opportunity to suppress the rebellion. It seemed necessary for him to assess the situation properly.

“Daban, do you think Guo Ziyi is reliable?”

Li Hen waved his hand to signal Yu Chaoen to stand up, then frowned and said, “I heard he used to be the governor of Jiuyuan. After the rebels rose up and no one else was available, my father used him to replace An Sishun. By the way, I heard his deputy, Li Guangbi, is a Khitan?”

Right now, he was in Lingwu, and even with all the imperial guards at his disposal, there were less than ten thousand. If Guo Ziyi had ulterior motives and wanted to hand him over to the rebels, what should he do?

Yu Chaoen sighed inwardly but forced a smile and said, “Your Majesty need not worry. Guo Linggong’s ancestors have been loyal for generations, and he will undoubtedly be loyal to Your Majesty. As for Li Guangbi, with Guo Linggong’s guarantee, his character is likely to be quite good as well.”

As the saying goes, trust those you employ and don’t doubt them; if everyone were as suspicious as Your Majesty, there would be no need for war at all!

Li Hen nodded, sat back down, and smiled, “That’s good, that’s good.”

Just as Li Hen settled into his posture and was about to say something, an eunuch reported, “Your Majesty, Pei Mian, the Military Governor of Hexi and Chief Censor, requests an audience!”

“Oh? It’s Censor Pei? Summon him at once!”

Li Hen adjusted his bright yellow dragon robe and became solemn.

“Summon Pei Mian, the Military Governor of Hexi and Chief Censor, to appear!”

“Summon Pei Mian, the Military Governor of Hexi and Chief Censor, to appear!”

“Summon…”

The eunuch recited several times following the custom of the Daming Palace before stopping, then smiled seductively as he welcomed Pei Mian inside.
“Your servant Pei Mian pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!”
Although Pei Mian was nearly sixty, he remained strong and robust. His cheeks, rough from years of sandstorms, were tanned dark, and a few strands of silver hair appeared at his temples, yet not a trace of old age could be seen on him.
“Minister Pei, please rise!”
Li Heng stepped forward to help Pei Mian up, sighing, “I’ve said before—at your age, there’s no need to kneel when meeting me!”
But Pei Mian bowed to Li Heng and firmly said, “Your Majesty, propriety must not be neglected!”
Li Heng was momentarily stunned before smiling and saying, “As you wish! Please take a seat.”
No sooner had he spoken than a small eunuch brought a cushion and placed it behind Pei Mian.
Once Pei Mian was seated, Li Heng cleared his throat and asked, “I wonder what important matter brings Minister Pei here today?”
“I heard that Your Majesty intends to move to Hexi,” Pei Mian replied, bowing slightly.
Li Heng frowned slightly, feeling uneasy. He had indeed considered moving to Hexi due to concerns that the rebels were too close to Shuofang, but how could Pei Mian know?
“I… I was just thinking about it,” Li Heng said, forcing a smile and waving his hand awkwardly.
“Your Majesty, absolutely not! At present, although the rebel forces led by An Lushan seem formidable on the surface, they are not as strong as imagined. Moreover, most of the northern provinces remain loyal to the court and to Your Majesty. Our soldiers are fighting bravely to defend the cities, waiting for the revival of the Tang Dynasty.”
Pei Mian’s expression turned stern. “Precisely because of this, I suggest that first, we should reorganize our troops and intensify military training, waiting for the right moment. Once the time is ripe, we shall march south and strike the rebels hard. At the same time, we should spread the imperial edict calling for righteous men to enlist throughout the provinces, so as to win the hearts of the people and gather heroes and loyal individuals from all over. An Lushan’s rebels are cruel, burning, killing, and looting everywhere, having lost public support completely—everyone wants to punish them.”
After a pause, Pei Mian continued, “The people still long for the Tang Dynasty, and the court still has cohesion. As for those living under the control of the barbarians, they are only temporarily compromising due to the rebels’ brutal policies. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, our army will rise together, and the people will surely respond. At that time, no amount of rebels will be fearsome! Therefore, I believe Your Majesty need not worry at all. Let us handle all other issues for you!”

After hearing Pei Mian’s analysis, Li Heng’s face lit up with joy, the gloom disappearing from it.
“Ahem, I merely mentioned moving the capital to Hexi casually. Now, with officials Pei and Du in charge of affairs within Shuofang, and generals Guo and Li leading the troops in battle, even if the rebels are fierce, what am I to fear?”
Note 1: Pengyuan Commandery was established in the first year of Tianbao (742) by renaming Ningzhou; its administrative center was Ding’an County (present-day Ningxian County, Gansu Province), covering areas equivalent to today’s Ningxian, Heshui, and Zhengning counties in Gansu Province.