Chapter 30: Sending Off the Soul (8)

For Cao Luo, the news that An Lushan was planning to rebel was like a thunderbolt.
All along, An Lushan had been the general most trusted by the emperor, as evidenced by his deployment in Fanyang, where he commanded an army of over 200,000 elite soldiers.
Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong—these three garrisons complemented each other, and An Lushan’s actual control extended from Hebei Province to Hedong Province. If he truly rose in rebellion, he could easily spread his rebellion across half of the Central Plains.
What was most terrifying was that An Lushan’s troops were elite cavalry, and Youzhou had long been a region known for producing fine horses. If those horseback warriors charged forward, they could reach Luoyang within half a month.
With the weak and old soldiers from the various prefectures in the Central Plains, it was utterly impossible to resist An Lushan’s cavalry. The only hope for the Tang court was to dispatch troops from other border garrisons to assist in suppressing the rebellion. But doing so would leave other border areas vulnerable—wouldn’t the Arabs, Tibetans, or even Turks, who were always eyeing an opportunity, take advantage of the chaos?
Sigh. At the thought of this, Cao Luo felt a chill down his spine. Trembling, he asked Yan Xu for confirmation, “My dear nephew, are you serious? Accusing a border governor of rebellion is a grave crime that can lead to the destruction of one’s family!”
As a court official who had received favors from the Li Tang dynasty, he certainly didn’t want war to break out in the Central Plains. The Cao family wasn’t as wealthy or powerful as the Cui, Wei, or Pei families. It was only because of the emperor’s support that the Cao family had thrived—meaning the rise and fall of the Cao family was tied to that of the Li Tang dynasty. If An Lushan succeeded in seizing power from the Li Tang dynasty, his own family would surely be suppressed. But families like the Pei and Cui, with their immense influence, would still command respect from any ruler.
Throughout the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Early Sui, and the Tang dynasty, emperors came and went, yet these families remained strong.
But his own family couldn’t withstand such turmoil—the rise and fall of dynasties could easily crush the newly rising Cao family.
“Uncle, I was once invited by that scoundrel An Lushan to serve as a fake official. I saw with my own eyes him preparing his troops and placing his loyalists in key positions. I can’t speak for others, but among the officers above the rank of colonel in those three garrisons, nine out of ten are An Lushan’s confidants. Uncle, this is clearlySima Zhao’s heart,Everyone knows it.!”
Seeing that Cao Luo still hesitated, Yan Xu hurriedly tried to persuade him, fearing he might change his mind.
“Hmm, let me think.”

Cao Luo rapidly analyzed in his mind how to handle this situation. If he reported the matter to the court, it would surely conduct a thorough investigation, and it was possible that An Lushan might even be provoked into rebellion. But if the court was unable to resist the rebels for the time being, could a rebellion led by the Seven Princes break out? Would he end up like Chao Cuo?

On the other hand, if he concealed military information, and An Lushan actually rebelled later, the responsibility he would bear would be even greater. After all, failing to report known information could result in the execution of all nine generations of one’s family. Sigh, why did Yan Xu have to target him!

After much deliberation, Cao Luo finally sighed and said, “Very well. Come with me today to meet the Crown Prince and report this matter to him!”……

It was well known that Emperor Li Longji was spending the summer at Huaqing Palace with his concubine. Currently, it was Crown Prince Li Hen who was acting as regent in Chang’an. Fearing delays in reporting the military situation, Cao Luo ordered one of his trusted men to ride fast to Lishan to inform the emperor, while he and Yan Xu went to the Eastern Palace to report the matter to Crown Prince Li Hen.

What worried Cao Luo the most was the Crown Prince’s ambiguous attitude. The heir to the Tang throne seemed not very surprised by the news that An Lushan was about to rebel. After cursing a few words about the barbarians ignoring imperial grace, he stopped asking further questions.

Cao Luo had never been part of the Crown Prince’s faction, nor was he loyal to the Prince of Yong. Going there as a messenger must have been awkward; even if he achieved success, the Crown Prince wouldn’t necessarily value him. If his report was incorrect, the Crown Prince might even turn against him.

Now, Cao Luo only hoped that his trusted man sent to Huaqing Pool would return soon with some idea of the emperor’s stance on the matter. After all, it was the current emperor who would ultimately decide his fate.

But no matter how long Cao Luo waited, he never received any news. Logically, Chang’an wasn’t too far from Lishan, and with a fast horse, a round trip could be completed in seven days. Ten days had passed already, yet his man hadn’t returned. Could something have gone wrong?

Just as Cao Luo was nearly desperate, the gatekeeper, Cao Zhongge, finally stumbled into his study, out of breath, and told him that his man had returned.

Overjoyed, Cao Luo didn’t even bother changing clothes and went out barefoot to meet him. After his man drank several bowls of cooling tea to catch his breath, Cao Luo began to ask questions.

The good news he had imagined did not happen. Not only had his man not seen the emperor, but he had also handed over the secret letter he wrote to Yang Guozhong, who was accompanying the emperor!

Hearing this news, Cao Luo almost vomited blood. After all, he had written in the secret letter that the pretext for An Lushan’s rebellion was to execute the traitor Yang. With Yang Guozhong’s background as a scoundrel from the streets, wouldn’t he tear Cao Luo to pieces?

However, the explanation from his confidant seemed plausible as well.

After arriving at Huaqing Pool, it was impossible for him to see the emperor directly. Eunuchs blocked him outside Huaqing Pool for several days under various pretexts. Unable to bear it any longer, he sought out the most likely person to meet the emperor—the current prime minister.

When Yang Guozhong heard that a secret letter had been sent to the emperor, he became curious and immediately promised on his honor to deliver it to the emperor.

With the prime minister’s assurance, his confidant felt everything was safe and eagerly rode back to Chang’an to report the news to his master. Unexpectedly, Cao Luo scolded him harshly.

Just as Cao Luo was thinking about how to remedy the situation, Yan Xu suddenly visited with shocking news.

It turned out that a folk ballad and prophecy were circulating in the markets across the Central Plains at that time:

“Nine additions bring supreme honor; flames spread across Youyan. When the green dragon emerges in the southwest, the capital will fall, and two arms will stabilize the court in the east!” It seemed an earth-shattering change was inevitable.

Note 1: This refers to the third year of Emperor Jing’s reign in the early Western Han Dynasty of China. Seven princely states led by Liu Pi, who was made King of Wu, rebelled due to dissatisfaction with the state’s reduction of their powers. A total of seven princely states participated in the rebellion, hence it was called the “Rebellion of the Seven States.” Under the pretext of purging corrupt officials, the seven kings forced Emperor Jing to execute Chao Cuo, who had advised against reducing their powers. Later, the rebellion was quelled by Dou Ying and Zhou Yafu.