Chapter One: A Time of Chaos (I)

As autumn gave way to winter, the weather gradually turned colder. Most pedestrians on the streets of Jiangdu wore various cotton coats and thick felt hats to ward off the sudden cold snap. Each autumn rain brought colder weather, and now it was winter rain as well. Yet, since Yangzhou was located in the south of the Yangtze River, its climate was much milder than that of cities in the north.

“It’s already November. I wonder if we’ll be able to return to Chang’an this year to celebrate the New Year properly.”
Li Kuo stood with his hands behind his back in the study of the military commander’s residence, gazing into the distance toward the northwest through the window lattice. That was the direction of Chang’an—the place where his dreams began. No matter how many unpleasant experiences he had there, whenever he faced difficulties, he would inexplicably think of that city, that place that held the dreams of countless Tang people.

The deeper the love, the stricter the criticism; the stricter the criticism, the deeper the love!
But now, did he still have the chance to fulfill that love?
He looked up but saw no sign of Chang’an! He had never understood why Emperor Jin Yuan would say such things before. Only after going through all this and suffering so much did he truly grasp the bitterness behind it.

“On the eighth day of November, An Lushan, the military governor of three regions, rebelled. Within half a month, he seized control of all of Hebei…”
The brief report from the imperial court pierced Li Kuo’s heart deeply. He had long suspected An Lushan of disloyalty, but he never expected him to rebel so soon. What hurt him even more was that the various counties in Hebei immediately collapsed under pressure—local magistrates either fled or surrendered, with none offering resistance. Although Hebei was An Lushan’s birthplace, and the inland provinces of the Tang Dynasty had long neglected military preparations, with soldiers retired from combat and the populace unaccustomed to warfare, their combat strength had plummeted. Yet that wasn’t an excuse for them all to turn traitor!

They were officials appointed by the Tang emperor, supported by the people, receiving salaries from the court, and enjoying benefits that ordinary peasants could only dream of. But when it came time to show loyalty, they all betrayed their duties and sided with the enemy!

What a notion of governing the family, the state, and the world!
Had they traveled thousands of miles to become officials just for food and clothing?

“Brother Kuo, don’t be like this. At least eat something. You haven’t eaten in two days. What will happen if you keep this up?”
Zhang Yanji looked at Li Kuo, who stood silently, feeling a sharp pain in his heart.

As a soldier, nothing is more painful than being unable to go into battle to fight enemies and defend one’s country. Those weaklings in Hebei Province surrendered the city to An Lushan without even firing a single arrow, allowing that traitor to now lead two hundred thousand cavalrymen to wreak havoc, turning the northern lands of the Tang Dynasty into a wasteland of ruins and burnt earth.
“If things go on like this, even the Eastern Capital will be in danger.”
Li Kuo waved his hand, indicating he didn’t want to eat. “The dispatch sent three days ago said that An Lushan has sent his vanguard, Tian Chengsi, to camp outside Luoyang. Given the time it takes, his main army will likely follow soon. If two hundred thousand troops surround Luoyang, the city’s defenders probably won’t be able to hold out for long before An Lushan captures it.”
Having gone without food or water for so long, Li Kuo’s throat was extremely dry, and his voice hoarse. As he spoke, he even coughed several times.
“Brother Kuo, why go to such lengths? If the Emperor hasn’t summoned you back to Chang’an, there must be his reasons. There’s no need to harm your own health like this.”
Seeing Li Kuo mistreating himself, Zhang Yanji’s eyes reddened, and without hesitation, he placed a bowl of steaming noodles in front of him, urging him earnestly.
“This is noodles cooked by your sister-in-law herself, with a fried egg inside. Just for the sake of seeing her work hard while carrying a big belly in the kitchen, you must eat this bowl of noodles.”
After a brief pause, Zhang Yanji continued, “Only by eating can you gain strength. Only with enough strength can you lead the brave men of the Tang Dynasty to confront that fat An Lushan!”
Hearing Zhang Yanji mention A Tian, Li Kuo felt a pang in his heart and sighed deeply.
“This child came at the wrong time!”
He had long passed the age when he would express his thoughts and feelings openly. Now, he was even more reserved, always thinking about how to balance matters between the court and his family. Back when he was just a naive young man, he hadn’t cared much, but once he reached a high position, he began to fear more things, and his actions became more cautious.
Perhaps this is what is meant by responsibility.
Although Li Kuo wasn’t the kind of person overwhelmed by responsibility, he wouldn’t easily abandon his own duties.
“I refuse to agree with that!”

Zhang Yanji curled his lips and said, “You and your sister-in-law have been married for at least six or seven years now. You’re always apart, with only a few days together that can be counted on one’s fingers. Now that the Emperor has finally granted you permission to bring your whole family to Yangzhou, why don’t you cherish this? Sometimes, one lives not just for oneself—among the three forms of unfilial conduct, failing to leave descendants is the worst. You must at least leave a lineage for yourself, right? Your sister-in-law has followed you for so many years and endured so much hardship—you know better than I do!”
In this world, perhaps only Yanji dared to speak to him like this!
Li Kuo smiled bitterly inwardly and replied with a slight smile, “I can’t argue with you. I’ll just eat the noodles!”
Without paying attention to Zhang Yanji, he snatched the bowl and used his chopsticks to suck up all the noodles.
“Eat slowly. The household can afford this meal!”
Zhang Yanji glared at Li Kuo irritably, heart ached. Brother Kuo was the kind of person who liked to take on everything on his own, which only brought him more trouble.
“The situation isn’t as bad as you think. The Emperor has already sent that lame man, who also holds the positions of military governor of Fanyang and Pinglu, to the eastern capital to help with defense. And there’s General Gao—he was appointed deputy marshal by the Emperor to lead the eastern expedition, right? Oh! I almost forgot—Prince Li Wan, the Sixth Prince, is the marshal of this expedition. Now you’re relieved, right? The Sixth Prince is the best at horseback riding and archery among all the princes. I heard he’s also skilled in military strategy. With General Gao and that lame man by his side, they should be able to defeat An Lushan and reclaim all lost territories within ten days!”
Zhang Yanji clenched his fist, encouraging Li Kuo firmly.
In his view, An Lushan had simply taken advantage of the weaknesses in the Central Plains’ defenses. After all, aside from the border towns, the Tang provinces had enjoyed peace for nearly a hundred years. These generals and officials were good at indulging in pleasure, but expecting them to organize defenses and troops was simply asking too much.
On the other hand, An Lushan commanded two hundred thousand fierce soldiers, all experienced warriors with exceptional skills. Moreover, An Lushan had recruited eight thousand strong warriors from the Khitans and Xis, training them carefully—each one a elite fighter.
With such a formidable army launching a sudden attack, it wasn’t hard to understand why they could easily capture all the cities along the Hebei region.
But as the saying goes, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. After all, the Tang court still controlled most of the territory, including Jianghuai, Jiannan, Guanzhong, Longyou, and Anxi. Even if they had to outlast An Lushan with strong logistical support, they could surely wear him down!

You must know that it’s easy to train soldiers but hard to sustain them. Though An Lushan commands two hundred thousand elite cavalry, without the support of the imperial court and relying solely on self-sufficiency in Hebei, it’s likely that his formidable army will collapse within half a year.

“You’re thinking too simply. If we keep fighting, our Tang Dynasty surely has a great chance of winning. But given the Emperor’s temperament, do you think he can endure it?”

Li Kuo sighed deeply and shook his head. The current emperor is eager for great achievements and always hopes to restore Tang’s territory to the era of Emperor Taizong. Over the years, the Tang army, from top to bottom, has remained united and has suffered few defeats. Yet the crushing defeat at Talas left a shadow in his heart. Just as he was eager to send more troops to Anxi to avenge that defeat, An Lushan rebelled in Fanyang!

This utterly shattered the emperor’s confidence! His most trusted non-Han general rebelled at the very moment his confidence was at its peak. That rebellion saw him take away two hundred thousand elite cavalry and seize all the counties in Hebei. How could Emperor Li Sanlang face such humiliation?

So he couldn’t wait—he had to defeat An Lushan as quickly as possible and turn defeat into victory! But with Tang’s current military strength, unless troops from other border regions were deployed, could they even confront An Lushan head-on?

“Although General Feng and General Gao are experienced warriors, even the most skilled cook can’t cook without rice. They went to Luoyang this time without any veterans from Anxi. The only thirty thousand troops were recruited temporarily in Guanzhong. We’re both soldiers who’ve trained troops—we both know how ineffective untested recruits are in battle! Relying on them to defend cities using geographical advantages might work, but expecting them to defeat An Lushan’s elite forces is probably unrealistic.”

Li Kuo took a sip of tea and said thoughtfully, “The best scenario now is to wait for reinforcements from various places and gather a strong force to fight An Lushan decisively. But I’m afraid the emperor won’t be able to wait that long!”