Chapter 35: Passing Years (II)

Tangzhou was part of Zhongzhou and governed twelve counties—neither particularly large nor small. Since it was winter, there was no urgency to cultivate wasteland or rush to plant seeds for spring. After taking control of Tangzhou, the only thing Li Kuo did was to reorganize the army. In fact, after fighting against the rebels, the army, mainly composed of the Jianghuai troops, had seen a significant boost in morale and fighting spirit.

What the Jianghuai troops lacked now was combat experience, but it was believed that this could be quickly made up through successive battles with the rebels. Once new recruits saw blood, they became veterans. Some things could not be conveyed through words; one had to learn them through experience.

The most important news these days was An Lushan’s declaration of himself emperor. After capturing Dongdu, Luoyang, An Lushan thought he could stand equal to the Tang Dynasty and even held a significant advantage. Unable to remain a mere prince any longer, he dropped his false pretenses, declared himself emperor, named his state “Great Yan,” and made Luoyang its capital.

Since An Lushan’s eldest son, An Qingzong, was executed by the Tang emperor right after An Lushan’s rebellion began, An Lushan was forced to appoint his less favored second son, An Qingxu, as crown prince. He also appointed his military advisor, Yan Zhuang, as prime minister and General Shi Siming as the governor of Fanyang, ordering him to pacify Hebei. For a time, the rebels seemed capable of challenging the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, An Lushan gave his general Cui Qianyou strict orders to quickly capture Tongguan and seek troops from the Tongluo people to jointly attack the Tang Dynasty. As for the Uyghurs, it was said they had initially considered taking action but stayed out due to a secret agreement with the Tang Dynasty. No one knew the details of this agreement.

Zhang Yanji also sent a letter back after arriving in Anxi, which, after many difficulties, finally reached Li Kuo. It contained nothing but trivial messages like assurances that he was safe and well, which sounded pretentious.

Today, Li Kuo went to the eastern city to oversee the progress of strengthening the city walls. With the intention of using Tangzhou as a base to act as a spearhead against An Lushan, Li Kuo had been discussing plans with his trusted advisors from the moment he arrived in Tangzhou.

General Li Sheng believed that Tangzhou, located in the Yu Province plain with no natural defenses around it, required extensive fortification if it was to be used as a base. Li Kuo agreed with him. He gathered craftsmen and laborers to strengthen the defenses of Tangzhou and its surrounding counties, while also contacting the governors of neighboring counties in hopes of reaching mutual defense agreements.

At this sensitive moment, many provincial and county officials were waiting to see how things developed before taking a stance, so few responded. After rounds of persuasion, only the governors of Yu Province and Xiping Province expressed willingness to ally with Li Kuo. Both governors came from official families and were instilled with loyalty and patriotism. As they were located near Luoyang, they were frequently attacked by small rebel forces. Although they had mobilized local militia, they lacked the confidence that came with a regular army. Allowing Li Kuo to assist them in case of attacks would be a tremendous boon for these two provinces. Such alliances would have been considered treason in peaceful times, but now, in times of war, they were not only tolerated but even seen as acts of loyalty and bravery worthy of reward. It seems that urgency justifies taking extraordinary measures. “Head Engineer Wu, can the fortification work of the East City be completed by the beginning of the first month?” Li Kuo frowned as he watched the laborers constantly transporting mud bricks to the city walls. January was a critical deadline; Cui Qianyou had already stationed troops around Tongguan and was likely to launch a full-scale attack soon. Given Tongguan’s strategic importance and the competence of generals Gao and Feng, it was unlikely to fall easily. An Lushan was not stubborn by nature and would surely shift his strategy to attack from the south. Tangzhou, located at the junction of the Mountain South East Route and the Capital Region, was a vital strategic point that An Lushan would surely want to eliminate. Of course, An Lushan wouldn’t deploy excessive forces just for Tangzhou, but Li Kuo needed to ensure the city could withstand some level of attack. Looking at the four cities, only the East City had the weakest defenses, with a section of the wall near the north side collapsing due to neglect and heavy snowfall. Li Kuo could not tolerate this, which was why he turned to Head Engineer Wu, the most experienced builder of his generation, to strengthen the East City’s defenses. “Well, General Li, it’s hard to say. But I, Old Wu, have been born and raised in Tangzhou for three generations. What I hate most is leaving one’s hometown and fleeing in chaos. If An Lushan’s rebels attack, it will be us commoners who suffer. So rest assured—for my own sake, I’ll make sure to strengthen the East City as quickly as possible. How does that sound?”

Li Kuo nodded and smiled, saying, “I’m not doubting you. It’s just that the rebels are currently very strong, and who knows when they might launch an attack. Though I’m not afraid of them, I also don’t want unnecessary fighting. Besides, as you said, if we leave a weak point, that An Lushan will surely keep eyeing it and longing for it. The stronger the city walls are, the more at ease the people inside can be, and the sooner An Lushan will give up.”
His words made sense, and Master Wu nodded repeatedly after hearing them. “Ah, ah, you’re right. As long as you provide me with all the materials needed, I, Master Wu, will take responsibility and ensure the east city’s defenses are strengthened within a month!”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!”
Li Kuo smiled and nodded. “Then I won’t disturb you any longer. Get to work!”
“Ah, ah, take care!”
Master Wu respectfully saw Li Kuo off, his eyes even becoming moist. He had never met such an approachable and kind-hearted general in his life. With General Li here, the people of Tangzhou were truly fortunate. With such a general in the Tang Dynasty, why worry about rebellions or losing territory?…
After returning from the east city, Li Kuo went back to the governor’s residence surrounded by his trusted aides. He had been busy with strengthening the east city’s defenses for a long time and was completely exhausted. Just as Li Kuo wanted to rest for a while, Zhou Wucui suddenly rushed into the bedroom excitedly.
“Seventh Brother, guess who’s here!”
Li Kuo was puzzled. “Judging from your excitement, could it be Yan Ji?”
Zhou Wucui rolled his eyes at him. “How could you think such nonsense? Yan Ji is thousands of miles away, defending against the Arabs in Anxi. How could he come to Tangzhou? It’s Brother Nan! Brother Nan!”
“Brother Nan? Which Brother Nan?”
Li Kuo didn’t understand at first and asked further.
“Ah, who else but Brother Nan? Nan Jiyun, Nan Ba from Wei Zhou, Nan Jiyun!”
Zhou Wucui pouted. “You haven’t forgotten Brother Nan, have you? He’s our savior.”
“What? You mean Brother Nan?”
Li Kuo finally realized and grabbed Zhou Wucui’s shoulders, pressing him to explain further.
“Yes, yes! It’s Nan Jiyun, the one who works with Young Zhang. He’s waiting in the flower hall right now. Now do you believe it?”
Zhou Wucui, unable to resist being shaken, told him everything he knew.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go see him right away!”
Suppressing his excitement, Li Kuo strode out of the bedroom. In that moment, all the fatigue he had accumulated over the past half month vanished….

Nan Jiyun was sipping a cup of floral tea, occasionally glancing up at the main entrance of the flower hall.
“Elder Nan, Elder Nan! You came without even telling me…”
Hearing this voice, Nan Jiyun could easily guess who it was. Smiling, he stood up to greet them. After taking a few steps, he saw the figure he hadn’t seen in ages.
“Qilang, it’s been so long!”
Nan Jiyun stepped forward and patted Li Kuo’s shoulder, praising, “Hmm, not bad. Just a few years apart, and you’ve grown into a real man. Your strength is truly impressive—no wonder I had such high hopes for you back then!”
“Elder Nan, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you let me know?”
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, especially during times of chaos, how could Li Kuo not be delighted?
“Heh, you little rascal, you’re still as smooth-talking as ever!”
Nan Jiyun immediately put his arm around Li Kuo’s neck. “Do I, your Elder Nan, have nothing better to do but wander around? I’ve been busy helping Xiao Zhang fight the bandits and haven’t had time. I just happened to pass by and decided to check on you.”
“Elder Nan, how did you know I was in Tangzhou?”
It seemed as if time had gone back seven or eight years. Li Kuo was once again that child, chatting and laughing with Nan Jiyun without any restraint.
“Hmm, it was just a coincidence. I passed by Tangzhou and heard from the locals that the current governor is a general from Jianghuai who treats the people very kindly. I thought to myself that you, having just been appointed as the military commander of Jianghuai by the emperor, must be the only one who can make the people speak of kindness among these greedy and cruel generals. So I came in to check, and sure enough, my guess was right!”