Chapter 37: Passing Years (IV)

Nan Jiyun wasn’t worried at all.
How could such an innocent person refuse him? After all, Xiao Zhang, the top scholar, and he himself had saved her life.
Li Kuo fell silent for a moment. The situation in Henan Province was chaotic—rebels and Tang troops were clashing back and forth, with neither side seeming able to defeat the other. At this time, leading ten thousand fresh troops to Yongqiu could surely have a significant impact, but he couldn’t do that!
If he ignored the imperial orders for personal reasons, what would distinguish him from a brute or a fool? Tongguan was in danger of being captured at any moment. Tangzhou was closer to Guanzhong, so it could provide support if things changed. But going to Yongqiu to relieve the siege would mean completely abandoning Guanzhong.
He no longer lived just for himself; some decisions were simply too difficult to make.
“What, Seventh Brother doesn’t want to?”
Seeing Li Kuo remain silent, Nan Jiyun grew slightly annoyed and raised his eyebrows, pressing further.
“It’s not that I don’t want to, but that I can’t.”
Li Kuo shook his head and forced a bitter smile.
“Why can’t you?”
Nan Jiyun slammed the table and stood up, eyes blazing with anger. “Are you planning to stay in Tangzhou, staring at Tongguan in the west and crying all day?”
“Elder Nan, there are things you don’t understand.”
Though heartbroken, Li Kuo tried to stay calm and composed as he faced Nan Juyun’s fierce questions.
“Yes, I don’t understand. Only you do! All I know is that you have over ten thousand soldiers at your disposal, and within a radius of five hundred miles, only you have the strength to relieve Yongqiu’s siege. Yet you say you can’t. Are you afraid after seeing the rebels capture several cities?”
Nan Jiyun fired questions one after another, spitting saliva in anger.
“Elder Nan, how can you think of me like that? Don’t you know who I am? If it weren’t for…”
“Enough! Of course, I knew you in the past, but I can’t guarantee anything about you now! Maybe over the years you’ve become clearer-minded, more obedient, but your courage has worn away. I’ll ask you just one thing: will you go or not?”
“I… I can’t go!”
Li Kuo closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth.
Yes, choosing this path meant betraying Xiao Zhang, Elder Nan, and so many others. But he was doing it for Tongguan, for Chang’an!
They wouldn’t understand. They could never understand.
“If that’s the case, then let it be that I, Nan, have mistaken the person and entered the wrong place! Goodbye!”
With that, Nan Jiyun grabbed the sword on the table and left in a hurry.

Watching the figure gradually fade into the distance, Li Kuo shook his head and sighed. How difficult it must be to be a military commander…
Tongguan City was gloomy and desolate, like a land of death.
Gao Xianzhi sat upright in the watchtower on top of the city wall, frowning deeply and tapping his forehead lightly. He was exhausted—since receiving the imperial order in the first month of the year to garrison Tongguan with Feng Laoer, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. Day after day, night after night, the sounds of horse hooves and trumpets outside Tongguan City never ceased. The rebel general Cui Qianyou, with just 20,000 cavalry, had blocked all routes leading to Tongguan, leaving the reinforcements trying to help the emperor unable to do anything but watch helplessly from afar.
Without any reinforcements, the defenders of Tongguan had to bear all the pressure alone. If it were just that, it might still be manageable. Though Gao Xianzhi wasn’t particularly talented, he did have the skill to defend a strategic location.
But alas… Ah!
Just thinking of the sarcastic tone of the supervisor Bian Lingcheng made his head ache. That eunuch knew nothing about military strategy yet liked to give orders from the sidelines, constantly urging him to go out and fight the rebels head-on.
If he could go out now, would he still delay? Didn’t that eunuch see what kind of soldiers he had? Scoundrels from the streets, ruffians, exiled prisoners…
What kind of fighting strength could an army assembled in such a hasty manner possibly have?
If it were possible to rely on Tongguan’s natural defenses to hold the city, then going out for a battle—even if his forces were twice as many as the rebels’—would surely result in a crushing defeat.
Even the most skilled cook can’t cook without ingredients!
Yet that man only cared about the emperor’s orders. Victory only, no defeat allowed! Only offensive actions, no passive resistance.
Heh, what does he know?
A while ago, Feng Laoer had even argued with Bian Lingcheng over this matter, angering him so much that he trembled and threatened to return to the capital to report the situation to the emperor. That was all he could do—relying on false authority!
He hadn’t been able to stop him with kind words. Perhaps he had already reached Chang’an by now?
Never mind. People with such incomplete minds inevitably have distorted thoughts. He just needed to resist the rebels’ attacks—why worry about so many other things?
“Report! Report! General, the rebels are challenging us again!”
The wooden door was suddenly pushed open, and a bodyguard stumbled in, kneeling down to report.
“How many days is it now?”
Gao Xianzhi raised his head slightly and asked in a deep voice.
“Th, the seventh day. The rebels have been shouting insults for seven days straight. Their insults are getting worse and more vicious…”
The bodyguard kept his head lowered, hesitating to speak further.
“What are they saying?”

Gao Xianzhi grew slightly displeased and pressed further.
“They cursed the current emperor as an old pervert who indulges in debauchery, and they also called the imperial concubine a shameless whore…”
The bodyguard lowered his head even further, his voice growing softer until it was barely audible.
“Damn it!”
Gao Xianzhi slammed his fist on the desk in anger, cursing, “These rebels are truly shameless!”
Although he knew what they said was true, Gao Xianzhi was still furious. To speak ill of the emperor—such behavior was never acceptable from a subject.
Fortunately, Bian Lingcheng wasn’t in Tongguan at the moment. If he heard about this, it would surely cause chaos.
“Commander, please forgive this subordinate for speaking frankly. If we continue to display this peace token, morale will plummet!”
The bodyguard mustered courage and kowtowed heavily before Gao Xianzhi. As an experienced soldier from Anxi, he certainly didn’t doubt his commander’s decisions. But with the rebels insulting their emperor openly, failing to fight outside the city would likely destroy the hard-earned morale in an instant.
“What do you know? If we could fight, would I want to be a coward?”
Gao Xianzhi glared sharply at the insensitive bodyguard and sighed, “Very well. Go now. Pass my order: no matter how the enemy provokes or curses, we must not open the city gates to fight them!”
“Understood!”
Seeing that his advice was ignored, the bodyguard shook his head and left as ordered.
Looking up at the gloomy sky outside the city, Gao Xianzhi shook his head wistfully and muttered to himself, “Could it be that heaven wants to destroy our Tang Dynasty?”…
“Move aside! Make way for me!”
Surrounded by a group of armed men, Bian Lingcheng strode into Tongguan City with a haughty air.
“Where’s that wretch Feng Changqing? Call him out quickly! I have the emperor’s decree—have him come out immediately to receive it!”
As he walked, Bian Lingcheng pushed aside Gao Xianzhi’s bodyguards who tried to stop him, cursing loudly.
“Eunuch Bian, you can’t go in. General Feng is currently fighting the enemy on the city walls, which is extremely dangerous. If an arrow accidentally hits you, it would be terrible,” Gao Xianzhi’s bodyguard explained with a smile. “How about you rest in the government residence in the city for now? Wait until General Feng defeats these rebels before asking him to meet you?”
He dared not offend this crippled eunuch at all. This man ignored even the two great commanders, Gao and Feng. To confront him head-on would be seeking death.

Bian Lingcheng snorted coldly and waved his hand, saying, “No need. I’ve come with the emperor’s edict. Do you think this is like buying leeks on the city walls, where you can haggle over the price? Hurry and tell Feng Que to roll down here. I’ll wait right here on the city walls. Once he’s down, I’ll speak!”
“This… this…”
The bodyguard was at a loss, not knowing what to say.
“Hurry up! Or do you want me to order you to go?”
Bian Lingcheng crossed his arms and spoke in a mocking tone.
“Ah, ah!”
Unable to withstand the eunuch’s imposing manner, the bodyguard quickly turned and rushed toward the horse path.
“Hmph! Trying to fight me? You’ll regret this!”
Bian Lingcheng stared at the black smoke rising from the city walls, his gaze turning extremely dark.
After half a column of incense time, Feng Changqing rushed down the horse path under the protection of two bodyguards, heading toward Bian Lingcheng on the city walls.
“Eunuch Bian!”
Feng Changqing bowed and nodded at Bian Lingcheng.
“Hmph! The defeated Feng Changqing accepts the edict!” Bian Lingcheng, unwilling to waste time chatting, snatched the edict from the little yellow eunuch beside him and spoke mockingly.
Although Feng Changqing was filled with anger, he had no choice but to lift his skirt armor and kneel on one knee, saying, “Your servant Feng Changqing accepts the edict!”
“For plotting rebellion, I once appointed Changqing and Xianzhi as generals to suppress the rebels, placing great hopes on them. Yet Changqing incited the people against me, allowing Luoyang to be seized. Xianzhi abandoned hundreds of miles of land in Shaanxi, retreating without a fight. The two also stole rations meant for the soldiers. When the rebel forces pursued them, they fled in disarray, never engaging in a single battle. This is a clear case of losing troops and disgracing the country—unforgivable crimes. I hereby order the military supervisor Bian Liancheng to go to Tongguan to execute Feng and Gao, hanging their heads on the city walls for three days as a warning to all! So be it!”