Chapter 63: Taking Bones (III)

“Your Majesty risks your life for the common people and personally guards the national gates. I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude!”
Pei Mian knelt on the ground, offering flattery at just the right time.
Hearing this, Li Heng’s already sickly complexion turned even paler. The emperor guarding the national gates? Luoyang had fallen, Tongguan had fallen, and now even Chang’an, the capital region, had been captured by the rebels. Which national gates was he supposed to guard?
Did Pei Mian really expect him to treat this desolate place like Chang’an and stay there forever?
Yu Chaoen seemed to read Li Heng’s thoughts and cleared his throat lightly. “Surely Lord Pei didn’t come here just to express his emotions, did he?”
Prompted by Yu Chaoen, Pei Mian smiled brightly. “Lord Yu truly has a keen insight. I came to see Your Majesty today to submit an important matter.”
“Speak freely, Lord Pei,” Li Heng said impatiently, waving his hand.
“Your Majesty, the messenger from the Uyghurs has returned!”
Before Pei Mian could finish speaking, Li Heng shuddered in shock.
“What did you say? Repeat that!”
Ignoring his imperial dignity, Li Heng grabbed Pei Mian’s robe sleeve and pressed for an explanation.
“Your Majesty, the messenger from the Uyghurs has returned. Khan Weiyuan agrees to send troops to help Your Majesty recapture the two capitals!”
Pei Mian nodded proudly at Li Heng and added, “Through our time together, I’ve understood Your Majesty’s thoughts.” (Note 1) The current emperor lacked both the talent and virtue of a wise ruler, yet he insisted on being one who would be remembered for generations. Such a person was always eager for glory. With the rebels occupying the two capitals, the most important task for the newly crowned emperor was undoubtedly to recapture them. Once recovered, the emperor would have enough confidence to order the whole country to rise up against the rebels. And once he quelled the An Lushan Rebellion, it would prove that his ascension to the throne was the right choice.
“That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful! What did Khan Weiyuan say?”
Overjoyed, Li Heng stood up and paced back and forth, hands behind his back.
“Khan Weiyuan has long admired Your Majesty’s reputation. Upon hearing of your ascension, he sent his blessings.”
After a brief pause, Pei Mian continued, “However, Khan Weiyuan has one request.”
Delighted, Li Heng waved his hand dismissively. “Even if it’s ten requests, I’ll still fulfill them all!”
“Hehe, Khan Weiyuan says he has only one request: ‘On the day the city is conquered, the land and people shall belong to the Tang, while gold, silk, and women shall go to the Uyghurs.’”

Pei Mian bowed slightly to Li Heng and added another sentence.
Boom!
Li Heng’s mind went blank in an instant.
What? He actually wanted to seize all the wealth, silk, and women? If he agreed to this, wouldn’t Chang’an become an empty city?
“This wretch is being too cruel!”
Furious, Li Heng flung his sleeves aside, walked over to the window frame, and sighed deeply.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to blame yourself so much.”
Pei Mian smiled and stepped forward. “The top priority now is to retake the two capitals. As for the wealth and women in the cities, there’s no need to worry too much. Our Tang Dynasty is vast and rich—there’s no need to ruin relations with the Uyghurs over a few pieces of cloth and women.”
For some reason, seeing Pei Mian’s smiling face made Li Heng feel disgusted. Suppressing his aversion, he waved his hand and said, “Isn’t there any other way?”
Pei Mian smiled. “There is another way. Lord Guo and Li Guangbi are currently very powerful. I believe they can defeat the rebels if we keep pushing them like this, but that will take time. Since Your Majesty is eager to reclaim lost lands, using the Uyghurs’ elite cavalry is the best option.”
Li Heng fell silent for a moment.
Although his Li family originated in Taiyuan, it was in Guanzhong and Chang’an that the Tang Dynasty was truly established—a place of undeniable political significance. Under his father’s diligent governance, Chang’an had become the greatest city in the world, admired by all peoples. And now, such a mighty city had fallen into the hands of rebels, and he had to rely on the Uyghurs to take it back!
“Hiss!”
Li Heng seemed to see his ancestors pointing at him and scolding him for his incompetence, causing him to gasp in shock.
“Your Majesty, there’s no need to dwell on this. I think what Lord Pei says makes sense.”
At that moment, Yu Chaonan cleared his throat and said, “When we parted from the Retired Emperor earlier, I said that as the emperor, you must show utmost filial piety! What is utmost filial piety? It’s to support the royal family and quell rebellions! To fulfill this duty, sacrificing a few people is sometimes necessary. The people of Chang’an are your subjects—they will understand your difficulties.”
“Mm.”
Li Heng replied softly, but he wasn’t happy.
It was true they were his subjects, but would they understand his difficulties? If they became slaves to the Uyghurs, they would surely hate him.
As the emperor of Tang, he couldn’t even protect his own people—what a shame!
“Your Majesty, in times of crisis, you must act decisively. It’s rare that Khan Weiyuan is willing to ally with our Tang Dynasty. You must not disappoint him.”

Seeing Li Heng hesitating, Yu Chaoen began to urge him from the side. This was their best chance to turn defeat into victory—there was no way they could afford to miss it.
“But, but, I…”
Li Heng felt extremely frustrated. Initially, the Uyghurs were merely vassal states established by the Tang Dynasty, and Khan Huai Ren had always been submissive to his father. Now, this ignorant Khan Wei Yuan took advantage of the chaos to demand all of Chang’an’s wealth and women.
“Your Majesty, if you don’t quell the rebellion and return to Chang’an soon, what if trouble breaks out in Shu? Then…”
Seeing Li Heng still hesitating, Yu Chaoen gritted his teeth and uttered harsh words.
“Shut up!”
Furious, Li Heng glared at Yu Chaoen. “Don’t speak further about matters related to the Retired Emperor!”
Taking a deep breath, Li Heng said to Pei Mian, “Minister Pei, let’s settle this matter here. Go back and tell the messenger that I agree to Khan Wei Yuan’s terms.”
“Your Majesty is wise! This is a blessing for the people of Chang’an and for all of the Tang Dynasty!”
Pei Mian immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Li Heng.
“Hmm, I’m tired. You may go now.”
Feeling physically and mentally exhausted, Li Heng closed his eyes and pressed his forehead lightly.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”
“What is it now?”
Li Heng suddenly opened his eyes, his tone turning sharp.
“Your Majesty, calm down!”
Pei Mian, who had just gotten up, was terrified and knelt down again, pressing his head to the ground.
“Enough. Get up. It was my fault for losing my temper.”
Seeing Pei Mian’s behavior, Li Heng could only smile bitterly and waved his hand dismissively.
“I thank Your Majesty for your grace!”
Perhaps from kneeling too long, Pei Mian felt severe pain in his knees. When he finally managed to stand up, he found his back completely soaked.
Serving a king is like serving a tiger—this is no exaggeration!
“Your Majesty, I heard that Li Kuo, the commander of the Jianghuai troops, was sent by the Retired Emperor to assist the throne in Guanzhong, but his troops never entered Tongguan. According to my informants, Li Kuo has now captured Tangzhou, Nanyang, and Fangcheng, using them as bases to cultivate land and build defenses,” Pei Mian said calmly, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Li Heng waved his hand. “Why bring such trivial matters to me? Does the Tang Dynasty have no important matters worthy of your attention? Besides, it’s good that he was able to seize several counties from the rebels.”
Pei Mian forced a smile. “It’s certainly good that he captured those counties, but his refusal to obey the Retired Emperor’s order to lift the siege of Tongguan shows that he has rebellious intentions.”

After Pei Mian mentioned it, Li Heng also began to ponder. Logically, Li Kuo could be considered part of the Eastern Palace faction, but they had fallen out due to some unforeseen events. Now that he had ascended to the throne, he was in urgent need of such talent, and it would be beneficial to bring him under his control. “At that time, Tongguan was completely surrounded by rebel generals Sun Xiaozhe and Cui Qianyou. Even if he wanted to enter and relieve the siege, he couldn’t. Moreover, he only had local militia troops—wouldn’t fighting head-on against the main rebel forces be like throwing eggs at a rock?” After thinking for a while, Li Heng understood Li Kuo’s choice. Pei Mian was clearly overly anxious, seeing threats everywhere. “Your Majesty, please think carefully. Why did he bring so many veteran soldiers back from Shule when he was transferred from Anxi to Yangzhou? And why did he move slowly northward from Jianghuai, even dismissing the imperial supervisors sent by the retired emperor to oversee the army?” Pei Mian refused to give up, hissing like a venomous snake: “Now that he controls three regions yet stops fighting northward and instead builds walls and farms, he must have some ulterior motives. Please reconsider, Your Majesty!” “This…” Li Heng furrowed his brows, gradually doubting Li Kuo’s actions. “He now controls the northern gateway of Shannan East Road. What if he voluntarily surrenders the city to the rebels? Then Jianghuai will be in danger!” Pei Mian wiped away his ‘tears’ and pleaded with Li Heng, “Of course, these are just my guesses. But who could have predicted that An Lushan would rebel back then? Your Majesty, it’s better to assume such things exist than to deny them!” Note 1: Khan Weiyuan: A Uyghur khan, granted the title by the Tang emperor; reigned from 747 to 759.