Chapter 1: Wuling (I)

In the golden autumn of October, the autumn rains had just ceased. The air was filled with a fresh scent of soil—neither too strong nor too faint, just right to refresh the heart. At this time, Tangzhou City was immersed in joy and laughter. From the elderly with gray hair to the young children playing and joking around, everyone was enjoying their wonderful time.

The streets were lined with shops, lanterns had just been lit, there was no need to worry about theft, and doors did not need to be locked at night. Tangzhou City was a scene of peace and prosperity. It was hard to imagine that just a hundred miles away in Xiping Commandery, rebels were slaughtering and raping the people of the Tang Dynasty, looting and setting fire to the silk, cloth, silver, and money stored in the local government offices. Under the same sky, life was completely different—thanks, of course, to the guardian of Tangzhou City: Li Kuo.

In a study room to the north in the back courtyard of the government office, Li Kuo was deep in thought before a sand table depicting the routes of the capital region and Henan Province. Judging from the current situation, the war situation in Henan Province was complex. Although the rebels had captured Chang’an, the capital, with great momentum, they had not had success on the battlefield in Henan.

The rebel forces led by Xiao Zhang Tanhua had been confronting the rebels in Yongqiu for four months, decisively defeating the rebel general Linghu Chao. They also seized thousands of bushels of salt and rice transported by the rebels at Suiyang Canal and beheaded countless enemy soldiers. (Note 1) However, since July, Linghu Chao had allied with the rebel general Cui Boyu to besiege Yongqiu. Forced to retreat to Ningling, Xiao Zhang Tanhua, who commanded only a thousand men, still maintained high morale among his forces.

Li Kuo had considered sending troops to relieve the siege of Yongqiu, but first, Yongqiu was five hundred miles away from Tangzhou, and supplies might not keep up along the way. Second, places like Kaifeng and Chenliu to the northwest of Yongqiu were occupied by large rebel forces. If he insisted on attacking, it might lead to a fierce battle. It wasn’t that he feared fighting the rebels; rather, the local militia had finally grown in strength, and everything was progressing smoothly according to his plans. There was no need to risk the lives of tens of thousands of men over a temporary dispute.

Such an action, though seemingly righteous, would actually be irresponsible toward the lives of his soldiers. Li Kuo would never do such a thing for the sake of a false reputation for loyalty. As for Xiao Zhang Tanhua, he had sent messengers several times to persuade him to retreat to Suiyang. But Xiao Zhang Tanhua was stubborn and refused to leave Ningling.

Meanwhile, the troops led by Brother Nan and Brother Lei had marched north to fight the rebels, dealing a heavy blow to the rebel general Yang Chaozong. They beheaded twenty enemy generals and killed over ten thousand enemies. It was said that after this battle, the water in Suiyang Canal stopped flowing.

Of course, many rebel forces also emerged in places like Chenzhou, Haozhou, and Songzhou, making the situation of the rebels extremely precarious. If he could seize the opportunity to strike from behind the rebels and capture their key city of Xuzhou, the pressure on Suiyang and Yongqiu might suddenly ease.

Li Kuo planted a small red flag in Xuzhou and took a deep breath.

But this approach carried great risks. Xiangcheng and Linying were in the hands of the rebels, and if he led his troops deep into Xuzhou, he would have to pass through those two places. With too few men, it would be difficult to capture Xuzhou; with too many, it would be easy for the rebel forces there to detect them. It was indeed a tough dilemma!

As he pondered, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.

“Seventh Brother, still strategizing?” Zhou Wucui handed him a chicken leg and praised, “You know what? Uncle Wu’s chicken legs are really flavorful. I should ask him for the recipe someday.”

Li Kuo frowned and pushed the chicken leg back. “Keep it for yourself. But if you don’t want to crush your horse under your weight, I suggest eating less.”

Zhou Wucui shrugged. “You don’t need to worry about that. We each have our own roles to fulfill. No need to judge each other.”

Li Kuo forced a smile. “I can’t argue with a genius like you. Just tell me, why did you come to see me in the middle of the night?”

Zhou Wucui gave him an annoyed look. “You’re so boring. Can’t I come to see you without a reason? It’s a shame we’re sworn brothers. You’ve spent too much time with that kid Zhang Yanji and become as dull as him.”

Although unintentional, Zhou Wucui realized he had said the wrong thing as soon as the words left his mouth, so he quickly started gnawing on the shiny chicken leg…

“Fine, if I’m dull, then can you, a genius, just tell me directly?”

Li Kuo, seemingly unaffected by Zhang Yanji’s words, shrugged.

Seeing that he wasn’t angry, Zhou Wucui rejoiced. “Well, your luck has come! Just now, an eunuch came to the prefecture office and specifically asked for you. It seems he’s here to deliver an imperial edict.”

Li Kuo frowned slightly and asked, “An eunuch? Do you know where they’re from?”

Zhou Wucui took a bite of the chicken leg. “Of course, they’re from Lingwu. The one in Shu has now become the retired emperor and no longer cares about real affairs.”

After a pause, Zhou Wucui added, “I can delay things by saying you’re taking a bath, but it won’t last long. You’d better go to the banquet hall to receive the edict right away.”

Li Kuo was surprised. “Since when have you become so obedient? In the past, you would have teased the eunuch delivering the edict thoroughly!”

Zhou Wucui spat out a piece of chicken skin and said, “Times change. People keep evolving, don’t they? Hurry up and go—otherwise, there will be more gossip at court again. The people in Lingwu are even more petty than needle tips!” …
Without incense or a bath, Li Kuo went to the banquet hall in plain clothes to receive the imperial edict.
In the Tianbao era, such an act would have been deemed a grave insult, but in these chaotic times, no one had the energy to worry about such trivial matters.
To speak disrespectfully, the civil and military officials in Lingwu’s small court numbered less than a hundred, and not even the emperor had a proper palace to reside in—let alone talk about imperial dignity or proper procedures for receiving edicts.
Of course, the necessary rituals still had to be followed.
The eunuch delivering the edict was probably on a long journey for the first time and was curious about everything. When he saw Li Kuo enter the hall, he didn’t immediately adopt a domineering attitude but greeted Li Kuo cheerfully.
It was only after Li Kuo coughed a few times, signaling whether the eunuch had an imperial order, that the eunuch snapped out of it and patted his forehead in gratitude to Li Kuo.
With such a solemn ceremony reduced to this, there was naturally no sense of mystery left. The eunuch took out a crumpled yellow silk cloth and began to read aloud in a rhythmic tone. Once all the rituals were completed, he immediately helped Li Kuo up, beaming with joy.
“General Li, I’ve come to Tangzhou City to deliver the emperor’s orders. It was truly a tough search!”
While shaking the threadbare cloth in his hand, the eunuch complained to Li Kuo, “I thought the road from Neixiang and Xincheng would be easier, at least without having to worry about rebels. But who would have thought that the capricious heavens would play tricks on me and make me encounter a band of bandits? Ah, in peaceful times, where would bandits come from? That’s why these lowly people are opportunists—whenever there’s any disturbance in the world, they jump in and cause trouble.”
Li Kuo listened patiently and simply bowed, saying, “The eunuch has worked hard. I’ve prepared some simple food—hope you won’t mind it.”
The eunuch didn’t seem to care and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “It’s fine. Just the fact that I’ve made it to Tangzhou City alive proves we’re fated to meet. I’ll be satisfied with even rough grains and wild vegetables.”
Hearing this, Li Kuo felt an inexplicable sting in his nose and swallowed hard.
“Does the eunuch know why the emperor has summoned me to Lingwu?”
Seeing that the eunuch didn’t seem difficult to deal with, Li Kuo decided to ask directly.

Who would have thought that when Li Kuo asked about this matter, the little eunuch immediately put on a saintly face and pretended to be surprised, saying, “Oh, General Li, how could servants like us find out such things? We merely run errands for the emperor. As for the specifics, won’t you know once you go there?”
Seeing that he couldn’t get any substantial information from the little eunuch, Li Kuo bowed to him and said, “In that case, I won’t disturb the imperial eunuch any longer. Goodbye!”
“Sure, sure!”
The little eunuch breathed a sigh of relief when Li Kuo stopped asking further. Only when Li Kuo reached the door did he suddenly call out, “Hey, um, General Li, could you bring me another plate of those osmanthus cakes you had sent?”
“No, absolutely not!”
Zhou Wucui read the imperial edict and immediately changed his expression, firmly refusing.
“I thought Li Heng had some good reason for asking you, but it turns out he just wants to take away your military power. Don’t you think about it? If he were honest, why would he order you to lead all the cavalry yet station them a hundred miles away from Lingwu, allowing only five hundred cavalry to enter the city?”
Zhou Wucui snorted and continued, “I said back then when you casually dismissed Zhu Gui that this kid wouldn’t give up easily. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
Li Kuo smiled bitterly and said, “At that time, the emperor hadn’t yet ascended the throne, and Zhu Gui wasn’t sent by him. How could he be upset over that?”
But Zhou Wucui clenched his fists and said, “Heartless and ambitious—everyone in the Li Tang family has the same temperament. There’s no difference. Besides, you two do have past grievances. It’s only natural for him to try to take your military power.”
Li Kuo shrugged and said, “So what do you suggest? Should I really defy an imperial order?”