Chapter Ten: Du Yu (V)

In the blooming month of March, orioles sang in the early spring. A spring breeze turned the willows green and colored the flowers red, but it could not bring hope to the troops stationed in Suiyang. From Yongqiu to Ningling, and then from Ningling to Suiyang, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, with just a thousand soldiers, had been fighting against tens of thousands of rebels for a whole year. Though they often succeeded in defeating larger forces and beheading over ten thousand enemies, the sheer numerical advantage of the rebels inevitably showed itself in prolonged battles. Moreover, their soldiers were mostly local volunteers, and their only regular troops were old and weak—far inferior in combat strength to the rebels.

Perhaps they could win one or even two more battles thanks to their unyielding fighting spirit, but without reinforcements, they had no chance of achieving a final victory. Everyone in Suiyang knew they were merely delaying their deaths.

Some time ago, news came that An Qingxu had killed his father to seize the throne, which delighted the defending troops. An Lushan, who had defied imperial orders and rebelled, was ultimately killed by his own son—was this karma at work?

Of course, every advantage has its downside. After seizing the throne, An Qingxu intensified his attacks on Suiyang. He not only ordered his general Yin Ziqi to join forces with elite troops from the Luo, Turkic, and Xi tribes along with Yang Chaozong’s forces—totaling over a hundred thousand men—to besiege Suiyang—but he also sent General Tian Chengsi, who was stationed in Xingyang, to the north of Suiyang to block any Tang reinforcements.

Suiyang was the last stronghold of the Tang Dynasty in the Jianghuai region. The Tang court might tolerate the fall of Yongqiu or the surrender of Ningling, but it could never allow Suiyang to fall into rebel hands. If over a hundred thousand barbarian cavalry crossed the Huai River, the Tang Dynasty’s hopes for a full restoration would be instantly shattered.

Thus, this battle was not just an ordinary fight—it was a decisive struggle for the fate of two nations.

Today, Zhang Xun, accompanied by Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, inspected the city walls again. The early spring was still cool, and the wind on the walls was fierce, causing sharp pain when it hit their cheeks.

“Nan Ba, it seems we wronged that boy, Qi Lang.”
Gazing at the dense ranks of rebels below, Zhang Xun patted the wall and sighed deeply.

Nan Jiyun sighed, “I was very disappointed when he refused me. I thought he was just another coward who feared death. But it turns out he was thinking of the greater good. If it weren’t for Qi Lang and the others during the battle of Ningling, we probably wouldn’t have been able to escape alive.”

Zhang Xun nodded slightly and said, “Everything has its reasons. Although Qi Lang is still young, he views issues from a longer-term and more thorough perspective than most people. Yet such a capable general fails to gain the emperor’s trust, otherwise our Tang Dynasty wouldn’t be in such a passive position in fighting the enemy.”

Looking at the current situation, the Tang Dynasty’s commanders against the enemy are either descendants of noble families or generals who only know theory. Even when figures like Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi emerged, the emperor reduced their military powers and sent supervisors to monitor them. With such suspicion from the court, how can the generals act freely to suppress the rebellion? I only hope we won’t repeat the tragedy of Tongguan!

“Now, it seems Qi Lang can hardly take another step forward. The northern part of Suiyang is completely surrounded by that Tian Chengsi—ordinary people have no chance of passing through.”

Lei Wanchun frowned and said, “I really don’t know what the court is thinking at this moment. Isn’t that Prince Yong leading his troops on an eastern tour? It seems he’s heading toward Suiyang. Instead of sending troops to meet him, isn’t the court essentially destroying its own strength?”

It’s not surprising that Lei Wanchun is complaining. Right now, over a hundred thousand rebels have surrounded Suiyang, and even regular troops might be encircled by them if they try to rescue the city. The best solution now is to send reinforcements from Jianghuai to relieve Suiyang’s urgent crisis. Yet the court ignores the battlefield situation and focuses only on suppressing Prince Yong’s uprising—this is truly disheartening.

“Some things are hard to explain clearly. The emperor has no choice but to act this way.”

As a former top scholar, Zhang Xun understood the current political situation better than Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun. Sometimes, in politics, what matters most isn’t one’s achievements or abilities but their attitude. It’s not worth the risk of trusting a capable general who might amass power for himself. It’s better to assign an officer with slightly weaker abilities but no great ambitions to lead the troops. After all, abilities vary from person to person—someone with weaker skills can be compensated for by the team as a whole, but if an officer’s attitude is problematic, that’s a real issue.

Moreover, the person who now commands his own troops is the emperor’s own brother—Prince Yong! Even before An Lushan’s rebellion, there were rumors in the court that the retired emperor wanted to make Prince Yong the heir apparent. Though these rumors might be exaggerated, they certainly weren’t baseless. The current emperor isn’t someone with a broad mind—how could he possibly tolerate Prince Yong’s provocative actions?

“Helpless? Does he even know that his brothers are here, bleeding and sweating for him? He may be helpless, but in my opinion, he simply doesn’t care about our lives at all. Since he’s so heartless, why should we guard his kingdom for him?”
The more Lei Wanchun thought about it, the angrier he became. It was said that as soon as the emperor ascended the throne, he ordered a hot spring palace to be built in Lingwu. As soon as it was completed, he rushed in without hesitation, completely ignoring the severe financial strain on the front lines!
Such an emperor wasn’t worth everyone sacrificing so much for!
“Wanchun, you’re wrong. We’re not guarding the kingdom of the Li family!”
Zhang Xun suddenly raised his arm and pointed. “Look here, and look there—these mountains, these rivers, this yellow earth—all belong to our Tang Dynasty. If we, as descendants, fail to expand our territory, it shows our incompetence and mediocrity. If we can’t even defend the land left to us by our ancestors, we are utterly unworthy and traitors to our nation!”
The more Zhang Xun spoke, the more excited he became, his Adam’s apple throbbing. “What we’re guarding is the land beneath our feet, the mountains and rivers in the distance—our homeland for everyone!”
“Our homeland for everyone!”
Lei Wanchun clenched his fists, emphasizing each word.
For some reason, he felt as though Zhang Xun’s words had struck right to the core of him. His long-dormant, cold blood began to boil again.
We’re not guarding the kingdom of a single family—we’re guarding the land beneath our feet, the mountains and rivers in the distance, our homeland for everyone!