Chapter 21: Sleeping on Ice (III)

Since returning to Tangzhou City, Li Kuo had been restless.
The tactics of the rebel leader Sun Xiaozhe were utterly unpredictable. First, his troops retreated ten miles, then another ten the next day, and by the third day, they had even withdrawn thirty miles outside Tangzhou City.
In warfare, speed was crucial—striking the enemy as swiftly as possible to disrupt their command structure. Yet Sun Xiaozhe did the opposite, retreating repeatedly without engaging in battle. After three days like this, Tangzhou’s defenses must have been strengthened. What chance did Sun Xiaozhe still have to attack the city?
Even if he were, as Li Kuo had predicted, merely trying to tie down his forces near Tangzhou in a prolonged stalemate, he should have set up camp five miles outside the city. That way, he could cut off Tangzhou’s connection to Beiyuan and even harvest the wheat before the harvest season, putting pressure on the defenders from the side.
But by retreating thirty miles outside Tangzhou, Sun Xiaozhe was truly powerless.
Still, having such a formidable army of over thirty thousand men stationed right at his doorstep was indeed unsettling!
Li Kuo shook his head, placed the report in his hand on the desk, pressed one corner with an inkstone, then stood up, hands behind his back, and walked over to the window to gaze westward.
It was a shame that such magnificent lands had to be trampled under the hooves of foreign invaders—a disgrace for men of the Tang dynasty.
For some reason, Li Kuo missed his friend Zhang Yanji. Though they often argued during their time together, those days were full of flavor. Now that they were separated, he enjoyed peace, but it was also rather lonely.
Life was indeed a game where one could not have it all!
“Commander, commander! Something terrible has happened!”
Dou Qing rushed into Li Kuo’s study, out of breath. “Commander, a major crisis has arisen!”
Seeing the usually calm Dou Qing so panicked, Li Kuo frowned and gestured to the low table. “Brother Dou, calm down first. Sit down, drink some water, and explain slowly.”
Dou Qing nodded, sat down by the table, poured himself a cup of cool tea, and downed it before speaking. “News has arrived from Lingwu—your name has been listed as a rebel, and officials in nearby provinces are being called upon to attack you.”
Li Kuo smiled bitterly. “If that’s the case, it’s not surprising. After all, the current emperor isn’t known for his tolerance. Refusing to accept orders to go to Shuofang must have offended him. By old customs, I’d also be considered a rebel.”

Dou Qing nodded and said, “It’s not that serious. After all, aside from Jiannan and Jianghuai provinces, all the other regions of the Tang Dynasty, especially those near Henan Province, are struggling to survive on their own. Where would they have the time to launch a campaign against you?”
After a brief pause, Dou Qing continued, “But once these imperial edicts reach the local governments, you’ll be labeled as a rebel in the court. As for your family…”
Li Kuo was shocked upon hearing this.
How had he not thought of this!
When he was ordered to go to Guanzhong to support the emperor, he had only considered that the rebels were powerful and it was not advisable to bring his family along on the journey. Unexpectedly, chaos broke out in Shu, the throne changed hands, and Crown Prince Li Heng ascended to the throne successfully. His relationship with Li Heng was already poor, and after he refused Li Heng’s orders, they inevitably fell out. If Li Heng used his family as leverage against him later, what could he do?
“Isn’t Jianghuai currently in the hands of Prince Yong? His attitude must surely be against the court…”
Li Kuo still held a glimmer of hope that Prince Yong might refuse to obey the new emperor’s orders.
“Governor, haven’t you read the latest imperial edicts? Prince Yong was ordered by the retired emperor to conduct an inspection tour in the east, but he had a conflict with Li Xiyan, the inspector of Jiangnan East Road, along the way. Li Xiyan reported this to the current emperor, who ordered Prince Yong to return to Jiangling immediately. But Prince Yong refused. The emperor then ordered Pei Mao and others to lead troops to intercept him. In the battle at Dayu Ridge, Prince Yong was hit by an arrow and captured by Huangfu Xian, the inspector of Jiangxi. He was executed on the 20th of the second month!”
Dou Qing calmly repeated the contents of the imperial edicts, adding at the end, “Now Prince Yong’s wife and children have been sent to Shu. Moreover, Mr. Li Bai, who served as Prince Yong’s private advisor, has also been exiled to Yelang! Even if Prince Yong succeeded in his rebellion, he wouldn’t spare your family. After all, you had a falling out with him over the salt transportation issue in Jianghuai!”
Boom!
Li Kuo’s head buzzed, and he didn’t know what to do.
His wife and children were currently in Yangzhou. In such a chaotic time, Li Heng could simply issue an order to have them captured and used as leverage against him.
Damn it!
“I can’t wait! I must go to Yangzhou right now to bring them back!”
Li Kuo slammed the desk violently and prepared to head to Yangzhou.
“Governor, calm down! Going to Yangzhou now would only play into someone’s hands.”
Seeing Li Kuo about to act impulsively, Dou Qing quickly grabbed him and said, “All the officials in Jianghuai have now been replaced by the new emperor’s people. If you really go now, you might not even be able to enter Yangzhou before being captured.”

Li Kuo sneered, “Let’s see who dares to catch me. I’ll lead nearly ten thousand men across the Huai River and head for Yangzhou City. Along the way, I’ll fight anyone who stands in my way—god or Buddha alike.”
Dou Qing said with a bitter smile, “Commander, you’re speaking in anger again. If you take all the men to Yangzhou, who will defend Tangzhou City? Sun Xiaozhe is a cunning old fox—he might not take the prey that’s right in front of him.”
Frustrated, Li Kuo replied, “So it’s not your family who’s in danger now? Do you know how important they are to me? If I lose them, what’s the point of becoming a king or ruler?”
His mother, A Tian, Li Niang… they were all indispensable to his life. Now their lives were in Li Hen’s hands—how could he stay calm?
“Commander, you must think of the bigger picture. Tangzhou and Nanyang cannot fall. Once Nanyang is captured, Xiangyang will be in grave danger. The rebels only need to cross the Tongbai Mountains to advance into the Jianghuai region. You must think carefully!”
Though deeply distressed, Dou Qing still explained the severity of the situation to Li Kuo.
“Then what do you want me to do? Abandon my mother and wife?”
In a fit of anger, Li Kuo grabbed Dou Qing and demanded an answer.
“If it makes you feel better, Commander, I don’t care!”
Dou Qing straightened his back and said, “I just hope you won’t act rashly out of anger.”
Li Kuo took a deep breath, put Dou Qing down, and covered his forehead in frustration. “I’m sorry, Brother Dou. I lost control.”
Dou Qing shook his head. “Commander, the situation isn’t as bad as you think. Isn’t Lord Gao now the governor of Huainan? His office is in Jiangdu City. With him in Yangzhou, your family should be safe.”
Li Kuo frowned. “You mean Uncle Gao Shi?”
Dou Qing nodded. “That’s right, Lord Gao Shi. The emperor has entrusted him with an important task, so he should be able to control the situation.”
Hearing this, Li Kuo felt a little reassured. “But if he really gives an order, Uncle Gao will surely find it difficult to refuse.”
Dou Qing sighed. “For now, we can only take things one step at a time. At least with Lord Gao in charge of Jianghuai, your family won’t suffer.”