Chapter 120: Risses Arise Among the Troops

That afternoon, a group of over a hundred light cavalrymen approached Li Qing’an’s military camp in Jiangdu. Leading them was a general in his early thirties. He dismounted and asked the guards from afar, “May I ask if General Li Qing’an has entered the city?”
“Our general is still in the camp.”
The general smiled and said, “Please convey to your general that Li Guangbi from Longyou has come to visit.”
“Please wait a moment, General!” The guard hurried off to report.

Inside the main tent, Li Qing’an was discussing matters related to Anxi with Li Fei Shouyu and He Yanming. Li Fei Shouyu said with a smile, “After talking to the soldiers yesterday, I thought they wouldn’t want to go to Anxi—after all, Yangzhou’s comfortable life is hard to leave. But as soon as I mentioned it, half of the soldiers volunteered to go. It seems many of them had already considered it.”
“And what about the other half?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“Most of the rest were worried about their families. I promised them that if they agreed to go to Anxi, we would give each of them 200 mu of land, exempt them from taxes as military households, and provide 50 guan as settlement funds. With that, many said they would consider it, and I can tell they actually want to go.”

At this, Li Fei Shouyu seemed slightly disappointed. “Still, in the end, over thirty people refused to go to Anxi. It’s a pity!”
“It’s actually quite good!”
Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and laughed. “How can everything be perfect? After all, people miss their hometowns, and Anxi is too far away.”
“I know that. That’s why I think these soldiers are really great.”

Being able to get most of his soldiers to follow him filled Li Qing’an with relief. He then asked He Yanming, “Has he taken the gold I gave to the crown prince?”
“He has. Last night, more than a dozen carriages arrived. They seemed to be manned by palace guards, and they took away half of the bronze artifacts, including the general’s personal items.”
“It seems he’s also eager.”
Li Qing’an smiled and added, “I think the time for us to return to Anxi is approaching. In the next couple of days, take a few soldiers to buy more porcelain, silk, and other heavy items. Mix the remaining gold with them and transport everything back to Anxi.”
“Don’t worry, General. I’ll take care of it right away!”

At that moment, a soldier rushed to the door and reported, “General, General Li Guangbi from Wujin Camp is asking to see you.”
“Li Guangbi?” Li Qing’an was slightly surprised. He then smiled at Li Fei Shouyu and said, “Li Guangbi is a famous general from Longyou. We can’t neglect him. Let’s go welcome him together!”

Of course, Li Qing’an knew who Li Guangbi was. During the An Lushan Rebellion, this famous general of the mid-Tang Dynasty led the Tang forces in battles in Hedong and Hebei, dealing heavy blows to the rebel forces led by An Lushan. Together with Guo Ziyi, he became one of the two pillars who saved the Tang Dynasty from collapse.

For this military training in Jianghuai, Li Guangbi was appointed as the commander of the Wujin Training Unit in Changzhou. Like Li Qing’an, he also selected 500 elite soldiers for training, achieving remarkable results. Their camp was not far from Li Qing’an’s camp in Jiangdu—about three li away.

After a while, the camp gates opened, and Li Qing’an, along with Li Fei Shouyu and a few other subordinates, came out to greet him.

Li Qing’an stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, “I’ve long heard of Brother Guangbi’s fame. It’s only today that I get to meet you in person.”

Li Guangbi was 32 years old this year. His father, Li Kailuo, had originally been a chieftain of the Khitans but submitted to the Tang Dynasty during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. He rose to the rank of General of the Right Imperial Guards and was granted the title of Duke of Jijun.

When the Tibetans invaded Heyuan, Li Kailuo led elite troops to resist them. Before setting out, the old man somehow had a premonition and told people, “After defeating these invading Tibetans, I won’t be able to return.”

As expected, after quelling the rebellion, Li Kailuo died of illness on his way back, truly “sacrificing himself at his post.” The imperial court highly praised him, appointing him as the governor of Yingzhou and bestowing the posthumous title of Loyal and Heroic.

As the son of a martyr, Li Guangbi did not play around like ordinary children. From a young age, he was skilled in horseback riding and archery. He had a strict and resolute personality, rarely smiling, which made people feel solemn in his presence. Everyone in the camp knew he was a promising young man with great ambitions. After Li Kailuo’s death, Li Guangbi inherited his title and joined the army in Hexi. He was particularly appreciated by Wang Zhongsi, who promoted him to the position of Commander of the Chishui Army. He had just been transferred to Longyou last year.

Last night, arrows were shot at his training camp, disrupting the morale of the troops. Puzzled all night, he came to Li Qing’an specifically to inquire about the situation.

Seeing Li Qing’an’s courtesy, he quickly returned the favor and said, “I’ve also long heard of the fame of the best archer in Anxi. I’ve wanted to visit for a long time but kept putting it off until today.”

He sized up Li Qing’an from head to toe and, impressed by his imposing presence, added, “The Ministry of War has ordered us to enter the imperial city today. I’m heading to the capital now. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me.”

“I was also planning to go to the capital. Please, Brother Guangbi, come in and sit for a while. I’ll gather my troops and then leave.”

“No need. I’ll wait here. Please go ahead!”

After preparing for a while, Li Qing’an also led 100 of his finest soldiers out of the camp gate. Bowing and smiling, he said, “Brother Guangbi, let’s set off now!”

The two joined their forces and rode together toward Chang’an City.

……

“Brother Qing’an, was there anything unusual at your camp last night?” Along the way, Li Guangbi asked about the strange events of the previous night.

Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Was the Wujin Camp also attacked with arrows?”
“That’s right!” Li Guangbi exclaimed in surprise. “Could it be that the Jiangdu Camp suffered the same fate?”
Li Qing’an nodded. “But it wasn’t last night—it was the night before last. Another sentinel was injured by an arrow.”
Li Guangbi frowned and asked, “Have you figured out who did this?”
“Brother Guangbi, it’s impossible to investigate at all. I told the men that it was hunters who accidentally shot at the camp while hunting.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Brother Guangbi, shooting arrows at night serves no purpose. The only effect is to disrupt morale and affect the soldiers’ performance the next day. So why worry about it? It’s just someone’s trick.”
Li Guangbi nodded and smiled. “Your insight is excellent. I didn’t sleep well last night; my head was foggy. I might make mistakes in command and disappoint the Emperor.”
“It’s fine. This inspection is just to observe archery skills, not combat. As long as the soldiers perform normally, that’s enough.”
“Fortunately, I didn’t investigate this matter thoroughly last night. I ordered my guards to keep the news secret. Otherwise, the men would also have had a restless night.”
At that, Li Guangbi chuckled softly and said, “Younger brother Qing’an, have you thought about bringing the training camps back to Anxi?”
Li Qing’an glanced at him and smiled. “What about you, Brother Guangbi? Do you have such an idea?”
The two exchanged a look, understood each other, and burst into laughter.
As they talked, they continued walking. Before long, they entered Mingde Gate. By now, each training camp leader had led their soldiers into the city. The inspection the next day would involve twelve training camps taking turns, with one hundred soldiers from each camp, totaling twelve hundred participants. This was an opportunity for every border general to showcase their abilities before the Emperor. Although it wasn’t a competition, it was an invisible rivalry. Everyone knew that the future military governors would surely come from among them.
To ensure the inspection the next day, each training camp would camp in the various guard camps within the imperial city. Among them, the three training camps of the Fanyang Army were stationed in the Right Army Guard Camp.
Just as dusk fell, General Tian Qianzhen went to see Shi Siming. Tian Qianzhen was training troops in the Hefei Camp in Luzhou. He had heard a rumor that all twelve training camps had been attacked with arrows over the past two nights, yet his own Hefei Camp and another Fanyang Army camp remained unharmed. Suspicious, he thought it might be Shi Siming’s doing.
As soon as he had stationed his soldiers, he immediately went to see Shi Siming.

Si Siming was having dinner in his tent when he saw Tian Qianzhen arrive. He got up and said with a smile, “General Tian, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? It’s a good chance to eat together.”
Tian Qianzhen ignored him and asked coldly, “Was it you who sent people to shoot those cold arrows at the various training camps?”
Si Siming forced a laugh and said, “What do you mean? Why would I send people to shoot arrows? What benefit would that bring me?”
“I’m just asking if it was you.”
Tian Qianzhen’s rude tone angered Si Siming, who snorted loudly. “So what if it was me? I haven’t interfered with you, so this has nothing to do with you.”
“But this matter is related to the Fanyang Army. If the imperial court finds out it was you, the emperor won’t blame you alone, Si Siming. He’ll say it was the Fanyang Army’s despicable behavior. Won’t that drag me down as well?”
Tian Qianzhen was extremely angry. He knew Si Siming was doing this to disrupt the morale of the other training camps for his own gain, but the consequences could be severe—not only would it damage the reputation of the Fanyang Army, but it might even cost him his position as commander.
“I’ll report this to the commander. You go and explain it to him yourself!”
With that, he turned and walked away. Si Siming suddenly drew his sword and blocked his path. “Stop!”
“What, do you want to kill me?” Tian Qianzhen sneered.
Si Siming glanced at him, sheathed his sword, and said coldly, “We’re both serving the commander. I don’t want to fall out with you. I just want to remind you—during the attack on the Khitans the year before last, you were trapped by them for a whole night. Who fought their way through to rescue you? I, Si Siming, don’t expect anything in return, but I hope you won’t repay kindness with hostility.”
Si Siming hadn’t brought up that incident before, but mentioning it instantly enraged Tian Qianzhen. “How dare you say that! If it weren’t for your false information, would I have been trapped by the Khitans? My two brothers died in that siege. You came to rescue me just to gain credit. You got the credit later, while I was blamed by the commander for being greedy and reckless. I was even fined for a year and told I owed you a favor. Si Siming, how dare you talk about this! Hmph!”
Tian Qianzhen pushed his sword aside and strode out. Si Siming’s face turned dark as he narrowed his eyes and said viciously, “Tian, if you dare tell the commander about this, don’t blame me, Si Siming, for being ruthless.”
“Very well, let’s see then!”

Tian Qianzhen left Shi Siming’s camp at a rapid pace. Shi Siming’s face turned pale and red alternately. Though he spoke harshly, he was indeed afraid that Tian Qianzhen might tell An Lushan. An Lushan would generally approve of such a thing, but on the condition that it not be done without permission. Since An Lushan was far away in Fanyang, Shi Siming didn’t have time to seek his approval. If Tian Qianzhen reported him, An Lushan might hold both old and new grievances against him, ruining his future.

Without time to think further, Shi Siming immediately wrote a letter and summoned a trusted subordinate, saying, “Take this letter to Fanyang at once and deliver it to Mr. Gao. Please, Mr. Gao, help me this time no matter what.”

After the messenger left, Shi Siming slammed his fist hard on the table, gritting his teeth and saying, “Tian Qianzhen, if you really dare to report me, just wait and see!”

……

At dawn the next day, the sound of drums resounded throughout the imperial city. The troops stationed there got up one after another, but the most eager were the twelve militia camps. Today was their big test day, and they were extremely nervous and excited. Perhaps because the impact wasn’t significant, no one mentioned the incident of arrows being shot at the various militia camps. A few officials from the Ministry of War who heard about it pretended not to know, fearing trouble for themselves.

As usual, as soon as the drums of the Jiangdu Camp sounded, the troops got up immediately to train. According to the drawing of lots the previous night, the Jiangdu Camp was the fourth to take action, followed by Li Siyue’s Shouchun Camp. The first to go was Li Guangbi’s Wujin Camp.

Inside the camp, five straw man targets were arranged in a row, with a trench about a person’s height dug beneath them. Several soldiers from Anxi ran back and forth carrying the straw man targets, requiring the soldiers to shoot at moving targets while moving at high speed.

One hundred soldiers shot from horseback from a distance of a hundred steps, in five rounds. Each soldier fired two arrows within a range of twenty steps—one to the left and one to the right. Li Qingan watched the training with a gloomy expression. These hundred men were carefully selected from five hundred others as the best performers—true elites, all tall and strong, capable of using five-stone bows and hitting targets from a hundred steps away.

The sound of arrows flying through the air and the stringing of bows echoed continuously. The hundred men moved like a revolving lantern, drawing arrows, drawing bows, and shooting one after another, round after round, without pause and without missing a shot. In just fifteen minutes, they completed all five rounds, firing a thousand arrows. Among them, three soldiers hit eight out of ten arrows, falling short of Li Qingan’s minimum standard.

At that moment, three soldiers were bowing their heads, receiving Li Qingan’s reprimand.

“You three, He Yingchuan, Liao Guozhi, and Luo Jiang—I remember your names. A month ago, you all hit every target during training and ranked among the top twenty. I don’t understand why you’re performing so poorly today, missing two shots each. Tell me, what’s the reason?”
None of the three dared speak. Li Qingan pointed at one of the young, valiant men and said, “He Yingchuan, you’re the brigade commander. Speak first!”
He Yingchuan stammered, “General, I’m a bit nervous. I wanted to hit the target so much that I ended up missing.”
The other two also said, “General, we’re nervous too. Thinking that His Majesty the Emperor is watching us shoot made us panic.”
Li Qingan shook his head. “Perhaps that’s part of it, but the other ninety-seven soldiers are equally nervous. Why didn’t they miss? I don’t think nervousness is the real reason. The real reason is that you’re too proud and complacent. Since you’ve always hit the targets, you’ve become overconfident. Let me tell you—if you can’t handle even this pressure, you’ll only ever be ordinary soldiers for life. But if you can overcome it, each of you can become a colonel or even a general. I’m not just encouraging you casually. I, Li Qingan, train you with the strictest methods. If you can pass the training, any position as a military officer will seem insignificant to you.”
“General, we understand. We won’t make any more mistakes.”
“Good! I’m looking forward to it.”
Li Qingan jumped onto a large rock and shouted to everyone, “Let today’s inspection allow His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to see the strongest archery unit in the world. Brothers, do you have the confidence?”
“Yes!” The hundred men roared in unison.
“Very good. I have even more confidence than you. Now go have breakfast. Eat until you’re full and regain your strength!”