Chapter 319: The First Signs of Crisis

The battle against the Tibetans in Anxi ended early. While Ge Shuhan was still besieging the remaining Tibetan forces at Xingxiu Fort, Li Qing’an was already inspecting the transport of the fourth batch of grain from the Great Tang to a place called Lihe Town along the Zhenzhu River. This was also the last batch of grain. From May to September, the large-scale grain shipments finally neared completion. In exchange for 30,000 prisoners of war, the Great Tang paid 2.5 million dan of grain to the Tang forces in Anxi. By the end of August, the exchange was complete, and all 30,000 prisoners were released. Most of the 2.5 million dan of grain was stored in Juzhanti and was being transported back to Suoye from there. By early September, half of the grain had been transported. According to the Tang forces’ plan, all the grain was to be brought back to Suoye before the rivers froze over at the end of the year.

This grain was loaded onto ships at Juzhanti, sailed upstream along the Zhenzhu River, and then transported via a tributary leading to Rehai to the large warehouses in Suoye. The junction of the Zhenzhu River and this tributary was Lihe Town—a low-lying hilly area covered in extensive forests. Before the Tang forces occupied Suoye, only a small number of Turks lived here. But as the Tang forces expanded westward and the importance of water transportation along the Zhenzhu River grew, this transit point gradually became more significant. In May, about 3,000 Han military households migrated here. They cultivated the land and built homes, quickly forming a new town. Since the tributary was called Lihe River, the town was named Lihe Town. Due to its strategic location, the Anxi forces recruited over 3,000 soldiers from these military households to station there permanently. An additional 1,000 soldiers were sent from Suoye, bringing the total to 4,000 soldiers, who formed the Lihe Army.

The commander of the Lihe Army was He Qiusheng, a young officer of just 28 years old, born into a military family in Anxi. Though young, he had eight years of military experience. He had originally been a soldier in Li Qing’an’s scout unit, participating in the battles of Xiaobolü and Shibao City. Later, he became Li Qing’an’s personal guard and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General for guarding Lihe Town. Besides him, there was another young official named Su Yi, also 29 years old, who served as the supervisor for the immigrants in Lihe Town. Su Yi was from Longyou, came from a poor family, and had previously been a clerk in a small county. This time, the imperial court selected 500 officials to assist with the resettlement of immigrants in Anxi, and he was chosen despite having no influential connections. The supervisor for immigrants was essentially responsible for establishing the new government. According to Suoye’s plan, Lihe Town would be upgraded to Lihe County in three years, and Su Yi would become its first county magistrate.

Perhaps it was because of their youth that the two officials—one military and one civil—got along fairly well. Today, Li Qing’an came to inspect the grain transportation in Lihe Town, and the two officials accompanied him. Along with Li Qing’an, there was also an inspector sent from the Anxi Surveillance Office to oversee the grain storage and transportation.

These days, Lihe Town has been especially bustling. With another batch of grain arriving, there were thousands of porters and boatmen aboard the ships. Nearly a thousand flat-bottomed boats loaded with grain were anchored along the shore, two hundred of which contained grain meant to be left in Lihe Town. To the north of the town, there were more than a dozen huge granaries capable of storing five hundred thousand dan of grain. Porters and boatmen were busy unloading the grain from the boats. As Li Qing’an walked past rows of carriages, he noticed He Qiusheng looking deeply preoccupied, as if hesitating to speak, seemingly wanting to say something to him. So he smiled and said, “If you have something on your mind, just say it! Don’t hold it in.”

He Qiusheng wasn’t very tall but was exceptionally strong. With a red face, he stammered, “General, I would like to be transferred away from here.”

“Why? Just now you said everything here was new and full of challenges. Why do you want to leave now?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.

“That was what he said. I didn’t say that.”

He Qiusheng glanced at Su Yi and said, “I find it boring here. I beg the general to transfer me to Beiting or Shule.”

“Why do you want to go to Shule?”

“I guess the general will attack Toharistan next. I want to earn merits there.”

“You’re quite perceptive! You actually knew I was going to attack Toharistan. But my answer might disappoint you. I won’t easily transfer a general unless there’s a special reason. Moreover, the Lihe Army has only been established for half a year. If I transfer you away, it will be very detrimental to its development.”

Seeing his disappointed expression, Li Qing’an smiled and pointed at the large granaries, saying, “You’ve been a veteran for eight years. You should know how important these granaries are. Apart from enemies from the north, any enemy attacking Suiye will first try to seize these granaries, and your Lihe Army will be at the forefront. You know well how strategically important Lihe Town is. Why do you think I assigned you to guard here? Have you thought about it? I won’t hide it from you—I considered it for a long time before assigning you here. You’ve been one of my trusted men for a while, and I can only feel at ease with you guarding here. But I never expected that you’d want to quit.”

At this point, Li Qingan’s tone gradually became stricter. “If you don’t want to do this, write me a written request, and I’ll assign someone else to guard here. If you want to stay and work here, then be vigilant at all times—never slack off! Do you hear me?”
He Qiusheng was filled with shame. In fact, he hadn’t thought about asking to be transferred at all. But a few days ago, he heard that Zhang Yongqing, who had similar seniority to him, had achieved great merits in the battle against Yutian and been promoted to general. This made him feel uneasy. When would he get a chance to make contributions here? Today, he had intended to ask for a transfer while Li Qingan was inspecting Lihe Town, but instead, he was harshly reprimanded by Li Qingan, leaving him too ashamed to say a word.
Seeing that he recognized his mistake, Li Qingan softened his tone and patted his shoulder. “I know you want to make achievements and start something new. I understand that, but your current responsibilities are also extremely important. If enemy spies sneak into the granary and set it on fire, hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain could be destroyed in an instant. That would be a fatal blow to Anxi. It’s because I know you can protect this warehouse that I chose you to guard here. Work hard, train more capable subordinates, and I will definitely give you a chance in the future.”
He Qiusheng, as the person involved, didn’t realize Li Qingan’s methods of managing subordinates, but the civil official Su Yi beside him was deeply moved. As a low-ranking official, it was his first time meeting the ruler of Anxi. While Li Qingan’s youth surprised him, his strictness and tolerance toward his subordinates moved Su Yi even more. Moreover, Li Qingan treated him kindly, recognizing his efforts and achievements without any need for flattery. This was completely different from his previous bosses, which made Su Yi want to serve Li Qingan wholeheartedly.
Su Yi had come to Anxi out of necessity, as he had no connections. To him, coming to Anxi was like being exiled, and he only planned to stay for a few years before trying to return. But the vitality and integrity of Anxi’s bureaucracy surprised him greatly, and many of its systems seemed fair. For example, he was ordered to build a town in Lihe, which was to be gradually developed into a county town within three years, while his term was five years. This meant he would be the first magistrate of Lihe County, giving him a great sense of achievement. Unlike before, when he would work hard to build the town only for someone else to become the magistrate once it was completed, it was this sense of achievement and fair system that motivated him to work hard. Today, after meeting Anxi’s highest ruler for the first time, he developed a strong desire to bring his wife and children to Anxi and serve it for the long term.

Perhaps this is the temperament of a leader—a temperament that can change those around him at any time, inspiring them and giving them faith. For Li Qing’an, this was an utterly ordinary thing, so ordinary that he wasn’t even aware of it, yet it changed Su Yi’s life forever.

At that moment, a warhorse rushed in from afar, and a cavalryman on horseback shouted, “General, an urgent message from Suiye!”

Seeing the cavalryman waving a red bamboo message tube, Li Qing’an was secretly shocked—this indicated an extremely urgent matter. He stepped forward quickly, took the tube from the soldier’s hands. The letter came from Suiye. Li Qing’an quickly opened it and took out the letter. He was stunned—it was a personal letter from the crown prince, Li Yu. After reading its contents, his eyes narrowed sharply, and his clenched fist crushed the letter into a ball.

The thing he had been worried about all along had finally arrived.

……

In Ganzhou, a group of over a dozen riders sped by, having left Zhangye far behind. The riders rushed forward without hesitation. At the front of the group was an eunuch, his face covered in dust, exhausted, but he couldn’t stop for even a moment—the mission he carried urged him to keep moving forward.

This eunuch, surnamed Xia, came from the Zhidaming Palace. His destination was Shazhou, thousands of miles away. He was ordered by Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty to deliver a secret decree to the Prince of Qing living in Shazhou. Of course, he wasn’t allowed to read the decree, but Li Longji’s repeated instructions when handing it to him made him realize its importance.

He dared not slack off in the slightest and kept riding fast. On the cliffs ahead, a fortress could be faintly seen.

“Eunuch Xia, let’s stay at the fortress for the night!” suggested Zhang, the guard escorting him, loudly. “Didn’t the troops in Zhangye say we’d better not travel at night? We might encounter bandits.”

Eunuch Xia looked at the sky. There was still some time before dusk, and they were not far from Shazhou—just five more days of travel.

“It’s too early to rest now. Let’s keep going. There should be a place to rest ahead.”

Refusing to rest, the eunuch forced the riders to continue. After another half hour of riding, the sky gradually darkened, but they still didn’t find a single household or tent. All around was vast grassland. They had a map and knew that about forty more miles ahead lay the border between Ganzhou and Suzhou, where an army called the Jiankang Army was stationed. But their horses were exhausted, snorting desperately.

“Eunuch Xia, we can still hold on a bit, but the horses can’t go on anymore. What should we do?”
Guard Commander Zhang’s tone carried a hint of resentment. They were all people accustomed to a comfortable life in the palace and had never endured such hardships. If they had listened to him earlier, they would have been eating and drinking by now. But Eunuch Xia was someone close to the emperor, so despite his dissatisfaction, he had to hold back.
Eunuch Xia also realized that the horses could no longer carry on. He felt some regret, but didn’t show it on his face. He glanced around through the curtain and suddenly noticed a dark mass in the northwest direction, seemingly a forest.
He immediately pointed and said, “Go rest there for two hours!”
The group rushed five miles in the northwest direction and indeed found a small pine forest standing alone in the grasslands of the Hexi Corridor. They had no intention of exploring further. With only a hundred or so pine trees, it seemed unlikely to hide any danger.
Everyone dismounted and entered the pine forest to find a place to rest. The forest provided natural beds with a thick layer of pine needles, dry and soft. The attendants were exhausted. After drinking a little water, eating some dry food, and hastily feeding the horses some grass and water, they fell into deep sleep.
Eunuch Xia was worried, constantly touching the item in his bosom—Li Longji’s secret order for this mission—fearing it might be damaged in any way.
By then, it was completely dark. The night wind grew stronger, howling through the pine forest and producing a strange sound like a woman’s moan, which was chilling. The grasslands were eerily silent, with dark clouds covering the sky, blocking out all stars. Under the oppressive clouds, the grasslands appeared desolate and lonely beyond description.
Although they were supposed to rest for two hours before continuing their journey, everyone was already exhausted. Even Eunuch Xia fell asleep. Suddenly, he sat up abruptly, awakened by a strange sound. He listened carefully and his expression changed slightly. He quickly pushed the guards beside him, “Wake up! Hurry!”
The group was awakened from their sleep, their eyes confused, not knowing what had happened.
“Listen, what’s that sound?”
Everyone fell silent, holding their breath. After a while, they jumped in shock. “It’s the sound of horse hooves—dense horse hooves. At least several hundred people are coming this way.”
Then, a group of dark figures appeared—indeed, a cavalry unit of at least three or four hundred men. They let out strange, shrill cries, like wolves spotting prey, charging toward the pine forest.
“Get on your horses and run! It’s bandits!”

The chief guard shouted urgently, and Eunuch Xia panicked. He tried several times to mount his horse but failed to grasp the stirrups. Eventually, two guards helped him onto the horse, and they rode away in haste. But it was too late—a arrow flew through the air and struck one of the guards in the back of the neck. With a scream, the soldier fell off his horse.

Everyone was terrified. Though they were part of the Imperial Guards, they all came from wealthy families and had always held great influence in Chang’an. Death was something far removed from them, but now someone had died, and they were so frightened that they scattered in all directions, leaving Eunuch Xia unattended. Survival was the priority now—the bandits were extremely fierce, pursuing them relentlessly and killing each guard one by one without sparing anyone. Eunuch Xia was also hit by an arrow in the back and fell off his horse.

At that moment, a burly bandit rushed forward, dismounted, and reached for the imperial edict that was partially visible in Eunuch Xia’s arms. Eunuch Xia was already dying. He clutched the edict tightly and said in a trembling voice, “This is an order from the Emperor! You must not touch it!”

No sooner had he spoken than the bandit leader plunged a knife into his heart. Eunuch Xia died with a scream. The bandit leader seized the edict, glanced at it, nodded, put it in his pocket, and waved his hand, saying, “Let’s go!”

Though they dressed like Qiang and Hu people, they spoke pure Mandarin. They loaded the bodies onto their horses and rushed north like a gust of wind, disappearing without a trace in moments.

…

A few days later, an imperial secret order from Li Longji appeared on Li Qing’an’s desk. By then, Li Qing’an had already arrived in Kucha from Suiye. News from Li Yu informed him that Li Longji had decided to appoint Prince Qing Cong as the governor of Anxi, while Li Qing’an would serve as the grand protector of Anxi, responsible only for administrative affairs and no longer in charge of military affairs. But Li Longji did not dare seize power openly; instead, he sent a secret order to Prince Qing, instructing him to contact the generals in Anxi to seize power when the time was right.

Li Qing’an had already obtained this secret order, and its contents shocked him greatly. Not only were they planning to take away his military authority, but they also intended to bring him back to Chang’an after seizing power.

“If the situation becomes urgent, execute him on the spot!”

That was the last sentence in Li Longji’s secret order. Li Longji actually wanted to kill him—more viciously even than he had dealt with Wang Zhongsì. After all, Wang Zhongsì and Huangfu Weiming were secretly executed a year after being exiled, but Li Longji didn’t even bother to maintain a pretense when dealing with Li Qing’an.

Li Qing’an couldn’t help but sneer. Everyone really thought Li Longji intended to keep him for the crown prince! Even Li Yu believed it—perhaps Li Longji had such plans before, but now he no longer did. He truly hadn’t wronged himself; Li Qing’an already had great ambitions. Yet, Li Longji wasn’t killing him because of his ambitions but to seize his woman. As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, how could he tolerate a subject taking away the woman he desired? That was his reason for killing him—simple as that. As the saying goes, “All under heaven are subjects.” What good were all Li Qing’an’s achievements if he couldn’t get the woman? Refusing to give her to him meant certain death.

At that moment, Yan Zhuang limped in quickly and said, “General, are you looking for me?”

Li Qing’an handed him the secret edict. “Take a look!”

Yan Zhuang scanned it hastily and his expression changed drastically. Though he had anticipated such a possibility, he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. The battle against Tubo had just ended, and Li Longji had already taken action.

“General, what… do you plan to do?” Yan Zhuang asked hesitantly, wanting to know if Li Qing’an was truly determined. Li Qing’an stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing outside for a long time. Though he didn’t want to face it, there was no way out now. Even if he fled to the west, the new Anxi Jiedushi would still capture him. Since Li Longji had resolved to kill him, there was no room for leniency.

“What else can I do now?” Li Qing’an asked bitterly. “I originally planned to keep waging wars to prevent him from making up his mind, but I underestimated his determination to kill me. Perhaps he wanted to kill me as soon as I arrived in Chang’an. Thankfully, Geshu Han saved my life.”

Yan Zhuang also sensed Li Qing’an’s resolve. Without further hesitation, he said, “General, don’t rush. Things aren’t at their worst yet. Since he sent the secret edict to Prince Qing, it means he’s still cautious. In that case, I have a plan that can buy you at least half a year.”

Li Qing’an turned around abruptly, delighted. “Please explain, sir!”

Yan Zhuang stroked his beard and smiled slyly. “The plan involves Prince Qing. The general might as well give him a fake imperial edict. Once he replies, alter his reply, saying the matter is confidential and progress has been made, so we shouldn’t alert him prematurely. Proceed slowly, then bring Prince Qing back to Kucha. This will show that Prince Qing is acting as ordered. With back-and-forth communication and the time it takes for Prince Qing to act, at least half a year will pass by. By then, the general will be well-prepared.”

“This plan is truly ingenious!”

Li Qingan clapped his legs in approval, but soon his brows furrowed as he felt some regret. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have had to kill the envoy. Now that the envoy was dead, how could he explain this?
Yan Zhuang understood Li Qingan’s thoughts. He smiled slightly and said, “This is easy to fix. Add a sentence to Prince Qing’s letter, saying he has no one around and left the guards and Eunuch Xia with him. Then have Bian Lingcheng send another letter, and this gap will be filled.”