Chapter 346: Li Yu’s Concerns

News of the Uyghurs’ raids on the borders reached Chang’an at the fastest speed, causing a great uproar among the officials and the public there, and sparking intense anger. A barbaric tribe that had only been supported by the Tang Dynasty a few years earlier had turned against them so quickly. Many officials submitted petitions to Li Longji, demanding severe punishment for those who were ungrateful. However, the Uyghurs’ raids also raised concerns among many people. It was an undeniable fact that there were few soldiers in Guanzhong and none in the Central Plains, and this situation could not be changed in just a day or two. Everyone hoped to maintain peace for some time before the chaos in the military system could be resolved. Yet, it was not a military governor who burst this bubble but the Uyghurs from the steppes. As a result, Li Longji convened an emergency court meeting in the Zichen Hall to discuss strategies for defending against the Uyghurs.

It is quite poignant that this was actually Li Longji’s first public appearance this year. Apart from major events and matters of his interest, he ignored all other court affairs, leaving them to his grandson Li Yu and Prime Minister Yang Guozhong. He himself indulged in sensual pleasures. Notably, the cold war between him and Yang Guifei showed no signs of improvement. Yang Guifei remained in the Taizhen Temple, while Li Longji, aside from favoring Wu Xianyi, became infatuated with two young beauties—Lu Feiyan from Hedong and Ye Sisi from the south—appointing them as concubines. Both were stunningly beautiful and skilled in seduction, capturing Li Longji’s heart completely despite his decades of promiscuity. By now, Li Longji had forgotten the vows he made at the Changchun Hall. Apart from occasionally encountering old belongings that reminded him of Yang Guifei, he had long thrown her aside, indulging in unrestrained lust for new lovers.

Of course, Li Longji wasn’t indifferent to everything; there were still some matters he paid close attention to, such as the situation involving Li Qing’an and the stripping of military power from other frontier governors. Since Li Qing’an was too far away, out of Li Longji’s reach, and had shown great assertiveness in deploying troops in Hexi, this made Li Longji somewhat wary of him. However, aside from Li Qing’an, he proceeded in an orderly manner with reducing the powers of the other military governors. The original intention of placing Prince Shou, Li Mao, in charge of Jingxiang was to oversee food and supplies, but soon Li Mao gathered the remaining troops from various military commands in Jingxiang, totaling over 30,000 soldiers, under the direct control of the Jingzhou Military Governor’s Office, with Li Mao as their commander. In Jiannan, Prince Ying, Li Liu, also succeeded in seizing some of Gao Xianzhi’s troops, bringing all areas north of Chengdu under his control. On the side of Longyou, Geshu Han, Prince Xiliang, Li Qian, also made progress smoothly. Appointed as the governor of Longyou and Shanzhou, he took advantage of Geshu Han’s losses in his campaigns against the Tubo to seize 30,000 troops from the Hehuang region.

Good news spread from various places, and at this point, Li Longji’s attention turned to Shuofang and Fanyang. Although he trusted An Lushan to some extent, for the sake of the Li dynasty, he had no choice but to sacrifice him. According to Li Longji’s plan, Li Wan, the Prince of Hedong and military governor there, was supposed to take on the role of military governor of Fanyang as well. However, Li Wan encountered minor difficulties in controlling military power and was unable to go to Fanyang, causing a slight setback to Li Longji’s plans. Just as Li Longji temporarily set aside the An brothers and planned to focus on seizing Geshu Han’s power in Longyou, news came of the Uyghurs invading from the south.

Upon hearing the news of the Uyghurs’ invasion, Li Longji was initially stunned, but he quickly regained his composure. The Uyghurs’ invasion wasn’t something to fear; on the contrary, it presented a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to seize the power of both An Sishun and Geshu Han at the same time.

Li Longji swiftly devised a thorough plan and, without drawing attention, convened an emergency court meeting to address the Uyghurs’ invasion. In the Zichen Hall, dozens of high-ranking officials sat in order according to their ranks. This was a temporary, small-scale court meeting, with the few prime ministers from the Political Affairs Hall and the key leaders from various provinces attending. The officials in the Zichen Hall discussed the situation fervently, most expressing hatred for the Uyghurs’ ingratitude. Yet many were also worried—with Guanlong left vulnerable, could the Uyghurs march all the way to Chang’an and severely harm their interests?

“Minister Zhang, I thought the Uyghurs were skilled in horseback riding and archery. If they ignore siege warfare and rely on plunder for sustenance, they might well march straight into Chang’an. We must be on guard!”

Chen Xilié was most worried. He had many wives, concubines, and descendants, as well as a vast fortune. He was afraid he wouldn’t have time to evacuate Chang’an. Zhang Yun smiled and reassured him, “Elder Chen, there’s no need to worry. Even if they come attacking as you say, they won’t be able to enter Guanzhong. Besides, we have the troops from the three military governorships of Shuofang, Longyou, and Hexi, plus nearly eighty thousand imperial guards in Guanzhong. Are our troops made of paper? To be honest, I’m not worried at all.”

“Minister Zhang is right. We indeed don’t need to worry.”

Wang Gong, who was standing nearby, interjected with a smile, “As far as I know, the Uyghurs have at most a hundred thousand troops. By sending eighty thousand of their soldiers southward this time, it means the steppes will be left unguarded. At that moment, Li Qing’an can launch an attack from the west, striking directly at their undefended stronghold. The Uyghurs should realize this as well. That’s why I say they won’t dare stay in the Central Plains for long and will return to the steppes soon.”

Wang Gong’s words put Chen Xilié at ease. He quickly bowed and said with a smile, “Thank you, Prime Minister Wang, for your guidance. Now I’m relieved.”

Suddenly, he heard a cold snort behind him. Turning around, he saw Yang Guozhong sitting at the head with a gloomy expression, saying nothing. Chen Xilié forced a laugh and said, “Prime Minister Wang is right! What do you think, Prime Minister Yang?”

Yang Guozhong glanced at him, his eyes filled with contempt—contempt for his short-sightedness, as if he were no different from those selfish merchants in the streets, and contempt for his lack of backbone. Having just lost his position as left prime minister to Wang Gong, he had already forgotten his great humiliation and was still addressing him as Prime Minister Wang. Of course, Yang Guozhong also harbored some resentment. In January, a servant had been killed in Chen Xilié’s household, and Wang Gong used this as evidence to accuse him, resulting in Chen Xilié being removed from his position as left prime minister and replaced by Wang Gong. With this, Wang Gong took control of the Menxia Province and constantly clashed with Yang Guozhong. Every order or decree issued by the Zhongshu Province was invariably rejected by the Menxia Province. Coupled with the support of the Eastern Palace faction, Yang Guozhong, as right prime minister, found it extremely difficult to proceed, which filled him with deep hatred toward Wang Gong, leading to a clear divide between them. The fact that Chen Xilié had just been friendly with Wang Gong further angered Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong snorted and ignored Chen Xilie. Chen Xilie hit a wall and looked extremely embarrassed; he also felt quite dissatisfied with Yang Guozhong. Ever since Yang Guifei was essentially confined to the cold palace, the status of the Yang family had plummeted, affecting Yang Guozhong as well. Many ministers no longer favored him, especially after Wang Gong was promoted to Left Prime Minister at the beginning of the year—clearly to counterbalance Yang Guozhong. Many, including Chen Xilie, believed Yang Guozhong could hold his position for at most another year or two. His abilities were poor, he tended to be domineering, and without any backing, how could the emperor allow him to remain in the important position of Right Prime Minister for so long? Chen Xilie no longer revered him as before; he even felt a hint of regret. If he hadn’t betrayed Li Linfu to join Yang Guozhong, it would be him who succeeded Li Linfu now, not Wang Gong. Full of remorse, he also grew even more disgusted with Yang Guozhong. Now that Yang Guozhong was showing him off, he secretly sneered and cursed in his heart, “Without the Guifei as his backing, he’s nothing but a clown. How dare he be rude to me!”

At that moment, the shouts of the guards came from the main hall, “His Majesty has arrived!”

Silence fell instantly in the Zichen Hall. Footsteps could be heard as Li Longji slowly entered through the side door. The ministers stood up together and bowed, saying, “We pay our respects to His Majesty!”

Li Longji sat down and waved his hand, saying, “This isn’t a formal court meeting. Everyone, relax. Stand up.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

The ministers sat down again. Many glanced at Li Longji in surprise. His hair and beard were completely white, and his skin was loose and dull. Though he was not yet seventy, he looked like an old man in his eighties. Some attentive officials even noticed that his imperial robe seemed unusually loose when he entered, and he clearly seemed shorter than before. It seemed true that the rumor that the emperor had become hunched was correct.

The officials sighed deeply. Just a few years ago, the emperor was full of energy and stride firm. In just a few years, he had aged so much. It was said that he indulged in pleasure every night without restraint, relying on medicine to sustain his strength. Many ministers lamented, guessing that the emperor wouldn’t live much longer. Fortunately, with the crown prince, the Tang dynasty could still continue.

Although Li Longji did not have a hunchback, he was indeed a bit stooped, but this was his greatest taboo—anyone who dared mention it would be immediately killed. As soon as he sat down, he suddenly felt dizzy. Recently, this dizziness had become increasingly severe; even taking a few extra steps would make him feel the world spinning. Without the advice of his imperial physicians, he knew the problem lay with those love-inducing fragrances, yet he could no longer do without them. One night, he tried stopping taking them and felt so miserable he thought he might die. He got up in the middle of the night to take the medicine, needing three doses at once to see any effect. He also sent people to ask An Lushan, who brought a box of something resembling an antidote, but it was completely ineffective.

Li Longji was filled with fear, and the more afraid he became, the more he avoided doctors and medicine. If the imperial physicians said even a slightly negative thing, he would immediately order them beaten. Now, not even he knew what would happen in the end.

Li Longji closed his eyes for a long time before the dizziness gradually subsided. When he opened his eyes and saw all his ministers looking at him, he said unhappily, “Let’s begin.”

He gathered his thoughts and continued, “Today, I have summoned all of you to discuss the Hui people’s invasion from the south. This matters to the safety of thousands of people in Longyou. I hope you can come up with a practical and effective plan.”

He glanced at Yang Guozhong and said, “Prime Minister Yang, you may begin.”

Yang Guozhong stood up and said to Li Longji cheerfully, “Your Majesty, on my way to the Zichen Hall, I received news sent by messenger pigeons from Jiuyuan. The Hui people were defeated in their attack on Jiuyuan and are now blocked outside the city, unable to advance southward for now.”

Li Longji perked up—this was good news. He had been worried about his younger son, Li Qi. It seemed Li Qi hadn’t disappointed him. He quickly asked, “Where is the message from the messenger pigeon? Show it to me at once.”

A eunuch stepped forward carrying a golden tray with a messenger pigeon inside, presenting the letter to Li Longji. He quickly opened it and saw a few simple lines: “The Prince of Bian took the lead, boosting morale. The veteran general Guo Ziyi commanded effectively, defeating the attacking Hui forces. Thousands of enemies were killed outside Jiuyuan City.”

Li Longji nodded. He certainly knew the value of his son. What mattered most was this Guo Ziyi—truly a veteran who showed his skills at a critical moment. It was even more remarkable that he was willing to assist his son, allowing him to gain experience in war. Guo Ziyi was someone worth using.

In that instant, Li Longji made up his mind: after dismissing An Sishun, he could make use of this Guo Ziyi.

He put down the pigeon message and smiled at everyone, saying, “The Uyghurs overestimated their strength, thinking that since our Tang Dynasty had no one capable of fighting, just one city like Jiuyuan would be enough to teach them a harsh lesson. It really gave me a false alarm.” Everyone also breathed a sigh of relief—this was the best outcome. They hoped the Uyghurs would learn their limits and stop being so audacious. But Emperor Li Longji was very clear-headed. He stood up and said, “Your Majesty, your servant has something to say.”

Li Longji greatly favored this Changsun. So far, he was very satisfied with him. Although he had provoked a conflict between the Central Secretariat and the Lower Secretariat, most of the court’s decisions could still be implemented. The key lay in Changsun’s ability to coordinate, ensuring that court affairs wouldn’t come to a halt due to the rivalry between Yang Guozhong and Wang Gong. In this way, he could confidently entrust the country to Changsun in the future.

Smiling, he nodded and said, “Speak then!”

Li Yu bowed to his imperial grandfather and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty!” Then he bowed to the ministers and said, “Ministers, I don’t think it’s surprising that the Uyghurs were defeated at Jiuyuan. They are good at cavalry battles, but sieging cities is not their strength. It’s normal for them to lose; it would be strange if they didn’t. What worries me isn’t Jiuyuan. I believe the Uyghurs definitely won’t waste time there. They’re likely to abandon Jiuyuan and head south toward Lingzhou, catching Lingzhou off guard. I even fear they might not attack Lingzhou at all but instead march straight south to plunder Longyou. Therefore, we must send troops to deal with them.”

As soon as Li Yu finished speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. A guard shouted loudly, “Urgent military news!” Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned outside. A guard rushed in, holding an urgent military report: “The Uyghurs have bypassed Jiuyuan and moved south along the Yellow River toward Lingzhou. They defeated the army led by An Sishun at Dingyuan City. The three counties of Huaiyuan, Anjing, and Ningwu have been lost. Lingzhou is under siege, and the situation is extremely critical.”

Silence filled the hall as everyone looked at each other. The previously favorable situation had suddenly reversed. After reading the report, Li Longji’s expression turned extremely dark. That damned An Sishun—despite having insufficient troops, he still insisted on fighting the Uyghurs, resulting in nearly half of his troops being lost and putting them in this difficult position. His crimes were unforgivable. But it was good news—this provided an excuse to remove him from his position as military governor.

Li Longji threw the report onto the ground angrily and ordered, “Pass my decree: An Sishun shall be immediately removed from his position as military governor of Shuofang and reassigned as governor of Lingzhou to defend the city and atone for his sins. Guo Ziyi, the current governor of Jiuyuan, shall temporarily take over as military governor of Shuofang.”

Here, Li Longji did not directly appoint Li Qi, the Prince of Bian, as the military governor, as that would have too clearly shown an attempt to seize power. He needed to take a roundabout approach, first using Guo Ziyi as a shield. Initially, he had intended to discuss the matter with his ministers, but now he was impatient. After a brief pause, he issued another decree: “Pass another order from me: Li Qi, the deputy military governor of Longyou and the governor of Shanzhou, is to lead 60,000 troops from Longyou northward immediately to support Lingzhou. Another 10,000 troops from Liangzhou shall also head northward, all under Li Qi’s command—no delay is permitted.” Once Li Longji issued this decree, everyone understood his true intention. In the battle against the Tubo, the 140,000 troops of the Longyou and Hexi military regions suffered heavy losses; including the wounded, only about 100,000 remained. Li Qi took away 70,000 elite troops at once, leaving only the old, weak, and wounded for Geshu Han. As a result, Geshu Han lost all military power. By taking advantage of the Uyghurs’ invasion from the south, Li Longji seized the military authority of both military governors. Even if Geshu Han retained his position as military governor for now, it meant little. Li Yu moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing and sighed inwardly. … The court meeting ended. What should have been a joint discussion to devise strategies was ultimately decided by Li Longji’s own plan. The proposals of Wang Gong and Zhang Yun were not even presented. Everyone knew that Li Longji wasn’t really concerned about defeating the Uyghurs; his only concern was seizing power. At this point, no one dared to undermine his plans, so they could only sigh in silence and disperse. In his study, Li Longji was in high spirits, proud of his clever tactics. Yet he wasn’t satisfied and was thinking about his next move—whom to target next. After much consideration, the only one who could be used to seize power through this Uyghur invasion was An Lushan. In fact, Li Qingan could also be involved, but he was too far away to control. How could he get An Lushan to hand over his troops willingly? Li Longji lay half-reclined on the couch, deep in thought. At that moment, a eunuch quietly reported, “Your Majesty, the imperial grandson requests an audience.” Li Longji smiled and said, “Let him in!” Moments later, Li Yu was led in by the eunuch. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, “I pay my respects to my imperial grandfather!” Li Longji glanced at him and smiled, “In the main hall, I saw you hesitating, as if you wanted to say something but were afraid to. Don’t be afraid; I won’t blame you. You may speak now.”

Li Yu fell silent for a moment before whispering, “Your grandson is very worried that Uncle 29 is not good at fighting. The reinforcements he led from Longyou were defeated by the Uyghurs, and at that time, the situation in Longyou and Guanzhong was truly critical.”
This was not just Li Yu’s concern; all the high-ranking officials were worried about such a terrible outcome. Li Qi was only twenty years old—could he truly lead an army of 70,000? He had no combat experience whatsoever, let alone any experience dealing with nomadic cavalry. If he failed, Chen Xili’s fears would indeed become reality. After discussing it privately for a long time, the ministers went to Li Yu and pleaded with him to persuade the emperor.
Li Yu was equally worried. The Uyghur army moved like the wind; in battles of offense and defense, the Tang army could still hold its own, but in open-field cavalry battles, the Tang army was likely no match.
If it were anyone else, Li Longji wouldn’t listen to a word, but he had no choice but to listen to Li Yu’s words—after all, the empire had to be passed on to the Li family.
Li Longji pondered for a long time. He had to admit there was a possibility—Li Qi was indeed too young. Perhaps the Uyghurs could succeed with a single night raid. If that happened, the situation would become dangerous.
“Then does the imperial grandson have any good strategies?”
“Your grandson suggests sending Li Qingan to launch an attack from Beiting, straight at the Uyghurs’ stronghold. That way, there would be no need for such great effort, and the Uyghurs would naturally withdraw.”
Li Longji stared at the ceiling, silent for a long time. Of course, he knew sending Li Qingan from Beiting was the best solution. But if he did that, would he still have a chance to seize the military power from Geshu Han and An Sishun? No! He absolutely could not accept this suggestion.
Suddenly, Li Yu knelt down, covered his face, and wept, “Since your grandfather made the imperial grandson the crown prince, why do you still let the imperial uncles command powerful armies outside? Have you forgotten the Rebellion of the Seven Kings in the Han Dynasty or the Struggle for the Throne among the Eight Kings in the Jin Dynasty?”