Chapter 370: The World Divided into Six Parts

The words on the letter were scribbled in a messy manner. Even an experienced warrior like Guo Ziyi could tell that Li Qing’an’s handwriting was poor—many children aged seven or eight wrote better than him. Guo Ziyi couldn’t help but sigh slightly. What good was this? He had witnessed Li Qing’an’s tactics firsthand: hiding silently in the shadows, striking at the moment when he hadn’t arrived yet and the Hedong army had already begun crossing the river, seizing control of them in one swift move. There was only one hour for this opportunity, yet Li Qing’an made full use of it, wasting not a moment—even including writing this letter to steady himself. This filled Guo Ziyi with deep admiration. He had once sent a letter asking his old subordinate Li Guangbi to return to Shuofang, but Li Guangbi replied that he preferred to serve Li Qing’an. At first, Guo Ziyi didn’t understand, but now he did. Li Qing’an’s ability to seize opportunities was beyond anyone else’s reach. Not to mention that he had controlled 40,000 troops with just 2,000 cavalry. If he hadn’t made prior arrangements, it could only mean his reputation far surpassed his own. Reputation! Guo Ziyi sighed.
“The old general wishes to preserve the Hedong army—Qing’an admires him. Qing’an also wishes to emulate the old general’s kindness and righteousness, using the Hedong army for the crown prince…”
At this point, Guo Ziyi knew there was no need to read on. He had his own sense of righteousness, and so did Li Qing’an. Both were using the name of the emperor, only to see whose voice would be louder.
“Pass my order! The army withdraws.”
Guo Ziyi turned his horse around. He couldn’t help but glance back at Menshan County. He really wanted to talk to Li Qing’an—someday!
…
Li Qing’an stood on the city wall, watching from afar as Guo Ziyi’s army left. A sense of admiration arose in his heart. He knew Guo Ziyi had given up competing with him for control of the Hedong army not because he was afraid of him—Guo Ziyi wasn’t afraid at all. If Menshan County was besieged for three or five days, the starving Hedong army would surrender. Guo Ziyi didn’t want the Tang army to fight among itself and preferred to hand over the Hedong army to him. That was the demeanor of a great general. Of course, there was also a matter of human relations, and Li Qing’an could see Guo Ziyi’s worldly cunning.
“That cunning old fox!” Amidst his admiration, he couldn’t help but curse Guo Ziyi lightly.
“Let me go! You bastards! Do you know who I am? I am the Right Prime Minister of the Great Tang!”

A burst of angry shouts suddenly came from behind. Li Qing’an turned around abruptly and saw several bodyguards leading a man forward—it was Yang Guozhong, the Right Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty. He was dressed in tattered clothes of a peasant, with unclean coal dust on his face. The captors had tied him with an ox rope, his hands bound behind his back as he struggled desperately, looking quite pitiful.

Yang Guozhong had escaped from Prince Rong’s camp three days earlier. In his view, Prince Rong was no longer on the same path as him, and dying with him was something he would never do. So he planned to flee back to the capital. At first, Prince Rong kept a tight watch on him, leaving him no chance. But as Prince Rong became preoccupied with other matters, his supervision loosened, giving Yang Guozhong an opportunity. He hid inside a grain cart and escaped. Not daring to return directly to the capital, he took refuge in Menshan County, renting a small house and staying there, hoping to enter the capital calmly once things settled. Unexpectedly, today, 40,000 soldiers from Hedong rushed into the county, looting grain everywhere and taking away the money he had prepared to use on his journey back. In anger, he revealed his true identity and was captured by the soldiers.

It was then that Yang Guozhong realized the man standing before him was none other than his old rival, Li Qing’an. He suddenly fell silent, his mouth wide open in shock. “How could it be you?”

Li Qing’an glanced at Yang Guozhong and smiled slightly. “If you go to the capital like this, walking on the streets, I doubt anyone will believe you’re the Right Prime Minister.”

He waved his hand. “Unbind him!”

The bodyguards untied Yang Guozhong. He stretched his body slightly. Just as he was about to scold them, Li Qing’an spoke first with a smile, “The soldiers are inexperienced. Seeing a peasant pretending to be Prime Minister Yang, they thought they should punish him severely and then bring him in as proof. Prime Minister Yang, they’re actually protecting your reputation!”

“This…” Yang Guozhong touched his swollen, bruised face and couldn’t speak.

“Someone! Bring a chair for the Prime Minister to sit on, and pour him a cup of tea.”

After drinking some hot tea, Yang Guozhong regained a bit of his composure as a prime minister. He sighed sadly and said, “It seems the Emperor won’t pull through this time. It’s been almost twenty days, and he’s still unconscious. Alas! The Tang Dynasty is in trouble.”

“The Tang Dynasty still has an heir, so it won’t be in trouble. But it seems Prime Minister Yang might be in trouble.”

Yang Guozhong’s heart skipped a beat. Stammering, he asked, “General, what do you mean by that?”

Li Qing’an smiled and changed the subject, saying, “I’d like to ask Prime Minister Yang—where do you wish to go now? Back to the capital, or to Hedong, Chengdu, or Xiangyang?”
Yang Guozhong fell silent, lowering his head in silence. Li Qing’an smiled faintly again and said, “Prime Minister Yang, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not asking about your stance. I just want to send someone to escort you, so I need to know where you’re going.”
Yang Guozhong remained silent for a long time before sighing deeply and saying, “Then let’s return to Chang’an!”
……
In Fulu County, Li Heng opened the letter given to him by Li Qing’an with a blank expression. He was slightly dissatisfied that Guo Ziyi had let go of the 40,000 troops from Hedong so easily, but he suppressed this dissatisfaction. Li Heng was not a magnanimous person—he was heartless, vengeful, and held grudges for years. Even after Li Linfu’s death, he refused to pardon him, and it was only later that he settled old scores, including with Li Qing’an. Although Li Qing’an had once been loyal to him, and when he was abandoned by everyone, only Li Qing’an remained loyal, he couldn’t remember any of this. He only remembered that Li Qing’an had once disobeyed his orders.
Like now—Li Qing’an having seized the 40,000 troops from Hedong greatly angered him. Li Heng slowly unfolded the letter and skimmed through it.
“Dear Prince Yong, Guanzhong is defenseless. An Lushan intends to seize the imperial temples and has sent 100,000 troops to Tongguan. Concerned for the heir apparent, I traveled thousands of miles to stop An Lushan at Tongguan. Now that the throne in Chang’an is vacant, many are eyeing it. I hope Prince Yong will return to Chang’an as soon as possible to support the heir apparent, as this is what everyone hopes for.”
Li Heng’s expression changed slightly. He was unaware of An Lushan’s attack on Tongguan. He had also been worried about Guanzhong’s vulnerability, but he had held out hope that nothing might happen there. Compared to that, recruiting Ge Shuhan seemed far more important to him. He never expected trouble to actually arise in Guanzhong.
Li Heng’s expression shifted several times before he folded the letter, pondered for a moment, and ordered, “Pass my orders to General Guo—leave 20,000 troops to defend Shuofang, and the rest must return to Chang’an immediately!”
……
In May of the 12th year of Tianbao, Prince Yong Li Heng led 100,000 troops back to Chang’an. Along with him came Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty, who had been unconscious for nearly 20 days. At that time, Yang Guozhong also shamelessly returned to Chang’an. His reason was simple—he had been forced by Prince Rong and barely escaped. To impress the heir apparent, he wrote a lengthy 10,000-word memorial detailing his own escape and the hardships he endured. Of course, at the end of the memorial, he didn’t forget to stir emotions: to support the heir apparent’s ascension, he would even crawl back to Chang’an.

Li Yu generously forgave him, still suggesting that he be appointed as the Right Prime Minister, and rewarded him with a thousand strings of silver to acknowledge his loyalty. After all, the Yang faction was still the most powerful group in the court, and it was not yet time to turn against them. Yang Guozhong’s loyalty to him was enough to offset Zhang Yun’s opposition.

Inside the Eastern Palace, Li Yu barely slept all night, too excited and agitated to fall asleep. His father’s return with a hundred thousand troops finally settled matters regarding his ascension to the throne, eliminating any further uncertainties.

He personally brought a cup of tea, knelt respectfully in front of his father, and offered it to him with both hands, saying, “Please, Father, have some tea!”

Li Heng took the cup, took a sip, and smiled, saying, “Are you worried that I won’t hand over military power to you?”

“I dare not, I’ve never had such worries.”

“Hmm! It’s right that you don’t worry. After going through so much, I’ve long lost interest in power and official careers. If it weren’t for you, I would never have gone through such hardship in Shuofang for over half a month.”

“I understand. I thank Father for caring for me.”

Li Heng was somewhat satisfied with his son’s attitude. He took out a tiger talisman, the token used to command the troops in Guanzhong, which had been in Li Longji’s hands before falling into his own.

He placed the tiger talisman on the table and said in a solemn tone, “I’m officially handing over the tiger talisman to you. But you still have too few troops. You need at least three hundred thousand soldiers to protect your throne. You can’t trust anyone but me. Remember that?”

“I will keep Father’s words firmly in mind.”

“If you remember, then I’ll endure another two years of hard work to recruit troops for you. I do this because of the lesson learned from Li Qing’an’s recruitment efforts—everyone has their own selfish motives. In war, it’s still best to have troops loyal to both father and son. I think you understand this.”

Although Li Yu was reluctant, he had no choice. His father meant well; how could he refuse?

“I’m just worried about Father’s health.”

“My health is fine. This time at Qinggang Ridge, I even led the troops in battle myself. To be honest, I even think about becoming a military governor, haha!”

Li Yu could only agree, “Then I must trouble Father to work harder.”

Li Heng nodded. “Very well! Take care of yourself. I’ll be leaving now.”

After saying that, Li Heng cast one last reluctant glance at the tiger talisman before getting up and leaving.

Li Yu remained kneeling on the ground. Only after his father left did he stand up and quickly take the tiger talisman from the table. Narrowing his eyes, he examined the talisman greedily. Military power—now he truly understood its importance. Guanzhong was defenseless; without Li Qing’an, he would likely already be An Lushan’s puppet. It was precisely because he had no troops at his disposal that he now grasped why his grandfather had insisted on taking back the military power from the various regional governors. A weak central authority and strong regional forces were indeed a serious problem.

At that moment, Gao Lishi entered, bowed, and said, “Is Your Highness the Crown Prince looking for this old servant?”

Gao Lishi was now extremely aged, his back slightly hunched, with silver hair all over his head. He had always lived in the Eastern Palace, but Li Yu rarely sought him out. On one hand, it was because he had once been his grandfather’s confidant; on the other hand, Li Yu opposed eunuchs interfering in politics. He would consult Li Mi on any matters and almost ignored Gao Lishi.

But today, he needed Gao Lishi. He wanted to hear his advice on ascending to the throne.

“Uncle, you are an elder of our dynasty and have witnessed my grandfather’s ascension. Therefore, I would like to ask you for advice. Some ministers have already submitted petitions urging me to ascend the throne. How should I respond?”

“Your Highness’s ascension is the common wish of all. This old servant has little to say, but I have three suggestions for your consideration.”

“Please speak, Uncle!” Li Yu sat down, completely ignoring Gao Lishi, who stood there looking strained.

Gao Lishi slowly said, “The first suggestion is that Your Highness should not rush to accept the throne. You must delay it. Back then, the Emperor delayed accepting the abdication of the Retired Emperor three times. Your Highness must adopt this same attitude. As for how many times to delay, that is up to you to decide.”

Li Yu nodded. This was a good suggestion he could accept. He then asked, “What about the second suggestion?”

“The second suggestion is that Your Highness should quickly solidify your position on the throne. Towards foreign tribes and princes, adopt a compromising strategy and avoid starting wars easily. Otherwise, if you take action before your throne is firmly established, it may cause some ministers to become disloyal and upset the common people, reducing public recognition of your legitimacy.”

This suggestion was the same as what Li Mi had said—first endure to secure the throne, then gradually consider reducing the power of the regional lords. Li Yu nodded and asked, “What about the third suggestion?”

“The third suggestion of this old servant is that Your Highness should not rush into reforms. Many reforms will touch the interests of powerful groups, such as land consolidation. If you rashly target land issues, you will surely offend the entire imperial clan, which will be very detrimental to you. I suggest that stability comes first—stabilize the situation for a few years before planning further actions.”

“I already have my own considerations; there’s no need for Uncle to worry about it.”
Li Yu wasn’t very agreeable with this. Having served as regent for a year, he was well aware of the dire situation in the Tang Dynasty—taxes were exorbitant, the people lived in misery, yet the court lacked funds and provisions. This was largely due to a sharp decline in the number of taxpayers while military expenses soared. With such a disparity, how could the court’s finances not be strained? The annual salaries of court officials had been unpaid for two years. If they didn’t find a way to resolve the financial crisis, where would he get the money to recruit soldiers? Earlier attempts to recruit 20,000 soldiers ended up benefiting Li Qing’an instead. Li Yu was utterly helpless—the court simply couldn’t afford it. Since Li Qing’an provided the money and food, it was only natural that he would take control of the army.
Therefore, after deciding to ascend the throne, Li Yu resolved to start by reforming the tax system to quickly address the shortage of revenue. As for land consolidation, it was the root of all evils. Li Yu vowed to reverse its deterioration within three years.
Seeing that Li Yu seemed dissatisfied with his third point, Gao Lishi secretly sighed. Not wanting to say more, he said, “Your Highness, I am old now and fear I can no longer serve you. I earnestly ask you to allow me to accompany the Emperor so that I may fulfill my last duty as his servant.”
“Alright, I approve it.”
Li Yu had no lingering feelings for Gao Lishi. He immediately granted his request, allowing Gao Lishi to accompany the unconscious Li Longji.
…
As the imperial physicians confirmed that Li Longji had no hope of waking up, more and more officials submitted petitions to the government hall, demanding that the crown prince ascend the throne. The calls grew louder, and even various royal families in Chang’an expressed support for the crown prince. The government hall held another meeting, and this time, it passed the resolution unanimously.
Yang Guozhong led the ministers to the Eastern Palace to ask Li Yu to ascend the throne, but Li Yu politely declined their request, tears in his eyes, saying, “With my ancestor still alive, what merits or abilities do I have to dare take charge of the realm?”
Upon hearing this, the ministers were deeply moved. They knelt again in the Eastern Palace, pleading with Li Yu to ascend the throne. “If the crown prince refuses, what will become of the people?”
Li Yu still refused. After three such attempts, he still refused the throne. Finally, when thousands of ministers knelt in prayer at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Li Yu relented. He agreed to stay by his ancestor’s bedside for three days before ascending the throne. Three days later, Li Yu knelt at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, accepted the responsibility for the Tang Dynasty, officially ascended the throne in the Hanyuan Hall, changed the era name to Dali, issued a general amnesty, honored the late emperor’s concubine Yang as Empress Dowager Wen’an and invited her to live permanently in Huaqing Palace. At the same time, he appointed his principal consort Shen as empress and his secondary consort Cui as concubine. His eldest son was made crown prince, his father Li Hen was titled Emperor Emeritus, and his grandfather Li Longji was titled Emperor Ancestor Emeritus. Xingqing Palace was designated as Li Longji’s retreat for recuperation.

On the day of his ascension, Li Yu rewarded those who had contributed to his rise to power by appointing Li Qingan as Grand Marshal and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. He also agreed to Li Qingan’s request to relocate 40,000 troops from Hedong to Gansu and Suzhou provinces. As a member of the imperial family, Li Qingan was further granted the title of King of Zhao, with 2,000 households under his control. The Imperial Clan Registry officially recorded his name, recognizing him as a descendant of the hidden crown prince.

The other ministers retained their positions. After consultation with the Council of State, it was decided to expand the council to 11 members. Pei Min, Vice Minister of Revenue, and Linghu Fei, Vice Minister of Personnel, both joined the council. Li Qingan’s father-in-law, Dugu Haoran, was also given an important role, replacing Zhang Jun’s brother Zhang Jie as Minister of Rites, while Zhang Jie was reassigned as Minister of Hospitality.

Regarding the regional princes, An Lushan was promoted to Governor of Hedong, with his other titles unchanged. Ge Shu Han was granted the title of General of the Cavalry, with equal status to the three highest officials in the empire, and 1,000 households under his control. His son was appointed as Deputy Minister of Justice. Guo Ziyi was made Governor of Shuofang, General of Champions, and Tutor to the Crown Prince, while Gao Xianji became Tutor to the Crown Prince’s son.

In the imperial edict addressing the regional princes, Li Yu only mentioned three of them: Li Lin, Prince of Yong, who was appointed Governor of Yangzhou and later reappointed as King of Wu; Li Mao, Prince of Shou, who was appointed Governor of Jingzhou and later reappointed as King of Jing; and Li Liu, Prince of Ying, who was appointed Governor of Yizhou and later reappointed as King of Shu. This was a compromise on Li Yu’s part.

Nevertheless, the three princes showed no gratitude. They neither thanked Li Yu nor recognized his ascension, instead remaining silent as a form of resistance.

From then on, the Tang Dynasty was effectively divided into six major powers: Li Lin, King of Wu, in the southeast; Li Mao, King of Jing, in central-southern China; Li Liu, King of Shu, in the southwest; An Lushan and Li Qingan, who enjoyed high degrees of autonomy; and the central imperial court. The Tang Dynasty entered an era of turbulent regional separatism.