Chapter 387: A Terrifying Experience in Zhangye

In mid-September, the first cold wave of winter swept across the Hexi Corridor. The land became desolate, with heavy snowfall in the higher elevations, making it extremely difficult for merchants to travel.
That morning, a group of cavalry rode through the Yanzi Mountain Gorge and arrived at Qilian City. An old general spurred his horse up a high slope and looked into the distance at Qilian City through the curtain. Seeing a herd of warhorses galloping past the city, he laughed heartily, “Who would have thought that I, Guo Ziyi, would end up herding horses in Hexi?”
His humorous remark made his attendants laugh as well. Cheng Qianli, the deputy commander of Shuofang who accompanied Guo Ziyi, said with a smile, “General, if you have time, go visit Anxi. Its vast grasslands are the perfect place for herding horses!”
Cheng Qianli also faced many hardships. Unable to stay in Anxi, he was forced to return to the capital and remain idle. Later, recommended by Li Yu, he was appointed as the deputy commander of Hedong. However, Li Wan, the then commander of Hedong, disliked him and sidelined him, rendering his position nominal. When An Lushan seized control of Hedong, he tried to win Cheng Qianli over, but since Cheng refused to serve An Lushan, he abandoned his post and fled back to Chang’an. This act won him the favor of the new emperor, Li Yu, who reappointed him as the deputy commander of Shuofang. This time, Guo Ziyi was sent to Hexi on a special mission, and Li Yu specifically instructed him to bring Cheng Qianli along.
Hearing Cheng Qianli talk about Anxi, Guo Ziyi sighed, “I’m already old. I’m afraid I won’t have another chance to go to Anxi in my lifetime.”
“I don’t think so,” Cheng Qianli replied. He glanced around, then lowered his voice and said, “If General can successfully regain control of the troops in Hexi this time, I believe the emperor will send you to lead an army into Anxi sooner or later.”
“That’s nonsense!” Guo Ziyi glanced at him disapprovingly. “The emperor has no such intention, and we have no reason to attack Anxi.”
“But…” Before he could continue, Guo Ziyi waved his hand to stop him. “General Cheng, there’s one thing I hope you understand: Li Qing’an’s army in Anxi is the western wall of the Tang Dynasty. I don’t want that wall to fall unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
With that, he spurred his horse and rushed toward Qilian City. Cheng Qianli watched his retreating figure and sighed silently, muttering to himself, “General, there are things that neither you nor I can decide.”
……
Night covered Zhangye City. The cold moonlight filtered through the thin clouds, casting a faint glow over the land and making Zhangye appear even colder and more desolate.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves came from afar. A group of cavalry appeared on the road in the distance, speeding toward the city gates. The leading officer waved and shouted, “I am General Luo Zhengyi. I have urgent military matters to discuss with General Meng Yun.”

The guards on the city walls were Meng Yun’s troops. Seeing that it was Luo Zhengyi coming in the darkness, they immediately opened the gates, and the cavalry rushed into Zhangye City.

Inside the headquarters of the Hexi camp, the lights were still on. Li Fei Shouyu could not sleep all night. He already knew that Guo Ziyi was going to Hexi as an official in charge of stables. He had also received more complex intelligence than that from Suiye: Geshu Han’s troops had withdrawn from Liangzhou, and now 20,000 troops from Shuofang were stationed there. Additionally, 10,000 troops from Longyou had arrived in Dadaobagu. This meant that the Shuofang and Longyou troops had united, making the situation even more complicated.

Li Fei Shouyu was now in a dilemma. Anxi had extremely strict rules for troop movements. Apart from the personal guards of each general, any troop force of over a hundred men required the signature and seal of Anxi’s commander-in-chief, Li Qing’an. If he moved the troops away from Ganzhou without permission, it would be the most serious offense under Anxi’s laws, punishable by execution. Of course, if the situation was critical, he was willing to take that blame to save the troops.

But if the troops withdrew from Hexi, it would mean surrendering Hexi outright, and the corridor for Anxi’s troops to enter the Central Plains would disappear as well—with equally serious consequences. Whether to save the troops or the territory left Li Fei Shouyu in a difficult choice.

Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside the door. One of his personal guards reported, “General, an urgent message from Suiye!”

Li Fei Shouyu was overjoyed and said urgently, “Bring it in right away!”

The guard entered and handed over a red pigeon message. Li Fei Shouyu opened it and was slightly stunned. The message was short, stating that the situation was critical and ordering him to withdraw the troops back to Anxi immediately. At the bottom of the message were the official seal of the Suiye government hall, along with the signatures of Wang Changling, Duan Xiushi, and Yan Zhuang. But at the very bottom was also the signature of Princess Du Gu Mingyue, the wife of the Prince of Zhao.

Li Fei Shouyu slowly put down the pigeon message. As far as he remembered, this was the first time the princess had signed her name publicly. To some extent, this was indeed interference in Anxi’s military affairs. But Li Fei Shouyu knew that the princess would never interfere in Anxi’s internal affairs, especially since she was pregnant at the time. Since Li Qing’an was not in Anxi, it could only mean the situation was extremely urgent.

With the princess’s signature, Li Fei Shouyu hesitated no longer. He immediately ordered, “Call Meng Yun here right away.”

The 40,000 troops currently stationed in Hexi are the Hedong Army that Li Qing’an had gathered just a few months ago. Due to the short time elapsed, Li Qing’an was still unable to replace the Hedong Army’s generals and continued to appoint them as commanders. The 40,000 Hedong Army troops were stationed in Ganzhou, Suzhou, and Guazhou. Among them, Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi each commanded 20,000 troops stationed in Ganzhou, while Wu Yong commanded 20,000 troops in Suzhou and Guazhou respectively.

Of the three Hedong generals, Wu Yong had the largest force, Meng Yun had the most elite troops, while Luo Zhengyi had the smallest and weakest army.

The 10,000 troops defending Zhangye at present were Meng Yun’s subordinates. Meng Yun was the oldest of the three Hedong generals, around 45 or 46 years old. He had served in the Hedong Army for over twenty years, rising from a lowly soldier to become the commander of the Datong Army and being appointed as a General of the Cloud Banner. He enjoyed high prestige among the Hedong Army. He was now appointed as the deputy commander of the Hexi military camp and the governor of Ganzhou, commanding 15,000 loyal and elite troops from the Datong Army.

At that moment, Meng Yun was receiving Luo Zhengyi, who had just arrived from Qilian City. Luo Zhengyi was the weakest of the three generals. He had originally been the commander of the Chengtian Army and was appointed as a General of Yiwei, several ranks below Meng Yun. He only had 5,000 troops, most of whom were old, weak, or disabled soldiers. Thus, Luo Zhengyi held the lowest status among the three. After arriving in Hexi, he was appointed as the commander of the Qilian Army and deputy governor of Ganzhou, with his troops stationed in Qilian City.

Although Luo Zhengyi held the lowest position among the three, he was the first person Li Yu recruited. His uncle, Luo Bingzhen, was the left vice minister of the imperial court. It was through his uncle that Li Yu first gave him the secret order to recruit the three generals. Today, Luo Zhengyi had come to Meng Yun from Qilian City precisely for this reason.

“Elder brother, this is an imperial edict written by the emperor himself—this is our chance!” Luo Zhengyi spoke in a low voice, not daring to disturb Meng Yun’s deep thoughts. Meng Yun stared motionlessly at the secret edict on the table, his name clearly written on it. If he pledged loyalty to the emperor, he would be appointed as the Grand General of the Jinyu Guard and the Duke of Pingyi County.

Pingyi County in Hedong was Meng Yun’s hometown. The idea of having his hometown made into a fief filled him with excitement. Yet he also knew that pledging loyalty to the emperor meant betraying Li Qing’an. He had once sworn an oath to serve Li Qing’an. If he betrayed him, what was the point of that oath?

After pondering for a long time, he asked in a deep voice, “Where is General Guo now?”

“General Guo is in Qilian City. Cheng Qianli has also arrived.”

Luo Zhengyi knew Meng Yun well and understood that he was still hesitating. So he took out a letter and handed it to him, saying, “This is a personal letter from General Guo to you.”

Meng Yun opened the letter. It was only half a page long, and its message was simple: betraying Li Qingan was a trivial matter; true loyalty to the emperor was what mattered most—it was integrity, it was returning to the right path. He advised Meng Yun to seize this opportunity and stop being stubborn.

“True loyalty, integrity!”

These four words struck Meng Yun’s heart like a sledgehammer, giving him a sense of clarity. True loyalty and integrity were enough to outweigh his fears from his sworn oaths. His gaze returned to the secret decree. At this moment, the titles of General and Duke of Pingyi County seemed incredibly tempting to him.

“Damn it!”

With a punch, he stood up abruptly and said, “I’ve made up my mind. I’ll pledge loyalty to the emperor.”

Luo Zhengyi was overjoyed and quickly asked, “What about Wu Yong?”

“Wu Yong isn’t our concern. Cheng Qianli was his superior. Since Cheng Qianli is here too, it’s his problem.”

Meng Yun checked the time—it was already the first watch of the night. He said, “You must return to Qilian City immediately and tell General Guo that I need three days to gather the troops from various places before handing over military authority to him.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a report came from outside the door from a bodyguard: “General, General Li Fei asks you to go to him right away. He says there’s an urgent matter to discuss.”

“That’s bad!” Luo Zhengyi exclaimed in shock. “Li Fei Shouyu must have learned that I’ve returned. He’s going to attack you!”

“That’s possible. There’s no sign of enemy activity, yet they summon me in the middle of the night—it’s strange!”

Meng Yun pondered for a moment before saying, “Reply to General Li Fei and say I’m unwell and will see him early tomorrow morning.”

“Understood!” The bodyguard turned to convey the message.

Luo Zhengyi urged, “Elder brother, what should we do now?”

“Don’t worry. Most of the soldiers in Zhangye City are my men. It should be Li Fei Shouyu who’s worried now.”

With that, Meng Yun stepped outside and loudly ordered, “Pass my command: All officers above the rank of colonel must come to see me immediately.”

……

At that moment, Li Fei Shouyu received Meng Yun’s reply and immediately realized something was wrong. He had seen Meng Yun fine in the afternoon—how could he be unwell? Besides, he was his superior. How could he dare not obey an order from his boss? It went without saying that Meng Yun already had other plans.

Just then, a soldier brought in a young officer—one of Meng Yun’s colonels, surnamed Wei. His parents and brothers had moved to Anxi the year before last and were staunch supporters of Anxi. The officer stepped forward and saluted, reporting, “Reporting to General Li Fei, General Meng has gathered hundreds of officers for a meeting. He says an imperial decree has arrived, and General Luo Zhengyi is also here. It seems this could be detrimental to you.”

Li Fei Shouyu was shocked. He had been keeping an eye on Guo Ziyi, but never expected the emperor to issue a secret order first. Without hesitation, he immediately mounted his horse and ordered, “Send orders to all troops in the city to gather outside the north gate right away—no mistakes allowed!”
He then whispered to a personal guard, “Go quickly to my Hu Ben camp and order them to gather outside the south gate at once.”
Li Fei Shouyu’s troops had followed Li Qingan on the southern campaign, leaving him with only a thousand soldiers in Zhangye. If Meng Yun rebelled, those thousand soldiers would be in great danger.
Li Fei Shouyu whipped his warhorse hard and rushed toward the south gate. By then, chaos had already begun in Zhangye City. Troops were gathering everywhere, the sound of soldiers running and wild dogs barking frantically woke up the entire city. Families locked their doors, women held their children, while men hid under windows, peering outside through cracks—an atmosphere of fear filled Zhangye City.
Meng Yun, wearing a helmet and armor and wielding a large sword, led several thousand men to surround Li Fei Shouyu’s camp. Everyone held torches, their light illuminating the night sky.
At that moment, a few soldiers ran out of the camp, “General Meng, Li Fei Shouyu has escaped! He ordered all troops to gather outside the north gate.”
“Damn it!” Luo Zhengyi cursed angrily. “Who leaked the news?”
“This isn’t the time to worry about who leaked it. We must not let Li Fei Shouyu get away.”
Meng Yun immediately ordered loudly, “All troops, pursue him outside the north gate! Those who capture Li Fei Shouyu alive will be rewarded with five thousand guan, and those who behead him will receive ten thousand guan!”
The troops turned around and headed north in a massive column. It was only logical—Li Fei Shouyu could only flee north. Just then, a cavalry rider rushed over and reported loudly, “General, traces of Li Fei Shouyu’s Hu Ben camp have been found at the south gate.”
Meng Yun was stunned. He slapped himself in the face and shouted, “Turn around! Pursue him toward the south gate!”
The troops turned again and rushed toward the south gate.
…
A group of cavalry riders sped across the vast grasslands. The dark world rushed past them, and the wind howled in their ears. Li Fei Shouyu and his thousand Hu Ben soldiers had already fled four hundred li from Zhangye. Meng Yun’s troops no longer pursued them, but Li Fei Shouyu still ordered them to keep running without rest. Each soldier had three horses, allowing them to keep changing horses and ride nonstop through the starry night. When the first faint rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, they finally reached the Jiankang Army camp on the border of Ganzhou—where Wu Yong’s troops were stationed.

According to Li Fei Shouyu’s judgment, Meng Yun’s betrayal of Anxi was a result of Luo Zhengyi’s arrival—he most likely brought the emperor’s orders. Therefore, Meng Yun was probably just the first stop in their rebellion; their next target should be Jiuquan to turn Wu Yong against them. If he could reach Suzhou before them, he could at least save half of the situation—the 20,000 troops under Wu Yong must not betray Anxi again. The sky gradually brightened, and the cavalry were resting in a poplar forest. Two nights and a day of relentless pursuit had left them exhausted, and even their warhorses could no longer hold on. The Health Army’s camp was ten miles away, and its silhouette could be faintly seen from there. The bodyguards sent by Li Fei Shouyu had been gone for nearly an hour with no news yet. At this moment, he was filled with worry. Though he knew those trying to persuade Wu Yong might not catch up, he still felt heavy-hearted, fearing Wu Yong might also rebel. If he did, even Shazhou would be lost, and the Anxi army would completely lose control of Hexi. He would then have no way to face Li Qingan and could only die to atone. “General, look!” a sentry climbing a willow tree shouted toward the north. The soldiers jumped up and looked north, but nothing could be seen on the ground—only dust swirling in the air. Li Fei Shouyu climbed onto a willow tree. The blinding sunlight made it hard to open his eyes, but shielding them with his hand, he finally saw it: a cavalry force of several thousand was charging toward them, with yellow dust rising, less than five miles away. “Get on your horses, prepare for battle!” Li Fei Shouyu mounted his horse, holding a long spear as he rushed out of the forest. The 1,000 troops of the Tiger Guard followed him. The two sides gradually came to a halt, less than a mile apart. At that moment, a young general rushed out from the army, laughing loudly, “Why are you so nervous, General Li Fei? Are you worried I might also betray Anxi?” It was Wu Yong, one of the Three Generals of Hedong and the governor of Suzhou, only 29 years old and strikingly handsome. He had originally been the deputy commander of Taiyuan’s troops. After the main commander fled with Li Wan, Li Qingan appointed him to command the 20,000 troops under Taiyuan’s command. Li Fei Shouyu didn’t expect to find him here. From his tone, it seemed Guo Ziyi’s men had taken the lead but hadn’t succeeded, giving Li Fei Shouyu a glimmer of hope. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, “General Wu, how did you end up here?” Wu Yong bowed in return, “I arrived here last night to meet my former superior, Cheng Qianli.” “Did Cheng Qianli bring the emperor’s orders?”

“Not bad. The Emperor wanted to appoint me as the Grand General of the Right Military Guard and grant me the title of Duke of our county, but I refused.”
“Why?” Li Fei Shouyu stared at him. “Why did you refuse?”
Wu Yong smiled proudly. “A true man keeps his promises at all costs. Since I have sworn loyalty to the Grand General, I must abide by that oath. Moreover, since the Grand General trusts me, how could I, Wu Yong, be someone ungrateful and greedy for fame and fortune?”
Li Fei Shouyu looked at this young general, at his clear and resolute gaze, and finally couldn’t help but sigh deeply. “It is a fortune for Anxi that the Grand General has appointed General Wu!”
……
In the first year of the Dali era, Li Yu took advantage of Li Qingan’s absence in Anxi to launch the Hexi Incident. Among the three generals of Hedong, Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi were tempted by high positions and titles offered by Li Yu and betrayed Li Qingan. But the other young general, Wu Yong, refused the temptation and refused to betray Li Qingan. The 40,000 troops in Hexi were divided into two groups. Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi led 20,000 troops to surrender to Guo Ziyi, while the other 20,000 troops retreated to Yumen Pass under the leadership of Li Fei Shouyu and Wu Yong.
Guo Ziyi immediately resigned from his position as the Supervisor of the Horse Stables in Hexi. Li Yu then appointed Cheng Qianli as both the Supervisor of the Horse Stables in Hexi and the governor of Gansu and Suzhou provinces, to command the 20,000 surrendered troops. Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi returned to the capital to serve as officials and participate in the training of new troops.
At this time, Geshu Han also resigned from his position as the governor of Liangzhou. Li Yu once again appointed Cheng Qianli as the governor of Liangzhou and granted him the title of Deputy Military Governor of Anxi, in charge of the troops in Liang, Gansu, and Suzhou provinces.
The Hexi Incident was the first major political event after Li Yu ascended the throne. It marked the end of the cooperation between Li Yu and Li Qingan. The incident not only brought about changes in the ownership of the three provinces in Hexi but, more importantly, allowed Li Yu to cut off the channels through which silver from Anxi was transported eastward, as well as the flow of immigrants and goods westward. This suppressed Anxi’s rapid development by relying on the forces of the Central Plains, turning the conflict between Anxi and the imperial court into an open one.