Chapter 423: Confronting the Rebel An (Part 1)

Li Yu returned directly to the Imperial Study. It was already dusk, and Li Bi had returned to his residence. Li Yu sat down in his seat and immediately ordered the eunuchs around him, “Hurry and summon Minister Li.”
The eunuchs left, and Li Yu lay down, gently pressing his temples. Suddenly, he remembered that Wang Gong was still waiting outside, so he quickly ordered, “Bring Prime Minister Wang in at once!”
A moment later, Wang Gong hurried in, bowing and saying, “Your Majesty, I pay my respects!”
“Prime Minister, you said you had urgent matters to discuss with me. What is it?”
“Your Majesty, I have uncovered some clues. Whether it’s the King of Shu or the King of Jing, they both prefer to protect themselves and refuse to risk their lives. I’ve been thinking that no matter how they fight, even if they win, there can only be one heir to the throne in the future. How can they divide it? If I’m not mistaken, that position should already be assigned to the King of Shu. Thus, a conflict will arise between the King of Shu and the King of Jing. Therefore, I have a plan to divide them—at least to make the King of Jing withdraw his troops to Jingzhou. That way, General Meng Yun’s army can be recalled to defend Chang’an. I wonder if Your Majesty is interested.”
Li Yu nodded with interest and smiled, “Tell me, what strategy will you use to sow discord?”
“Your Majesty could retitle the King of Shu as the King of Qin. This would create the illusion that Your Majesty and the late Emperor have reached some agreement, with the King of Shu becoming the heir. The King of Jing would surely feel suspicious. Then, Your Majesty could send someone to pretend to be the governor of Yuzhang and report that King Wu Lin is leading an army of 80,000 along the river, marching toward Jingxiang. This would give Yang Guozhong a false sense of security. At the same time, we can spread word widely in Hanzhong. Given the King of Jing’s suspicious nature, he will surely worry about losing his stronghold. With these two tactics, I’m confident the King of Jing will withdraw his troops.”
After thinking it over, Li Yu realized that Li Mao was indeed suspicious by nature. This plan was good and could be used. He immediately agreed, “I accept this plan. I’ll entrust Prime Minister with full responsibility for implementing it. As for renaming the King of Shu as the King of Qin, I’ll issue an order tomorrow.”
Wang Gong was overjoyed that the emperor had adopted his suggestion and then took his leave. A moment later, an eunuch came to report, “Minister Li has arrived!”
Li Yu quickly ordered, “Hurry and bring him in!”
He was filled with anticipation. He wanted to discuss with Li Yan how to further intensify the efforts to reclaim land from the royal family and nobles.

After Li Qing’an’s army occupied Liangzhou, it did not stop there but continued onward, aiming straight for Huizhou. That evening, after two days of crossing the river, 50,000 out of Li Qing’an’s 80,000 troops had already crossed the Yellow River. As darkness fell and the wind on the river grew stronger, with rough waves, Li Qing’an ordered the crossing to cease, and both armies camped on the banks of the Yellow River.

Li Qing’an himself had also crossed the river, and his army was stationed in an open area about five li away from the Yellow River. Huizhou’s administrative seat, Huining County, was six li away, and its dark city walls could be faintly seen. At that time, Huining County was also under the control of Anxi. There were tall beacon towers on the city walls; if enemy forces attacked, the beacon towers would immediately alert the Tang army camps miles away.

It was very quiet in the camp. After a day of drills, the soldiers went to rest early. However, Li Qing’an’s tent was brightly lit, with over a dozen senior generals gathered to discuss the campaign against An Lushan. By then, the imperial orders had not yet reached them, but news that An Lushan’s army had crossed the Yellow River at Yanzhou was already on Li Qing’an’s desk.

A major battle with An Lushan was inevitable. It was not only necessary for them to compete for control of the Guannei Road but also marked the first battle for Anxi’s forces to turn eastward. In such a clash between two powerful forces, only the brave would prevail. For years, the debate over which army was the strongest in the Tang Dynasty—Fanyang’s or Anxi’s—had never ceased. Since Anxi’s army was located in the Western Regions, far from the Central Plains and little known, almost all people in the Tang Dynasty, except for some officials in the court, believed that An Lushan’s Fanyang army was stronger than Anxi’s, as many had seen it with their own eyes.

An Lushan had 300,000 troops who had marched from Hebei all the way to Hedong, bringing with them a terrifying aura. His vast army had a profound impact on the people and military of the Tang Dynasty. In contrast, Anxi’s army remained just a distant concept—based in Suiye, constantly fighting against foreign tribes and never appearing in the Central Plains, making it difficult to resonate with the people of the Tang Dynasty.

“Gentlemen, this is our first battle as we advance into the Central Plains, and it is also a battle to showcase the might of our Anxi army. An Lushan has sinister ambitions; he oppresses the people in Hedong, imposing heavy taxes and causing them great suffering. At least half of our Anxi army consists of immigrants from Hedong. Therefore, striking down this traitor is not only what the people of the Tang Dynasty desire but also what our Anxi army aims for. I’ve received the latest intelligence: An Lushan’s army crossing the river numbers about 90,000, roughly equal to our forces. This is the moment to prove who the strongest army in the Tang Dynasty really is.”

Li Qing’an’s order to mobilize for war was simple and effective. The officers in the tent were all eager for battle, especially Wu Yong, the general from Hedong who had surrendered to Li Qing’an years earlier. He was extremely anxious; his troops of over twenty thousand were all from Hedong, and his parents, wife, and children were there as well. Now they were in An Lushan’s hands, and there were reports that many of them had been tortured. They hated An Lushan’s army deeply and longed every day to retake Hedong and save their families.

At that moment, Li Qing’an asked, “Who among you is willing to be the vanguard and pave the way for our main force?”

Wu Yong immediately stood up and said, “I am willing to be the vanguard!”

Seeing his excited expression, Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “I’m afraid you might lead your troops too far and even reach Taiyuan directly.”

Li Qing’an’s joke caused laughter throughout the tent. Then, General Tian Zhen also stood up and said, “General, the position of vanguard belongs to none other than me!”

Wu Yong’s face turned red, and he immediately knelt on one knee, saying, “Obeying military orders is a soldier’s duty. Since I am willing to be the vanguard, I will never act on my own. I am willing to pledge my life as collateral.”

Tian Zhen also refused to back down, saying, “I am also willing to pledge my life as collateral. If anything goes wrong, execute me as atonement!”

Li Qing’an nodded. “Good! I will assign you two as the left and right vanguards, each leading five thousand elite soldiers to open the way for our main force.”

At that moment, a soldier came in and whispered something in Li Qing’an’s ear. Li Qing’an smiled and said, “The imperial order has arrived. Everyone, go back and get ready. Once the thirty thousand troops cross the river, we will set off immediately.”

The officers left one after another. The personal guards quickly tidied up the tent. Moments later, the duty officer brought Pei Min, who had just arrived at the camp.

Pei Min was Mingyue’s uncle and had always had a good relationship with Li Qing’an. Li Yu sent him here hoping to use his relationship with Li Qing’an to achieve his own goals.

As soon as Pei Min entered the tent, he bowed and said with a smile, “General, it’s been a long time since we last met.”

Li Qing’an quickly replied, “Uncle, please don’t be formal. Please sit down!”

The two sat down as host and guest. The personal guards brought two cups of hot tea. Pei Min said, “I heard that Mingyue has a son. Congratulations, dear nephew.”

Li Qing’an smiled bitterly and said, “It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’m already thirty-two and only now have a child. Many people my age are already grandfathers. Having few descendants is a shame to my ancestors!”

“Don’t say that. You’ve been fighting battles across the land for years and naturally haven’t had time to care for home. But you’ve secured such a vast territory for our Tang Dynasty—not only recovering Suiye but also driving the Arab forces across the Wuhu River and restoring Tang’s rule over Hexi. You don’t know how inspired everyone in Chang’an is! The people there admire you greatly and also love your silver coins very much, hehe! As the head of the Ministry of Revenue, I like them too!”
Pei Min’s humor brought laughter to both of them, and the atmosphere in the tent instantly became lighter. Then, Pei Min took a sip of tea and got down to business.
“Do you know why I am loyal to the Emperor?”
Pei Min sighed and said, “When the case of Princess Huo first came to light, we all thought at most she would be ordered to return her lands, and then the matter would be dropped. Throughout history, this has been how powerful officials who committed crimes were dealt with. But who would have thought that the Emperor would confiscate Princess Huo’s family’s land deeds and use this as an opportunity to investigate the lands held by the imperial clan in Guanzhong? Seven families have already had their lands seized. Such determination is completely different from his past weakness, showing that he truly intends to address Tang’s long-standing problems. This immediately earned him sincere support from countless court officials.”
“But this will bring him danger; he won’t last long.”
“To die for justice—what’s the harm in dying?”
Li Qing’an didn’t approve of Li Yu’s actions. He knew Li Yu had to take this step mainly due to financial difficulties. But seeing Pei Min’s high regard for Li Yu, he didn’t bring it up and just smiled.
“Since your uncle has come here this time, he must be carrying a heavy burden, right?”
Pei Min nodded, took out Li Yu’s imperial edict from beside him, and handed it to Li Qing’an, saying, “Let’s skip the formalities. This is the official edict from the Emperor for you. Read it yourself!”
Li Qing’an opened the edict and glanced through it quickly. As he had expected, Li Yu had appointed him as the Pacification Commissioner of Guannei, hoping he would lead troops to fight against An Lushan.

Beside him, Pei Min advised him again, “As the saying goes, one must have a just cause to speak rightly. You are the governor of Anxi, yet you crossed the Yellow River and came to Guanlong without either an imperial edict or requests from the officials. This is clearly an unauthorized use of military force. In more serious terms, it could be seen as an act of rebellion. Although An Lushan also entered the capital without an edict, his son was killed, giving him an excuse—his anger at that moment was understandable. As for Gao Xianzhi, he had the order from the former emperor, and Guo Ziyi entered the capital by imperial decree. Both of them had valid reasons, leaving no room for criticism. Only you and Ge Shu Han entered the capital without authorization, making it difficult to justify your actions to the world. But now is different. You have received an imperial order to suppress An Lushan. Once you defeat him, you will have rendered great service to the state and gain the trust of everyone. This is your chance to establish your authority throughout the land. By defeating An Lushan, you will become the representative of the righteous forces.”

Despite Pei Min’s earnest persuasion, Li Qing’an wasn’t convinced. Frowning, he said, “Uncle’s words make sense, but do you know that An Lushan has an army of 90,000 men, led personally by him, while I only have 80,000. I’m at a disadvantage in terms of troop numbers. Although the Anxi army is skilled in battle, the Fanyang army has long fought against the Khitans and is also strong. This time, I’m sending the elite of Anxi to face the Fanyang army in a desperate battle—it will surely be a bloody fight, with soldiers fighting for their lives. If I lose, I can only retreat to Anxi, unable to recover for years. The cost is enormous. Yet the emperor has only offered me encouragement. I’m afraid it won’t be enough to convince others!”

Pei Min understood what Li Qing’an meant—he was setting conditions. He immediately said, “Before I left, the emperor promised that as long as the Anxi army wins this battle, you may decide on the ranks and rewards for the soldiers, and the emperor will approve them all. Moreover, as the Prince of Zhao, you will be granted 10,000 households. You may not know this, but although a prince is titled to 10,000 households, that’s only nominal. In reality, the highest actual grant is 3,000 households. You will be the first to receive 10,000.”

Li Qing’an took a sip of tea and said slowly, “Whether it’s 10,000 households or not, I really don’t care. My lifelong goal has been to cultivate myself, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. As for military leadership, I’ve already become the governor of Anxi, defeated the Arabs, and expanded the Tang Empire by millions of square miles—truly having pacified the land through countless battles. Yet I’ve never served as prime minister in the court. I have no achievements in governance, only the title of Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Privy Council, yet I’ve never set foot in the council hall even once. Meanwhile, Yang Guozhong, with his mediocre talents, has occupied the position of right prime minister for years. I, Li Qing’an, though unworthy, wish to volunteer myself to replace Yang Guozhong.”

Pei Min was stunned. He hadn’t expected Li Qing’an’s condition to be to become right prime minister. After a long pause, he asked hesitantly, “What about Anxi?”

Li Qing’an smiled and said, “Didn’t Li Linfu also hold the position of Governor of Anxi back then?”
“Well…”
Pei Min pondered for a moment before saying, “Nephew, this matter is of great significance. I don’t have the authority to agree to your request. I’ll return immediately to report to the Emperor.”
He stood up, bowed, and said, “Then I’ll be leaving first.”
Li Qing’an also stood up and said, “Speed is crucial in warfare; we must not miss this opportunity. I can send troops to confront An Lushan first to show my sincerity. Please convey to the Emperor that if I become the Right Chancellor, I will eliminate all the separatist warlords within three years and restore peace to the Tang Dynasty. After that, I’ll return to Anxi, and we can divide the realm along the Yellow River.”
Pei Min, filled with enthusiasm, exclaimed, “Excellent! I’ll definitely persuade the Emperor. Goodbye!”
Li Qing’an bowed slightly with a smile and said, “Please take care on your journey, uncle!”
…
Two days later, Li Qing’an’s 80,000-strong army from Anxi was fully prepared. Ten thousand vanguard troops, led by generals Tian Zhen and Wu Yong, split into two groups and headed north and south toward Xiaoguan County and Pinggao County in Yuanzhou.
An Lushan’s army for his western campaign across the Yellow River numbered 90,000, with general Shi Siming as the vanguard. He personally commanded the main force, while his son An Qingxu and general Cai Xide continued the attack from Tongguan, but with only 30,000 troops—most of his forces were focused on the western campaign.
An Lushan crossed the river at Yanzhou, rested for three days after crossing, and then moved westward. By then, his army was already in Huai’an County near Qingzhou. From there, they proceeded through Qingzhou, Ningzhou, and Jingzhou to enter the Guanzhong region, a journey that would take about five days. However, An Lushan was very cautious. He wasn’t in a hurry to enter the capital but sent people to contact his confidants in Chang’an, such as Liu Luogu, to understand the situation there before seeking an opportunity to enter the capital.
But not long after An Lushan arrived in Qingzhou, he heard news that Li Qing’an’s army had crossed the river at Huizhou. This news made him extremely anxious. He hadn’t expected Li Qing’an to have already come from Anxi. Since the Anxi army had crossed the Yellow River as well, both armies would enter Guanzhong through the same route, leading to a inevitable fierce battle.

If there was anyone in the Tang Dynasty who commanded his attention, it was Li Qing’an’s Anxi Army. He had dealt with them for many years. Back then, Li Qing’an entered the capital as a colonel and, just a few days after being promoted to lieutenant general, forced himself to break his son An Qingxu’s legs. He also defeated Shi Siming at the birthday banquet of Lady Guo using arrows from a pot. These two incidents left a deep impression on him. He realized at that time that Li Qing’an would surely become a formidable opponent in the future. Yet he never imagined that Li Qing’an would eventually become the governor of Anxi, be granted the title of Prince of Zhao after the crown prince was established, and command nearly 300,000 troops of the Anxi Army.

If An Lushan had known that one day Li Qing’an would become his strong rival, he would have done whatever it took to kill him back then, never giving him a chance.

Time could not be reversed. An Lushan regretted it deeply and could only muster his strength to prepare for a decisive battle against Li Qing’an’s Anxi Army. This was actually what he desired—if he could defeat them in battle, who else in the world would he fear? He would sweep across the land, drive out the Li clan, and ascend the throne as emperor, establishing the Great Yan Dynasty. This had been his dream for nearly a decade. Whether this dream could come true would depend on this battle against the Anxi Army.

An Lushan’s army was stationed in Huai’an County. Due to the arrival of the Anxi Army, he did not continue southward but prepared to wait patiently and engage in a decisive battle with them in Qingzhou.

Standing on the city walls of Huai’an, An Lushan narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surrounding terrain. The area was hilly, with low hills everywhere. A few miles ahead lay the Baima River, about five zhang wide, with a bridge faintly visible connecting the east and west banks. It was early summer, and the weather was hot, with a layer of mist covering the river surface.

An Lushan frowned and pointed, saying, “Send someone to destroy that bridge. It’s too eye-catching.”

At that moment, his general Tian Qianzhen cautiously suggested, “General, I believe this place is not suitable for a decisive battle against Li Qing’an.”

“Why?” An Lushan asked, glancing at him.

“Because I think the terrain here is unfavorable. There are no strong cities or vast defenses to resist the enemy, nor any steep mountains for support. There’s only a small county town, and it’s not even the only route to Chang’an. Although waiting here allows us to rest and prepare, what if Li Qing’an doesn’t come here but waits for us on the main route into Guanzhong in the south? Will you still go?”

Tian Qianzhen was truly one of the few talented individuals under An Lushan who excelled both in military and civil affairs. He could see that An Lushan was somewhat afraid of Li Qing’an; even before seeing Li Qing’an’s shadow, he sent people to destroy the bridges, revealing his inner timidity. That’s why he dared not march south but instead chose to hold onto this small county, just to be closer to the Yellow River for easier escape.

But would Li Qing’an come here honestly? Of course not. He would surely seize advantageous positions such as Longshan Pass and Danzheng Gorge south of Yuanzhou, then wait patiently for the Fanyang army to arrive. It’s a pity that although An Lushan crossed the river earlier than Li Qing’an, he was overly suspicious and moved slowly, allowing Anxi to gain the upper hand.

An Lushan remained silent for a long time. His advisor Gao Shang also advised him to march south as soon as possible, but he didn’t listen. Now that Tian Qianzhen was advising the same, An Lushan began to waver.

At that moment, a group of cavalry scouts came from afar and soon reached the city gates. The leading officer shouted, “General, Anxi’s army of about 80,000 men has camped in Pinggao County of Yuanzhou and will not advance further east.”

Tian Qianzhen sighed inwardly. It was exactly as he had predicted.