Chapter 425: Confronting An Lushan (Part 2)

Pinggao County was only a few hundred miles away from Chang’an. The first battle between Li Qing’an and An Lushan spread like wildfire throughout Chang’an and the entire Guanzhong region. Especially when the Anxi Army seized Xiaoguan, blocking An Lushan’s path into Guanzhong, it filled the people of Chang’an with joy. Neighborhoods rang gongs and drums, and explosions echoed loudly in the air. At that moment, the Anxi Army had, in a sense, become the protectors of the people of Guanzhong.

With the Anxi Army joining the fight, rice prices in Chang’an plummeted—from 800 wen per dou to just 150 wen per dou—leading to the ruin of many large merchants who had stockpiled rice. The people of Chang’an rejoiced at this development.

On the other hand, Li Qing’an’s decision to execute three thousand captives sparked intense debate. Almost every tavern discussed the matter—some supported it, some opposed it, and some were concerned that Li Qing’an was being too ruthless. Yet most people firmly backed his decision. An Lushan’s army had ravaged cities, raped women, and massacred the weak and old, committing atrocities that shocked everyone. In particular, Xue Hao’s forces were extremely brutal, destroying everything in their path. In Maling County, 1,300 civilians were killed, with nearly a thousand women raped to death. As Li Qing’an wrote in his report to the imperial court, “If their crimes are not punished, even heaven will not forgive them.”

In the Daming Palace, Li Yu slowly placed Li Qing’an’s report on the table and let out a long sigh of relief. The Anxi Army’s ability to block Fanyang’s forces from advancing south was undoubtedly good news. He had been in high spirits these past few days, with good news coming one after another. Wang Gong’s strategy of sowing discord had worked—the Jingzhou army had withdrawn from Hanzhong, and Meng Yun and Luo Zhengyi’s troops were on their way back to Chang’an.

Although Li Mi advised Li Yu to take advantage of the weakness in Shu and order Meng Yun’s troops to invade Shu directly to cut off Gao Xianzhi’s supply lines, Prime Minister Wang Gong and Minister of War Chen Xilie firmly opposed this idea. Chen Xilie believed that the Guanzhong army was not well-trained enough, and once Gao Xianzhi returned to defend Shu, that army would be destroyed. Wang Gong also argued that given Gao Xianzhi’s cautious approach to warfare, he would never launch a full-scale attack. There must still be troops in Shu, and since Chang’an was now unguarded, troops should be sent to defend it.

In the end, Li Yu accepted Wang Gong and Chen Xilie’s advice and ordered Meng Yun’s army to return to defend Chang’an—refusing Li Mi’s advice for the first time.

Another good piece of news for Li Yu came from Li Yan. Li Yan and Changsun Quanxu led 5,000 troops to attack seven large manors in Jingyang County and Yunyang County, capturing them one after another. They thwarted three attempts to incite the manor workers to rebel. The mastermind, Prince Yi Li Xi, attempted suicide but failed and was taken back to the capital. In these seven vast manors, Li Yan seized nearly five million dan of grain. Especially at the Baishui River Manor in Yunyang County, the soldiers accidentally discovered the wealth hidden there by eighteen imperial clans—4.2 million guan in cash, along with countless amounts of gold, silver, and jewels.

This news filled Li Yu with joy. He ordered that all the money and grain be sent to the imperial treasury, and tens of thousands of hectares of land be reallocated to self-cultivating farmers.

After reading Li Qingan’s memorial, Li Yu requested one million dan of military rations and one million guan in cash. Without hesitation, he approved it. He had plenty of resources now; as long as Li Qingan could completely destroy An Lushan’s army, he would not be stingy.

Putting down his pen, Li Yu smiled and said, “I’ve noticed that since Li Qingan joined the war, the situation has changed dramatically, turning increasingly in favor of the court. This Li Qingan is truly my lucky star.”

Seeing that Li Mi remained silent, Li Yu walked to the window, stretched lazily, and gazed at the blue sky. Full of confidence, he said, “If things continue like this, give me another two months, and I’ll be able to resolve the issue of land consolidation in Guanzhong. Then I’ll turn my attention to Henan Prefecture. I believe it will take just one year to add two million self-cultivating families, bringing stable fiscal revenue to the court. The Tang Dynasty will thrive again under my rule.”

Contrary to Li Yu’s confidence, Li Mi felt less optimistic. He saw that Li Yu had embarked on a path of confrontation and rupture with the imperial clans. Through repeated seizures of property and land, Li Yu seemed to derive pleasure from plundering and was never tired of it. This was by no means the mindset of a normal emperor—it resembled that of a rebel leader from the lower ranks. Li Mi felt that Li Yu was increasingly isolated from everyone. For this reason, he advised Li Yu several times, but Li Yu remained indifferent.

“If I’ve already seized the home of a Princess of the Huo clan, I don’t mind seizing another hundred of them. In my eyes, there’s no difference,” was Li Yu’s reply.

“Master, what are you worried about?” Li Yu, unable to bear the silence any longer, asked first.

Li Mi gave a bitter smile and said, “Since Your Majesty values Li Qingan so much, will you agree to his demands?”

“Do you mean his request to become the Right Chancellor?”

“Yes! Are you really going to appoint him as the Right Chancellor?”

Li Yu nodded slowly and affirmed, “That’s exactly right. I indeed intend to appoint him as the Right Prime Minister. I am well aware that my land reform cannot succeed without strong military support. Although Li Qing’an is ambitious, there is one thing in common between us—he also opposes land consolidation. From his actions in Anxi, I can tell he will surely support my land reform. With his military backing, I will surely be able to rebuild the Great Tang of the Zhenguan era.”

Li Yu then looked out the window at the white clouds in the sky, as if those clouds formed a continuum, creating his ideal utopia: farmers owning their own land, people having their own homes, no more than ten executions per year, everyone being courteous, no need to lock doors at night, no lost items on the roads, the common people having surplus grain, families full of descendants, officials with full granaries, light taxes and levies, and the whole world respecting the Great Tang with its vassal states gathering in Chang’an.

He took a long breath and said in a sad tone, “If only I were given three more years to govern, then, if he demands the throne of the Great Tang, I am willing to hand over the country to him.”

Li Mi was speechless. It seemed he had truly come to know Li Yu only now, as if Li Yu had transformed into a phoenix, willing to burn his own life to achieve his ideals.

After a long while, Li Mi softly asked, “Since Your Majesty has decided to appoint him as the Right Prime Minister, what are Your next plans?”

Li Yu, without turning around, replied coldly, “Next, I intend to take action against the Yang family.”

……

These past few days, morale among An Lushan’s troops had been unstable. Li Qing’an’s execution of three thousand prisoners had greatly shaken the Fanyang army. Some were furious and cursed, but many were filled with anxiety. Generally, in battles, both sides would treat prisoners kindly in hopes of more surrenders. But Li Qing’an did the opposite. His willingness to execute prisoners showed his immense confidence, and this confidence terrified An Lushan’s soldiers. Could they really compete with the Anxi army?

An Lushan was equally depressed. Having failed to seize Xiao Pass, he finally realized the severity of the situation—not only because Li Qing’an had blocked his path into Guanzhong, but also because he was backed by the Yellow River. His 80,000 troops could only return to Hedong by boat across the river. But would Li Qing’an give him the chance to cross peacefully? In fact, he had no way out. Only by completely defeating Li Qing’an could he return to Hedong.

Though he hoped so, An Lushan had no confidence at all. His ten thousand elite soldiers were easily wiped out. It was true that they fell into an ambush due to their eagerness to seize the castle, but according to the soldiers who escaped, the Anxi army suffered only two or three hundred casualties—during the clash to stop the fleeing troops. Throughout the ambush, the Anxi army never showed themselves; they only fired arrows. Many soldiers died from trampling each other. To lose a hundred men in exchange for the complete destruction of ten thousand was unacceptable. He couldn’t help but think of Li Qing’an’s most mysterious weapon, the Heavenly Fire Thunder. All these years, he still had no idea what it was. It was said to be a kind of stone found in the Kunlun Mountains that could explode when ignited by fire. But who could tell him where exactly this stone was hidden in the Kunlun Mountains?

All these unfavorable news left An Lushan completely devoid of confidence. He locked himself in his tent, not even wanting to try to boost the troops’ morale.

“Commander, Mr. Gao has arrived,” came the report from his bodyguard outside the tent.

An Lushan grunted, “Let him in!”

The tent curtain was lifted, and his advisor Gao Shang entered. He had gone to the Yellow River a few days ago to fetch supplies and had only returned this morning. As soon as he arrived, he heard the news of Xue Hao’s crushing defeat. In Gao Shang’s view, victory and defeat were common in warfare. That fool Xue Hao had delayed military operations by looting along the way—how could he not lose?

Gao Shang wasn’t concerned about the defeat itself. What worried him was the unstable morale of the troops and An Lushan’s declining willpower—these were the real serious problems. As soon as he entered the tent, Gao Shang asked, “Commander, are you scared of Li Qing’an?”

An Lushan sighed deeply. “I regret not listening to your advice back then. I insisted on crossing the Yellow River. Now it seems crossing it was a huge mistake. I was too hasty.”

Gao Shang glanced at An Lushan. This man’s biggest flaw was his inability to withstand setbacks. Every time he faced a setback, he would collapse completely, ignoring everything else. Gao Shang patiently advised him, “Actually, it’s not that Li Qing’an is that powerful. When I heard Shi Siming sent Xue Hao as the vanguard to seize Xiaoguan, I knew he was doomed to fail.”

“Why?” An Lushan perked up immediately and asked eagerly.

Gao Shang sighed softly and said, “When using troops, one must know how to choose a commander. If the goal is to suppress rebellion and establish authority through killing, Xue Hao is a good choice—he’s ruthless, always ordering his troops to plunder extensively in battle, and cruel to the common people like locusts. But sending him on a long march to seize strategic passes is the wrong choice. As the commander can see, he has burned, killed, and raped along the way. It took him four days and three nights to cover what should have taken at most three days, and he even slaughtered the entire population of Maling County in one night. How could such a person succeed in seizing a pass? His misdeeds along the way only wasted time. But when he realized he was delaying the army’s progress, he rushed forward recklessly, not even waiting for scouts to scout the route. How could he not fail? If Tian Qianzhen were sent to seize the pass, I believe the Anxi Army would be the one to fail in the end. That’s why I say we weren’t actually defeated by the Anxi Army, but by ourselves.”

Gao Shang’s analysis was logical, causing An Lushan to nod repeatedly. His confidence was slowly returning. He slammed the table and cursed, “What a fool, Shi Siming! I appointed him as the commander of the vanguard, but how did he choose his men? He doesn’t even understand the basics of using people effectively!”

Gao Shang shook his head secretly and said with a bitter smile, “Actually, the commander’s decision to appoint Shi Siming as the vanguard commander was also a misjudgment in selecting personnel.”

An Lushan was stunned. “What do you mean, sir?”

“Has the commander forgotten? Shi Siming always loses whenever it comes to the character ‘An’!”

An Lushan suddenly understood. This “An” wasn’t his own surname, but Li Qingan’s. Shi Siming feared Li Qingan as much as a rat fears a cat. How could he have forgotten this? He slapped his forehead and quickly said, “I realize my mistake. I’ll recall Shi Siming right away.”

An Lushan had one major advantage: he was willing to listen to advice. As long as his advisors made sense, he would follow them. Seeing him accept the advice, Gao Shang felt relieved and smiled, saying, “I have a plan to deprive Li Qingan of his geographical advantage.”

An Lushan was overjoyed and said, “As long as we fight Li Qingan on flat ground, I’m not afraid of him.”

Gao Shang narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly. “From what I understand of Li Qingan, he wants to boost his own reputation by defeating the commander, not just drive the commander back to Hedong. Since that’s the case, we can exploit his ambition to annihilate the Fanyang Army and lure him out of his lair.”

“I wonder how you plan to lure him?”

“It’s simple. Spread rumors among the surrounding counties that the Khitans are attacking Fanyang. Remember, these rumors must not reach the army—they should only spread among the counties, so that the Anxi Army’s scouts know. Then the commander should recall Shi Siming and begin withdrawing slowly. I believe Li Qingan will surely chase after us.”

An Lushan frowned and said, “What if he sees through it?”
Gao Shang shook his head and smiled, “As long as he wants to annihilate the Fanyang army, even if he sees through it, he will still pursue them.”
“What if he doesn’t pursue?”
“Then we’ll withdraw our troops back to Hedong to preserve our strength.”
……
The next afternoon, Shi Siming’s army stationed in Anding County in the south withdrew northward. At the same time, An Lushan’s large army packed up its camp and began to move eastward.
The news spread like the wind to the Anxi army’s camp in Pinggao County. At the same time, news came that the Khitans were attacking Fanyang, causing panic among the Fanyang soldiers.
In Li Qing’an’s camp, Yan Zhuang also arrived from Huizhou. As soon as he entered the tent, he laughed loudly, “General, this must be Gao Shang’s idea—having the Fanyang army feign withdrawal to lure the Anxi army to chase after them.”
Seeing Li Qing’an carefully calculating something with a charcoal pen and ruler in front of the map, Yan Zhuang continued, “I know An Lushan too well. If he really wanted to withdraw, he would surely order Shi Siming to advance on Pinggao County rather than retreat. That’s his usual strategy. General, don’t fall for it.”
Li Qing’an put down the charcoal pen and sighed, “But whether he’s truly withdrawing or feigning withdrawal, I can’t just ignore it. Gao Shang has seen through my plans. I really can’t let An Lushan get away. I admit I can’t afford to take such a risk.”
The person Yan Zhuang hated the most in his life was Gao Shang. Hearing Li Qing’an show some admiration for Gao Shang, he felt uncomfortable and said, “General, don’t give him too much credit. I have a plan that can make him hurt himself.”
Seeing Yan Zhuang’s displeasure, Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Please go ahead, sir. I’m all ears.”
After pondering for a moment, Yan Zhuang said, “Gao Shang’s plan has one major flaw: his rumor must not reach his own army, otherwise it will cause panic. General, you can order your scouts to spread this rumor in An Lushan’s camp so he suffers the consequences.”
Li Qing’an nodded and smiled, “Your plan is good, but it lacks ambition. My goal in this battle is not only to annihilate An Lushan’s 90,000 troops but also to reclaim Hedong, so that everyone can see the strength of the Anxi army. So no matter what strategy Gao Shang uses, I’ll proceed carefully. You may not know, but I already arranged a special army in Zhangye.”
After a pause, Li Qing’an smiled again and said, “But your plan can serve as a supplement. Playing tricks on An Lushan can be quite entertaining.”

Yan Zhuang fell silent for a moment before suddenly smiling and saying, “I’ve always had a poor relationship with Gao Shang. We’ve been at odds for years, so whenever I get the chance, I can’t help but attack him. I’ve been so fixated on this that I forgot the urgent matter that brought me here.”
“Please go on, sir!”
Yan Zhuang stepped forward to the map and saw Li Qing’an drawing a long black line across the northern grasslands, extending all the way to the east. He was momentarily stunned. That black line made him seem to see an army rushing across the grasslands, and he suddenly understood something.
He quickly brought his thoughts back and pointed at the map, saying, “General, please take a look. This time, An Lushan’s army has entered Guannei Road. I believe they have two intentions: one is to enter Guanzhong and take control of the imperial court. If that strategy fails, they will settle for occupying Guannei Road instead. Guannei Road has fertile land and a dense population. It’s separated from the Guanzhong Plain by high plateaus and continuous mountains, making it difficult to cross. An Lushan only needs to leave a small force there to occupy this fertile land. Within three years, he could have an army of 100,000, like having a huge sword above Chang’an, ready to invade Guanzhong at any time. It’s a pity that An Lushan didn’t expect the arrival of the Anxi Army, which shattered his dreams. But for you, General, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You should take advantage of it by sending an army to Guannei Road to recruit soldiers and train them, laying a solid foundation for your dominance over the Central Plains.”
After thinking for a while, Li Qing’an said, “Sir, you’re right. That’s indeed my plan. That’s why I asked the emperor for one million in money and grain for recruitment. But I wonder—since you say it will take An Lushan three years to train 100,000 soldiers, how long will it take me?”
Yan Zhuang raised his index finger and smiled, saying, “An Lushan is cruel and tyrannical, and the people hate him deeply, which is why he needs three years. But if you, General, spread kindness and win the hearts of the people, it will only take one year. The number of soldiers you can recruit may even exceed 100,000. In short, whether through boldness or shamelessness, you must occupy that land.”
Li Qing’an pondered for a long time before suddenly laughing helplessly, “I almost forgot. I’m currently the pacification commissioner of Guannei Road. It’s my duty to pacify the people and win their hearts.”
……
As the Fanyang Army retreated eastward, the main force of the Anxi Army also left Pinggao County and advanced eastward. Li Qing’an appointed Wu Yong as the commander of Pinggao, leading 10,000 troops to guard Xiaoguan and other key passes. Li Qing’an himself led 70,000 troops toward Qingzhou. The army didn’t rush recklessly in pursuit of An Lushan’s retreating forces but advanced steadily, methodically.