Chapter 427: Annihilating the Yang Family

A sophisticated strategy would indeed be excellent—using 20,000 troops as the main force to set out at night to deceive the enemy and gain a day for themselves. His timing was precise as well. Crossing the river at Yanshui would take them at least three days, while crossing at Yanfu County in the north, those 60,000 troops could cross the Yellow River in just one and a half days. Although 20,000 troops would be lost, the main force would be preserved, and Tian Qianzhen might even engage in a fierce battle, killing 3,000 enemies. It was indeed a brilliant plan that would work for any ordinary army.
But Gao Shang forgot that they were not facing an ordinary Central Plains army—they were facing the Anxi Army, which possessed Tang Dynasty’s strongest scout force and its most powerful cavalry. Their warhorses were top-quality Bactrian and Arabian horses, and long-distance marches under heavy strain and rapid pursuit were their strengths.
Less than an hour after An Lushan’s move began, Li Qing’an immediately received messages from five scout teams via carrier pigeons, detailing Tian Qianzhen’s attack and An Lushan’s retreat north. One of the scout teams even saw through Tian Qianzhen’s disguise—there were only about 20,000 troops.
Inside the command tent, Li Qing’an was urgently discussing strategies with several senior generals. Holding a oil lamp, he carefully searched the map for possible crossing points in the north. Lu Shuanghuan, a lieutenant general, explained the situation in the area. Being from Yanzhou, he was very familiar with the Yellow River in that region. He said, “The Yellow River in the northern part of Guannei Road is located within the Guanjin Grand Canyon, with few places where it can be crossed. The easiest crossings are in the Hetao region, but it’s far away, and coordinating boats is difficult, so that’s unlikely. Besides Yanshui Crossing, there’s only Yanfu County Crossing. These are the only two options, and the river at Yanfu Crossing is narrower, so boats can travel back and forth less often—thus, crossing there would be easier.”
By then, Li Qing’an realized that An Lushan’s eagerness to return eastward likely stemmed from news that Anxi’s surprise troops had entered Hebei, forcing him to act so hastily. Given that they had abandoned their supplies, they must have been in a great hurry and wouldn’t go far to cross the river—so it was most likely Yanfu County Crossing.
Li Qing’an moved the oil lamp to Yanfu County Crossing and stared at it for a while before saying, “No matter where An Lushan crosses, we must pursue him swiftly!”
“General Tian Zhen!”
Tian Zhen stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Your humble servant is here!”

“You lead the First Army of Suiye, also posing as the main force, and stay in the camp. Do not fight them; just use powerful bows and crossbows to deal with them. Once I have dealt with An Lushan, I’ll turn around to deal with them.”
Li Qing’an immediately ordered, “Pass my command: the remaining 60,000 men must mount their horses right away, travel lightly, bring three days’ worth of rations, and set off at once!”
The gates of the Anxi army camp were thrown open. In the darkness, the 60,000-strong Anxi army surged out like a tide, rushing swiftly in the northwest direction.
“Chase them with all your might! Catch up with An Lushan in just one day and night!”
…
At the moment when the Anxi army and the Fanyang army were engaged in their final confrontation, a series of major events also took place in Chang’an. Li Yu finally took action against the Yang family. Outside the Linde Hall of the Daming Palace, Cui Ningbi, who had just been appointed concubine not long ago, knelt down and could not get up. Cui Ningbi was the daughter of Yang Yupai, the second sister of Yang Yuhuan and the Lady of Korea. A few years ago, when Li Yu failed to marry Du Gu Mingyue, he married Cui Ningbi as his secondary concubine. Although Li Yu did not like this woman, who should have been his aunt by blood relation, he still granted her a high status according to ritual customs after ascending the throne. When her aunt Yang Yuhuan became a Buddhist nun and lost her title as concubine, Li Yu bestowed this dazzling status on Cui Ningbi, appointing her as concubine—Cui the Concubine.
Over the past year, Li Yu had remained lenient toward the Yang family. Yang Guozhong continued to serve as the Right Chancellor, and more than a dozen of the Yang family’s relatives and nephews still held positions in the court. However, due to Yang the Concubine’s conversion to Buddhism, their influence diminished, and they became more low-key. Yet the Yang family remained one of the powerful families in Chang’an. At the beginning of his reign, maintaining stability in the court was one of Li Yu’s most important strategies. But as he became troubled by financial issues, he turned his sword against the Li clan, which had already threatened the foundation of the Tang dynasty. Naturally, the blade also targeted some powerful officials closely related to the Li clan, and the Yang family was among the first to suffer. This was also because Li Qing’an had proposed the position of Right Chancellor as a condition.
Cui Ningbi had been kneeling on the steps outside the hall for almost an hour. She was very thin, with a pale face. Her large, six-panel dresses hung loosely on her body, quite different from the plump and rosy women of the Tang dynasty—she resembled an underdeveloped bean sprout.

At this moment, Cui Ningbi’s heart was filled with sorrow. This sorrow wasn’t due to her mother’s plea last night for her to intercede with the emperor, but rather her marriage—a marriage that left her desperate and helpless. She still had no children, not because she was infertile. Though frail, she was still a mature and normal woman; it was simply that she never had a chance to conceive. She could no longer remember when her emperor-husband had last visited her palace—three months or half a year ago. She felt no different from those disfavored concubines. The only difference was that they lived in the dilapidated and damp Taiji Palace, living day after day at the mercy of eunuchs, while she resided in the beautifully situated Lingqi Hall of Daming Palace, bearing the title of imperial concubine. Yet their hearts were equally lonely and filled with grief.

“Your Majesty, I implore you for the Yang family!”
Cui Ningbi cried out helplessly, her voice weak. Her pitiful appearance was unbearable even for the palace maids and eunuchs around her. A few maids stepped forward to help her up. “Your Highness, stop kneeling. Get up!”
Cui Ningbi shook her head weakly. The heavy burdens of her family prevented her from standing. “The survival of the entire Yang family depends on you!” That was what her mother had said to her last night. The fate of her family now rested on this weak woman.

“Your Majesty, I implore you for the Yang family!”
……

Li Yu was in the Linde Hall at that moment. He couldn’t hear Cui Ningbi’s cries. Even if he had, he would have ignored them. He had already resolved to take action against the Yang family. Before him lay a long list—first was Prime Minister Yang Guozhong, followed by Yang Qi, head of the Guanglu Temple, as well as Yang Xian, Yang Chu, Yang Tie, Yang Xuan, Yang Qing, Yang Zhao, and Yang Guozhong’s key allies such as Linghu Fei, vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Wei Jiansu, vice minister of the Ministry of Works, Cui Qiao, vice minister of the Ministry of War, and more than thirty other high-ranking officials—all of whom were targets for elimination.

Eliminating the Yang family and their faction had been Li Yu’s plan for a long time. However, because Yang Guozhong was closely related to Prince Jing Li Mao, Li Yu, who sought stability above all, had hesitated, holding back until now. But now he no longer needed to hold back. Everyone’s pretenses had been exposed. Li Mao had sent troops to Hanzhong but was forced to withdraw, giving Li Yu great confidence.

He had just received news from Changsun Quanxu: he had led soldiers to inspect a large Yang family estate in Xinfeng County but encountered resistance from over a thousand armed estate guards. It was reported that several prominent Yang family members were inside, refusing to surrender and directing the guards in their defense.

Li Yu had realized that capturing this manor was key to eliminating the Yang family. With a grim expression, he issued orders, “Seize the manor before dark. Anyone who dares to resist the troops will be executed without mercy!”
At the same time Li Yu gave the orders, Cui Ningbi, who was kneeling outside, could hold on no longer. She weakly cried out, “Your Majesty, I beg on behalf of the Yang family!” Suddenly, she collapsed on the steps, unconscious.
…
Baishui Manor in Xinfeng County was an extremely vast estate, covering over a thousand hectares. Farmers from more than a dozen surrounding villages were all tenant farmers there. The manor belonged to Yang Huahua—part of it was a birthday gift from An Lushan, and the rest was the result of her forcibly annexing lands during the peak of the Yang family’s power.
By now, the wheat fields were ripe, covering the land in gold. It should have been the time for farmers to harvest, but the fields were eerily empty, with not a single farmer in sight. On the road to the west of the fields, however, stood large groups of soldiers—thousands in number.
In the northwest corner of the wheat fields was a cluster of warehouses. Seven huge grain silos were neatly arranged, with a gray two-story building at the center. That was the management center of the entire manor. During the autumn and summer harvests, farmers would come here to pay rent and also hand over the taxes due to the government to their master. As for whether the master of the fields would actually submit those taxes, they had no idea. The warehouses were surrounded by a tall wall made of huge stones, extremely sturdy.
Now, the wall was also crowded with people—these were the Yang family’s guards, gathered from various manors, numbering over a thousand. Each carried bows and knives. Since bows and knives were considered light weapons not prohibited by the court and allowed to be owned by civilians, the existence of these armed guards existed in a gray area between legality and illegality. Generally, as long as they did not threaten the rule of the court, the Tang Dynasty turned a blind eye and did not interfere.
But this time was different. The Yang family’s guards openly resisted the troops and drove away the officials who came to inspect the lands last night. More than 200 soldiers accompanying them were also driven away, resulting in five deaths and over a dozen injuries. This turned into a serious armed conflict. Changsun Quanxu immediately mobilized 3,000 troops to encircle the warehouses and sought Li Yu’s approval. He discovered that several key figures from the Yang family—Yang Qi, Yang Xian, Yang Chu, and Yang Huahua, the Lady of Guo State—were among them.

Li Yu’s order had arrived: “Seize the manor! Anyone who resists shall be killed without mercy!” Yet Changsun Quanxu still hesitated. After all, Yang Qi and Yang Xian were both high-ranking officials in the court, and the Lady of Guo State was also a first-rank noblewoman. If they were truly hurt and the emperor regretted it or Li Longji became enraged, Changsun Quanxu would become the scapegoat.

Changsun Quanxu quickly stepped forward to Li Yan, the official in charge of clearing land, and whispered, “Minister Li, shall we attack or not?”

Li Yan looked extremely gaunt. Two months of relentless work had left him exhausted, but his eyes sparkled with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. In just over a month, they had seized nearly half of the occupied lands in Guanzhong. The long-standing problem of land consolidation in the Tang Dynasty had been resolved with decisive action, like cutting away diseased flesh with a sharp knife. These past few days, Li Yan had been especially excited—finally, the emperor was going to take action against the Yang family, something he had long awaited.

Unlike Changsun Quanxu’s tactfulness, Li Yan was an extremely upright official, full of sharp edges and unyielding principles. He never feared offending anyone. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Attack! The emperor’s order has been given—why not attack? General Changsun, don’t be afraid. Strike hard! Anyone who resists the troops shall be killed without mercy!”

With Li Yan’s support, Changsun Quanxu lost no fear. He drew his sword and shouted, “Brothers, break down the gates and charge in!”

Thousands of soldiers rushed toward the warehouse, shouting. The area around the warehouse was packed with a dense crowd. They ran through the wheat fields, trampling underfoot much of the ripe wheat in moments. Arrows began to fly from the high walls, but they were weak and ineffective. Having learned from the surprise attack the previous day, the soldiers held up their shields to block the sporadic arrows.

Amidst the crowd was the angry voice of a woman—Lady Yang Huahua, the owner of the manor. Ever since signs of hostility toward the Yang family emerged in the court, she had taken refuge here. The manor was remote and hard to find, so the Yang brothers had hidden most of their wealth there and brought over a thousand laborers from other large manors in Guanzhong for protection. They thought the court would discover it much later, but Li Yan had detailed information. When Li Yu decided to take action against the Yang family, Li Yan immediately targeted this place and sent a large army.

To protect her life’s treasure, Yang Huahua was ready to go to extremes. Holding a precious sword, she stood on a rock formation and screamed, “Shoot! I’ll reward fifty strings of coins for each soldier you kill!”

Cries of pain kept coming, but they were not from the soldiers dying—instead, it was her farmhands who had been hit by arrows and fallen from the high walls. Then another cry was heard, one that sounded very familiar. Yang Huahua turned around in shock, her heart almost stopping. Yang Xian, who had just run out of the building, had been struck in the throat by an arrow. He collapsed on the ground, curled up in pain, his hand pressed against his throat as a gurgling sound came from it. Two farmhands rushed forward to carry him into the building, but they shook their heads at Yang Huahua, signaling that Yang Xian was beyond saving.

Yang Huahua acted as if she had gone mad and rushed over. She saw Yang Xian curled up, already dead. This time, she was truly terrified. She stepped back a few steps, her sword clattering to the ground. Only then did she realize how close death really was.

With a loud crash, the heavy iron doors shook violently as the soldiers tried to break them down with trees. The farmhands jumped down from the walls and scattered in all directions. At that moment, another thud came from the walls—a section of them collapsed as the soldiers pushed them down. A large group of cavalry rushed into the warehouse courtyard, slashing anyone in their path. Yang Huahua screamed in fear and ran back into the building. Yang Chu, who was directing the farmhands to shoot arrows, couldn’t escape and was surrounded by dozens of cavalry, killed on the spot.

Many farmhands were captured from all sides and forced to kneel in the courtyard. Boxes filled with copper coins, treasures, and land deeds were carried out of the cellar by the soldiers and piled up like mountains in the yard. At that time, Yang Qi and Yang Huahua were led out of the small building. Yang Qi hung his head in defeat, like a beaten rooster, while Yang Huahua remained calm and fearless. She knew the soldiers wouldn’t dare kill her now, but seeing her money boxes dug up filled her eyes with resentment.

Just then, Li Yan rode into the warehouse courtyard and faced Yang Huahua. Gritting her teeth, Yang Huahua said, “Minister Li, you’ve done great service! Our Yang family is truly indebted to you!”

Li Yan glanced at Yang Xian, who had been killed by an arrow. He retorted coldly with a smile, “It’s mutual. I just didn’t expect the Yang family to end up like this!”

As the Baishui River Manor was captured by the troops, Yang Xian, the deputy head of the Taichang Temple, and Yang Chu, the deputy director of the Ministry of Rites, were killed by the rebel forces. This marked the end of the Yang family. The next day, Li Yu officially issued an edict to remove Yang Guozhong from his position as right chancellor, stripping him of all his titles and concurrent offices. He was demoted to the position of Sima of Yuzhou. Yang Guozhong’s wife had already died, and her title was revoked; the titles of his other wives were also taken away, reducing them to commoners. All members of the Yang family had their official positions and honors stripped, and they were reduced to ordinary people. All the land, wealth, rewards, and properties they had acquired were confiscated by the government.

Immediately afterward, Li Yu issued another edict, removing Linghu Fei from his positions as deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel and as a member of the Central Secretariat. He also dismissed high-ranking officials such as Wei Jiansu, the minister of works, Cui Qiao, the deputy minister of the right, and Daxi Xun, the deputy minister of war, thus eliminating Yang Guozhong’s main supporters.

However, Li Yu did not go to extremes. Cui Ningbi remained as a concubine in the palace, and the members of the Yang family were not exiled to Lingnan. Lower-ranking officials from Yang Guozhong’s faction were also spared, as Li Yu did not hold them accountable but ordered them to break ties with Yang Guozhong.

“Everyone who has sided with Yang Guozhong must reflect on themselves!”

The downfall of the Yang family and Yang Guozhong’s demotion can be seen as the climax of Li Yu’s land reforms and power realignment, and it marked one of the most significant events in his reign as emperor. It was like removing a crucial pillar from the political structure of Chang’an, causing the political situation there to wobble and nearly collapse.

It was also like a dagger thrust into Li Longji’s body, mercilessly breaking through his limits.

……

Almost on the same day Yang Guozhong was demoted, the war between the two major warlords in the Guannei region reached its final stage. The Anxi Army, with its relentless pursuit, reached Suizhou, 200 li away, in just one day and night—less than 30 li from An Lushan’s army. At that time, An Lushan’s forces were positioned 30 li east of Shangxian in Suizhou. They were now less than 20 li from the Yellow River. But due to the Anxi Army’s rapid pursuit, An Lushan could no longer cross the river as planned. He was forced to change his strategy and prepare for a decisive battle with the Anxi Army.

A strong wind blew, flags fluttered, and sand and stones flew across the open fields as dust filled the air. The 60,000 troops from Fanyang had taken firm positions, with archers, crossbowmen, spearmen, shock troops, and cavalry arranged in sequence. The 10,000 most elite cavalry from Youzhou formed the core of the army, surrounding An Lushan in the center. An Lushan stood under a large flag, his gaze complex as he watched a dark line slowly approaching in the distance.

He was the military governor farthest to the east of the Tang Dynasty, while Li Qing’an was the military governor farthest to the west. Originally, they had no chance of fighting, but fate deliberately arranged for them to clash near the heart of the empire. As for who would emerge victorious, An Lushan was equally full of anticipation at that moment.