Chapter 429: One Stone, Many Waves

After defeating An Lushan’s Fanyang army in Suizhou, the Anxi army immediately returned to their camp, where An Lushan’s 20,000-strong force was still stationed. When they reached Yanzhou, they encountered Tian Qianzhen’s troops arriving to offer aid. Learning that An Lushan’s army had been defeated, Tian Qianzhen, realizing he could not resist, led his troops to surrender to Li Qing’an. Thus, An Lushan’s 90,000-strong army that had invaded the Guannei Route was completely annihilated. Fewer than 2,000 soldiers managed to flee back to Hedong with An Lushan. Of his key generals, aside from Tian Qianzhen who surrendered, Li Riyue was captured after exhausting his strength, while generals like Shi Siming managed to escape back to Hedong by luck. Nearly 40,000 of the 90,000 soldiers were killed, and the rest surrendered to the Anxi army. However, the Anxi army also suffered tens of thousands of casualties in the battle of Suizhou. Li Qing’an ordered his general Nan Jiyun to handle the aftermath, while he himself led 30,000 troops to station in Pinggao County, waiting for news from Chang’an.

In Chencang County of Fengxiang, 100,000 soldiers from Jiannan had been stationed there for nearly a month. On the other side of the Wei River, Guo County was occupied by Guo Ziyi’s 50,000-strong army, while Wushan County in Longzhou had Ge Shu Han’s 50,000 troops stationed there. The three armies faced off against each other, none daring to take reckless action. While the balance of power was roughly equal, it was largely due to the uncertain situation in Chang’an that kept everyone cautious.

Early in the morning, before dawn, a group of cavalry rushed through the misty fog toward the Jiannan army’s camp east of Chencang County. The camp was eerily quiet, with only patrol soldiers moving back and forth. When the Jiannan army first arrived in Guanzhong, they would train at dawn every day. But since the King of Shu arrived at the camp, the soldiers had become slack, and including today, they had not trained in the morning for three days.

Inside a large tent at the center of the camp, light still shone. Gao Xianzhi had not slept all night. He stood in front of a map, deep in thought. The map of the Guannei Route in front of him was marked with various red lines that only he could understand. He was monitoring the fierce battle between the Anxi army and the Fanyang army. For this purpose, he had sent hundreds of scouts to Guannei Route to report the progress of the war to him via pigeon messages. His information was only one to two days behind the actual events. Gao Xianzhi stayed up all night because he had analyzed various intelligence sources and concluded that the war between the two armies had reached its final decisive moment.

In the decisive battle between these two armies, Gao Xianzhi was not optimistic about the Fanyang forces. This had nothing to do with personal feelings; it was a matter of facts. An Lushan had committed too many military blunders—hesitating between war and peace, dispersing his troops, spreading rumors that harmed both himself and his soldiers, all of which dealt a severe blow to morale. In terms of strength, Gao Xianzhi also favored the Anxi army. He knew this army well—strict in discipline, hardworking, and resilient. Li Qing’an had performed exceptionally well as well. That soldier he had promoted from a lowly position had eventually led the Anxi army to a complete victory over the Arabs, driving them across the Amu Darya River. Gao Xianzhi understood better than anyone that this was an extraordinary achievement. Though he was somewhat jealous of Li Qing’an, he had to admit that Li had done better than him.

Gao Xianzhi glanced at the latest intelligence, which reported that An Lushan was retreating northward. He quickly deduced that An Lushan was trying to buy time by crossing the river at Suizhou. He sighed softly. He wondered who had given An Lushan this idea—clearly, they didn’t understand the Anxi army at all. Gao Xianzhi’s greatest regret had been failing to take some warhorses with him when he left Anxi. Only after arriving in Shu did he realize that the horses in Bashu were nowhere near as good as those from the Western Regions. The Anxi army’s horses were powerful for both charging and long-distance riding. Especially since Li Qing’an had defeated the Arabs several times, he must have acquired more excellent horses from the West. An Lushan clearly hadn’t considered this factor, which led him to hastily decide to retreat from Suizhou, even splitting his forces. Gao Xianzhi already had a preliminary judgment: the Anxi army would surely catch up with An Lushan and achieve a decisive victory.

Gao Xianzhi looked up at the sky outside. It was almost dawn. He urged his attendants again, “Go and see! Why hasn’t the intelligence been brought in yet?”

As soon as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent. One of his attendants shouted, “General Gao, there’s urgent intelligence!”

The attendant rushed into the tent holding a message tube. Gao Xianzhi took it and eagerly opened it. After a while, he sighed slightly. As expected, the Fanyang forces had been utterly defeated, almost completely wiped out, while An Lushan had escaped.

He shook his head and immediately ordered, “Go and summon the prince here at once.”

After a pause, he added, “No! I’ll go see the prince in person.”

He quickly packed up and hurried toward the king’s tent not far away. King Li Li of Shu’s tent was unique—comprising over twenty separate large tents, all made of wool with gold threads woven into them, shining brilliantly in the sunlight. On this trip from Chengdu, King Li Li brought more than 500 attendants, with thousands of carts carrying various supplies, along with over thirty concubines. The tents were luxuriously opulent, resembling a palace, in stark contrast to Gao Xianzhi’s simple sleeping quarters.

Gao Xianzhi had nothing to say about Li Li’s extravagance. After all, Li Li was a prince of the Tang Dynasty and the ruler of Bashu. Yet Gao Xianzhi was dissatisfied that Li Li had abandoned morning drills upon his arrival. He had heard some of the reasons—apparently, Li Li’s two favorite concubines had trouble sleeping at night and could only fall asleep in the early morning. They complained that the soldiers’ morning exercises were too noisy and disrupted their sleep. Unfortunately, Gao Xianzhi wasn’t Sun Tzu; he couldn’t drag those two troublemaking women outside and execute them. He could only hold his anger inside. At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that he hadn’t given his daughter to Li Li as a concubine—marrying such a man would ruin her life’s happiness and prevent her from living freely.

Gao Xianzhi approached the king’s tent and said to the guard on duty, “Go tell the king that I have urgent matters to discuss with him.”

The guard hesitated. “General Gao, you don’t know—the king didn’t go to bed until the middle of the night. If we disturb him now, he’ll be furious, and we’ll suffer the consequences!”

“You fool!” Gao Xianzhi snapped angrily. “Don’t you know? I have extremely important military matters. If we miss this opportunity, you’ll all lose your heads!”

Seeing Gao Xianzhi’s anger, the guard hurried off. After a while, he returned with a troubled expression. “General Gao, the king asks you to come in.”

Gao Xianzhi strode quickly to the tent. Two of Li Li’s personal guards gestured for him to enter. When Gao Xianzhi lifted the curtain, a pungent scent of perfume hit him. He hesitated for a moment—under normal circumstances, he would never have entered, but given the urgent situation, he forced himself in.

The tent was covered with thick carpets, and colorful Shu brocades hung all around. Various precious jade artifacts and porcelain vases were displayed inside. Li Li was already up, wearing a white robe, sitting cross-legged in front of a bronze mirror. Two delicate-looking concubines in thin spring clothes stood on either side, combing his hair and washing him. Gao Xianzhi shook his head inwardly—this was a military camp, and the King of Shu was going too far. He stepped forward quickly, bowed, and said, “Gao Xianzhi pays his respects to the king!”

Li Li smiled and waved his hand. “General Gao, there’s no need for formalities.”

Li Li was in his thirties, with fair skin, long eyebrows, and delicate eyes, exuding a lively aura. He was the thirteenth son of Li Longji and was renowned among his brothers for his bravery. However, after amassing troops in Bashu, his life gradually declined. His originally dark and rough skin became fair and delicate, and he grew increasingly ambitious, dreaming every day of ascending to the throne. His invasion of Guanzhong was clearly aimed at seizing the throne, and after receiving his father’s promise, his ambition grew even more.

Li Li glanced at Gao Xianzhi and, seeing concern in his eyes, smiled and asked, “What urgent matter does General Gao have?”

Gao Xianzhi sighed and said, “Your Highness may not be aware yet, but Li Qing’an has dealt a crushing defeat to An Lushan in Suizhou—the entire Fanyang army was wiped out.”

“What!”

Li Li was shocked, almost unable to believe his ears. “You mean they were completely annihilated?”

Gao Xianzhi nodded. “According to the scouts’ reports, An Lushan managed to escape across the river by chance, but the remaining 90,000 troops were all killed.”

Li Li was stunned, unable to react for a long time. Gao Xianzhi added, “Since Li Qing’an has completely destroyed An Lushan’s army, his next target must be Guanzhong. Your Highness, if I’m not mistaken, Li Yu will surely send him to deal with us. The situation is critical—please make a decision soon.”

“Well…”

Li Li was troubled. He waved his hand, sending two concubines away, then stood up and paced back and forth in the tent. In fact, Gao Xianzhi already had a plan, but he stayed silent, waiting quietly for Li Li’s decision. He knew this prince well—extremely arbitrary. Unless asked, even if you offered an excellent plan, he might accept it at first but harbor resentment later and look for reasons to trouble you over other matters.

At that moment, a report came from outside the tent. “Your Highness and General Gao, the Longyou army in Wushan County has shown signs of unrest, moving eastward.”

“That damned Ge Shu Han—he reacted quickly.”

Li Li cursed under his breath. Suddenly remembering something, he turned to look at Gao Xianzhi. Seeing that he seemed confident, he grew displeased and said, “General Gao must have a plan! Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I only have a humble suggestion, fearing it might not meet Your Highness’s approval.”

“Then speak up. If the plan is good, I’ll agree.”

Gao Xianzhi pondered for a moment before saying, “Your Highness, I have received news that shortly after the Jingzhou troops withdrew from Hanzhong, the Guanzhong troops also retreated to Chang’an. Now that Hanzhong is empty, why not station our troops there? We can advance to Chang’an or retreat to Bashu, with guaranteed supplies. It will also prevent the Guanzhong troops from launching a surprise attack on our rear while Bashu is unguarded. What do you think, Your Highness?”
Li Li held his hands behind his back and pondered for a while. This was indeed the best course of action at present. As Gao Xianzhi had said, they could advance to Chang’an or retreat to Bashu.
He nodded and said, “General Gao is absolutely right. I agree to temporarily withdraw from Hanzhong.”
“I will arrange it right away.”
Just as Gao Xianzhi turned to leave, Li Li suddenly remembered something and called him back. “General, please wait. I still have one more matter.”
Gao Xianzhi stopped and turned around. “Please give your orders, Your Highness!”
Li Li smiled ambiguously and said, “General Gao, I mentioned last time that I wished to marry Lady Wu as my concubine. You said you would discuss it with her. Have you two reached an agreement?”
Gao Xianzhi looked troubled and replied after a long pause, “I’ve been busy with Your Highness’s important matters lately and forgot about this. Once the affairs in Guanzhong are settled, I will talk to Lady Wu properly.”
Li Li’s expression darkened, and he stretched out his voice, “General Gao, are you trying to avoid it?”
“By no means! Your Highness is overthinking it,” Gao Xianzhi quickly explained with a smile. “It’s her fortune that Your Highness favors her. I will surely persuade her.”
“Alright! I’ll wait patiently then,” Li Li said with a forced smile. “It’s not urgent. Go ahead and focus on withdrawing the troops. We can discuss this later.”
Gao Xianzhi bowed and left quickly. Li Li watched his retreating figure, shook his head gently, and murmured to himself, “Gao Xianzhi, could you also have ulterior motives?”
…
As the Anxi troops were about to enter Guanzhong, the Jiannan troops felt immense pressure. At Gao Xianzhi’s suggestion, Li Li finally decided to retreat south to Hanzhong. On the afternoon they made the decision, 100,000 Jiannan troops set out for Hanzhong. However, the standoff in Fengxiang remained unchanged. As Guo Shuhan’s army advanced eastward toward Fengxiang, it trapped Guo Ziyi’s Shuofang army there. Until then, no one knew what Guo Shuhan’s true intentions were.
But the situation in Chang’an showed signs of improvement with the defeat of An Lushan’s army.

Within a single day, the news of the Anxi Army’s decisive victory over the Fanyang Army spread throughout Chang’an like the spring breeze of March, reaching every corner of the city. The brutality of the barbarian troops and the shadow cast by An Lushan had weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts for over a month, but now they were completely swept away by the breeze of victory. Joyful smiles could be seen everywhere as the people celebrated with drums and gongs. Rice prices in Chang’an dropped again, to 200 wen per dou.

Just as the common people were overjoyed, so too were the court officials. Gradually, officials began returning to the palace, and Daming Palace and the imperial city became lively once more. People gathered to discuss the future of the situation. Having suffered such a heavy defeat, An Lushan would not dare to attack Guanzhong for at least three years. Some officials believed the Anxi Army should pursue victory and completely destroy An Lushan, while others disagreed. Although An Lushan had been defeated, he still possessed great strength. His loss in Guannei Road was largely due to being far from his homeland. If this battle had taken place in Hebei, An Lushan might not have lost. The officials held conflicting opinions and argued fiercely.

In the Zichen Hall of Daming Palace, Pei Min walked excitedly toward Li Yu’s private study, holding a memorial document with great enthusiasm. He had received news not only of Li Qing’an’s decisive victory over An Lushan but also of the Jiannan Army’s withdrawal to Hanzhong.

In Li Yu’s study in Zichen Hall, the excitement over Li Qing’an’s victory had somewhat subsided. Emperor Li Yu was discussing with Minister of Punishments Li Yan the matter of the 10,000 mu of imperial farmland in Weinan County—Li Longji’s private lands. Li Yu had hesitated to touch them, but now that he had completely broken ties with Li Longji, he resolved to take action. Those 10,000 mu of fertile land could support 200,000 self-cultivating farmers, generating an annual tax revenue of 20,000 guan and 300,000 dan in grain rents—something that greatly excited Li Yu.

“Your Majesty, this imperial farmland is of great significance. It can serve as a symbol. If it can be completely destroyed, it will demonstrate to the whole world Your Majesty’s determination to resolve the land issue. I suggest issuing an edict announcing this to the world, so that all provinces of the Tang Dynasty may follow suit. Those officials who contribute to returning land to farmers should be promoted and given important positions.”

Li Yu pondered for a long time before slowly shaking his head and saying, “Your words make sense, but I still think we should first resolve the issue of land consolidation in Guanzhong thoroughly before gradually expanding to Henan Prefecture and the Henan region. It’s not appropriate to roll this out nationwide at the moment. I’m worried it could cause chaos across the country. Moreover, only most of the imperial relatives’ lands in Guanzhong have been addressed, so I intend to further deepen land reforms there. Next, I plan to investigate the lands held by high-ranking officials. If possible, I also want to set aside some land for military use.”

Li Yu walked a few steps with his hands behind his back before adding, “The imperial estates in Weinan County are of great significance this time. I’ve decided to go to Weinan County in person to announce that these estates will officially become government land. I think this is also a way to show my stance.”

“I approve of Your Majesty’s decision. It is indeed extraordinary for You Majesty to announce personally that the imperial estates will be taken over by the government.”

At that moment, an eunuch came in and reported, “Your Majesty, Scholar Li and Minister Pei have arrived.”

Li Yu smiled and said, “Ask them in!”

He then said to Li Yan, “We can’t delay any longer regarding the imperial estates. I’ll hold a council meeting tomorrow, and I may not have time. The day after tomorrow, I’ll go to Weinan County with you to handle this matter.”

“Very well! I’ll send someone to make preparations first.”

After they reached a decision, Li Mi and Pei Min hurried in. Li Mi smiled and said, “Your Majesty, Minister Pei has brought you good news again.”

Pei Min stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty, there’s good news from Fengxiang.”

“Don’t rush to speak. Everyone, sit down!”

Li Yu warmly invited his trusted ministers to sit down and ordered tea to be served for them. Then he smiled and asked Pei Min, “Minister Pei, please go ahead.”

“Your Majesty, the King of Shu has withdrawn his troops back to Hanzhong.”

“As expected, one action can stir up many reactions!”

Li Yu sighed deeply and said, “Li Qing’an defeated An Lushan decisively, and the King of Shu, feeling threatened, withdrew his troops voluntarily. But retreating to Hanzhong is only temporary. They’re likely to make a comeback. The key is that we must have sufficient strength.”

He glanced at Li Mi, seeing him deep in thought, and asked with a smile, “What’s Scholar Li thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about Ge Shu Han. This man is very strange. His intentions for leading his troops to the capital remain a mystery. Now he’s also holding Guo Ziyi back. I’m genuinely worried—he might have other ulterior motives.”

“I’m also puzzled. I thought he was here to help me, but it seems not to be the case. I’ve decided to send someone to question him.”

Everyone fell silent. Geshu Han’s actions were indeed suspicious, but no one could explain why. Li Yu waved his hand and said with a smile, “Let’s not talk about him for now. If he has any intention of rebelling, I will order the Anxi Army and the Shuofang Army to jointly suppress him. Now, let’s discuss Li Qing’an’s matter. Since Yang Guozhong has vacated the position of Right Chancellor, I have decided to officially appoint him as Right Chancellor and Minister of the Secretariat, while also making him the Grand Protector and Military Governor of Anxi. Do any of you officials object?”