Chapter 444: Sanctioning Geshu Han

Li Hen’s office was located in the Zichen Pavilion, formerly the imperial study of his son Li Yu. Of course, he didn’t have the right to work there; his duty was to review memorials on behalf of the young emperor Li Shi. To some extent, he exercised part of the emperor’s powers. However, it was only a portion, as he could only review memorials—he couldn’t, like a true emperor, appoint or dismiss officials above the third rank, nor could he issue imperial edicts as a grand secretary. His authority was even less than that of the Political Affairs Council. If he opposed a decision made by the council, he could only send it back for reevaluation but had no right to veto it. If he still objected after three readings, the Secretariat would issue the decree directly based on the council’s decision, bypassing him.

Thus, often, Li Hen would express his opinions through the council’s agents. His agent was Wang Gong, while Yang Guozhong and Chen Xili were essentially just voting members; they no longer held any real significance to Li Hen.

At that moment, in the court hall of the Zichen Pavilion, Li Hen was anxiously discussing strategies against Geshu Han with Wang Gong and Linghu Fei.

Li Hen was furious about Geshu Han’s misdeeds, but what angered him even more was that Geshu Han hadn’t reported the incident to him at all. He had learned about it just like everyone else through official memorials. Li Hen walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. He felt as though Geshu Han was growing further away from him. After the incident with the carriage last time, Geshu Han hadn’t explained anything to him either. Now, with this incident in Xianyang, he still didn’t consider Li Hen’s feelings. Was he still his man?

“Mr. Linghu, what do you think? How should I handle this?” Li Hen turned to look at Linghu Fei.

Linghu Fei currently served as a guest of the crown prince, a minor position in the eastern palace. His actual role was as Li Hen’s advisor, helping him devise strategies.

After pondering for a moment, Linghu Fei said, “Your Highness, I believe this matter requires careful consideration of pros and cons. Supporting sanctions against Geshu Han has its drawbacks—it means Your Highness will lose his support. But opposing sanctions also has its drawbacks—it means Your Highness will face fierce public opposition, severely damaging your reputation among the people and lower-ranking officials.”

“Are you suggesting I remain neutral?”

Linghu Fei shook his head and smiled, saying, “For Ge Shuhan, not opposing means supporting—it holds no meaning. In fact, I know that sanctions against Ge Shuhan will definitely pass, as the proposal was put forward by Zhang Yun, with the support of Li Qing’an, Pei Min, and Li Yan. The final vote in the Council of State will surely be four to three. The key now is whether, if we risk damaging our reputations by opposing the proposal, Ge Shuhan will be grateful to Your Highness and hold him in high esteem.”

At that moment, Wang Gong interjected, “Actually, Ge Shuhan is a very practical man. He supports Your Highness because he seeks greater benefits—he wants to become the governor of Guannei and the military commander there. But since Your Highness didn’t grant him that position, he naturally feels dissatisfied. This can be seen from the Xianyang incident—he was completely unscrupulous and didn’t care about Your Highness’s reputation at all. In his heart, he no longer considers Your Highness important.”

Li Hen still hesitated, worried that Ge Shuhan might, in a fit of anger, side with his father, which would be counterproductive.

Linghu Fei noticed Li Hen’s concern and said, “Your Highness, sanctioning Ge Shuhan is inevitable. If he is displeased with the sanctions and turns to the former emperor in anger, there’s nothing we can do about it. But for Your Highness, it would mean offending the people and losing Ge Shuhan at the same time—losing everything. As for how to prevent him from defecting to Jiannan, that’s something Li Qing’an needs to consider.”

Just then, an eunuch rushed in from outside and reported in a low voice, “Your Highness, the Council of State is urging again. Prime Minister Wang is asked to attend the meeting immediately.”

Li Hen nodded and said to Wang Gong, “Go to the meeting right away. Also, convey to Yang Guozhong and Chen Xilie that we firmly support the sanctions against Ge Shuhan.”

……

The meeting room of the Council of State was a large, airtight room without windows, surrounded by strict security. Hundreds of soldiers stood dozens of steps away from the door, preventing anyone from approaching. There were only two doors in the room: a main door and a smaller door leading to the right chancellor’s office.

The room was spacious enough to accommodate a hundred people for a meeting. Generally, meetings in the Council of State weren’t just attended by the chancellors; relevant department heads also participated when discussing matters. In addition, there were six secretaries responsible for recording, each in charge of one of the six ministries.

If the meeting involved many matters, even more officials would attend. Today, besides the seven chancellors, those present included Li Pin, the chief censor, and Cui Guangyuan, the governor of Jingzhao. There was also a humble individual—the only witness and survivor of the Xianyang incident, a court official named Song Wulang who was in charge of guarding the county magistrate’s horses.

The meeting in the government hall had not yet begun; everyone was still waiting for Wang Gong. Li Qing’an sipped his tea slowly, his mind pondering the causes and consequences of the Xianyang incident. Ge Shuhan had killed people at the entrance of the military camp and even personally executed the magistrate of Xianyang County. Surely he knew the consequences of such actions?

Li Qing’an was well aware that once a person reached a certain position, their thoughts would differ from those of ordinary people. As the military governor of Longyou and the Prince of Xiping, could Ge Shuhan really be that impulsive?

If Ge Shuhan were truly reckless, he wouldn’t have staged that clever act of pleading for Wang Zhongsì to win over the troops’ loyalty back in the sixth year of Tianbao. The answer was obvious—given Ge Shuhan’s cunning, he wouldn’t do such a foolish thing that would damage his reputation. If he wanted to kill someone, he would send others to ambush them disguised as others, rather than killing openly at the entrance of the military camp.

It was certain that Ge Shuhan had done this on purpose. So what was his motive? At this point, Li Qing’an had a vague guess: it was likely that Ge Shuhan wanted an excuse to defect to Li Longji. He had stirred up trouble to force the court to punish him, especially Li Heng, so that he could openly defect to Li Longji and avoid the stigma of betrayal.

That must be it. Ge Shuhan knew very well which crime was more serious—lax military discipline or betraying his lord!

Li Qing’an took another slow sip of tea and began to consider the consequences of Ge Shuhan defecting to Li Longji.

At that moment, Wang Gong rushed in and bowed to everyone, saying, “I’m sorry for being late. I was discussing state affairs with the Regent.”

He sat down in his seat and said apologetically, “Then let’s begin!”

Li Qing’an nodded and said to Cui Guangyuan, “We can start now.”

Cui Guangyuan whispered a few words to the official Song Wulang, telling him not to be nervous and just to explain the whole situation clearly.

Standing before the highest ruler of the Tang Dynasty, Song Wulang’s legs trembled as he nervously recounted what had happened.

“Five nights ago, in the middle of the night, the village heads and elders from three villages in the western suburbs of Xianyang went to see Magistrate Wei right away. They said that a cavalry unit from the Longyou army, under the pretext of searching for enemy spies, had abducted sixty-four young women…”

“Wait a moment!”

Chen Xilié interrupted Song Wulang’s account. Li Qing’an glanced at him unhappily and asked, “Does Minister Chen have any questions?”

“I have a few doubts about the details. The city gates are usually closed at night. How did the people from those villages get into the city to see the magistrate?”

Li Pin, the censor-in-chief, said beside him, “Let me explain this. Generally, the city gates should be closed, but in case of major events, the county magistrate can leave the city overnight. I’ve confirmed that these villagers didn’t enter the city; instead, it was County Magistrate Wei who led the officials out.”
Song Wulang quickly replied, “That’s exactly right. It was County Magistrate Wei who led us out of the city.”
Li Qing’an nodded and said, “Go on. While he’s telling his story, I hope no one else interrupts him. We’ll discuss everything after he finishes.”
Song Wulang continued, “County Magistrate Wei was very cautious. He didn’t go straight to the military camp but went to the villages to gather information. Only after obtaining solid evidence did he head to the camp. Since he heard that the rules at Ge Shu Han’s camp prohibited approaching the gate on horseback, he told me to wait under a tree about 300 steps away. I saw with my own eyes those women crying bitterly after being released, as well as three corpses being carried out. Later, the villagers, filled with rage, seemed to recognize one of the officers and started fighting. Then Ge Shu Han appeared, riding on horseback with a large iron spear in his hand. I heard the soldiers shouting, ‘General Ge Shu Han has arrived!’…”
In the end, Song Wulang couldn’t hold back his tears. “County Magistrate Wei had a argument with Ge Shu Han and was killed by him with an iron spear from behind.”
Silence filled the council hall. Everyone could guess what happened next—Ge Shu Han killed everyone to silence them, except for this stablehand.
Cui Guangyuan took Song Wulang away, and Li Pin also reported the preliminary findings to the council hall. “In front of Ge Shu Han’s camp, my subordinates found large amounts of bloodstains and several ornaments and shoes left on the ground, also stained with blood. The families of the missing confirmed that they belonged to their relatives. The evidence is conclusive. In total, 435 people are missing, including the county magistrate and the 64 women who were taken away. They must all have been killed by Ge Shu Han. I tried to enter the camp to investigate, but Ge Shu Han refused and prevented any soldiers from contacting us. The situation seems to be true.”
A secretary brought in a plate containing bloodstained shoes and several silver ornaments, along with a list of the missing and the statements from their families.

At this moment, Zhang Yun sighed and said, “There is ample evidence—witnesses and physical proof. Ge Shuhuan first sent his troops to abduct women, then killed people to silence them, and even went so far as to murder the magistrate of Xianyang County. As part of the Tang army, such actions are unforgivable. As the Prince of Xiping, he must bear primary responsibility. Therefore, I propose cutting off military supplies to Longyou, removing Ge Shuhuan from his positions as Prince of Xiping and military governor of Longyou. The military governorship of Longyou should be temporarily assumed by Prime Minister Li. Since Longyou’s military forces are weak, the Anxi army can assist in defense for now. New troops should be recruited in Longyou as soon as possible. This is my proposal. What do you all think?”
Silence filled the room. No one objected to Zhang Yun’s plan of sanctions; in fact, it was impossible to object. Faced with strong public opinion and the principles of fairness and justice, no one would side with Ge Shuhuan.
Li Qing’an put down the memorial and said slowly, “What I need to remind everyone of is that we cannot strip Ge Shuhuan of his actual military power. Our sanctions are likely to drive him to Jiannan. I hope everyone is fully aware of this consequence.”
Li Qing’an glanced at everyone before fixing his gaze on Wang Gong. Ge Shuhuan was Li Hen’s man, so ultimately, it should be Li Hen who made a decision. Wang Gong must have discussed this matter with Li Hen earlier.
Wang Gong replied calmly, “Although Ge Shuhuan might defect to Jiannan, we cannot let him off just because of that. Otherwise, how can we explain this to the people of Guanzhong? These are two separate issues. I firmly support sanctions against Ge Shuhuan and the Longyou army, but I think assigning Prime Minister Li as the military governor of Longyou still requires further consideration.”
With that, Wang Gong smiled at Li Qing’an and said, “It’s not that I doubt Prime Minister Li’s ability, but I think he’s too tired. He holds the positions of military governor of Anxi and Hexi, as well as prime minister, and is also the pacification commissioner for Guannei Circuit. A person’s energy is limited. I don’t want Prime Minister Li to fall ill from overwork. Prime Minister Li, I mean well—please don’t take it personally.”
Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Prime Minister Wang may not know that I officially resigned from my position as pacification commissioner for Guannei Circuit this morning. I propose establishing a military governorship for Guannei and merging it with the Shuofang military governorship under the unified title of Military Governor of Guannei. I recommend General Guo Ziyi for this position. In that way, I will have the energy to also serve as the military governor of Longyou. What do you think, Prime Minister Wang?”
Wang Gong was speechless for a while. Li Qing’an was trading Guannei Circuit for Longyou, giving Guannei Circuit to Guo Ziyi. In this way, Li Qing’an would control all the lands west of the Yellow River.

Li Qing’an ignored him and said to everyone, “Alright, let’s now proceed with a brief vote on the sanctions plan against Minister Zhang. Those in agreement may raise their hands.” After saying that, he raised his hand, and Zhang Yun also raised hers. …
The meeting in the Government Hall came to an end, and as it was already late, everyone returned to their own residences. The resolutions made at the meeting would be compiled by the clerks and submitted to Regent Li Heng for approval before being officially issued.
Hundreds of cavalry escorted Li Qing’an’s carriage as it moved slowly along Zhuque Street. Pei Min was also in the carriage, sitting opposite Li Qing’an, discussing the contents of today’s meeting.
Pei Min asked in confusion, “Qing’an, I’ve always wondered why Zhang Yun is so enthusiastic about this matter. After all, he has no connection with Geshu Han and is not in charge of the Ministry of War. From what I know of Zhang Yun, he only acts when there’s personal gain involved. I can’t see where he stands to benefit. Could it be that you and he have some secret deal?”
Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Uncle, don’t worry about Zhang Yun. Just think about how Li Longji will benefit, and everything will become clear.”
Pei Min slapped his own forehead, suddenly realizing. Yes, Zhang Yun was pushing Geshu Han toward Li Longji, thereby earning a great merit for him. This explained why Zhang Yun suggested taking away Geshu Han’s position as governor of Longyou—it was actually cutting off Geshu Han’s escape route. Zhang Yun was very skillful at acting subtly!
Seeing that Pei Min had understood, Li Qing’an continued, “If Li Longji gains Geshu Han’s 50,000 elite troops, plus Gao Xianzhi’s 100,000 army, he will have 150,000 troops at his disposal. He’s likely to launch a counterattack on Chang’an. With just my Anxi Army, we probably can’t match such a force. I must ally with Guo Ziyi’s Shuofang Army to have even a slim chance of victory. That’s why I gave Guo Ziyi control of the Guannei Route—so that we share common interests, and he’ll be willing to fully support me with his troops.”
Hearing how far-sighted Li Qing’an was, Pei Min couldn’t help but exclaim, “Qing’an, compared to you, I feel truly bookish and old.”
Li Qing’an gently patted the back of his hand resting on the table, as if comforting him, and said softly, “Uncle, you’re a practical person, a doer. You should go to my court to review memorials and handle government affairs. Let me deal with the political scheming. Do you understand what I mean?”

Over these ten days, Li Qing’an had had enough of the heavy labor under the dazzling aura of the Right Prime Minister. He felt like he was turning into a slave to memorizing memorials, which was not what he wanted. His wife’s uncle, Pei Min, the Minister of Personnel, was undoubtedly the perfect substitute. Seeing that Pei Min still didn’t seem to understand his words, he decided to have a serious talk with him that night.
…
On the very night the government made its decision, Ge Shu Han, upon hearing the news, led his army away from Xianyang and set off in great force toward Hanzhong. In June of the first year of Zhenzhi, Ge Shu Han officially defected to the former emperor, Li Longji.