Chapter 446: Setting Aside Past Feuds
Li Longji’s proclamation to the people issued in Hanzhong caused a tremendous stir in Chang’an. People in printing shops printed large numbers of copies overnight and spread them widely throughout the city. In his proclamation, Li Longji declared that the current emperor’s accession was invalid and proclaimed himself the legitimate ruler. He called on officials and members of the royal family to return to the south, emphasizing that he would protect their property. This led to great chaos—some people denounced him, while others supported him. On the streets and in teahouses of Chang’an, clashes between supporters and critics occurred repeatedly. For two days in a row, many nobles and members of the royal family fled Chang’an with their families. At all the city gates, caravans of carts and ox carts ready to leave could be seen everywhere. Li Longji’s proclamation was like a sharp knife, dividing Chang’an’s various social classes.
In stark contrast to the chaos in the streets was the silence of the imperial court. Since Li Longji issued his proclamation, the court had not issued any counterstatements nor tried to stop the nobles, officials, and some high-ranking officials from fleeing. It seemed they tacitly accepted the spread of the proclamation and the departure of its supporters. Instead, they sent troops to patrol key areas of Chang’an to maintain order.
However, some court officials revealed unusual news: the highest levels of the court were not unified. Right Prime Minister Li Qing’an and Regent Li Heng had serious disagreements over how to handle the situation. Li Heng demanded that the proclamation be suppressed and that no officials or nobles be allowed to leave. But Li Qing’an agreed only to issue a refutation and did not oppose their departure. He believed keeping these disloyal elements in Chang’an would pose a threat. In the debates in the government hall, Li Heng was at a disadvantage. Minister of Punishments Li Yan and Minister of Personnel Pei Min firmly supported Li Qing’an’s views. In particular, Li Yan, known as “Li Zhengtian,” stated outright that allowing the nobles to leave would free up large amounts of farmland. Within half a year, the proportion of self-cultivating farmers in Guanzhong could rise to 70%. On the other hand, Minister of War Chen Xilie and Minister of Rites Yang Guozhong both left Chang’an to join Li Longji in Hanzhong, dealing a fatal blow to Li Heng’s influence in the government hall. With Zhang Yun remaining neutral, Li Heng’s forces were left supported only by Wang Gong, who was utterly unable to compete with Li Qing’an’s faction.
On the third day, the Changan Government Hall finally issued the “Rebuttal to the World,” written by Li Yan himself, in which he refuted Li Longji’s claims of illegitimacy with detailed facts. The new emperor, Li Shi, was the legitimate eldest son of the former emperor and had been appointed as the crown prince at the beginning of the former emperor’s reign. When the former emperor passed away, the crown prince succeeded to the throne—how could it be illegitimate? Li Yan particularly pointed out the contradictions in Li Longji’s arguments. If Li Longji acknowledged that Emperor Jingzong was the legitimate ruler, then why couldn’t the crown prince appointed by Jingzong be legitimate? Since ancient times, crown princes have always been chosen by the reigning emperor—there is no such thing as a retired emperor appointing one. At the end of the “Rebuttal to the World,” Li Yan clearly stated that the Government Hall would continue to restrict land consolidation and was determined to see the unfinished tasks of the former emperor through to completion.
The release of the “Rebuttal to the World” sparked strong support among the people of Guanzhong. With Li Longji’s army approaching, self-cultivating farmers who had regained land due to Li Yu’s land reforms spontaneously flocked to Changan from various parts of Guanzhong, willing to provide food and join the army to resist Li Longji’s attempt to restore his rule. This was essentially a struggle over their own interests.
Early in the morning, Li Qingan’s carriage, escorted by hundreds of bodyguards, rolled toward Daming Palace. Inside the carriage, Li Qingan was writing letters at full speed. Next to him, three short orders had already been completed, and he was writing his fourth order of the day: to transform 60,000 troops from the Anxi region into a regular army responsible for defending the Suiye area. Concurrently, 50,000 troops were to be dispatched from Suiye, Shiguo, and Tohara to Changan, with Li Guangbi as the commander-in-chief and Li Fei Yuanli as the deputy commander.
Over the past few days, Li Qingan had been issuing orders to Anxi. First, he ordered all the countries in Anxi to send princes or high-ranking envoys to Changan to pay homage to the new emperor and counter Li Longji’s claims of illegitimacy. Second, the process of relocating the first batch of 50,000 immigrants from the Guannei, Longyou, and Henan routes had begun. He ordered the Anxi Government Hall to prepare for their arrival and also instructed Feng Changqing to lead 100,000 conscripts from Xinde to Beiting, under the command of General Zhao Chongjie, to start building the direct Tang road from Changan to Anxi. At this point, Li Qingan was deeply concerned that the front lines were too stretched out, his forces insufficient to handle everything, and that Longyou was left vulnerable after the departure of Geshu Han. He could only entrust the Hexi army under Li Fei Shouyu to take control, but forces were still severely lacking. If the Tubo took the opportunity to invade from the north, all the gains of previous years would be lost. For this reason, Li Qingan was extremely worried.
At that moment, Yan Zhuang, who was standing nearby, saw Li Qingan looking worried and advised him, “Although Longyou is important, it is after all not a strategic area in the Central Plains. It has little impact on the future rise of the general. I suggest the general focus his efforts on seizing control of the Central Plains. Now that An Lushan has suffered a heavy defeat, he seems determined to give up Hedong. Hedong is an important grain supply area and also the birthplace of Emperor Gaozu of Tang. Such an opportunity must be seized. Moreover, the military forces in Henan Province have been weakened, providing a good chance to deploy troops there. The Central Plains are strategically vital—northward, one can advance into Qi and Yan; southward, control Jing and Xiang; eastward, reach Jianghuai. If not occupied early, it will be too late to reclaim them.”
Li Qingan nodded silently. Although Yan Zhuang’s reasoning made sense, in history, after the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, the Tang court abandoned the regions of Hezhou, Longzhou, and the Western Regions to gather troops, only for them to be taken over by the Tubo. This led to the weakening of the Han army centuries later. This was a lesson that must not be ignored.
Li Qingan sighed deeply and said, “As the ancients said, ‘Once you have Long, why seek Shu?’ Although I desire to take control of all the lands in the Central Plains, I lack sufficient troops. What can I do? I can only focus on occupying key areas. Although Longyou is not essential for me to conquer the world, the Tubo have ambitious plans, and I must be vigilant. If they manage to invade Hezhou, Longzhou, and the surrounding areas, it will cause great suffering, and I would become a traitor to the Tang dynasty. Ge Shu Han also told me that the Tubo have been preparing their forces for years and will surely attack Tang in the next one or two years. Even if I don’t occupy the Central Plains, I must deploy strong troops to Hehuang and Longyou—there’s no doubt about that. As for Henan, I can send Lei Wanchun’s troops from Yunchou southward to recruit soldiers there and expand our forces, gradually taking control of the area. Henan can be considered later.”
He paused for a moment before adding with a smile, “Besides, being too greedy will only lead to criticism. For Henan, I plan to recruit soldiers in the name of the court, under the court’s control, so they won’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Army.”
Yan Zhuang’s eyes sparkled as he suggested, “Then why not send Anxi generals to Henan to recruit troops? That way, they would appear to be court troops but actually be under the general’s control.”
Li Qingan smiled slightly and said, “Since we don’t want that, let’s do things cleanly. There’s no need for such underhanded tactics. As long as they are Tang troops, they will eventually be under my control.”
Yan Zhuang was disheartened as neither of his two suggestions was accepted. These days, since Li Qingan had appointed Wei Qingping as his advisor, he had shown great favor to him, adopting his two major suggestions in a row. This made Yan Zhuang feel unbalanced. He had followed Li Qingan for many years before finally reaching a position of trust, while Wei Qingping, despite having just arrived and his background still unverified, had already had his major suggestions accepted—specifically regarding the resignation from the position of Right Prime Minister and the construction of the Tang Straight Road. This made Yan Zhuang sigh, feeling that old clothes were not as good as new ones and old people were not as useful as newcomers.
Li Qingan glanced at Yan Zhuang and, seeing his low mood, realized he was upset because of Wei Qingping. A faint smile appeared on Li Qingan’s face. Having known Yan Zhuang for many years, he understood his temperament well. Yan Zhuang was skilled in plotting and loyal to him, but he was a bit narrow-minded. In Anxi, it had been Yan Zhuang who suppressed the advisor of Prince Qing, preventing that person from recovering to his former status to this day. Of course, this was a normal mindset—those who are good at strategizing tend to be more meticulous.
Li Qingan smiled and reassured him, “Sir, there’s no need to be discouraged. It’s not that I don’t want to adopt your strategies; it’s simply that I lack the strength. I think all your other suggestions are excellent. For example, regarding those members of the royal family and nobles who wanted to defect to Li Longji, I adopted your suggestion and let them go without any obstruction.”
Yan Zhuang had a somewhat childlike mindset. Hearing that Li Qingan had adopted his suggestion, he immediately forgot his earlier disappointment and became cheerful. When many people wanted Li Qingan to stop those royal family members and nobles from rushing to Chang’an, Yan Zhuang had a unique perspective. He saw that letting them go would greatly reduce obstacles to Li Qingan’s rise to power in the future.
Yan Zhuang said with a smile, “Actually, these guys are foolish. It’s obvious that Li Longji won’t live much longer, yet they still rush over. Can’t they think that it’s easier to leave than to return?”
Li Qingan also smiled and said, “This shows how severely they were oppressed by Li Yu. Suddenly, a path to freedom appeared, and they rushed over eagerly, ignoring the consequences. Perhaps they still hope that Li Longji can fight his way back.”
At this point, Li Qingan smiled at Yan Zhuang and said, “I know you’ve always wanted to buy a house in Chang’an. Those royal family members and nobles who left have left many houses empty. Go and take a look! Aside from the royal residences, if there’s any house you like, let me know, and I’ll make it happen for you.”
Yan Zhuang was overjoyed. He had long known that Chen Xili had a separate residence in Qinren Fang, a house given to him by An Lushan in the fourth year of Tianbao. Although the house wasn’t very large, Yan Zhuang knew its feng shui was excellent. He had coveted it for years, and now that Li Qing’an had brought it up, he would not hold back.
“Thank you, General.”
Li Qing’an smiled without saying a word. Not only Yan Zhuang, but also his old subordinates from Anxi needed to be considered.
……
The carriage stopped in front of Daming Palace. Several personal guards escorted Li Qing’an through Danfeng Gate. Daming Palace covered a vast area, with the three main halls—Hanyuan Hall, Xuanzheng Hall, and Zichen Hall—as its core, extending deeper into the palace to form three major administrative zones. It would take at least fifteen minutes to enter, and it was even more difficult for the elderly ministers. Therefore, there were many light carriages ready in front of Danfeng Gate to transport these elderly ministers to the court.
Li Qing’an got into a carriage and ordered, “Go to Zichen Hall!”
Today, he wanted to have a serious talk with Li Heng. This time, they shared common interests. The carriage set off quickly toward Zichen Hall.
In the regent’s chamber of Zichen Hall, Li Heng was discussing potential new prime ministers with Wang Gong. The departure of Yang Guozhong and Chen Xili caught Li Heng by surprise. On the other hand, Zhang Yun remained, meaning the council now had five prime ministers, leaving only one seat for Li Heng—something he could never accept. He needed to finalize two candidates before discussing the matter further with Li Qing’an.
One of these two candidates was already decided: Linghu Fei. There was no doubt about it. He was currently Li Heng’s most trusted person and would take over Yang Guozhong’s position as Minister of Rites. The key was the other candidate. There were many good options, such as Fang Gan, Vice Minister of the Secretariat; Zhang Gao, Vice Minister of the Chancellery; Cui Huan, Minister of Works; and Miao Jinqing, Vice Minister of Revenue. All of them had the talent to be prime ministers and maintained good relations with Li Heng. The crucial point was to find someone Li Heng could trust the most. After much consideration, Li Heng settled on Fang Gan and Cui Huan—both of whom he could rely on.
“Prime Minister Wang, I’m thinking of appointing Cui Huan, Minister of Works, as Minister of War. What do you think?”
Li Heng chose Cui Huan largely because he was a key figure in the prestigious Cui family. By appointing Cui Huan as prime minister, he could bring the entire Cui family under his control.
In fact, whether Cui Huan or Fang Gan became prime minister, Wang Gong didn’t care. What he cared about was Linghu Fei becoming prime minister—he already felt the threat Linghu Fei posed to him, as Li Heng’s trust and reliance on him clearly exceeded those for others. Concerned about his own interests, Wang Gong was extremely dissatisfied.
But Wang Gong was shrewd and didn’t show his dissatisfaction toward Linghu Fei. Instead, he said calmly, “Your Highness, my view is that both Cui Huan and Fang Gan are excellent choices. The Cui family has members serving as provincial officials in Hedong and Henan regions. Aligning with them would not only secure the support of the Cui family to counter the Pei family’s influence led by Li Qing’an but also, given Fang Gan’s extensive connections within the Secretariat, it is said he doesn’t get along well with Li Qing’an. If we win over Fang Gan, it means Your Highness’s influence extends into the Secretariat—a significance that cannot be underestimated.”
Wang Gong’s advice intrigued Li Heng. Indeed, what he said made sense. Yet it was impossible for both to become prime ministers, so Li Heng naturally thought of Linghu Fei again.
To some extent, the prime minister represented a certain faction of power, not necessarily the weaker groups. Looking at the five prime ministers in the current government, Zhang Yun was the son of the famous Kaiyuan prime minister Zhang Shuo, born into a Hanlin Academy scholar family, and a leading literati figure in the Tang Dynasty. With deep roots in the court for years, he had already formed the Zhang faction. Wang Gong represented the prominent Wang family of Guanlong. Although Empress Wang of Gaozong’s family was deposed by Wu Zetian and suffered a decline, they still had strong foundations. Wang Gong held over twenty positions and was second only to Yang Guozhong in actual power in the court. Pei Min represented the renowned Pei family of Hedong, which produced many talented individuals; his father, Pei Zunqing, was also a famous Kaiyuan prime minister. Li Yan was from the Li royal family, highly respected in Chang’an, and a representative of the reformist faction in the court. As for Li Qing’an, needless to say, after becoming the crown prince, he controlled half of the Tang Dynasty’s territory.
Thus, Linghu Fei, with his limited experience, no background, no power, and little influence in the government, would be a waste of a valuable position if made prime minister. It would be better to offer compensation in other areas, allowing Linghu Fei to focus on serving as a military advisor.
Thinking this, Li Heng changed his mind and decided to appoint both Cui Huan and Fang Gan as prime ministers. Before he could speak, his trusted eunuch, Li Fuguo, announced at the door, “Your Highness, Li Qing’an has arrived.”
Startled, Li Heng quickly said, “Invite him in at once!”
He then said to Wang Gong, “Follow your advice—appoint both Cui Huan and Fang Gan as prime ministers. Since Li Qing’an has arrived, you may accompany me to meet him.”
Although Wang Gong didn’t want to meet Li Qing’an here, seeing Li Hen’s nervous expression, he worried that Li Hen might make a mistake in handling the situation, so he nodded and sat aside. After a while, Li Qing’an walked in quickly and said with a smile as soon as he entered, “What a coincidence! Prime Minister Wang is also here. That saves me the trouble of going to the Ministry of State Affairs.” Wang Gong stood up, bowed, and said with a smile, “Prime Minister Li seems full of energy. Do you have a good strategy to repel the enemy?” “Of course I do. That’s why I’ve come to discuss it with the Regent and Prime Minister Wang.” Li Hen nodded and waved his hand, saying, “Please sit down, Prime Minister Li!” Li Qing’an sat down. A eunuch brought in a cup of tea. Li Qing’an picked up the cup, blew on it to cool it down, then put it down again and said with a smile, “Let’s first discuss the vacancies for Yang Guozhong and Chen Xilié! I wonder if the Regent has any suitable candidates?” Li Hen and Wang Gong exchanged a glance. Although they had already made a preliminary decision, Li Hen hadn’t discussed it in detail with them yet, so it wasn’t appropriate to propose it to Li Qing’an at this time. Li Hen smiled slightly and said, “I’m still considering it. I can submit a list to the Council of State Affairs tomorrow.” Li Qing’an replied leisurely, “Today, Minister Pei of the Ministry of Personnel did suggest a few candidates for prime minister, recommending that they be promoted from local positions.” Li Hen’s expression changed. He didn’t understand what Li Qing’an meant by this. If Pei Min proposed the candidates, wouldn’t the Council of State Affairs end up having exclusive control? This violated the understanding reached between them earlier. His expression darkened, and he said unhappily, “So what’s Prime Minister Li’s opinion?” Li Qing’an replied calmly, “I told Minister Pei that without rules, nothing can be accomplished. The candidates for prime minister shouldn’t be proposed by him.” Li Qing’an’s words undoubtedly reassured Li Hen, who gradually felt more at ease. As long as Li Qing’an still respected the understanding between them, things would be fine. At that moment, Li Qing’an added, “There’s one more matter I’d like to discuss with the Regent and Prime Minister Wang.” “Please go ahead, Prime Minister Li!” After pondering for a moment, Li Qing’an said, “I plan to resign from the position of Right Prime Minister and keep my other position, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, while remaining a member of the Council of State Affairs. According to the traditions of our Tang Dynasty, the Right Prime Minister usually also serves as Minister of Personnel. Therefore, I recommend Pei Min to take over the position of Right Prime Minister.”
Li Qing’an intended to resign as Right Prime Minister, which shocked Li Heng and Wang Gong greatly. But after a moment, they both realized that it was undoubtedly the heavy responsibilities of his position that left Li Qing’an with no time to focus on other matters, which was why he proposed taking on the nominal role of Right Minister of the Secretariat. Li Heng also understood the true meaning behind Li Qing’an’s earlier words—that order is essential for governance—implying that he could choose his own people while Li Heng adjusted his own forces, with no interference between them.
Given Li Qing’an’s current power, it wasn’t surprising that he wanted to hold any position. The key was that the balance of power in the Political Council hadn’t changed; Li Qing’an’s resignation was merely superficial, as he was moving from the forefront to the background. This time, it was Wang Gong who spoke first.
“I support Prime Minister Li’s resignation and his nomination. At tomorrow’s meeting of the Political Council, I hope we can resolve these two matters as soon as possible. The situation in Chang’an is critical, and we shouldn’t waste too much energy on personnel changes.”
Li Qing’an nodded and said, “This is another important reason for my visit. I’ve received confirmed news that Geshu Han and Gao Xianzhi are advancing toward Chang’an from two different routes—Geshu Han via the Chencang Road and Gao Xianzhi via the Baogu Road. Within four days at the latest, 150,000 elite troops will enter Guanzhong. To address this crisis, I request that the Political Council officially appoint me as the Supreme Commander of all military forces.”