Chapter 448: Diplomacy First, Force Second

Mei County was located right beside the Wei River. During the Tang Dynasty, the Wei River flowed powerfully, with its tributaries winding like silver snakes and jade belts. Artificial channels crisscrossed like a network, and lakes and ponds were scattered everywhere. The mountains and plains were covered with dense forests, while the flatlands were overgrown with shrubs. Water plants thrived along the banks, making shipping extremely developed. People often traveled by boat. Right outside Mei County town, there was a large dock, filled with white sails, densely packed ships, and masts standing like a forest—reminiscent of a water-rich region. Li Qing’an led his troops past the dock. One soldier went to gather information and returned to report, “General, the large ship carrying the troops from Longyou set off an hour ago and will stop at the dock in Meiwu Town.”

Li Qing’an spurred his warhorse and chased eastward along the riverbank. The Arabian horse was extremely fast, racing like the wind and lightning. In just half an hour, he could see a large ship sailing on the Wei River, still ten miles away from the dock in Meiwu Town.

Before long, the large ship slowly docked at the Meiwu Town dock. Yue Ning felt uneasy. He wasn’t sure whether bringing Li Qing’an to chase after their general was the right decision. He murmured, “It’s this large ship. Our general and over twenty of his subordinates are on it.”

The ship was seized, and its passengers began to disembark one after another. At that moment, over twenty burly men emerged from the ship. The man at the forefront was imposing, with a short beard and around thirty years old. Although Li Qing’an didn’t know him, he intuited that this must be General Li Sheng of Longyou.

Li Qing’an’s intuition was correct. This burly man was indeed General Li Sheng of the Shenwu Army. He came from the prestigious Li family of Longxi. He joined the army in the fourth year of Tianbao and achieved many military successes in Longyou. Especially in the eighth year of Tianbao, when Geshu Han launched a major attack on Tubo’s heartland, Li Sheng led a hundred soldiers in a surprise attack on Tubo’s supply and logistics bases. He annihilated more than two thousand enemies with this daring move, causing a sensation in Longyou. He was promoted from a deputy officer to a general overnight. Though still young, he already showed the demeanor of a great general and stood out among the younger officers.

When the Battle of Shibao City broke out in the sixth year of Tianbao, Li Sheng was only twenty years old. At that time, he was just a captain and also participated in the battle for Shibao City. Despite his low rank, he met Li Qing’an, who had come to Longyou to fight on behalf of Anxi. Years later, Li Sheng recognized Li Qing’an standing at the dock at first glance. Li Qing’an was smiling at him.

Shocked, Li Sheng didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward quickly, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, “This humble general, Li Sheng, a general of the Shenwu Army of Longyou, pays his respects to the great general.”

Li Qing’an stepped forward to help him up and said with a smile, “General Li, I’ve been chasing after you the whole way—almost lost you.”
Li Sheng’s thoughts shifted suddenly as he noticed Yue Ning beside him. Then he realized that Li Qing’an had actually come to chase him. A sense of gratitude welled up in Li Sheng’s heart. Given Li Qing’an’s position as the ruler of the region, he showed such concern for a mere minor general like himself. Moreover, Li Qing’an was now the governor of Longyou and should be his superior.
“General, I was ordered by Commander Geshu to disband the troops on the spot; I didn’t intend to desert the army.”
Li Sheng took out Geshu Han’s military order and handed it to Li Qing’an. Without even looking at it, Li Qing’an tore it to pieces and said, “Geshu Han is no longer the governor of Longyou. All his orders regarding Longyou no longer apply. You are still part of the Longyou army. I forbid you to leave the army—otherwise, you’ll be dealt with according to military law!”
Li Sheng bowed respectfully and said, “I will obey the order!”
From then on, Li Qing’an felt relieved. Having Li Sheng as a capable general meant he now had an additional strength at his side. In high spirits, Li Qing’an immediately said, “General Li, come with me to Mei County first. I’ll arrange your military duties later.”
Li Sheng hesitated for a moment. Going to Mei County meant facing Geshu Han head-on. Geshu Han was his superior. Although he wasn’t very important to Li Sheng, he had served under him for years and had many old comrades who fought alongside him. Facing him directly was beyond his ability. He had actually considered joining the Anxi army, but he was worried that Li Qing’an would order him to attack the Longyou army, allowing him to bypass Mei County. Now, though Li Qing’an’s respect for him moved him, the idea of actually fighting against the Longyou army was unacceptable to him.
“General, I want to return to Longyou and continue guarding Shibao City!”
Understanding his thoughts, Li Qing’an patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Don’t worry! Humans are not inanimate objects; who can be heartless? I won’t put you in a difficult situation.”
Li Sheng was overjoyed. “Thank you, General, for your support! I am willing to serve you loyally!”
At that moment, his subordinates led their war horses onto the shore. Everyone mounted their horses and followed Li Qing’an. Along the way, Yue Ning got an Arabian horse. He was extremely excited, racing at full speed and shooting arrows, which sparked the competitiveness of Li Qing’an’s personal guards, who all wanted to compete with him in horseback riding and archery.
Li Qing’an glanced over and saw a huge bow hanging on Li Sheng’s horse—about as tall as a person—clearly indicating great drawing power. In Li Qing’an’s memory, aside from himself, only Gao Xianzhi used such a large bow.

Li Sheng felt Li Qingan’s gaze and smiled. He took down his bow and handed it to Li Qingan, saying, “This is the bow passed down to me by my grandfather. It’s called Zuiyun.”

Li Qingan took the bow and immediately felt its excellent feel. The bow itself was simple and unadorned, with the grip polished smooth—clearly old. He gently pulled the string halfway, and it snapped, emitting a “buzzing” sound. He exclaimed in admiration, “Indeed, it’s a fine bow!”

Although Li Qingan had an injury to his shoulder and couldn’t draw the bow with full force, even half-pulling it was enough to dampen Li Sheng’s pride. As an expert archer, Li Sheng could tell from Li Qingan’s posture that the reputation of him being the best archer in the world was well-deserved. He wanted to ask Li Qingan to shoot an arrow, but due to his low status, he hesitated and couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Li Qingan sensed his thoughts. He had already known in Anxi that Li Sheng was famous for his archery skills, able to hit targets accurately from 150 steps away, and was known as “the enemy of ten thousand men” in Longyou. Coming from a noble family of Guanlong, Li Sheng was naturally proud. The fact that he dared to bargain with him showed that, though he outwardly acknowledged him, he still didn’t truly respect him. To win his heart, more effort would be needed.

So Li Qingan returned the bow to him and said with a smile, “I’ve long heard that General Li Sheng is highly skilled with the bow. Could you demonstrate for us?”

Li Sheng quickly replied humbly, “How dare I be presumptuous in front of the great general?”

“No need to be modest. Competing in skills is common in the army. My personal guards are all skilled archers. General Li Sheng, why not teach them?”

Though proud, Li Sheng also knew the strict hierarchy in the army. He was just a low-ranking officer—how could he dare to be presumptuous in front of Li Qingan? He kept refusing, so Li Qingan gave a subtle signal to his personal guard, Zhang Yongliang.

Zhang Yongliang smiled and said, “General Li, I’ve won three consecutive championships in the personal guard archery competitions. Let me shoot an arrow. Please give me your guidance.”

Zhang Yongliang was broad-shouldered and sturdy, holding a five-stone hard bow. He looked around and saw a young poplar tree about the thickness of a bowl’s mouth 100 steps away. He shouted, “Watch me shoot that poplar tree!”

He spurred his horse forward, drew the bow fully, and shot an arrow from 100 steps away. The arrow hit the small tree straight on, with such force that its tail was still trembling. The guards cheered loudly. Zhang Yongliang returned triumphantly on his horse. This shot was executed with great ease and was one of the few successes he had had in a year. Li Sheng also nodded in approval and said, “Not bad. You already show signs of being a master archer.”

Zhang Yongliang stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Please give me your guidance, General Li!”

At this point, Li Sheng had no choice but to shoot. He removed his Chuiyun Bow but did not look at the tree—it was an inanimate object, and defeating it in that way would not be honorable. He raised his head and scanned the area, just as a magpie took off from a lush tree about two hundred steps away. Yet Li Sheng remained motionless, his sharp gaze fixed on the magpie’s flight path. All of his guards sensed Li Sheng’s target, and countless pairs of eyes followed the joyfully flying magpie. When the magpie was about 150 steps away, Li Sheng swiftly drew his bow and shot an arrow that, like lightning, knocked the magpie out of the sky.

After a while, the guards burst into enthusiastic applause. Li Qing’an gave a slight nod—indeed, it was comparable to Nan Jiyun’s skill.

Li Sheng’s face turned red as he bowed to Li Qing’an and said, “I have embarrassed myself.”

After saying that, he looked at Li Qing’an with hope, wishing that he would also shoot an arrow. Although Li Qing’an was known as the best archer in the world, Li Sheng had never seen him shoot before, which left him somewhat disappointed. Unexpectedly, Li Qing’an replied calmly, “I’m sorry. I have an injury to my left shoulder and cannot shoot for a year. I regret letting General Li down.”

Li Sheng’s face turned even redder. Li Qing’an had seen through his thoughts. Then Li Qing’an continued, “Using wood as an arrow may determine victory in the short term, but using a person as an arrow can sweep away barbarian chiefs and bring peace to the realm. General Li, would you prefer to use a wooden arrow or a human one?”

Li Qing’an’s words were like a thunderbolt, leaving Li Sheng deeply moved. He had thought of these things before, but the military in Longyou was full of complexities—only those close to Ge Shu Han could rise in rank. Li Siyeh joined the army in the first year of the Tianbao era, just four years earlier than him, and was now the deputy governor of Anxi, in charge of a strategic region. Li Guangbi, who was close to him, had similar abilities and, despite being repeatedly demoted by various governors, had now risen to the rank of Champion General of the third rank and governor of Toharistan. There were also those with above-average talent, such as the Li Fei brothers and Bai Xiaode, who were now all generals. As a governor of a province, one at least held a third-rank position. Li Sheng himself had joined the army in the fourth year of Tianbao and, after eleven years of outstanding military achievements, had far greater merits than those promoted by Ge Shu Han, like Gao Xiuyan and Tuobo Guiren. Those people were already generals or grand generals, while he was still just a lowly fifth-rank lieutenant general, without any titles or official positions. At thirty years old, where did he stand? How many more years could he fight?

Now, Li Qing’an’s words undoubtedly pointed out his path forward.

Li Sheng could no longer contain his excitement. He immediately bowed and said, “I am willing to be the general’s arrow, sweeping away the evil forces of the barbarians to bring peace to our Great Tang realm.”

Li Qing’an smiled faintly. This was exactly the effect he wanted—a more formidable general added to the Anxi Army.
……
Li Sheng did not participate in the battle against Geshu Han. Li Qing’an appointed him as the military commander of the Shenwu Army, promoted him to Lieutenant General and General of Valor, and ordered him to continue guarding Shibao City. Li Sheng then gathered a thousand of his old subordinates and set off for Longyou three days later.
Geshu Han’s invading army was now less than thirty li away from Xiegu Pass. With its fifty thousand troops, it was not in a hurry to attack but instead set up camps step by step to consolidate the passes and fortresses it had already occupied.
Geshu Han’s main camp was located on a large open area on the east bank of the Xiegu River. Xiegu Pass was about ten li wide, flanked by towering and steep mountains. Geshu Han’s camp was situated on a high ground, surrounded by defensive barriers and watchtowers, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Inside the camp, tents stood closely packed one after another. A recent rain had left the river valley hot and humid, with fierce mosquitoes. The troops from Longyou, used to the climate of the highlands, found life there extremely difficult. As night fell, the soldiers retreated into their tents, applying mugwort juice to their bodies. Some also doused themselves with cold water behind their tents to ward off the unbearable heat. Only groups of fully armed patrol soldiers roamed around the camp, occasionally scolding those who tried to cool off naked.
Inside the central command tent, Geshu Han lay on a bamboo chair in a loose linen robe, eyes closed, dozing lightly. Two concubines fanned him from either side, while another soaked his feet in hot water. The humid climate of the river valley made his foot pain worse; only soaking in water provided slight relief.
“Damn this hellhole—is it even suitable for humans to live in?”
Geshu Han suddenly opened his eyes and cursed under his breath. Though the concubines fanned him, his frustration could not be eased. He was no longer part of the Longyou Army. Emperor Li Longji had renamed his army the Lianghu Army. Although no explanation was given, Geshu Han guessed it must refer to Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake. In other words, he would be stationed in areas like Hongzhou, Ezhou, and Yuezhou. Though those places had vast lands, their populations were small, and they were far less prosperous than Longyou. The thought of officially leaving Longyou filled Geshu Han with disappointment.
Not only disappointment, but also a sense of injustice. The old emperor had sent him to deal with Li Qing’an. Why not Gao Xianzhi? Was it simply because Gao Xianzhi was from the Shu Army while Geshu Han was an outsider?

Frankly speaking, Geshu Han was quite wary of Li Qing’an. He knew Li Qing’an possessed a powerful weapon—Sky Fire Thunder. During the Battle of Shibu City, it was this very weapon that allowed Li Qing’an to resist an army of Tibetans dozens of times his size. Although Li Qing’an didn’t use it in the battle against An Lushan, it was like a sword hanging over his head—no one knew when it might fall.

At this point, Geshu Han also felt a hint of regret. He thought he should have returned to Longyou to rule there instead, so he wouldn’t be in such a predicament now. Most of his soldiers’ families were in Longyou, and he didn’t know how to explain the situation to them.

“Enough, no need to wash them. You can all go!”
Geshu Han waved his hand irritably. Washing his feet every day was driving him crazy—he felt like he was turning into a turtle. The maids, frightened, quickly dried his feet, put on his cloth shoes, and carried away the basin.

Geshu Han stood up and slowly walked over to the map, staring at it in thought. Emperor Li Longji had tasked him with capturing Fengxiang Prefecture to cut off supplies for the Anxi Army. But the intelligence he’d received said that Li Qing’an had stationed 60,000 troops in Mei County and Chencang County, blocking him on the Xiegu Road. 60,000 elite soldiers from the Anxi Army—each battle-hardened from countless fights, not the inexperienced recruits from Guanzhong.

“Damn it! They want me to fight a tough battle? No way!”
Geshu Han cursed angrily. At that moment, he made up his mind: he would confront Li Qing’an directly, while letting Gao Xianzhi advance into Guanzhong first. With such limited resources, what else did he have to lose?

Just then, a bodyguard rushed to the tent door and reported, “Commander, Li Qing’an has sent a messenger who wants to see you in person.”

“Bring him here!”

Geshu Han was puzzled. Why would Li Qing’an send a messenger to him? Could it be to persuade him to surrender?

A moment later, several bodyguards brought in a young civil officer. He bowed to Geshu Han and said, “Pei Mingyi, an assistant military officer of the Anxi Army, pays his respects to Commander Geshu.”

Pei Mingyi was the eldest son of Pei Min. Both of them had joined Li Qing’an’s army. His younger brother, Pei Zhili, served as a military officer in Liangzhou, while the eldest served as an assistant to the military commander. Although their positions were low, they provided valuable experience. This time, Pei Mingyi had been sent to Geshu Han’s tent.

Geshu Han didn’t know Pei Mingyi, but since Li Qing’an had sent a civil official to see him, it was clearly not to issue a battle challenge. His expression softened slightly, and he asked, “What does your general want you to deliver?”
“My general sent me to bring a letter and a gift.”

With that, he handed a letter to Geshu Han with both hands. Geshu Han glanced at a package wrapped in red silk behind him, held on a red lacquered tray by one of his personal guards. A sense of caution arose in Geshu Han’s mind, and he asked, “What gift is that?”
The guard replied, “My general, it seems to be wine.”
“Wine?” Geshu Han was even more puzzled. He glanced at Pei Mingyi and said, “Why would your general send me wine? I dare not drink it now.”
Pei Mingyi smiled slightly and said, “General Geshu, you may not know, but this wine is special. It’s a medicinal wine that our general brought here from Xinde. It contains giant scorpions from Punjab, which are said to be very effective in treating foot pain. It’s a gift from our general specifically for you.”
As he spoke, he untied the red silk. On the red tray was a crystal bottle about a foot tall, translucent. Geshu Han stepped forward and examined it closely. Indeed, inside the crystal bottle was a huge scorpion, half a foot long, with a fearsome appearance. At this moment, Geshu Han’s expression softened, and he nodded with a smile, saying, “It really takes a lot of effort from your general to bring such a fierce creature from tens of thousands of miles away. I’ve never seen one before. I’ll accept your general’s gift.”
He then casually tore open the letter. It was a letter written by Li Qing’an in his own hand. In the letter, Li Qing’an spoke earnestly, pointing out that it had been unwise of Geshu Han to side with Li Longji. Li Longji was old and would not live much longer. Given the chaos among his successors over the years, there would surely be strife after Li Longji’s death, and Geshu Han might not be given any important roles then. It would be better for him to switch sides early and join the Anxi Army, so as to secure a better future for his descendants.
Li Qing’an made it clear in his letter that he wanted Geshu Han to join him, and he subtly implied that if Geshu Han followed him, his descendants would also benefit. What this meant was self-evident.
After a long while, Geshu Han sighed and said to Pei Mingyi, “Please convey to Prince Zhao, the general, that I appreciate his kindness. But I first pledged allegiance to the regent, then to the retired emperor—less than a month has passed—and now I’m supposed to pledge allegiance to Prince Zhao. What kind of person would that make me? Please tell him I regretfully cannot comply.”
Geshu Han knew that Li Qing’an was using diplomacy before resorting to force, and a fierce battle was likely inevitable.