Chapter 451: Forced Withdrawal

Things turned out exactly as Li Longji had feared. A rapid force of 20,000 soldiers from Guanzhong, led by General Deng Jingshan, marched straight into Hanzhong via the Ziwu Road and cut off Gao Xianzhi’s army’s supply lines at Xingdao County, seizing all 30,000 dan of grain that was to be transported.
Guo Yingyi, the governor of Liangzhou and acting governor of Hanzhong, was shocked upon hearing the news. On one hand, he organized local laborers to defend Nanzheng City; on the other, he sent messengers urgently to inform Gao Xianzhi and Geshu Han.
Early in the morning, Gao Xianzhi hurried to Li Longji’s imperial tent and said to the guards there, “Please report to the emperor at once—I have urgent matters to discuss.”
Deeply anxious, Gao Xianzhi realized that the Guanzhong army had already taken control of Xingdao County, cutting off his supply lines. If Guo Ziyi spread this news among his troops and launched a massive attack once a food crisis arose, his army would surely suffer a crushing defeat—there was no doubt about it.
Initially, he had insisted on leaving 50,000 troops to defend the rear while they advanced northward with 100,000 troops, avoiding the need to split forces. But Li Longji refused. He believed that 100,000 troops wouldn’t be able to capture Chang’an and insisted on advancing as a whole, leaving only a few thousand men to handle supplies. Li Longji’s plan was simple: once they broke through the pass and entered Guanzhong, there would be no problem with logistics.
Yet in reality, their advance was slow, and they changed their route at the last minute, losing momentum time and again. Eventually, they were trapped by Chang’an’s well-organized forces, which had fortified the pass like an impregnable wall. How could they break through?
Gao Xianzhi understood that even if they managed to break through now, they wouldn’t stand a chance against others. Li Qing’an’s 70,000 Anxi Cavalry could easily sweep aside the Jiannan army. The Jiannan army was skilled in mountain warfare but was no match for cavalry on the plains.
All he hoped now was that Li Longji would recognize the severity of the situation and stop risking the entire army for his own desires. Otherwise, even Li Longji himself would be in danger.
After a while, a guard rushed out and said, “General Gao, the emperor orders you to enter!”
Gao Xianzhi stepped quickly into Li Longji’s tent. At that moment, Li Longji was drinking a bowl of bird’s nest porridge. Gao Xianzhi quickened his pace, knelt on one knee, and said, “Your servant Gao Xianzhi pays his respects to Your Majesty!”
Li Longji didn’t even lift his eyelids and asked indifferently, “What happened? Did you decide to continue the attack?”
“Your Majesty!” Gao Xianzhi replied anxiously, “Governor Guo of Nanzheng sent word that 20,000 Guanzhong soldiers have invaded Hanzhong via the Ziwu Road. Our supply lines have been cut, and Hanzhong is in danger.”

“Bang!” Li Longji slammed the porridge bowl onto the ground with force, shattering it into pieces. He snapped angrily, “I’ve ordered you repeatedly to attack Luogu Pass out of concern that our supply lines might be cut off, but you refused, saying you needed to wait for the right moment. Where is that moment now? Is your ‘right moment’ when our retreat is blocked and we have nowhere to go?”
“Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, calm down!”
Gao Xianzhi, terrified, knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, desperately explaining, “It’s not that I refuse to exert all my efforts, but the weather and terrain are extremely unfavorable to our army. Guo Ziyi’s forces are roughly equal in number to ours, and they are defending a strategic pass. Just five thousand archers can repel our thirty thousand troops. Even if I lead our army to capture the pass at all costs, we would still suffer heavy losses. Once we reach Guanzhong, how can we resist Li Qing’an’s seven hundred thousand cavalry from Anxi? Your Majesty, this is the truth—without five million strong troops, we cannot take Guanzhong!”
When Gao Xianzhi mentioned Li Qing’an, Li Longji immediately thought of Geshu Han. His hatred grew even more. That man hadn’t fought a single battle yet and was secretly in league with Li Qing’an. Still, Gao Xianzhi might be useful. He needed to deal with Geshu Han first. With this thought, Li Longji’s expression softened slightly. He sighed and said, “Never mind. Since things have come to this, it’s useless for me to get angry. So, what do you suggest we do now? Fight or retreat?”
Seeing that he had finally convinced Li Longji, Gao Xianzhi felt somewhat relieved. He quickly said, “Your Majesty, I believe Guo Ziyi won’t attack us until we run out of food and fall into panic. Right now, our food will last for five more days, and it will take three days to return to Hanzhong from here. We should withdraw immediately and also inform Geshu Han to withdraw as well. That’s the best strategy. After returning to Shu, Your Majesty should work hard to strengthen the country. Once I’ve trained hundreds of thousands of strong troops, we can march from Qishan to capture Guanzhong for you.”
Li Longji pondered for a moment. Indeed, he had no other choice. He nodded and said, “Alright! I’ll listen to you one more time.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of loud drums came from afar, startling Li Longji into standing up. “W-what’s going on?”
A guard rushed over and shouted outside the tent, “Your Majesty, Guo Ziyi’s army has withdrawn from Luogu Pass! The flag of Luogu Pass has been lowered.”
At first, Li Longji was stunned, but then he was overjoyed. He quickly said, “General Gao, this is an opportunity! Guo Ziyi’s army has actually withdrawn.”

Gao Xianzhi sighed secretly. This was not an opportunity—it was Guo Ziyi’s trap. How could the Emperor not see that? He pleaded earnestly, “Your Majesty, the troops in Guanzhong have seized Xingdao County, cutting off our supply lines. How could Guo Ziyi not be aware of this? He should be ready with his troops, waiting for us to fall into chaos. Yet he withdraws his forces, indicating that he’s also worried about us retreating to Hanzhong. So he deliberately gives up Luogu Pass to lure us further north. Once we fall for it and lose the chance to withdraw, with no supplies left, that will be the moment of our defeat. Your Majesty, you must not fall for Guo Ziyi’s trick!”

Li Longji, once filled with joy, had his hopes dashed by Gao Xianzhi’s words. His expression darkened instantly, and he said unhappily, “General Gao, everything is possible. Your are just making guesses. Besides, even if it is a trap, isn’t that exactly what we want—to enter Guanzhong? Once inside, will we lack food? If we can’t even defeat Guo Ziyi, what’s the point of advancing north into Guanzhong? I’ve made up my mind. There’s no need to rush to withdraw. First, let’s go to Luogu Pass and take a look.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Stop talking!” Li Longji interrupted Gao Xianzhi firmly. “My decision is final. Do you still dare to defy me?”

Gao Xianzhi sighed deeply and could only say helplessly, “I shall obey your orders!”

This time, Li Longji was determined. Ignoring Gao Xianzhi’s pleas, he forced his troops to enter Luogu Pass.

An hour later, the Jiannan army entered Luogu Pass, which had long resisted attacks. However, entering Luogu Pass did not mean reaching Guanzhong. They still had to march another 120 li north to reach Zhanwu County, which was considered the entrance to Guanzhong. Meanwhile, Guo Ziyi’s army had retreated all the way to Zhanwu County, giving up all the passes along the way.

Perhaps it was fate—on the day the Jiannan army entered Luogu Pass, the weather turned gloomy. Dark clouds gathered over the city, and a strong north wind blew, signaling an impending storm.

Encountering a storm in the mountain passes was extremely dangerous. There was a high risk of flash floods or mudslides, which could be catastrophic for the army. With no other choice, Li Longji agreed to let the troops stay at Luogu Pass for the time being.

That evening, a summer-end storm swept down upon the valleys of the Zhongnan Mountains. The heavy rain washed away the cliffs and soil on both sides, carrying mud and debris downstream. The storm lasted all night and into the next day, with the rain gradually subsiding only by noon the following day.

Li Longji was extremely anxious. He barely slept all night, anxiously watching the weather. Though he was the emperor, heaven seemed determined to disappoint him. The relentless rain filled him with worry.

But Gao Xianzhi was secretly pleased. The timely arrival of the heavy rain was as if heaven had intervened to help him greatly. To prevent Li Longji from advancing northward, he secretly sent his own troops to carry out secret operations overnight in the treacherous mountain paths despite the heavy rain.
In the afternoon, the rain finally stopped, and a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, casting heat back over the Zhongnan Mountain valley. Steam rose, and the once-cool weather became stifling once again.
Yet Li Longji was in high spirits. Without even needing to inform Gao Xianzhi, he issued an order: “The entire army shall advance at full speed and reach Zhanwu County by the afternoon of the next day.”
Just then, Gao Xianzhi rushed over to report, “Your Majesty, I have urgent news!”
“What is it?”
“The scouts I sent reported that there was a landslide twenty li ahead. A large amount of boulders and mud have blocked the road, preventing the army from moving forward.”
This news once again clouded Li Longji’s previously bright mood, filling him with frustration. After a long pause, he asked, “To what extent is the road blocked? How long will it take to clear it?”
“Your Majesty, since the road is very narrow, at most a hundred men can work on clearing it. According to the scouts, it will take a hundred men three days to clear the road, and it’s unknown whether there are similar mudslides blocking the way further ahead.”
Li Longji pondered for a long time, then glanced suspiciously at Guo Ziyi before saying to Yang Guozhong behind him, “Since it’s only twenty li, my dear minister, come with me to take a look!”
Yang Guozhong quickly bowed and said, “As you command, I shall accompany Your Majesty right away.”
Gao Xianzhi did not dare delay and immediately arranged a team of a thousand soldiers to escort Li Longji and Yang Guozhong to inspect the damage. The mountain path was slippery and difficult to navigate, so Li Longji rode on a sliding pole, with soldiers carrying him to the landslide site. Yang Guozhong followed behind, stumbling along unevenly and slipping twice, ending up covered in mud and looking disheveled. He cursed under his breath the whole way. After more than an hour of walking, they finally reached the landslide site in the valley—a narrow mountain path wide enough for only three people to walk side by side, stretching three li long.
In the middle of the path, indeed, a large amount of mud filled the road for over twenty zhang in length, with hundreds of huge boulders rolling down from the mountain top, completely blocking the path. More than a hundred soldiers sent by Gao Xianzhi were working to clear it. Li Longji stared in shock for a long time—the situation was even worse than Gao Xianzhi had described. It might take three days just to clear this landslide, not to mention possible further mudslides ahead.
“Your Majesty, what should we do?” Yang Guozhong asked in a low voice.

Li Longji let out a long sigh and said, “What else can I do? Since Heaven will not allow me to enter Guanzhong, I can only submit to its will. Let’s go back!” With the supply routes cut off, the Jiannan army’s provisions would only last another four days. With no other choice, Li Longji finally ordered a retreat. That afternoon, over 90,000 soldiers of the Jiannan army withdrew toward Hanzhong. On the same day Li Longji ordered the retreat, Geshu Han’s troops along the Baoxie Road also retreated southward, but their withdrawal was filled with sorrow. Many soldiers from Longyou cried bitterly, unsure when they would be able to return to Longyou and reunite with their families. Overcome with grief, thousands of soldiers in the rear fled halfway through the retreat and returned to Longyou. At the beginning of July in the first year of Zhenzhi, due to the Guanzhong army’s successful surprise attack on Hanzhong, Li Longji’s large army was forced to retreat south. The army returned to Hanzhong, and Li Longji appointed Guo Yingyi, the governor of Liangzhou, as the military governor of Hanzhong, commanding 20,000 troops to defend it. He then led his army into Bashu. In August, Li Longji arrived in Chengdu and officially established a new court there. He appointed Yang Guozhong as Right Prime Minister, Minister of the Secretariat, and Minister of Personnel; Chen Xilié as Left Prime Minister, Minister of the Palace, and Minister of War; Cui Yuan, the governor of Yizhou, as Minister of Revenue; Yang Shenjin as Minister of Justice; and Li Jin, the governor of Shuzhou, as Minister of Rites. These five men served as co-chancellors, forming the government council. Gao Xianzhi remained the Prince of Annan and military governor of Jiannan, with the additional title of Grand Administrator. Geshu Han was promoted to Prince of Lianghu and military governor of Jiangnan West Circuit, also granted the title of Grand Administrator. In addition, Li Longji appointed Li Mao, the Prince of Jing, as Grand Marshal, and Li Lin, the Prince of Wu, as Grand Protector, ordering both to go to Shu to pay homage. In September, Li Longji renamed Chengdu as Shujing, designating it as the new capital, and formally reigned as emperor. Thus, a division between the north and south of the Tang Dynasty emerged. People referred to Chang’an as the Northern Tang and Shujing as the Southern Tang, with the Yangtze River serving as the boundary, dividing the Tang Empire into two.