Chapter 469: Internal Strife in Guanzhong (Part 2)

Inside the Regency Chamber of the Zichen Palace, Li Hen listened with a gloomy expression as Chen Xuanli recounted the situation.
“My information is absolutely accurate. Wang Sili, upon receiving Li Qingan’s complaint, rushed to Xinfeng County in a hurry. He had no intention of reporting to Your Highness at all. From this minor incident, it’s clear that Wang Sili already favors Li Qingan. If we don’t act soon, the Guanzhong army will eventually fall into Li Qingan’s hands.”
Chen Xuanli, while secretly observing Li Hen’s reaction, exaggerated further, “Wang Sili is from Longyou, and his wife and children are there. Now that Longyou has been occupied by Li Qingan, he still doesn’t want to bring them out. This clearly shows he trusts Li Qingan more. Your Highness, in my opinion, his allegiance to Li Qingan is already obvious.”
“Bang!” With a loud thud, Li Hen slammed his fist on the table in anger. “I trusted him so much and entrusted the Guanzhong army to him, yet he dares to treat me like this! In his heart, who is more important—Li Qingan or me?”
Seeing Li Hen’s agitation, Linghu Fei tried to calm him down. “Your Highness, please calm yourself. The reason I tested him this way is because I heard that Li Qingan once saved him at Tongguan, so he feels grateful to Li Qingan. But I don’t believe he would betray Your Highness. I’m just worried that if you ask him to do something harmful to Li Qingan, he won’t go all out, potentially ruining our plans. That’s why I support General Chen’s suggestion to transfer him away from the Guanzhong army as soon as possible.”
Li Hen found Linghu Fei’s reasoning sensible. After all, Wang Sili was very close to him. He had acted out of anger after listening to Chen Xuanli’s incitement. Now that he had calmed down, his anger subsided slightly. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “I want to transfer him to Henan Circuit. What do you think?”
Linghu Fei pondered for a while before saying, “Transferring him to Henan Circuit is a good idea. The key is to place someone beside him who can report his movements to Your Highness at any time.”
“You make a good point. I’ll adopt this plan.”
Li Hen then said to Chen Xuanli, “Go to Xinfeng County right away and resolve this matter. Be sincere. Tell Li Qingan that it was the soldiers’ own actions and it was a misunderstanding. If necessary, use some soldiers to take the blame. In any case, I don’t want this matter to become too serious.”
“I understand. I’ll leave right away.”
Chen Xuanli was very pleased. Although he hadn’t convinced Li Hen to kill Wang Sili, he could finally replace him, which was already a significant victory. He bowed and left in a hurry.

After Chen Xuanli left, Li Hen finally sighed and said to Linghu Fei, “I’m very worried that this might anger Li Qing’an, causing us to suffer humiliation once again. I feel this plan of yours is a bit hasty.”
“No! My plan isn’t hasty at all.”
Linghu Fei knew that after the disastrous defeat in the court earlier, Li Hen had developed fear of Li Qing’an and dared not take action again, even accepting the status quo in the government. That wouldn’t do—court politics was like a battlefield, with wins and losses. How could one give up after just one defeat? He must reverse Li Hen’s fear.
Linghu Fei walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and said with a slight smile, “This plan actually serves three purposes: it can test Wang Sili, it can test Li Qing’an, and then force him to make concessions.”
Li Hen tapped his forehead and said, “I understand testing Wang Sili, but how to test Li Qing’an and force him to concede? I’m a bit confused. Could you explain it more clearly?”
Linghu Fei nodded and continued, “In fact, everyone has things they care deeply about. Li Qing’an isn’t a god either; he can’t handle everything. He must also have vulnerabilities he fears being attacked on. What does he care about? From analyzing his strategies for governing Anxi over the years, I’ve found that he’s always focused on Sinicizing Anxi—this is what he values most. And what’s the foundation of Sinicization? It’s the relocation of Han people. Last time, to relocate a hundred thousand households from Hedong, he even gave Li Longji hundreds of thousands of pounds of silver. From these actions, I know he places great importance on relocating people to Anxi. So this time, I want Your Highness to test him. If he doesn’t care about the deaths and injuries of these immigrants, it means I’m wrong. Otherwise, if he takes drastic action over their deaths and injuries, it proves my assumptions are correct. Immigration is his weak point. Once I grasp that, I’ll have a way to force him to compromise.”
“Sir, you’re truly brilliant!”
Li Hen praised sincerely with a thumbs up. “No wonder Li Qing’an also acknowledges your talent. So, how do you plan to force Li Qing’an?”
Linghu Fei replied slowly, “True brilliance lies not in forcing, but in waiting like Jiang Taigong fishing. As long as Li Qing’an understands his situation, I believe he’ll come to Your Highness on his own.”
“Your plan is good, but I’m worried the cost will be too high.”
Linghu Fei smiled faintly and said, “Compared to holding a position in the government, what is a mere Chen Lu? Fishing also requires bait, right? Besides, by sacrificing Chen Lu first, we also eliminate the possibility of Chen Xuanli turning to Li Qing’an. Isn’t that good too?”
……

In less than an hour, 30,000 cavalrymen from the Anxi Army arrived at Xinfeng County. The cavalry filled the main road, stretching for five miles. Their iron-clad horses pounded the ground like a storm, shaking the earth. When the 30,000 cavalrymen rushed past the side of Xinfeng County town, the defending troops panicked and closed the city gates. Such an overwhelming force terrified every soldier on the city walls.

The 30,000 Anxi cavalrymen were still ten miles away from the Guanzhong Army camp when the thunderous sound of their hooves alarmed the camp, causing panic and chaos among the soldiers.

Li Qing’an, who had been waiting for an hour, wore a triumphant smile. He had been waiting for the right moment to strike a decisive blow against the Guanzhong Army, and now that moment had arrived.

The 30,000 cavalrymen charged forward before gradually slowing down. General Tian Zhen led the charge, rushing to Li Qing’an’s side and bowing on his horse, saying, “I’ve come as ordered!”

“Good!”

Li Qing’an pointed his whip at the enemy camp ahead and said coldly, “Surround the camp completely. Anyone who dares to provoke us shall be killed without mercy!”

With thousands of horses galloping, blocking out the sun, the 30,000 cavalrymen swiftly encircled the Guanzhong Army camp, like dark clouds covering the land. They raised their spears and shields, forming a forest of weapons—sharp and menacing. The fierce killing intent from this battle-hardened army overwhelmed the entire camp.

Inside the camp fences stood Guanzhong Army soldiers armed with bows and crossbows. Their eyes were vacant, filled with fear of death. Many of them didn’t understand why the Anxi Army had surrounded them—had war already broken out?

Chen Luxian also arrived at the camp gate. He gasped in shock. As a commander, he could tell from various details just how formidable this army was. The distance between the Anxi Army and their camp was perfectly calculated—200 steps, a distance ideal for both offense and defense. Arrows couldn’t reach them, and crossbow bolts lacked enough force to be lethal. For cavalry, 200 steps was just the right distance for a charge, showing that this army had extensive combat experience.

At that moment, Chen Luxian felt some regret. He hadn’t expected Li Qing’an to send 30,000 cavalrymen to handle this matter. He hadn’t realized how important this task was to Li Qing’an. If he had known, he would never have accepted the order.

What should be done now? A man has been killed, and the woman who was seized from the barracks was raped by his own men last night. How can he explain this? Sweat already beaded on Chen LuXian’s forehead as his mind was in chaos. The only option now was to wait for Chen XuanLi to come and mediate.

Thinking this, he quietly ordered, “No one shall shoot an arrow. Those who disobey will be executed!”

Li QingAn stood 300 steps away, coldly observing the soldiers in the barracks. He wasn’t in a hurry to take action either; he was waiting. He knew the longer the standoff lasted, the greater the pressure on the soldiers, which would leave an indelible mark on them. Although this barracks had only 10,000 soldiers, word would spread among them. Within less than three months, every soldier in Guanzhong would hear the details of what had happened today, leaving a shadow in their hearts.

At that moment, Yan Zhuang appeared. He had been arranging military provisions in Liangzhou and had only returned from there last midnight, just in time to encounter this incident. Though he couldn’t see through the motives behind it, his intuition for schemes made him suspect that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. It was likely a counterattack by the regent faction. After their crushing defeat in court, they hadn’t taken any retaliatory actions, which was unreasonable. And what happened today coincided perfectly with this turning point.

Yan Zhuang didn’t approve of Li QingAn’s aggressive approach, but since he hadn’t seen Li QingAn, he couldn’t persuade him. He urged his horse forward and said, “General!”

Li QingAn turned and, surprised, asked, “When did you return, sir?”

“I arrived last midnight, General. Why go to such extremes?”

Li QingAn sighed. “If I don’t do this, the plan to send 50,000 people to Anxi will fail. I must give these immigrants an explanation and assure them of safety. I have no choice but to act this way.”

“The General should talk to Chen XuanLi. He will surely show some respect and release the captured woman.”

Li QingAn shook his head. “Just releasing her isn’t enough. The harshest punishment is necessary. Otherwise, once I’m not in Guanzhong, these soldiers will oppress the immigrants from Anxi even more, ruining my entire plan. And the ringleaders must be punished to serve as a warning to others. How could Chen XuanLi allow me to harm his own cousin?”

Seeing that he couldn’t convince Li QingAn, Yan Zhuang sighed and said, “I’m worried they have some scheme.”

“Hmph! A conspiracy? They’re just using immigrants to threaten me. If necessary, I can have them take the inland route—what can they possibly threaten with that? But if I don’t kill these people today, everyone will think I, Li Qing’an, am a coward.”
Seeing that Li Qing’an was determined, Yan Zhuang nodded and asked, “Then what does the general plan to do? Attack the camp by force?”
“No! No need for force.”
Li Qing’an dismissed Yan Zhuang’s guess. With a cold smile, he said, “I’ll force them to come to me!”
With that, Li Qing’an finally gave the order: “It can begin!”
Immediately, a cavalryman rushed forward, drew his bow, and shot a letter into the camp. A soldier handed it to Chen Luxian. On it was written only one sentence: “Release the people within fifteen minutes!”
“General, what should we do?” his personal officer asked in a low voice.
Chen Luxian sighed and said, “What else can we do? Release them right away!”
A moment later, the camp gates opened, and nearly a hundred disheveled women slowly walked out, hugging each other and crying bitterly.
At that moment, a group of female guards rushed out from among the cavalry, went to the women, comforted them, and led these pitiful women back to their ranks.
These women enraged the Anxi army, who began to advance step by step. They stopped only when they were about a hundred paces away and prepared to charge.
Then another Anxi officer rushed to the gate and shouted, “Is the commander of this camp here?”
Chen Luxian stepped forward and said, “I am!”
“My general orders that all soldiers involved in killing and rape be handed over within half an hour. Otherwise, the Anxi army will destroy this camp!”
Chaos ensued in the camp. When those women were released earlier, many soldiers had been puzzled about why there were so many women in the camp. Now they understood—it turned out some of their own men had killed and stolen women, and now the Anxi army had come to settle accounts.
Chen Luxian’s face turned pale. The moment he feared the most had arrived. This was the work of his five hundred personal guards. How could he hand them over? But if he handed over others, it would surely be discovered. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly turned and slashed his personal officer, knocking him to the ground. “Yu Er, this is your doing!”
He then slashed five or six more of his guards, shouting, “Zhao Wulang, Luo Da, Qin Feng—you were all involved, right?”
His guards were terrified and fled immediately. But the other soldiers, resentful that they had been dragged into this, attacked them as well, subduing and binding over twenty of them.

Chen Luxian knew that without showing some gesture, he wouldn’t be able to get through this ordeal. He took off his clothes, stood bare-chested, and tied several wooden strips to his back as a sign of penitence. The camp gate opened, and Chen Luxian stepped out bare-chested, followed by hundreds of soldiers, each trembling in fear. Many carried plates with a dozen or so heads on them, while over twenty others were tied up together. Chen Luxian walked straight to Li Qing’an’s mount, knelt down, and said with his head bowed, “I failed to enforce strict discipline in my troops, allowing them to commit crimes such as rape, which seriously violated military regulations. I hereby hand over the murderers and rapists to the general for punishment!” Li Qing’an glanced at him, pointed his whip at the twenty or so tied-up men, and ordered, “Take them away for interrogation!” Immediately, hundreds of cavalry rushed out and dragged these criminals into the ranks like chicks. Chen Luxian was so terrified that he collapsed to the ground, shaking all over. He had thought Li Qing’an would order their execution right away, but instead, he wanted to interrogate them. Wouldn’t this interrogation expose them? After a while, an officer stepped forward and whispered something in Li Qing’an’s ear. Li Qing’an leaned forward and said to Chen Luxian with a smile, “General Chen, you’re quite good at acting!” “General, I… I…” Before he could finish, Li Qing’an ordered, “Tie this man up!” A few generals from the Anxi Army tied Chen Luxian tightly. Then, Li Qing’an shouted loudly at the camp, “The deputy general, come and speak to me!” Moments later, a general rushed out of the camp, knelt down, and bowed to Li Qing’an, saying, “I am General Yao Xinsan, the deputy commander of the troops in Xinfeng County!” “You needn’t be afraid. I won’t kill you. The murderers have already been identified—Chen Luxian and his five hundred bodyguards. I order you to hand over all of his bodyguards, and I’ll spare you this time.” The deputy general nodded and said, “I shall obey!” He rushed back to the main camp. At that moment, Chen Luxian suddenly started screaming hysterically, “Li Qing’an, my elder brother is Chen Xuanli! If you kill me, you’ll become the greatest enemy of the Guanzhong army!” “Li Qing’an… ugh!” Chen Luxian tried to curse further, but the soldiers stuffed cloth in his mouth. Yan Zhuang quickly stepped forward and said, “General, maybe this man knows something. Why not ask him?” “Such a minor figure only follows orders; he’s not qualified to make decisions. There’s no need to ask him.” About fifteen minutes later, the camp gate opened again. This time, hundreds of soldiers were brought out, tied up, and made to kneel in a row. The women in the army went wild upon seeing them, rushing forward to tear and bite them. Many had their ears torn off, screaming in pain.

Li Qing’an ordered his soldiers to pull the women away and then had more than a hundred representatives brought forward. Pointing at the soldiers kneeling on the ground, he said to them, “These are the murderers. Eye for an eye, blood for blood. Today, I will give you an answer!”
“Thank you, General, for settling this for us!”
“Very well!”
With a fierce shout, Li Qing’an ordered, “Kill them!”
Hundreds of Anxi army soldiers swung their swords, and instantly hundreds of heads rolled to the ground, blood streaming everywhere. The camp was filled with screams of terror. Such a mass massacre terrified all the soldiers, leaving them trembling. The more than a hundred representatives nearby were also shaking violently, with over a dozen fainting on the spot.
Just then, a voice was heard in the distance shouting, “General, spare their lives!”
A group of cavalry rushed over. Some soldiers recognized them and immediately said, “General, it seems to be Chen Xuanli.”
Chen Luxian cried out excitedly and crawled forward on his knees to meet Chen Xuanli. But Li Qing’an slowly drew his sword. As Chen Luxian crawled past his horse, he suddenly turned, grabbed Chen Luxian by the hair, and beheaded him with one stroke.
He held the head high and shouted to the entire army, “This is the ringleader. Those who dare to oppress the immigrants from Anxi will meet the same fate!”
The Anxi army erupted in joy. Chen Xuanli held back his warhorse, staring in shock at the head in Li Qing’an’s hand.