Chapter 546: The Ambitious General

Unlike Dong Qin of Hedong and Ji Guangchen of Luoyang, Xu Shujie was a civil official by background. He had previously served as the governor of Huazhou. Even when Li Hen was still the crown prince, Xu Shujie held the position of Right Advisor to the Crown Prince and was on close terms with Du Youlin, the Left Advisor. After Du Youlin’s case broke out, Li Linfu purged the officials in the crown prince’s entourage, but Xu Shujie managed to escape punishment by bribing Wang Gong. He was merely demoted to the magistrate of Lingchang County. Yet, he secured his own future by secretly hiding Du Liangdi for Li Hen.

Over time, the cunning Xu Shujie gradually rose again to become the governor of Huazhou. At that moment, Li Hen forced his way onto the throne and was despised by all officials and regions across the country. But Xu Shujie saw endless business opportunities in this situation. He was the first local governor to openly declare support for Li Hen, earning his trust. Li Hen appointed him as the military governor of Hua-Pu and provided him with 30,000 troops to strengthen his power, ordering him to defend the gateway to Henan Province against An Lushan’s invasion from the south.

However, once given this opportunity, Xu Shujie’s ambitions grew unchecked. On one hand, he wrote to Li Hen, claiming that An Lushan was too powerful and that 30,000 troops were insufficient for defense. On the other hand, he crossed boundaries without authorization, taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to occupy the five provinces of Bian, Cao, Song, Yan, and Xu. He quickly expanded his army from 30,000 to 70,000 troops.

Although Li Hen was dissatisfied with Xu Shujie’s actions, it was too late to do anything. He could only tacitly approve of Xu Shujie’s expansion and upgraded his title from military governor of Hua-Pu to military governor of the seven provinces of Hua-Pu, Bian, Song, Xu, plus Yunnan, Ji, Qi, Zi, Mi, Hai, and Yi, thus legitimizing his expansion.

But once a person’s ambition gets out of control, it keeps growing endlessly. Although Li Hen approved of Xu Shujie’s occupation of the seven provinces, his ambitions went even further—encompassing eight more provinces. Unfortunately, his limited military and financial resources prevented him from expanding immediately. Just as he prepared to raise taxes and recruit more troops, news arrived from Chang’an: Li Qing’an was leading an army on an eastern expedition.

This news was like a sharp awl, piercing through Xu Shujie’s inflated ambitions. He began to panic.

The heavy rain sweeping through the Central Plains also reached Bianzhou and Huazhou. A group of cavalry rushed through the rain—Xu Shujie was hurrying back to Huazhou. At that time, Xu Shujie’s main base was in Bianzhou. But the previous morning, he had received news that An Lushan’s envoy had already arrived in Huazhou, forcing him to rush back urgently.

In the rain and mist, Xu Shujи slowed down his horse. Wiping the rain from his face, he gazed into the distance. Xu Shujи was in his early fifties, of slender build, with a long face and a small, hooked nose that gave him an air of petty cunning.

Amid the heavy rain, he could already faintly see the town of Lingchang County. An envoy sent by An Lushan from Hebei was waiting for him there.

“Go!” Xu Shujи whipped his warhorse hard, and the carriage rushed into the rain and mist, speeding toward Lingchang County.

Half an hour later, Xu Shujи had changed into clean robes. Holding a cup of hot tea, he sat in the inner room of the county office, savoring it slowly. His bodyguards had already gone to meet An Lushan’s envoy.

“Report to the envoy, the envoy has arrived!”

A report came from outside the door, startling Xu Shujи. He quickly stood up, nearly spilling the tea in his hand. He steadied himself, placed the cup on the table, adjusted his clothes, and hurriedly opened the door.

At the door stood two bodyguards accompanying a tall, overweight middle-aged man. Xu Shujи recognized him as one of An Lushan’s key advisors, Zhang Tongru.

Xu Shujи immediately smiled warmly, “So it’s Mr. Zhang. It’s been years—you look even better than before.”

Zhang Tongru was the head of An Lushan’s intelligence network. He had been sent to Huazhou by An Lushan two days earlier. The heavy rain had soaked the hem of his robe, but it couldn’t hide the arrogant expression on his face.

“Hmm! There’s no need for formalities, Envoy Xu. I’m in a hurry. Let’s get straight to business!”

Xu Shujи’s enthusiasm was met with indifference. He chuckled awkwardly and quickly said, “Please, Mr. Zhang, come in.”

Zhang Tongru entered the room with his hands behind his back. Glancing sideways, he saw the two bodyguards about to follow and said, “Envoy Xu, our conversation doesn’t require a third party.”

Xu Shujи glanced at his bodyguards, feeling a bit embarrassed. “They’re my bodyguards. There’s no problem at all.”

Zhang Tongru stretched his face and repeated, “I’ll say it again—our conversation doesn’t need a third party.”

Xu Shujи cursed inwardly but had no choice but to wave at his bodyguards. “You all may leave.”

After the bodyguards left, he closed the door and poured himself a cup of hot tea. He handed it to Zhang Tongru with a smile, saying, “Mr. Zhang, have some hot tea to warm up. It’s only July, yet it already feels like autumn.”

Zhang Tongru took the cup, his arrogance slightly lessening. “The sudden heavy rain these past two days must have made the journey from Bianzhou very difficult for you, Envoy Xu!”

“Yes! Yes! The roads are muddy, and it’s indeed difficult to travel. In these years in Henan Road, such heavy rain is extremely rare. Perhaps heaven is favoring me by preventing Li Qing’an from advancing, haha!”
“Is Lord Xu very afraid of Li Qing’an?” Zhang Tongru stared at Xu Shujи intently.
Xu Shujи was speechless, not knowing how to explain. Of course he was afraid of Li Qing’an. What good would it do to fear him if An Lushan was also afraid?
Though he thought this in his heart, he dared not say it. He could only sigh and say, “I just received news that Ji Guangchen’s entire army has been wiped out.”
“What!” Zhang Tongru was shocked. Ji Guangchen’s entire army had been destroyed? He hadn’t known anything about it at all. His spies in Xingyang and within Ji Guangchen’s army hadn’t informed him. Then, suddenly, he understood—it must have been reported, but only to Youzhou. An Lushan must already be aware.
With Ji Guangchen defeated, Zhang Tongru became more vigilant. According to their analysis, Li Qing’an should first deal with Xu Shujи and then turn to attack Ji Guangchen. But now Ji Guangchen had been destroyed first, suggesting they had underestimated Li Qing’an’s determination. Their plans needed to be accelerated. With this in mind, Zhang Tongru said to Xu Shujи, “The Prince of Yan wants your troops concentrated along the Hua Zhou area, not scattered too much. Speed up preparations for war and get ready for a major battle.”
Xu Shujи was stunned. He could vaguely sense what was being planned—was he meant to be a decoy? Panicked, he stammered, “What about the Prince of Yan’s army? Didn’t you promise me an attack on Zhengzhou?”
“Don’t worry!”
Zhang Tongru stood up, patted his thin shoulders, and said smilingly, “Since you’re willing to surrender to the Prince of Yan, you’ll be part of our Fanyang army. How could the Prince of Yan ignore you? His plan remains unchanged. When Li Qing’an’s army attacks Hua Zhou, we’ll cross the river and march on Zhengzhou. Using the strategy of ‘encircling Wei to rescue Zhao,’ we’ll attack Luoyang, forcing Li Qing’an to retreat westward. Then, our two armies will attack together to completely annihilate Anxi’s army!”
Xu Shujи pondered for a moment. At this point, he had no choice but to nod. “Very well! I’ll gather my troops right away.”
……
In Heyin County, amidst the torrential rain, the Yellow River roared violently, its sound like mountains collapsing. Li Qing’an stood on the riverbank, holding his horse. The river’s immense power left him awestruck.
Li Qing’an had once been to the source of the Yellow River. That tiny stream, after flowing thousands of miles, embraced all rivers into its vast expanse, eventually forming the mighty river it is today.

“Don’t you see? The waters of the Yellow River come from the heavens, rushing to the sea and never returning!”
Li Qing’an was moved and filled with emotion by the river before him; a sense of vastness and grandeur he had never experienced before surged within him.
At that moment, an umbrella covered his head. Li Guangbi slowly walked up to him, gazing at the other side of the river shrouded in rain and mist. In a low voice, he said, “We just received news that An Lushan’s army of 80,000 men, under the pretext of training, has already crossed Xiangzhou and is heading toward the Yellow River.”
“As expected, An Lushan isn’t content to stay idle!” A faint smile appeared on Li Qing’an’s lips. He had long guessed that the situation in the Central Plains wouldn’t remain peaceful. Xu Shujie was likely to have secretly surrendered to An Lushan, or at least recognized the puppet emperor he had established.
“General, shall we still advance on Huazhou as planned?”
After pondering for a while, Li Qing’an asked, “How is the integration of Ji Guangchen’s troops going?”
“Quite well. After removing those who are injured, sick, or too old, we now have 24,000 able-bodied soldiers. All the middle-ranking officers have been replaced with soldiers from Anxi, so they’re ready for battle.”
“Good! Intensify training further. Within a month, transform them completely!”
“Won’t we need them in this battle?” Li Guangbi asked in surprise.
Li Qing’an shook his head gently. Gazing into the depths of the Yellow River, he said slowly, “If it were you, how would you fight this battle?”
Li Guangbi had thought it over repeatedly and replied, “If my judgment is correct, An Lushan hopes we attack Huazhou, after which he’ll cross the river to cut off our retreat. Perhaps he’ll attack Luoyang to force us to withdraw. Once we’re in a desperate situation, An Lushan’s army and Xu Shujie’s forces will attack us from both sides. To counter this possibility, I would use a surprise tactic: have Ji Guangchen’s surrendered troops pretend to be the main force advancing on Huazhou, surrounding them without attacking. When An Lushan’s army crosses the river, our main force will launch a sudden attack, cutting them off halfway across, causing them to suffer a crushing defeat in the Yellow River.”
Li Qing’an smiled faintly and said, “Your judgment is correct. It should be done that way, and the strategy is quite ruthless. An Lushan’s army will surely suffer a heavy defeat. But I still don’t intend to use it.”
“Why?” Li Guangbi asked in shock.
“It’s simple. This battle can’t focus on just one area; we must consider the overall situation.”
At that moment, Li Qing’an turned around and looked eastward along the river. Xu Shujie was nothing but a fool and not worth worrying about. He needed this stalemate to continue for another half a year.
After thinking for a while, he said to Li Guangbi, “You lead 20,000 troops to Bianzhou first. If I’m not mistaken, there are no troops stationed there now!”
……