Chapter 689: Different Motivations

After the defeat at Yizhou, An Lushan had no choice but to abandon Youzhou and retreat with his remaining 70,000 troops to the headquarters of the Lulong Circuit. By then, the only provinces under his control in Hebei were Pingzhou and Yingzhou, while Jizhou served as a buffer zone between him and Shi Siming, with no troops stationed on either side.

The loss of Youzhou was a devastating blow to An Lushan. Overcome with rage, he eventually went blind and lived in darkness from then on.

An Lushan’s new headquarters was located in Liucheng County, Yingzhou—what is now Chaoyang, Liaoning. This had always been the location of Yingzhou’s military camp, and all of An Lushan’s remaining 70,000 troops were stationed there.

However, An Lushan was somewhat relieved that Pingzhou and Yingzhou had large populations, ample resources, as well as the supplies he had brought from Youzhou. Coupled with support from the Khitans and Xis, he could not only sustain his army but also had some surplus, giving him confidence to regroup.

In the room, An Lushan lay with his eyes closed on a large bamboo chair. His advisor, Zhang Tongru, read to him the latest intelligence from spies in Youzhou.

“Shi Siming has entered Youzhou. He increased taxes by 50% and imposed head taxes, taxes on house beams, alcohol, and tea. Shops in Youzhou have declined—only one in ten remains open. The people’s grain supplies have been seized, and rations are distributed based on head counts, barely enough to sustain them. Many are dying of hunger…”

“Stop reading!” An Lushan waved his hand and sighed. “They say this man has the heart of a wolf. Seeing him today confirms it. If I had known, I should have killed him right away.”

“The deputy commander has returned!” A soldier reported from the door.

Footsteps echoed as An Qingxu rushed in, looking excited and in high spirits.

“Father, the training this time has been extremely successful!” An Qingxu said. He had been tasked by An Lushan to recruit and train troops in Pingzhou and Yingzhou. With the large amount of supplies An Lushan brought when withdrawing from Youzhou, recruitment went smoothly. In just two months, he managed to recruit 30,000 troops. Additionally, due to the defensive measures implemented by An Lushan during his time as the governor of Pinglu Circuit, many able-bodied men were already trained in martial arts, making training even easier.

An Qingxu was thrilled. “I’ve only been training for a month, but the results are as if I’ve trained for a year. It’s unbelievable.”

“That’s because they have been training with local militias for years,” An Lushan replied, not surprised. It was within his expectations. He had told An Qingxu from the start that training would take at most two months.

“Can this army be officially deployed into battle?” That was what An Lushan was most concerned about.
An Qingxu thought for a moment before shaking his head and saying, “Although the training has been effective, it’s best to train for another month.”
“You don’t need to train any more. Zhang Tongru, show him the letter from this morning.”
Zhang Tongru had always been excluded by Gao Shang, and coupled with his own bad luck—failing several times on important missions and even being captured by the Tang army in Chang’an—he was still released by Li Qingan, who covered up his capture.
Zhang Tongru didn’t surrender to Li Qingan; instead, he begged him to let him go, promising to kill Gao Shang for him. That’s why Li Qingan released him.
Zhang Tongru’s hatred for Gao Shang could be described as “deeply ingrained.” After returning to Youzhou, he took advantage of Gao Shang’s defeat in Luzhou to spread slander against him to An Lushan, eventually making An Lushan dissatisfied with Gao Shang. The defeat in Yizhou was also due to Gao Shang’s poor handling of forage, which weakened the cavalry’s combat strength. Zhang Tongru seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, leading An Lushan to decide to dismiss Gao Shang and send him away, while Zhang Tongru became his trusted advisor.
Zhang Tongru quickly took out a letter and handed it to An Qingxu with a sycophantic smile, “Young marshal, please take a look!”
An Qingxu hid his disgust for Zhang Tongru no longer. He snorted loudly, snatched the letter, and it was written by Li Huaijie, the Chahar chief. This Li Huaijie was the Chahar leader who married Du Gu Mingjing, the sister of Du Gu Mingyue, in the fifth year of Tianbao. In that year, Du Gu Mingjing was made Princess Jingle and married to Li Huaijie, but she was killed by him just half a year later.
Zhang Tongru knew An Qingxu hated him. A faint murderous intent flashed in his eyes, but he withdrew with a fake smile.
After reading the letter, An Qingxu frowned deeply. Li Huaijie asked An Lushan’s army to converge with the Chahar forces, essentially demanding that An Lushan obey his commands. An Qingxu had different opinions from his father regarding relations with the Chahar.
“Father, didn’t we agree that the Yan, Chahar, and Xi tribes would attack Bohai separately? Why has it changed now? We’re supposed to converge under Li Huaijie? Father, there’s something wrong here!”
An Lushan couldn’t see his son’s expression, but he could hear his dissatisfaction. He grew displeased and asked in a drawn-out voice, “What’s the problem?”
“Father, haven’t you realized? Li Huaijie clearly wants to devour us. This so-called convergence is just to put our army under his command. Father, we must not be so naive.”

“You fool! Our army is mostly made up of Khitans and Xi people, and they also control our military provisions. What can we do if we don’t obey them? They could dismantle our army overnight. At this point, do you really think I can still rule independently?”
Perhaps realizing he had been too harsh, An Lushan softened his tone and said, “I know you’re dissatisfied with the Khitans. In fact, your father is too. But when under someone else’s roof, one must bow one’s head. A true man knows how to bend and stretch. Once we have enough weapons, armor, and supplies, we won’t pay attention to the Khitans anymore. We’ll make a fortune in Bohai State, then move on to Silla. Sooner or later, we’ll destroy the Khitans and retake Hebei. For this campaign against the Khitans, you’ll be the commander-in-chief, leading 70,000 troops north. Leave the training to my third son!”
The third son referred to here was An Lushan’s third son, An Qinghe. An Qingxu didn’t dare argue further with his father and nodded, “Then I’ll go prepare the troops!”
“Go! You’ll be the commander-in-chief, with An Taqing as deputy. You’ll set out in three days.”
An Qingxu left. Zhang Tongru, who had been hiding nearby, stepped forward immediately and said, “My lord, when the young marshal left the room just now, I saw he looked extremely dissatisfied. I’m very worried about him…”
“Hmm! By now, there’s nothing I can do. I can only trust my sons. They’re at least a bit better than outsiders!”
An Lushan sighed. “Actually, I’m also worried that the Khitans will swallow up my army. That’s why I sent my second son on the campaign. At least he won’t be bribed by Li Huaijie. He’ll lead 70,000 troops, and my third son will lead the new recruits. That way, I’ll feel a little more at ease. You may go. I’m a bit tired.”
Zhang Tongru wanted to persuade him further, but An Lushan was already snoring soundly, asleep. With no choice, Zhang Tongru cursed under his breath and left.
……
An Qingxu returned to the camp outside the city, filled with worry. This was the new recruit camp, where the newly enlisted 30,000 troops were being trained. As soon as An Qingxu entered his own tent, Gao Shang came in from outside the camp.
“Young marshal, how’s the situation?”
An Qingxu sighed. “It’s just as Mr. Gao predicted. The Khitans indeed want us to lead our troops north to join them. They have sinister intentions and want to swallow us up!”
Since the Battle of Luzhou, Gao Shang had won An Qingxu’s trust. With An Lushan no longer trusting him, Gao Shang simply left An Lushan and devoted himself entirely to assisting An Qingxu. Compared to An Lushan, An Qingxu was simpler and more honest, lacking An Lushan’s cruelty. More importantly, An Qingxu obeyed him without question, which gave Gao Shang a great sense of accomplishment.

It was a noble idea to let An Qingxu volunteer to train the new recruits. Gao Shang had already realized that the Khitans controlled An Lushan—not only did the Khitans hold key positions as generals, but they also controlled crucial supplies. Under such circumstances, having one’s own army was the only way to survive. Gao Shang pondered for a moment before asking, “So what’s the prince’s attitude?” “Our father says we can’t afford to offend the Khitans. Since they insist on us joining their forces, we have no choice but to go. He wants me to lead the troops. Sir, what do you suggest I do?” “Young marshal, I still say the same thing: hold onto your military power tightly. Although the prince has entrusted you with 70,000 troops, have you thought about it? You can’t really control this army—five of the seven generals are Khitans, two are Xi people, and even the prince himself can’t control the troops. What’s the point of you going? Listen to me—let’s take the new recruits to Pingzhou. There are plenty of supplies in Pingzhou’s warehouses, which can serve as military provisions.” An Qingxu nodded, about to agree, when someone reported that An Taiqing had arrived. An Taiqing was also one of the defeated generals from Luzhou. After his defeat, he hid in the mountains and only after the situation stabilized did he lead his remaining loyal soldiers out of Hedong and return to Youzhou. By then, Youzhou had already been occupied by Shi Siming, and his young and beautiful wife had also been taken by him. Heartbroken and furious, An Taiqing begged An Lushan to lead a counterattack to reclaim his wife, but An Lushan only comforted him without any intention of retaking Youzhou. Instead, he ordered An Taiqing and An Qingxu to train new recruits, which left An Taiqing extremely disappointed. Today, upon hearing that An Lushan intended to appoint him as a deputy general to accompany An Qingxu on a northern expedition, he immediately sensed trouble and rushed to see An Qingxu. An Taiqing strode into the tent quickly, bowed, and said, “Young marshal, things are bad!” An Qingxu glanced at him. “How bad?” “I just heard that the commander-in-chief has ordered the three young marshals to take control of the new recruit camp, with Zhang Zhongzhi as the deputy commander. This is clearly an attempt to take away your military power. I urge you to order the troops in the new recruit camp to leave Yingzhou and head to Pingzhou for training right away.” An Qingxu turned to look at Gao Shang, who nodded, signaling that An Taiqing could be trusted. An Qingxu laughed and said, “General An and I thought of the same thing. I was also planning to withdraw southward. Since General An has no objections, let’s not delay—we should withdraw southward immediately.” An Taiqing was overjoyed and bowed, saying, “As ordered!”

Half an hour later, An Qingxu led 30,000 new recruits and left Campzhou without saying goodbye, heading for Pingzhou. Before departing, he left a letter for An Lushan, stating that he wanted to continue training the new recruits and did not wish to head north. An Lushan was furious, but he had no choice but to order An Qinghe and Zhang Zhongzhi to lead 70,000 troops northward. …

In the Tang Dynasty, the Khitans were known as the Songmo Governorate, covering an area from east of Chifeng to the Horqin region, encompassing the most fertile grasslands. The Khitan chieftain also served as the governor of Songmo. With a population of hundreds of thousands, all able to fight, and over 100,000 armored soldiers, they had frequently clashed with the Tang Dynasty since the time of Empress Wu Zetian, with periods of peace and war. By the end of the Kaiyuan era, the Tang army defeated the Khitans, capturing numerous Khitan men and women and relocating them to the Fanyang and Youzhou areas to live among the Han people. Many of the Khitans in An Lushan’s army were descendants of these settlers.

After suffering a crushing defeat in the later years of the Kaiyuan era, the Khitans surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Their leader, Li Huaijie, was granted the title of Prince Chongshun, and a daughter of the Du Gu family was married to him as a princess. However, the Khitans and the Xi people rebelled soon after, killing the Tang princess to sacrifice to their flags, and engaged in a protracted struggle with An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang.

More than a decade passed, and the Khitans had fully recovered their strength. Seeing the weakness and internal divisions of the Tang Dynasty, Li Huaijie conceived the idea of conquering the Tang realm. By continuously sending reinforcements and food supplies, he gradually gained control over An Lushan.

By this time, the Han soldiers within An Lushan’s army had almost disappeared, leaving it mostly a force of non-Han tribesmen, primarily Khitans, Xi, and Turks, with the Khitans being the most numerous. Seventy percent of the officers above the rank of lieutenant general were Khitans, meaning An Lushan had effectively become a puppet of the Khitans.

Although Li Huaijie intended to march south to plunder the Tang Dynasty, his own forces had been greatly weakened due to his excessive support for An Lushan. Additionally, fearing that if he sent his army south, the Bohai people might seize his homeland, he decided after careful consideration to ally with the Xi people and An Lushan to jointly conquer the Bohai region before considering a move south into the Central Plains.

At the end of August, during the season when the weather was perfect for warfare, tents lined up one after another along the Rao Le River, stretching for over ten miles. 70,000 Khitan warriors and 300,000 of their parents, wives, and children gathered here—nearly 70 percent of the Khitans, along with a million cattle and sheep.

“Woo—woo-woo!”
The deep sound of horns echoed along the Rao Le River. Warhorses galloped like thunder rolling across the grasslands, and tens of thousands of knights converged from all directions.

In the center of where the knights gathered was a large tent made of wool, with a golden roof adorned with gold and silver threads, exuding the grandeur of a wealthy king. This was Li Huaijie’s royal tent, and it also served as the temporary headquarters of the Khitans.

The Khitans were a nomadic people with everyone serving as soldiers. Li Huaijie originally had over a hundred thousand troops, but supporting An Lushan had consumed half of them, leaving him with only seventy thousand. Using these seventy thousand troops to attack the Bohai Kingdom was undoubtedly challenging, especially since Bohai and Silla had already formed an alliance, reportedly with a force of one hundred fifty thousand. Knowing this, Li Huaijie realized he could only rely on allying with An Lushan and the Xi people, leveraging the strength of the Khitan cavalry and the equipment of An Lushan’s Yan army to defeat the Bohai-Silla alliance.

Moreover, Li Huaijie had other plans. Since An Lushan’s main force was already composed mostly of Khitans, why not seize the opportunity to bring them under his own control? Seventy thousand well-equipped troops were undoubtedly a tempting prize in his eyes.

Li Huaijie was in his early fifties, tall and robust, with a fierce appearance. Killing Du Gu Mingjing back then had always been his proudest achievement. Killing a Tang princess meant a complete break with the Tang Dynasty. He had killed Du Gu Mingjing because she was not a true Tang Li princess but merely a woman from an imperial family, so he believed Li Longji was humiliating him.

But last year, he heard news that Li Qing’an’s queen was the sister of the Tang princess he had killed, which shocked him greatly. For this reason, he suddenly realized that Li Qing’an would not spare him, and his resolve to rebel against the Tang Dynasty surged strongly within him.

Hearing the horn sounds, Li Huaijie quickly stepped out of the tent. He saw a cavalry unit approaching slowly in the distance. On the plain, the winding cavalry formation resembled a long snake, stretching for seven or eight li. At the front was a large flag with a wolf’s head—a sign that it was the Xi people’s army. Like the Uyghurs, both the Khitans and the Xi revered wolves and used wolf-head flags as their military banners.

“Go take a look!”

Li Huaijie mounted his horse and led over ten thousand knights to meet the Xi cavalry.

It was a Xi army of thirty thousand cavalry, led by Li Yanchong, the Xi chieftain and King Huaixin. In the fifth year of the Tianbao era, like Li Huaijie, he married Princess Yifang of the Tang Dynasty. Soon, he also discovered that she was not a true Tang princess but a daughter of the imperial Yang family who had pretended to be a princess and married him. In a fit of anger, he killed Princess Yifang as well and rebelled alongside Li Huaijie.

The territory occupied by the Xi people was called Raole Duodu Fu. Its area was larger than that of the Khitans, but its population was smaller, which made them perpetual vassals of the Khitans—a great source of pain for the Xi people. The agreement they reached with An Lushan to send troops stipulated that they should take all the women in Luoyang. Although they did capture some women, the number was far below their demand, and the Xi people suffered tens of thousands of casualties, especially in the battle of Luzhou, where 30,000 of their men were killed. This caused Li Yanchong to be deeply dissatisfied with An Lushan.

For this attack on the Bohai State, Li Yanchong and Li Huaijie had already reached a tacit understanding to divide the spoils 70-30. As for An Lushan’s share, neither of them mentioned it; both knew that An Lushan himself was Li Huaijie’s prey.

Li Huaijie rode up, dismounted, and laughed loudly, “I thought the great chief would arrive a few days later. I didn’t expect him to come so soon. Truly trustworthy!”

Li Yanchong also laughed. “Thinking about dividing the land and wealth of the Sumo people, I haven’t slept well for days. How can I not be anxious?”

The two leaders laughed heartily and hugged each other. Holding hands affectionately, they walked toward the main tent. Once inside, they sat down. Li Yanchong asked, “Have there been any news of An Lushan? His army should have arrived by now, right?”

“It’s almost here. I received news yesterday that their army has entered Khitan and should arrive tomorrow.”

“Oh? Who is leading them? An Qingxu?”

“No! It’s not him. It’s An Lushan’s third son, An Qinghe, with Zhang Zhongzhi as his deputy.”

“Heh! A naive young boy—truly an easy target.”

Li Yanchong dismissed An Qinghe with contempt. He laughed again and asked, “Then when does the great king plan to deal with them? Will you attack right away?”

Li Huaijie smiled with narrowed eyes. “Younger brother, you should know I’m a patient person who always likes to save the best for last. They must be wary of me now. Once their vigilance eases, I’ll strike at An Qinghe and carve him up!”

Li Huaijie made a cutting motion with his hand and laughed uproariously.

On the first day of the ninth month in the second year of Qingping, An Qinghe led 70,000 Yan troops to the banks of the Raole River, where they joined forces with the Khitans and Xi people. Soon after, the three armies held a ceremony to elect Li Huaijie as the joint commander, with Li Yanchong and An Qinghe serving as his left and right deputies. After sacrificing sheep to the flags, the 170,000-strong allied forces charged at the Bohai State. Two days later, they invaded the Fuyu region of the Bohai State, marking the beginning of the Battle of Bohai.

At the same time, a massive fleet carrying 100,000 Tang soldiers was heading north along the western coast of Silla, preparing to land in Pyongyang, the capital of theAn-tong commandery commandery.
……
(Note: Princess Jingle was actually the daughter of Duke Dugu Ming and Princess Hexincheng, and thus the granddaughter of Li Longji. This book does not follow historical facts; this note is provided for clarification.)