Chapter 81: A Troublesome Task

Early the next morning, Li Qing’an took the Li Fei brothers to the military camp to take up their posts. The Jinwu Wei was essentially the patrol force of the capital city, with Left and Right Street Envoys tasked with patrolling the six main streets using copper rods tipped with gold. However, its primary duty was to patrol the three inner districts, leaving insufficient resources for the outer neighborhoods. Moreover, most members of the Jinwu Wei were descendants of officials, leading to widespread nepotism and a mixed quality among them. The army itself was prone to misconduct, and in the past year, censors had repeatedly criticized them without success.

Therefore, Li Linfu suggested forming nine gate patrol units composed of elite cavalry to check the power of the Jinwu Wei. One unit was to be based in Chang’an and another in Wannian County, each consisting of 500 men. Chang’an’s patrol leader was to be Changsun Quanxu, while Li Linfu recommended Li Qing’an, a general from Anxi, as Wannian’s leader. The reason was that Li Qing’an was not a descendant of powerful officials, had fewer connections, and was skilled in archery and horseback riding.

Unlike the Jinwu Wei, the nine gate patrol units were entirely made up of cavalry. They wore armor resembling that of fierce beasts, carried three-foot-long silver rods, and had bows on their backs. They patrolled the entire city in teams of 50, with their temporary base in the Eastern Inner Garden. When Li Qing’an arrived, Changsun Quanxu had just gotten there as well.

Changsun Quanxu was the eldest son of the powerful Changsun family in the Tang Dynasty. In his thirties, he was tall, strong, and dignified. He currently served as a lieutenant general in the elite cavalry unit. From afar, he saw Li Qing’an and rushed forward with a laugh.

“General Li, I never expected we’d become colleagues. What an honor!”

Li Qing’an had met Changsun Quanxu’s daughter at the Western Market, so he quickly went up to him and said with a smile, “It’s an honor to patrol alongside General Changsun.”

Changsun Quanxu rode closer to Li Qing’an, patted his shoulder, and suddenly noticed the large bow slung on Li Qing’an’s horse. He was astonished and said, “This is…”

It was the shooting bow that Yang Huahua had given to Li Qing’an. He took down the bow and handed it to Changsun Quanxu, smiling, “General Changsun, do you recognize this bow?”

Changsun Quanxu took the bow and examined it carefully. His eyes gradually lit up.

“It really is it!”

He sighed in admiration, “This is the masterpiece of Wang Yu, the most famous bowmaker in Hebei. It took him five whole years to create this bow. Its uniqueness lies in its completely black finish. It was originally the personal bow of Zhang Shougui, the military governor of Fanyang. I saw it in the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era, but later heard it had ended up in the palace. Now it’s in your hands—how enviable!”

“Since General Changsun likes it, I’ll give it to you.”

“I appreciate General Li’s kindness, but it’s of no use to me. This is a seven-stone bow meant only for General Li to use. I wouldn’t dare take away what General Li loves—haha!”
Changsun Quanxu returned the bow to Li Qing’an. Seeing that Li Qing’an was good at handling people, he stepped closer and spoke in a low voice, “General Li, there’s something I’m not sure whether to say or not.”
“General Changsun, please speak freely.”
“General Li, being the inspector of the nine gates is a very tricky task!”
Li Qing’an glanced at him, noticing his look of helplessness and concern, and asked with a smile, “Why do you say that?”
“General Li, as a newcomer, you may not be aware of the situation in Chang’an during the New Year. It was a bit better during the Kaiyuan era, but things have declined since the Tianbao period. Especially in these past two years, crime rates have soared. Ordinary petty thieves are one thing, but even if nobles or members of the imperial family commit crimes, people often turn a blind eye. The problem is that there are some cases you simply can’t control—like the Wei Jian case at the beginning of Tianbao 5 and the Du Youlin case at the end of Tianbao 5. Both started as minor incidents, but who could have predicted they would escalate into major crimes? Back then, some people in the Jinyiwei lost their heads.”
Li Qing’an nodded and bowed, “Please, General Changsun, advise me on how to handle this.”
“I’ll give you five words—these are the golden rules of the Jinyiwei: ‘Out of sight, out of mind!’”
“Thank you, General Changsun, for your guidance. I understand now.”
Li Qing’an turned his horse and led the Li Fei brothers into the Eastern Inner Garden.
…
The Eastern Inner Garden, like the Western Inner Garden, was a barracks for the Yulin Army. It covered a large area and included vast grasslands, making it the base for the Ten-Thousand Cavalry Camp. It was also the venue for the final matches of the polo tournaments. It was winter, and the grass and trees were withered, leaving the vast Eastern Inner Garden desolate, with bare landscapes everywhere. Even the forests were leafless, resembling groups of soldiers standing in the open fields.
The Ten-Thousand Cavalry Camp was located to the south of the garden, near Yanzheng Gate, consisting of hundreds of tents and two wooden buildings. The newly formed Nine Gates Inspection Camp was set up elsewhere, with a total of a thousand men divided into two units: one led by Changsun Quanxu, the Chang’an County Inspection Camp, and the other led by Li Qing’an, the Wannian County Inspection Camp.
It was early morning, and the soldiers had already had breakfast and were training in the drill ground, usually practicing archery and horseback riding. A group of cavalry rushed along a white line. As they passed a white target, the riders drew their bows, aimed, and shot arrows at straw targets fifty steps away.

At that moment, the sound of hooves echoed in the distance. A young officer rode swiftly toward them, rushing into the training ground in an instant. He held a massive black bow, and from a hundred paces away, his arrows flew like lightning, piercing the targets’ foreheads. As everyone was stunned, another arrow struck the forehead of another target. His movements were as fluid as flowing clouds, and his arrows were like a storm. Drawing arrows from both sides, he quickly fired all thirty arrows from his quiver, each one hitting the targets’ foreheads. There was a brief silence in the training ground, followed by thunderous applause and cheers.

It might be possible for someone to shoot an arrow through a target’s brain from a hundred paces away, but firing thirty arrows accurately in such a short time was simply incredible—each arrow hitting the forehead precisely.

More and more soldiers rushed over, all astonished by his remarkable archery skills. The applause continued nonstop. Li Qing’an rode around the field once again, raised his black bow high, and shouted, “I am Li Qing’an of Anxi! Soldiers of the Wannian County Patrol Camp, come and see me!”

……

In the Tang Dynasty’s army, exceptional horsemanship and archery skills were always highly respected. As soon as Li Qing’an appeared, his unparalleled archery skills won over the soldiers of the Wannian Cavalry Camp. The rest was easy—assigning names and forming teams. The five hundred cavalry were divided into ten teams, each with a team leader and a fire officer. Li Fei and his brother were appointed as deputy commanders, leading five teams each to patrol day and night.

“General Li, please put on your military robe.”

A fire officer handed Li Qing’an a battle robe from the Wannian Cavalry Camp. Li Qing’an unfolded it casually. It was a military robe in the same color as that of the Wannian Cavalry Camp—dark blue—with a black tiger pattern on it, though the design was slightly different. Li Qing’an’s robe was a cape, symbolizing his status.

Li Qing’an fastened the robe around his back, mounted his horse, pointed his long bow at the gate, and said, “We can set off!”

The cavalry mounted their horses, and the five cavalry teams rushed out of the Eastern Inner Garden, heading toward various districts. Just as Li Qing’an led fifty cavalry out of the Yanzheng Gate, a carriage arrived, escorted by dozens of guards. Li Qing’an immediately pulled back the reins and stopped by the road. It was Prime Minister Li Linfu arriving.