In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

"General, what did you say?" The lieutenant didn't hear him clearly.

"I order a retreat! All troops retreat back into the city! Defend Chengdu to the death!"

Xianyu Zhongtong suddenly screamed hysterically, as if he had gone mad.

Go and wipe out Yang Xuan? To hell with Yang Xuan!

Now that even Chang'an is almost lost, and even his patron Yang Guozhong is in dire straits, what's the point of him fighting a war?

His only way out now is to remain holed up in Chengdu, hold onto his 30,000 troops, turn Chengdu into an impregnable fortress, and observe the situation in the world.

The 30,000-strong army, which had been brimming with murderous intent just moments before, was thrown into complete chaos upon hearing this inexplicable order to retreat.

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment, and the soldiers whispered among themselves. Panic spread rapidly through the ranks like a plague.

Upon returning to the governor's mansion, Xianyu Zhongtong descended into madness and extreme suspicion.

"General, Chang'an is in imminent danger, and Yang Xuan is also eyeing us covetously from the south. We are attacked from both sides!" A lieutenant boldly suggested, "In my humble opinion, it would be better to send someone to Yaozhou to negotiate peace with Yang Xuan..."

"Pfft!"

Before the lieutenant could finish speaking, Xianyu Zhongtong suddenly drew the sword from the personal guard beside him and plunged it into the lieutenant's heart.

Blood gushed out, splattering all over Xianyu Zhongtong's head and face, making his fat face look particularly ferocious.

"Make peace? I am the Jiedushi of Jiannan! Who does Yang Xuan think he is, to dare make me bow down to him?!"

Xianyu Zhongtong drew his blood-stained steel knife, like a wild boar cornered in a desperate situation, and surveyed the silent generals in the hall.

"Issue my death order! Martial law throughout the city! Anyone who dares to speak of surrender, peace, or sow discord among the troops will be executed without mercy! Conscript all the grain and able-bodied men from the city into the army camp! Anyone who dares to hide a single grain of grain will have their entire family executed!"

Chengdu Prefecture, the heart of the Land of Abundance, was instantly transformed into a giant prison filled with bloodshed and terror under Xianyu Zhongtong's madness.

……

Meanwhile, in Chang'an, a thousand miles away.

Daming Palace, Xingqing Hall.

The once bustling royal garden, filled with song and dance and nightly revelry, is now permeated with an extremely oppressive and deathly silence.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, with his disheveled white hair, paced back and forth in the empty hall like a furious and aged lion.

At his feet lay scattered shards of porcelain and the corpses of several eunuchs who had just been dragged away by the Imperial Guards.

Just half an hour ago, an urgent military report from An Lushan, the military governor of Pinglu, about his rebellion, arrived on his desk.

The first messenger who delivered the military report was beaten to death without any explanation.

"A false report! This is a false report!" Emperor Xuanzong roared hoarsely, pointing outside the palace. "An Lushan is my godson! I have treated him with the utmost kindness, how could he possibly rebel? Someone must be framing him! Is it the Crown Prince? Or Yang Guozhong?!"

However, when the second, third, and even more than a dozen blood-written pleas for help, sent desperately from all over Hebei Province, piled up in front of him, this emperor who ushered in the prosperous Kaiyuan era finally collapsed.

He had to admit an extremely cruel truth: he had been completely deceived by that seemingly honest but actually cunning fat Hu man.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong scrambled into the main hall, fell to his knees on the broken porcelain shards with a thud, ignoring the blood streaming from his pierced knees, and kowtowed repeatedly.

His face was now ten times paler than Xianyu Zhongtong's.

An Lushan rebelled under the banner of "Purge the court of corrupt officials and execute Yang Guozhong!"

This not only pinned the blame for rebellion on him, but also effectively sentenced him to death.

"Yang Guozhong!" Emperor Xuanzong suddenly turned around and kicked Yang Guozhong hard in the chest.

Yang Guozhong screamed and rolled several times on the ground.

"Didn't you always say An Lushan had a rebellious streak?! Didn't you always clamor to strip him of his military power?! Now he's really rebelled! Are you satisfied now?!"

Emperor Xuanzong pointed at Yang Guozhong's nose, roaring in exasperation, "150,000 troops! They've already reached the Yellow River! Tell me, where are the Tang army?!"

"Your Majesty... I... I told you long ago that An Lushan harbored wolfish ambitions!" Yang Guozhong cried, trying to explain, "It's just that Your Majesty... you didn't believe me..."

"You still dare to argue!" Emperor Xuanzong grabbed a Duan inkstone from the table and smashed it hard against Yang Guozhong.

Yang Guozhong dared not dodge and was smashed on the head, bleeding profusely.

He lay on the ground in despair, and the scene from the Hua'e Xianghui Tower a few months ago suddenly and uncontrollably flashed into his mind.

His rebellious son, Yang Xuan.

That spoiled brat, whom everyone considered a madman and whom he personally banished to the remote borderlands, actually pointed at An Lushan's nose and accurately predicted today's catastrophe in front of the entire court a few months ago!

"You unfilial son... what kind of eyes do you have..." Yang Guozhong wailed in his heart.

If he had listened to Yang Xuan back then, if he hadn't driven Yang Xuan out of Chang'an, perhaps the Prime Minister's residence wouldn't be in this hopeless predicament today.

But he knew it was too late to regret it now.

"Gao Lishi!" Emperor Xuanzong of Tang shouted, panting heavily.

Gao Lishi, who had been huddled in the corner, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "This old servant is here."

"Issue the imperial decree! Appoint Feng Changqing as the military governor of Fanyang and Pinglu, and order him to immediately go to Luoyang to recruit troops for resistance! Order Geshu Han to guard Tongguan! Transfer the entire Shenwu Army and Longwu Army to the area!"

In a state of extreme panic, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang began frantically issuing a series of military orders.

But he knew in his heart that this hastily assembled army was no match for An Lushan's elite troops who had been fighting on the frontier for more than a decade and were armed to the teeth.

The sky over the Tang Dynasty has truly collapsed.

……

Our attention returns to Jiannan Road.

Yaozhou City, the main hall of the county government.

The shocking news from the north also reached Yang Xuan's desk.

Under Lei Laohu's management, Tingfeng Pavilion's intelligence network has demonstrated terrifying efficiency.

Inside the hall, Li Guangbi, Pei Zhao, Cui Shen, He Lanjin, and others stood on both sides, their faces showing an undisguised shock and solemnity.

An Lushan has rebelled!

Although Yang Xuan had said more than once that An Lushan would definitely rebel, most of the people present, except for Pei Zhao who blindly worshipped Yang Xuan, were actually a little apprehensive.

That was the most favored border general of the Tang Dynasty!

But now, the prophecy has come true.

Looking at Yang Xuan, who sat in the main seat with an expressionless face, Cui Shen felt an overwhelming sense of awe.

Not only is the young master incredibly insightful, but he also began stockpiling supplies and training troops in Yaozhou months ago. Such foresight and strategic vision are truly terrifying!

"Gentlemen," Yang Xuan said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, breaking the silence in the hall, "An Lushan raised an army of 150,000. The golden age of the Tang Dynasty has come to a complete end."

He turned to Cui Shen and asked, "What's going on in Chengdu?"

"Reporting to my lord!" Cui Shen hurriedly stepped forward to report.

"According to the secret agents of Tingfeng Pavilion, Xianyu Zhongtong was terrified when he learned of An Lushan's rebellion and withdrew all his troops back to Chengdu Prefecture."

"Not only that, but due to extreme suspicion, he personally beheaded a lieutenant who was trying to make peace in the White Tiger Hall."

"Currently, the four gates of Chengdu are tightly closed. Xianyu Zhongtong is arresting able-bodied men and forcibly requisitioning grain and fodder on a large scale. The city is already filled with resentment and is like a living hell."

Upon hearing this news, Helan Jin couldn't help but interject, "Grand Commander! That old scoundrel Xianyu Zhongtong is already a frightened bird. His army is in disarray right now, so we should take advantage of his weakness! Why don't we send an envoy to Chengdu Prefecture to intimidate him with a few words? Maybe that old scoundrel will be scared into surrendering!"

In Helan Jin's view, the Yaozhou army had just won a great victory and was in high spirits. Xianyu Zhongtong had become a toothless tiger. As long as he used his words, he could take Chengdu without bloodshed.

However, Yang Xuan ruthlessly shattered his unrealistic fantasies.

"madness!"

Yang Xuan gave Helan Jin a cold glance, which made the latter shrink back in fright.

"Do you think Xianyu Zhongtong was able to maintain his position as the Jiedushi of Jiannan solely because of Yang Guozhong's patronage?"

"His 30,000 troops, though weak in combat, were still real soldiers."

"Chengdu was a well-fortified city with ample supplies. A wild boar cornered in a desperate situation will make its final, deadly attack most lethal!"

Yang Xuan stood up, walked to the sand table, held a wooden stick in his hand, and pointed to the location of Chengdu Prefecture.

"Send an envoy to persuade him to surrender? He's even killing his own trusted confidants now. Going to persuade him will only provoke him and make him defend the city even more fiercely. It will be of no use."

"What does the young master mean?"

A glint of light flashed in Li Guangbi's eyes; he knew Yang Xuan's style of doing things all too well.

"What we want is a complete Jiannan Road, not a mess that has been ruined by Xianyu Zhongtong."

Yang Xuan suddenly slammed the wooden stick in his hand down, slamming it heavily onto the sand table representing the location of Yazhou.

"One must eat one bite at a time, and fight one battle at a time! Since Xianyu Zhongtong wants to be a coward, then we will smash his shell layer by layer!"

Yang Xuan turned around abruptly, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Issue my order! The entire army shall break camp and march north immediately! We are not in a hurry to attack Chengdu; let's first remove the thorns on its outskirts."

"I want Xianyu Zhongtong to watch helplessly as his Jiannan Circuit falls into my hands, Yang Xuan's, hands, bit by bit!"

"Here you go!"

The generals inside the hall responded with a thunderous roar, their voices shaking the earthenware pots.

......

In the late November of the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era.

A cold wind howled through the mountains of the southwest, carrying a biting chill, and withered yellow leaves swirled and fell in the wind.

However, on the muddy official road leading from Yaozhou to Chengdu Prefecture, there was an army that, like a burning black flame, forcefully dispelled all the cold and gloom.

"The Yaozhou Salt Protection Army, set off!"