Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Xu Yuan immediately smiled wryly and said, "I know Zhang Jun. Since he volunteered to guard the Luoyang Palace, he will never give up halfway."

Friends suggested, "If the imperial court issues an order for him to abandon his post, I'm sure Doctor Zhang wouldn't dare to disobey."

Xu Yuan thought this was a good idea, so he submitted another memorial, earnestly requesting a formal order to recall the garrison troops of Luoyang Palace. However, the prime ministers discussed the matter for days, but none dared to make such a decision—issuing such an edict would mean voluntarily abandoning Luoyang, the eastern capital. What would the soldiers and civilians think? What would the emperor think? Whoever signed the edict would surely be condemned and subsequently lose their position as prime minister…

So someone subtly mocked Xu Yuan: "We have our difficulties too, please be understanding and stop submitting memorial after memorial." Fortunately, Xu Yuan held a high position and was a meritorious official in suppressing the rebellion, and he was well-liked in court; otherwise, the prime ministers would have definitely rejected the memorials outright without even giving them a second thought.

If it were someone strong-willed and hot-tempered, such as Li Xiyun or Cui Youfu, they might have made a scene in the Council of State Affairs and slapped their own memorials in the prime minister's face—if you want to refute my memorial, then please give a clear reason. Otherwise, is the state supporting you just so you can come here and eat for free?

"Without Yao Wenzhen (Yao Chong) in this world, are you all just sitting idly by, serving as mere figureheads to the prime minister?!"

In any case, the current prime ministers, such as Miao Jinqing and Li Kui, do not have enough prestige to command respect—at least the court officials' fear of them is not even half as great as their fear of Li Fuguo.

However, Xu Yuan was ultimately an honest and kind man, and he knew that this matter was indeed a bit difficult for the prime ministers, so he earnestly requested to be summoned to the palace, intending to plead directly with Li Heng. Unfortunately, Li Heng was said to be in poor health again, and for three consecutive days, he refused to summon Xu Yuan to the palace.

It is probably for this reason that Xu Yuan, having no other choice but to risk his life to rush to the Hanyuan Hall and weep bitterly in order to save his comrade-in-arms Zhang Xun, risked his life to reach the emperor's ears and move him.

However, Li Ji estimated that the scoundrel emperor would be hard to move. Based on his observations and analysis over this period, although Li Heng lived deep within the palace and frequently missed court audiences due to health issues, he hadn't completely abandoned his duties. While major policies appeared to be decided by Li Fuguo to outsiders, they were actually largely at Li Heng's behest—he was simply too lazy to deal with the minutiae. Xu Yuan's memorial concerned whether to abandon Luoyang, the eastern capital; the prime ministers would certainly not dare conceal it and would have reported it to the palace. If Li Heng were willing to agree, he would have already issued an edict or summoned him.

The key issue is that such a heavy responsibility is something that the prime ministers dare not take on, and Li Heng is also unwilling to take on.

Li Ji, moved by Xu Yuan's advice and worried about his friends in Luoyang, immediately lifted his robe and was about to step forward, but was stopped by Ma Sui. Ma Sui advised, "This is not something you or I can comment on. If you insist on stepping forward, you will only ruin Lord Xu's plans—Changwei, think twice before you act."

Li Ji took two deep breaths to calm himself down a bit, then turned to Ma Sui and said, "I'd like to take my leave first. All matters in the yamen will still be handled by Xunmei... I'll leave my seal here; Xunmei can use it on my behalf." Anyway, there wasn't anything important, so there was no need for him to sign everything himself.

Although Chen Xianfu was the military inspector of the Shence Army, his actual post was still in the Inner Palace. He did not often come to the outer court to supervise military affairs, and the daily affairs were still handled by Liu Xixian, the commander of the Imperial Guard. The same was true for the Yingwu Army. Wang Jiahe basically did not take charge, and after Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming were promoted, they also focused their main energy on the inner court. The general affairs of the army were all left to Li Ji.

The main reason is that these eunuchs are still relatively inexperienced and dare not act like Yu Chaoen, who, even after being released from the capital and not returning for several years, still enjoyed the emperor's favor. They need to show their faces in front of the emperor (or empress) and seek opportunities to flatter him in order to consolidate their power and seek promotion.

Furthermore, although Empress Zhang wanted to control the Shence Army and Li Yu and his son wanted to hold onto the Yingwu Army, those eunuchs could not have accumulated experience and grown up without spending several years in the army. How could they know how to win over the hearts of the generals and soldiers? At most, they could only deliberately win over and keep an eye on a few mid- to high-ranking officers, such as Liu Xixian and Li Ji.

Therefore, on days when those eunuchs didn't come out to sit in the government office, Li Ji was the one who called the shots in the Yingwu Army. If he wanted to leave early, did he need to ask anyone for permission? He then said a few words to Ma Sui and prepared to pack his things and leave the palace—he planned to visit Li Shi and persuade the young man to help out in this matter.

Just as he turned around, a deafening roar erupted, almost shaking the earth. Li Ji turned back in astonishment to see dust billowing up and a corner of the double-eaved roof on the east side of Hanyuan Hall collapsing! Broken rafters and shattered tiles tumbled down the steps, startling several officials who were surrounding Xu Yuan, causing them to stumble backward. One of the incompetent officials, who had just turned around, even tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face.

Only Xu Yuan lay motionless on the ground. Li Ji panicked and, disregarding etiquette, was about to rush forward to help him when Xu Yuan let out a long howl, then straightened up, raised his hands above his head, and shouted, "Even Heaven has feelings, and pities the loyal and distressed—Hanyuan Palace has collapsed! This is a warning from Heaven; how can the ruler ignore it?!"

Actually, the collapse of Hanyuan Hall is not surprising at all.

Hanyuan Hall is the main hall of the Daming Palace, originally built in the third year of the Longshuo era, and has stood for over a hundred years. Its main hall is a single-unit building, situated on a three-tiered platform, thirteen bays wide and six bays deep. If the Xiangluan and Qifeng towers on either side are included, by modern standards, it is nearly two hundred meters wide from east to west, and the platform alone reaches a height of forty meters! Even Li Ji, whose soul originated in the future, couldn't help but feel awe and reverence upon first seeing this hall—

Good heavens, many national-level buildings in later generations are no better than this. In my timeline, during the same era, I don't recall ever seeing such a magnificent palace!

The key point is that this grand hall is not made of steel and cement, nor is it made of bricks and stones—of course, the high platform that forms the foundation is made of stone—the structure is entirely made of wood, covered with blue tiles. In those days, this was considered the most advanced technology in the world. This made construction difficult and repairs not easy either, and both required huge sums of money.

Li Ji had heard that from the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the retired emperor had been holding court in the Xingqing Palace in the Southern Palace, often not even thinking to use the Hanyuan Hall once a year. As a result, the hall gradually decayed and could not be repaired. When the rebel army stormed Chang'an, setting fires and looting everywhere, the Hanyuan Hall also suffered devastation, with many parts damaged. After the Tang dynasty recovered Chang'an, theoretically, the entire Daming Palace should have been renovated, but unfortunately, the treasury was empty, and they simply couldn't afford such a large sum of money…

Left with no other option, Li Heng ordered the Hanyuan, Xuanzheng, and Zichen Halls, as well as the Linde Hall, to be roughly repainted, just enough to make a superficial appearance and avoid embarrassment. The only things that needed to be thoroughly repaired were the dozens of imperial and empress's sleeping quarters in the inner court. After Li Ji entered the Forbidden City, he had seen tiles falling off the roof of the Hanyuan Hall many times... so it was only a matter of time before one of its eaves collapsed.

But why did it have to collapse at this crucial moment of all times? Could it be that Xu Yuan's wailing and pounding of his fists on the ground created a resonance? This is getting interesting!

Seeing that the officials finally reacted and rushed forward to lift Xu Yuan up and drag him backward, the rafters and tiles on the palace roof fell for a while, then stopped, and it seemed that they did not roll all the way down to the steps. Li Ji was relieved that he did not need to rush over to save him anymore, so he hurriedly returned to the yamen, wrote a note, and ordered a clerk to pass it on to Li Qijun.

The note was brief, simply stating: "Xu Weiwei requested the recall of Zhang Dafu, knelt before the palace gate and wept, causing a corner of the Hanyuan Hall to collapse." Given Li Qiyun's political acumen, he should have been able to seize this opportunity.

Then Li Ji left Daming Palace and went to Baisun Residence to pay his respects to Li Shi.

Although Li Shi summoned him, his expression suggested he was not very pleased. Upon meeting him, he said, "If the guard has nothing important to discuss, it is not appropriate for him to come to see me during the day..."

Li Ji hurriedly replied, "I have urgent business to discuss with Your Highness—I have just come from the palace. As Your Highness knows, Hanyuan Palace has collapsed!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shi was naturally taken aback: "How could the palace collapse only today... no, why did the palace collapse today?"

Li Ji then recounted in detail the events surrounding Xu Yuan's kneeling before the palace gates and weeping in remonstrance. Li Shi stroked his beard, lost in thought and remained silent.

Li Ji didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "Your Highness should know that I have close ties with General Zhang's fierce generals Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun. How can I sleep soundly when my friends are trapped in the siege? I am happy to see Lord Xu's request to abandon Luoyang Palace and recall General Zhang. Today, a corner of Hanyuan Hall has collapsed, which is just the right opportunity..."

Li Shi slowly said, "However, how can we easily abandon the Luoyang Palace? It is understandable that even the sage cannot make a decision."

Li Ji's mind raced, and he immediately asked Li Shi in a low voice, "If it were Your Highness, would you be willing to grant Lord Xu's request?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shi's spirits lifted, but he remained hesitant and unable to give a clear answer.

Li Ji advised, “Prefect Zhang defended Luoyang Palace in the past, which was in accordance with the essentials of military strategy. Now, abandoning the city will not harm the overall situation. The key is that Prefect Zhang’s loyalty is known throughout the land, and the bravery of Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun is no less than mine. Such excellent commanders and valiant generals are useful if they are kept, but losing them would be a great harm to the country, a hundred times worse than losing Luoyang. Your Highness, you must know that if you save the people but lose the territory, you can still make a comeback, but if you save the territory but lose the people, you will surely lose both!”

Upon hearing this, Li Shi raised his eyebrows, seemingly quite moved. He then leaned closer and said to Li Ji, "Actually, the key to this matter lies with Li Fuguo... Changwei should know that although Li Fuguo doesn't command troops, half of the military governors in the empire are under his command..."

Li Ji had heard Li Qiyun say this several months ago, and soon after, he saw an example of it.

Meanwhile, when Jingxiang was in turmoil again, Cui Guangyuan recommended Wei Lun to take over as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit. However, before Wei Lun even reached Dengzhou, he was summoned to change his position to the defense commissioner of Qinzhou, and Lai Zhen was given full authority to handle the affairs of Jingxiang.

Fortunately, Lai Zhen was no ordinary general, and his reputation was well-established. As soon as he arrived in Xiangzhou, Zhang Weijin and others surrendered.

Li Ji, being close to the central government, naturally found out the reason behind it. It was said that when Wei Lun was initially appointed, the prime ministers did not consult Li Fuguo. Then, when Wei Lun returned to the capital, he did not visit Li Fuguo again. So, at Li Fuguo's behest, the appointment of the military governor of Shannan East Circuit was directly changed.

Li Shi continued, "...It is said that Doctor Zhang also dislikes Li Fuguo and is unwilling to compromise, therefore Li Fuguo has remained silent on the matter of recalling him. If he were to agree, how could the prime ministers dare to disobey? Even the emperor might give it a second thought..."

Li Ji advised, "Your Highness, that old man... Li Fuguo does indeed intend to support the Crown Prince. Your Highness can temporarily win him over as an ally. However, a person without foresight will surely have immediate worries. Does Your Highness wish to see all the military governors of the realm under Li Fuguo's patronage?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shi was startled and alarmed. He finally made up his mind and promised, "As you say, the collapse of Hanyuan Palace today is indeed a great opportunity—it all rests on my shoulders. Guard, please rest assured."

Li Ji bowed deeply in thanks, but then made a request: "If the court can issue an edict, I expect that Doctor Zhang will not hold out. However, if we retreat to Heyang, the provisions and fodder at Li Sikong's place may not be sufficient. If we retreat west to Shaanxi, the enemy will definitely send troops to intercept us. We need to send a detachment to meet them."

"I will find a way to get Wei Boyu to send troops from Shaanxi and Guo to meet us."

Li Ji smiled slightly: "What I mean is, Your Highness, is to devise a plan that will enable me to command an army..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shi already understood—this guy had only just recovered from his illness and was already itching to get his hands dirty again—and hurriedly interrupted Li Ji: "You still dare to go to Shanzhou? With Yu Chaoen in Shanzhou, aren't you afraid he'll find an opportunity to harm you?!"

Li Ji laughed and said, "If I go alone, I will surely be killed by him. But what if I send several thousand imperial guards? If Yu Chaoen dares to make things difficult, I will lead my troops into his camp and take that bastard's head first!"

Li Shi glanced at Li Ji sideways: "You volunteered to go east to save your friends, or to settle a personal score?"

Li Ji scoffed, "Why can't one arrow kill two birds with one stone?"

Li Shi shook his head repeatedly: "The Imperial Guards cannot be moved lightly..."

Li Ji immediately reminded him, "Does Your Highness not remember the Mawei Incident of the past?!"

Chapter 45, Changing Orders Every Day

Li Ji mentioned the "Mawei Incident," which occurred just a few years earlier, a near-spontaneous military coup by the imperial guards.

In fact, there are many precedents of the Imperial Guard staging coups, but in most cases, one or two princes or nobles first form an alliance based on mutual interests, and then, driven by a sense of righteousness, overthrow the unqualified rulers so that their own family can seize power. In other words, in those coups, the Imperial Guards were merely tools in the hands of others, lacking not only sufficient autonomy but also the ability to be whitewashed as "righteous men" afterward.

This is unlike the case at the end of the Sui Dynasty, when Xiaoguo murdered Yang Guang in Jiangdu, a case that was recorded in history and could never be overturned.

The only event in the Tang Dynasty comparable to the death of Emperor Yang of Sui was the "Mawei Incident." Although there were rumors that Li Fuguo or even Li Heng instigated it, those two would never admit it. Instead, they insisted that the nature of the incident was that the imperial guards hated the Yang family's chaos in the country and launched a "military remonstrance." Although the imperial guards were later pardoned, they would never have been proclaimed as "righteous men."

Now that Li Ji suddenly brought up the "Mawei Incident," Li Shi was startled, and then his eyes narrowed slightly: "Is Changwei still suspicious of Li Fuguo? Or Yu Chaoen?" Are you worried that those eunuchs, Li and Yu, might rebel if they gain military power? But didn't I just promise you that I would try my best to protect Zhang Xun, who refused to flatter Li Fuguo? Why are you still nagging?

Li Ji smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I had no such intention. The reason I mentioned the Mawei Incident was because I was disgusted by the incompetence of the Imperial Guards—the six armies of the Northern Army, along with the left and right gatekeepers and left and right cavalry of the Southern Army, totaled no less than 20,000. If they had the fighting strength, they could have held their ground and stopped the rebels. Why did the Emperor Emeritus have to rush to the west? It was only because the Imperial Guards were so corrupt and unusable that we had no choice but to abandon Chang'an. However, the Imperial Guards gradually scattered, and by the time they reached Mawei Post Station, there were only a little over 10,000 left. The Emperor Emeritus assigned 2,000 men from the rear guard to the Emperor, and by the time they reached Xinping, more than half of the soldiers and weapons had been lost..."

"Previously, there were only ten military governors along the border. Today, most of the prefectures and counties in the country are governed by military governors, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands. They are either heading east to quell bandits, or heading west to defend against barbarians, or fighting against the Qiang, Hu, Hun, and Man tribes. Their numbers are countless. The generals outside are unruly. Only now, when we are united to resist the enemy, do they still obey the orders of the court. If we wait until the chaos is quelled, how can we restrain these six or seven thousand Northern Army soldiers in Chang'an today?"

"Moreover, although Yingwu, Shence, and Weiyuan are all selected from the bravest warriors of the four directions, they have been living in the capital for a long time, enjoying peace and tranquility, and it is inevitable that they will become lazy. Although we teach them to fight every day, true strong soldiers are forged in battle, not trained. Even if each of them has the courage of Li, if they are not familiar with the battle formation and do not have the will to fight to the death, they will surely collapse at the first contact."

"Your Highness, did the Imperial Guards at the beginning of the dynasty never lightly leave Chang'an to fight against invaders? Since the Kaiyuan era, the defense against invaders has relied solely on recruiting brave men along the border, while the Imperial Guards selected men from good families in the two capitals. They were trained in warfare but not in actual combat, which led to the Emperor Emeritus's western hunt and the subsequent Mawei Incident—should we not take this as a warning?"

To put it bluntly, the Imperial Guards can't just stay in Chang'an City forever, just raising flags, standing guard, patrolling the city to maintain order, catching thieves, and so on. They also need to go out into battle and prove themselves. Otherwise, how will they be able to keep those foreign troops who have fought countless battles in check in the future?

Li Shi pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "What Changwei said is indeed reasonable... However, this matter still needs careful planning, to see who should submit the memorial and who should provide support..."

Li Ji certainly didn't expect Li Shi to give an immediate promise. Even for Li Shi, who was both the eldest grandson of the emperor and had recently cultivated a faction among the high officials, and who was also colluding with Li Fuguo, this was quite a heavy burden. He could only be sure that Li Shi had been moved by his words, and then he could only go home and wait for news.

Just as Li Ji had predicted, the collapse of Hanyuan Hall was a momentous event. In those days, most people believed in the "interaction between Heaven and Man," viewing eclipses, falling stars, landslides, and epidemics as warnings from Heaven to the rulers, which could not be taken lightly. While the collapse of houses was usually a minor matter, this time it wasn't a commoner's house or a government office that collapsed, but a palace—and not just any palace, but the grand Hanyuan Hall, a symbol of imperial power. How could the palace and the court possibly remain indifferent?

If we follow the custom since the Han Dynasty, the Three Dukes should submit a memorial to apologize and resign. If the emperor does not grant their resignation, they might even have to take the blame themselves and issue an "edict of self-reproach"...

So as long as the collapse of Hanyuan Hall is closely linked to Xu Yuan's kneeling and weeping remonstrance at the palace gate, the emperor and the prime minister will no longer be able to turn a blind eye.

Thus, through the clandestine collusion of court officials, Li Qiyun and others successively submitted memorials, earnestly requesting the court to take Heaven's warning seriously and issue an edict as soon as possible to recall Zhang Xun's troops, in order to preserve a crucial military force. The prime ministers, left with no other option, consulted Li Fuguo. Li Fuguo was reluctant, but having already received signals from the Crown Prince's side, he could not easily obstruct the process. Therefore, he could only hint to the prime ministers to directly consult Li Heng.

Upon hearing the news of the collapse of Hanyuan Hall, Li Heng collapsed on the spot, falling ill from the shock even though he was not ill before. As memorials from all sides poured in, the more he read, the more distressed he became. Left with no other choice, he met with Xu Yuan and gave him a vague promise. Immediately afterwards, Li Heng issued an imperial edict, which was sent to the Hall of State Affairs, ordering the prime minister to issue a decree to withdraw the troops.

Theoretically speaking, for such important matters, the emperor cannot simply write a few words and expect the prime minister to obey. The Secretariat has the authority to reject such orders without even opening the seal. Even if the emperor receives the imperial decree and follows it, the responsibility afterward lies with the prime minister, not the emperor—everyone has moments of folly; if you don't reject them, what's the point of having the Council of State Affairs and the Secretariat?

The problem was that the prime ministers knew the emperor wanted to find a scapegoat, but they dared not disobey—if they obeyed, they would pack their bags and prepare to step down; if they disobeyed, they would lose the emperor's favor and also be dismissed.

In the former case, at least the emperor will still remember your good deeds, and after a period of time, there is hope for a comeback; if you do not obey the imperial decree, then you will likely be completely wiped out, with no chance of returning to court.

As a result, the ministers of the Council of State jointly issued an edict—the responsibility for the loss of Luoyang should be borne by everyone, and no one should be allowed to escape—ordering Zhang Xun to abandon the Luoyang Palace and retreat westward to assist in the defense of Shanzhou.

Naturally, troops needed to be dispatched to provide support, so a second imperial edict was issued to the newly appointed military governor of Shaanxi and Guo, Wei Boyu.

Li Ji did indeed learn that while pleading for the recall of Zhang Xun's troops, there were also many memorials from the Ministry of War and other government offices requesting the transfer of some imperial guards out of the capital for training. He was eager to try, sharpening his double maces every day, but in the end, it all came to nothing...

Just as he was feeling frustrated and planning to find another opportunity to urge Li Shi, one day, Wang Jiahe arrived at the Yingwu Army headquarters, summoned his staff, and announced: "His Majesty has decreed that, because the Imperial Guards have not been in battle for a long time and are feared to be weak, a contingent will be sent out for training..."

All the officers and generals were overjoyed upon hearing this—after all, apart from a few proper clerks, no one wanted to just clock in and out all day long; how long would it take to accumulate such seniority? If they could be sent out to perform meritorious service, their promotion speed would hopefully be accelerated.

Upon further inquiry, it was learned that several officials had previously petitioned that, given the unrest in the realm, it was inappropriate to keep Grand Minister Guo Ziyi in the court for long, and that he should be sent out of the capital to serve the country. Coincidentally, the Dangxiang tribes were causing trouble on the border, and a month earlier—when Li Ji was still ill—Guo Ziyi was ordered to garrison Binzhou. Upon hearing the news, the Dangxiang troops fled.

Therefore, this month, Li Heng issued another edict—this time a proper imperial decree—"commanding Ziyi to lead troops from all the circuits directly from Shuofang to Fanyang, and then to pacify Hebei. He also ordered the deployment of 70,000 troops, including the Imperial Guards led by Sheng Yingwu and the troops from the Shuofang, Fufang, Binning, and Jingyuan circuits, both Han and non-Han, all under Ziyi's command."

Li Guangbi had previously submitted memorials from Heyang on several occasions, saying that he was locked in a stalemate with the rebels and that it would be difficult to find an opportunity to break through in a short period of time. The best strategy was to send troops from Hedong or Shuofang to launch a surprise attack on Fanyang, in which case the rebel Shi would surely be defeated!

Actually, this was an idea that Li Mi had given to Li Heng back when An Lushan and his son were still alive. The idea was to consolidate the defenses on the eastern front, launch an attack from the northern front, and wait until the rebels' stronghold was unstable and they had to retreat before pursuing them from behind. This would not only allow them to recover the two capitals, but also hopefully quell the rebellion in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, Li Heng was too eager to recover the two capitals so that his throne would be more secure—otherwise, he would always be an exiled emperor. If he didn't go to the Daming Palace to sit down, most of the court officials would probably still prefer the one who fled to Sichuan. He didn't listen to Li Bi's good advice, which led to his failure.

Now Li Heng has come up with this tactic again, especially since Zhang Xun has sent an urgent envoy from the Luoyang palace to request provisions. Li Heng is well aware that they won't last until autumn... Especially after autumn, when the rebel army's provisions will be plentiful, Zhang Xun, residing within the palace, will still not receive a single grain of rice. Therefore, Luoyang is bound to fall sooner or later; the only difference is whether it is abandoned voluntarily or captured by the enemy. To minimize the political impact of the fall of the Eastern Capital, the only option is to attack Fanyang.

After hearing Wang Jiahe's account, all the generals and officers were overjoyed—casualties were inevitable in war, but following Guo Ziyi greatly increased their safety. Li Ji was also pleased. Although he couldn't lead troops to support Zhang Xun, a distant attack on Fanyang would certainly be a major battle. Especially if this plan succeeded, the east would be completely pacified. Perhaps before next year, a large number of western troops would be returning home. Let's see what Ma Chongying can still hope for then!

Therefore, he immediately began to rummage through the roster and select those to join the campaign—some of these fellows had lived through several years of peace and their ambitions had gradually faded, so there was no need to take them; he would only select those who still had vigor or ambition to come with him. However, Ma Sui came and pleaded, hoping that his name could also be written down.

Li Ji frowned and said, "If Xunmei and I both leave, who will stay behind?"

The Yingwu Army is ultimately responsible for guarding the inner and middle courts. Their main job is to clock in and stand guard, so the role of civil officials is more important than that of military generals. At present, the only civil officials who can shoulder the responsibility of coordinating the entire army are the two of us. To be honest, Li Ji can only be considered half a civil official, far inferior to Ma Sui. So if we both leave, who will take over this huge task? Are you really comfortable with those three eunuchs?

Ma Sui clasped his hands and said, "The Chief Secretary was originally transferred from Longyou, and before that he went to Heyang to defend against the bandits..." When Li Ji first returned, he didn't tell his colleagues the truth, but after more than half a year, he inevitably let slip some information. Who didn't know that he had fought several battles with Li Guangbi in Heyang? "Since the Zhide era, I, Sui, have always guarded the palace. Although I am not as brave and famous as the Chief Secretary, I do not wish to remain a scribe for long. I eagerly hope that I can emulate Ban Dingyuan, who threw down his pen and made meritorious contributions on the battlefield. I hope the Chief Secretary will grant my request."

Originally, Ma Sui and Li Ji were of similar rank. After they gradually became acquainted, even though Li Ji had risen above him, they still addressed each other by their courtesy names and treated each other as friends. But now, in order to get a chance to join the battle, he kept calling him "Chief Secretary," which made it hard for Li Ji to refuse him outright.

After spending a considerable amount of time with Ma Sui, Li Ji gradually came to understand him. He found Ma Sui to be truly capable—primarily in military administration—and, in terms of warfare, he didn't seem to be like Zhao Kuo. His personal character was also quite good. Although there were rumors that Ma Sui had curried favor with Li Fuguo, in this day and age, how many officials dared not to submit to that old eunuch? Even Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi couldn't escape it, so there was no need to criticize Ma Sui for it.

Moreover, Li Ji and Ma Sui had been co-commanding the Yingwu Army during this period, and their cooperation had been quite tacit.

Therefore, Li Ji was worried that if he refused Ma Sui's invitation today, he might ruin their friendship of many days. It would be terrible if friends turned against each other. But he absolutely could not stay and guard the house. What should he do?

After much deliberation, he tentatively agreed to Ma Sui's request—after all, the troops hadn't been officially dispatched yet, so he might as well agree first and deal with it later…maybe he could come up with a suitable reason to refuse him in a couple of days. Even if he couldn't find a reason, leaving his hometown empty was fine; given Li Heng's current situation, he wouldn't necessarily give up, and even if he did, Prince Ding, Li Tong, was still young and shouldn't pose a threat to the throne…

Who would have thought that after excitedly drafting the list and making all the necessary preparations, an imperial edict would suddenly arrive, temporarily suspending the plan to ambush Fanyang...

That damned emperor, how can he change his orders so frequently?!