Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Ji smiled and said, "Is farming difficult? Under the whip, nothing is difficult."

He leaned closer and poured out his thoughts to Cui Guangyuan, saying, "During the time of the Zhou Dynasty, there were many Hu people in the Central Plains. There was the Yiqu in Longxi, the Bai Di in Hexi, the Hu Shi in Hedong, the Loufan in Shuofang, and the Xianyu in Hebei. Even the Quanrong were near the Zhou Dynasty, and the Rong of Yangju, Quangao, and Yiluo were south of Chengzhou. Where are they now?"

"When the various barbarian tribes enter China, they should follow the Chinese government, become registered citizens, and change their fishing, hunting, and animal husbandry practices to agriculture, so that they can gradually assimilate into China. But now, barbarian bandits are invading and the Dangxiang and others are migrating eastward. The court does not allow them to live among the Tang people and gradually adopt Tang customs. Instead, it divides them into districts and sets up prefectures, still letting the chieftains govern them. This will inevitably lead to chaos—the mistakes of the Western Jin Dynasty can serve as a warning."

"Lord Cui might as well take this turmoil as an opportunity to petition the court to gradually abolish the various Hu prefectures within the territory, so that they can learn to farm, which can bring peace for generations to come. This is just my humble opinion, offered to Lord Cui."

Cui Guangyuan listened quietly, and couldn't help but look at Li Ji with new respect. It wasn't that Li Ji's thoughts were particularly profound or unexpected, but rather that: Loufan, Xianyu, and Quanrong were one thing, but what about "Yangju, Quangao, and Yiluo Rong"? Were there any of those barbarian tribes?

I vaguely recall a passage in the *Zuo Zhuan* from a certain year during the reign of Duke Xi of Lu, where it mentions that various Rong tribes "jointly attacked the capital, entered the royal city, burned the east gate, and Prince Dai summoned them." However, I had always interpreted it as referring to the "Yang, Ju, Quan, Gao, Yi, and Luo Rong tribes," thinking there were six tribes in total. Could Li Ji have been taught by Li Mi? Hmm, then his interpretation is most likely correct…

This little guy has certainly read a lot of books!

However, this approach to current affairs is perhaps too simplistic. Who wouldn't want to assimilate the barbarians into the Han Chinese culture, and integrate the nomadic tribes into the Tang dynasty's registered populace? The problem is, this isn't something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires a long and painstaking process. But the powerful figures in the court often prefer to avoid trouble; and local officials, at most, serve three terms. Would they really put in the hard work only to pass the credit to their successors? What a waste!

Moreover, the court's decision to retain these nomadic tribes likely stemmed from another consideration: after driving out the Tibetans in the west, the Tanguts, Tuyuhun, and other former territories were restored. These vast grasslands were unsuitable for cultivation, so it was better to relocate those nomadic tribes back to their former lands, serving as a buffer between the Tang and Tibetans...

However, upon further reflection, if he followed Li Ji's suggestion and submitted a memorial to the court, it would actually be beneficial to him. No one would take it seriously, much less order him to implement such a policy; it would just be empty talk to show his foresight and willingness to offer advice to the court. Hmm, writing a few words, making his presence known, and perhaps even cultivating goodwill towards the emperor and certain powerful figures, wouldn't be a bad idea.

He smiled and said, "What Changwei said makes sense. However, this plan involves a wide range of issues. Let me plan it carefully before I make a suggestion to the court."

Li Ji had not previously paid attention to the issue of the Hu tribes in Longxi. It was only after this rebellion that he personally came to suppress the uprising that he began to gather information and conduct in-depth analysis. He felt that the Tang Dynasty's policy was very similar to the old strategies of the Wei and Jin dynasties. Cao Cao divided the Southern Xiongnu into five tribes and relocated the Ba and other tribes to the Central Plains, originally intending to expand the population lost due to war and gradually assimilate them. Unfortunately, this plan was not completed before the "War of the Eight Princes" occurred, leading to the uprising of various Hu tribes and widespread chaos...

The Tang Dynasty was no different. When those nomadic tribes first migrated into the interior, the court may have had the intention of civilizing and indoctrinating them. However, they quickly became complacent and indifferent to power, only seeking to maintain the status quo, and no one was willing to put any effort into the nomadic tribes. Then An Lushan rebelled, and the Longxi region was also affected. As a result, a minor official raised his arms and shouted, and was able to gather nearly 100,000 rebellious nomads!

Longshang is not far from Chang'an. This malignant tumor in our midst really must be removed, otherwise it will cause trouble in the future, or even big trouble!

He had been harboring a lot of thoughts, intending to find an opportunity to correspond with Li Bi and discuss them in detail... However, he estimated that Li Bi was determined to retire and would not pay attention to him. Perhaps he would only have something to say when they met again in the future. As a result, he was in a bad mood and eager to confide in someone. So he took this opportunity to tell Cui Guangyuan a little about it.

He certainly didn't expect Cui Guangyuan to take his words seriously and plan accordingly, especially since most of the Hu tribes were located in the northern prefectures of Jing and Ning, which were not under Cui Guangyuan's jurisdiction. Therefore, he stopped there and changed the subject, bringing up the matter of rewarding the troops.

Upon hearing Li Ji relay Li Sheng's request, Cui Guangyuan frowned and said, "As Li Sheng said, the reward for this battle alone will be no less than 100,000 coins—adding to what I previously allocated, it will be 110,000—but the Fengxiang treasury is not well-stocked, how can we possibly come up with that amount?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "If you skip a few big meals, you might have the money." Just as he was about to invite him again, Cui Guangyuan waved his hand and said, "Changwei, Weiyuan and Fuyan are both guest troops who came to rescue Fengxiang, so we must reward and reward them. Li Sheng's troops are local soldiers from Fengxiang, Qin, and Long. Wei can take care of them and appease them. You don't need to interfere in this matter."

Li Ji said with a bitter face, "But Li Sheng has already promised the soldiers, and I have already agreed to Li Sheng's request..."

Cui Guangyuan laughed and said, "Li Sheng is a general of the Weiyuan Army. He can simply return to the capital. Do you think the local soldiers can chase him all the way to Chang'an to demand payment?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "By doing this, you've not only slapped Li Sheng in the face, but you've also damaged the court's prestige. Those soldiers might not hold Li Sheng entirely responsible—especially since he's returned to Chang'an and can't be found—but they're very likely convinced the court has wronged them. You're still in Fengxiang, aren't you afraid of inciting a mutiny? Or do you think two thousand men are nothing, nothing to worry about? It's precisely this kind of bureaucratic thinking that's making the country so chaotic!"

Your indulgence of Guo Yin led to chaos among the various Hu tribes and threatened Fengxiang. This was actually just a different manifestation of the same thinking, resulting in equally serious consequences!

However, given his status, he couldn't press Cui Guangyuan, so he could only ask in return, "Then how does Lord Cui intend to reward my Weiyuan Army?"

Cui Guangyuan said, "How about 100,000 coins?" A hundred coins for each of the thousand Weiyuan soldiers would indeed be a generous reward.

Li Ji clasped his hands and said, "Please, Lord Cui, do not mention this matter, but bestow 100,000 coins upon Li Sheng. As for Wei Yuan, he has not done much hardship; a little food and drink will suffice." He bowed deeply and said, "Please, please, Lord Cui, understand my situation and grant my request."

Cui Guangyuan hesitated for a moment, then asked in return, "Does Changwei really value Li Sheng that much?"

He didn't consider personal integrity or court prestige at all; he only thought that Li Ji wanted to take the opportunity to win over Li Sheng.

Li Ji did not argue, but followed the other party's lead and said, "Li Sheng is indeed a great general. The world is in chaos and I predict that he will live up to his name and become a great talent."

Cui Guangyuan said, "Alright, since you're asking me so earnestly, I can't refuse." He then lowered his voice and said, "I hope Changwei will reciprocate in kind..."

“If Lord Cui gives any instructions, Li Ji will obey them at will.”

“Changwei, this rebellion in Fengxiang was truly unexpected. Although it has been quelled, I fear the court will punish me… Therefore, you must put in a good word for me before the Prince of Fengjie.”

Li Ji hurriedly promised: "I will immediately write a letter and send it to the Prince, praising Lord Cui's hard work in managing the prefecture—Lord Cui has only been in Fengxiang for a few months, and the rebellion has already broken out. This is certainly not Lord Cui's fault, but the fault of his predecessor..."

I said that, but in my heart I wanted to slap myself—have I become a master of whitewashing now?

So he took his leave and stepped out of the main hall, only then realizing, oh dear, he forgot to mention Cui Qi to Cui Guangyuan…

However, Cui Guangyuan had just agreed to my request not to kill the thousands of prisoners and would reward the two thousand guards who followed Li Sheng out of the city to lure the enemy. In particular, he even implied that he was doing me a great favor because of me... So at this time, it was not convenient to make any more requests to him.

Well, I'm not going back to Chang'an tomorrow anyway, so I'll wait a few days and find another opportunity to discuss it with him.

The next day, they went out of the city again to search for the escaped Hu. Cui Guangyuan ordered that the prisoners be spared the death penalty for the time being. Except for the thirty or so people of higher rank who were presented to the emperor, and the hundred or so people who were really unruly or seriously wounded who were executed, the rest were handed over to Ban Hong and forced to do hard labor - first of all, to repair the damaged defensive fortifications outside Fengxiang City.

Li Ji went as far as Fengxiang Prefecture, entering Longzhou, and captured more than 400 escaped Hu and remaining bandits along the way. A few days later, news came that the Fuyan army had successfully captured Wubao and razed it to the ground—unfortunately, they still failed to capture Guo Yun.

I don't know if that guy died from his injuries while fleeing, or was killed by fleeing Hu, or if he knew he couldn't defend his base and simply fled elsewhere without ever thinking of going home...

Cui Guangyuan and Wei Lun jointly reported their victory to the court, claiming that they had defeated more than 100,000 rebels and beheaded 5,000. They then erected a mound of heads outside Fengxiang Prefecture to warn the villains and intimidate those near and far—meaning, "I won't send all my heads to the capital, and the court doesn't need to count them."

As for the prisoners, the number doubled, claiming to be six or seven thousand. Their leader was beheaded, and the rest were forced into hard labor.

At the same time, Cui Guangyuan secretly sent a generous gift to Li Fuguo. In addition, after Li Ji's letter arrived, Li Shi's faction also spoke well of him. As a result, the court recognized the reported figures and officially recorded them in the archives.

However, Emperor Li Heng, concerned about the affairs of the state, forced himself to remain ill and went to the Yanying Hall to summon the prime minister. He ordered Li Fuguo to stand in attendance and said, "Fengxiang is the gateway to the capital, right under our noses. We must not allow any more trouble to occur. Cui Guangyuan is good at managing people but not good at leading troops. He should not be placed there again. In addition, Wei Lun has lost his army before and should be recalled as well."

The prime ministers glanced sideways at Li Fuguo, who nodded slightly, as if to say: This is the Emperor's will, and there is no room for argument. Then all the prime ministers raised their tablets to their chests and said in unison, "We respectfully accept His Majesty's decree."

"Then who should succeed as the military governor of Fengxiang? He must be a man who is skilled in both civil and military affairs—please give me your suggestions."

Everyone thought that Guo Ziyi was the best candidate to guard Fengxiang. However, the emperor specifically stated that he wanted "a person who is skilled in both civil and military affairs," implying that Guo Ziyi was not among the candidates...

The old Chamberlain Miao Jinqing exchanged glances with Li Fuguo again, then raised his tablet and said, "I believe that Li Ding, the Right General of the Imperial Guard and Duke of Baoding, is suitable for the position."

After considering for a moment, Li Heng slowly nodded: "Perhaps—let us summon Li Ding to court."

Li Ding was a distant relative of the Li Tang imperial family. He had served as a prefect and led troops in battle, but because he had once followed the retired emperor to Sichuan, he was sidelined and relegated to the sinecure of Right General of the Imperial Guard in the capital. Now, most of the high-ranking officials with military experience were sent to the provinces, and the capital was short of capable people, so he was finally brought back into the fold.

Li Ding went to see Li Heng, who asked him if he was confident in defending Fengxiang. Li Ding replied, "I have heard that the troops in Fengxiang are numerous and weak. When Cui Guangyuan went to garrison the area, he was unable to reorganize them, which led to the defeat at Weilun. Moreover, this autumn, the barbarian bandits will likely invade Longxi and Shu again. If they launch a large-scale attack from Longxi, I do not know if the Prince of Qi can defend against them..."

Li Heng shook his head: "You don't need to concern yourself with the affairs of Longyou."

Li Ding hurriedly lowered his head and said, "I fear that the King of Qi will be unable to defend Longyou, allowing the enemy's sharp edge to approach Qin and Longyou. Therefore, I have two requests, and I hope Your Majesty will grant them."

"You said."

"My first request is that the troops of Shannan West Circuit be sent to provide some support to Fengxiang in case of any unforeseen circumstances. My second request is that, as I am new to the area and unfamiliar with both the people and the land, I need a valiant general to assist in reorganizing the troops. I earnestly request that Li Ji be temporarily stationed in Fengxiang to serve under my command."

Li Heng frowned: "Li Ji was originally the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Guards..."

Li Ding reported: "Li Ji is the bravest general in the army and once defeated the barbarians in Longyou. With him in charge of Longyou, even if the barbarian bandits capture Shanzhou, they will not dare to go deep. I dare not keep Your Majesty's beloved general for long. I only request that he be employed until next spring, and then he can return to the palace after the barbarian invasion has subsided this year. Your Majesty, please grant my request."

Li Heng then waved his hand and said, "Very well, as you have suggested."

Li Ding took his leave, and Zhu Guanghui quickly came forward: "This servant will see the General out of the palace." Then she leaned closer and whispered, "How was it?"

Li Ding replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty is quite reluctant to part with Li Ji. I have repeatedly pleaded with you to allow him to stay in Fengxiang until next spring. After next spring, the Empress will need to devise another plan."

Zhu Guanghui cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, General. The Empress will surely repay you in kind."

Immediately, Li Heng personally drafted an edict, transferring Li Ding to the position of Imperial Censor, granting him the title of Grand Master of the Palace, and appointing him as the Prefect of Fengxiang Prefecture, concurrently serving as the Military Governor and Inspector of the five prefectures of Qin, Long, Xing, Feng, and Cheng.

Qinzhou and Chengzhou originally belonged to Longyou Circuit, but Qin and Long have always been one. Therefore, Wei Lun was previously appointed as the Qin and Long Defense Commissioner. Now, Chengzhou is handed over to Li Ding, which is equivalent to reducing Li Tan's defense area again. As for Xingzhou and Fengzhou, they belong to Shannan West Circuit. As Li Ding requested, they are assigned to the same military region. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, it will be convenient to mobilize troops from the two prefectures to go north to reinforce Fengxiang Prefecture.

The imperial edict recalling Cui Guangyuan and Wei Lun arrived in Fengxiang first, forcing the two to pack their belongings, seal the treasury, and leave in dejection. Li Ji wandered around Longzhou for more than half a month, and only after joining up with the victorious Fuyan army and returning to Fengxiang Prefecture did he learn that Cui Guangyuan had set off for the capital half a day earlier.

He then asked a former official of the shogunate, "Does Lord Cui have any words for me?"

The answer was: "Never."

Li Ji was secretly furious. He thought to himself, "I was planning to discuss Cui Qi's matter with you properly when I got back. Have you completely forgotten about it? Damn it, when I return to Chang'an, I will definitely go to your door and demand it back!"

Unexpectedly, Li Ding arrived a few days later and immediately issued an order: the armies of Fuyan and Weiyuan surrendered on their own; Li Ji, you are not to leave, but to stay and temporarily serve as my judge...

(End of Volume Four, "The Divine Edge Emerges from the Feathered Forest Staff")

Chapter 1: The Visitor from Shanzhou

In mid-June of the first year of the Shangyuan era, in Shanzhou.

Shanzhou is roughly located between the Guanzhong Basin and the Yiluo Basin, bordered by the Yellow River to the north and overlooking the Xiaohan Pass to the south. The surrounding terrain is quite treacherous, and since the Zhou Dynasty, it has served as the boundary between Hao and Luo. It was once said that "east of Shanzhou, the Zhou princess ruled; west of Shanzhou, the Zhao princess ruled."

Although the Tang army had previously recovered the two capitals, An Qingxu was still in Xiangzhou and Shi Siming was stationed in Fanyang, and they could make a comeback at any time. The defense situation around Luoyang was not stable. Therefore, a large number of troops were stationed in Shanzhou to prevent the loss of Luoyang and to serve as a shield for Guanzhong.

The initial force stationed in Shaanxi was the Shence Army led by Military Commissioner Wei Boyu. After the defeat at Xiangzhou, they gathered other remnants of the Western Army, bringing the total number to over 30,000. Later, Yu Chaoen led 4,000 Shence soldiers into the capital. The former Shence territory at Mohuanchuan outside Taozhou was abandoned to avoid Tibetan invasions. From then on, the name Shence was exclusively used for the Imperial Guards, and the troops stationed in Shaanxi were renamed the Shaanxi-Guo Military Governor's Garrison.

Lai Zhen was initially appointed as the military governor of Shan and Guo. A few months earlier, he was transferred to be the military governor of Shannan East Circuit to quell the second rebellion in Jing and Xiang. He was then promoted to military governor of Wei Boyu, who was in charge of the military and civil affairs of the three prefectures of Shan, Guo, and Hua. At this time, Shi Siming had already captured Luoyang, so troops from all sides converged on Shan Prefecture. In Shan County, the prefectural capital, banners fluttered outside the city, and camps were densely set up. Even inside the city, half of the houses were occupied by soldiers, and most of those coming and going on the streets were soldiers in full armor.

At noon that day, another team entered Shanxian County.

However, this group was very strange. They numbered no more than two thousand, all dressed in short shirts and turbans, neither wearing armor nor carrying weapons—at least not outwardly. Every soldier, regardless of rank, wore a white cloth wrapped around their turban and a plain belt around their waist, seemingly in mourning. The group was arranged very neatly, with a burly man with a thick beard at the head, holding a black lacquered nanmu wood memorial tablet to his chest, his face extremely gloomy and cold.

Patrolling soldiers stepped forward to stop them: "Who are you, and where are you going?"

Although they wore helmets and armor, and wielded long spears and broadswords, these soldiers were still relatively polite in their questioning. Having fought countless battles, they could easily discern whether their opponents were of the same ilk and their likely backgrounds. The two thousand soldiers in mourning, each with bloodshot eyes and an aura of murderous intent, clearly had just returned from the battlefield, and not just defeated.

It wasn't just murderous intent, but also a palpable rage that enveloped the two thousand people, making them seem like a primordial beast ready to pounce and devour them at any moment. So, although the patrolmen tried to stop them, they dared not be too harsh.

The burly man at the head of the group glared angrily and gritted his teeth as he replied, "We have come to the governor's office to request an audience." He then slightly raised the memorial tablet he was carrying: "Who dares to stop us? Get out of here at once!"

The patrolling soldier examined the memorial tablet closely, but couldn't understand it—he was illiterate. Just as he was about to ask, a scholar who had been watching the spectacle began to recite aloud:

"The position of Zhang Gong, former Imperial Censor, Acting Prefect of Tokyo, and Duke of Yuancheng County."

He then shouted, "It's Lord Zhang, who once defended Suiyang with great difficulty!" He immediately lifted his robe and bowed deeply. Upon hearing this, the nearby people also knelt down and kowtowed to the memorial tablet like pounding garlic, and many of them sobbed.

Upon hearing this, the patrolling soldiers were all greatly alarmed and dared not stop them any longer. They hurriedly moved to the side of the road, allowing the two thousand soldiers carrying the memorial tablet to pass. However, they naturally had to rush to report to their superiors, so not long after, seeing that the memorial tablet was approaching the governor's office, another military officer led a team to block the road.

But the military officer was even more respectful, bowing deeply to the memorial tablet of the late emperor and saying, "Because I am in armor, I cannot kneel. Please forgive me." He then asked, "What is the purpose of your journey to the military governor's office?"

The burly man holding the memorial tablet replied, "Naturally, I request an audience with Commander Wei."

The military officer smiled and said, "It's really unfortunate. The commander is out inspecting the camp and is not in the city. Gentlemen, please leave for now."

"Then I request an audience with Yu Junrong!"

The military officer quickly pointed and said, "Yu Junrong is in a large house on the next street. You may go there yourself."

The so-called "Yu Junrong" naturally refers to Yu Chaoen, the military commander in charge of military affairs. A trusted eunuch had already inquired about this and rushed back to report to him. Yu Chaoen was furious and said, "Wei Boyu was still handling affairs in the yamen this morning. How could he have avoided it? This is a scheme to harm one's neighbor!"

Originally, Zhang Xun led his troops out of Luoyang Palace and retreated to Shanxian. Yu Chaoen and Wei Boyu were discussing how to capture this army as well. Zhang Xun's rank was only above Wei Boyu's, and he had never been as good as Yu Chaoen. With Zhang Xun here, "among the three dukes of the country, who can I follow?" They had to find a way to unify military and political orders.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xun died just a few days later... Yu Chaoen was overjoyed and ordered Wei Boyu to disperse Zhang Xun's former troops and assign them to various armies. He thought it was just a minor matter, but unexpectedly, it provoked Zhang Xun's former troops, led by generals such as Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, to directly carry Zhang Xun's memorial tablet and storm into Shanxian County to demand an explanation.

This remnant force numbered no more than two thousand, while Shanxian County alone had a garrison of five thousand. Moreover, the enemy dared not wear armor or carry weapons. In Yu Chaoen's view, they would be crushed in a heartbeat—or at least wouldn't be able to even step through the city gates. Unexpectedly, no one stopped them along the way; they advanced unimpeded, approaching the military governor's office, then turned and headed straight for him…

This was certainly partly due to the garrison's fear of Nan Jiyun and others who had returned from a bloody battle, or perhaps their sympathy for the troops. But without Wei Boyu's secret instructions, how could they possibly have let them come to him?

Wei Boyu, his heart is despicable!

Actually, this was all Yu Chaoen's own doing.

Previously, in Ding'an and Fengxiang, he had succeeded Li Tan in guarding the palace alongside Wei Boyu, and they had worked together for quite some time, their relationship being relatively harmonious. However, Yu Chaoen had been secretly sabotaging Wei Boyu, trying to bring him down—firstly, because he coveted Wei Boyu's elite Shence Army, and secondly—

Wei Boyu witnessed firsthand how Li Ji had driven him to the brink of despair, leaving him with nowhere to run. Li Ji had seen and remembered his embarrassing state, so how could they possibly continue their cooperation?

After the defeat at Xiangzhou, Yu Chaoen retreated to Shanxian County, where he used every trick in the book to win over Liu Xixian and others, attempting to sideline Wei Boyu. Then, under the pretext of an imperial decree, he gathered almost all of the Shence Army's elite troops and brought them to Wei. However, his return to the palace was short-lived; he offended Empress Zhang and was once again released from the capital…