Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Because Li Ji ran fast, and the main battle only lasted half a day in the valley south of Herong City, his eight battalions and four thousand cavalry suffered less than ten percent casualties—in fact, even fewer people died in the Anxi and Beiting campaigns, and the majority of them were killed by Bai Yuanguang's Dingyuan City troops—in contrast, by taking Herong City first and then fighting fiercely in the valley, the number of enemies killed was estimated to be close to a thousand.

However, there is no way to prove it—in the rush to retreat, excess supplies were simply thrown away, so who would carry the heads of enemy soldiers? Only the heads of four enemy generals were brought back, and they were not even from the real Tibetan tribes, but rather from the Qiang and Hu peoples.

Therefore, Li Ji felt it was difficult to explain to the court. Gao Ying comforted him, saying, "The imperial edict issued the other day did not order me to march west to recover Liangzhou, but merely to harass the enemy and contain the barbarian rebels' westward attack. Now the barbarian rebels have sent over ten thousand troops from Lanzhou to attack, and the number from Liangzhou should be no less than that. In this case, the commander-in-chief can easily defeat twenty thousand rebels with four thousand men, and inflict heavy casualties. Although I dare not call it a great victory, how can I call it a defeat?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, “The commander-in-chief has just been stationed in Shuofang. He should use victories to boost morale and inspire the troops. If he is too harsh on himself, it will cause the soldiers to doubt and fear the barbarians. Wouldn’t that be a loss? I request that this memorial be given to me to draft. It will not exaggerate the victory or deceive the court, nor will it diminish the merits of the generals.”

Yan Zhuang and Lü Xiqian both said that they could also help Gao Gongchu refine the wording, which would surely satisfy both the military governor and the imperial court.

Li Ji sighed deeply and said, "It's not that I'm ashamed of the defeat, but the morale of the army cannot be shaken..." Several advisors from the previous dynasty nodded and said, "In that case, thank you all for your trouble." He then turned to the generals and said, "Although we were outnumbered this time, it also shows that our Shuofang army is poorly trained and lacks fighting spirit. Otherwise, even if Ma Chongying had personally led a large army, we would have surely relied on the terrain to crush them!"

The generals all thought to themselves: "Isn't your boast a bit too much? At most, Shuofang has fifty or sixty thousand soldiers, while Ma Chongying is a high-ranking official in Tibet, and with the support of the Qiang and Hu tribes, he can easily mobilize more than one hundred thousand troops. No matter how much we rely on our strategic location, we can at most hold our ground and not be defeated. We may not even have a chance of defeating the enemy!" But everyone understood that the commander was just shifting the blame—"It's not that I commanded poorly, it's all your fault for not training the troops properly."

This is common practice in the military; as long as the leader doesn't find scapegoats to scapegoat after scolding someone, it's fine. Would subordinates dare harbor resentment after hearing a leader's empty complaints?

Therefore, they did not question or rebuttal, but simply bowed and clasped their hands, saying: "Our army has not fought for a long time and is indeed somewhat lax. It still needs the commander to reorganize it."

Who would have thought that Li Ji's words were not merely an attempt to shirk responsibility? Upon hearing this, he immediately declared, "It's best that you all have this awareness—you should lead your troops to Mingsha in succession, where I will personally train them!"

Chapter Nine, The Situation in the Western Regions

Li Ji first ordered Hou Zhongzhuang to send his four battalions of troops to Mingsha City for reorganization and training.

Hou Zhongzhuang once served as a vanguard under Li Guangbi and captured An Taiqing, a general of the An Lushan Rebellion, alive, earning the title of Champion General. As a result, he was also considered a "remnant" of Li Guangbi and was gradually marginalized in the Shuofang Army. Consequently, he became the second person, after Chen Lizhen, to be incorporated into Li Ji's army.

But before Li Ji had left Lingzhou City, several fast riders suddenly arrived from the north, claiming to be messengers from Anxi and Beiting requesting reinforcements. Li Ji ordered their leader to be summoned into the hall, and upon closer inspection—ah, he looked so familiar.

"Aren't you the one who guarded Shancheng in the past?"

This man was Hu Hao, the commander of the Heyuan Army, who was stationed in Shancheng. Li Ji had dealt with him more than once when he was defending against the barbarians in Longyou. After Shanzhou fell, Li Tan retreated east to Lanzhou Jincheng, while Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong retreated north to Liangzhou. They were then transferred to guard Anxi and Beiting, and Hu Hao followed them.

Hu Hao, covered in dust and with tears streaming down his face before he could even speak, exclaimed, "The barbarian bandits invade every year, and Anxi and Beiting are in grave danger... I never imagined it would be Li Er... Commander Li is guarding Shuofang. I beg you to help me petition the court to send reinforcements as soon as possible!"

Li Ji couldn't help but get up and sit down, patting Hu Hao's back, saying, "Don't cry yet. Come, wipe your face, and then tell me in detail about the situation in Anxi and Beiting. I know you are eloquent and have a deep understanding of local conditions—but when it comes to fighting, you're only half-baked, of course—I believe that's why Guo and Li sent you back east to seek help."

During the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, troops entered the Western Regions and established the Anxi Protectorate. Subsequently, four military garrisons—Kucha, Yanqi, Khotan, and Kashgar—were placed under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate, hence the name "Four Garrisons of Anxi." In the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era, an ambassador was appointed for the various tribes of the Four Garrisons of Hexi Circuit, later changed to a military governor. Anxi Garrison was once renamed Zhenxi, but earlier this year it reverted to its original name, Anxi Military Governor, or Four Garrisons Military Governor—currently, it is concurrently held by Ma Lin, the Military Governor of Jingyuan.

Also during the Zhenguan era, the Beiting Protectorate was established, which, together with the Anxi Protectorate, was responsible for the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. In the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Beiting Military Governor was established. Later, it was divided into the Yixi and Beiting towns, and then merged with Anxi. In the twenty-ninth year of the Kaiyuan era, it was separated again—the Beiting Military Governor was responsible for the Protectorate and the three armies of Hanhai, Tianshan, and Yiwu.

The Anxi Army was originally numbered 24,000, but during the An Lushan Rebellion, Military Governor Li Qijun led 7,000 elite troops to the east to provide reinforcements. The Beiting Army was also numbered 20,000, and several thousand of them were sent to the east to provide reinforcements. Now they are combined into the Anxi and Beiting Military Camps, under the command of Bai Xiaode. As for their respective garrisons, Guo Xin was appointed as the acting military governor of Anxi, and Li Yuanzhong was appointed as the acting military governor of Beiting.

According to Hu Hao, the Turgesh and Karluks are now harassing the north, while the Tibetans are attacking the south. The territory of the two towns is shrinking day by day, and the dependent tribes are fleeing one after another. Beiting can only control the three prefectures of Yuting, Xi, and Yi, while Anxi is forced to hold onto the four towns.

Li Ji had been closely following the wars in Anxi and Beiting, collecting maps of the Western Regions from all over. Combined with his memories from his previous life, he finally gained a general understanding. He then took out his painstakingly drawn map and instructed Hu Hao to explain it to him—

Entering the Western Regions from Hexi, Dunhuang, the capital of Shazhou Prefecture, is the starting point, and then the road splits into north and south. The northern route goes out of the old Yumen Pass, through Yiwu (Yizhou) and Gaochang (Xizhou) and then towards Yanqi, Kucha and Shule; the southern route goes out of Yangguan Pass, through Qiemo and Khotan, and can also meet at Shule - further west from Shule is the Pamir Mountains.

Between the two routes lies a vast desert, stretching for over a thousand miles without a trace of human habitation, making it virtually insurmountable. The Western Regions are sparsely populated, with inhabitants only scattered around water sources, numbering innumerable—when the Tang army conquered Kucha, Ashina She'er reported that he had captured five major cities, explained the impending doom and fortune, and the rest surrendered, resulting in the acquisition of over seven hundred cities… While this may be an exaggeration, it also demonstrates how dispersed the population was.

There are probably only a few hundred villages.

The villages were mainly located in three areas: first, north of the desert, along the line of Yanqi, Wulei, Kucha, Gumo, Weitou, and Shule in the Chihe River (Li Ji estimated it to be the Tarim River in later times) basin—this was the core area of ​​Anxi; second, the Yi and Xi prefectures on the southern slope of the eastern section of Tianshan Mountains; and third, the Ting prefecture on the northern slope of the eastern section of Tianshan Mountains—the former was probably in the area of ​​the Turpan Basin in later times, while the latter was located in the southern part of the Junggar Basin, both belonging to Beiting.

The main enemies to the north of the two towns were the Turgesh and the Karluks, both branches of the Turkic Khaganate. The Turgesh were the first to rise to power in the Western Regions. Sulu Khan had captured Suyab, the former capital of the Anxi Protectorate, and established it as his headquarters. His allegiance to the Tang Dynasty fluctuated, sometimes allying with them, sometimes betraying them. During the Kaiyuan era, the Beiting Protector-General Gai Jiayun decisively defeated the Sulu near Weirong City, leading to his assassination by his subordinate, Mohe Dagan. At the beginning of the Tianbao era, the Tang general Fu Menglingshi attacked and killed Mohe Dagan. The Turgesh then split into two factions, the Yellow and Black, each establishing their own Khan, and both paying homage to the Tang Dynasty.

It can be said that if it weren't for the An Lushan Rebellion, the Turgesh would never have become a threat to the Tang Dynasty again. If Gao Xianzhi hadn't commanded the Turgesh Khan and the emperor to act like servants, would he have dared to launch a long expedition to attack the Kingdom of Tashkent? However, with the chaos in the east, the elite troops of Anxi and Beiting were transferred east to defend the emperor, leaving the Tang Dynasty with no choice but to adopt a defensive posture in the western regions. This allowed the Turgesh to make a comeback.

During the Qianyuan era, the Black Khan Ado Peiluo sent envoys from afar to the Tang court, receiving praise from Emperor Suzong. However, later, the Tubo (Tibetan) forces moved north, conquering Gansu and Liangzhou, cutting off the western route. The Turgesh then turned against the Tang, increasingly encroaching on Tang territory. According to Hu Hao, however, the two Turgesh clans, while invading the Tang, also fought each other, almost constantly at war. In recent years, they have gradually declined, while the Karluks have grown increasingly powerful.

The Karluks were nomadic in the area around Lake Balkhash, northeast of the Turgesh and Qaghan tribes. They had once joined forces with the Uyghurs to submit to the Tang Dynasty and attack the Later Turks. After the Uyghur leader, Guli Peiluo, gained power, he was appointed as the Huai Ren Khan by the Tang Dynasty. As a result, the Karluks split in two, with the eastern Karluks submitting to the Uyghurs and the western Karluks directly under the Tang Dynasty. In the Battle of Talas, the Karluk soldiers who participated in the campaign secretly colluded with the Abbasid Caliphate and launched a surprise attack on the Tang army from the flank and rear. They were defeated by Gao Xianzhi and subsequently declared themselves Khans, no longer submitting to the Tang Dynasty's rule.

In fact, the Uyghurs had always wanted to completely annex the Karluks. When Anxi and Beiting were under attack, the Tang Dynasty sought help from the Uyghurs. However, every time the Uyghur army marched south, it almost always went to fight the Karluks, trying to avoid direct confrontation with the Tibetan army marching north. As a result, the Karluks and Tibet formed an alliance to jointly resist the Uyghurs and also jointly invade the two garrisons.

The Tibetan invasion of Anxi and Beiting mainly proceeded northward in two routes: the eastern route started from Liangzhou, passing through Gansu and Guazhou, heading northwest to seize Yizhou, or it could go west through Shazhou, aiming for Khotan. However, the former route, from Guazhou to Yizhou, was separated by the Moheyanqi Desert, a vast, uninhabited Gobi desert stretching for hundreds of miles. By the time they managed to cross it, their strength was exhausted. Li Yuanzhong then abandoned Rouyuan County and held Yizhou, repeatedly thwarting the Tibetan army's offensives.

Taking the latter route would actually be more difficult. From Qiemo City westward to Khotan Town, the more than a thousand li stretches along the southern edge of the Tulunqi (Li Ji estimates this refers to the Taklamakan Desert), a desolate and remote area, making logistical transport extremely challenging. Therefore, Guo Xin's triangular defense of Kancheng, Khotan Town, and Weiguan was barely enough to hold the line.

However, the Tibetan army also frequently marched north via the western route, passing through Greater and Lesser Bolu, south of the Pamir Mountains, and across the Qingling Mountains to directly attack Kashgar. The first half of this route was mountainous, difficult to traverse, but ultimately within Tibetan territory—Greater and Lesser Bolu had been pacified by Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, and later submitted to Tibet after the An Lushan Rebellion—the latter half, entering the plains, contained numerous oasis villages that could provide supplies. In particular, if the Tibetan army were to capture the two prefectures of Qinan and Biancheng on the western edge of the desert, the connection between Kashgar and Khotan would be severed, rendering Khotan virtually an isolated city…

Therefore, this direction was the most dangerous, and even if the Uyghur reinforcements were willing to come, it would be virtually impossible for them to reach the destination—they would have to cross the territories of the Karluks and Turgesh. Guo Xin was forced to lead his troops out of the city several times to fight the Tibetan army in open battle. Although he won more battles than he lost, he still suffered heavy losses... In the end, even if the Tibetans were defeated, they were not crippled; they could go back to lick their wounds and come back again next year. As for the Tang army, every Han soldier who died was one less to be lost, and as for the Hu soldiers, they could not be trusted too much.

With Gansu and Liangzhou cut off, and Guazhou and Shazhou falling to the Tibetans, Han soldiers could not enter Yumen Pass alive. Surrendering to the Tibetans meant certain slavery, which would motivate them to fight to the death. But for the local natives, what difference did it make whether they were dogs of the Tang Dynasty or dogs of the Tibetans? Even if the Tang people were more peaceful and the Tibetans more greedy and tyrannical, the former's power seemed unsustainable. Surrendering to the latter was at least a way to survive. Naturally, the Tibetans spared no effort in winning over and enticing the local chieftains of the four garrisons, hoping they would defect to the Tibetans.

In particular, every time Guo Xin went out of the city to defend against the barbarians, the Turgesh and Karluks would harass him in the north, echoing the barbarians from afar—according to Hu Hao, although that Guo, the garrison commander, was only in his forties, his eyebrows and beard had turned completely white with worry…

Li Ji couldn't help but ask him, "Junshi told me, how many troops are left in Anxi and Beiting?"

Hu Hao replied, "The garrison troops are all less than ten thousand, and they are a mix of Han and Hu people... As for the local troops, although there are tens of thousands, we dare not put them to use."

"How many more years can you hold on?"

Hu Hao shook his head: "This... I can't say for sure. Last year, the barbarian bandits invaded and were very fierce. More than 10,000 bandits from the east were heading towards Yizhou, but fortunately, the Uyghurs came to their aid and they retreated upon seeing them. More than 40,000 bandits came from the west, and Commander Guo fought a fierce battle with them between Qingling and Shuangqu, fighting fourteen battles and killing several thousand bandits, but also losing no less than a thousand of his own. They have come again this year, and I heard that they are coming from both the east and west to attack Khotan from both sides. I'm afraid Khotan will be difficult to defend."

"It's a pity that the two thousand soldiers stationed in Khotan are all doomed to perish... With Khotan fallen, Anxi will be left with only three garrisons, and its strength will be further diminished. No matter how bravely General Guo fights, he can only hold out for another two or three years. As for Beiting, the barbarian rebels will have Anxi as their base, and I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out for even a year..."

Li Ji said, "The Northern Court is still in a good position. We can ask the Uyghurs to send more reinforcements."

Hu Hao hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth: "Actually, none of us Tang soldiers expect the Uyghurs to come to our rescue..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned and asked, "Why is that?"

"The Uyghur troops, without even engaging in direct combat with the barbarian bandits, have already lavishly demanded rewards and looted along the way, causing unbearable harassment to all the Hu tribes. I once heard Commander Li say that if the Uyghurs were to come a few more times like this, I fear our Tang generals would lose the hearts of the people of the Northern Court, causing the Hu tribes to flock to the south and develop the desire to expel us! However, Yumen Pass has already fallen into enemy hands and is far beyond our reach. Where can we escape to? The only option is to flee north into the Uyghur territory... This journey of thousands of miles has been arduous even for a mere messenger like myself, barely reaching Shuofang. How can we possibly traverse it with only a few thousand troops? I fear we might even be captured by the Uyghurs..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji stamped his foot and sighed. He then said, “In the past, Ban Dingyuan, with only thirty-six men, subdued Shanshan, recovered fifty-one kingdoms in the Western Regions, and drove away the Xiongnu… Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and others, with only tens of thousands of Han and Hu soldiers, attacked and captured Greater and Lesser Bolu, causing the barbarian bandits to cower and dare not look north… This shows that the Hu people of the Western Regions still have a certain fighting power. If they are willing to unite against the enemy, why should they fear the Tubo? Not to mention the Turgesh and the Karluks.”

"However, since our Tang Dynasty lost Gansu and Liangzhou, the people of the Western Regions are in chaos. The two towns can only rely on a few thousand Han soldiers and the long-time Hu soldiers to fight against the enemy. They lose a fort every month and a town every year. There is only consumption and no replenishment, thus they are trapped in this extremely difficult and dangerous situation... We must first recover Hexi and open up the Silk Road in order to win back the hearts of the people of the Western Regions and resolve the crisis of the two towns."

Hu Hao hurriedly asked, "When will the imperial court be able to send troops to recover Gansu and Liangzhou?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "Difficult, difficult... The towns in Guanzhong now have no less than 100,000 troops, but they are short of money and food. They can only hold their ground and cannot go on a long expedition."

Hu Hao said sadly, "In that case, both towns are in danger."

Li Ji raised his eyebrows: "I hope that Guo and Li can hold out for another two or three years. I will train the Shuofang troops well. Even if we cannot completely open up the Silk Road, we will recover Liangzhou! In this way, it will be difficult for the barbarian bandits to launch an attack from the east, and their main force will be tied down in Hexi, Longyou, Anxi, and Beiting. Then we can catch our breath."

He immediately replied, "I will write a letter now and trouble Mr. Hu to report back to Generals Guo and Li."

Upon hearing this, Hu Hao's face immediately darkened, his eyebrows drooping downwards. He stammered, "This... this humble general still needs to go to Chang'an... I'm ordered to request aid from the imperial court, but I'm only passing through Shuofang..."

Li Ji understood. Hu Hao had received orders and traveled thousands of miles back to the Central Plains, most likely intending to escape danger as quickly as possible. I had seen his audacity before, so how could he dare to return to Anxi and Beiting? He could only wave his hand and say, "You should rest well in Lingzhou for a few days before going to Chang'an to meet the Emperor."

Turning his head, he summoned Ma Meng and asked, "You are quite familiar with the situation in the Uyghur region, fluent in the Hui language, and skilled at riding horses. Would you be willing to risk a trip to Tingzhou for me?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Meng hesitated—this would require a long detour, several thousand miles, traversing grasslands and deserts, often with hundreds of miles of uninhabited land, which was far too dangerous. Li Ji comforted him, saying, "You can set off again at the end of the year. By the time you reach Beiting, it will be spring, and most of the barbarian bandits will have retreated. Moreover, according to the envoy, the main force of the barbarian bandits has first taken Anxi, and Beiting is still peaceful. I will write another letter requesting the assistance and protection of the Uyghur troops. With your abilities, you will surely be able to travel safely."

Ma Meng was then forced to clasp his hands and bow, saying, "I will obey the commander's orders."

Li Ji wrote a very long letter, detailing the situation in the Central Plains and the state of affairs in the court and among the people, and reported it to Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong. Of course, he added some exaggeration, making it seem as if the current situation, although not very good, was progressing rapidly towards a smooth path—to strengthen the two generals' resolve to defend.

He spent about half a month writing this letter—after all, Ma Meng wasn't in a hurry to set off—and even after returning to Mingsha City, he would train his troops during the day and reread it by candlelight at night, adding, subtracting, and revising it. Finally, after finishing it, he handed it to Yan Zhuang for polishing.

Yan Zhuang asked him, "Does the General truly care so much about Guo and Li? Is it really worth going through countless hardships for them?"

Li Ji said solemnly, "I am acting for the country, not for personal grudges. If the barbarian bandits gain control of the Western Regions, their power will be uncontrollable, and even Guanzhong will be extremely dangerous, let alone Shuofang?" He paused, then added, "Besides, Shuofang is barren; how can it compare to Gansu and Liangzhou?"

Chapter Ten, A Useless Army

Hu Hao arrived in Chang'an around the end of November, presenting a letter of appeal for help. However, the Tang emperor and his ministers could only look at each other in bewilderment, ultimately having no solution.

—If we don't open up Hexi first, how can we possibly rescue Anxi and Beiting? But Longyou is still in the hands of the barbarians. How difficult it will be to recover Hexi!

During his audience with the Emperor, Li Xian stated: "In recent years, there has been no alarm in the East, and all the garrisons are peaceful. If the weather in Huaihe River Basin and Liangzhe is favorable, next year's tax revenue can be expected to double. Furthermore, we should adopt Li Changyuan's old strategy of exchanging stale silk with the Western Qiang for cattle from the Tibetan bandits, gathering refugees, and stationing them in Guanzhong. This can alleviate the food shortage to some extent and stabilize rice prices in Chang'an. If we can achieve this in five years, and if the weather is favorable, we can accumulate enough grain for 100,000 troops for three years. Then we can talk about recovering Longyou and Hexi."

"However, we must not launch a pointless campaign that wastes our limited supplies. For example, this year we were given money and silk and ordered the Shuofang troops to march west to harass Liangzhou, but in reality, we gained not an inch of land. Although Li Shuofang claimed to have tied down tens of thousands of barbarian troops, the truth of his claim is unknown... Of course, Li Shuofang is a loyal minister and would not deceive Your Majesty—but after capturing Herong City, he withdrew and reported that he had sent out 4,000 troops and killed thousands of barbarian bandits. Therefore, the enemy he faced was at most 10,000. The claim of tens of thousands is merely information obtained from scouts and spies, and may not be accurate..."

In short, let's build up our strength slowly and train our troops gradually. Let's not rush into any counterattacks or diversionary battles.

The following year was the third year of the Dali era. Pei Mian was summoned to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat and was reinstated as Prime Minister. Because Wu Qi was unable to control the prices in the capital, Han Huang was reassigned as the Vice Minister of Revenue and in charge of the finances of various circuits, along with Liu Yan.

Soon after, news arrived that a mutiny had broken out in Youzhou. Zhu Xicai, Zhu Ci, and Zhu Tao had conspired to kill the military governor Li Huaixian. Zhu Xicai then took office as the acting governor of Youzhou and submitted a memorial denouncing his former superior, Li Huaixian, saying that he was domineering, secretly plotting rebellion, and harboring disloyal intentions. He pointed out that the previous year, when Li Baozhong went to reinforce Tian Chengsi, it was Li Huaixian who instigated it!

The Tang court was pleased with this outcome, as Li Huaixian was indeed unruly and displayed a semi-separatist stance. As for whether Zhu Xicai would be even worse off after taking power... that would be a matter for later. Therefore, not only was the request approved, but several months later Zhu Xicai was also directly appointed as the military governor of Youzhou.

The Tang court was busy accumulating resources and unwilling to wage war again, thus wasting money and provisions. Therefore, it adopted a policy of appeasement towards the various garrisons outside the Great Wall—as long as they didn't openly raise the banner of rebellion, the court could pretend not to see what they did. Moreover, the world was not entirely peaceful on the surface. For example, Liang Chongqian, a barbarian from Lingnan, claimed to be the Grand Commander of the Ten Circuits of Pingnan and seized Rongzhou. Feng Chongdao of Panyu and Zhu Jishi, a rebel general from Guizhou, also captured more than ten prefectures. Wang Hong, the military commissioner of Rongguan, raised troops to besiege and suppress them, but could not quell the rebellion for several years. Fortunately, in such remote areas, the court naturally did not concern itself with the money, provisions, and supplies needed for military operations, allowing Wang Hong to collect them locally.

For several years, due to insufficient national funds, officials from all directions have successively submitted memorials offering suggestions and solutions. Previously, Li Ji and Yan Zhenqing had reported to the central government on the collection of additional taxes on land in Weibo. Li Yu then had the prime ministers evaluate the matter and finally decided to levy the "Green Seedlings Tax" in the first year of the Dali era. This tax was levied at 15 coins per mu of green seedlings during the summer tax season. If you did not cultivate the land and left it fallow, the tax would not be collected. This was to supplement the insufficient official salaries.

However, over 70% of the prefectures and counties in the empire were controlled by local military governors and regional military commanders, and half of these prefectures had not paid a single grain of rice or a single coin to the court for many years. Thus, the Green Sprouts Tax benefited only the regional military governors, offering very little benefit to the imperial treasury. Therefore, last year a new policy was introduced, addressing the long-standing neglect of the equal-field system and the difficulty in collecting taxes and corvée labor. The Jingzhao Prefecture was chosen as a pilot area to universally collect land and household taxes.

The new policy included: increasing the land tax in the capital to one dou of grain per mu for superior land and six sheng for inferior land, with even wasteland required to yield two sheng of grain; classifying households according to their financial strength into nine grades, with the highest-ranking households paying four thousand wen per year and the lowest-ranking households paying five hundred wen per year...

This policy doubled taxes, but only half actually reached the landlords. The gentry still found ways to shift the burden onto small farmers and even landless tenants, leading to widespread resentment and a surge in fleeing the country. This was partly the reason for Wu Qi's demotion—he was used as a scapegoat by the court. However, after Han Huang came to power, he not only failed to change the policy or lower the tax rate, but also implemented it further in Tongzhou and the other prefectures directly under the court's jurisdiction.

Because the money and grain collected were real, at least the officials in the capital wouldn't be in arrears with their salaries anymore; as for the instability or exile of the common people, they could simply instruct local officials to govern properly and pass the buck...

Moreover, this year the weather in Guanzhong is favorable, so it should be a bumper year. If we don't take this opportunity to collect more taxes, we won't be able to collect them even if we want to if there is a famine in the next two years.

Even with heavy taxes, the bulk of the money would still be used for the upcoming autumn harvest. Li Yu couldn't help but feel hesitant and pained – the Tibetans hadn't gathered a large army in Longshang to pressure Dazhen Pass for two years in a row. Would they come this year? Was it really necessary to gather tens of thousands of troops between Jing and Long again?

The troops stationed in the town were naturally paid for by the town's expenses—otherwise they would have to pay tribute to the imperial court. However, if the emperor ordered them to assist in the defense, the imperial court would have to grant them funds for the troop movement and also bear a portion of the grain and supplies, which would be extremely costly.

He then asked Guo Ziyi, but Guo Ziyi dared not guarantee that the Tibetan rebels would continue to focus their attacks on Anxi and Beiting this year and would not invade Guanzhong. He added that Tibetan spies were spread throughout the two capitals, making them impossible to capture, and the court was like a sieve; if their words were leaked, weakening the autumn defenses, the Tibetans might seize the opportunity to launch an attack!

Therefore, I suggested that Li Ji send an officer westward to inquire with the generals at the front—at least I won't take on this responsibility.

Therefore, Li Yu sent envoys to Fengxiang, Jingyuan, Huizhou, and Shuofang. Among them, the one ordered to go to Shuofang was Jia Zhi, the Vice Minister of War, who was escorted by Hun Jian, the general of the Shence Army, with a hundred cavalry.

Although Hun Jian was a non-Han Chinese, aside from slight differences in appearance compared to people from the Central Plains, his daily clothing and manners were entirely Tang Dynasty-influenced, even deliberately catering to the customs of the capital. Furthermore, after arriving in Chang'an, he sought out renowned teachers and studied classical texts, particularly enjoying the *Spring and Autumn Annals* and the *Book of Han*, thus winning the favor of Li Yu. In a sense, Li Yu trusted Hun Jian almost as much as he had trusted Li Ji in the past.

Most importantly, Li Ji was closer to his son Li Shi, while Hun Jian rarely associated with princes and ministers, making him seem more reliable than Li Ji.

Therefore, Hun Jian was specially ordered to escort Jia Zhi to Shuofang, which can be regarded as giving the young man a holiday so that he can go back to his hometown to visit his parents and relatives.

Jia Zhi naturally held this barbarian general in high regard, not belittling him despite his high rank as a high-ranking official. This was partly due to Hun Jian's own influence, but also because two consecutive emperors, in order to control the regional military governors and ensure their own safety, had placed great importance on the Northern Imperial Guards, often placing eunuchs in charge. Those spineless men, once they donned red robes, were not to be trifled with; and with so many Imperial Guard officers under their command, perhaps only the prime ministers dared to disregard them.

Jia Zhi, also known as Jia Youlin, came from a distinguished family. A scholar who had passed the imperial examinations during the Tianbao era, he rose through the ranks as a proofreader, a true example of a high-ranking official with a distinguished literary reputation. Therefore, along the way, he noticed Hun Jian's studious nature, especially his constant reading during rest periods. Taking advantage of this, he patiently offered guidance, quickly building a closer relationship between the two. Hun Jian seized the opportunity to ask him, "Has Master Jia ever been to Shuofang before?"

Jia Zhi smiled and said, "I once wanted to go, but I couldn't make it..." He paused and explained, "In the first year of the Zhide era, I was ordered by Emperor Xuanzong to accompany you gentlemen from Shu Road to Shuofang to present the national treasure and jade book to Emperor Suzong; however, I had only just arrived in Shunhua when I met the emperor, so I was unable to go further north."

He then ordered his servant to pull out a scroll of paper from his bundle—it contained poems, essays, and articles he had written over the years. Knowing he was over fifty and his days were numbered, he always carried it with him, repeatedly organizing and revising it so that it could be passed down to his children and grandchildren. Turning to one of the scrolls, he immediately pointed to it and said to Hun Jian, “I once wrote this poem, titled ‘Presented to Vice Minister Cui, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, on my way from Shu to Shuofang on Imperial Decree’…”

Although Hun Jian loved reading classics and history, he rarely dabbled in poetry. Upon seeing the topic, he was taken aback, thinking to himself, "What a long name..."

In fact, the "Left Chancellor Wei" mentioned in the title is Wei Jiansu, the "Minister of Literature Fang" is Fang Guan, and the "Vice Minister Cui" is Cui Huan. The three of them were ordered by Li Longji to accept the established facts and go north to confer the title of Emperor on Li Heng. They were followed by a large group of officials from various departments, including Jia Zhi, who had just become a drafter of imperial edicts.

Jia Zhi then handed the manuscript to Hun Jian and recited aloud: "The barbarians wreaked havoc in the Central Plains, and the imperial carriage suddenly made its southern tour. The gentry were captured by the barbarians, and fled in disarray amidst the dust and wind. The Duke of Bin upheld great integrity, disregarding his own safety in the face of danger. He stood before the white blade with fervor, his blood staining his handkerchief... Each of them served the king diligently, rushing to the imperial palace. It was not only Taigong Wang who met King Wen of Zhou in the past. Who would say that the talents of these three heroes were so extraordinary? Moved by this, I am comforted on my journey, and I will not sing of my hardships."

After listening intently, Hun Jian couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim, "Magnificent...wonderful, Master Jia's poem!"

In truth, he didn't understand a word—he dreaded poems exceeding a hundred characters, let alone this lengthy piece; moreover, Jia Zhi spoke with a Luoyang accent, which was fine for everyday conversation, but when it came to reciting poetry, the purely Western-sounding Hunjian couldn't understand him at all. He only caught the words "white blade," "sword in hand," and "iron cavalry," and thought it must be related to the current situation and military affairs.

After listening to Jia Zhi's explanation for a while, Hun Jian seized an opportunity to quickly change the subject: "My hometown is in Shuofang. My Hun clan submitted to the Han court at the beginning of the Kaiyuan era and established a prefecture south of Lingzhou, named Gaolan, with the city named Mingsha. Therefore, I am most familiar with the customs and culture of Shuofang. That is why His Majesty sent me to escort Lord Jia north..."

He then gave Jia Zhi a detailed introduction to the geography and customs of Shuofang Town, which finally allowed him to dodge the topic of poetry, which was something he found difficult.