Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Yan Zhuang stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before replying, "The regional military governors, especially those in Hebei and Zibo, have always acted as their own governors, which is tantamount to separatism. It is no wonder that they will inevitably cause trouble in the long run. The court should first pacify the western border, then gradually weaken them, and then conquer them one by one. This is the national policy. How could they not know this? Therefore, Tibet made peace and the regional military governors were afraid, so they will naturally join forces to resist the court."

There's something I can't say out loud—this secret alliance in the town, which is forcing the court to act, was started by you, Grand Commandant; they were just copying you.

Hongxian said, "The letter says that due to the approved troop quotas, the armies in Guanzhong and Longyou are showing signs of instability, with soldiers becoming increasingly panicked and causing unrest. It can be said that this is precisely when the court is at its weakest. If the garrisons in Guanzhong and Longyou are stabilized, their strength will still be able to restrain Guandong, and Hebei and Zibo will not dare to rebel..."

Li Ji also understood that after the cessation of hostilities and the making of peace with the Tubo, the Tang Dynasty would have enough financial and military resources to resolve the problems of the various towns in Guandong after a period of chaos involving troop reduction and reorganization. Therefore, Tian Yue was eager to annex Zhaoyi Army, Li Lingyao was eager to seize power in Bian Song, and Li Xilie was eager to seize power in Huaixi. The purpose of the various towns uniting was to undermine the court's confidence and prestige and delay its pace in resolving the regional separatism.

To use an analogy, the Tang Dynasty and Tibet were like two heavyweight boxers. While they were locked in a fierce battle, a traitor behind the scenes feigned support, secretly plotting to reap the benefits. The Tang Dynasty, however, wasn't foolish. It temporarily stalled, waiting to defeat Tibet before turning its attention to the traitor. Thus, seeing Tibet withdraw and the Tang Dynasty rest, weakened and dizzy, the traitor seized the opportunity to strike. Consequently, the festering wounds in the various towns of Guandong erupted simultaneously.

In his letter, Li Shi wrote that in response to this situation, two distinct voices emerged in the court. Some officials believed that the Guandong garrison was too powerful and should only be appeased and kept in check, rather than being attacked or even reprimanded. On the other hand, some senior officials, led by Cui Youfu and Yan Zhenqing, advocated a hardline approach—the court absolutely could not back down, otherwise, what would become of its authority? Moreover, if they were to retreat now, the Guandong garrison would only press on, making it even more difficult to resolve the problem in the future.

As for Li Shi himself, he also agreed with the proposals of Cui, Yan and others.

Ultimately, Li Yu, having no other choice, decided to first target Li Xilie, who was nearby. He appointed Zhu Ci, the Minister of Works, as the Deputy Marshal of Henan, concentrating troops from the capital region, Tongguan, and Heyang to suppress him. The Weibo and Heng Hai armies were tasked with monitoring Zibo, Qingzhou, and Pinglu to prevent Li Zhengji from aiding Li Xilie. Guo Ziyi, the Minister of Works, was appointed as the Deputy Marshal of Hebei, stationed in Hezhong, ready to mobilize troops from Hezhong, Hedong, and Shuofang to block or contain the three towns of Hebei.

The remaining problem was Liang Chongyi of Shannan East Circuit. The troops of Fengxiang and Jinshang could barely block Liang Chongyi's northward advance into the capital region, but unfortunately, they lacked a general of sufficient caliber—like the two deputy commanders Guo and Zhu—to oversee the situation. Therefore, Li Shi recommended Li Ji to his father.

Li Ji was Liang Chongyi's former master, and Liang Chongyi had always been afraid of Li Ji. So, as long as Li Ji returned to Chang'an, would Liang dare to act rashly?

After repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, Li Yu finally agreed and sent an envoy westward at full speed to summon Li Ji back to the capital for an audience with the emperor. However, it was a return visit, not an aid mission, so only a ceremonial guard befitting a Grand Commandant or Military Governor, along with a small number of personal guards, was needed; there was no need to mobilize a large army.

However, Li Shi sent an urgent letter in advance, relaying it to Li Ji through Ran Mao'er, saying that the recent situation was very dangerous, and the towns in Guanzhong were not very stable, so their troops might not be usable. If you, Changwei, were to be stationed in Chang'an, Liang Chongyi would be fine if he knew what to do, but if war really broke out, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to control it on your own. Don't be too constrained by the imperial orders. It would be better if you brought several thousand or even ten thousand Zhenxi soldiers with you.

Li Ji felt that Li Shi's actions were clearly motivated by ulterior motives. Even if the troops in Guanzhong, Longyou, and Hexi were all unusable, weren't there still tens of thousands of Imperial Guards from the Northern Army inside and outside Chang'an? The Northern Army wasn't included in the troop reduction, so there wouldn't be any chaos. If I had one or two thousand Imperial Guards at my disposal, why would I fear Liang Chongyi?

Li Shi specifically requested his father to summon me back to the capital, and also hoped that I would bring troops with me. This was clearly intended to intimidate the emperor! To put it another way, even if Li Yu is not afraid and believes that I have no other intentions, as long as the Zhenxi Army arrives near Chang'an, and the Crown Prince comes out and holds my hand to have a few earnest words, all the officials in the central court will be terrified. I reckon that there won't be many bold ones left who would dare to approach Li Hui.

Now that the garrison in the west has just been pacified, and the generals are deployed to key positions, and the subordinate officials are also quite capable, I have some free time. It would be perfectly acceptable for me to return to Chang'an to help the Li family, father and son, to maintain order and boost morale. However, how should I return? Should I obey the imperial order and return alone, or should I truly listen to Li Shi and lead the troops back to the capital?

While he was pondering, Yan Zhuang said, "The Crown Prince's concerns are reasonable. If the Grand Commandant returns alone, in case of an emergency, Zhenxi is thousands of miles away and cannot come to his aid. I think it would be better to bring some soldiers with him."

Cui Cuo agreed with his words, saying, "Minister Guo is old, and Minister Zhu may not be trustworthy. If the war in Henan goes badly, and even the east and west of Hezhong hear the alarm, then if you return to Chang'an, you will only be putting yourself in danger. Do you intend to fight your way out of the encirclement alone, like you did when you were young, or even protect the Emperor and the Crown Prince?"

Li Ji laughed and raised his arm: "Do you think my strength has declined?"

Ran Mao'er interjected, "The saying goes, 'A son of a wealthy family should not sit under a dangerous roof.' How could the Grand Commandant, with his noble status, possibly go to the battlefield to fight?"

"So, Cat, are you advocating that I lead the troops back to the capital?"

Ran Mao'er shrank her neck: "This servant had no such intention, but I did not wish for the Grand Commandant to be in danger... However, if the Grand Commandant were to truly return the entire army to the capital, it would be against the Emperor's will, and I fear that would not be entirely appropriate..."

Hongxian asked, "If we obey the imperial decree, what is the maximum number of soldiers you, sir, can take to where?"

Li Ji did some quick calculations: "Even if all the laborers transporting grain and supplies were replaced with soldiers, the ceremonial guard and attendants would only amount to two thousand men..."

Yan Zhuang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said, "The Grand Commandant's concern is that if he disobeys the imperial order and leads his troops back to the capital, he may arouse suspicion among the officials, who may think that the Grand Commandant has ulterior motives. At that time, the public opinion will be in turmoil, and the rumors will damage the Grand Commandant's reputation for loyalty..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "I really don't care about reputation or anything like that. Besides, legends and stories about me are spreading all over the world, so even the worst things can be easily whitewashed." But if there's a way to have the best of both worlds, then I might as well use it—"How should Lord Yan teach me?"

Yan Zhuang smiled and said, "The Grand Commandant can transport their baggage, and use horses and camels to carry the special products of the western region, pretending to offer them as tribute, while actually using soldiers as laborers in preparation for any eventuality..."

Having spent years in the outlying towns, I've finally been summoned back to the capital. So, I'll bring some extra tribute to express my gratitude to the Emperor. Surely no one can say anything about that?

Li Ji frowned slightly: "But it's only eight hundred or a thousand people at most..." Unless I move everything in the Dunhuang Treasury to Chang'an, I can't take more than a few people with me.

Yan Zhuang laughed and said, "I was merely trying to provoke the Grand Commandant's thoughts, but it's a pity he didn't understand. It just so happens that the Arab envoy is coming to Chang'an to pay homage, so shouldn't the General of the West send troops to escort him? Zhu Xie Jinzhong will also be going to pay homage, and a thousand cavalrymen are always needed. These three things can be combined into one, with the three armies advancing one after the other, half a day apart. If the Grand Commandant doesn't need them, then so be it; if he does need them, they can be summoned to his command in no time."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji burst into laughter: "In that case, the arrival of the Arab envoy is perfectly timed."

----------

Several days later, the envoy finally arrived in Dunhuang. It was Dong Xiu, a eunuch who had recently become Li Yu's favorite. Moreover, Dong Xiu specifically hinted to Li Ji that he should go back by himself and not bring too many soldiers, lest the court become suspicious and it would be detrimental to his reputation.

But Li Ji had already made all the preparations, bringing with him 500 ceremonial guards, 500 personal soldiers, 2,000 horses and camels, and an equal number of laborers, before setting off eastward. Furthermore, for the safety of the Abbasid envoy, he ordered General Gao Chongwen to lead 2,000 elite troops to escort him. Zhu Xiejinzhong of the Shatuo tribe had also sent messengers to inform him, instructing him to select 1,000 elite cavalry from his tribe to accompany Li Ji near Jiayuguan.

He then bid farewell to his wives, concubines, and staff, arranged a grand procession, left the government office, and headed towards the east gate of Dunhuang.

Dunhuang was originally the seat of Shazhou Prefecture. The city, situated between the Mingsha Mountains and Dajingze, was quite high and fortified. It housed over a thousand households of both Han and non-Han residents—well, the surrounding agricultural population numbered only about three thousand households, so it wasn't particularly prosperous or wealthy. However, after Li Ji took over the prefecture, he expanded the city, continued to accept prisoners from the Central Plains, and took women from surrounding nomadic tribes as wives for his soldiers. This brought Shazhou's registered households to over seven thousand and its population to over thirty thousand. While still not significant compared to the Central Plains, it was twice the size of the Tianbao era.

In fact, there was another major reason for Dunhuang's increasing prosperity, which Li Ji did not like—in a sense, the Mingsha Mountain could be considered a major Buddhist holy site in the Hexi Corridor…

Author's note: I have to go out tomorrow night, so there will be one update paused. Sorry.

Chapter Four: The Rebellion of Huaixi

During the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period, in the second year of the Jianyuan era of the Former Qin dynasty, a monk named Le Zun traveled to Dunhuang. It is said that when he looked up, he suddenly saw golden light shining on the Singing Sand Dunes, as if ten thousand Buddhas had appeared. Therefore, Le Zun commissioned people to carve caves into the mountain and have Buddha statues engraved there…

From this point onward, over the course of more than four hundred years, Buddhist believers, admiring the work of the Venerable Lezun, also came to Mingsha Mountain to carve caves and Buddha statues. Because the majority of the people in the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions were Buddhists, these Buddha statues were worshipped and offered sacrifices, and most were preserved intact—even during the Tibetan occupation, they were not destroyed, as many Tibetan soldiers were also Buddhists. By the time Li Ji arrived in this era, there were over a thousand Buddha statues of various sizes on Mingsha Mountain, commonly known as the "Cave of a Thousand Buddhas."

Believers from all over Hexi and the Western Regions often traveled thousands of miles to Mingsha Mountain to worship the Thousand Buddhas. Even after the Tubo withdrew from Shazhou, Ma Chongying wrote a letter to Li Ji, asking him not to stop the Tubo believers who went to worship the Buddha... Dunhuang gradually prospered as a result.

Of course, the most important thing was the opening up of the Silk Road.

The Silk Road from Hexi to the Western Regions mainly consisted of three routes: the Southern Route, the Northern Route, and the New Northern Route. The Southern and Northern Routes both passed through Dunhuang. One route exited through the ancient Yumen Pass to the northwest, heading north along the Tulun Desert, while the other exited through Yangguan Pass to the west, heading south along the Tulun Desert. The opening of the New Northern Route was due to two reasons: firstly, the Tulun Desert gradually expanded, making travel in the surrounding areas increasingly difficult; secondly, after the rise of the Tibetan Empire, it repeatedly crossed the Altun Mountains northward to compete with the Tang Dynasty for control of the Western Regions. Merchants and travelers, seeking safety, preferred to take the extra hundreds or thousands of miles to the north.

However, ever since Li Ji took charge of Dunhuang and thoroughly recovered the Western Regions, many merchants have become bolder and continue to travel through Dunhuang to Anxi—after all, it is much closer, and time is money—Dunhuang's status as a node on the Silk Road has become increasingly important. Although the city has only about 10,000 residents, the number of people coming and going often exceeds 30,000 and is still growing.

Although Li Ji was forced to relinquish Liangzhou, he still managed to collect taxes handsomely by expanding markets and trade through the two major transportation hubs of Dunhuang and Gaochang, one in the south and one in the north. However, the entire Western Regions, including the western part of the old Hexi Town under his jurisdiction, was ultimately sparsely populated, with mostly deserts and Gobi, and relatively lacking in various products.

Many areas were suitable for farming and animal husbandry, and also produced well salt, but the production was barely enough for local use and insufficient for export. The only special products were gold and jade. Gold was produced in the area north of Tingzhou, which later became the Junggar Basin; the Jinshan Mountains to the north were even richer, originally belonging to the Karluks, but now belonging to the Uyghurs. Li Ji had spoken with the Khan of the Longevity Kingdom and sent people to mine the gold, with the proceeds to be split 50/50; the town of Khotan produced mutton-fat jade, commonly known as "Kunshan jade".

However, the Western Regions had limited production of minerals such as copper and iron, which were of utmost importance during those times, and most of these had to be purchased from abroad, which negatively impacted Li Ji's military buildup and business operations. As for silk and porcelain, which constituted the largest portion of China's exports—and perhaps tea in the future—the Western Regions did not produce them, and Dunhuang and Gaochang were far less important as distribution markets than Guzang in Liangzhou.

Therefore, it was impossible for Li Ji to replicate his previous work of building large-scale water-powered looms in Weibo—moreover, most rivers in the Western Regions have very slow flow rates, and many are seasonal, so water-powered machinery is not needed.

Therefore, while encouraging land reclamation and small-scale family wool textile industries, Li Ji could only focus his main energy and investment on transit trade. To facilitate trade, he even minted his own coins to communicate with Western merchants—most Western merchants did not accept copper coins, and what they imported was not copper coins either. Li Ji collected a large number of gold and silver coins of different purities and shapes, so he simply followed the example of Western countries and minted gold and silver coins for circulation.

Gold and silver are good; Western merchants recognize them, and Tang merchants don't reject them either—it's just that most Tang merchants don't treat them as currency, but only as precious metals that can, to some extent, replace currency in circulation.

The technology for minting coins had always been controlled by the state, and Li Ji might not have been able to steal it. Furthermore, since gold and silver are both soft, he adopted Western forging methods instead of traditional Chinese casting. All the coins, whether gold or silver, were perfectly round without holes but with rims, one side engraved with the characters "镇西" (Zhenxi). Their weight was the same as the Kaiyuan Tongbao, two zhu and four lei, with ten coins making one liang. Thus, one gold coin was roughly equivalent to five hundred copper coins, and one silver coin to one hundred copper coins.

This way, they could also give an explanation to the imperial court—this isn't money, how can something without a hole be called money? These are just some gold and silver sheets that Zhenxi made for convenient storage and use. What powerful or wealthy family is allowed to melt down gold, silver, and other precious metals into ingots or sheets? Anyway, ordinary people can't afford them, and it won't interfere with the country's monetary policy.

Merchants who come and go, especially those with large transactions, are happy to use it.

Today, Li Ji set off to return to the capital. Passing through the streets of Dunhuang, he casually asked Du Huan to inquire of the Arab envoy: "What do you think of this city? There's no need for flattery, just answer honestly."

Du Huan translated: "The envoy said that this is a rather magnificent military fortress, but it is far from being a commercial city. The four famous cities of Khorasan, whether it be Merv, Barkh, Yeli, or Nishabu, are all ten times more prosperous than Dunhuang, not to mention the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate..."

Li Ji smiled and said, "The envoy is telling the truth, but once he sees Guzang, he may no longer praise Mulu so highly. Once he sees Chang'an and Luoyang, Baghdad will also have to admit defeat."

After traveling west from Dunhuang for more than a day, they arrived at Jiayuguan. Because Dong Xiu was by their side and had the imperial edict in hand, the guards dared not stop them and opened the gate to let them pass. Half a day after Li Ji entered the pass, Gao Chongwen, accompanied by the Arab envoy, also passed through; half a day later, Zhu Xiejinzhong led the Shatuo troops through again... The generals at the pass saw that the situation was not good and hurriedly sent a fast horse back to report to Guzang.

At this time, the military governor of Hexi was Ma Lin. He had previously rendered meritorious service in defending Jingyuan against the barbarians on several occasions. In the tenth year of the Dali era, he entered the court and hinted that he wanted to become prime minister. Li Yu appointed Ma Lin as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and in charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel. He also enfeoffed him as the Prince of Fufeng, but did not keep him for the New Year. Instead, he sent him to Guzang to guard the city.

Li Ji and Ma Lin had a past friendship, and Guzang was a crucial thoroughfare connecting east and west, so naturally he wanted to enter the city to meet him. However, when he arrived at the west gate of Guzang, he saw a red-robed official leading a hundred officials standing with their hands clasped in front of them; it was none other than Duan Xiushi, the deputy military governor of Hexi. Li Ji then asked, "Where is Ma Fufeng?" He thought to himself, "You are indeed more senior and older than me, but I am now one of the Three Dukes; surely you wouldn't send only a deputy to greet me?"

Duan Xiushi said sadly, "The Prince of Fufeng passed away from illness a month ago..."

When Ma Lin passed away, his coffin was returned to his hometown of Fufeng (Fengxiang), and the deputy envoy Duan Xiushi was appointed as the acting governor of Hexi Town. Duan Xiushi had met Li Ji several times when he was the prefect of Yuanzhou, so he invited him into his office and held a banquet to welcome the Grand Commandant. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he boldly asked in a low voice, "The imperial court has summoned the Grand Commandant to an audience, but I have not heard of him requesting assistance from the western region. Why has the Grand Commandant brought so many troops eastward?"

Li Ji smiled enigmatically: "Only five hundred soldiers accompany you. Do you think that's too many, Lord Duan?"

Duan Xiushi said solemnly, “This humble official is not ignorant of military matters. The fact that the Grand Commandant’s men are either laborers or soldiers cannot be hidden from my eyes. Moreover, the Zhenxi Army and Shatuo cavalry, who claimed to be escorting the Abbasid envoys, numbering no less than three thousand, are only a short distance behind the Grand Commandant—don’t say it’s purely a coincidence…”

Li Ji smiled and said, "The Abbasid Caliphate just happened to send an envoy at this time, and Zhu Xie Jinzhong was about to pay homage to the emperor, so I accompanied him. Isn't this a coincidence?" Then his expression turned serious and he said, "I am in the western border and do not know much about the central court. I do not know how the war against Huaixi is going."

Duan Xiushi frowned: "I just heard that the war is going badly..."

Zhu Ci led troops from the capital region, Tongguan, and Heyang to attack Li Xilie in Huaixi. Upon receiving the news, Li Xilie preemptively launched an attack, capturing Bianzhou in the north and threatening Luoyang. At the same time, he sought help from allies such as Li Zhengji of Ziqing. In order to appease Li Zhengji, the court not only recognized his rule over the five prefectures of Cao, Pu, Xu, Yan, and Yun, but also appointed him as Right Vice Minister and granted him the title of Prince of Raoyang. However, Li Zhengji still secretly sent troops eastward, blocking the troops in the three cities of Heyang.

Zhu Ci fought against the rebels near Guancheng but suffered a defeat. He retreated to Xingyang, fortifying it with deep trenches and high walls, intending to hold it for a long time. Unexpectedly, Li Xilie suddenly turned south and attacked Ruzhou. Zhu Ci sent his generals Tang Hanchen and Gao Bingzhe with 10,000 men to its rescue, but before they arrived, Ruzhou had already fallen, and the governor Li Yuanping surrendered to the rebels. Luoyang was terrified, and scholars fled to Heyang, Xiaoshan, Mianchi, and other places. Zhang Yanshang, the garrison commander of Luoyang, raised troops to defend the city, and the rebels could not capture it…

Duan Xiushi then analyzed the intelligence he had obtained with Li Ji in detail. Zhu Ci's unsuccessful campaign was mainly due to three reasons: First, the Tang Dynasty had previously only defended against the three towns of Hebei, and thus adopted the strategy of Li Mi and Li Ji, which involved a semi-encirclement and blockade from north to south and from west to east, using the three cities of Hedong and Heyang, Zhaoyi Army, Weibo, and Henghai Army; however, it had not been as vigilant in places such as Huaixi and Xuanwu Army.

The main reason was that Li Zhongchen and Tian Shenggong differed from the three towns of Hebei; they were more submissive, and the court even hoped they could monitor Zibo, Qingzhou, and Pinglu. However, after Tian Shenggong's death, his brother Tian Shenyu succeeded him, but less than three years later, Tian Shenyu also died, triggering Li Lingyao's rebellion. Subsequently, Li Xilie seized the opportunity to expel Li Zhongchen…

Therefore, the rebellion in Huaixi was somewhat unexpected, and the order to suppress it was issued too hastily. Before the various pieces were in place, the enemy had already checkmated them.

Secondly, the troops east of Tongguan were also affected by the demobilization, resulting in unstable morale and a decline in combat effectiveness. Thirdly, Zhu Ci had never led troops or fought battles in the Henan region before, and his sudden arrival inevitably made it difficult for him to control the army, leading to setbacks.

However, Duan Xiushi believed that the setbacks suffered by the government troops were only temporary. As long as Luoyang and Xingyang were held, they could quickly stabilize their position, redeploy their forces, and force Li Xilie back to Huaixi.

Li Ji asked him, "What if Li Xilie bypasses Luoyang, continues deeper into the region, colludes with Liang Chongyi, and goes to Tongguan?"

Duan Xiushi shook his head: "Then Zhu Sikong is enough to cut off their escape route, which is tantamount to courting their own destruction."

Li Ji disagreed, saying, "If Li Xilie were all alone, he would surely act as you say. But now Li Zhengji is behind him, and Tian Yue and Liang Chongyi are on his flanks. The Henan government troops must be on guard everywhere, more than capable of holding their ground but unable to advance. How can we hastily cut off their retreat? Moreover, if the enemy forces approach Tongguan, the court only needs to show the slightest sign of fatigue, or perhaps seek peace..." Given Li Yu's nature, it was quite possible—"The various garrisons will no longer stand idly by, but will want to follow suit and take advantage of the situation. What should we do then?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Xiushi was speechless for a long time.

Li Ji smiled and said, "Does Lord Duan think I brought a lot of soldiers? Perhaps after I return to Chang'an, I will have to borrow troops from Hexi—can the Hexi army even fight?"

Duan Xiushi thought for a moment and replied, "Hexi has lost its commander and its troops are in disarray. I can only send three thousand elite soldiers to assist the Grand Commandant. However, the Grand Commandant can request an imperial decree to mobilize troops from Guanzhong. If we wait for Hexi's aid, it will be too late to help us in our immediate predicament."

Li Ji laughed and said casually, "I once guarded Hexi, so I trust the soldiers there more."

He continued south from Guzang, passing through Lanzhou and Weizhou towards Guanzhong. Just after passing Fuqiang, another imperial envoy arrived, urging him to speed up his journey—it was Liu Zhongyi, another trusted eunuch of Li Yu. Li Ji had previously assisted Liu Zhongyi on several occasions, so he inquired about the suppression of the rebellion. Liu Zhongyi smiled bitterly and said, "Zhu Sikong has been defeated, and the rebels are now at their strongest..."

As Li Ji had predicted, Li Xilie's attack on Luoyang proved difficult. Unwilling to remain besiege the fortified city for long, he concluded that Zhang Yanshang was incapable of fighting outside the city and thus continued his westward advance, directly threatening Tongguan. Zhu Ci led his army south to pursue him, but suddenly news arrived that alarm had been raised at Heyin…

— Encouraged by Li Xilie's successive victories and rapid advance, the allied towns each sent troops to assist him. Li Zhengji and Tian Yue marched westward along the river to support the Huaixi army.

Li Huaiguang led the Weibo army to fight against Tian Yue. The outcome was still unknown, but Ma Sui, the military governor of the three cities of Heyang, was defeated by the vanguard of Tian Yue and Li Zhengji and was forced to retreat to Luoyang with Zhu Ci...

Liu Zhongyi said that the rebels had raised the banner of "purging the emperor's inner circle," demanding severe punishment for Cui Youfu, who advocated for troop reduction, and also for Li Qiyun... In fact, Li Qiyun was implicated and had expressed his opposition to the troop adjustment. However, the current prime minister, Qiao Lin, was deaf and blind, old and senile, while Chang Gun was overly cautious and lacked initiative, and was completely ignorant of military affairs. Therefore, the various garrisons believed that as long as Li Qiyun and Cui Youfu were eliminated, the court would accept their various conditions.

Li Yu was indeed terrified and was forced to dismiss the two prime ministers, replacing them with Guan Bo and Zhang Yi. He then sent an envoy eastward, ordering Li Xilie to withdraw his troops. Li Xilie insisted that Li Qiyun and Cui Youfu had slandered the emperor and disrupted the court, and deserved to be beheaded! Or, to take a step back, he wouldn't mind being hanged.

Although Li Yu was timid, he was also soft-hearted. Dismissing the two prime ministers was a minor matter; he could simply recall them in a few years. But the idea of ​​taking their heads was something he couldn't bring himself to do—especially since Cui Youfu was a former official from his time as a prince, and the two had a very good relationship. Having no other options, he could only send someone to Hezhong to plead with Guo Ziyi to come south and help defend Tongguan, while simultaneously dispatching Liu Zhongyi to suppress Li Ji.

Li Ji thought to himself, "It's a good thing you didn't kill the two prime ministers. If you had killed Li Qiyun because of the threat of the traitor, I would have raised my flag on the spot and rebelled against you, the old emperor!"

Realizing the urgency of the situation, he had no choice but to temporarily abandon the extra troops he had brought, leading only five hundred elite cavalrymen to travel day and night back to Chang'an. Sure enough, Li Shi volunteered to come out of the city to greet him, and even took Li Ji's hand, whispering, "Why did you only bring so few soldiers, Changwei?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "I was afraid that the emperor would be flustered and harm the loyal and good people, so I rushed back—and some people followed behind."

Li Shi nodded, then leaned even closer and lowered his voice: "This time, the various towns in Guandong have rebelled. I suspect there is someone in the court who is cooperating with them—could it be the Prince of Qi's uncle?!"

Chapter 5, The Strange Man of Tongguan

Li Shi suspected that Li Tan was secretly colluding with the rebels. Upon hearing this, Li Ji was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked, "How could this be? Does Your Highness have any evidence?"

Li Shi said that before the campaign against Huaixi, Li Yu appointed Guo Ziyi as the deputy marshal of Hebei and Zhu Ci as the deputy marshal of Henan. According to custom, another prince should have been appointed as marshal, even if it was just a nominal position in Chang'an. The original marshal of the army was Prince Zheng, Li Miao, but he had passed away. His sons, the third son Li Xia (actually the fourth, but the third son Li Si was adopted by Emperor Suzong, so all the brothers were moved up in rank), the fourth son Li Shu, the fifth son Li Yu, and the sixth son Li Lian, all had mothers of low status and were not favored; they were all still only princes and not qualified. The seventh son, Prince Han, Li Hui, was qualified, but he was too young…

In fact, Li Yu had indeed hinted at appointing Li Hui as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, but doing so would have posed a greater threat to the throne, just as it had to Li Miao in the past. Li Shi ordered Lu Qi to secretly collude with court officials and repeatedly submit memorials, finally forcing Li Yu to abandon the idea.

Then Prince Qi, Li Tan, stepped forward, saying that he had experience in leading troops and could share the burden for his elder brother, the emperor. He even planned to lead an imperial guard out of Chang'an to garrison Tongguan in preparation for any eventuality.

Li Yu ultimately refused, but Li Shi couldn't help but pay attention to his uncle, the Prince of Qi, again. He secretly sent someone to spy on him and saw a secret letter coming from outside. Suspecting it was a spy from Li Xilie who came to contact Li Tan...

Li Ji waved his hand: "It is only natural for the King of Qi to be restless after a period of stillness. Why would he harbor any rebellious intentions? What good would it do him?"

Li Shi said in a low voice, "The enemy is pressing on Tongguan, and the emperor is alarmed and has the intention to hunt in the west. If the Prince of Qi takes advantage of the chaos and flees into the rebel army, he may be able to get what he wants."