Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

The implication was that Li Tan wanted to use the rebels' momentum to ascend the throne and usurp the throne! But Li Ji didn't care about that—he thought it was unlikely—he just asked in astonishment, "The sage wants to hunt in the west? Is it Fengxiang or Shu?" He thought to himself, "At the slightest hint of trouble, the emperor is already planning to flee. That's just like your father and grandfather."

Li Shi replied, "Don't worry, Chief Guard, Yan Qingchen and others have already advised against it."

As soon as Li Yu hinted at his intentions, the court officials submitted memorials one after another, offering their earnest advice. Yan Zhenqing, the Minister of Personnel, was particularly vehement, directly comparing the emperor to his grandfather. He said that when Tongguan Pass fell and the imperial guards were scattered and unusable, Emperor Xuanzong had to flee. Now, Tongguan Pass was still being held, and there were still tens of thousands of troops in the Northern Army. How could he abandon his subjects and ancestral temples? He not only submitted memorials to persuade the emperor but also rebuked him in court, almost spitting on the emperor's face.

Li Yu could only explain, "I had no such intention. You've all misunderstood. I was planning to send the Crown Prince... no, the Prince of Han, westward to gather troops from Fengxiang, Longyou, and other places to provide reinforcements." Yan Zhenqing retorted, "Don't be ridiculous. I'd believe you if you said you were sending the Crown Prince or the Prince of Qi to gather troops, but how old is the Prince of Han?"

Li Ji couldn't understand: "The troops of several towns in Guanzhong, and the 30,000 imperial guards in the Northern Army, are they not enough? Why would the Emperor be afraid?"

At this time, the various towns in Guanzhong—Jingyuan under Bai Zhizhen, Binning under Hou Xiyi, Fufang under Bai Xiaode, and Fengxiang under Wei Yuanfu—all fabricated excuses to refuse to proceed immediately upon receiving the imperial edict. In reality, due to years of fighting against the barbarians, the troops in Guanzhong had gradually been transferred westward to Longyou. Binning and Fufang indeed lacked elite troops, while Jingyuan and Fengxiang claimed that the reduction of troops had caused the soldiers to become increasingly restless, and that if they were to be sent out to fight at this time, they would inevitably desert halfway.

Li Ji guessed that those people all intended to stand by and watch—if the court was forced by Li Xilie and others to overturn the previously set troop quotas, wouldn't we also be able to benefit from it?

As for the Northern Imperial Guards, because Chen Shaoyou, the defense commissioner of Shangdu, reported that Liang Chongyi intended to invade the capital, a contingent of Baoying troops and Weiyuan troops were dispatched to assist in the defense of Shangzhou; in addition, a contingent of Shence troops was sent to guard Tongguan, so there are now less than 20,000 troops in Chang'an.

Li Ji comforted Li Shi: "Chang'an is a mighty city, and the people all turn to our Tang Dynasty, so 20,000 imperial guards are enough to defend it." Li Shi nodded: "I also tried to comfort Your Majesty in the same way, but Your Majesty... only longs for the arrival of Chang'an's guards day and night."

Li Ji immediately went to the Daming Palace to pay his respects to Li Yu. Upon meeting him, he knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" saying, "Your subject has come to congratulate Your Majesty!"

Li Yu, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, was about to ask Li Ji how to deal with the current crisis—even if Li Ji's return might support Li Shi, he couldn't care less now—but to his surprise, Li Ji uttered a congratulatory remark, leaving him utterly bewildered: "The country is in grave danger, what do you mean by that?"

Li Ji said solemnly, “The various garrisons in Guandong are truly a festering wound, and will surely be destroyed in an emergency. Previously, the country was busy expelling the barbarians and had no power to attack them, so it could only keep them at arm's length. However, now that we have made peace with the barbarians, they will surely plot against Guandong. If they pretend to be obedient and bide their time, waiting for the future, it will be inconvenient to attack them. Now that all the garrisons have rebelled at the same time, it is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the might of the emperor and punish them. Even if we cannot kill them, we will make them never dare to look the central court in the eye again. If the combined forces of the garrisons cannot coerce the court, then they will never be a threat again.”

Li Yu frowned and said, "Your words seem to make sense, but—"Now Li Xilie is besieging Tongguan, Tian Yue and Li Zhengji are surrounding Luoyang, and Liang Chongyi may be about to attack the capital; Zhu Ci is unable to repel the enemy, and Minister Guo has just submitted a memorial. I fear that Li Baochen and Zhu Tao will cross the Taihang Mountains to the west and threaten Hedong... How should we break this deadlock?"

Li Ji smiled slightly, his tone becoming more relaxed: "How was the situation in the fifteenth year of the Tianbao era compared to today? If Yang Guozhong hadn't forced Geshu Han to leave Tongguan, An Lushan would have already planned to retreat to Fanyang. How could Emperor Xuanzong have fled west... the Western Hunt? Now, although the various garrisons in Guandong have formed an alliance, they have no leader and each goes its own way. The government troops only need to establish a foothold and they can surely defeat them one by one. Tongguan is a strategic pass, and I heard that the Northern Army has been dispatched to defend it. Unlike Geshu Han, who only led tens of thousands of defeated and demoralized soldiers, they can surely hold it and wait for the situation to change."

“Liang Chongyi is a reckless man and not worth worrying about. Even if the troops in Guanzhong are unwilling to come to our aid, there are still the elite troops under Li Liangqi in Longyou who have fought a hundred battles against the barbarians. When I came here, I passed through Hexi, and Duan Xiushi was also willing to send troops to defend the emperor. I believe that Li Xilie will retreat within three months, or he will die! Your Majesty has nothing to worry about.”

Perhaps it was his confidence that infected Li Yu, for the emperor finally calmed down and then thought to help Li Ji up, saying, “I knew that even if the ministers and generals cannot be relied upon, I still have you, Li Changwei, standing guard at the gate to protect me. With Changwei in the capital, I feel at ease. If the rebels break through Tongguan and approach Chang’an, I will appoint Changwei to take charge of the Northern Army and be in charge of defense.”

Li Ji thought to himself, "What? You're only going to hand over the Northern Imperial Guards to me when the rebels reach the city walls? Your paranoia is a bit too much... Hmm, actually you mean you want me to lead the Imperial Guards and make sure you break through the encirclement, right?"

Then he smiled and said, "The rebels are still far away. I request to go to Tongguan first to observe the situation so that I can formulate a strategy to defend against the rebels for Your Majesty."

Li Ji did not linger in Chang'an. He left the capital that very night, leading his personal guards toward Tongguan. At the same time, he sent someone to inform the troops behind him that Gao Chongwen should arrange for the Arab envoy to stay temporarily in Fengxiang—so that he would not see the panicked Chang'an—and then lead his troops to Tongguan to join him.

As for Zhu Xie Jinzhong, why don't you come along too? First kill the traitors and make meritorious contributions, then go to the capital to pay homage to the emperor. Wouldn't that be better?

Upon arriving at Tongguan, a unit of the Shence Imperial Guard opened the gates to greet them. The general at the front had a large tattoo on the side of his forehead, resembling the shape of a crow. Li Ji naturally recognized him; wasn't this Li Ziyi, whom Lao Jing had abducted years ago?

He nodded to Li Ziyi in greeting, then asked, "Who is in charge of Tongguan now?"

Tongguan was originally under the jurisdiction of the Tonghua Military Governor (also known as the Guanxi Military Governor). The last military governor was Zhou Zhiguang, who was stabbed through the heart by Li Ji. The court then abolished the Tonghua Garrison, but considering that Tongguan still needed to be defended, the position of Tongguan Defense Commander was established, with 8,000 troops under his command, known as the "Zhenguo Army".

At this time, the commander of the Zhenguo Army was Shang Kegu—originally a surrendered general from the An Lushan Rebellion, he was among the first batch of foreign generals absorbed into the Northern Army system, and had changed his name to Yu Zhide because he had aligned himself with Yu Chaoen. After Yu Chaoen's death, Shang Kegu changed his allegiance and hurriedly curryed favor with Wang Jiahe, thus retaining his position and being granted the important post of guarding Tongguan.

However, Zhu Ci's campaign against Huaixi also mobilized some of the Tongguan garrison. Shang Kegu, long out of practice and eager for glory, volunteered to go, but he too is now besieged in Luoyang, the eastern capital. He originally appointed his deputy, Luo Yuanguang, to oversee the defense of Tongguan, but Li Ji had heard before leaving Chang'an that Luo Yuanguang had just suffered a severe injury and was unable to manage affairs…

Luo Yuanguang was a Sogdian who had migrated to the interior. Originally surnamed An, he later joined the Northern Imperial Guard and became the adopted son of Luo Fengxian, a eunuch favored by Emperor Li Yu, changing his name to Luo Yuanguang. He was originally a renowned and valiant general of the Tang Dynasty, but on the battlefield, swords and spears are indiscriminate; in a moment of carelessness, he was shot in the chest and nearly met his end with the eunuch. If Li Ji hadn't requested to come to Tongguan to inspect the battle situation, Emperor Li Yu had intended to send another general to take charge.

Therefore, as soon as Li Ji arrived, he asked, "Now that Luo Yuanguang is injured, whose advice should we follow for the defense of Tongguan? You, Li Ziyi, are a general of the Shence Army. I heard that you have been promoted to the position of Commander of the Five Camps. Could it be you, kid?"

To everyone's surprise, this seemingly simple question caused Li Ziyi to quickly lower his head and stammer, "It's the Nie family..."

Who was Li Ji thinking? Nie Feng?

Nie Feng was originally a general in the Weibo army. When Yan Zhenqing was transferred to the position of military governor of Fengxiang, he requested to follow him and thus accompanied him westward. However, Nie Feng was not actually able to enter Tongguan Pass; he was detained in Shanzhou by Li Bi. At that time, Li Bi was serving as the military governor of Shaanxi and Guo, and had no generals under his command. Therefore, when he hosted a banquet for Yan Zhenqing, he made a request, and Yan Zhenqing recommended Nie Feng.

The current military governor of Shaanxi and Guo is Li Guoqing. Li Xilie bypassed Luoyang and advanced rapidly. Li Guoqing could not stop him and led his remaining troops to flee into Tongguan. However, Li Guoqing was ultimately a scholar and did not dare to stay in Tongguan. He went directly back to Chang'an to apologize. The main general of the Shaanxi and Guo troops was probably Nie Feng. Li Ji was naturally concerned about the whereabouts of his old subordinates and often sent people to inquire.

Li Ji rode into Tongguan, with Li Ziyi following behind. Li Ji casually asked, "You are the Commander of the Five Camps of the Shence Army, why are you subordinate to someone like me?"

Li Ziyi blushed: "This humble general can't beat him..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "No way. From what I know, Nie Feng is meticulous and honest, and he is indeed a capable person. But when it comes to martial arts skills, he can't possibly be better than you—his only advantage is that he is a few years younger than you."

He couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Could it be that Nie Feng has some extraordinary encounter that allows him to defeat you, the Fifth Brother of the Red Flag?"

Li Ziyi rushed a few steps and darted to the side of Li Ji's mount, bowing deeply: "Grand Commandant, you misunderstand. I was not referring to Nie Feng, but to a woman from the Nie family... Nie Feng's daughter. She did indeed have a remarkable encounter..."

Li Ji was still in surprise when suddenly a rider galloped towards him, reined in his horse, and the rider, clad in gleaming armor, nimbly dismounted, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect: "I am Nie Yinniang, and I apologize for being late in welcoming the Grand Commandant!"

Li Ji raised his whip: "Raise your head."

He scrutinized the woman closely. She was in the prime of her youth, not a stunning beauty, but her features were quite delicate, and she possessed a certain heroic spirit. He vaguely remembered that Nie Feng had a daughter who was taken away by Xie Ziran in the second year of Yongtai to learn hidden weapons and the art of lightness. She seemed to be only six years old at the time, so now... she was probably around twenty.

"Are you a disciple of Master Xie Ziran?"

"Exactly."

When will they be released back into their own territory?

"The sixth year of the Dali era."

It was later said that Nie Yinniang was taken away for more than five years, finally completing her apprenticeship at the age of twelve and returning home. She then moved with Nie Feng to Guozhou. Originally trained in light-body techniques and hidden weapon skills, she was free-spirited, restless, and often sneaked out to wander. Nie Feng sent his men to search for and even capture her, but no one could defeat this young woman. Moreover, Nie Yinniang also learned archery and horsemanship from the officers, demonstrating remarkable skill in both. Within just a few years, even her father, Nie Feng, was no match for her…

Nie Feng wanted to find a husband for his daughter, but Nie Yinniang looked down on scholars who were too weak to even kill a chicken, and no one in the army could beat her... So things were delayed, and she was already twenty years old and still unmarried.

Not long ago, the Huaixi rebels attacked Shanzhou. Nie Feng wanted to defend the city, but Li Guoqing fled first out of fear, so he was forced to abandon Shanzhou and personally covered the rear. He was caught in the chaos of the army and his fate is unknown. The defeated soldiers of Shanzhou and Guozhou fled into Tongguan. Everyone admired Nie Yinniang's abilities and was grateful for Nie Feng's past help, so they supported her as their leader.

Previously, when Luo Yuanguang was still lively and energetic, he initially didn't believe a woman could command troops. However, Nie Yinniang pressured him with her words, forcing him to mount a horse and fight, which surprisingly ended in a draw. Luo Yuanguang thus developed feelings for her and wanted to seduce her. Nie Yinniang replied, "You have a wife, and I have a husband." Luo Yuanguang said, "I can divorce my wife and marry you, how about that?" Nie Yinniang replied, "I won't leave the tall grass, nor will I worry about the wind and rain."

Luo Yuanguang was puzzled, so he asked the scribe under his command. The answer he received was: "This is an excerpt from Du Zimei's poem 'Autumn Rain Lament,' which reads, 'The old man does not go out into the tall weeds, while the young child runs carefree through wind and rain.' Is she comparing herself to 'Zhizi' and referring to the general as 'the old man'?"

Luo Yuanguang thought to himself, "What? You think I'm old? I'm not even fifty yet! Besides, what kind of 'child' are you? Twenty years old is already considered an old woman!"

Afterwards, Luo Yuanguang was seriously injured and unable to manage affairs. All the generals requested to take over military command. The most popular candidates were Li Ziyi and Nie Yinniang. They had to have a contest to determine who was better. In the end, Li Ziyi was defeated.

Chapter Six, The Old Crow of the West Town

Women in the Tang Dynasty were known for their fierceness, likely due to their relatively high social status.

Many traditional scholars disapproved of this, believing it was a result of being influenced by foreign customs. However, the oppression and confinement of women in the Northern Dynasties was quite severe, as evidenced by the requirement to wear a veil to cover the entire body when going out. How could a society or country where women were completely covered up have a high status?

Firstly, Tang Dynasty laws were, to some extent, "retro" and inherited the Han system, allowing women to inherit family property, even take charge of households and be granted titles, and marriage restrictions were relatively relaxed. Secondly, before the An Lushan Rebellion, the overall social atmosphere was very open and magnanimous, and the social status of women, especially noblewomen, was improved to some extent. Therefore, the veil became shorter and shorter, eventually becoming a veiled hat. Then, during the Tianbao era, the veiled hat did not even cover the ears, and women often went out dressed in men's clothing.

In the early Tang Dynasty, Princess Pingyang raised troops to assist her father, and she and her husband Chai Shao each established their own military headquarters. Later, when Empress Wu Zetian ruled, she appointed female officials, with Shangguan Wan'er, the "Inner Attendant," in charge of drafting imperial edicts for many years. Subsequently, Princess Anle, Princess Taiping, and others, regardless of their personal morality, were all considered strong women. Empress Wei of Emperor Zhongzong and Empress Zhang of Emperor Suzong also interfered in politics.

Take Princess Hezheng, the younger sister of Li Yu, whom Li Ji was familiar with, for example. She often entered the palace to discuss political affairs with her brother, and even military strategies for defending against the barbarians. This was something that was rarely seen in previous dynasties.

Thus, it was common for Tang Dynasty officials and scholars to be afraid of their wives. Fang Xuanling's wife "preferred to die of jealousy," Ruan Song's wife "drew her sword at the banquet," Yang Hongwu feared his wife "for fear of future troubles," and Pei Tan was ridiculed for "being afraid of his wife is a good thing"... So, it is said that Li Taiwei of the time was also afraid of his wife, Cui. In the end, Li Taiwei had a concubine, and Cui did not draw her sword and come out of the hall. That was really not a big deal. It was not considered a joke in the central government and the western region.

However, Li Ji also discovered that after the An Lushan Rebellion, with the sharp decline of the Tang Dynasty's ruling power, social customs gradually became more conservative and introverted. This was reflected in women's clothing, with the upper edge of their bodices rising higher and the veils hanging longer and longer. He spent several years in Zhenxi, but due to the mixed Han and non-Han population, he did not feel the difference deeply. Once he returned to Chang'an, the contrast became very clear.

The fact that a female general could emerge in this era gave Li Ji a jolt of excitement—this was more like it! There are talented women out there; how could they be confined to the kitchen? For example, when I was in Dunhuang, I often consulted Cui Cuo and Hong Xian on military and political affairs, which proved to be of great help.

Of course, Qingluan firmly controlled the kitchen... so she could open her own shop using her skills, which could be considered a specialty.

Li Ji stood there in a daze, while Nie Yinniang stood up and asked rather impolitely, "Does the Grand Commandant think that women are not fit to be generals?" Li Ji quickly smiled and said, "Absolutely not. I just remembered that when you were taken away by Xie Shi, you were just a child. Now you have grown up. I sigh at the passing of time." Then his expression turned serious and he said, "Please tell me about today's situation, General Nie."

The Huaixi rebels have been at Tongguan for more than half a month, with a force of about 30,000 men, while the Tongguan garrison is less than 7,000 men – 3,000 from Luo Yuanguang's Zhenguo Army, 2,000 from Nie Yinniang's Shaanxi-Guo remnants, and about 2,500 from Li Ziyi's five battalions of Shence Army who came from Chang'an to reinforce them.

Tongguan Pass has been relocated several times. The current pass was built in the second year of the Tian Shou era of the Wu Zhou dynasty. It is strategically located, nestled against high mountains to the south and bordered by the Yellow River to the north. Its imposing walls make it extremely difficult to attack head-on. When the Huaixi army first arrived, they pursued the defeated troops of Shaanxi and Guo, attempting to seize the city, but were thwarted by Luo Yuanguang. By the time Nie Yinniang entered the pass, and Li Ziyi led the Shence Army to its aid, Li Xilie had little chance left.

Li Xilie made two unsuccessful attempts in response: First, he sent troops north across the Yellow River, attempting to bypass Tongguan from Fenglingdu to its rear. However, Tongguan was not just a single pass, but a complete defensive system. To the east were twelve interconnected cities along the Jin Canal, and to the north, a series of passes formed a screen around Fenglingdu, known as "Fengling Pass." Li Xilie traveled west along the north bank of the Yellow River, but the roads were narrow and difficult to traverse, and he also had to be wary of flanking attacks from the defenders on the river. He dared not send out a large force, only a thousand or so mobile troops, which were simply incapable of breaking through.

Secondly, Li Xilie secretly ambushed skilled archers on the side of the forbidden moat, who took advantage of the chaos to fire arrows at the pass, wounding Luo Yuanguang. With Luo Yuanguang down, the Tang army's morale plummeted, and their command structure collapsed. Li Xilie seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. Only thanks to Nie Yinniang and Li Ziyi's timely takeover of command and relatively good teamwork were they able to barely repel the rebel army's attack that day, killing or beheading no fewer than three hundred. Afterwards, when Nie Yinniang surpassed Li Ziyi and took overall command of the pass, Li Xilie was completely at a loss.

Therefore, in the past few days, the rebels have temporarily retreated ten miles away, not daring to launch a frontal assault. Li Xilie has been stuck under the fortified walls for a long time, unable to make any progress, and his morale is gradually declining. It seems that he is waiting for reinforcements from Ziqing and Tianxiong armies to arrive.

Li Ji had passed through Tongguan many times before and was quite familiar with the surrounding geography. Without even needing to climb the pass himself, he understood the general situation based solely on Nie Yinniang's account, supplemented by Li Ziyi's words. He then smiled and said, "I have already reassured the Emperor that Tongguan will surely be defended, but the Emperor still doesn't believe me..."

He thought to himself that Li Yu didn't understand military affairs very well, and was probably frightened by An Lushan's defeat at Tongguan back then—while it was an exaggeration to say that Geshu Han had 200,000 troops under his command, there were definitely tens of thousands, but now there were less than 10,000, and he was afraid that Tongguan would not be able to hold out for long. But the problem was that Geshu Han's defeat at Tongguan was not due to his failure to defend the pass.

However, although Li Ji firmly believed that Tongguan could be held, continuing to hold it in this way might not be beneficial to the overall situation. Firstly, Zhu Ci's troops were surrounded by the Ziqing Army and the Tianxiong Army in Luoyang, cut off from communication, and it was unknown how long they could hold out. Once defeated, the rebel army could sweep through Henan, and then 100,000 troops would come to besiege Tongguan, making the outcome uncertain.

The key issue was that Guo Ziyi, leading the Hedong army, had to defend against the towns of Chengde and Youzhou, making it unlikely he would cross the Yellow River south to reinforce Tongguan. Meanwhile, the main force of the Northern Imperial Guards was also tasked with defending Chang'an and guarding against Liang Chongyi's northward advance. Li Yu dared not send further reinforcements to Tongguan. Although Li Yu ignored Li Ji's advice and sent envoys to Longyou, Hexi, and even Jiannan for help, the distances were too great, and it was uncertain when they would arrive.

Furthermore, most of the taxes levied on the Central Plains and the Northern Expedition came from the Jianghuai region. This rebellion in Huaixi would cut off the grain transport, meaning that if the war dragged on, not only would the troops coming to the aid of the emperor be without food, but even Chang'an itself might suffer from famine. In that case, with starving soldiers and a panicked court, would it still be possible to defend Tongguan Pass?

After discussing with the two generals, Li Ziyi was not too worried. He said, "If the Grand Commandant does not come, Tongguan will not be easy to defend. But since the Grand Commandant has come, we can immediately raise a large banner on the pass. Li Xilie will surely be afraid and retreat."

Li Ji smiled and said, "I am not familiar with that thief, so he may not be afraid of my name." After thinking for a moment, he ordered, "Do not raise my flag yet, wait two or three days."

Two days later, Zhu Xie Jinzhong led the Shatuo cavalry to Tongguan first, and then on the third day, Gao Chongwen also led 3,500 Zhenxi soldiers—temporarily leaving their ceremonial guards and tributes in Fengxiang—to rush to the rescue. Li Ji then ordered the Zhenxi soldiers to go up the city to help defend it, and at the same time officially displayed his own banner.

As expected, the Huaixi rebels were horrified when they saw them from afar—"Black-haired men, it's the Zhenxi Crow Soldiers! How did they get here from so far away?!" Li Ji hadn't had much contact with Li Xilie or Li Zhongchen, and was worried that the Huaixi soldiers wouldn't be afraid of his and Zhenxi's reputation. But he didn't expect that in recent years, the tales of how Li Ji and the Crow Soldiers fiercely resisted the barbarian bandits and recovered the Western Regions had been widely circulated. Lü Xiqian had already returned to the central government to take up a post, and Huang Zigang had succeeded him. This man's writing was clumsy, and he couldn't write legends at all, but he could barely manage to write folk tales. Not to mention Huaixi, even Guiguan and Lingnan had heard of his great name.

There was no other way; entertainment was scarce these days, and listening to storytelling was a common hobby for ordinary people, including soldiers.

Therefore, Li Xilie and other rebel generals felt that Li Ji could not have fled from the Western Regions so quickly and suspected a trap. However, their soldiers did not have a clear understanding of the geography and were filled with fear. Li Ji sent spies to investigate and, upon learning the situation, immediately opened the gates and charged out.

However, fearing a repeat of Geshu Han's mistake and the possibility of an ambush, he ordered the Shatuo cavalry to lead the way—even if they were all wiped out, he wouldn't necessarily feel the pain—while he himself led the Zhenxi troops ten miles behind. Unexpectedly, just as the morale of the Huaixi army was waning, Zhu Xie Jinzhong shouted, "The Zhenxi army has come to the aid of the king!" and launched a fierce charge, completely crushing Li Xilie's forces.

Li Ji pursued them relentlessly, covering three hundred li in two days and nights, and successfully recaptured Shanzhou. Nie Feng, who had previously fled to the Nanshan Mountains to hide and recuperate after his defeat, rushed out upon hearing the news to pay his respects. Li Ji then summoned Nie Yinniang to lead the remaining troops of the Shaanxi and Guo armies from Tongguan, placing them under Nie Feng's command. He ordered Nie Feng to gather the various forces, strengthen the city's defenses, and then continue eastward, feigning an attack and deploying troops along the Gu River.

People from Luoyang came to make contact, saying that Zhu Ci had fought dozens of battles, large and small, against the rebels and finally managed to slightly weaken their momentum. The key was that the Tianxiong Army was forced to retreat by Li Huaiguang's Weibo Army and, fearing instability in the rear, had already withdrawn. The Ziqing Pinglu Army was left to hold out alone.

Li Ji then ordered the Shatuo cavalry to bypass the enemy's south, while he led the main force to Luoyang to join forces with Zhu Ci, Ma Sui, Shang Kegu, Zhang Yanshang, and others. The Pinglu army was forced to lift the siege and retreat.

Zhu Ci personally came out of the city to see Li Ji, welcomed him into the city, and hosted a banquet in his honor. Li Ji said, "Let's not drink the wine yet. What are your plans for the next move?" As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Ma Sui.

Ma Xunmei looked ashamed...

To be honest, he bears the greatest responsibility for the current situation. After the victory against Li Lingyao of Bian Song, the court should have appointed a new military governor for Xuanwu, or even abolished the governorship altogether. However, because Li Zhongchen and Li Zhengji were both rough and hot-tempered military men with large armies, and Ma Sui, who was a civil official by origin and had a weaker personality, dared not confront them, the two families divided up the six prefectures of Bian, Cao, etc. right in front of him.

Li Yu had already issued an edict reprimanding Ma Sui, expressing deep disappointment—"Back then, you, along with Li Ji and Li Sheng, were all meritorious officials protecting the emperor, coming from the same Northern Army. How come those two were invincible in every battle, while you suffered such a crushing defeat?" He then ordered Ma Sui to serve under Zhu Ci, to suppress the Huaixi rebellion, and to atone for his crimes through meritorious service. However, Ma Sui was again defeated by a combined attack from Tian Yue and Li Zhengji…

Feeling ashamed and trembling, he saw Li Ji glancing at him sideways and quickly clasped his hands, saying, "This humble general will go to Heyang to recover the lost territory and cooperate with Li Weibo to attack Tian Yue."

Zhu Ci hurriedly said, "Since the Tianxiong Army has retreated, and with Li Weibo holding them back, they are not a threat for the time being. Xunmei can simply recapture Heyang and block their westward route; there is no need to pursue them too deeply. The main enemy in front is still Li Zhengji, but our army is exhausted from fighting for so long. We can only try to recover the capital region, strengthen our defenses, and await the imperial decree..."

The area surrounding Luoyang is the capital region, extending east to Zhongmu, and further east to Henan Province. Zhu Ci's idea is that he can't really make much progress; as long as the entire capital region is recovered, that's enough. He estimates that Li Xilie and Li Zheng have already suffered this defeat and dare not fight again. They will most likely write a letter to the court to apologize, and then this war can end.

Li Ji shook his head and said, "The loss of Bian and Cao prefectures, the unrest in Huaixi, and the disruption of the Grand Canal transport are major threats to the nation. Moreover, Zibo and Qingzhou were already major towns in the Guandong region, and now they also control five prefectures including Cao and Pu, making them powerful in the Central Plains. If we do not take advantage of this situation to defeat them, they will eventually be difficult to control!"

Just kidding. Li Zhengji already controlled the entire Shandong province, and now he's even extending his reach into Henan, controlling fifteen prefectures. He's the most powerful man in the land. How can we allow him to continue running rampant like this?

The two began to argue, and Zhu Ci finally lost his temper, slamming his fist on the table: "I am the Deputy Marshal of Henan. Now that the Grand Commandant has finished his business, please return to the capital!" Li Ji was also furious and slammed his fist on the table in response to Zhu Ci. It took Ma Sui, Zhang Yanshang, and others a lot of effort to calm them down.

After leaving the hall, Gao Chongwen said in a low voice, "The Yan traitor is rude. Please eliminate him for the Grand Commandant!"

Li Ji glanced at him: "If I had such an intention, I could have abducted him in the hall. Why would I wait for you?"

To be honest, Li Ji really wanted to stab Zhu Ci through the neck, but the problem was that Zhu Ci was just one man, a mere commoner, and killing him would be pointless. His goal was to pursue and kill the rebels in Huaixi and Ziqing while he was ahead, but would killing Zhu Ci guarantee him military power? After all, the other side was the deputy marshal of Henan, and Li Ji's command would be illegitimate—did they really think he was a powerful traitor? Even if Ma Sui, Shang Kegu, and others feared him and dared not disobey, the officers and soldiers would be suspicious. With his forces not being stronger than the enemy's, was there really any chance of victory in leading a feint?

Therefore, Li and Zhu each submitted memorials, explaining the advantages and disadvantages. One requested to continue the pursuit, while the other requested to withdraw the troops. Just a few days later, Li Xilie and Li Zhengji also sent envoys to Chang'an to apologize. Li Xilie expressed his willingness to return Bianzhou, while Li Zhengji shifted the blame to several staff members and offered tribute, hoping that the court would withdraw its order to launch the campaign.

Li Yu thought it would be good to stop the war, but Prince Qi Li Tan, Crown Prince Li Shi, and Minister of Personnel Yan Zhenqing repeatedly advised against it, saying that stopping the war would damage the face of the court and that the various garrisons would become even more arrogant and difficult to control. Li Ji's opinion was correct, and he should be allowed to replace Zhu Ci as the commander of the army.

Li Yu was caught in a dilemma, so he sent an imperial envoy north to consult Guo Ziyi's opinion. However, no sooner had the envoy left than news came that troops from various towns in Guanzhong had arrived near Chang'an to support the emperor, and soon after, Li Sheng from Longyou also returned.

The various towns in Guanzhong, initially hesitant and reluctant to act, intending to observe the situation further, panicked upon hearing of Li Ji's return to court. Bai Zhizhen, Wei Yuanfu, and others hastily dispatched troops, however small, to demonstrate their loyalty. As for Li Sheng, after receiving the imperial edict, he hastily mobilized three thousand elite cavalry from Longyou, marching day and night towards Chang'an, and indicated that seven thousand infantry would follow…

When Li Yu asked Li Sheng for his opinion, Li Liangqi replied without hesitation: "The court cannot allow a tiger to grow and cause future trouble. Now that the attack has been launched, Huaixi will surely be destroyed!"