Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

This battle was a huge defeat, completely altering the situation in Guandong. Even if Li Heng was unwilling to get involved, he couldn't simply ignore it; he would certainly consult his ministers. The problem was that there weren't many military experts in the court, and Li Heng trusted eunuchs more... If Yu Chaoen were here, he would definitely ask him first. Now that Yu Chaoen was supervising the army outside, he would most likely consult Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming.

Li Heng naturally trusted Li Fuguo the most, followed by Cheng Yuanzhen. The problem is that those two have never led troops before. If they were to speak eloquently and accurately, it would easily arouse Li Heng's suspicion.

Therefore, after reporting the situation, the two eunuchs, Dou and Huo, consulted Li Ji and Ma Sui—the two of them should be knowledgeable in military affairs, so how should we answer if the emperor asks us?

Upon hearing this, Li Ji looked at Ma Sui, implying that he should speak first—there was an order of seniority, and Ma Sui was, after all, older than him. Ma Sui pondered for a moment, then said, "My private speculation is the same as Chang Wei's prediction: the claim that a strong wind obscuring the sun led to the defeat of both armies is simply unbelievable. However, since Lord Yu has just gained the Emperor's favor, there is no evidence, so it is inconvenient to directly refute his claims..."

The two eunuchs exchanged a glance, and then Huo Xianming tentatively asked, "Since the government troops have been defeated, as the supervising officer, I cannot shirk my responsibility. Could we take advantage of Lord Yu's absence..."

It was obvious that the two men wanted to take this opportunity to sow discord among Yu Chaoen, using this golden chance to kick the senior official, whose seniority and imperial favor far surpassed their own, to the ground. However, before they could finish speaking, Ma Sui waved his hand to interrupt them: "Regarding the true situation of the battle, even if the various military governors submit their reports in the future, I'm afraid they will each have their own version of events, making it difficult to ascertain the truth. However, according to what Chief Clerk Huo just relayed, Lord Yu seems to intend to pin the blame for the defeat on Minister Guo..."

Look, he first said that Guo Ziyi was behind Lu Jiong, but "had not yet arranged his troops," and then he said that the rebel army had also collapsed. Originally, it was a situation of mutual destruction, but the Shuofang army insisted on cutting off the Heyang Bridge, completely abandoning the land in Hebei that had just been recovered...

Li Ji couldn't help but sneer and interjected, "That fellow is certainly capable of doing such a thing!"

Ma Sui was unaware that Li Ji had a long history of dealings with Yu Chaoen, and had even fought with him. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but glance at Li Ji, thinking to himself, "You're quite arrogant, aren't you? Don't think that just because you defeated the barbarian bandits in Longyou and your name is being circulated in both capitals, you're all that great. Yu Chaoen could crush you with a flick of his little finger! As an official, it's best to be cautious in your words and actions."

However, it was inconvenient to remind him directly in this situation. Instead, he said to the two eunuchs, "I believe that Lord Yu will surely return to the capital on horseback and face the Emperor directly. At that time, you two chief clerks must not speak ill of Lord Yu in front of the Emperor."

The two eunuchs nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing, but their expressions revealed a hint of regret.

Ma Sui continued, “The armies have lost all their provisions and supplies and can only return to their respective garrisons. This leaves Tokyo exposed to the rebels’ sharp edge and in grave danger. The two chief clerks should advise the Emperor to appoint Minister Guo to lead the Henan troops to defend Tokyo and fight against the rebels while the other garrisons recover their strength.”

Hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but nod: Although Ma Sui was unwilling to directly criticize Yu Chaoen, he was trying to sabotage Yu Chaoen's scheme in a roundabout way—since Yu Chaoen wanted to frame Guo Ziyi, then he should ask the eunuchs Dou and Huo to protect Guo Ziyi.

Of the ten military governors who besieged Xiangzhou—Cui Guangyuan had already been defeated and fled back to Chang'an—Li Ji only trusted three: Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, and Zhang Xun. Originally, Li Siye might have been added as well, but unfortunately, Li Siye died in battle… As for the others, Li Ji had little good impression of them, especially Xu Shuji, whom he deeply resented.

He didn't hate Xu Shuji because of past events, but because he simply didn't trust that selfish bastard!

Therefore, add the following sentence: "Doctor Zhang (Zhang Xun has been promoted to Imperial Censor) is a famous general who defends the city. We can request the Emperor's decree to replace Cui, who abandoned the city and fled, as the garrison commander of Tokyo."

Ma Sui nodded: "That's absolutely right." He then looked at Li Ji, as if to say, "I've finished speaking. Do you have anything to add?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Ji said to Dou and Huo, "The Emperor will surely be disheartened upon hearing of this defeat. You two chief clerks can comfort him. Although we cannot quell An Qingxu, Shi Siming will certainly not cross the river to threaten Tokyo within a few months. We can take this opportunity to redeploy troops and supplies to protect Henan. It is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."

He knew Li Heng's character and worried that this crushing defeat would completely destroy the emperor's confidence, leading to even more blunders. Especially since the eunuchs Dou and Huo were Li Shi's cronies and had treated him well, he seized the opportunity to offer them a wise suggestion: "Go and comfort the emperor! Anyone who utters words of defeat at this time will die, but anyone who says the country can still be saved will be rewarded!"

Ma Sui asked, "Chang Wei believes that Shi Siming will not rush to Henan. What makes you think this way?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "Xiangzhou is still in An Qingxu's hands. Now that the government troops have retreated, how could that fellow be willing to keep his promise and hand over the throne? There will definitely be a conflict between the two traitors, An and Shi. At this time, how could Shi Siming dare to leave Xiangzhou behind and send his troops on a long pursuit straight into Henan?"

Dou and Huo were still pondering—whether they were figuring out how credible Li Ji's words were or trying to prepare their answers for the emperor's consultation—Ma Sui couldn't help but glance at Li Ji a few more times.

Rumors circulated in both capitals that "Li Erlang" (Li the Second) single-handedly charged into the enemy ranks, killing several generals, seizing several spears, and cutting down several banners... Ma Sui had heard of these tales but didn't quite believe them. Although he had never actually fought on the battlefield, he was well-versed in military strategy and had served in the army, knowing that in the face of thousands of troops, the strength of one person was definitely limited. Folk tales are generally unreliable, but where there's smoke, there's fire; Li Ji must indeed have been a brave and capable general.

When Ma Sui heard that the imperial court had summoned Li Ji back to the capital to serve as the military advisor of the Left Yingwu Army, he was somewhat apprehensive. Why was such a fierce general not placed on the front lines, but transferred to the rear? And why was he assigned to clerical work? Was this opening up a shortcut for Li Ji to advance his career, or had he offended someone and thus been sidelined?

Regardless, in Ma Sui's mind, Li Ji was a fierce general, so his impression of him was naturally biased towards a rough and uncouth man—even though the other party was in a clerical position. Ma Sui was worried about whether this "Second Brother Li" could handle the clerical work and whether he would corrupt the valiant army that he had painstakingly organized. Therefore, Ma Sui paid attention to Li Ji's daily work through various channels, and things went smoothly without any major mistakes.

But this didn't earn Li Ji any points, because the young man's outward appearance showed that he was more skilled in martial arts than in literature, and due to the natural prejudice of scholars against warriors, they always thought he was just a rough man with a rough understanding of literature. Unexpectedly, today, after listening to Li Ji's speculations on the Hebei war, every word he said hit the nail on the head, and Ma Xunmei was impressed—not bad, young man, you have quite a brain, not just a brave but reckless man who only knows how to charge into battle.

He nodded and said, “What Changwei said makes sense. The two chief clerks can use this to advise the sage.”

Only after the important matters were finished were they finally able to turn their attention to the pair of maces that Li Ji had placed beside his lap—

"Is this the new weapon Changwei forged? Wasn't it supposed to be a sword?"

"What a thick iron mace! I wonder how much it weighs?"

----------

Sure enough, that afternoon, an imperial edict arrived, summoning Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming to an audience with the Emperor. The two eunuchs then departed and did not return until the end of the court session. For most of the day, Li Ji kept a furrowed brow, remaining taciturn, his worries written all over his face—not that he had stopped pretending, but rather that it was pointless for a mere eighth-rank military officer like Xie Anshi to feign playing chess with guests in the Forbidden City—until he returned home after the court session ended.

Seeing Li Ji's worried expression, Qingluan couldn't help but ask, "Is there something troubling you in the army?" Li Ji slightly curled his lip and said, "What troubles could there be in the army? It's the country that has so many troubles." After dinner, he told Qingluan to go and rest, while he dismissed the servants and sat in his study, once again taking out Du Fu's poems to appreciate.

As Li Ji had predicted, not long after the drums sounded to quiet the streets, Li Shi reappeared silently in the courtyard, then, with a stern face, took off his boots and went inside.

—Li Shi couldn't have been late in receiving news of such a momentous event as the defeat at Xiangzhou. Once he did, he would most likely have a heart-to-heart talk with Li Ji, who, too, had a lot to say and wanted to confide in someone. However, when facing Dou and Huo, and especially with Ma Sui, whom he suspected was a follower of Li Fuguo, also present, he couldn't go into too much detail.

In particular, Li Ji wanted to find out if Li Shi, who was connected to both the inner palace and the outer court, could obtain more information and details.

As soon as Li Shi sat down, he went straight to the point and asked Li Ji: "Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming comforted His Majesty, saying that since Shi Siming has defeated the government troops, he may not have the strength to quickly take over Henan—was it Changwei or Ma Xunmei who instructed them?"

Li Ji replied, "That is my humble opinion."

Li Shi hurriedly asked, "Does Changwei truly mean what he says? In Changwei's opinion, how long will it take for Shi Siming to pacify Hebei, or when will he invade?"

Li Ji understood that Li Shi was worried about his birth mother, Lady Shen, who was in Luoyang. So he explained his judgment in detail again, and then said: "The two traitors, An and Shi, will definitely fight for control. However, An Qingxu's power is already waning and cannot last long. In my estimation, Shi will be able to pacify Hebei in three months at most. However, it is difficult to wage war in the summer months. He will most likely return to Fanyang to reorganize his troops and then plan to attack Henan in the autumn."

Li Shi breathed a slight sigh of relief: "There are still six months left. The imperial court has enough resources to mobilize troops and supplies..."

Li Ji smiled bitterly and said, "Is that so? I heard that there were many poor harvests last autumn, especially between the two capitals, where the granaries were empty. As a result, we were forced to transport grain from the Yangtze River, Huai River, Bing River, and Fen River, which was then taken advantage of by the bandit Shi. So, it is not an easy task to stockpile enough grain for tens of thousands of troops to guard Heyang, or even Luoyang, in half a year."

Li Shi said, "We can only rely on the fifth Yu Gui..."

Fifth Qi, courtesy name Yu Gui, once served as the financial commissioner of five circuits including Henan and the salt, iron and coin minting commissioner of various circuits, in charge of the finances of the southeastern half of the country. Last year, he was transferred back to Chang'an and promoted to the position of Director of the Revenue Department and concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief. At the beginning of this year, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue and concurrently Chancellor, and was respectfully called "the Minister of Finance." The court and the public unanimously agreed that Fifth Qi was the most knowledgeable person in the contemporary financial and tax management, and was also extremely good at increasing revenue. The integration and allocation of materials for the court's suppression of rebellions could not have been done by anyone other than him.

However, Li Ji was not optimistic about Wu Qi's methods of accumulating wealth. He said to Li Shi, "Last year, Prime Minister Ji minted 'Qian Yuan Zhong Bao' coins, and I heard that he recently advised the Emperor to mint new coins. This is all for the purpose of accumulating wealth, profiting from the common people, and will surely cause inflation..."

Li Shi asked in surprise, "What is inflation?"

Chapter 49, Who Truly Plans for the Nation?

In fact, Li Ji was only mediocre when it came to finance and taxation in his previous life, and he had no time to study it in this life. However, this did not prevent him from gaining some superficial insights when he studied history and sorted out the economic issues of past dynasties.

Throughout history, national turmoil and the collapse of the state have been caused by various factors, including increasingly serious land annexation, impending bankruptcy of the central government's finances, and difficulties in ensuring the supply of military materials. In short, they are all economic problems.

Li Ji, in particular, had been in the hardest-hit area of ​​Chang'an, the capital region, for almost half a month, having traveled from Longyou, where the central government's fiscal and tax policies had not yet fully affected him. He found that prices in Chang'an had skyrocketed, even more so than when Du Fu had reminisced about the past, or when he himself had stayed in Chang'an last time. This was clearly currency devaluation, inflation.

Therefore, he blurted out the word "inflation," and when Li Shi interrupted to ask, he gave a perfunctory reply:

"Oh... this is a folk saying, referring to the soaring prices of all goods, the devaluation of currency, and the people's reluctance to use it... In the short term, this is indeed beneficial for accumulating wealth and supporting an army for war, but it cannot last. Last year, heavy coins were minted, and this year new coins are being requested to be minted, which shows that the heavy coins are no longer usable and we are forced to drink poison to quench our thirst. I'm afraid that even Prime Minister Ji may not be able to fill the huge hole that Hebei has created this time."

Li Shi pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps Liu Shi'an has a good plan?"

Who is Liu Shi'an?

Li Shi introduced Liu Yan, courtesy name Shi'an, a native of Caozhou, who was a "child prodigy" from a young age—he became famous even before your brother Li Bi, and the prime minister Zhang Shuo once praised him as a "national treasure".

After An Lushan's rebellion, Liu Shi'an was appointed as the Director of the Revenue Department and concurrently as the Imperial Censor, in charge of the tax and labor service affairs in the Jianghuai region. He once assisted Li Xiyan in defeating Prince Yong, Li Lin. As the Director of the Revenue Department, he could be considered the deputy of Fifth Qi, but the two had different styles and methods in financial management. Therefore, when Fifth Qi entered the court to take charge of the national finances and taxes, he did not keep Liu Yan by his side, but recommended him to the emperor, who then transferred Liu Yan to the position of Prefect of Pengyuan.

Currently, Liu Yan is serving as the governor of both Long and Hua prefectures.

Li Shi said that Liu Yan was also skilled in financial and tax management and had rich experience. If Wu Qi's method did not work, could we suggest to the Emperor that we try Liu Yan instead? Li Ji replied, "I do not know him, and I am not good at financial matters, so I dare not speak rashly. However, Yang Gongnan, the judge of the Longyou Department of Finance, is quite skilled in this field. Your Highness can try to consult with the Prince of Qi for his opinion."

He paused, then added, "But the King of Qi cannot be separated from Yang Gongnan for even a moment. Do not recall him to the court, or Longyou will surely fall into ruin!"

Li Shi glanced at Li Ji, thinking to himself, "You're quite loyal to Uncle Qi... No, I have to correct your misconceptions step by step." He then asked, "Now that the barbarian bandits have retreated and Longyou is temporarily at peace, does Changwei still have any concerns?"

Li Ji smiled bitterly and said, "It's only temporary peace. I predict that the barbarian bandits will mostly return this autumn... If Shi Siming also leads his troops to Henan, and both the eastern and western fronts are under attack at the same time, the country will be in grave danger!" He then asked Li Shi, "I heard that the government troops have been routed to Henan, abandoning all their grain and supplies. Most of them have scattered back to their local towns. What about the troops in Longyou?"

Li Shi curled his lip and said, "Longyou is full of strong troops, how can we allow them to return to their posts?"

Those who scattered and retreated to their respective towns were mainly troops from Hedong, Henan, and Jianghuai. Even Li Guangbi, implicated in the chaos, couldn't stay any longer and led his troops back to Taiyuan. However, the western troops from Longyou and Hexi couldn't return. They couldn't possibly rush through the heart of the capital region, or even bypass Chang'an, to return to their own towns—Li Heng would be terrified!

According to Li Shi, tens of thousands of Western Army soldiers were retreating towards Shanxian County. The court ordered the Shence Army to block the passage and reorganize them on the spot to protect Zhongjing.

Li Ji frowned and said, “The armies of Longyou, Hexi, and even Anxi and Beiting are thousands of miles from home. After years of campaigning, even if they were once elite, they are probably no longer of use. Forcing them to stay will only cause trouble. Besides, if Luoyang is not lost, how can Chang'an be threatened? Even the Shence Army will not need to be stationed in Shaanxi…”

Li Shi shook his head slightly, somewhat unconvinced.

Li Ji continued, "What the two capitals lack most right now is food. Rather than wasting food on these western soldiers, it would be better to let them return to their towns and eat in their hometowns. We can call them back when needed in the future."

Li Shi sneered slightly, "Is the Chief Guard so concerned about the Prince of Qi, while disregarding the Sage and us?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was enraged and immediately retorted, "What are you saying, Your Highness? My advice is purely for the sake of the country, and I have not considered whether it is the Prince of Qi or the Crown Prince! Only if the country exists can the Crown Prince, the Prince of Qi, and even Your Highness enjoy wealth and honor; if the country falls, who can survive alone?!"

He paused, forcibly suppressing his anger, and softened his tone, saying, "These western soldiers, if released back to their garrisons, can still defend against the barbarian bandits and remain fierce tigers; but if they are left between the two capitals, I fear they will have no will to fight against the rebels and will be nothing more than a bunch of ants! It's like using good steel on the back of a blade instead of the blade, turning soft iron into a blade, how can it cut anyone?"

Just now, Li Ji suddenly raised his eyebrows and glared, raising his voice so loudly that even Li Shi was startled. In any other situation, Li Shi might have been startled and immediately become angry, or at the very least, stormed off; but considering that this was Li Ji's house, late at night, and no one else around, and that I had come with the intention of talking with a friend, I had to act more magnanimous…

Therefore, he replied in a deep voice, "That makes sense. If given the opportunity, I will certainly offer my advice to the sage."

Li Ji added earnestly, “Your Highness, the Prince of Qi’s presence in Longyou is truly a safeguard for the nation’s rear—it should be known that the route from Longyou to Fengxiang, and even to Chang’an, is closer than the route from Xiangzhou to Chang’an. Moreover, if the barbarian rebels were to break through Longyou and invade Longshang, even if the Emperor Emeritus were to hunt in the west to Shu again, or the Emperor were to hunt in the north to Lingwu again, it would be impossible…”

Upon hearing this, Li Shi felt a chill run down his spine, and sweat broke out on his back.

"...King Qi is fighting alone in Longyou. Gao Sheng and his ilk are truly incompetent, and the finances rely solely on Yang Gongnan, while there is no one to strategize for the military. Now that all the armies have returned to their garrisons, why not send one or two capable generals to assist King Qi?" At this point, Li Ji leaned slightly closer and deliberately lowered his voice to ask, "Is there anyone the Crown Prince has his eye on?"

Li Ji understood that although the brothers Li Yu and Li Tan feigned discord, they were actually on the same side, but they were also wary of each other. At least, based on Li Shi's actions, the Crown Prince's faction actually suspected Li Tan, and his observation was probably correct. That's why I requested reinforcements and additional generals for Longyou, which is why the little fellow was not very happy.

If I change my stance and pretend to be considering Li Yu's interests by requesting that the Crown Prince's cronies be placed around Li Tan, wouldn't the resistance be less?

Honestly, I don't care if you're part of the Crown Prince's faction, the Prince of Qi's faction, or even Li Fuguo's or Empress Zhang's faction, as long as you can resist the invasion of the barbarians, benefit the country, and protect the people, that's enough. Speaking of which, with the country in such a state, can't you, grandparents and grandchildren, fathers and sons, brothers, uncles and nephews, show a little more trust and sincere cooperation?

Oh, actually I wouldn't advise Li Shi to trust his grandfather... How could that bastard emperor be trusted?!

"What Changwei said makes sense. Let me plan carefully." Clearly, Li Shi's expression and tone were much more sincere this time.

After discussing the western affairs, the topic shifted to the eastern front. Li Ji gritted his teeth and said, "The government troops have just been defeated, and the rebels have not been driven far away. Instead of pacifying the people, the officials of Luoyang abandoned the city and fled. Their crimes are unforgivable—one or two should be executed to uphold the law!"

Li Shi shook his head and said, "It's difficult, it's difficult."

He understood that Li Ji was referring to Cui Yuan, the garrison commander of Tokyo, and Su Zhen, the governor of Henan—it would be pointless to execute a couple of minor officials in order to uphold the law and deter mediocrity—but Cui Yuan had Li Fuguo backing him up, and Su Zhen was the consort of Princess Zhenyang, so how could Li Heng possibly issue an edict to execute them? Most likely, they would be demoted a few ranks or relegated to idle positions.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but sigh softly—indeed, the Tang Dynasty was beyond saving. He then said, "The past is past, so let's select capable officials to serve as governors of Henan and stabilize the people's hearts. As for the garrison commander of Dongjing, I suggest that Doctor Zhang entrust all the Henan troops to Minister Guo, and stop issuing orders from multiple sources—and more importantly, let's not let Yu Chaoen remain in the army!"

Li Shi smiled bitterly, "Yu Chaoen has already rushed back to Chang'an... However, someone must take responsibility for this great defeat. I'm afraid the Emperor will not punish Yu Chaoen, so there is only one option..."

Li Ji understood that those responsible for the defeat would have to be removed from the top down. If the first person to be held accountable was the supervising officer Yu Chaoen, then the only other person who could be blamed was Guo Ziyi, the second-highest in the army. "Is Your Highness able to help?"

Li Shi said, "I'll do my best, but don't think I can actually offer any advice to the emperor..." Li Ji understood. In the end, those who offered advice on related matters were mostly officials from outside the court, and they had to be tactful, trying their best to appear completely unrelated to Li Yu and his son. Politics is such a hypocritical and sordid thing!

"If it is truly impossible to save Minister Guo, who do you think would be the best person to replace him?"

"Either Doctor Zhang or Minister Li, in short, entrust all authority to one person—and the other defeated generals should also be punished."

Li Shi said, "Lu Jiong was defeated first, so naturally he couldn't escape..."

Li Ji said, "Wasn't Cui Guangyuan the first to be defeated? And then there's Xu Shuji, who is very selfish and cannot be given important responsibilities. It would be best to take this opportunity to strip him of his military power, otherwise he will surely become a scourge in the future!"

The two talked until late into the night before Li Shi finally took his leave. Li Ji then rested in his study, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Although he hadn't held out much hope for the war in Hebei, he was still very upset when he heard the news of the defeat—how could they have lost? Hundreds of thousands of troops, routed in a single battle?

This shows that war cannot last long. The larger the army, the easier it is for the siege to end in a single day – whether it is due to insufficient supplies, complacency of the generals, or demoralization of the troops. We must take this as a warning.

But now he was caught in the middle, unable to manage either the eastern or western fronts, and could only sit idly by in the palace... Li Ji tried to comfort himself, thinking that the affairs of the world could not be accomplished by one person alone, and that worrying was useless if he couldn't exert his strength. He might as well get a good night's sleep, recharge his energy, and keep this body useful so that he could serve the country again in the future... and help those people who had suffered because of the Li family.

But he couldn't help getting up again and writing a long letter to Li Bi, who was far away in Hengshan. He laid out the recent situation and his own worries, asking Li Bi for advice—which he figured would be useless, since even if his brother was good at divination, he wouldn't receive a reply until autumn at the earliest—and also subtly advising Li Bi: Why don't you put aside your illusory ambition to cultivate immortality and come out of seclusion again for the sake of the country and the people?

Back when I discussed state affairs and the war with Li Mi, I always felt I could exert some influence on him, and then pass that influence on to the court and the army—of course, that was probably just an illusion—but now, through Li Shi, I feel nothing like that. What I'm saying tonight will probably just be idle chatter between friends, at most a venting of frustrations. When will that damned emperor die? Hurry up and put Li Yu on the throne, and Li Shi as crown prince; maybe then I can still put some effort into it!

----------

The next day, when he arrived at the Zuo Yingwu Army Headquarters, he saw that Dou Wenchang had already arrived and was looking happy.

Upon inquiry, Li Ji learned that Dou and Huo had indeed been summoned by Li Heng the previous day and questioned about the eastern front, with the questioning lasting until night. The two eunuchs gave their answers based on what Li Ji and Ma Sui had taught them, and Li Heng's worries immediately dissipated. Although he did not award them any prizes, he did commend the two men well—which is why Dou Wenchang is beaming with pride today.