Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 100

Just as he was feeling frustrated and planning to find another opportunity to urge Li Shi, one day, Wang Jiahe arrived at the Yingwu Army headquarters, summoned his staff, and announced: "His Majesty has decreed that, because the Imperial Guards have not been in battle for a long time and are feared to be weak, a contingent will be sent out for training..."

All the officers and generals were overjoyed upon hearing this—after all, apart from a few proper clerks, no one wanted to just clock in and out all day long; how long would it take to accumulate such seniority? If they could be sent out to perform meritorious service, their promotion speed would hopefully be accelerated.

Upon further inquiry, it was learned that several officials had previously petitioned that, given the unrest in the realm, it was inappropriate to keep Grand Minister Guo Ziyi in the court for long, and that he should be sent out of the capital to serve the country. Coincidentally, the Dangxiang tribes were causing trouble on the border, and a month earlier—when Li Ji was still ill—Guo Ziyi was ordered to garrison Binzhou. Upon hearing the news, the Dangxiang troops fled.

Therefore, this month, Li Heng issued another edict—this time a proper imperial decree—"commanding Ziyi to lead troops from all the circuits directly from Shuofang to Fanyang, and then to pacify Hebei. He also ordered the deployment of 70,000 troops, including the Imperial Guards led by Sheng Yingwu and the troops from the Shuofang, Fufang, Binning, and Jingyuan circuits, both Han and non-Han, all under Ziyi's command."

Li Guangbi had previously submitted memorials from Heyang on several occasions, saying that he was locked in a stalemate with the rebels and that it would be difficult to find an opportunity to break through in a short period of time. The best strategy was to send troops from Hedong or Shuofang to launch a surprise attack on Fanyang, in which case the rebel Shi would surely be defeated!

Actually, this was an idea that Li Mi had given to Li Heng back when An Lushan and his son were still alive. The idea was to consolidate the defenses on the eastern front, launch an attack from the northern front, and wait until the rebels' stronghold was unstable and they had to retreat before pursuing them from behind. This would not only allow them to recover the two capitals, but also hopefully quell the rebellion in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, Li Heng was too eager to recover the two capitals so that his throne would be more secure—otherwise, he would always be an exiled emperor. If he didn't go to the Daming Palace to sit down, most of the court officials would probably still prefer the one who fled to Sichuan. He didn't listen to Li Bi's good advice, which led to his failure.

Now Li Heng has come up with this tactic again, especially since Zhang Xun has sent an urgent envoy from the Luoyang palace to request provisions. Li Heng is well aware that they won't last until autumn... Especially after autumn, when the rebel army's provisions will be plentiful, Zhang Xun, residing within the palace, will still not receive a single grain of rice. Therefore, Luoyang is bound to fall sooner or later; the only difference is whether it is abandoned voluntarily or captured by the enemy. To minimize the political impact of the fall of the Eastern Capital, the only option is to attack Fanyang.

After hearing Wang Jiahe's account, all the generals and officers were overjoyed—casualties were inevitable in war, but following Guo Ziyi greatly increased their safety. Li Ji was also pleased. Although he couldn't lead troops to support Zhang Xun, a distant attack on Fanyang would certainly be a major battle. Especially if this plan succeeded, the east would be completely pacified. Perhaps before next year, a large number of western troops would be returning home. Let's see what Ma Chongying can still hope for then!

Therefore, he immediately began to rummage through the roster and select those to join the campaign—some of these fellows had lived through several years of peace and their ambitions had gradually faded, so there was no need to take them; he would only select those who still had vigor or ambition to come with him. However, Ma Sui came and pleaded, hoping that his name could also be written down.

Li Ji frowned and said, "If Xunmei and I both leave, who will stay behind?"

The Yingwu Army is ultimately responsible for guarding the inner and middle courts. Their main job is to clock in and stand guard, so the role of civil officials is more important than that of military generals. At present, the only civil officials who can shoulder the responsibility of coordinating the entire army are the two of us. To be honest, Li Ji can only be considered half a civil official, far inferior to Ma Sui. So if we both leave, who will take over this huge task? Are you really comfortable with those three eunuchs?

Ma Sui clasped his hands and said, "The Chief Secretary was originally transferred from Longyou, and before that he went to Heyang to defend against the bandits..." When Li Ji first returned, he didn't tell his colleagues the truth, but after more than half a year, he inevitably let slip some information. Who didn't know that he had fought several battles with Li Guangbi in Heyang? "Since the Zhide era, I, Sui, have always guarded the palace. Although I am not as brave and famous as the Chief Secretary, I do not wish to remain a scribe for long. I eagerly hope that I can emulate Ban Dingyuan, who threw down his pen and made meritorious contributions on the battlefield. I hope the Chief Secretary will grant my request."

Originally, Ma Sui and Li Ji were of similar rank. After they gradually became acquainted, even though Li Ji had risen above him, they still addressed each other by their courtesy names and treated each other as friends. But now, in order to get a chance to join the battle, he kept calling him "Chief Secretary," which made it hard for Li Ji to refuse him outright.

After spending a considerable amount of time with Ma Sui, Li Ji gradually came to understand him. He found Ma Sui to be truly capable—primarily in military administration—and, in terms of warfare, he didn't seem to be like Zhao Kuo. His personal character was also quite good. Although there were rumors that Ma Sui had curried favor with Li Fuguo, in this day and age, how many officials dared not to submit to that old eunuch? Even Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi couldn't escape it, so there was no need to criticize Ma Sui for it.

Moreover, Li Ji and Ma Sui had been co-commanding the Yingwu Army during this period, and their cooperation had been quite tacit.

Therefore, Li Ji was worried that if he refused Ma Sui's invitation today, he might ruin their friendship of many days. It would be terrible if friends turned against each other. But he absolutely could not stay and guard the house. What should he do?

After much deliberation, he tentatively agreed to Ma Sui's request—after all, the troops hadn't been officially dispatched yet, so he might as well agree first and deal with it later…maybe he could come up with a suitable reason to refuse him in a couple of days. Even if he couldn't find a reason, leaving his hometown empty was fine; given Li Heng's current situation, he wouldn't necessarily give up, and even if he did, Prince Ding, Li Tong, was still young and shouldn't pose a threat to the throne…

Who would have thought that after excitedly drafting the list and making all the necessary preparations, an imperial edict would suddenly arrive, temporarily suspending the plan to ambush Fanyang...

That damned emperor, how can he change his orders so frequently?!

Li Ji inevitably sent a messenger to invite Li Shi to come see him late at night to inquire about the reason. Li Shi replied, "This matter was actually obstructed by Yu Chaoen..."

Yu Chaoen submitted a memorial to Li Heng, requesting a halt to the northern expedition. The stated reason was the shortage of provisions in Hedong and Shuofang; supplies to Heyang were already stretched thin, making it impossible to support tens of thousands of troops marching north. However, a deeper meaning was implied: Li Shi had bribed a palace eunuch to secretly recite Yu Chaoen's memorial from memory and write it down for him. The young man was not foolish and could easily discern the hidden meaning.

Yu Chaoen's true meaning was: Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi are both highly renowned in the army. If they were both sent out to command large armies, I alone could not keep an eye on them. If they were to develop disloyal intentions, I fear we would all be in danger!

It was this hidden meaning that ultimately moved Li Heng. Thus, although it was inconvenient to recall Guo Ziyi, he was also unwilling to let him lead tens of thousands of troops to fight in the north.

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but flare up in anger and said, "Yu Chaoen is clearly jealous of talent and ability, yet he uses these dangerous words to intimidate the emperor!" That eunuch has long been at odds with Guo Ziyi, which is why he slandered Guo Ziyi earlier, causing the Tang army in Henan to change commanders on the eve of battle. He was worried that Guo Ziyi would be detrimental to him after regaining military power. Can't anyone with eyes see that?

Li Shi quickly comforted Li Ji: "Don't worry, Chief Guard. There might be other opportunities besides Qingyun sending the Imperial Guards out for training..."

Chapter 46, Weiyuan's Journey West

Li Ji originally thought that when he was in Longyou, he used foul language and cursed the Tibetan king, which would attract a lot of hatred. But recently he realized that there might be someone more suitable to be the T than him.

—That was Cui Guangyuan.

Cui Guangyuan's personal experience of facing the enemy's vanguard begins in the fifteenth year of the Tianbao era, when he returned to Chang'an as an envoy to the Tibetans to offer sacrifices. At that time, Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) was planning to flee, and before leaving, he appointed Cui Guangyuan as the Prefect of Jingzhao and the Garrison Commander of Xijing to block the pursuit of An Lushan's rebel army. Left with no other choice, Cui Guangyuan had to feign surrender to An Lushan, and then find an opportunity to escape, seeking refuge with Li Heng in Lingwu.

Before the Battle of Xiangzhou, Cui Guangyuan had just succeeded Xiao Hua as the military governor of Weizhou when Shi Siming arrived with his troops... You might ask, with eleven military governors stationed around Xiangzhou, why did Shi Siming specifically target Cui Guangyuan? Yes, Cui Guangyuan was skilled in literature but not in military affairs, but at that time he still had the great general Li Chuyin under his command. If he hadn't fallen for a counter-espionage plot and killed Li Chuyin, Weizhou might not have been such an easy nut to crack.

When Cui Guangyuan first became a military governor, he was given command of a region, but he was beaten like a dog by Shi Siming. If it weren't for his past merits being restored to the emperor's favor, and his hopes of not receiving a higher rank, he might have lost his life. However, he refused to back down and continued to pull strings to try and get another transfer. As a result, Kang Chuyuan and Zhang Jiayan of Jingxiang rebelled, and the court appointed Cui Guangyuan as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit to quell the rebellion.

To be honest, Cui Guangyuan didn't do much during his tenure in Shannan East Circuit. The chaos was all caused by Wei Lun. He only received Li Heng's commendation and was promoted to Prefect of Fengxiang and then Military Governor of Fengxiang because he transferred two million strings of cash in taxes and labor services seized by the rebels to the capital region. However, no sooner had he left than Jingzhou and Xiangyang descended into chaos again…

Back then, after Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu, he took over Chang'an in the south and stayed in Ding'an, the capital of Pengyuan County (Ningzhou), and Yong County, the capital of Fufeng County (Qizhou), for a long time. Therefore, he took the meaning of "the phoenix sings in Qi and soars in Yong" and changed Fufeng County to Fengxiang County, and then upgraded it to Fengxiang Prefecture, and designated it as the Western Capital.

As a result, Cui Guangyuan was appointed Prefect of Fengxiang, a position of great prestige. He also held the post of Military Governor of Fengxiang, governing Fengxiang Prefecture and Longzhou, which was a true bulwark for the western part of the capital.

—However, further west of Longzhou lies Longyou, where Li Tan is still stationed. The Tibetan army hasn't penetrated deep into their territory, so theoretically, there's no immediate external threat. Therefore, it's hard to say who Li Heng's special appointment of the Fengxiang military governor was intended to guard against…

Let's return to the topic of Fengxiang and Longzhou. To the east lies the capital Chang'an, to the west the important town of Longyou, to the south the formidable Nanshan Mountains, and to the north the powerful town of Shuofang. Surrounded by various armies, it should have been a safe haven. However, who would have thought that as soon as Cui Guangyuan arrived in Fengxiang, disaster struck again—his brother was indeed unlucky, and almost no place he was assigned to was peaceful; he had hoped to escape the renewed war in Jingxiang, but instead, he was dealt another blow.

Now, there was a minor official in Longyou named Guo Yin. When Li Longji went on a western hunt and Li Heng fled north, the people of Qin and Longyou were in turmoil. Guo Yin gathered his followers, plundered prefectures and counties, and built five fortresses for self-protection. This was a minor disturbance, and Cui Guangyuan paid it no mind. Upon assuming office, he sent Yan Shen, a judge and censor, to persuade Guo Yin to surrender. Guo Yin stated that he only sought to protect his territory and his people, and had no other ambitions. He then bribed Cui Guangyuan with wealth, and thus peace was maintained.

Cui Guangyuan settled down and spent his days playing games and drinking with his advisors, no longer personally inquiring about military affairs—after all, how could Fengxiang Prefecture possibly encounter an enemy, so why waste energy on military matters?

Unexpectedly, after lying low for several months, Guo Yin suddenly rose up, uniting the Dangxiang, Turks, and Tuyuhun tribes, and stirring up chaos. Wei Lun had just been dragged back from Dengzhou by Li Fuguo and reassigned as the Qinlong Defense Commissioner. His position was not yet secure, and he was leading the garrison troops that Cui Guangyuan had been accustomed to disobeying. Unable to resist, he suffered a crushing defeat in a single battle, and even lost the supervising eunuch. The rebel army approached Fengxiang Prefecture, forcing Cui Guangyuan to send an urgent plea for help to Chang'an.

Therefore, the court ordered the dispatch of 2,000 imperial guards from the Northern Garrison and 5,000 troops from Fufang and Jingyuan to relieve Fengxiang Prefecture.

When Li Shi met with Li Heng—he had far more opportunities to see his grandfather than his father—he spoke as if he were a child eager for excitement and gossip, recounting Li Ji's exploits in Chang'an, including his imitation of Qin Shubao in forging a pair of iron maces, his fondness for Western Region wines and delicacies, and his poem "Sympathy for the Peasants"... Seeing that Li Heng seemed quite interested and showed no impatience, he seized the opportunity to say:

"I've heard that bandits are causing chaos in Fengxiang. This is a crucial city in the Western Capital; how can it be lost? Since His Majesty has ordered the Imperial Guards to go to its rescue, I wonder which army he favors? Will Li Ji have a chance to fight? I'd love to hear stories of him wielding his mace and defeating generals, just like the legendary Duke Hu of Qin..."

Li Heng smiled and said, "Qin Shubao wielding his mace to fight generals is just a folk tale. According to old records, he only had the merit of breaking through enemy lines with his spear. You are an adult now, and you may become a grandfather in a few days. I will also be able to hold my great-grandson. Why do you still act like a child and like to listen to exciting legends?"

Li Shi seized the opportunity to say, "In Your Majesty's presence, your grandson will always be a child."

He could only hint at it, not daring to insist, fearing it might arouse Li Heng's suspicion. After Li Shi withdrew, Empress Zhang came to personally serve him his medicine and took the opportunity to ask, "I heard that Your Majesty intends to send a portion of the Imperial Guards to relieve Xijing. I wonder who will be the general?"

Li Heng nodded slowly: "The Ministry of War said that the Imperial Guards have not been in battle for a long time and are afraid that their sharpness is gradually being lost... That makes sense. And look at what happened in Chang'an the other day. Wasn't it because the brave soldiers had no place to use their skills and had nowhere to vent their anger that they became violent towards ordinary people? It's time to let them go out and kill some bandits and see some blood."

He drank the medicine in one gulp, then took a dried plum from Empress Zhang's hand and ate it. Empress Zhang pressed on, asking, "Whom do you all wish to appoint as general?"

Li Heng casually asked, "Who is suitable for this position?"

"As far as I know, there are only two talented generals in the Imperial Guard: Li Ji and Liu Xixian."

Li Heng shook his head: "Liu Xixian is too unrestrained; he cannot be released for the time being."

"Then, shall Li Ji be appointed?"

Li Heng raised his head and looked at Empress Zhang: "What do you think?"

Empress Zhang smiled and said, "If everyone thinks it's acceptable, then it is."

After withdrawing, Empress Zhang summoned her five trusted confidants and asked, "You all want to send Li Ji with the Imperial Guards to rescue Fengxiang. What do you think?"

Dan Tingyao hurriedly advised, "Absolutely not! Everyone in the capital knows that Li Ji and the Prince of Fengjie are close friends. Since he is the Prince's friend, he must be a member of the Crown Prince's faction! Moreover, he previously ruined the Empress's plans..."

Empress Zhang glared at her slightly: "Did I ruin your plans? I sent you to capture the Shence Army, how could you act so lawlessly and take the opportunity to enrich yourself? Have I not given you enough of a reward?!"

Dan Tingyao knelt down with a thud, kowtowing and pleading, "This servant was also misled by Liu Xixian. He said that the Shence Army was short of funds and the soldiers were demoralized, and that if they could plunder some money..."

Empress Zhang stamped her foot, interrupting Dan Tingyao's words, then turned to Chen Xianfu: "Now that you are in charge of the Divine Strategy, you must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Do not be fooled by Liu Xixian, but also do not let him escape your grasp!"

Chen Xianfu repeatedly agreed.

Ma Yingjun understood Empress Zhang's thoughts best, so he immediately leaned closer and said with a fawning smile, "This servant quite admires Li Ji. He previously followed Prince Qi and fought fiercely in Longyou. Later, he was ordered by Prince Fengjie to fetch Consort Shen, but he took it upon himself to make a trip to Heyang... If he were truly a member of the Crown Prince's faction, how could he dare to be so arrogant?"

"what do you mean……"

"To say that Li Ji is a friend of Prince Fengjie is an understatement. It would be more accurate to say that Prince Fengjie is trying to win him over, and his real aim might be Li Changyuan behind him. Moreover, everyone in the palace knows that Li Ji has a grudge against Yu Chaoen, and Yu Chaoen refuses to obey the Empress's orders... In my opinion, if Yu Chaoen becomes uncontrollable in the future, Li Ji could be a useful weapon."

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhang couldn't help but purse her lips slightly upwards.

Seeing this, Ma Yingjun became even bolder and continued, "The Empress had intended the other day to release Li Ji outside, severing his connection with the Crown Prince, so that when Prince Ding... after things are settled, he can be summoned back to court, and he will surely be a valuable asset. Besides, doesn't the Empress hope that Li Changyuan will return to court?"

Empress Zhang smiled slightly and said, "Li Changyuan is naturally a prime minister, far superior to those currently sitting in the Council of State."

—Most importantly, although Li Bi had a good relationship with Li Yu and Li Tan, and had even helped save Li Tan's life, he was always well-behaved and never persuaded Li Heng to stay away from eunuchs and women like Li Tan had. Therefore, Empress Zhang had a pretty good impression of him.

Upon hearing what Empress Zhang said, Zhu Guanghui quickly chimed in, "I think Li Changyuan is like Di Wenhui of today!"

Empress Zhang liked to hear this, because when did Di Renjie become prime minister? During the Wu Zhou Dynasty! Wasn't this indirectly comparing Empress Zhang to Empress Wu Zetian?

"So, does that mean Li Ji can go out?"

Zhu Guanghui said, "As long as Li Ji is in Yingwu, Yingwu will not belong to the Empress; if Li Ji is released outside, then within the palace, won't the Empress still make all the decisions?"

Ma Yingjun quickly added, "We should try to keep him out of the country and not bring him back, so that he can be recalled when the Empress needs him."

Empress Zhang nodded and said, "What you have said is quite in line with my thoughts—well, I will find an opportunity to speak to everyone about it."

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In the intercalary fourth month of the third year of the Qianyuan era, the era name was changed to Shangyuan. On the day of Yichou in the sixth month of the first year of Shangyuan, Li Ji led his troops out of Chang'an.

However, he did not lead the Yingwu Army. Although Empress Zhang and others wanted to take the opportunity to weaken the Yingwu Army so that the Shence Army could dominate the Forbidden City, the Crown Prince's faction still had the strength to openly and secretly obstruct their plans. Therefore, they eventually assigned 1,000 Weiyuan soldiers to Li Ji's command.

The Weiyuan Army was established by Li Heng during his temporary residence in Fengxiang. Originally named the "Weiyuan Camp," it consisted of only 500 men selected from the newly recruited troops of Xue Jingxian, the prefect of Fengxiang. It was under the jurisdiction of the Court of State Ceremonies and was usually responsible for the defense of various government offices in the imperial city. In the spring, Guo Ziyi reorganized the imperial guards and upgraded the Weiyuan Camp, placing it alongside the Yingwu and Shence armies as one of the six armies of the Northern Army. Its strength gradually increased to 2,000 men.

The Yingwu Army is responsible for guarding the inner and middle courts, while the Shence Army is responsible for guarding the outer courts. Neither of them can be left behind. So, the only ones who can be transferred to the front lines are the expanded Weiyuan Army, right? Besides, the original Weiyuan Army is composed of people from Fengxiang, which is perfect.

This thousand-strong elite army was actually divided into two battalions, each commanded by a different battalion commander: Wang Bo and Li Sheng.

Before Li Ji set off, he had already obtained the files of the two men from the Ministry of War and reviewed them. Wang Bo had no courtesy name; he was from Chen Commandery and had entered the Shenwu Army through hereditary privilege, later transferring to the Weiyuan Army. He had no particularly noteworthy achievements—though he had followed Li Heng from Chang'an to Lingwu and back to Chang'an. Logically, he should have fought in a few minor battles along the way, right? It's just unknown whether he only had hard work but no merit, let alone ability…

In comparison, Li Sheng's resume is slightly more impressive. His courtesy name was Liangqi. He was from Taozhou and came from a military family. He joined the army at the age of sixteen and followed Wang Zhongsi, the military governor of Hexi, to fight against the barbarian army. It is said that he was skilled in riding and archery and had made meritorious contributions as an archer on the battlefield.

However, as the intensity of the war between the Tang and the Tibetan Empire suddenly decreased—because the Tang army held an overwhelming advantage but could not advance further due to terrain limitations—Li Sheng's opportunities to make meritorious contributions dwindled day by day. Approaching thirty, he was still only a seventh-rank deputy commander. So he bribed his former commander's subordinates and requested to join the Imperial Guard, eventually being transferred to the Imperial Guard. Otherwise, Li Ji would probably have met him when he was guarding Longyou.

Unfortunately, Li Sheng's fate was unfortunate. He went to Chang'an with great enthusiasm, but upon arriving in Fufeng, he heard that the emperor and crown prince had fled and the capital had fallen into the hands of the rebels. He then accepted a position under Xue Jingxian, the prefect of Fufeng at the time, and became a general. Later, when Li Heng arrived in Yong County, he selected the bravest soldiers from Xue Jingxian's army to form the Weiyuan Camp, and Li Sheng finally became a general in the Imperial Guard.

He had originally requested to join the guard because there weren't many major battles to fight in the west, but unfortunately, his wish came true. Both the east and west were engulfed in fierce fighting, while he could only lead his soldiers on guard duty in the imperial city every day, filled with resentment and having no one to confide in. Now, finally able to fight on the front lines, Li Sheng was very excited, constantly circling around Li Ji's horse—

"I have long heard of Li Erlang of Jingzhao, who possesses the courage of ten thousand men and has repeatedly slain enemy generals while defending Longyou. I never expected to serve under his command today. I am extremely honored!"

Li Ji waved his hand at him: "Mr. Li, you are too kind. We are of similar taste. Why should I serve under you?"

He was nominally the commander of this Weiyuan Army, but his official position was still the Chief Secretary of the Yingwu Army. Like Li Sheng and Wang Bo, he was a sixth-rank official. Therefore, he was quite uncomfortable with the other party's overly obsequious attitude and even developed some prejudice against Li Sheng. "You were once known as a brave general, but after wasting several years in the capital, have you grown any muscle? Do you still have any vigor?"

He then casually remarked to Li Sheng, "Are the generals and soldiers you command capable of fighting in battle?"

Upon hearing this, Li Sheng's expression darkened, and he remained silent.

The quality of these thousand Weiyuan soldiers is simply too poor...

Logically speaking, Xue Jingxian, who was appointed to a critical mission that day, recruited righteous men and not only recovered Fengxiang County but also marched east to seize cities such as Fengtian and Yongshou, repeatedly thwarting the rebel forces—although the rebels in Chang'an did not launch a large-scale expedition—should have been a battle-hardened and highly capable force. However, the original Fengxiang soldiers in the Weiyuan army numbered only five hundred, and it was impossible to send them all. The Weiyuan army, expanded from a camp to a full-fledged army, mostly consisted of former idle members of the Imperial Guards, Dragon Martial, and Divine Martial Armies (such as Wang Bo), who could only serve as ceremonial guards and had no combat experience.

So you see, these leaders are all quite tall, and the ranks are quite orderly, but they have no imposing presence and their eyes are hesitant. Anyone who has ever commanded troops can tell at a glance that they are all greenhorns.

Li Ji thought to himself, "With just these few soldiers, how can I win a battle?"

His first experience leading troops was in Longyou, where his forces consisted of either the elite Shence Army or the strong soldiers of Guanzhong. Later, in the battle against Shi Siming at Heyang, he also borrowed the Shence Army under Lao Jing and the Shuofang Army under Pugu Huai'en. He had always led elite troops and strong generals, which enabled him to capture enemy generals and establish merit. Now, with this group of Weiyuan troops in his command, can they follow orders as if they were his own limbs? Can they fight fiercely against a powerful enemy without retreating? No matter how excellent the generals are, if the soldiers are useless, how can they possibly break through the enemy's defenses and crush them?

Chapter 47, Chaos in Longshang

Li Ji held the thousand Weiyuan soldiers under his command in utter contempt, and consequently, he was somewhat pessimistic and disappointed about the prospects of rescuing Fengxiang Prefecture.

Wang Bo comforted him, saying, "Chief Secretary Li, do not worry. They are just some bandits and barbarian thieves. They are nothing to fear. If they see a large army gathering, they might be afraid and retreat..."

Li Ji glanced at the guy sideways: "What if the thief doesn't retreat?"

Wang Bo laughed and said, "Aren't there still the Fufang and Jingyuan armies? We are, after all, imperial guards. If we suffer too many losses on the battlefield, it will not look good for the emperor and the court. We can just guard Fengxiang City and direct the foreign troops to fight."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but smirk, mentally marking the other person's name with a big red X.

Li Sheng also felt quite disdain for Wang Bo, thinking to himself: "If it were a different commander, your flattery might have worked, but this is the renowned 'Li Erlang,' who fought fiercely against the barbarian bandits in Longyou just over a year ago. Legend has it that a few months ago he went alone to Heyang to fight under Grand Commandant Li (Li Guangbi was promoted to Grand Commandant this year). How could he possibly stay in Fengxiang and watch others fight? It's obvious that he's leading our Weiyuan Army westward to further enhance his reputation and accumulate merits. Your slap was most likely a misstep!"

He then clasped his hands in a gesture towards Li Ji and said, “What Commander Wang said makes some sense. Bandits and thieves gather together in a short time and are without any leader. Their troops are disorganized. If we can blunt their momentum and capture their leaders, it will not be difficult to retreat. Since the Chief Clerk is in charge of the Imperial Guards, he will surely be able to drive the troops from Fufang and Jingyuan forward to defeat the enemy…”

Li Ji curled his lip: "Do you really think I am a military general? I am just a civil official who is leading you to Fengxiang. After we arrive, the military governor of Fengxiang and the Qinlong Defense Commissioner will be in charge of military affairs. At most, I will only assist in the planning. What authority do I have to command the troops of Fufang, Jingyuan and other foreign armies?"

One sentence left Li Sheng speechless.

But Li Ji couldn't help but ask again: "I heard that Commander Li also fought in Longyou and followed Prefect Xue (Xue Jingxian) in battles around the capital region. How could you have produced such soldiers? Are they really completely useless?"

Li Sheng couldn't help but sigh, "Every day we just guard the capital, hoping to stand straight and steady. I want to use military tactics to command them, but they won't obey... Besides, the Weiyuan Battalion may not be incapable of fighting, but the current Weiyuan Army... is really not as good as the Yingwu and Shence armies!" What he meant was that firstly, they had been living a peaceful life for too long, and secondly, the personnel had been diluted too much recently. Especially the second point, there was nothing he could do about it.

Li Ji thought to himself that the situation of the Shence Army was relatively better for the time being, but the Yingwu Army... if I hadn't been supervising it every day, it would probably be in a similar state to the Weiyuan Army. Even so, I was actually planning to give up on at least 30% of the soldiers in the Yingwu Army...

He pointed with his whip and asked, "Among these men, are there any who have followed Magistrate Xue in killing bandits?"

Li Sheng replied dejectedly, "No more than two hundred."

Li Ji said, "Okay, pick out those two hundred men and form them into a separate group to serve as my...our personal guards."

When they set up camp for dinner that evening, Li Ji took his rice bowl and sat down among the two hundred men that Li Sheng had carefully selected for him. He asked each of them their names, backgrounds, and past experiences, and occasionally recounted his battles in Longyou and Heyang, which drew cheers from the crowd. Wang Bo frowned upon seeing this: "Li Changshi is of noble status, how can he be so familiar with these lowly soldiers? What kind of behavior is this!" Li Sheng nodded and said, "If not, how could one earn the name 'Li Erlang' with just brute force?" He then also took his rice bowl and joined the group.

Wang Bo had no choice but to follow... He didn't want to deal with those ordinary soldiers, but if he didn't put on an act, he was afraid he would incur Li Ji's jealousy. Although they were both sixth-rank officials, they were ultimately different in their careers, and his green robe was not as valuable as the one worn by the other.

Six days later, they finally arrived at Fengxiang Prefecture and entered through the west gate. The military governor's office sent a judge to greet them. Li Ji looked closely and recognized him—"Could it be Ban Jun from the same county?"

The other person laughed heartily, stepped forward and grasped Li Ji's hand: "It's been several years since we last met. Changwei... has become even more robust, and his beard has grown quite long."

This man was named Ban Hong. He had previously served as the chief secretary in Xue Jingxian's household and was in charge of affairs in Fengtian County. When Li Bi and his brothers fled Tanshan and arrived in Fengtian, they became acquainted with Ban Hong. Moreover, Ban Hong was from Ji County, making him a semi-fellow townsman of Li Ji. They reminisced about their past interactions, even mentioning that they had once lived at opposite ends of the street…

After Ban Hong arranged the encampment for the Weiyuan Army, he led Li Ji, Li Sheng, and Wang Bo to pay their respects to the military governor Cui Guangyuan and the Qinlong defense commissioner Wei Lun. On the way, Li Ji asked Ban Hong, "Guo Yin is just a minor bandit. How did he manage to gather so many Hu people? I never knew there were so many Hu tribes in Longxi. Where did they all come from?"

Ban Hong explained with a stern face, "They were all driven here by the Tibetans..."

In fact, Li Ji had done his research on the relevant situation before coming, but Ban Hongjiu, who was in Fengxiang, knew more details. According to him, the largest Hu tribe among the rebels was the Dangxiang Qiang, who originally lived scattered outside Longyou and Jianbei, near the source of the Huangshui River. During the Wude and Zhenguan periods, they successively submitted to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty established thirty-two prefectures in their territory, including Yi, Cuo, Lin, and Ke—all established according to the tribes, and their actual territory and population were less than that of a county in the interior. The Dangxiang leader, Tuoba Chici, was also appointed as the governor of Xirong Prefecture, given the surname Li, and enfeoffed as the Duke of Pingxi.