Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 108

When the Hu barbarians had ravaged Fengzhou and finally returned north in February of the second year of the Shangyuan era, Li Ji stood on the city wall of Chencang and looked out into the distance. He saw that the Hu soldiers were all in groups of several hundred, swarming past each other. There was no clear command or coordination between them, and there was no formation at all.

Logically speaking, if one were to travel along the main road and be less than five li from Chencang City, one should have already organized one's troops, ready to switch to a defensive formation at any time, and deployed a sufficient number of scouts in all directions.

"The barbarian invaders are truly deceiving the Tang Dynasty. Do they think the Tang Dynasty has no one to rely on?!"

According to the pre-arranged plan, Li Ji let the vanguard and central ranks of the Hu rebels pass, observing their arrival before inspecting the soldiers within the city. He climbed to a high place to review the troops and boosted morale, saying:

"Though the barbarians are numerous, they all have the will to submit and have no desire to fight; defeating them will not be difficult. Besides, who do you regard me as?"

The soldiers shouted in unison, "Li Erlang! Li Erlang!"

After the shouts subsided, Li Ji waved his hand and said, "Back in Longyou, I wasn't even afraid of the barbarian bandits, let alone these chaotic barbarians. Just follow my orders, fight bravely to kill the enemy, and I will ensure your triumphant return. Those who retreat will die, those who hesitate will die, those who break formation will die, only those who advance will live, and those who kill the enemy will be rewarded!"

"I have already informed the commander that half of the spoils will go to the prefecture and the other half will be divided equally among you all. However, anyone who fights over the spoils and delays military operations, or who secretly hides the spoils and violates military orders, will be executed!"

Ordinary people in this era lack sufficient education and have little concept of nation or ethnicity; they cannot be reasoned with by grand principles. Li Ji had been training this Fengxiang Army for several months and knew that in this era, there were only three ways to make soldiers fight to the death: first, sufficient food; second, strict discipline; and third, leading by example.

To be honest, a sufficient amount of food couldn't be guaranteed, because the government's grain reserves were limited. It was considered quite good if ordinary soldiers could have two and a half dry meals a day. However, although Li Ji loved good food, he was willing to grit his teeth and eat the same food as the soldiers while in the army, which prevented the soldiers from resenting him, disobeying him, or even mutiny.

In reality, aside from a few recruits, those who were conscripted, even if they didn't serve in the military and instead farmed in their hometowns, didn't necessarily have better daily food. Especially in the past two years, with frequent wars and the court's poverty, while people might not have a direct sense of it, the unfavorable weather and years of famine were obvious to everyone. As long as everyone was united and ate the same food, those honest and simple soldiers would have absolutely no complaints.

In this respect, conscription is worse than recruitment. The appetite is not large, the desire is limited, and they are relatively easier to manage, or rather, easier to fool.

Based on this, with strict discipline and leaders taking the lead in battle, Li Ji believed that although the Fengxiang Army was far from reaching the level of the elite Fuyan Army he had previously seen, it was still capable of fighting. Especially since it was a pursuit battle, rather than a head-on frontal open battle.

Therefore, he took out the stored grain beforehand, slaughtered chickens and sheep, and let the soldiers have a good meal. Then he issued an order: "From here, head north for thirty miles to Longzhou. Between Wushan and Qianyang, I will make sure you all have a good meal again. Those who want to eat meat, come with me out of the city to kill the bandits!"

So they opened the west gate of Chencang wide, and Li Ji leaped onto his horse, spear in hand, and charged out first.

The Hu barbarians encountered virtually no resistance during their southward raids, except for their final attack on Liangquan, the capital of Fengzhou. The Fengzhou governor, Xiao Zhai, was entirely unaware of this; despite Li Ding's warning, he failed to take any precautions, and the Hu arrived before the city gates could even be closed. He thus underestimated the Tang people, believing that after last year's uproar, Fengxiang was no longer capable of fighting, and that with the Fuyan army retreating, who would dare stop them?

Actually, you've been wandering around for months, Fu Yanjun could easily come again...

Thus, the Hu barbarians passed through the outskirts of Chencang without any precautions. In particular, the vanguard and the main force had already passed safely, and the rearguard became even more relaxed. Everyone was focused on hurrying back to their hometowns so they could show off their loot to their wives and children.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Ji led his troops in a charge. The Hu barbarians were greatly alarmed, and upon first contact, Li Ji killed two of their generals, causing them to completely collapse. Seeing that the Hu barbarians were nothing special, the courage hidden in the blood of the Fengxiang army was ignited. Each soldier took up weapons and followed Li Ji, fighting bravely against the enemy.

The wild animals scattered all over the mountains and fields, and Li Ji chased after them while secretly regretting his actions.

What a wonderful opportunity! If my troops were all battle-hardened elites, with plenty of cavalry, I could easily divide them into several small squads and scatter to hunt down enemies, surely reaping even greater rewards. The problem is that the Fengxiang army consists mostly of conscripts who have only undergone less than six months of training. Fighting in formation might suppress their fear and maintain discipline, but if they are scattered, and they encounter a tough opponent, they might end up losing more than they gain…

Ignoring the scattered Hu tribesmen for the time being, Li Ji focused on the enemy's main force, pursuing and killing them northward along the road, biting off pieces of the long, serpentine enemy army's tail. Twenty or thirty li passed in the blink of an eye, until he entered Longzhou territory, and finally encountered several thousand Hu tribesmen north of Nanyou County, who lined up to block his way.

However, the battlefield the enemy had planned was quite unfavorable to them—and they had no choice in which one to choose—Nanyou County was located to the northwest of Wushan County, less than five miles away. If the Tang army encountered setbacks, they could retreat into the two county towns to defend at any time, while the Hu people would have to worry about the two cities sending troops to support and encircle them.

Although Li Ji knew very well that the two cities only had a few hundred garrison soldiers, barely able to defend themselves, let alone have the strength to go out and support his army, especially since there had been no prior notice or military order, the county magistrate and the garrison commander dared not act rashly. But Luan Hu didn't understand this. He originally thought that the Tang people wouldn't dare to come out of Chencang City, but so what? Even without extra troops to guard against them, he would still be worried.

Thus, Li Ji disregarded the fact that the enemy's formation was complete—actually, it was far from complete, but for the Hu people, such a sparse and crooked formation could be considered a battle array—and pointed his lance forward, shouting to his soldiers: "Do you still have any strength left? If we break through the enemy in front of us, we can set up camp and cook our own food. We can feast on the Hu grain and sheep we just seized!"

For those peasant soldiers, the promise of a thousand pieces of gold was a lie—and certainly no one would believe it—but the promise of a full meal, or even meat, was likely to boost their morale.

Immediately, Li Ji led nearly a hundred recruited cavalrymen to charge into the enemy ranks. Despite a hail of arrows from the barbarians, they could not harm him in the slightest. This small cavalry unit was like a sharp blade, cutting directly into the barbarian formation and heading straight for the banner.

Seeing this, the Hu general under his command hurriedly drew his bow to shoot Li Ji, but both arrows were deflected by his lance. Seeing that the enemy was close, he had no choice but to bite the bullet, pick up his spear, and thrust it at Li Ji.

As their weapons clashed, with a sharp crack, the Hu general staggered on his horse. Realizing he was no match, he immediately turned his horse and fled in disarray. Without a word, Li Ji hurled his lance, striking the Hu general squarely in the back, piercing his chest and pinning him to the ground. Then, Li Ji drew his double maces from his back with a snap, cleaving the banner in two.

With the banner falling, the Hu formation fell into chaos, and the Fengxiang army seized the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack, slaughtering the Hu soldiers who cried out for their fathers and mothers, and their forces collapsed like a mountain collapsing.

After the battle, it was nearly dusk. Li Ji was still in high spirits, but looking at his subordinates, almost all of them looked exhausted. He knew that this was the limit. For such a force, let alone killing bandits on the road, even if there were no alarms around, it was already remarkable that most of them hadn't fallen behind during a forced march of thirty miles.

He then ordered An to prepare food and instructed his subordinates: "Take my order and go to Nanyou and Wushan counties. Order the county magistrates to organize soldiers to come and help guard the prisoners."

Along the way, they had killed no fewer than five hundred Hu people, many of whose bodies lay by the roadside, their heads yet to be severed; they had also captured over a thousand Hu rebels, and diverting too many men to guard them would inevitably deplete their fighting strength. Don't think the battle is over yet; tens of thousands more Hu rebels lie ahead. If the Binning army in Fengxiang Prefecture cannot arrive in time to flank and intercept them, some Hu tribes might even turn back to fight, attempting a counterattack.

—Because the Binning army suffered a major defeat inexplicably during their last campaign against the Hu, Li Ji had little confidence in them.

The barbarians scattered countless supplies along the road, including dozens of sheep that appeared to be of Qingzhou breed. They were probably the sheep that Ban Hong had obtained from the Tuoba tribe and transported south to exchange for rice. Li Ji ordered them all to be slaughtered, boiled into a large pot of mutton soup, and distributed to the soldiers.

Each soldier received an unlimited supply of brown rice or coarse bread, plus a bowl of thick mutton soup, with at least one mutton bone still containing bits of meat. Li Ji received the same rations, but as he drank his soup, he couldn't help but miss Qingluan, who was far away in Chang'an—he used to eat Qingluan's delicious mutton soup, but he had almost forgotten how to make it. He never knew mutton soup could taste so bad…

Yes, the army has salt, but lacks spices and wine; no wonder the smell of mutton is so strong.

The counties of Nanyou and Wushan dared not disobey Li Ji's order, and each sent a county constable with several dozen soldiers and more than a hundred able-bodied men to join and assist them. Li Ji greeted the two county constables: "Have you eaten yet? Come, come, share the army's rations with me."

After dark, the soldiers had eaten and drunk their fill, and the camp was set up quite securely. Li Ji was inspecting the surroundings and assigning guards for the night when Wu Shan County Lieutenant ran over to ask for instructions: "Many of those barbarians are complaining of hunger and hope to be given food—just some coarse, half-full rations will do."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but glare at them: "They dare to ask for food?!"

The county magistrate of Wushan smiled and replied, "I have done a rough screening. There are about thirty nobles and generals from various departments, and half of them are starving. I suppose they saw that the chief clerk did not kill them, and he intended to offer them as prisoners. He would not let them starve to death. They are just being delusional."

Li Ji frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "What do you think?"

Wu Shan County Lieutenant bowed with his hands clasped and replied in a low voice, "Those nobles and generals, since they are going to present the captives for entertainment, they should at least give them some food. As for the remaining barbarians, why waste food? We might as well kill them, which would save us some manpower."

He worried that tomorrow, all the thousands of prisoners would be escorted to Fengxiang Prefecture. Since he and his men had taken on the responsibility of guarding them, would they also have to go on a long journey? Although the government army had won, there were still remnants of the barbarians in the prefecture. It was safest to stay in the city.

Li Ji thought for a moment, then sneered, "What are you offering as prisoners? Offering heads will suffice." He ordered the generals following him, "Lead your troops over there, and kill all the captured Hu people, regardless of their status, and bring their heads to me."

Previously, when he saw Cui Guangyuan about to kill prisoners, he had felt a pang of pity and intended to give them a chance to live. However, after months of traveling back and forth and hearing about the devastation suffered by Fengzhou, he gradually erased all the remaining humanitarian thoughts from his previous life. Even prisoners, or even surrendered bandits, if they were useless or not worth supporting, were killed—this was the common practice of this era. Since he had transmigrated to this world, how could he not adapt to local customs and blend in with the crowd?

The key issue is that there's no surplus grain in the manor. Even if I take all those prisoners back to Fengxiang, judging from Li Ding's intentions, they'll still be killed. They'll die sooner or later anyway, so why waste a few more days' worth of food? I'm compassionate, I consider both Tang and Hu people as human beings, and I have humanitarian ideals—that's all fine, but first, I need to have the ability and the strength to do so.

To attempt to lift mountains and take tripods when one's strength is insufficient is to invite certain death!

So in one night, they killed more than a thousand barbarians, cut off their heads, and filled several large carts with them.

The next day, Li Ji turned east and returned to Fengxiang Prefecture. On the way, he learned that the Binning army had not failed this time. They had also gone out of the city to attack the Hu yesterday, capturing and killing thousands of people. The remaining Hu fled back to Jing and Qing.

Li Ding then reported to the court, claiming a great victory. Ban Hong also took advantage of this to sever commercial ties with the Tuoba tribe. Not long after, Li Chaoxian went to Fengxiang Prefecture again, repeatedly pleading with Li Ding, saying that it was Nuci who had previously disturbed the Tang Dynasty, and that it had nothing to do with the Tang people. He begged the commander not to take his anger out on his tribe.

Li Ding did not dare to press him too hard for the time being, so he asked, "I want to avenge Nu Ci, is it possible for the Dangxiang to come to my aid?"

Li Chaoxian readily agreed: "If the commander sends troops to attack, my troops will certainly come out in full to help and together destroy the Nuci!"

In reality, Li Ding was just making a statement. Not only was he powerless to attack Nuci, but Nuci was also located in Jingzhou and Qingzhou, which were not under his jurisdiction. Crossing the border to wage war would certainly require the court's approval first. He was merely expressing his stance. He then instructed Ban Hong to continue doing business with the Tuoba tribe, but to reduce the amount of salt produced, lest they become too fat.

As for Li Ji, he continued to train the Fengxiang Army and hoped for a good harvest next year so that he could increase the number of soldiers and even recruit more soldiers so that he could find an opportunity to go north and wipe out the Nuci—if the situation allowed, it would be best to take the opportunity to wipe out the Dangxiang as well! But who would have thought that only a month later, he was summoned back by imperial decree.

Because Li Guangbi was defeated.

Chapter Nine, Cursed Killing of the Great Thief

In Heyang, Li Guangbi fought against Shi Siming for a long time and gradually regained the upper hand. At the end of last year, he even captured Huaizhou, captured An Taiqing alive, and escorted him to Chang'an to be beheaded.

As a result, the court gradually became complacent about the enemy. Some scoundrel went to persuade Yu Chaoen, saying, "The soldiers in Luoyang are all from Yan. They have been stationed there for a long time and are longing to return home. Their morale is low. We can defeat them if we attack them quickly." Yu Chaoen thought this was a good idea and repeatedly submitted memorials to Li Heng, requesting that the Shaanxi-Guo army and the Tang army in Heyang be sent to attack from the east and west to recapture Luoyang.

Li Heng issued an edict to seek Li Guangbi's opinion, to which Li Guangbi replied, "The enemy's advance is still sharp; we must not advance rashly." Li Heng was not satisfied and bypassed Li Guangbi to seek the opinion of Pugu Huai'en, who instead said that Luoyang could be taken.

From Chang'an to Heyang, eunuchs carrying imperial edicts were constantly on the road, issuing multiple decrees urging Li Guangbi to launch a counterattack. Left with no other choice, Li Guangbi could only leave Li Baoyu, the military governor of Zheng and Chen, to defend Heyang, while he himself led a large army to Mangshan.

Li Guangbi ordered his troops to form a defensive line on the terrain, intending to wait for the Shaanxi-Guo army to attack from the east. However, Pugu Huai'en believed that a decisive victory could be achieved on the plains, so he led the Shuofang army to set up a line on flat ground. Li Guangbi repeatedly issued orders, but Pugu Huai'en simply ignored them.

At this critical moment, the disastrous consequences of the discord among the Tang army's generals in Heyang finally came to light.

In order to quickly gain control of the Shuofang Army, Li Guangbi used force and coercion to suppress his troops. Upon arriving at the front line, he killed Zhang Yongji. On the battlefield, he repeatedly threatened to kill generals to control his troops. As a result, the Shuofang Army generals below Pugu Huaien were only outwardly respectful of Li Guangbi, but inwardly resentful of his power and not his virtue.

Especially since their former superior, Guo Ziyi, was completely the opposite of Li Guangbi, the Shuofang army generals naturally felt even more disgusted with Li Guangbi when they thought of Guo Ziyi.

Previously, after conquering Huaizhou and capturing An Taiqing, Pugu Yang noticed that An Taiqing's wife was quite beautiful, so he abducted her to his own camp. Li Guangbi ordered his men to demand her return—An Taiqing was a high-ranking general among the rebels, and might be pardoned after being taken to Chang'an as a "princeling," how could you take his wife first?—Pugu Yang ignored him completely and even ordered his soldiers to surround his tent for protection.

Li Guangbi personally led his troops to the scene, killing seven Shuofang soldiers before finally rescuing An Taiqing's wife. Pugu Huai'en was furious and confronted Li Guangbi, saying, "Lord Li, you actually killed government soldiers for the sake of a rebel?!"

From then on, he opposed Li Guangbi in everything. Li Guangbi said it was not the right time to recapture Luoyang, but Pugu Huaien insisted on submitting a memorial saying it was possible. Li Guangbi ordered that troops be deployed in strategic locations, but Pugu Huaien insisted on deploying his troops on the plains.

Taking advantage of the Tang army's hesitation and incomplete formation, Shi Siming launched a surprise attack, resulting in a major defeat for the Tang army. Thousands were killed or wounded, and military supplies and equipment were scattered all over the ground. Li Guangbi and Pugu Huai'en fled in disarray to Wenxi, and Li Baoyu was also forced to abandon Heyang. The rebel army thus captured Heyang and Huaizhou.

Then, taking advantage of their victory, they attacked the Shaanxi-Guo army again, forcing Yu Chaoen and Wei Boyu to withdraw their troops back to Shanzhou.

Upon receiving the report, Li Heng was greatly alarmed and hastily ordered troops from all directions to reinforce Shanzhou in order to strengthen the defense of the eastern part of the capital. At the same time, he also ordered Li Ji to be summoned back from Fengxiang immediately!

Li Ji may not be a great general, but he is a fierce one. If Shanzhou falls and we have to abandon Chang'an and go on the western hunt, I will feel more at ease with Li Ji by my side...

After receiving the imperial edict, Li Ji hurriedly bid farewell to Li Ding and rode alone to Chang'an.

Along the way, he couldn't help but let his mind wander, wondering if the past would really repeat itself...

While Wei Boyu was undoubtedly a capable general, and the Shaanxi-Guo army was based on the Shence and other Longxi armies, having fought countless battles over the years, they could not be considered a weak force. However, Li Guangbi's defeat and the loss of Heyang had dealt a severe blow to morale. Given the organizational capabilities of armies in those days, even if Shi Siming were to launch a full-scale attack, victory would not be guaranteed. Moreover, Yu Chaoen was still in Shanzhou; who knew what trouble that eunuch traitor might cause?

Once the Shaanxi-Guo army is defeated and Shanzhou falls, Tongguan Pass will be next. However, Tongguan Pass has never been fully repaired since it was captured by An Lushan, and it may not be able to hold off the rebels for long. Perhaps the fall of the two capitals will be no more than a year away, forcing Li Heng to follow in his father's footsteps and embark on another western hunt…

Otherwise, why would he be in such a hurry to call me back? Does he expect me to protect him? What a pipe dream!

The Imperial Guards of today, mainly composed of the Yingwu, Shence, and Weiyuan divisions, should be far more powerful than they were five years ago. However, given Li Heng's weak character, he likely wouldn't dare rely on the Imperial Guards to defend Chang'an to the death. At the same time, the Imperial Guards are even more arrogant than before—and Liu Xixian is still at large—they might even stage another coup after leaving Chang'an and reaching some post station.

Please kill Empress Zhang and her cronies who have brought chaos to the country!

To save his own life, Li Heng would undoubtedly sacrifice his wife, then set off in a weeping and wailing manner, with the elders of the capital blocking the road and weeping. He would then be forced to leave his son, Crown Prince Li Yu, to cover their retreat and hold off the pursuing troops. This would allow Li Yu to rush to Lingwu, where, at his son's urging, he would ascend the throne and, from afar, honor Li Heng as the Retired Emperor…

"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise." Perhaps, in the long run, this outcome is not so bad.

Wait, no... Li Yu might not be able to go to Lingwu, because Li Heng will most likely go...

When the retired emperor fled west to Shu, although Li Heng replaced most of the officials in Shu over the next few years after returning to the capital, the old emperor's influence still remained. The old man is not dead yet. If he were to travel to Shu with Li Heng, would Li Heng feel at ease? Moreover, the barbarian bandits have been invading Jiannan for years... Li Heng will most likely not go west, but will head directly north to Shuofang, his former place of origin.

Especially since the Uyghurs had a new master, the Wuyi Chenggong Khan (Dunmohedagan) was even more submissive than the previous Yingwu Weiyuan Khan, and often sent envoys to Chang'an to inquire about Li Heng's well-being. Therefore, it was highly likely that Li Heng would flee to Lingwu, where he could either borrow troops from the Uyghurs again or rely on them for protection.

If Li Heng went to Lingwu, where could Li Yu go? To Shu?

The roads to Shu are difficult to traverse. If he were to actually go to Jiannan, it would be much more difficult for him to get ahead of his father. He would need to settle down somewhere closer to his father to have any hope of acting arbitrarily or even seizing the throne.

Perhaps he could only flee to Longyou, where his brothers were after all. The problem was that Longyou had just been invaded by barbarian tribes, and Shanzhou had fallen. If Li Tan raised an army to help Li Yu recapture Chang'an, Longyou might very well fall completely…

Forget it, don't run away. Li Heng, you'd better grit your teeth and not follow your father's example!

After entering Chang'an through the Golden Gate, Li Ji noticed that the number of people on the streets had decreased significantly since he left, and the city was desolate, its former prosperity gone. He understood that many officials and wealthy families had gradually sent their members outside the city to prevent any unforeseen events from causing them to be unable to escape in time.

Although the rebels are still far away, back in the day, when Geshu Han went out to fight, it only took three days for Tongguan to fall, and only four days for Li Longji to abandon the city and flee... Especially since that bastard emperor ran away without a word, without telling anyone. Back then, An Lushan was cautious and stopped his troops at Tongguan for a full ten days, only entering the city after finding out that Li Longji had fled. Now, it's hard to say what will happen with Shi Siming.

Therefore, without prior preparation, in the event of an emergency, the entire family might not be able to escape. Or, as happened five years ago, the emperor's hasty "western hunt" left Chang'an without a ruler, leading to rampant banditry and widespread looting by soldiers and civilians...

Seeing this, Li Ji felt somewhat disheartened.

But he didn’t go home immediately. Instead, he went to the West Market first and finally found a meat stall that was still open. He spent three hundred coins to buy two catties of lamb leg meat. When he got home, he called to Qingluan: “Cook a pot of fragrant and tender lamb soup for me to eat.”

Previously, in the Fengxiang army, the mutton soup with little salt, no wine, and no spices had disgusted him to no end, but the soldiers who rarely ate meat on a daily basis ate it with great relish. In order to show that he shared weal and woe with his soldiers, Li Ji could only grit his teeth and swallow it down...

Qingluan was overjoyed to receive Li Ji, but she couldn't help but complain, "Why didn't you send someone to inform us first, so I could have made preparations..."

Li Ji smiled wryly and said, "You must know about the war in Henan, right? The city is in such chaos and the market is so desolate, how could I dare to delay? Having received the imperial edict, I naturally rushed back without stopping."

Qingluan asked, "Shall we go to the palace immediately?"

Li Ji shook his head: "I rushed back because I was worried about you. As for official business... Shi Siming will not fly to Chang'an."

Qingluan was deeply moved by these words and hurriedly tugged at Li Ji's sleeve, saying, "With you here, my lord, I feel at peace. Please, my lord, do not abandon me!"

Li Ji put his arm around Qingluan, offered a few comforting words, and then said, "Go to the kitchen and make some soup. I'll go visit some friends first to ask about the recent situation so I can respond accordingly."

There was nothing urgent, so it wasn't convenient for Li Ji to visit Li Shi during the day. Instead, Li Ji went to Li Qijun's residence. After Li Qijun was stationed in Shangzhou, he had written to Li Ji, saying, "Don't worry, I will take care of Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and others—since they are your friends, they are like my own nephews and nieces." He also told Li Ji that he had left his wife, children, and Li Guayan in Chang'an, and asked him to look after them if he returned from Fengxiang.

Upon arriving at the Li residence, Li Laopeng and Li Guayan greeted him, and Li Ji inquired about the latest news from the east. Although neither of his sons had entered officialdom, Li Qiyun had served as an official in Chang'an for many years and had many relatives and friends. It was certain that these two officials would be keen to inquire about such matters concerning their lives and fortunes, and they must have had their own channels of information.

Li Laopeng then explained: "After defeating the government army, Shi Chaoyi wanted to take advantage of the victory and enter Guanzhong. He sent his son Shi Chaoyi as the vanguard to attack Shaanxi from the north, while he himself led the main army from the south. Wei Boyu of Shanzhou sent troops to counterattack. In three days and five battles, he defeated Shi Chaoyi in succession. As a result, Shi Chaoyi did not dare to advance alone and temporarily retreated to Yongning."

He paused for a moment, then said, "This news came three days ago."

Li Ji asked them, "Why don't you all go outside the city first?"

Li Laopeng and Li Guayan exchanged a glance before sighing, "To be honest, we have already sent my mother and younger brother to Shangzhou to live with my father. However, the recent imperial decree strictly forbids officials' wives and children from leaving Chang'an without permission. Therefore, if we delay even a step, we will be unable to leave."

Li Ji patted his chest and said, "If there is any emergency, come to my humble abode, and I will escort you out of the city."

In truth, he felt much more at ease. After all, the Shaanxi-Guo army was no pushover. If the rebels, riding the wave of victory, were to surge forward, he might not be able to withstand them. But since Wei Boyu had already defeated Shi Chaoyi repeatedly and forced Shi Siming to retreat to Yongning, it meant that the rebels had lost their momentum. The Shaanxi-Guo army, taking advantage of their terrain, should be able to hold out for a considerable period of time.

Of course, the current situation in Shanzhou is somewhat similar to that of Tongguan in the past. Holding the city might ensure its safety, but if a large-scale offensive is launched to engage the enemy in open battle, the outcome is unpredictable. Hopefully, Li Heng will not follow his father Li Longji's example and force Wei Boyu to fight like Geshu Han.

However, his previous repeated urging of Li Guangbi to recapture Luoyang was almost a replica of the Battle of Tongguan... You know, although the father and son are now at odds, with Li Heng finding all sorts of excuses to avoid seeing his father and Li Longji hoping that his son would also be overthrown in a coup, when it comes to their personalities, especially when it comes to the things that go wrong, the father and son are really cut from the same cloth...

Li Ji wondered, "Should I hurry to the palace to report for duty?"

If I'm not in a hurry to enter the palace, and news of a defeat arrives from the front lines, causing Li Heng to flee in disarray, then I won't be able to protect him. But is it necessary for me to protect him? It would be better to protect Qingluan, Li Guayan, and other relatives and friends, and fight my way out of the city, perhaps even heading west to join Li Ding, or even Li Tan.

But I have an imperial decree to carry out, and I can't delay for too long, otherwise I'll be guilty of disobeying the imperial order... Oh well, I've already worked so hard for so long, I might as well sleep all day tomorrow, rest and recuperate, and go to the palace the day after tomorrow.

He had a beautiful plan, but his every move was actually being monitored by others. That evening, after Li Ji had eaten and drunk his fill, he was about to create an ambiguous atmosphere and go to sleep with Qingluan when he was informed that Li Shi had come to visit.

Li Shi was naturally more informed about news from the front lines. He told Li Ji, "The traitor Shi has ordered his son Chaoyi to build Sanyu City west of Xiaoshan Mountain to store military supplies and provisions. It seems that he plans to launch a major attack on Shaanxi after making preparations, hoping to open the gateway to Jingdong."

In truth, Li Shi had considerable confidence in Wei Boyu and the Shaanxi-Guo army, but he couldn't help but worry about his mother—Consort Shen was still in Shanzhou. In this chaotic world, what would happen if something were to happen to her? He said, "I also sent a letter to Shanzhou, asking my mother not to move elsewhere, but I haven't heard from her yet..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "You're not planning to make me make a trip to Shanzhou again to fetch my mother, are you? I might as well become the Crown Prince's concubine's bodyguard." He waited for Li Shi to speak, but Li Shi seemed a little embarrassed, especially since he hadn't received his mother's reply yet. Therefore, he only left it as a prelude and didn't intend to ask Li Ji to set off immediately.

After waiting for a while, Li Ji saw that Li Shi remained silent, and then asked, "What countermeasures does the court have?"

Li Shi smiled bitterly and said, "We can only send more troops to aid Shaanxi. What other plan do we have?" He paused, then pursed his lips slightly and said, "By the way, yesterday the Emperor summoned monks and Taoists to the palace to build an altar and perform rituals to curse Shi Siming and ask him to die quickly."