Chapter 134: The Car Door Has Already Been Welded Shut

The Agarwood Pavilion was a leisure spot within Xingqing Palace. Located northeast of the Dragon Pool within the palace grounds, it was a pavilion with red bricks and dark tiles, a foundation and railing built of white marble, surrounded by lush trees and rippling blue waters. This beautiful scenery often made Li Longji, weary of state affairs, feel comfortable and relaxed.

At this very moment, the setting sun at dusk was reflected in the lake waters, a sheet of brilliant red. Such a scene inevitably called to mind the grandeur of "the evening sun is infinitely fine."

The sound of strings and bamboo instruments from within the Agarwood Pavilion was unceasing. The Tang Emperor Li Longji was blindfolded with a black silk band, playing "blindman's bluff" inside the pavilion.

To one side, Lei Haiqing knitted his brow, his hands never ceasing to play the pipa. The music was sometimes slow and soothing, sometimes tight and urgent, moving with the "rhythm of the game."

"Sage, I'm right here! Come over! Hahahahaha!"

From behind Li Longji came a teasing voice, soft and seductive. The young woman speaking was dressed in men's clothing. Though without makeup, her beauty was undeniable, and she possessed a martial bearing and upright stature that ordinary women lacked.

Her appearance was eighty percent similar to Yang Yuhuan's, but more slender, and she appeared even more fit and vibrant.

"Sage, over here, over here, I'm right here."

To Li Longji's left was a young woman with a face similar to the one who had just spoken, only her figure was more petite and her expression more tender, making one feel tender affection at the sight of her, wanting to hold her in their arms and care for her.

Not only that, not far in front of Li Longji was another woman with a face similar to those two, looking slightly more mature, but elegant and refined with a scholarly air. She was also more reserved, merely clapping her hands toward Li Longji and uttering interjections like "oh, oh."

These three women were all Yang Yuhuan's older sisters. They had already been brought to Chang'an by Li Longji's people and respectively titled Lady of Han, Lady of Guo, and Lady of Qin. Since they were called "Lady," they naturally were all married women.

Brother Ji loved the house and its crows, granting all three of their husbands the position of Inspector, transferring them away from Chang'an to take up posts elsewhere—a truly boundless imperial grace.

When Li Longji felt bored, he often invited the three women to Xingqing Palace for amusement, frequently lasting through the night. Of course, since Brother Ji had already titled the three women as "Lady," it was naturally impossible to title them as Noble Consort or the like.

So the relationship between the three women and this Tang Emperor was very delicate, in that sort of situation where "whatever you say it is, it is."

If one were to say the three women had no relationship with Brother Ji, theoretically speaking, there was indeed no relationship at all.

But if one were to truly say there was no relationship at all, these three women, contrary to expectation, frequently came and went from Xingqing Palace, often not returning all night.

Yang Yuhuan's accidental death made this passionate Tang Emperor understand one thing:

To only enjoy having once possessed, without caring about everlasting eternity—this was the norm of the human world!

Since each had their own lives, then just playing around casually would do, wouldn't it? Why fuss over so many titles?

Without a title, there was no so-called moral pressure. Without granting a title, there was no so-called "debauchery and lack of principle." Wasn't this kind of life comfortable?

Yang Yuhuan's departure untied the knot in Brother Ji's heart that had been there since Empress Wang was deposed.

As for these days, as long as one lived happily, that was enough. Those things like propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame—sometimes they were merely a burden to the ruler, with no meaning other than making him miserable.

Once one played deaf and dumb and began to enjoy oneself, then as long as there was no hard evidence, all those foul deeds simply did not exist. Playing with these three beautiful ladies without granting them titles meant that Li Longji, this Tang Emperor, remained a paragon for the people of the realm.

This was exactly what Brother Ji believed.

"Yaoyao! It's you, isn't it! I've caught you!"

Li Longji spun around and lunged, catching the Lady of Qin in his arms.

"Sage, you're so bad, I'm not Yaoyao!"

The Lady of Qin coquettishly protested, hastily breaking free from Li Longji's embrace.

Li Longji removed the silk band from his eyes to look, and sure enough, it was not the Lady of Guo, Yang Yuyao. He laughed heartily and kissed the Lady of Qin repeatedly.

"Then tonight, you shall keep me company in my bedchamber. Mm, as for you two, wait outside the room. You're not allowed to run off, understood? If you run off, I'll be angry!"

Li Longji said with a mock stern face. All three women were bashful and covered their mouths, giggling secretly.

Just then, Gao Lishi hurried in. Though his expression was still fairly composed, from the speed of his steps one could tell that something major had definitely happened!

Having his mood spoiled by Gao Lishi, Li Longji was somewhat displeased.

But he still kept his composure, and asked in an displeased tone: "Lishi, what has made you so alarmed?"

Gao Lishi glanced around. Li Longji understood and gently waved his hand. Lei Haiqing and the three ladies reluctantly withdrew, leaving only Gao Lishi behind.

"Sage, news from five days ago has just arrived in Chang'an today.

The Tibetans have captured Jiuquan City in Suzhou. Now, of the five prefectures of Hexi, the Tang has already lost two. It all depends on whether Shazhou can be held.

If Shazhou can still be held, then the Western Regions will likely not see any trouble.

If Shazhou is also lost, then the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate must dispatch troops to retake Shazhou.

The Tibetan army is strong, and having seized two Hexi prefectures, they have obtained supplies. I fear this battle will be hard to decide within this year."

Gao Lishi said with deep concern.

In reality, the current situation was even more severe than what he described.

Two prefectures of the Hexi Corridor being controlled by Tibet was an unprecedented loss for the Tang, because the Western Regions trade route was severed, and this involved enormous wealth. Losing five prefectures in Longyou did not pain Brother Ji as much as this did now!

Because the Western Regions trade route was blocked, with fewer of the rare treasures coming from the Western Regions, the quality of life for Brother Ji and the Chang'an nobles would decline considerably!

If Shazhou fell as well, then the Tibetans would have built up their momentum. In the Western Regions, the number of Han commoners was not large, and many of the other inhabitants were descendants of people from small Western Regions states that had been conquered since the Han dynasty. Their attitude toward the Tang was not necessarily so loyal. It would be perfectly normal for them to stir up some kind of trouble then.

"What is going on with Wang Zhongsi? I gave him fifty to sixty thousand troops, and this is how he fights?"

Li Longji, his face showing anger, asked in dissatisfaction.

The situation in Hexi was indeed not good. The wealth, silk, and provisions supported by the court were all stockpiled in Liangzhou, the storehouses were piled full, but they just could not be delivered to Shazhou!

Several waves of messengers sent in succession were all intercepted by the Tibetans. As for the current situation there, the court was completely in the dark.

"Sage, changing commanders on the eve of battle is a great taboo of the military. Moreover, the main force of our Tang army has not yet been damaged, and this battle is still worth fighting. It is just that the border army is blocked here in Suzhou and cannot continue westward, which is indeed a problem. The urgent priority is to learn how things stand in Shazhou."

Gao Lishi still had some insight into political affairs. As soon as Li Longji heard his explanation, he immediately abandoned the idea of replacing the Hexi Military Commissioner.

The only problem now was that the road to Shazhou had been cut off by the Tibetans. And with Guazhou as a foothold, the Tibetans were continuously dispatching troops there to strengthen their defensive forces.

"Lishi, you personally go to the office and tell the Left Minister (Zhang Shougui), ask him whether he is willing to personally go to Hexi to take command. Also mobilize thirty thousand troops from Longyou to reinforce Suzhou. You must ensure that the Western Regions trade route remains unobstructed!"

Li Longji said bitterly.

He had originally thought the realm was already at peace, that he had already created a nation of "heavenly splendor and earthly treasures." As a result, he was slapped in the face by the Tibetans. They couldn't even guarantee the Western Regions trade route was clear—so what "heavenly splendor and earthly treasures" was there to boast about?

Why did the Tibetans still come to cause trouble? Why weren't they dead yet?

Li Longji's heart was filled with resentment.

"This servant will go at once."

Gao Lishi said, bowing with hands crossed.

"Mm, go quickly and return quickly."

Li Longji waved his hand with a gloomy expression and said.

After Gao Lishi left, Li Longji immediately put on a smiling face and walked with light steps toward the bedchamber.

No matter how fierce the fighting at the border towns, it was still a hundred and eight thousand li from Chang'an. Life was short; when it was time to enjoy oneself, not a moment could be lost.

He was the Sage of the Great Tang, and also the master of the Great Tang. Everything here was decided by him.

Whether others were well or not did not matter; what mattered was whether he himself was happy.

Tonight, being together with Yang Yuhuan's three older sisters, Brother Ji felt very happy indeed!

……

Whether the wealthy households of the small city of Dunhuang or the common folk, these past few days everyone had been mobilized to clear the stones hurled into the city, rebuild the outer structures of the karez wells, and repair the damaged houses. Though the city was busy, order was perfectly maintained, and no panic could be seen on people's faces.

The bed crossbows on the city walls that had been destroyed by the Tibetans were all repaired as well. As for the corpses and bloodstains both inside and outside the city, they had long since been cleaned away.

The Tibetans had been defeated, and the people here had restored their confidence in the Tang army.

Fang Chongyong, now, because of his earlier "divine foresight," had already been hailed as a godlike figure by the locals of Shazhou. And so those Western Region foreign merchants who liked to meddle in things gave Fang Chongyong a nickname: "Qilin Lad of Hexi," to spread word of his miraculousness.

What was a qilin?

The "Gongyang Commentary" recorded: "The lin is a benevolent beast."

According to legend, the auspicious beast known as the qilin had a habit: it would only appear in the reign of a benevolent ruler who accomplished deeds—that is, the so-called "it comes when there is a true king; it does not come when there is no true king."

If Fang Chongyong was the Qilin Lad, then who was the benevolent ruler? And who was the true king?

It could only be understood intuitively, not expressed in words; those who understood, understood.

The coining of this name was deeply significant—one could tell at a glance that someone was pushing the waves from behind.

"Come, Qilin Lad, time to eat."

At the entrance of the study in the rear courtyard of the government office, Anaya patted the food box in her hands and called out to Fang Chongyong, who was writing at his desk.

"Aren't you tired of being annoying like this?"

Fang Chongyong retorted irritably, but saw Anaya walking in carrying the box with food in it.

"How strange. This was clearly something you asked me to get those foreign merchants to spread to the outside world. Now that I call you Qilin Lad, you're actually unhappy about it."

Anaya couldn't help but tease.

"What do you know? This is called hype—it's a high-end form of flattery! Flattery without leaving a trace.

With auspicious signs upon me, I'm immune to all poisons. Coining this name is essentially infinite profit with zero investment.

You Hexi country girl will understand once you follow me to Chang'an to see the world. Over there, fighting and killing is useless—you have to rely on this."

Fang Chongyong set down his brush and pointed at his own head as he spoke.

He opened the food box, and sure enough, inside was once again hu bread with extra ingredients.

When the Tibetans hadn't yet left, in order to hold out longer, Fang Chongyong had all the stored grain made into dry hu bread that was easy to carry, easy to distribute, and especially filling.

It was just that however smug he had been then, that was how bitter he felt now. Because the Tibetans departed a little "too early," those hu breads hadn't all been eaten and were piled up in the government office storehouse. Thank goodness the climate here was dry enough to preserve corpses for a thousand years without decay—otherwise those hu breads would have gone bad long ago.

Even so, Young Master Fang also ate this hard-to-swallow dry hu bread every day, leading by example, his brows furrowed into the shape of the character that looks like a river—the bitterness in his mouth was his alone to know. He felt he was exactly the kind of colossal sucker who had shown off and made a fool of himself, yet had had no other choice at the time.

Suddenly, Anaya also put away her smile and leaned close to Fang Chongyong with an air of mystery, lowering her voice as she said: "While buying vegetables today, I heard a piece of news that I don't know is true or false. A refugee who fled from Suzhou said that Jiuquan City has already fallen, and now Suzhou is also under the Tibetans' control."

"Just as expected."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, showing no surprise on his face—these things had long been within his expectations.

In fact, when he first heard that the Tibetans had successfully stormed Jiayu Pass (which had not yet been built into a city at this time), he knew things were dire and Suzhou would be very hard to hold.

The situation now was that the Tibetans occupied the strategic advantage of Jiayu Pass, blocking the Tang army east of Guazhou. And now they had also seized Jiuquan City, driving Tang forces back to the Kongtong Mountains area in the east! They were already very close to the garrison of the Jiankang Army.

The Tang army's central camp was now established at the Jiankang Army garrison, controlling the gateway to the west of Ganzhou.

The dilemma Wang Zhongsi now faced was this: a steady, methodical advance was difficult to break through with, and forcibly dispatching cavalry for a raid would be met by ambush troops from Jiayu Pass picking off the reinforcements. The Tibetans' supplies were not great, and the Tang army's were only slightly better. If this battle continued to drag on, it could be said to be, to some extent, a case of "both sides suffering defeat."

Perhaps both sides were waiting for the other to reveal a weakness, and so temporarily maintained the stalemate of the war.

Fang Chongyong silently calculated the state of the battle in his heart, the hu bread in his mouth like chewing wax.

"Aren't you surprised at all?"

Anaya asked curiously. She had originally thought this would be earth-shattering news for Fang Chongyong.

Even she, a Hexi country girl who knew nothing of military affairs, understood that once the Hexi Corridor was cut off, Shazhou would become an isolated island, losing its supply of materiel from the Central Plains region.

This problem was a matter of life and death!

Who would have known that Fang Chongyong would listen to her while eating hu bread, looking seemingly distracted.

"In matters of life and death, I never leave it to others' hands. Since I must break the deadlock, then I must certainly bear the risks.

Where in this world is there anything that is a sure thing!"

Just then, Zhang Guangsheng, who had gone to Luocheng for a day and a night and had just returned, pushed open the door and entered, saying with a joyful expression: "Your Excellency, General Guo and the others have all come to the government office to express their thanks. I heard him speak of the battle situation—it was truly as close as could be. This time, being able to defeat the Tibetans was entirely due to Your Excellency's efforts alone!"

"Just lead the way—enough with all the flattery! Put more of your mind on the battlefield!"

Fang Chongyong stood up and said with a laughing scold.

The two came to the main hall of the government office and saw Guo Ziyi, whose face was covered with the dust of travel, along with the senior officers of the local Doulu Army, all gathered together there.

"Military Commissioner Guo, you've worked hard! This battle was truly not easy!"

Upon meeting, Fang Chongyong grabbed Guo Ziyi's arm and laughed heartily.

Hearing him say this, Guo Ziyi then said with some embarrassment:

"Your Excellency is right! During the siege of Luocheng, there were several times when the Tibetans broke into the city, and it was always Xin Yunjing leading the veterans of the Baiting Army who fought them back.

At that time we were truly at the end of our rope. Inside Luocheng, the foreign merchants' men and horses were also getting restless, wanting to make peace with the Tibetans, and we suppressed them! Those turtle grandsons!

Your Excellency led troops and utterly routed the Tibetans besieging the city in one stroke; only then did the Tibetans outside Luocheng see that the situation was unfavorable and withdraw.

If not for Your Excellency's strength, this Guo would have left his life behind in Luocheng.

That leader of the Tibetan army—this Guo sensed he was no simple figure."

As soon as Guo Ziyi said this, the generals in the hall looked at one another in dismay, not expecting that the defense of Luocheng had been so grueling.

Recalling that day when I was shouting to pursue, everyone wore a look of guilt. If we really go, it's very likely the Tubo people will beat us with a club! In that case, after the war, when it comes to rewarding merit, whether we receive a prize or a command stick becomes a whole different story.

"Now, although Shazhou has been relieved from the siege, I suspect Guazhou and Suzhou are already under Tubo control. The Tang forces in Liangzhou are blocked outside Jiayuguan, and even if they have strength, they can't be employed."

"Therefore I have resolved to concentrate troops, march on Guazhou, catch the Tubo off guard. What do you all think?"

Fang Chongyong dropped a heavyweight bomb, leaving Guo Ziyi, Wang Sil and the others in the great hall completely stunned!

We've only just had two days of a proper meal, yet we can't be this careless, can we?

"Lord, now that Shazhou has finally been relieved, to suddenly attack Guazhou seems a bit …"

Wang Sil spent half a day trying to organize his words, still not knowing what to say.

(End of chapter)