Chapter 277: The Strategy Behind the Strategy

"Since that's the case, do you think this Jiedushi should go to Chang'an?"

An Lushan closed the wooden box that held candied fruit, squinting his small eyes as he looked at Zhang Tongru and asked. His gaze was full of anger and deeply hidden fear, all masked by a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Riding a horse! In Hebei, everything was fine, yet an unexpected disaster struck!

An Lushan's belly was full of fury, yet he didn't know how to express it.

"Jiedushi An, you have no choice but to go to Chang'an. If you don't, it would only confirm that you sent someone to assassinate Pei Kuan.

If the Jiedushi calmly enters the capital, then securing the Hebei Dao Cǎifǎng Shǐ would be no problem. I, your subordinate, believe that this journey, Jiedushi An, is indispensable!"

Zhang Tongru said resolutely.

Whether to go or not may seem like a "tiny" multiple‑choice question, but in reality it decides An Lushan's survival or destruction.

It's like guessing a coin's two sides: one side is life, the other death; the outcome is predetermined, yet the puzzle remains hidden.

Only after choosing does one know which side yields life, and regret comes too late!

"Do we really have to go?"

An Lushan asked, a little unwillingly.

Reason tells him this time he must go, and cannot delay; he must hasten to Chang'an at a gallop.

But his inner instinct tells An Lushan that this trip to Chang'an is extraordinarily perilous!

"Jiedushi An, I, your subordinate, have heartfelt words I must speak.

Suppose, I say, if the Jiedushi now refuses to go to Chang'an to report, and raises the rebel banner to purge the ruler, how many would follow Jiedushi An?

Even if we could persuade the officers of Yingzhou to follow, I'm afraid Huangfu Weiming's troops in Youzhou would block the Jiedushi's advance, right? Then how great would the odds of victory be?"

Zhang Tongru asked An Lushan a soul‑piercing question: Since you so casually and willfully refuse to return to Chang'an to report, how many of your troops would follow you in this reckless folly?

Hearing that, An Lushan was completely silenced.

Whether you say a thousand or ten thousand, without strength you must not overreach, nor assume those around you will blindly follow.

"Understood, this Jiedushi will set out for Chang'an today."

An Lushan couldn't help but sigh, speaking in a deep voice, his tone full of helplessness!

He truly didn't want to go, but could he avoid it? The elbow can't twist past the thigh!

"Jiedushi An, the Sage has no reason to kill you. Not only will he not kill you, he will even promote you further," Zhang Tongru whispered.

"Oh, how can you say that?"

An Lushan stood up, squinting as he looked at the spring scenery filling the courtyard outside the study, and pretended to ask casually.

In truth, if one only judged his ability to command troops, An Lushan wouldn't even be fit to offer shoes to Fang Youde. Yet this man has a redeeming quality: he knows his own lack of wit, so he readily heeds counsel, and when recruiting staff he can afford to pay well.

Thus An Lushan's reputation in Pinglu is actually not bad; for many talents who have lost a path to promotion, Jiedushi An is a guiding light!

"Only Jiedushi An can keep the Khitan and Xi at bay, that's one reason. It's also why the court hasn't replaced Jiedushi An after the four‑year term."

Zhang Tongru flattered without a flicker of emotion, saying that although his words were slightly exaggerated, they were essentially true.

In Youzhou and Pinglu, the Khitan "Tang‑supporting faction" had already been relocated to Shuofang, Hedong and other places since the early Kaiyuan era, such as the Li clan of Liucheng where Li Guangbi was stationed. This was also a form of balance.

Thus from the mid‑to‑late Kaiyuan period, the Great Tang's northeastern border towns actually pursued a policy of ethnic oppression; whether Fang Youde or An Lushan, their methods against the Khitan and Xi were extremely harsh, with no political line of ethnic reconciliation.

Among them, An Lushan's "slave trade" policy had the greatest impact!

Year after year selling Khitan slaves to the Guanzhong region gave An Lushan many connections that border‑town Jiedushis shouldn't have.

Therefore, if An Lushan were transferred away from the Northeast, the mess would be hard to clean up.

"The Great Tang has many famous generals; without me, An, the border towns could not produce troublemakers."

An Lushan, smug, retorted, turning his words on their head.

"But other factions in the court have tangled relations; where could one find a replacement for Jiedushi An?"

Zhang Tongru continued:

"Hexi Jiedushi Fang Chongyong, Longyou Jiedushi Wang Zhongsi, these two are father‑in‑law and son‑in‑law in the west; does the Sage wish to balance them?

Who has the greatest conflict with Wang Zhongsi? Obviously Jiedushi An, a fact known to court and officials alike, and what the Sage hopes to see.

In my humble opinion, the position of Fanyang Jiedushi may someday also become Jiedushi An's.

If in the future either Fang Chongyong or Wang Zhongsi holds both towns, then Jiedushi An would also hold both.

Fang Chongyong is very young; I hear he will campaign in the Western Regions, and upon return may be assigned to a central post, at which point Wang Zhongsi would likely ascend to hold both towns.

This is actually much like the current situation! The Sage seeks only stability and balance, nothing else.

"Jiedushi An, would you say that's the reasoning?"

Zhang Tongru asked softly with a flattering smile.

"Brilliant! Hearing you say that, this Jiedushi feels this trip to Chang'an to report is as steady as Mount Tai!"

An Lushan clapped his hands and laughed heartily, one hand on his round belly, the other stroking his long beard, gazing into the distance.

He had been a bit worried at first, but hearing Zhang Tongru speak so convincingly, he felt this return to Chang'an should pose no problem.

After all, as long as the Sage still needs him as a watchdog, his favor will never wane!

A dog worries not about enemies inside or outside the yard, but about losing its usefulness. A dog that loses its value meets only one fate: the rabbit dies and the dog is cooked!

An Lushan's mind was as clear as a mirror: he is a good dog, still useful, and will not die for now.

……

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

In a dim dungeon inside the Xingqing Palace, a rotting smell permeated the surroundings.

Gao Shang was bound to a thick round log, being beaten by an eunuch with all his might, his skin already split open.

Standing before Gao Shang, Gao Lishi waved his hand lightly at the eunuch who kept striking, causing several Jinwu guards and eunuchs to file out, leaving only Gao Lishi watching the blood‑soaked Gao Shang, his smile chillingly cold.

"The Sage only asked you to prod Prince Yong a bit and then stop; he wants Prince Yong to get involved, obtain evidence that Prince Yong plotted to assassinate Pei Kuan, and then the assassination fails.

It is not to have you actually kill Pei Kuan."

So you really messed up, dragging this General along, letting the assassin strike ahead of schedule, forcing this General to clean up after you and alter the subsequent plan.

Speak up, how do you think this General will kill you? If that's the case, this General can give you a quick death!

Gao Lishi, at this moment, looked at Gao Shang's eyes as if at a corpse, and said calmly.

"General Gao, that remark is mistaken. Only when death leaves no evidence is it the best way to sow discord.

My scheme is actually somewhat better than the Sage's plot.

If we truly follow the Sage's arrangement, the traces would be too obvious, only driving An Lushan to rebel outright.

A blade is most dreaded when still in its scabbard; once drawn, it loses its menace.

If we wait until An Lushan reaches Chang'an to kill Pei Kuan, it would appear overly deliberate; even a fool knows the Sage aims at the Pinglu Jiedushi.

At that moment, the one truly unable to get off the tiger is the Sage, and after An Lushan returns to Pinglu he will begin scheming rebellion.

If we cannot return, the court loses trust with the border generals, with even worse outcomes. Killing Pei Kuan to force An Lushan's rebellion is when the plan truly fails.

Now everything is in place, the situation is bewildering and opaque, leaving no one able to tell reality from illusion.

When An Lushan arrives in Chang'an, I will take a copy of Prince Yong's letter to An Lushan, then deliver the original to the Sage.

In this way, the Sage can both keep An Lushan tightly reined in and at any moment make the letter public, dooming Prince Yong forever.

Thus, wouldn't that be a perfect solution for both sides?

Gao Shang finished speaking, feeling his lungs like they were on fire, his breathing unusually labored.

According to the original plan, Gao Shang should have enlisted Prince Yong Li Lian to assassinate Pei Kuan, informing the other party, thereby granting An Lushan a visiting envoy post to curry favor and befriend him.

Given Prince Yong Li Lian's intellect, he would certainly act, drafting a letter to befriend An Lushan.

Then Gao Shang would further arrange for an assassin loyal to Li Lian to deliberately botch the attack, leaving Li Lian uneasy and apprehensive.

When An Lushan arrives in Chang'an, the assassination of Pei Kuan will be carried out by others.

Gao Shang would then, according to the plan, promptly deliver Prince Yong's letter to An Lushan.

At that moment Pei Kuan is dead, An Lushan believes Li Lian assisted in the murder, Ji Ge leaves "evidence" of Li Lian killing Pei Kuan, and Li Lian even feels his plan "unexpectedly succeeded", as if heaven protected him.

Next, the captured assassin (not the one who just killed himself) will step forward to frame Li Linfu and An Lushan, and identify them face‑to‑face before Ji Ge.

After a bout of wrangling at the Dali Temple, Ji Ge will hand Li Lian's letter to An Lushan for him to see.

And An Lushan will be frightened to tears, swearing loyalty, claiming he has no ulterior motives toward Ji Ge and no collusion with Li Lian.

Then Ji Ge, "setting aside past grievances", says that correcting mistakes is a great boon and will continue to trust An Lushan.

Moreover, he will step forward to quell the ministers' disputes, with golden words and jade speech proving An Lushan's innocence, causing him to serve loyally.

Thus, a "zero‑cost" blend of reward and threat toward An Lushan, a death‑blade hanging over Li Lian's head, and a strike against Li Linfu—a three‑in‑one masterstroke.

This plan has a high fault tolerance; whether Pei Kuan is ultimately killed or not does not affect Ji Ge's pressure on Li Linfu and An Lushan, nor does it affect Ji Ge's ability to loop a rope around Li Lian's neck.

As a result, Gao Shang, that scoundrel, actually risked launching the assassination early, and by sheer coincidence the assassin succeeded! This action completely upended Ji Ge's entire scheme!

It rendered the subsequent buildup useless! Even the framing tactic became somewhat childish and laughable, lacking any stick‑of‑death deterrence.

In the emergency, it was still Fang Youde who thought on his feet, proposing that the assassin frame Fang Chongyong instead, omitting An Lushan.

And have the assassin commit suicide early, ending the matter.

Finally leak the information to Prince Ying, letting Prince Ying spread rumors; as long as outsiders vaguely know An Lushan planned the killing, that's sufficient; no solid proof required.

At last the situation is remedied.

Thus, the original scheme framing Li Linfu and An Lushan is gone, replaced by a tangled maze where each side claims to be right, allowing the performance to go on.

I must admit, Fang Youde is truly ruthless toward his own son.

Then why does Ji Ge want to kill Pei Kuan?

In fact, Ji Ge simply believes Pei Kuan no longer holds much value, so he's not particularly attached to killing him, mostly maintaining a "let it be" mindset.

Because first, Pei Kuan is already on his deathbed with little time left, and second, he indeed has a deep feud with Li Linfu. If Pei Kuan dies, outsiders will readily suspect Li Linfu.

Not killing Pei Kuan cannot intimidate Li Linfu! When Li Linfu later reflects on this, he will naturally act cautiously and not slack.

Ji Ge handed the issuance of the exchange to Li Linfu; how could he not engage in power plays, letting Li Linfu know he's still sharp?

"General Gao, murky water is good for fishing. This case now not only drags Fang Chongyong into it, but also leaves An Sishun with unshakable suspicion. The Sage uses this to press a border town Jiedushi, making them balance each other, isn't that appropriate timing?"

"If we place too much trust in An Lushan, we'll only drive him to rebel."

Gao Shang, bracing the searing pain in his lungs, said, fighting desperately to save himself, his will to survive extremely strong.

He understands he's taking a risk, but it's unavoidable, to win Ji Ge's confidence, making Ji Ge think this eunuch is useful!

A little bit of bodily pain, the cost is already very low.

This shift in the situation allows him to help Li Lian and An Lushan link up, making An Lushan bear a deep hatred for Li Longji!

But these matters need not be told to Gao Lishi.

"You first return to Prince Yong's residence, claim you endured the torture and said nothing.

If you later refuse orders again, this General will no longer be merciful!"

Gao Lishi let out a cold snort and said.

In truth he was also angry, but killing Gao Shang now would alert Prince Yong Li Lian, making the situation even more uncontrollable.

Leaving Gao Shang a dog's life is the cheapest. Killing him, aside from venting, achieves nothing.

Later it would just be another eunuch killed; why bother?

If later you wish to kill, a single word can cut down Gao Shang! No need to hurry!

"Thank you, General Gao, for your great kindness and virtue."

Gao Shang spoke each word, already nearly too hurt to speak.

"Hmph, take care of yourself. Attendants, loosen his bonds and treat his injuries."

Gao Lishi waved his hand, shouted a line toward the doorway, then leisurely walked out of the Xinqing Palace's cell.

He will pass Gao Shang's words to Ji Ge, then let Ji Ge make the decision.

An Lushan's coming to Chang'an this time, although he will not suffer physical pain, the mental torment will probably be unavoidable.

Perhaps that is the price of being a lapdog.

Gao Lishi couldn't help but let out a light sigh.

(End of Chapter)