Chapter 328: What Do You Want to Do?

Open the city gate!

The Tang soldiers on the city wall shouted down at the city below.

In front of the tower, three hundred Yinqiang Xiaojie Army cavalry lined up neatly on horseback, looking rather imposing. Fang Chongyong rode at the front of the formation, and as he gazed at the massive pass—a rarity in the Western Regions—he couldn't help but marvel.

Soon the main gate of the pass was opened, and the pass squeezed between two mountains, less than a hundred meters wide, finally "opened its mouth" to reveal the scenery beyond.

It was a winding, deep valley road that stretched beyond sight. Both sides were stone hills—not towering, but almost barren of trees, one could say not a blade of grass grew there.

Any army passing through such a valley must be doubly cautious.

Li Qiyun introduced to the Fang Chongyong beside him:

"This is the western gateway iron gate of Yanqi Town, overseen by the Yanqi Guard. Normally, without proper passage documents, anyone who crosses privately is imprisoned for a year. The documents are hard to obtain; almost only merchants manage to pass.

As long as a few hundred elite troops hold this point, enemies west of Yanqi Town cannot get through—truly, one man at the pass can stop ten thousand."

His words carried a hint of pride.

The valley where the iron gate stands originally had no pass; it was only after the Tang era that this formidable gate was built. As a Tang official, feeling proud is only natural.

Fang Chongyong gave a slight nod; the official Tang army roster has no "Yanqi Guard" unit. Yet Yanqi Town consolidated the scattered garrisons at various beacon towers and passes into a unified Yanqi Guard—an adaptation to local conditions.

These are local troops under the Anxi Protectorate, normally not mobilized and completely separate from the Anxi Army. This illustrates the complexity of the Tang military system.

Fang Chongyong now must seize the chance to stop Gao Xianzhi from leading troops on campaign; he lacks the energy to manage the affairs of the four Anxi towns, though many matters in Yanqi Town merit investigation.

Recalling Li Qiyun's words, Fang Chongyong sighed lightly, "A realm's stability lies in virtue, not in fortifications. A tiny iron gate cannot stop the surging popular will."

He was clearly dissatisfied with Gao Xianzhi's headlong, reckless war.

Li Qiyun didn't know why Fang Chongyong said that, so she merely nodded lightly, offering no judgment.

In Fang Chongyong's view, the Tang "Heavenly Soldiers" marching west, with oasis towns' residents pouring out to welcome them and supply grain, is merely a wishful fantasy of some.

In fact, Yanqi and Kucha both went from friendship to hostility with the Tang over the years.

Indeed, they were initially welcomed and behaved very amicably, but later turned hostile. The reasons had nothing to do with morality, only conflicting interests.

The Tang's interference in Yanqi and Kucha stemmed from its need to strategize the Western Regions; the two places were crucial, even indispensable, to Tang expansion there.

Ordinary tributary policies could no longer meet Tang's military‑civil deployment in the West. Thus, measures like the household registration in Gaochang Kingdom were inevitable.

But while the Tang thought so, the Yanqi King and the Kucha King thought otherwise!

If the Tang imposed household registration there, the royal families would become merely local magnates, losing all their current authority.

Who could endure that?

Thus a life‑or‑death clash was inevitable; the Yanqi and Kucha kings even enlisted Western Turkic forces, yet they still could not stop the Tang iron cavalry.

People of this era only saw the Tang army arriving from the east, witnessing its relentless assaults.

But Fang Chongyong's gaze already saw the Tang forces retreating from the northwest back into Guanzhong, the Tang's influence shrinking in the Western Regions.

At that time, might anyone seek to rise again?

Probably yes.

Gaochang Kingdom has been renamed Xizhou, with a magistrate appointed by the court, just like the five prefectures of Hexi. But why is Yanqi called a "Town"?

Because although land equalization is partly implemented here, most of it remains military colonies, and administration is essentially military.

Since it's military‑run, the place is not truly safe; if Tang forces retract in the West, Yanqi would also be insecure.

Even without Tibetan meddling, local powers would gradually emerge here.

The Central Plains regime spent great effort to control this place, yet losing it would be easy.

Now, as the Western Regions envoy, what can I still do?

In what capacity, with what stance, should I act?

Fang Chongyong has been pondering these questions all the way.

"Those who know me say my heart is worried; those who don't ask what I seek!"

Fang Chongyong suddenly muttered to himself, a remark that seemed incomprehensible to outsiders.

"Jiedushi, you need not worry. If Gao Xianzhi disobeys, we can strip his command—what else could trouble us?"

He Changqi leaned close to Fang Chongyong and whispered.

"It's not Gao Xianzhi's matter; speaking more is useless."

Fang Chongyong shook his head and said, already riding his horse into the iron gate's passage. The pass is extremely "solid," its opening stretching dozens of meters. Given the Western Regions' productivity, the Tang spared no expense in constructing it.

It was certainly not a place to toy with and then return home!

Yanqi Town is the first stop after leaving Xizhou; its abundant water makes it a bridgehead into the Western Regions. In a sense, its strategic value even surpasses the defenseless Kucha City.

"The farther west we go, the weaker Tang's power becomes. You must speak and act cautiously; General Bai Xiaode of the Anxi Army hails from the old Kucha royal family. There are many like him in the Anxi Army. Remember, illness enters through the mouth, and disaster follows speech. Do not speak anything that harms unity."

Fang Chongyong admonished He Changqi.

"Jiedushi, rest assured; when we reach Kucha, I will stitch my own mouth shut."

Please, Jiedushi, rest assured; when we reach Kucha, I will stitch my own mouth shut.

Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly. He Changqi's current agreement sounds good, but the situation later may be different.

Fang Chongyong sighed helplessly. He Changqi is promising well now, but when the time comes, whatever situation arises may not be so.

Summer arrived, and Chang'an was sweltering. Passersby sweated profusely, their spirits flagging.

The cramped Eastern and Western Markets felt like a steaming pot, making every merchant inside feel like a red‑shelled lobster already boiled.

Chang'an's heat meant the Xingqing Palace couldn't be cool either. So where is the Tang Emperor summering now?

Could it be the Huaqing Palace, famed for its hot springs?

That, of course, is impossible.

Although Huaqing Palace has good conditions, it has always been a winter retreat; when it's cold, the hot‑spring pools feel as warm as spring.

It can shelter from cold but not from heat; in fact, Huaqing Palace is hotter in summer, and Brother Ji, well past his sixtieth year, could never endure such scorching conditions there.

Here one can escape the cold but not the heat; to be precise, Huaqing Palace is hotter in summer, and Ji Ge, who is already over sixty, certainly cannot go to Huaqing Palace to endure this kind of cool refreshment.

When one is young, one can indeed go experience the pleasures of a summer hot spring.

So where exactly did Ji Ge go?

The answer is that, under the guard of a contingent of the Divine Strategy Army and eunuchs, he arrived at Huangyu, less than a few dozen li south of Chang'an, and took residence in Cuiwei Palace on the mountain to cool off for the summer!

Huangyu is a mountain range, less than about eight kilometers long, densely forested, with mountain springs within it.

The scenery here is beautiful, and the summer is also very cool.

The mountain path leading up was specially commissioned by Emperor Taizong at the time; specifically, during the expansion of Taihe Palace in the twenty‑first year of the Zhen'guan era, Emperor Taizong employed the laborers he had previously organized, and after expanding Taihe Palace, he "conveniently" built a summer retreat, Cuiwei Palace, here as his summer residence.

Once Ji Ge settled in Cuiwei Palace, perhaps because Emperor Taizong also worked here in summer back then, he immediately felt an indescribably cool and comfortable chill, so he simply decided not to leave.

He ordered the recruitment of a group of highly skilled musicians and dancing girls from the Pear Garden, who performed Western Region music nightly and danced the Huji dance, making his days carefree and blissful like a deity.

However, among those with power and influence, not everyone feels as carefree as Ji Ge. Some find food tasteless, cannot sit still, and are so restless they seem ready to roar and howl.

In the Prince Yong's residence in Jingyang County on the outskirts of Chang'an, the young Prince Yong Li Lin paced the study like an ant on a hot pan.

Recent events in Chang'an have been very unfavorable to him!

Gao Lishi, acting on Ji Ge's orders, investigated the recent Khitan captive rebellion. Earlier, Fang Youde had reported that the Khitan‑appointed, imperial clan‑born Inspector Li Qiwu, after the city fell, had already taken poison and killed himself in advance.

This situation is rather illogical, because Li Qiwu was forced into the role of a "false emperor" and must have harbored considerable grievance.

By ordinary reasoning, shouldn't Li Qiwu have kept his mouth, pleaded before Ji Ge, and begged Ji Ge to spare his whole family?

What use is committing suicide in advance?

Of course, the trail ends here. Li Qiwu's suicide and his family's exile are considered a closed case. Yet the whole affair feels like there is a hidden hand gathering those scattered forces, and the mysterious "strategist" has not been captured.

But Li Lin learned from Gao Shang that Gao Lishi is gradually probing the submerged clues, which on the surface point to Crown Prince Li Chang.

"It's all you! It was you who said there was a chance, so I acted! And now look at the result! What am I supposed to do?"

Li Lin could not help but roar at Gao Shang.

"I had already persuaded the Yelü clan to block the dam, so that when the rain came the flood would assault Jingyang County and strike the Zheng State Canal to create chaos. In the end they couldn't control those Khitan slaves, nothing could be accomplished; I couldn't possibly act on my own, could I?"

At that time I managed to poison Li Qiwu amid the chaos, leaving a clue that pointed to the Crown Prince, and escaped Fang Youde's capture; that was already quite difficult.

"Your Highness, to blame me like this now is truly disheartening,"

Gao Shang shook his head, feigning deep sorrow.

"I… I am not accusing you either.

Alas, no one expected that old thing was already in the Divine Strategy Army of Jingyang at the time!"

Li Lin lamented bitterly, saying that had he known, being inside Jingyang County he would have had some means to use!

Seeing Li Lin's regret, a flash of disdain crossed Gao Shang's handsome face, then vanished before Li Lin could notice.

How could no one have thought of it? Am I, Gao, not a human?

Gao Shang cursed Li Lin as a stupid pig in his mind.

What did he say when he set out for Binzhou? Didn't he say the Sage would certainly leave Chang'an and eventually seek refuge in Fang Youde's Divine Strategy Army?

But what did the fool Li Lin do?

He dared nothing, refusing to gamble while the Divine Strategy Army's forces were thin, unwilling to disrupt the situation!

An Lushan is a stupid pig, the Khitan slaves are stupid pigs, the Sage of Chang'an is a stupid pig, even this Prince Yong is a stupid pig!

I have read extensively, full of strategies, yet have no chance to rise because of my low birth, forced to bide my time, even being schemed into becoming an eunuch!

Gao Shang harbors endless heroic resentment.

But he dares not reveal it, because whether it's Li Lin, Ji Ge, or even Gao Lishi, they can easily crush him!

"Your Highness, the current plan is to meet myriad changes with constancy. The Khitan slave rebellion need not be further covered up."

Of course, to divert the Sage's attention, I will report to the Sage, saying you discovered the Crown Prince's plan to set fire to the mountain at Cuiwei Palace and are hesitating whether to report it.

A cold glint flashed in Gao Shang's eyes as he said.

Gao Lishi is already investigating the previous case, so let's create an even more thorny matter to distract his attention!

Now the Emperor is summering at Cuiwei Palace; if rumors spread that the Crown Prince intends to set the mountain ablaze, Chang'an would become even livelier, wouldn't it?

As for whether this matter is true or false, does it matter?

Gao Shang thinks it is unimportant.

Because Prince Yong's "duty" is to keep an eye on the Crown Prince. The more these princes attack the Crown Prince, the more the Emperor is pleased.

The actual truth of the facts becomes irrelevant.

"Um, why don't I go directly to the Sage to accuse the Crown Prince?"

Li Lin asked, somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Gao Shang was furious, but suppressed his anger and explained:

"A prince aspiring to be Emperor is a normal thought. Your Highness knows the Crown Prince wants to set fire, to burn the Sage at Cuiwei Palace, and is hesitating whether to report it; that is human nature."

"I reported once, and then Your Highness reports again; that is the proper procedure."

"Indeed! As expected, you are thorough!"

Hehe, this time even if Li Chang doesn't die, he'll shed his skin!

Li Lin sneered.

Gao Shang immediately echoed, "Your Highness is wise, isn't that so!"

He said that outwardly, but inwardly thought otherwise.

The Sage will not replace the Crown Prince, no matter what. Li Chang, set up as a target, becomes a unique, massive shield. Without Li Chang, the Sage still needs a Crown Prince to block the endless chatter of the court.

Not to mention that Li Chang never plotted to burn Ji Ge to death. Even if he did, without any concrete action, Ji Ge could not possibly act on him.

Regarding such speculative matters, Ji Ge only cares that the Crown Prince and the many princes become like water and fire, not the right or wrong of it.

Li Lin actually couldn't even grasp this, and calling him a stupid pig truly insults a pig!

Gao Shang thought to himself in silence.

Of course, precisely because Li Lin is a fool, he's easy to manipulate! If we switched to a prince, there wouldn't be much room for us to maneuver.

Is Gao Shang's ultimate goal to promote Li Lin to power? To make this eunuch dominate the world?

No, no, no, it's not that.

For Gao Shang, no matter how important something is, nothing compares to the matters of his lower body. Back when Gao Shang was destitute, studying at Linghu Chao's house and living off others, he couldn't control his urges and took Linghu Chao's concubine, impregnated her, and she gave birth to a daughter.

Now that Ji Ge has cut off his manhood, it's as if he's taken away the happiest part of his life.

Even if the emperor were handed over to Gao Shang in the future, what would that change?

So he doesn't care at all about what he might gain; in Gao Shang's mind, Ji Ge's unhappiness, the collapse of Great Tang, and the imperial clan scattering like wild dogs are his greatest joy.

"Then you go quickly.

By the way, tell the Sage about my virtues; don't portray me as a beast hoping my father would die soon.

Li Lin, his expression conflicted, instructed.

Hearing that, Gao Shang almost laughed out loud.

He suppressed his contempt, and with a hand‑crossed salute to Li Lin said, "Please, Your Highness, rest assured; these slaves know the situation. Though An Lushan's death is a pity, Your Highness will have many opportunities in the future; until the very end, you must never give up!"

"When I inherit the Grand Unifier's mantle, I will definitely grant you high office, great salary, and honors!"

Li Lin tightly grasped Gao Shang's hand, choking out a promise.

(End of chapter)