Chapter 428: A Certain Jiedushi Is Powerful, Yet Overly Cautious

The Uighur people arrived swiftly and left in a hurry; after being repelled by Fang Chongyong's "One Arrow Retreat", they vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

As for where the Uighur cavalry withdrew to and where the Uighur camp is, only a general area is known. The Uighur are a nomadic people who follow water and grass and have no fixed location.

The vast steppe is everywhere rich in water and grass, and they can flee at any time. Insisting on pinpointing a specific mountain or river is unrealistic.

Generally, Uighur camps are located near the former Turkic camps. The reason is simple: there is water for livestock, mountains for solid defense, and the climate is relatively warm—a feng shui treasure unique to the steppe peoples.

The precise location is near Harhelin of the former Mongol state of Fang Chongyong, roughly in the upper reaches of the Erhun River. It is still a considerable distance from the Hetao region.

Thus it is clear that this Uighur operation was pre‑planned and scheming. The death of Uighur Ye Hu was merely an accident and does not hinder their machinations. Judging by the geographic distance, the Uighurs' troublemaking was prepared well before the Shuo Fang Army sought to buy horses from them.

At least half a year, indeed.

This differs completely from the common person's impression; many ordinary citizens within the Tang realm have little notion of steppe geography. Many assume the northern nomads live adjacent to border towns, but in fact they do not, overlooking the nomads' range of activity.

From this perspective, the Tang's situation in the Hetao region is quite passive. This does not mean the Tang military is weak, but that it lacks strategic initiative; daily tasks have shifted from expanding territory to defending the Hetao region already under firm control.

Steppe peoples are like spring weeds; after you cut them once, they soon sprout another batch.

Those who sound the war trumpet are, for the most part, the steppe peoples who constantly disperse and regroup.

These peoples may not achieve any lasting glory, but causing trouble for the Tang is still easy for them.

Since the Kaiyuan era, the defensive zones of Hexi, Shuo Fang, and Hedong—three Jiedushi—stretching west to east have jointly shouldered the defense against the steppe. If any segment is breached, the entire border defense becomes passive.

The so‑called "Prosperous Tang" means the empire's borders have reached the limit of controllable territory, making further advance impossible.

These matters unknown to outsiders are well understood by Fang Chongyong, who has spent many years as an official on the frontier. He simultaneously orders the Shuo Fang Army to intensify preparations and seeks assistance from Hexi, exercising great caution.

At this moment, Che Guangqian, carrying Fang Chongyong's handwritten letter, arrived at the office of Hexi Jiedushi Li Guangbi and held a private discussion with the newly appointed Hexi Jiedushi.

"Does the Prince of Pingxi intend for the Hexi border troops to jointly defend the western side of the Hetao region?"

After reading Fang Chongyong's handwritten letter, Hexi Jiedushi Li Guangbi, with a puzzled expression, asked further:

"Joint defense? Exactly how should it be carried out?"

Li Guangbi placed the letter on the desk, looking at Che Guangqian with a confused stare.

She clasped her fists in salute and said, "Jiedushi Li, joint defense is exactly as the words imply. If the Uighurs launch a surprise attack on Feng'an City, the Chi Shui Army can provide rescue in the shortest possible time; that is joint defense."

His overly solemn demeanor almost made Li Guangbi laugh out loud!

He originally intended to instruct Che Guangqian in military matters, but Li Guangbi thought better and realized she was neither his subordinate nor confidant, so there was no need for such extra effort.

Speaking superficially while delving deeply is a grave taboo; there seems no need to "play teacher".

Of course, Fang Chongyong owes him a favor, so mocking his confidants is unnecessary.

Thus Li Guangbi waved his hand lightly and said, "The Prince of Pingxi overstates; joint defense is within our duties. I, this Jiedushi, will draft a letter myself; you take it back to inform the Prince of Pingxi that the joint defense of Feng'an forces is a trivial matter, naturally an undeniable obligation. However…"

He seemed to have words he wanted to say but stopped.

"Jiedushi Li, feel free to speak plainly; I am merely a messenger."

Che Guangqian, neither humble nor arrogant, clasped her fists and said.

"That will do then."

Li Guangbi let out a light sigh and continued:

"I actually have an idea.

The Prince of Pingxi has not been in charge of the Shuo Fang Army for long and is only seeking stability; I share that sentiment.

However, there are only thousand‑day thieves, and I have never heard of a thousand‑day defense against thieves.

Since the Tang's conflict with the Uighurs continues and peace is hard to achieve, why not dispatch an elite force to strike directly at the Uighur camp, achieving a lasting solution.

Otherwise, starting from the western Feng'an forces, through Lingzhou, to Yulin's Shouxiang City, and even as far as Yunzhou (Datong, Shanxi), this several‑thousand‑kilometer front appears as solid as a golden soup, yet in reality it leaks everywhere; we must control points to manage the front, sealing any breach as it appears.

We simply cannot fill every outpost on the border towns with troops; thus, as long as the Uighurs are willing, they will certainly find a breakthrough.

To put it bluntly, even if the Prince of Pingxi currently holds the defense, can his successor maintain it after he steps down?

As the current Hexi Jiedushi, I will fully cooperate with the Shuo Fang Army in joint defense. But if in two years the court replaces the Jiedushi, will the successor cooperate in joint defense?

These matters are truly hard to sum up in a few words; there are too many variables. For the country's sake, pure defense is not a strategy for lasting peace.

When you return, also inform the Prince of Pingxi, convey my intent, and see what decision he makes.

I think this time the Uighurs come prepared, it will not be resolved quickly.

Li Guangbi's tone was very earnest, effectively giving Che Guangqian the lowdown.

Although he spoke gently, his meaning was already clearly expressed.

Li Guangbi believes Fang Chongyong's approach amounts to doing nothing, passively taking blows; continuing this way will inevitably lead to disaster.

The real solution is to annihilate the Uighurs!

Learn from Huo Qubing and directly pierce the Uighur camp; they will naturally stop causing trouble.

Of course, the army with more idle time is the Chi Shui Army. Since the Shuo Fang Army is currently holding the border, it is too chaotic to dispatch troops for a distant expedition.

Meanwhile, the Western Regions are pacified, and internal power struggles in Tubo have intensified, producing a Tubo version of the "Han Xian Emperor"; the two factions fight fiercely, leaving no time to cause trouble in Hexi.

Thus the Chi Shui Army has no merit to claim!

As a newly appointed Jiedushi, Li Guangbi needs to establish authority and credibility; he needs a great victory. Clearly, for him, dealing with the Uighurs is a rare good opportunity.

This is another version, yet it is no different from other border troops' "looking for trouble for no reason".

Today's Tang, from Hebei to Jiannan, faces the same situation. There is no war, yet creating war is also on the agenda!

Since this is an opportunity handed on a silver platter, Li Guangbi cannot fail to seize it. Everyone knows each other, but it does not necessarily mean that Fang Chongyong wants Li Guangbi to do something; the other side will do whatever they wish!

"Jiedushi Li, without an imperial order, the Hexi border troops' bold thrust akin to a 'Feng Lang Ju Xu'—is that perhaps…"

Che Guangqian suppressed her inner shock, showing helplessness as she asked.

The Hexi Jiedushi wields great authority; under his command, the Chi Shui Army is not only an elite force but also has numerous horses—over 13,000 recorded in the Ministry of War.

If Li Guangbi wishes to take the Hetao region alone, Fang Chongyong truly cannot stop him!

Surrounded by the soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army, Fang Chongyong even dared to stage a mutiny at Xiangji Temple.

"You just go back and inform the Prince of Pingxi; whether it succeeds or not, he will judge for himself."

"If action is taken, the Hexi border army is willing to give its full support."

Seeing that Che Guangqian still had some misgivings, Li Guangbi said with a smile.

These words left even Che Guangqian speechless.

You say Hexi isn't helping? Not only are they willing to help you defend, they even want to send the main field army to help you sweep the enemy from their lair!

Yet to say Hexi is helping wouldn't be entirely accurate either. Because they are very likely doing more harm than good.

Such large-scale movements by a border command were not what Fang Chongyong hoped to see!

Che Guangqian felt that Li Guangbi had only considered the military question, completely disregarding the political impact.

Give the Uighurs a beating, and will the grasslands then be at peace?

Che Guangqian did not think so.

Even if the Uighurs were destroyed, the tribes under their banner would, after changing their names, naturally join the others among the Nine Surnames of Tiele. A few years later, someone who would dominate one side would surely appear again.

And the Great Tang's strength would make all the grasslands peoples band together to gain leverage when dealing with the Great Tang.

Li Guangbi's idea appeared to be helping Fang Chongyong, but in reality, his intention to reap military merit and consolidate his position was extremely strong!

"Then... I thank Jiedushi Li."

Che Guangqian cupped his fists in salute once more, abandoning his plan to persuade.

By rights, Li Guangbi could be considered Wang Zhongsi's adopted son, and Fang Chongyong was Wang Zhongsi's son-in-law, who had also previously captured the assassin sent to kill Li Guangbi, which could be counted as saving his life.

To return the favor, Li Guangbi should have followed Fang Chongyong's words to the letter.

But in reality, everyone had their own needs; whatever they did was "self first, others second."

Li Guangbi prioritized his own demands and those of the Hexi roughnecks, sticking to his principles — what fault was there in that?

There were only positions, no rights or wrongs; everyone was simply stating their own reasoning, nothing more.

From this perspective, Che Guangqian even thought the Uighurs causing trouble was quite reasonable. The Great Tang had previously depressed horse prices, the Uighurs had taken a loss, and now they wanted to flex their muscles — making trouble was perfectly ordinary.

What fault was there in them, either?

"Wait a moment. This Jiedushi will begin writing the letter now."

Li Guangbi waved his hand dismissively and ordered the clerks in the government office to prepare brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Soon, he had written a formal official letter, ordered someone to make a copy for the archives, and then handed it to Che Guangqian.

Doing everything by the book, leaving no grounds for criticism.

Che Guangqian understood Li Guangbi's intent and inwardly groaned.

This newly appointed Hexi Jiedushi was truly strict about public versus private matters, not yielding an inch.

He was laying his cards on the table to play at sealing Mount Langjuxu! Not afraid of anyone finding out at all!

The Uighurs rebelled, attempting to seize the Hetao. So before that, the Hexi border army struck first and upended the Uighur royal tent.

That was understandable too, wasn't it?

These roughnecks didn't care at all whether the state could bear fighting a war at this moment. As long as it didn't delay their military merits, didn't delay their advancement, and didn't delay them collecting their rewards, that was fine.

As for everything else, that was what the Son of Heaven and the Chancellor should consider. What did the matter of wars costing money have to do with roughnecks like them who beheaded enemy generals and captured their banners?

Noticing that Che Guangqian's expression was not looking good, or perhaps because Li Guangbi himself felt he was being too unreasonable.

So he sighed helplessly and said, "Hand the letter to the Prince of Pingxi Commandery, and he will understand. The nearly one hundred thousand elite troops of Hexi are not a one-man show by Li. The Prince of Pingxi Commandery has his difficulties, and this Jiedushi has his difficulties too."

"Jiedushi Li, do not worry. This humble officer will return now to report back."

Che Guangqian did not waste any more words. After securing the letter, he saluted and took his leave, turning to depart.

……

"What did An Lushun say?"

In the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army grand camp on the southern outskirts of Lingzhou City, Fang Chongyong asked Feng Changqing, who had rushed back from Taiyuan, inside the commander's tent.

"Reporting to the Jiedushi, An Lushun said he already knew of this matter, and was even unwilling to write a single letter in reply!"

Whenever he recalled that day's encounter, Feng Changqing would be full of anger.

Hedong Jiedushi An Lushun was not only unwilling to promise to coordinate with Fang Chongyong in defending the eastern line of the Hetao, but also maintained a dismissive attitude, speaking in bureaucratic platitudes and going in circles.

He said quite a lot, but not a single word was concrete.

The gist was simply this: I'll guard my own doorstep. As for the Uighurs charging toward the Hetao, that's something your Shuofang Army needs to worry about. What does it have to do with me? I only care that my own defense sector stays out of trouble!

If that's hard to understand, then turn the question around: if some grasslands people threw everything into attacking Yunzhou, a key Hedong town, would Fang Chongyong, as the Shuofang Army Jiedushi, so earnestly dispatch troops to reinforce Yunzhou?

Most likely not, right?

This was in fact the reason why during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, one Jiedushi would often hold two commands. Between two defense sectors, relations were not so harmonious in normal times; everyone swept only the snow before their own door.

When it came to coordinating, it was hard to provide mutual defense, and inconvenient to jointly dispatch troops.

In an actual fight, who would be primary and who secondary, and who would be responsible for recording merits?

Many such matters required a single authoritative figure to coordinate everything.

The Shuofang Jiedushi and the Hedong Jiedushi were equal in rank. You tell me to help defend Yulin, and I must help defend Yulin? Does this Hedong Jiedushi not care about face?

Simply put, Fang Chongyong could not command An Lushun.

This was also related to the fact that the rumor Che Guangqian had spread in Chang'an — that An Lushun wanted to use someone else's knife to kill — had never gained traction.

"The matter of the Uighurs possibly taking a detour to raid the Jingbian Army and entering Shuozhou via the Zi River — did you not tell An Lushun?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a puzzled expression.

Back in the late Sui era, it was right here that Liu Wuzhou had raised his troops, receiving a steady stream of support from the Turks, which caused a great deal of trouble for Li Erfeng.

With a ready-made example right before his eyes, how could An Lushun not take it seriously?

"Jiedushi, how could I not have told him? I cited precedents and said a great deal.

But An Lushun said he is not Pei Ji, the Uighurs are not the Turks and Liu Wuzhou, and the Jiedushi need not trouble himself over it."

Feng Changqing got angry the moment this came up.

"This is troublesome now."

Fang Chongyong let out a long sigh.

Che Guangqian has already sent someone to bring back a message, saying Li Guangbi plans a "surprise attack" on the Huihe's lair, to strike like a tiger tearing out the heart.

An Shun, meanwhile, made it clear that he considers himself invincible, pays no heed to it, and thinks the Huihe could never make a thousand-mile detour to Hedong.

One of them is too radical, expanding the war's scale without limit, turning it into a war to destroy the nation; the other is almost like an ostrich, thinking that burying his head in the sand will bring good fortune.

Nobody at all understands my painstaking efforts!

"Jiedushi, what should we do now?"

Feng Changqing asked doubtfully.

"Let the arrows fly a round first, then we'll talk; no need to rush."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, his face as still as water.

(End of chapter)