Chapter 483: When Fortune Departs, Even a Hero Is Not Free

The main road between Taiyuan and Guanzhong was called the "Hedong Circuit" in the Tang dynasty. It ran west from Puzhou (Puban), a strategic crossing on the Yellow River, and ended at Taiyuan in the east.

According to Tang government records, this road was approximately one thousand li long.

Although it appeared to pass through only five places—Taiyuan Prefecture, Fenzhou, Jinzhou, Jiangzhou, and Puzhou—the road was rugged and crossed death traps like the Queshu Valley, so marching speed could not be increased at all.

Under Li Longji's firm demands as the Son of Heaven, fifty thousand elite border troops followed him south toward Guanzhong. Seen from afar, it was like dark clouds pressing down upon a city, a magnificent sight. But in reality, it was not even half of the elite border troops.

It was not that Brother Ji did not want to bring more troops on the march, but an unexpected yet perfectly reasonable major problem had now arisen.

Taiyuan had run out of provisions!

Why had such an absurd thing happened?

Because the Hedong Circuit never had much in the way of provisions to begin with!

Even when Fang Chongyong was still around, before the northwest border troops had arrived in Hedong, Taiyuan City did not have much in the way of provisions.

As for the many prefectures and counties north of Taiyuan, most had fallen into the hands of the Hebei rebels—where could provisions possibly be conjured from?

Later, when Brother Ji sent the northwest border troops to Hedong, provisions were also continuously transported from Guanzhong to Hedong.

The road conditions on the Hedong Circuit were only so-so; for most of the route, Yellow River transport could not be used. Therefore, supplying the military needs of over a hundred thousand border troops had always been a struggle, and the prefectural storehouses across Hedong did not hold much surplus grain.

Now that people in Chang'an wanted to install Li Chang on the throne, they would naturally cut off the supply lines to the troops in Hedong! They could hardly be expected to deliberately give Brother Ji provisions so he could lead his army back to Chang'an to settle scores with them, could they?

This was a dirty trick that anyone could figure out with their backside.

Yet even without an "all-out advance," by the time Brother Ji led his fifty thousand men and barely reached Linfen, the seat of Jinzhou, the column had completely run out of rations!

So the army had no choice but to halt at Linfen and not move on, sending men to scour the storehouses in the county seat of Linfen.

Unexpectedly, the soldiers sent to do the scouring did not find much—only enough for two or three days of use by the army!

The Inspector of Jinzhou, Li Liangchen, had long since fled, and it was the Sima of Jinzhou who had been acting in charge of Jinzhou's affairs all along.

Brother Ji was frantic with anxiety and ordered the army to fan out into the countryside, searching house to house and seizing whatever provisions there were, however much there was. Whether local gentry or common folk scraping by, all were to be robbed, robbed, robbed!

But what Brother Ji had not anticipated was that this move dealt a tremendous blow to the army's morale! And it thoroughly turned the "royal army" into stinking rats in the street that everyone loathed.

These elite border troops had originally thought that after entering Guanzhong they would be serving the nation, and after quelling the rebellion they would be granted honors for their wives and sons, bringing glory to their ancestors. As it turned out, they had not laid a finger on a single hair of the rebels, and instead their own side had become bandits raiding homes and pillaging!

Many people suspected that perhaps they, the ones who had come from a thousand li away, were the real bandits, while the Hebei rebels were actually the benevolent and righteous army.

Nor was that all. The predicament of severed supply lines and the military order to sustain themselves through plunder also made many senior generals in the army question everything they believed.

The provisions had to be obtained through draining-the-pond robbery in the local area, and they had even clashed head-on with the local populace, killing many innocent people in the fight for grain.

The way this looked was already very ugly.

If they did not advance, that was one thing, but if they truly continued toward Guanzhong, would that not mean robbing all the way there?

Could an army like this win any battles?

These generals did not want to continue advancing into Guanzhong either—they feared being remembered in infamy for ten thousand years!

So three days after the Hedong army arrived in Jinzhou, Li Guangbi went to find Brother Ji and asked about countermeasures.

And when Li Guangbi found Brother Ji, this aged emperor was pulling leech after leech off his body, flinging them to the ground in furious exasperation, his face written all over with ferocity and unwillingness.

"The Sage is in a temper, General Li—do not say too much. Speak gently."

Recalling Gao Lishi's admonition before entering the room, Li Guangbi took a deep breath, clasped his fists in salute, and reported to Brother Ji: "Sage, scouts have come to report that the Inspector of Jiangzhou has already fled and is nowhere to be found, and the storehouses have been emptied. The local populace… has mostly fled into the mountains and forests and are hard to locate. This humble general believes it will be very difficult to gather the provisions the army needs in Jiangzhou."

"When Fang Chongyong was in Taiyuan before, why did we never hear of any shortage of grain?"

Brother Ji asked without even thinking, his tone very calm.

Or one could say that anger lay hidden beneath the calm.

Li Guangbi opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat, and he did not know how to say them.

He was not entirely clear on what had happened either, but he knew at least a little—certainly more than Brother Ji did.

The two men fell silent for a long while. Brother Ji seemed very patient, simply waiting for Li Guangbi to answer. The latter, seeing that he truly could not brush it off, reported truthfully:

"Sage, previously Yan Zhenqing was in charge of military supplies, but now Yan Zhenqing has been dismissed from office by the Sage, so the army's logistics have become somewhat chaotic."

Li Guangbi said cautiously.

In truth, he did not dare speak all of the truth.

Why was the army short on grain? Was it not all because the Son of Heaven before him had not planned thoroughly enough? Who else could be blamed?

All these border troops originally had their own garrison locations and their own military farms to supply provisions, so the logistical pressure was actually not as great as imagined. At most they were short on silk; provisions were mostly not in short supply.

Moreover, when the elite northwest border troops had not yet come to Hedong, the number of government troops on the Hedong Circuit was actually not large, and there were dedicated personnel responsible for logistics, so the problem of provision supply was not serious—there was even surplus in the storehouses.

But now, on the one hand, the troops of the Hedong Circuit had scattered and dispersed, and the original logistics system had long since collapsed due to the loss of personnel. The newly arrived Guest Troops, while very capable in battle, were all mouths that needed feeding!

Who the hell knew where to get grain!

These "Guest Troops" had always relied on Chang'an for their supply of provisions, and the supply route was also very fragile, with supply and demand barely balanced and not much surplus.

Now that Chang'an had deliberately "cut the supply," Li Guangbi and the rest were completely at their wits' end.

It was somewhat like those people who believed goods would automatically grow on store shelves—the dumbfounded look on their faces the day they found the shelves empty.

"Was Fang Guozhong really that capable?"

Brother Ji asked another question that Li Guangbi could not answer.

He simply used silence to express his opinion.

At this moment, Brother Ji finally realized that whether it was the nation, the prefectures and counties, or even just a single army—if there were no capable people, management could not be done well.

No matter how small or ordinary a matter was, it still required specific people to carry it out, one thing at a time. These unremarkable tasks accumulated one by one, becoming a single ordinary sentence in a memorial to the throne.

Behind the eight characters "the supply route is clear, military needs are not lacking" lay the diligence and sweat of countless people, no less than the slaughter on the battlefield.

Once any single link was missing, the vast war machine would stutter or even grind to a halt.

And Brother Ji, who had always been adept at issuing commands, knew nothing of this. He had always believed that wherever an imperial edict reached, all would be invincible.

"Sage, Fang Guozhong, though young, has governed a region for many years and is well versed in both military and civil affairs, with seasoned experience.

This humble subject believes that the Sage may have previously misunderstood him."

Li Guangbi said cautiously.

"Yes, when I listened to the words of petty men back then and treated Fang Guozhong as a rebel, it is now too late for regrets — what should be done?"

Brother Ji let out a long sigh to the sky, looking as though he regretted his original decision.

Li Guangbi was sick to his stomach, yet had to pinch his nose and clasp his fists in salute, saying:

"Sage, matters having reached this point, your further deliberation is but a waste of spirit. The army's provisions are now insufficient; if we continue marching, I fear the soldiers may grow resentful and trouble could erupt at our very elbows.

This humble general begs the Sage to make a swift decision. If delayed, something unforeseen may occur in the army. Once a mutiny or camp riot breaks out, it will be like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting open — by then, even if I had a thousand abilities, I could not stop it."

Li Guangbi spoke with a solemn expression; his blunt temper made his words carry great weight. In truth, the elite border troops had always been hardy and enduring, and would not mutiny at the slightest provocation.

Seeing him speak so gravely, Brother Ji put away the "anguish and regret" on his face and looked at Li Guangbi, asking, "Then what does General Li think would be best?"

"Sage, the summer wheat is not far from harvest. It might be best to temporarily regroup the army in Jinzhou. After the summer wheat in the various prefectures of Hedong is harvested, it can be made into dry rations and sent to the army.

With ample provisions, there is naturally no panic in our hearts, and we can respond at leisure. This is the plan of pulling the firewood from under the cauldron — a once-and-for-all solution.

If we recklessly force our march into Guanzhong regardless, pillaging along the way, then our army will sooner or later become notorious, resisted by the common folk, and subjected to scorched-earth tactics by the local government offices.

Now that Chang'an has already turned everything upside down, if the Sage is too anxious, I fear it will play right into the hands of certain evildoers."

Li Guangbi urged earnestly.

Hearing these words, Brother Ji nodded with a dark expression and let out a long sigh, saying, "General Li's words are most reasonable."

Those dog-fucking bureaucrats in Chang'an — cutting off provisions, are they just fooling around?

No, no, no — these people were not merely fooling around; one could say they had calculated every move, having long anticipated that Brother Ji would mobilize the Hedong troops to enter Guanzhong to "suppress the rebellion."

Cutting off provisions required neither great courage nor technical sophistication, yet this single factor of logistics had the troops of Hedong pinned down completely.

Without provisions, even with the greatest of abilities, the many battle-hardened generals under Brother Ji's command had no way to push through from Hedong all the way to Guanzhong!

Once enough time passes, whether Brother Ji as emperor would still be acknowledged by the various prefectures and counties — that would be hard to say!

By then, some inspectors who did not wish to pick a side, upon seeing Brother Ji arrive with his men and horses, could simply flee.

If Brother Ji loses in the future, they continue serving as inspectors — not only restored to their original posts, but conveniently having picked the winning side. If Brother Ji wins by luck... how many more years can this old emperor live anyway?

These people would hide away in the mountains to "farm and study" for a few years, and the moment Brother Ji dies, they would immediately pledge loyalty to the new sovereign! They would be fully revived in an instant! Because the new sovereign also needs to stabilize people's hearts!

At this time, Brother Ji's only option was to temporarily hold still, then quietly organize those soldiers to harvest the summer wheat, gather provisions from Hedong, and make dry rations — only then would he have the means to continue advancing into Guanzhong!

Li Guangbi's suggestion was steady and highly effective, though it may not have seemed so grand and soul-stirring.

"My beloved subject, withdraw. I need to consider this carefully."

Brother Ji nodded slightly.

After Li Guangbi clasped his fists in salute and withdrew, Brother Ji asked Gao Lishi, "What does Lishi think?"

"General Li's words are those of a seasoned and prudent man. This slave has nothing to say."

Gao Lishi said with some helplessness.

He knew Li Guangbi's words were indeed golden counsel, but Brother Ji did not like this idea.

Brother Ji was anxious, unable to endure even a single day. He wished he could lead troops charging into Chang'an right now and kill all those treacherous ministers and rebel scoundrels who had betrayed him.

Hack, hack, hack! Hack as many as there are — better to kill the wrong than let one go!

When Brother Ji grew anxious, his whole body itched, and he wanted to scratch open the flesh and blood on his own thighs!

"Go summon Gao Xianzhi."

Brother Ji gave Gao Lishi an instruction.

After Gao Lishi left, Brother Ji slumped weakly onto the soft couch, gazing at the crude ceiling beams of the Jinzhou prefectural office study, sighing and groaning endlessly.

……

For several consecutive days, Fang Youde led several thousand troops stationed at the entrance of Huangxiangban without moving. Neither did he send troops to provoke before Tongguan's gates, nor did he attempt probing night raids.

He seemed not at all anxious to breach the city.

He simply set up his campsteadily, rotating shifts on schedule each day, as if just waiting for Cui Qianyou to make a mistake.

After suffering a few minor losses, Cui Qianyou had also learned his lesson, adopting the same principle of "if the enemy doesn't move, I don't move."

He believed that even if Fang Youde was brilliant at using troops, he could not gain any advantage here at Tongguan.

However, starting from yesterday, Cui Qianyou noticed that things were gradually becoming amiss.

Tongguan's provisions all came from Guanzhong, delivered once every ten days.

The day before yesterday was the scheduled time for this round of provision delivery.

But the provisions that should have arrived were nowhere to be seen — not a single grain of rice.

Cui Qianyou even sent scouts westward along the road to search for the supply convoy, but did not find so much as a hair.

So the case was solved — Chang'an had not dispatched a convoy to deliver provisions at all!

Not a single person! Not a single cart! They simply never sent anything!

"Something has gone wrong!"

Cui Qianyou let out a long sigh, his heart sinking to rock bottom.

Although the stored grain in Tongguan's storehouses could still last a few days, so they would not starve immediately, continuing like this was no solution!

Chang'an regularly delivering provisions to Tongguan and not setting up an oversized granary at Tongguan was itself a measure designed to control Tongguan's garrison! Because Tongguan was too important, there had to be a check in place!

This was in fact quite normal and a very reasonable measure. Yet this seemingly insignificant little scheme was now causing Cui Qianyou great suffering.

Late that night, Cui Qianyou gathered the army's generals to discuss the situation and seek countermeasures.

"Gentlemen, something has happened in Chang'an. The provisions that should have been delivered to Tongguan were not sent on time.

This general believes that now, with no time to lose, the entire army immediately returning to Chang'an is the best course.

What do you all think?"

Cui Qianyou looked around at everyone and asked in a low voice.

No one spoke, because they knew that returning to Chang'an without military orders was a serious violation of military orders, tantamount to rebellion.

"General Cui, do you have a court mobilization order in hand?"

The ten-general who was asking questions is named Ma Lin, a person from Qi Prefecture Assisting Wind, originating from a military family of Guanzhong, son of Ma Cheng, Assistant Officer of the Military Affairs Office of the Right Imperial Stables Directorate.

There is no military order.

Cui Qianyou replied helplessly.

Without a military order, acting arbitrarily is rebellion!

Cui Qianyou, I see you are intent on rebelling!

Gentlemen, we will capture him and escort him back to Chang'an for interrogation!

Ma Lin let out a loud shout and lunged at Cui Qianyou. Several people inside the city tower's custody office seemed to have agreed with him beforehand, and they all rushed over at once, knocking Cui Qianyou to the ground and quickly binding him with a five‑fold tie.

What are you doing?

Cui Qianyou felt both shocked and angry, as if he did not recognize those subordinates of his at all.

Ma Lin, too lazy to argue with him, directly stuffed a rag into Cui Qianyou's mouth, then summoned a few trusted aides and hung red lanterns on both sides of the city tower.

One side had five lanterns, the other side had nine lanterns.

Soon, fireworks rose up in Yellow Lane Slope, blooming in the night sky.

Ma Lin's square face showed a long‑absent smile, and he ordered his subordinates to fling open the gate of Tong Pass's city tower.

Cui Qianyou, sitting in the corner with his mouth gagged, felt his strength drained completely, leaving no will to struggle.