Chapter 523: Nine Heavens of Water and Fire (Part One)

"Sage, joyous news, joyous news!"

Inside the imperial study of the So line: Qinzhengwubenlou in Xingqing Palace, Gao Lishi hurried in from outside. Seeing Brother Ji reclining on the couch, he stepped forward to report the good news.

"Have they caught that beast Li Chang yet?"

Brother Ji asked without lifting his head, letting out a yawn, seemingly in poor spirits.

Last night he had dreamed of Wei Sanniang, the one who fell from the tower in red clothes, just standing beside his bed, head lowered, looking at him with cold, dark eyes—just quietly watching, doing nothing else.

The entire dream seemed frozen still, unable to move, with no change at all.

When he woke up, Brother Ji found himself covered in cold sweat.

"To reply to the Sage, not yet.

However, since Li Guangbi captured Fufeng last time, he and Gao Xianzhi have already taken several cities in succession and fought their way to Longzhou.

Once Qianyuan County is captured, this campaign will be completely finished."

Gao Lishi spoke while fanning Brother Ji, using a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Right now the Western Army could be said to be advancing with irresistible force. Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi took turns going into battle—when one force captured a position, it would rest and reorganize there temporarily while the other force continued the advance.

This ensured that when the great army assembled in the open terrain south of Qianyuan County, it would still retain ample stamina.

From the news received so far, Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi were coordinating quite seamlessly.

Of course, this might also be because the battle merits in the earlier stages were nothing worth mentioning. Whoever caught Li Chang would be counted as the victor; no matter how well the earlier fighting went, without catching Li Chang it could only serve as a foil.

"Mm, go summon Guo Ziyi. I have words to speak with him."

Brother Ji said in a low voice, seemingly unpleased by the Western Army's triumphant advance. Or rather, there were no longer many things that could excite him now.

Gao Lishi had many doubts in his heart, but he did not show them. He simply nodded naturally and withdrew from the imperial study.

After he left, Brother Ji finally let out a long sigh, his face showing utter exhaustion, with heavy dark circles under his eyes.

When the cunning hare dies, the hunting hound is boiled.

Once Li Chang, the greatest threat, was eliminated, the next step of the plan could be considered.

And right now, the combat forces in Guanzhong that could fight were all border troops from Hexi and Longyou. These men were now little different from tigers that had tasted human flesh—difficult to control.

How could this balance be maintained?

Brother Ji suddenly realized that he no longer held any cards in his hand.

Huangfu Weiming wanted his life, so the troops of Hebei could not serve as a shield.

He had deeply offended Fang Chongyong, so the troops of Henan likewise could not serve as a shield.

Consequently, the troops of Lianghuai and Jiangnan were also blocked from entering Guanzhong, not to mention that these regions had few troops to begin with.

An Chongzhang over in Hedong had also rebelled, so the troops of Hedong could not be used either.

Now the troops of Hexi and Longyou, as well as those of Anxi and Beiting, were growing increasingly unruly, so the only ones left were the Shuofang Army.

Could he control the Shuofang Army?

Brother Ji felt a wave of gloom in his heart. In theory, "all land within the four seas belongs to the sovereign; all people within the four seas are the sovereign's subjects"—with one word from him, the Shuofang Army should bow and obey.

But the "precedent" set by the Hexi and Longyou border armies had already told Brother Ji with bloody facts that power without support from the grassroots was worse than waste paper.

Amid these wandering thoughts, Gao Lishi had already led Guo Ziyi into the imperial study.

"Greetings to the Sage."

Guo Ziyi bowed with hands clasped in salute, his expression calm as water.

"Sit."

Brother Ji sat up straight and pointed to the cushion across the desk, signaling Guo Ziyi to sit and talk.

After the latter sat down with trepidation, Brother Ji finally broached the main topic.

"General Guo, what do you think of the Western Army as it stands now?"

Brother Ji asked, feigning casualness.

When he played political games, he always liked to beat around the bush, never getting straight to the point.

Unfortunately, Guo Ziyi had honed himself at the grassroots level for many years and was very familiar with the tactic of "when courtesy is shown, something is being sought." Hearing the opening, he already knew what the other party was about to say.

Guo Ziyi coughed lightly and said to Brother Ji:

"Sage, your humble officer has not been with the Western Army for long. The military, from top to bottom, has changed personnel several times over.

As for how this force is now, your humble officer finds it hard to sum up in a word.

Setting aside everything else, just speaking of the military commissioners—front and back, more than ten people have served in that role. Different commissioners have different trusted subordinates under them, and between them there are transfers and reassignments.

Who is competent and who is not—your humble officer cannot be certain, and would not dare speak recklessly!"

He seemingly said a lot, but on careful consideration, expressed no meaning at all.

It was like the empty talk of "having many opinions to raise, and so raising many opinions"—amounting to saying nothing at all.

Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were very different. Li Guangbi was often left speechless by Brother Ji's absurd actions. Guo Ziyi, however, could always find words where there were none; no matter how difficult the question, he could deflect it.

A slick old hand like him truly did not fall for Brother Ji's routine.

"I am just asking casually, and you can speak casually too. This is not a formal audience between sovereign and minister."

Brother Ji said with a gentle wave of his hand.

"Sage, the officers and soldiers of the Western Army come from different military commissioners' defense zones. The local customs and folkways differ as well, each region having its own habits and style.

As for the various commanding generals in the army, your humble officer is even less positioned to comment. After all, many of them I am not familiar with and have had little contact with.

A person's heart is hidden behind their belly. Whether they are good or bad, neither can be ruled out, and your humble officer has no way to test them one by one.

Would you not say this is reasonable?"

Guo Ziyi muddied the waters again. He knew what Brother Ji wanted to hear, and he also knew what he could not say, constantly swaying back and forth on the tightrope without ever falling off.

"Never mind, it is all idle chatter anyway."

Brother Ji smiled helplessly, then asked: "I wish to send you to Shuofang to serve as the Shuofang Military Commissioner. What do you say?"

Strictly speaking, the Shuofang Army currently has no Jiedushi, only a "Jiedushi Acting Successor"! That is Hun Zhen, the Military Commissioner of the Jinglue Army!

The one who previously served concurrently as Jiedushi of the Shuofang Army was Fang Chongyong—this naturally goes without saying.

By throwing out this olive branch at this moment, Brother Ji directly broke Guo Ziyi's composure, leaving him not knowing what to say.

That's right—Brother Ji's words left even a seasoned veteran like him speechless.

Be the Shuofang Jiedushi? Be my ass!

Guo Ziyi was so furious he wanted to cut off Brother Ji's head, then slice it open to see whether it was stuffed full of paste!

Yet he dared not show it on his face, so he felt extremely frustrated.

"Your Majesty, what virtue or ability does this humble general possess to serve as Shuofang Jiedushi? I beg Your Majesty to rescind this appointment. This humble general truly does not deserve it and dares not accept."

Guo Ziyi hastily knelt and declined.

This Shuofang Jiedushi post was not something he could accept. Going to Lingzhou would mean getting his throat slit—there would be no exceptions.

Today's Great Tang, with fires of war rising everywhere, was long no longer the Great Tang of the past.

If the soldiers of Shuofang were willing, they could install a dog as Jiedushi. As long as someone championed it, what wasn't so would become so.

Conversely, if the Shuofang Army did not recognize the appointment, then no matter whom the court sent—even if Brother Ji himself went to serve as Jiedushi—the appointment could not be carried out.

Such was the cruelty of reality.

"Your concerns, We understand very well. What We mean is, after the pretender emperor Li Chang is captured, We shall then issue the edict."

Brother Ji said with a smile.

Guo Ziyi breathed a small sigh of relief.

If Li Chang were no more, then Brother Ji's words would carry a few more measures of authority—at the very least, going to Shuofang would not mean being murdered.

"Your Majesty, all such matters can wait until Guanzhong is pacified. This humble general's words carry little weight; there is no need to prioritize me.

To receive heavy reward without having earned any merit would surely provoke uproar in the army, contrary to Your Majesty's intentions."

Though the appointment was tempting, Guo Ziyi still tactfully declined.

Seeing that Guo Ziyi seemed impervious to persuasion, Brother Ji grew somewhat angry and sat up straight.

He said in a stiff tone, "General Guo, go and inspect. We are tired."

"This humble general takes his leave."

Guo Ziyi bowed respectfully, withdrew from the Qinzhengwubenlou, and walked out of Xingqing Palace.

"He means to use the Shuofang Jiedushi post to buy Guo's life!"

Guo Ziyi let out a long sigh.

In truth, he did not believe this battle was a sure victory—at the very least, it would not be won so easily.

Nor could he fathom why, before the war had even ended, Brother Ji was already handing out rewards for merit.

This chaotic world truly left one more and more bewildered.

……

The city walls of Qianyuan County were extremely low—almost the shortest among county towns. Li Chang could not understand at all why Fang Youde had chosen this place as his base.

At this very moment, Fang Youde was standing atop the city wall, awaiting further news.

Li Guangbi and Gao Xianzhi, leading fifty thousand elite troops, had already captured Chencang and were now not far south of Qianyuan County. By the slowest pace, it would take only two days and one night for this elite force to reach Qianyuan County.

Now, probably only Fang Youde could keep his composure; Li Chang was already as frantic as an ant on a hot pan.

Suddenly, a messenger hurried up onto the wall, clasped his fist in salute to Fang Youde, and reported: "Commander Fang, the rebel army has reached south of Qianyang City and formed their lines. They have not yet entered the gorge. General Li Jiaqing is leading two thousand troops at Qianyang to monitor the enemy."

"Mm. Pass on my military order: the entire army marches out to Qianyang to break the enemy. Victory or defeat hangs on today."

Fang Youde ordered in a low voice.

After the messenger left, he turned and said to Li Chang: "Please wait here, Your Majesty. There is no need to prepare a victory banquet. After this battle crushes the enemy, our army will force-march all the way back to Chang'an. In a few days, this humble minister will await Your Majesty's arrival at the Zichen Hall of the Daming Palace."

He spoke as if recounting a myth, leaving Li Chang dumbfounded.

The battle hadn't even started, and he was already talking about winning?

Li Chang seemed to want to say something, but in the end merely bowed and performed a folded-hand salute to Fang Youde.

At this point, he had no other recourse—he could only choose to believe in the power of "belief." For besides "belief," Li Chang now had nothing left at all.

Watching Fang Youde's retreating figure, Li Chang's heart swelled with countless emotions.

If this battle could be won, after he dealt with Brother Ji, he could "retire after achieving success."

Unifying the realm was difficult; governing the realm was even more difficult. Li Chang did not have the energy for it, and being emperor could bring him no joy.

If only he had not been born into an imperial family, how wonderful that would be. Li Chang thought to himself, but alas, nothing could go back anymore.

Just as Li Chang stood there wallowing in sentimental sorrow, a long-absent great battle was already poised to erupt.

Qianyang City was not far south of Qianyuan County, and the official road some ten-plus li south of Qianyang City connected to Guo County to the east and Chencang to the west.

Because of a relay station, a market town had formed here, called Qianhe Town. The Qian River flowed down from the northern mountains; by the time it passed through Qianyuan County it was still a small ditch, but by the time it flowed past Qianyang, it was already dozens of meters wide with a rapid current.

Yet strangely, when this river reached Qianhe Town, the riverbed suddenly widened, the current sharply slowed, depositing a stretch of riverbank, and then, carrying its silt, merged harmlessly into the Wei River.

Having just arrived at Qianhe Town, the Western Army formed its lines here, but the senior generals in the army quarreled over who should serve as vanguard, and for a time the army could not advance north to Qianyuan.

After a series of sweeping victories, everyone in the Western Army, from top to bottom, now believed that capturing Li Chang was as easy as reaching into a bag to grab something. Therefore, whoever became the vanguard force might seize the first honor.

That is, capturing Li Chang.

Li Guangbi had already conveyed Brother Ji's bounty: whoever captured Li Chang would be rewarded a thousand taels of gold and enfeoffed as a marquis, with hereditary succession.

Many common soldiers hadn't even grasped what this reward meant—they only knew it was awesome, and that once this job was done, they'd never have to worry for the rest of their lives. Even several generations of their descendants could live the good life they had never dared dream of before.

Therefore, those howling to fight were beyond counting.

"Jiedushi Li, how should this matter be arranged?"

Gao Xianzhi gripped his sword hilt, looking none too pleased, his words carrying a probing undertone.

Behind him stood a host of generals from the Anxi Beiting Army.

Li Guangbi said nothing; behind him stood the border army generals of the Hexi and Longyou armies.

The two sides each stood on one side, as clearly divided as the Jing and Wei rivers, neither yielding to the other.

"This terrain is not suited for cavalry to deploy."

Li Guangbi said softly.

Gao Xianzhi understood the hint and said to Li Siye: "Take the modao squad up."

Li Siye nodded.

"Heading north is all gentle mountain paths; the wide stretches are over ten zhang across, the narrow ones only a few zhang, not suitable for too many troops advancing simultaneously.

Past the mountain path there is a valley where troops can be deployed; accommodating a hundred thousand men would be no problem.

My unit will scout the road ahead to guard against ambushes. General Gao's cavalry should dismount and follow, forming up within the valley.

If the enemy has tricks up their sleeve, our various units can withdraw from the valley at leisure.

If the enemy has exhausted their tricks, crossing a ridge just over one zhang high leads to Qianyang City."

Li Guangbi said to Gao Xianzhi.

His meaning was simple: wait until Qianyang City was taken before saying more. The valley ahead was the place to mass troops; if a field battle was to be fought, it would surely be a fierce battle with the enemy there.

The Qianyuan area was not a dead end; though the terrain was complex, none of it was the sort where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand, nor was there any situation where, once blocked, tens of thousands could not defeat a few thousand.

After hearing Li Guangbi's explanation, Gao Xianzhi and the generals of Anxi and Beiting behind him also felt this arrangement was fairly sound.

"If so, then let us march according to Jiedushi Li's arrangements. Your unit goes first."

Gao Xianzhi said with a slight nod.

Now that the military strategy had been settled, Li Guangbi did not delay; he directly ordered Zhang Boyi's unit to take the lead and head north along the mountain path toward Qianyang City.

Li Guangbi's central army followed close behind, while Gao Xianzhi's troops brought up the rear.

For some reason, mounted on his horse, Li Guangbi's right eye twitched wildly, and an unusual sense of unease filled his heart.

He kept feeling as though he had overlooked something crucial.

What exactly could it be?

The more Li Guangbi thought about it, the more his head ached; he could not grasp the crux of it.

"Jiedushi, is something amiss?"

Seeing Li Guangbi's extremely poor complexion, Hao Tingyu stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"Do you feel that something is off?"

Li Guangbi looked at Hao Tingyu and asked in puzzlement.

"Is there? The rebel army is just a bunch of worthless trash that can't withstand a single blow; nothing seems off to me."

Hao Tingyu wore an indifferent attitude.

Li Guangbi had no choice but to set aside his misgivings and treat this "final strike" seriously.

As they marched along, roughly one shichen later, they arrived at the valley the scout had described.

It was all cultivated fertile farmland, and not small in area.

This was not a good place suited for an ambush; most of the surroundings were terraced land, much of it cleared and planted with supplementary cash crops, with only the west side being a cliff several dozen zhang high.

It was not suited for concealing troops.

"Huh?"

Hao Tingyu suddenly let out a curious exclamation.

"What is it?"

Li Guangbi walked over and asked.

At this moment, Gao Xianzhi's troops had all entered the valley, and nothing unusual had happened.

"The Qian River has been running parallel to this road all along; why can't we see it now? Where did this river go?"

Hao Tingyu muttered to himself, puzzlement on his face.

This remark was like lightning cleaving through darkness, shattering the veil of mystery in Li Guangbi's mind!

"The river! The river water! Why didn't I think of it!"

Li Guangbi could not help crying out!

He finally understood the entirety of Fang Youde's strategy—so far-reaching, so razor-sharp, so vicious.

The swift Qian River had not disappeared; it was simply flowing dozens of zhang above their heads, along the high ground atop the cliffs!

Just then, a tremendous boom rang out, like the sound of boulders smashing into the ground.

A massive breach suddenly opened on the distant mountaintop, and floodwaters laden with silt surged toward the Western Army's scattered formations.

In this moment of crisis, Li Guangbi's mind was unusually clear, constantly echoing the teasing words of his adoptive father Wang Zhongsi from years past.

"You're still a bit green."