Chapter 527: The North Wind Strikes

Some fathers and sons are better off never meeting; the hatred between them can even exceed that between sworn enemies.

Ji Ge was brought back to Chang'an by Fang Youde and delivered to the Purple Radiance Hall of the Daming Palace to meet with the Son of Heaven, Li Chang.

Yet at this moment, the atmosphere within the Purple Radiance Hall seemed somewhat awkward.

Ji Ge, dressed in coarse hemp cloth, covered head to toe in mud and utterly wretched, looked at Li Chang seated on the dragon throne and closed his eyes in anguish.

He seemed unwilling to say anything, closing his eyes as though he were already dead.

In their past meetings, Ji Ge had always been the one on high; today, their positions had completely reversed.

Not to mention Ji Ge feeling somewhat unaccustomed, even Li Chang sensed an inexplicable sense of dissonance.

It was as though the natural order had been overturned, as though holding a sword by the blade.

Ji Ge had been emperor for decades and had already formed a psychological inertia; whether it was himself or most people, all had grown accustomed to this.

"Your Majesty, the Retired Emperor left Chang'an to flee the ravages of war and was found by your humble servant stranded at Mawei Post Station.

The Retired Emperor is elderly; please let him spend his remaining years in peace at Xingqing Palace, without involvement in state affairs."

Fang Youde crossed his hands in a salute and spoke to Li Chang.

"My beloved ministers, I have some private words to speak with the Retired Emperor. I wonder if you could all step away for a moment?"

Li Chang rose to his feet, walked before Ji Ge, but spoke while looking at Fang Youde.

Such a request was impossible for a subject to refuse.

Fang Youde was the first to withdraw from the Purple Radiance Hall; the others followed him out, not a single person uttering a superfluous word.

The Li family's domestic affairs ultimately had to be settled by the Li family themselves; outsiders could not intervene.

After everyone had withdrawn from the hall, Ji Ge finally opened his eyes and looked at Li Chang with a calm expression, saying: "Do not think you are triumphant for a moment; in truth, you do not dare do anything to me."

"Really? Are you certain?"

A flash of madness passed through Li Chang's eyes; this fervor so frightened Ji Ge that his heart trembled.

He somewhat regretted his reckless words just now. But spoken words were like spilled water—having already shown a hard stance, it was impossible to soften again.

Ji Ge forced himself to go on, saying:

"Hmph, if you kill me, you will be a rebel, and everyone in the realm will have the right to put you to death! Everyone will rise up against you!

At that point, will you still be able to sit securely on that throne? What will you rely on to defeat those who oppose you?"

Ji Ge gave a cold, mocking laugh, looking as though he still held great power in his hands.

Hearing this deranged talk, Li Chang suddenly laughed.

He suddenly realized that many people merely looked intimidating.

When they had power, their posturing seemed unremarkable; but once their power was gone, yet they still put on airs to bluff others, they were like comical clowns striking ridiculous poses.

Those people always thought themselves strong, always thought they were still in control of everything.

Without the slightest awareness of the changes happening around them.

Slap!

Li Chang stepped forward and viciously slapped Ji Ge across the face.

The force was so great that it sent Ji Ge crashing to the ground, leaving a bright red five-finger mark on the left half of his face.

"Li Longji! You need to change how you address yourself.

Henceforth, in my presence, you are not to call yourself 'Zhen'!

You think I cannot touch you, is that it?

Let us set aside whether I dare or not—even if I did not dare, killing Gao Lishi would be no different from crushing an ant!

Today I will teach you a lesson first; you had best remember it well."

Li Chang rebuked Ji Ge with a cold, grim expression, leaving the latter so shocked that he could not utter a single word.

"Someone come!"

Li Chang shouted.

Cheng Yuanzhen scurried in from the rear hall, bowed, and asked: "What does Your Majesty summon this old slave for?"

"The eunuch Gao Lishi beside the Retired Emperor actually dared to strike me—how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Li Chang glanced at Cheng Yuanzhen and asked.

Gao Lishi was outside the hall; how could he possibly have struck Li Chang?

Clearly, when Zhao Gao of old pointed at a deer and called it a horse, earning infamy for all eternity, it was only because he was not the emperor and lacked that privilege.

But when an emperor called a deer a horse, no one could stop him. This was a privilege exclusive to the emperor.

Cheng Yuanzhen's eyes shifted, and he suggested in a low voice: "Heaven possesses the virtue of cherishing life. Whichever hand Gao Lishi used to strike Your Majesty, sever that hand. Sparing his dog's life is also a show of the Son of Heaven's mercy."

"Mm, then go and pass the order: for Gao Lishi's disrespect toward me, sever his left arm."

Li Chang's expression was calm as he spouted this solemn nonsense.

To Li Chang, Gao Lishi was also one of the enemies who absolutely had to be killed.

Ji Ge, slumped on the floor, wanted to say something, but his lips merely twitched a few times, and in the end not a single word came out.

"This slave will go and convey the decree at once."

Cheng Yuanzhen said with downcast eyes and a docile manner, then walked out of the Purple Radiance Hall, following each step precisely.

"Father, I still have many spectacles that I have not yet let you witness! In the future, they will be brought forth one by one for your thorough appreciation."

Li Chang crouched down and patted the other half of Ji Ge's face—the side that had not been slapped. The coldness that showed on his face was even greater, like the north wind in the depth of winter.

……

In a certain cell of the Court of Judicature and Revision prison, the disheveled Zhang Guangsheng and the disheveled Yan Zhenqing were like two wretched creatures forgotten by the world.

Sitting together, chatting idly.

They were truly idle; the days of imprisonment were so dull they could bore the birds out of the trees.

After Brother Ji came to Chang'an, he lacked officials to handle affairs, and everything was in disarray and not yet on the right track, so naturally he had no time to execute Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng. He simply had them locked up in the Court of Judicature and Revision prison and paid them no further attention, going off to attend to other matters.

In Brother Ji's view, they couldn't run away anyway, so it could wait until the political situation in Chang'an stabilized somewhat.

When the time came, the two could be executed in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate as a warning to others.

And after Fang Youde defeated Li Guangbi and the others' punitive army and occupied Chang'an, he likewise had no time for Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng.

He was busy chasing down Brother Ji.

Through this back and forth, Yan and Zhang actually settled down comfortably in the Court of Judicature and Revision prison.

As for Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng, they were equally ignorant of what had happened outside. They had no idea at all that Brother Ji was already finished, and that instead Li Chang had unexpectedly risen to power.

"Lord Yan, what exactly is Li Longji's intention? If he wants to kill us or slice us to pieces, he should give us a clear answer. Just keeping us locked up like this, with no trial and no questioning—what does he mean to do?"

Zhang Guangsheng asked with a puzzled expression.

He already referred to Brother Ji by name directly, without the slightest respect.

The marble cells had decent living conditions.

After all, those held here were typically political prisoners and officials of the sixth rank or above. Those who had served time in the Court of Judicature and Revision prison and then walked out swaggering to resume their official posts were as countless as carp crossing a river.

So the various conditions of the Court of Judicature and Revision prison were also incomparable to other prisons.

Zhang Guangsheng and Yan Zhenqing ate roughly the same meals every day—barely palatable, but enough to fill their stomachs. No special treatment, but no abuse either.

This left them unable to figure out what the situation outside actually was.

Whether it was the guards watching the cells or those delivering meals, none of them spoke a single word to them.

"Most likely something has happened."

Yan Zhenqing sighed softly, his eyes lifeless as he looked at the wooden bars of the cell and spoke. If Brother Ji wanted to kill them, he would have done so long ago; there was no need to keep them locked up for so many days.

Just then, faint footsteps came from outside the cell.

Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng looked up and found Li Chang, dressed in an ochre-yellow dragon robe, already standing before the prison door, with Cheng Yuanzhen beside him bowing and scraping while speaking in a low voice.

"Your Majesty!"

Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng were both startled and alarmed!

Even if Brother Ji had come to send them to their deaths, it would not have been this shocking.

They subconsciously stood up, and by this time Cheng Yuanzhen had already opened the cell door.

Li Chang walked in and grasped their hands, saying with emotion, "Thanks to Commander Fang's good offices, affairs here in Chang'an City have already been settled."

Settled? How were they settled?

That was sixty thousand elite border troops!

Yan Zhenqing, Zhang Guangsheng, and the others all began to doubt reality. How many men Fang Youde had under his command, they knew full well.

To have actually dealt with the soldiers and horses from the Hexi and Longyou regions.

This world had gone a bit mad!

"This is no place for conversation. You two have both rendered great service to Us—please come to the Purple Celestial Hall to discuss state affairs!"

Li Chang suddenly said sternly.

Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng were wild with joy inside!

It had not been easy—they had actually "won by doing nothing" this time.

Of course, their bold assassination attempt on Brother Ji, which had nearly succeeded, had already proven their loyalty!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng knelt on the ground and performed a full prostration before Li Chang.

They followed Li Chang to the Daming Palace, but did not go directly to the Purple Celestial Hall. Instead, they were taken by palace eunuchs to be bathed and attended to, and changed back into their original official robes before arriving at the Purple Celestial Hall.

The main hall of the Purple Celestial Hall was not large in scale, and it was connected to the emperor's bedchamber.

By the time Yan Zhenqing and Zhang Guangsheng arrived, the hall was already packed with people.

Among them were absolute heavyweights like Fang Youde and Li Mi, as well as surrendered generals from the Western Army such as Li Guangbi, Gao Xianzhi, and Guo Ziyi.

These people were gathered in groups of three or five, whispering to one another as if discussing some important matter.

Li Chang sat on the dragon throne, seemingly uninterested in all this, appearing deep in thought—or one could say distracted—but in any case, not particularly concerned.

"Lord Yan, would you like Us to tell you how things came to pass?"

Li Chang suddenly asked.

So there was indeed something!

Yan Zhenqing asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, what exactly has happened?"

He also noticed that everyone present wore grave expressions and spoke no words of levity.

"Luoyang has fallen."

Fang Youde stated in four concise words.

In an instant, a chill shot from Yan Zhenqing's spine straight to the top of his head!

Luoyang! Huangfu Weiming had seized Luoyang!

Of course, this was actually to be expected. Over there, only Lu Jiong with five thousand men was garrisoning the city—some were elite troops, but most were militia.

In any case, they could never have held off Huangfu Weiming.

"Now Huangfu Weiming has split his forces into two routes—one along the Two Capitals Post Road, and one through Zhi Pass—attacking Tong Pass and Puzhou respectively.

The Sage has summoned us here to discuss how to repel the enemy."

Li Mi explained to Yan Zhenqing, which was far more specific than Fang Youde's four words.

Yan Zhenqing nodded slightly, already understanding roughly what had happened.

Zhang Guangsheng, like an invisible presence, felt he had absolutely no say in the matter!

"Commander Fang, what do you think about this?"

Li Chang asked with a respectful expression.

"Huangfu Weiming is full of schemes but lacks decisiveness—he's nothing but a clay chicken and a pottery dog.

Merely keeping them outside Guanzhong would be as easy as flipping one's hand.

But recapturing Luoyang is something I cannot accomplish at present."

Fang Youde said concisely and to the point.

Everyone present drew in a sharp breath.

Damn it, you really dare to say that!

But they had no choice but to be convinced, because these words came from Fang Youde!

"How many troops are needed?"

Li Chang asked in a low voice.

Fang Youde raised two fingers and said, "Twenty thousand men to Pu Prefecture will suffice."

"What about Tong Pass?"

Yan Zhenqing could not help asking.

"Just let them through."

Fang Youde looked completely indifferent.

Let them through?

Now it was not just Yan Zhenqing—even Li Guangbi and the others could no longer stay calm.

But Fang Youde had his own reasoning in deploying troops, and it could not be judged by ordinary logic.

In truth, the defense of a place like Tong Pass... was very complicated.

Fang Youde's understanding of these battle lines also far surpassed that of Li Guangbi, Guo Ziyi, and others of this era.

During the An-Shi Rebellion, the imperial army suffered a crushing defeat at Tong Pass, but after the rout, there were actually still over ten thousand remnant soldiers inside Tong Pass. If Tong Pass truly was impregnable to the degree of "one man holding the pass against ten thousand," how could those ten thousand-plus remnant soldiers not have held back An Lushan's tens of thousands?

It can be seen that real warfare is not simple arithmetic, not a simple contest of terrain.

"Why not..."

Yan Zhenqing seemed to want to say more, but considering that his own level of commanding battles was leagues behind Fang Youde's, he obediently shut his mouth.

"Tong Pass cannot be held; defend it long and it will surely fall.

Better to offer no resistance, let the rebel army in to fight, and sever one of their fingers.

When that time comes, Huangfu Weiming will naturally withdraw his troops."

Fang Youde rarely took the trouble to explain at length.

Fighting wars requires talent—those who understand will naturally understand, and for those who don't, no amount of explanation will be of any use.

Li Chang nodded slightly, indicating his approval.

If conventional methods were adopted, Guanzhong absolutely could not be held—they did not have enough troops in hand.

Pu Prefecture and Tong Pass were two bottlenecks, and the existing forces could only plug one.

The fatal problem on the Pu Prefecture side was this: the enemy's supply line was extremely short.

The situation at Tong Pass was the opposite—Luoyang's grain and fodder were in fact inconvenient to transport overland.

This actually limited the scale of the army.

As for how Fang Youde intended to use a single army to plug two openings that were not far apart, that was his ability, and there was naturally no need to blather about it here—one only needed to look at the final result.

"Grand Marshal Fang, you are My Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven—I rely on you for everything.

All the troops of the Great Tang are under your command!"

Li Chang produced a tiger tally from his robes, stood up, and handed it to Fang Youde.

Zhang Guangsheng glanced around at everyone and realized that although there were many people here, the one whose words actually carried weight was Fang Youde alone.

Yan Zhenqing had also seen this point, which was why he had spoken only a few words before falling silent.

Sure enough, this world only acknowledged the strong.

If you could win battles, if you could lead the soldiers under your command to be invincible, then you were a true god!

The emperor would curry favor with you, your subordinates would rally behind you, and whatever you wanted could be yours!

Zhang Guangsheng did not doubt for a moment that if Fang Youde were to make some excessive demands right now, Li Chang would certainly hold his nose and agree.

This was winner takes all!

The world had already changed quietly and imperceptibly. The golden age of military men seemed to have arrived without anyone noticing.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty—defeating Huangfu Weiming is not difficult."

Fang Youde said calmly.

What he did not say was: recapturing Luoyang would not be easy.

Having obtained some remnant soldiers of the Western Army this time, Fang Youde could finally let loose and give it his all.

"Guo Ziyi is responsible for defending Chang'an; everyone else, follow me to the Xuanwu Gate camp to muster the troops."

Fang Youde looked at Li Guangbi and the others as he gave the order, without the slightest courtesy.

He clasped his fists in salute to Li Chang, then turned and walked away without the slightest pause.

"Lord Yan, you are responsible for recruiting troops in Guanzhong."

Li Chang said with a smile to Yan Zhenqing.

"I shall respectfully follow Your Majesty's command. I am already quite familiar with this."

Yan Zhenqing said with a wry smile.

He had previously tried to block the Western Army and had organized a force of tens of thousands, but it had been completely useless.

"Very well, my beloved ministers, please return."

Li Chang said to the crowd, yet he gestured to Zhang Guangsheng without changing expression, signaling him to come to his side.

After the others left, Li Chang then quietly ordered Zhang Guangsheng: "I want you to lead troops to watch over that person at the Flourishing Celebration Palace; can you help me?"