Volume One, Chapter 11: Why Did They Not Defend Our Great Tang?

“Father, I humbly request to lead the battle.” Li Heng bowed deeply, clasping his fists with sincere resolve as he petitioned Emperor Li Longji to let him take command.

This was an opportunity to prove his loyalty—one he could not afford to miss.

Li Longji glanced at the still shaken Yang Guifei, then at Gao Lishi.

Gao Lishi, about the same age as the emperor, had served him for most of his life. No matter how subtle the emperor’s signals—like the faintest hint of a scent—Gao Lishi could discern the difference.

So when Li Longji merely gave a slight look, Gao Lishi immediately understood and respectfully gestured to Li Heng, saying, “Your Highness, the outside is perilous. I advise against venturing out.”

Li Heng shot a sharp glance at Gao Lishi, then turned respectfully to Li Longji: “Father, my wish to oversee the battle is also an act of filial piety. With turmoil engulfing the realm, as your son and subject, I must share your burdens and stand forth for the great Tang dynasty.

If I cower away in the inn out of fear, how can I inspire confidence in our soldiers or stabilize their morale? I earnestly seek your approval.”

Li Longji nodded and offered no further objection. Li Heng bowed once more to his father, cast a swift glance at Li Mao and Li Lin, then strode quickly out of the inn.

Though dusk had fallen, one could still make out shapes a hundred paces away.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!” A crowd of commoners approached the inn but were halted by the soldiers.

The soldiers stood firm, weapons drawn, confronting the people. Frontline guards held shields in their left hands and sabers in their right; behind them were pikemen, and archers further back. Their expressions were tense.

They had just been preoccupied with quelling assassins and a palace coup, unprepared even to don their helmets. Now, they could only rely on a human shield.

“Your Highness! We demand to see the Crown Prince!” the commoners shouted in unison.

Li Heng looked upon the throng—at least four or five thousand strong, comprising elders, children, able-bodied men, and women.

As he strode purposefully toward them, Chen Xuanli harbored an indescribable feeling. What had come over the Crown Prince today? He seemed like an entirely different person.

Previously, the prince would have stayed safely in the inn or retired to his tent, indifferent to such matters.

Seeing the prince expose himself to danger, Chen Xuanli dared not be complacent and hurried after him. Chen Hanxiong, leading a squad of guards, also followed, positioning himself before the prince.

“Your Highness, these are unruly commoners. You mustn’t go…” Chen Hanxiong protested.

“It’s all right,” Li Heng replied calmly.

“Please reconsider, Your Highness!” Chen Hanxiong blocked his way like a stone wall.

“These are the people of our great Tang. What is there to fear?” Li Heng pushed past him and stepped forward.

“Fellow countrymen, I am Li Heng. How may I serve you?” he bowed and spoke loudly.

“Your Highness, we are the people of Xingping County, here to petition the sovereign,” an elderly man with the air of a local gentry said.

“A petition?” Chen Xuanli found it hard to believe.

“Yes, a petition. We urge the sovereign to command the Crown Prince to return to Chang’an!” the man declared.

“How dare you! You disregard the prince’s safety!” Chen Xuanli rebuked fiercely.

“The Crown Prince, Chang’an is the root of our great Tang. If it falls, the nation falls!” the man cried out with grief.

“We swear to follow Your Highness to the death, to defend Chang’an against fire and flood!” a young man shouted.

“Please, Your Highness, return to defend Chang’an!”

“Please, Your Highness, return to defend Chang’an!”

The crowd echoed in chorus.

“This is outrageous! Your Highness, please retreat to safety. I fear these unruly folks might harm you!” Chen Xuanli’s anger flared, his demeanor like facing a grave enemy.

“If Your Highness does not agree, we shall kneel here until death!” the young man declared, dropping to his knees.

The crowd followed suit, their voices crashing like waves upon rocks.

“If the prince does not consent, we will not let him leave Mawei Inn!” he added.

“How dare you!” Chen Xuanli signaled, and Chen Hanxiong with several soldiers raised their sabers and advanced.

“Stand down! Do not insult the common people,” Li Heng commanded swiftly.

Chen Xuanli waved them off, and the soldiers reluctantly withdrew.

“Your Highness, if Chang’an falls, sooner or later we will all be in the hands of rebels. Before coming here, we resolved to die here or beneath the walls of Chang’an!” the young man said loudly, bowing repeatedly until blood streamed from his forehead.

Seeing such fervent loyalty warmed Li Heng’s heart, though he feigned concern: “Fellow countrymen, I understand your patriotic zeal. Chang’an is indeed the foundation of our great Tang, and I wish dearly to return and defend it.

But as a son, filial duty compels me to serve the ailing sovereign, to share his burdens.”

He clasped his fists in salute.

“Your Highness, the sovereign is guarded by the imperial army and served by eunuchs, yet Chang’an teeters on the brink,” the elderly gentry continued. “As heir apparent, you should consider the fate of the Tang realm.”

Li Heng nodded.

The elder pressed on, “With but a call from Your Highness, heroes from all directions will gather. Then, with iron cavalry breaking through, the tide will turn, the rebels crushed, and the realm restored!”

His voice rang with confidence, as if victory were certain once the prince raised his arm.

“Your words are wise, sir, yet I…” Li Heng began.

The elder interrupted, “Your Highness, loyalty and filial piety often cannot be fulfilled simultaneously. Serving the sovereign is filial, but defending Chang’an is loyalty. I urge you to reconsider.”

“Think carefully, Your Highness!”

“Think carefully, Your Highness!”

The crowd repeated like a mantra.

“Your Highness, we pledge to serve faithfully and follow you unto death!” the young man said.

“We pledge to serve and follow!” echoed several others.

Li Heng exchanged a glance with Chen Xuanli, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.

Chen Xuanli frowned deeply, sensing something amiss.

Today’s events had unfolded too suddenly, each incident linked perfectly to the next.

First, someone incited the imperial guards to kill Wei Fangjin. Then they sought to eliminate Yang Guifei. Before that matter was settled, an assassin appeared, and Wei Jiansu was attacked.

Now, thousands of commoners had come to petition. It seemed orchestrated.

Who could be behind this?

Chen Xuanli looked once more at the prince, whose face was cold and impassive.

He marveled silently at how unfathomable the prince had become.

Li Heng caught Chen Xuanli’s confused gaze and smiled inwardly: “Chen Xuanli, Chen Xuanli, now you can’t guess, can you? I’m driving you mad! Ha!”

Outwardly he remained composed, only furrowing his brow as if troubled by the situation.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! If Chang’an falls, our great Tang is doomed!” the old man suddenly wailed, banging his head on the ground, tears streaming.

His sorrowful cries stirred the crowd to tears.

“Your Majesty! We demand to see you!” someone shouted from the throng.

Soon, all cried out in unison.

“The old want to flee, the young want to flee! There is no hope for Tang!” the elder sobbed hoarsely.

His words cut like a blade into the hearts of those present.

“Impudent! Slandering the sovereign and spreading sedition! What punishment do you deserve?” Chen Xuanli scolded sharply.

The army’s morale was already fragile; such words could ignite chaos.

“Sir soldier, commoners say when Tong Pass fell, you fled westward. As soldiers of the Tang, you fled without so much as sighting the rebels. Aren’t you ashamed?” the old man wept.

Chen Xuanli was at a loss for words; the soldiers’ faces burned with shame.

Only he knew the bitterness in his heart. If he could, he too would cast aside his old bones to fight the rebels to the death.

But they were the sovereign’s personal guards; their duty was to protect him wherever he went.

“Sir soldier, I ask you: do you eat the grain of our Tang? Drink its water? Wear its cloth?” the old man’s voice echoed.

Chen Xuanli and the guards nodded, heavy with guilt.

As soldiers unable to quell the rebellion at the front, forced to retreat, their shame was beyond expression.

“If so, why do you not defend our great Tang’s realm?” The old man’s question hung in the air.

The imperial guards lowered their heads in silence.