Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: The Supreme Commander of All Armies and Cavalry

Inside the courier inn, Gao Lishi personally attended to Li Longji’s grooming. Sparse white hair softly draped over his forehead, accentuating the emperor’s aged and frail appearance. Overnight, the once mighty and commanding old emperor had lost his radiance. A hero in his twilight.

Chen Xuanli watched silently, a deep sorrow welling in his heart.

Before long, Wei Jiansu and his son Wei E, along with Li Kui, Vice Minister of Rites, hurried in. By now, Wei E had been promoted to Deputy Censor-in-Chief, appointed as the logistics officer, replacing Wei Fangjin in charge of accommodations during the western patrol.

“Everyone is here now?” Li Longji asked with his eyes half-closed.

“All have arrived, Your Majesty,” Gao Lishi replied as he continued his task.

“Then let us begin.” Li Longji’s voice was soft and feeble, a stark contrast to the day before, as if he were a different man.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has sent a report from the front,” Chen Xuanli spoke first.

“And the situation?” Li Longji inquired slowly.

“According to the report, the rebel forces have retreated northeastward. Our troops are holding firm within Xingping city,” Chen Xuanli replied.

“Hmm.” Li Longji opened his eyes, as if he had long anticipated this outcome. Then he turned to the assembled officials, “What do you think?”

“This is good news. Holding Xingping shields the west of Xingping,” Xue E spoke quickly without hesitation.

Wei Jiansu shot him a warning glance, signaling him to be quiet.

“Minister Wei, your opinion?” Li Longji noticed these subtle exchanges.

“I find it quite appropriate,” Wei Jiansu said respectfully.

“General Chen, your thoughts?” Li Longji turned to Chen Xuanli.

“I concur with Deputy Wei’s assessment,” Chen Xuanli said cautiously. Serving an emperor is like serving a tiger; seeing through matters but not voicing them. This was the emperor’s guise, and now he must accompany the emperor as the charade played out.

“Minister Wei, draft the edict,” Li Longji instructed. “Proclaim to the realm that the Crown Prince Li Heng is appointed Supreme Commander of all imperial forces and Regent, returning immediately to govern Chang’an. All troops shall henceforth obey his command.”

“Your Majesty, if the Crown Prince returns to Chang’an, what of the current rebels?” Wei Jiansu asked.

“No matter. The rebels will retreat on their own. Send the order swiftly.” Then he looked at Chen Xuanli, “Prepare to depart.”

The others wished to speak further, but Li Longji waved them off. Reluctantly, they withdrew.

...

At dawn, Li Heng stood atop the city wall, gazing over the splendid landscape of Guanzhong.

“Such a magnificent and flourishing land cannot be surrendered lightly!”

Li Tan stood silently beside his father. Over the past day, he felt his father was acting strangely, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

“Third son, send for Li Kaifeng.”

Soon, Li Kaifeng appeared in armor, striding briskly.

“Any news?” Li Heng asked.

“Your Highness, I was just about to report. Scouts have returned: both rebel contingents have retreated and are nowhere to be found,” Li Kaifeng saluted. “Your Highness, this is truly astonishing.”

“Is that so?” Li Heng feigned surprise, inwardly praising Li Shu’s skillful handling.

“Absolutely certain,” Li Kaifeng affirmed.

“Good. Order the army to march out in half an hour to escort His Majesty.” To stabilize the Longwu Guard, this was the only viable path.

If his predictions were correct, Li Longji would surely command him to return to Chang’an. When two tigers fight, one will be injured. Though father and son kept a civil front, Li Longji would never allow him to remain by his side.

Therefore, the best course was to return to Chang’an.

As the troops prepared to move, a eunuch arrived bearing the imperial decree. Li Heng and his retinue went to the county office to receive it.

To their surprise, the eunuch was none other than Yu Chaoren.

Seeing him drenched in sweat, Li Heng smiled faintly.

His suspicions were correct: the assassin had been arranged by Li Longji himself, intended to distract everyone and secretly save Yang Guifei.

In truth, even without the assassination attempt, Li Heng intended to protect Yang Guifei—her death would bring him no benefit.

However, Li Longji was unaware that Li Heng would intervene on Yang Guifei’s behalf; thus, his plan was not entirely flawed.

Originally, Li Longji had ordered Li Fuguo to infiltrate the Left Longwu Guard and incite a mutiny among the imperial troops, aiming to kill Wei Fangjin.

Wei Fangjin was a dog loyal to Yang Guozhong and had to be eliminated to prevent future trouble.

Wei Jiansu was honest and could be spared, for future use, but he needed a lesson.

Hence, after the Longwu Guard executed Yang Guozhong, Li Shu’s men also attacked Wei Jiansu—merely a scare tactic that injured a few servants before withdrawing.

As for the imperial generals plotting to kill Yang Guifei, that was not Li Heng’s doing. Having eliminated Yang Guozhong, they naturally sought to remove Yang Guifei for their own safety.

Unexpectedly, Li Longji’s arranged assassination almost ruined this carefully laid plan.

Now, with the edict in hand and military power secured, the Crown Prince was finally turning the tide.

Seeing Yu Chaoren and hearing the emperor’s decree, Li Kaifeng was dumbfounded. The situation was unfolding too rapidly; he struggled to make sense of it.

“Beat the drum and raise the banner! Summon all imperial officers from commander upwards, along with Cui Shiren and others, to present themselves,” Li Heng commanded from the county hall.

The booming drumbeats rang out.

Soon, the imperial officers—company commanders, captains, and brigade commanders—stood in formation under Li Kaifeng’s leadership, fully armed and spirited.

Cui Shiren and other militia leaders donned new armor and stood to the left of the imperial troops.

Yu Chaoren and Li Tan stood together.

“Generals, hear your orders: His Majesty appoints me Supreme Commander of all forces and Regent, departing for Chang’an today.”

At these words, all but Li Kaifeng and a few others were stunned.

Cui Shiren and the others were first shocked, then overjoyed.

“Now, I command as follows:

Cui Shiren, you are appointed temporary captain, commanding your militia and subject to Colonel Li Kaifeng’s orders.”

“Command received!” Cui Shiren was elated—starting as a captain was a great honor. This time, he had aligned with the right person.

“Liu Sanyong, Wei Youde, Wu Yizhi, you are temporary brigade commanders under Cui Shiren’s command.”

“Command received!” The three accepted their orders happily.

The military ranks in the Tang Dynasty were somewhat complex, roughly as follows:

The “General of the Twelve Guards” was the highest military office, akin to today’s full general.

“Guard General” was the deputy to the General of the Twelve Guards, similar to a lieutenant general.

“Colonel” (Zhonglangjiang) was the backbone of the Tang army, comparable to a major general.

“Captain” (Langjiang) was the deputy to the colonel, roughly equivalent to a senior colonel.

“Commandant” (Xiaowei) was a grassroots officer, similar to a lieutenant colonel, commanding a regiment.

“Brigade Commander” (Lvshuai) also a grassroots officer, leading a brigade, akin to a major, commanding roughly a hundred soldiers; this is the so-called centurion.

A centurion is a brigade commander—not a leader of a hundred wives!

“Company Leader” (Duizheng) was the lowest officer commanding a company, roughly equivalent to a captain, leading about fifty soldiers.

Below company leader were squad leaders commanding ten and five men, like modern sergeants and corporals, not officers.

In the Tang army, a regiment was the basic tactical unit, numbering two to three hundred men. A colonel typically commanded five regiments, while a general commanded five colonels.

However, these were general guidelines, not strict rules.

Sometimes, generals were honorary posts for meritorious officials, while the real power lay with the guard generals.

Thanks to Li Longji’s single decree, Li Kaifeng was promoted from a lower-ranking colonel to a general of the third rank, becoming a senior commander.

“Li Kaifeng, lead all forces immediately to Chang’an. You must arrive within the city before noon tomorrow without fail! Otherwise, military law will be enforced!”

“Command received!”

“Li Tan, you have two hundred militia. There are three tasks:

First, strengthen Xingping’s defenses against rebel attacks.

Second, recruit ten thousand soldiers in Xingping, Liquan, Jingyang, Fengtian, and Qian County. Men aged fifteen to sixty, one in two households conscripted. If recruitment falls short, expand the range.

Third, procure provisions locally to solve the new army’s supply issues.

Once the new troops are recruited, march swiftly to Chang’an without error!”

“Command received.”

“Yu Chaoren.” Li Heng looked at the eunuch who had just arrived with the decree.

“Yes, Your Highness. What are your orders?” Yu Chaoren asked, surprised that the Crown Prince would assign him a task.

“You are to accompany me to Chang’an immediately.”

“This...” Yu Chaoren hesitated.

“Do you intend to disobey?” Li Heng met Yu Chaoren’s gaze directly, causing the eunuch to tremble.

“I dare not. I am willing to serve loyally by Your Highness’s side,” Yu Chaoren bowed, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“Father, you are going to Chang’an alone? Why not accompany the army?” Li Tan asked anxiously.

“Yes, Your Highness, it’s too dangerous! Please travel with the troops,” Li Kaifeng urged.

“Do not worry. I suspect the rebels have not yet attacked Chang’an,” Li Heng waved off their concerns. “Likely, the city is already in chaos; I must arrive quickly to stabilize the situation.

If the rebels start the siege before I arrive, all will be too late.”

“Father, I wish to accompany you,” Li Tan said, bowing respectfully.

“Your Highness, I too wish to accompany you,” Li Kaifeng bowed.

“No need. You have more important matters to attend to,” Li Heng said firmly. “Provide me with twenty able-bodied guards.”

Without donning armor, Li Heng left the county office, drew his sword, and mounted his horse.

Before departing, he winked at Li Tan and gestured toward the distance. Li Tan understood and nodded in acknowledgment.