Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 138

It turned out that Li Huaixian, the military governor of Fanyang (Youzhou) and a member of the rebel army, had long understood the situation and surrendered through his acquaintance, the eunuch Luo Fengxian. When Shi Chaoyi led his troops to flee to Fanyang County, Li Baozhong, the military commander of Fanyang, refused to let them in. As a result, Shi Chaoyi's troops scattered, and he fled eastward to Guangyang with only a few hundred Hu cavalry—but Guangyang City also refused to open its gates.

In the end, Shi Chaoyi had no choice but to flee north, intending to escape into the territory of the Khitan and Xi tribes. However, he was overtaken by Li Huaixian's troops when he reached Wenquanzha. With nowhere else to turn, Shi Chaoyi went into the forest and hanged himself. Li Huaixian cut off his head and presented it to the Tang army camp.

Just then, an imperial edict was issued—Li Baoyu and Xin Yunjing jointly impeached Pugu Huaien. This matter was not intended to be concealed, nor could it be hidden from Pugu Huaien at all. Huaien then submitted a memorial to defend himself. Li Yu issued an edict forbidding the impeachment by Li and Xin, and instead comforted and encouraged Pugu Huaien—just as Li Ji had predicted.

Furthermore, the edict reiterated: "Those who have accepted false officials in Tokyo, Henan, and the north will not be questioned."

Upon hearing the news, Li Ji thought to himself, "It's a good thing I killed Xu Shuji beforehand, otherwise, according to Li Yu's wishes, that guy would also be among those pardoned!"

Having obtained Shi Chaoyi's head, the three armies cheered and celebrated in Gaoyang City for several days before parting ways to return in triumph. Not long after, an imperial edict arrived, ordering Hebei and Youzhou to be at peace, and granting all former An Lushan and Shi Chaoyi generals who had surrendered local authority.

The surrendered generals were ranked, and Zhang Zhongzhi was the one with the greatest merit—he was the first to surrender in Hebei and opened the gates of Jingxing. He was then granted the surname Li, the name Baochen, and appointed as the Inspector of the Ministry of Rites and the Military Governor of Chengde, governing the five prefectures of Heng, Zhao, Shen, Ding, and Yi.

Secondly, there was Xue Song. Just as Qin Rui had predicted, Xue Song was, after all, the grandson of Xue Rengui, and the Tang court trusted him the most for his surrender. Xue Song was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the Grand Censor, the Prefect of Xiangzhou, and the Military Governor of Zhaoyi Army, in charge of the five prefectures of Xiang, Wei, Ming, Xing, and Ci.

The third was Tian Chengsi, who was appointed as the Inspector of the Ministry of Revenue, the Governor of Jizhou, and the Military Commissioner of Four Prefectures, overseeing the four prefectures of Ji, Cang, Ying, and Di.

Finally, it was Qin Rui's turn. He got up very early but arrived late, only to be appointed as the Acting Vice Minister of Works, Prefect of Beizhou, and Defense Commissioner of two prefectures, overseeing Beizhou and Dezhou. Qin Rui was extremely frustrated, but what frustrated him most was that Tian Chengsi was actually ranked above him!

He secretly resolved to muster his troops and prepare for battle, to find an opportunity to unite with Xue Song, Zhang Zhong... no, Li Baochen, to completely crush Tian Chengsi and devour all his land and troops!

On their return journey, the armies received another imperial edict appointing Li Huaixian as the Chief Administrator of the Youzhou Grand General's Office, Inspector-General, and Military Governor of Youzhou and Lulong, effectively giving him control over the nine prefectures of You, Ji, Ying, Zhuo, Ping, Tan, Gui, Ying, and Mo.

As Li Mi pointed out, the armies of Youzhou and Lulong, being border towns, needed to be heavily garrisoned to defend against the incursions of the Khitan and Xi tribes. Furthermore, centralized command was essential. In addition, Li Huaixian presented Shi Chaoyi's head, thus receiving exceptionally generous rewards from the court. The establishment of the three towns in Hebei was not only to quickly stabilize the local situation and alleviate the court's concerns about the east, but also to monitor Youzhou; the towns in Henan and Hedong remained in place to monitor Hebei…

Chapter Ten, Singing in the Daytime

When Li Ji led his troops back to Luoyang, he received a letter from Cui Cuo saying that everything was fine at home and his wife and daughters were safe. Moreover, just a few days after New Year's Day, Li Yu personally officiated at the wedding, tying Li Bi and Lady Lu together. Li Bi had already moved next door, but although he had been appointed as a Hanlin Academician, he still spent most of his time in the palace...

In addition, there was a piece of paper attached. When Li Ji unfolded it, he was surprised to find that it was in Du Fu's handwriting...

Li Tan hastily left his post to attend the funeral that day, and his colleagues... oh, his advisors, were not able to go with him. He would only have the opportunity to recommend Yang Yan and others to the court after Li Yu ordered him to guard the mausoleum and wear mourning for Emperor Suzong for three years. It was also a condition, you could say, you took away my power as military governor, you should at least arrange a good place for my subordinates.

Because Li Tan recommended Yang Yan for his financial management skills, he was appointed as the Vice Minister of Revenue to assist Vice Minister Liu Yan in managing financial affairs; Xue Yong was appointed as the Right Remonstrance Official and Acting Assistant Minister of Rites; Zhang Zhu was appointed as the Prefect of Lizhou; and Yuan Xiu was appointed as the Prefect of Tanzhou.

As for Du Fu, he was appointed as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Works.

Du Fu sent a poem to Li Ji through Cui Cuo, titled "Hearing of the Recovery of Henan and Hebei by the Imperial Army, and Sending it to Li Erlang":

"Suddenly, news came from the capital that Jibei had been recovered; upon hearing it, tears streamed down my face. But where was my wife and children's sorrow? I rolled up my books and poems, overjoyed. In broad daylight, I sang and drank freely, my youthful dreams taking me home. I wonder, though I am far from home, awaiting the arrival of my troops; will they journey from Xingyang to Luoyang?"

—Du Fu was from Henan, and his hometown was in Gongxian, which happened to be between Xingyang and Luoyang. It was a crucial point on his return journey, hence these words.

Li Ji repeatedly recited the couplet, "Looking back, where is my wife's sorrow? I roll up my books and am overjoyed," and couldn't help but savor the lingering fragrance. He immediately ordered his personal guards, "Bring a jar of tea." It's a pity there's no wine in the army, otherwise I would also like to indulge in a drink.

In addition, Cui Cuo mentioned three important political matters in his letter.

Firstly, last autumn the Tubo invaded again. Lai Shi's troops were exhausted and unable to resist, leading to the fall of Lanzhou... The Tubo cavalry moved in and out between Qin and Wei, but fortunately, heavy snow fell and they retreated.

Secondly, Liu Yan was transferred to the position of Minister of Personnel and concurrently Chancellor, officially becoming the prime minister, but he still held the positions of Commissioner of Revenue, Salt and Iron, Coinage, and Transport as before—meaning he simultaneously controlled both financial power and the power to appoint and dismiss personnel.

Thirdly, Lai Zhen was killed...

The former traitor Xie Qinrang attacked Huaixi and besieged Wang Zhongsheng, the military governor of Huaixi, in Shenzhou. Wang Zhongsheng sought help from Lai Zhen, but Lai Zhen, harboring resentment for his past impeachment, delayed sending troops, leading to the fall of the city and Wang Zhongsheng's capture. Wang Zhongsheng feigned surrender and sought to survive. When he heard that Shi Chaoyi had been defeated at Zhaojue Temple, he hid in Luoyang through Yu Ling and did not flee east with Shi Chaoyi... He was then sent back to Chang'an by Pugu Huai'en.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wang Zhongsheng ingratiated himself with Cheng Yuanzhen and, through Cheng Yuanzhen, submitted a memorial claiming that Lai Zhen had conspired with the rebels in the past, which led to Lai Zhen's capture by the traitors. Li Yu was furious and stripped Lai Zhen of his official titles and ranks, exiling him to Bozhou. On the way, he issued an edict ordering Lai Zhen's execution…

To be honest, Li Ji didn't have a good impression of Lai Zhen to begin with, largely due to Wang Zhongsheng. Although Wang Zhongsheng was nowhere near as good as Zhang Xun, and Shenzhou wasn't Suiyang, given the precedents of Zhang Xun and Suiyang, Li Ji naturally despised, even hated, those who had the ability to rescue but instead watched their colleagues suffer defeat. Not to mention, Li Ji had already mentioned to Li Bi Lai Zhen's aggression in holding onto his troops and refusing to return to court several times; this guy had to be severely punished, otherwise, this unhealthy trend wouldn't be stopped!

However, people's thoughts often follow their own desires, and desires can change direction... Now that Li Ji commands a large army and is a regional general like Lai Zhen, rather than the commander of the Imperial Guards, he can't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow when Lai Zhen is killed.

The key point is that this fellow had only been back in the capital for a few months, and just because of his past actions, he was completely wiped out. That would have been one thing, but was it really necessary to take his life on the way? Given Lai Zhen's past achievements, shouldn't he have been spared the death penalty? Was it because the news of the pacification of the Guandong Rebellion reached Chang'an that Li Yu finally felt at ease enough to settle accounts with "Lai Chewing Iron" later?

But have you considered the feelings of the soldiers? You just pardoned the rebel generals of Hebei and Youzhou, appointed them all as military governors and defense commanders, and put them in charge of their old territories. But then you turn around and kill your own generals. How can the generals who went on the expedition not feel disheartened?

As expected, the news spread, causing a great deal of discussion in the army. However, no one dared to blame the emperor; instead, all the blame was directed at Cheng Yuanzhen, and—those eunuchs who had always disliked him. The first to approach Li Ji was Liang Chongyi, who stated his position directly, saying he was truly wronged…

However, I am now under Li Fangyu's command and must obey your orders. There are quite a few in the Xiangyang army who feel wronged for General Lai and are conspiring together, possibly planning to cause trouble. What do you think I should do, arrest them or not?

Li Ji smiled slightly: "Just prevent them from causing trouble; there's no need to arrest them."

The second person to come to us was Wang Jiahe. He first struck up a conversation with Li Ji about their past relationship—back when we jointly led the Yingwu Army, our relationship was quite harmonious, wasn't it? You almost dressed up as Weituotian shirtless, and it was I who helped inform Li Fuguo—then he mentioned that all the armies were both afraid of and contemptuous of the supervising eunuch, and that he felt very uneasy sitting in his position…

Could you please speak to Prince Yong and also mention it to Mr. Changyuan, earnestly requesting that His Majesty summon me back to the capital to resume my command of the Northern Imperial Guards? I do not intend to serve as the Military Inspector again. Otherwise, since Yu Chaoen has recovered from his illness, should we still let him come?

Li Ji thought to himself, "How could that be? I finally managed to remove Yu Chaoen's military power and weaken his influence. How could I let the tiger return to the mountain? Moreover, I reckon that with Cheng Yuanzhen blocking the way, Yu Chaoen will never have the chance to make a comeback in his former prominent position."

But he didn't want Wang Jiahe to go back and lead the Imperial Guards, feeling that if the Imperial Guards were controlled by these eunuchs, there would be endless troubles...

He casually joked, "Since all the armies have appointed military supervisors, why don't you come with me to the eastern route of Shannan?"

Wang Jiahe smiled mysteriously, with an air of smugness as if he had inside information: "I'm afraid Erlang won't be able to return to Shannan East Road." Then he pouted and leaned close to Li Ji's ear.

Li Ji thought to himself, "When we were in the Forbidden City, I thought this Wang was quite pleasing to the eye. Not only was he handsome, but he was also almost unsmiling. How come he turned out to be so effeminate and cunning after we got to know each other? Is this a common problem among you spineless cowards?"

Wang Jiahe whispered in his ear, "All the prefectures in Hebei have been granted fiefs to the surrendered generals, but two of them have been spared..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was somewhat surprised.

Currently, the region is in a semi-encirclement of Hebei and even Youzhou. To the northwest is Xin Yunjing, the military governor of Hedong stationed in Taiyuan; to the west are Wang Ang, the military governor of Hezhong Prefecture, and Li Baoyu, the military governor of Luze Prefecture, stationed in Heyang; to the southwest is Guo Yingyi, who is temporarily in charge of the Eastern Capital; to the south are Linghu Zhang, the military governor of Yicheng Army, and Neng Yuanhao, the military governor of Tianping Army—in fact, these two are also surrendered generals, only they surrendered a little earlier; to the southeast are Tian Shenggong, the military governor of Pinglu Army, and Hou Xiyi, the military governor of Ziqing Army.

Li Ji had also considered that Li Bi hoped to temporarily reside in Guandong, on the one hand to monitor the towns in Hebei, and on the other hand to prepare troops and horses, and then obey the imperial edict to go west to defend against the barbarians after a few years. Where could he possibly put himself?

He himself still hoped to stay in Shannan East Circuit, but preferably not in the east, but in the west, to succeed Li Xijun as the Jinshangdu Defense Commissioner. This way, he could defend the capital region to the north and assist Henan to the east. Even if he went west to Fengxiang and Longyou, the distance would not be too far...

If stationed in Guandong, he could either replace Wang Ang as the military governor of Hedong—Wang Ang was notorious for his corruption and lawlessness—or rebuild the Xuanwu Army to command Bian, Song, and Bo, or rebuild the Zhongwu Army to command Chen, Xu, and Cai, overseeing the grain transport along the Yangtze and Huai rivers. The Xuanwu Army's location, in particular, was near Suiyang, where Zhang Xun had fiercely defended it, making it a crucial point for maintaining the court's financial lifeline.

He never considered why, among all the prefectures in Hebei, those that had been granted titles to surrendered generals were left vacant, except for two prefectures...

These two prefectures, bordered by the Yellow River to the south and overlooking Ming and Bei to the north, resemble a sharp blade thrust out from Henan Province, poised precisely at the heart of the Hebei garrisons—truly a crucial strategic point. If they fall into the hands of surrendered generals, they could directly threaten Yun and Pu in Henan, creating a significant breach in the encirclement; but if they remain in the hands of the imperial court, they can be used to restrain the surrendered generals from making any rash moves.

Therefore, it seems quite likely that he will be granted these two states.

At this strategic juncture, a capable general is essential; simply picking a few insignificant officials from the court is certainly insufficient. However, the Li family has a tradition of distrusting their generals, so the emperor will not be at ease no matter who is appointed. Among the generals, I am considered one of the closer to Li Yu and his son, and having remained in a low-ranking position, I can be considered a regional general handpicked by Li Yu… Unless Li Yu has already made up his mind to change the heir apparent, he will most likely use me.

After seeing Wang Jiahe off, he summoned Yin Shen and ordered him to select several capable江湖异人 (jianghu yiren, people of different ethnicities) to "return to Hebei and survey the situation in Wei and Bo prefectures—the more detailed the information, the better, including geography, people, customs, and local specialties."

The army stayed in Luoyang for several days before splitting up and returning to their respective garrisons. Only a small number of soldiers remained to protect their commanders as they returned to Shanzhou, where they would then follow the marshal to Chang'an to report back and request rewards. Li Ji naturally also sent the Xiangyang troops back, temporarily placing them under the command of Liang Chongyi. Half of the Shangzhou troops were returned to Li Qijun, with only several hundred former Suiyang soldiers, including Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, remaining by his side.

Upon arriving in Shanzhou, Li Shi personally greeted them outside the city and then held a grand banquet for his generals. Two days later, Li Shi led his troops in triumph, and incidentally, he also loaded Consort Shen onto a cart and brought her along with the army.

"Your Majesty promised that we would wait until the chaos in Guandong was quelled before discussing my mother's matter. But I cannot let you 'discuss it again.' This time, I must act unilaterally. Otherwise, I fear that after returning to Chang'an, I will find it difficult to leave again, and I will not know when I will be able to reunite with my beloved mother."

His move caught Li Yu completely off guard, and under the persuasion of his ministers, he reluctantly and formally conferred the title of Imperial Concubine on Lady Shen, welcoming her into the Daming Palace. However, Imperial Concubine Shen did not stay in the palace for long before she simply moved out to live with her son—but that's another story, so let's leave it at that.

In preparation for this victory celebration, as soon as news of Li Yu's recapture of Luoyang that winter arrived, he forced Liu Yan to rob Peter to pay Paul, squeezing out a sum of money to hastily repair the Xuanzheng Hall. He then held a grand court session in the Xuanzheng Hall, summoning his generals and receiving congratulations from his officials. Nearly a year had passed since Emperor Suzong's death, and only now did Li Yu finally show a hint of a smile on his face in formal settings, instead of his previous stern, almost menacing expression.

The generals, led by Li Shi and Guo Ziyi, received rewards. Although Guo Ziyi did not participate in the service and remained largely sidelined in Chang'an, he was still considered the newly appointed "Deputy Marshal of Hebei," and Pugu Huai'en and others were his protégés. As for Li Guangbi, he did not return to the capital. After sending Tian Shenggong, Hou Xiyi, and others north, he led a large army to eastern Zhejiang to quell the rebellion of Yuan Huang.

Yuan Huang was from Taizhou. He gathered people to start a rebellion. Because the southeast region was supplying the war effort in Hebei and the taxes were heavy, people flocked to his banner. It is said that there were no fewer than 200,000 people.

This is likely the last battle commanded by Grand Commandant Li. Minister Guo has long had a vacant seat placed beside him, waiting for the right person to take the position...

After the court session, Li Ji took his leave. Before he even left the palace gate, a minor official ran up to convey Li Mi's message: "I will leave the palace tonight and await Your Majesty at my new residence. Your Majesty may bring your wife and children to meet me."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Of course! The first family banquet after returning home will naturally be with my brother—and I'll also ask about the court's plans for me."

Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, Han Hui, and others of lower status were not allowed to participate in the Xuanzheng Hall court assembly. Li Ji had already instructed Yin Shen to lead them to his home to rest—Han Hui's father, Han Zhongqing, was a secretary and had his own residence in Chang'an, so they bid farewell to their colleagues and went their separate ways. After Li Ji left the palace, he hurriedly returned home, only to find the gates of his residence wide open, with Cui Cuo and his men waiting at the inner gate for a long time. The family reunion was naturally filled with joy, and he saw Qingluan carrying a small child following behind Cui Cuo…

Li Ji rushed over to see, and there, nestled in the swaddling clothes, was a round, rosy face with a tiny nose and mouth, its eyes narrowed to slits, seemingly fast asleep. Li Ji couldn't help but joke, "I'm a fierce general, how come I have a daughter with a face like a raccoon…"

Cui Cuo glared at him: "It's clear that you must have looked like a raccoon dog when you were little!"

Li Ji laughed heartily, "When it comes to leaping and bounding like a cat, I'm no match for you." Only after the words left his mouth did he realize, "Wait a minute, this girl is Qingluan's daughter; I shouldn't be joking with Cui Cuo like that..." He quickly opened his arms, asking somewhat nervously, "Can I hold her?"

Qingluan hurriedly placed Li Bi into Li Ji's arms, but at the last moment, Li Ji hesitated, afraid that his clumsy hands would wake the baby. So he only reached out his index finger to poke the delicate pink face, but Li Bi instinctively tilted his head, opened his little mouth, and immediately bit his father's finger.

Li Ji panicked and hurriedly asked, "She...she's sucking...could it be that she hasn't eaten enough?"

Qingluan's face fell, and she quickly apologized, "It's because I don't have enough breast milk. Although I've hired several wet nurses, Bi'er always refuses to drink their milk..."

Cui Cuo interjected, "It's also my fault for not taking good care of her; I could only cook some rice porridge to feed her."

Li Ji shook his head: "Rice porridge has no nutritional value... We can try squeezing out some cow's milk or goat's milk, boiling it, and letting it cool to a warm temperature to see if she'll eat it."

That evening, he led Cui Cuo, and had Qingluan carry Li Bi, to Li Bi's residence. The two families were neighbors, and Li Bi even had a gate built in the wall so that they could come and go freely without having to go through the streets. The key point was that he often stayed in the palace and needed Cui Cuo's help to take care of his new bride.

Although Li Bi did not know Cui Cuo's true origins, he knew that she had lived in Chang'an for a long time and was familiar with the place and its people, while Lu Shi had just moved here from her hometown of Huazhou.

Author's Note: We are once again seeking extras. Interested readers can leave their name, place of origin, and general background in the book review section.

Chapter Eleven, Commander of Weibo

Li Ji, accompanied by his wife and concubines, went to pay their respects to Li Bi. Bi's wife, Lady Lu, was already waiting for them inside the courtyard gate. Li Ji greeted her and then suddenly remembered—oh right, his sister-in-law had a cousin, Lu Qi, who had served in Pugu Huai'en's army; Li Shi had mentioned him to me before. However, they did not meet Lu Qi, nicknamed "Blue-Faced Devil," on this trip. It was said that he had resigned due to illness and returned home to recuperate, thus missing a great opportunity for advancement.

It wasn't until dusk that Li Bi finally broke free of his confinement and returned home. The brothers feasted, needless to say. After the banquet, Li Ji sent his wife and children home, while he stayed overnight at Li Bi's house—he still had many things to say to Li Bi.

When asked about Lai Tian, ​​Li Mi said, "I have advised the Emperor that it is acceptable to dismiss him from office, but there is no need to persecute him to death. However, the Emperor will not listen. Then he asked what the army thought about this."

Li Ji said with a wry smile, "It is obvious that all the troops are resentful. If this causes the generals to become disloyal, it is far worse than letting Lai Zhen go unpunished."

When asked about Yu Chaoen, Li Bi said, "Yu Chaoen always requested to be transferred to a post outside the capital and to serve as a military supervisor again, but Cheng Yuanzhen always blocked him."

"Won't Cheng Yuanzhen become the second Li Fuguo?"

Li Bi shook his head: "Not necessarily. Li Fuguo used to wield power, and all the ministers avoided him, but now Cheng Yuanzhen can't control Yuan Zai..."

Li Ji asked in a low voice, "Does His Majesty intend for me to be a check on the Council of State Affairs? His recent promotion of Liu Yan may also be intended to create a counterbalance between him and Yuan Zai. I wonder if this attempt at balancing things out will actually be effective?"

Li Bi smiled bitterly, “Years of war have greatly diminished the prestige of the court, and the emperor’s prestige… is far from what it was in the past when Emperor Xuanzong could make decisions on all ministers and military governors with a single word. The emperor is helpless.” He paused, then continued, “Fortunately, the chaos in the east has been quelled. If we can accumulate strength for a few years, and then expel the western barbarians and pacify the Qiang, the emperor’s prestige will gradually increase, and we will no longer need to rack our brains to balance the central court.”

Li Ji thought to himself that the emperor's prestige was too high, and he could act recklessly, which was not necessarily a good thing. It would be better to let him just wield the baton and be busy coordinating various forces—but I don't want one of them to be a spineless eunuch.

When asked about the situation in the west, Li Mi explained: "With Hun Shi's defeat, half of Longyou has been lost, and Liangzhou and Hexi are almost isolated. Therefore, His Majesty earnestly hopes that the chaos in Guandong will be quelled and the Shuofang army will return to its posts, so that the barbarian bandits will not dare to look north for the time being. Now, an imperial edict has been issued appointing Li Yuanzhong to lead the northwestern border region and Guo Xin to lead the four garrisons of Anxi..."

Li Ji nodded: "These two are both loyal and brave generals, and have long served in the western frontier defending against the barbarians. Their assignments are quite appropriate."

"Du Hongjian was appointed as the Military Governor of Hexi, the Inspector of Liangzhou, and the Governor of Liangzhou..."

Du Hongjian was originally the military governor of Shuofang Army. He was the first to encourage Li Heng to take the throne in Lingwu. Li Ji did not know Du Hongjian's abilities, but judging from his resume alone, this arrangement was reasonable.

"The position of Military Governor and Prefect of Fengxiang was filled by Gao Sheng..."

Li Ji knew this guy well, and immediately shouted, "What does Gao Sheng know?!"

Li Bi waved his hand and said, "Changwei, politics is full of troubles and entanglements, how can it be entirely as you wish?" He paused for a moment before saying, "But it doesn't matter, Hun Shizhi will be the deputy envoy, in charge of military affairs."

Li Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hun Shi's sending his son to the court... can also be seen as sending a hostage..."

"That Hun Rijin?"

"The sage thought that the name Hu was inelegant, so he now bestowed upon him the name Hunjian. He instructed the general of Weiyuan Army, Changwei, that if he had any spare time, he should go and see him and inquire about the Western affairs in detail."

"Holy crap... Hun Jian has taken command of the Weiyuan Army? What about Li Sheng?"

"Li Sheng has been appointed to govern Binning; Ma Sui has also been appointed as the Chief Clerk of Fufang Army in a few days," Li Bi smiled. "The Emperor naturally trusts you officers and generals who came from the Northern Army and made contributions during the Zhang Empress Rebellion. You are not the only one; you will all be of great use in the future. Perhaps Hun Shi sent his son to the capital because he saw this shortcut through Zhongnan Mountain?"

Li Ji nodded: "Providing imperial guard officers and soldiers with grace and gradually releasing them to replace those foreign military commanders is indeed a brilliant strategy to consolidate the foundation and weaken the branches."

The three major towns guarding the northwest of Beijing and defending against the Tibetans and various Qiang tribes were Fengxiang, Binning, and Fufang Danyan. Therefore, Li Ji was most concerned about the selection of personnel for these three towns—"Who will be the commander of Fufang?"

"With Guo Situ still holding the title and Du Mian as his deputy, and now that Ma Xunmei has left, he should be able to fully utilize his abilities."

"So how did the imperial court arrange things in Hebei?"

Li Bi's expression darkened slightly: "I know you do not agree with Pugu Huaien's suggestion to place surrendered generals in key positions, allowing them to lead their armies and govern their people, but... the court is eager to quell the unrest in Guandong, and has no choice but to resort to this inferior policy. Hopefully, having been influenced by the king's rule, they can repent and no longer be a threat to the Central Plains."

He then asked Li Ji, "Have you ever seen them? What are your impressions?"

Li Ji replied, "I haven't met Generals Li Baochen, Li Huaixian, and Qin Rui. I've only met Xue Song and Tian Chengsi." He then looked up and thought for a moment, "Xue Song looks honest and kind; he hardly seems like a descendant of Xue Pingyang..."

Because the legendary Prince of Pingyang, Xue Li, was a god of war who "pacified the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows." Logically speaking, since he was his grandson and had once been a bandit, he should have the appearance of a fierce general and be arrogant and domineering. However, Xue Song had an ordinary appearance and seemed like a kind and honest elder, with no trace of ferocity on him.

"Tian Chengsi came to surrender in dire straits, but harbored treacherous intentions. When Pugu Yang went to accept his surrender, Chengsi claimed to be ill and refused to come out. Pugu Yang rode straight in, intending to capture him, but found him surrounded by assassins. Soon after, Chengsi bribed Pugu Yang and his son with a large sum of money, and was thus spared..."

At this point, Li Ji stamped his foot: "Even if we allow them to continue guarding Hebei, we should first summon them to court, take the opportunity to observe their intentions, and admonish them to repent!"

Li Bi shook his head: "In that case, I fear the chaos in Hebei will reignite. Perhaps by keeping them at bay for the time being, we can maintain peace for a few years and give the country a chance to breathe."

Li Ji finally asked, "Brother, does the court intend to send me to guard the two prefectures of Wei and Bo?"

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On his first night back in the capital, Li Ji slept in the same bed as Li Bi. Then, starting the next day, he naturally visited relatives and friends everywhere, such as Li Laopeng, Li Guayan, Yang Wan, and so on, including the eunuchs Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming, with whom he had always had a good relationship.

Dou and Huo, along with Zhang Shangjin, whom Li Ji was not familiar with, effectively commanded the three Northern Army's Imperial Guards: Baoying, Weiyuan, and Shence. Li Yu gave them a new title: "Lieutenant General of the Guards." Li Ji was naturally unhappy about this and planned to find an opportunity to speak with Li Bi again, asking him to advise Li Yu against allowing eunuchs to command troops.

The position of "military supervisor" is disgusting enough, but to let a spineless coward lead troops? To be honest, if Yu Chaoen weren't a eunuch, he might barely be qualified to be the commander of an imperial guard. In Li Ji's opinion, the other eunuchs are far inferior to Yu Chaoen!

Ultimately, how could a fierce general be raised in the palace?

According to Dou and Huo, Li Yu planned to gradually incorporate some of the troops returning from the front lines into the Northern Imperial Guard to bolster the defenses of the palace, Chang'an, and even the surrounding areas. His initial targets included Xing Junya's and Yang Huiyuan's troops in Pinglu Town, Hao Tingyu's and Hou Zhongzhuang's troops in Shuofang Town, and the troops of the surrendered general Shang Kegu, among others.