Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Ji summoned the military governors of various towns and threatened to incite his soldiers to rebel, besiege or even kill Yu Chaoen. This matter could not be kept secret. By midnight, Li Shi and Yu Chaoen had both received the news.

Li Shi was extremely anxious and immediately ordered someone to summon Li Ji that very night to question him. The two closed the door and talked privately for a long time.

Yu Chaoen was furious and immediately slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "If Li Ji dares to defy his superiors, I will report to the Emperor and have this barbarian beheaded!"

But after finishing the rant, upon reflection, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.

Ultimately, although Li Ji had leaked information to the various military governors, he hadn't taken any concrete action yet. His accusations of harboring resentment and insulting his superiors weren't enough to bring him down. Not only did Li Yu and his son Li Shi deeply favor Li Ji, especially Li Bi behind him, but even as an ordinary military commander, having led eight thousand troops, with a major battle imminent, no one would dare or be willing to punish him for his words.

What can we do then? Just wait for Li Ji to come knocking on our door?

Li Jike made a harsh statement: "At worst, I'll give up my passion to make him die!" When Yu Chaoen recalled these words, the past events in Ding'an Xingzai flashed before his eyes, and his knees went weak, and he knelt down.

With Li Ji's martial prowess and the presence of enemies like Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun under his command, if they were to attack, he could easily defeat me without the help of his generals! If I were to mishandle the situation, that fellow might actually unleash a powerful mace and smash my head open!

What's the point of the court beheading Li Ji and displaying his head to the public if he's already dead? Why should I fight that kid to the death?

Terrified and trembling, after much thought, he decided to go to Li Shi and plead his case by clinging to his leg—Li Ji couldn't very well refuse to give Li Shi face, could he?

However, when he sent someone to inform the marshal—because it was too late to barge in and meet him directly—he received a reply saying that Li Shi was currently meeting with Li Ji. Yu Chaoen was both pleased and worried—the marshal had heard about this and would surely reprimand Li Ji severely, which would likely force the boy to stop; but he was also worried—he couldn't barge in now, he didn't want to face Li Ji again…

Anyway, I figured nothing would happen tonight, so I decided to get some rest and go see the marshal tomorrow morning. But I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I vaguely saw Li Ji approaching with his mace... When I woke up the next day, both of the eunuchs had dark circles under their eyes.

He went to see Li Shi again, but heard that the Uyghur general Di De had come to pay his respects that day. Li Shi got up early and went out of the city to meet him at the camp of the Shannan East Circuit Army...

Yu Chaoen knew that Di De and Li Ji were quite close. The other day, Di De had said that he would wait for Li Ji to come before crossing the river to see the Marshal, saving him two trips. Perhaps this was why Li Shi had made a special trip to the Shannan East Circuit military camp to meet Di De…

But could it be that Li Shi failed to persuade Li Ji to give up, and therefore went to his army to oversee things and prevent any unrest from happening?

Upon further reflection, it seems that Li Ji also holds some position as a Tu-tun-fa (a military post) among the Uyghurs. Perhaps he can incite the Uyghur troops to attack him together. Moreover... the current emperor's reliance on the Uyghurs is no less than that of his father. If Li Ji is given this additional halo, would the emperor dare not punish him with death even if he were to kill him?

No wonder that kid was so arrogant and domineering, daring to openly tell the generals: I'm going to slaughter Yu Chaoen!

Yu Chaoen became increasingly frightened as he thought about it, but he was at a loss for what to do. The key was that Li Shi was protecting him, so he couldn't make a move against Li Ji. Originally, the army's departure would have been a great opportunity to deal with Li Ji, although he hadn't originally planned to. However, Li Ji was also concerned about this and insisted on settling their old grudges before the eastern expedition.

Is it too late for me to beg Li Ji for forgiveness now?

After racking his brains repeatedly without finding a solution, he had no choice but to order someone to go and summon Zhou Zhiguang.

Yu Chaoen feared Li Ji for two reasons: first, the lingering psychological trauma of being expelled from the Ding'an imperial court; and second, the lack of troops under his command. After all, he was a military supervisor, not a garrison commander, and only had a few hundred personal guards. He originally had the authority to freely command the Shaanxi-Guo army, and even to coordinate with the Tonghua and Shuofang armies. However, following word of what others had said, although Pugu and his son, along with Wei Boyu, refused to explicitly side with Li Ji, they intended to remain neutral and observe from the sidelines…

As for Guo Yingyi's Tonghua Army, firstly, its combat strength is limited, and secondly... Yu Chaoen is not familiar with Guo Yingyi. The Tonghua Army was only recently established, and his influence has not yet extended there.

If all the military governors of the various towns stand idly by, do you think Guo Yingyi would be willing to rush over to their aid?

Therefore, Yu Chaoen also cultivated his own faction within the various armies, hoping to truly control a military force of his own. Previously, he had chosen Liu Xixian and used him to raise 4,000 Shence Army soldiers to defend Chang'an. Unfortunately, Liu Xixian was soon driven back to Shanzhou for refusing to submit to Empress Zhang. Not long ago, Liu Xixian was executed for treason, but fortunately, he was killed in the chaos of battle, not through public execution, thus preventing Yu Chaoen from being implicated.

Yu Chaoen returned to Shanzhou, originally intending to target Zhang Xun's garrison in Luoyang, but his plan was thwarted by the remonstrance of Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and others. He then had to find a suitable candidate within the Shan-Guo army, eventually recruiting Zhou Zhiguang.

Zhou Zhiguang was a native of Shanzhou. He was incredibly strong and skilled in archery and horsemanship. After joining the army, he rose through the ranks and became a deputy general. Wei Boyu was in charge of the Shence Army. His old subordinates were all from Longxi. He inevitably treated the local soldiers differently. Yu Chaoen took advantage of this and recruited Zhou Zhiguang as his right-hand man.

He summoned Zhou Zhiguang to inquire: "Can your troops be mobilized to protect me? With your martial arts skills, do you think you can defeat Li Ji?"

Zhou Zhiguang said with a wry smile, "How dare a lowly general like me mobilize troops without the orders of the commander?" He then comforted Yu Chaoen, "Defense Commander Li is just talking. I don't think he would really dare to come and offend the military."

Yu Chaoen thought to himself, "Come on, you have no idea how reckless Li Ji is... Although the little guy is actually quite cunning, he can get carried away with his emotions sometimes, and you never know what he might do. Especially now that Li Bi has returned to court, Li Ji is probably feeling emboldened... I wouldn't dare take that risk!"

With furrowed brows and a look of bewilderment, Zhou Zhiguang, eager to share his benefactor's burdens, suggested, "A Mr. Qingyuan has recently arrived in Shanzhou City. He possesses profound Taoist magic, is adept at predicting fortune and misfortune, and is omnipotent. I inquired with him the other day, and he knew my origins and background with a single touch, even stating that I would one day become a garrison commander… Since the military situation presents us with such perplexing matters, why not invite him for advice?"

Yu Chaoen, like a drowning man grasping at a straw, hurriedly said upon hearing this, "Alright, go quickly and invite this Mr. Qingyuan here for me."

Not long after Zhou Zhiguang left, he returned with Mr. Qingyuan. Yu Chaoen looked closely and indeed saw that he possessed an air of otherworldly refinement, unlike any ordinary person—perhaps not just a common charlatan? He bowed and invited him to sit, but Qingyuan shook his head and said, "I won't sit. As soon as I entered the hall, I saw black mist swirling around me. I fear that before long, this place will become a killing field..."

Upon hearing this, Yu Chaoen was greatly surprised and hurriedly asked, "What do you think of me, Mr. Ze?"

Qing Yuan glanced at his face and suddenly realized, "Ah, so the origin of this black aura was in observing his body!"

"As expected?"

With a flick of his wrist, Qingyuan conjured a faint wisp of black energy in the air, one end connected to Yu Chaoen, the other swirling outwards. Upon seeing this, both Yu Chaoen and Zhou Zhiguang were terrified, speechless with astonishment.

As soon as Qingyuan appeared with black energy, he turned and walked towards the hall below. Yu Chaoen then realized what was happening, quickly rushed forward, bowed deeply, and said, "Sir, please don't leave... I beg you to save my life!"

At first, he was skeptical of the Taoist priest, but the fact that the man could even manifest invisible black energy was like that of a deity! He believed that as long as he sincerely prayed, he would surely receive some guidance.

Qingyuan glanced back briefly, then at Yu Chaoen, before slowly saying, "When I arrived, I saw a falcon swooping down to pounce on a wild rabbit. Seeing its impending doom, the rabbit suddenly flipped over and kicked the falcon with its hind legs. Although the rabbit was pecked, the falcon also fell to the ground, both injured. What a terrible thing to do! If the falcon had been more astute and fled earlier, wouldn't it have avoided a catastrophic disaster?"

"What the gentleman means is that I should give way..."

"Stop indulging in momentary desires and endure momentary anger, and you will soar freely in the high heavens. There are plenty of prey in the world, why fight this one rabbit alone? Although the heavens have given warnings, they cannot be fully revealed, otherwise you will surely suffer the consequences—I will stop here and observe for yourself."

----------

Meanwhile, Li Shi met with Di De in the military camp of Shannan East Circuit. Di De treated him with great respect because of Li Ji and Li Tan, which pleased Li Shi greatly. He immediately held a banquet to entertain him, talking about the customs of the Uyghurs and recounting the past battles in Longyou. They stayed until sunset before returning to the city.

As soon as he settled into the commander's residence, someone reported: "Inspector Yu has suddenly fallen seriously ill and is unable to go on the campaign. Therefore, he has ordered someone to send a letter to the commander-in-chief requesting that he be released and allowed to return to the capital to recuperate."

Li Shi took the document, read it quickly, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Since he is too ill to handle affairs, I grant your permission." He then wrote his reply and asked, "When does Yu Chaoen plan to return to the capital?"

"If the Marshal agrees, we can set off early tomorrow morning."

Li Shi thought to himself, "Hurry up and leave! Every day you delay, the danger increases—not your danger, but mine! Although Li Ji claims to have planned ahead and won't really cause any trouble, don't push him too far..."

The news of Yu Chaoen's illness and subsequent retirement spread throughout the army the following morning. Not only Li Shi, but also Pugu Huai'en and other generals breathed a sigh of relief. Only Pugu Yang remained foolish, saying, "What a pity. Erlang should not have summoned Guo Yingyi to speak with him that day. He was probably the one who leaked the news, allowing Yu Chaoen to seize the opportunity and escape with his life."

As for Li Ji, upon hearing the news, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. He then stretched out his right hand, his five fingers curled up as if holding a horsewhip, and pointed it out, exhaling as he said, "I'll take away your military power!"

As the Military Commissioner, Yu Chaoen, though he could directly command a small number of troops, wielded considerable influence over the various towns and held a degree of command authority, essentially holding the reins of power. Having such a man, who repeatedly plotted against him, by his side… no, behind him, made Li Ji truly uneasy.

He had arrived full of enthusiasm, only to have his hopes dashed by Li Shi, who informed him that Yu Chaoen could not be executed for the time being. Li Ji had indeed considered inciting the troops to create a disturbance and besiege Yu Chaoen, even going so far as to ride forward himself and kill the eunuch with a single blow. However, this would be a lose-lose situation, and even with Li Shi's assistance and Li Bi's guarantee, he himself would not be safe—he had finally been appointed as a general, and to have his military power stripped before even facing the enemy would be utterly disheartening.

Yu Chaoen was unwilling to exchange his life for Li Ji's, and Li Ji was even less willing to trade his future for Yu Chaoen's death!

Therefore, he devised various schemes and made threats, betting that Yu Chaoen feared him and was also afraid of death. His fear was evident in the eunuch's eyes when they met in the main hall of the commander's mansion; as for his fear of death… he didn't believe Yu Chaoen would dare to die with him!

Of course, if he loses the bet and Yu Chaoen stubbornly refuses to leave, Li Ji may have no choice but to resort to a less desirable tactic... He's already made his promise, how can he back down now? How will he face people in the future?

However, Li Ji had also informed Li Shi that if Yu Chaoen showed no intention of leaving within four days, Li Ji should immediately order the vanguard and central army to set off, thus jeopardizing Li Shi's plans and causing his efforts to fail.

Ultimately, this act of insubordination severely disrupted military order, something not only deeply resented by Li Ji himself, but also intolerable to Li Mi, given his personality. If he were to actually do such a thing, his brotherly bond with Li Mi might be severed…

Fortunately, Chang Heng secretly reported to Li Ji yesterday, telling him in detail about his meeting with Yu Chaoen. Li Ji was slightly relieved—but he didn't expect Yu Chaoen to run away so quickly! This eunuch is quite decisive.

As long as his military power is removed, the harm he causes will not be too severe, at least it won't affect the current suppression of the rebellion. We can wait until we win the battle and then find an opportunity to deal with that bastard.

On another note, while Yu Chaoen's removal from command of the Shence Army and his second deployment to Shaanxi outside the capital were certainly due to his refusal to align himself with Empress Zhang, Li Fuguo's machinations may also have played a part. The reason is simple: two tigers cannot stand side by side. If one is in the court and the other is outside the capital, they can support each other and rely on each other. But if both are in the court, how can they avoid conflict?

Although Li Fuguo was dead, a new powerful eunuch had risen in the palace—that was Cheng Yuanzhen. Cheng Yuanzhen and Yu Chaoen didn't have a deep relationship, and in terms of seniority, he was even subordinate to Yu Chaoen. How could they possibly get along peacefully? When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. Perhaps before he even returned to the capital after suppressing the rebellion, one of the two powerful eunuchs would fall—most likely Yu Chaoen. Cheng Yuanzhen, after all, had the advantage of fighting on home ground.

Even if they remain unharmed for the time being, having them check and balance each other is beneficial to the country.

Four days after Yu Chaoen's departure, the grain and fodder supplies in Hedong were plentiful. Li Shi then ordered the vanguard to set off first, followed by the central and rear guards, each departing a day later. Thus, the 50,000-strong army marched majestically towards Henan. On the evening of the second day, Li Ji stayed overnight in the eastern suburbs of Mianchi. He received news that the vanguard had passed Xin'an, but the rebels showed no intention of blocking their path—presumably intending to hold Luoyang or find a decisive battleground near the eastern capital.

Yin Shen brought someone to see him, saying that Third Sister had just sent a message by fast horse from the capital...

Li Ji was slightly displeased upon hearing this—I already told you not to call me "Third Sister," call me Madam! Do you think your master's surname is Cui? Or do you think my leg isn't as thick as my wife's?

The news from Cui Cuo was that Yu Chaoen had reported to the Emperor that he had been summoned to Chang'an, and the Emperor had newly appointed him as the Military Commissioner for Inspection and Pacification. Li Ji thought to himself, "These eunuch traitors really are relentless, one after another, with no end in sight..."

Who will take the position?

"It is the king riding a crane."

Wang Jiahe had once served as the Inspector of Military Maneuvers for the Yingwu Army and had a fairly good relationship with Li Ji—since they were roughly on the same side at the time—however, Li Ji didn't know much about Wang Jiahe's character and abilities. He simply thought to himself that even if Wang Jiahe possessed extraordinary abilities or was arrogant and domineering, he had only recently left the capital and had a shallow foundation in the army; he probably wouldn't dare to act recklessly… As long as no one hindered him, the Tang army had a high chance of winning this campaign to quell the rebellion.

But if we can truly annihilate Shi Chaoyi in one fell swoop, and after accumulating some strength, we can turn around and repel the Tibetans who are increasingly approaching Longshang...

(End of Volume 5, "The Drums Cease and the Cold Mist Disperses on the Heavenly Street")

Author's Note: Volume 5 is finished. There will be a break tomorrow, and Volume 6 will begin the day after tomorrow.

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Chapter 1, The False Commander Yan

In the first year of the Baoying era of the Tang Dynasty, which was also the second year of the Xiansheng era of the pseudo-Yan Dynasty, in mid-October, in Wuqing County, Hebei Province.

This prefecture was originally named Beizhou. In the third year of the Tianbao era, the prefecture was changed to a prefecture, and it was initially named Qinghe Prefecture, with its seat in Qinghe County. After Shi Siming became emperor, he moved the prefecture seat to Wucheng, east of Qinghe, and renamed the prefecture Wuqing.

In the Tang Dynasty, the position of Jiedushi (military governor) was theoretically only responsible for military affairs. However, it was common practice to also hold the titles of Prefect of a certain prefecture or Observer of several prefectures, thus gaining control over military, civil administration, and even financial power. The pseudo-Yan regime, on the other hand, was a purely military regime. Therefore, as long as one held the title of Jiedushi, one would naturally become the highest military and political official of one or several prefectures, effectively establishing a separatist regime.

Today, Wuqing County and the neighboring Pingyuan County (Dezhou) are under the jurisdiction of Qin Rui, the military governor of Wuqing.

It was just after nightfall, and in the rear chambers of the Wucheng Military Governor's Office, Commander Qin was diligently serving the emperor, working tirelessly. On the wide couch, the brocade quilt was piled high and trembling incessantly. After a while, Qin Rui finally let out a long sigh and turned over to lie down.

He casually swept away most of the quilt, revealing half of a snow-white, soft body. Then, the body moved slightly, arms outstretched, and embraced Qin Rui's neck, a sweet, delicate voice calling out, "Marshal..."

Qin Rui glanced at the woman, and suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable irritation. He immediately bent and straightened his hairy, thick leg, kicking the woman completely out of bed and onto the floor.

"roll!"

The woman was terrified, her face turning pale. Ignoring her naked state, she hurriedly bowed before the bed and asked, "General, General, has this servant failed to serve you properly?"

Qin Rui glared at him: "If I tell you to get lost, then get lost! Why all the nonsense? Do you think I'm too kind to kill you?"

The woman was so terrified that she almost cried out on the spot. She could only grit her teeth, desperately endure it, and kowtow again before standing up, bowing her back, and running out the door in small, hurried steps.

Qin Rui lay back on the couch, slightly raised his head, and looked at the woman's back—her buttocks were too big and her legs were too thick; they shouldn't have been allowed to eat their fill!

He immediately curled his lip and clicked his tongue, saying, "I really am sick."

It turns out that this Commander Qin was not actually surnamed Qin, but was named Zhen Sui...

Zhen Sui was ordered by Emperor Suzong Li Heng to go to Yingyang to welcome Li Bi and escort the brothers Li Bi and Li Ji westward to join Li Heng. However, on Tanshan Mountain, he encountered a dozen or so brave men sent by Tian Qianzhen. He told the Li brothers to escape while he stayed behind to cover their retreat. Outnumbered, he was almost killed, but he eventually managed to break through the encirclement, though he was covered in wounds and looked like a bloodied man.

Fortunately, after Cui Guangyuan escaped from Chang'an, he left Cui Qi and others to lie in wait near the capital to gather intelligence on the rebels' movements. Cui Qi happened to be near Tanshan when he encountered Zhen Sui, so he gave him medicine and saved his life.

From then on, Zhen Sui couldn't forget that little girl... He himself found it strange. Cui Qi was only of average appearance and thin, with neither breasts nor buttocks. Although she was of marriageable age, she seemed to have not yet started to develop. What exactly did he see in her?

For example, the woman he kicked off the bed just now was considered one of the most beautiful women in the two states. Apart from being a little plump, she was an absolute beauty in terms of appearance and figure. Why was he so excited when he was doing this, but once the excitement wore off, Cui Qi's image involuntarily appeared in his mind, and he couldn't stand the woman no matter how he looked at her?

I'm really sick, and I'm seriously sick!

Unfortunately, I was a bit rash back then, intending to force things, which seems to have offended that little girl… I originally thought that although my status wasn't high, I was still worthy of a maid in the Cui household, and perhaps I could even use this to curry favor with Cui Guangyuan. However, upon arriving at the temporary capital in Ding'an, I was stopped by Li Fuguo and Cui Guangyuan, who neither allowed me to see the Emperor nor let me show my face in public—fearing that the Emperor would find out about their reckless actions that nearly cost Li Mi his life…

Actually, these small matters might not affect their power, but in front of the emperor, even the slightest bit of dislike could accumulate and suddenly escalate at any time... In comparison, it's just sacrificing a Qianniu bodyguard, which is incredibly beneficial and cost-effective.

Therefore, Zhen Sui was almost silenced, but fortunately he was clever enough, and with Cui Qi's help, he was expelled from the capital and ordered to sneak into Luoyang to infiltrate the rebel army as a spy. Thereupon, he changed his name and took his mother's surname, becoming Qin Rui.

Qin Rui went to serve under Zhou Zhi—this was also arranged by Cui Guangyuan, because Zhou Zhi had a past relationship with him—and gradually gained his trust, accumulating merits and rising through the ranks. He originally planned to wait until his false position was high enough to command more troops, then defect to the Tang Dynasty on the battlefield, hoping the Tang family would give him a fourth or fifth-rank official position, and then he could go to the Cui family to ask Cui Qi for a wife.

But he could never have imagined that if Zhou Zhi hadn't died, he would have been nothing more than a minor official, and he would only have a chance to seize power after Zhou Zhi died.

Last year, Shi Chaoyi launched a coup, not only murdering his father but also summoning Zhou Zhi and Xu Shuji to his court, where he executed Zhou Zhi on the spot—firstly, because Zhou Zhi was his father's trusted minister; and secondly, because he merely suspected that Zhou Zhi might favor his younger brother, Shi Chaoqing. Upon hearing the news, Qin Rui immediately rallied all of Zhou Zhi's former subordinates, pressuring Shi Chaoyi to give an explanation.

When Shi Chaoyi first ascended the throne, his power base was unstable, and many of his former generals and ministers were not convinced. He was worried that the rebellion of Zhou Zhi's old subordinates would trigger a chain reaction. In the end, he had no choice but to agree to Qin Rui's request and appoint him as the military governor of Wuqing, so that he could assume the responsibility of the region.