Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

After Qin Rui took control of Wuqing and Pingyuan prefectures, he immediately began to prepare his troops, waiting for the Tang army to launch another campaign so that he could find an opportunity to defect.

However, marrying that young maid Cui Qi is probably out of the question... Firstly, several years have passed, and at that age, she should be married by now, right? Secondly, if I were to offer the two prefectures to the Tang Dynasty, I should at least be given a third-rank military position. Marrying a maid as my principal wife would be an inappropriate match, and I fear it would cause public criticism...

This only added to my frustration. I wondered where I could find another lady with a slender figure like Cui Qi? Hmm, if she were under 12, there might still be a chance, but she would eventually develop...

Lost in thought, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Greetings, Commander, I have important matters to report."

Qin Rui recognized the voice, hurriedly put on his clothes and stood up, calling out, "Mr. Guo, please come in."

The door opened, and a scholar bowed as he entered.

This man was named Guo Mo, a native of Yingchuan. He was the middle son of Guo Na, a Tang Dynasty official who served as the Inspector of Chenliu. He was fond of swordsmanship from a young age and traveled extensively. After the uprising, he joined Zhou Zhi's forces, becoming the commander of the "Divine Machine Guard." After Zhou Zhi was killed, the martial arts masters within the "Divine Machine Guard" fled, leaving Guo Mo without support. He then joined Qin Rui. However, Qin Rui did not underestimate him, addressing him only as "Sir" and treating him with the utmost courtesy.

The purpose was to hope that Guo Mo could rebuild the "Shenji Guard" and make it a powerful ally for his family.

It wasn't yet time for bed, but Guo Mo rushed over to see him. However, upon entering, he found General Qin dressed only in his undergarments, having just put on a long robe and was tying its belt. Guo Mo thought to himself, "He's sleeping with another woman..." He looked around but couldn't find anyone else in the room. He thought to himself, "Thank goodness, I haven't disturbed the General's rest."

Qin Rui invited Guo Mo to sit opposite him, and then asked, "Has Chang'an already launched an eastern expedition?"

Guo Mo nodded, but started with another matter: "Reporting to the commander, Jingjing'er has returned."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rui's eyes lit up—that Jingjing'er was incredibly skilled in light-footed martial arts and adept at throwing darts with invisible, traceless precision. He was originally a core member of the "Divine Machine Guard," but unfortunately, he happened to be away on business when Zhou Zhi died and never returned. He probably wandered for over a year, unable to find a good place to stay, and thus had no choice but to return to Guo Mo.

Guo Mo then recounted Jingjing'er's whereabouts over the years in general terms—the key point being that it involved internal strife within the Tang Dynasty, and much of the information had been distorted by the time it reached Hebei. On the contrary, Jingjing'er had uncovered quite a few secrets.

"...Xuan Jingjing'er went to Chang'an, intending to seek refuge with Cui Guangyuan, but unexpectedly encountered the eunuch Ma Yingjun, whom she had met before..."

Guo Mo, under Zhou Zhi's orders, led Jingjing'er and others to infiltrate Ding'an to assassinate Li Heng. Li Fuguo, having learned of this, took the initiative to send someone to contact Guo Mo, intending to lure them into the palace and capture them all—it was Ma Yingjun who opened the door for Jingjing'er and the others.

Fortunately, Guo Mo discovered Li Fuguo's plot in time and ordered Jingjing'er and the others to enter the palace but not to seek out Li Heng and walk into a trap. Instead, they were to pass through the palace and head to the Marshal's Mansion to assassinate Li Yu.

However, a fierce battle broke out in the commander's mansion. Li Ji fought against several people with unparalleled bravery, resulting in heavy losses for the Shenji Guard. Guo Mo had no choice but to hastily flee the city...

During her time in Chang'an, Jingjing encountered Ma Yingjun. Knowing that he was an extraordinary person in the Divine Machine Guard and that Zhou Zhi was dead and Jingjing had no one to rely on, Ma Yingjun immediately tried to win her over and asked her to do things for the Empress—as long as Empress Zhang gained power, he would grant Jingjing whatever she wanted.

His task for Jingjing was to kidnap Zou Qingluan, lure Li Ji out of Chang'an, and then equip the dozens of strong men he had secretly recruited with armor and have them lie in ambush near Wangchun Tower...

"...Unfortunately, Cui Guangyuan's extraordinary men arrived, preventing Jingjing'er from achieving her goal..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rui frowned: "An extraordinary person under Cui Guangyuan's command? Is there a... petite and thin woman named Cui Qi?"

Guo Mo nodded: "Jingjing did mention this woman, saying that in terms of seniority she is his junior disciple and the leader of the Cui clan's extraordinary people. Moreover, before Cui Guangyuan passed away, he had already revealed the woman's true identity, that she was his illegitimate daughter, and that she was betrothed to Li Ji."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rui's brows furrowed deeply, and a look of regret appeared on her face—she really did get married, but... why did she marry Li Ji? If I didn't recognize her husband, that would be one thing, but how am I supposed to meet Li Ji in the future? Will I be unable to hold back and throw a punch at him?

"I've heard that Li Ji was a great contributor to the ascension of the new Tang emperor?"

Guo Mo nodded: "That's right. Since Jingjing couldn't stop Li Ji, Li Ji returned to the palace at night and thwarted Empress Zhang's plot..."

Qin Rui sighed, "In that case, Li Ji will be put to great use."

"Indeed, Li Ji was among those who led the Tang army on this eastern expedition, serving as the defense commissioner of the four prefectures of Xiang, Deng, Sui, and Ying, and commanding the troops of the Shannan East Circuit..."

Qin Rui thought to himself, "He's just a defense commissioner? I'm already a military governor! But Li Ji commands the troops of four prefectures, compared to my two... I'm not worried. Hebei is populous and wealthy; we might not be inferior to him." But why did Cui Qi marry him?

Guo Mo, unaware of Qin Rui's thoughts, continued, "Since Jingjing'er failed to serve Empress Zhang, she wandered around the capital region and finally discovered the Tang army's detailed deployment. That's why she returned and offers this as a gift, earnestly requesting... earnestly requesting the General to take her in. Would the General be willing to employ this person?"

Qin Rui hurriedly said, "Of course we'll use it, why wouldn't we?"

He then asked, "What is the Tang army's deployment like?"

Guo Mo took out a scroll of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and explained it to Qin Rui in detail: the Tang army was divided into three routes, which garrisons each route had, who the generals were, how many men there were, and what the estimated marching routes would be.

Qin Rui feigned listening, but was actually somewhat distracted. He pondered whether he had a chance to kill Li Ji on the battlefield and then try to take his wife. Hmm, no, with Li Ji's abilities, even if he hadn't improved since the breakup, he probably wouldn't be easily defeated; moreover, he was deeply favored by Li Yu and his son Li Shi, and if he killed him, he probably would never have another chance to return to Tang.

Qin Rui knew the inside story of the pseudo-Yan better than anyone else. Shi Chaoyi had murdered his father and seized power, losing all popular support. Many regional military governors were secretly plotting rebellion—it wasn't just him—so the regime couldn't last long. Unless he intended to betray his original intentions and sink with this sinking ship, it would be better to voluntarily return to Tang.

Well, then we can't kill Li Ji, nor can we get Cui Qi back... Could we consider playing along with Li Ji first, and then finding an opportunity to abduct Cui Qi? After all, I knew Cui Qi before Li Ji, so surely the little girl wouldn't be completely indifferent to me?

He only paid half his attention to Guo Mo's words, and soon saw Guo Mo finish explaining the Tang army's deployment, then pull out a second scroll of paper from his robes and slowly unfold it: "There is also the Tang emperor's edict summoning those who surrender to the rebels..."

In fact, this was a general amnesty decree copied by Jingjing'er. After Li Heng's death, Li Yu first served as regent as crown prince. Before ascending the throne even before the coffin was laid to rest, he issued an amnesty decree, which clearly stated: "Those who surrender or lead their followers to submit to the rebel Shi Chaoyi and below shall be granted extraordinary rewards."

Qin Rui said, "This is a strategy to win hearts and minds!"

Guo Mo laughed and said, "If the General thinks so, his vision is rather shallow. The Yan government is in dire straits, but the Tang Dynasty is not necessarily in a better position either—the Tibetans have already captured Shan and Kuo prefectures, besieged Lan and Wei, and are approaching Longshang. The Dangxiang tribes are also causing trouble between Jing and Ning. If we still concentrate our heavy troops in the eastern part of the capital, we may not be able to destroy Yan first, but instead be taken advantage of by the Tibetans. That is why the new emperor issued a general amnesty, hoping to pacify the Guandong region in one fell swoop..."

At this point, he leaned forward slightly: "Then, Commander, you must plan carefully to get a good price!"

Guo Mo was unaware of Qin Rui's true identity as Tang Jian. In fact, even Qin Rui himself had almost forgotten about it... Espionage was still very primitive in those days, and the discovery of Zhen Sui was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision by Li Fuguo and Cui Guangyuan; they hadn't arranged a complete intelligence transmission line for him. Now that Li Fuguo and Cui Guangyuan were both dead, even if Qin Rui claimed to be Zhen Sui, acting as a spy under orders, there might not be anyone who could or would testify against him.

Besides, what's so great about being a spy? It always reminds people of petty thieves and scoundrels, those low-class江湖人士 (jianghu figures), who are far less desirable than military generals who defect to the enemy.

After An Lushan was killed, Neng Yuanhao surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was appointed as the military governor of Tianping Army; Linghu Zhang surrendered due to Shi Siming's suspicion and was appointed as the vice censor-in-chief, the silver-green light-gold grand master, and the military governor of Yicheng Army... These are all precedents.

Therefore, Qin Rui characterized his subsequent actions as surrender rather than return—of course, this meant bidding farewell to the name Zhen Sui completely, but it was not something to regret—and then discussed in detail with Guo Mo the movements of the surrounding warlords: "Xue Song, Zhang Zhongzhi, Zhang Xiancheng and others all intend to return to Tang, but I don't know what Tian Chengsi and Li Huaixian are thinking..."

Chapter Two: The Heart of Benevolence

The Tang army launched a three-pronged eastern expedition, aiming to recapture Luoyang, the eastern capital. Li Huaiguang, the military governor of Luze in the northern route, easily captured Huaizhou and then marched south to Heyang, blocking Shi Chaoyi's escape route to the north. Meanwhile, Li Guangbi, the deputy marshal of Henan and commander-in-chief of eight military regions including Henan, Huainan, Jiangnan, and Zhejiang, captured Xuzhou but was blocked by the rebel military governor of Suiyang, Tian Chengsi. He then dispatched Ma Lin, the military governor of Zhenxi, to lead his troops northward via a secret route to provide reinforcements.

The central army of 50,000, under the command of Pugu Huai'en, captured Xin'an and marched straight towards Luoyang. However, Pugu Yang was soon ambushed by a large rebel force, suffered a minor defeat, and was forced to join forces with the Uyghur army and retreat back to Xin'an.

The rebel army gradually gathered near Hengshui County, northeast of Xin'an, and Zhaojue Temple, south of Hengshui. It was reported that the enemy at Hengshui numbered over 40,000, while those at Zhaojue Temple numbered nearly 100,000. Pugu Yang dared not advance any further and urgently informed his father, requesting to join forces with the main army for a decisive battle against the rebels west of Luoyang.

However, within a day or two, the main force of the Tang army arrived one after another and formed a battle line north of Xin'an City. Pugu and his son were in the center, with Wei Boyu and Guo Yingyi on the left and Li Ji and Ma Lin on the right, making an aggressive stance.

However, with hundreds of thousands of troops clashing, it's impossible for them to immediately engage in battle upon meeting. They must each set up camp and consolidate their foundations before choosing a day—mostly a sunny day, not a rainy or snowy one—to engage in combat and determine the victor.

After Li Ji had properly deployed his 8,000-strong Shannan East Route Army, he toured the camp for half a day, finally returning to his own tent at dusk. Upon entering, he first gestured with his hand, and the guards, understanding, quickly prepared tea and presented it with both hands.

That day, Li Ji gathered his generals outside Shanxian City for tea. Although he abandoned the cumbersome tea ceremony procedures of yesteryear, he still added some fancy touches, such as adding tea leaves when the water first boiled and filtering the tea after the second boil. However, this was merely to demonstrate that his improved "simplified tea ceremony" still had its own set of rules for appreciating the pure taste of tea.

If one doesn't prepare tea in person, which is much simpler than in later generations, how could one possibly catch the eye of nobles and dignitaries? For nobles, a sense of ritual is very important; it can make them appear superior, and even if it's just a humble offering, they can still taste the flavor of new Longjing tea.

As for Li Ji drinking tea in private, he keeps it as simple as possible.

Every day after setting up camp, he would inspect all the areas, never eating or resting before his soldiers. As a result, upon returning to his tent, he would always be exhausted and thirsty, needing to drink a few sips of tea to moisten his throat and calm his mind. The guards knew this habit of his and had prepared boiling water in advance. When the commander returned, they would pour tea into the water and serve it to him without filtering it.

As for the fact that it wasn't just not twice-boiled water, but possibly had been boiled a hundred or even a thousand times, Li Ji didn't care—in the military, who cares about such things? As long as it's boiling water that can be used to make tea, that's fine.

The guard presented him with both hands a white porcelain teacup with a saucer. This was a common tea-drinking utensil in this world, with the saucer placed underneath to prevent the cup from getting too hot from boiling water and to make it easier to hold. But Li Ji was thick-skinned and didn't care. He casually used his thumb and forefinger to lift the cup from the saucer, blew on it to cool it, took a small sip, and then placed it on the table.

A guard came over and helped him remove his helmet and armor. Li Ji felt much lighter and was about to sit down when he glanced behind the table and couldn't help but frown slightly and snort coldly. The guard hurriedly apologized and brought a folding chair from beside the tent, setting it up behind the table.

Li Ji then stretched his tired legs and sat down.

Although he was originally a soul transmigrated into this world, he still habitually sat with his legs hanging down, rather than the "formal sitting" popular in those days, that is, kneeling with bent knees. However, at least among the scholar class, sitting formally was considered proper, while sitting with legs hanging down or even sitting with legs spread apart was considered impolite and disrespectful—although trousers had long had a crotch, so even sitting with legs spread apart wouldn't expose anything—Li Ji couldn't be too unconventional.

Kneeling is particularly uncomfortable due to the low floor height, while sitting with legs hanging down is uncomfortable due to the high floor height. Since the habit of sitting upright is prevalent, the furniture and even the ceiling height of many houses in this era are relatively low. Li Ji could certainly have a few sets of seats made for later generations, allowing him to sit with his legs hanging down in private and upright when meeting people, but the height of the tables and desks would also have to be adjusted accordingly. He couldn't very well change the table every time he received guests…

Therefore, the furnishings in homes, especially in military units, remained unchanged and were not easily altered. The only difference was the addition of one or two folding stools or folding benches—similar to folding stools or folding chairs in later times—to make it easier for people to stretch their legs.

Of course, since this was the main tent, not a sleeping tent, it was unlikely that he, the Defense Commissioner of the Four Provinces, would be the only one inside. At least two civil advisors—Yin Shen and Han Hui—would most likely be seated beside him. Fortunately, they were all trusted guests, so formalities could be relaxed. As long as Li Ji made it clear beforehand that he sometimes stretched his legs while sitting to loosen his muscles and asked for their forgiveness, they wouldn't dare to openly rebuke him for being rude and then storm off…

After Li Ji sat down, he picked up his teacup again and took small sips. Yin Shen seized the opportunity to report, "A scout from Luoyang has sent word that Shi Chaoyi is indeed determined to fight..."

"Do you know what he was thinking? He didn't retreat to defend the city, nor did he defend Heyang."

"It is said that Ashina Chengqing advised: 'If Tang sends only Han troops, we should fight them with all our strength; if they come with the Uyghurs, their strength may be unstoppable, so we should retreat to Heyang to avoid them.' However, Chaoyi did not listen."

Li Ji curled his lip: "They are reluctant to give up Luoyang City, and they are confident that they can defeat the government army in open battle, right?" He then put down his teacup, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as if he were deep in thought.

Han Hui asked, "Is there a hidden worry about the defense? Is it because the enemy forces are too numerous?"

Even with Ma Lin's reinforcements, the Tang army numbered only 60,000 to 70,000, while the rebel army in front of them was more than twice that number.

Li Ji replied, "I regard Shi Chaoyi as a child and his 100,000 rebel troops as mere weeds. The decisive battle is imminent. As long as Deputy Commander Pugu performs normally and does not issue any rash orders, the rebels will surely be defeated. Since the rebels have suffered a defeat at the gates of Luoyang, Shi Chaoyi will not dare to defend the city any longer and will have no choice but to retreat to Zhengzhou and Bianzhou..."

At this point, he suddenly clicked his tongue and asked, "But what will happen after the armies enter Luoyang?"

Neither Yin Shen nor Han Hui understood what he meant, so they could only listen with their hands clasped in respect.

Li Ji sighed and explained, "When the army is on the march, my soldiers refuse to heed my repeated orders and often plunder everywhere..." He turned to look at Han Hui—"Was the military discipline this lax when Li Shangzhou (Li Qijun) led the army?"

Han Hui replied, “Li Shangzhou is very strict with his subordinates, forbidding his soldiers from bullying commoners or disturbing the countryside. However… it cannot be said that there are absolutely no violations of discipline. Moreover, most of the soldiers under the current defense force are from Xiangyang, whose discipline has always been lax. The defense force only restrained them for less than a month before leading them north to Shanzhou, and a few days later, they traveled east to this place…”

Yin Shen interjected, "Actually, our troops in Shannan East Circuit are quite disciplined compared to other armies, displaying the grandeur of a royal army. The troops in Shuofang, Shanguo, and Zhenxi, especially the Uyghur troops, loot and kill civilians daily, and their generals are largely unwilling to restrain them." He then comforted Li Ji, saying, "According to historical records, the so-called 'not committing the slightest offense' is merely an exaggeration. Soldiers are ignorant and greedy; how can we investigate every minor transgression? If that's the case, how can we expect them to fight to the death in battle?"

Li Ji waved his hand: "The Uyghur soldiers are one thing, they are barbarians, naturally they will not take our Tang people seriously; but those whom the government troops robbed and killed were people of the same country, going back ten generations, they may not be without kinship, how can they be so heartless? Moreover, the so-called 'not taking a single hair' may not be an exaggeration. I believe that in a thousand years, there will always be a true king's army..."

Han Hui cupped his hands and said, "Defending against the heart of loving others is in accordance with the words of the sages, and I admire it. However, the newly appointed generals and soldiers should not be harshly criticized, lest their morale waver, which would be detrimental to the great battle."

Li Ji nodded slightly: "I know." Then he let out another long sigh.

He certainly didn't want to see his soldiers running rampant, looting everywhere—what difference would there be between government troops and bandits then?! But that was the reality, especially with other units setting a bad example, forcing him to turn a blind eye for the time being. After all, he had only commanded the army for less than a month; he had to use a combination of kindness and severity, and couldn't immediately resort to harsh laws, otherwise it might trigger a mutiny…

However, if things continue like this, what will happen after Luoyang is recaptured...?

Han Hui was very clever. Following Li Ji's train of thought, he immediately understood: "Is the defense because they are afraid that after the recapture of Tokyo, the various armies will engage in rampant looting?"

Li Ji nodded and said, "When we recaptured Luoyang, I was in the city when the Uyghur army entered first, intending to abduct all the women of the city to the grasslands... It was only after much persuasion that I convinced the elders of Luoyang to offer gold and silk as ransom and spare the lives of those women. However, countless families were ruined, their wealth was lost, and their relatives were killed as a result—I really cannot bear to see such a tragedy repeat itself!"

Yin Shen frowned and said, "Then we can only advise the deputy commander to restrain the various armies..."

Li Ji shook his head with a wry smile: "I've already spoken to the deputy commander, but he doesn't seem to care at all... Besides, even the deputy commander probably can't control the Shuofang warriors under his command, let alone the Shaanxi-Guo and Zhenxi armies..." He didn't mention the Uyghur soldiers because he felt that his deterrent power over the Uyghurs might be even greater than that of the Shuofang army.

Yin Shen hurriedly advised, "You must not let your compassion lead you into conflict with the other armies!" He paused, then added, "Then we must send a fast horse to request the marshal's order, but I wonder if you can persuade him..."

He also knew that Li Shi was only a nominal commander. Although as a prince, he had a certain degree of control over the army, but—regardless of whether it was effective, would he be willing to give the order? Would he worry about incurring the emperor's wrath and alienating the army?

Ultimately, Yin Shen had been in Chang'an for a long time and had handled many secret matters for Li Ji, so he was relatively sensitive to political matters.

However, Yin Shen's words provided Li Ji with a completely new perspective. He stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then instructed Han Hui, "Lord Han, please write me a letter..."

----------

Two days later, at dawn, the Tang army finally launched a fierce attack on the enemy at Hengshui.

Forty thousand rebel troops were encamped for several miles, fortifying themselves with palisades. Pugu Huai'en first ordered his son Pugu Yang and Di De to lead cavalry to sneak out from the northeast of the rebel camp, while he himself led the Shuofang army to attack from the front. With a pincer attack from both sides, they broke through the palisades and entered before noon.

Upon hearing the news, Shi Chaoyi immediately ordered Ashina Chengqing to lead a large army out of Zhaojue Temple to rush to the rescue.

This was exactly what Pugu Huai'en wanted.

Because Zhaojue Temple was a famous temple in Luoxi, located on the eastern slope of Zhaojue Ridge, facing north, with four courtyards and three halls, covering an area of ​​100 acres, it could easily be fortified and difficult to attack with just a little reinforcement. Shi Chaoyi was stationed inside Zhaojue Temple, with 100,000 troops deployed along Zhaojue Ridge, making him a very tough nut to crack for the Tang army. Only by driving his main force out of the mountains and temples, and luring them to the plains near Hengshui, could they be easily defeated.

So he sent a message to Li Ji and Ma Lin: "Stop the enemy's advance, and do not let them escape. Wait until we break through the enemy at Hengshui, then we will attack from both sides." At the same time, he ordered the Shaanxi-Guo Army and the Tonghua Army on the left flank to join the Hengshui battlefield.

Li Ji and Ma Lin's forces, numbering nearly 20,000, were already on high alert. The two had met once before the battle and devised a strategy: "If the enemy comes quickly, I will feign a retreat of three li and then engage them in combat; if they come slowly, I will strike them directly!"

As a result, the scouts reported that the bandits were approaching slowly.

Ashina Chengqing was not confident about this battle—he had always opposed going out of the city to fight the Tang-Hehe allied forces—although he was ordered by Shi Chaoyi, he preferred to be unable to provide timely assistance, which led to the defeat of the Hengshan troops, rather than rush to their aid. As a result, he clashed with the main force of the Tang army on the plains.

He knew very well that although his army numbered 100,000, it was short of food and supplies and its morale was low. In particular, the number of warhorses supplied by the Hebei region had been decreasing in recent months, resulting in fewer than 2,000 riders. But he heard that 5,000 elite Uyghur cavalry were coming south. If they were to meet them face to face, they would surely be defeated!