Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

What will the imperial court think of the secret alliance between the military governors and their ministers?

Qin Rui nodded: "My brother is indeed very mature in his actions. I was being presumptuous."

The two men clinked glasses and chatted, appearing intimately close, but in reality, they were both on edge—Li Ji was terrified that a single word from him might anger Qin Rui, who would then decide to take his life without hesitation; Qin Rui, on the other hand, feared that Li Ji might kick over the table and order Du Liu to subdue him…

So much so that Qin Rui was so nervous that he forgot to ask Li Ji: Why didn't you take your wife to Weizhou, but instead stayed in Chang'an?

However, during their conversation, the situation in Hebei inevitably came up. Qin Rui, quick-witted, waved his hand, ordering Du Liu and the others to leave. He had something to say to Commander Li. Only when the two military governors remained in the tent did Qin Rui secretly breathe a sigh of relief—he was confident that he could fight Li Ji hand-to-hand and was evenly matched, so he wouldn't be in immediate danger.

Once he relaxed, he dragged the table closer to Li Ji, personally poured him a cup of wine, and said in a low voice, "You know my background better than anyone. I was ordered by Cui... to infiltrate the rebel army and find an opportunity to support the government troops. Unfortunately, I had not had the chance until now. After the Battle of Changle East, I was supposed to kill the traitor Shi, but Tian Chengsi saw through my plan and I fled in the dead of night..."

He then revealed the whole story of how he had sent Jingjing'er to Governor Chaoyi that very night.

Qin Rui knew that Jingjing'er had once kidnapped Li Ji's concubine, but he personally felt that it wasn't a deep-seated hatred. After all, she was just a concubine, not his wife, and in the end, she was rescued without any harm done. If he had known that Qingluan was pregnant at the time, Qin Rui probably would never have revealed that Jingjing'er was under his command. The reason he told Li Ji about this was to explain: I did indeed plan to assassinate Shi Chaoyi, and I even sent someone as capable as Jingjing'er. The final failure was not due to my lack of sincerity, but simply because Heaven did not forsake the wicked.

On the surface, Li Ji remained calm, but inwardly he couldn't help but feel a jolt of fear. To be honest, besides his annoyance with Jingjing, he was also wary of her. The guy's lightness skill was too superb, and her throwing darts were accurate. She was unpredictable and impossible to defend against. If this person didn't die, Li Erlang would not be able to sleep peacefully.

So he inquired, "Brother Qin just mentioned Guo Mo, who was originally under Zhou Zhi's command of the 'Divine Machine Guard,' but has he now joined Brother Qin's ranks?"

Qin Rui nodded: "Exactly."

He was also trying to intimidate Li Ji—look, now the leader and core members of the "Divine Machine Guard" are in my hands. Those martial arts masters are full of tricks and schemes. Even if they can't kill you, they'll be enough to annoy you. With this trump card in my hand, you can easily give up any thoughts of coveting it.

Li Ji reminded him: "Back when we were at the Ding'an Imperial Palace, Zhou Zhi sent Jingjing'er and others to assassinate the Marshal—who is now the Emperor. I captured one of them alive, and after interrogating him, I learned that the mastermind's surname was Guo, which must be Guo Mo. Therefore, Brother Qin, you must be very careful in using Guo Mo and Jingjing'er, and do not let it leak out, lest the Emperor still remembers the past grudge..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Rui was startled and horrified.

In truth, Li Yu might not remember something from so far ago. Jingjing'er had made an appearance, which was one thing, but Guo Mo had only revealed his surname at the time. There were so many people in the world with the surname Guo, how could he possibly make that connection? Li Ji was planting a thorn in Qin Rui's side, hoping that he would become suspicious, or at least distance himself from Guo Mo.

"Thanks to Changwei's advice, I will keep this a secret. Only heaven, earth, you, and I will know."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Alliance at the Banquet

After recounting the story of plotting against Governor Chaoyi, Qin Rui continued, "I told Changwei about this to show that I was born a Tang citizen and will die a Tang subject. I will never aid An and Shi in their tyranny... But my father-in-law has passed away, and there is no one to vouch for my identity. Now, Hebei and Youzhou are both under the control of surrendered generals, who are arrogant and unpredictable, and will inevitably cause chaos. Therefore, the court has ordered Changwei to garrison Weibo. Changwei and I are of one mind. We should join hands to pacify Yan and Zhao for the sake of the country."

Li Ji leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "I was just about to ask Brother Qin for his opinion."

Qin Rui said, “Li Huaixian governs nine prefectures including You and Ji, Li Baochen governs five prefectures including Heng and Zhao, Xue Song governs five prefectures including Xiang and Wei, and Bian Tianchengsi also governs four prefectures including Ji and Cang. You and I are brothers, truly loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty, yet we are only granted two prefectures each. Why does the court favor one over the other?”

Li Ji feigned a sigh: "The imperial court is also helpless..."

"I'm afraid Pugu Huai'en might be involved, treating surrendered generals well as his own, to prevent himself from ending up like Guo Ziyi..." The court is suspicious of Guo Ziyi, which is why he's kept in Chang'an and not allowed to command troops. Anyone can see that. "Now, seventy percent of the prefectures and counties in the country are under the control of military governors and regional inspectors. Even if the An Lushan Rebellion is quelled, the court will only abolish one or two tenths of them. In my opinion, Hebei is vast and prosperous, and should definitely be governed by military governors. However, it's not advisable to let those surrendered generals occupy important positions for too long..."

Qin Rui slowly expressed his attitude, hoping to join forces with Li Ji to defeat the surrendered generals of Yan and Zhao and divide up Guandong—at least the Hebei region—because only loyal ministers like you and me can truly serve as a bulwark for the court and prevent us from having any separatist thoughts.

Li Ji thought to himself, "I don't believe it..." but he nodded repeatedly with a sincere expression, indicating his agreement with Qin Rui's views. He then asked, "Although the armies of Wei Bo and Wu Shun are in a strategic position, they are small in number and outnumbered. If Yan and Zhao join forces, they will be easily defeated by the enemy. My idea is to divide and conquer them one by one—I wonder which side Brother Qin prefers?"

Qin Rui analyzed: "Youzhou is too far away to discuss for now. Among the various vassal states in Hebei, none is stronger than Zhaoyi Army, and none is more strategically important than Chengde Town. We can only rely on these two for now and should not take them by force. Only Jizhou is safe because Tian Chengsi is cunning and rebellious. He is not content with the four provinces and will surely start a rebellion. We can join forces to attack him."

Li Ji thought to himself, "I originally wanted to attack you first... Brother Qin is adjacent to Ji Province, so I can take it and defend it; if I want to attack Ji, I have to fight across the province and I won't get an inch of land—so what good would it do for my Weibo to destroy Tian Chengsi?" Stop with the hypocritical talk about righteousness and honor, let's talk about something practical.

Qin Rui was not annoyed by the question; on the contrary, he was delighted. A bond based on mutual benefit was much more reliable than a bond based on righteousness. He immediately pointed to the table and said, "If we obtain the four prefectures of Ji, Cang, Ying, and Di, we brothers will naturally share them equally. Cang and Di will then belong to you."

Li Ji shook his head: "With Dezhou blocking the way, what use are Cangzhou and Dizhou to me?"

Qin Rui thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, if you can quell Tian Chengsi's rebellion, I will give you Dezhou and Dizhou!"

Li Ji laughed loudly and said, "It's just a joke. Even if it can quell the rebellion, whether or not to continue to defend the territory still needs to be decided by the court. What good is it for you and me to exchange things privately here?" Then his face darkened and said, "But the conquest of Ji must be justified, and we must be wary of Youzhou, Chengde and Zhaoyi armies aiding Jie in his evil deeds."

Qin Rui said, "Xue Song is old and just a skeleton in a tomb, not worth worrying about; although Youzhou has many soldiers, we must guard against the Khitan and Xi bandits, so they may not be able to provide much assistance to Tian Chengsi; only Li Baochen needs more attention."

"What about their official status?"

Qin Rui looked at Li Ji and smiled slightly: "A title is easy to obtain; it's just a matter of a single thought from the chief guard."

His meaning is that you are a favorite of the emperor and a close confidant of the Prince of Yong. Your brother, Li Bi, is a Hanlin Academician who resides in the palace. So, if you were to file a complaint against Tian Chengsi in front of the emperor, wouldn't it be easy for your complaint to be accepted?

Li Ji shook his head and said, "The Western Barbarians are pressing us step by step. The court is currently dealing with matters in the west and does not want chaos to break out in Hebei. Unless there is concrete evidence that Tian Chengsi intends to rebel, they may not be willing to issue an edict to punish him."

Qin Rui frowned, stroked his beard, and pondered for a long time before saying, "I suspect Tian Chengsi is plotting rebellion! He has just surrendered, and the people's hearts are unsettled. They dare not act rashly. If they accumulate rebellion within a year or two, chaos will surely break out... But if he has rebellious intentions, surely we can find a way to catch him?"

Li Ji suggested, "How about this? Let's divide the work. I'll go and hold off Xue Song, and you go and hold off Li Baochen. Brother Qin, you are adjacent to Jizhou and have talented men like Jingjing'er under your command. If you can secretly observe Tian Chengsi's movements and find out about his rebellion, then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Qin."

You should send all those dangerous elements to Jizhou, not to my Weibo.

The banquet lasted until sunset and dusk before finally ending. Qin Rui said that the military camp was not a suitable place to stay, and suggested that Changwei come with him to Ande City to rest. Li Ji firmly refused—"If we go into the county town, my life will be completely in your hands!" He said that the affairs of Weibo were too numerous, and he had come north specifically to see Qin Rui. Since they had met by chance and their conversation was over, he had to hurry back to Yuancheng—"We cannot wait for the situation to change. Brother Qin and I should quickly raise troops to prepare for any eventuality—time waits for no one."

The two parted ways. Qin Rui hurriedly left Du Liu's military camp and fled into Ande County. Li Ji appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was as anxious as a fish that had escaped the net. He led Yuan Jing and others south overnight and rushed back to Bozhou.

After traveling five or six miles south, they suddenly saw flashing lights by the roadside, and several people carrying lanterns came to greet them. Li Ji reined in his horse and looked closely. The leader was the old man he had seen during the day, who was also Du Liu's wet nurse.

The old man trembled and knelt down, saying, "I did not know you were Commander Li during the day. If my words have offended you, please forgive me."

Li Ji did not dismount, but merely reached out to help him up, saying, "Please rise, old man. Ignorance is no excuse—and you have not offended me."

The old man struggled to his feet, then flicked his sleeve. The soldiers he had brought with him understood and bowed, retreating a dozen steps away. The old man then stepped forward, grasped Li Ji's reins, and said in a low voice, "My master has ordered me to wait here for Commander Li, to pay my respects, and to humbly request your assistance."

Du Liu was a shrewd man. After what happened during the day, he knew that his career in Wu Shun's army was over. Even if Li Jiming said that the meeting was accidental and that his identity was not exposed, Qin Rui would have to believe him. How could he possibly give Du Liu a second chance? Fortunately, judging from the situation, the two commanders had a pleasant conversation. Therefore, out of respect for Commander Li, Commander Qin would probably not punish him severely. He would likely keep him in the position of an ordinary general until he died, and might even be gradually marginalized.

If he wanted to continue climbing the ranks, his only option was to change course and join Weibo. Of course, that wasn't possible now; it might damage the relationship between the two families. If Commander Qin were to fly into a rage, Commander Li might even tie him up and take him back to Wushun Army. Therefore, after much deliberation, Du Liu sent his wet nurse to stop Li Ji, expressing his willingness to serve him, thus paving a way out for himself first…

Li Ji nodded: "I feel quite guilty that I unintentionally implicated General Du today. Tell General Du to stay put and behave himself. If anything happens, send someone to Yuancheng to report to me, and I will definitely find an opportunity to give him a good future." To be honest, since Qin Rui had already witnessed this, this pawn was unlikely to play any role. However, since the other party had taken the initiative to approach him, it was not convenient to turn him away. A seemingly insignificant piece should be placed here for now; it might come in handy in the future.

At least Du Liu, being in Yuanzhou, could occasionally send me some less important information, saving me a spot as a spy.

The old man took his leave, and Li Ji urged Yuan Jing'an and the others to hurry on their way. Yuan Jing'an asked in a low voice, "Are Commander Li and Commander Qin old acquaintances?"

Li Ji nodded and hummed in agreement.

Of course they're old acquaintances, and... they even have a grudge against each other!

Li Ji had always been puzzled as to why his wife disliked Zhen Sui so much. Logically speaking, you are not a beautiful and charming noblewoman. Even if a toad wants to eat swan meat, you would at most be annoyed, but not so much that you don't want to see him at all, or even get angry when I mention him.

It wasn't until after the marriage that Li Ji dared to be more audacious in his words. He repeatedly probed Cui Cuo indirectly, and only then did he finally learn that Zhen Sui had not only pursued Cui Cuo back then, but had also planned to force himself on her, attempting to make it a fait accompli!

How dare you touch my wife? This is intolerable! Our past friendship is now completely wiped clean!

Actually, Li Ji wasn't that vengeful, and besides, Zhen Sui's scheme hadn't succeeded. But expecting a man to be completely unperturbed by someone who had once tried to harm his wife was absolutely impossible. Today, having run into Qin Rui, Li Ji wondered, if the latter were to bring up Cui Cuo during the banquet, would he be able to control his anger?

Fortunately, Qin Rui knew what was good for him. Perhaps upon hearing that Cui Cuo had already married, he gave up on the idea and did not bring it up again...

Li Ji then sped along the road until he entered Bozhou territory, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief—he had been worried that Qin Rui would send people to catch up. He then returned to Yuancheng, where Yin Shen handed him a letter: "A letter from Madam just arrived from Chang'an, only two days ago."

Li Ji glanced at him sideways, thinking to himself that he had finally learned his lesson and was willing to call her "Madam" instead of "Third Sister".

In fact, for Yin Shen, his relationship with Li Ji was different from that with others—such as Du Huangshang and Gao Ying. The latter had a host-guest relationship, while he had a master-servant or even master-maid relationship. So, calling Cui Cuo "Third Sister" was not to curry favor with the wife, but to indicate: I can be considered a relative of your wife's family, Commander Li, so you should trust me more...

As for today, since we are in the government office with many idle people around, it is naturally inconvenient to call her "Third Sister". We can only follow normal interpersonal relationships and call her "Madam".

Li Ji unfolded the letter and saw that it was written by Cui Cuo himself. His wife was literate, although her handwriting was terrible and her words were very straightforward and lacked any literary flair. She first briefly described the affairs at home, saying that everything was fine, and then filled a whole six-foot-long sheet of mulberry paper with the information she had gathered about the internal and external movements.

Some of the news was expected, or at least not entirely unexpected. For example, Li Qiyun was summoned back to the capital and promoted to Attendant Censor; Yang Wan was promoted to Vice Minister of Rites and once again submitted a memorial requesting reform of the imperial examination system and the establishment of the "Five Classics Scholar Examination," which received the support of Li Qiyun, Li Yi (also an Attendant Censor), and Jia Zhi (Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel).

Li Yu consulted with Hanlin scholars such as Li Bi on this matter. Li Bi responded: "The Jinshi examination has been in place for a long time. Abolishing it abruptly may cause a loss of talent. We should allow the old and new examinations to run for several years and then observe the results before making a decision."

However, some things happened completely unexpectedly for Li Ji, and were even somewhat shocking. For example, when the news of the court's execution of Lai Zhen reached Xiangyang, the soldiers stationed there were in uproar, and Xue Nanyang could not control them. Subsequently, Liang Chongyi was sent back to his post by Li Ji, and he brazenly drove out Xue Nanyang, thus being elected as the commander by the troops. Just then, Li Qiyun returned to the capital, and even the four prefectures of Shang, Jin, Jun, and Fang were under Liang Chongyi's control, directly threatening the safety of Chang'an.

Left with no other option, the Tang court was forced to acknowledge Liang Chongyi's actions—just as it had previously acknowledged Bai Xiaode as the military governor of Zhenxi and Beiting—and promoted Liang Chongyi to Prefect of Xiangzhou and Acting Military Governor of Shannan East Circuit. Liang Chongyi then petitioned to rebury Lai Zhen and erected a shrine for him in Xiangyang…

Upon reading the letter, Li Ji was speechless with astonishment—"Damn, Liang is something else! I always thought that guy was very cunning and difficult to control, so I sent him back to Xiangyang. I never expected that he could seize the opportunity amidst the chaos and become the acting governor of a region... The acting governor is the title of the military governor or the observer, but I estimate that the court will not dare to send an official to Shannan East Circuit for a long time. Liang Chongyi is the de facto ruler of the circuit."

This imperial court is far too weak.

However, Liang Chongyi chose a good time. The Guandong region had just been pacified, and the Western Barbarians were repeatedly harassing the area. The court wanted to maintain order and didn't want to escalate into a major war—otherwise, a campaign against Jingzhou and Xiangyang would be protracted, potentially leading to further Tibetan invasions and rebellions by the Western Qiang. This allowed Liang Chongyi to ascend to power with ease. If he had waited another year or two, he probably wouldn't have had the chance, and daring to do so would have meant certain death.

The disastrous consequences of Li Yu's resolute execution of Lai Tian have finally become apparent—let's just hope it ends here and doesn't cause any more chain reactions.

In addition, Cui Cuo mentioned another matter in his letter: the candidate for the position of Military Governor of Weibo has finally been decided, and it is Yan Zhenqing, the former Prefect of Lizhou.

Li Ji then asked his staff, "Who knows about Yan Qingchen's matter?"

Li Ji had heard a lot about Yan Zhenqing, whose courtesy name was Qingchen, but he had never investigated his background in detail before. Therefore, he consulted his staff in order to collect information extensively and make preparations in advance.

Yan Zhenqing was from Langya. He became a Jinshi in the twenty-second year of the Kaiyuan era and served as a supervising censor and a palace censor, holding various important positions. His future seemed limitless. However, he was too upright, which offended the powerful minister Yang Guozhong, and he was demoted to the position of prefect of Pingyuan County, which is today's Dezhou.

When An Lushan rebelled, his 200,000-strong army swept through Hebei, and most of the prefectures and counties fell. Only Yan Zhenqing and his cousin Yan Gaoqing held out to the death in Pingyuan and Changshan (Zhenzhou). The court then appointed Yan Zhenqing as Vice Minister of Revenue and concurrently as the Hebei Pacification Commissioner.

Afterwards, Shi Siming captured Changshan, and Yan Gaoqing died in the attack. He then launched a fierce attack on Pingyuan, which Yan Zhenqing could not defend. He was forced to abandon the city and flee alone to Fengxiang to meet Li Heng. He was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and later promoted to Grand Censor and Military Governor of Zhejiang West. He returned to the capital as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

In the first year of the Shangyuan era, Li Longji was imprisoned in the Western Palace. Yan Zhenqing led a hundred officials to pay their respects, which incurred the jealousy of Li Fuguo, and he was demoted to the position of Prefect of Bizhou. After Li Yu eliminated Li Fuguo's power, the officials submitted a memorial requesting that Yan Zhenqing be reinstated. He was then appointed Prefect of Lizhou and soon recalled to the capital to serve as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Li Ji was quite puzzled: It seemed Yan Zhenqing hadn't gone to the Ministry of Personnel to take up his post, so why was the old gentleman sent to my Weibo?

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Taking the Initiative

Yan Zhenqing arrived very quickly. Only four days after Li Ji read Cui Cuo's letter, he arrived in Yuancheng with only three attendants and four riders.

Li Ji personally waited at the main gate of the military governor's office to greet Yan Zhenqing. Upon meeting Yan Zhenqing, he treated him with utmost respect, showing the courtesy due to a junior.

Firstly, Yan Zhenqing was over fifty years old, with white hair and beard, and Li Ji held him in high esteem in terms of his official career and years of service; secondly, after learning about Yan Zhenqing's life and deeds in detail, Li Ji also greatly respected him.

Leaving aside the fact that he had held Pingyuan County for over a year, effectively containing the An Lushan rebels and stabilizing the Tang court's position, thus enabling the Tang to shift from defense to offense and making great contributions—although he ultimately fled in defeat, you can't expect everyone to be as skilled in military affairs as Zhang Xun. When Zhang Xun passed away, the court held a ceremony to honor him, but inexplicably, many discordant voices arose. For example, some accused Zhang Xun of eating human flesh during the siege. Yan Zhenqing, about to be demoted and leave the capital, wrote a lengthy 5,000-word essay to defend Zhang Xun and praised Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, and others. This favor alone was enough for Li Ji to treat him with great respect.

Of course, I was also a little worried. It is said that the old gentleman is extremely stubborn and never beats around the bush. I already have a stubborn guy like Gao Gongchu here. If I have another one, will it be a test of how magnanimous I am and whether I can handle it?

The two men greeted each other in front of the government office. Li Ji then said that a banquet had been prepared to welcome Yan Zhenqing. Yan Zhenqing waved his hand and said, "I have no interest in the coarse food in Hebei. I have already eaten dry rations outside the city. The sun is still high in the sky. Why bother with a banquet? I am here to assist Commander Li and stabilize Weibo. Let's talk about official business first."

Li Ji smiled and said, "Minister Yan has just arrived and is already eager to attend to state affairs. There's no rush..."

Yan Zhenqing shook his head: "It is indeed urgent, within a day or two. I will tell Commander Li about it shortly."

Li Ji had no choice but to let Yan Zhenqing into the main hall and ordered his subordinates to come and pay their respects, and to present him with official documents.

Yan Zhenqing glanced through it and then asked Li Ji, "The autumn poems are about to be collected. I wonder what Commander Li's plans are?"

Li Ji spread his hands: "I have just arrived in the town and have no time to recount the households. I can only collect taxes according to the old practice."

Yan Zhenqing's eyes shone brightly as he asked, enunciating each word clearly: "Is it an old practice from the Tianbao era, or an old practice from the time of the pseudo-Yan?"

Li Ji countered, "I am also having a headache over this matter. I wonder what advice Master Yan has for me?"

Yan Zhenqing sighed and replied, "I served as the governor of Pingyuan County during the Tianbao and Zhide periods, and I know the suffering of the people. Now that the great chaos has just been quelled, we should reduce taxes and corvée labor to allow the people to recuperate..." Before Li Ji could interrupt, he quickened his pace and said, "But the military governor wants to support so many soldiers. I'm afraid the people of the two prefectures can't afford to support them."

Li Ji smiled bitterly and said, "Soldiers are easy to recruit but not easy to disperse. It's not that I want to raise more, but I have no other choice." Then he gave Yan Zhenqing a general introduction to the situation when he entered the town, as well as the surrounding environment.

Yan Zhenqing nodded: "I am somewhat aware of this situation—if the military governor were to hastily dismiss the redundant troops, it would surely lead to unrest in the region." He paused, then asked Li Ji: "Does Commander Li know that Yang Gongnan once requested a change to the tax system, but was blocked by Liu Shi'an…"

Li Ji had heard of this matter. After Liu Yan took charge of the national finances, he changed the currency system, the salt monopoly system, and improved the Ever-Normal Granary system, which alleviated the financial crisis to some extent. However, these policies mainly benefited the circulation sector, and it seemed that he could not come up with any good solutions for the production sector.

On the contrary, Yang Yan was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue through Li Tan's recommendation. He proposed reforms to the tax system, but Liu Yan rejected the proposal on the spot.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the equal-field system was complemented by the rent-labor-tax system, which levied rent (land tax), labor service (local produce), and corvée labor (corvée labor) based on the number of adult males. In other words, taxes were levied regardless of the amount of land or property owned, only based on gender and age (whether or not one was an adult). Later, the equal-field system collapsed, and a large number of farmers lost their land but could not be exempted from taxes, forcing them to flee. However, the government still collected the full amount due, and any shortfall was levied on their neighbors... This led to a vicious cycle.

After the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, various prefectures and towns also gained control of some financial resources. Even without personal enrichment, the local finances often fell short of their income simply for maintaining troops and defending against enemies. They were forced to impose various miscellaneous taxes and corvée labor, making people's lives even more difficult. However, even draining the pond to catch all the fish has its limits. When the people could not pay their taxes, they either fled or rebelled, leading to the national treasury being on the verge of bankruptcy.