Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Crown Prince Li Shi's situation is extremely delicate.

Although not the legitimate son, he was the eldest son. While Li Miao was born to Consort Cui, she died young and was not posthumously honored as empress after Li Yu ascended the throne. Therefore, Li Miao, having lost his mother at a young age, theoretically had no chance of competing with Li Shi. During the reign of Emperor Suzong, Li Shi, as the eldest grandson, was greatly favored by his grandfather. Later, during a palace coup, when Li Heng died and Li Yu succeeded him, Li Shi made significant contributions. Therefore, in the minds of most officials, he was the only suitable candidate to succeed to the throne.

Since the first year of the Baoying era, officials have successively submitted memorials requesting the emperor to establish the foundation of the nation. Whether it was stated explicitly or implied, the only candidate was the emperor's eldest son, Li Shi.

Li Yu, however, kept delaying. He initially enfeoffed Li Shi as the Prince of Lu, then changed it to the Prince of Yong, and appointed him as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces to suppress Shi Chaoyi. This seemed reasonable—if Li Shi became the Crown Prince, he wouldn't be able to lead troops into battle. Therefore, letting Li Shi establish great merit and prestige beforehand was for his own good. Besides, didn't the current Emperor also serve as Grand Marshal for quite some time before becoming the Crown Prince during Emperor Suzong's reign?

However, when Shi Chaoyi was beheaded and Li Shi returned to the capital in triumph, Li Yu's series of actions became incomprehensible: he was appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, a position that only Emperor Taizong Li Shimin held when he was still a prince, which seemed to imply that Li Shi should be the foundation of the country; but what did it mean that he was granted an iron certificate along with Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and others, and his portrait was displayed in the Lingyan Pavilion?

Does the Crown Prince, the future emperor, need an iron certificate? Can he ascend to the Lingyan Pavilion and mingle with the meritorious officials, receiving the respect and remembrance of future generations?

Consequently, the court officials presented a multitude of memorials, all directly naming the Prince of Yong as His Majesty's eldest son and praising his great contributions to the state, requesting that he be established as Crown Prince. Li Yu delayed for several years, but under duress, he finally formally appointed Li Shi as Crown Prince in the second year of the Guangde era. However, he refused to allow Li Shi to move into the Eastern Palace, citing its desolation, and instead forced him to remain in the Sixteen Princes' Residence with his brothers.

Li Shi himself was quite happy about this; he didn't want to be imprisoned in the Eastern Palace like his father had been.

While residing at the residence of the Sixteen Princes, the Crown Prince was exceptionally cautious in cultivating relationships with court officials, building a strong faction and consolidating his power base. Yang Wan and Li Qiyun had advised him on this matter, and Li Bi had also hinted at it on several occasions, but Li Shi remained steadfast in his ways.

—I am the Crown Prince. What's wrong with associating with court officials? As long as it's not too excessive, it's not considered overstepping the bounds. Even Father Emperor hasn't said anything. Do you all need to keep advising me?

But now, he couldn't help but feel a little remorseful for his past behavior—had I provoked my father, causing him to suddenly and without warning appoint the second son as the Grand Marshal of the Army? Was my father giving me a warning, or did he truly intend to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of the younger?!

While he was pacing back and forth at home, unsure whether to change his ways or whether pretending to be stupid would win back his father's trust, a messenger suddenly came to announce, "Lu Qi, the envoy from Weibo, requests an audience."

Li Shi hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should meet Lu Qi. Upon further reflection, he realized that his frequent interactions with Lu Qi and his close relationship with Li Ji were common knowledge. If he were to suddenly sever these ties, wouldn't it arouse his father's suspicion? Especially since Li Ji was one of Li Shi's few trusted advisors, and he needed him to win over Li Mi. If this created a rift between them, it would be a terrible loss…

Therefore, after pondering for a moment, he ordered: "It seems that there is something important in Weibo that requires my assistance in speaking to the Emperor—let him in."

Before long, Lu Qi led one person to the outside of the hall, registered, and entered.

Every time Li Shi saw Lu Qi, he couldn't help but recall his first meeting with Li Ji when they were in the Ding'an imperial residence. Back then, Li Ji had escorted Li Mi from Yingyang, and Li Fuguo had led Li Mi to pay his respects to Li Heng, leaving Li Ji alone in the courtyard to wait. Li Shi, who had been with Li Heng, was also ushered out of the hall, and thus met Li Ji, and asked:

"The Sage and my father summoned Master Changyuan, but I was not allowed to sit in his presence. I heard that Master Changyuan had a brother, so I came to see him. Who would have thought... Hey, how could Master Changyuan, a man of divine stature, have such an ordinary-looking brother?"

Li Ji didn't know Li Shi at the time, and immediately asked him bluntly, "Have you been to school?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you not heard the saying, 'Judging people by their words, you will lose Zai Yu; judging people by their appearance, you will lose Zi Yu'?"

Actually, although Li Ji was only of average appearance, as his beard grew longer and his official rank rose, he diligently practiced archery and horsemanship and spent a long time on the battlefield. His dignified demeanor grew day by day. Combined with his robust physique, if Li Shi were to meet him again now, he would never say that Li Ji was "plain-looking".

However, Lu Qi, an official under Li Ji, was different. The birthmark on his face was a serious flaw; even if he were to one day rise to high office and wield power, he would likely still be considered "ugly." When Li Shi first met him, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, but considering that Lu was Li Ji's subordinate and Li Bi's brother-in-law, he tried his best to restrain himself and not show his dislike. However, after several meetings and conversations, he discovered that this Mr. Lu Ziliang was truly insightful and capable; no wonder Chang Wei had entrusted him with the important task of maintaining liaison in the capital—and their friendship grew stronger day by day.

Otherwise, Li Shi was at a critical juncture in reflecting on his past conduct. If Wei Bo had sent someone else, he might have truly refused them—leaving a message behind, as it was getting late, there was no need to see them.

But Lu Qi was followed by a person who, despite the cold weather and lack of rain or snow, was wearing a hood that covered half of his face—who was this person? What did this mean?

Before he could even ask a question, Lu Qi bowed and said, "Your Highness has important military intelligence to report. Please dismiss your attendants for now."

Li Shi was puzzled, but he still waved his hand, ordering all the servants and eunuchs to leave. Then he stared intently at the person behind Lu Qi: "Sir, shouldn't you reveal your true identity now?"

The man then lifted his hood and bowed with his hands clasped, saying, "It has been many years since we last met. Your Highness is still in excellent health. I am overjoyed."

Li Shi looked closely and was taken aback: "Sir, you've returned to the capital? When did you get back?"

"I returned to the capital three months ago after completing my term of office. I was assigned to the Ministry of Personnel for selection, but due to my special status, it was inconvenient for me to come directly to pay my respects to Your Highness. Therefore, I had no choice but to ask Mr. Lu to convey my request. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Li Shi narrowed his eyes slightly: "Sir, you must have come with something to teach me—please sit down." He then sighed softly: "A mere ninth rank is truly beneath you, sir."

The mysterious man who accompanied Lu Qi was indeed just a low-ranking official in a green robe, serving as the county magistrate of Nanjiang County in Jizhou. However, his original career was not bleak; he had served as the prime minister of the puppet Yan state, was enfeoffed as the Prince of Fengyi, and after surrendering to the Tang dynasty, he also served as the third-rank Minister of Agriculture—this man was named Yan Zhuang.

When Yan Zhuang served as Minister of Agriculture, he outwardly maintained a neutral stance, but secretly, through Cui Guangyuan, he cultivated a close relationship with Li Shi, even devising strategies to consolidate his power. Later, Li Shi and Li Fuguo joined forces, and in exchange for favors, dismissed Liu Yan, killed Kang Qian, and betrayed Yan Zhuang. As a result, Yan Zhuang was demoted to a mere county magistrate, almost at the bottom of the prestigious Tang Dynasty bureaucracy.

Li Shi once felt somewhat guilty towards Yan Zhuang, but as time passed and circumstances changed, he gradually forgot about the man completely. And even if he didn't forget, what could he do? Yan Zhuang's status was special, and Li Shi had to avoid suspicion; he could never speak well of him to his father or the court officials.

Although Li Shi claimed to cultivate relationships with court officials, he was actually quite cautious in his actions. There were three types of people he tried to avoid, lest he arouse his father's suspicion: First, the prime minister and powerful ministers of various ministries and departments. Let alone the crown prince, even ordinary members of the royal family could easily invite disaster if they got too close to these powerful ministers. Second, the officers and soldiers of the imperial guards. It was one thing for the crown prince to interfere in political affairs, but if he interfered in military affairs, he would surely be courting death. Third, those officials with bad reputations, which naturally included the vast majority of those who had surrendered during the An Lushan Rebellion...

It seems that Yan Zhuang was well aware of this as well, which is why, after returning to Chang'an, he did not dare to swagger over to Li Shi's residence, but instead went through Lu Qi to secretly meet him.

Yan Zhuang returned to the capital after completing his term as the county magistrate of Nanjiang, and was selected by the Ministry of Personnel. In theory, all officials in the Tang Dynasty had a term of office. When their term expired, unless there were special circumstances—such as being ordered to remain in office by the court or needing to be transferred to another official position urgently—they had to return to the capital to be selected. Between the two terms, there would be a period of "waiting for employment" where they held rank but no official position.

As for the length of this period, it ranges from one to twelve selections, with one selection lasting one year. Generally, the higher the rank, the fewer selections are made. For example, officials of the third rank and above often do not have to wait more than half a year before the court has to make a new appointment. As for minor officials of the eighth or ninth rank, they are generally selected between three and five times.

In addition, there are two special cases. First, the prime minister and the heads of various ministries and departments are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel. Second, the staff of the military governors are theoretically only temporarily assigned and are not considered formal officials. Therefore, whether they move from one military governorship to another, or from a court official to a staff member, or from a staff member to a court official, they do not need to be selected. The former two are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel. As for the latter, since they are staff members of the military governors, it is considered that they have already been employed.

Yan Zhuang's situation is rather unique. Based on his previous rank, he should have been appointed within one selection at most; however, considering his recent resignation as the county magistrate of Nanjiang, he might have to wait three to five years. But three to five years isn't the minimum; theoretically, the Ministry of Personnel could leave him idle for a full twelve years without violating regulations. Yan Zhuang, feeling helpless and without support, and with the stain of having served the puppet state of Yan, might truly have to wait ten years or more…

Will I still be able to hold office then? Shouldn't I retire by then?

He once considered retiring, but he was never willing to accept it—"I once served as the ruler of a country, so in the Tang Dynasty I should at least wear a red robe again, right? If I retire with only the ninth rank, I will have no honor in my later years."

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard that Prince Zheng, Li Miao, had been appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army and Cavalry. Yan Zhuang couldn't help but laugh out loud – my chance has finally come! So he went to the Weibo Jinzouyuan to see Lu Qi, explained that he had a long-standing friendship with Li Ji, and then, through Lu Qi, secretly came to see Li Shi.

Li Shi knew that Yan Zhuang was, to put it bluntly, full of scheming and plotting, or to put it kindly, resourceful and cunning. Therefore, Yan Zhuang's visit at this time was most likely to offer advice on the matter of succession, in order to secure a bright future for Li Shi's family. So, after only a few words, they went straight to the point.

Yan Zhuang comforted him, saying, "Your Highness is troubled by the matter of Prince Zheng receiving the title, but there is precedent for appointing a prince as the Grand Marshal of the Army—when His Majesty was still the Crown Prince, Emperor Suzong appointed Li Xi..."

Li Shi interrupted the other party and said bluntly, "That is why the Li faction harbored rebellious intentions, colluded with the deposed Empress Zhang, and plotted a rebellion."

Yan Zhuang nodded: "This is precisely what I have been planning for Your Highness. In the past, when the Shi clan caused chaos in Guandong, the state gathered troops from various garrisons, numbering no less than 300,000, and issued an edict to suppress them. Li Linhuai (Li Guangbi was enfeoffed as the Prince of Linhuai) requested to be appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army of the Whole World, and Emperor Suzong then appointed Li Xi. However, now that the rebellion in the east has been quelled—although Tian Chengsi rebelled, it was ultimately a minor disturbance, and he did not usurp the title or cede territory—the nation's greatest enemy lies with Tibet. Even before the establishment of the state, Your Highness was already the Grand Marshal of the Army of Guanzhong. Therefore, now that you are being appointed as the Prince of Zheng, you should also command the various garrisons in Guanzhong. Why must you be called 'the whole world'?"

Li Shi wanted to ask: Does this mean my father intends to change the heir apparent? But he gritted his teeth and held back, simply nodding: "Please continue, sir."

"As Your Highness has worried, even if His Majesty's actions are merely to have the prince monitor the various towns and have no other deeper meaning, it is still difficult to guarantee that Prince Zheng will not suddenly develop a desire to seize the throne, and it is even more difficult to guarantee that those in the court who are plotting to advance their careers will attach themselves to Prince Zheng and expand their influence..."

"Then how should I respond?"

Yan Zhuang smiled slightly: "There are only two options: advance or retreat. The so-called retreat is for Your Highness to request to move into the Eastern Palace, thus isolating yourself from the outside world, closing your eyes and ears, only upholding filial piety, and not concerning yourself with state affairs, hoping for the sage's enlightenment. However, Emperor Suzong did just that in the past. If the Yang family had not been destroyed, how could there have been the ascension to the throne in Lingwu? The current emperor did the same in the past, but ultimately could not stop the Li faction from rushing into the fire like moths to a flame, causing brothers to turn against each other. Therefore, the retreat plan is to entrust the succession and even one's life to Heaven. If Heaven is unmoved and the ancestors are unforgiving, one will inevitably suffer disaster..."

Li Shi felt that the words of this former traitor were becoming increasingly dangerous, but he still couldn't help but want to continue listening: "What about the proposed strategy?"

Yan Zhuang lowered his voice slightly: "If you advance, you must contend! The thrones of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Xuanzong cannot be obtained by retreating." Before Li Shi could refute him, he hurriedly explained: "Of course, my intention is not for Your Highness to go through the Xuanwu Gate or Tanglong incidents. Your Highness is already the Crown Prince. Just preserve your position and wait for the Emperor to live a long and prosperous life. Why take such risks?"

Li Shi thought to himself, "It's good that you're not trying to persuade me to stage a coup... To be honest, I have thought about this before, but given the current situation and environment, there's absolutely no chance. I don't want to add another line to the list of crown princes who were deposed for usurping the throne."

So he smiled and said, "I am not one to take risks, and I was just about to ask you for your prudent advice."

Yan Zhuang then said solemnly, "In the past, under the sage and the foundation of the state, the most important person was the prime minister. Now it is the regional military governors. If Your Highness has a powerful regional military governor to assist you, the Prince of Zheng will not dare to have any disloyal thoughts!" He only mentioned the Prince of Zheng, Li Miao, but everyone, including Lu Qi, knew that he was actually saying that the emperor would not dare to easily change the heir apparent.

Upon hearing this, Li Shi couldn't help but glance at Lu Qi sideways.

Seeing this, Yan Zhuang revealed his true intentions: "I know that Li Weibo and Your Highness are close friends, but unfortunately, he is too far away. If Li Weibo were to return west and guard Jingyuan and Binning, even if he were in Shuofang, he could lead a strong army to defend against the barbarians, which would be enough to be Your Highness's aid. I also know that Li Weibo deeply hates the barbarian bandits and has the ambition to pacify the western border. Why doesn't Your Highness help him achieve his wish? Even if Hebei is in ruins, it will only be temporary; if the foundation of the country is solid, it can lead to a hundred years of peace."

The implication is that if the country doesn't fall into your hands in the future, why should you care whether the towns in Hebei are arrogant or even separatist?

Chapter Twenty-Three: Favoritism and Inequality

In Jizhou, Tian Chengsi sent Meng Xiyou with a contingent of troops to cross the Zhang River thirty li east of the battlefield, attempting to cut off the government army's supply lines. However, Li Ji had anticipated this and had built a fortified position every five li between Xindu and the Zhang River, arranging auxiliary troops to guard the supply route, thus preventing Meng Xiyou from taking advantage of the situation.

Although the Weizhou auxiliary troops had limited combat strength and each fortified position had only one or two hundred men, they were able to withstand several rounds of fierce attacks from the Tianxiong army by relying on their strong defenses and powerful bows and crossbows. In times of crisis, the supply wagons would retreat into the fortified positions. If Meng Xiyou did not attack, he would not be able to cut off their supplies; if he dared to attack—it was not certain that he could take the fortified position in one day, and by the next day, he might see the smoke signals and Lei Wanchun would lead his cavalry to attack from the Zhangshui pontoon bridge.

As for bypassing Xindu and heading south, the risk was too great, and Meng Xiyou dared not do it.

Moreover, the letters that Tian Chengsi secretly sent to Hu E and Qin Rui all disappeared without a trace.

Although Li Ji retained Hu E in his post, he also placed him under house arrest in the prefectural office, preventing him from intervening in city defense matters or even inciting residents to riot. Moreover, now that Hu E was allowed to remain in his post, why would he obey Tian Chengsi's orders again? If he were to betray his post repeatedly, his life would be completely ruined!

As for Qin Rui, he had a grudge against Tian Chengsi, so as long as Li Ji offered him more money, he would naturally not bother with Tian Chengsi. If you are really sincere, why don't you just give me the two prefectures of Cang and Di?

Left with no other choice, Tian Chengsi was forced to launch another all-out attack on the government troops. This time, however, Li Ji did not come out; he simply defended his fortified position. The Tianxiong army charged to the fortified position several times, but was driven back by a hail of arrows, suffering heavy losses without gaining anything.

Even Xing Caojun couldn't help but exclaim, "How powerful the Wei army's crossbows are, and how many arrows they have!" Li Ji, are you really here to attack? Why did you bring so many crossbows and arrows? It makes it seem like our army is the one that's crossing the border to launch a military campaign...

The battle stalled, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Spies had already reported that the Zhaoyi Army, after several days of fierce attacks, had captured Nangong County and Tangyang County—Tangyang was fifty li north of Nangong, on the north bank of the Zhang River, and should have been of no concern to the overall battle, yet the Zhaoyi Army deliberately divided its forces to attack it, as if their sole purpose this time was to seize territory, each additional county a gain.

After capturing both counties, the Zhaoyi army finally accelerated its advance. It is said that the commander-in-chief was Xue Song's younger brother, Xue E, leading no fewer than 20,000 infantry and cavalry…

Left with no other option, Tian Chengsi began to consider a retreat. He discussed with his officers and generals, saying, "Li Ji is holding firm and not coming out, clearly trying to hold us back while waiting for the Zhaoyi and Hedong armies to come and encircle us. Now we cannot break through their stronghold, and we are unwilling to retreat to Wuqiang..." If they were to attack all the way to our doorstep, then we would have already lost half the battle. If we wanted to turn the tide, we could only hope that the enemy would run out of supplies and retreat. Tian Chengsi really disliked the feeling of having the initiative in the hands of the enemy.

"The only option now is to surrender... I will submit a memorial to apologize, demolish the shrine to the Four Saints, and earnestly request the court's leniency... But I do not know if the court will agree? And how will they deal with me?"

Wang You sighed, "Perhaps through the military supervisor, we can contact the eunuch Wang (Wang Jiahe) and ask him to speak to the Emperor..."

Xu Shize said, "It is only right that Commander Tian submits a memorial to apologize..." Since you do not intend to raise the flag of rebellion, then regardless of whether you are truly guilty, since the imperial order has been issued to punish you, you must apologize. We have already advised you on this, but you did not listen. "However, the journey to Chang'an is long, and I fear that by the time the imperial order is issued, we will all be gone! We must devise a better strategy in military affairs. Even if we hold our ground, should we defend Hengshui or Wuqiang, or abandon Wuqiang and temporarily retreat to Yingzhou? I implore Commander Tian to make a decision as soon as possible."

While Tian Chengsi was still hesitating, two pieces of incredibly good news suddenly arrived!

The first piece of good news is that the Hedong Army won't be coming.

After receiving the imperial edict, Xin Yunjing ordered his deputy military commissioner, Cui, to lead 5,000 troops to cross the Taihang Mountains, pass through Chengde, and seize Jizhou. However, before the army even left Jingxing Pass, a mutiny broke out due to Cui's harsh treatment of his soldiers and inconsistent application of rules…

The second piece of good news is that reinforcements have arrived from Youzhou.

Tian Chengsi had a fairly good relationship with Li Huaixian, the military governor of Youzhou, so he had already sent an urgent envoy to plead for help, expressing the sentiment that "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold." Li Huaixian's staff was divided into two factions: Military Commissioner Zhu Xicai and Deputy Military Commissioner Zhu Ci advocated for a firm rejection and even wanted to bind the envoy and send him to Chang'an; while another military commissioner, Li Baozhong, strongly urged the Youzhou troops to march south to rescue them.

In fact, Li Huaixian originally intended to help Tian Chengsi, fearing that if Ji and Ying provinces fell into the hands of the imperial court, it would threaten his rule in Youzhou. However, he could not go against those few surnamed Zhu... So he subtly mocked Li Baozhong, saying that if he wanted to save Tianxiong Army, he should go and save them himself. If he won, he would be able to exonerate him. If he lost, he should not implicate him.

Therefore, Li Baozhong led 3,000 elite cavalry from Mozhou southwards to provide assistance.

Upon receiving the report, Tian Chengsi couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Heaven has not forsaken me!" He thought to himself, could it be that the spirits of the Four Sages of An Lushan were protecting them and were trying to secure a good ending for their old subordinates? He didn't know why he felt that those four, who had failed in their own rebellion, would have the ability to bless others...

Therefore, he issued a proclamation to all his generals and officers: "Zhaoyi's troops are easy to kill, Xue Song is nothing more than a guard dog, and Xue E is even worse. But as long as the Hedong troops do not come, we have nothing to fear. Moreover, since the Youzhou army has marched south, it shows the nation that our Tianxiong Army is not isolated and without support. Therefore, Chengde may no longer hesitate and will come to our aid!"

The order is hereby issued: let us rest for a few days, wait for the troops from Mozhou to arrive, and fight together to drive Li Ji back to his hometown!

Meanwhile, in the government army camp, they had not yet learned of the Youzhou troops' southward advance, but they had received reports of a mutiny in the Hedong army, and that Chengde Town had gathered troops near Anping...

Li Ji had also sent people to Chengde to inquire, but Li Baochen gave a perfunctory answer, saying that it was just a routine autumn drill and had nothing to do with their campaign against Tianxiong Army—Li Ji and the others naturally did not believe him.

Tian Qianzhen analyzed, "Anping is west of the Hutuo River, quite far from us. If Chengde intends to join the rebels and aid Ji, then he should station his troops in Shenzhou south of the river; if he wants to take the opportunity to plunder Yingzhou, then he should station his troops in Raoyang east of the river—being in Anping now is merely imitating Bian Zhuang's plan to kill the tiger." Li Baochen was observing. If the government troops had the upper hand, he might go to Yingzhou to seize some territory and gain some advantage; if the Tianxiong Army had the upper hand, he might collude with Tian Chengsi to attack our flank.

"Moreover, the chaos caused by the troops in Hedong may well have been orchestrated by Li Baochen."

Li Ji nodded: "We can't count on the Hedong troops. We can only hope that the Zhaoyi Army will come to our aid as soon as possible." He paused, then asked Tian Qianzhen: "Commander Xue is a veteran general. Even if he lacks strategic talent, he must be prudent. It's a pity he didn't come this time. I wonder what kind of person his brother Xue E is?"

Tian Qianzhen shook his head: "I don't know either."

He said that the late Fanyang military governor Xue Chuyu had five sons, known as the "Five Tigers of the Xue Family." Xue Song was the eldest, while the second and third sons, Xue Long and Xue Yi, had both passed away. The fourth son, Xue Ji, and the fifth son, Xue E, were mentioned. "I have heard Xue Song say that Xue Ji was honest and kind, but he was just a brave man. As for Xue E, he has never mentioned him."

Yin Shen chimed in from the side, "Commander Xue appointed Xue Ji to command the elite troops and Xue E as his chief clerk, showing him great favor and reliance. Everyone in the town says that if Commander Xue were to pass away, and the young master is still young, then they should request that Xue E succeed him as the military governor of Zhaoyi Army..."

Li Ji sneered, "Succession from brother to brother? Does he really think this town is his own private property!"

In fact, he had talked to Li Bi before, thinking that in certain special circumstances, the military governors might succeed one another in the future—because they could win the hearts of the troops. If the court were to send a military governor there, it would be easy for trouble to arise. The problem was that this was just a prediction, and there was no precedent. Li Ji did not want this precedent to be set in his own neighborhood.

However, if the situation in Hebei does not change much, and Xue Song really kicks the bucket one day, the generals may support his brother Xue E or his son Xue Ping, and the court will probably have no choice but to accept it... Nowadays, the vassal states of Yan and Zhao can even appoint their own governors within their jurisdictions. In almost the entire Hebei, apart from Weibo and a few military supervisors, there is not a single official truly appointed by the court.

Xue Song's son, Xue Ping, was only twelve years old when Xue Song submitted a memorial at the beginning of the year requesting to be appointed as the prefect of Cizhou. The court approved the request—this twelve-year-old prefect was probably unprecedented in the Tang Dynasty, and it was unlikely to be the last of its kind...

He sighed inwardly, then said, "I only hope that Xue E is a capable general and an easy person to get along with."

Xue E's Zhaoyi Army arrived three days later. Upon meeting, they explained that their lateness was not due to being busy seizing territory, but rather to insufficient supplies—"I fear that upon arrival, I will have to ask Commander Li and Commander Qin for assistance..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "So be it. Although I don't have enough money and food, I can't do without your 30,000 men's food and supplies for ten days. Besides, you wouldn't refuse to take a single grain of food out of town, would you?"

So why did Xue E finally come? Because he had finally received the grain transported from Huainan by the imperial court.