Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 151

"I don't know."

Li Ji said sternly, "The people I hate most in my life are the traitors who collude with foreign invaders to invade our Tang territory! Now that the Pugu clan has secretly sent someone to make an agreement with the Western Barbarians, I, Li, will risk my life to perish with these traitors!"

Upon hearing this, the generals all exchanged bewildered glances. Pugu Huai'en was both ashamed and annoyed: "Why does the Commander-in-Chief say such a thing? My Pugu family is loyal to the Tang Dynasty; how could we possibly collude with the Western Barbarians?"

Li Ji shouted, "Ask Fan Zhicheng!"

In an instant, all eyes in and out of the hall were focused on Fan Zhicheng. Fan Zhicheng waved his hands repeatedly, "How could that be? How would I know..."

"If you do not tell the truth, I will strangle Pugu Yang on the spot!"

With a "whoosh," Pugu Huai'en drew his sword from his waist and angrily pointed it at Fan Zhicheng: "I only ordered you to send someone to persuade the Uyghurs to come to our aid, but what about the Western Barbarians?! If you don't explain the whole story, I'll kill you first!"

Fan Zhicheng stammered with a bitter face, "It's not my fault, it's my... my..."

"Are you a woman? Speak louder!"

Fan Zhicheng gritted his teeth and said, "It was the doctor who ordered me to send an envoy to Tibet to ask for urgent assistance!"

With a clang, Pugu Huai'en slumped down, his sword falling limply to the ground.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Ji loosened his grip slightly, and Pugu Yang shouted, "Fan Zhicheng, you're spouting nonsense! You clearly said that the Uyghurs refused to help and could only ask the Tibetans for assistance... How can you pin this on me?!"

Fan Zhicheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Pugu Huai'en, saying, "You have sent people to seek help from the Uyghurs because of our marriage ties. However, since the two young ladies have already been sent back, and the Khan has no kinship with your family, he is unwilling to make a hasty decision. I had no choice but to consider Tibet for your sake and discussed it with you. It was you who ordered me to contact Tibet!"

Pugu Huai'en let out a long sigh: "Traitor...rebellious son! My Pugu family's loyalty and righteousness were almost destroyed by you!" As he spoke, he suddenly raised the horizontal sword in his hand, twisted his thick waist, and slashed down at Li Ji's head.

Anyone else might have been careless and fallen into the trap, but Li Ji simply didn't believe Pugu Huai'en's words—if Pugu Yang hadn't given the order, would Fan Zhicheng have dared to do it? If Pugu Huai'en hadn't tacitly approved, would Pugu Yang have dared to collude with the Western Barbarians? And being alone in a dangerous situation, how could he possibly let his guard down?

So he slightly shifted his body to the side, exposing Pugu Yang's head and neck, directly facing Pugu Huai'en's blade. Pugu Huai'en quickly withdrew his hand—thankfully, the tip of the blade was only inches from his son's throat—and hurriedly defended his actions: "This unfilial son, there's no need for Changwei to lift a finger, I'll chop him down with one stroke first!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than an aged voice rang out from behind the hall: "Well said! Such a disloyal, unfilial, and unjust person, if not a descendant of the Pugu family, should be executed!"

Immediately, an old woman, leaning on a cane, walked shakily into the hall, glared angrily at Pugu Huai'en, and shouted: "If you refuse to do it, then give me the knife. I will kill this traitor for the country and take his heart to appease the army!"

Everyone bowed their heads: "Madam." Pugu Huai'en also said with a bitter face: "Mother..." He then sheathed his sword and knelt on one knee: "Mother, everyone has the instinct to love their child, and more than half of my Pugu family have died or been crippled. Of my ten sons, only four remain. Although Yang'er is rebellious, please... please, Mother, spare his life..."

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Ji shouted—he had once again grabbed Pugu Yang by the throat, silencing the boy—"I didn't reveal this matter before only to ask Pugu Yang and his son to return to court, to preserve your family's reputation, and to repay your past kindness. Who would have thought that you would listen to the words of that villain Fan Zhicheng and actually break your promise! If you don't want Pugu Yang to die, you must kill Fan Zhicheng first, lest he falsely accuse your family!"

The old lady was naturally Pugu Huai'en's mother, who was over seventy years old. Upon hearing this, she glared at Fan Zhicheng and shouted, "Kill him!" Before anyone else could react—after all, the commander-in-chief was Pugu Huai'en, and killing his general required Pugu Huai'en's permission—Li Ji glanced at Yun Lin, who understood and immediately shouted, "As the old lady commands!" He then thrust his sword and stabbed Fan Zhicheng through the heart.

Because Fan Zhicheng's attention was focused on Pugu and his mother, and the grandparents and grandchildren, he was completely unprepared for Yunlin, who was right next to him.

Li Ji shouted, "Fan Zhicheng colluded with the Western Barbarians to plot a rebellion; his crime is unforgivable and he deserves to be killed." He then looked at Pugu Huai'en and said, "The Uyghurs refuse to come to our aid, and the Tibetans are still in the western borderlands. Even if you, Pugu, were to rebel, it would be difficult for them to respond in time. Moreover, the surrounding towns will arrive in no time. At that time, not only will you and your son be disgraced, but all the generals present here will also be guilty of the heinous crime of exterminating three generations of your family!"

Upon hearing this, the generals were all alarmed. To be honest, although they all respected Pugu Huai'en, and might be willing to rebel with the Pugu clan if they had no other choice, it was clear that they were not yet at that point. Moreover, Pugu and his son had not given them any prior notice, saying, "Let's rebel together..."

"Pugu Gong leads tens of thousands of elite troops from Shuofang, believing himself to be invincible. However, he did not expect that Minister Guo is still in Chang'an. He only needs to come alone. So, will the armies follow Pugu Gong or Minister Guo?"

Pugu Huai'en thought to himself that at least 30 or 40 percent of the soldiers—especially the new recruits—would be willing to follow him…

"Therefore, Fan Zhicheng ostensibly acted in the best interests of Lord Pugu, but in reality, he intended to murder Lord Pugu and all the generals present! If they are killed today, everyone will be at peace!"

Pugu Huai'en surveyed the expressions of the generals, then sighed deeply. With a clang, he dropped his sword, turned his body from facing his mother to facing Li Ji, and bowed, saying, "Thanks to Commander Li for exposing Fan's treacherous plot, my Pugu family has been spared an unjust accusation. Please... please release my son, Commander Li. He must have been misled by Fan and kept in the dark..."

Li Ji stared at Pugu Huai'en, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Your son cannot be released. I have two plans to resolve the Pugu family's crisis. Would you be willing to listen?"

"Changwei taught me."

"One option is for you and your son to obey the imperial edict and return to the capital with me. The second option is, as previously stated, for your son to return to the capital with me as a hostage, in which case you will quickly release your troops and return to your garrison. Only these two options are feasible. If you do not agree, you may kill me, and I will kill your son first!"

Chapter Thirty-Five: Going with the Flow

On that day, at the Taiye Pond of Daming Palace, Li Yu asked Li Ji, "If Changwei were to be placed in the territory of Pugu and his son, what would you decide?" Li Ji's first reaction was: What would I decide? Of course, I would hold onto my military power and negotiate with the court!

Pugu and his son, commanding the powerful Shuofang garrison, held immense prestige and influence. Naturally, they were unwilling to follow in Guo Ziyi's footsteps and return to Chang'an to sit on the sidelines—Li Ji would most likely have felt the same way. However, Li Ji knew that with the chaos recently quelled and the people yearning for stability, even if the entire Shuofang army obeyed orders, rebellion would be extremely difficult, not only bringing no benefit to their families but also severely harming the country. He believed that if Pugu and his son had any sense, they wouldn't resort to such a drastic measure.

Of course, he also told Li Yu that the court should prioritize leniency and not coerce him too much. If the father and son felt they had no other way out, they might lose their minds and take risks, which could be a real possibility.

If Li Ji were in Pugu Huai'en's position, he knew he wouldn't dare to rebel—the timing was too bad—but he also wouldn't be able to come to court at a moment's notice. In the past, it might have been fine, but with Lai Zhen's precedent, the various military governors would inevitably be suspicious of the court, so it would be unlikely that they would release their troops and surrender.

I can sit on the sidelines; as long as I'm alive, I can always make a comeback. But if returning to the court is a dead end, I might as well rebel and try my luck!

Therefore, Li Ji offered a plan to Li Yu: obtain a personal letter from Guo Ziyi, and with his own assurance, claiming a 50-60% chance of success, temporarily dispelling the doubts of Pugu Huai'en and his son. Especially since Guo Ziyi had long held the position of military governor of Shuofang and enjoyed unparalleled prestige, while Pugu Huai'en had only served as the military governor of Shuofang for a few years, and in terms of both favor and prestige, he was far inferior to Guo Ziyi—

To be honest, there are many factions in the Shuofang army. If Li Guangbi hadn't killed Zhang Yongji in the past, forcing the generals to gather around Pugu Huaien and stick together for warmth, I guess the old thief wouldn't even be able to control half an army now.

Therefore, Li Ji held a banquet for the generals of Shuofang and told them all the words in Guo Ziyi's letter. His purpose was to weaken Pugu Huaien's influence in the army and prevent him from taking that path of no return. As the saying goes, "If a person has a sharp weapon, he will naturally have the desire to kill." If I take away your weapon, would you still dare to take the risk?

Li Ji had hoped that these measures would completely dispel Pugu Huai'en's doubts and persuade him to return to the capital. Although he thought to himself that as long as he got Pugu Huai'en back to Chang'an, he had won, and what would become of Pugu Huai'en and his son was none of his concern, deep down he still hoped that Pugu Huai'en could have a dignified end. Firstly, he and his son had fought bravely on the battlefield and served the country loyally for many years, and he couldn't bear to take their lives; secondly, the death of Nalai Zhen had already greatly damaged the court's prestige, and if Pugu Huai'en and his son also met a tragic end, the country might truly fall apart.

Not to mention distant ones, at least half of the military governors of various towns will likely become disloyal to the court, and from then on, they will either be perfunctory or even establish their own independent regimes, refusing to obey orders anymore.

However, Li Ji did not expect that Pugu Huaien, who appeared tough on the surface, was actually cowardly and hesitant in the face of problems. He even broke his promise. "If you had just slammed your fist on the table and rebelled without a second thought, I would have respected you as a man. But you agreed to me first, then hesitated all night and backed down. Do you have any opinions or decisions?"

However, if Li Ji were in Pugu Huai'en's shoes, he probably wouldn't dare to truly believe the person who spoke out. Therefore, taking a step back and letting his son return to court could be considered a moderate solution. Pugu Yang's so-called return to court to clear his name was actually a trip to Chang'an as a hostage. With a hostage in hand, the court was likely to let Pugu Huai'en off the hook, and since Pugu Huai'en would still have a large army stationed outside, the court wouldn't dare to really take drastic measures against Pugu Yang.

In this way, the Shuofang Army would be close to separatism, which would be of no benefit to the country. However, it was a case of choosing the lesser of two evils, and it wasn't too bad. The Pugu father and son would certainly be able to survive. Putting himself in their shoes, Li Ji felt that if he were in their situation, he would probably do the same.

The key difference is that Shuofang is different from Youzhou. As an important border town, it has a vast but barren territory with a small population. It cannot be self-sufficient in money and food, and the majority of its resources still depend on the imperial court. Even if it is semi-separatist, it is difficult to escape the imperial court's control. This situation is something that not only Li Ji himself, but also Li Yu and the Tang court can barely accept.

The only worry is that Pugu Huai'en is addicted to breaking his promises, and if he doesn't take a step back, he plans to retreat directly to the bottom line—then Li Erlang will be completely helpless.

Therefore, Li Ji was both ashamed and angry, eager to vent his anger, and also wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap Pugu Yang in order to blackmail Pugu Huai'en. That's why he slammed his fist on the table and cursed, provoking Pugu Yang to fight him. Li Ji had been in the army for a long time and had a general idea of ​​the skills of ordinary generals. He figured that if it was just a matter of fists and feet, Pugu Yang should not be his match.

Military martial arts primarily involve spears and broadswords, with sweeping, powerful moves that emphasize teamwork, a stark contrast to the solitary combat style of martial arts. In a one-on-one duel between soldiers of equal strength, skill, and experience, the former would likely lose. However, in a five-on-five fight (the smallest unit in the military is a squad of five), the martial arts practitioner would usually fare poorly; and in a ten-on-ten fight, soldiers could easily defeat even martial arts masters.

Li Ji initially learned martial arts, and his previous life's training mainly consisted of individual combat skills; while Pugu Yang came from a military family and joined the army before reaching adulthood, so how could he have had time to learn martial arts techniques? Although the two had never fought before, Li Ji judged that he should be able to defeat Pugu Yang.

However, with the generals of Shuofang surrounding us, we must fight quickly and decisively. If the battle drags on, even if we gain the advantage, it will be of little use.

Li Ji was going all out, and with a few punches and kicks, he used his strengths to defeat Pugu Yang's weaknesses. But even at this point, he still couldn't see a bright future—could he really hold Pugu Yang by the neck and hope to use him as a hostage to bring Xicheng to safety? So he simply revealed the potentially unreliable information he had gleaned from Yun Lin to everyone.

If this is true, and the Pugu father and son are indeed secretly colluding with the Western Barbarians, then we can sow discord between them and the generals—Li Ji tested them a few days ago at the banquet, and found that most of the Shuofang officials and generals had no intention of rebelling, and were even irreconcilable with the barbarian rebels; if the information provided by Yunlin is untrue, and Pugu Huai'en merely sent someone to collude with the Uyghurs—this is very likely—or if the father and son resolutely refuse to admit it, then I can take the opportunity to back out, saying that I was angered by the rumors and offended Brother Pugu…

At worst, I can just bow my head and admit my mistake. Anyway, I've won, so I don't need to kowtow. Therefore, it's unlikely that the Pugu father and son would detain or even kill me, just to show the other generals that they hadn't secretly colluded with Tibet.

Unexpectedly, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. First, Fan Zhicheng was interrogated and, in order to clear himself of any wrongdoing, implicated Pugu Yang. Then, the old lady of the Pugu family stormed into the hall in a huff.

Li Ji was truly grateful to the old lady. Regardless of whether Pugu and his son had truly colluded with the Western Barbarians or harbored rebellious intentions, with the old lady questioning him face to face, he at least dared not reveal anything for the time being.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Ji subtly hinted to Yun Lin to stab Fan Zhicheng with his sword, hoping to give Pugu and his son a way out. However, this would arouse suspicion among the generals, and Pugu Huai'en would likely be even less inclined to return to court…

Even if he returned to the capital, he still had the hope of controlling the Shuofang Army from a distance, so that the court would not dare to harm him. Now, if he leaves the Shuofang Army, Zhang Weiyue, Li Guangyi, Kang Yuanbao and others will probably no longer obey his orders. In that case, the court killing him and his son would be as easy as killing two chickens!

Thus, Li Ji completely abandoned the idea of ​​taking Pugu and his son back to Chang'an. If he persisted, he feared that Pugu Huai'en would rather sacrifice his son's life than let him go—the old man had just pretended to sigh, but actually intended to kill him with a single blow! He could only settle for second best and take Pugu Yang back to Chang'an as a hostage.

With things having progressed this far, and with the old lady intervening, taking Pugu Yang away shouldn't be difficult. Li Ji pointed out two paths to Pugu Huai'en because people, given a choice, generally won't consider other, less desirable options…

Thus, it was finally decided that Li Ji would accompany Pugu Yang back to the capital to plead his and his son's case before the emperor, while Pugu Huai'en would immediately gather his troops, leave Hedong, and return to his garrison. Yun Lin volunteered to protect Pugu Yang—this fellow was truly astute; knowing that he couldn't stay in the Shuofang army after killing Fan Zhicheng without authorization, he seized this opportunity to leave and join Li Ji. When else would he have the chance?

Li Ji, with Yuan Jing'an and twenty other riders, and Pugu Yang, with Yun Lin and five other riders, hastily left Xicheng and headed straight for Chang'an. Pugu Yang kept a stern face the whole time, not even glancing at Li Ji. It was Li Ji who, when they were lodging that night, took the initiative to offer them wine and food, saying, "I offended Brother Pugu in a moment of impulsiveness during the day. I hope Brother Pugu will understand my heart and be magnanimous."

Anyway, I won. Winners should show their attitude; it's not shameful, it shows magnanimity.

Pugu Yang snorted lightly, reached out and took the wine and food, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "Since I have been defeated, I have nothing to say, but... it was indeed Fan Zhicheng who acted arbitrarily and recklessly. Neither my father nor I had any intention of colluding with the barbarian rebels..."

Now that things have come to this, we need to make things clear first, lest Li Ji return to Chang'an and file a complaint against our family, which could not only ruin our lives but also worsen our father's reputation and situation.

Li Ji nodded earnestly, feigning sincerity: "Of course. I have long admired the loyalty of Father and Son, how could I be so easily swayed by petty people?"

Pugu Yang smiled bitterly, "If you were in my father's shoes someday, you would understand our predicament... The court arbitrarily killed Lai Zhen, didn't you feel disheartened? Oh, when Lai Zhen died, you hadn't even left your post..."

Li Ji said solemnly, “I have said before that your father and son are different from Lai Zhen. Even if you return to the court, you will not be in any danger. It’s just that your father and son are unwilling to relinquish their military power. But since ancient times, how could the court not be suspicious when a general holds troops in the field? Unless they are facing the enemy, they dare not replace the general... But your father and son are lingering in Hedong. Who can tolerate that?”

"In the future, I will certainly behave properly and not easily place myself in a position of suspicion. If that really doesn't work out, I can emulate Minister Guo. Although I don't have military power, I still wear gold and purple robes, and my sons-in-law hold high positions and share glory and wealth. Wouldn't that be better?"

Pugu Yang coldly curled his lip: "Without soldiers at your disposal, the court can kill you as easily as killing a dog!"

Li Ji replied, “That’s just how life is. Yang Guozhong was all-powerful, but he died like a dog at Mawei Post Station; An Lushan and Shi Siming dominated their era, but they died at the hands of their children and grandchildren; Emperor Xuanzong reigned for forty years, but he almost died in the Western Palace… One must act in accordance with the times and fight according to the situation in order to protect oneself. It has little to do with whether one has troops or not.”

"If everyone relies on strength to win and holds military power to dominate, as in the chaos at the end of the Jin Dynasty, not to mention the destruction of the country and the suffering of the people, how many of those who hold military power can survive unscathed? When the world is at peace, it is always easier to survive. When the country is in chaos, it is common for generals to be captured by commoners and for court officials to suffer humiliation at the hands of lowly soldiers. Do you, Father and Son, really wish to live in such a chaotic world where every day is uncertain?"

Pugu Yang turned his head away: "You may be sharp-tongued, but I won't say anything more to you!"

----------

Meanwhile, Pugu Huai'en gathered his troops, left Hedong, and returned to Shuofang Town. The journey took more than a day, and he finally arrived in Lingwu.

He had already sent people to investigate beforehand and learned that the court had appointed Hun Shizhi as the garrison commander of Shuofang. He was both angry and pleased. He was angry because, according to the scouts, Hun Shizhi had arrived half a month ago, when he was probably still dealing with Li Ji... The court really intended to seize his military power!

The good news is that Hun Shizhi has been away from Shuofang for a long time. How could he possibly control the garrison troops in such a short time? As long as I act quickly enough, I can completely sideline him. With this, I can hold a large army and dominate Shuofang. Even if my son is a hostage in court, it won't be a problem. Besides, being in Lingwu, while a bit further from the Uyghurs, brings me closer to Tibet. I can use the Uyghurs to threaten the court, or I can re-establish alliances with the Western Tibetans, thus securing my position!

He burst into laughter and said, "It was my mistake. I shouldn't have let a small grudge linger in Hedong for so long. Now that the tiger has returned to the mountains, there is no more worry."

Hun Shizhi came out of the city to greet him, but Pugu Huaien gave him a cold shoulder and refused to even dismount. When they returned to the military governor's office, Pugu Huaien took his seat and was about to reprimand Hun Shizhi and take away all his troops when he suddenly heard a cough. An old man in a green robe slowly walked out from behind the screen.

The generals were greatly surprised upon seeing this, and they all prostrated themselves before him, exclaiming, "We are overjoyed that our Minister is in good health!"

It turned out that the old man was none other than Guo Ziyi, the former commander of Shuofang, who now held the official positions of Minister of Works and Deputy Marshal of Guanzhong.

Li Ji had just left Xicheng when he ordered Yuan Jing'an to ride ahead on horseback to Chang'an to see Li Bi, inform him of the situation in Hedong, and said: "Pugu Huai'en refuses to return to the court and has laid down his troops to return to his post. I fear he may become a threat by holding onto his troops—Hun Shi's prestige is too shallow to control him!"

Li Bi sought an audience with Li Yu that very night, repeatedly urging him that only Guo Ziyi, stationed in Shuofang, could suppress Pugu Huaien. Li Yu was reluctant to send Guo Ziyi away, but the situation was urgent—especially given Li Ji's rumor that Pugu and his son intended to collude with the Western Barbarians—leaving him no choice but to order Guo Ziyi north. He repeatedly instructed Guo Ziyi that the war against the Western Barbarians was indispensable, and that he could not linger in Lingwu; however, after capturing Pugu Huaien, he should immediately return to the capital.

Therefore, Guo Ziyi took the initiative and sneaked into Lingwu City. He rebuked Pugu Huaien, who had returned, in court, saying, "If you come with me, I will guarantee your wealth and honor will never be lost; if you refuse, you may kill this old man first!"

How could Pugu Huai'en dare to do that? He feared that if he showed even the slightest malice towards Guo Ziyi, the generals behind him would swarm him and tear him to pieces... He had no choice but to follow Guo Ziyi back to Chang'an and sit on the sidelines with him. The Shuofang Army was still temporarily led by the acting governor Hun Shizhi.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Who Gains the Greatest Credit?

On the day Li Ji returned to Chang'an, he was summoned by Li Yu again. The meeting place was Xianju Hall on the west side of Daming Palace, where Princess Hezheng was still by her elder brother's side.

Li Ji suspected that Princess Hezheng might be the only person Li Yu could trust without any reservations at the moment.

Although Li Shi was his biological son, the imperial family was rife with discord, even resorting to violence, almost a continuous occurrence. Especially since Li Yu had not yet formally appointed Li Shi as crown prince, signs of distrust between father and son were already emerging. Cheng Yuanzhen was indeed a favored eunuch, but Li Yu's main purpose in employing him was to restrain the power of the prime minister in the outer court. Could you really trust a political tool so much? Even with Li Bi, no matter how much he claimed to be like a teacher and friend, the time they spent together was ultimately not very long.

Only Princess Hezheng could not have any selfish thoughts when facing her elder brother—mainly because her husband's family, the Liu family, was not considered wealthy or noble, only comparable to the Yang family before they rose to prominence. However, her husband, Liu Tan, was known for his uprightness and propriety, and had no ambition, so he could never become a second Yang Guozhong. This made Li Yu always call on his sister to help him relieve his worries.

So Li Ji recounted the various hardships he had encountered on his journey to Hedong to the emperor and princess, without embellishment. Actually, the details were already quite clear when Yuan Jing'an had previously delivered a message to Li Mi, who then relayed it to Li Yu. Li Yu's hasty summons was primarily to address one issue—

"So, did the Pugu father and son really collude with the Western Barbarians in secret?"

Li Ji honestly replied, "I do not know." He then explained that under the circumstances at the time, he could not possibly investigate the matter in depth, and in order to maintain the initiative, he directly implied that Yunlin should kill Fan Zhicheng, so that any clues would be cut off.

Princess Hezheng interjected, "The movements of the barbarian bandits are suspicious. Perhaps our Tang army has already been informed of their activities, which is why His Majesty is placing his hopes on Changwei to provide a definite answer."

Tang had naturally planted many spies and informants in Tibet, so they had a general idea of ​​when Tibet would invade this autumn. It was based on this that Li Mi suggested a preemptive strike, gathering troops from Guanzhong between Longguan and Huating.

However, before the Tang army could fully assemble, Ma Chongying suddenly ordered a contingent of Tibetan troops to advance eastward, directly threatening Dazhen Pass. This completely disrupted the Tang army's strategic plans, forcing the Fengxiang army to head south to relieve Dazhen Pass, and their vanguard was defeated by the Tibetan forces…

So Li Yu was very frustrated—did the Pugu father and son really leak military secrets?

Li Ji clasped his hands and advised, "Now that things have come to this, it's no longer important where the military intelligence came from." He paused, then continued, "The garrisons in Guanzhong have assembled to launch a preemptive strike against the barbarian rebels. This matter has not been explicitly announced to Shuofang, so Pugu and his son may not be aware of it. Moreover, our Tang has spies among the barbarians, and the barbarian rebels may have spies in Guanzhong as well. It would be difficult to keep the troop movements a secret from Ma Chongying..." Given the level of secrecy in those days, Li Ji truly did not believe that military secrets could only have been leaked from Hedong.

"Even if Pugu and his son leaked the secret, or because they secretly colluded with the Tibetans, prompting Ma Chongying to invade ahead of time as a support, there is no concrete evidence. Without concrete evidence, how can we punish the father and son? If Your Majesty severely punishes Pugu for this, or even takes his life, I fear the harm would be far greater than killing Lai Zhen."

Li Yu slammed his fist on the table in anger: "I thought Pugu was loyal, but I never expected him to collude with the Uyghurs and Tibetans. How can I be satisfied if he is not severely punished?"

Li Ji advised, “Since Minister Guo has already gone north, he should be able to summon Pugu Huai'en back. If he does not return, Minister Guo will surely kill him. Then Your Majesty can kill Pugu Yang without any harm. However, if both he and his son return to Chang'an, their military power will be diminished, and they will be no different from ordinary men. Killing them will be of no use, so why should Your Majesty’s precious sword be stained?”

Li Yu sighed softly, "Even the emperor can't do things freely..." Then he nodded to Li Ji, "Chang Wei's trip has averted a great disaster for the country, and I will surely reward him. As for Yun Lin, I will grant Chang Wei's request to be promoted to the seventh rank and placed under your command."

Li Ji thanked the emperor and took his leave. Princess Hezheng, seeing that Li Yu was still somewhat sullen, half-jokingly questioned her brother: "If Pugu and his son had indeed colluded with the Uyghurs and Tibetans to wreak havoc in Hedong, they would be at least half as An Lushan and Shi Siming; now that the great disaster has been averted, it is only right that Your Majesty rewards Li Ji and Yunlin, but why is Your Majesty unwilling to reward the one who made the greatest contribution?"

Li Yu frowned and looked at his sister: "If Li Ji didn't deserve the credit, then who did? Are you perhaps thinking of Mr. Changyuan, or Minister Guo?"

Princess Hezheng shook her head and smiled, "No, the merit I refer to is that of my second elder sister."

Li Yu was puzzled: "What merit has Ningguo made?"

Princess Hezheng replied solemnly, “The Hedong region is far from the Tibetans but close to the Uyghurs. That is why Pugu Huai'en first sent people to contact the Uyghurs. The Uyghur Khan could not make a quick decision, so he considered Tibet. Why then did he place his hopes on the Uyghurs? And why did the Khan not listen to his advice? Brother, consider this: if Pugu’s two daughters were still with the Uyghurs, even if the Khan did not take them as concubines, they would surely be given to other noble families. In that case, the Uyghurs would be closer to Pugu than to our Tang generals, and would most likely be willing to provide them with support. If Pugu had the Uyghurs as his ally, I fear that no matter how eloquent Li Ji was, he could not persuade him.”

"When the mighty Khan passed away, my two elder sisters refused to stay and insisted on returning to the country. Moreover, after Yidijian died, they took his two wives, namely Pugu Huaien's two daughters, back with them. This severed the ties between the Pugu clan and the Uyghurs. Therefore, I say that my two elder sisters deserve the greatest credit for relieving this calamity."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly: "What you say makes sense, it is indeed true!" Then he frowned: "I have tried many times to find a better match for Ningguo, but she refuses. What can I do?"

Princess Hezheng sighed, "My second sister has married three times, but none of the marriages lasted long. I think she has no intention of remarrying. Your Majesty, please refrain from bestowing any rewards."

Li Yu said, "Very well—I will bestow the title of Ningguo upon her in a few days and allow her to establish her own government office." After thinking for a moment, he asked, "The current Khatun of the Uyghur Khan is the daughter of the late Rongwang, who has not been given a title... In your opinion, should she be given a new title and posthumously honored as the late Rongwang, with her son appointed to be in charge of liaison with the Uyghurs, thereby deepening the friendship with the Khan?" Princess Hezheng bowed her head and said, "Your Majesty's decision is most appropriate; I dare to request that it be carried out immediately."

Several days later, Li Yu issued an edict, changing the title of Princess Ningguo to Princess Xiaoguo, increasing her fiefdom, and allowing her to establish her own residence. At the same time, he also promoted the daughter of the late Prince Rong to Princess Ningguo—regardless of whether she was a Tanghe or a Li Wan—to "Little Princess Ningguo"—and posthumously granted the title of Crown Prince Jinggong to the late Prince Rong, Li Wan.

Li Wan was the sixth son of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and was deeply favored by him. He served as the governor of Jingzhao, the Grand Protector of the Shanyu, and the Grand Military Commissioner of Longyou, with the additional title of Grand Master of the Three Departments. In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, An Lushan rebelled, and Emperor Xuanzong appointed Li Wan as the commander-in-chief to lead Gao Xianzhi and others to resist him. However, a few days after the edict was issued, Li Wan died of illness.

To be honest, if Li Wan had lived a few more years, Li Heng's position as crown prince might not have been secure... But since he was already dead, any honorary title bestowed upon him was irrelevant and wouldn't affect the legitimacy of the Li Heng-Li Yu lineage. Therefore, Li Yu posthumously conferred upon Li Wan the title of Crown Prince Jinggong and generously bestowed upon him the title of Prince Rong, Li Fu, appointing him to oversee communications with the Uyghurs—the Khatun was your sister, so as her brother-in-law, you're sure to be able to get through to the Yingyi Khan.

Leaving that aside for now, let's talk about the continuous stream of reports of defeats on the western front reaching Chang'an: First, the main force of the Tibetan army assembled and launched a fierce attack on Dazhen Pass, causing heavy losses to the Tang army; then, the Tonghua Army and the Fufang Army marched out of Longguan Pass towards Weizhou, intending to contain the Tibetan army from the flank, but they were ambushed and defeated, and Wu Chongfu, the Fufang Army general who had worked with Li Ji, was killed by an arrow; Du Hongjian, the military governor of Hexi, led his troops south to provide support, but was also repelled by the Tibetan army.

Li Yu was in a state of panic, seeking advice from his ministers day and night. Li Mi advised him to calm down, firstly because victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, and the situation at the front was not yet critical; secondly, as long as Longguan and Dazhenguan were held, the strategic objective for this autumn would be achieved, so there was no need to worry too much.

However, court officials seized the opportunity to submit a series of memorials. Some requested that Guo Situ be appointed to command the frontline troops, others requested that Yu Chaoen be sent to supervise the various armies, and some even planned to coax Prince Qi, Li Tan, who was in mourning, out of the palace… Upon seeing these memorials, Li Yu felt even more resentful and angry. He even privately told Princess Hezheng, “These officials are all useless!”

Princess Hezheng advised him: "Most of the ministers are civil officials, how can they know anything about war? Your Majesty should listen to Mr. Changyuan's advice more. Even if you don't use Guo Situ when he returns, you can still consult him and ask him for strategies to deal with the enemy."