Chapter 18: Unforeseeable Complications

Taking advantage of the fact that the key generals had come out of the city to welcome him, Yang Xi announced that a military conference would be held immediately to arrange the upcoming agenda.

Before the meeting began, Yang Xi informed the generals that he had personally pleaded with the Emperor to pardon their crimes, and that the Emperor had agreed to allow those who had participated in the Battle of Lingbao to continue leading troops at Tong Pass, granting them a chance to atone for their failures through future service. During the morning court session, the Emperor had not insisted on holding them accountable for the defeat; even Geshu Han, who bore the primary responsibility, had not been subjected to further sentencing by the imperial court.

Although Yang Xi had executed the imperial supervisor Bian Lingcheng in front of the Tong Pass garrison and shifted most of the blame for the Lingbao debacle onto him, he knew well that the true culprit was not Bian Lingcheng, but Geshu Han. If Geshu Han had commanded effectively, an army of two hundred thousand could not have collapsed in a single day.

With two hundred thousand troops, they had held a numerical advantage over the rebel forces; even when ambushed, they should never have collapsed in such a manner. As the commander-in-chief, Geshu Han was naturally the one primarily responsible. Others—whether it was Li Longji and Yang Guozhong, who had pushed for the engagement, or Bian Lingcheng, who had insisted on meddling in military affairs—bore only secondary responsibility.

The guilt of the generals under Geshu Han’s command was also significant, and by rights, they should have faced severe punishment. However, Yang Xi understood that with a formidable enemy at the gates, he had to revitalize the morale of the defenders at Tong Pass. This was no time to punish the generals who had retreated from the defeat, or the army's morale would completely disintegrate. He could not abandon Geshu Han either, for without the old general's support, he would have no way to command the others.

As a man with no prestige in the army, Yang Xi had to rely on Geshu Han’s support to intimidate the other commanders, while building his own reputation through the execution of Huoba Guiren and Bian Lingcheng.

The generals must have felt a sense of guilt over the disastrous defeat at Lingbao. Yang Xi felt he could use this defeat to keep them in check from time to time, ensuring they did not overstep their bounds.

Yang Xi also acknowledged that although the imperial army had suffered a crushing defeat at Lingbao, the generals who had directed the battle were not cowards; they were capable commanders. If given the right opportunities, they remained capable of leading the troops to victory. He needed their support and hoped they would assist him in defeating the rebels.

Regardless of their past transgressions, he did not want the court to impose heavy penalties on them now or strip them of their command, as that would severely damage the combat effectiveness of the Tang army. In the age of cold weapons, excellent generals were the most crucial factor in winning wars. Yang Xi did not want these experienced commanders to be punished by the court, as it would diminish the army's strength. He needed these men to secure his future military achievements, so he had to cultivate their loyalty and ensure they helped him succeed.

Although the court had not explicitly promised to pardon their failure, the current decision to allow them to continue leading troops at Tong Pass was a pleasantly surprising signal. The generals' favor and admiration for Yang Xi grew. Yang Xi had not broken his word; he had truly done as he promised. Even Geshu Han had not been further indicted—this was a good sign, and many saw a glimmer of hope that they might escape imperial punishment.

"Marshal Yang, this subordinate thanks you for pleading our case before the Emperor. In the coming battles, I will fight to the death to offset my crimes with military merit!" Wang Sili, a man of straightforward character, was the first to step forward and express his gratitude after hearing Yang Xi’s words.

Pang Zhong immediately followed, bowing to Yang Xi: "Many thanks to Marshal Yang for your intercession before the Emperor. This subordinate is deeply grateful. I know my transgressions are difficult to erase and that I have caused you trouble. I can only strive to kill the enemy in future battles and secure military merit to reduce my guilt!"

After these two spoke, Li Chengguang, Lü Chongben, Tian Liangqiu, and other generals who had participated in the Lingbao campaign stepped forward one after another to express similar sentiments. Beyond thanking Yang Xi, they declared before everyone their determination to fight to the death, regardless of the circumstances, to gain the merit necessary to absolve their crimes.

The generals' response delighted Yang Xi. He knew his pragmatic approach had been correct; had he acted out of impulse and publicly criticized their failures at Lingbao, or brought the conflicts between them to light, he would never have achieved this outcome.

"I am very pleased to see this from all of you. I hope to work alongside you to thoroughly defeat the rebels and quell this uprising!" Yang Xi looked around at the generals in the room and said with a touch of authority, "His Majesty has placed his greatest trust in us, the soldiers of Tong Pass. I hope you will join me in working diligently and focusing on training, striving to earn merit in the coming campaigns. I hope to see that none of you face punishment from the court; that your future military achievements will fully offset the failure at Lingbao, and perhaps even earn you rewards from the throne!"

"We shall obey the Marshal's orders!" the generals replied in unison.

Yang Xi then laid out his subsequent arrangements. In truth, he had already planned most of this before leaving for the capital—the priority was training. The primary task ahead was to drill the troops. He also intended to select a group of exceptionally capable soldiers from the ranks to form a special operations unit, which he would train personally for special missions.

He emphasized again that they were not to seek out the rebels for battle, but rather to focus on intensified training.

With the orders issued, Yang Xi prepared to dismiss the generals and take a rest. However, before the meeting concluded, a question posed by Gao Shi caught him off guard and left the other generals feeling uneasy.

"Marshal, has His Majesty announced a candidate for the new imperial supervisor?"

Yang Xi froze, not answering Gao Shi immediately.

This was a matter he had not discussed with Emperor Li Longji or his father, Yang Guozhong, while in Chang'an. Subconsciously, he had not considered an imperial supervisor to be a necessary appointment, feeling that the current staffing at Tong Pass was already sufficient. But Gao Shi's question made him realize immediately that it was impossible for an army of one hundred thousand at Tong Pass not to have an imperial supervisor. As long as the system of imperial supervision existed, no Tang army would be without one.

However, since neither the Emperor nor Yang Guozhong had mentioned it, Yang Xi did not know how to answer Gao Shi.

"His Majesty did not speak to me of this, so I have no way of informing you," Yang Xi replied.

Seeing this, the generals asked no more and dispersed.

What Yang Xi did not know was that just as he had finished laying out his plans and settled down to sleep, two very important figures in Chang'an were also discussing the appointment of an imperial supervisor for the Tong Pass garrison.

They were none other than Emperor Li Longji and the Crown Prince, Li Heng.