Chapter Thirty-Three: Li Heng Arrives at Tong Pass

Yang Xi learned that Crown Prince Li Heng was coming to Tongguan to inspect the troops and boost morale only after receiving a secret letter from his father, Yang Guozhong.

This was the result of Li Heng’s repeated requests to Emperor Li Longji. Yang Guozhong had opposed it, but to no avail, and he lacked any strong grounds to continue his dissent. After all, Li Heng was the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Armies, while Yang Xi was merely his deputy. It was entirely reasonable for the Commander-in-Chief to inspect the military affairs at Tongguan, the gateway to Chang'an. Even Li Longji had expressed great appreciation for the gesture, and the court officials generally concurred.

Yang Guozhong, left with no choice, surrendered to the inevitable and immediately wrote to Yang Xi, instructing him to prepare for the arrival. Naturally, Yang Guozhong knew that Li Heng’s visit to Tongguan was not merely for inspection or morale-boosting; there had to be other motives. The most likely intent was to find fault with Yang Xi and bolster his own reputation. Uninformed officers, seeing the Crown Prince personally inspect the front lines, would surely be inspired and hold Li Heng in higher esteem for braving danger to visit the troops, potentially winning their loyalty over to his side.

However, Yang Xi did not share his father’s concerns. If Li Heng truly wanted to win the hearts and minds of the soldiers, he should have come when the situation at Tongguan was at its most critical. If the Crown Prince had dared to risk his life to supervise the defense, Yang Xi would have looked upon him with newfound respect.

Since Li Heng was arriving only after Yang Xi had already established his authority and earned the respect of the generals, winning them over now would require significant effort. What Yang Xi feared was that Li Heng might seize an opportunity to blame or even punish him on the spot. That would be a headache, as the Crown Prince and Commander-in-Chief held the power to discipline many, including his deputy.

But what must come cannot be blocked. Yang Xi simply resolved to be cautious once Li Heng arrived. Regardless of the visit, his other duties could not be neglected, including the training of the main army, the advanced curriculum of the special forces camp, and the development of firearms.

The weather had turned cold, and winter was approaching. The special forces camp had been in session for three months; physical training had concluded, and practical tactical training was beginning. Yang Xi had personally presided over the final assessment: a brutal, grueling fifty-mile armed cross-country march with a thirty-pound load. Those who returned within the allotted time passed; those who could not were eliminated. This was the final physical test Yang Xi had undergone during his own special forces training in the future, a test he and only a handful of his comrades had managed to pass.

He had brought this assessment to the Tang Dynasty to evaluate the results of the soldiers selected for the special training camp. In the end, two hundred and thirteen soldiers passed—the most outstanding individuals among the more than one hundred thousand troops stationed at Tongguan. These men were filled with fighting spirit; having survived the hellish training Yang Xi had put them through, they were confident they could endure the following, relatively easier phases. As future members of the special operations unit directly under Yang Xi’s command, they were filled with pride.

Remaining in the special training camp was not just a symbol of glory; it came with higher status and better provisions. These soldiers were not to be trifled with by ordinary troops, and these tangible factors further motivated them. Once reorganized, they would undergo more secret and professional special training, still personally supervised by Yang Xi.

Yang Xi did have one regret: as the commanding general, he could not leave his post to lead these two hundred men through training or combat. It was destined that they would not be able to complete every specific project he had designed, nor could he provide hands-on guidance for everything. For many subjects, he could only write detailed training manuals and delegate the instruction to Chen Yuan and Li Han, the chosen leaders of the unit. Still, he kept a close eye on the results, hoping that this group of soldiers, in whom he had invested so much effort, would perform brilliantly.

Li Heng’s carriage arrived while Yang Xi was still busy with these affairs. On the eighteenth day of the ninth month, after a six-day journey, the royal procession reached Tongguan. Yang Xi, accompanied by all his subordinate generals and the supervising eunuch Li Fuguo, rode out ten miles to meet him.

As the carriage came to a halt, Yang Xi led the generals, all in full military attire, to greet the Prince.

"I, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yang Xi, lead the generals of Tongguan to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince!"

After a long pause, Li Heng’s languid voice drifted from within the carriage: "Commander Yang and the generals may rise."

"We thank Your Highness!" Yang Xi rose, standing tall and straight, his generals following suit.

By intentionally making him hold the salute for a moment, Yang Xi realized from this "greeting" that the Crown Prince would not be giving him a warm reception. Li Heng did not step out of the carriage; he merely had the curtain lifted, glanced at Yang Xi and the officers, and immediately ordered the procession to continue.

Yang Xi and his generals had no choice but to accompany the carriage into Tongguan. Once they crossed the border into his jurisdiction, the responsibility for security fell to him, and he dispatched the two hundred special forces members to guard the route. While the two thousand imperial guards Li Heng had brought were sufficient for his safety, Yang Xi wanted to use this as a training opportunity. There might not be real combat, but it allowed them to understand the delicate details required in protecting high-ranking individuals.

Although Li Heng had maintained a lazy, weary demeanor on the road, he changed his attitude the moment he reached Tongguan. He immediately ordered Yang Xi to summon the generals, as he wished to hear a report on the military situation.

"Gentlemen, I have been ordered by His Majesty the Emperor to inspect the troops and military affairs at Tongguan. I dare not delay, and I wish to hear your reports immediately so that I may convey them to His Majesty," Li Heng said, his expression grave as he scanned the varied faces of the generals. "The rebellion continues, and fighting rages across the land. The rebels are strong, and Tongguan is the gateway to Chang'an; it must not fall. I have been deeply concerned for the situation here and have longed to lead the defense myself. Tell me now, in detail, about the state of Tongguan."

As he spoke, Li Heng shifted his gaze to Li Fuguo, who was waiting in the tent, and barked, "Supervisor Li! His Majesty has bestowed upon you the role of supervising the army; you should be well-versed in the military affairs of Tongguan. I wish to hear your account first. Tell me everything you know in detail—do not omit a single thing!"

Li Fuguo cast a subconscious glance at Yang Xi before stepping forward with a smirk: "As you command, Your Highness!"

Yang Xi’s heart sank. In that glance from Li Fuguo, he sensed a trace of triumph, and he understood perfectly why Li Heng had chosen to question the eunuch before the commander who actually held the reins of the military.