Chapter 47: The Opportunity Has Arrived

Yang Xi, along with Yang Guozhong, who had just emerged from the Hibiscus Garden of the Great Tang, immediately returned to their mansion.

Upon returning, without even sparing a moment to speak with Pei Rou, the father and son proceeded directly to the study to discuss confidential matters in private.

"Xi'er, fortunately His Majesty did not blame you this time. It was a narrow escape. Your father truly never expected Li Fuguo to be so detestable," Yang Guozhong began to complain the moment they stepped into the study. "To think that Li Fuguo would dare to contend with you for power like this—by hook or by crook, your father will find a way to replace him. You must also constantly send men to monitor him and keep a tight grip on any of his faults. The moment you catch any leverage against him, report it to me immediately. I will submit a petition before His Majesty to have a new military supervisor appointed. I have already scouted a suitable candidate!"

"Father, your son understands!" After a sigh, Yang Xi immediately offered his own proposal to Yang Guozhong. "Since the matter is settled, I am prepared to return to Tongguan tomorrow. The special forces are currently operating outside my direct control for separate training, and I am not entirely at ease. Furthermore, after the Crown Prince's arrival at Tongguan, the generals have developed divided loyalties, which makes me anxious about the situation there. I fear unexpected changes might arise and need to return early. Moreover, since the Emperor intends to launch a counteroffensive against the rebels, I must make preparations in advance. The moment an opportunity arises, I must immediately deploy troops to attack, which also requires returning to make thorough preparations!"

"Well said," Yang Guozhong approved of Yang Xi's request. "You should rest well at your residence today, enter the palace early tomorrow morning to discuss other matters with His Majesty, and return to Tongguan by the afternoon."

"Yes, Father!"

Yang Guozhong paced back and forth within the room with his hands behind his back, then murmured as if speaking to himself, "Why would the Crown Prince do such a thing this time? Traveling personally to Tongguan to win over the generals. Doesn't he realize he is acting too impatiently? What is he plotting?"

"Father, what did you say?" Yang Xi asked, somewhat startled.

Yang Guozhong halted his steps, looked at Yang Xi for a moment, smiled, and shook his head. "Xi'er, let's discuss this matter another time. For now, you should focus single-mindedly on the affairs of Tongguan; I will speak with you about Chang'an's affairs later. Do not worry—no matter how great the crisis is, your father will bear it. You need only command the troops well at the front lines. Strive to win a few more victories, and it will be all the easier for your father to act here in Chang'an!"

"Yes, Father, your son understands!" Having given his reply, Yang Xi pressed no further. The father and son conferred in the study for a long time, mostly discussing the conditions of the various generals at Tongguan, until Pei Rou sent someone to urge them, prompting them to finally end their discussion.

Yang Xi had not returned for several months; he had grown tanner and leaner. Deeply distressed, Pei Rou held Yang Xi in her arms and wept for quite a while, only finally calming down under the gentle persuasion of both Yang Guozhong and Yang Xi.

After dinner, Pei Rou pulled Yang Xi close and questioned him about everything for a long time. It was not until Yang Guozhong reminded them that Yang Xi needed to rest early and return to Tongguan the next day that Pei Rou finally released him and let him go off to sleep.

Having missed sleep for several consecutive days, Yang Xi was thoroughly exhausted. Upon returning to his private courtyard, he exchanged only a few lighthearted remarks with Ping'er—who, with tear-filled eyes, was overjoyed at his return and could barely contain her weeping—before preparing for bed.

Ping'er felt a slight trace of disappointment, regretting that Yang Xi would not stay to speak with her at length, yet she felt a deep tenderness for him. After assisting him with his ablutions, she gently massaged his limbs to melt away his fatigue.

Lulled by Ping'er's gentle and attentive massage, Yang Xi drifted peacefully into dreams, sleeping soundly until broad daylight.

Upon awakening and under Ping'er's meticulous care, Yang Xi dressed properly, bade farewell to the reluctant young maid and his mother Pei Rou, and accompanied his father, Yang Guozhong, back to the Hibiscus Garden of the Great Tang to discuss matters further with the Emperor, Li Longji.

Once the consultations concluded, Yang Xi would depart directly for Chang'an without returning to the family estate.

Yang Guozhong felt even more anxious about the situation at Tongguan than Yang Xi did. This was because the Crown Prince Li Heng had inspected Tongguan and won over the generals, causing their loyalties to waver. Yang Guozhong hoped Yang Xi would return promptly to take charge of the overarching situation and prevent any untoward incidents. Yang Guozhong also knew that upon hearing Yang Xi's proposal, the Emperor had conceived the idea of taking the initiative to launch an offensive, hoping to recapture Shanz郡 while the rebel morale was fluctuating and they harbored intentions of retreating to Luoyang or even Fanyang.

If Shanzhou were retaken, the gateway out of Tongguan would once more be in the hands of their imperial forces. At the first opportunity, they could swing their armies eastward to recover Luoyang or march northward to strike Fanyang. Conversely, if Shanzhou remained in rebel hands, Tongguan would be permanently pinned to the front lines, capable only of defense rather than offense, let alone dreaming of capturing Luoyang or moving north. Li Longji understood this, Yang Guozhong was well aware of it, and Yang Xi knew it best of all.

Otherwise, Yang Xi would not have proposed the recovery of Shanzhou to the imperial court precisely when Tongguan had stabilized, reinforcements had arrived, and training had progressed for a period of time.

Naturally, Yang Xi would not act like Geshu Han, leading every single soldier out of Tongguan in an all-out assault that cut off his own retreat.

Before the disastrous defeat at Lingbao, Geshu Han had been coerced by the court into leading his army out of the city to do battle. In truth, Yang Xi had never understood why Geshu Han had taken the vast majority of Tongguan's two hundred thousand troops with him, emptying the nest entirely. If he had left fifty thousand or even more men to defend the fortress while leading the remainder out to fight, even a crushing defeat would not have resulted in such a passive and helpless predicament.

The court had commanded Geshu Han to lead an army into battle, but it had never ordered him to take every last man out of the passes!

"Silang, do you believe the timing is now ripe to launch a primary offensive?" Li Longji inquired the moment they met.

Yang Xi, however, shook his head. "Your Majesty, the timing is not yet ripe. However, provided that the security of Tongguan is absolute, we can make preparations for an active strike. Of course, a portion of the troops must undoubtedly be left behind to garrison Tongguan. If triumphant news reaches us from the northern theater, forcing the rebels to draw away a portion of their forces from Shanzhou for reinforcement, or if other factors cause the morale of the Shanzhou garrison to waver—such as the rebels facing shortages of grain and other supplies, or their provisions being destroyed—then we can seize the opportunity to launch a sudden strike, catching them off guard and recapturing Shanzhou! Whether we can take the initiative depends entirely on whether the right opportunity presents itself."

When Yang Xi had previously dispatched Li Han and Chen Yuan to lead the special forces to train in the vicinity of Shanzhou, he had given them specific instructions to assess the situation and decide their course of action accordingly. If the opportunity arose to infiltrate the city of Shanzhou, they were to sow chaos within the rebel ranks, assassinate Cui Qianyou, or burn the rebel grain stores. Should the special forces succeed in their operation, he could rapidly advance his main force and seize Shanzhou.

"Mm, what you say is sensible!" After pondering for a moment, Li Longji concurred with Yang Xi's suggestion. He glanced at Yang Guozhong, then back at Yang Xi, and declared, "Silang, I approve of your proposal. Upon your return to Tongguan, step up the drilling of the troops and make thorough preparations for an active offensive. At present, the rebel morale is unstable; An Lushan has already ordered An Qingxu to fall back to Luoyang, while he himself is gathering troops with the intention of retreating to Fanyang. If any abnormalities occur in Shanzhou, you may lead your forces out to catch the rebels unprepared and seize the chance to retake Shanzhou!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, your subject understands!" Hearing such a definitive commitment from Li Longji, a surge of towering ambition rose within Yang Xi's heart.

If commanding the defensive battle of Tongguan had established his renown, then as long as he triumphed in the campaigns to come, his fame would grow ever more resplendent.

Who could say? Perhaps he might even forge his way into the ranks of history's most illustrious commanders. At this very thought, Yang Xi's heart brimbed with heroic fervor!

Following this, Yang Xi, alongside Li Longji, Yang Guozhong, and the senior state ministers summoned shortly after—including Wei Jisu, Wei Fangjin, and Xiao Hua—deliberated in detail upon the current state of affairs. Li Longji, brimming with grand ambition as well, proclaimed to his ministers that he would suppress the rebellion with all haste and restore peace and tranquility to the common folk of the realm.

Yet none among them could have anticipated that the opportunity for the counteroffensive would arrive just a few short days after Yang Xi returned to Tongguan.