Chapter 57: A New Decision

Chang'an, Xingqing Palace. Li Longji, feeling somewhat unwell, reclined on a couch, listening to Yang Yuhuan sing a newly composed melody.

Advancing in age, he loathed the cold season above all else; his entire body would ache and stiffen, draining him of energy and leaving him without interest in anything. Only listening to Yang Yuhuan's music could bring a measure of comfort to his spirit.

With his eyes closed, he tapped gently against the rim of the couch with his hand, keeping time with the melody sung by Yang Yuhuan, while softly humming along.

Yang Yuhuan danced remarkably well and sang even better; after listening to her for so many years, Li Longji had never grown tired of it.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, an urgent report..."

A very faint voice drifted from afar. Li Longji opened his eyes slightly, saw nothing amiss, and assuming he had misheard, closed them again to continue listening to the music. However, Yang Yuhuan stopped abruptly. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, an urgent report, an urgent report from Shanzhou..." The clear voice reached Li Longji's ears only after Yang Yuhuan ceased her singing. The sound was so distinct that Li Longji could no longer doubt his ears, and he opened his eyes wide in an instant. Several specific words within what sounded like Yang Guozhong's shout had jolted his senses.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Yang Guozhong, covered in sweat, running swiftly toward him with a stack of urgent dispatches in his hand.

Realizing that Yang Guozhong's arrival meant critical military intelligence, Li Longji immediately waved away the musicians in the hall and motioned for Yang Guozhong to approach. Yang Yuhuan very sensibly withdrew, taking all irrelevant attendants with her.

"Your Majesty! Fourth Young Master has sent an urgent report stating that he has led his forces to capture Shanzhou!" Too breathless to wipe the sweat from his brow, Yang Guozhong presented the military dispatch to Li Longji with trembling hands, immediately explaining, "Your Majesty, Yang Xi led an army of one hundred thousand to secretly exit Tongguan. Catching the rebel forces completely unawares, he arrived beneath the walls of Shanzhou, launched a night attack, and breached the city in a mere single hour. By daybreak, he had firmly secured Shanzhou. He beheaded over seven thousand rebel soldiers and captured nearly eighty thousand!"

"What?" Li Longji snapped back from his astonishment, snatching the dispatch from Yang Guozhong's hand with lightning speed, and began to read it closely with trembling hands.

***

"Is this true? Has Shanzhou truly been captured by Yang Xi?" Unable to contain the surging emotions in his heart, Li Longji pointed at the dispatch and asked Yang Guozhong, "Why was there not a single word of news before this?"

"Your Majesty, this news was dispatched early this morning. It states that last night, Yang Xi led his army in a surprise attack on Shanzhou. Taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, they breached the western gate of Shanzhou in just one hour and subsequently took the entire city. The rebel forces collapsed in total disarray; the majority surrendered, a portion was annihilated, and fewer than twenty thousand escaped in the chaos!" Yang Guozhong spoke with tears brimming in his aged eyes, his voice choked with emotion as he told Li Longji, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince repeatedly advised replacing Yang Xi, claiming he was unsuited for military command and urging that other generals be put in charge of the Tongguan forces. Today, Yang Xi has proven his ability with a brilliant victory. Your Majesty did not heed the Crown Prince's counsel and instead permitted Yang Xi to retain command; nor did Yang Xi disappoint Your Majesty. He captured Tongguan with ease, and now has thoroughly lifted the peril of Tongguan. Your Majesty, this is a supreme blessing for the nation!"

When Yang Xi had led his forces out of the pass to engage the enemy, he had submitted memorials to the court. However, the anxious Yang Guozhong, fearing that Yang Xi might commit a blunder during the assault on Shanzhou, had suppressed the report of the hundred thousand troops marching out and kept it from Li Longji's eyes. If Yang Xi had suffered a defeat at Shanzhou, Yang Guozhong would have gone to any lengths to cover it up. Today, he glossed over Li Longji's questions with vague explanations.

Hearing Yang Guozhong speak thus, how could Li Longji still harbor any doubt? Overwhelmed by excitement, he asked no further questions.

"Yang Xi actually captured Shanzhou at such a minimal cost!" Li Longji's lips quivered with agitation. "Yang Xi is truly extraordinary; I have not misplaced my trust in him! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

After letting out a hearty laugh, Li Longji wiped away a few tears that had accidentally escaped with his sleeve, and commanded in a booming voice: "Issue my imperial decree! Lavishly reward the officers and soldiers who performed meritorious service in this battle!"

Hearing that Yang Xi had breached Shanzhou in a mere hour, completely occupied it overnight, and captured some eighty thousand rebel troops—such a glorious achievement was enough to drop jaws in disbelief; it was simply miraculous. Li Longji's heart swelled with grand ambition; he no longer had any worries. With the cost of merely a thousand men, they had taken Shanzhou, which had been guarded by a hundred thousand formidable rebel troops. Advancing on Luoyang and breaking Fanyang would hold no difficulty at all. He could already foresee the impending suppression of the rebellion.

Yang Guozhong, rarely seeing the emperor lose his composure to such an extent, was overjoyed inwardly. His son had performed remarkably well and brought him immense glory. Yet, facing the emperor's agitation, he quickly regained his composure and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, shall we order Yang Xi to continue pushing his forces eastward?"

"Whether to station the troops for rest and reorganization, or to continue pressing east, let Yang Xi decide for himself!" Li Longji showed surprising restraint and was not blinded by victory.

Yang Guozhong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Understood, Your Majesty. This minister will convey Your Majesty's will to Yang Xi!"

Stroking his beard, Li Longji pondered for a moment before smiling and saying, "Ah, I quite wish to see the Fourth Young Master and commend him in person!"

***

Inside the city of Shanzhou, within the temporary marshal's headquarters, Yang Xi was gathering his generals to discuss military strategy.

***

The victory at Shanzhou had been so brilliant and the results so astonishing that many generals repeatedly petitioned to pursue the retreating enemy while the momentum lasted, capturing all the cities east of Shanzhou. As soon as the military meeting began, generals like Wang Simei and Lü Chongben, who felt they hadn't fought to their heart's content, stepped forward one after another to request permission for battle. They demanded to lead their respective troops in pursuit, aiming to at least annihilate the remaining ten thousand or so fleeing rebel stragglers. To completely wipe out all one hundred thousand rebel soldiers of Shanzhou held an entirely different significance from letting ten thousand escape; they wanted to make this campaign even more perfect and seize the opportunity to rack up further military merits.

However, Yang Xi did not grant the generals' request.

"Gentlemen, it is not that this commander does not wish to press the advantage and pursue the enemy, but the conditions simply do not allow it!" Yang Xi naturally had to explain the reasoning to his commanders. "The reason we achieved such results in this battle is entirely due to the use of a weapon the rebels have never laid eyes upon—namely, explosive charges. However, the explosive charges in our army are now virtually exhausted and require replenishment from the rear. Furthermore, the soldiers have been fighting continuously through two days and nights without proper rest; they are utterly exhausted and must rest before they can fight again. Therefore, regardless of whether the rebel forces have suffered a total collapse, we will not pursue them blindly. We must advance steadily and solidly to avoid any further mistakes."

What Yang Xi described was, of course, the actual situation, though he was also well aware that this victory had been a stroke of luck. If they pursued the enemy now, it was not guaranteed that they would secure further gains. After all, east of Shanzhou lay numerous cities guarded by substantial rebel forces, and the gunpowder they carried with them was essentially depleted. To continue attacking walled cities would mean resorting to conventional methods. Even if they were lucky enough to capture more cities, the losses would be immense. It would be far better to rest and regroup in Shanzhou first before making other plans.

Moreover, winter had arrived, and the weather was turning cold. They needed to prepare a large quantity of winter clothing as well as other cold-weather provisions. If they failed to make these preparations and a cold snap struck suddenly, leaving the soldiers without means to keep warm, it would spell disaster. Haste makes waste—a principle Yang Xi understood deeply.

Yang Xi rejected every request for battle from his generals, ordering the entire army to rest and reorganize in Shanzhou, while instructing the artisans at Tongguan to work day and night to manufacture more explosive charges.

It was precisely while Yang Xi was resting his entire army in Shanzhou that a special guest arrived at the camp!