Chapter Nineteen: As Long as the City Stands, So Do Its People; When the City Falls, So Perish Its People

Last time Yang Xi encountered Gao Shi at the Chang’an tavern, Gao Shi was carrying out orders from Ge Shuhan, entering the capital to seek an audience with the emperor. He brought a letter written by Ge Shuhan himself, requesting Emperor Li Longji not to venture out of Tongguan to engage the enemy, but to hold the pass and defend. This was Ge Shuhan’s final memorial, urging that the army remain at Tongguan, and he sent his trusted follower Gao Shi to personally deliver it in Chang’an. Yet the request was again rejected. Emperor Li Longji, along with Prime Minister Yang Guozhong and Wei Jiansu, mercilessly rebuked Ge Shuhan, ordering Gao Shi to convey the imperial command: Ge Shuhan was to strictly obey, send his troops out of Tongguan, and annihilate the rebels outside the city in one decisive blow.

On leaving the palace that day, Gao Shi was deeply grieved. Only after listening to Yang Xi’s impassioned words at the tavern, as he filled his stomach before returning to Tongguan, did he feel somewhat relieved—he even sensed a kindred spirit in Yang Xi and longed to converse further. But with urgent military matters, he lingered not in Chang’an, and instead hurried through the post stations with his men, riding fast to Tongguan. There he reported face-to-face to Ge Shuhan the emperor’s attitude—and that of Yang Guozhong and Wei Jiansu.

Forced by imperial command, Ge Shuhan, weeping, ordered his soldiers to march out for battle, which resulted in a crushing defeat. This is why, upon seeing Yang Xi appear here, Gao Shi felt a surge of emotion. If only the court had acted as Yang Xi suggested, tragedy would have been prevented!

After a brief exchange, Gao Shi learned that the imperial court had dispatched a large force to relieve Tongguan; Yang Xi’s troops were the vanguard, arriving swiftly by relay, and the Left Dragon Martial General Chen Xuanli would bring at least fifty thousand men in support. Hearing Yang Xi’s concise report, Gao Shi was somewhat reassured—the chances of holding Tongguan had grown, and his appreciation for Yang Xi increased.

Yet he could not reconcile the stern, imposing figure before him with the son of the treacherous minister Yang Guozhong. Surely Yang Xi was a completely different sort of man!

Similar feelings stirred in Wang Silai and the other generals. On learning that the leader sent to rescue them was Yang Guozhong's son, they showed alarm, fearing the emperor had sent him to punish them for their failures. Only after clarifying the situation did they relax a little, though unease lingered in their hearts.

Soon, Ge Shuhan’s generals Lü Chongben and Li Chengguang arrived one after another. When all the necessary commanders had gathered, Ge Shuhan rose, his face grave, and surveyed the assembled officers. In the loudest voice he could muster, he declared, “Gentlemen, I led the army out of the pass to engage the rebels and, alas, fell into an ambush, returning defeated. Now Tongguan has barely ten thousand troops, most wounded and battered; it is difficult to hold the city with such forces! Fortunately, the court has sent General Yang to our aid, and he has already dispatched a detachment to fight outside the city. Yet this is insufficient against the rebel threat, and we do not know when the main relief force will arrive. Our task now is to hold the rebels at the gates of Tongguan until the imperial reinforcements come! Once they arrive, with fresh troops we can easily defend the pass. Today, we must discuss how best to deploy our defenses to secure Tongguan!”

Having spoken, Ge Shuhan glanced at Yang Xi. Yang Xi nodded slightly, stepped forward to stand beside him, and addressed the officers in a low but commanding voice: “To delay the rebels’ assault on the city, I have ordered Generals Li Fude and Pang Zhong to lead a detachment outside the walls in ambush. Once their mission is completed, they will fall back to defend Tongguan, buying as much time as possible for our reinforcements to arrive! The situation is dire; I hope you will all set aside past grievances and unite against the enemy. Our sole duty now is to defend Tongguan by any means necessary, to hold this gateway to Chang’an! As long as Tongguan stands, Chang’an is safe!”

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“Ah?!” Someone uttered a soft exclamation—those unaware of Yang Xi’s prior arrangements. They had not expected that Yang Xi had already ordered his troops to set an ambush outside the city, nor that General Pang Zhong would so willingly obey after Yang Xi’s arrival.

Yet their questions went unanswered, as Ge Shuhan and Yang Xi began outlining the situation at Tongguan, commanding the officers to discuss defensive strategies.

During military discussions, any officer could offer suggestions. Reasonable proposals might be adopted and plans adjusted, but if no one spoke up, decisions rested with the commander. Before inviting debate, Yang Xi, seeking to establish authority, reiterated his defensive strategy: first, exploit the treacherous terrain outside Tongguan—including the Han Tongguan pass—to slow the rebel advance, giving the defenders time to prepare and delaying until Chen Xuanli’s main force arrived. Yang Xi, too, believed that with the current troops, Tongguan could not be held indefinitely; his approach was to defend at all costs until Chen Xuanli’s reinforcements arrived. Once they were there, the safety of Tongguan would be assured.

He also stressed the urgency of clearing bodies from the forbidden moat, so it could once again serve as a natural barrier against the rebels’ assault. As for how to deploy the existing forces within the city, Yang Xi withheld comment, being unfamiliar with the layout and situation, preferring to wait for Ge Shuhan and the officers to discuss before offering his own opinion.

Hearing Yang Xi’s remarks, the officers’ attitudes shifted yet again toward this youth whose bearing far exceeded his years. Upon entering Tongguan, his first concern was defense, not investigating Ge Shuhan’s or the officers’ culpability, nor purging dissenters; he had already dispatched his own men in a desperate ambush to slow the rebels’ advance.

Such conduct bespoke a general of remarkable vision and courage—how could he possibly be the son of Yang Guozhong, that scheming minister?

Many officers were baffled, even Ge Shuhan himself lacked such presence!

After Yang Xi’s speech, Wang Silai immediately stood up to express his opinion—more to show his defiance toward Yang Xi, and to prove his own foresight compared to his rivals.

During Wang Silai’s detailed analysis of Tongguan’s defenses, Yang Xi gradually gained a clearer understanding of the city’s layout and their position.

The present Tongguan was built in the Sui dynasty! The Sui Tongguan stands in a place called “Pit Beast Gorge,” surrounded on three sides by mountains and faced with water on the fourth. To the east is a sheer cliff, with only a small patch of flat ground outside the city; the south faces the forbidden moat and the exit of Tong Valley; to the west is a high bank, with only one main road to Chang’an; northward, the Yellow River flows right below the city, impassable, so the whole fortress is encircled by mountains and water—a natural stronghold.

This Sui Tongguan was built at the confluence of the Tong River and the forbidden moat. Its gates, together with the nearby Yellow Lane Slope, forbidden moat, the Twelve Linked Cities, Mount Hua, and the Yellow River, form a three-dimensional defense. The location allows control over the Changluo road and the north-south passage of the forbidden moat and Luo Valley, unlike the Han Tongguan, which cannot control north-south routes—a key reason for the city’s relocation in the Sui era. Closing the gates severs both east-west and north-south roads; truly, “one man guards the pass, ten thousand men cannot break through” describes the terrain here.

This is why, after half a year of hard fighting, An Lushan’s rebels still could not take Tongguan.

Indeed, the name “Pit Beast Gorge” alone reveals the perilous terrain.

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Of course, this was not the only route to Chang’an from this direction; there were other possible paths—one could cross the Yellow River and Wei River elsewhere, bypass Tongguan, and strike directly at Chang’an. But this was the main flood season for both rivers, with no bridges and no possibility of building temporary pontoon bridges, making such plans nearly impossible.

Another route skirted southeast of Tongguan, but required crossing the towering Qinling Mountains and detouring hundreds of miles along difficult mountain tracks, which were also guarded. To prevent the enemy from bypassing Tongguan or attacking via the Qinling, a series of passes—West Valley Pass, Good Cart Pass, Great Valley Pass, Haocha Valley Pass, Tong Valley Pass, and Water Gate Pass—were set up along the northern slopes of Qinling within the Tongguan region, stretching east to west.

Each pass was garrisoned, forming the southeastern front line and integrating into the Tongguan fortress.

When Ge Shuhan led the Tongguan army out for battle, these garrisons remained at their posts, maintaining their defense.

These passes are critical in wartime; troops cannot be withdrawn to reinforce Tongguan, lest the rebels seize the opportunity to take them, and they are far from the city—some more than a hundred miles away—so even if their small garrisons were sent to help, it would be too little, too late.

Thus, after the defeat at Tongguan, the garrisoned passes took no action; the rebels could not bypass them to reach Chang’an. Now, the rebels could only take Chang’an by breaking Tongguan. If Tongguan held, Chang’an was safe; if Tongguan fell, the gateway to Chang’an was wide open, with no further defenses!

This was why, in history, Li Longji fled west to Shu when he ceased to receive news of Tongguan’s safety.

If Tongguan could be held, Chang’an was safe for the time being, and Li Longji might not have fled!

After retreating to Tongguan following defeat, Ge Shuhan arranged his forces thus: Wang Silai commanded three thousand men at the north gate, Huoba Guiren three thousand at the south gate, Li Chengguang and Gao Shi three thousand at the east gate, and Pang Zhong took the remaining two thousand to the west gate.

Having understood the current defensive situation, Yang Xi felt a strange sensation.

Ge Shuhan assigned Pang Zhong and two thousand men to defend the west gate—not to guard against a rebel attack from that direction, which was impossible, but against something else. Anyone with insight would know at once.

Of course, it was to guard against troops coming from Chang’an!

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