Chapter Twenty-Six: An Qingxu's Command

Around the time Yang Xi received the report, An Qingxu, who was leading the central army forward, also received word from Cui Qianyou about the ambush they had encountered. He immediately ordered the entire army to halt and strengthen their defenses, commanding the rear troops to turn around and guard carefully against the government forces attempting to encircle them from behind.

In the battle at Lingbao, their own troops had ambushed the imperial army, then sent elite units to flank and attack from the rear, ultimately causing the twenty-thousand-strong government army to collapse in chaos. An Qingxu was determined not to suffer such a disastrous defeat himself, even though this stretch of road was not well suited to large-scale ambushes or flanking maneuvers.

Having camped at the foot of Tongguan for six months, with countless skirmishes fought but few victories won, An Qingxu knew well the treacherous terrain around the fortress. If he were careless and the army routed, the ensuing stampede alone could claim countless lives, triggering a total collapse.

After issuing these successive orders, An Qingxu immediately summoned Cui Qianyou to discuss matters. Cui Qianyou dared not delay; he left his deputy in charge and hurried back with a group of close aides to confer with An Qingxu.

The sun had climbed higher, its heat growing oppressive. An Qingxu’s personal guards had already set up a tent in a clear spot by the roadside, and all the summoned generals had gathered inside the shade. When Cui Qianyou arrived in haste, he found more than a dozen generals present. Without pausing to wipe the sweat from his face, Cui Qianyou stepped forward, saluted An Qingxu, and reported, “Your Highness, our vanguard encountered an ambush by Tang troops and suffered some losses. The soldiers are unsettled. Fearing further ambushes, I have ordered a halt and sent scouts to investigate.”

Without waiting for questions, he recounted everything that had just occurred in detail, concluding, “Your Highness, I believe reinforcements from the Tang have arrived within Tongguan!”

“Hm, you say the lead general was flying a banner with the character ‘Yang’?” An Qingxu stroked his beard, frowning.

“Yes!” Cui Qianyou hesitated, but ultimately kept to himself what more he had wanted to say.

At this moment, another of An Qingxu’s generals, Tian Qianzhen, stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, I believe this is nothing but a feint by Geshu Han. He intends to use small detachments to set ambushes along our route, hoping to slow our advance until the Tang court’s reinforcements arrive. We should not halt; instead, we must ignore these feints and press on, advancing straight to the walls of Tongguan!”

“The Tang forces have just been routed, their two hundred thousand strong army utterly destroyed. Without reinforcements, they cannot possibly withstand our siege. Geshu Han, in desperation, resorts to such tactics—wanting us to believe Tang reinforcements have arrived and they can sortie to set ambushes, thereby stalling our progress. Your Highness, we must not fall for Geshu Han’s ploy. We must not stop; we must ignore all harassment and drive directly to Tongguan! I am confident that as soon as we reach the fortress, it will fall into our hands. I’ve even heard from scouts that the Forbidden Ditch is now filled with the corpses of fleeing Tang soldiers, so we can climb over directly!”

An Qingxu’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed at Tian’s words, but he did not immediately decide. Instead, he turned again to Cui Qianyou, who seemed to have more on his mind. “General Cui, what is your opinion?”

Cui Qianyou stepped forward and replied, “Your Highness, I agree with General Tian. The number of Tang troops in this ambush must be small—otherwise, after a victory, they would have pressed their advantage, even to the point of breaking us. Since they did not, it proves their numbers are few, meant only to sow doubt and delay our advance. Surveying this terrain, it is all steep and perilous, ill-suited for large-scale ambuscades. I am certain this is merely a delaying tactic, and I too believe we should ignore the harassment and continue our march!”

In truth, Cui Qianyou’s initial thoughts had differed, but after hearing Tian’s reasoning, he found it persuasive.

With both his most trusted generals in agreement and no dissent from the others, An Qingxu made up his mind and ordered, “The army will advance, but slow the pace. Deploy more scouts to reconnoiter the surroundings and prevent any further ambushes!”

The Art of War says: “Make the real appear feigned, and the feigned appear real.” Though An Qingxu had heard similar opinions from his two commanders, he still pondered carefully, wary that this might be yet another Tang ruse. Therefore, he ordered the army to proceed at a slower pace.

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“It seems the rebels have stopped advancing!” Standing atop the city gate tower beneath the relentless sun, Yang Xi, who had been observing the distant enemy, finally spoke up with a trace of joy.

In the Tang era, the air was truly remarkably clear and pure, with excellent visibility. Even at great distance, one could discern the situation, and the long line of troops moving toward Tongguan was faintly visible from the city. What caught the eye most were the fluttering banners, their varied colors standing out against the gray serpent of the marching column, visible from the heights of the fortress walls.

Yang Xi saw that the long, winding line of troops and banners, which had been slowly creeping toward Tongguan, had halted, even spreading out somewhat. This led him to conclude that, for the moment, the rebels had stopped their advance.

Once more, Yang Xi found himself wishing for a telescope. With the commanding vantage point of Tongguan, one could see the road for dozens of miles; with a high-powered telescope, he could have observed every movement on the only road to the fortress with perfect clarity.

Standing beside Yang Xi, Li Chenguang and Gao Shi, who had felt stifled and weary, also noticed the change. Yang Xi’s ruse had worked: the rebels had halted, and the Tang troops had withdrawn unscathed, ready to enact the next phase of their deception. Both men could not help but admire Yang Xi—not only for his stratagem, but for his endurance in standing atop the gate tower under the blazing sun.

They were older men, exhausted in body and spirit after these hard days, and found it difficult to remain standing in the sun. The heat was oppressive; seeing the rebel shadows approaching, knowing that battle was imminent, they felt a restless anxiety, even a sense of helplessness. The sun’s glare only heightened their unease—they longed to be doing something, not simply standing with Yang Xi.

Noticing their inner conflict, Yang Xi, eyes still fixed on the distant horizon, spoke softly to the two generals behind him: “General Li, General Gao, please see that some troops remain on guard at the gate, but let the rest find shade and shelter from the sun. We mustn’t let heatstroke sap their strength before battle. Also, have cool drinks, water, food, and fruit prepared, so our men are neither hungry nor thirsty and have the energy to face the enemy when the rebels attack. Send the same orders to all the gates.”

“Yes, Commander Yang!” Li Chenguang and Gao Shi saluted and, as if pardoned, hurried away.