Chapter Seven: The Defeat of Geshu Han

Yang Xi’s persistent requests had finally reached Yang Guozhong’s ears.

On the eighth day of June, near midday, Yang Guozhong returned home and summoned Yang Xi for questioning.

He had been preoccupied with numerous affairs in the palace these past days, barely returning to his residence, and his sleep had been unsettled. His spirits were not high; he looked haggard, with pronounced dark circles beneath his eyes. But seeing Yang Xi restored to vigor and good health brought him genuine pleasure.

Yet at this moment, Yang Xi was filled with urgent anxiety. After only a few formal pleasantries, he pressed forward with his inquiry: “Father, I wish to ask—has His Majesty commanded the commander of Tongguan, Geshu Han, to march out and engage the enemy?”

“My son, why do you raise this matter again? Have you been seeking me these past days merely to speak of this?” Yang Guozhong frowned slightly at Yang Xi’s words, but relaxed when Yang Xi nodded in confirmation, smiling faintly: “Since you ask, I shall tell you. A few days ago, His Majesty agreed with my advice and issued an edict for Geshu Han to mobilize his entire force and strike! Cui Qianyou has less than six thousand men in Shan Prefecture, all weak and unprepared. The rebel An has already withdrawn a select force to Luoyang, preparing to defend Fanyang. Now is an excellent opportunity to annihilate the enemy in one stroke! Just this morning, news arrived: the vanguard of the rebel army has been routed, Geshu Han has won successive victories, and in a few more days, he should be able to destroy the enemy’s vanguard entirely!”

“What?! Is it true? Father, Geshu Han has really led his troops out to fight?” Upon hearing this, Yang Xi felt a chill sink deep into his heart, full of bitter regret.

Heavens, his father was indeed foolish, for he had already persuaded Li Longji to force Geshu Han into battle.

Seeing Yang Xi’s astonished expression, Yang Guozhong frowned again, displeased. “Xi’er, why do you look so?”

“Father, did you not heed a single word I said? If my predictions are correct, a calamity will soon befall our Great Tang—Geshu Han will surely fall into the enemy’s trap and be ambushed!” Yang Xi was almost beside himself.

Yang Guozhong’s face showed clear displeasure. He glared at Yang Xi and demanded sternly, “Fourth son, why do you say this?”

Though his father’s anger was unmistakable, Yang Xi ignored it and spoke directly, recounting details he had learned from a book he had read in another life: “The eastern side of Tongguan, Lingbao, lies south of Mount Hua and north of the Yellow River, separated by a narrow mountain path seventy li long. This is the only route out of Tongguan. If the rebels have stationed elite troops on both sides of the path, no matter how large our army, we cannot escape destruction! I believe the rebels must have laid an ambush along the mountain path. Geshu Han’s army will certainly fall into it, leading to a disastrous defeat, and Tongguan will be lost!”

After the rebels seized Luoyang, Chang’an became their inevitable target! To take Chang’an, Tongguan must be captured; otherwise, even a million troops would be powerless against Chang’an! This can be seen from the fact that the rebel leader declared himself emperor in Luoyang on the first day of the month, and by the eleventh day had ordered his son, An Qingxu, to attack Tongguan, followed by his own campaign against Tongguan! But Tongguan’s natural defenses are not easily overcome, and Geshu Han’s strategy of holding the pass and refusing to meet the enemy outside the city has prevented Tongguan from falling into enemy hands, resulting in a six-month stalemate with the rebels.

These six months of steadfast defense prove the wisdom of the strategy to defend and not venture out! When the rebels saw that direct assault would not succeed, they surely resorted to cunning, using weak and aged troops as bait to lure our army out for battle! Father’s order for Geshu Han to march out is precisely falling into the rebel’s scheme. If the order is not changed and Geshu Han is not recalled to defend Tongguan, disaster will ensue, and Tongguan will be lost! Father, you must think carefully! If Tongguan falls, Chang’an will surely be lost, and with Chang’an gone, our Yang family may suffer ruin, and none could save us!

Yang Xi spoke thoroughly and cogently, and Yang Guozhong’s heart was deeply unsettled, his expression shifting rapidly to one of fear. He no longer felt anger at his youngest son’s words, but instead fell into deep thought.

To be honest, some of what Yang Xi said had crossed his mind, but much had never occurred to him.

Since An Lushan’s rebellion, he and Emperor Li Longji had both looked down on the threat, thinking that once the imperial edicts were issued and the royal army mobilized, the rebels would quickly collapse into infighting and the uprising would be swiftly quashed.

Yet the harsh reality proved their initial assumptions wrong. The rebel advance was swift and unstoppable, meeting almost no effective resistance. Even Feng Changqing, a general rarely defeated, suffered consecutive losses. After joining forces with Gao Xianzhi, they could only retreat to defend Tongguan, not daring to go on the offensive, repeatedly petitioning the court to let them hold Tongguan and wait for reinforcements.

Yang Guozhong still believed, however, that this was merely due to the rebels’ luck and the court’s poor initial deployments, for the government had long favored border defense over internal security. Most troops were stationed at the frontiers; Chang’an and Luoyang together had only about a hundred thousand troops, none battle-hardened, their fighting power far inferior to the seasoned border soldiers. Had it not been so, the court would not have been caught so unprepared after An Lushan’s revolt.

But after the rebellion broke out, the government rapidly conscripted large numbers of young men, assembling over two hundred thousand troops at Tongguan, more than fifty thousand of them elite soldiers. The garrison in and around Chang’an numbered in the tens of thousands. Yang Guozhong believed that with these forces, the rebels could be defeated. It was this confidence that led him to urge Emperor Li Longji to order Geshu Han’s troops out of Tongguan to fight.

Moreover, successive victories had recently been reported from the north. News from Luoyang indicated that An Lushan intended to retreat and defend Fanyang!

He was not afraid of Geshu Han’s defeat either, for he had already placed trusted men within Geshu Han’s army. The supervising general, Bian Lingcheng, was his most reliable confidant; should Geshu Han suffer defeat, Bian Lingcheng could take over command and continue to defend Tongguan, and Yang Guozhong could rid himself of Geshu Han, whose standing in court rivaled his own. Previously, he had successfully removed both Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi, who had always looked down on him.

Geshu Han had always been at odds with him and likewise looked down on him. Yang Guozhong hoped to take advantage of Geshu Han’s defeat to eliminate this distinguished general as well.

But after hearing his son’s analysis, fear began to seep into his heart. His son would not deceive him, and Yang Xi’s reasoning was compelling, causing his thoughts to churn uncontrollably. One need not fear ten thousand possibilities, but the one possibility that spells disaster—if Geshu Han truly loses Tongguan after defeat, then Chang’an will be imperiled, and everything Yang Xi described might truly come to pass, leading to the destruction of the Yang family.

Seeing that Yang Guozhong had been moved by his words, Yang Xi rejoiced and immediately continued: “Father, the loyalist armies from Longyou and Anxi are all battle-hardened border troops, the only ones capable of fighting the rebels. When these forces gather near Tongguan, only then can we fight the rebels decisively! Therefore, I believe we must reward the various units, restore their morale, give them more confidence to resist the enemy, and prevent the rebels from capturing Tongguan and threatening Chang’an! Now, Geshu Han should be strictly ordered to hold Tongguan and not venture out, forcing the rebels to attack the city. The imperial army can use the natural defenses of Tongguan to wear down the rebels and break their morale, forcing them to retreat to Luoyang! At the same time, the court can issue soothing edicts, promising rebel generals higher ranks to entice them to surrender and thus divide their forces. Father, you know well that many things can be settled after the autumn harvest!”

“Hmm, my son’s considerations are indeed far-reaching. I am deeply moved by your words! Yet what you say is of great consequence; I must think carefully before replying. After all, Geshu Han has already marched out of Tongguan—it is not realistic to recall him immediately!” Yang Guozhong stroked his black beard, his eyes flashing as he looked intently at Yang Xi, asking meaningfully, “But I am curious—why have you not offered such advice before, and why now do you suddenly speak so much, and with such uncommon insight?”

Knowing that his words would surely arouse Yang Guozhong’s suspicions about his transformation, Yang Xi could only explain: “Father, I was always afraid you’d blame me, so I never dared speak my thoughts, and you never asked me about such matters! This time, after being injured and unconscious for two days, I had several strange dreams. I saw many curious things and came to understand matters I had never thought of before. In the dreams, an old man with a white beard told me things about Tongguan. Upon waking, I reflected on the state affairs I knew before losing consciousness, especially the events after the rebel uprising, and asked Yang Zheng about recent developments. That’s how I came to these conclusions! Father, I thought of all this in my desperation—I do not wish for you to suffer misfortune, nor for myself to lose my head, and I cannot bear to see our family fall into disaster and ruin. Please, Father, consider carefully!”

“The rebel army is strong now, so what you must do is keep them outside Tongguan and find a way to quell the rebellion, not use the situation to eliminate rivals! There will be plenty of opportunities to strike at opponents in the future, but if Tongguan falls and Chang’an is lost, you may be blamed by the Emperor and censured by your colleagues. Your chance to continue wielding power may be gone! Please, Father, think three times before acting!”

Yang Xi’s anxious demeanor touched Yang Guozhong, dispelling the doubts that had just arisen. He did not want his youngest to worry so, so he leaned forward, gently stroked Yang Xi’s head, and smiled to comfort him: “Xi’er, your concern for the state pleases me greatly! But you are young and inexperienced, and your thoughts are a bit naive. Don’t trouble yourself too much about these matters. I will give your words careful consideration, and instruct Geshu Han to make preparations for contingencies. You just focus on recovering—perhaps news of Geshu Han’s great victory will soon arrive! The rebels cannot fake defeat outside Tongguan; if they tried, they could not contain the momentum, nor withstand Geshu Han’s two hundred thousand troops charging forth.”

Hearing this, Yang Xi felt helpless and unspeakably angry, but remained unwilling to give up and wanted to speak further. But just then, a servant rushed in, not stopping to announce himself, and knelt before Yang Guozhong, wailing loudly: “Master, terrible news! Geshu Han has been defeated. In Lingbao, his army was ambushed by Cui Qianyou’s rebel forces, suffering heavy casualties, nearly annihilated!”

“What?” Both Yang Guozhong and Yang Xi were stunned, rising to their feet in unison, their faces turning deathly pale!