Chapter 84: Chen Xuanli Must Be Severely Punished

“Your Majesty, this is an urgent dispatch from Tongguan I have just received!” In Chang’an, within the Diligence Hall of Xingqing Palace, Yang Guozhong presented a report from the front, newly arrived from Tongguan, along with several earlier memorials from Yang Xi, laying them before Emperor Li Longji.

After enjoying a peaceful night’s sleep, thanks to the coolness brought by the rain, Emperor Li Longji had awakened feeling refreshed and decided to attend to state affairs in the Diligence Hall. He had scarcely begun reading a memorial when Yang Guozhong, visibly anxious, requested an immediate audience. Seeing Yang Guozhong’s agitation, Li Longji, who had felt somewhat reassured about the situation at Tongguan, found his heart gripped with concern once more. He reached out and took the report, reading it carefully.

Upon reading, his anger flared at once. With a forceful bang on the desk, he roared in fury, “Chen Xuanli, for the sake of his own interests, has deliberately delayed his march and is making no effort to bring his full strength to the relief of Tongguan. This is treasonous!”

Hearing the emperor’s outburst, Yang Guozhong’s anxieties eased, and he immediately bowed and reported, “Your Majesty, the situation at the Tongguan front is dire. Yang Xi has sent repeated urgent dispatches, imploring the court to order Chen Xuanli’s forces to hasten their advance, lest disaster befall Tongguan. Dou Hua and Zhang Jian’s units have pressed forward with all speed and arrived at Tongguan after nightfall yesterday. They joined the battle at once, thwarting the rebel army’s assault under cover of darkness.”

“Zheng Ang’s troops also arrived at Tongguan early this morning and immediately reinforced the defenses. Only Chen Xuanli, leading his own men, is still dawdling on the road and, at best, will not reach Tongguan until after noon! Your Majesty, Chen Xuanli bears a personal grudge against me and allows it to affect state affairs. With the nation in peril and Tongguan in crisis, he has deliberately delayed his advance, arriving nearly a full day behind the other contingents. By doing so, he places Yang Xi and the loyal soldiers of Tongguan in grave danger, disregarding the safety of the empire and your imperial concern. Your Majesty must deal with him severely and show no leniency, lest the tens of thousands of soldiers fighting for their lives at Tongguan lose heart!”

Li Longji, hearing Yang Guozhong’s impassioned plea, grew unexpectedly calm and did not respond at once.

Noticing the emperor’s lack of further anger, Yang Guozhong felt puzzled and quickly added, “Your Majesty, Chen Xuanli’s disregard for the crisis at Tongguan and lack of any sense of the greater good make it likely that, even upon arrival, he will not obey Yang Xi’s command. He might even oppose him outright. Many of the reinforcements are Chen Xuanli’s own trusted men; if he truly intends to act this way, the Tongguan army could fall into chaos as soon as he arrives! Your Majesty, I am gravely concerned that Yang Xi will not be able to command Chen Xuanli’s forces. That is why, upon receiving Yang Xi’s latest memorial, I hastened to the palace without a moment’s delay!”

“Your Majesty, with the nation at stake and the situation critical, Yang Xi has led a remnant force of just over ten thousand to repel a major assault by the rebels. He has proven himself capable of holding the enemy outside Tongguan. Your Majesty must not allow a narrow-minded man like Chen Xuanli to ruin everything and give the rebels an opening! You must not show him leniency just because he has served you loyally for many years. He must be punished severely, Your Majesty!”

As he finished speaking, Yang Guozhong knelt with a thud, bowing his head to the floor several times, tears streaming down his face. “Your Majesty, Yang Xi’s urgent memorial also requests that Chen Xuanli be punished—at the very least, recalled to the capital and barred from interfering in military affairs at Tongguan. For the sake of the defense and to uphold military discipline, and to prevent other commanders from delaying military operations for personal gain, I earnestly beg Your Majesty to issue an edict recalling Chen Xuanli for judgment and punishing him severely. Otherwise, the morale of the troops at the front will be shattered, and they will lose all will to resist the enemy! If that happens, even Yang Xi’s abilities will not be enough to save the situation.”

“Guozhong, rise at once!” Seeing Yang Guozhong so abject and fearful, Li Longji was moved. He left his seat and helped Yang Guozhong to his feet. “Guozhong, be at ease. I am well aware of the gravity of the situation at Tongguan and that any disorder within the army there would be disastrous. I know Chen Xuanli has deliberately delayed his march. I will see that he is punished as he deserves!”

Previously, Yang Guozhong’s agents within Chen Xuanli’s ranks had already sent secret messages reporting his deliberate delay, hoping to profit from the situation. Yang Guozhong had reported this to Li Longji, but at the time, the emperor had shown little reaction and had no intention of punishing Chen Xuanli, issuing only an order to speed the advance. Li Longji had hoped that after several urgent imperial commands, Chen Xuanli would hasten to Tongguan, silencing the complaints of others. Yet, contrary to expectation, Chen Xuanli continued to act as he pleased, and still had not arrived.

Zheng Ang, who was marching in tandem with Chen Xuanli, had already reached Tongguan that morning, while Chen Xuanli’s forty thousand men remained more than half a day behind. The truth was plain for all to see. Though Li Longji was advanced in years, he was not senile; he understood the situation perfectly. Thus, when he read Yang Xi’s latest desperate memorial, he was incensed enough to declare that even Chen Xuanli deserved death.

However, he also recognized that Yang Guozhong’s pleas were not without ulterior motive—he wished to strike Chen Xuanli down, seizing the opportunity to destroy an enemy. Therefore, the emperor did not immediately declare how he would punish this old general who had served him faithfully for so many years.

Nevertheless, after Yang Guozhong’s weeping appeals, he made up his mind to punish Chen Xuanli severely.

Hearing this, Yang Guozhong was overjoyed, though he maintained a show of humble anxiety. “Your Majesty is wise! My proposal is not out of personal spite. The nation faces disaster, the rebels are but a few hundred li from Chang’an, and all our actions are for the sake of keeping them at bay at Tongguan. Should anyone seek private gain at such a time, they must be punished severely, to set an example for all!”

“I grant Yang Xi’s request; I shall issue the edict at once!” Li Longji sighed softly, picked up his brush, and wrote the imperial decree. When it was done, he stamped it with his imperial seal and handed it to Yang Guozhong. “Guozhong, have this delivered to Tongguan with all possible speed!”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I obey!” Yang Guozhong, unable to conceal his delight, bowed and hurried out.

Standing by as Li Longji wrote the decree, Yang Guozhong took note of every word—it was clear what fate awaited Chen Xuanli. How could he not be pleased? Only days before, Chen Xuanli had rebuked him openly in court, leaving him seething with resentment. Today, with this chance for vindication, he felt an unusual lightness to his step; even the blazing sun seemed not to scorch him.

After Yang Guozhong departed, Li Longji let out a weary sigh and closed his eyes.

At that moment, Gao Lishi approached and whispered a few words in the emperor’s ear.

Li Longji listened in silence, then finally nodded his assent.