Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 135

Chen Ruo forced a smile and said, "Second Brother, do not grieve... It feels like only yesterday that I rode alongside you to Linhuai to seek reinforcements. Now that I can fight the enemy under your command, I have no regrets even if I die!"

Li Ji asked him, "Do you have any other wishes?"

Chen Ruo shouted, "Please, Erlang, kill Xu Shuji for me!"

When Suiyang was besieged, its food supplies were exhausted. Soldiers and civilians scavenged bones for food, and even killed women to eat. The situation inside the city was so tragic that Zhang Xun, years later, still could not shake off the regret and shame in his heart, and eventually died of starvation. Fortunately, Li Ji and Chen Ruo went to invite Helan Jinming and Xu Shuji to bring reinforcements, which lifted the siege. At that time, of the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, less than two thousand remained, and they were all skeletal, too weak to even carry weapons up the city walls.

Zhang Xun was initially quite grateful to Generals Helan Jinming and Xu Shuji, but then Chen Ruo recounted the process of seeking help, and everyone realized that the two generals, especially Xu Shuji, had been coerced by Li Ji... In other words, you had the power to rescue them, but instead of waiting for a suitable opportunity, you simply sat and watched the outcome, refusing to come to their aid! These are not benefactors, but clearly enemies!

Although they were enemies, Xu Shuji was ultimately a general of the same state, and the remnants of the Suiyang forces had no choice but to swallow their anger and resentment. However, not long afterward, Xu Shuji surrendered to Shi Siming. When the news spread, everyone gritted their teeth in hatred. Zhang Xun declared that very day, "I vow to take Shuji's head to appease the loyal ministers and people who died in Suiyang!"

Therefore, Chen Ruo's last wish was to ask Li Ji to help him kill Xu Shuji. Li Ji also hated Xu Shuji very much, and immediately patted his chest and said, "I will definitely cut off the head of the traitor Xu to offer as a sacrifice to Zhang Dafu and you!" Chen Ruo used his last strength to nod and then passed away.

The following morning, the Tang army launched another fierce attack on the rebels, defeating Ashina Chengqing three times at Laojun Temple and forcing him to retreat to Zhaojue Temple. At noon, Pugu Huai'en arrived with the main force and launched a final attack. The rebels were routed, with men and horses trampling each other, and countless people were lost in the nearby Shangshu Valley. Ashina Chengqing died in the chaos, and Shi Chaoyi, with several hundred trusted cavalry, abandoned Zhaojue Temple that night and fled east to Luoyang.

When the Tang army entered the temple, they naturally burned and killed many monks. More than a hundred monks were killed by their own weapons, and the famous temple, which had been famous for hundreds of years, was reduced to rubble and ruins.

The count showed that the Tang army had killed tens of thousands of rebels—many of whom were captured and then executed in batches—and captured more than four thousand alive. Pugu Huai'en ordered his scribe to write a record five times higher, reporting that 60,000 had been beheaded and 20,000 captured.

Regardless, Shi Chaoyi's force of over 100,000 men was almost entirely scattered and unable to recover in the short term. Pugu Huai'en then summoned his generals, pointed his whip southeast, and asked, "Who is willing to lead the charge to retake Tokyo?"

Li Ji quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "I am willing to go!"

Pugu Yang hurriedly said, "Second Master has few cavalry under his command, so it would be better if I went instead."

Li Ji said, "We must be wary of Shi Chaoyi's defense of the city. Your forces are all cavalry, so it's not convenient for you to attack the city."

Pugu Yang curled his lip: "Even if that fellow had two lives, he wouldn't dare!" He insisted on going first. Pugu Huai'en, of course, hoped that the credit for the recapture of Tokyo would fall on his son, so he immediately agreed and ordered that Pugu Yang be awarded the title.

Li Ji then asked, "So, when you go to attack Luoyang, which gate do you plan to enter through?"

Pugu Yang didn't know how to lie, so he immediately answered honestly, "Go straight along the road to Huian Gate."

There was no outer city gate on the west side of Luoyang. The Luo River served as a dividing line, with the imperial city to the north and the imperial gardens to the south. The imperial city's west wall had the Lühe Gate and Xuanhui Gate, while the north wall had the Longguang Gate and Deyou Gate. The city walls were high and the gates thick, making them difficult to scale without inside help. As for the imperial gardens, due to their long history as a battlefield, the rebels—including former Tang soldiers—had dug many pits there, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver. Furthermore, with the main army currently to the northwest of Luoyang, there was no need to specifically cross the Luo River to attack the southern city.

Therefore, Pugu Yang planned to enter through the Huian Gate, which is located in the central part of the northern city of Luoyang, that is, the first outer city gate—not the palace gate.

Li Ji nodded and said, "In that case, I request to travel next to Lord Pugu." Pugu Huai'en agreed.

Pugu Yang led his two thousand cavalrymen, galloping without stopping, to Huian Gate. He found the gate tightly shut, flags fluttering atop the walls—he thought to himself, "Shi Chaoyi has some nerve; he dares to remain inside Luoyang." He sent men to call out, but received no reply, and his suspicions grew. He dared not approach, and instead stood at a distance of two arrow-lengths from the city wall, hesitating whether to order his cavalry to dismount and attack the city, or wait for the infantry to catch up…

Look at the towering city walls of Luoyang, and next to them, even higher palace walls... The Huian Gate is also quite sturdy; without weapons, it would probably be impossible to break it open. Whether the cavalry attacks or waits for the infantry, they must make prior preparations—so they ordered the soldiers to find large trees nearby, each more than a man's embrace in diameter, and cut them down to use as ramming logs.

But before the battering ram was even ready, a report came: "The deputy commander is approaching." It turned out that Pugu Huai'en also wanted to enter Luoyang as soon as possible, so he led his personal guards ahead of the main force, and they were almost there. Pugu Yang was anxious—his father would be furious if he saw him still lingering outside the city! He ordered his soldiers: "Go down to the city walls and shout a few more times. If no one answers and no arrows are shot down, then the enemy has probably already left, and the flags are just a diversion!"

If that's the case, I'll order my cavalry to throw ropes and build human ladders so they can scale the city walls.

The words had barely left his mouth when a loud crash resounded as the Huian Gate slowly swung open. Pugu Yang braced himself—was this a surrender, or a planned charge? A general leaped out on horseback, beckoning him from afar, his voice booming: "Why are you so late?!"

Pugu Yang took a closer look and couldn't help but stumble on his horse—actually, he wanted to stomp his foot, forgetting that he was still riding on horseback—damn Li Ji, this guy beat him to it again!

How did Li Ji come to be here? In fact, before the decisive battle at Zhaojue Temple, he assessed the situation and concluded that not only would the rebel army be defeated, but Shi Chaoyi, leading his defeated and disabled soldiers, would certainly not dare to defend Luoyang to the death. Therefore, he ordered Yin Shen and other extraordinary people to sneak into the city in advance to contact old friends.

That old friend was Yu Ling, commonly known as "Yu the Millionaire." Not only was he incredibly wealthy and influential, but he also played a crucial role in the recapture of Luoyang. He acted as a middleman, bribing the Uyghur army with his wealth, thus saving the women of the city from suffering. As a result, he was regarded as a living Buddha by all, and his reputation soared.

—In fact, the credit for that matter should go to Li Ji, but the common people were unaware of the details and attributed it to Jianning Prince Li Tan, who was the first to enter the city; thus, Li Tan was the one who gave the order, and Yu Ling and Yang Yan were the ones who carried it out, and the people of Luoyang secretly erected shrines to worship them.

Yin Shen and others entered the city and found Yu Ling, telling him to be prepared. Once it was confirmed that Shi Chaoyi had escaped, he should gather all the servants and able-bodied men in the city, close the four city gates tightly, and raise flags as a diversion. Neither the Tang army nor the Yan army should be allowed to enter—once they enter, they will surely plunder and loot, and your lives and property will be in danger.

Of course, there were others who could be allowed into the city, and that was Li Ji.

Although Li Ji set off after Pugu Yang, he led over a hundred cavalrymen on a swift, roundabout route, passing through the Longguang Gate of the palace, where he was received into the city by Yin Shen, Yu Ling, and others. He then gave Yu Ling some instructions, saying that whether their lives and property were safe depended on whether they listened to him—Yu Ling naturally obeyed respectfully—before opening the Huian Gate, he rode out alone to speak with Pugu Yang.

Seeing this, Pugu Yang was both angry and regretful. He hurriedly spurred his horse forward, saying, "I didn't expect Erlang to arrive first after starting later." He called to his men, "Follow me into the city—we can't let someone else snatch second place!"

Unexpectedly, Li Ji took his lance from his saddle, put it behind his back, and shouted, "Wait!"

Pugu Yang was startled and instinctively reined in his horse: "Why is that?"

Li Ji said, “The Shuofang army is undisciplined and prone to looting. Now that we have entered the Eastern Capital, we fear that they will disturb the people and damage the prestige of the court. Therefore, I ask that you stay outside the city for the time being and wait for the deputy commander to come so that we can strictly enforce military discipline before entering the city.”

Pugu Yang frowned: "What strict military discipline? What's the point of talking about military discipline when we're marching through enemy territory?"

During this expedition, the various Tang armies plundered along the way, and the generals rarely restrained them. This was partly due to poor military discipline and insufficient supplies. However, there was another important reason: most people, from top to bottom, believed that the area they were passing through was "bandit territory," and even the common people were considered to be unruly accomplices of the rebels. They thought, "Why don't you run away? Why stay here and provide supplies and manpower to the rebels?" They also questioned, "What law have you broken by killing a few people and robbing a few households?"

As for whether wealthy merchants are greedy for their property, ordinary people are hard to survive if they leave their hometowns. Soldiers have limited vision and don't even think about this. As for the generals, who would care about those people's lives?

Li Ji raised his eyebrows and shouted resolutely, "I cannot agree with what you say, Lord Pugu! This is the Eastern Capital of our Tang Dynasty, the place where Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian have resided for many years. How can it be considered enemy territory? If it were enemy territory, our arrival would be an invasion, not a restoration! This is the land of the court, the land of the emperor and his people. How can we be allowed to plunder at will? If military orders are not obeyed and military discipline is not upheld, no one shall set foot in the Eastern Capital!"

Pugu Yang curled his lip: "Second Brother, didn't you go into the city first?" He then demanded: "Does Second Brother intend to take all the women and wealth of the city into his own hands, leaving nothing for us?!"

Li Ji snorted coldly: "The owl gets a rotten rat and then scares the phoenix; how ridiculous!"

Pugu Yang flew into a rage—"You think you're a civil official? You're trying to fob me off with words I don't understand!" he shouted angrily. "I'm going to enter the city and take the treasury directly, so what?!"

Li Ji slowly flipped his lance in front of him: "If you do not heed my advice, then do not blame me for offending you—now that you, Pugu, are twenty paces ahead of the main army, I am confident that I can capture you on the spot!"

Pugu Yang drew his long sword with a "whoosh"—not for fighting, of course, as there was no chance of winning against a spear with a sword on the spot—and pretended to lay it across his knees: "Li Ji, if you don't let me into the city, today we'll sever all ties and fight to the death!"

Before he could finish speaking, a whip lashed down hard on the back of his head: "What are you doing, cutting off your robes and severing your ties?! Get out of here at once!"

Pugu Yang shrank back helplessly—because he recognized the voice; who else could it be but his own father?

Just at this critical juncture, the deputy commander of Hebei, Pugu Huai'en, arrived. Accompanying him was Di De. Pugu Huai'en wanted to enter Luoyang as soon as possible, and Di De shared the same idea: "Our Uyghur army has made great contributions in this battle and achieved great merit. The Tang people should not first empty the Luoyang treasury and then find an excuse not to reward us..."

Back then, when he followed the Crown Prince Yabghu south, he had no such concerns, because Emperor Suzong had already promised the Crown Prince both wealth and children before the war, and the commander-in-chief was Prince Li Yu of Guangping, who would certainly not dare to embezzle them. But this time, Li Yu had not finalized the terms beforehand, and Wuyi Chenggong Khan had no intention of making exorbitant demands. Moreover, before departing, he instructed Di De: "Friendship is of utmost importance, wealth is secondary; there is no need to forcefully demand anything."

Furthermore, the commander-in-chief this time was Pugu Huaien, while Li Shi stayed in Shanzhou and did not go with him. Emperor De was quite familiar with the thoughts of military leaders like the former. If they gained anything, they would of course keep it for themselves. They might not even be willing to pay tribute to the court, let alone give it to the reinforcements. It was the court that asked the Uyghurs for help. If you want a reward, go find the emperor, go find the court, why are you coming to me?

Therefore, he kept a close eye on Pugu Huai'en, and seeing that the other party was galloping ahead of the main army and planned to enter Luoyang first, he quickly spurred his horse to follow.

Several hundred cavalrymen from Shuofang and the Uyghurs, escorting the two generals, hurriedly arrived at the Huian Gate, just in time to witness Pugu Yang about to sever ties with Li Ji. Pugu Huai'en was immediately enraged—what a foolish brat, what nonsense is he spouting?! He lashed Pugu Yang away with his whip, then questioned Li Ji: "Second Brother, what exactly is your intention?"

Li Ji hurriedly put down his lance, and from his horse, he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to Pugu Huai'en, earnestly advising him: "Vice Commander, Shi Chaoyi has indeed abandoned Luoyang and fled. Since the Heyang ferry crossing is impassable, he will surely head east towards Zhengzhou and Bianjing. Tian Chengsi and others still have tens of thousands of troops. Even if we win this battle, we cannot be careless..."

Pugu Huaien nodded: "Of course, we must quickly secure the eastern capital, and then advance eastward to pursue the north."

Li Ji continued, “To conquer Zhengzhou and Bianzhou, we must use Luoyang as our forward base, where supplies and provisions will gather. However, if the armies enter Luoyang and continue their previous practices of looting and even killing civilians, it will inevitably lead to the disunity of the people in Luoyang, and some may even secretly collude with the rebels, which will be detrimental to the war effort. Moreover, once Luoyang is recovered, tens of thousands of people in the city will return to the embrace of our Tang Dynasty. They are like children who have been separated for many years and are now returning home. How can we bear to harm them? I earnestly request the Marshal to strictly enforce military discipline and prohibit the armies from looting before entering the capital.”

Pugu Huai'en was still somewhat confused, not understanding Li Ji's true intention—was he really pitying the common people in the city? Surely not. Although Li Erlang held a civil official title, he should actually be one of us, a military man. Where did this pedantic air come from? Suddenly, he heard Di De beside him burst into laughter—"Just as Erlang would do!"

Chapter 5, Mother's Route

Di De laughed loudly: "Just as Erlang would do!"

His expression immediately turned serious, and he said loudly, "When I was in Longyou, the King of Qi often spoke of grand principles, such as benevolence and righteousness. They may not be unreasonable, but they are too pedantic. We soldiers fight bloody battles on the battlefield, where swords and spears have no eyes and we may die at any time. Why do we risk our lives? Farmers get their food and clothing from crops; herdsmen get their food and clothing from cattle and sheep; but soldiers get their food and clothing from the enemy! If we don't rob, are our soldiers supposed to starve to death?"

Li Ji shook his head and asked in return, "Now that the grasslands and deserts are in the hands of the Khan and are allied with our Tang Dynasty, there are almost no external enemies. As far as I know, there have been no major wars in recent years—could it be that you have starved to death?"

Dide rolled his eyes: "Good question! We haven't starved to death yet because we are provided for by our own herdsmen. So, now that we are in war, shouldn't we take more back, not only for our own consumption, but also to give back to the herdsmen?"

Li Ji continued to ask, "So that's how it is. You joined the army not to report to the Khan and protect your own troops, but simply because you have no other skills and can only resort to robbery? How are you any different from a thief?"

Di De was speechless, but still stubbornly insisted, "No matter what, now that I have led my troops to the Central Plains, I cannot return empty-handed!"

Li Ji smiled slightly: "Of course I won't let you leave empty-handed."

He then turned to Pugu Huai'en and continued to persuade him: "Vice Commander, even if Zheng and Bian are pacified, there is still Hebei to contend with. The chaos cannot be quelled in a single battle. If the armies enter Luoyang and plunder, causing the deaths and displacement of civilians, even if the court sends officials again, it will be difficult to restore the city to its former state within several years, making Luoyang a stronghold for the war effort in Hebei. Why not restrain your soldiers and ensure they do not harm the people? This will surely please the court and earn the praise of the people. They will welcome you with food and drink, and follow you with provisions and entourage, helping you achieve unparalleled merit. Isn't that better?"

Pugu Huai'en stroked his beard, lost in thought and remained silent—he admitted that Li Ji's words made some sense, and were a sense he had never considered before, but... was it necessary? Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to let the soldiers plunder freely now, filling their own pockets and boosting the morale of the army?

So he slowly asked, "I suppose you have an old friend in Luoyang who is afraid of something bad happening to you. No problem, you can send troops to protect him. My Shuofang army will not invade. Just don't take the treasury, I will distribute it fairly."

Li Ji was a bit dumbfounded. He had prepared a whole set of arguments to persuade Pugu Huai'en, but the other party's knowledge and values ​​were on a completely different level from his own, making it utterly impossible to reason with him. It was like talking to a brick wall... He could only smile wryly and say, "The Vice Commander has misunderstood me. I have no other intentions, but I only ask that the Vice Commander restrain the troops and not seize Luoyang..."

Pugu Huai'en straightened his face and said, "Even if I give the order, do you think the Shaanxi-Guo army will listen? Do you think the Tonghua army will listen?" He glanced at Di De, who immediately understood—"Even my Uyghur army won't listen!"

Li Ji said, “The armies have come from afar, so naturally they cannot come away empty-handed. I have ordered the wealthy households in the city to raise a sum of money for the redemption of the city, and the treasury will remain untouched. All of this money will be presented to the deputy commander, who will then distribute it…” He turned to Di De and said, “The Uyghur army will naturally also gain something.”

"What 'ransom'?" Pugu Yang interrupted, "Do you consider us thieves?!"

Li Ji retorted sarcastically, "If they rob indiscriminately, they're probably worse than thieves!"

Pugu Huai'en waved his hand: "I understand what you mean, Erlang. However, I cannot grant you your request." He pulled on the reins: "I want to enter the city now, Erlang, please make way."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "Deputy Commander, please wait a moment, and we will present you with money and silk."

“What if I refuse to wait?” Pugu Huai’en’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you expect me to fire it?!”

Li Ji was extremely anxious. He was truly willing to rush up and capture Pugu Yang alive, but he had no such thought when it came to Pugu Huaien. Firstly, the other party was the commander of the allied forces, and it was inconvenient for him to disobey his superior. Secondly, he was also an elder who had always treated him well, so how could he bring himself to do it?

Moreover, if a conflict were to break out with Pugu Huai'en, the matter would become intractable... With a formidable enemy at hand, must we really allow our own people to fight first? And even if we were to fight, our side only has eight thousand troops from the Shannan East Circuit; how could they possibly defeat tens of thousands of allied troops? If we were to be defeated, and the allied forces entered the city, the disaster would only be more devastating...

Hesitant and at a loss, yet unwilling to give way, he watched as Pugu Huai'en rode closer and closer... Suddenly, a shout came from afar: "Lord Pugu, wait!"

Pugu Huaien turned around in surprise and saw several riders galloping towards him. The first man was wearing a red robe and a turban, with a white face and no beard. When he got close, he cupped his hands and bowed: "Wang Jiahe greets Lord Pugu. I have come to convey the marshal's orders."

Pugu Huai'en hurriedly returned the greeting: "So it's General Wang... May I ask what military orders the Marshal has to deliver?"

Wang Jiahe pulled out a scroll of paper from his robes and immediately read aloud: "The Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, Prince Yong Shi, hereby issues the following orders to all garrisons under his command: having recovered Luoyang, military discipline must be strictly enforced. Looting and plundering are forbidden, and the people must not be harmed. Peace and security must be maintained. We await the arrival of the imperial commissioners to hand over the duties of defending the city and governing the region. Anyone who disobeys this order, regardless of rank, will be executed by the Deputy Commander of Hebei, Pugu, with the authority to do so without prior notification!"

Both Pugu and his son were surprised when they heard the order. Pugu Huaien looked at Wang Jiahe, then turned to look at Li Ji, thinking to himself, "Li Erlang, did you discuss this with the Marshal? Why didn't you announce the Marshal's order earlier? Why are you just arguing with me?"

In fact, Li Ji hadn't really discussed it with Li Shi, because before setting off, he never imagined that the Tang army's discipline would be so poor... It wasn't until the army approached Luoyang that he started to worry about what would happen after entering the city. However, according to Yin Shen, even if he went to ask Li Shi, the other party might not agree to his request.

Because Li Shi's marshal's title was both real and illusory, while he could issue orders to the troops at will, any single command might provoke his father's suspicion or even resentment. Especially since looting by government troops after capturing a city was commonplace in those times, even if Li Shi couldn't control it, Li Yu wouldn't blame him; but if Li Shi, while in Shan County, extended his reach far into Luoyang to stop the troops from looting, Li Yu might be furious—

What do you mean? Are you trying to win people over? What are you trying to achieve?!

Therefore, after much deliberation, Li Ji realized that the direct approach was unsuccessful, so he had no choice but to seek a more indirect solution—he wrote a letter to Consort Shen.

Consort Shen was still in Shan County. Li Shi pleaded with Li Yu several times, but Li Yu refused to bring his concubine back to Chang'an—whether this was his true intention or due to the obstruction of the Dugu clan is unknown. The temporary excuse was that the army was gathering in Shan County to launch an attack, and the rebellion in Dongping was a serious matter. Taking Consort Shen away now was to prevent it from undermining the morale of the army.

Since you're about to lead your troops into battle anyway, why don't you go to Shanxian County to serve your mother for a while? We'll deal with the situation after the chaos is quelled.

As for the matter of establishing an empress, it was not mentioned at all. Li Yu wanted to establish Dugu as empress, but he was opposed by the ministers. Although they were all concubines, there was still a first-come, first-served order. Moreover, Shen was the mother of the eldest son Li Shi and should be empress. If Dugu were to become empress, then Prince Han Li Jiong would become the legitimate son, directly threatening the position of Prince Yong Li Shi.

The country is in turmoil and relies on a mature ruler. Li Jiong is not even three years old yet. Who would feel comfortable letting him ascend the throne as crown prince? If that's the case, we should have followed Empress Zhang's wishes and let Li Zhao or Li Dong ascend the throne!

Unable to achieve his wish, Li Yu resorted to ruthless measures. First, he posthumously conferred the title of Imperial Concubine upon the late Consort Cui, the principal wife of the Prince of Guangping, and then conferred the title of Imperial Concubine upon Consort Dugu as well, while ignoring Consort Shen. In this way, although all were sons born of concubines, their status was elevated due to their mothers' status. Whether it was Prince Han, Li Jiong, or Prince Zheng, Li Miao (who was born to Consort Cui, and whose son, Prince Zhao, Li Si, had already been adopted by Emperor Suzong and can be disregarded), their status was higher than Li Shi's…

To get back to the point, Li Ji had met with Lady Shen and felt that this noblewoman was quite compassionate. Moreover, she had lived in Luoyang for a long time and should have some affection for the city... So he wrote to Lady Shen, asking her to persuade Li Shi to issue orders to the generals at the front.

In this way, Li Shi could avoid his father's suspicions—I was just listening to my mother, and I didn't have any other thoughts or intentions.

Li Shi is a smart child and will surely understand this meaning. As long as Madam Shen is willing to persuade him, he will obey without question, regardless of whether he originally had this idea or not, thus gaining a great reputation as a filial son without any side effects.

Li Ji had been waiting for Li Shi to send someone to deliver the order, but he did not expect that the task would be directly handed over to the newly appointed Military Inspection and Pacification Commissioner, Wang Jiahe.

Wang Jiahe read out Li Shi's military order, and Pugu and his son dared not disobey—believing that the other armies, even if they harbored resentment, would not dare to commit the same offense. Li Ji seized the opportunity to advise, "If the armies enter the city to plunder, they will only act according to their strength, and the spoils may not be entirely commensurate with their merits, and there may even be discord among them. Why not offer gold to the deputy commander, who will then distribute it according to merits? This will surely be fair and impartial."

Pugu Huai'en, who was originally resentful, was slightly taken aback upon hearing Li Ji's words—what? Such a good thing? All the "ransom money" from Luoyang is given to me, and I can distribute it to whomever I want... Of course, the lion's share will go to my Shuofang Army, who dares to object?! So he glanced at Li Ji sideways: "Am I also to distribute the spoils of the Shannan East Circuit Army?"

Li Ji said, "Indeed, I will obey the deputy commander's orders. I have already ordered the city's treasury to be sealed, and not a single penny of the wealth of the rich will be taken. If anyone is found to have hoarded even a single coin..." As he spoke, he pointed to the sky and swore, "May heavenly lightning strike me, Li Ji, dead!"

Pugu Huai'en nodded: "No need for oaths or swearing, I naturally trust Erlang's words..." He felt a little better—"I wonder how much longer it will take before the 'ransom' is sent out?"

Li Jigang replied, "It will be ready in a moment." Wang Jiahe smiled and said, "Deputy Commander, please wait a little longer. I have no merit and cannot accept any reward. I need to go into the city to rest first." As he spoke, he handed Li Shi's military order to Pugu Yang and rode off on his horse.

Pugu Huai'en naturally didn't stop him—how could he stop the supervising eunuch from entering the city first? He thought to himself that he would definitely get a share of the spoils afterward, and he knew the rules.

Wang Jiahe urged his horse to approach the city gate, and Li Ji hurriedly stepped aside, clasped his hands, and whispered, "Thank you, General Wang. Thank you for rushing here to deliver the order. If you had arrived any later, this situation would have been difficult to manage."

Wang Jiahe smiled and returned the greeting with a cupped hand, lowering his voice as well, saying, "Changwei has put in a lot of effort; his plans for Prince Yong are profound."

Li Ji had to rack his brains three times before he understood what Wang Jiahe meant—you are winning over the hearts of the people for Li Shi, and through Consort Shen's advice, you have also avoided the emperor's suspicion, thus bringing Prince Yong one step closer to the throne.

Li Ji thought to himself, "I really hadn't thought of this before... It's a lucky accident, isn't it? I've saved the entire city of Luoyang, gained Consort Shen's favor, and earned Li Shi's gratitude. Even if Li Yu knew, he probably wouldn't blame me. Besides, I genuinely hope Li Shi becomes the crown prince. Regardless of his abilities, he's familiar with me!"

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Yu Ling and his associates worked diligently to coordinate their efforts, and soon after, they presented 300,000 strings of cash, loaded onto horses and carts, to Pugu Huai'en. The elders were then ordered to welcome them, and the people lined the roads with incense to greet the government troops as they entered the city.

When the Tang army entered Luoyang, it couldn't be said that they were completely virtuous—military orders are military orders, and since they hadn't been enforced before, they couldn't be enforced now either—but looting and killing were finally suppressed to a barely tolerable level. Pugu Huai'en also put on a show, arresting two or three soldiers who had gone too far and beheading them as a warning, partly to appease the people in the city, and partly to show Li Shi—we really dared not disobey orders.

Shi Chaoyi fled in haste, leaving behind most of the treasury's wealth. Normally, at this time, there would have been rioting soldiers and bandits looting, but fortunately, Li Ji promptly sent Yin Shen into the city to instruct Yu Ling and others to gather the servants of each household, seal the treasury, and strictly prohibit looting. This saved most of the inventory, laying a solid foundation for the Tang army's subsequent military operations.

Pugu Huaien was overjoyed after receiving the treasury. At the same time, he instructed his son Pugu Yang to lead troops to guard the gates of the palace. The Shuofang army secretly searched the palace. This was no longer the people's property, but the property of the rebels. How could they not take it?

Li Ji had anticipated this, and had Yu Ling drive all the palace servants and eunuchs out of the palace and temporarily hide them in Shengshan Temple, where they were fortunately spared from harm.

The following day, Pugu Huaien summoned his generals and, according to the prior plan and the imperial decree, appointed Guo Yingyi as the temporary garrison commander of Tokyo, who would lead the Hua army to garrison Luoyang, while the remaining troops continued eastward to pursue Shi Chaoyi.

Shi Chaoyi was heading towards Zhengzhou, so the main force of the Tang army naturally had to head in that direction. However, some troops also needed to be separated, one to go to Heyang to join Li Baoyu, and the other to capture nearby counties such as Goushi and Yingyang. When the troops were being distributed, all the generals exchanged glances with Pugu Huai'en, meaning: We can't stick with Li Ji anymore. He's brave and capable in battle, always taking the lead in merit, but he's also too soft-hearted and won't allow looting... What's the point of fighting like that?

Therefore, Pugu Huaien ordered Di De to lead the Uyghur troops to Heyang—after the tough nut was cracked, we can handle the rest ourselves, your army doesn't need to get involved—and ordered Li Ji to go south to take over the counties; Pugu Yang was still the vanguard, and together with Gao Fucheng, the military commissioner of Shuofang, led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry, heading towards Zhengzhou, with the remaining troops joining the rear.

Li Ji was well aware of the generals' ulterior motives, but he was helpless to do anything about it—he was neither the commander-in-chief nor the supervisor, and his abilities were limited; it would be good enough if he could just hold onto Luoyang. Besides, Li Shi's military order only mentioned that Luoyang should not be looted...

So he led his troops south to recover the counties, and all the counties he reached surrendered without any offense taken against him. He then circled around to Zhengzhou from the northern foothills of Mount Song.

Chapter Six, This Fiend Must Be Killed

Shi Chaoyi fled to Zhengzhou, but before he could establish a firm foothold, Pugu Yang led the Shuofang army in a massive attack, and they fought at the walls of Guancheng. Shi Chaoyi suffered another defeat, abandoned Zhengzhou, and fled east to Bianzhou. However, Zhang Xiancheng, the military governor of Chenliu, refused to let him in, so Shi Chaoyi was forced to flee north to Puzhou.