Chapter 10 Li Longji's Decision

  "Your Majesty, they are slandering me!" Yang Guozhong finally stood up and said in front of Emperor Xuanzong's rebuke to Chen Xuanli and Xiao Hua: "Your Majesty, General Chen and Minister Xiao have long had a grudge against me. They just want to take advantage of the defeat at Tong Pass to settle their personal scores with me and put me to death. It is not that they are wholeheartedly for the country! I insisted on letting Geshu Han lead the army out only because I wanted to take advantage of the continuous great victories in the north, when the rebel soldiers' morale was low, and thought that they would abandon Luoyang and retreat back to Fanyang. At that time, I could have put down the rebellion with one blow!"

  "Your Majesty, I have been wholeheartedly devoted to the country and have always considered Your Majesty's interests above all else, without any consideration for my own personal gain. However, Geshu Han has repeatedly made excuses, hesitated to engage in battle, and recruited a large number of soldiers for his own ulterior motives, even hoping to become another An Lushan. As a result, he missed the best opportunity to attack, allowing the rebels to prepare their defenses. When we did go into battle, he was timid and hesitant, leading to the defeat of 200,000 troops at the hands of a mere few tens of thousands of rebels. This is Geshu Han's incompetence, not my fault! Your Majesty should hold Geshu Han and his generals accountable, not me! I am guilty only of an error in judgment, please enlighten me, Your Majesty!"

  Yang Guozhong was so outspoken and righteous in his words that everyone in the hall was shocked, including Emperor Li Longji, who had been wavering in his thoughts. He too quickly acknowledged that what Yang Guozhong said was right, as he had always thought Yang Guozhong felt this way!

  When the emperor's face, which had changed color, returned to normal after hearing Yang Guozhong's words, he let out a sigh of relief. Before the other officials could react, he continued: "Your Majesty, my son is only 17 years old and has never been in the military, how can he lead the army to rescue Tong Pass? Isn't this treating the great affairs of state as child's play? If Tong Pass falls due to my son's mistakes, who will take responsibility for it? Your Majesty, I agree that a large army should be sent to rescue Tong Pass and ensure its safety. My previous suggestion to let Geshu Han go out and fight was wrong, I am guilty, but I will apologize to you after this is over and accept any punishment you give me! What's most important now is how to save Tong Pass and guarantee the safety of the capital area, other matters can be discussed later!"

  Yang Guozhong's indignation was brewing in his heart, and he vowed that from now on, he would not let Chen Xuanli and Xiao Hua off the hook. However, for the time being, he didn't have much courage to accuse them because he also knew that Emperor Li Longji must be displeased with the foolish ideas he had presented earlier. This could be seen from the change in Emperor Li Longji's expression after listening to Chen Xuanli and Xiao Hua's words earlier! Yang Guozhong was too familiar with Emperor Li Longji, so he immediately spoke out boldly, then took a step back, admitting his fault to some extent, giving himself and the emperor an excuse, which was exactly what the emperor liked.

  However, Chen Xuanli misunderstood the meaning of Yang Guozhong's words and took Yang Guozhong's later words as a deliberate attempt to shift the blame. He immediately stood up again to accuse: "Your Majesty, what Xiao Shilang said is very reasonable. Yang Gong is the culprit of this defeat. If he had not repeatedly asked Geshu Han to lead his troops out of the pass to fight, but instead followed Geshu Han's advice to defend the pass and not engage in battle, thus exhausting the enemy's strength, the rebel army would never have been able to take Tongguan! In order to boost military morale, I implore Your Majesty to severely punish Yang Gong and immediately dispatch a large army to rescue Tongguan!"

  Xiao Hua and some other officials immediately stood up, accusing Yang Guozhong of abusing his power and harming the country, hoping that the emperor would severely punish him.

  However, Wei Gao immediately stood up and refuted Chen Xuanli, saying that Yang Guozhong's move was a whole-hearted effort for the country, hoping to quell the rebellion as soon as possible. Therefore, he wanted to take advantage of the good momentum to launch a major attack and quell the rebellion in one fell swoop. It was just that Geshu Han commanded the army without strategy, leading to a great defeat, and should be held accountable for it.

  Yang Guozhong also took the opportunity to stand out, pouring dirty water on Geshu Han's head again, stating that his original intention was good, hoping to take advantage of the turning situation to quickly quell the rebellion and bring peace to the people, but Geshu Han's incompetence in battle led to the great defeat. "Your Majesty, I think it is reasonable to behead Geshu Han and punish other incompetent generals to comfort the army! Otherwise, the morale will be lost again, and we will not be able to hold on to Tongguan!"

  As the two factions argued fiercely in front of him, Li Longji's face grew increasingly unsightly. His white eyebrows were knitted together, and his hands grasping the dragon throne were bulging with veins. Gao Lishi, standing beside him, was inwardly anxious, knowing that Li Longji was about to lose his temper, but he had no way to intervene.

  When discussing the urgent military situation, people with different opinions from both sides actually attacked each other, seriously "derailing" the conversation, only knowing how to add guilt to their opponents, without discussing how to rescue Tongguan. His own father was even more so, wanting to take advantage of the opportunity to kill Geshu Han. A surge of extreme disappointment and sadness welled up in Yang Jie's heart, making him want to rush forward and loudly rebuke his father and several others.

  But he finally endured it, and when both sides temporarily lowered their voices, he stood out with a hard head to cover the sound of everyone's debate, saying: "Your Majesty, I think now is not the time to discuss who should be punished. In this event of defeat at Tongguan, who was guilty, who was meritorious, and who simply made an unintentional mistake, Your Majesty will naturally discern it. What needs to be discussed most now is how to rescue Tongguan!"

  "Immediately dispatch troops to rescue Tongguan, ensure that Tongguan is not lost, rather than arguing in the imperial court about who is to blame. This is the most important thing for the imperial court to do at present, all other matters can be discussed after the rebels are defeated! Your Majesty, immediately dispatching troops to rescue Tongguan is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed! I request again, willing to lead the army to urgently rescue Tongguan! I will definitely save Tongguan from its predicament!"

  "After stunning the audience with his loud voice, Yang Hui spoke again: 'Please give me a few thousand men and horses, twice as many horses, I will use the fastest way to rescue Tongguan with two rides! I guarantee that I will arrive at Tongguan before dawn tomorrow! As long as Your Majesty authorizes me to take charge of the military affairs in Tongguan, I will definitely not disappoint you, block the rebels outside Tongguan City, otherwise, I am willing to accept any punishment from Your Majesty!'"

  Two riders alternated mounts was a method often adopted by the Mongolian cavalry during the Yuan Dynasty to conquer the world, which could advance at the fastest speed without resting horses and men on the premise of alleviating the fatigue of the mount. It was rarely used in the army before the Yuan Dynasty, but Yang Hui knew that it was an extremely critical moment now, so he brought it up, hoping to prove that his ability was not ordinary.

  Yang Hui did not know how she had such a big nerve, actually being so arrogant in front of the emperor and all the officials.

  Perhaps it's a tragic feeling that has risen, he doesn't care about anything anymore and doesn't want to waste precious time in such debates.

  As Yang Guifei spoke again with such emphasis, Yang Guozhong, who had been observing the emperor's changing expression, felt a chill in his heart and was filled with sorrow and indignation. He clearly sensed that Li Longji, who had not spoken out, harbored dissatisfaction towards him in his heart, and even intended to add to his crimes. Suddenly, a desperate feeling arose, causing him to cease arguing and obstructing, and he stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Yang Guifei, loudly making a ceremonial bow and saying: "Your Majesty, I support my son's request, please grant your approval, and appoint me to lead the relief efforts at Tong Pass and take charge of military affairs there!"

  Li Longji, who had been frowning and listening to the debate among the officials in the court, clearly felt the dissatisfaction of the officials towards Yang Guozhong. He knew that the defeat at Tong Pass had reignited the resentment many ministers had accumulated against Yang Guozhong, which was now on the verge of getting out of control. His mind was wavering, and he even considered adding to Yang Guozhong's crimes in order to placate the anger of the masses.

  But at this time, Yang Jie stepped forward and asked for orders again!

  When Yang Guo heard Yang Jia's request again, Yang Guozhong did not stop him but agreed to Yang Jia's request. He felt relieved in his heart and, without hesitation, immediately made a decision before others could express their support or opposition: "Alright, since Minister Yang also made this request, I will grant your and Yang Si Lang's request for battle. I appoint Yang Jia as the commander of the troops at Tong Pass, leading 3,000 soldiers and 6,000 horses, with two riders taking turns to rush to the rescue of Tong Pass urgently! Later, I will order a great general to lead more troops to Tong Pass!"

  Li Longji's decision shocked the ministers in the court, and Chen Xuanli, who had originally wanted to vent his anger, was also stunned. He did not expect that the Emperor would really agree to Yang Hui's request and let this 17-year-old young man lead the army to rescue them.

  It's a bit too casual for military affairs!

  However, he was also amazed at Yang Guozhong's statement that two riders could take turns riding through the night to rescue Tongguan, which is now the fastest way to rescue, and in an instant, he had a feeling of looking up to Yang Guozhong, the young son who was arrogant on the court.

  However, no one immediately stood up to express their support and opposition.

  Yang Kai's words about the emergency rescue of Tongguan shocked many people in the imperial court.

  Tongguan is about 250 miles away from Chang'an. Even if you ride a horse at full speed, it will take around 4-5 hours to arrive. However, horses cannot maintain their fastest speed for long periods of time, and running at top speed for tens of miles would exhaust them. The establishment of post stations allows for the rotation of horses at regular intervals, enabling couriers to ride in shifts and transmit military information at high speeds, making it possible to cover over 600 miles in a day.

  By relay station express horse to Tongguan, half a day should arrive, as long as people eat it up!

  But the relay station's fast horses are limited in number, it is impossible to have several thousand horses for replacement!

  The army marched, and the speed for a day was only tens of miles. Even light cavalry could only travel over a hundred miles quickly. But if they changed horses halfway or used relay riders, their speed would be even faster. The distance of 250 miles to Tongguan could be reached in five or six hours.

  Yang Hui was able to say such things, many people already thought that Yang Guozhong's youngest son was not unlearned, but had some level. His other words were even more astonishing to the ministers, and what he said was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Yang Guozhong didn't have this level either.

  Among the hesitation of the officials, Yang Gui stepped forward, bowed and responded loudly: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will lead your order to rush to Tongguan to rescue, and block the rebel army outside Tongguan City! It's just that I hope Your Majesty can satisfy my few requests!"