Chapter 1: The Outbreak of the An Shi Rebellion

  The 14th year of the Tianbao era in the Tang Dynasty, November 9th.

  An Lushan, concurrently holding the titles of Jiedushi of Fanyang, Pinglu and Hedong, joined forces with the Rouran, Xi, Khitan, Shiwei and Tujue tribes to form a massive army of 150,000 soldiers, claiming to have 200,000. Using the pretext of "concern for the country's crisis" and obeying the emperor's secret edict to attack Yang Guozhong, he openly rebelled in Fanyang.

  A great crisis has befallen the prosperous Tang Dynasty!

  After Emperor Li Longji ascended to the throne, he worked diligently to govern, eliminating corruption and reforming politics, economy, people's livelihoods, and military affairs. Through the efforts of wise emperors and ministers over twenty years, all aspects achieved significant development, bringing great peace and prosperity to the land, marking the beginning of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, known as the "Kaiyuan Golden Age". However, after a long period of peace, the people of the Tang Dynasty, including officials and civilians, had little sense of crisis awareness, and almost no one was prepared for war. When An Lushan's rebel army arrived, they encountered hardly any resistance, and the counties in Hebei surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy. In a short period, the rebels controlled most of Hebei and parts of Henan, with their military might pointing towards the Eastern Capital Luoyang and the Western Capital Chang'an.

  On November 14, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang received news of An Lushan's rebellion and was greatly enraged. He immediately issued an edict to gather the loyalist army, ordering the military governor of Anxi, Feng Changqing, and the Right Golden Lance Guard General, Gao Xianzhi, to lead a large number of hastily assembled troops out of Tong Pass to prepare to block the rebel advance.

  But An Lushan's men and horses had been stationed on the border for a long time, with rich actual combat experience, and their fighting strength was among the best in all Tang armies. The troops hastily dispatched by the court could not stop the rebel army's rapid advance at all, and Feng Changqing, who defended Luoyang, suffered consecutive defeats!

  December 13th, Tokyo falls into enemy hands!

  After the rebels captured Luoyang, they did not stay and continued to advance westward, with their military strength pointing directly at Chang'an.

  It was just because the year-end was approaching and coincided with a heavy snowfall that the rebel army's offensive pace slowed down.

  After Fēng Chángqīng's defeat in Luòyáng, he retreated to Shǎn Jùn and joined forces with Gāo Xiānzhī. Knowing they could not defeat the rebels quickly, Fēng Chángqīng and Gāo Xiānzhī adopted a defensive strategy, abandoning Shǎn Jùn and retreating to Tóng Guān. Tóng Guān was the gateway to defending Cháng'ān; if Tóng Guān fell, Cháng'ān would also be lost.

  But the series of defeats by Feng Changqing and the retreat to Tongguan after joining forces with Gao Xianzhi's army infuriated Emperor Li Longji. Under the strong demand of Prime Minister Yang Guozhong and the memorial to the throne by the eunuch monitor Bian Liancheng, which accused Feng Changqing of "using bandits to shake the army" and Gao Xianzhi of "abandoning several hundred li of land in Shaanxi and stealing food supplies for the soldiers", the court ultimately put Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi to death on charges of "losing discipline and losing the army".

  After the death of Gao Xianzhi and Geshu Han, the court appointed Ge Shuhan, who was recovering from illness at home, as the commander-in-chief of the army, with the additional titles of Shangshu Zuo Pushe and Tong Zhongshu Menxia Ping Zhangshi, to lead the troops in defending Tong Pass.

  On the first day of the first month of the fifteenth year of Tianbao, An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang, with the state name "Great Yan" and changed the era to "Shengwu".

  On January 11, An Lushan sent his son An Qingxu to lead troops to attack Tong Pass.

  Geshu Han led his troops in a bitter battle and repelled the invading enemy, but did not pursue them out of the pass, instead defending it.

  An Lushan then sent his general Cui Gan to garrison Shan City and Tian Chengsi to advance on Tong Pass.

  Cui Gan and Tian Qianzhen often sent troops to harass or provoke Tongguan City, but Geshu Han ignored them all, not even going out of the pass to fight, relying solely on the natural defenses of Tongguan to defend. When the rebels attacked, they concentrated their elite cavalry on the city walls to kill the enemy; when the rebels did not attack, they hid their flags and drums, focusing on training their soldiers.

  The rebels were unable to break through Tongguan, and after sighing at the gate, they could only send a large army to station outside the city of Tongguan for dozens of miles, facing off against Geshu Han's army.

  When the rebels occupied Luoyang and marched towards Chang'an, actions to rise in revolt against the rebels also arose one after another, causing much trouble for the rebels. The brothers Yan Gaoqing, the military governor of Changshan Commandery, and Yan Zhenqing, the military governor of Pingyuan Commandery, gathered the officials and people of 17 commanderies north of the Yellow River to resist the rebels, creating a large disturbance that cut off the post road between Luoyang and Fanyang, causing anxiety in An Lushan's army.

  Guo Ziyi, the military governor of Shuofang, led his army eastward and defeated Gao Xianzhi, a major general under An Lushan. He then captured Jingbianjun and seized Mayi. Meanwhile, Li Guangbi, the military governor of Hedong, led his army out of Pinglu and captured Changshan City. After their successive victories, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi joined forces.

  The rebel army's eastward advance was blocked by the righteous army led by Zhang Xun, the county magistrate of Zhenyuan, at Yongqiu. The southward advance was also stopped by Ru Jiong, the military governor of Shannan, in Nanyang.

  The rear is unstable, and Tongguan has been besieged for a long time without falling. An Lushan was anxious all day, thinking of abandoning Luoyang and retreating to his old nest in Fanyang.

  The entire strategic situation is developing in a direction favorable to the Tang army.

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  Tianbao 15th year, June 2nd.

  Xingqing Palace, inside Xingqing Hall, Emperor Li Longji sat upright on the throne with a joyful expression, smiling at the officials below.

  A string of good news arrived, lifting people's spirits. Li Longji, who had been worried and downcast for more than half a year, finally put his mind at ease.

  The situation is developing in a direction very favorable to the imperial court, and An Lushan is preparing to withdraw his troops from Luoyang and return to Fanyang. Upon receiving this good news one after another, Li Longji also convened a meeting with his senior officials early next morning to discuss countermeasures.

  Li Longji, who has been in power for over 40 years, is now over 70 years old. In recent years, he has been indulging in music creation and the so-called "love" with Yang Yuhuan, and has long lost his youthful vigor and fighting spirit. With his advanced age, he has become somewhat senile. This year, he has received a series of bad news, which has made him disheartened. Today, his spirit is still not bad, but the decline on his face cannot be concealed.

  After seeing that all the ministers had arrived, Li Longji straightened his back and looked at the officials below the hall, asking: "All of you, my dear ministers, Yan Gao and Yan Zhen, brothers, cut off the connection between Luoyang and Fanyang in Hebei, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi repeatedly defeated the enemy army, An Lushan's rebel army has a plan to retreat to Fanyang. Under such a good situation, what kind of way should we take to defend against the enemy next? I want to hear your suggestions!"

  Everyone in the hall looked at me, I looked at you, and then cast their eyes on Yang Guozhong, the right prime minister and Minister of Civil Appointments, standing at the head of the hall, but no one dared to stand up and answer the emperor's inquiry.

  When the rebels first rose, the imperial court's troops were powerless to resist their offensive, and Luoyang was lost in just a few days. The situation on other battlefields was also extremely critical. The government army had rarely won any battles against the rebels! Two months ago, the Emperor, in his great anger, even executed the generals who commanded the troops, Gao Xianzhi and Fanyan Qing, causing panic among the people, instability in the military, and everyone to be fearful for their lives. Now, hearing that there is a lot of good news coming, An Lushan's rebel army is preparing to retreat back to Fanyang, many officials are at a loss as to what to do next, and don't know how to proceed with the war.

  Nowadays, the great power of the court is in the hands of Prime Minister Yang Guozhong. He has won the trust of Emperor Li Longji, and his proposals are rarely opposed, except for Yang Guozhong's proposal to rebel against An Lushan. Yang Guozhong repeatedly said that An Lushan would rebel, but Li Longji did not believe him. However, now it is proven that Yang Guozhong's prophecy was correct, and Li Longji regretted it. After that, he listened to Yang Guozhong's words even more, and even killed two meritorious generals, Gao Xianzhi and Chang Qing, under Yang Guozhong's repeated instigation.

  Yang Guozhong was very pleased that all the ministers looked up to him, and after accepting their attention, he stood out, made a courtesy speech, and said: "Your Majesty, the enemy's momentum has been exhausted, and it is not far from defeat! The war in the north is very beneficial to the court. An Lushan has already prepared to abandon Luoyang, and in a few days, they will definitely withdraw from Tongguan Pass. In my opinion, we should take advantage of the continuous great victories in the north, when the morale of the soldiers is high, and make a concerted effort to destroy the rebel army outside Tongguan City! The troops led by Geshu Han stationed at Tongguan have 200,000 people, far more than the enemy. If we take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and launch a surprise attack, we will definitely defeat them!"

  Yang Guozhong stepped forward to express his opinion, and the other officials all breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Jian, the Minister of War, immediately stood up and followed suit, agreeing with Yang Guozhong's suggestion: "Your Majesty, I concur that the enemy's morale has already waned, and the rebel army that has arrived at Tongguan is only a few tens of thousands strong. The troops stationed at Tongguan under my command number nearly 200,000. We should take advantage of the enemy's low morale to launch a surprise attack, and with one battle, we can turn the tide of defeat and even quell the rebellion!

  After Wei Su's statement, several senior officials stood up and expressed the same opinion. Just as everyone thought that the opinions would be unified soon, Chen Xuanli, the Dragon Martial General, stood out in opposition. "Your Majesty, I have a different opinion! At present, the rebel army's military power is still strong in Luoyang and Tongguan areas. The soldiers led by Gesu are all newly recruited, and they can barely defend the city, but they cannot attack the enemy outside the city. If we send troops to fight outside the city, Tongguan will have no soldiers to guard it. If the bandits suddenly attack Tongguan, Tongguan will be lost; if Tongguan is lost, Chang'an will be in danger! I think we should take advantage of Tongguan's natural barriers and defend it, waiting for the arrival of the loyalist troops from various places before going out to fight, rather than sending all the soldiers out to fight. If the battle is lost, Chang'an will be in danger!"

  Seeing someone standing up and singing against him, Yang Guozhong, who had a grudge against Geshu Han, was furious. He immediately stood up again and strongly argued: "Your Majesty, I oppose General Chen's idea! At present, we cannot just defend and not fight! The continuous victories in the north have greatly boosted our army's morale, while the enemy is in disarray and cannot last for long. I think we should take advantage of the fact that our troops at Tongguan are more numerous than the enemy, who are exhausted and weak, and launch a counterattack! With the superior forces, we will definitely win and turn the tide! The enemy may not necessarily flee in all directions! Not only can the crisis in Chang'an be resolved, but it is also possible to quickly quell the rebellion!"

  "Your Majesty, I object to Yang's proposal!" Chen Xuanli immediately stood up again, with a flustered expression, loudly arguing, "Your Majesty, the troops from Anxi and Longyou have not yet arrived near Chang'an. Relying on newly recruited soldiers is no match for the enemy army. If we don't defend the city, we will surely be defeated! What we should do now is to avoid the enemy's sharp edge, take advantage of Tongguan's natural barrier to defend, and wait for the loyalist troops from all over to arrive before engaging in a decisive battle with the enemy. This is the correct way that General Geshu has repeatedly emphasized! Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot lead General Geshu out of Tongguan to fight!"

  "General Chen, your words are wrong! If we allow the enemy to surround Tong Pass without attacking, our army's morale will be even lower. Now the enemy has only a few tens of thousands of troops outside Tong Pass, and it is easy to defeat them. If we wait for all the enemy troops to arrive outside Tong Pass, it will be much more difficult to defeat them! General Chen should not speak such words that delay military action!" Yang Guozhong said, then turned to Emperor Li Longji, who was sitting silently without expression, and made a memorial plea: "Please, Your Majesty, make a decisive decision, immediately dispatch Geshu Han to lead the army out of the city to attack the enemy, in order to quickly quell the enemy's rebellion!"

  Seeing Yang Guozhong being so arrogant and rude, Chen Xuanli had no choice but to leave in sorrow and anger, without saying another word.

  "Hmm! What Yang Aiqing said is very reasonable, I agree!" Li Longji, who was sitting on the throne, finally made up his mind. "Declare my imperial edict, immediately order Geshu Han to lead all his troops out of Tongguan Pass to attack the enemy, and make sure to annihilate the vanguard of the enemy army, retake Shaanxi Prefecture, and capture Luoyang!"

  Li Longji stood up from his throne after finishing the order, preparing to leave, and his trusted eunuch Gao Lishi immediately followed him.

  The emperor left after announcing the order, and the ministers also dispersed with different emotions.

  But no one knows that what was decided in today's emergency morning meeting will bring a catastrophic disaster to the Tang Dynasty!

  －－－－－－－－－－－－

  PS: New book is launched, looking forward to the strong support of new and old book friends, recommendations, collections, rewards... all are welcome! Hehe