Chapter 275.1: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 275.1: The Unacknowledged Friend
An official instinctively said, “But Grand General Cui is still stationed in the Northern Frontier...”
Wei Shuyi replied, “Luoyang lies in the Central Plains. If Grand General Cui sets out from the Anbei Protectorate, the distance to Luoyang would not differ much from that of Xu Zhengye’s forces marching northward from Yangzhou.”
Yangzhou lay in the south, Anbei in the north, with Luoyang positioned right between the two.
This very fact alone proved Luoyang’s exceptional strategic importance—precisely why the Holy Emperor dared not harbor even a trace of carelessness regarding this battle.
At this moment, upon hearing Wei Shuyi’s proposal, the Holy Emperor lowered her gaze to the map before her. “But Xu Zhengye has already passed Xuzhou...”
“Yet Bianzhou can still serve as a blockade,” Wei Shuyi replied. “In terms of timing, it should still be feasible.”
“But the Northern Frontier must remain heavily guarded,” one minister interjected. “If the Xuanzhe Army withdraws, the Northern Di may seize the chance to invade!”
“There is no need for the Xuanzhe Army to withdraw,” Ma Xingzhou turned to Wei Shuyi. “I take it the Deputy Minister’s meaning is for Grand General Cui to personally ride for Luoyang and join the seventy thousand Xuanzhe troops dispatched from the capital there—”
“Precisely,” Wei Shuyi affirmed. “The Northern Frontier must remain secure. The eighty thousand Xuanzhe soldiers stationed there shall continue fortifying the borders.”
What they needed at this moment was a commander capable of leading the Xuanzhe Army.
“I concur,” another minister declared. “With seventy thousand Xuanzhe troops from the capital, if joined by Grand General Cui, Luoyang’s safety will be assured!”
This was not blind reverence but confidence built upon countless victories over the years.
The ministers began calculating the time required for the armies’ movements and Grand General Cui’s route from the Northern Frontier to Luoyang.
“The Grand General,” one concluded, “if he leads a light cavalry and rides south through Hedong, should be able to rendezvous with the seventy thousand troops in time!”
Though the capital was geographically closer to Luoyang, the marching of a full army would take longer. A light cavalry could move far swifter by spur and steel.
Hence, Wei Shuyi’s strategy was indeed feasible in terms of timing.
Yet, as the Holy Emperor remained silent, seeming to hesitate in her deliberation, Ma Xingzhou spoke:
“Your Majesty, if Grand General Cui commands this battle, not only will Luoyang be secured—”
“When Grand General Cui leads the Xuanzhe Army in Luoyang, while General Xiao and General Chang strike from behind, if the two forces act in concert, Xu Zhengye’s advance and retreat will both be cut off. His rebel army could thus be annihilated in one decisive stroke, ending all troubles once and for all, and serving as a warning to all who would rebel.”
The Holy Emperor’s gaze shifted slowly from the map.
A solution that promised to end all strife at once—indeed, it was tempting.
If Xu Zhengye’s faction could be eradicated entirely, that would be ideal.
There were others capable of leading the army, yet, as the ministers said, only Cui Jing could maximize the odds of victory.
The finest army must be matched with the finest commander; otherwise, its strength would be squandered.
When Xu Zhengye first raised his troops, the Holy Emperor had been furious but not alarmed. Yet after Li Yi’s repeated defeats and the fall of Jiangning...
Now that this traitorous usurper dared covet Luoyang itself—she could not afford the slightest misstep. To ensure perfection, she must send Cui Jing.
But if Cui Jing were to command the Xuanzhe Army at Luoyang, there were other matters that stirred unease within her heart.
One was the current commander of the Xuanzhe Army.
The other—the true former master of that army.
And as misfortune would have it, the former had once, before all at the Hibiscus Banquet last year, publicly declared his vow to marry none but her.
Moreover, after the incident involving the Changsun family, the restive ambitions of the Cui clan...
Each matter, buried deep within her heart, was like a hidden thorn—unsettled and dangerous, liable to pierce the throne’s peace at any time.
After weighing it carefully, the Holy Emperor’s gaze once again rested upon Luoyang on the map. At last she spoke:
“What my beloved ministers say is sound. None but Lord Cui can command this battle.”
“However,” she continued, “since Lord Cui will ride swiftly to Luoyang, for the sake of his safety, his movements must remain secret. He shall depart under imperial seal, yet none must know of his journey.”
Ma Xingzhou and the others bowed. “Your Majesty’s foresight is beyond compare—it should indeed be so.”
The Holy Emperor added, “To prevent suspicion among the prefectures, an official commander shall still be appointed in name, leading the seventy thousand Xuanzhe troops from the capital. I shall personally explain the matter to him; once they reach Luoyang, he will hand command to Lord Cui.”
The ministers discussed the proposal among themselves.
Although the appointed commander would be a mere decoy, the choice still required caution—every move in such times demanded precision.
Wei Shuyi, suspecting her intent, ventured carefully, “Then perhaps, Your Majesty, a general may be selected from within the Xuanzhe Army itself to serve as acting commander?”
The Holy Emperor considered this, then replied, “The officers currently stationed in the Xuanzhe Camp are all below the Fourth Rank—insufficient to command respect, nor to demonstrate My resolve in defending Luoyang.”
Wei Shuyi bowed slightly. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He did not press further.
Other officials offered names in turn, yet before the Holy Emperor even spoke, others had already voiced their disapproval. Truly, none seemed suitable.
A sigh rippled through the ranks.
Among the grand imperial court, there were scarcely any generals of true merit left. He Wei might have been one, but now…
Had there been a few more capable commanders, they would not have needed to recall Cui Jing from the frontier.
And then there was that so-called “rising star”—if Xu Zhengye were to seize Luoyang, such a title would become a mockery before the empire.
At length, the Holy Emperor said slowly, “I have thought of one who may bear the post.”
The court stilled.
“Li Xian will arrive in the capital tomorrow.”
A murmur spread among the officials.
The Marquis of Han was returning to court?
—
Li Xian’s original surname was He, not Li. The imperial surname was bestowed upon him.
He was, however, the Holy Emperor’s own nephew.
Before ascending the throne, the Holy Emperor had an elder sister who married a military officer surnamed He—He Fu, who was of the same clan as General He Wei.
Upon her enthronement, the Holy Emperor granted He Fu the title Marquis of Han, while his wife, Ming Shi, became the Marquisate of Han.
The Marquisate passed away early. Three years ago, when the Southern Barbarians rose in rebellion, the Marquis of Han and his eldest son, Li Xian, led troops to suppress the unrest. The aged Marquis, already weakened by southern miasma, died in the field a year later.
The Southern Barbarians grew bolder still, until the Holy Emperor dispatched Cui Jing and Chang Kuo with the Xuanzhe Army to subdue them.
Two years later, the southern lands were pacified. Last spring, Cui Jing and Chang Kuo returned triumphant, while Li Xian—who had inherited the title of Marquis of Han—remained to stabilize the southern borders.
Only recently had he been summoned back to the capital by imperial decree.
—
By the time Wei Shuyi and the others left the palace, night had fallen.
Outside the palace gates, after exchanging farewells with his colleagues, Wei Shuyi stepped into his sedan, his thoughts weighed by the evening’s decisions.
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