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Chapter 189 Serving the Emperor

In the spring of the first year of Zhonghe, Li Ye stood in front of the tower in the Qing Prefecture. Facing south-west, he looked on, and extending from his sight was the hinterland of the Central Plains.

The Central Plains were in the midst of war. After Huang Chao took over Chang’an, many villages, towns and states in Guanzhong have surrendered. But there were still those, though might not be loyal to Tang as such that were still unwilling to surrender.

The oncoming spring breeze, blew his hair and head band. With those deep eyes and keeping his composure as usual, Li Ye did not say anything. A few steps behind him were the Junior Priestess and Senior Priestess. They had a totally different temperament, but they both still looked beautiful and charming. They were protecting him from left to right at a close distance.

In front of Li Ye, on the vast land outside the Qing Prefecture, the 100,000-strong army was divided into two sides performing the military formation demonstration. There was a saying that once the number of people went over 10,000 then they seemed never ending. Now that there were over 100,000, it was impossible to see the end of the formation. The sound of the soldiers’ footsteps, armor, hooves of the war horses, coupled with screams and yells came in waves. The thunderous war cries and demonstration made the dust flare up all around them, even covering the sunlight.

It wasn’t long before the chief of the Black Office Song Jiao, who was wearing purple flowered robes, walked over with her usual sexy shake. When she passed the Senior Priestess, the Priestess’ finger moved and white silk popped out from her sleeves. Song Jiao lifted her brows, but did not turn to look.

Li Ye was watching the military demonstration, but did not neglect that Song Jiao approached. He stepped back and sat down on a gorgeous couch covered with tiger skin. He leaned on the small table and asked, “What is it?”

Song Jiao’s lazy tone revealed her flirtatious charm. She smiled and added, “Before leaving Fengxiang, the majesty has given the military power to Zheng Tian who is the commissioner in Fengxiang. And now he is the general commander of all the military of the four sides of the capital. All the soldiers and horses in the world are under his control, and he is on his way here. His Majesty has also appointed you military leader of the east side army.”

“Zheng Tian, the commissioner of Feng Xiang? I have some recollection of him, but his reputation has never been one of significance. How could he have attained military power? Tell me the details.” Li Ye frowned slightly.

Song Jiao slightly twitched the corner of her lips and added, “Before the new year, when Huang Chao breached Tongguan, Tian Lingzi led 5,000 Regal cavalry guards and protected the majesty to the west. When they passed Fengxiang, Commissioner Zheng Tian led council officials and greeted them at Luogu. Zheng Tian pleaded that the majesty remained in Fengxiang to command their troops to fight against the rebels. The majesty declined, but he was adamant on fighting the rebels. And since Sichuan was far away and hard to travel to petition and report, so Zheng Tian had pleaded the majesty to give him military power. That way he could act according to the circumstances.”

Li Ye smiled and said, “That guy has always been good with people. It goes without saying that after Your Majesty gave the military power to Zheng Tian, he continued to rush west towards Sichuan. But Feng Xiang is not far from Chang’an, and a million Rebellion Army is in front of him. How could the generals and soldiers of the Fengxiang Army accept the task of fighting against the Rebellion Army during these times?”

Song Jiao laughed and said, “When Zheng Tian met with the generals to discuss the task, they were naturally unwilling at first. Zheng Tian was furious; he screamed and swore he’d rather die than fight the rebels. He was so mad that he fainted, and it took the generals every effort to wake him up, but he still couldn’t move, much less say anything. All he did was cry in pain. When the generals saw Zheng Tian’s loyal and patriotic heart, they were moved and were willing to follow his lead. So then Zheng Tian jumped to his feet and sore a blood oath with the generals to fight the rebels, saying that as long as their hearts were in the right place, the rebels would definitely die.”

Having heard all that, Li Ye did not laugh, but looked rather awkward. The people of this era were generally much more conscience than those of the Age of Dharma Decline. However, he could see that Zheng Tian still had some wits. The fact that the Black Office managed to find out those details showed that they did their job well.

By the time Li Yan’s order of appointing Li Ye to be the commander of the eastern army and deploy the troops to fight against Huang Chao had reached Qing Prefecture, the Black Office had already reported Fengxiang’s battle progress.

After Huang Chao enthroned himself in Chang’an, he sent the prime minister Shang Rang to lead an army and attack. But he was defeated by those that stayed in Fengxiang, General Wang Jian of Regal Guards, General Li Maozhen of Regal Guards, and Fengxiang army. After that, Huang Chao sent people to persuade Zheng Tian to capitulate, but Zheng Tian tore the letters and killed the messengers. Later, Wang Jian, Li Maozhen and the Fengxiang army fought valiantly and controlled the situation.

Meanwhile, the commissioners of Shuofang, Xiasui, and Jingyuan had all rushed to Fengxiang with their troops, and the Fengxiang Army and its officers suddenly made a big splash.

Under these circumstances, Li Ye led 100,000 Ping Lu troops and went out of the Qing Prefecture. His preparations for dispatching troops had been going on for half a year, and now everything was ready. After entering Qi Prefecture, the army requisitioned the Changhe Gang and other river gangs to help ship the soldiers. They traveled south of the Ji River with the down-flow current and headed straight to Bianzhou.

After Li Ye arrived in Bianzhou, he ordered the army to camp outside Bianzhou. When all the soldiers landed, they had to travel the rest of the way on foot. Out of the 100,000 Pinglu army, 80,000 were new soldiers, 20,000 were veterans, accounting for about 70-80 percent of Pinglu military strength. The number of cavalry was the least, with only 20,000, because there were not many high-quality horse farms in Pinglu.

Bianzhou had belonged to the Xuanwu Army. And there was still a distance from Bianzhou to Guanzhong, which meant that the Rebellion Army had not gotten here, and that the Xuanwu Army had not surrendered.

In Bianzhou, Li Ye heard that Li Keyong had borrowed tens of thousands of troops from the Dadan Sect and joined up with the Shatuo to head down south to serve the Emperor.

While Li Ye led Pinglu Army to the south, the situation of Guanzhong’s battle was changing.

At night, the big tent was brightly lit and Li Ye was studying the map. Song Jiao lifted the curtain to come into the tent with the latest news from the Black Office.

“How is the Guanzhong war situation?” Li Ye looked up to ask her when he saw Song Jiao enter the tent.

Song Jiao was a little tired, and her charming face was a little pale at the moment. It was not known how long she had not rested, which made her look a little bit more delicate. Now it was the time the Black Office operated at high speed. News was constantly coming in from everywhere, which she needed to organize in time.

“Zheng Tian lost.” Song Jiao was concise and comprehensive, informing him about the worst news possible.

Li Ye did not panic, signaling Song Jiao to sit down. He poured a bowl of water and handed it to her. He returned to the general’s bench and sat down. He was now prepared to listen carefully. “Tell me more details.”

After drinking the water, Song Jiao put down the tea bowl, gathered the breath and added, “When the commissioners of Shuofang, Xiasui, and Jingyuan led their troops to Fengxiang, Zheng Tian had made quite a name for himself. At the same time, Huang Chao was livid and ordered the prime minister Shang Rang to lead the main force of the Rebellion Army to start the third attack. Zheng Tian set up a trap in Longwei slope and utterly defeated Shang Rang. He then beheaded 200,000 soldiers and headed for Chang’an.”

“At that time, the Hezhong commissioner Wang Chongrong, Yicheng commissioner Wang Chucun and Xiasui commissioner Tuoba Sigong had all led their troops towards Chang’an. Huang Chao was shocked at seeing hundreds of thousands of troops only tens of miles from him, so he got away from Chang’an. Just as Huang Chao left, the Jingyuan commissioner got to Chang’an first to grab the credit from Hezhong, Yicheng and other commissioners, who got there later. He got to Chang’an without informing the other commissioners, but his troops lacked discipline. After they entered Chang’an, they started raping and pillaging, creating turmoil.”

“When Huang Chao got word of the situation, he returned to Chang’an and made a counter attack. The troops were taken by surprise by the comeback attack and thus were utterly defeated. The Shuofang and Jingyuan commissioners were all killed in the attack. Hezhong, When Yicheng and other troops got wind that Shuofang and Jingyuan troops had been defeated, they too were shocked and retreated back to their vassal states. Then, Huang Chao was again safe in his seat of Chang’an and the Rebellion Army’s strength was even more profound. More state commissioners had joined them and the Taoists of Zhongnan Mountain had even anointed Huang Chao the title, ‘Xuanwu emperor’!”

After listening to the details, Li Ye had mixed feelings and didn’t know what to say.

After a moment, he smiled wryly, shook his head and added, “After this battle, the soldiers and horses of the vassal states have retreated. Zheng Tian had suffered heavy losses. Even if he were intent on killing them, he was powerless to achieve it. At most, he could only shrink back to Fengxiang, meanwhile Huang Chao’s strength had been reinforced, making him even more difficult to defeat.”

Song Jiao asked, “What do we do now that the situation is like this? The army has come from afar and their daily consumption of grain is huge. Not to mention the fact that people must eat during the transportation of grain. Although Pinglu has built up food stock these couple of years, it still can’t afford such consumption. If the war continues for a year or two, regardless of whether we win, Pinglu will be dragged down.”

Li Ye did not hesitate and added, “We definitely cannot retreat because of the distance. I mean if we retreated this time and the situation calls for deployment of the troops again, it will cost even more food and more toss, not to mention the fuss, which is not good for morale. As for the grain consumption along the way, it will not be so serious with the help of Ji River and the river gang.”

Having said that, Li Ye then paused for a moment and added, “Of course, we cannot supply the grain alone, we must enlist the help of the vassal states along the way.”

Song Jiao smiled bitterly and said, “Asking the vassal states to supply the food is by no means easy.”

Li Ye said with confidence, “It is not difficult to convince them.”

Song Jiao’s eyes lit up and asked, “You have an idea?”

Li Ye added, “It is not hard to think of one.”

Song Jiao rolled her eyes and asked, “You want to go to war?”

Li Ye replied, “If we defeat a strong enemy, we would earn merit and momentum. At the same time, we would demonstrate strength. By then, if we demand the vassal states to give us food, they would obey, willingly or otherwise.”

Song Jiao asked, “Who are we fighting against?”

Li Ye replied, “Zhu Wen.”

Song Jiao was taken aback at first, then she gathered herself. Zhu Wen had earned himself quite a reputation. Through the intelligence gathered at the Black Office, she was able to tell Li Ye all the noted details about him. “Zhu Wen started off as a scoundrel on the streets. He has two other brothers, and people call him Zhu Asan. His father died when he was young, so he lived with his mother struggling for survival. Although his family has always struggled, he was lazy. Without a proper job, he would steal and get into trouble every other day. Often he would be beaten by his master.”

“The master often scolded him for not working on the farm. But he defended that only the riff raff worked on farms, and that a real man should be ambitious. He refused to do farm work for his master all his life. He was fortunate that his master’s mother liked him and took care of him as she regarded Zhu Wen as someone special. Otherwise he would’ve been kicked out many times. When he grew up, Zhu Wen asked the aged mother of his master for a bow and arrow. He often went hunting in the mountains with his second brother and came back with something every time. Life was a lot easier since he was good at hunting.”

“When Huang Chao was on the rise, Zhu Wen said to his second brother that a truly great man must achieve great things. Either join the army or become a thief. Now the opportunity had come. His second brother thought he made sense, so they joined Huang Chao, leaving big brother to take care of their mother.”

“After following Huang Chao, Zhu Wen quickly earned Huang Chao’s appreciation with his eye-catching performances. He rose among the ranks and became chief of the Trusted Army and earned many accolades. After Huang Chao took over Chang’an, he let Zhu Wen assemble an army at Wei Bridge, and later Zhu Wen became commander of the southeast army. When he headed the charge out of Tongguan, he rarely lost. Now he has taken over the important town of Dengzhou.”

After giving him the report, Song Jiao concluded, “In short, Zhu Wen is a military sergeant. Earned his reputation from bloody battles and not easy to get along with. Now with his battle record, his momentum is flourishing. With many soldiers and horses, he is not easy to defeat.”

Li Wei didn’t expect such a detailed report on Zhu Wen. Song Jiao’s intelligence work was meticulous. Before his transmigration he only knew that Zhu Wen overthrew the Tang Dynasty and established the Houliang Dynasty. And that he was the most prestigious hero at the end of the Tang Dynasty. He laughed and added, “You even managed to gather information from his childhood?”

Song Jiao raised her delicate little chin and proudly added, “We have placed spies in Zhu Wen’s army. And he would always brag when he’s drunk. These words were all heard by my people. Not only that, but I also know that Zhu Wen privately regards Liu Xiu as his idol. He would often use Liu Xiu’s famous saying ‘If you want to be an officer, be a powerful one. If you want to marry, make sure she is pretty.'”

“According to Zhu Wen’s second brother, he took a fancy to the daughter of Inspector General in Songzhou when he was still a little child. He swore to make her his wife. Now Zhu Wen and his second brother have high status. His brother is married, but he is not. It is assumed that he will find his childhood sweetheart.”

Li Ye almost dropped his chin on the ground from shock. “Wow! I didn’t know there’s that side about him.”

Song Jiao glared at him and said, “Why can’t he have such a side? Are you suspecting the truthfulness of my information?”

“I do not dare.” Li Ye laughed aloud. In the end, he said seriously, “He really is an extraordinary person who accomplished extraordinary things.”

Song Jiao snorted and added, “And you still want to fight him?”

“Of course, I must fight him!” Li Ye added confidently, “Amidst the chaos in the Central Plains, Zhu Wen’s the strongest. Who else am I going to fight? I’m not that persimmon-eating old woman who only picks on the soft ones. The reason why Zhu Wen occupied Dengzhou was to defend against the army from north Xiangyang. There won’t be any archenemies outside Tongguan as long as we defeat Zhu Wen. By then, we could gather all the soldiers and horses from the towns and head straight for Guanzhong. And after that, fight to the death with Huang Chao in Chang’an!”

Song Jiao saw that Li Ye was serious, so she asked, “You really want to fight?”

Li Ye nodded, then he got up and walked in front of the map. After a moment, he added, “If we were to attack Dengzhou, we need to go through Zhongwu Army’s territory. I heard that the Zhongwu Army had already surrendered to Huang Chao?”

Song Jiao stopped before the map, looked at it a few times, then she suddenly smiled and added, “If you really want to fight Zhu Wen, we can persuade Zhongwu’s army to come to our side. Now, Yang Fuguang is the superintendent of Zhongwu Army. He was the eunuch who once intended to convince Wang Xianzhi to serve the country. Although he is a eunuch, he is a loyal and patriotic. If you could set up a meeting with him, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to team up with him. You two could then try and convince the Zhongwu commissioner to stand with you.”

Li Ye had his suspicions, so he asked, “Could Zhongwu army be so easily convinced?”

Song Jiao rolled her eyes at Li Ye and added, “Though Zhongwu Army has surrendered to Huang Chao, still, is he truly loyal to Huang Chao? He just let Huang Chao pass when Huang Chao passed Zhongwu a year ago. You are Prince An after all, and you have brought 100,000 strong brigade. If you enlist the help of Yang Fuguang, it is not impossible to persuade him to be loyal to the imperial court.”

Li Ye nodded and said, “In that case, I’ll let Liu Dazheng lead the army to march forward slowly and Shangguan Qingcheng to lead the cavalry and catch up with them. You and I will take a trip to Xuzhou to meet Yang Fuguang.”