Chapter 125: The Western Border Ablaze

“Yang Guang did not even return to the capital. He turned straight onto the Grand Canal and headed south to Jiangnan on his southern inspection tour?”

Li Wenyuan had only just returned to Wuwei Commandery when he received the message sent back by the Night Owl.

“Yang Guang’s southern tour means that we have truly entered the era of chaos at the end of the Sui.” After repeatedly verifying the intelligence in his hands, Li Wenyuan spoke to Qiuniang, who stood before him.

“Have there been any unusual movements among the surrounding powers?”

Li Wenyuan leafed through the mountain of intelligence before him as he questioned Qiuniang. He had been away from the Western Regions for some time, and a vast quantity of accumulated reports had been waiting for him. Although intelligence had a limited shelf life, it could still serve as a useful thread for analyzing trends.

“The Eastern Turks to the north are currently under both internal and external pressure after their disastrous defeat in Yanmen Commandery, so they will not pose a threat for the time being. The Tuyuhun within our territory have also stabilized thanks to our relatively lenient policies toward the various peoples. Our internal situation is very stable, and we are capable of launching external offensives. The Western Turks to the west have shown some unusual activity recently. Their cavalry has repeatedly attempted to cross the border and enter our hinterland, but Zhang Juntai has driven them back each time. To the east, Xue Ju has recently been growing increasingly powerful. Some time ago, he began manufacturing weapons on a large scale and openly recruiting able-bodied men. He claims that he intends to suppress the bandits led by Zong Luohou within his territory, but our intelligence indicates that there seems to be some hidden connection between Zong Luohou and Xue Ju.”

Qiuniang delivered the report with practiced familiarity.

“Xue Ju should rise in rebellion very soon. Strengthen the defenses along the eastern frontier appropriately. As for the Turks to the north, we can rely on the Great Wall defenses and need not commit too many troops. The Tibetan Plateau to the south has always been isolated from the outside world at this time of year; blocking a few mountain passes will be sufficient. Next, we must destroy the Western Turks as quickly as possible, then turn back and pacify the Central Plains.”

Li Wenyuan tapped the report in his hand.

“By the way, has Li Gui made any moves recently?” Li Wenyuan suddenly remembered that Yihwu Commandery was still occupied by Li Gui.

“Li Gui has been very quiet lately. Even when the commander led the army out on campaign, he showed no reaction. The number of troops he uses to defend against Cheng Yaojin has also been steadily declining. By now, his forces have been weakened to the extreme. If not for your orders, the Fifth Legion under Cheng Yaojin would have wiped out the remnants of Li Gui’s army long ago.”

Qiuniang smiled as she spoke.

“The time was not yet right before, but Li Gui has no further value to us now. It is time to reclaim Yihwu Commandery.”

Li Wenyuan summoned a courier and ordered him to inform Cheng Yaojin to recover Yihwu Commandery as soon as possible, then escort the rebel Li Gui and all his followers to Dunhuang Commandery to await execution.

The courier had barely left when someone outside announced that an imperial censor had arrived to proclaim an edict. Upon hearing this, Li Wenyuan hurriedly set aside the documents in his hands and, with Qiuniang’s assistance, changed into his ceremonial robes. He then hastened outside to receive the edict.

The imperial censor had come all the way from Liyang because of one of Yang Guang’s sudden whims. Li Wenyuan had led more than ten thousand men deep into Yanmen Commandery, then occupied by the Turks, to rescue the emperor. This had certainly moved Yang Guang deeply, but it had also made him wary of the army in Li Wenyuan’s hands.

Yet Yang Guang no longer had either the time or the energy to personally keep such matters in balance. Thus, he conceived another solution.

Li Yuan had inherited the title of Duke of Tang of Northern Zhou at the age of seven, a fact that had always displeased Yang Guang. This time, therefore, Yang Guang also bestowed upon Li Wenyuan the title of Duke of Tang. Although the Tang dukedom of the Great Sui did not legally conflict with Li Yuan’s Tang dukedom of Northern Zhou, it was sufficient to disgust Li Yuan and create an irreparable rift between him and Li Wenyuan.

Li Wenyuan might not possess a court as deep as Li Yuan’s, but his ambition was no smaller—if anything, it was greater. Setting the two men against each other was, at this moment, a way to buy time. Thus, before the astonished eyes of his attendants, Yang Guang—who was traveling south—smiled for the first time and issued the imperial edict.

After kneeling to receive it, Li Wenyuan had the governor of Dunhuang Commandery entertain the officials from the Censorate with a lavish meal and plenty of wine. Then, using his pressing official duties as an excuse, he returned to the commander’s residence ahead of them.

“What exactly does Yang Guang mean by this? Li Yuan is already the Duke of Tang, yet he has used the same title to reward me and commend me for rescuing him at Yanmen?”

Li Wenyuan handed the imperial edict to Qiuniang with a frown.

“The sharp edge of your army has been showing too clearly this time. I fear it has unsettled the emperor, so he has found you an opponent.”

Qiuniang read the edict from beginning to end.

“The emperor’s mind is impossible to fathom,” Li Wenyuan said with a long sigh.

“Still, this gives you a rather useful legal claim,” Qiuniang consoled him.

“A legal claim?”

Li Wenyuan looked utterly perplexed.

“You have not been here very long, so perhaps you have not felt it yet. But I have lived in the Sui for nearly ten years. The Great Sui is now in a transitional period, with power shifting from the great aristocratic clans toward men of humble birth. People still place enormous importance on lineage. If Cheng Yaojin had not been desperate to save his mother, he would never have brought Qin Qiong to join you. Even Xue Renyue was merely the result of Xue Ju’s desperate attempt to preserve a bloodline for his family. This is also why you have been unable to attract famous scholars and refined gentlemen here.”

Qiuniang gave Li Wenyuan a detailed explanation of the prevailing social attitudes.

“We need not concern ourselves with all that. Those who are willing to come are welcome; those who are not, we will not force. Our system of power determines that we have no need to curry favor with those so-called aristocratic clans. We need only ensure that the common people can live and work in peace.”

Li Wenyuan nodded as he spoke.

Before Qiuniang could reply, the door was suddenly pushed open and a Night Owl officer strode in. He handed her a report, then turned and left without another word.

As the busiest department in the entire Western Regions, the Night Owl had already done everything possible to improve efficiency, eliminating all unnecessary formalities. Everything served efficiency.

Qiuniang opened the paper packet containing the intelligence and read it intently. Her expression changed slightly. She handed the report to Li Wenyuan and said, “The Western Turks have begun massing their forces along the border. They have also issued a conscription order to the vassal states under their rule. It appears that they are preparing to go to war with us.”

Li Wenyuan frowned as well. Taking the report from Qiuniang, he examined it carefully. To prevent leaks, the information had been written in simplified characters, and it gave a brief account of the movements of the Western Turkic army.

“How long does it usually take the Turks to launch an attack after they begin assembling their forces?” Li Wenyuan asked.

“Generally, about a month. They wait until all their troops have gathered before beginning their march.”

“Then we have at least another month to prepare?”

When Qiuniang nodded, Li Wenyuan felt a weight lift from his heart. War could not begin at the snap of one’s fingers. With a month to prepare before the fighting started, they had more than enough time.

End of chapter.