At night, the stars dot the deep night sky.

The lights were still on inside and outside Liangzhou City.

On the northeast, south and northwest sides, the camps are dotted like stars, winding endlessly.

The horse grazing area of ​​the stable is spread over hundreds of miles and is filled with neighing horses.

More than three months after Li Xuan took control of Liangzhou City, Liangzhou City began to regain its former prosperity.

Li Xuan opened the Hexi Corridor, allowing merchants from the Western Regions to come here to trade and buy things belonging to Liangzhou City.

Of course, before the road between Chang'an and Luoyang was opened, there was inevitably a shortage of items such as porcelain and tea.

Li Xuan continued to encourage trade in the Liangzhou area.

Hundreds of workshops outside the city continued to operate.

Li Xuan ordered his subordinates to introduce soap, glass, distilled liquor and other workshops from Anxi.

As well as cotton processing factories and cotton cloth workshops.

Dunhuang, Jinchang, Jiuquan and Zhangye counties must also be developed.

Especially the city of Dunhuang, Li Xuan intended to build it into a city second only to the city of Liangzhou, making it a veritable "Pearl of the Western Frontier".

Li Xuan appointed the Hexi Agricultural Promotion Envoy, Hexi Inspector, Hexi Salt and Iron Envoy, Hexi Ciyutang Envoy, Hexi Changping New Law Envoy, Hexi Corridor Transport Envoy and other positions to supervise Hexi's return to the right axis.

Internally, Li Xuan appointed the Hexi Zhidushi, Hexi Yingtianshi, and Hexi Helianshi to consolidate the financial power of Hexi and lay the foundation for the logistics and finance of the army.

The first wave of grain and cattle and sheep has been transported from Anxi to Liangzhou City.

Continue to replenish Liangzhou’s strategic materials.

The craftsmen in Liangzhou City were working at full capacity. Even though the army had no shortage of armor, they were still making armor, especially iron armor.

Arrows and crossbow bolts came in an endless stream.

Li Xuan rewarded the craftsmen with silk and divided them into two shifts, working day and night.

Even so, the craftsmen never get tired of it.

Since ancient times, Li Xuan has been the leader who treats craftsmen the best. He does not regard craftsmen as inferiors. In just three months, Li Xuan brought beef and mutton twice to comfort the craftsmen.

The craftsmen were deeply moved and determined to use their utmost abilities to perfect every piece of armor and sharpen every blade.

The powerful people in Helong had been eliminated by Li Xuan before. Fearing Li Xuan's butcher knife, people in Longyou and other places "donated" a lot of gold, silver and jewelry to Li Xuan in the Battle of Dayuechuan to boost morale.

It is undeniable that the powerful families in Henan, Shannan, Jiangnan, Lingnan, Jiannan and other places have the ability to incite the people to fight against Li Xuan.

But the powerful families in Longyou and Hexi had no chance at all.

Not to mention that there are military towns everywhere in Hexi and Longyou, the Hu people, even ordinary people, will not be led by the nose by the powerful families.

An octogenarian can tell the stories of Da Feichuan, and a three-year-old child can talk about the mighty power of the Heavenly General.

Therefore, the major families in Hexi prepared grain and presented it to Li Xuan as military supplies to purge the court.

The various Hu tribes in Hexi drove their cattle and sheep to express their submission to Li Xuan.

"Chang Qing, if the saint abdicates out of shame, do you think Prince Ying is more virtuous, or is the crown prince more suitable to succeed him?"

Before deciding on the plan to raid Chang'an, Li Xuan brought Feng Changqing into the team.

Under the dim candlelight, Li Xuan and Feng Changqing sat opposite each other in the tent, and Li Xuan said such treasonous words to him.

But Li Xuan knew that this was a choice he had to make.

Li Longji must never sit on the throne of emperor again.

It is even more unlikely that he would be like An Lushan, who, after seeing the magnificent palace in Luoyang, wanted to put on the yellow robe and become emperor.

In a sense, An Lushan's establishment of Great Yan and his enthronement in Luoyang were very beneficial to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan was almost certain to arrest Li Lu from Jincheng.

In comparison, Li Lu's prestige among Li Longji's sons was average.

No matter whether Li Heng was pretending or being sincere, at least the people of Chang'an and the ministers in the palace thought that Li Heng was "respectful, filial and prudent."

An Lushan's rebellion caused Li Heng's power to rise sharply.

Driven by interests from all sides, civil and military officials were disappointed with Li Longji, and there were even calls for Li Longji to abdicate.

In the Tang Dynasty, it was not uncommon for the emperor to abdicate and become the emperor emeritus.

Li Xuan was worried that Li Heng would cause trouble and kept thinking about how to deal with it.

"To Marshal Li, whether it's the Crown Prince, Prince Ying, Prince Yi, or Prince Yong, they all have their own advantages and disadvantages to you."

"If you support the crown prince, it will slightly eliminate some of the negative information about you. The abdication of the sage is a foregone conclusion, and the crown prince has done nothing wrong. If you do not support the crown prince, the world will be disappointed."

"As for Prince Ying, he grew up in the deep palace and has no political foundation. You are just more likely to control him."

Feng Changqing thought for a moment and replied to Li Xuan.

Since we have launched the rebellion under the banner of clearing out the corrupt officials, we cannot be as greedy as An Lushan.

Everything has a gradual process. If you pacify the country and let the people live a good life, it will come naturally.

Justice is always a weapon that can be used, but it is also a double-edged sword.

Feng Changqing almost hinted to Li Xuan that supporting Prince Ying was less important than supporting the Crown Prince.

As long as he can control it properly, Li Heng will not be able to shake him.

"That makes sense! But it all depends on whether we can reach Chang'an to protect the emperor."

Li Xuan nodded.

He had already planned to carry out major reforms to the imperial guards after entering Chang'an.

The former cavalry, flying cavalry and ten thousand cavalry could no longer remain.

Even the Jinwu Guards that patrolled Chang'an had to be reformed.

"Li Shuai, we are too far from Chang'an. Your spies cannot go directly through the post station. It is estimated that it will take 20 days to go back and forth. It is not easy to control the distance. Therefore, whether you can implement your plan depends entirely on God's will."

Feng Changqing pointed to the sky and answered Li Xuan.

"This is also what I am worried about. If the saint is kidnapped by Yang Guozhong's followers and escapes, I will be in a very passive position."

Li Xuan sighed, and then said to Feng Changqing: "Changqing, do you think Tongguan can be defended?"

"Tongguan is the strongest pass in the Tang Dynasty. The imperial court will surely be able to hold it if it defends it to the death. I am just afraid that the imperial court will lose patience. If Tongguan is breached, the sage and the prince will fall into An Lushan's hands, and General Li will have no choice but to support Prince Ying."

Feng Changqing has been to Tongguan, which, relying on the Yellow River and Qinling Mountains, shows its majestic power.

Such a strategic pass in the world could be easily defended by just twenty or thirty thousand men.

But Feng Changqing changed the subject, revealing his lack of confidence in the court and his concern that An Lushan would get to Chang'an first.

During this period, many generals and civil officials persuaded Li Xuan to move eastward, but Li Xuan rejected them all in a roundabout way.

Now that things have come to this, the soldiers are eager to enter Chang'an.

There is sufficient food and fodder, and with the development of animal husbandry over the past decade or so, we can eat mutton and beef from time to time.

The horses, camels and chariots were all ready.

Even the sheepskin rafts and cowhide rafts for crossing the Yellow River in Jincheng were fully completed.

All is ready except for the opportunity!
However, the decision of advance or retreat was solely up to Li Xuan, and no one else could go against it.

"In this case, I will not wait for a better opportunity and prepare a light cavalry raid on Chang'an. Opportunities will come to me!"

He had a hunch that because of his appearance, Li Longji must not have fled Chang'an in mid-June.

Rather than missing out, it’s better to take the initiative.

Chang'an is empty, so there is a chance for a surprise attack.

The Jincheng defense line that Li Longji believed in was vulnerable to Li Xuan.

"It is best to order General Nan to lead his light cavalry to take control of the post stations in the counties east of Jincheng and cut off the roads. Otherwise, the court may act irrationally when it learns that the defense line of Jincheng is broken."

Feng Changqing suggested to Li Xuan.

"That's what I thought too!"

Li Xuan agreed.

After talking with Feng Changqing for a while, Li Xuan called Cen Shen, Liu Shan, Dugu Jun and other officials into the hall and ordered them to stabilize the Liangzhou city area.

That night, Li Xuan sent a spy to inform Nan Jiyun, instructing him to lead the light cavalry and take control of the post stations along the way and block all official roads and small roads when the Tang army crossed the Yellow River.

The next day, Li Xuan mobilized the army and announced his oath to march eastward to remove the last stumbling block on the road to the east.

The cavalry went ahead, crossed the southern mountains of Guzang, entered Jincheng County, and went down along Lishui (now Zhuanglang River), a tributary of the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and rushed to Jincheng Pass on the other side of the Yellow River in Jincheng.

When passing through Guangwu County, the county magistrate opened the city gates and surrendered without even waiting for the Tang army to besiege the city, and provided food to the invading army, claiming to be providing assistance.

The light cavalry was extremely fast and covered more than 200 miles a day without any obstruction, and they saw the magnificent Yellow River.

The Yellow River flows in the shape of a Chinese character "几", from Heyuan, Baihai, across various mountain ranges, along the nine bends and eighteen turns, and then flows through Jincheng.

Finally, it will go north into the plateau, pass through Feng'an Army where Li Xuan first served in the army, and reach the Hetao area.

The Yellow River is not turbulent in this season.

But the news that the scouts brought back the rebels' eastward advance was like a bolt from the blue to Li Lu.

Although he was leading the troops on the front line, he always wanted to "separate" the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions, and had no intention of dominating the world.

With this kind of fluke mentality, he dared to stand by the Yellow River and look at the other side.

"General Lu, the thief Li is advancing eastward. How should we deploy our defenses to resist him?"

Li Lu summoned Lu Chongben and was anxious.

In the entire Longyou Army, he only trusted Lu Chongben.

After these two months, Li Lu had thoroughly understood that the attitudes of the Wuning, Shence, Dingrong, Jintian, and Anren armies were extremely improper.

Every time he issued a military order, he felt as if these people were dealing with him in a deliberate way.

This caused Li Lu to never sleep well for a single day, for he was afraid that when he woke up, those arrogant and powerful generals would rush out of his camp.

However, the troops deployed defenses at various ferry crossings along the Yellow River as required.

Although Li Longji summoned him many times and praised him for stopping the thief Li.

But Li Yu knew the details clearly, so every time he submitted a memorial, he never forgot to ask the court to send cavalry to help.

Lu Chongben advised Li Lu to replace generals such as Nan Jiyun, Xin Yunjing, Li Feiyuanli, and An Zhongzhang, but Li Lu was unable to make any changes because he did not have his own team.

He believed that he would need 30,000 cavalrymen under his command to implement his plan.

"My king, according to our army's deployment at the ferry crossings along the Yellow River, it will be harder than climbing to heaven for the rebels to cross. The Western Regions are all cavalry, and they are not used to fighting across rivers."

"But I am worried that Nan Jiyun, Xin Yunjing and others will turn against us. I heard that there have been people of unknown identities entering and leaving their tents recently."

Lu Chongben replied to Li Lu.

It was a very difficult task for him to assist Prince Ying in leading the troops.

He once followed Li Mi to attack Nanzhao, but was defeated.

Even though he wanted to prove himself, the unruly subordinates of his powerful opponent made him feel overwhelmed.

"They don't want to commit treason like Gao Kai, do they?"

What Li Mi feared most was something like this happening.

"Your Majesty, you can promise Nan Jiyun, Xin Yunjing and other generals that if they defeat Li the thief, they will all be granted the title of Duke, and lure them."

This was the only solution Lu Chongben could come up with.

"The title of Duke requires public respect, not everyone can be granted it, not to mention that I do not have such power."

Li Lu shook his head.

"There's no need to really reward them, just keep them stable..."

Lu Chongben meant to write a blank check, wait for the arrival of reinforcements, and then deal with these arrogant and powerful generals.

His ideas are still too conservative. In history, Li Heng bestowed titles on kings of different surnames as if they were free in order to boost morale.

"Pass on this king's military order. All troops are ready to fight against the thief Li. As long as we stop the thief Li outside the Yellow River, the commanders will be granted the title of Duke, the deputy commanders will be granted the title of Marquis, and the soldiers will be rewarded with silk!"

Li Lu understood what was going on. He accepted this expedient measure and issued a military order.

"As ordered!"

The guards took the order and left.

"Report... Report to the king. An Zhongzhang, who is at the ferry crossing of Feiyun Township, 150 miles north of Jincheng, has rebelled. He is leading his men and is using boats to carry the rebels' horses and equipment across the Yellow River."

At this moment, the messenger rushed to the camp and reported to Li Yu.

"Oh!"

"I've known for a long time that An Zhongzhang, this traitor, has problems."

Li Lu slammed the table and stood up. He did not expect the rebel cavalry to be so fast.

What he didn't know was that Li Xuan's first wave of vanguards were often light cavalry carrying beef jerky and riding two horses each, and were not much slower than their scouts.

"Report... Report to the king, Nan Jiyun has sent the light cavalry in the army to the east."

Before Li Lu's heartbeat slowed down, another messenger came to report.

"What is Nan Jiyun doing in the east?"

Li Lu took a deep breath.

"Not good! Nan Jiyun might want to cut off our retreat. The thief Li has already infiltrated the Longyou army."

Lu Chongben also felt very scared.

The armies are too difficult to control, and even if I promise the Duke, I'm afraid I won't be able to make them change their minds.

"Are there any loyal ministers of the Tang Dynasty among the generals in Longyou? Who can be used to stop the two traitors An Zhongzhang and Nan Jiyun?"

Li Lu was extremely anxious and paced back and forth in the tent.

"It is difficult for me to tell. Currently, there are only 1,000 cavalrymen who came with us. The others cannot be trusted."

Lu Chongben was at a loss.

Faced with Li Xuan's high pressure, even generals loyal to the court would be wary.

In the final analysis, when Li Xuan was in power, he rewarded his soldiers many times to win over the military's hearts. He had also been through hundreds of battles and won every one of them, and his prestige was as high as Mount Tai.

"Can we use the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Tongjia and other Hu peoples?"

In panic, Li Lu thought of the troops outside Longyou.

"Your Majesty can give it a try and let the Hu people in Longyou attack An Zhongzhang and pursue Nan Jiyun. I hope they still know that they are subjects of the Tang Dynasty." Lu Chongben had no objection and could only try his best.

The personal guards carried Li Lu's military orders and went to command the various Hu tribes in Longyou.

The Hu people in Longyou simply accepted Li Lu's military orders but remained indifferent.

They are very realistic.

As a nation conquered by Li Xuan, they instinctively feared Li Xuan.

No courage to confront Li Xuan.

They have already seen through the trick. The elite soldiers in iron armor from Longyou don't even bother to fight. Are they going to go up and die?
Li Lu was very angry when he learned about this, but he was powerless to do anything.

That night, the messenger stumbled into Prince Ying's camp.

"Report..., Your Majesty, Duan Xueshi, Qu Huan, Li Feiyuanli and other Longyou troops have rebelled. They have abandoned the ferry crossing and are rushing towards your camp."

Li Lu took a thousand imperial cavalrymen and stayed on the east side of the Yellow River, with Jincheng Pass on the opposite bank.

Guarded by Yang Jinghui.

Li Lu was afraid that Jincheng Pass on the other side of the river would be breached, so he held it here.

Not far from him was the army led by Duan Xueshi, Qu Huan and Li Feiyuanli.

Behind him were the various Hu tribes in Longyou, as well as the Hu infantry and cavalry directly under the command of the Tang Dynasty, led by Murong Xihao.

"Your Majesty, this is a trap! The reason why Li the bandit has not advanced eastward for a long time is that he has been secretly recruiting his old subordinates from Longyou. This is why it is like this now. We only have a thousand imperial guards and are absolutely no match for them. Now I swear to support Your Majesty in breaking through the siege."

Lu Chongben persuaded Li Lu to break out, but his suggestion could be said to be a fantasy and died before it was implemented.

He finally understood that with Li Xuan's infiltration of the Longyou Army, it would be useless even if he promised to make everyone a prince.

Unless as early as eight years ago, the imperial court sent people who had no connection with Li Xuan to be generals and gradually replaced the main generals of Helong.

But who would have thought this day would come eight years ago?

At that time, Li Xuan was still a prime minister who was striving for reform.

"Where has the prestige of the imperial court gone? Why are all of them rebels?"

"The Imperial Guards, assemble and follow me to break out of the encirclement!"

Li Lu was a man of letters and was good at writing.

It took him a lifetime of courage to say this.

Although Chang'an is a birdcage, it is rich and prosperous. Unlike here, not only is the environment harsh, but there are also swords and sabers.

Thinking that the rebels were going to surround him, fear instantly overwhelmed Li Lu like a tide. His legs became weak and his voice began to tremble.

He knew the situation was hopeless and he had no choice but to try to break out.

He drew out the sword with his weak arms and mounted his warhorse under the protection of his personal guards.

Thousands of imperial guards were dressed urgently.

In panic, their ranks were not in order.

Being surrounded on all sides, they felt extremely guilty and had lost their will to fight before they even started to break out.

"No soldier may shoot arrows at night, and no soldier may harm King Ying. Anyone who captures King Ying alive will be promoted three levels and rewarded with a hundred gold coins!"

Duan Xueshi rode on a black horse and issued military orders to the soldiers near Prince Ying's camp.

Prince Ying must not die.

Otherwise, it would be very disadvantageous to Li Shuai in terms of public opinion, and he believed that Li Shuai would have the opportunity to take advantage of Prince Ying.

He also informed Li Fei Yuanli and Qu Huan, asking them to restrain their soldiers and only kill the rebellious imperial guards.

"Capture King Ying alive!"

"Capture King Ying alive..."

Countless soldiers held torches and shouted on the banks of the Yellow River.

Above the wilderness, fire dragons danced wildly, lighting up the night sky.

When Li Lu heard the shouting, he felt aggrieved and angry.

He didn't want to die, so he had no choice but to break out.

"Protect Prince Ying..."

After a while, the Imperial Guards were the first to encounter the Suirong cavalry.

All of these imperial guards were registered in Jingzhao. Their fathers were either in the Flying Cavalry or the Wanqi, and they knew their duties.

Even if the fighting ability is not good, I will still grit my teeth and fight forward.

The two cavalry forces charged at each other, and the sound of metal and iron was accompanied by the sound of waves of the Yellow River.

But when the blood flows, it is often the tragic song of the Dragon Guards, who are known as the "Ten Thousand Riders".

The once valiant imperial guards were feared throughout the world.

It is no longer their era.

The border troops dominate!

"kill!"

A general of the Suirong Army was brave and charged forward with his spear in hand.

He rushed forward like a killer in the dark, attacking the vital points and knocking the imperial guards off their horses one by one.

Although the Longyou army had not fought for a long time, it was still strong and the soldiers burst into full force as soon as they engaged.

The imperial guards seemed to have hit a wall and could not move forward an inch.

Seeing torches burning in the sky ahead, Li Lu had no choice but to break out from other directions with dozens of imperial guards.

But the number of the imperial guards was too small compared to the border troops, and most of them were soon held back.

So no matter where Li Lu ran, he would be intercepted.

"Prince Ying is there!"

Prince Ying, wearing brightly coloured armour, was intercepted and recognised before he could run far.

The border soldiers rushed towards Prince Ying as if they were injected with chicken blood.

"My king, you go first, I will stop them."

Lu Chongben stepped forward and allowed Li Lu to continue fleeing.

"There were flames all around, and there was nowhere to escape."

Li Lu looked around, knowing that there was no way to escape.

Disheartened, Li Lu planned to surrender in the hope of saving his life.

"Li thief, Li Xuan, so your last name is Li! Are you worthy of Emperor Taizong?"

Li Lu looked at the Yellow River at night again, and his heart was like the rolling Yellow River.

The Yellow River carries so much.

This side is the thief Li, and that side is the thief An.

If the rebels here cross the Yellow River, what’s the point of defending Tongguan over there?
"Ugh!"

Lu Chongben also sighed deeply and put down the weapon in his hand.

It’s better to just survive!

Li Xuan controlled Longyou and fought a battle with a huge disparity in strength.

Li Lu's personal guards received the order to lay down their arms and surrender. A group of soldiers from Longyou rushed forward and captured Li Lu and Lu Chongben excitedly.

Soon after, Duan Xueshi announced that Prince Ying had been captured alive, and ordered the stubborn imperial guards to surrender.

The imperial guards had lost their will to fight, and upon hearing the news, they laid down their weapons.

The next day, Li Xuan led 5,000 light cavalry from the Tian Ce Army to the Jincheng Ferry.

People and horses quickly crossed the Yellow River.

These five thousand Tiancewei light cavalry were exactly the team that Li Xuan used to raid Chang'an.

Everyone has three horses.

Among them there were also a thousand men, each with four horses. They were the iron cavalry, and they put their iron armor on the spare horses and followed.

The soldiers carried wine and beef jerky and marched for more than eight hours every day.

Behind these 5,000 light cavalry, there were another 100,000 cavalry following closely behind them, but without so many spare horses, they could not keep up with the pace of the light cavalry.

Then there are some infantry and cavalry from Hexi and Longyou.

The plan was to advance towards Guanzhong in three echelons.

"Cheng Gong, Nan Ba, I think Tubo will take advantage of the fact that the Tang Dynasty is not in chaos and send troops to attack Baihai. They may even attack Qinghai, Jiuqu, and enter Helong. For the safety of the people of Helong, a part of the Helong army must be left to guard against Tubo. I will leave the battlefield here to you."

The day before Li Xuan set out to fight, he gave instructions to Duan Xueshi and Nan Jiyun.

One of them was a scholar and the other a military man, and they were often on the front line against Tubo. Li Xuan was confident in handing over important matters to them.

Mashang Zhongbajie and Enlan Dazhalugong were still in power.

In another time and space, the Tang Dynasty was incomparably tragic. Millions of Han people became slaves of the Tibetans. The territory that was gained at the cost of tens of thousands of soldiers' lives was lost in one day. The dozen or so counties in Helong became the nourishment of the Tibetan Empire.

Even though Tubo's strength suffered a severe blow, Li Xuan could not take it lightly.

Tubo had a desire for revenge and tried to trip up Li Xuan, hoping that Li Xuan would die without a burial place.

"General Li, Tubo must not have had time to mobilize its troops. Nanba and I will return to Baihai immediately and lead the Subi, Tongjia, Tuyuhun, Bailangqiang, Dangxiang, and Nuqi to set up an ambush."

Duan Xueshi witnessed the development of Tubo during these nine years. Their entire nation became soldiers and their strength gradually recovered.

Mashong Zhongbajie has excellent governing ability and is by no means the "lucky man" that people initially thought.

If Tubo wanted to defeat the Tang Dynasty and gain the territory during the Kaiyuan period, it had to take advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty and march north.

This time, Li Xuan gave Duan Xueshi and Nan Jiyun a total of 40,000 elite soldiers from Longyou, and about 60,000 vassal troops.

The Bailang Qiang, Subi, and Tuyuhun are now highly aligned with the pace of the Tang Dynasty.

The Tongjia, Dangxiang, Nuci, Xiqiang, and Tubo tribes were all subordinate, and their nobles were massacred during the Li Xuan era.

To some extent, the Hu people have lived a better life in recent years than before.

"Nanba, don't regret not following me to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion. This is the achievement of Ying and Wei."

Li Xuan patted Nan Jiyun on the shoulder and said, "It took us several years to expand our territory to Baihai. We must not give back every inch of our territory."

He had appointed Nan Jiyun as deputy ambassador of Longyou Jiedushi and Duan Xueshi as military commander of Longyou.

"I wish Marshal Li a successful start."

Nan Jiyun bowed, and he suddenly felt a great pressure.

"Mr. Cheng, I cannot meet with Liu Yan, Yang Wan, and Gao Shi for the time being. Please help me pass on a message to them. If you are willing to join me in creating the world, you can temporarily manage Qinghai County, Jishi County, and Baihai County to provide logistics for the frontline soldiers resisting Tubo. I used to share the same ideals with them, and I still do now. If they think I am a traitor, they can resign and I will not make things difficult for them. I am ready to appoint the new governors of the three counties."

Li Xuan didn't have time to meet Liu Yan, Yang Wan and Gao Shi, so he asked Duan Xueshi to help pass the message.

Liu Yan and Yang Wan were both talented prime ministers trained by Li Xuan.

After many years of experience, he has become a master.

They had Li Xuan's stamp on their heads and were not valued by Yang Guozhong, so they could only continue to serve as prefects in the frontier.

"I believe they can understand Li Shuai's difficulties!"

Duan Xueshi nodded and reminded: "Marshal Li once struck a heavy blow to the Uighur Khan at Baitinghai. Whether he is a hero or a villain, he will never forget that hatred. The Uighurs are also a sharp sword hanging over the Hexi Corridor."

"Well! I have made some preparations regarding the Huihe."

The Hexi Army is slightly smaller in number than the historical Hexi Army.

Li Xuanneng was able to summon 40,000 infantry and cavalry from the Longyou army to Chang'an.

But he only summoned 30,000 troops from the Hezhong army.

Another 35,000 troops from Hexi were left to defend the Hexi Corridor.

Together with 20,000 vassal troops, he resisted the Uighurs who might march south at any time.

Li Xuan had appointed Li Zhushi as deputy ambassador of Hexi Jiedushi, Li Guangchen as military commander of Hexi, and Guo Yingyi as military commander of Chishui.

The elite Chishui Army will serve as an important force in guarding against the Uighurs.

Li Xuan also had a backup plan for the Uighurs.

The establishment of the Qarluk Khanate was to guard against the Uighurs from moving south to the Hexi Corridor.

Mo Yanchuo was furious with Li Xuan. He had already recovered Xiaohai (now Lake Baikal) and was preparing to expand westward, but the Qarluk Khanate blocked the way to the Uighurs.

Under normal circumstances, Moyan Chuding would not dare to look at Li Xuan for even a second.

But the Tang Dynasty was in civil strife, and it was impossible for Mo Yanchu to have no ideas.

Afterwards, Li Xuan left his subordinates behind, and Liu Tiao presided over the task of conducting statistics on the military farms, pastures, horse prisons, and cultivated land in Longyou.

After Li Xuan arrives in Chang'an and makes sure the situation is stable, he will consider letting Liu Yan and Yang Wan govern Hexi and Longyou respectively.

On March 26, Li Xuan personally led 5,000 light cavalry, and dozens of subordinates and generals including Feng Changqing, Che Shensai, and Liu Shan, to attack Chang'an.

He arrested and imprisoned Prince Ying the day before yesterday, crossed the Yellow River yesterday, and set out today. He did not waste a moment.

Li Xuan knew that he was the only one who could do this kind of thing.

Perhaps Li Longji would escape from Chang'an early because of Li Xuan.

The situation got out of control, leaving Li Xuan with nothing to rely on but luck.

The post stations and roads along the way have all been controlled by light cavalry.

The imperial court knew that something might happen in Longyou, but did not know the details.

They are waiting for more clarity.

A group of elite soldiers selected from the Western Regions army were approaching Chang'an without stopping...

The news was leaked only when Li Xuan rushed to Shanggui County (now Qingshui County) in Longxi Prefecture.

The local county magistrate sent a postman to report to Chang'an.

Although they were a little faster than thousands of light cavalrymen marching together, they were not much faster...

(End of this chapter)