From the series: The Eighty-One Cases of Journey to the West · The Great Tang Dunhuang Upheaval
Guazhou, Jingtu Temple.
Jingtu Temple was situated in Guazhou’s outer city. Step outside and one was in the farmlands and gardens south of the city; the eastern and western markets were also some distance away. It was among the more secluded and out-of-the-way places within the city.
In the Puxian Meditation Courtyard at the northwest corner of Jingtu Temple, a huge desert poplar grew — of several hundred years’ age, its gnarled trunk mottled and its dense shade blanketing the ground. Lv Sheng leaned askew against the tree roots that jutted above the earth, a jug of wine before him, drinking in solitary loneliness.
At this moment, Jade Gate Pass Commissioner Pumi Di walked into the courtyard and bowed respectfully. “I pay my respects to the Divine Sovereign!”
“Call me Alang!” Lv Sheng said coldly. “I loathe that title!”
“Yes, Alang!”
Pumi Di hastened to reply.
“Have the people been brought?”
Lv Sheng said.
Pumi Di was of Turk slave-herd origins and spoke Chinese with less than fluid ease. “Yes, Alang. This subordinate brought nine Star Generals and thirty Wolf Soldiers from Jade Gate Pass — all have entered Guazhou City and, following your instructions, have been dispersed and quartered in separate locations.”
“There is no need to disperse them.” Lv Sheng considered for a moment. “Wang Junke is about to launch his rebellion — if the men are scattered, we will be unable to control the situation. Station six Star Generals in the eastern city, hidden near the vicinity of the Protectorate-General. After Wang Junke occupies Guazhou, he will certainly use the Protectorate-General as his base. When the court’s pacification army arrives, order the Star Generals to strike full force and assassinate Wang Junke.”
“Yes, Alang.” Pumi Di said. “And the other three Star Generals?”
“The other three…” A mocking look appeared on Lv Sheng’s face. “Station them at the city gates — to help Wang Junke seize Guazhou!”
“Yes, Alang.” Pumi Di seemed to want to say more but held back.
“What is it?” Lv Sheng asked.
Pumi Di said, “Alang, Yuguxue has sent men bearing generous gifts. His words are humble and deferential — he says that, following your instructions, he has already ordered his armies to gather at Yiwu and adopt a posture of attacking Guazhou. He states that if Alang requires it, he is willing to personally lead his troops to launch a real assault on Guazhou, in order to support the Divine Sovereign’s plan.”
“Tell him,” Lv Sheng said coldly, “that I do not need a real assault. What he has done already is sufficient. I am satisfied.”
“Yes, Alang.” Pumi Di said. “Yuguxue says that once the matter of Guazhou is accomplished, he earnestly begs Alang to visit Yiwu State on an inspection tour. He is willing to offer his entire state in devotion to the Divine Sovereign. He hopes Alang will grant him this honor.”
“Inviting me to Yiwu?” Lv Sheng laughed coldly. “Is he planning to betray Khagan Xieli? He wishes to use my name to rally the Turk clans — it must be that he wants to scheme for the position of Grand Khagan?”
“At present Khagan Xieli’s own people are turning against him, and he grows weaker by the day. The Baye Gu, Huihe, and Tongluo clans have all betrayed him, proclaiming Yinan as the Pearl Khagan and rising in rebellion. Now the Eastern Turks are, in effect, on the verge of splitting apart.”
Pumi Di said, “Alang is the incarnation of the celestial…”
Pumi Di did not dare continue. Lv Sheng waved his hand with an air of listless boredom. “No matter. In the eyes of those barbarians, the wolf is still more valuable.”
“Yes, Alang is the Wolf God descended from Heaven. If you went to Yiwu, Yuguxue could summon the various clans to submit with your authority — a simple matter.”
Pumi Di said.
Lv Sheng made no direct reply. “Yuguxue is Khagan Xieli’s nephew, and now he too wishes to betray him. It appears the Eastern Turks are past saving. The Tang Emperor is planning to campaign against the Eastern Turks — since I have also received benefits from the court, I will give him a hand. Tell Yuguxue that I will make a trip to Yiwu, but that I have one question for him — does he dare to proclaim himself Khagan?”
Pumi Di smiled. “Yuguxue would jump at the chance — he will surely be overjoyed.”
At this moment, Li Zhi led two retainers and hurried into the courtyard. Seeing Lv Sheng’s calm expression, he at once relaxed.
“Young Master Lv, have you rested well?” Li Zhi smiled. “This old man offended you these past two days — there was truly no alternative.”
Lv Sheng fixed his gaze on him. “Just who gave you that bronze mirror? Was it Kui Mu Lang?”
Li Zhi shook his head. “Young Master Lv had better not ask about this. As long as you wholeheartedly fulfill our agreement, this old man has absolutely no desire to deal with that wolf.”
Lv Sheng gave a cold “hmph.” “If you dare release Kui Mu Lang again, our cooperation ends here.”
“Yes, yes.” Li Zhi said with a placating smile. “Young Master Lv, the whereabouts of Xuanzang and Li Chunfeng have been found.”
Lv Sheng said urgently, “Where are they?”
“Just as I predicted, Xuanzang went to Li Yan to inform on Wang Junke.” Li Zhi said with bitter resentment. “But strangely, news just came that they were seized by Li Yan and locked in the Protectorate-General’s prison.”
Lv Sheng was astonished. “Li Yan arrested Xuanzang? He went to Li Yan to secretly report Wang Junke’s rebellion — why would Li Yan arrest him?”
“That is precisely the problem,” Li Zhi’s expression turned ugly. “I had someone find out more, and do you know what happened? An hour ago, Xuanzang and Li Chunfeng seized Li Yan and tried to escape, and were ultimately captured in the desert. Dugu Da sealed off the news, so the city of Guazhou knows nothing.”
Lv Sheng suddenly leapt to his feet and cried out, “Xuanzang seized Li Yan and tried to flee Guazhou… Xuanzang is a man of gentle temperament — why would he do something so violent? This is bad!”
Lv Sheng and Li Zhi looked at each other. The same realization struck them both at the same moment.
“There is only one explanation — Li Yan is the actual mastermind of this rebellion!”
Li Zhi murmured. “Xuanzang walked straight into the blade’s edge.”
Lv Sheng hurled the wine jug viciously. “Then that means… that means—”
“We have also been played!” Li Zhi was bitter. “With Li Yan and Wang Junke joining forces, they have thirteen thousand troops in hand. Even if the court sends pacification troops, given the distance of several thousand li, this battle could drag on for two or three years. Add in the eruption of warfare between the Eastern Turks and Tang… the situation is beyond our control. Alas — our goal was only to seek revenge against the five great noble families, not to split the country. But all of Hexi will be reduced to carnage, and who knows how many will survive in Dunhuang and Guazhou!”
“What do you expect me to do?” Lv Sheng roared. “Is this what I wanted to see?”
“What can I do either?” Li Zhi also lost his composure. “Is this what I wanted to see? The foundation of the noble families — where does it lie? In a stable and powerful court! Only with a powerful court can the noble families share in the prosperity of the realm! The Li clan’s loyalty to Great Tang is clear as the sun and moon!”
“Loyalty to Great Tang?” Lv Sheng sneered with biting coldness. “What is Great Tang? A mortal dynasty with a life measured in a hundred fleeting years — that is nothing more than a god taking a brief nap!”
“Young Master Lv—!” Li Zhi was greatly alarmed. “Do not let your spirit be controlled! Come back to yourself quickly!”
“Ha ha—!” Lv Sheng grinned ferociously. “I am a true god of the celestial realm. How can a mere mortal suppress the spirit of this sovereign?”
A clawed hand swept across his own body; the outer robe tore apart, and half of Lv Sheng’s torso had already transformed into a hairy, half-wolf body.
“Divine Sovereign, you have returned!” Pumi Di wept with tears streaming down his face and fell to his knees in prostration.
Li Zhi trembled as he pulled out the bronze mirror — only to have Kui Mu Lang snatch it away in an instant, a claw closing on it: crack, it shattered.
“Block him!” Li Zhi turned and fled. Two retainers drew their broadswords with pounding hearts and forced themselves to stand in Kui Mu Lang’s path. Kui Mu Lang’s body moved with sudden lightning speed — a single flash, and he had slipped between the two of them. Instantly the two retainers stood frozen like carved wood and clay, two enormous gashes appearing on their throats as blood poured out in streams.
The two corpses toppled to the ground.
Kui Mu Lang charged after Li Zhi and seized him by the back of the neck with a single grip, on the verge of twisting it. At this critical moment, Li Zhi suddenly drew out a length of silk from his lapels and screamed, “Lv Sheng — what is this!”
Kui Mu Lang was slightly startled and glanced at the silk — and was instantly struck as if by lightning, his entire body going rigid and motionless.
On that silk was embroidered a pair of mandarin ducks — the very same silk that, at the Jade Gate Pass, Lv Sheng and Zhai Wen had bound around their hands.
Kui Mu Lang stared blankly at the silk. The ferocity in his eyes gradually softened into tenderness. He extended a clawed hand and took the silk in it, and the violent savagery in his expression slowly dissipated. The man returned to normal, the wolf claws receding gradually, until finally he had restored himself to the appearance of Lv Sheng.
Lv Sheng’s body wavered slightly, unsteady for a moment. He was silent for a long while, took the silk in his hands, and held it gently to his face, inhaling its scent.
“I apologize, Senior Li.” Lv Sheng said quietly.
“It… it is nothing, I understand your condition.” Li Zhi, his nerves just barely settled, gasped.
“Where did you obtain this?” Lv Sheng asked in a low voice. “Who gave it to you?”
Li Zhi said, “It was given to me by Lady Zhai before I set out. She said that should you lose control, I was to show you this. She told me to tell you: hold fast to your true self — she is waiting for you in Dunhuang City.”
Lv Sheng pressed the silk against his face, still and silent.
The Protectorate-General’s Prison.
The government prison was situated in the northwest corner of the Protectorate-General, surrounded on all sides by high walls topped with watchtowers, where armored soldiers stood guard clutching bows and crossbows. In the compound of approximately two mu, four rows of solid prison cells had been built, their walls all constructed of rammed earth — extremely thick. At this time, with important prisoners held within, Dugu Da had dispatched an entire squad of garrison troops, fully armored, patrolling back and forth.
Li Yan and Li Chan, each accompanied by two personal bodyguards, walked along the prison corridor — Li Chan also carrying a food basket. The two of them stopped in front of two separate cell doors and exchanged a glance. The guard soldiers at the doors hastily unlocked them, and father and son went in separately.
Li Yan entered the cell. The window in the wall was extremely high and extremely small, the light inside dim and gloomy. Cui Dunli, shackled with fetters, sat leaning against the wall.
Seeing Li Yan enter, Cui Dunli sneered. “Traitor — you still have the face to see me!”
“What good does it do Secretary Cui to trade sharp words — I have made up my mind to rebel and do not care about infamy.” Li Yan said. “Secretary Cui, you are of high aristocratic birth, and I have no wish to humiliate you. I only ask you one question: when His Majesty sent you here, what exactly was he intending?”
“What meaning is there left?” Cui Dunli taunted. “You have already rebelled. All that went before has been swept away by the wind. Whatever your military merits, your family background, your rank and emoluments — all are utterly erased. Your future holds only one path: execution!”
Li Yan’s expression darkened. “I speak to you in good faith, and you show such ingratitude! You are this Prince’s prisoner — do you think I dare do nothing to you?”
Cui Dunli turned his face away and said lightly, “Do as you will with the cauldron and the rack.”
Li Yan had not expected this man to be so unyielding, and at once flew into a great rage. “Attendants — give him thirty lashes!”
The armored soldiers behind him rushed forward, bound Cui Dunli with iron chains to the wall, and laid into him with riding crops. The crop struck Cui Dunli’s body savagely — his clothing tore, and in an instant lines of blood appeared on his skin. Cui Dunli shook violently, yet clenched his teeth without a word.
“Since the Zhenguan Reign there has been none who died in faithful service to the state — that honor shall begin today with me, Cui Dunli!”
Cui Dunli screamed at the top of his voice.
When the thirty lashes were finished, Cui Dunli was barely conscious, hovering on the edge of collapse.
Li Yan lifted his face with the riding crop and said coldly. “Secretary Cui — speak. Did His Majesty want to move against me?”
“You rebel…” Cui Dunli murmured. “If His Majesty had wanted to take you, how could he have sent a mere sixth-rank Secretary? He would have sent a third-rank senior official to take over this Guazhou Military Governorship and strip you of your position publicly. How could you have dared to rebel?”
Li Yan pondered. If the court had intended to deal with him, this was indeed the more reliable method. The former Liangzhou Military Governor, Prince Changle Li Youliang, had been removed in precisely this fashion. Someone had accused Li Youliang of plotting treason; the Emperor had directly dispatched the Grand Secretariat Chief Minister Yuwen Shiji to take over as acting Liangzhou Military Governor, and Li Youliang had instantly lost his military authority, had nothing left to rebel with, and had no choice but to flee. Yuwen Shiji had then mobilized troops to arrest him and had him strangled directly.
Li Yan suddenly conceived of another possibility and his expression changed. “Could it be that His Majesty already knows I intend to rebel? That is why he is trying to lure me to the capital?”
But on reflection, this seemed even less plausible. Because he had not resolved to rebel until ten days prior, after his secret conspiracy with Wang Junke — and the capital was three thousand li away. How could the Emperor have foreknowledge?
“Then it must be that His Majesty had plans laid long in advance.” Li Yan murmured. “He knows that I have been in Guazhou for three years, with deep-rooted and well-established power. If you cannot draw me out of Guazhou, he will simply order Li Daliang to send troops and deal with me directly — which is why he has increased the troops at Ganzhou.”
“I do not know where you heard these rumors.” Cui Dunli said with weary listlessness. “But Ganzhou… has not received a single additional soldier.”
“In the imperial household, there has never been any tender human sentiment — only suspicion and betrayal.” Li Yan murmured, and walked out despondently.
When he was almost at the door, Cui Dunli shouted after him, “Li Yan — it is not too late to pull back from the brink!”
“Not too late?” Li Yan did not turn his head, and said with bitter self-mockery. “Not too late for what? To tie myself up and travel to the capital, begging His Majesty to chop off my head?”
Cui Dunli was left speechless. Everyone present understood that even if Li Yan stopped dead in his tracks at this very moment, he had no chance of survival.
“Since ancient times, a coup d’état is like a cliff — one misstep and you can only fall.”
Li Yan laughed bitterly. “Just as in the Xuanwu Gate coup three years ago, Shimin had no choice but to kill his way to a new world — dying was his only other option. So I have never blamed him, and I hope the world will not blame me.”
In the adjoining cell, Xuanzang and Li Chunfeng both had their hands in irons. Li Chunfeng’s fetters were fitted with a coarse barley cake, which he had one hand pressed down on and was working to gnaw through with effort. Li Chan, meanwhile, sat cross-legged on the floor, absorbed in feeding Xuanzang.
“Your Highness, some water.” Li Chunfeng was choking.
“Get it yourself.” Li Chan said.
“I—” Li Chunfeng was choking so badly his eyes rolled. “Cough cough… Your Highness… we have shared… shared hardship… cough cough… together, haven’t we?”
Xuanzang, feeling a bit guilty, cradled the water jug with both hands and passed it to him. Li Chunfeng gulped it down greedily.
Li Chan paid him no mind, lost in sorrowful emotion, and murmured, “Master, why is life’s bitter suffering like a spider’s web — once it clings to you, you can never shake it free?
“Master, why must those of us who hold goodness in our hearts endure the eight sufferings of this world, just like those who do evil?
“Master, why is it that when you love someone, you always find yourself unable to bring them happiness?”
“Your Highness, do you know what fate is?” Xuanzang asked.
“Please instruct me, Master.” Li Chan said.
“Fate is what is fixed — it is the position we are placed in when we enter this world. For example, you were born the heir; I was born a common man. Your fixed lot is to inherit the title of Prince Linjiang and stand alongside Great Tang for generations. My fixed lot was to till the fields and read in Luoyang, to live out an ordinary life like a common person, pass on my lineage. Whereas fortune is what is variable — we exist among tens of millions of people in Great Tang, rubbing shoulders with one another, colliding and influencing each other. And so a person’s fixed lot undergoes the vicissitudes of change. It is like countless motes of dust in the air, drifting and colliding with one another — their trajectories cannot be predetermined. Take myself: I was changed by the chaos of the end of Sui. Needing a full belly, I followed my older brother and entered the monastery as a monk. Take yourself: you have been changed by Prince Linjiang and Wang Junke, pushed off your predetermined course. This is what Buddhism calls impermanence — all phenomena arise from conditions, and because conditions change, they will in the end pass away.”
“Then must I simply allow these motes of dust to collide as they will, with no way of knowing where I float?” Li Chan asked.
“No. If fate were predetermined, do you know how dreary life would be? We would see the shape of death and decay the moment we were born. You would no longer have any pursuit or drive, no striving forward, no struggling against what you refuse to accept, no dreams or ambitions,” Xuanzang smiled slightly. “You would not even have met a girl like Yu Zao.”
Li Chan wanted to smile, yet his face was a mask of bitterness.
“Take me, for instance. The dust of that war pushed me to Konghui Temple in Chengdu. Had I been content with the legacy of Master Xuancheng, I would still be a monk ringing bells and chanting sutras in that temple today. In old age I would achieve nirvana, and be buried in the grounds of the temple. With luck, a brick pagoda might be built over me. But I was unwilling. Unwilling to let this life pass in ignorance and unawareness. I wanted to spend my life in pursuit of a great truth — a great truth worthy of this life I have been given. And so I departed Chang’an, set forth into Hexi, and walked into this blaze of rebellion. I may very well die here — die within these prison walls. But that does not matter, for this was the path I chose for myself. I feel great joy.”
“And what of me?” Li Chan was forlorn. “The circumstances I find myself in were not chosen by me.”
“Because you made no choice. You are still, to this day, adrift among the collisions of dust and the teeming multitude,” Xuanzang spoke with urgency. “You carry the person you love with you, wishing to give her happiness, yet you allow others to manipulate you — blindfolded, stumbling along without awareness. How is this any different from my ringing bells in a temple?”
Li Chan seemed to partly understand. “Master, but how am I to choose?”
“That is your own affair — your own path. This humble monk does not know.” Xuanzang said. “The world is thus merciless — we are born into it and it becomes a crossing we must survive. The dharma ferries people across, but one must ferry oneself first.”
“What a saying — ‘life is a crossing we must survive’!” Li Yan pushed open the cell door and walked in. “Chaner, having a Master like this, your father is glad.”
Li Chan rose, looking at Li Yan with a flat, measured gaze. “Is rebellion your crossing then?”
“How could it not be?” Li Yan said. “Do you think even a rebel does not face a crossing? This heaven-ordained moral order that people speak of — they say it presents itself equally to every person, yet in truth it does not. If I were an ordinary commoner, living in a village, a hundred-odd neighboring households around me, morning cookfire smoke rising, evening herds returning, digging my own well, farming my own land, and in ordinary daily life the greatest conflict being no more than a quarrel with a neighbor — such would be my lot. But the lot of a king is different. When the dynasty changes you die, when the emperor changes you die, when power is lost you die, when political enemies slander you you die — every day we feast and make music, yet in truth we spend our days teetering on the edge of a blade. Because a common man needs no control over his own destiny, whereas a king cannot entrust his fate to another, to be tossed about by the collisions of the multitude. And so rebellion is the path I have chosen — it is also my crossing. I will carve out a new dawn in this Hexi. In that dawn the birds will sing and the flowers will bloom, tranquil and free — when I wake each morning I will not be jolted awake by nightmares, drenched in cold sweat.”
Li Chan looked at his father’s appearance — weary and haggard, not yet fifty, his hair already threaded with white, his face already lined with wrinkles. There was nothing of a prince’s composed and noble bearing — only the exhausted look of an old farmer who must labor ceaselessly for his livelihood.
His father had always been this way, these past three years.
Li Chan walked over and gently embraced his father.
Li Yan’s eyes at once reddened. He reached out and straightened his son’s robes. “Chaner, do you know what has made your father happiest in all his life? It is that you are benevolent and filially pious, and that you and your brothers are harmonious and close. We are like an ordinary family, with the joy of family life each day. Compared to the Supreme Emperor and His Majesty — kinsmen slaughtering one another, father and son tormenting each other — I feel… this is what a family should look like.”
“Father, will you send more men to ensure Mother and my brothers are protected?” Li Chan said.
“I have already dispatched two groups of men. I will send another group at once.” Li Yan said. “While you are here, help your father do one last thing: go persuade Yu Zao, and get this wedding ceremony held properly. After it is over, I will have people escort you both to Gaochang. You and the Master together. You do not need to participate in anything between me and Wang Junke. That way, your loyalty and righteousness are preserved, and our father-son bond is fulfilled as well. Will you?”
“Why must we hold the wedding ceremony at all?” Li Chan asked.
Li Yan said nothing for a long while.
“Because he intends to use it to lure and capture Niu Jinda.” Xuanzang said placidly.
Li Yan instantly stared at him, his eyes betraying a look of astonishment.
“Because Niu Jinda took no part in your father’s rebellion, and your father wishes to seize Niu Jinda’s military authority — he must get Niu Jinda to come to Guazhou in order to capture him there.” Xuanzang said. “Niu Jinda is the Suzhou Prefect. According to court regulations, he may not leave his jurisdiction without cause — but there is no prohibition for weddings or funerals. For the son of the Guazhou Military Governor to marry, Niu Jinda, as his subordinate, would have no choice but to come and offer congratulations. Therefore, you and Yu Zao’s wedding ceremony is the perfect means to lure and capture Niu Jinda.”
Li Chan was completely stunned and stared blankly at Li Yan. “Father — does that mean my happiness was, from the very beginning, a piece in your plot of rebellion?”
Li Yan opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer.
At this moment, a retainer came to report from outside. “Your Highness — Wang Prefect’s troops have arrived outside Guazhou City.”
Li Chan accompanied Li Yan as they walked out of the prison cell and glanced toward the watchtower in the northwest corner. Four armored soldiers were patrolling on the watchtower. Li Chan suddenly raised his arm and made a strange gesture.
From a distant corner, a squad commander clad in leather armor and a helmet came quietly around a corner and made his way silently toward the watchtower.
Li Yan and Wang Lize arrived at the southwest of Guazhou City escorted by a company of armored soldiers.
South of Guazhou City was the farming zone, and a main irrigation channel drawn from the Shule River ran past the south of the city as the city’s outer moat, while also branching into ten-odd side channels and hundreds of subsidiary channels watering the vast farmlands and gardens. Dugu Da had chosen this area for stationing the Dunhuang troops, precisely for its open terrain and convenient water supply.
When Li Yan arrived, Dugu Da was inspecting the site for the camp with Wang Junke. Li Yan rode through the encampment — sixty-six hundred troops, over ten thousand warhorses and pack animals, and provisions piled high like mountains — stretching out in all directions without end, the entire camp a chaotic mass.
There was a solitary rise in this area, only ten-odd zhang in height but with a broad, flat summit — roughly ten-odd mu in area, its surface level and even, a terrace deposited by the flooding of the Shule River. Wang Junke had placed his central command on the terrace, from which one could look down on the entire camp.
Li Yan rode up to the terrace, where Wang Junke and Dugu Da came to receive him. Looking at Wang Junke’s dust-covered and travel-worn appearance, Li Yan felt a surge of deep gratitude. “Junke, you have worked so hard! This act of loyalty and this great service — Li Yan will never forget it!”
“Your Highness speaks too generously.” Wang Junke clasped his hands. “This subordinate is willing to charge ahead under Your Highness’s banner, and carve out a prosperous and flourishing realm!”
All present were participants, and there was nothing that could not be said openly. Those gathered spoke with complete candor.
Li Yan came to the edge of the terrace and surveyed this vast encampment. Pointing to a corner, he said. “That area does not seem to be laid out in military formation — is that the noble families’ section?”
“Your Highness has sharp eyes.” Wang Junke smiled. “Of the eight noble families, all except Li Zhi — who is not in Dunhuang — have had their family heads swept up and brought along. Four hundred of them in total, I have them quartered together in one place for ease of control.”
“These people are devious and unpredictable — be sure to keep a close watch over them.” Li Yan cautioned.
“Your Highness may rest easy. I have had their horses commandeered and consolidated under central control. Without horses, what can they do?”
Wang Junke said.
“Junke is truly thorough.” Li Yan offered a word of praise. “In your estimation, what are the prospects for our uprising this time?”
“As long as we can capture Niu Jinda and seize the military authority of Suzhou, I give us nine chances in ten of success!” Wang Junke said gravely. “At a minimum, we can hold dominion over four prefectures.”
The four prefectures meant West Shazhou, Guazhou, Suzhou, and Ganzhou — one step further east would be Liangzhou, the key eastern fortress of Hexi.
“That is sufficient for me.” Li Yan relaxed somewhat. “Then what is the most critical point?”
“The critical point is the capture of Niu Jinda.” Wang Junke said.
“Tell me more about him.” Li Yan said. “Though he was my subordinate for two years, we had little personal dealings, and I do not know him very well.”
“Niu Jinda was my comrade from Wagangzhai. We know each other very well.” Wang Junke said. “He is from Longxi in origin, born in Puyang Leize. He came from an official household — his grandfather, Niu Shuang, was the Pacification-East General of Northern Qi and Grand Protector of Huaibei. His father, Niu Han, served in Northern Qi’s Guanglu Bureau as the Qinzhang Commandant, managing the supply of wine. But Niu Jinda himself did not take to books and poetry. Since childhood he was a valiant man of unconventional ways, and during the chaos at the end of Sui, he carried a sword and travelled the world, declaring that he sought a man of great physical strength to strike the killing blow against Emperor Yang of Sui, like the great deed at Bolang.”
“A man of open and noble spirit.” Dugu Da said.
“Indeed!” Wang Junke agreed. “When Li Mi ascended to Wagangzhai, he came with admiration for his reputation. To avoid implicating his family, he changed his name to one with the same phonetic sound and called himself You Junda. It was only after he submitted to Tang that he changed his name back to the original.”
“Oh — it was him!” Dugu Da was struck with sudden recollection. “In those years when Wang Shichong and Li Mi fought for supremacy, I had heard there was a man of that sort in Wagangzhai. Li Mi would use him as the vanguard in every battle — cutting down enemy commanders, seizing their banners, piercing enemy formations and breaking their ranks, a warrior of extraordinary ferocity.”
Wang Junke laughed. “That’s right. In our Wagang Army, the most formidable warriors were Qin Shubao, Dan Xiongxin, Cheng Yaojin, Pei Xingjun, Luo Shixin, You Junda, Wang Bodang, and myself. People even gave us a sobriquet — the Eight Tigers of Wagang.”
“Wagangzhai was truly an extraordinary phenomenon amid the chaos of Sui’s fall,” Dugu Da marveled. “Slaying Zhang Xuda, defeating Yuwen Huaji, crushing Wang Shichong — their fame resounded for ten thousand li, their might shook the four directions. And counting Wei Zheng and Li Ji as well — what an abundance of talent, what a constellation of military stars!”
Li Yan also laughed. “Junke places himself last, yet that is too modest!”
“Not entirely.” Wang Junke was, for once, genuinely humble. “Shubao and Xiongxin not only surpassed me in martial skill, their character was also something I could only admire… the others were roughly on the same level. But Niu Jinda is truly unmatched in valor and ferocity. To get the better of him in single combat would take considerable effort even from me.”
Li Yan grew serious. He knew well the sheer fighting power Wang Junke possessed — at the Mogao Caves he had cleanly dispatched two Star Generals in one stroke, and even the divine spirit Kui Mu Lang had not dared to meet him head-on. Niu Jinda, who stood at the same level as a warrior, would likely not be so easily subdued as originally imagined.
In military formation, the valor of an individual was not as exaggerated as the common people’s stories made it — but neither could it be lightly dismissed. Especially under the Tang-era mode of warfare that favored heavily armored mounted knights, with both rider and horse clad in plate, and a supremely brave warrior at the lead charging across the battlefield — it was truly a force that could breach any defense.
“We are luring a fierce tiger into our midst!” Li Yan murmured. “If we fail to capture the tiger, I fear the tiger will wound us.”
Wang Junke said, “Your Highness need have no worry. With me here, Niu Jinda will not be able to harm a hair on your head.”
“Prefect Wang should think through his plans more thoroughly,” Dugu Da suddenly said with a smile. “Do not forget that the place of capture is the wedding ceremony, and there will also be the heir and the various guests.”
Wang Junke gave him a deep, searching look and said with a smile, “Prefect Dugu, please rest easy.”
Between the two prefects, a certain undercurrent of tension suddenly appeared.
“Junke has always made meticulous plans — he will surely ensure Chaner’s safety. I am not worried about that.” Li Yan was entirely oblivious to the hidden contest between the two men. “Since Junke has arrived, the two armies under our combined command number thirteen thousand troops. Junke is seasoned in battle and well-versed in military arts — I am nowhere near his equal. As for the deployment and planning, you lay out a strategy. These thirteen thousand troops I entrust entirely to you!”
“I am deeply grateful for Your Highness’s trust!” Wang Junke’s expression was animated and exhilarated as he clasped his hands in solemn acceptance.
“Let Junke settle the encampment properly — I will go and comfort the various noble family heads.” Li Yan took his leave of Wang Junke, wheeled his horse about, and rode down from the terrace toward the army camp.
Dugu Da hesitated for a moment, then also bid farewell to Wang Junke and followed after Li Yan. Drawing close, he slowed his horse to ride side by side with Li Yan.
“Your Highness, I have an opinion — I do not know whether I should speak it.” Dugu Da said.
“Zi Yu, what kind of relationship do you and I have — what is there that cannot be said?” Li Yan smiled.
Dugu Da’s expression was grave. “When Wang Junke first arrived, he suggested that his troops be stationed inside the sheep-and-horse enclosure wall, but I refused.”
“Oh?” Li Yan was surprised. “Why?”
“I told him the sheep-and-horse enclosure is too narrow to accommodate too many troops.” Dugu Da said. “After that I selected this site for his encampment precisely because I saw that it lies south of the outer moat, outside the city wall on the south side — the farthest removed from the core areas of the eastern city.”
Li Yan’s face changed. He said coldly, “You are keeping a check on him?”
Dugu Da perceived Li Yan’s displeasure and hastened to explain. “Your Highness, please hear me out. Although Wang Junke’s military skill is formidable, he is by nature crafty and changeable, not a man to be trusted. If we hand him military authority, we place ourselves entirely at another’s mercy. If he harbors treachery, we will have surrendered ourselves to the slaughter.”
“Nonsense!” Dugu Da was Li Yan’s trusted confidant and spoke with less ceremony; Li Yan immediately said fiercely, “Zi Yu, since we are plotting a great matter, we must use our people without reservation. Mutual suspicion before the matter is accomplished — is that not a certain recipe for defeat? Moreover, Wang Junke and I have become family through marriage. The two great families are already one in glory and ruin — how could he possibly harbor treachery?”
Dugu Da gave a wry smile. “I do not suggest Wang Junke already harbors treachery — but what if the battle situation later turns against us?”
Li Yan furrowed his brow but made no immediate rebuttal.
Wang Lize cut in, “Your Highness, Prefect Dugu’s thinking is quite thorough. When the court comes to suppress the rebellion, whether it is Ganzhou’s Zhang Bi, Liangzhou’s Li Daliang, or court generals Li Ji or Cheng Zhijie — they are either Wang Junke’s Wagang comrades, or have ties of a thousand threads with the old Wagang warriors. Once the battle situation turns against us, how can we guarantee he will not have a change of heart?”
“By that point, will he still have a way out?” Li Yan hesitated.
“Whether he has a way out depends on the situation — the question is, do we want to stake our very lives in his hands?” Dugu Da said. “Your Highness is a king — a king must govern his subordinates with the art of balance and restraint. If you give him military authority, then even if he harbors no treachery, his arrogance and insubordination alone may go unchecked. In that case, who in the army could restrain him?”
This argument finally convinced Li Yan. He nodded in silence. “Though I do not doubt Junke, what you say is not without reason. Having him strictly observe the bounds of his position will also preserve the integrity of our bond of lord and subject.”
“Your Highness is wise.” Dugu Da said, yet inwardly he sighed. This prince of his was indeed too benevolent — one who could share hardship and share prosperity alike, a man worth following in times of stability. But now they were in the midst of rebellion, with treachery and danger at every turn. An excess of benevolence — the prospects were worrying.
Just then, a Protectorate-General official came galloping up frantically and cried out: “Your Highness — the heir… the heir has rescued Xuanzang and broken out of prison!”