As expected, scouts discovered that Yin Province Governor Zhang Shanxiang had dispatched troops to receive Li Mi, and immediately decided to ambush Li Mi at Xiong’er Mountain.
Li Mi stood at the valley entrance of Xiong’er Mountain, looking up at this not-so-tall yet very steep mountain forest. As long as he passed this place, he could unite with Zhang Shanxiang’s forces, and then he would become the Li Mi of old again, rising from the ashes!
Li Mi’s plans were perfect, but he never could have imagined that he would never be able to step out of Xiong’er Mountain, nor would he see Zhang Shanxiang’s reinforcements.
Ten thousand arrows shot forth in rapid succession, and in an instant, countless soldiers fell to the ground. The terrain here was narrow, and Li Mi’s panicked soldiers had nowhere to hide, quickly losing several thousand men. Immediately after, sword and shield bearers charged out with loud roars, hacking and slashing at the soldiers who were still in panic.
In the end, this battle between over ten thousand against several thousand concluded in crushing defeat. Li Mi was beheaded by the sword and shield bearers, and Sheng Yanshi sent his head to Chang’an.
As for Li Yuan, he ultimately had the head sent to Li Shiji at Liyang. Li Shiji, after all, still remembered their old friendship and buried Li Mi with royal honors, giving him this final dignity.
Li Mi was the first among those rebel armies of the late Sui to raise the anti-Sui banner. He possessed exceptional talent and precise vision, making the Wagang Army the most powerful among the anti-Sui forces.
Unfortunately, as prominent as his strengths were his weaknesses, which he never overcame. So he was defeated—defeated by Li Yuan, and defeated by himself.
With Li Mi’s death, the Wagang Army’s threat to the Tang Dynasty was also eliminated, allowing Li Yuan to breathe a sigh of relief. However, speaking of stability, that was still far off.
Initially, he had allied with Li Gui to destroy the neighboring Western Qin, but once Western Qin was eliminated, the territory bordering Tang’s west became Li Gui’s domain in Liangzhou. Therefore, Li Yuan’s next target was Li Gui.
In former times, Li Yuan would certainly have dispatched Li Shimin to lead troops to pacify Li Gui, but now times were different. He was unwilling to employ Li Shimin again, and furthermore, Chang’an and Liangzhou were separated by too great a distance—under direct assault, subsequent supply lines would certainly become problematic. So he decided to change tactics to pacification, and if pacification failed, then raise troops to destroy them!
After Li Yuan’s enthronement, although his suspicions grew heavier, being of military background, he had not forgotten how to wage war, whether through sword and blade or through strategy.
After some deliberation, he chose a barbarian named An Xinggui, whose brother An Xiuren was a favored minister under Li Gui. Having him as envoy to Liangzhou was most appropriate.
In the ninth month of Wude’s third year, An Xinggui arrived in Liangzhou. Through his brother’s connections, he obtained the position of Left and Right Guard General, but Li Gui could never quite figure out the true purpose of An Xinggui, who had traveled a thousand li from Chang’an to surrender. So he decided to test this An Xinggui.
After a banquet that evening, Li Gui kept An Xinggui behind alone. After some false pleasantries, Li Gui got to the point: “Minister An comes from Chang’an—why don’t you tell me, compared to my Liangzhou, which is better?”
An Xinggui was a clever man and tactfully replied: “Liangzhou abundantly produces horses, and Your Majesty commands mighty troops—it is an excellent place indeed.”
This statement pleased Li Gui greatly. Stroking his short beard under his chin with a smile, he said: “Then what do you think—how should I govern Liangzhou in the future to make it even more prosperous?”
“This…” An Xinggui hesitated without speaking, and only after a long while did he say in a low voice: “Your subject dares not speak presumptuously.”
“No matter, just speak freely—I pardon you from any offense.” Under Li Gui’s insistence, An Xinggui said: “Your subject believes that although Liangzhou is good, the land is ultimately barren. Though the people toil hard in farming, their yearly gains are minimal. Precisely for this reason, the people’s lives have always been impoverished. If this continues long-term, I fear the prospects are worrisome!”
Hearing this, Li Gui’s expression had already soured. He had always been quite satisfied with the territory under his control, yet in An Xinggui’s mouth, it became barren with worrisome prospects—how could this please him?
However, he was also a man of deep thoughts and did not immediately explode, but instead said: “What else—Minister An might as well say it all.”
“Yes.” An Xinggui responded while his mind raced—should he voice what he had been thinking all these days? What if it brought fatal disaster?
He had come here to achieve merit and establish achievements, not to die.
After long contemplation, he finally decided to speak—not because he disregarded life and death, but because he suddenly remembered that Li Gui had said he would pardon him from offense. A ruler’s word cannot be taken lightly!
“Now the entire Guanzhong region has been controlled by the Great Tang. Anyone knows that this is the most important place in all of the Central Plains. Controlling it means grasping the lifeline of the Central Plains—unifying the realm is merely a matter of time. Under such great momentum, your subject believes Your Majesty’s most correct choice should be to submit to the Great Tang.”
Li Gui stared at him coldly, then suddenly laughed, though his eyes showed not a trace of mirth: “So Minister An has come to be Li Yuan’s persuader, wanting me to surrender to Li Yuan. Good, truly good!”
An Xinggui’s heart trembled, and the next moment he was already kneeling: “Your subject absolutely harbors no such thoughts. Everything your subject has said is considered from Your Majesty’s perspective, without half a thought otherwise. If Your Majesty does not believe it, your subject is helpless.”
A trace of killing intent flashed through Li Gui’s eyes as he said slowly: “An Xinggui, I will spare you this time, but if you speak of surrendering to Tang again, I will certainly execute you without mercy!” With that, he swept his sleeves and left.
“If pacification fails, raise troops to destroy them!”—this was what Li Yuan had said to him before leaving Chang’an. An Xinggui had never dared forget it. Now it seemed pacification was absolutely impossible—only “raise troops to destroy them!”
However, he was new to this place. Though he held a general’s rank, he had few soldiers under his command. To “raise troops to destroy them,” he would necessarily have to first persuade his brother An Xiuren, who held military power.
Although An Xiuren was hesitant and undecided about surrendering to Tang, he had no second choice, because he had once inadvertently offended Li Gui’s son—that is, Western Liang’s Crown Prince Li Zhongyan to death. The latter hated An Xiuren to his very bones. Currently, with Li Gui on the throne, he would not act, but once Li Gui died and Li Zhongyan became emperor, the first person he would deal with would be An Xiuren!
An Xiuren’s connections in Western Liang far exceeded those of An Xinggui. After making his decision, he immediately united with Western Liang’s minority tribes—over three thousand men in total—and with lightning speed surrounded Wuwei City where Li Gui was located.
Although Li Gui commanded over a hundred thousand troops, his forces were basically all stationed at the borders, with only over a thousand garrison soldiers in the city. He was immediately at a disadvantage.
With Wuwei City sealed and no way to send messages out, Li Gui could only lead these thousand soldiers to charge out in desperate resistance. He hated the An Xinggui brothers to the extreme, gritting his teeth and swearing that as long as he survived this calamity, he would certainly make the An Xinggui brothers die without intact corpses. Unfortunately, he would never have this opportunity again.