Chapter 10: The Turks Approach

In the dead of night, the imperial court was in utter chaos. The advocates for peace and the proponents of war were locked in a heated debate, faces flushed with anger, nearly coming to blows. In the midst of the uproar, Emperor Taizong suddenly turned to Li Ji with a smile and asked, “Mou Gong, what is your view on this matter? As my chief strategist, why have you remained silent?”

Caught off-guard by the emperor’s question, Li Ji replied without thinking, “We cannot fight, yet nor can we refrain from fighting.”

“Oh? And what do you mean by that?” the emperor asked with a smile. Before Li Ji could answer, Yuchi Gong muttered under his breath, “Isn’t that what that little rascal said?”

Yuchi Gong’s muttering was barely quieter than the ministers’ normal speaking voices, so everyone turned to look at him. What sort of child was this, capable of offering counsel to the chief strategist?

“Haha…” Li Ji laughed heartily and replied naturally, “At first I thought he was just spouting nonsense, but later I came to understand the meaning behind his words.”

“So should we fight or not? When I get back, I’m going to smack that boy. Speaking in riddles—is that supposed to be clever?”

“Heh, smack him? Be careful he doesn’t call you childish again,” Li Ji teased Yuchi Gong, feeling much lighter now that he had grasped the meaning behind Cai Cong’s words. Yuchi Gong’s dark face flushed with anger, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Just as he was about to erupt, Changsun Wuji interjected impatiently, “Your Majesty is waiting for your answer! Why are you bickering here?”

Changsun Wuji had not spoken up without reason; having grown up alongside the emperor, he knew exactly what to do when Taizong raised an eyebrow. The emperor, too, was curious at this point. Li Ji was a renowned strategist—who could possibly be giving him advice? With this thought, he asked, “Mou Gong, who is this sage that offered you such counsel? After all, you are the foremost strategist of the Tang dynasty!”

With a smile, Li Ji replied, “Your Majesty, as it happens, all of you have met this person. It was the young Cai boy who sold the ‘enlightenment chickens’ the other day—the child from the family of nine loyal martyrs.” Since he had been questioned in court, Li Ji knew he could no longer conceal the truth. As for Cai Cong’s fate, the emperor would decide in due course.

“Ah, that child! I recall he is only eight years old. A true stirrer of trouble in Chang’an. Have you discovered who’s backing him?” Taizong spoke calmly, glancing at Li Ji. Yet the implication behind his words sent a chill down Li Ji’s spine—he was intent on uncovering the power behind the boy.

“Your Majesty, just as I was interrogating him, the Jingyang bell sounded. As General Yuchi and I were hurrying to the palace, the boy said these very words to me. He also said that the rise and fall of the realm is the responsibility of every man…”

“Yes, yes! I, Old Black, also heard him say that he foresaw the Turkic invasion and even predicted locust plagues and droughts in the coming years. Your Majesty, isn’t that a bit uncanny?” Yuchi Gong said loudly, though in truth, he hardly believed such things himself.

“We’ll discuss this matter later. Mou Gong, speak to the immediate threat of the Turks: should we fight or not?” With the enemy at the gates, Emperor Taizong could hardly take an eight-year-old seriously; the matter of the Turks demanded priority.

“The reason we cannot fight is that the empire has only recently been secured; what the Tang dynasty needs most is rest and recuperation, time to bring the unruly elements to heel. We cannot refrain from fighting, for if we sue for peace outright, the Turks will only make ever greater demands. Therefore, we must adopt a posture of readiness for war, so that Jieli will know that any conflict would end in mutual destruction.”

“But wouldn’t that still mean bowing our heads? That’s so humiliating!”

“Exactly! I say we’d be better off fighting a decisive battle.”

The court was in uproar once again. For these battle-hardened warriors, being told to sheathe their swords and admit defeat was more unbearable than death itself.

“You brute warriors only know how to kill! Do you not realize that the Tang needs peace and the people need stability? Only by winning hearts with virtue can our great dynasty awe the world and spread civilization, so that all foreign lands will genuinely submit…” An official in his early forties, spattered by the spittle of the generals, spoke every word with the rigidity of a true Confucian.

“Come now, win them over with virtue, spread civilization, yes? Your Majesty, I petition that Minister Zhang act as Tang’s envoy to the Turks and persuade them with reason and virtue. If he fails, send his brother. If his brother fails, send his nephews. If his whole family perishes, I will personally lead troops to avenge them.”

Yuchi Gong, face fierce and mocking, seized the hand of the Middle Counselor Zhang Chengwen, his words dripping with sarcasm. Sending Zhang to reason with the Turks would surely see him beheaded by Jieli.

“Let go! Release me, you uncouth brute!” Zhang Chengwen wrenched his sleeve free and then addressed the emperor, “Your Majesty, Yuchi Gong seeks the ruin of my entire family! I beg Your Majesty for justice!”

“Ha! Now I object,” said the handsome Hou Junji, stepping forward with a sly grin. “You advocated winning hearts with virtue, and Jingde is offering you a golden opportunity for eternal fame. How is that plotting against you?” In the eyes of these men, anyone who stood in the way of their achievements was an enemy.

No sooner had he finished than the hall erupted in laughter. Zhang Chengwen’s face contorted with humiliation; he wished he could sink into the floor, and finally covered his face with his sleeve as he retreated to the corner.

“Silence, all of you! The Turks are nearly at the gates of Chang’an, and here you are, fighting among yourselves!” With a thunderous slap on his desk, Taizong’s shout brought instant silence to the hall. Each minister stared at his fellows in uneasy silence.

After a moment, the emperor’s tone softened. “How should we proceed? Yaoshi, what is your view?”

Li Jing, known as Yaoshi, was the Tang dynasty’s god of war; later generations even mythologized him, making him a character in the legends. In Tang, he was as steady as an anchor in a storm.

“My view coincides with Mou Gong’s. The Turks, with their swift cavalry, number in the hundreds of thousands, while our forces in Chang’an are insufficient. Any battle would result in mutual ruin. I advise that we immediately fortify the walls, evacuate all civilians outside Chang’an into the city, and burn all crops beyond the walls so as to leave not a single grain or blade of grass for the enemy. Mobilize our forces to appear ready for a life-and-death battle, and dispatch raiders to strike at the Turks’ supplies. Thus, the enemy will be caught between advance and retreat. At that critical moment, Your Majesty can denounce Jieli for his treachery and propose peace. With Heaven, Earth, and the people on our side, Jieli will have no choice but to accept.”

Li Jing had already formulated this plan in his mind. When Taizong asked, he calmly laid out his strategy.

“As expected of Yaoshi! Your words perfectly express my own thoughts,” Taizong said warmly. Li Jing’s heart skipped a beat—those whose merit eclipses their sovereign’s seldom meet a good end. Yet he maintained a respectful demeanor, thanking the emperor for his praise.

“But Yaoshi has left out one thing. I should issue an edict calling on all regions to rally to the imperial cause—only thus can we truly awe Jieli.” As he spoke, Taizong’s eyes flashed with resolve; this would be a gamble.

Li Jing paled at once and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this must not be done…”

“No need for further words, Yaoshi. With you all at my side, I am confident the dynasty will endure.” The first to object being Li Jing moved Taizong, but he quickly suppressed the sentiment. An emperor cannot afford such feelings.

A few astute ministers opened their mouths, but in the end, they fell silent, awaiting the emperor’s command. When he was Prince of Qin, Taizong had already shown his boldness. Now, with the empire in his grasp, he was determined to crush all opposition.

One imperial decree could determine the fate of the nation. Since Taizong wished to create the appearance of imminent war, the ministers and generals dared not falter. The Left Martial Guard, ten thousand strong, was stationed outside Chang’an’s walls; the Right Martial Guard, twelve thousand, was posted by the Wei River. Scouts were dispatched in waves like swarms of bees, bringing intelligence to Li Jing’s desk.

Yuchi Gong, entrusted with a desperate mission, led his troops to block the Turks at Jingzhou. Jieli and Tuli had combined their forces, two hundred thousand strong, stretching so far that their rear could not see their front. The great battle was about to erupt!

(End of this chapter)