Chapter 321: Each Has His Own Plan

Li Guiren looked to be in his forties, with a sturdy build and a resolute face, and he had obvious characteristics of a military general.

As the commander of An Lushan's elite Yeluohe, Li Guiren had extraordinary martial arts and outstanding military talents, and was deeply trusted by An Lushan. An Lushan sent him this time to select war horses for Yeluohe.

Sitting next to Li Guiren was An Shouzhong.

Compared with Li Guiren, An Shouzhong is younger, about thirty years old, and more introverted. From the time he entered the door until now, he has basically said nothing except for the necessary greetings.

However, although An Shouzhong was a man of few words, he had extremely high military talent. When Li Ying studied the An-Shi Rebellion in his previous life, he ranked the rebel generals. In his opinion, the one with the highest military talent among the rebels was Shi Siming, followed by An Shouzhong.

But because he was a rebel, there are very few records about An Shouzhong, and even Baidu Encyclopedia does not have an entry for him.

Li Heng pondered for a moment and said with a smile: "General Li, you are too kind. Don't worry, since the court has handed over the Helong herdsmen to the Prince of Dongping, I will not interfere in the herdsmen's affairs."

Li Guiren did not expect Li Ying to be so straightforward. He was startled and said, "Your Highness, please give me more guidance."

Li Heng said: "I also want to communicate more with the two generals, but my body can't support it. I am powerless."

As soon as Li Heng finished speaking, Zhang Mujin came in with medicine and said, "Your Highness, it's time to take the medicine."

Li Heng nodded and said to Li Guiren and An Shouzhong, "Generals, please go to the side hall and wait for a while. After I take the medicine, I will welcome you."

Li Guiren stood up and said, "Your Highness, please take good care of yourself. I and your subordinates have official duties to attend to, so we will not disturb Your Highness."

"Well." Li Heng stood up with great effort and panted, "If there is a chance, I will have a drink with the general when my body recovers."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness." Li Guiren and An Shouzhong bowed to Li Ying and said in unison, "I will take my leave."

Li Heng said, "I will not see you off."

"Yes." The two responded and left.

However, even though the person was gone, Zhang Mujin still silently fed Li Heng medicine.

Li Ying looked at the two men's backs, and while drinking the medicine, he asked Zhang Guangsheng beside him: "What is An Zhongzhang's attitude towards An Lushan taking over the Helong herdsmen?"

Zhang Guangsheng said: "An Zhongzhang was very angry. If it weren't for your Highness' instructions, he would have fought with Li Guiren and the others."

Li Ying said: "Speaking of which, An Zhongzhang and An Lushan are somewhat related."

Zhang Guangsheng said, "Led by General An Sishun, the generals surnamed An in the northwest took the initiative to distance themselves from An Lushan. This time An Lushan really went too far. He was in the northeast, but he wanted to manage the herdsmen in the northwest. How is this different from robbing a house? If it weren't for Your Highness considering the overall situation, I would have to teach them a lesson."

Li Heng smiled and said, "General Zhang, don't be angry. We have plenty of war horses. It won't hurt to give them some."

Zhang Guangsheng said: "An Lushan gave all the cavalry in Fanyang and Pinglu to Li Guiren for command. This time they come to select war horses, which will greatly strengthen the cavalry's combat power."

Li Heng nodded and said, "We are all working for the Tang Dynasty, so it's good to be stronger."

Zhang Guangsheng's expression changed slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Your Highness, Yang Guozhong reported that An Lushan was planning a rebellion, but I don't know if there is any basis for this."

"Whether there is any basis for the claim or not, the imperial court will investigate. Let's just do our own thing." Li Heng's expression was calm, and he asked, "How is the selection of my guards going?"

Zhang Guangsheng said: "I have selected another 3,000 elite soldiers. Once the list is finalized, I will report it to Your Highness for your review."

Li Heng said, "We need another thousand more. General Zhang, you have worked so hard."

"It is my duty." Zhang Guangsheng replied respectfully and then stepped back.

After Zhang Guangsheng left, Li Ying realized that the medicine in his mouth was very delicious. He couldn't help but ask Zhang Mujin, "What kind of medicine is this?" Zhang Mujin said, "Your Highness, this is a tonic. I combined it with the method of food therapy and adjusted the taste."

"You are thoughtful." Li Ying stroked Zhang Mujin's head and asked, "Did Zhang Jun and the others come to you later?"

Zhang Mujin shook her head and said, "After I distanced myself from them, they turned to the Crown Prince. Your Highness was right. They are two-faced and only care about their own interests. They are not loyal to their master. Fortunately, I didn't make close friends with them, otherwise they would probably betray Your Highness."

Li Ying said: "There are only a few people in the world who can be loyal to their masters. Most people only care about their own interests. It is my blessing to meet you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mujin lowered her head and blushed.

……

Chang'an, Xingqing Palace.

The eunuch Fu Linlin accepted a bribe from An Lushan in Fan Yang and came back to report. An Lushan was loyal and devoted to the Tang Dynasty. In order to defend against invasion, he also built Xiongwu City in the north of Fan Yang.

Li Longji believed it and said to Yang Guozhong: "An Lushan and I are as close as father and son. How could he rebel? You, the Right Prime Minister, are worrying too much."

Yang Guozhong said: "If he has no intention of rebellion, he will definitely come if the sage summons him back to the capital."

Li Longji hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay, then summon him back to the capital."

……

In the first month of 751, An Lushan went to Huaqing Palace to pay a visit to Li Longji.

As soon as he saw Li Longji, An Lushan burst into tears and said, "I am a foreigner and do not know Chinese characters, but the saint showed me favor and promoted me. As a result, the right prime minister hated me and wanted to kill me."

Li Longji thought it made sense and consoled him: "You and the Right Prime Minister are both important ministers of the Tang Dynasty. You should live in peace with each other, just like the story of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. Isn't that another good story?"

An Lushan cried, "I am innocent. Your Majesty, please do not let me go to the Right Prime Minister with a cane on my back to plead guilty."

"I was just making an analogy." Li Longji smiled knowingly, "It seems that you really don't understand Han culture. Well, I will hold a banquet tomorrow to mediate between the two of you."

An Lushan knelt down immediately and said, "Thank you, Saint. As long as the Right Prime Minister does not slander me out of thin air, I am willing to make peace with him."

Li Longji smiled and said, "Since you understand me, I will let you be the Zuo Pushe in name only, how about that?"

An Lushan said: "I bow to thank the saint."

The next day, Li Longji held a banquet to mediate reconciliation between An Lushan and Yang Guozhong. Under Li Longji's supervision, the two men seemed to be at odds with each other and drank together awkwardly.

Li Longji didn't care. He kept An Lushan in Chang'an for two months and then let him go.

……

It's April in the blink of an eye.

At the court meeting, Li Longji asked, "How is the food and salary prepared for the northwest?"

Yang Guozhong said: "Your Majesty, the treasury is full and can be transported to the northwest at any time."

"Very good." Li Longji was very happy and said, "It is important to raise grain for the border areas, but we must not make the people suffer. We should provide relief to places that are in disaster, and exempt taxes where they should be exempted."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, you understand the people's sufferings. I dare not forget the people either. All the money and grain raised is in accordance with the law. Now the world is peaceful, the people live and work in peace, and the people of the world are grateful for your kindness." Yang Guozhong said nice words, but in his heart he thought: "Raising all this money is almost costing me my life. Now where can I get the money for disaster relief and tax exemption? For the sake of the court, I can only make the people suffer."

(End of this chapter)