Chapter 391 The rebellion is put down
Yizhou, Hebei.

Tian Chengsi and Ashina Chengqing were the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the Yizhou rebel army.

Tian Chengsi wanted to surrender, but Ashina Chengqing felt that surrender was not possible.

Ashina Chengqing said: "An Lushan, Kang Chuyuan, and Helan Jinming were all executed. If we wanted to surrender, we should have surrendered when Shi Siming died. But if we surrender now, not only will it be considered as a desperate resistance, but we will also burn, kill, and plunder along the way. If we surrender now, the best outcome that the Tang emperor can give us is exile."

Tian Chengsi thought about it, nodded, and said, "In order to implement the two-tax system, the Tang emperor exiled all the wealthy families who participated in the rebellion to the south. I think we can't escape this fate either. If we are to be exiled, we might as well fight to the death. If we lose, we can become bandits."

Ashina Chengqing thought that Tian Chengsi wanted to say "It's no big deal to die", but who knew that Tian Chengsi's words were to become a bandit.

Ashina Chengqing felt a little contemptuous of Tian Chengsi, but he did not show it. He just said, "Since the commander-in-chief agrees, let's hurry up and prepare for war!"

Tian Chengsi agreed.

In order to boost morale and win over people's hearts, Tian Chengsi carried out several boxes of jewelry.

However, Tian Chengsi did not distribute the jewels. Instead, he told the soldiers that if the battle was won, he would share the jewels with everyone.

Tian Chengsi was good at making promises, but the soldiers did not buy it because they had seen this kind of trick many times. The soldiers unanimously believed that only what they had in their hands was the most reliable.

Seeing that the rebels were demoralized and their soldiers were fleeing, Guo Ziyi did not fight them any further and directly launched an attack on Yizhou.

Tian Chengsi had no more than 10,000 men under his command, and each of them had his own ulterior motives. Guo Ziyi led an army of 60,000 and made several exploratory attacks. After finding out the details of the rebels, he surrounded the city from all sides, three of which were fake troops and only one was real.

The rebels retreated again and again, their morale was low, and they burned, killed and looted along the way. They had lost their military appearance and turned into a group of bandits.

The bandits were unwilling to fight to the death if they didn't get the money.

As a result, after Guo Ziyi launched the attack, the rebels were defeated and some fled or surrendered.

The rebels were defeated, Ashina Chengqing died in battle, and Tian Chengsi fled to Mobei.

Guo Ziyi took Yizhou and continued to advance northward.

At the same time, Li Guangbi had entered Youzhou from Juyongguan and captured Jimen and Changping, while Yan Zhenqing advanced towards Youzhou from Yuyang.

The rebels only had Youzhou left, and the government troops surrounded Youzhou with three armies.

Li Huaixian, who controlled Fan Yang, saw that the Tang court's momentum of unification was unstoppable, so he refused to let Shi Chaoyi enter the city and sent envoys to surrender to the government troops.

Shi Chaoyi was not allowed to enter the city and became furious. He launched a fierce attack on Fanyang City, but after three days of fighting, he failed to take it.

At this time, Li Guangbi had already pressed into Fan Yang from Changping, and Shi Chaoyi could only flee in panic.

Li Guangbi led his troops in pursuit, and Shi Chaoyi could only fight and retreat.

They retreated all the way to Chishan, and only a hundred people were left around Shi Chaoyi.

Luo Yue said: "Your Majesty, under the current circumstances, we can only flee to Mobei or Shiwei to save our lives."

Shi Chaoyi looked at the blood-red setting sun. The golden sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves and onto his dirty face.

After a long silence, Shi Chaoyi said, "Those who kill their fathers and kings as their own sons never have a good ending. This is my fate. You can all run for your lives."

Shi Chaoyi's words clearly implied that he not only knew that Shi Siming was killed by Luo Yue, but also knew that the reason Luo Yue dared to kill Shi Siming was because of his tacit approval.

Luo Yue didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Shi Chaoyi looked up, feeling the warm sunshine and the breeze on his face, and said the last words of his life: "It's so comfortable. It's so good to be alive."

After saying this, he hanged himself.

Luo Yue and others did not have time to bury Shi Chaoyi's body, and they all fled for their lives.

Li Guangbi caught up and saw Shi Chaoyi hanged himself. He cut off his head and sent it to Chang'an.

Guo Ziyi led his men to take over Fan Yang, and Yan Zhenqing arrived shortly afterwards.

At this point, the Anshi Rebellion was basically put down.

The surrendered Li Huaixian bribed Pugu Huai'en, hoping that Pugu Huai'en would write a letter to ask for the position of Jiedushi of Youzhou for him.

Pugu Huai'en did not accept Li Huaixian's bribe, but he was afraid that the cunning rabbit would die and the running dog would be cooked, so he still found Guo Ziyi, hoping that Guo Ziyi would write to Li Heng to let Li Huaixian be the governor of Youzhou.

If it were in the past, although Guo Ziyi would not have written a letter requesting that Li Huaixian be appointed as the Jiedushi of Youzhou, he would still be willing to let Li Huaixian be the Governor of Youzhou.

Of course, Guo Ziyi was willing to do this not because he wanted to harbor enemies and gain power like Puguo Huai'en, but because the Tang Dynasty had always been very tolerant and dared to entrust important tasks to both internal and external surrendered generals.

But now there is a little problem.

News has come from Dingzhou that Li Mi and Xue Song, escorted by Ma Lin, have discovered that Zhang Zhongzhi instigated Xu Shuji to rebel, and Zhang Zhongzhi has fled.

Guo Ziyi had just recommended Zhang Zhongzhi. If he recommended Li Huaixian again, and something happened to Li Huaixian again, he would probably be to blame.

This is only one reason. Second, Li Heng does not seem to be an emperor who would tolerate evil. Before the rebellion was quelled, he did not dare to have the thought of nurturing the enemy for his own benefit. Now that he is still doing this, isn't he waiting to be liquidated?

Therefore, Guo Ziyi rejected Puguo Huai'en and simply reported the process of suppressing the rebellion truthfully to the court.

The court was excited when it received the battle reports from the front line. The ministers wrote to the emperor, asking Li Heng to grant amnesty to the whole country and issue the order to the whole nation.

Li Heng agreed.

Many ministers also asked Li Ying to change the reign title and take on the title of emperor. Some even suggested that Li Ying be enthroned on Mount Tai.

Li Heng is not sure about these things, so let's take it easy.

Li Heng first dealt with Li Huaixian's affairs and allowed Li Huaixian to come to the capital and return to Chang'an with Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, Pugu Huai'en and Yan Zhenqing.

Li Huaixian was still hesitant at first, but after seeing the military deployment of Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi, he obediently chose to come back.

After troops from all over the country returned to the capital, Li Ying held a banquet in the Qilin Hall to entertain civil and military officials. At the banquet, civil officials recited congratulatory poems and military generals performed martial arts performances, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.

It was the Spring Festival at that time, and the suppression of the rebellion added a special flavor to this year's Spring Festival.

But days of celebration are always short-lived. After the New Year, in the first month of the third year of Ji De, a memorial from Guo Ziyi revealed the first problem that Li Heng faced.

Guo Ziyi's mother passed away in the second year of Ji De, which was last year. At that time, Guo Ziyi was fighting on the front line and could not go home to see his mother off for the last time. Now that the war has ended, he requested to resign from all his positions and return home to observe mourning.

Li Heng summoned Guo Ziyi to the Purple Palace and said, "Marshal Guo is in mourning for his mother. I cannot stop him, but I do not think it is necessary for you to resign from your post. I will allow you to continue to mourn while holding your post."

Guo Ziyi said, "I have to work hard in my position. I cannot devote myself to public affairs or filial piety while I am in office. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to resign from all my positions." Li Yan said, "Is there no room for negotiation?"

Guo Ziyi pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty is so gracious, I should speak frankly to you."

Li Ying said, "Marshal Guo, please speak."

Guo Ziyi said: "An Lushan rebelled for many reasons, but he was able to reach Luoyang because he had a strong army. The threat from the border generals is very serious. Now that the rebellion has been quelled, it is time for Your Majesty to reform the military system. I have made some small contributions. If I continue to serve as a general in the border area, it will be detrimental to Your Majesty's reform of the military system."

Li Ying asked, "Does Marshal Guo think I would be suspicious of you?"

Guo Ziyi said: "Your Majesty has been very kind to me, and I am loyal to you, but there are many things I cannot do."

Guo Ziyi's words were vague, but Li Heng understood what he meant.

When you reach a certain position, if you don't move forward, the people behind you will push you forward.

Military system reform was the first major challenge Li Ying faced.

Moreover, Li Heng had no idea how to change it.

The powerful feudal lords have soldiers, money and power, so they are prone to rebellion. However, if the power of the feudal lords is taken back, not only will they be unable to expand the borders, but even the borders will be threatened.

Seeing that Li Heng was thinking and not saying anything, Guo Ziyi said, "Your Majesty, please allow me."

Li Heng came back to his senses, thought for a moment, and said, "But I have one condition."

"Your Majesty, please tell me. I will do my best." Guo Ziyi thought that Li Heng wanted to ask him for help in making suggestions for the reform.

Li Heng said: "If something unexpected happens, I hope to appoint General Guo to a new position."

The so-called appointment based on personal feelings meant forcibly calling Guo Ziyi back.

"I accept your command and thank you." Guo Ziyi stepped back.

After Guo Ziyi left, Li Heng went to the government hall to find Feng Changqing and said bluntly: "General Guo requested to resign from all positions and return home to observe mourning. I agreed."

Feng Changqing was startled, thought for a moment, and said, "It is wise to retire after success and wait for the right opportunity."

Li Heng said: "He also predicted that I would reform the military system."

"Your Majesty has already set up an additional department in the Ministry of War, which is indeed a precursor to the reform." Feng Changqing analyzed, "Since An Lushan's rebellion, there has been a lot of discussion in the court, and everyone hopes to weaken the power of the Jiedushi, especially the civil officials. They think that the military generals are ambitious, and it is best to use civil officials to control the military generals."

Li Ying asked, "What do you think?"

"With sharp weapons in hand, the desire to kill arises naturally. Military generals with too much power are indeed prone to other thoughts. However, civil officials are not familiar with military affairs after all. Letting civil officials control military generals is not good for the war. Moreover, I think that no matter whether it is civil officials or military generals, whoever controls everything will easily become corrupt." Feng Changqing refuted first, and then said: "The key is how to take back the power and stabilize the border."

Li Ying asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Feng Changqing shook his head and said, "I don't have any ideas, but I think Your Majesty should not rush into changing the military system."

Li Yan said: "Tell me the reason."

Feng Changqing said, "There are three reasons. First, the rebellion has just been quelled. If we make drastic reforms now, it may cause unrest. Unrest in the army is serious. Second, Your Majesty is a man of great talent and strategy, proficient in military affairs, and his prestige is as bright as the sun in the sky. No one dares to cause unrest now. Third, the border is not stable. Weakening the power of the border commanders is equivalent to weakening their combat effectiveness. Therefore, I think the military reform can be carried out slowly and completed step by step without causing any pain."

Li Ying thought it made sense, nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, "In terms of border policy, do you think the Tang Dynasty should be aggressive in expanding its borders, or take a defensive stance?"

Feng Changqing said: "In the past two years, we should take a defensive stance. Once the internal situation is stable and the people are prosperous, we can then vigorously expand the border. However, the benefits of expanding the border are a problem."

Li Ying said: "Tell me in detail."

Feng Changqing said: "North of Youzhou and Lulong, the land of Khitan and Shiwei has a very cold climate, and the land of Mobei Huihe is mainly nomadic. These two places are not farming areas. If we win, it will be difficult to manage. If we lose, it will shake the foundation of the country. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, we have always adopted a policy of subjugation."

Feng Changqing's logic was not very clear, but his meaning was conveyed.

The area north of Youzhou Pinglu is the Northeast, which is not dominated by agriculture but by fisheries and nomadic life.

The Tang Dynasty had always adopted a vassal rule over this area. It was not until the Bohai Kingdom, Khitan, and Jurchen developed the Northeast that the agricultural base of the Northeast developed. This was one of the reasons why the Ming Dynasty was able to move its capital.

As for Mobei, in ancient China, nomadism was the main way of life from beginning to end. The characteristic of nomadism is that they have no fixed place to live. The Mobei regimes were generally unable to defeat the Central Plains dynasties, but the Central Plains dynasties could not completely eliminate them either.

Both the Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty had highly similar policies towards the Mobei regime, from wanting to conduct in-depth management in the early days of the founding of the country, to supporting pro-Central Plains forces and balancing the power of all parties in the middle period, to losing control and being unable to be managed in the later period.

Zhu Di had thought about completely destroying the Mobei regime during his lifetime, so he launched five expeditions to Mobei.

Zhu Di fought five times and indeed crippled the Mobei regime, but he also weakened the Ming Dynasty because each expedition of an agricultural civilization consumed enormous manpower, material resources and financial resources, while a nomadic civilization was very good at migrating and escaping.

Finally, the Central Plains dynasty discovered a common problem: if they wanted to defeat the Mobei regime, the key was not that they could not defeat it, but that they could not find anyone to help them. Moreover, even if they crippled the Mobei regime, another one would rise up again in a few years.

But you can't not hit him, because if you don't hit him, he will hit you.

This thus creates a dilemma. If you fight, you won't be able to kill him and you will incur a net loss in economic benefits. If you don't fight, he will hit you again.

then what should we do?

The only way is to achieve a balance, which means not allowing the Mobei regime to become too powerful.

However, playing a balancing act tests the personal ability of the monarch. If the monarch is not capable enough and plays it too far, he will be doomed.

Li Heng cannot solve the problem of Mobei now. He can only balance it first and then consider learning the Wei Suo system of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Heng pondered for a while and said, "For Mobei, we should maintain a close relationship with the Huihe on the surface, while secretly supporting the Karluk, Khitan and other forces."

Feng Changqing said: "The Huihe people think they have made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion and have occupied the three cities of surrender. Today, their envoys came to report that they hope that the Tang Dynasty will reward the three cities of surrender to the Huihe people."

As Feng Changqing spoke, he presented the topmost Uighur memorial to Li Heng.

Li Heng took it and looked at it, then asked, "Where is their messenger?"

Feng Changqing said: "Still in the Honglu Temple."

Li Heng said: "Capture him and let the Huihe retreat to their previous position."

"Should we negotiate first?" Feng Changqing was a little hesitant. "The Huihe did make contributions in suppressing the rebellion. If we arrest their envoys, it may worsen the relationship."

Li Heng said, "They have made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion, so I will give them rewards. Moreover, the Huihe people are mainly nomadic, so they don't really care about the land of Sanshoujiang City. What they want to see is our attitude. To be friends, it depends on who takes the initiative."

Feng Changqing said: "I understand."

(End of this chapter)