Chapter Thirty-Four: The Contest

What followed was entirely unexpected to Yang Xi, and even more startling to the other generals.

Li Fuguo stepped forward to pay his respects, then suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud, loudly crying out in grievance: "I beg Your Highness the Crown Prince to punish me. I have failed to perform my duties well, as I have almost no understanding of the military affairs at Tongguan."

"How could this be?" Li Heng appeared quite astonished. He rose from his seat and looked down at the kneeling Li Fuguo with an expression of "utter disbelief," pressing him repeatedly: "Supervisor Li, you were personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor as the Military Supervisor of Tongguan, tasked with overseeing all military affairs there. You have been at Tongguan for so long, yet you are unaware of its military situation? I shall certainly report this to His Majesty and demand you be severely punished for your dereliction of duty."

Li Heng's declaration left the generals in shock. Everyone knew that before becoming the Supervisor of Tongguan, Li Fuguo had been a eunuch in the Eastern Palace and had only been appointed to his current post due to Li Heng's repeated recommendations. Now, upon their first meeting, Li Heng was declaring his intent to report Li Fuguo to the Emperor for severe punishment—what game was he playing? Yang Xi, however, immediately understood Li Heng's motives. He did not step forward to offer an explanation, but instead watched the kneeling Li Fuguo with cold eyes, waiting to see what the eunuch supervisor would say.

Li Fuguo seemed startled; after kowtowing several times, he pleaded pitifully: "I beg Your Highness for mercy! I was left with no other choice!"

"Tell me, then, what is the reason for this?" A hint of anger rose on Li Heng’s face as he sternly questioned Li Fuguo: "Is there some other hidden circumstance?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Li Fuguo raised his head, his face streaming with tears. "Your Highness, after I arrived at Tongguan, I was unable to intervene in anything. Marshal Yang would not allow me to involve myself in any affairs. For these past days, I have been idle, more unoccupied than anyone else. I had no opportunity to understand the military situation at Tongguan, let alone supervise or manage it. My position as Supervisor is merely a title without substance! I beg Your Highness for mercy. It is not that I failed to act, but that Marshal Yang would not let me do anything. Since I could not oversee the military affairs, I could not report the situation to you, Your Highness. I pray for your forgiveness."

Li Heng suppressed his anger, ignored Li Fuguo, and turned his gaze toward Yang Xi. After casting a severe look at him, he asked in a slow, measured tone: "Marshal Yang, is what Supervisor Li says the truth?"

"Of course it is not!" Yang Xi denied it without hesitation. "Just last night, I delivered the latest military reports to Supervisor Li for his review. Copies of all previous reports submitted to the Imperial Court have also been provided to him. If Your Highness does not believe me, you may send someone to his quarters to retrieve them. What the Supervisor has just said is untruthful; I do not know what his intentions are in saying such things!"

"Your Highness, Marshal Yang only informed me of the military affairs after he learned that you were coming to Tongguan to reward the troops. Before that, he did not!" Li Fuguo hurriedly defended himself. "Before hearing of your visit, the Marshal never shared any military intelligence with me. I do not know why he acted this way!"

The generals in the tent were filled with anxiety. Although they knew Li Fuguo had not directly accused Yang Xi of misconduct before Li Heng, most understood the implication of his words. Many felt uneasy; Wang Sili, Pang Zhong, and Li Fude were deeply worried for Yang Xi, fearing that Li Heng might believe Li Fuguo and reprimand or punish Yang Xi on the spot.

While many favored Li Heng in the power struggle against Yang Guozhong, Yang Xi was their commander-in-chief, their actual leader whose performance during this period had won their respect. Furthermore, Yang Xi had already been discussing plans for a counter-offensive to capture Shanjun. Generals like Wang Sili, Pang Zhong, and Li Chengguang, who had suffered defeat at Lingbao, desperately hoped that Yang Xi would lead them to take Shanjun and avenge their humiliation. If Yang Xi were to be punished, all of that would vanish.

Yang Xi had not expected Li Heng to visit Tongguan for an inspection, nor had he anticipated that the slighted Li Fuguo would lodge a complaint the moment Li Heng arrived. But he could not show any fear or hesitation. He immediately retorted: "Your Highness, the Supervisor's words are false. When he arrived, the fighting at Tongguan had already ceased, and I was leading the troops in training; there were no urgent matters. Since the Supervisor had no prior military experience and had always worked in the palace, I hoped he would have time to familiarize himself with the situation so he would not be confused. I have had people by his side throughout this time to brief him on the state of Tongguan. Once he was familiar with the situation, I immediately submitted all military matters to him and invited him to offer his suggestions—a fact I announced in front of all my officers."

Upon hearing this, the Military Sima, Gao Shi, stepped forward to support Yang Xi: "Reporting to Your Highness, the Marshal speaks the truth. When the Supervisor arrived, the Marshal was indeed concerned that he would find it difficult to handle affairs without familiarity, so he allowed him time to adjust. I was the one who arranged these briefings. Once the Supervisor was familiar with the situation, the Marshal immediately kept him informed of all military developments."

Li Fude also stepped forward: "Your Highness, the Marshal has been occupied with drilling the troops and had little time to converse with the Supervisor, leading to these misunderstandings. It is uncharitable for the Supervisor to make such claims before you without first communicating with the Marshal. During his command, the Marshal successfully repelled an enemy force several times larger than our own, and after they retreated, he immediately began rigorous training. Everything he has done was to ensure Tongguan would not fall. The Supervisor’s words are gross exaggerations!"

Following this, many other generals—including Wang Sili, Pang Zhong, Li Chengguang, Lü Chongben, Tian Liangqiu, and Liu Guangting—all spoke up in defense of Yang Xi, rebuking Li Fuguo for his pettiness.

Seeing the generals rally to his side, Yang Xi felt heartened. Having calmed down, he had already formulated a strategy and was no longer afraid of Li Heng’s censure. Unlike the others, he knew that Li Heng’s rise to the throne was the result of many accidental factors; had it not been for the An Lushan Rebellion, the Crown Prince might well have been deposed. With a time-traveler like himself in the mix, whether Li Heng would truly become emperor remained an open question.

He had a subconscious feeling that Li Heng would not ultimately ascend the throne, and thus, he did not fear the threats of this "Uncle Crown Prince."

However, the generals believed Li Heng was the future emperor, and they were terrified that his wrath would spell disaster.

Just as the generals finished their defense and before Li Fuguo could interject, Yang Xi stepped forward and declared: "Your Highness, perhaps it is better if I first provide you with a detailed account of the military situation at Tongguan. If, after hearing my report, Your Highness still believes I have been derelict in my duties, you may memorialize the Imperial Court and have His Majesty punish me. I shall personally travel to the capital to beg for his forgiveness."