Chapter Thirty-Six: Rather Annoyed

After a restful night, Li Heng resumed his inspection of Tong Pass the next day to extend his condolences and encouragement to the troops.

Early that morning, Yang Xi assembled the entire force at Tong Pass, lining them up on the parade ground for Li Heng to review. After several months of training, the organization and discipline of the garrison had undergone a profound transformation. Their formations were impeccable, their military bearing was sharp, their movements were orderly, and their obedience to commands was absolute—all of which caught Li Heng by surprise.

He had personally inspected the Imperial Guards, both on his own and alongside his father, Emperor Li Longji. Even the Imperial Guards, whom his father took such pride in, lacked this level of uniformity and precision. It seemed Yang Xi was truly capable and possessed a deep understanding of military affairs. Not only did he command the absolute obedience of his subordinates, but he also governed the army with remarkable skill. This realization filled Li Heng with apprehension: with a son like Yang Xi, the influence of Yang Guozhong within the military was growing by the day, and that was a dire situation.

Li Heng became firmly convinced that he must not allow Yang Guozhong and his son to succeed in their ambitions.

After reviewing the garrison, Li Heng inspected the city’s defenses, including the Han-era Tong Pass wall, where repairs were nearing completion. Following repeated enemy assaults and the destruction wrought by the Tang forces before their retreat, the old fortress had essentially lost its defensive utility. After months of restoration, the barricades had been fully repaired, and the majestic pass was reborn. During the reconstruction, several defensive facilities were even improved; the restored Han Tong Pass was now superior to its original state in both scale and strategic fortification.

The Jing Trench had also been thoroughly cleared.

With multiple critical defensive structures restored to a state even better than before the war, Yang Xi felt a modest sense of pride as he accompanied Li Heng on the inspection.

Li Heng, however, was increasingly alarmed. He now understood that Yang Xi’s capabilities were even more outstanding than he had anticipated. For Yang Guozhong to have such an exceptionally talented son was like adding wings to a tiger. Truth be told, Li Heng did not consider Yang Guozhong himself to be particularly capable. His other sons—Yang Xuan, Yang Bu, and Yang Xiao—who had entered the bureaucracy years ago, were all of mediocre talent. Li Heng believed Yang Guozhong’s current power was entirely due to his opportunistic sycophancy and the Emperor’s favor. But if Yang Guozhong had the assistance of an exceptionally capable son like Yang Xi, who was also gaining prestige within the military, the threat would be insurmountable. A thought began to fester in Li Heng’s mind: no matter what, he could not allow Yang Xi to progress so smoothly or attain greater status and influence. He had to find a way to hinder him, or perhaps even eliminate him.

Once the thought took root, it spiraled out of control. After the inspection, when Li Heng returned to his quarters to rest and summoned Li Fuguo for a secret discussion, he voiced these ideas. Of course, Li Heng spoke with great subtlety, merely lamenting the harm the treacherous minister Yang Guozhong caused the nation and suggesting that Yang Xi was an accomplice; he remarked that it would be a great blessing for the country if both could be removed.

Li Fuguo understood the implication, but he dared not take the bait. Without a clear directive from Li Heng, he remained vague and non-committal. It was a perilous matter; if word got out, ten heads would not be enough to pay the price. Moreover, he lacked the means—this was Yang Xi’s territory, and he was a newcomer with no trusted men of his own. Executing Li Heng’s suggestion would be harder than reaching the heavens.

Li Heng’s resolve was not yet set; he had no detailed plan and was merely testing the waters. When Li Fuguo did not commit, Li Heng did not push the issue further. However, he repeatedly ordered Li Fuguo to monitor Yang Xi’s every move, report everything back to him, and ensure these reports were submitted to the imperial court.

Supervising eunuchs already possessed the authority to report directly to the Emperor on the conduct of military commanders—effectively granting them the power to lodge secret complaints or vent personal grievances. If a eunuch wanted to ruin a general, they almost always succeeded. Even legendary generals like Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing had met their ends due to the personal grudges of the eunuch Bian Lingcheng. While Yang Guozhong’s influence was a factor, it was Bian Lingcheng’s reports that had cost those generals their lives. By sending his own confidant, Li Fuguo, to Tong Pass, Li Heng’s primary goal was to check Yang Xi and restrain the expansion of the Yang family’s power.

Li Heng knew that the only legitimate way to remove the Yangs without inviting trouble was through his father. Any private underhanded schemes, even if successful, would only bring disaster upon himself—unless he were to stage a coup like his ancestor, Emperor Taizong, and force his father to abdicate.

After his talk with Li Fuguo, Li Heng lay alone in contemplation. Ultimately, he did not fully commit to the dark path of eliminating Yang Xi, but he believed he could use Li Fuguo to mirror Bian Lingcheng’s tactics and make life miserable for Yang Xi. At the very least, he would ensure Yang Xi could not continue to command the army so smoothly and would eventually be forced out of the military.

After a short rest, Li Heng summoned the senior generals of Tong Pass for individual audiences. He met privately with Wang Sili, Pang Zhong, Li Chengguang, Gao Shi, Tian Liangqiu, Lü Chongben, Li Fude, and Liu Guangting. Beyond inquiring about military affairs, he showered them with praise, promising to lobby the Emperor for their merit and to secure a full pardon for their roles in the defeat at Lingbao.

By winning their gratitude, Li Heng seized the moment to sow seeds of allegiance. He was particularly attentive to those like Wang Sili, Pang Zhong, Gao Shi, Tian Liangqiu, and Lü Chongben—men who had long held deep prejudices against Yang Guozhong and had even once advised Geshu Han to have him assassinated. Li Heng offered them grand promises, implicitly suggesting that as the Emperor was aging and had hinted at abdication, he would soon be the master of the Tang. If they remained loyal to him, they would be heavily rewarded.

The tactic proved devastatingly effective. These generals were already dissatisfied with Yang Guozhong; their respect for Yang Xi was merely a result of his recent efforts to save Tong Pass. In their eyes, the Crown Prince was far more important than the Yangs. Many were overjoyed at being courted by the future Emperor and immediately pledged their loyalty.

Yang Xi was well aware of what Li Heng was doing, but he was powerless to stop it. He watched as the attitudes of his generals shifted; Wang Sili, Lü Chongben, and Tian Liangqiu began to treat him differently, and even Pang Zhong’s demeanor changed. Meanwhile, the supervising eunuch Li Fuguo became increasingly meddlesome, inserting himself into every affair.

It left Yang Xi deeply incensed.