Chapter 028: The Vanished Man

Having received Li Longji's orders, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing adopted the correct strategy: hold fast at Tong Pass.

This move thwarted the enemy's plan for a quick victory, and Tong Pass, as a shield for Chang'an, effectively protected the capital.

But as mentioned earlier, in his later years Li Longji had become blinded by greed, losing the wisdom and decisiveness of his youth.

Some treacherous villains slandered Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing before Li Longji, accusing them of colluding with the An-Shi rebels and thus delaying a direct confrontation.

Without careful investigation, Li Longji had them beheaded in public, costing the court two experienced and courageous generals!

Afterward, Li Longji sent the aged Geshu Han to command the troops at Tong Pass and resist the enemy.

At that time, the garrison at Tong Pass numbered two hundred thousand!

Geshu Han correctly assessed the situation on both sides and believed that holding the fort was the best strategy. But as days dragged on, Emperor Xuanzong lost patience with him.

Moreover, the incompetent Yang Guozhong urged Xuanzong to issue an imperial decree forcing Geshu Han to engage. Geshu Han knew that battle would mean defeat, but cowed by imperial authority, he had no choice but to lead his troops out.

In the end, he suffered a great defeat and was captured by his own men and taken to the enemy camp.

From then on, An Lushan marched into Chang'an unopposed. Li Longji had to flee secretly with his guards and confidants, abandoning most of the eunuchs, palace maids, and even imperial clan members.

And then came the Mawei Station Incident.

Not only was Yang Guozhong beheaded by mutinous soldiers, but Yang Yuhuan was also implicated and died.

It can be said that the An-Shi Rebellion's immense impact, which caused the Tang Dynasty to decline from its peak, was not because An Lushan was so formidable or powerful.

In the prime of the Tang, there were many capable of quelling the rebellion.

But the problem was that no matter how brilliant a general, he could not withstand attacks from his allies.

What's more, Li Longji and Yang Guozhong were not the generals' allies but their superiors.

With such a boss who protected his enemies and struck down his own men, not even Geshu Han or Gao Xianzhi could hold out—let alone Bai Qi, Li Jing, or even Lian Po and Li Mu.

Only military geniuses like Sun Wu or Guiguzi might have defied fate.

And that's just a guess.

Whether they could succeed would only be known after a battle.

To be honest, even An Lushan probably never imagined he could win battle after battle, defeat several famous generals, and successfully enter Chang'an.

If rewards were to be given, Li Longji and Yang Guozhong were his greatest benefactors.

From this, one can see how fatuous Li Longji was and how incompetent Yang Guozhong was during the An-Shi Rebellion, turning a winning hand into a losing one.

Yet Yang Guozhong, a useless piece, did not realize that his frantic maneuvers were taking him irrevocably toward the abyss of death.

As a man without self-awareness, he naturally could not know that his actions were nothing but relentless self-destruction.

Now, he was excited at the prospect of eliminating An Lushan.

But before the emperor, Yang Guozhong could not say that his plan was meant to provoke An Lushan into rebellion. So he rolled his eyes and said, “Your Majesty, I have an idea.”

Li Longji said, “Speak.”

Yang Guozhong said, “Your Majesty can issue an edict summoning An Lushan to court, without mentioning rebellion. Say that the Empress Dowager liked the gift he presented at the Feast of Ultimate Joy and wishes to give him a return gift. Your Majesty can also hint in the edict that An Lushan will be promoted and ennobled.”

“Once An Lushan comes to Chang'an, his life and death will be in Your Majesty's hands.”

“Your Majesty can do with An Lushan as you please. You could even imprison him in Chang'an and strip him of all power.”

Li Longji thought this was a good idea.

Chang'an was his territory; if An Lushan dared to come, he had a hundred ways to subdue him.

So he immediately issued an edict and sent it by fast horse to An Lushan's stronghold.

Yang Guozhong, having succeeded in his scheme, left the palace excitedly and headed home.

On the way, Yang Guozhong sneered repeatedly. He had already planned that once An Lushan arrived in Chang'an and fell into his hands, he would give that old bastard a proper welcome.

After An Lushan fell from favor, he would repay him bit by bit for all the grievances he had suffered over the years.

He would make An Lushan know what it meant to wish for death but be unable to die.

Just then, the carriage suddenly jolted slightly and stopped.

Yang Guozhong was startled and shouted through the curtain, “Yang San, why did you stop the carriage?”

Yang San was Yang Guozhong's confidant and also his driver.

After a few seconds without a response, Yang Guozhong found it strange. When had Yang San become so bold as to ignore his question?

Anger surged in his heart. He stood up and lifted the curtain. “Yang San, I asked you…”

But in the next second, his voice cut off abruptly.

Because he found that before him there was no one.

Yang San, who should have been sitting in the driver's seat, had vanished.

But that wasn't all. Besides Yang San, his guards had also disappeared. Even more terrifying, the pedestrians on the street were gone.

This street was Vermilion Bird Street, the busiest thoroughfare in Chang'an.

Every time he returned from the palace to his mansion, he passed through this street.

Except at night, this street was always crowded with countless people, bustling with noise and clamor.

But now, all the pedestrians were gone.

Not only the pedestrians, but even the taverns and tea houses on both sides of the street were empty.

Standing on the carriage, Yang Guozhong could even see a cup of steaming tea on a table in a tea house, wisps of heat rising from the cup.

There should have been a tea drinker sitting there, but now the drinker was gone.

The pedestrians on the street, the boisterous drinkers, the laughing children, the performing martial artists, the walking merchants, the graceful women—all the people one would normally see were now gone.

Yang Guozhong looked into the distance and found that the entire street held only one person.

That was himself.

The air was terrifyingly silent except for the sound of his own breathing.

Seeing this eerie scene, Yang Guozhong felt a chill rise from his spine, rushing to his brain in an instant, making his scalp tingle.