Chapter 67: Innocent Victim

In truth, Chen Ying’s speculation was entirely correct. King Qin, Li Shimin, led the Tang army in a counterattack against Xue Renguo, and the campaign progressed with remarkable ease. Xue Renguo’s forces suffered from a severe shortage of provisions. To procure food and wealth, Xue Renguo ordered his soldiers to string up the affluent gentry of Qinzhou, pouring vinegar into their nostrils to extort their riches.

Moreover, Xue Renguo excelled only at cruelty and harsh treatment toward his soldiers, wholly inept at soothing or inspiring them. When Li Shimin arrived at Qianyuan with the Tang army, he learned from defectors of Xue Renguo’s camp that the officers and troops under Xue Renguo harbored deep resentment and thoughts of desertion. Li Shimin thus instructed Liang Shi, his chief of staff, to entice Xue Renguo’s men to surrender.

Faced with the lure of food and high office, the demoralized Western Qin army quickly succumbed to a chain reaction. Previously, Xue Renguo’s trusted general, Zong Luohou, had been slain by Chen Ying at Jingyang. Now, the only commander Xue Renguo could rely on was Hun Gan, a leader of Qiang descent. Hun Gan, no fool, saw that the troops were dispirited, hundreds fleeing each day, and that fewer than ten thousand soldiers remained, all devoid of any will to fight.

He received orders from Xue Renguo to lead a campaign, but upon reaching Li Shimin’s camp, he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. Li Shimin, commanding the Tang army, approached Gaodi City without firing an arrow. By midnight, the defenders surrendered en masse. With no recourse, Xue Renguo, on the twenty-sixth day of the tenth month, led his civil and military officials out of the city in surrender. Li Shimin accepted over thirty thousand Western Qin troops and hundreds of thousands of civilians.

On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month, Li Shimin escorted Xue Renguo and his entourage back to the capital, arriving before Chang’an. Li Yuan dispatched Liu Wenjing, leading the civil and military officials, to greet Li Shimin outside the city.

At this time, upon learning the details, Chen Ying was consumed with regret. Now, with Li Shimin’s triumphant return, it was as if a comet had struck the earth, capturing everyone’s attention. Previously, the rebellion in Pangqi had stirred concern among the court’s officials, but now, nobody would spare it a second glance. With Western Qin, the great threat in the northwest, eliminated, the Tang dynasty no longer had to fear fighting on two fronts; the passive situation was instantly reversed.

“We should take a detour,” Chen Ying mused aloud. “It’s best not to cross paths with King Qin’s army, or trouble will surely follow!”

As the saying goes, one’s fears often come to pass. Before Zhang Huaiwei could relay the orders, Chen Ying heard commotion ahead.

“Are you blind, dog? Can’t you see? This road isn’t for the likes of you!” A young officer clad in the uniform of the Right Imperial Guard barked arrogantly. “Move aside, move aside!”

Duan Zhigan was not one to tolerate such provocation. Though he recognized the armor as belonging to the Right Imperial Guard (the Left Imperial Guard was established by Yang Guang in the third year of the Daye era; the Tang dynasty kept this arrangement, and after the fifth year of Wude, it was renamed the Command Guard—part of the imperial military hierarchy), Duan Zhigan was not about to cower before the young officer. He stepped forward and shoved the officer aside.

“I’ll walk this road, just watch me. Even if you report me to the emperor, I’ll argue my case. Am I not a meritorious subject of Tang? I fought to quell the rebellion, swung my blade in battle, broke three swords, and never retreated. Who are you to block my way? Get lost!”

“You... you must have a death wish!” the young officer roared. “Seize this madman!”

A dozen Imperial Guards surged forward.

The soldiers of the Second Merit Division, after more than twenty days of marching and training under Chen Ying, were no longer the green recruits they once were. One thousand five hundred soldiers stepped in unison, swords drawn, polearms leveled, arrows nocked, their collective aura menacing and fierce.

Though the Second Merit Division had been tasked with quelling rebellion, every soldier had seen blood; their ferocity was palpable and set them apart.

These Imperial Guards had never left Chang’an, and the experienced fighters had all been sent to the front. The remaining soldiers had connections or had never seen combat. Confronted by the Second Merit Division’s intimidating presence, the young officer’s bravado instantly faltered.

“Are you trying to revolt?”

Chen Ying stepped forward, feigning ignorance. “What’s the matter here?”

Duan Zhigan slung an arm around the officer’s shoulder. “Nothing, sir. He’s just a neighbor from my ward. We haven’t seen each other in ages, so I thought we’d catch up.”

To be part of the imperial guard, regardless of martial skill, one needed keen judgment. Observing the group’s deference to Chen Ying, the officer surmised Chen Ying’s rank surpassed Duan Zhigan’s, and his youthful age only strengthened the assumption that he hailed from a distinguished background.

Such a person was not someone a mere officer could afford to offend.

“Isn’t that right?” Duan Zhigan pressed, tightening his grip.

The officer struggled to breathe. “Yes... yes…”

“Get into the city, and stop causing trouble!”

“Into the city!” Chen Ying commanded.

One thousand five hundred soldiers of the Second Merit Division marched in five columns, heads held high, eyes forward, as if a single entity. Their steps were measured, each footfall precisely spaced, as if marked by a ruler, their rhythm uniform and impressive.

Though the effect of military drill on combat ability might be debated in later generations, the visual impact was undeniable.

The citizens entering the city were left stunned by the Second Merit Division’s display. The people of Chang’an, unaware of the truth, whispered among themselves.

“Who leads these troops? Their discipline is astonishing—so many men, and not one utters a word!”

“You don’t understand. These are King Qin’s most elite Black Armored Cavalry!”

“Hmph.”

The crowd snorted.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about—Black Armored Cavalry? Where are their horses?”

Just then, four groups of infantry passed, and at the rear marched Zhang Shigui’s Yue Cavalry.

“Look, here come the Black Armored Cavalry!”

“Well, so they do.”

“It’s remarkable—not only are the men in perfect step, even the animals keep pace!”

“No wonder King Qin could pacify Western Qin in a matter of weeks. With such tiger-like troops, who could stand against them?”

In the crowd, a slightly portly young scholar in azure robes listened to the murmurs, his face growing darker by the moment. This young man was none other than King Qin’s brother-in-law, the Queen’s brother, Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji, never known for magnanimity, was so agitated his nose was nearly crooked. He turned to Lei Yongji, commander of King Qin’s palace guards. “Who were those men just now?”

Lei Yongji replied, “They should be the Second Merit Division of the Eastern Palace Right Imperial Guard, whose commander, Chen Ying, distinguished himself at Jingyang.”

“Hmph, Chen Ying!” Changsun Wuji etched the name in his mind. So young, and already so adept at training troops—if given time, who knows what heights he could reach? The rivalry between King Qin and Crown Prince Li Jiancheng was an open secret in Chang’an.

Both sides had their advantages. Li Jiancheng, as Li Yuan’s eldest legitimate son, was the rightful heir by Confucian law. Most of the Guanzhong aristocracy and Shandong noble clans favored him.

Li Shimin, however, commanded unparalleled respect in the army, especially among officers of humble origin. If Li Jiancheng gained such a skilled trainer, he would swiftly overcome his military shortcomings. Changsun Wuji thought to himself, “Chen Ying must be eliminated soon, or he will become a grave threat.”

Chen Ying, for his part, could never imagine that he was now the target of Changsun Wuji’s deep resentment.

Had Chen Ying known of Changsun Wuji’s intentions, he would have felt more wronged than Dou E, struck down for no reason at all.