[Lightscreen]
[Faced with two potential invasion routes, An Lushan didn't hesitate to choose "Easy Mode."
From the moment he raised his banners to the fall of Luoyang, it took only a single month—a god-like speed.
An Lushan's base, Fanyang, had another name: Zhuozhou. A strangely cursed place, if you think about it.
At the end of the Han, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei left from here to roam the world.
In the mid-Tang, An Lushan rose up here—and in the end, died much like Zhang Fei did: violent, arrogant, and murdered by his own men.
By the Northern Song, this place became the finish line of the Gaoliang River "drag-racing incident," where the Donkey Cart Emperor barely escaped with his life. Later generations even wrote a poem about it:
West of Xizhimen, battle cries shook the sky,
Song and Liao clashed for glory and pride.
Though Khitan horsemen were fierce and bold,
They lost to a donkey cart drifting just right.
…Alright, that was a tangent.
The point is, An Lushan chose the straightest path: march south, cross the Yellow River, then swing west to take Luoyang.
Smooth to an almost ridiculous degree.
By the time An Lushan was practically on a killing spree, Emperor Xuanzong was still AFK at the hot springs.
When emergency dispatches from Hebei finally landed on his desk, Xuanzong laughed.
"People who hate An Lushan are spreading rumors."
You lot—just because you're jealous, you make up these sensational headlines?
Stop talking nonsense with your eyes wide open. Lushan's had it tough too, you know.
Why don't you reflect on yourselves? You've gone years without promotion—have you really tried hard enough to please me?
It wasn't until report after report flooded into Chang'an that Xuanzong was forced to accept reality.
An Lushan had truly rebelled.
And the next question hit him square in the face:
How do we suppress it?
The court officials pushed responsibility back and forth. No one dared step up.
At just that moment, Feng Changqing happened to be in the capital on duty.
A man born a refugee, risen through military service—this loyal frontier general volunteered to lead the campaign.
Xuanzong couldn't have been happier and immediately appointed him to command the central army.
But once Feng Changqing led his troops past Tong Pass, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
The central army consisted of two forces: the Kuoqi Cavalry and the Northern Palace Guards.
They had been stationed in Chang'an for years without war, held elite status, and had long become a place for noble sons to gild their résumés.
After Xuanzong abolished the old militia system and switched to recruitment, the real hardened soldiers all volunteered for frontier service—to kill enemies and earn rank—rather than tolerate pampered young masters.
As a result, these two central forces rotted at terrifying speed.
The clearest records concern the Kuoqi Cavalry: from a full strength of 120,000, they shrank to 80,000—and nearly all had side jobs.
Rich soldiers ran businesses.
Poor soldiers performed wrestling, tug-of-war, or lifted iron weights in street shows for tip money.
Even under Feng Changqing's command, the outcome was obvious.
Defeat after defeat.
Luoyang fell swiftly.
The Eastern Capital's collapse shook the court.
Only then did Xuanzong realize the gravity of the situation and issue rapid edicts:
Edict One: Luoyang's fall is Feng Changqing's responsibility. Spare his life, strip him of rank, reduce him to a commoner, and send him to serve under Gao Xianzhi in Shaanzhou.
Edict Two: I shall personally lead the campaign and go to the front lines at Shaanzhou to supervise the war!]
[ Server Chat Log]
Zhao Kuangyin: Wait—"Donkey Cart Emperor"? Who's that supposed to be? And what's this "Northern Song"?
Zhuge Liang: Jingkang Disaster. Emperor captured. Court fled south. Dynasty rebooted with a surname change. You seriously don't know this?
Li Shimin stared at the glowing comments and felt a headache coming on.
Zhuge Liang clearly had no intention of letting Zhao Kuangyin feel comfortable.
Li Shimin chose not to intervene.
Sure, the Song inherited Tang institutions—but admitting that? Hard pass.
Still, he grudgingly admitted:
"At least this Xuanzong dared to personally take the field. That takes some backbone."
Compared to those Song emperors who had to be dragged to the front by their ministers, this was… marginally better.
That said—
"Brothel Emperor" and "Wanyan Zhao Emperor," and now Donkey Cart Emperor" was absolutely not a flattering title.
His mood improved slightly. Very slightly.
But in his view, the best window to crush the rebellion had already passed.
Li Jing clearly agreed.
"With two imperial armies at full strength—two hundred thousand men—meeting the rebels fresh from a long march…"
"Smash their momentum, and they would collapse on their own. Then the regional armies could encircle them…"
He shook his head.
A fantasy.
Hou Junji followed up.
"Even so, the rebel army was still elite frontier troops."
"As for these palace guards… whether they can even be called soldiers is debatable."
He sighed.
"Even with ten thousand strategies in his chest, Feng Changqing couldn't turn garbage into an army."
Du Ruhui frowned.
"Later generations say An Lushan died like Zhang Fei—killed by his own men."
"With the emperor present, Tong Pass secured, and regional armies strong… how could it last eight years?"
He trailed off.
Two phrases from later ages surfaced in his mind:
Even a dog tied to the throne wouldn't cause eight years of chaos.
Heaven doesn't fear rebels—only imperial edicts.
And An Lushan himself was dying of diabetes. The rebellion dragged on only because contradictions were never resolved.
Du Ruhui fell silent.
Fang Xuanling turned to Li Jing.
"If Feng Changqing has failed, what should be done now?"
Li Jing stroked his beard.
Said nothing.
Hou Junji also shut his mouth.
Li Shimin snorted.
"Luoyang to Tong Pass is flat terrain."
"Rebels have cavalry. Guards are rotten."
"How do you fight that?"
"Withdraw and hold Tong Pass. Neutralize their horses. Wait for Longyou, Hexi, and Shuofang reinforcements."
"A little shame is better than throwing away both face and lives."
Chengdu
In Chengdu, Zhuge Liang dropped another slip of paper into the light screen, helpless.
Small states have no sovereignty. Weak states have no diplomacy.
Paired with Shu's own situation, the meaning cut deeper than ever.
But things were different now.
Liu Bei clapped Zhang Fei on the shoulder.
"Yide. You must strive."
Zhang Fei grumbled.
"I already credited Fan Jiang!"
Fa Zheng testified.
"At Hanzhong, Fan Jiang and Zhang Da charged first and nearly died. Lord Zhang saved them."
Liu Bei smiled warmly.
"My third brother has the bearing of a great general."
Fa Zheng added cheerfully:
"The General saved them by swinging his long spear so hard he knocked them both away. They were stuck in bed for three months before they could walk again."
Liu Bei fell silent.
Then patted Zhang Fei anyway.
Everything understood.
Back to the Tang
Xu Shu criticized Xuanzong's edicts.
"The fault lay with the guards. How was Feng Changqing responsible?"
He sneered.
"Cowards go unpunished. Patriots are condemned."
"It seems Tang valor lies in frontier generals and soldiers—not in the court."
Just moments ago they'd admired Gao Xianzhi's successors.
Now Feng Changqing was reduced to a commoner overnight.
A bitter turn.
[Lightscreen]
[Soon after Xuanzong's declaration, new reports arrived:
Gao Xianzhi abandoned Shaanzhou and retreated to Tong Pass.
This was done at Feng Changqing's urging—and the reasoning was sound.
First, Gao's Tianwu Army was also recruited from palace guards. According to the histories, "they did not even know how to wear armor."
Second, Tong Pass, though a natural fortress, had no garrison. A defeat in the field would mean rebels punching straight through to Chang'an.
So the two generals agreed: retreat, fortify Tong Pass, await reinforcements.
Militarily flawless.
Politically disastrous.
December 1, 755: Gao Xianzhi departs Chang'an.
December 12: Retreat to Tong Pass.
December 20: Eunuch Bian Lingcheng accuses Gao of selling army grain.
December 21: By imperial order, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing are executed at Tong Pass.
Xuanzong, betrayed by An Lushan, swung from blind trust to extreme suspicion.
Bian Lingcheng read his pulse perfectly—and used imperial authority to kill loyal generals.
Xuanzong then issued another edict to stabilize morale:
I will truly lead the campaign myself. I will personally kill the rebel An Lushan!]
Ganlu Hall
Li Shimin wanted to laugh.
And cry.
Laugh at Xuanzong's self-destruction.
Cry for loyal ministers and the innocent people of Tang.
He downed a cup of grape wine despite Sun Simiao's protests and smashed it to the floor.
"Then let me see how this rebel takes the greatest pass under Heaven!"
"Let me see how this fine descendant wages his personal campaign!"
Grinding his teeth.
Three severed arms.
A frozen loyalist's heart.
Li Shimin wanted to see—
How exactly this emperor would "turn the tide" all the way to Chengdu.
Zhang Fei finally blurted out:
"Say… An Lushan isn't Xuanzong's illegitimate son, is he?"