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Li Ji nodded and tossed the hammer aside—using a hammer wasn't impossible, but he'd expected something much bigger, only to find the hammerhead was barely thicker than his fist, looking utterly unimpressive. If it were the massive hammerhead he'd seen in many movies and TV shows in his previous life, Li Ji wouldn't have been so arrogant as to think he could swing it with one hand.
Or, how about making a hollow hammer? Forget it, what's the point besides showing off and fooling people?
Looking at the other two weapons, they are all made of iron. The whip has a round head and twelve sections; the mace has a pointed head, four edges, and a roughly square cross-section.
To be honest, Li Ji's aesthetic sense is such that he doesn't like overly complicated things; he always feels that only simplicity truly brings out the charm. So he finally decided: "Then you shall forge a mace for me."
Old Huang said, "Is this four-sided mace satisfactory, Li Erlang? The hilt and the mace head can both be cast in the shape of animal heads. Should we use a tiger or a lion?"
Li Ji waved his hand and said no need, simple is fine, there's no need for gold and silver embellishment—"Just make one weighing thirty catties for me."
Old Huang was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "It's too heavy and inconvenient to use—even this mace only weighs ten jin."
Li Ji laughed, "You think I can't swing them?" He immediately grabbed the whip, mace, and hammer, stuffed them all into his right hand, barely managing to grip them, and then swung them three times into the air. The wind howled, the pressure was immense, and Old Huang was so frightened he stumbled back three steps. Looking at the crossbowman, he saw he had already hidden behind a table…
Old Huang gave a thumbs up and complimented repeatedly: "As expected of Li Erlang, I have been making weapons for three generations and have never seen anyone with greater strength." But then he clasped his hands and said: "However, if the mace is made too heavy, although Li Erlang can wield it, it will be difficult to control the center of gravity when making it... Moreover, if it is too bulky and long, it will be inconvenient to hang it on the waist at all times, right? I humbly request that it be reduced to eighteen catties."
Li Ji thought about it and realized that eighteen jin was about right... If it were thirty or fifty jin, even if he could swing it a few times without much effort, the speed would be slow, which would be a loss. "Alright, eighteen jin iron maces it is, I want a pair."
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Old Huang was quite fast—presumably because although maces are expensive to make, they don't require repeated forging and hammering like sharp knives or swords, or even the use of different iron materials to ensure sharpness and flexibility—it was completed in just five days, and then the crossbow workshop sent someone to deliver it to Li Ji's residence.
The double maces were presented in a cloth bag. Li Ji took them out and examined them; they exuded a chilling aura and gleamed with an oppressive cold light—though not lacquered or silvered, they were ultimately made of fine steel, not ordinary iron, and thus their entire surface was a dark silver, polished smooth as a mirror, almost reflecting one's image. The clerk who delivered the goods relayed Old Huang's words: "Just apply some oil regularly and maintain them properly, and they can last for hundreds of years. If they accidentally rust, simply polish them with fine sandpaper."
The mace was indeed not decorated much, but the hilt was specially cast in the shape of an eight-petaled lotus flower, with the mace body rising from the lotus bud; the mace head resembled a lotus bud, not yet open, with the petals clustered together to form a small point. Although Li Ji had instructed that there was no need for any fancy designs, Old Huang felt that it was his honor to be able to forge a weapon for Li Erlang, something he could boast about everywhere. If it were simply a hilt shaped like a knife guard and a mace head shaped like a sword tsuba, it would only invite ridicule... So he put some thought into making it in this shape.
Li Ji was quite satisfied with this design and thought to himself that it might be better to name it "Blue Lotus Four-Sided Mace".
—Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai, sobriquet "Qinglian Jushi". Although Li Ji prefers Du Fu's style to Li Bai's works, he has to admit that, purely in terms of technique, Li Bai seems to be superior—the old ginger is spicier after all—therefore, upon seeing a lotus flower, he instinctively thinks of "Qinglian".
Upon closer inspection, one can see that near the mouth of the mace, there are two lines of small characters engraved on it: one reads "Used by Li Erlang of Jingzhao to defeat the barbarians," and the other reads "Refined and presented by Huang Tiexuan of Duanzhou."
So Lao Huang's real name is Huang Tiexuan. Duanzhou... he's actually from Guangdong.
Li Ji held a mace in each hand, swung it around once, and found that the weight was just right, the center of gravity was appropriate, and it was quite easy to handle. However... although they seemed to be the same size, their weights were slightly different. He asked the clerk, who replied, "Old Huang said that one of these maces weighs eighteen catties, and the other weighs seventeen catties and fourteen taels. The difference of two taels makes it easier for the main and assistant hands to use them respectively."
Li Ji was overjoyed: "Indeed, he is a master craftsman, and his considerations are thorough." From then on, he could use his right hand to "use what he had to break through the barbarians" and his left hand to "refine and respectfully present" the goods.
He immediately summoned Qingluan, took a thousand coins, and handed them to the clerk, instructing him to reward Old Huang with four hundred, reward the head of the crossbow workshop with five hundred, and as for the remaining one hundred—he couldn't let you run an errand for nothing, could he?
The clerk received the money, was overjoyed, bowed in gratitude, and left.
A thousand coins is not a small sum for an ordinary family—even though Qingluan obeyed and took it out, she seemed somewhat reluctant—giving Old Huang five hundred and the errand boy one hundred would probably be quite satisfactory; as for the head of the crossbow workshop, five hundred coins is equivalent to almost half a month's salary. To be honest, when it comes to a suitable weapon, this amount of money is well spent.
In those days, a standard-issue broadsword cost between several hundred and two thousand coins—those costing several hundred were common items, while those costing two thousand were considered high-quality. As for swords that could be called "treasure swords," they were never priceless or available. As for these maces, even considering their weight, the materials alone were equivalent to a dozen broadswords. Although the labor required for them might be less than for broadswords, in those days resources were relatively scarce, and only manpower was worthless.
Of course, this was a private gift, and Old Huang wouldn't have paid for it himself; it must have been paid for with public iron ingots. He believed the head of the crossbow workshop had a hundred ways to balance the accounts, and even if Li Ji didn't give him a single penny, they wouldn't dare say anything. But Li Ji really loved these maces, and if he didn't give them as a reward, he would feel ashamed and uneasy about using them.
He immediately ordered Qingluan to weave ropes from blue silk threads and tie them to the heads of the double maces, hanging them on his waist. Walking a few steps would not be a problem, but he estimated that he could not run fast. However, it didn't matter. When he really needed to run fast, it would most likely be when he encountered the enemy, and he would naturally hold the double maces in his hands first.
So the next day, Li Ji didn't carry his sword; instead, he swaggered into the palace, his pair of "Azure Lotus Four-Sided Maces" hanging freely. The palace guards were all dumbfounded—they knew their weight—and as they approached the Left Hero's military headquarters, one of them finally couldn't resist asking, leaning on his long halberd and clasping his hands, "Military Advisor Li, what heavy maces you wield! How much do they weigh?"
Li Ji raised his head, puffed out his chest, and casually picked up his right mace: "This one, eighteen jin." Then he slowly picked up his left mace: "This one, also eighteen jin." He didn't care about the extra two liang; there was no need to tell the whole truth.
The other party couldn't help but click their tongue: "Goodness, a pair of maces weighs thirty-six jin... Even Duke Qin Shubao of Hu only uses a pair of maces weighing thirty jin..."
Li Ji thought to himself that this was a knowledgeable person, unlike the wild rumors that Qin Shubao's pair of iron maces weighed eighty catties... He himself had such stories in his later generations, such as Guan Yu's sword weighing one hundred and eight catties and a water-polished Zen staff weighing sixty-four catties. He wondered if the storyteller himself believed it.
According to Li Ji's recollection, later research determined that one liang (两) in the Han Dynasty was roughly equal to 12 grams. Therefore, sixteen liang made one jin (斤), and one jin was approximately 220 grams. One hundred and eight jin would be 22 kilograms, which is acceptable. However, he estimated that the weights and measures in the Tang Dynasty were generally larger than those in the Han and Wei Dynasties, with one jin exceeding 800 grams in later periods. So, if Qin Shubao's maces weighed eighty jin, that would be over 20 kilograms… over 20 kilograms in one hand, close to the weight of a Guan Yu sword? Don't be ridiculous! Unless Qin Qiong wasn't human, but a giant gorilla!
Li Ji estimated that if he had a weapon weighing forty jin (approximately 20 catties), he might not be able to swing it in a wide arc with one hand. Even if he used both hands, he probably wouldn't be able to fight for more than a few rounds before he would be exhausted.
Just as he was feeling pleased with himself, a minor official suddenly rushed over, clasped his hands, and said, "Why are you so late, Military Advisor? The two Chief Clerks and the Right Army Military Advisor are all waiting for you at the Right Army's office."
Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned – why were the three big shots of the Left and Right Heroic Armies gathered together, waiting for him, the fourth person? What had happened? He didn't ask the clerk, since the Left and Right Army offices were only separated by a wall, so he strode forward and entered the hall.
As expected, Dou Wenchang, Huo Xianming, and Ma Sui were all there, their expressions not very good—they seemed somewhat worried, and perhaps somewhat annoyed. Just as Li Ji was about to bow, Dou Wenchang quickly said, "No need for formalities, Chief Guard, come and sit down quickly."
Li Ji hurriedly walked to his left, casually took the two maces from his waist, put them together, and placed them on the mat. Then he knelt down, facing Ma Sui directly. Dou Wenchang and the others couldn't help but look at the pair of "blue lotus four-sided maces," but they forcibly held back and didn't ask for the time being. Huo Xianming spoke first: "We just received news that the government troops have been defeated!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ji paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it under the walls of Xiangzhou City?"
"Exactly."
"Was it attacked and defeated by Shi Siming?"
Ma Sui narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Where did Changwei learn this?"
Li Ji shook his head with a wry smile: "Does An Qingxu still have the strength to defeat the government army? If he is defeated, it will surely be Shi Siming who leads the army to attack... Do you know the specifics?"
Dou Wenchang glanced at Huo Xianming, who nodded. Huo Xianming then turned to Li Ji and rattled off, "The other day, the Prince of Fengjie entered the palace to warn His Majesty that Shi Siming had stationed his troops in Weizhou, intending to lull the imperial army into a false sense of security before launching a surprise attack. Unfortunately, it was too late. His Majesty had just issued an edict to Yu Chaoen, and the messenger had barely left when news of the defeat arrived..."
With the fall of Anyang, the capital of Xiangzhou (formerly Yecheng), imminent, Shi Siming, stationed in Weizhou, finally made his move. He first ordered his army to approach Anyang, within fifty li of it, and beat drums day and night to intimidate the enemy from afar. He then ordered each camp to select five hundred elite cavalry to plunder the city walls daily, causing the government troops to lose cattle and horses daily and making firewood gathering extremely difficult...
At this time, the country was suffering from famine. To supply the needs of the government troops, ships carrying grain and supplies from the south (Jiang and Huai rivers) to the west (Bing and Fen rivers) were constantly on the road for thousands of miles. Shi Siming sent men disguised as government troops to urge the grain transport, and then used any pretext to execute laborers, causing widespread fear and leading to a surge in desertions. Furthermore, he often secretly sent men to set fire to places where ships and carts converged, and the government troops launched several pursuits but could not catch them.
The main problem was that the various armies lacked a unified command, so who would be willing to devote their main efforts to suppressing bandits? Who would be willing to send their main force to the rear when the enemy city was about to fall and great success was within their grasp? Even Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi were unwilling to take on this heavy responsibility.
Only Zhang Xun urgently dispatched his fierce generals Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun to lead troops to suppress them, but he could only take care of his own supply routes. As for other supply routes, they often refused to obey orders and even suspected that they were fake government troops and real bandits, and did not allow them to get close...
As a result, the troops were starving and their morale was low. Shi Siming realized that the time had come, so he personally led his army straight to the city to fight the Tang army in a decisive battle...
Chapter 48, The Defeat of Xiangzhou
In March of the second year of the Qianyuan era, the Tang army, with 600,000 infantry and cavalry, formed a battle array north of Anyang—of course, this was just a claim; in reality, it numbered only about 200,000—while Shi Siming personally led 50,000 elite troops to attack.
The rebel army clashed with the forces of Li Guangbi, Wang Sili, Xu Shuji, and Lu Jiong, suffering heavy casualties on both sides with no clear victor. During the fierce fighting, Lu Jiong, the military governor of Huaixi, was struck by an arrow and forced to retreat slightly. Shi Siming seized the opportunity to launch a direct attack, resulting in a major rout of the Huaixi army. Guo Ziyi, originally positioned behind Lu Jiong, was also caught in the crossfire and forced into a difficult battle due to the impact of the defeated troops.
Just then, another rebel force, led by Li Guiren, suddenly appeared on the flank of the government army. Xu Shuji, Ji Guangshen, Dong Qin, and Li Feiyuanli (military commander of Zhenxi, replacing the fallen Li Siye) and their troops, seeing the dire situation, collapsed instantly. The rebels attacked from both sides, and the government army's advance was like a landslide. Fortunately, Li Guangbi, Zhang Xun, and other generals fought a fierce battle to hold the rear, finally forcing the rebels back and preventing greater losses…
The government troops suffered a crushing defeat, only managing to stabilize their position after crossing the Yellow River. Guo Ziyi then led the Shuofang army to cut off the Heyang Bridge to secure Dongjing (Kaifeng). An inventory of losses revealed relatively few dead, but of the ten thousand warhorses, only three thousand remained, and of the one hundred thousand armored weapons, almost all were abandoned… Furthermore, news of this reached Dongjing, causing panic among the officials and civilians, who fled the city in droves. Even the officials left behind, such as Cui Yuan and Su Zhen, the Prefect of Henan, abandoned the city and fled to Xiangyang and Dengzhou!
Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, and other generals originally planned to defend the river and look for an opportunity to counterattack, but unexpectedly, the morale of the troops was low and their food supplies were exhausted, so they all fled back to their towns... Moreover, this commotion was too big to be concealed, so they were forced to submit a memorial to apologize.
Of course, if a victory was reported, it would be exaggerated; if a defeat was reported, it would be embellished. This was a common problem in the court and the army at that time. According to Yu Chaoen's report, after the Huaixi army retreated, Guo Ziyi led the Shuofang army behind them. "Before they could deploy their troops," a sudden strong wind arose, blowing sand and uprooting trees, darkening the sky and making it impossible to see even a short distance away. Both armies were greatly alarmed; the government army collapsed and fled south, while the enemy army collapsed and fled north..."
—Even if we couldn't win, we might not have lost. It was all bad luck; it seems the rebels' forces are not yet easily defeated. Fortunately, although the government troops collapsed, the rebels didn't fare any better, scattering in all directions as well…
Upon hearing Huo Xianming's explanation, Li Ji's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes widened in anger, and he shouted, "Nonsense! If Shi Siming were also going north, why would Minister Guo have cut off the Heyang Bridge and rushed to protect Dongjing?"
Dou Wenchang raised his hand and pressed it down slightly, as if to say, "Changwei, please be quiet." Ma Sui also said, "Regarding the specifics of the battle, we cannot rely solely on Yu Gong's words. I believe reports from various military governors will gradually converge on the capital..."
Li Ji sneered, "Defeat is defeat, why hide it?"
Dou Wenchang smiled bitterly and said in a low voice, "If we do not return it to Heaven, I fear that the soldiers and civilians will be even more fearful, and what will become of the court's prestige?" He paused and asked, "We are guarding the Forbidden City, and the situation of the foreign troops is none of our business. But I fear that His Majesty will inquire about it. I hope that Lord Changwei and Lord Xunmei will give me and Chief Secretary Huo some guidance."
This battle was a huge defeat, completely altering the situation in Guandong. Even if Li Heng was unwilling to get involved, he couldn't simply ignore it; he would certainly consult his ministers. The problem was that there weren't many military experts in the court, and Li Heng trusted eunuchs more... If Yu Chaoen were here, he would definitely ask him first. Now that Yu Chaoen was supervising the army outside, he would most likely consult Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming.
Li Heng naturally trusted Li Fuguo the most, followed by Cheng Yuanzhen. The problem is that those two have never led troops before. If they were to speak eloquently and accurately, it would easily arouse Li Heng's suspicion.
Therefore, after reporting the situation, the two eunuchs, Dou and Huo, consulted Li Ji and Ma Sui—the two of them should be knowledgeable in military affairs, so how should we answer if the emperor asks us?
Upon hearing this, Li Ji looked at Ma Sui, implying that he should speak first—there was an order of seniority, and Ma Sui was, after all, older than him. Ma Sui pondered for a moment, then said, "My private speculation is the same as Chang Wei's prediction: the claim that a strong wind obscuring the sun led to the defeat of both armies is simply unbelievable. However, since Lord Yu has just gained the Emperor's favor, there is no evidence, so it is inconvenient to directly refute his claims..."
The two eunuchs exchanged a glance, and then Huo Xianming tentatively asked, "Since the government troops have been defeated, as the supervising officer, I cannot shirk my responsibility. Could we take advantage of Lord Yu's absence..."
It was obvious that the two men wanted to take this opportunity to sow discord among Yu Chaoen, using this golden chance to kick the senior official, whose seniority and imperial favor far surpassed their own, to the ground. However, before they could finish speaking, Ma Sui waved his hand to interrupt them: "Regarding the true situation of the battle, even if the various military governors submit their reports in the future, I'm afraid they will each have their own version of events, making it difficult to ascertain the truth. However, according to what Chief Clerk Huo just relayed, Lord Yu seems to intend to pin the blame for the defeat on Minister Guo..."
Look, he first said that Guo Ziyi was behind Lu Jiong, but "had not yet arranged his troops," and then he said that the rebel army had also collapsed. Originally, it was a situation of mutual destruction, but the Shuofang army insisted on cutting off the Heyang Bridge, completely abandoning the land in Hebei that had just been recovered...
Li Ji couldn't help but sneer and interjected, "That fellow is certainly capable of doing such a thing!"
Ma Sui was unaware that Li Ji had a long history of dealings with Yu Chaoen, and had even fought with him. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but glance at Li Ji, thinking to himself, "You're quite arrogant, aren't you? Don't think that just because you defeated the barbarian bandits in Longyou and your name is being circulated in both capitals, you're all that great. Yu Chaoen could crush you with a flick of his little finger! As an official, it's best to be cautious in your words and actions."
However, it was inconvenient to remind him directly in this situation. Instead, he said to the two eunuchs, "I believe that Lord Yu will surely return to the capital on horseback and face the Emperor directly. At that time, you two chief clerks must not speak ill of Lord Yu in front of the Emperor."
The two eunuchs nodded repeatedly, deeply agreeing, but their expressions revealed a hint of regret.
Ma Sui continued, “The armies have lost all their provisions and supplies and can only return to their respective garrisons. This leaves Tokyo exposed to the rebels’ sharp edge and in grave danger. The two chief clerks should advise the Emperor to appoint Minister Guo to lead the Henan troops to defend Tokyo and fight against the rebels while the other garrisons recover their strength.”
Hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but nod: Although Ma Sui was unwilling to directly criticize Yu Chaoen, he was trying to sabotage Yu Chaoen's scheme in a roundabout way—since Yu Chaoen wanted to frame Guo Ziyi, then he should ask the eunuchs Dou and Huo to protect Guo Ziyi.
Of the ten military governors who besieged Xiangzhou—Cui Guangyuan had already been defeated and fled back to Chang'an—Li Ji only trusted three: Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, and Zhang Xun. Originally, Li Siye might have been added as well, but unfortunately, Li Siye died in battle… As for the others, Li Ji had little good impression of them, especially Xu Shuji, whom he deeply resented.
He didn't hate Xu Shuji because of past events, but because he simply didn't trust that selfish bastard!
Therefore, add the following sentence: "Doctor Zhang (Zhang Xun has been promoted to Imperial Censor) is a famous general who defends the city. We can request the Emperor's decree to replace Cui, who abandoned the city and fled, as the garrison commander of Tokyo."
Ma Sui nodded: "That's absolutely right." He then looked at Li Ji, as if to say, "I've finished speaking. Do you have anything to add?"
After thinking for a moment, Li Ji said to Dou and Huo, "The Emperor will surely be disheartened upon hearing of this defeat. You two chief clerks can comfort him. Although we cannot quell An Qingxu, Shi Siming will certainly not cross the river to threaten Tokyo within a few months. We can take this opportunity to redeploy troops and supplies to protect Henan. It is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost."
He knew Li Heng's character and worried that this crushing defeat would completely destroy the emperor's confidence, leading to even more blunders. Especially since the eunuchs Dou and Huo were Li Shi's cronies and had treated him well, he seized the opportunity to offer them a wise suggestion: "Go and comfort the emperor! Anyone who utters words of defeat at this time will die, but anyone who says the country can still be saved will be rewarded!"
Ma Sui asked, "Chang Wei believes that Shi Siming will not rush to Henan. What makes you think this way?"
Li Ji smiled and said, "Xiangzhou is still in An Qingxu's hands. Now that the government troops have retreated, how could that fellow be willing to keep his promise and hand over the throne? There will definitely be a conflict between the two traitors, An and Shi. At this time, how could Shi Siming dare to leave Xiangzhou behind and send his troops on a long pursuit straight into Henan?"
Dou and Huo were still pondering—whether they were figuring out how credible Li Ji's words were or trying to prepare their answers for the emperor's consultation—Ma Sui couldn't help but glance at Li Ji a few more times.
Rumors circulated in both capitals that "Li Erlang" (Li the Second) single-handedly charged into the enemy ranks, killing several generals, seizing several spears, and cutting down several banners... Ma Sui had heard of these tales but didn't quite believe them. Although he had never actually fought on the battlefield, he was well-versed in military strategy and had served in the army, knowing that in the face of thousands of troops, the strength of one person was definitely limited. Folk tales are generally unreliable, but where there's smoke, there's fire; Li Ji must indeed have been a brave and capable general.
When Ma Sui heard that the imperial court had summoned Li Ji back to the capital to serve as the military advisor of the Left Yingwu Army, he was somewhat apprehensive. Why was such a fierce general not placed on the front lines, but transferred to the rear? And why was he assigned to clerical work? Was this opening up a shortcut for Li Ji to advance his career, or had he offended someone and thus been sidelined?
Regardless, in Ma Sui's mind, Li Ji was a fierce general, so his impression of him was naturally biased towards a rough and uncouth man—even though the other party was in a clerical position. Ma Sui was worried about whether this "Second Brother Li" could handle the clerical work and whether he would corrupt the valiant army that he had painstakingly organized. Therefore, Ma Sui paid attention to Li Ji's daily work through various channels, and things went smoothly without any major mistakes.
But this didn't earn Li Ji any points, because the young man's outward appearance showed that he was more skilled in martial arts than in literature, and due to the natural prejudice of scholars against warriors, they always thought he was just a rough man with a rough understanding of literature. Unexpectedly, today, after listening to Li Ji's speculations on the Hebei war, every word he said hit the nail on the head, and Ma Xunmei was impressed—not bad, young man, you have quite a brain, not just a brave but reckless man who only knows how to charge into battle.
He nodded and said, “What Changwei said makes sense. The two chief clerks can use this to advise the sage.”
Only after the important matters were finished were they finally able to turn their attention to the pair of maces that Li Ji had placed beside his lap—
"Is this the new weapon Changwei forged? Wasn't it supposed to be a sword?"
"What a thick iron mace! I wonder how much it weighs?"
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Sure enough, that afternoon, an imperial edict arrived, summoning Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming to an audience with the Emperor. The two eunuchs then departed and did not return until the end of the court session. For most of the day, Li Ji kept a furrowed brow, remaining taciturn, his worries written all over his face—not that he had stopped pretending, but rather that it was pointless for a mere eighth-rank military officer like Xie Anshi to feign playing chess with guests in the Forbidden City—until he returned home after the court session ended.
Seeing Li Ji's worried expression, Qingluan couldn't help but ask, "Is there something troubling you in the army?" Li Ji slightly curled his lip and said, "What troubles could there be in the army? It's the country that has so many troubles." After dinner, he told Qingluan to go and rest, while he dismissed the servants and sat in his study, once again taking out Du Fu's poems to appreciate.
As Li Ji had predicted, not long after the drums sounded to quiet the streets, Li Shi reappeared silently in the courtyard, then, with a stern face, took off his boots and went inside.
—Li Shi couldn't have been late in receiving news of such a momentous event as the defeat at Xiangzhou. Once he did, he would most likely have a heart-to-heart talk with Li Ji, who, too, had a lot to say and wanted to confide in someone. However, when facing Dou and Huo, and especially with Ma Sui, whom he suspected was a follower of Li Fuguo, also present, he couldn't go into too much detail.
In particular, Li Ji wanted to find out if Li Shi, who was connected to both the inner palace and the outer court, could obtain more information and details.
As soon as Li Shi sat down, he went straight to the point and asked Li Ji: "Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming comforted His Majesty, saying that since Shi Siming has defeated the government troops, he may not have the strength to quickly take over Henan—was it Changwei or Ma Xunmei who instructed them?"
Li Ji replied, "That is my humble opinion."
Li Shi hurriedly asked, "Does Changwei truly mean what he says? In Changwei's opinion, how long will it take for Shi Siming to pacify Hebei, or when will he invade?"
Li Ji understood that Li Shi was worried about his birth mother, Lady Shen, who was in Luoyang. So he explained his judgment in detail again, and then said: "The two traitors, An and Shi, will definitely fight for control. However, An Qingxu's power is already waning and cannot last long. In my estimation, Shi will be able to pacify Hebei in three months at most. However, it is difficult to wage war in the summer months. He will most likely return to Fanyang to reorganize his troops and then plan to attack Henan in the autumn."
Li Shi breathed a slight sigh of relief: "There are still six months left. The imperial court has enough resources to mobilize troops and supplies..."
Li Ji smiled bitterly and said, "Is that so? I heard that there were many poor harvests last autumn, especially between the two capitals, where the granaries were empty. As a result, we were forced to transport grain from the Yangtze River, Huai River, Bing River, and Fen River, which was then taken advantage of by the bandit Shi. So, it is not an easy task to stockpile enough grain for tens of thousands of troops to guard Heyang, or even Luoyang, in half a year."
Li Shi said, "We can only rely on the fifth Yu Gui..."
Fifth Qi, courtesy name Yu Gui, once served as the financial commissioner of five circuits including Henan and the salt, iron and coin minting commissioner of various circuits, in charge of the finances of the southeastern half of the country. Last year, he was transferred back to Chang'an and promoted to the position of Director of the Revenue Department and concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief. At the beginning of this year, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Revenue and concurrently Chancellor, and was respectfully called "the Minister of Finance." The court and the public unanimously agreed that Fifth Qi was the most knowledgeable person in the contemporary financial and tax management, and was also extremely good at increasing revenue. The integration and allocation of materials for the court's suppression of rebellions could not have been done by anyone other than him.
However, Li Ji was not optimistic about Wu Qi's methods of accumulating wealth. He said to Li Shi, "Last year, Prime Minister Ji minted 'Qian Yuan Zhong Bao' coins, and I heard that he recently advised the Emperor to mint new coins. This is all for the purpose of accumulating wealth, profiting from the common people, and will surely cause inflation..."
Li Shi asked in surprise, "What is inflation?"
Chapter 49, Who Truly Plans for the Nation?
In fact, Li Ji was only mediocre when it came to finance and taxation in his previous life, and he had no time to study it in this life. However, this did not prevent him from gaining some superficial insights when he studied history and sorted out the economic issues of past dynasties.
Throughout history, national turmoil and the collapse of the state have been caused by various factors, including increasingly serious land annexation, impending bankruptcy of the central government's finances, and difficulties in ensuring the supply of military materials. In short, they are all economic problems.
Li Ji, in particular, had been in the hardest-hit area of Chang'an, the capital region, for almost half a month, having traveled from Longyou, where the central government's fiscal and tax policies had not yet fully affected him. He found that prices in Chang'an had skyrocketed, even more so than when Du Fu had reminisced about the past, or when he himself had stayed in Chang'an last time. This was clearly currency devaluation, inflation.
Therefore, he blurted out the word "inflation," and when Li Shi interrupted to ask, he gave a perfunctory reply:
"Oh... this is a folk saying, referring to the soaring prices of all goods, the devaluation of currency, and the people's reluctance to use it... In the short term, this is indeed beneficial for accumulating wealth and supporting an army for war, but it cannot last. Last year, heavy coins were minted, and this year new coins are being requested to be minted, which shows that the heavy coins are no longer usable and we are forced to drink poison to quench our thirst. I'm afraid that even Prime Minister Ji may not be able to fill the huge hole that Hebei has created this time."
Li Shi pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps Liu Shi'an has a good plan?"
Who is Liu Shi'an?
Li Shi introduced Liu Yan, courtesy name Shi'an, a native of Caozhou, who was a "child prodigy" from a young age—he became famous even before your brother Li Bi, and the prime minister Zhang Shuo once praised him as a "national treasure".
After An Lushan's rebellion, Liu Shi'an was appointed as the Director of the Revenue Department and concurrently as the Imperial Censor, in charge of the tax and labor service affairs in the Jianghuai region. He once assisted Li Xiyan in defeating Prince Yong, Li Lin. As the Director of the Revenue Department, he could be considered the deputy of Fifth Qi, but the two had different styles and methods in financial management. Therefore, when Fifth Qi entered the court to take charge of the national finances and taxes, he did not keep Liu Yan by his side, but recommended him to the emperor, who then transferred Liu Yan to the position of Prefect of Pengyuan.
Currently, Liu Yan is serving as the governor of both Long and Hua prefectures.
Li Shi said that Liu Yan was also skilled in financial and tax management and had rich experience. If Wu Qi's method did not work, could we suggest to the Emperor that we try Liu Yan instead? Li Ji replied, "I do not know him, and I am not good at financial matters, so I dare not speak rashly. However, Yang Gongnan, the judge of the Longyou Department of Finance, is quite skilled in this field. Your Highness can try to consult with the Prince of Qi for his opinion."
He paused, then added, "But the King of Qi cannot be separated from Yang Gongnan for even a moment. Do not recall him to the court, or Longyou will surely fall into ruin!"