Volume Three: Southern Campaign and Territorial Expansion Chapter 115: Breaking Down the Door and Facing Humiliation

Leaving the prefectural office, Wei Fufeng sent men to Chang'an to deliver orders, then headed to the city gate to patrol and rest, feeling deeply depressed.

The afternoon of the following day, while waiting for news inside a large tent on the city walls, Wei Fufeng was suddenly met by an unexpected visitor. A subordinate entered the tent with the Fourteenth Lady, and he stood up, staring in astonishment.

"Fourteenth Lady." Wei Fufeng called out softly, his tone filled with pleasant surprise, as he walked over to her.

"My Lord, will you not have me anymore?" the Fourteenth Lady asked timidly, gazing at Wei Fufeng with eyes that were red and swollen from tears.

Wei Fufeng hurriedly replied, "How could I not want you?"

Tears rolled down the Fourteenth Lady's cheeks as she sobbed, "My Lord, please keep me. I am willing to serve Sister Qingxue as her handmaiden."

Wei Fufeng pulled her into his arms, his heart aching with a blend of sorrow and joy, and he tenderly stroked her hair with his large hand.

"My Lord, I heard from Mother that the engagement was broken, and I felt so heartbroken that I just wanted to run to you and ask," she whispered through her tears.

Wei Fufeng let out a soft sound of realization and looked toward the subordinate, who was the scout Li Nan.

Seeing his lord's gaze, the scout bowed respectfully. "Reporting to my Lord, I saw the young mistress walking alone ten miles outside the Kugu Road pass. She was thinly clad and shivering, her face blue from the cold. Fortunately, I had met her before, so I brought her here immediately to see you."

"Li Nan, you have done well. This army will remember this; you may go," Wei Fufeng said gently. The scout saluted and turned to leave.

Wei Fufeng held the Fourteenth Lady and walked back to the chair by the stove, sitting down with her in his lap. She nestled against him like a docile kitten. Ignoring the other soldiers in the tent, they held each other in silent, warm intimacy.

Amidst this warmth, Wei Fufeng felt a lingering sense of fear, grateful that she had come to no harm. A young girl, she had dared to travel alone from Chang'an to find him. In the frozen, wintry weather, the roads were treacherous, and bandits could have snatched her at any moment; yet, she had persisted until she reached the borders of Jingzhao Prefecture.

The arrival of the Fourteenth Lady shifted Wei Fufeng’s somber mood. His mind began to think rationally, and he realized that while his grandfather’s actions were reckless, he could largely understand the intent. His grandfather wanted to seize the opportunity to weaken the prestige of the imperial court and incite war in Bashu. Because the Emperor had moved past the shadow of his defeat in Hedong and Jinzhou was adjacent to Jingzhao Prefecture, his grandfather feared the Emperor would launch a punitive campaign against Jinzhou. He feared becoming another Yang Shouliang and that the court would leverage a coalition of other warlords to suppress them. In truth, these concerns were not unfounded; the Emperor would certainly do such a thing.

...

Near noon, the Fufeng Army at Qinglong Ward marched out in full strength. Over two thousand troops moved in a grand, imposing column from south to north, eventually reaching and storming into Xinchang Ward.

Xinchang Ward fell into chaos immediately; residents fled in terror, and cries echoed through the streets. Led by soldiers familiar with the route, the Fufeng Army arrived outside the residence of Li Qi.

The gatekeepers were so frightened that they dashed inside to bolt the doors, shouting loudly. Then, with a loud boom, the residence shook as the Fufeng Army used a log to batter the gate.

Inside the Li residence, panic reigned. Li Qi and Li Xian were not at home. Hearing the news, Li Ji ran to the central courtyard, furious and alarmed, only to hear and see the gate shuddering under the impact. Seven or eight household servants were too terrified to even approach the entrance.

Boom! The gate was smashed open, and the gatehouse tilted to one side. The servants scrambled away, believing the army had come to slaughter everyone in sight. Li Ji retreated several steps in fear, but after the gate was broken, the log was tossed inside, and the army outside withdrew.

...

The Fufeng Army left Xinchang Ward, reformed their ranks, and continued their march north, heading straight for Daming Palace. They arrived at the Danfeng Gate in the afternoon, and the guards there, terrified, slammed the palace gates shut.

"The Marquis of Fufeng has come to bid farewell to His Majesty!" a dozen soldiers with booming voices shouted outside the gate.

After the shouting, the Fufeng Army departed, leaving Chang'an via the nearby Tonghua Gate—the same route Yang Fugong had taken when he fled.

The garrison reported the incident in a panic, and for a time, all the officials at court were shocked. When the second wave of reports confirmed it was the Fufeng Army that had rammed the Danfeng Gate and then left, the stunned officials breathed a sigh of relief. They whispered among themselves, realizing that the Marquis of Fufeng was merely venting his anger over the broken engagement and was departing from the capital’s garrison. Shortly after, news of the incident at Li Qi's residence arrived, confirming the retaliation, though they were relieved that the Fufeng Army had not looted or killed anyone.

In the Yanying Hall, Emperor Zhaozong turned pale upon hearing the first urgent report and reacted quickly by ordering the defenses at Danfeng Gate to be strengthened. However, he soon learned that the Fufeng Army had only been there to shout their message and had already left.

The five chancellors gathered in Yanying Hall. As they looked at the Emperor, whose face was dark with fury, the other four glanced intentionally or unintentionally at the newly appointed chancellor, Li Qi. Li Qi’s face was equally dark, his heart filled with shock and rage.

"Your Majesty, this is my fault," Li Qi said, suppressing his agitation to offer a formal apology.

"It has nothing to do with you," Zhaozong replied coldly. Li Qi stood silently to the side.

Zhaozong swept his gaze over them and said coldly, "The Marquis of Fufeng is reckless and lawless. What do you ministers think?"

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Fufeng used his troops to assault Daming Palace; this is an act of treason. He should be stripped of his position and brought to justice," Cui Shaowei was the first to respond.

"Your Majesty, given the state of the southern Sichuan frontier, if we strip him of his command, will it not incite a rebellion?" Du Rangneng said immediately.

Zhaozong appeared thoughtful. After a moment, he said, "The Marquis of Fufeng is defiant and rebellious; I cannot tolerate this. Strip him of his title as Regional Commander of Southern Sichuan, return his four prefectures to Western Sichuan, Eastern Sichuan, and Shannan West Circuit. Abolish the title of Marquis of Fufeng, appoint a new Regional Commander for Qianzhong, and command the Fengxiang Army, the Eastern Sichuan Army, the Xingyuan Prefecture, and the Tongguan Army of Huazhou to form a coalition to suppress the rebel."

Du Rangneng remained silent, tacitly accepting the Emperor's decision. The next day, four imperial decrees were sent to Fengxiang, Eastern Sichuan, Xingyuan, and Huazhou.

Li Maozhen, the Regional Commander of Fengxiang, received the decree and laughed with disdain. He replied that there were movements by the Tibetans and he was unable to spare troops to suppress the rebellion in southern Sichuan. Han Jian, the Regional Commander of Huashang, also refused to send troops, citing signs of the Xuanwu Army moving westward, claiming the Tongguan Army could not march far to the south. The Eastern Sichuan Army provided no response, and the Xingyuan Prefecture required no reply.

Five days later, Zhaozong received these responses in Yanying Hall. He sat in silence, his expression grim. Only Du Rangneng was present.

Du Rangneng memorialized, "Your Majesty, Li Maozhen refuses to send troops because he fears for the safety of Fengxiang."

Zhaozong nodded. "Li Maozhen must have understood the intent behind my punitive campaign."

Du Rangneng said, "Li Maozhen is as cunning as a wolf; we can only deal with him gradually."

Zhaozong shook his head. "If Li Maozhen occupies Western Sichuan for too long, he will become even harder to manage."

Du Rangneng was silent; he had no better strategy to offer. A moment later, he said, "Your Majesty, since Li Maozhen will not send troops, it is not yet the time to strip the Regional Commander of Southern Sichuan of his post."

Zhaozong nodded. "Let this matter rest for now."

The disturbance caused by the Fufeng Army’s assault on Daming Palace, following the refusal of the Fengxiang Army to mobilize, faded away. Like a wave in the vast ocean, the call for punishment was soon forgotten.

...

In Jinzhou, Wei Fufeng’s grandfather was full of regret; the war in Bashu that he had hoped for did not materialize.

However, the information from Li Xian continued to flow, serving as an intelligence source for the Wei clan of Jinzhou. Li Ji did not return to Fuzhou.

The day after the Fourteenth Lady arrived, Wei Fufeng bade farewell and returned to southern Sichuan to take command. Although he knew the possibility of an assault by the Fengxiang Army was slim, he could not afford to be unprepared.

...

Time flew, and by the middle of the third month of the first year of Jingfu (892), the situation across the land was visibly changing.

The most significant event was the rumor that Zhang Quanyi, the Governor of Henan who occupied Luoyang, had openly pledged allegiance to Zhu Wen of the Xuanwu Army. This meant the Xuanwu Army effectively controlled Luoyang, separated from the Tongguan Army only by the Shanguo Circuit. In reality, Shan Prefecture and Guo Prefecture belonged to the Regional Commander of Hezhong.

Wei Zhaodu, the Protector of Luoyang and Regional Commander of Western Sichuan, fled back to Chang'an, submitted a memorial to repent, and remained in retirement at home.

The Emperor made no public statement. Subsequently, Zheng Yanchang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and concurrently served as Vice Minister of the Secretariat and Chancellor, giving the imperial court six debating chancellors.

Another matter occurred quietly. After Zhaozong established the feudal lands for the princes and following the Fufeng Army's assault on Daming Palace, he began to let the princes take command of half the Divine Strategy Army. The Emperor’s intent was to rely on the chancellors for governance and on the imperial clan for military power. Zhaozong encouraged the princes to strengthen military training to build up the nation's power and work together to protect their ancestral legacy, warning them that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. The princes all expressed their willingness to give their utmost.

As Zhaozong bestowed military power upon the princes, an unexpected event occurred while he was resting in the inner palace. Empress He accompanied him, mentioning that the Princess Consort of Heng requested an audience, stating that her sister-in-law, County Lady Xuerou, had taken a liking to the Marquis of Fufeng and requested the Emperor to grant a marriage.

Zhaozong was surprised. The Prince of Heng was his cousin, and the princes had just been granted control over the military forces of the two capitals. Zhaozong had divided the military power among the princes to check the influence of the eunuchs and generals, and to leverage the princes' wealth to strengthen the army.

"How does County Lady Xuerou know the Marquis of Fufeng?" Zhaozong asked, displeased. He deeply detested the Marquis of Fufeng’s rebellious acts, though he could not pursue them at the moment.

"It is said they met during an outing at Quchi. At that time, the Marquis treated Xuerou with great respect, leaving her with a good impression," Empress He replied.

The Empress did not know that the Emperor had issued a decree to suppress Southern Sichuan. In fact, the punitive decrees sent to various regions had not been made public; they were a probe by the Emperor. If Li Maozhen had followed the order, further decrees stripping the title would have followed, but since it failed, the matter had quietly passed.

The Empress had her own circle of prestige and was very concerned with the respect shown by the wives of ministers and nobles. Regarding the request of the Prince of Heng’s consort, she felt it was perfectly normal and enjoyed the admiration of the many princesses.

Although Zhaozong was displeased, he knew the Empress never concerned herself with the affairs of the outer court. In particular, the political discussions in Yanying Hall were rarely leaked. The request from the Prince of Heng's consort was a standard affair; a marriage between a daughter of the imperial clan and a marquis was a suitable match.

The Marquis of Fufeng was a unique nobleman. After hearing this, Zhaozong naturally associated it with state affairs. In the Emperor's heart, the greatest threat was Li Maozhen, the Regional Commander of Fengxiang, and he had been restless ever since Li Maozhen occupied Western Sichuan.

"The Marquis of Fufeng is a regional commander; I need to discuss this with the chancellors," Zhaozong thought. He felt that granting the marriage might be a way to win over the southern Sichuan army.

Zhaozong ordered for Du Rangneng to be summoned, and he returned to the Yanying Hall.