Time travel, quick transmigration

Because of the Imperial Concubine's enduring favor over the years, and Yang Guozhong's status as the Emperor's brother-in-law, coupled with his newfound power as Right Chancellor, attracted countless sycophants and flatterers. The Yang sisters, naturally, also rose in status and wealth, becoming increasingly extravagant. Seemingly without restraint, the Yang sisters would gather at Yang Guozhong's house whenever they had free time, competing to decorate their carriages and horses. They used gold and jade for decoration, and pearls and precious stones for embellishment. When traveling, Yang Guozhong would even flaunt the insignia of the Jiannan Military Governor (a symbol of power granted by the Emperor to special envoys) in front of them, displaying his power and influence.

Shi Yan had heard many of these things, but she did not offer any further advice to Li Longji. She remained a detached observer, for history would eventually come to an end, and those who marched toward destruction would eventually perish.

An Lushan commanded three major military garrisons, including 150,000 elite Tang Dynasty regular troops stationed on the frontier. His men were brave and skilled in battle, earning him the favor of Emperor Xuanzong, which aroused the jealousy of Yang Guozhong, who was then the prime minister. The two became enemies, vying for power and engaging in frequent disagreements, but Emperor Li Longji did not intervene.

In particular, after Yang Guozhong took office as the Right Chancellor, he only knew how to plunder the people's wealth, which led to the rise of petty officials, the deterioration of national affairs, and the corruption of the government.

On the ninth day of the eleventh month of the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, An Lushan, who held the positions of military governor of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong, mobilized 150,000 troops under his command, including Tang soldiers, as well as Tongluo, Xi, Khitan, and Shiwei, and launched an uprising in Fanyang under the pretext of "being worried about the danger to the country" and receiving a secret imperial edict to attack Yang Guozhong.

An Lushan rode in an iron palanquin, his elite infantry and cavalry creating a cloud of dust that stretched for miles, their drums thundering across the land. At that time, the country had enjoyed a long period of peace, and the people, for generations, had not witnessed war. Hearing of the uprising in Fanyang, the entire region was shocked. Furthermore, Hebei was entirely under An Lushan's control; the prefectures and counties his army passed through crumbled at the mere sight of them. Local magistrates either opened their gates to welcome the rebels, abandoned their cities and fled, or were captured and killed by the rebels. The rebels quickly seized control of Hebei.

Hebei had already fallen and was completely in An Lushan's hands, but Li Longji, far away in the imperial palace in Chang'an, was still unaware of this.

In Xingqing Hall, Gao Lishi placed the prepared memorials in front of Li Longji for him to review.

Li Longji read and revised each memorial, and soon felt somewhat tired.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent message from Taiyuan and Hebei, traveling 800 li."

A young eunuch entered the hall, bowed to Li Longji, and reported.

Li Longji raised his eyes and paused suspiciously for a moment, then quickly summoned the people outside the palace to enter.

After bowing, the messenger presented the report to Li Longji. Gao Lishi, not daring to be negligent, immediately went to deliver the report to Li Longji for review.

Li Longji took the report handed to him by Gao Lishi, opened it and read it carefully. His face visibly darkened, and he immediately slammed the report on the dragon table in a fit of anger.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd."

"This is clearly a frame-up."

“How could An Lushan rebel? He has always been loyal, and I have always valued and trusted him…”

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi's heart trembled, and he knelt on the ground trembling.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. Lord An Lushan is certainly loyal to Your Majesty. However, nothing comes without a reason, and we should be cautious. This matter is of great importance. Let me investigate carefully and then report back.”

Gao Lishi knew all too well the emperor's favor and trust in An Lushan. If An Lushan dared to rebel, Li Longji, the emperor who had entrusted him with such an important task, would undoubtedly be the one most affected.

The urgent report from Taiyuan, Hebei, shocked Li Longji. He couldn't believe it, thinking it was another fabricated charge against him by someone who hated An Lushan. Naturally, he couldn't easily believe that his loyal minister had suddenly rebelled.

"Isn't Xiao Huanling stationed in Taiyuan? If An Lushan really rebelled, Taiyuan would have already fallen. Why didn't Xiao Huanling send a message back to Chang'an?"

Gao Lishi quickly raised his head to reply.

"Your Majesty, you issued an edict two days ago summoning General Xiao and other generals, along with his 10,000 Xuan Ce troops, back to Chang'an. General Xiao is probably still on his way. If something really happened in Taiyuan Prefecture, General Xiao may not have received the news yet."

Only then did Li Longji belatedly realize that he had ordered Xiao Huanling and others to return to Chang'an two days ago, and his eyes dimmed as he spoke.

"Go and deliver the imperial decree, ordering someone to quickly verify whether the urgent report sent from Taiyuan in Hebei is true. Once verified, report back to me immediately."

Gao Lishi should have respectfully taken his leave.

On November 15th, after Gao Lishi's extensive investigations confirmed that An Lushan, Shi Siming, and others had indeed rebelled against the court, Li Longji finally believed that An Lushan had indeed led his troops in rebellion and occupied Hebei and other places. He then summoned Prime Minister Yang Guozhong to discuss countermeasures.

Having learned of the rebellion led by An Lushan and Shi Siming, the civil and military officials stood solemnly in the main hall, awaiting the emperor's orders. Li Longji, deeply affected by the betrayal of his trusted ministers and somewhat dejected, forced himself to remain composed and appointed Feng Changqing, the military governor of Anxi, concurrently as the military governor of Fanyang and Pinglu, to defend Luoyang. He then appointed his sixth son, Prince Rong, Li Wan, as marshal, and Gao Xianzhi, the Right General of the Golden Guard, as deputy marshal for the eastern expedition. He dispatched Bi Sichen to Luoyang, the eastern capital, to recruit soldiers for defense. However, most of the Tang Dynasty's elite border troops had not yet returned. Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing hastily recruited soldiers in Chang'an and Luoyang, gathering mostly commoners lacking combat experience and training, thus falling short of their goals for victory.

When news of An Lushan's rebellion in Fanyang spread throughout Chang'an, not only was the imperial court shrouded in gloom, but the people were also filled with fear.

In the Nanxun Palace, Shi Yan, who was both hoping that Xiao Huanling would return to Chang'an as soon as possible and preparing for the things she would have to face when the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, had not slept well for two days.

Seeing the dark circles under Shi Yan's eyes, A Man knew that she was worried about the affairs of the previous dynasty, so she comforted her.

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. In my opinion, there are capable generals in the court who can defeat An Lushan. His Majesty will also make arrangements. Besides, Young Master Xiao has been summoned back to Chang'an by His Majesty. With civil and military officials and Young Master Xiao here, I believe An Lushan will not be able to hold out for long and will soon be defeated."

Aman's words of comfort did nothing to console Shi Yan. She knew all too well how long this war would last and how devastating it would be for the Tang Dynasty. She truly longed for Xiao Huanling's return, yet she didn't want him to come to this dangerous place. It wasn't that she didn't believe in Xiao Huanling's abilities, but the Tang Dynasty was already rotten to the core. Even if Xiao Huanling truly had the power to turn the tide, could one person alone really save the Tang Dynasty? An Lushan, Shi Siming, and other foreign generals possessed countless troops and had long-established power bases. Coupled with the corruption of the court and Li Longji's incompetence in believing Yang Guozhong's slander, he mistakenly killed capable ministers and appointed incompetent generals. This allowed An Lushan to sweep through Luoyang like a whirlwind, establish his own state there, declare himself Emperor of the Great Yan, and even stormed into Chang'an, forcing the emperor and his people to flee for their lives.

Seeing that Shi Yan's expression remained heavy and showed no signs of easing, A Man felt a pang of sadness.

"Your Majesty, no matter what happens in the end, as long as I am here, I will not allow anyone to harm you."

Shi Yan was deeply moved upon hearing this.

"Good Ah Man. I know you've always been sincere to me, but if it really comes down to life and death, remember to protect yourself first."