Chapter 1008: The Road to Becoming the

His gaze swept past Zhong Mo and landed on Xu Xuan. Li Yu said, "Minister Xu is a famed scholar of Jiangnan, learned and erudite, eloquent in debate, and holds the post of chief minister — there is no one more fitting than you to undertake this mission. Now that the state's fortunes are imperiled, I must trouble you for a hard journey north to Kaifeng. If you can persuade the Han Emperor to halt his campaign or slow his advance, it would be a debt of rebirth to us. I thank you here in advance!"

Li Yu's words were both sincere and tinged with grievance. But watching him, Xu Xuan's heart was filled with emotion. Though equally pessimistic about the outcome, he was still willing to serve this land of Jiangnan — which had sheltered him for many years and given him the chance to become famous — with loyalty to the very end.

Meeting Li Yu's gaze, Xu Xuan bowed deeply: "Sovereign, your minister is willing to go north, to face the Han Emperor in person, and plead the case for the people of Jiangnan!"

"Good!" At last, Li Yu's mood settled, and there was a hint of expectation in his eyes as he looked at Xu Xuan. Though Xu Xuan had only promised to go north, and could obviously not guarantee the outcome.

"Issue a decree to Runzhou — have Lin Renzhao maintain full vigilance. If they come, he must block the enemy and not allow a single vessel or oar of the Han army across the river! The river defenses of other cities must also be strengthened and alertness raised. As for recruiting soldiers, let Commissioner Feng take charge of it — the forces in Jinling must be made sufficient to guarantee the safety of the capital!" After a long pause, Li Yu spoke again to Feng Yanlu, uncharacteristically taking the initiative to make decisions, though they seemed somewhat wishful.

In fact, since taking the throne, Li Yu had never personally inspected the river defense fortifications or familiarized himself with the state of the army.

"Yes!" Feng Yanlu acknowledged. After a moment's thought, he took the initiative to remind him: "Sovereign, Wuyue has long been a claw of the Central Plains. Based on past lessons, if the northern army moves, the Wuyue forces will surely march north from Suzhou and Hangzhou to attack us from both sides. To guard against the unexpected, we should also strengthen the defenses of Changzhou!"

Hearing this, a trace of indignation appeared on Li Yu's handsome face. He said, "Does Wuyue not understand the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold? If I perish, how can it survive alone?"

Faced with Li Yu's question, no one answered. Wuyue was after all different from Jiangnan — they had long since made their decision, were closely tied to the Central Plains, and shared marriage relations with them. Isolated in the southeast, they had historically never clashed with the Central Plains, nor were there any lingering historical grievances. They had plenty of room to maneuver.

After pondering for a while, Li Yu let out a long sigh and said, "Later, I will write a letter by my own hand and send someone to Hangzhou to deliver it to the King of Wuyue. If he still has a shred of discernment, he should raise his army and join us against the enemy. If he insists on being the court's claw... alas..."

"Sovereign, Wuyue has long been a scourge and has willingly served the court's bidding for ages. Persuading their foolish ruler will likely prove difficult! Better to send an envoy to ally with Southern Yue and jointly resist the northern army!" At this point, Chen Qiao offered his advice.

Hearing this, Li Yu showed a flicker of hesitation: "I have heard that Liu Chang is fatuous and cruel, a tyrant who oppresses his people. To keep company with such a man..."

Seeing that Li Yu, even at a time like this, still carried moral baggage, Chen Qiao grew agitated again: "Sovereign, Southern Yue also has an army of a hundred thousand. The Han Emperor's decree to pacify the south also targets Lingnan — they share the same fear of destruction. We should join forces and repel the enemy together!"

"Then send someone to try!" Li Yu finally nodded. Looking at his several ministers, he hesitated for a moment, then raised a proposal: "Ministers, what would you think of moving the capital to Nanchang Prefecture?"

At these words, before anyone else could speak, Chen Qi, the Magistrate of Jinling — the lowest in rank present — finally spoke up. His voice was not loud, but his expression was exceptionally hard and cold: "When the sovereign is in Jinling, the soldiers along the river know for whom they fight and whom they defend. If the sovereign wishes to flee to Nanchang, then morale will waver and Jinling will surely fall. And if Jinling falls, how can Nanchang be held?"

"Chen Qi speaks truly! I beg the sovereign, speak no more of this!" Chen Qiao immediately voiced his agreement.

Seeing that the man's spittle was nearly flying into his face, Li Yu had no choice but to abandon his timid notion. Somewhat insincerely, he said, "I was born and raised in Jinling. With several hundred thousand people still here, how could I lightly abandon them?"

"Sovereign, Nanchang still has thirty thousand troops. Governor Lu could be sent north to reinforce Jinling!" Feng Yanlu suggested.

Governor Lu was Lu Jiang — the old general whom Li Yu had recalled from Ezhou, and who had later been entrusted with the defense of Nanchang Prefecture. There was no alternative: in the governance of Jiangnan, Nanchang Prefecture ranked second only to Jinling, and it required someone trustworthy, capable, and of sufficient prestige to hold it.

"But wouldn't that leave Nanchang Prefecture empty?" was Li Yu's reaction.

"Sovereign, Jinling must be the priority!" Feng Yanlu said.

"The war has not yet begun, and we do not yet know how it will unfold. For now, there is no need to transfer the Nanchang troops. We should act according to circumstances..." After a silence, Li Yu said.

And so, under the "collective wisdom" of the sovereign and ministers in Jinling, a plan to resist the court's great army was finally produced — though it was wishful thinking, never actually implemented, and incapable of achieving any real results...

Just then, Yan Ji, the Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, arrived. Without waiting to be announced, he rudely burst into the hall, staggering in his steps, his face pale with panic: "Sovereign, military report from Runzhou!"

In truth, Jinling should have learned of the situation at Jingkou long before — at the very least, they should have known of the naval battle at Jingkou. However, the problem lay with that naval force that had fled to Jinling. Fearful of punishment, they had not dared return to Jingkou, nor had they dared return to Jinling. Instead, they had sailed upstream all the way north and fled to Hukou.

Thus, it was not until a full night had passed that Jinling finally received the report from Runzhou. Of course, the sovereign and ministers had no time to consider such "minor details." What terrified Li Yu was this: if Lin Renzhao had suffered a great defeat in this single battle, could he still hold back the Han army?

Though Li Yu had never been entirely satisfied with Lin Renzhao, disliking his soldierly temperament, everyone else said the man could fight, so he had still entrusted him with military command. But now this most capable general had also been defeated — and routed in his very first battle. Could Runzhou still be held? Was the safety of Jinling still guaranteed?

And so, with an exceedingly heavy heart, the discussion of governance and military affairs came to an end. When alone, Li Yu's heart held not only pessimism and confusion about the future, but also a sense of regret. He regretted being born into an imperial house, regretted taking up this throne, and even regretted listening to all these military and political matters. Poetry, painting, lyrics and tunes, Buddhist scriptures and Daoist canons, fine wine and beautiful women — these were what truly interested him. If only he could immerse himself in his own world, indulging freely, carefree and untroubled — would that not be wonderful?

To suppress the negative emotions in his heart, Li Yu decided to summon several ladies of beauty from the harem, call for the musicians, and together drink wine, play the zither, dance, and listen to him compose poetry...

In this life, Li Yu had neither the Elder Empress Zhou nor the Younger Empress Zhou, but Li Jing had likewise chosen for him a wife of both talent and virtue — the granddaughter of Diao Yanneng, a meritorious old minister of the Southern Tang. Unfortunately, Empress Diao was virtuous and upright, strong of character, yet lacking in romantic charm — not the type Li Yu favored.

Toward Li Yu, Empress Diao had repeatedly offered counsel, but to no effect. Li Yu's feelings for her were a mixture of respect and annoyance, to the point that he kept her at a respectful distance and treated her rather coldly. In daily life, he favored his other consorts far more.

But among the other beauties, though there was no shortage of those with both looks and talent, there was not a single one who could truly harmonize with Li Yu like a zither and its strings. Therefore, behind his romantic and amorous exterior, Li Yu was in truth quite lonely, his heart deeply empty — something already reflected in his past, ornate poetry.

In fact, Li Yu had been sovereign of Jiangnan for only two or three years, yet he already had no small number of beauties in his harem — eight with formal titles, matching what Emperor Liu had accumulated in over a decade.

Now, facing the crisis of national survival, pressures from all sides, within and without, bore down on him, casting a shadow over both body and mind. It was also because of these factors that Li Yu began to evolve toward becoming the "Peerless Lyric Emperor of a Thousand Ages." For him personally it was a tragedy; for history and culture, it would bloom with dazzling brilliance. Setting everything else aside, Li Yu's literary talent was unmatched in the age...