Chapter 1034: Military Affairs of the Privy Council

The hour was still early. Inside the Bureau of Military Affairs, servants carefully replaced candles and swept the halls. The duty officers had already completed their shift handovers, and as the sky brightened, clerks from the various sections gradually arrived at their posts. Because of the southern campaign, the Bureau had been very busy lately, with military intelligence streaming in constantly—yet the atmosphere remained one of tense excitement.

Zhao Kuangyin strolled leisurely into the Bureau of Military Affairs. Passing through, he noticed Li Chuyun already seated behind his desk, head buried in official documents. Li Chuyun, now past forty, was in the prime of his vigor. In all the years he had served as a commissioner of the Bureau, he had been diligent and devoted, strictly guarding his conduct in public service—earning praise from Emperor Liu.

In the years he had been in charge of military affairs, Li Chuyun had displayed outstanding administrative ability, proving to court and country alike that he was fully capable of standing on his own—that he had not risen to power above the other ministers merely through the Emperor's special favor.

Over fifteen years of military-political reform and adjustment, the central authority of the Great Han had formed a system built primarily on state governance, military affairs, and finance—each checking and balancing the others. And when it came to military power, aside from the Emperor himself, the Commissioner of Military Affairs held the highest authority.

Therefore, in terms of sheer official authority alone, Li Chuyun ranked among the most powerful men in the Great Han court. However, compared to the likes of Yang Bin, Guo Wei, Zhe Congruan, and Guo Rong since the founding of the dynasty, Li Chuyun fell far short of them in both merit and prestige.

Take, for instance, Lei Dexiang, who now served as the State Finance Commissioner, wielding the great financial power of the Great Han—a man of shallow seniority and reputation, yet holding high position and heavy authority. Lei Dexiang was also in his forties, a jinshi graduate from the early Qianyou years, yet he had already surpassed most of his examination cohort to leap straight into the chancellorship. Even to this day, many at court considered him "mediocre" and felt he was unworthy of the post of State Finance Commissioner.

As for Li Chuyun, in his early years he had merely been promoted by Zhe Congruan and directly entered the Bureau of Military Affairs as a records clerk. Although he had long participated in military deliberations and discussed current affairs with the Emperor, he had never independently led troops in battle, nor did he possess achievements that could truly earn the recognition of those rough-and-tumble generals.

Yet Emperor Liu still gave heavy responsibility to Lei Dexiang and Li Chuyun. Aside from their possessing a measure of real ability, the primary consideration was one of balancing power.

Li Chuyun understood this point clearly in his own heart, but it also gave him an opportunity to display his talents. He deeply felt the debt of gratitude for being so favored, and devoted himself to repaying it. He was a man of intense ambition, and the pacification of the south was the great undertaking he had personally led in planning and execution since taking charge of the Bureau of Military Affairs—hence his particular anxiety over the matter.

"Brother Zhengyuan, still so diligent as ever!" Zhao Kuangyin stepped forward with a bow, greeting him with a cheerful laugh.

In recent years, Li Chuyun had shown his shrewd and capable side, and in private matters he was often magnanimous. But in handling official business, he had always taken a hard line, frequently acting arbitrarily and clashing with his colleagues—thus his reputation at court was not particularly good. Of course, Zhao Kuangyin was not among those who held it against him.

On Emperor Liu's side, there was little about Zhao Kuangyin that could not be tolerated—except for this habit of calling everyone "brother," which the Emperor did not much care for. Having this meritorious general serve as Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs was meant both to reassure the commanders of the imperial army and to check Li Chuyun. The effect had evidently not materialized, so Emperor Liu was already considering moving Zhao Kuangyin to a different post.

Zhao Kuangyin smiled warmly, and Li Chuyun returned the greeting, saying: "Though the overall situation in the south is settled, military affairs remain heavy. We cannot afford to relax—we must remain vigilant, lest any oversight arise!"

"What good news has come in?" Noticing the memorial Li Chuyun had not yet set down, Zhao Kuangyin asked.

A smile spread across Li Chuyun's lean face as he replied: "The two river regions are now fully under our army's control. Liu Guangyi's forces have advanced into Jianzhou, Murong Chengtai has successively taken Hui, Mei, and Chao prefectures, and Cui Yanjin's troops have also entered Qinzhou. The two states of Jiangnan and Southern Yue can be said to be utterly destroyed! The initial objectives of this southern pacification have already been achieved!"

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin could not help but laugh heartily and say: "How satisfying! Since the mid-September edict ordering the southern campaign, and now barely into early November, Jinling and Panyu have already been taken. The speed of our advance, the might of our momentum—truly awe-inspiring! Once Jiangnan is settled, let us drink our fill to celebrate the victory!"

Zhao Kuangyin's hearty laughter echoed through the hall, crisp and clear on this winter morning. Suddenly a voice asked: "What good news is this that's stirred up Duke Hao's craving for wine?"

The voice arrived before the man—it was Emperor Liu. After rising early from Noble Consort Gao's quarters, the Emperor had come straight to the Bureau of Military Affairs. As he stepped inside, Li Chuyun and Zhao Kuangyin hurried forward to greet him: "We welcome Your Majesty!"

"No need for ceremony, my two ministers!" Liu Chengyou raised a hand in a gesture of dismissal, smiling as he said: "I've arrived at an opportune moment. From what Yuanlang was just saying, there's fresh military news from the south?"

"To answer Your Majesty! Jiangnan and Lingnan are now essentially pacified!" Li Chuyun replied, presenting the memorial in his hand to Liu Chengyou.

"This is much faster than the pacification of Shu!" Liu Chengyou could not help but beam with delight. He glanced at Zhao Kuangyin, then said thoughtfully: "Given the previous situation, this is hardly surprising. However, the military arrangements to follow the pacification of these two states should now be put on the agenda!"

"Yes!" Li Chuyun clasped his hands in acknowledgment: "Your servants have already begun discussing it, but as for the specific arrangements, we must await the detailed reports from each region as they come in, then adjust and implement accordingly!"

"Mm!" Liu Chengyou acknowledged with a grunt, the joy on his face gradually fading, replaced by a look of preoccupation.

Taking his seat, Liu Chengyou looked at the two of them—Li and Zhao—and said: "You two are both senior ministers in charge of military affairs. Though the south is largely pacified, the southeast still remains. As of now, counting those who have surrendered and defected, we have several hundred thousand troops in the south. Should we seize the momentum to march into Wuyue and Zhang-Quan, and sweep the southeast clean in one stroke?

I truly wish to accomplish the whole task in a single campaign. Chen Hongjin of Zhang and Quan can be toppled with a turn of the hand. But Wuyue—it is both a state bound to us by marriage and has always been respectful to the court, and this time it even sent troops to aid our campaign. If we rush to take Wuyue, I fear the world will speak ill of us!"

Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Li Chuyun said: "Your Majesty, the tide of unification truly cannot be reversed. According to the original plan, after pacifying Jiangnan, we were supposed to continue advancing on Wuyue based on the situation. Now everything has gone smoothly without obstruction—our army is fully capable of taking the southeast and completing unification. Why should Your Majesty hesitate? If you are concerned about criticism, we need only treat the Qian family and the people of Liangzhe well in the future!"

Li Chuyun understood the Great Han's strength well and was confident in it, so he directly proposed continuing to sweep the southeast. By comparison, Zhao Kuangyin was more cautious, saying: "Your Majesty, three years ago, when the King of Wuyue came to the capital, he proactively offered to cede his territory. Though Your Majesty did not accept it, the friendship between the two sides was made clear. Now that Jiangnan and Lingnan are settled, with only Liangzhe remaining, how could the King of Wuyue fail to recognize the tide of the times? Your servant believes there is no need to send troops—we should instead invite the King of Wuyue to court once more!"

"In that case, can the south be completely pacified before the end of this year?" Emperor Liu asked this question.

To this question, Zhao Kuangyin fell silent, understanding what the Emperor was thinking.

In Liu Chengyou's original expectations, pacifying the two river regions and Lingnan would take half a year, after which he would apply political and military pressure in tandem to take Wuyue. What he had not anticipated was that Jiangnan and Southern Yue would prove so easy to defeat—less than two months after the troops were dispatched, both states were completely pacified, the progress astonishingly smooth. Under these circumstances, Liu Chengyou's thoughts began to shift. He considered completely pacifying the south before the year's end, then leading a unified Huaxia into the new year.

This was a sign of impatience. The lands of Jiangnan and Lingnan could only be said to be militarily secured—they were still far from political and civil stability. If he rushed to achieve quick success and swallowed Wuyue in one gulp, the unseemly manner of it would be a secondary concern—the real fear was choking on it. This was Emperor Liu's only worry, and thus he had not directly issued the order to march into Jiangzhe.

Of course, thoughts were ultimately just thoughts. Sliding his hands into his dragon-embroidered sleeves, he considered for a moment, then said: "Enough, let us discuss this another time. Militarily, our priority for now is to consolidate control and stabilize the two river regions and Lingnan!"

"Yes!"

"What movements has the Liao army made?" Liu Chengyou raised another point.

"No new intelligence yet. However, according to the previous report from Duke Chan, the Liao army's western campaign should have chosen to strike south from Jinshan against the Gaochang Uyghurs. The distance is vast and communications are difficult—the specific situation is beyond our court's control..."