Chapter 109: Governing Well to Reassure the Army and the People

As the prefectures and counties submitted and the military governors pledged their loyalty, the situation across the circuits and prefectures south of Zhenzhou gradually stabilized. In Zhending, however, the refugees and displaced persons gathering there only grew more numerous. Many had heard of the conditions in the area and regarded Zhending as a place of refuge and survival, coming in one after another.

Most of these refugees came from the four prefectures to the north—Ding, Mo, Tai, and Yi. These prefectures had long been contested ground between the two states, suffering constant warfare, with fields left barren and populations dwindling—there had never been many people to begin with. Yet by rough count, over sixty thousand souls had fled south this time, accounting for some thirty to forty percent of those prefectures' total population.

Although the population had been steadily declining all along, such a sudden, concentrated surge southward was clearly abnormal—and without much thought, one could guess it had to be connected to the Khitan.

Based on intelligence from spies, reports from He Fujin in Yingzhou, and what was gleaned from the refugees' own accounts, Liu Chengyou discovered that ten thousand or more Hu cavalry had been raiding across the prefectures—toppling city walls, burning houses, destroying farmland—as if abandoning these prefectures and contracting their power northward.

Unlike previous occasions, this time the Khitan did not seize Han commoners as slaves, nor did they kill much at all. They only plundered money and grain, driving the Han people out.

There was clearly something suspicious about the Khitan's actions. After concentrated deliberation among his civil and military officers, pooling everyone's wisdom, they reached a conclusion: the Khitan were on the defensive, preparing against Liu Chengyou's army. Between Youzhou and Zhenzhou, they were clearing out a no-man's-land to prevent him from marching north to seize Youzhou.

As the Hu troops in each prefecture gradually withdrew northward, Youzhou slowly gathered a large concentration of forces. Yelu Ruan also had some skill at soothing his troops' morale, and their fighting spirit recovered somewhat. Under such circumstances, it should have been Liu Chengyou who felt tense—yet Yelu Ruan issuing such an order was clearly no simple matter.

Yelu Ruan was preparing to lead his army north to seize the Liao throne! That was the judgment of Guo Rong, Wei Renpu, and the others, and Liu Chengyou thought so too. This also explained his strange actions in destroying the four prefectures.

Originally, had Yelu Ruan been able to fully take over the Khitan army that had destroyed the Jin, with several hundred thousand troops in hand, he would have had ample strength to control the situation in Hebei—maintaining his intimidating pressure while also dispatching forces north to Shangjing to seize the throne.

But after the battle at Luancheng, the Khitan had suffered grievous losses, their forces greatly reduced. With the strength Yelu Ruan now held, it was impossible to manage both fronts. If he wished to go north, he could not do without troops—which meant Youzhou's defenses would inevitably be left hollow.

Although viewing the situation across the realm, the likelihood of Liu's army marching north was not great, he still had to guard against it. In the eyes of Yelu Ruan and his men, a man who dared to attack the Khitan's hundred-thousand-strong army with eight thousand troops—what wouldn't Liu Chengyou dare to do? Liu Chengyou sending He Fujin to Yingzhou, even in a defensive posture, still rattled the Khitan in Youzhou. Zhending was barely over four hundred li from Youzhou.

Of course, to concentrate his strength on seizing the throne, Yelu Ruan might have chosen to abandon Youzhou. But that was clearly impossible. In recent years, the Liao army had been able to fully exploit its cavalry advantage—galloping freely, plundering at will—precisely because it held the strategic terrain of Youyan, striking south from a position of height and advantage.

How could the farsighted among the Khitan fail to see such a strategic advantage? For years, the Khitan cavalry had essentially been beating the Jin army over the head, riding right up to their faces to attack—how could they easily give up an advantage already in hand?

Alternatively, out of devotion to homeland and consideration for the greater good, to maintain national stability, Yelu Ruan could have been selfless and submitted to Shangjing. But clearly, Yelu Ruan could not do that. So he could only strive to secure Youyan's safety while contending for the throne.

What Yelu Ruan was thinking was none of Liu Chengyou's concern—but having guessed his general direction of action, he was rather pleased. Though they were enemies, Liu Chengyou very much supported Yelu Ruan's march north to seize the throne; indeed, he had been hoping for it all along.

Yet it had to be said that the Khitan's destructive actions in the four prefectures of Yi, Ding, Mo, and Tai had indeed caused Liu Chengyou tremendous trouble. The flood of refugees seeking shelter placed enormous pressure on Zhending—especially the pressure of food. With tens of thousands of extra mouths to feed, satisfying them was no easy matter.

Before receiving Liu Chengxun, Liu Chengyou devoted most of his energy to these matters—managing the army, managing the people, managing governance.

There was no shortage of people suggesting that Liu Chengyou drive away the refugees and let them fend for themselves—such things were hardly uncommon in this chaotic age. But Liu Chengyou chose to bear the pressure and take them in.

Though the process would be difficult, once he got through it, the rewards would surely be enormous. Setting aside reputation and the like, just for the grace of "saving lives," after this affair Liu Chengyou would gain tens of thousands of devoted followers, influencing hundreds of thousands of people. No matter the era, one must never underestimate that seemingly intangible thing called the will of the people.

Of course, had it not been for the great quantities of supplies seized earlier, which gave Liu Chengyou some confidence, he would not have dared to do this. After all, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.

Even so, Zhending's grain consumption accelerated, and even the common folk were being supplied on a tight ration. For this, Liu Chengyou racked his brains—while cutting expenditures, he exhausted every avenue to gather grain and fodder.

Besides organizing refugees to forage in the mountains and waters, he coordinated with the prefects and garrison commanders of other prefectures to transport grain in support. Though conditions were equally hard elsewhere, they could still offer some support to Zhending. Most of the newly submitted prefectural officials and commanders, being sensible, gave Liu Chengyou face and contributed some. At the same time, he requisitioned loans of money and grain from the great households in the fortified villages and manors.

Even after the Hu people's extortion and plunder, the landlord families always had surplus grain after all. Any landlord without three or five hidden storehouses of money and grain was not a qualified one. Compared to the Hu's crude plundering and murder for goods, Liu Chengyou's methods were naturally far gentler, very reasonable—and he only wanted grain.

Calling it a requisitioned loan meant it was a loan. He dispatched several "Grain Commissioners," carrying loan receipts stamped with Liu Chengyou's seal, to seek out the great households and borrow. Since the receipts were left blank, the amounts were filled in at the time of requisition—the people of the time called them "blank slips."

However, given Yelu Deguang's earlier policy of "requisitioning people's wealth," the common folk of every prefecture had suffered greatly. Liu Chengyou pulling this again—though it was called borrowing—was naturally unwelcome. Thus, many cases of "resisting the loan" occurred.

In the process, it was only natural that some soldiers resorted to forceful seizure and bullying. Liu Chengyou, as if having anticipated this, decisively arrested all those soldiers who violated military discipline and beheaded them. Thereafter, he made great fanfare of it. Once the matter spread, officials and commoners alike praised him, and transporting grain indeed became much easier.

Liu Chengyou handled this matter beautifully—it could be said to achieve multiple goals at once: he obtained grain, reassured the people, and established his authority. At the same time, he once again rectified military discipline and awed the entire army. The earlier expansion, despite some reorganization, had definitely lowered the overall quality of the Longqi Army.

Those Jin soldiers, though originally the imperial army of the Shi Jin, could hardly boast of good discipline. Though there had been some improvement in the short time since their absorption, it was far from strict and orderly. Earlier, to steady the army's morale, Liu Chengyou had only used appeasement; once the situation stabilized, he used the grain requisition as the occasion for rigorous rectification, and the entire army became disciplined.

With surplus grain at home, hearts were not panicked. With the assistance of his civil and military officials, Zhending maintained a stable situation throughout. In this process, Liu Chengyou's administrative abilities improved enormously.

Though exhausted, Liu Chengyou found it sweet as nectar—that feeling of coordinating and smoothing the affairs of over a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians was something he savored.

"If one cannot govern Zhenzhou well, how can one govern the realm?"—this had been Liu Chengyou's firmly held conviction all along. In Zhending, he had gained ample experience.