Chapter 111: Heart Moved

After leaving the Hall of Awaiting Worthies, the sky had already darkened. Liu Chengyou fell half a step behind to show respect, and the two brothers walked silently along the street toward the prefectural office. Liu Chengxun walked with his hands clasped behind his back, brows furrowed, his gaze darting toward Liu Chengyou from time to time, his face full of hesitation and uncertainty.

"Second Brother, shouldn't we reconsider this matter?" After a long silence, Liu Chengxun finally spoke.

When Liu Chengyou brought Liu Chengxun to meet Zhao Yanshou, he had naturally laid out his thoughts and plans in full, hoping to gain his support. But clearly, his elder brother did not have much confidence in his plan.

Liu Chengyou had already explained to Liu Chengxun the purpose of this plan and all the considerations before and after, but seeing that he still wore that hesitant look, Liu Chengyou was not surprised. He merely said: "The lands of Youyan have fallen into enemy hands. For our Central Plains, it is a sharp sword hanging over our heads, ready to fall at any moment. The state has just been established, and Hebei must be secured. But if we wish for the altars of state to be at peace and the northern border to enjoy lasting stability, we must retake Youyan and rebuild the northern defense line. Otherwise, we will surely suffer prolonged harassment and threats just like the Shi Jin did..."

Liu Chengyou had already spoken such words to Liu Chengxun before, but repeating the same arguments brought a different feeling. A trace of worry surfaced once again on Liu Chengxun's face.

"Will this move truly benefit the defenses of Hebei?" After thinking it over, Liu Chengxun asked.

Liu Chengyou did not know whether his elder brother truly did not understand or was merely playing dumb. Looking at him, he lowered his voice and continued: "For the sake of the state and the realm, for the sake of the common people—had circumstances not forced our hand, I would have already led a great army north, driven out the barbarian invaders, and restored Youyan."

Liu Chengyou's words carried a hint of moral coercion. Clearly, they had some effect on Liu Chengxun. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Liu Chengyou, and saw that on his second brother's usually stern face there actually flickered, rarely seen, a hint of excitement and hope.

Taking a deep breath, he pointed at the Hall of Awaiting Worthies not far away: "But... can that Zhao Yanshou be trusted?"

Liu Chengyou shook his head, and in that instant his gaze turned deep and profound. He said unhurriedly: "Zhao Yanshou probably wants to use our support to stage a comeback. Perhaps, even as he agrees to my proposal, he is secretly sneering to himself—this young lad actually thinks he can use me!"

Hearing Liu Chengyou's self-deprecating tone, Liu Chengxun's brows knitted high: "If that's the case, why choose Zhao Yanshou? Even if you intend to use force at Youzhou, just send a deputy general with troops north—why hand over our soldiers and horses to Zhao Yanshou?"

In the end, Liu Chengxun still did not trust Zhao Yanshou. However, in his words, he had already been drawn into Liu Chengyou's rhythm.

"At present, no one can replace Zhao Yanshou's position. Other than him, no one can keep those Yan troops in check. We can't very well support him with Jin troops, can we?" Liu Chengyou said. "As for whether this man is worthy of trust, that still depends on how the situation develops, on strength. I can't speak for the future, but at least for now, this man is trustworthy—or rather, usable."

Hearing this, Liu Chengxun fell silent, sinking back into deep thought. After a moment: "This matter is of great importance—not something you and I can decide on our own. Should we report it to Father and let him deliberate with the court ministers before making a decision?"

If they reported it to the court, by the time word went back and forth, the opportunity would be long gone. Even waiting for the court to reach a decision, the bickering alone would take considerable time, and the final result would very likely not go the way Liu Chengyou wanted.

As his thoughts turned, Liu Chengyou said: "In the near future, the Khitan's grip on Youyan may be at its weakest. Opportunity knocks but once—time waits for no one!"

His brows furrowed even deeper. Liu Chengxun asked again: "Is there really a chance? Can Zhao Yanshou really take Youzhou?"

Liu Chengxun's questions were somewhat numerous, but precisely because they were numerous, they showed that he was genuinely thinking through the plan.

His elder brother had just arrived and clearly did not understand the situation in Youyan. Since Liu Chengyou intended to have him endorse the plan, he naturally explained without any impatience: "I have deliberated and war-gamed this many times with my civil and military officers, and the conclusions have been basically consistent—there must be internal strife within the Khitan state. If not, then never mind Zhao Yanshou—even if our army threw all caution to the wind and charged north with full force, we would hardly gain anything. As for how far Zhao Yanshou can ultimately go, that, your younger brother cannot guarantee!"

As he spoke, Liu Chengyou sighed: "Man proposes, Heaven disposes! Let us give it a try. Even if the outcome is the worst possible, how bad could it get? But if it succeeds, then when we retake Youji in the future, our losses and resistance will be greatly reduced!"

Liu Chengxun subconsciously nodded, his expression relaxing: "Let me think it over some more."

"There's no rush on this matter. Everything still depends on Youzhou, on the movements of that Yelu Ruan! Elder Brother, take your time to mull it over!" Liu Chengyou said softly. "You've been touring and inspecting everywhere today—you must be tired. You should go back and rest for a while..."

The prefectural office was not far away, yet the two brothers took quite a long time to walk there. Before the office gates, watching his elder brother slowly ascend the steps with his back turned to him, Liu Chengyou's lips curled up slightly at the corners.

For the sake of the future, Liu Chengyou was pushing hard for the Youyan proposal. Although Liu Zhiyuan had entrusted him with the authority to command and arrange the armies of Hebei, he could not abuse that power. Cooperating with Zhao Yanshou and returning the Yan troops to him—these were truly not matters Liu Chengyou could decide with a single word. Even if he stubbornly went ahead and acted first before reporting, there would surely be consequences, and it might well incur Liu Zhiyuan's displeasure.

Wei Renpu had reminded Liu Chengyou that for such a major matter, he must give the Son of Heaven an account. Tao Gu had also cautiously advised him that matters that invited suspicion should be avoided whenever possible.

Liu Chengyou was not the type to refuse good counsel. He had been pondering how to resolve this problem, and Liu Chengxun's arrival immediately sparked an idea. If the two brothers pushed this matter together, the consequences would be far smaller. Even if something unexpected happened, he would have his elder brother to share the pressure and bear the consequences.

This was also the reason Liu Chengyou had been so attentive and patient in his explanations this time. Traveling over a hundred li round trip to receive him personally—even for a biological elder brother, such treatment was hardly necessary.

Judging by the current situation, although Liu Chengxun still had some hesitation in his heart, Liu Chengyou could already sense from his words that his elder brother's heart had been moved.

In fact, aside from Liu Chengyou's set of "border defense strategy" arguments, there was also an element of temptation. If the Youyan proposal could actually be carried out and produce results, it would absolutely be a great achievement.

Since the strategy of advancing into the Central Plains had begun, Liu Chengyou had led troops south and east, earning no small merit—especially the battle at Luancheng, something one could boast about for a lifetime. As for his elder brother, he had been staying in Jinyang all along. Though he had merit in guarding the rear, what merit could compare to achievements won on the battlefield?

Liu Chengxun was a man of honor—that was true—but that did not mean he was without desires or ambitions. Especially as Liu Zhiyuan's eldest legitimate son, the Grand Prince of the new dynasty.

Right now, Liu Chengxun's heart had already been moved.