Chapter 1126: Pan Mei Volunteers to Campaign Against Annam

If one were to rank the generals of the Great Han by bearing and appearance, Pan Mei would absolutely rank among the top. True to his name, he was dashing and handsome in his youth; now past forty, he still carried himself with elegance, possessing a quality that moved the heart.

Among the Great Han's middle-generation generals, Emperor Liu favored two above all: one was Yang Ye, the other Pan Mei. Now, Yang Ye had newly departed for the northwest to take command of troops, while Pan Mei had returned to court to report on his duties.

Pan Mei's military career could be said to have been concentrated mostly in the south; leading the army to pacify and destroy Lingnan was the representative work of his career, for which he was enfeoffed as a County Duke.

In the years since pacifying the south, Pan Mei had been stationed continuously in the two Guang circuits, holding the post of Lingnan Pacification Commissioner while concurrently commanding the two Guangs' Regional Military Commission—truly wielding military power in his grasp. Regarding Lingnan military affairs, both pacification and governance, Pan Mei had accomplished them splendidly.

And during these years in post, he had made outstanding contributions in the matters of military reorganization, public security, and the suppression and extermination of the barbarian tribes. The Pan Mei of today was truly the Great Han's southern pillar.

Given Pan Mei's power and prestige in Lingnan, it must be said that had this been ten years ago, Emperor Liu would never have tolerated him—nor would he have permitted anyone to hold such great power.

Up to the present, in the southeast, Lingnan, the southwest, and the northwest, spanning circuits and linking prefectures, there were not a few figures wielding transcendent power—for instance, Fan Zhi, Ju Zanrun, Shi Shouxin, and Zhao Yanjin.

Toward them, Emperor Liu could now boldly grant power and use them with confidence. It was not that he had no trace of suspicion or wariness; rather, the Emperor Liu of today was fully capable of suppressing the realm, and the authority of the Great Han court was sufficient to awe all directions.

Twenty years ago, any random military governor, officer, or even common soldier, if provoked enough, would dare to shout rebellion. But now, they likely would not even dare to think of it—Emperor Liu had already reached the point where a single edict brought hundreds of millions to submission.

At the same time, ruling such a vast country, with all the complex situations both above and below, within and without, many matters could not but be handled flexibly according to circumstances. This too was a necessity of governance. Although Emperor Liu upheld various institutions, he was not superstitious about them, for there was no system that was once-and-for-all perfect and forever free of future troubles.

In his early years, Emperor Liu had almost wished to concentrate all the power of the realm into his own hands; now, he had no choice but to delegate it down. Relying on one man alone—even if he neither ate nor drank, neither slept nor rested—he would exhaust himself to death and still be unable to govern the country well.

Therefore, with the growth of years, Emperor Liu had also gained a deeper understanding of the phrase "ruling by non-action," and he admired even more the wisdom of Tang Taizong in employing men.

Ruling by non-action did not mean merely sitting there like an obedient child, but rather acting as an arbiter—while appointing civil and military talents and developing their strengths, grasping the overall direction of the state.

Emperor Liu, too, was constantly changing. One should know that back then he had specifically renamed Chuigong Hall to Chongzheng Hall because he could not stand the two characters "chuigong." Now, however, he felt that his behavior back then had been too impulsive, and his vision too narrow; even now, thinking of it, he felt a small sense of shame.

This time, Pan Mei had come to the capital because, after Lingnan had recovered its stability and there was no longer military pressure, he had taken the initiative to petition for return to court. Of course, Lingnan in truth had little military pressure; in the four years since, the most frequent military operations in Lingnan had been campaigns against the barbarians in the remote mountains and savage waters who refused to acknowledge imperial civilization.

And after Pan Mei's repeated cleansings, slaughter after slaughter, none dared to stir up chaos again. Pan Mei could not be called a bloodthirsty general, but a general who had walked out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood showed no mercy when killing.

According to the statistics of memorials submitted from the two Guangs to the Bureau of Military Affairs in recent years, in the campaigns and expeditions of Pan Mei and the Lingnan officers and soldiers, the barbarians and the disloyal killed in total exceeded twenty thousand.

When Emperor Liu heard of this, he could not help but complain, saying that Pan Mei was too "wasteful."

Of course, the deterrent effect brought by slaughter and death was also remarkable—from the fourth year of Kaibao to the present, no further memorials regarding southwestern barbarian unrest had been received. Clearly, they had been frightened into submission.

However, extermination was only a deterrent measure; political offensives had also played an important role in it. The core of this was the implementation of the native chieftain system.

Over the course of several years, after perfecting the various provisions of the native chieftain system, it had already been implemented throughout the southwest. For the various barbarian tribes of Jiannan, eastern Sichuan, and Lingnan alike, this was also goodwill released by the court.

Under the explanations of court-appointed officials and local administrators, once the barbarians understood what a native chieftain was, the various tribes all gladly expressed acceptance. According to the court's intent, this did not harm their wealth or status, and they could even exchange it for an official post; all they paid was submitting to the court, cooperating with local governance, obeying the laws of the Great Han, and responding to calls for external warfare.

After some tribes had spoken from personal experience, the southwestern barbarians vied to respond, actively becoming native officials of the Great Han. However, office could not be lightly granted—even native office. The southwestern region had a dense concentration of cave settlements and stockades, and not everyone was qualified to hold court office and enjoy the treatment of a native chieftain.

There was also calculation on the part of the authorities. For instance, when Zhao Pu implemented the system in Jiannan and eastern Sichuan, he gathered the large and small tribes together, allocated quotas, and carried out the division of territories.

The quotas were naturally limited, and so, in the struggle for the court's native official quotas, a storm of deceit and bloody conflict arose among the southwestern barbarian tribes.

The barbarians were not entirely reckless fools; some saw through Zhao Pu's intentions, but they still had to compete, for once they obtained it—whether land, mountain forests, livestock, or tribal subjects—it became hereditary wealth, recognized and protected by the Great Han court. And in the process of scrambling and fighting, grievances and enmities were forged, and the authorities' goal of division was achieved.

The reason an open scheme was hard to break was precisely that even when seen through, one had no choice but to delve into it. Under Zhao Pu's methods, the native chieftain system was implemented with extraordinary smoothness. It even provided a model for the implementation of the native chieftain system in Lingnan.

Since the destruction of Shu, Zhao Pu had been serving continuously in the southwest, accomplishing far too many things; for the southwest's stability and submission to governance, he deserved the foremost credit. So many years had passed that Emperor Liu had come to miss him and had it in mind to summon him back to court.

Returning to Pan Mei—toward his return to court, Emperor Liu also displayed obvious joy, bringing him to Qionglin Garden to enjoy a full suite of services, then bestowing purple robes and sharing food and drink, with the sovereign and minister conversing in detail.

However, Pan Mei's return to court this time was not only to report on his duties but also to make another request: to dispatch troops against Annam. Especially after hearing that Emperor Liu had already sent Yang Ye to the northwest to deal with the Dingnan Army, he could no longer sit still.

In his words: "The Dingnan Army in the north and the Jinghai Army in the south are both former lands of Cathay; they ought to be taken."

"I know that in Lingnan, you have made considerable preparations for advancing into Annam! However, since the court now has matters in the northwest, if we again move troops in the far south, I fear it will be difficult to reach consensus at court!" Reclining on the dragon couch in a casual posture, Emperor Liu glanced at Pan Mei and said nonchalantly.

Perhaps the sunshine of Lingnan was strong—Pan Mei's skin had darkened somewhat—but it did not diminish his handsomeness. Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Pan Mei immediately replied: "So long as Your Majesty issues the edict, how could the assembled ministers oppose it?"

Liu Chengyou smiled, looked at him, and said: "Do you think the time has come?"

Pan Mei immediately declared with fervor: "Your servant holds to his earlier words—the land of Annam can be taken with ease! Two years ago, I had eighty percent certainty of victory; now, I have one hundred percent!"

"Do not speak too confidently!" Emperor Liu cautioned.

Hearing this, Pan Mei paused for a moment, then said seriously: "The situation in Annam, your servant reported previously, and Your Majesty should be well aware of it! Its governance has long been in chaos and its military in disarray, with various factions carving up the land and contending endlessly—it is fundamentally a heap of loose sand. Especially after Wu Changwen's death last year, the Wu regime has completely collapsed. In contrast, Dinh Bo Linh has seized the opportunity to rise, beginning campaigns of expansion, with the intent of unifying Annam.

Your servant said long ago that this is an ambitious man, no less than Ngo Quyen of old. If the court does not take this opportunity to dispatch troops to intervene, recover our former territory, and eliminate the disloyal, then once the Dinh clan consolidates Annam, attempting to march in and destroy them will not be easy—it will cost a far greater price.

Therefore, your servant believes that dispatching troops southward is precisely the right time!"

Wu Changwen, the ruler of the Wu dynasty of Annam, had perished on the battlefield last year while suppressing the rebellion of the two villages of Taiping and Tang Ruan, watching the battle from the front lines. Indeed, the wars of Annam sounded like village brawls...

And after Wu Changwen's death, with the nominal common sovereign gone, the situation in Annam fell completely into collapse, and the various governors holding prefectures and cities began attacking one another.

Seeing the situation escalate ever more fiercely, Pan Mei, who had been watching covetously from the side, could no longer sit still—especially Dinh Bo Linh, who increasingly showed signs of rising, which made him even more vigilant.

After hearing Pan Mei's words, Emperor Liu had in fact already begun to take the matter seriously, and said: "Do you think that Dinh Bo Linh can unify the former lands of Annam?"

Pan Mei said: "Your servant has planted many spies in Annam and has also interrogated the locals. Dinh Bo Linh is indeed extraordinary—his heart is as hard as iron, his methods outstanding, and he is skilled at winning people's hearts. In the past, from a mere corner of territory, he contended against the Wu clan without falling behind, even defeating them in battle. Now, Dinh Bo Linh has been acclaimed by his followers as the 'Great Victory King.'

After Wu Changwen's death, as all parts of Annam expanded their strength and attacked one another, it was Dinh Bo Linh whose power grew the fastest. Your servant believes that if the court does not intervene, the one who can unify Annam will surely be this man—and if so, Annam will no longer belong to the Central Kingdom!"

Unconsciously, Emperor Liu had already sat up, crossing his legs, and pondered for a while. Then, looking at Pan Mei, he said calmly: "Then dispatch the troops!"