Chapter 1127: Twin Campaigns North and South

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Finally receiving Emperor Liu's nod of approval, Pan Mei knelt down on the spot, unable to contain his joy.

That said, Pan Mei's achievements could hardly be considered small—among the generals and marshals, only a handful had led armies to destroy an entire state on their own. Yet over these past ten-plus years, most of his time had been spent enduring.

He had endured seven years in Hunan before finally being granted command to pacify Yue. Now another four years had passed before Emperor Liu finally relented and gave him the opportunity to recover Annam. Perhaps, if he emerged victorious, his noble rank could be raised a notch.

"Why thank me?" Emperor Liu adjusted his sleeve corner and said, "This is a matter of state and military importance. You are leading troops to recover territory for the court, toiling and suffering—if anything, it is I who should thank you!"

"Your Majesty is too kind!" Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Pan Mei felt deeply moved.

"However!" Shifting his tone, Emperor Liu cautioned, "Military affairs concern life and death, mobilizing troops and taxing the masses. Annam is also remote and its situation chaotic. Even with the Great Han's mighty army pressing down upon it, you must not be careless—be sure to avoid arrogance and negligence. I am merely offering a reminder; you are a seasoned veteran of war, and you should understand these principles well enough!"

"Yes! Your servant will heed Your Majesty's teachings!" Pan Mei's expression turned solemn as he clasped his hands in salute.

"For this campaign, there is truly no need for a massive mobilization—deploying the forces of Lingnan alone should suffice!" Pan Mei began discussing the specifics with Emperor Liu.

"Are the troops in Lingnan enough?" Emperor Liu asked.

According to the Bureau of Military Affairs' military arrangements for the Lingnan region, after several years of reorganization, the combined strength of the regional command and garrison troops totaled just over seventeen thousand men. If troops were to be dispatched to pacify Annam, after deducting those needed for garrison duty, the forces available for the campaign would not be many.

The Annam region was not small in territory either. If one were to charge in recklessly with a small force, even with the Great Han's strong soldiers and sturdy horses, sharp weapons and solid armor, accidents could still not be entirely ruled out. And Emperor Liu, with his consistently prudent nature, preferred to hold an absolute advantage before easily converting it into victory.

Of course, if a massive army were sent to conquer Annam, it would easily lead to waste—exhausting the troops and draining the treasury, gaining little for much loss.

Sensing Emperor Liu's concern, Pan Mei said, "Your servant plans to use ten thousand men from the Lingnan garrison and regional command troops, and additionally conscript ten thousand barbarian soldiers from the various native chieftaincies of Guangxi—twenty thousand men should suffice. If Annam were unified, it might be difficult, but as it is fragmented with each faction ruling independently, that is precisely our opportunity.

Your servant plans to launch a surprise attack, striking with thunderous force straight at Dinh Bo Linh, cracking this hardest nut first! Then, gradually eliminate the remaining prefectures and towns..."

"Does the court need to provide any other support?" Emperor Liu nodded and continued asking.

"Your servant requests that the Pingqian Army from Hunan be temporarily transferred to the southern expeditionary force. The Pingqian Army has long been trained, possesses considerable combat strength, and is sufficiently loyal to the court. In the pacification of Yue back then, they rendered no small merit!" Pan Mei petitioned.

The Pingqian Army was formed after the pacification of Jinghu, drawn from the finest Miao and Yao barbarians of western Hunan. Unlike ordinary barbarian troops, it had now been elevated to a border army, stationed in the western Hunan and Qianzhong region.

As its name suggested, it traversed mountain forests and natural chasms as if walking on flat ground. Its first Army Commander was Qin Zaixiong, a Yao chieftain of local prominence. Since its founding, it had performed quite well, distinguishing itself in maintaining order, suppressing unrest, and especially in the campaigns to pacify the south.

Speaking of Qin Zaixiong, as time passed, the foresight of his voluntary submission to the court and his great display of loyalty back then became ever more apparent. Now Qin Zaixiong was a noble of impeccable standing in the Great Han, enfeoffed as Marquis of Hongjiang. His actual influence among the Miao and Yao peoples had already surpassed that of Fu Yantong, the former "King of Xu."

And two years ago, Qin Zaixiong went a step further, becoming Prefectural Administrator of Chenzhou. For someone of barbarian origin, this was extremely rare—it signified that he was no longer viewed as a mere "enforcer" but had been fully accepted by the court as one of their own.

"Granted!" When Pan Mei requested the use of the Pingqian Army, Emperor Liu agreed directly—he had already intended to strengthen the southern expedition's capabilities.

"Additionally, your servant hopes to have an additional allocation of military equipment, especially gunpowder and fire arrows!" Pan Mei petitioned further.

After years of development and trial use, the application of gunpowder in warfare had gradually matured, but the court's control over it remained extremely strict. Back when Yue was being pacified, the Yue army had driven war elephants against the Han army, and Pan Mei had broken them with the fire arrows allocated to him, smashing through the defensive line in one stroke and advancing all the way to Panyu city.

Hearing this, Emperor Liu thought for a moment, then made a magnanimous gesture: "These specific matters, you may discuss with the Bureau of Military Affairs and the Ministry of War. Since I have decided to send troops, the court will certainly support you with full effort!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Pan Mei said solemnly once more, "Your servant will surely eradicate the disloyal and recover Annam, to repay Your Majesty's grace of recognition."

"Enough! Matters of military strategy, you may decide on your own!" Emperor Liu said casually. "Since you have repeatedly mentioned this Dinh Bo Linh, calling him a man of heroic ambition, then I hope that one day, I may see this man's pickled head in the Eastern Capital!"

"Yes!"

"Look at you! You have long been stationed abroad and rarely return to court. I had wanted to let you relax, but once state affairs come up, you just can't stop." Emperor Liu smiled, speaking amiably.

This time, he did not have Pan Mei accompany him to sleep. Pan Mei was also eager to attend to business; after conversing with Emperor Liu a while longer, he took his leave and returned to the Eastern Capital to visit the Bureau of Military Affairs and the Ministry of War.

As for Emperor Liu, his expression was calm, but in his heart he was still pondering the campaign against Annam. His only lingering doubt was whether launching military operations in both the north and south simultaneously was too frequent, too presumptuous.

In military matters, Emperor Liu had always been cautious and measured. But upon careful reflection, the current Great Han did have the capital to be presumptuous—Xiasui was already surrounded, and as for the various Governors of Annam, what were they but rotten fish and spoiled shrimp?

Of course, because he had approved Pan Mei's southern expedition, Emperor Liu had one more matter that gave him a slight headache. That was, Wang Quanbin would need another round of appeasement. The old general had been sharpening his knives in the southwest for many years now.

Although, due to the old affair between the Great Tang and Nanzhao during the Tianbao era, not many in the court favored a southern expedition against Dali. However, Wang Quanbin, dissatisfied with his position and circumstances, had no such scruples—he was set on destroying Dali to vindicate himself and gain promotion and nobility.

There was naturally difficulty in conquering Dali, with the greatest trouble lying in geographical constraints. But this difficulty was not insurmountable for the Han army, which had been preparing for years.

More importantly, the situation within Dali in recent years had not been calm waters. It was somewhat better than Annam's condition, but the Duan clan's royal authority had fallen to the wayside, with various noble clans rising, their power expanding and seizing control of the court—especially the Gao clan.

Dali was not a state with centralized power. Its national strength was weak, and internally it was not a monolithic bloc. Relying solely on geographical advantages to defend the country would be difficult. Wang Quanbin had already submitted several memorials to Emperor Liu presenting his plans for advancing.

In Wang Quanbin's view, there was no need to conquer every city and prefecture of Dali—once its capital Yangjumie and several key prefectures were taken, the remaining prefectures, garrisons, tribes, and clans could be settled by proclamation, surrendering at the sight of his banners. Then, by instituting native chieftaincies, the southwest could be stabilized, without the prolonged campaigns and waste of men and money that some in the court worried about.

Wang Quanbin had even secretly planned his route of advance and submitted it in a confidential memorial to Emperor Liu. Wang Quanbin was now nearly sixty years old. In one memorial, he told Emperor Liu that he feared that if he aged a few more years, he would no longer be able to pacify the southwest for Your Majesty...

Now, with the resolution of the Dingnan Army being tackled first and troops about to be mobilized against Annam, one could imagine how agitated Wang Quanbin would be once the news spread. But there was no way the court could simultaneously wage war in the southwest—there was no choice but to continue holding the old general down.