Chapter 1175: The Southern Campaign, Again

"What do you think yourself?" In response to Liu Yang's question, Emperor Liu's reaction was worth pondering—his deep gaze fell upon Liu Yang, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He then added: "On the matter of Dali, what is your position? What views do you hold?"

Seeing that Emperor Liu was testing him again, Liu Yang was clearly more astute this time, answering almost without hesitation: "I believe that what Chancellor Zhao said is well-reasoned and well-supported—it can be adopted!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu broke into a smile and said: "What Zhao Pu said contains both a positive and a negative argument—which one do you hold to?"

The Crown Prince's gaze carried an increasingly scrutinizing quality. This son of Emperor Liu might be a beat slow in everything, but if one truly thought him mediocre and dull, then the mediocre one would surely be oneself.

Over the years, Liu Yang had obediently and dutifully served as Crown Prince, rarely uttering startling words, always thinking thrice before speaking or acting in any matter. Though he erred on the side of dullness, he had never made a major mistake. Moreover, many of his ideas were both timely and feasible. As the successor carefully cultivated by Emperor Liu, with so many years of training combining theory with practice, his quality was clearly not lacking.

And now, Emperor Liu demanded a clear opinion again. Liu Yang concentrated his mind, pondered for a few moments, and said: "Among the court, few can surpass Chancellor Zhao in his understanding of the southwestern situation. Since he believes a campaign against Dali has a chance of victory and is not as difficult as it superficially appears, then sending troops is fine!"

"That is still Zhao Pu's view. I asked for your opinion—do you approve of sending troops?" Emperor Liu asked, somewhat redundantly.

Liu Yang fell silent, raised his head, calmly met Emperor Liu's gaze for a while, then said frankly: "I dare not conceal it—I do harbor doubts! Expanding the realm, achieving merit and glory—I too aspire to these. But the concerns Chancellor Zhao raised do carry great weight!"

"However!" Observing Emperor Liu's expression carefully, Liu Yang continued: "If we speak of future gains, Dali's territory is hardly attractive—barren mountains and remote lands, barbarian tribes running rampant, Han people despising it. It is even inferior to Annam; at least the Jiaozhi plains possess the advantages of rivers and seas..."

Emperor Liu was equally satisfied with Liu Yang's level of understanding, and was not displeased by his conservatism and doubts. Because this too was a sign of maturity—Emperor Liu himself had his own reservations, after all.

Striking against a fragmented Annam had taken a full year from start to finish, and even now the Han army from the southern campaign had not fully withdrawn. Facing Dali, which had been established as a state for a long time, had even more complex ethnic conditions, and even worse roads and transportation—how much time would it take, how much money and grain would it consume, what would be the cost of success or failure—these were all things Emperor Liu had been pondering. Emperor Liu would not delude himself into thinking the Han army was truly invincible under heaven, conquering all and winning every battle.

Looking at Liu Yang, Emperor Liu finally spoke: "I will not hide it from you either—in attacking Dali, my greater consideration is to fulfill a long-cherished wish!"

Liu Yang was taken aback, while Emperor Liu continued: "Moreover, Wang Quanbin has been stationed in the southwest for a full ten years now. I promised him back then—the Son of Heaven's words are golden, and it would not do to break my word! He is a veteran general in his sixties now; as his memorial states, if we delay any longer, he truly will lack the strength despite the will!

Now, with Duan Sicong, the sovereign of Dali, stricken with illness and the court unstable, it is indeed as Wang Quanbin says—a good opportunity. Otherwise, why do you think they hastily sent envoys northward, seeking to strengthen friendly relations?"

Indeed, in this sixth year of Kaibao, the court's contacts and activities with Dali were still quite frequent. Duan Sicong, the sovereign of Dali, had sent members of the royal clan northward, presenting lavish gifts, intending to establish friendly relations and trade between the two states. And in Wang Quanbin's latest memorial on the southern campaign, he had also clearly pointed out Duan Sicong's health problems.

Regardless, Duan Sicong was a monarch who had reigned for sixteen years, playing a tremendous role in maintaining the stability and balance of his state's government and court. And once Duan Sicong had problems, with the Great Han stirring things up from the side, a golden opportunity would naturally present itself.

As for Wang Quanbin, Emperor Liu was somewhat surprised—surprised that he had been able to endure for so long. In the four military campaigns of the Kaibao era, he had not been included in any of them. However, the longer he endured, the more confidence Emperor Liu had in Wang Quanbin.

"Matters of state and military, bent to personal wishes—is that not too frivolous?" Regarding Emperor Liu's reasoning, Liu Yang raised a question, one could even say a challenge.

Emperor Liu smiled, abruptly changing the subject: "What do you think of Zhao Pu's opinion?"

Liu Yang was nearly confused by Emperor Liu's questioning, but still replied with slight hesitation: "Does Chancellor Zhao not approve of sending troops?"

"Is that so?" Emperor Liu's smile deepened.

Seeing Emperor Liu's reaction, Liu Yang finally realized, and said in surprise: "Could it be that Chancellor Zhao does not actually approve of the campaign against Dali?"

"Barren mountains, harsh waters, a wild and uncivilized land—what difference does gaining it make? It would only waste troops, money, and grain!" Emperor Liu said calmly: "Zhao Pu is a very shrewd man who knows how to calculate. How could he sincerely approve of a great southern campaign?"

"If that is so, then why did he express approval in the bamboo hut?" Liu Yang followed up immediately.

"I said it—Zhao Pu is a shrewd man. He had already seen that I harbor the ambition to campaign against Dali!" Emperor Liu said placidly.

Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Liu Yang finally had a glimmer of understanding, then was both astonished and moved, saying: "Who would have thought—Zhao Pu was actually catering to your wishes?"

Liu Yang's brows furrowed tightly: "For such a great matter of state and military, he could not even speak frankly and press his own views! If the campaign goes poorly and drains the nation's strength, who bears the responsibility!"

Emperor Liu remained indifferent: "Did Zhao Pu not clearly lay out the difficulties and hidden dangers of campaigning against Dali?"

Liu Yang opened his mouth, but ultimately could only smile bitterly.

Emperor Liu continued: "Moreover, if I am determined to move troops, who can stop me? Rather than waste useless words, better to put one's mind toward how to conquer and destroy Dali!"

Of course, there was another consideration in this—having returned to court this time, Zhao Pu, as a newly appointed official, always needed to make his mark. And the campaign against Dali was an opportunity. Though it looked fraught with difficulties, if it succeeded, the impact would be even greater.

Moreover, this was not blind gambling. Zhao Pu had a clear view of the southwestern situation, and he had confidence in Wang Quanbin's southern campaign. Zhao Pu was not the type to simply flatter the Emperor while disregarding the overall military and political situation.

And even taking a step back—if it failed, he would be taking the blame for Emperor Liu. In all these years, who had ever had such an opportunity? If it came to that, whether it was fortune or misfortune, no one could say.

The twists and turns of all this were clearly beyond what Liu Yang could fathom at present. This journey, with the father-son conversations, had already greatly upended Liu Yang's worldview, and he had clearly not yet recovered.

"I said it—Zhao Pu is a remarkable man. In the future, when deliberating affairs in court, you can learn well from him, and also observe the difference between him and Wei Renpu!" Emperor Liu smiled slightly.

"Yes!" Liu Yang replied.

Taking a deep breath, Emperor Liu turned serious once more and instructed: "On campaigning against Dali, my mind is made up. The order to send troops will be dispatched to the southwest as soon as we return to the palace! For this campaign, you are to participate and devote great effort. As a sovereign, one need not necessarily know how to lead troops in battle or command on the front lines, but one must understand what war is about and know clearly what is being fought for!"

"Yes!"

In the sixth month of summer in the sixth year of Kaibao, Emperor Liu formally issued the edict, appointing Wang Quanbin as Commander of the Southwest Pacification Expedition, leading troops from the three circuits of Chuanshu and a portion of the Hunan army, totaling forty thousand soldiers, to launch the campaign against Dali. Wang Renshan served as Deputy Commander of the Pacification Expedition, with the two veteran generals leading the advance, while Xue Juzheng was put in charge of raising and transporting money and grain.

He also ordered Lu Huaizhong to lead troops advancing from the Guangnan West Circuit to provide support. This campaign could be considered the largest in scale since the beginning of the Kaibao era—the main combat forces, along with the conscripted laborers and the native chieftain troops levied for battle, totaled over one hundred thousand.

This did not even count the laborers conscripted for logistical transport, who numbered in the tens of thousands. Therefore, for this campaign against Dali, doubling the number and claiming three hundred thousand men would not be excessive.

At the same time, Zhao Pu, unsurprisingly, had his mourning period cut short and was recalled to court to take up office. From the year he was recommended by Liu Ci and entered court as an official, after fifteen years of striving, Zhao Pu had finally initially realized his political ambitions.

The official position granted to Zhao Pu was exactly as Liu Yang had said—Minister of the Left and Chief Minister—and because of his track record in the southwest, he was primarily responsible for Dali affairs.