Chapter 1217: Scenery Beyond the Frontier

"Do you know why I transferred you north to Shanyang?" Raising his gaze northward, his eyes gradually deepening, Emperor Liu suddenly asked Li Chuyun in a low voice.

Following Emperor Liu's gaze, one could only see the vast plains north of Yunzhong City, as well as the satellite forts guarding the city walls. But Li Chuyun knew well that the Emperor's gaze had already crossed the undulating Great Wall dozens of li away, reaching toward that boundless desert grassland.

"It is to prepare for war against the Khitan!" Li Chuyun spoke with certainty.

Even when he was still Commissioner of Military Affairs, Emperor Liu had several times discussed Khitan affairs with Li Chuyun, and Li Chuyun was naturally well aware of his ambitions and plans for the north.

Since Emperor Liu had asked, he naturally would not deny it, and said affirmatively: "At this very moment, looking around in all directions, among the Great Han's surroundings, only the Khitan state of Liao to the north remains as a great threat; the rest are not worth mentioning. For decades, the Khitan have taken advantage of the Central Plains' internal turmoil to repeatedly raise armies and invade southward, encroaching upon our territory, plundering our people, and tyrannizing them wantonly. All men of ambition in the Central Plains gnash their teeth in hatred.

Twenty years ago, at the Battle of Luancheng, I led eight thousand soldiers and officers, fighting with utter disregard for life, inflicting heavy losses upon them, extinguishing their arrogant flames, and displaying the might of our Han people; ten years ago, I led the army on a northern expedition, striking the Khitan hard, recovering the passes and mountains in one stroke, advancing my troops beyond the frontier, breaking the heavy shackles binding the Great Han's northern borders; and now, the realm is unified, affairs in the south are concluded, the nation's power grows daily, and only the final step remains—a great push northward to destroy their state, resolving this calamity for our descendants, and creating a unique era of great peace belonging solely to the Great Han. Then you, I, and all our ministers, generals, and soldiers shall leave our names in history..."

Li Chuyun had always harbored great ambitions, and hearing these words from Emperor Liu, he could hardly avoid being stirred, and immediately declared: "I swear to follow Your Majesty unto death, to destroy Liao and establish merit!"

"With such a goal, my resolve for the northern expedition is firm, but Liao is ultimately not a state that can be destroyed overnight; for the specific execution, we must still make meticulous preparations and perfect our strategic planning!" Emperor Liu said thus: "During the northern expedition, one army must necessarily set out from Shanyang. Ten years ago, you handled logistics for the main army; in the future, I still wish to use you to support the main forces—Shanyang will be the forward rear base. I use Song Qi for recovery and development, and you, for the push north!"

"Yes!" Li Chuyun answered earnestly.

Seeing Emperor Liu gripping the city wall tightly, seemingly somewhat agitated, Li Chuyun could not help but ask: "May I ask Your Majesty, when have you decided to dispatch the troops?"

"This depends not only on the Great Han's preparations, but also on the Khitan. A war to destroy a state cannot but be approached with caution!" Emperor Liu said with emotion.

Regarding the northern expedition, the Great Han court's preparations in various aspects had in fact been underway for many years. By now, so long as the decision to move troops was made, given the empire's current executive capacity, it could still quickly enter the implementation stage.

However, involving a national war, it could not be so casual. The Great Han was temporarily constrained by the enormous consumption of the southwestern war, and the more important reason lay in Liao's sound condition—striking a steppe empire with a stable government was no easy task; that was an obvious difficulty.

Of course, Emperor Liu was not afraid of difficulties. At worst, he would exhaust the nation's strength and exhaust resources—this was also something Emperor Liu was rather skilled at. But if there was an opportunity to reduce losses and accomplish great things at small cost, there was no need to be too reckless.

Hesitating for a moment, perhaps having been exposed to the cold wind for too long and feeling somewhat unwell, Emperor Liu said to Li Chuyun: "Come, take me to see your office!"

"Your servant will lead the way for Your Majesty!" Li Chuyun immediately responded, though he could not help coughing twice.

Hearing his suppressed coughs, noticing his gaunt figure and the look on his face, Emperor Liu's brows knit together, and he admonished: "You must still take care of your health!"

"Your servant understands!" Perhaps the Emperor's concern warmed his heart, as a slight flush appeared on Li Chuyun's face, and he answered: "Thank you for Your Majesty's concern. A few old ailments—nothing that impedes great matters!"

Hearing his words, a slight trace of doubt appeared in Emperor Liu's gaze. He did not know how long Li Chuyun had lived in the original history, but his current condition made Emperor Liu think of one man—Murong Yanzhao.

"Falling ill from overwork" could be used to describe Li Chuyun without any problem. He had the intention to let Li Chuyun step back and rest properly, but in the end he did not voice it. It was not that he could not find someone to replace Li Chuyun, but rather that the man himself would likely not be willing—just like Li Gu, who had led the army south to pacify the south while ill; before his achievements were complete, he would not lightly speak of retreating.

"Rest for one night; tomorrow we tour the Great Wall defenses to the north. You shall accompany the imperial carriage as well!" Emperor Liu turned his head and said to Li Chuyun.

"Yes!"

In the high autumn of the eighth month, the mountains and grasslands beyond the northern frontier were also covered in a layer of yellow. The cool wind rustled, plants withered and drifted, and Emperor Liu arrived at the Great Wall at Jiaoshan Pass.

This place was the main route by which the Liao army had withdrawn from Yunzhou back then, and also the route taken by the two pursuing armies of Shi Yanchao and Yang Ye. Arriving here, one could naturally not avoid a bout of reminiscence.

Back then, before Emperor Liu returned south, he had constructed a defense line relying on the outer Great Wall. On the Yunzhong side, he established the Fengyi Army and left two veteran generals, Wang Yanchao and Guo Chongwei, to garrison and defend.

Later, as the northern situation gradually calmed, the northern frontier military system was also restructured and improved several times. From west to east—from the Tiande Army at Fengzhou, the Baoning Army at Shengzhou, the Ningyuan Army at Shuozhou, and then the Fengyi Army at Yunzhong—these four armies constituted the current defense line of Shanyang against the Khitan.

Among them, the most important was naturally the Fengyi Army—its soldiers were the most elite, and its troop quota the largest, fully fifteen thousand men, basically covering the entire Yunzhong area as well as the three-hundred-li Great Wall defense line to the north.

"The sky is vast and blue, the wilderness boundless; when the wind blows, the grass bends low, revealing cattle and sheep!" Beneath the beacon tower, Emperor Liu gazed north over the plains and could not help but sigh: "It's only a pity that the scene in the poem cannot yet be seen today."

"How many garrison soldiers are at Jiaoshan Town?" Emperor Liu asked Liu Tinghan, the Commander-in-Chief of Shanyang who accompanied the imperial carriage.

During the time Emperor Liu had been in the north, Liu Tinghan had been continuously drilling the soldiers, ready at any moment to undergo review. As a capable general, he had been in post in the north for quite some time now, and was thoroughly familiar with the various armies under his command and the garrison situation.

Upon the question, he answered without hesitation: "To answer Your Majesty, this town has a total of three hundred garrison soldiers—two hundred infantry and one hundred cavalry!"

"According to the memorials, in earlier years there were repeated encroachments beyond the northern frontier. Where does our actual controlled territory extend to now?" Emperor Liu asked further.

Liu Tinghan pointed north and said: "Seventy li north of here lies Baishuibo, a great lake beyond the northern frontier. Two hundred cavalry are currently stationed there to maintain order, and Hu tribesmen gather there in large numbers to trade!"

"Two hundred men—is that enough to hold it?" Emperor Liu raised the question.

Liu Tinghan said: "Ordinary tribal Hu people would not dare to commit any violation. The garrison at Baishuibo serves only as a lookout post, for surveillance and early warning. The only ones capable of posing a threat are the Khitan army. If the Khitan attack, too few troops would be useless anyway. And maintaining an excessively large garrison over the long term would not be worth it—better instead to station a few sentry soldiers, which is flexible and convenient!"

Nodding slightly, Emperor Liu let out a long breath, gazed at the vast mountains and wilderness before him, and said: "In high autumn, when horses are fat, has always been the time when the Hu move their troops. Now I am here—I only wonder where the Liao sovereign is?"

Perhaps it was a meeting of minds. Half an hour after Emperor Liu ascended the Great Wall, Yao Jineng, Army Commander of the Fengyi Army, came to report, bringing a rather unexpected piece of news—the Liao sovereign Yelu Jing was hunting at Yangchengbo.

And Yangchengbo lay more than four hundred li northeast of Yunzhong. Hearing this news, Emperor Liu became interested, and immediately summoned Wang Zhaoyuan, who was accompanying the imperial carriage, and instructed: "You shall go on my behalf as envoy to the Liao sovereign's tent. Say that I came north to the frontier, and happened to hear of his hunting in the south; delighted at the prospect of the hunt, I invite him to hunt together—ask him if he dares to come..."

Emperor Liu was in very high spirits at the prospect of meeting Yelu Jing.