Chapter 126: Calling to Account

At dawn the next day, before the sky had fully brightened, the soldiers ate quickly and, while the temperature had not yet climbed, the main force set out southward. Neither hurried nor slow, they marched over forty li and arrived beneath Dragon Ridge City, the seat of Xing Prefecture.

They pressed close to the city and set up camp.

Meanwhile, Xue Huairang, Military Governor of Anguo Army in the city, had been roused from sleep early because of Liu Chengyou's arrival, and his mood was exceptionally foul.

Xue Huairang was past fifty-five, but his body was still quite sturdy—he ate his fill of meat, drank his fill of wine, and enjoyed women at night... Though his conduct was greedy and violent, his appearance was still fairly decent; as long as he didn't open his mouth to speak, one couldn't tell he was a crude military man.

"What is this Second Prince doing, deliberately disturbing people's sleep?" He crawled up from between the breasts of his newly taken young concubine, cursing as he dressed, expressing his displeasure while getting himself together. His old face was somewhat pale, as if he had overexerted himself the night before.

"Milord Governor, the Second Prince has sent an envoy into the city, requesting that you go to his camp for a meeting." As he walked toward the hall, a Judge of the military government stepped forward with hurried paces and spoke to the yawning Xue Huairang.

"Hm?" He stopped in his tracks, his beard bristling: "This Second Prince, so overbearing? I am a military governor of a whole region, personally appointed by his own father, and yet he treats me with such arrogance—too presumptuous by far!"

Having said this, the already dissatisfied Xue Huairang turned to go back to his room, waving his hand: "Don't bother with him!"

Seeing his willfulness, the Judge quickly urged: "Milord Governor, you must not! After all, he is the Second Prince, of imperial blood, with a fearsome reputation. He is young and hot-blooded—if you offend him, disaster will surely follow."

The Judge's words were just short of telling Xue Huairang directly: you cannot afford to offend him.

Calming down somewhat, Xue Huairang snorted in frustration: "Just a brat. I'll go see for myself what kind of person this Second Prince who struck hard at the Khitan really is."

He talked tough, but his actions had already softened. No matter how displeased he felt, he obediently took his men and left the city, heading for Liu Chengyou's field headquarters.

At the camp gate, he looked at the two rows of armored soldiers forming a bridge of blades, the sunlight reflecting off their steel swords stinging his eyes. Seeing this display, Xue Huairang still snorted, muttering to himself: "Trying to give me a show of force? Ridiculous. Do they think such tricks can scare me?"

Raising his brows and beard, Xue Huairang led his attendants inside with his head held high. The armored soldiers sheathed their swords at the right moment, and he walked up to the central command tent. Then he was stopped by Li Chongju.

"Governor Xue, please surrender your weapons!" The young Commander's face bore no arrogance—he simply pointed calmly at the war saber at Xue Huairang's waist.

"Ha!" A flash of anger crossed his face. Xue Huairang glanced toward the tent, where he could vaguely make out the figure on the main seat through the curtain, and deliberately shouted in a loud voice: "The Second Prince certainly puts on airs! Back in the day, when I met Emperor Zhuangzong and the Founding Ancestor of Jin, both allowed me to carry weapons!"

Li Chongju still wore an honest expression, even smiling at Xue Huairang: "Please surrender your weapon, Governor Xue. I will personally keep it safe for you—it will not gather a speck of dust."

Xue Huairang's face turned cold, his fists clenched until his knuckles cracked. He glared at Li Chongju, as if about to unleash all the killing aura he had accumulated in his lifetime upon him: "Do you truly think this old general is easy to bully?"

"I wouldn't dare. Please surrender your weapon, Governor. If I have to do it myself, it won't be pretty!" Li Chongju bared his teeth in a grin.

Seeing the fangs revealed beneath this young man's harmless demeanor, Xue Huairang's face twitched. He stepped back, unbuckled the saber at his waist, and said indignantly: "Well, today I've truly learned something new! What other taboos are there for seeing your prince?"

"Only the Governor may enter the tent alone." Li Chongju followed up smoothly.

"You!" He pointed at Li Chongju, then shoved the saber, sheath and all, hard against his chest: "You keep it safe for me! If it gets a single speck of dust on it, I'll hold you accountable!"

The fellow had real strength—caught off guard, Li Chongju nearly toppled over. He braced himself, caught his breath, and his face flushed red from the strain.

Liu Chengyou had noticed the commotion outside the tent early on. He didn't bother pretending to do anything else—he simply watched quietly as Xue Huairang walked in.

"Greetings to the Second Prince! I failed to welcome you from afar—please forgive me."

Likewise, Xue Huairang fixed his gaze on Liu Chengyou, craning his neck, casually cupping his hands in a perfunctory salute. His sidelong glance at Liu Chengyou was dismissive, and he neither announced his name nor his office, his tone exceptionally brusque. This man, at this moment, was in an exceptionally foul mood. But in Liu Chengyou's eyes, it was a direct display of how unruly these military province warlords were.

Xue Huairang was overbearing; Liu Chengyou was equally arrogant now. With a wooden, expressionless face, he stared at Xue Huairang: "Governor Xue! Hearing of you is not the same as meeting you."

Appraising Liu Chengyou, seeing such a beardless youth, Xue Huairang seemed to relax, taking it as a compliment, and replied: "The Prince's reputation has also thundered in my ears."

"Xue Huairang, a native of Taiyuan, of northwestern Hu descent. Brave in youth, naturally fond of fighting, he joined under Emperor Zhuangzong, fought fiercely, earned repeated military merits, and rose through military ranks. From Tang to Jin, he served successively as Prefect of Jiang, Shen, Yi, Liao, Mi, and Huai Prefectures. At the end of Kaiyun, he first served as Cavalry Formation Commander and then Pioneer Chief Commander under Fu Yanqing and Du Chongwei against the Khitan. In the twelfth year of Tianfu, he killed a Liao general at Ming Prefecture and submitted a letter of allegiance to our dynasty..."

His voice utterly devoid of emotion, Liu Chengyou recited Xue Huairang's resume in brief, leaving Xue Huairang somewhat bewildered. Frowning, he looked at Liu Chengyou with confusion: "Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing much. I just find it odd that after a lifetime of fighting and governing several prefectures, you've made no progress at all." Liu Chengyou said.

Liu Chengyou was being rather rude. Xue Huairang sensed something amiss—this brat wasn't just arrogant; he seemed to have come with ill intent. A suspicious look shot toward Liu Chengyou, and Xue Huairang asked with a dark face: "What exactly do you mean? Speak plainly—why use all these roundabout words to humiliate an old general?"

Clearly, Xue Huairang truly did not hold much fear or reverence for Liu Chengyou.

"The Magistrate of Neiqiu—was he appointed by Governor Xue?" Seeing this, Liu Chengyou asked.

"Yes!" Xue Huairang answered crisply: "And what of it?"

"This man has been in office for over a month. How do you think he has performed as county magistrate?"

"The man I employ is naturally capable!" Seeming to recall the money and grain the Neiqiu magistrate had delivered up, Xue Huairang answered without thinking, looking utterly shameless.

This time it was Liu Chengyou's turn to have his face twitch. He wondered whether Xue Huairang was truly that thick-skulled. Drawing a light breath, he said: "Last night I lodged at Neiqiu and have already dismissed him. He is being brought south in a prison cart."

Hearing this, Xue Huairang's expression changed: "He is my subordinate, an official under my Anguo Army command! Shouldn't Your Highness have informed me before appointing, dismissing, and imprisoning him? Is that not overstepping your authority!"

"I have received my grandfather's command to exercise provisional authority over the military and civil affairs of the prefectures of Hebei." Liu Chengyou shot back immediately.

He had originally planned to argue further with Xue Huairang about the Neiqiu magistrate, but seeing Xue Huairang's reaction, Liu Chengyou suddenly lost interest. He cut straight to the point, his expression turning severe, and asked in a cold, piercing tone: "Xue Huairang, do you know your crimes?"

Seeing Liu Chengyou making his move, Xue Huairang replied unhurriedly: "What crimes does this commander have?"

"Endless exactions, extortion and squeezing, privately imposed punishments, cruel oppression of the people, indulgence of your subordinates, bullying of the good and honest—to the point that within Xing Prefecture, all industries have collapsed and complaints fill the air. Are these not crimes?" Liu Chengyou said in a frigid voice.

"These count as crimes?" Xue Huairang actually laughed outright, retorting.

Liu Chengyou was momentarily stunned. The question left him at a loss for words.

Xue Huairang, meanwhile, was perfectly composed: "Your Highness has put on such a grand display today—is it just to question this commander's crimes?"

"Yes. And what of it?" Liu Chengyou stared back at this overbearing old general, somewhat surprised that the man was truly this arrogant, showing not a shred of reverence toward him, a prince.

It wasn't that Xue Huairang felt no fear at all. But he had always been unruly, and decades of life-and-death experience had taught him many things. If everyone could get along peacefully, then he would naturally restrain himself. But since Liu Chengyou had clearly come with ill intent, he would not "humble himself to preserve the peace" either.

Xue Huairang stepped forward, slightly lowering his head, and stared directly at Liu Chengyou: "Your Highness, on what grounds do you question my crimes? I am a military governor appointed by the Son of Heaven himself. Do you have that authority?"

Is this what your confidence rests upon, Xue Huairang?

Liu Chengyou sneered inwardly, not blinking as he fixed his gaze on him: "There is a phrase: 'execute first, report afterward!'"

Liu Chengyou's gaze at this moment was chillingly cold, so much so that even Xue Huairang, this murderous brute, felt a chill down his spine. He looked seriously at Liu Chengyou. Perhaps the weather was too hot—unconsciously, sweat had begun to form on his body. Xue Huairang's momentum finally weakened a bit: "Your Highness, surely you are joking with this commander..."

"With such a grand display, Governor Xue, do you think I am here to joke with you?" Liu Chengyou finished, then waved impatiently at the guards in the tent: "Take him!"

Seeing Liu Chengyou was serious, Xue Huairang instinctively reached for his waist—only to find it empty. Two guards immediately stepped forward and seized him. The man was old, but he truly had some ferocity to him, nearly breaking free. The guards beside Liu Chengyou were no softies either; they landed two dirty blows to his stomach before finally subduing him.

"Let me go! I am the Military Governor of Anguo Army, appointed by the Emperor, commanded by the court! On what grounds do you seize me?" Confusion surfaced on Xue Huairang's pained face, followed by savage fury.

Two more kicks to his legs sent him crashing heavily to his knees before he finally quieted down. Watching this scene of bullying an old man, it almost made Liu Chengyou look like the villain.

"On what grounds do you seize this commander?" Xue Huairang's head was pressed down, but his bull-like eyes still glared fiercely at Liu Chengyou, fury surging.

Liu Chengyou rose, walked slowly to stand before Xue Huairang, and crouched down to look at him: "Governor Xue, have you always been this overbearing? If every prefecture's military governor were like this, then it's no wonder the realm cannot be pacified."

"I just enumerated your crimes—are you simply obstinate, or did you not listen at all?" Liu Chengyou's words, tone, and expression were all ice-cold.

Hearing this, Xue Huairang finally seemed to catch on. Then he opened his mouth and spat out a few flecks of saliva: "Ridiculous! You want to seize a military governor of a whole region over such petty faults? Fine—what a tyrant this prince of the Great Han is!"

A wave of foul stench hit him in the face. Liu Chengyou shuddered, stepped back and rose, covering his nose and mouth, staring at this old scoundrel with disgust: "In the past, I was far too lenient with the likes of you, and that is why governance has decayed and the people suffer! If no warning is given, this evil will never be eradicated!"

As soon as Liu Chengyou said this, Xue Huairang seemed to understand something. Staring at Liu Chengyou, he blurted out: "You... you want to make an example of me, to warn the others?"

Seeing that this overbearing old general had actually been clever for once, Liu Chengyou was somewhat surprised—but his gaze directly answered Xue Huairang.

At this, Xue Huairang could no longer hold back. He struggled fiercely and roared: "I refuse to accept this! Which prefect or governor in this realm does not do the same? Those base commoners—I keep them safe, and they support me in return. What crime have I committed? In this world, there are those ten times more brutal and vicious than I. Why not go after them? I refuse to accept this!"

Who told you to run into the muzzle of the gun?

Hearing his words, Liu Chengyou suddenly felt a sense of weariness. Reasoning with him, he estimated, would get nowhere. He turned his head to look at Wei Renpu, who sat quietly to the side: "Master Wei, did you hear that?"

Wei Renpu revealed a somewhat bitter expression, but was not overly surprised.

"Since you've already guessed that I intend to make an example of you, what use is your refusal to accept it?" Liu Chengyou's gaze remained cold and deep as before.

His expression froze. Xue Huairang panted heavily, already growing flustered: "This marshal is a meritorious official who drove out the Khitan and submitted to the Great Han! Would Your Highness truly dare to commit such an act of utter defiance against all under heaven?"

Heaven knows where this fellow had heard that phrase—he was using it completely wrongly.

Crossing his arms, Liu Chengyou said slowly and deliberately: "Those words are far too heavy! I am merely pleading for the people and acting according to the law."

"No—I am a garrison commander personally approved by the Son of Heaven! You have no authority to kill me! If you kill me, how will you answer to the Son of Heaven? How will you answer to the court!" The calmer Liu Chengyou's tone grew, the more panicked Xue Huairang became.

He was invoking Liu Zhiyuan again, as if Liu Zhiyuan could truly protect him.

"How I answer to my father and the court need not trouble Governor Xue!" Liu Chengyou replied. The two words "my father" were spoken with heavy emphasis.

His chest tightened. Xue Huairang's face flushed red, and he actually dared to threaten Liu Chengyou: "This marshal still commands several thousand troops under him. Is Your Highness not afraid of provoking a mutiny?"

"Send word to Xiang Xun: lead the troops into Longgang, take over the garrison, and control the city. Anyone who dares to cause disorder—kill without mercy!" Before Xue Huairang's very eyes, Liu Chengyou calmly issued the order, his tone ice-cold.

His old face turned pale. Xue Huairang seemed to lose all his spirit, collapsing limply in misery, then bowed his head deeply with effort: "Your Highness, spare my life..."

This abrupt change of face was truly startling. Liu Chengyou had thought the man would remain defiant to the end.

"If Your Highness wishes to awe the military governors of the realm, why not go to Yedu and deal with Du Chongwei? His corruption and exploitation are ten times worse than mine!"

Liu Chengyou blinked rapidly involuntarily, no longer bothering to listen to what he was saying. He waved his hand: "Take him away first, and keep him under guard!"

After Xue Huairang was dragged away still shouting, Liu Chengyou paced back and forth in the tent. After a long while, he remarked with feeling: "After this interrogation, I have gained a deeper understanding of the arrogance of these military men."

Hearing this, Wei Renpu offered counsel: "There are indeed many men like Xue Huairang, but not all are so. Among the military governors of the realm, there are no small number renowned for their character and ability."

"For example?"

"Fu Yanqing, Gao Xingzhou, An Shenqi..." Wei Renpu listed a string of names, all of them familiar ones.

However, Liu Chengyou did not take it too seriously. These famous generals of the age and veteran ministers of successive dynasties—behind closed doors, they probably had no shortage of dirt on file as well. In this world, the virtuous and kind could never get ahead. Of course, those mentioned above did have somewhat better reputations.

"Your Highness, do you truly intend to kill Xue Huairang?" After Liu Chengyou had pondered for a while, Wei Renpu could not help but speak up.

Raising his hand to stop him, Liu Chengyou said: "I know what you want to say. Kill him—I suspect it cannot be done after all. Just now, Xue Huairang mentioned Du Chongwei. Perhaps it was said in desperation, but it served as a reminder to me. I must be cautious!"

PS: I came across a book review that was quite interesting. Sharing it for those still following this book to read: This Later Han was founded by the Shatuo people, the same principle as the Manchu Qing's rule. Its greatest connection to the Han is that they were granted the surname Liu by the Eastern Han emperor. Its downfall was one of the important markers of the Han people's resurgence. Now in this story, the resurgence of the Han people has been extinguished by this Liu Chengyou. From then on, there is no need to wait for Yashan—China is gone, leaving only a history like India's, of foreign peoples enslaving the local population.