Chapter 127: The Weibo Problem

Before meeting Xue Huairang, Liu Chengyou had indeed harbored killing intent, and it was strong. But after this conversation with Xue Huairang, Liu Chengyou instead calmed down. It was clear that this Military Governor Xue truly did not feel he had committed any crime—or perhaps he knew in his heart, but such was the world; if others could do it, why couldn't Old Marshal Xue?

His mood felt extraordinarily oppressed. By comparison, Xue Huairang's arrogance and insolence before him was hardly a major matter. After all, Liu Chengyou had seen no small number of such people and such affairs.

To kill or not to kill—for Liu Chengyou, it was merely a matter of a moment's thought. But the consequences were something he could not help but seriously consider.

From Wang Shou'en to Bai Zairong and now to Xue Huairang, Liu Chengyou had been enduring grievances all the way. It was deeply uncomfortable, and this time he truly wanted to use this Xue to kill off that crooked wind and evil spirit swirling over this land.

However, Wang Shou'en could be made to "die suddenly," and Bai Zairong could be easily demoted, but precisely this Xue Huairang truly could not be casually killed—especially with the blade so openly drawn.

With his mindset stabilized, Liu Chengyou was hardly swayed by emotion. Thinking carefully, this fellow had several times mentioned that he was appointed by Liu Zhiyuan. It had to be said that this man's directly submitting a memorial to the Eastern Capital was absolutely a well-played move. Whatever the reason, if Liu Chengyou killed him without authorization, he would be slapping his own father's face. Even as a biological son, could slapping the Emperor's face bring any good?

Killing a military governor without authorization—even for Liu Chengyou, a prince currently "in his ascendancy"—was not so easily borne. Let alone given the unfavorable tide of opinion toward Liu Chengyou in the Eastern Capital court at present.

Of course, more importantly, his mention of "Du Chongwei" put Liu Chengyou on alert. Du Chongwei was not merely "Du Chongwei"; he represented those newly surrendered military commands of the Later Jin or those previously appointed by Yelu Deguang in the Central Plains, Hebei, and within the passes.

Previously, Liu Zhiyuan had changed the dynastic title and issued a general amnesty. One clause in the edict read: "All military governors appointed by the Khitan, down to the generals and officials, shall each remain secure in their posts, with no changes made."

This was clearly a move to reassure the people, to stabilize those regional powerholders. It had been barely half a month—if Liu Chengyou were to kill a military governor now, how would those people view the matter? It would certainly have a "warning" effect, but one of vigilance and wariness. We are all regional military governors of the same kind; your Liu family hasn't even firmly secured the throne, and you dare do this? Once your position is secure, what then?

Especially Du Chongwei—a Han general who had surrendered to the Liao. This man bore the greatest guilt and had the worst reputation, yet among all the military commands, his strength was the greatest. Liu Chengyou had heard even in Zhending of his activities in Yedu—drilling troops, managing military affairs, and repairing city defenses. He was currently sensitive about this. And looking at the court's reaction, Liu Zhiyuan was also adopting a policy of appeasement toward Du Chongwei.

If Liu Chengyou's killing of Xue Huairang caused Du Chongwei to become estranged from the Han court, or even to rebel, then matters would become truly serious. The Central Plains had been plowed through by the Khitan—population sharply reduced, economy in decline. But the Weibo region had been relatively preserved intact. Its population and taxes might not account for half the state, but three to four tenths at least. If Weibo fell into chaos, the Liu family's throne absolutely could not be stabilized.

However, even if Du Chongwei rebelled, though the problem would be serious, it would not be a mortal threat to the newly born Han dynasty. Since the Liang era, dynasties had changed, and military commands defying the center to rebel was the norm. If Du rebelled, they could simply send an army to destroy him, just as the Later Jin founder Shi Jingtang had pacified Fan Yanguang. They had driven out the Khitan—why fear a Du Chongwei who had lost all popular support?

But for Liu Chengyou, if Weibo's rebellion were caused by him, and this hat were placed on his head, then no matter from which angle one looked at it, it would not be worth it!

As for whether Du Chongwei would rebel, Liu Chengyou could not be certain at this moment, but through discussions with Wei, Guo, and others, the likelihood of that fellow rebelling was extremely high. If the court applied no pressure, fine; but if pressure were applied—for instance, ordering him to move—he would definitely rebel.

Du Chongwei was merely one typical example among the military governors—a governor with individuality within the general pattern—and he could easily influence other governors. For instance, Du Chongwei's "good brother," the Tianping Army Military Governor Li Shouzhen, and even Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing.

To a certain extent, Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing stood on Du Chongwei's side. Don't be fooled—these two marshals were heroes in resisting the Khitan back then; after Yelu Deguang entered Bianjing, they surrendered very readily and personally went to Bianjing to pay homage...

Killing one Xue Huairang was just this troublesome. Or rather, killing one Military Governor with real power was just this troublesome.

However, since Liu Chengyou had already come this far, how could there be any reason to stop halfway? It was just that the matter could continue, the crimes could continue to be investigated, but it could not be done to the absolute extreme as originally conceived—some leeway had to be left.

The leeway Liu Chengyou had in mind referred only to sparing Xue Huairang's life.

With his mind made up, Liu Chengyou directly gave orders: "After controlling Longgang, confiscate all the wealth and goods Xue Huairang has amassed to replenish the treasury and military supplies. As for the generals and officials under Xue Huairang who have committed crimes or acted lawlessly, carefully screen them, arrest them, and punish them severely according to law! Hmm... let Tao Gu handle this matter."

"Yes." Wei Renpu was somewhat surprised but responded quickly, then pressed further: "Then, what about Xue Huairang?"

"What do you think?" Liu Chengyou asked.

"Proclaim his crimes to show Your Highness's impartiality, strip him of his post, and expel him from Xingzhou—that will do!" Wei Renpu laid out his thoughts.

Liu Chengyou considered for a moment, then turned his head to look at him. Meeting Liu Chengyou's gaze, Wei Renpu said softly: "Since things have come to this, in disposing of Xue Huairang, Your Highness may lose the hearts of the realm's military governors, but you can also win over popular sentiment and the people's hearts."

Liu Chengyou understood in his heart—next, he would probably need to invest some energy into promoting this second prince of his.

"Then let it be done this way!" Liu Chengyou made the final decision.

The matter in Xingzhou was handled very quickly. Xue Huairang's old subordinates in Longgang city, facing the elite Longqi troops, were completely unable to stir up any waves and were easily controlled. Guo Rong and Xiang Xun screened out those among his subordinates who had committed the worst crimes, posted announcements throughout the city enumerating their crimes, and beheaded them in the marketplace.

Tao Gu led men to confiscate the Xue residence. These military men's ability to plunder was truly formidable—there was indeed no small amount of money, grain, weapons, and silk. It took a full half day just to finish inventorying it all. Clearly it was not merely what Xue Huairang had gained during his tenure in Xingzhou; likely half a lifetime's accumulation had been intercepted by Liu Chengyou...

When Xue Huairang heard of this, he naturally wailed to heaven and beat the ground, wishing he were dead. He had probably also sensed that Liu Chengyou had no intention of killing him, and endlessly shouted his refusal to accept the verdict at his place of detention. Clearly, this move of Liu Chengyou's had dealt him a critical blow, excruciatingly painful. Against such a tough-as-nails existence, apart from physically eliminating him, Liu Chengyou truly had no other method for the time being. Out of sight, out of mind—he returned Xue Huairang's family to him and sent troops to "escort" his whole family out of Xingzhou, which put an end to it.

By all rights, since Liu Chengyou had expelled the scourge Xue Huairang, dealt with those wicked officials and violent soldiers, and abolished those chaotic policies, the people of Xingzhou should have felt delighted and gratified. However, they did not—the reaction was not strong.

Liu Chengyou found this strange and asked an elderly man of considerable prestige in the city. The man replied: "Today you have driven away Military Governor Xue—who knows who will come tomorrow?"

The simple answer gave Liu Chengyou much to reflect on. Yet facing that old man, Liu Chengyou discovered that he could not give him a definitive reply.

When he left Longgang, Liu Chengyou carried concerns in his heart, feeling somewhat depressed.

The outcome of the Xingzhou affair looked passable on the surface, but in reality, it had not brought much improvement to the state of governance or the people's living conditions. This had originally been a spur-of-the-moment decision by Liu Chengyou. Even the handling of Xue Huairang and his ilk was not a thorough purge—residual harm remained. For instance, the subordinates Xue Huairang had appointed as county and town officials—Liu Chengyou had not expended effort to deal with them.

First, there was no time. Second, what benefit would governing one Xingzhou bring to the realm? Moreover, as long as a new military governor was appointed, or a new prefect took office and repeated Xue's misrule, then no matter what Liu Chengyou did now, it would be futile effort—treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.

This was not a problem of one Xingzhou, nor a problem of one Xue Huairang. The sickness was in the state itself; the corruption was in this age. But to change a state—how easy was that to speak of? Especially when the one at the helm was not even him. Why bother?

In truth, what Liu Chengyou had been unwilling to admit was that in going after Xue Huairang in Xingzhou, rescuing the people from dire straits was one aspect, but there was also a small desire to make a name for himself—and of course, more than anything, he wanted to vent the emotions in his heart.

The path he had traveled had been too oppressive. Add to that his naturally restrained and withdrawn personality, and the pent-up feelings within him had grown to the point of an impulse to destroy the world. It was not even as "complicated" as Wei Renpu, Guo Rong, and the others had imagined—it was just that simple, and then Xue Huairang had run into him. It could be said that this Old Marshal Xue was somewhat unlucky.

Passing through Mingzhou, Liu Chengyou received a warm welcome from Militia Commissioner Yi Quanzhang—somewhat fawning and flattering, with expressions of intent to pledge loyalty. He also told Liu Chengyou a piece of news: Xue Huairang had taken his family and a portion of his retainers south to Daliang, the Eastern Capital.

This Yi Quanzhang's eager attentiveness toward Liu Chengyou naturally was not without reason. This man was an old subordinate of Liu Zhiyuan, originally the Prefect of Shizhou under the Hedong military command. When Liu Zhiyuan left Taiyuan and marched south into the Central Plains, he had carried out a military and administrative reshuffle in Hedong—while consolidating his home base, he also broadly appointed Hedong officials to prefectures and circuits across the realm, to spread influence and strengthen control over the realm's prefectures and counties.

This Yi Quanzhang had then been appointed Militia Commissioner of Mingzhou. His tenure had not been long—he had arrived around the same time as Xue Huairang. Just as Xue Huairang had gone north to seize Xingzhou, Yi Quanzhang had arrived at the prefectural seat Yongnian with Liu Zhiyuan's letter of appointment.

At that time, the Battle of Luancheng had just shocked the world, and the tide had turned toward the Liu clan. Yi Quanzhang was able to easily drive out the subordinates Xue Huairang had left behind, obtaining both governing authority and military power. And thus a grudge was born between him and Xue Huairang.

Xue later obtained from Liu Zhiyuan the position of Military Governor of Anguo Army, which by rights should have governed the three prefectures of Xing, Ming, and Ci. But he simply could not control Yi Quanzhang. There was always a distinction between close and distant. As an old subordinate who had followed the Son of Heaven, Yi Quanzhang faced Xue Huairang with full confidence. Before long, the two were fighting fiercely under the banner of the Anguo Army military governorship.

This time, with Xue Huairang dealt with by Liu Chengyou, Yi Quanzhang was naturally delighted. He set up a banquet to welcome Liu Chengyou. Of course, Liu Chengyou only ate the dishes and did not drink. Yi Quanzhang accompanied him with smiles, his words full of flattery, praising Liu Chengyou for expelling Xue Huairang and removing a scourge for the people of Xingzhou. But seeing that Liu Chengyou's expression never changed, he ultimately could not hold back and stated his request.

He had set his sights on the position of Military Governor of Anguo Army—quite the ambition. Of course, in Yi Quanzhang's view, if a lucky old fellow like Xue Huairang could seize the opportunity and rise, then why couldn't he, an old minister of the Emperor, do the same?

"The position of a military governor—my word doesn't count. That must be decided by His Majesty and the chancellors of the court in deliberation." Liu Chengyou said to Yi Quanzhang with his eyes slightly narrowed.

Yi Quanzhang had a distinctive feature: very large nostrils. Hearing Liu Chengyou's words, his nose twitched excitedly twice, revealing two dark holes. He still kept his smile: "Your Highness is too modest. Half of the Great Han's realm is your achievement. With your current prestige, you are the pillar of the state—His Majesty must rely on you greatly..."

"Hey!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand to stop him: "Such words should not be spoken carelessly. The Great Han's rivers and mountains were won by His Majesty and the soldiers cutting through thorns and brambles!"

Hearing this, Yi Quanzhang quickly nodded: "This official misspoke! This official understands!"

Glancing at Yi Quanzhang, Liu Chengyou silently marked an "X" against him in his heart. To please Liu Chengyou for promotion, this man would say anything without thinking—truly not a clever person.

But in his mouth he gave an "ambiguous" reply: "Lord Yi is an old minister of the Son of Heaven and a trusted general. Now that the realm has just been established, the four borders remain unstable with troubles arising from time to time—men of your caliber are precisely what is needed to guard the four directions. As for the Xingzhou matter, once I reach the Eastern Capital, I will naturally report it to His Majesty."

Yi Quanzhang clearly could not read between the lines. His face immediately broke into a broad smile, and he poured himself a cup and drank it: "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Pausing slightly, Liu Chengyou looked at Yi Quanzhang: "I have some questions I would like to consult Lord Yi on."

Yi Quanzhang was somewhat surprised, but quickly clasped his hands and nodded: "Your Highness, please speak."

"Mingzhou borders Guangjin Prefecture, and it is barely a hundred li from Yedu. What is the current situation with Du Chongwei over there?"

Hearing Liu Chengyou say this, Yi Quanzhang looked as if he had perked up. His nostrils unconsciously flared, as if something were about to spray out. Seeing his reaction, Liu Chengyou pricked up his ears.

"Your Highness, that Du Chongwei currently commands tens of thousands of troops and is still recruiting soldiers and buying horses in Weibo, plundering grain and fodder. Though he has submitted a memorial declaring fealty, he still acts independently in his own affairs. According to reports, there are now over fifty thousand troops in Yedu city, with enough grain for two years..."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's brow immediately knitted into a frown. The situation seemed even more serious than what he had heard before. However, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but form a question mark in his heart—was Du Chongwei's strength really this great at this moment? If it were true, then this man would be even harder to be rid of.

While Liu Chengyou was still deep in thought, Yi Quanzhang leaned slightly closer to him and said in a low voice: "To be honest with Your Highness, the court previously gave me a secret order to monitor Du Chongwei's movements. It seems His Majesty is also deeply wary of Yedu and wishes to uproot him!"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou abruptly turned his head and stared at him, startling Yi Quanzhang. After a moment of silence, Liu Chengyou sternly warned him: "Such military secrets—how can you casually speak of them!"

For a moment, this left Yi Quanzhang somewhat embarrassed. However, this man clearly did not seem to have taken the warning to heart...

After passing Mingzhou, Liu Chengyou finally quickened his pace southward. When he reached Cizhou and passed through Fuyang City, he encountered a small incident.

Prefect Wang Jihong was that very man who had previously betrayed his master for glory, killing his benefactor Gao Tangying to seek wealth and rank, and who had shamelessly said, "We are petty men; if we do not seize advantage to pursue wealth and rank, we shall never achieve our ambitions in this lifetime."

Upon hearing that Liu Chengyou was passing through Cizhou, he directly went into hiding, retreating to the ancient Phoenix Temple—a monastery with several centuries of history in the county—to chant sutras, claiming he wanted to conduct requiem rites and offer blessings for the souls of those who died in Xiangzhou. The timing of his choice was rather convenient...

Only after sending people to investigate did they learn that Wang Jihong, having heard of Xue Huairang's fate, had grown afraid. Believing that his own conduct as Prefect of Cizhou was no better than Xue Huairang's, he had undertaken a "self-imposed exile" to avoid being dealt with by Liu Chengyou as well.

At this, Liu Chengyou was actually amused into laughter.