Chapter 1296: Inspection

While the Liao court, rattled by the increasingly unfavorable war situation and ever more dire circumstances, found itself at a loss and racked its brains for a way out, their true and greatest adversary, Emperor Liu, was already en route on an inspection tour according to the established plan.

Because the realm was at war, Emperor Liu's tour this time was conducted with strict frugality, all extravagance and waste forbidden, and the size of his entourage was kept to a minimum—including consorts, princes, palace attendants, officials, and troops, the total came to just over five thousand.

It was the quietest inspection tour ever undertaken; even the western tour in the first year of Qianyou, shortly after Emperor Liu ascended the throne, had made a bigger stir than this one, for there was none of the extensive publicity and fanfare this time.

The first destination of this tour was Daming Prefecture in Hebei. As the birthplace of the Weibo Military Province, the most formidable military governorship of the provincial era, Daming Prefecture had sustained centuries of glory. Though its status as an "auxiliary capital" had been abolished more than a decade earlier, it remained the political, economic, military, and cultural center of the Great Han's Hebei region.

Since the founding of the Great Han, and especially after the rebellion of Du Chongwei, Daming Prefecture—as the capital of Hebei—had benefited from the increasingly stable and peaceful situation and had developed by leaps and bounds.

Particularly after the first northern expedition, when the passes and mountains of Youyan were fully recovered, military pressure was further reduced, making it thoroughly a hinterland free from fear of Khitan incursions, and its development in all respects erupted like a fountain.

And in the north of the Great Han, Daming Prefecture was unquestionably the foremost prefecture below the Eastern and Western Capitals, its overall level far surpassing the three cities of Taiyuan, Youzhou, and Chang'an.

In this northern expedition, Daming Prefecture also served as a major transshipment hub for supplies. Zhang Mei, who was in charge of the army's water and land transport, was stationed here, coordinating and dispatching.

Emperor Liu's arrival placed enormous pressure on the local officials, especially at such a busy time when the strain of coordinating and dispatching all manner of affairs was immense—the busier one was, the easier it was to make mistakes. Making a mistake was not the problem; the problem was being caught at it by the touring emperor, which could very well affect one's official career.

Nanyue Wharf was the largest wharf in Daming Prefecture and indeed in all of Hebei, capable of berthing eighty cargo ships simultaneously at full capacity. It was now clear autumn, with cool winds rustling and great waves surging. Sturdy, broad plank bridges extended straight into the canal, where numerous official and merchant vessels plied in and out frequently. On the wharf, dense crowds of laborers were engaged in loading and unloading, bustling with fervor—a scene of intense activity.

On ordinary days, the wharf was divided according to official use, civilian use, and freight versus passenger transport, but in wartime, only the distinction between military and civilian use remained, with military supply ships greatly compressing Nanyue Wharf's throughput.

At this moment, accompanied by Fiscal Commissioner Zhang Mei and a handful of officials, Emperor Liu was inspecting Nanyue Wharf. Amid the lively scene, Emperor Liu did not casually speak or ask questions, but simply walked, observed, and took note in silence—which instead only heightened the pressure in Zhang Mei and the others' hearts.

He stopped on one of the plank bridges, gazing at several oar-driven official ships anchored on either side, their hatches wide open, with over a hundred laborers swarming like ants, hauling cargo aboard.

Finally, Emperor Liu pointed at the bundles and packages of goods, both large and small, and asked: "What are these ships carrying? Military winter clothing?"

Zhang Mei, well prepared, answered promptly: "To answer Your Majesty, these are the winter garments needed by the army at the front. The weather in the north is turning cold, and the northern expedition field headquarters has also sent dispatches, so the Ministry of War has procured clothing to be shipped to Liaodong, in preparation for winter operations!"

"It's only early autumn, and you're already thinking about winter operations and preparing ahead of time—planning for the future, excellent!" Emperor Liu revealed a slight smile.

Reading his expression and noting that Emperor Liu's face was no longer so cold, Zhang Mei breathed a small sigh of relief inwardly and immediately responded: "To answer Your Majesty, the fighting in Liaodong—no one knows when it will end. Since autumn has arrived, winter is not far behind!

The greatest difficulty facing the imperial army's operations in Liaodong lies in the bitter cold of winter, so we had no choice but to prepare early. Besides clothing, charcoal, coal, grease, gloves, and other cold-weather consumables are also being shipped to Liaodong in large quantities!"

"One must consider everything in advance. The hardships of winter operations, I have experienced personally, and the impression runs deep. Liaodong is a land of bitter cold—we cannot let the soldiers of the Great Han fight the Khitan in snow and biting wind!"

Nodding, Emperor Liu directly singled out two laborers and had them carry a bundle of clothing before him. Tearing open the wrapping, he casually took out one garment, held it in his hand and squeezed it, his expression calm as he said: "These are all cotton-padded clothes, aren't they?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Mei replied: "These cotton-padded clothes are all manufactured in the workshops within Daming Prefecture. According to the prefecture's report, the local workshops can now produce one thousand sets of cotton-padded jackets and trousers per day!"

"One thousand sets—that's not a large number!" Emperor Liu glanced toward Tao Gu, the Prefect of Daming, standing to one side: "For such a great prefecture as Daming, and in wartime, a daily output of one thousand? Is it a shortage of people? Or a shortage of money?"

Emperor Liu's question put considerable pressure on Tao Gu, who reported somewhat tremulously: "Your Majesty, there is still money in the treasury, but we lack skilled artisans, and moreover, cotton cloth and cotton wadding are in short supply, which is why output is insufficient. If these two problems are solved, production will increase greatly!"

"Oh? Then how do you plan to solve them?" Emperor Liu asked directly.

"This... this..." Tao Gu hemmed and hawed.

Seeing his embarrassment, Zhang Mei spoke up to rescue him, saying: "Your Majesty, military cotton clothing is mainly produced in the two capitals and the Henan Circuit; Daming Prefecture's share is only a small portion. Although the court has vigorously promoted cotton cultivation and cotton use in recent years, overall output is still not high. In this northern expedition, most of the military cotton clothing is produced in Henan, where materials can be sourced locally and shipped to Liaodong by sea! Moreover, the winter clothing for an army of several hundred thousand is not entirely cotton-padded; silk and hemp fabrics still account for a large portion!"

"It seems we still need to promote it vigorously!" Emperor Liu sighed.

In fact, after more than a decade of development, the use of cotton within the Great Han had already made considerable progress. Folk cotton-spinning and weaving techniques were improving, officials and commoners alike had grown enthusiastic about various cotton textiles, and all kinds of products were in a stage of supply falling short of demand. However, what constrained its development remained insufficient output.

Nodding, Emperor Liu accepted this explanation and did not make things difficult for Tao Gu over the matter. He let the two laborers, whose work had been interrupted, get back to their tasks, then turned to ask: "How many laborers are engaged in loading and unloading at this port?"

Tao Gu was visibly hesitant, and under Emperor Liu's gaze, said in a trembling voice: "To answer Your Majesty, roughly several thousand!"

"Several thousand..." A faintly cold smile appeared on Emperor Liu's face as he looked at Zhang Mei: "Zhang Qing, do you know exactly how many thousand?"

Zhang Mei could not help but feel somewhat speechless at Tao Gu's performance, but upon being asked, he dared not be negligent and reported: "The labor force at the wharf comes from varied sources—the Fiscal Commission, Daming Prefecture's jurisdiction, and hired workers from merchants and civilians combined—currently numbering over four thousand five hundred."

"That many?" Emperor Liu raised an eyebrow.

Zhang Mei said: "On ordinary days, naturally this many would not be needed, but in wartime, the demand for labor is enormous—we must maintain loading and unloading speed to save time, and many commoners are willing to come earn money."

"Zhang Qing, you are in charge of the army's logistics and dispatch, with heavy responsibilities—no need to keep accompanying me. Go attend to your work!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu waved his hand and said to Zhang Mei.

"Your servant takes his leave!" With the emperor's word given, Zhang Mei respectfully withdrew.

Before leaving, he exchanged a glance with Daming Prefect Tao Gu, giving him a look that said "may fortune favor you," while Tao Gu wore a bitter face, his heart filled with trepidation. Even the dullest person could sense Emperor Liu's displeasure with him.

"Sit!" After Zhang Mei left, Emperor Liu sat down directly at the edge of the plank bridge and patted the spot beside him, signaling Tao Gu.

"Your servant dares not!" On ordinary occasions, this would naturally be a great honor, but now Tao Gu was extremely nervous.

"When I tell you to sit, you sit! Are you afraid the planks are too dirty and will stain your Prefect Tao's robes?" Emperor Liu said softly.

"Your Majesty speaks too gravely! Your servant dares not!" Tao Gu's face flushed red, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and he hurriedly sat down beside Emperor Liu, his legs weak, nearly tumbling into the water.

At his pitiful display, Emperor Liu's brow visibly furrowed, but the corners of his mouth still held a slight curve as he asked calmly: "Tao Gu, how long have you been in office at Daming Prefecture?"

"To answer Your Majesty, nearly three years!"

"Three years—that's not a short time!" Emperor Liu smiled faintly: "How many officials and clerks are under Daming Prefecture's jurisdiction? How many people? How many adult males? How many mu of farmland? How much was this year's summer tax? How much commercial tax?"

Faced with this barrage of questions from Emperor Liu, perhaps too nervous, Tao Gu stammered for a long while, his lips trembling, but could not produce an answer.

Seeing this, Emperor Liu's smile deepened, and he said in a low voice: "So this is—asked about several things, and you know none of them?"

Before he could respond, Emperor Liu said leisurely: "Your father was an old minister of the Great Han, loyal to me for over twenty years. When he passed away this year, I was deeply grieved. You have labored over the livelihoods and well-being of several hundred thousand people in Daming Prefecture, without even time to fulfill filial duties—that seems a bit inappropriate! I hear that to support the northern expedition, you did not even return home to observe mourning? I think you should set aside your duties for now and go pay homage at your father's grave..."

"Your Majesty, your servant, your servant is guilty!" Tao Gu's face was nearly contorted with distress, utterly at a loss. But seeing Emperor Liu's expression had already turned cold, he knew his official career was probably at an end.

Tao Gu was the eldest son of the late Pacification Commissioner Tao Gu, who had died of illness this year.