Chapter 1325: The Sovereign's Heart Is Hard to Fathom

"They came as soon as we spoke of them!" Hearing of Ma Renyu's army's movements, Yelu Xiezhen's brows furrowed even tighter, yet he showed little panic, saying in a deep voice: "If the Goryeo people's actions are true, then the Han army is indeed quite formidable—are they planning to fight both north and south?"

"Send someone south in secret to contact the Goryeo people—they must also feel the threat from the Southern Dynasty! Since they dare to move troops north, they must harbor intentions to open war with the Han army!" After pondering for a long while, Yelu Xiezhen instructed: "Tell the Goryeo people that the Great Liao is willing to join forces with them against the Han. As for the land of Liaodong, they may choose as they please......"

If it were the past, Goryeo meddling in the Han-Liao war would only make Yelu Xiezhen wary and guarded, but now, he welcomed it warmly. As for the promises, there was nothing to begrudge—if Goryeo had the ability, what harm in giving them the entire northeast? The precondition was that they had the appetite for it.

Regardless, at this moment, if the Han army in Liaodong were to clash with the Goryeo people, it would be good for Liao's side, and would certainly create a distraction for the Han army, easing the pressure on his end.

"Yes!"

After thinking it over, Yelu Xiezhen felt there was still something to exploit. He paced about the hall for a while, then suddenly returned quickly to his seat, spread out a piece of silk, and wrote swiftly, drafting a letter in rapid strokes, then affixed his great seal upon it.

Picking up the silk letter, he inspected it, blew the ink dry, and looking at his subordinate, said sternly: "Select another death-defying warrior to carry this letter south! Be sure to instruct him well—this letter must fall into the Han army's hands at just the right moment......"

The subordinate was somewhat slow to catch on, not quite understanding, but noting the expression on Yelu Xiezhen's face, which now seemed to carry a cunning quality, he belatedly realized: "Does the Great King intend to sow discord through cunning?"

"No!" Yelu Xiezhen shook his head and said calmly: "As long as the Han army and Goryeo have not truly engaged in battle, there is still room for maneuvering. This letter of mine merely gives things a push!"

In truth, compared to the auxiliary support from Goryeo's side, Yelu Xiezhen looked forward even more to receiving greater support from the Liao court at Shangjing. If Yelu Xian could give his full backing to the northeast, then his side would still have a chance to turn things around—at least the hope of pacifying the rebellions in the rear and holding the Songliao Plain would greatly increase.

However, judging from the situation thus far, the court had already chosen to abandon him, no longer holding confidence in him or the Eastern Capital Circuit, and would never invest their last capital into this quagmire of the northeast.

And Yelu Xian and the Liao court's central leadership clearly had their own considerations, needing to look after the overall situation, making it difficult to achieve unity with Yelu Xiezhen's side. After all, when the situation developed to the point of becoming irretrievable, the nomadic nature of the Khitan dynasty became even more pronounced—the grasslands were their true foundation.

While Yelu Xiezhen was exhausting himself to resist the Han army and hold the northeast, Emperor Liu on his side had not relaxed in the slightest. Stationed at Youzhou, he personally attended to the situation on every front line. For this, several more strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.

Due to the autumn chill, a charcoal brazier had already been set up in the bedchamber of the Youzhou field residence. Emperor Liu, meanwhile, huddled on the heated brick bed that was burning warmly—his old cold legs were acting up again, so he paid even more attention to taking care of himself.

Worthy Consort, having received the imperial command, attended at the bedside, tending to him with great care. Barely managing to swallow a mouthful of medicinal broth while suppressing his nausea, Emperor Liu pushed away the medicine bowl in Lady Zhe's hand: "I'm not drinking any more!"

Even though the medicinal broth was not blended to be so bitter, it was still medicine after all, and hardly pleasant to drink. However, Lady Zhe stubbornly scooped up another spoonful and brought it to Emperor Liu's lips: "Only half a bowl left!"

"Medicine is three parts poison—enough is enough!" Emperor Liu shook his head.

But under Lady Zhe's "coercion," he still drank another spoonful, then picked up a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth, unable to suppress a few coughs. Seeing this, Lady Zhe hurriedly set down the medicine bowl and gently patted his back.

By the bedside, Crown Prince Liu Yang, Duke of Qin Liu Xu, and Duke of Jin Liu Xi were all present. Hearing Emperor Liu's dry coughs, Liu Yang said with concern: "Father, please take care of your imperial health!"

"It's nothing serious!" Emperor Liu waved his hand and replied: "Just a chill—I'm not that fragile yet!"

His voice was clearly somewhat hoarse. After drinking half a bowl of medicinal broth, the discomfort in his throat had eased slightly. Every autumn and winter, he could not avoid catching a cold, and Emperor Liu felt somewhat helpless about the decline in his physical condition.

Leaning back against the pillow, he rested for a moment, then turned his attention to his three sons—mainly Liu Yang and Liu Xu, who had returned to Youzhou to report, with Liu Xi accompanying them.

Liu Xu had been patrolling the Yan Mountains circuit this whole time, even venturing north into the mountain ranges to tour the front lines of Wang Yanchao's army. Liu Yang, after receiving Emperor Liu's approval, had temporarily set aside the military and administrative affairs of Liaodong, entrusting them to Zhao Kuangyin and Gao Huaide, and ridden swiftly west back to Youzhou to meet the sovereign.

"I'm fine—don't all just stand there, sit!" Pointing at three chairs, Emperor Liu said softly.

"Yes!" The three imperial princes sat down properly.

Looking at Liu Yang, Emperor Liu's gaze was very gentle as he said: "These past six months and more, commanding at the front—you've worked hard! I've been kept informed of your performance in the army. Very good—keep it up!"

On Liu Yang's young face, there were clear traces of worry and exertion—deep bags under his eyes, a face weathered by hardship. But hearing Emperor Liu's words of concern, a feeling of gratitude welled up in his heart. For him, perhaps nothing was more gratifying than receiving Emperor Liu's affirmation.

"As long as I don't disappoint you, I am content!" Liu Yang sighed: "I rely greatly on your teachings, Father. There are still many shortcomings and difficult matters—I beg your guidance!"

As he said this, Liu Yang's posture unconsciously relaxed a bit, his tone full of emotion—clearly he had borne no small pressure at the front.

"As a commander, one must naturally bear the weight of the three armies!" Emperor Liu could somewhat empathize with his feelings, and said with a light smile: "I hear you've already sent troops south to take the offensive against Goryeo?"

"Yes!" At the question, Liu Yang immediately perked up and replied: "Your son returned to Youzhou this time both to pay respects and to report and seek your counsel on this matter!"

"Speak!"

Liu Yang said: "Goryeo has come north to provoke us, harboring wild ambitions—we absolutely cannot accede to their unreasonable demands! At a time when the Han and Liao are in full confrontation, Goryeo wants to profit from the chaos. The Great Han cannot permit this, otherwise, with their insatiable greed, they will only demand more. Therefore, after deliberation at the field headquarters, we unanimously agreed that rather than let Goryeo fish in troubled waters, it is better to strike first and crush their ambitions.

Moreover, after planning by the generals, we determined that although Goryeo has massed its troops with great momentum, the only force capable of posing a major threat to the Great Han is their navy. Once that navy is destroyed, most of Goryeo's threat will be eliminated.

Therefore, the old General Guo Tingwei has already led the East Sea naval warships south, heading straight for Goryeo's maritime borders. According to reports, their navy is concentrated at Socheon Port on the west coast of their western provinces. As long as we can catch their main force, our army is certain to win in a naval engagement!

As for on land, the former Liao officials in cities like Laiyuan have already surrendered, and General Shi Yande was previously ordered to go accept the defenses. Before your son departed, Duke Anguo also led thirty thousand troops south to garrison Laiyuan City, to deal with the Goryeo army across the Yalu River.

By my calculations, word of results should be arriving soon!"

"Since you and the field headquarters have already deliberated and made your decision, I have no objections—I support your resolution!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu smiled faintly: "If you fight, then fight. Little Goryeo—no need to waste words with them!"

"Thank you for your support, Father!" Liu Yang's mood eased slightly, then he clasped his hands and said: "Speed is paramount in war, so I dispatched the troops without reporting beforehand. After all, this involves the relationship between the Great Han and Goryeo—although the generals at the field headquarters resolved to attack, after moving the troops, we were all rather anxious!"

Liu Yang's words carried a slight note of probing. Emperor Liu sized him up for a moment, smiled faintly, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of magnetism, and said with a calm expression: "In my previous edict, I already delegated the decision-making authority into your hands. You may decide how to weigh and choose. Not to mention dispatching troops—even if you chose to be more conservative, to take a step back and compromise with Goryeo, I would have no objection......"

Although Emperor Liu's words were spoken lightly, they did not feel easy to Liu Yang's ears. Looking up and noticing Emperor Liu's calm countenance—though tinged with a slight flush from his fever—it still appeared unfathomably deep.

He was no ordinary man; even if his reaction was somewhat slow, he quickly caught the meaning behind Emperor Liu's words. The confusion that had been lingering in his heart now became clear—this matter of Goryeo was yet another test for him.

As Emperor Liu had said, whatever decision he made, he would indeed support it. But on this matter, Emperor Liu clearly had his own leanings in his heart.

If he truly chose to be conservative, chose to compromise, then even if Emperor Liu said nothing aloud, what would he think in his heart?

After all, the sovereign's heart is hard to fathom!