Chapter 1328: The Loss of the Central Route Army

Night fell, and in the temporary palace at Youzhou, the halls were brightly lit, with a lavish welcome banquet prepared for the brothers Liu Yang and Liu Xu. Bells chimed and cauldrons steamed with delicacies; imperial consorts, princes, and princesses all attended in resplendent attire, chatting and laughing in a scene of harmonious joy.

Apart from Emperor Liu, the absolute center of attention, the most watched figure at the banquet was naturally Crown Prince Liu Yang. Returning from campaign, he was cared for by the Emperor and doted on by the Empress, while everyone else could only swallow their envy and jealousy.

Attendants carried in a roasted lamb browned to a crisp, and the family shared it together. Emperor Liu, in rare high spirits, personally took up the knife to carve it, showing off his skill at separating sinew from bone.

When foreign officials were present, Emperor Liu was quite particular about etiquette and decorum, but in private, he was far more relaxed, letting the family enjoy fine food and drink freely while chatting at ease.

"Second Brother has returned in glory from his long campaign afar, truly a model for us brothers. Your younger brother offers this cup in humble respect!" Seventh Prince Liu Hui, flushed from drink, raised his cup and walked before Liu Yang, speaking with a smile.

Liu Yang responded at once with a warm smile, displaying all the gentle bearing of an elder brother, and said: "Seventh Brother, such praise I cannot deserve! But that 'Ode to the Eastern Expedition' you wrote—I have read it as well. It displays the might of our Great Han most splendidly, and when passed among the troops, the soldiers were greatly inspired. A single essay worth tens of thousands of soldiers—that is something I could never accomplish!"

Though it was unclear how much of Liu Yang's words was genuine, they sounded exceedingly pleasant to the young Liu Hui's ears. He hastened to show modesty, but the smile blooming on his youthful face betrayed his true feelings.

"Have you written any fine new poetry lately? When I have time, I should read it!" Liu Yang raised his cup in invitation.

Liu Hui hurriedly replied: "Second Brother is busy with affairs of state, and I would not wish to disturb you. But should you have leisure, I will certainly call upon you to seek your guidance!"

Liu Yang gave a slight nod and drank with Liu Hui.

The one most closely watching Liu Hui's movements was none other than his adversary, Ninth Prince Liu Shu. Seeing him conversing intimately with the Crown Prince, Liu Shu found it hard to stomach. The smile on Liu Hui's face struck him as especially grating. He raised his cup and took a deep drink, then snorted: "Look at this Seventh Brother—playing the good boy before Father, currying favor with Second Brother. How eager he is! Fine literary talent, outstanding and exceptional—I say he is sanctimonious and utterly hypocritical..."

"Ninth Brother, with First and Second Brothers returned, everyone is happy. On an occasion like this, you should say less. If word reaches Father's ears, you will be punished again!" Hearing his extreme remarks, Eighth Prince Liu Ai, seated beside him, could not help but quietly counsel him.

However, Liu Shu seemed unappreciative. Turning his head to look at the Eighth Brother, who had never shown any particular talent and had an extremely low presence, he said with a faint smile: "What, is Eighth Brother going to follow First Brother's example and lecture us younger brothers?"

Liu Ai appeared to be a man of truly no temper. Stifled by Liu Shu's mocking tone, he did not grow angry. His eyelids lowered, still wearing a smile, he said softly: "Enough. If advice cannot persuade, why should I waste my words? With our elder brothers returned, I should go toast them. Do as you please."

Seeing Liu Ai react this way, Liu Shu instead felt somewhat embarrassed. Among the brothers, Eighth Prince Liu Ai, born of Consort Zhe, was usually the most low-key—never contending, never grabbing, never drawing attention. No one envied or resented him, and his relations with the brothers were naturally quite good.

Feeling that his words had somewhat hurt Liu Ai, Liu Shu could not help scratching his head. Seeing him rise to his feet, Liu Shu immediately picked up his cup and said with an apologetic smile: "Eighth Brother, wait—I'll go with you..."

Emperor Liu was not unaware of some of the conflicts and struggles among his sons; he had even secretly investigated them, especially the obvious discord between the Seventh and Ninth Princes.

However, he had no intention of directly intervening to mediate these fraternal disputes. First, because he had too many sons—he already felt exhausted dealing with military and political affairs, so where would he find more energy to devote to his children?

Second, even in ordinary households, brothers of the same blood would have clashes of pride and conflicts of interest, let alone in an imperial family. As long as things did not go too far, Emperor Liu would not interfere excessively. He had already established a complete set of rules for the education of the princes, and conflicts within those rules were acceptable.

"Your Majesty, Commissioner Cao requests an audience!" Just as Emperor Liu was beaming with satisfaction, enjoying the surface warmth of imperial family affection, Yan Tuo entered from outside the hall, trotting around the banquet tables to approach, and reported in a low voice.

"At this hour, what does he want?" Clearly feeling a sense of displeasure at being disturbed, he took a small sip of wine and glanced sideways.

At the question, Yan Tuo hastily explained: "Commissioner Cao wore a grave expression and said he has important matters to report!"

Frowning seemed to have become a habit of Emperor Liu's. Beside him, the elder Lady Fu had also heard, and maintaining a kind smile, gently nudged him: "For Commissioner Cao to seek an audience at this hour, it must be a major matter. You should not keep him waiting!"

With the elder Lady Fu having spoken, the slight irritation in Emperor Liu's heart dissipated. Giving her a brief word, he rose from the banquet: "Have him wait in the study!"

"Yes!"

Emperor Liu first went to wash his face, clearing some of the wine's smell from himself, and only then proceeded to the study. Meanwhile, Cao Bin was pacing back and forth with a stern expression, his face looking even more rigid than usual.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing Emperor Liu, Cao Bin's expression thawed slightly, like ice beginning to melt.

"No need for ceremony! Sit!" A palace eunuch served tea, and Emperor Liu looked at Cao Bin, asking: "Cao, you come at this late hour—what is the matter? Has something gone wrong at the front?"

"Your Majesty, I have just received a battle report from Shanyang. With Governor Li's support, Liu Tinghan's main force has safely withdrawn to Xuanhua Prefecture!" Cao Bin reported.

"Good that they've pulled out!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu subconsciously relaxed a little. But seeing that his expression remained grave, he roughly understood that Cao Bin had not come merely to report good news.

He asked: "Why do you look so grim? What went wrong? Were the casualties heavy?"

"Yes!" Cao Bin nodded and sighed: "Liu Tinghan's forces, together with Governor Li's relief troops, totaled over seventy thousand infantry and cavalry, and losses exceeded thirty thousand. Of Liu Tinghan's cavalry, nearly half were killed or wounded. Governor Li also suffered Liao attacks during his rescue march, with heavy losses! In the Monan campaign, our army's casualties were too severe—combat strength has been greatly diminished and can no longer sustain operations. This central route army is broken!"

"Liu Tinghan, having lost the battle and his troops, requests punishment for his crimes!" Cao Bin presented the battle report along with the memorial of self-accusation.

Emperor Liu's hand holding the teacup paused for a moment. He lowered his head and took a sip before speaking: "The Liao showed great patience and thorough planning, not hesitating to send their entire army south, making a thousand-li detour to ambush our forces. They succeeded—it could not be avoided, and Liu Tinghan cannot be entirely blamed.

I too did not anticipate this, nor did I receive any intelligence beforehand—there was negligence on my part! Liu Tinghan, with a mere thirty thousand troops, fought the Liao army on the grasslands for so long, firmly pinning down the Liao forces at Shangjing and in Monan, creating a favorable environment for victory in Liaodong. To have held out this long is no small feat..."

Hearing Emperor Liu speak this way, Cao Bin could not help but sigh inwardly. The Son of Heaven's favor toward Liu Tinghan ran too deep—it was nearly on par with Yang Ye. Would any other general receive the same response after such a defeat? Probably not!

Apart from the stirring events on the Liaodong battlefield, the past nearly two months on the northern frontier grasslands had been relatively quiet, with few battles in Monan and central Mongolia.

Drawing on the experience of spring and summer, Liu Tinghan led his troops, remaining active in the Monan and central Mongolian regions—neither recklessly advancing to court danger, nor withdrawing, but always keeping the Liao forces on the grasslands entangled and stalemated. Occasionally he would lead troops forward, feigning a deep thrust, only to break camp and return south the next day, always maintaining a safe position with ease and skill.

This had continued since autumn. Both sides sent out large numbers of light cavalry scouts, skirmishing and probing, gathering intelligence, but there were essentially no major engagements—not even a battle involving more than five hundred men.

Liu Tinghan's tactics did indeed cause considerable trouble for the Liao army, draining much of their energy. But over time, once it became routine, it was inevitable that the opponent's surprise moves would find an opportunity.

After the great battle in Liaodong concluded, the furious and fearful Yelu Xian could no longer contain himself. Han Derang's plan to ensnare Liu Tinghan's army was finally put into action.

This time, Liao dispatched all its elite forces, attacking the Han army in three columns. Han Kuangmei still led his troops to spar with Liu Tinghan, while Yelu Xian personally commanded the central army as support. The crucial column was led by his imperial uncle Yelu Daoyin, who swept from west to south in a detour of over a thousand li to encircle their rear, completely evading the Han army's notice.

At the time, Liu Tinghan's army had indeed advanced somewhat deeper than usual, positioned in the upper reaches of the Luan River, over three hundred li from Xuanhua Prefecture in the eastern part of central Mongolia. Walk often by the river, and your shoes are bound to get wet—this time, Liu Tinghan's previously keen instincts failed him, and he was caught squarely by the Liao army. Even with a decisive retreat and breakout, fighting while falling back, he was still forced to a halt by the well-prepared Liao forces at Tianling, south of Yangcheng Lake and west of Tanshan, and surrounded.

Upon receiving Liu Tinghan's plea for reinforcements, Emperor Liu decisively ordered troops north. Scraping together over ten thousand men from the Yan Mountains and Xuanhua, and urgently transferring thirty thousand more from the border armies of Shanyang and Hedong, he placed them all under the command of Li Chuyun, the Administration Commissioner of Shanyang who had been providing Liu Tinghan's logistics, and sent him to the rescue.

After nearly a month of effort, there was finally a result. Li Chuyun had not failed his mission, successfully completing this extremely dangerous task—though the price paid had been rather heavy.