Chapter 1905: Commissioner Guo's Audience

"Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, your servant Guo Liangping, reporting for an audience as summoned!"

Accompanied by a sonorous, forceful announcement, the great doors of Chuigong Hall slowly opened, and Guo Liangping strode in, advancing to before the imperial presence. He glanced up at Emperor Liu seated behind the imperial desk, then gathered his robes, knelt, and kowtowed devoutly.

"Rise!" Seeing this posture, Emperor Liu waved a hand and said indifferently, "This is not a court assembly, nor any formal occasion. No need for such formality. Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Guo Liangping maintained his meticulous bearing, offering a solemn kowtow of gratitude before rising.

"Sit!" Emperor Liu extended a hand, pointing to a small table in the hall.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Guo Liangping bowed in thanks once more, his humble demeanor unchanged as always.

As he took his seat, Guo Liangping cautiously stole another glance at Emperor Liu. The old emperor's expression was impassive, like a slumbering fierce beast—a single look from him was enough to make one's heart tremble. The hall soon fell quiet again. Emperor Liu remained silent, and Guo Liangping dared not speak rashly, his mind racing with guesses as to why the emperor had summoned him.

After a long while, Emperor Liu finally asked in a low voice, "These past two years in the Bureau of Military Affairs—how has it felt?"

Unable to gauge Emperor Liu's intent, Guo Liangping could only answer cautiously, "With Commissioner Pan providing leadership and direction, your servant need only follow orders, much as in the army..."

"Heh!" Emperor Liu let out a derisive laugh, then said with pointed meaning, "That is rather different from what I have heard! I am told that you and Pan Mei frequently disagree in your daily work, especially on naval matters, where you clash time and again!"

Facing the emperor's questioning, Guo Liangping wore an embarrassed expression and instinctively rose to bow, saying, "Your servant and Commissioner Pan differ only on policy, with no personal grudge, nor has it affected the functioning of military governance. Your servant understands the principle of mutual forbearance for the sake of the state!"

Since returning to the capital and being appointed Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, Guo Liangping had formally become the spokesman for the Great Han's naval forces, no longer limited to the southern navy or the Guo clan faction. Standing on a larger and grander stage, he carried the banner of the navy, "charging into battle" within the imperial military to fight for interests.

Of course, during Guo Liangping's tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs, the Bureau of Military Affairs had been anything but peaceful. His rise was like a catfish stirring up storms within the military.

This was partly due to Guo Liangping's personal character, and partly within the larger context of the land-navy rivalry. Guo Liangping was somewhat domineering by nature, with a pronounced military bearing. Such a style carried absolute authority when commanding troops, but maintaining it at the Bureau of Military Affairs inevitably made enemies. After all, though the Bureau was the Great Han's center of military-political power, governing all the realm's armies, it was in essence still a bureaucratic institution—and one with an increasingly evident trend toward bureaucratization. Failing to restrain oneself would offend people, and Guo Liangping had clearly offended quite a few.

Guo Liangping had joined the army as a youth, serving in the navy under his father from a young age, and had participated in the northern expedition. Later, he independently commanded forces, building the South Seas Fleet, sailing across distant oceans, and greatly enhancing the nation's prestige.

Back when he was still in the South Seas, he had already faced considerable criticism at court—accusations of monopolizing power and acting arrogantly, of running amok, of seizing by force, appointing cronies, and extorting friendly foreign states. His misdeeds were said to be numerous. Of course, the most vicious attack came from those who reported that Guo Liangping had turned the South Seas Fleet into the Guo family's private army, where officers and men obeyed only military orders and did not recognize the court's command...

But at the time, Emperor Liu was especially fond of Guo Liangping, particularly admiring his enterprising spirit. Though some of those slanders did prick the emperor's sensitive nerves, he did not take them too seriously. On the contrary, after Liu Chenghsun's party returned to the capital, Guo Liangping was promoted in rank and title, entrusted with heavy responsibilities, and shown even greater trust.

This naturally swelled Guo Liangping's pride. Among the upper echelons of the Great Han military, especially among the older generation of commanders, Guo Liangping's reputation was poor. Envy, jealousy, and resentment were one thing—in the eyes of the old guard, Guo Liangping was merely a sycophant who had curried favor with His Majesty and gotten lucky. When it came to true military merit, those two ocean voyages, that one battle against Srivijaya, and seizing a tiny patch of land were hardly worth mentioning.

Shallow in seniority, light in merit, yet he had climbed to high position, with office and rank surpassing a host of old nobles—how could those generals who believed they had earned their titles through life-and-death struggles and brilliant exploits accept this?

On the other hand, there was the land army commanders' rejection of the navy. This Great Han realm had been won by the cavalry and infantry with blade and spear. Back then, the river fleet had been merely a support force, helping transport grain and weapons. In many commanders' eyes, its status was barely better than that of the logistics and baggage units.

Who could have imagined that thirty-odd years later, this river fleet would become something special? No longer called the river force, it was renamed the navy, and had actually begun to show signs of contending on equal footing with the cavalry and infantry—it was practically rebellion! In the course of overseas trade and colonization, the navy swaggered about, reaping great profits. In the two ocean voyages and the war with Srivijaya, the navy had made fortunes.

The navy, by sailing ships and steering rudders, bullying barbarian natives, had eaten its fill to overflowing. What about the land army? Garrisoning borders and suppressing bandits went without saying—the only major direction of expansion, Anxi, was won with the lives of their boys, and the spoils seized weren't even enough to compensate the fallen soldiers' families. In comparison, the navy had it easy, living far too comfortably. What galled even more was that when they fought Srivijaya, the main fighting force had been cavalry and infantry drawn from Annam and the two Guang provinces—how could the land army feel any sense of fairness?

Therefore, Guo Liangping's days at the Bureau of Military Affairs were not pleasant. From the moment he took office, he had been suppressed and excluded. Commissioner of Military Affairs Pan Mei was not so narrow-minded—he understood the significance and value of the navy—but as a commander of land army origins, he had to consider the sentiments of the entire land army. Thus, in daily work, he would mediate where possible; where mediation failed, his seat would unhesitatingly side with the cavalry and infantry.

Such was the reality. No matter how well the navy had developed in recent years and how glorious it appeared, the military's voice was still firmly held by the land army. Looking only at the upper echelons: of the four Deputy Commissioners of Military Affairs at the Bureau, three came from the cavalry and infantry, and their specific duties were also in land army affairs.

Facing exclusion and suppression, Guo Liangping refused to change his temper, contending at every turn. Especially on naval matters, he yielded not an inch—fighting over military funds, troop quotas, and provisions, refusing to take any loss. Of course, in the end, it was usually Guo Liangping who suffered the loss. He couldn't win, plain and simple—but he had to fight nonetheless; that sharp edge could not be dulled.

But this uncompromising style, this stubbornness bordering on arrogance, truly invited dislike. In practical work, it did nothing to solve problems; rather, it intensified the contradictions.

As time passed, Guo Liangping's thorn-in-the-side nature became ever more pronounced, and Pan Mei's patience with him gradually wore thin. By now, they had completely moved to opposite sides. On this occasion, over the proposal for enfeoffment, the two again held differing views. Guo Liangping seized upon it as an opportunity to fight for naval interests and expand naval power, voicing strong approval. As for Pan Mei, even setting aside lofty considerations of patriotism, merely from where he sat, he had to hold a different view.

Emperor Liu was fully aware of these internal contradictions at the Bureau of Military Affairs, but had no intention of intervening. This time it wasn't for the sake of balance, but because every office and system had its own rules. Guo Liangping had incurred the wrath of the many, and being suppressed and excluded was only natural. As long as things didn't spiral out of control, Emperor Liu would not easily step in to take sides.

At the same time, Emperor Liu could not help but feel some disappointment toward Guo Liangping. He was simply too reckless and too proud, unable to maintain good relations with his colleagues. His appeals for interests were too simple and direct, and he lacked political finesse. Compared to Lin Renzhao of earlier days, he fell considerably short—though this was also a difference born of upbringing and experience. Guo Liangping had never truly encountered any great setback in his life.

Over these two years, Emperor Liu had seen clearly: Guo Liangping was acceptable as a commander, but as a commissioner he still lacked tempering, with obvious flaws. And in these two years, the emperor had found that Guo Liangping had not changed at all, nor did he show any intention of seeking change—still going his own way as before.

Thus, disappointed, Emperor Liu was compelled to make some adjustments.