Chapter 1954: The Magnates of the Andong Kingdom

Liu Xu had been enfeoffed as a prince for many years, but princes differ from princes — only now was he truly standing as a sovereign, towering between heaven and earth, his word carrying the weight of nine cauldrons, regulating the yin and yang of thousands of li of territory, controlling the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people. (Due to cache issues, please visit the. ＣＯＭ website directly via your browser for the fastest chapter updates.) This was an elevation of scope, an improvement of realm.

A single rider burst forth — silver saddle, white horse, black armor, red robe — urging his steed urgently, galloping straight toward the reviewing stand. Leaping from the horse in a flying vault, he announced in a loud voice: "Reporting to the Prince, the three armies are formed up and ready. Please begin the review, Your Highness!"

Gazing at Liu Wenyuan, who cut an imposing figure full of heroic spirit, a trace of appreciation surfaced on Liu Xu's solemn face. He raised his hand and said: "Begin!"

"Yes!"

Since this was a military review, Liu Xu naturally wore full battle dress as well, with a yak-tail tassel tied to his helmet symbolizing noble royal authority. He slowly descended the reviewing stand, where a groom had already led over a fine steed. With a grave countenance, Liu Xu mounted the horse meticulously, though the movement appeared somewhat labored. Liu Wenyuan noticed and made to step forward and help, but was refused by a single look from him.

After a long moment, accompanied by Liu Wenyuan, before the eyes of the crowd, Liu Xu began his first military review as King of Andong — and the first time in his life he reviewed troops as the central figure.

On the open ground outside the city walls, banners fluttered, the north wind howled, warhorses neighed, and the soldiers of Andong hailed their king with mountain-shaking cries. As he walked past each formation, feeling the fervent "Ten Thousand Victories" shouts, Liu Xu's eyes could not help but glisten with a hint of moisture.

The three thousand troops being reviewed were all elite cavalry selected from the various cities of Andong — veteran soldiers with years of military service, well-trained, and possessing real combat experience. All rode uniform black-water sturdy horses, wore silk tunics beneath, and leather caps atop their heads. Their name had changed but not their gear — they still bore the heroic bearing of the Great Han iron cavalry.

These three thousand troops could almost be regarded as the cornerstone of Andong's current military. While three thousand riders could hardly defend three thousand li of Andong's rivers and mountains, these soldiers were the backbone — and also the foundation upon which Liu Xu planned to develop and strengthen Andong's military in the future.

In no time at all, the review was complete. Liu Xu spurred his horse back to the stand, dismounted, and took his seat. By this point, his emotions had still not fully settled — though not because of the shock of these three thousand soldiers, but because he was thinking: if a mere King of Andong could be so magnificent, then what of the Son of Heaven of the Great Han?

Every time he thought of this, Liu Xu's heart would twist with pain — the kind that nearly suffocated him. He knew very well in his heart that he had utterly lost his chance. Wasn't this Andong Kingdom, after all, just a consolation given to him by Emperor Liu?

The bitterness in his heart could be told to no one — only Liu Xu himself savored it in secret...

What followed was a martial demonstration — besides tactical drills of formation assembly and dispersal, charges, and the like, there was also a contest of mounted archery and martial skill among thirty brave warriors.

As the demonstration proceeded, Liu Xu on the reviewing stand found his spirit somewhat drifting, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Liu Wenyuan commanding before the formations, never once looking away.

The civil and military officials attending Liu Xu numbered more than twenty — half were staff officers personally promoted by Liu Xu himself, and half were sons of meritorious noble families, primarily Liu Xu's own relatives. Among them, the most prominent — worthy of being called the pillars of Andong — were the Geng, Bai, and Liu families, the three great clans of the Andong Kingdom.

Lady Geng's family needed no explanation — they were Liu Xu's maternal clan. From the moment he was born, the entire family's rise and fall, honor and disgrace, had been entrusted to him. They were the people least likely to betray Liu Xu.

The Geng family had also acquitted themselves well — in decades they had produced no scandals, working diligently and earnestly. When Liu Xu established his enterprise in Andong, the Geng family supported him with all their might, nearly transferring their entire family's strength to Andong.

Liu Xu's maternal uncle Geng Zhong'en had passed away many years ago. The current head of the Geng clan was his eldest son, Geng Jixun — a devoted loyalist who had followed Liu Xu since childhood, and now the chancellor presiding over Andong's governance.

The Bai clan was Liu Xu's wife's family. Their ancestor was Bai Wenke, a founding meritorious minister. Before the Hedong uprising, Bai Wenke had been a weighty official of considerable influence, deeply valued by Gaozu Liu Zhiyuan. Unfortunately, the final notes of Bai Wenke's life were sung in the newborn Great Han — the Great Han that galloped across the long course of history under Emperor Liu's leadership — leaving him little room to distinguish himself, and he died early.

At the great enfeoffment of the Kaibao era, Emperor Liu had not forgotten this old minister, bestowing upon his son Bai Tinghui the title of Earl of Jianning, second-rank nobility.

Now it had passed to the third generation, with the current family head being Bai Tinghui's second son, Bai Jingzong. If it passed down further, even the Earl of Jianning title might not be preserved. Therefore, for the Bai family, Liu Xu's fifteen or sixteen years in Andong had also been a process of transferring their family's strength to Andong.

The Geng clan honored letters, the Bai family practiced arms — together they formed the two major political forces of the newly established Andong Kingdom. The third force originated from the family of Marquis of Haining, Liu Guangyi. Back then, Liu Xu had personally sought a marriage for Liu Wenyuan from the Liu family, taking Liu Guangyi's youngest daughter as his bride.

However, although Liu Wenyuan as the heir apparent was essentially a foregone conclusion to inherit Liu Xu's position, the Liu family had not fully attached themselves to Andong. Especially after Liu Guangyi's death, the effect of the political marriage was further discounted. To this day, the Liu family's affairs in Andong were still managed by Liu Yongzhen, who came from a collateral branch.

Even so, Liu Xu still maintained a conciliatory attitude toward the Marquis of Haining. Someone like Liu Yongzhen, before the enfeoffment, had already risen to the rank of Commandant of Pacification, overseeing the military and civil affairs of one "great city" in Andong. Now, he had gone even further, becoming Andong's Chief Inspector of Military Forces.

Of course, Liu Yongzhen's reassignment also implicitly contained Liu Xu's intention to reclaim power. Over the past decade or more, although Andong had the Andong Military Governor's Office with Liu Xu at its core overseeing the overall situation, Andong had in fact existed in a state of "city-state autonomy." The chiefs of the various towns under Andong's jurisdiction, besides fulfilling their normal tax obligations, possessed enormous autonomy, treating the governance of their towns and lands almost as private fiefs — those town generals and city officials were lords in their own right. With Andong's elevation to a kingdom, these people were also the happiest and most enthusiastic supporters.

Under this model, Andong experienced more than a decade of wild growth and achieved no small results. But this model had a defect — the erosion of "central authority."

Of course, given the authority Liu Xu had cultivated over many years, Andong could not possibly slip from his control. No matter how capable those "local emperors" were, none dared defy Liu Xu's will. But this was, after all, only the present situation.

And as Emperor Liu's good student, Liu Xu could not possibly let things run unchecked forever. In the past, he had not intervened because Andong's actual circumstances demanded it — for the sake of Andong's development, some restrictions had been relaxed. Andong had plenty of policies that ran counter to the court's; this was hardly the only one.

But times had changed. With Andong's great development in recent years, continued laissez-faire was no longer appropriate, and Liu Xu had long harbored intentions of rectification.

Taking advantage of this great adjustment accompanying the enfeoffment, Liu Xu also carried out a campaign to reclaim power over the various towns under Andong's jurisdiction. The military, political, and financial powers of every locality were gathered back to Suihua, the royal city. All civil and military officials were transferred to Suihua to serve, and new local military and civil appointments were made.

Andong's original "local emperors" were thus purged across the board. Unhappy? Extremely unhappy. But their discontent could only be swallowed, and rebellion was out of the question. Setting aside how strong Liu Xu's grip on Andong was, Andong's very nature was plain to see — although enfeoffment meant independence and autonomy, the guidance and support from the court was not something those "local emperors" could withstand.

Moreover, Liu Xu had not stripped them of everything. Their accumulated wealth was preserved, and upon transfer to Suihua, they still retained power and status — still the ruling class, the great aristocratic families of Andong.

There could be no simpler, easier "centralization of power" than what Liu Xu had implemented in Andong.