Chapter 237: Drums Rolling, Trumpets Blaring

"Everyone present here is my right-hand man, and I speak to you with an open heart. The Son of Heaven of Han is young and ignorant, trapped in a troubled realm—he cannot possibly hold the empire. This is truly the time for us to take up arms and rise. I have observed the current situation under heaven, and both the timing and the will of men align here in Hezhong. I intend to raise an army and contend for the throne, to vie for supremacy in the Central Plains. Are you all willing to follow me and build great deeds together?" Caught up in his fervor, Li Shouzhen rose to his feet, raised his hand, and declared with impassioned emotion.

"We will follow the Military Governor!" In such a situation, who would dare to dampen the mood? The assembled men rose and responded in unison.

Li Shouzhen's expression was jubilant, and he cried out "Excellent!"

"Chongxun, report to everyone on the preparations we have made over these past few months!" His smile fading, Li Shouzhen instructed Li Chongxun.

Upon hearing this, Li Chongxun, who had been wearing a sullen face, immediately perked up. As the "mastermind," he had played a highly active role in Li Shouzhen's rebellion enterprise, working diligently to make arrangements for his father.

Pacing a few steps in the hall and putting on airs, he finally clasped his hands and said: "Gentlemen, to plan this great undertaking, my father the Military Governor has dispatched envoys to contact allies on all sides over this period, and results have already been achieved. Li Yiyin, Military Governor of the Dingnan Army, has already agreed that once Hezhong raises its banners, he will certainly lead his Xia and Sui troops southward. On the west bank of the great river, Xue Huairang, Military Governor of the Kuangguo Army, was humiliated by the Son of Heaven of Han last year and bears deep resentment. Ever fearful and anxious, he also wishes to rise together with us."

"Hou Zhang of Huazhou has accepted generous gifts from Hezhong and also harbors intentions to join the uprising. Furthermore, the Khitan beyond the northern frontier, the Meng Shu of the two rivers, the Gao clan of Jingnan, and the Li clan of the Southern Tang have all been sent letters of invitation and have obtained their consent!" Li Chongxun spoke with great excitement: "Once the great army of Hezhong rises, the court will be surrounded by enemies on all sides—this is Hezhong's moment of success!"

At these words, the assembled civil and military officials of Hezhong exchanged glances, more or less revealing expressions of relief. After all, this was resisting the might of all under heaven with the strength of a single prefecture. Although Li Congke, the last emperor of the Later Tang, had succeeded in doing so more than a decade ago, the circumstances were ultimately different, and unease was unavoidable.

Even though rebellion and treason had been the norm for decades, rebellion was ultimately not a low-risk endeavor. Success would bring glory to one's ancestors, and failure offered the chance to surrender and switch sides—but the prerequisite was surviving to the end. Especially for the mid- and low-ranking officers and soldiers, was it not always a bloody storm?

Now hearing Li Chongxun's introduction, learning that Hezhong had so many allies, their confidence suddenly multiplied.

Li Shouzhen followed up on his words, clenching his fist and declaring in a clear voice: "Gentlemen, it is not that I, Li, overestimate my abilities. With such powerful reinforcements, with all sides acting together to accomplish this grand affair, how could we possibly fail?"

"Military Governor, to raise an army and advance into the Central Plains, with the ferocity of the Pu troops, we could do it ourselves. Why must we bring the Khitan south? The Hu barbarians are powerful—if we let the Khitan into the Central Plains, would we not be making a wedding dress for others?" At this moment, a deep voice rang out, seemingly harboring doubt.

Hearing this, Li Shouzhen's expression immediately turned unpleasant, but upon seeing who it was, his demeanor shifted. The speaker was named Wang Jixun, a yabing officer of Hezhong. Rough in appearance and powerfully built, he was a fierce general under Li Shouzhen's command, skilled in battle with iron whip, iron lance, and iron mace, known as "Wang of the Three Irons."

Seeing it was Wang Jixun, Li Shouzhen smiled and explained to him: "I am well aware that the Khitan are powerful. However, I am merely bringing them in as support, using their northern troops to pin down the court's military strength. The other forces are likewise nothing more than tools for my use. Once our army advances into the Eastern Capital, destroys the Liu clan and replaces the Han, and seizes the realm, we can deal with them afterward!"

"Your Excellency's bold spirit soars to the clouds, enough to pierce the stars and shake the sun and moon!" Monk Zonglun once again cheered Li Shouzhen on.

"The Military Governor is wise!" Wang Jixun nodded, clasped his hands, and requested: "Military Governor, the court has stationed troops at Tong Pass, clearly to guard against us. That brat Yang Ye grows ever more arrogant, occupying the southern ferry at Fengling, and recently has even crossed the river defenses several times to scout northward. I, your subordinate, am willing to lead troops to attack Tong Pass on the Military Governor's behalf and take that brat Yang Ye's head!"

Hearing Wang Jixun's words, Li Shouzhen's expression turned somewhat more serious, and he said coldly: "Tong Pass commands the strategic juncture of mountain and river. If we raise our banners, we must first take this pass, cut off the court's connection with Guanzhong, and then seek to advance eastward! Rest assured, General Wang—when the time comes, you will certainly be the vanguard!"

"Thank you, Military Governor!"

"Gentlemen!" Li Shouzhen took a deep breath and continued: "The great matter is at hand. Return to your camps for now, and sharpen your weapons and feed your horses!"

"Yes!"

After concluding the mobilization meeting, Li Shouzhen kept his son and a few select individuals behind for a private discussion in the rear hall.

"Speak—what are the latest replies from those people?" Li Shouzhen sat steadily behind the commander's desk, his expression somewhat more restrained than before.

"Reporting to the Military Governor!" His subordinate Administrative Assistant rose and clasped his hands: "Governor Li of Xiazhou has given a clear reply—he will act once Hezhong raises its banners. Governor Xue of Tongzhou is the same. However, Hou Zhang of Huazhou has a truly ambiguous attitude, and there is fear he may waver!"

"Hmph!" Li Shouzhen immediately grew angry: "That base fellow Hou Zhang—greedy for wealth and forgetful of righteousness! He has accepted so many gifts from me—would he dare to break his word?"

"Father need not worry about that. When the time comes, we only need to publicize the correspondence between the two sides to all under heaven, and Huazhou will have no choice but to comply!" Li Chongxun said with a sinister smile.

"Correct! My gifts are not so easy to take!" Li Shouzhen nodded, then asked: "What of the other places?"

"As for the Meng Shu, they say that having just signed an agreement with the court previously, it would be inconvenient to break their oath—a stalling reply. The Gao clan of Jingnan has always been fickle, and having previously submitted a memorial to the court begging for leniency, and with Gao Conghui's health failing, they likely cannot be relied upon. As for the Southern Tang, having fallen out with the court, they have also agreed to deploy troops along the Huai River at the time to jointly attack the Central Plains. As for the Khitan—the road is long, and the envoy has still not returned..."

"Is that so." Li Shouzhen pondered for a moment, then looked toward the monk seated among them: "Master, what do you think?"

Zonglun still maintained his imposing Buddhist demeanor, made a gesture of Buddhist greeting, and said confidently: "The Meng Shu, Jingnan, and the Southern Tang all bear old grudges against the court. As long as Your Excellency rises in Hezhong, leads troops eastward, and the Han court wavers, they will certainly not pass up this opportunity. Even if Your Excellency did not contact them, they would actively pounce forward to take a bite. As for the Khitan to the north, they formed a mortal enmity with the Liu Han last year, and Youzhou is still in Zhao's hands—how could they not act upon hearing the news?"

"The Master's words are most reasonable!" Li Shouzhen laughed heartily.

"Military Governor, since we are plotting a great matter, we cannot be too cautious. The court's defenses against Hezhong are by no means negligible!" His trusted Administrative Assistant beside him could not help but remind him.

"I know that well enough!" Li Shouzhen said coldly: "That brat Emperor thinks I don't know about the little tricks he's been preparing? Ridiculous!"

"He appointed Hou Yi as Governor of Kaifeng—I fear he has already learned of our communications from that old man. And that Zhao Xiuji—I trusted him so deeply before, yet he feigned illness and returned home, and once across the Yellow River sought refuge at Tong Pass. I fear he has long since betrayed me to the court!"

"The court knows I, Li, harbor great ambitions, yet still dares not act rashly, and even seeks to appease me—why? Because they dare not. The court dares not push Hezhong to rebellion, for once I rise, it will inevitably shake all under heaven. Having kept the court stabilized for so long, now that my Pu troops are elite and well-supplied, it is time to make our move!"

Hearing Li Shouzhen say this, the Administrative Assistant could not help but sigh in admiration: "So everything is already within the Military Governor's grasp!"

Li Shouzhen grew smug again.

"Now, I only hope the drought in the Central Plains and Hebei grows even more severe, so that I may comfort the people and punish the guilty, acting in heaven's stead to chastise the unjust!" Li Shouzhen's tone was filled with schadenfreude.

The preparations for rebellion in Hezhong were proceeding with increasing urgency, reaching the point where the arrow was already nocked on the string.

But as the saying goes, matters not kept secret will leak out—or perhaps it was that he had become too carried away, Li Shouzhen appeared somewhat reckless and unguarded.

Here in the Eastern Capital, above the city walls, cluster after cluster of dark clouds gathered in the sky. Accumulating, brewing, churning—finally, a torrential downpour suddenly poured forth.

In the hall, Liu Chengyou was reviewing documents when he suddenly heard the sound. His spirits lifted greatly, and he called out urgently: "Is it raining?"

"Reporting to His Majesty—it's raining! It's raining! Heavy rain!" A palace eunuch rushed in hurriedly, carrying moisture on his person, reporting with excitement.

Liu Chengyou cast aside his imperial brush and strode quickly out of Chuigong Hall, all the way to the plaza before the hall, spreading his hands to receive the rain, his face filled with rapture. Amid the rumbling sound of the rain, Liu Chengyou could almost hear the cheers of the people of the entire Eastern Capital, the entire Central Plains, and indeed all the common folk under heaven.

Finally, damn it, it's raining!

For Liu Chengyou, there was another layer of significance. Just that morning, he had been compelled by the pressure of public opinion at court and among the people to personally visit the Daoist temple and offer sacrifices to heaven to pray for rain.

Only half a day had passed, and the entire city was drenched in a great downpour. What did this signify? A ray of divine light would once again shroud Liu Chengyou.

Of course, Liu Chengyou had consulted the officials of the Imperial Observatory in advance—rain was expected soon...