Chapter 28: Liu Chengyou's Thoughts

"This Shi Hongzhao is nothing but a reckless brute, crude and boorish, spoiled by favor and arrogant. Before His Majesty, he dares to behave so insolently. Stubborn and self-opinionated, always venting with brute force and showing off his toughness—does he think conquering the realm relies solely on swords and spears? He's simply not worth consulting..." After the discussion dispersed, walking alongside Wang Zhang, Yang Bin made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction and contempt for Shi Hongzhao.

Wang Zhang's expression was no better. He said coldly, "This man has always been arrogant, priding himself on some talent for commanding troops, and treating us as if we were nothing. For a subject to be this overbearing—Brother Yang, just wait. One day, even His Majesty will find him intolerable!"

The realm was divided, the states locked in strife—this was inherently an age where civility declined and martial might rose, where the pen was cheap and the sword dear. In this era, warriors ruled the state, and too many generals who wielded long swords and great halberds looked down upon civil officials who held writing brushes. Shi Hongzhao was the "finest" among them, spewing venomous words at every turn.

In truth, a man like Wang Zhang also had no fondness for literati, but what he detested were those sour pedantic scholars who knew nothing of practical affairs and only engaged in empty talk. Shi Hongzhao, however, looked down upon all men of letters without exception—how could that not invite resentment?

After a pause, Wang Zhang added, "Brother Yang, there's no need to be angered by that brute. His Majesty has the whole realm in his heart and plans with deep foresight. Did he not also decline to heed his opinion?"

"The realm has crumbled to this state, with chaos unending—all because of such warriors ruling the state. If they are not reined in, this realm will never know peace!" For reasons unknown, Yang Bin let out a couple of grunts.

Glancing at his old friend, Wang Zhang fell silent for a moment before sighing, "But to conquer the realm and found a dynasty, we cannot do without such men risking their lives and dying in service..."

Hearing this, Yang Bin also fell silent, then remarked with feeling, "If all the military officials in the realm were like Guo Wenzhong, why would we ever worry about the state not being at peace?"

Compared to Shi Hongzhao, Guo Wei's standing among the civil and military men under Liu Zhiyuan was clearly far better. Someone like Yang Bin, for instance, held him in considerable regard.

Hearing this, Wang Zhang merely smiled without offering any comment. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly ended the topic and clasped his hands in salute: "His Majesty is heading east; I still need to inspect the provisions and grain supplies. I'll take my leave now."

"Brother Wang, please go ahead."

On Liu Chengyou's side, before he could even leave the palace, he was stopped by a palace eunuch—Liu Zhiyuan had summoned him for a talk.

Silently following the young eunuch, Liu Chengyou studied his back. This must be one of those who had been kept in the Taiyuan palace, maintaining the palace's cleaning and operations. Now, all of them had been quite fortunate to become close attendants to the new emperor. And Liu Zhiyuan, though he hadn't been emperor for many days, had already grown quite adept at commanding the palace maids and eunuchs.

Upon entering the hall, Liu Chengyou realized that Liu Zhiyuan had summoned him alone. He couldn't help but feel surprised—this was the first time. Previously, whenever he was called, at least his elder brother Liu Chengxun would be present as well.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!" Liu Chengyou bowed formally.

"Second Son, rise! Sit and speak. In this hall, it is only you and I, father and son—no need for such cumbersome formalities!" Liu Zhiyuan's expression was relaxed, his tone gentle. Though he said this, his face clearly showed satisfaction with Liu Chengyou's respectful demeanor.

"May I ask what matter Father has called me for?" Liu Chengyou asked, sitting down with his rear barely perched on the seat.

A map lay spread open on Liu Zhiyuan's desk; he had evidently been studying it before. At the question, he looked up and smiled lightly at Liu Chengyou: "Just now in the court discussion, the civil and military officials argued fiercely. Shi Hongzhao and the two gentlemen Yang and Wang nearly came to blows right before my eyes. I know you have considerable insight into the Khitan matter—why did you remain silent the entire time?"

"Father has his eyes on the whole realm and has already formed a comprehensive plan—why would I need to add superfluous words!" Meeting Liu Zhiyuan's gaze, Liu Chengyou averted his eyes slightly as he answered.

"Oh? Tell me more!"

"The situation in the Central Plains is clear enough—the Khitan surely cannot hold it. Yelu Deguang's response, holding key strategic points, is in truth taking a defensive posture. If our army were to rush into the Central Plains now, the northern troops, cornered and desperate, would clash with us head-on. In a hard confrontation, we would certainly not come out well either."

"I hear that at Shanzhou, officers have already risen up, slaughtering the Khitan, seizing the prefecture and city, and declaring their support for Father. This is a good beginning. It can be foreseen that in the days ahead, former dynasty officers in the Central Plains and Hebei prefectures—whether for 'righteousness' or to resist Khitan oppression—will surely not lack followers."

"Only when chaos erupts across the various regions, leaving the Khitan unable to tend to their own affairs, will that be the optimal moment for us to advance and seize the opportunity amid the turmoil. I imagine that you and the two gentlemen Yang and Wang chose to hold your troops still because you had long since discerned this. As for Shi Hongzhao—brave he may be, but he cannot see these things."

"Moreover, the concerns raised by the two gentlemen Yang and Wang are not without reason. What Father must do is not merely defeat and drive out the Khitan—more importantly, it is how to clean up the mess afterward. The Khitan's southward invasion has already greatly weakened the strength of the various regional military governors. If another round were to come..." As he spoke, a hint of cunning had already crept into Liu Chengyou's tone.

"At present, the most advantageous course is to preserve our strength and wait for the Khitan and the Central Plains governors to exhaust each other. Father, with your gaze upon the realm, the more thoroughly you prepare in Hedong—the more troops, the braver the soldiers, the more ample the grain, the finer the weapons—the lower the difficulty of advancing into the Central Plains in the future. And when the time comes to seize the realm, even if some refuse to submit and dare to rebel, they can be easily pacified."

"You—you see things quite clearly!" This was the second time he had heard Liu Chengyou's analysis, and Liu Zhiyuan couldn't help but gaze at him intently, sighing with feeling.

"However, though acting this way is steady and certain to win the realm, it is not without a flaw!" As he said this, Liu Chengyou's tone took a sharp turn, his voice deepening.

There was something slightly affected about Liu Chengyou's words. Liu Zhiyuan's brow arched slightly as he stared at him: "What flaw?"

"The hearts of the people!" Liu Chengyou raised his index finger and answered seriously: "Since ancient times, to seize the realm, one must win the hearts of the people. The hearts of the common folk, the hearts of the scholar-officials, the hearts of the military provinces. Father has proclaimed himself emperor, sent proclamations across the realm, and called upon all subjects to resist the Khitan together. But if you hold mighty forces yet cower in the fastness of Hedong, sitting by and watching the Central Plains succeed or fail—I fear it will be hard to win the people's hearts."

"Not everyone in the realm is a fool or a simpleton; not all are blind to Father's intentions. To be sure, in the end we can certainly play the fisherman, reaping the benefit and successfully seizing the Central Plains. Others, cowed by Hedong's strength, will still submit—but making them submit willingly is not so simple. Seizing the realm is easy; holding it is hard. If you wish for the realm to be well governed, you must win over the people's hearts."

A deep look of contemplation had already spread across Liu Zhiyuan's face. He suddenly interrupted Liu Chengyou: "What ideas do you have?"

Meeting Liu Zhiyuan's gaze, Liu Chengyou said calmly: "What Shi Hongzhao said in the hall just now was not entirely without reason. Even if we do not march straight into the Central Plains, some aggressive movements toward Luzhou, Xiangzhou, and Heyang would still be necessary!"

"At the very least, Luzhou must be secured in our hands. Its terrain is high and perilous—a place contested by every military strategist since ancient times. Back when Emperor Zhuangzong campaigned against Yan and Hedong was left hollow, he relied on Luzhou's strategic fastness to repel Zhu Wen. Now the Khitan have made Geng Chongmei the military governor of Luzhou, holding that fortress. How can we let them have their way? If we move troops south to take Luzhou, we can both protect Hedong and seize the initiative—advancing or retreating as we please—while also showing the realm your determination to drive out the Khitan!"