Chapter 286: The Contingency and Necessity of History

Facing Liu Chengyou's somewhat perfunctory question, Wang Pu and Wang Qiwu did not respond directly, merely standing upright and waiting respectfully, though a look of firm certainty was clearly visible on their faces.

Before they could reply, Liu Chengyou himself, with a contemplative expression, murmured to himself: "Besides Huainan, there truly is no other place fit to send troops?"

Of course, if Liu Chengyou truly wished to wage war after these few years of farming, there were still several directions to choose from. The first went without saying—strike Huainan; the second, attack the Meng Shu to the west, at the very least retaking the four prefectures of Qinfeng and Jiecheng; the third, naturally, was to campaign north against the Khitan.

Yet among these three directions and three strategies, anyone with even a modicum of insight could clearly discern their respective advantages and disadvantages.

"To seize Huainan—why do the two of you advise me to campaign north against the Khitan?" With his spirits rallied, Liu Chengyou asked solemnly once more.

Facing this doubt, Wang Pu assumed a grave countenance and spoke directly: "The Khitan! Since the founding of the Great Han, we have been locked in mortal enmity with the Khitan. Surveying all four borders, only the Khitan, who have unified the steppe, are our dynasty's greatest enemy. Of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyan, our dynasty has already taken You, Zhuo, Ying, and Mo, and further recovered Yi and Ding, but the mountain passes and strategic defiles still remain in enemy hands—the Khitan can march south at any time."

"Once our dynasty mobilizes troops, the Khitan will certainly not sit idly by. Last year the late Emperor pacified Yedu, this year Your Majesty pacified Hezhong—the Khitan reacted on both occasions, and this year they even sent troops south to raid and harass. Thus, with a powerful enemy spying from the north, whatever the Great Han does, it is like a thorn in the back, constrained and unable to exert full strength or achieve complete success."

"Therefore we ministers advise that if Huainan is smoothly taken and Jiangnan overawed into submission, we should then turn the spearhead north with the momentum, seize the strongholds of Jun and the Yan Mountains, and consolidate the northern border defenses. Only then turn south again to carve down the various states!"

By the end, Wang Pu could not help but grow impassioned—after all, being able to pour out one's grand strategies before the Son of Heaven was a rare opportunity, and rarer still was an emperor who listened so attentively.

Liu Chengyou considered with great seriousness, chewing over the words of the two Wangs. After a long while, he sighed: "As the two ministers say, seizing Huainan requires strenuously contending with the false Tang, and the Khitan will surely also move troops in the north—that would be a situation of fighting on two fronts!"

At this mention, Wang Qiwu also wore a face full of solemnity, responding: "If things develop according to the current situation, that will be inevitable. Thus, if Your Majesty wishes to take Huainan, you must still bide your time for the right opportunity!"

"Where is this right opportunity to be found?" Liu Chengyou followed up immediately.

Wang Pu clasped his hands and answered: "The right opportunity is not fixed, but nurturing the people, filling the treasury, training the soldiers, and repairing armor and weapons are things that must be done. When that time comes, even with a powerful enemy in the north, can it stop Your Majesty's resolve to go south?"

In the official histories, Shizong of the Later Zhou, Guo Rong, received Wang Pu's strategy and was able to wield sharp weapons and rouse his martial might, campaigning south and north, shaking the Central Plains with his might. One reason was the foundation laid by Guo Wei during the Guangshun era; the second was that after the Battle of Gaoping, imperial authority was established, troops were strengthened, and governance reformed, allowing him to fully display his talents and strategies. Yet equally important was that the Khitan in the north had crippled themselves.

Yelu Ruan, Shizong of Liao, held the state for four years before dying in a mutiny. His successor, Emperor Muzong Yelu Jing, was the famously notorious "Sleeping King." Under his nearly twenty-year rule, Khitan state affairs fell into ruin, politics descended into chaos, and internal rebellions never ceased—one could say they crippled their own martial power, with Khitan development completely stalled or even regressing. Guo Rong's seizure of Huainan and his subsequent decision to campaign north against Youyan was not without reason from the Khitan's increasingly declining governance.

The development of history is often accompanied by contingency and necessity. When a brilliant sovereign rises with vigor, he always commands the favor of heaven's timing, geographical advantage, and popular support—appearing as if truly beloved by heaven.

In fact, had the Khitan not experienced their own internal problems, Guo Rong's campaigns against Huainan and recovery of Qinfeng would have been far more difficult. And even with the foundation Guo Rong had laid, Zhao Kuangyin would never have found it so easy to implement the strategy of "south first, north later" and carve down the various separatist regimes of the south. A single Northern Han could not provide much of a buffer between the Great Song and the Khitan—after all, the direct threat the Central Plains and Hebei faced from the northern dynasty came from the lost strategic defiles of Youyan.

And at present, Liao was under the power of Yelu Ruan. Although there had been some upheaval over the succession question, his position was gradually stabilizing and the state's strength was recovering. When the Hezhong rebellion was pacified, Yelu Anbo being ordered to invade the south was proof of this.

Thus, in Liu Chengyou's Qianyou reign, the same strategy of "south first, north later" was proposed, with the same consideration given to the Khitan. But regarding the threat from the wicked neighbor to the north, Wang Pu viewed it with greater gravity. When contemplating strategy, Wang Pu and the other could hardly have considered the premise of a "cataclysm" occurring among the Khitan.

The hall fell quiet. Habitually stroking his chin, Liu Chengyou pondered for a while longer, then said: "Is three years enough?"

Understanding his meaning upon hearing this, Wang Pu said to Liu Chengyou with great solemnity: "In your minister's view, for the Great Han to sheathe its weapons, cease warfare, and devote itself to development, at least three years are needed before we possess the strength for a single decisive campaign!"

"Even with three years, can we resist the Khitan in the north while taking Jiangbei in the south?" Liu Chengyou asked again, a note of uncertainty in his tone.

Both men fell silent. Wang Qiwu raised his head, his expression fervent: "Facing enemies on two fronts is certainly difficult, but if Your Majesty wishes to sweep the realm clean, the path is by nature one of hardship and cutting through brambles. Your Majesty need only plan comprehensively in the temple, prepare to resist the Khitan in the north while attacking the false Tang in the south—success or failure will still depend on the future!"

Liu Chengyou smiled softly: "Then three years it is! I can afford to wait!"

"Your Majesty is brilliant and martial, in the prime of youth, and able to endure toil and hardship—the great enterprise is certain to succeed!" Wang Pu, somewhat unexpectedly, offered Liu Chengyou this flattery.

Talents like Wang Pu and Wang Qiwu, with their far-reaching insight, having passed through the examination system to enter officialdom and delighting in expressing their strategies before the Son of Heaven to display their abilities, naturally observed from the sidelines and saw in Liu Chengyou the bearing of one destined for great achievement. Otherwise, why would they so readily bare their hearts and minds?

Wang Pu proposed three years, and Liu Chengyou also favored a three-year preparation period. Somewhat coincidentally, if nothing unexpected happened, three years later would happen to be the very year the Khitan experienced their internal upheaval. Of course, neither man knew this at the time. And what Liu Chengyou was considering was also the matter of turning troops south while defending against the Khitan in the north.

"Regarding the matters discussed in depth today, the two ministers must not speak of them to others or let any word leak out!" Taking a deep breath, Liu Chengyou said with a cold face, addressing the two men directly.

Liu Chengyou released his authority, immediately causing both men to respond with solemn gravity. They naturally had that self-awareness. This was not merely a matter of a "Pacification Strategy" on the surface—it genuinely involved the future national strategy of the Great Han. Judging by the emperor's demeanor, he had nearly made up his mind.

"After this hearty discussion with the two of you, my doubts have largely dissipated. The two ministers are truly talents of state!" Calming his heart, Liu Chengyou's bearing gradually returned to peacefulness as he offered the two Wangs the highest praise.

Both men naturally responded with modest disclaimers.

Liu Chengyou, after pondering for a moment, said to the two men: "The two ministers possess talents for governing the age, but as you have only just entered the court, I am reluctant to rashly appoint you to important posts."

Hearing the implication in Liu Chengyou's words—that he was about to make a clear arrangement for them—and with their own futures involved, both men could not help but straighten their backs. Having entered the temple of power, one naturally sought position and authority, for only then could one display one's abilities and realize one's aspirations. There was nothing shameful in that, though both men maintained composed expressions.

"It is my intention to have the two ministers observe governance under the Hanlin Academy, serving as Hanlin Bachelors with the additional duty of Compiler, attending before the imperial presence, accompanying in study and lecturing on the classics, and drafting edicts and decrees. Additionally, you shall assist Hanlin Academy Director Fan Zhi in compiling the Great Han Criminal Code!"

"We ministers accept the appointment! We thank Your Majesty!" Both men rose simultaneously and voiced their gratitude in unison.

Fan Zhi had previously been tasked with leading the compilation of the Criminal Code, but he bore the concurrent post of Drafter of Edicts, constantly attending the emperor's side, with numerous miscellaneous duties, causing the progress of the legal code's compilation to lag. Thus Liu Chengyou shifted his official duties to redirect his focus of work.

Liu Chengyou's appointment of the two Wangs was already extremely gracious—not only establishing the dedicated post of Hanlin Bachelor for them, but also allowing them to participate in the compilation of the Criminal Code. Even as the top two graduates of the special examination, this favor and honor was plainly excessive.