Chapter 335: An Experiment in Separating Military and Political Power

With a sharp "swish," the arrow embedded itself almost dead-center into the target. Thirty paces away, Liu Chengyou stood in a textbook archery stance, left hand holding the bow, the string still quivering. On his face—which could still barely be called handsome—there was a slight trace of regret. So close, just a hair's breadth from a perfect bullseye. After all this practice, his archery had indeed improved somewhat.

Perhaps Liu Zhiyuan's genes were simply not up to par, and coupled with two years of growth and the ravages of military and political toil, his once-handsome face was showing signs of going downhill. Likely due to staying up late the night before, a few pimples had sprouted on Liu Chengyou's face.

Liu Chengyou was well aware of the changes in his appearance, and whenever he occasionally glanced in the mirror, he felt a pang of regret. But he didn't really care—power was the best plastic surgery and makeup.

"Move it back five more paces!" Liu Chengyou looked, then ordered, wanting to test a farther distance.

As the palace eunuch signaled, the guards standing at a distance hurried forward to move the target. Liu Chengyou watched the target, which was now visibly smaller, stretched his limbs a bit, and held out his hand. Zhang Dejun immediately and respectfully placed an arrow into his palm.

Once again assuming a standing shooting posture, Liu Chengyou took careful aim, methodically—the string vibrated, and the arrow flew. The result was fortunately lucky: the arrow didn't miss the target entirely, but it was quite far from the center. Given such an awkward display, even Zhang Dejun, who had prepared flattering words, found it hard to speak them.

Seeing the result, Liu Chengyou shook his head. There was little shame or annoyance on his face; he simply put down the bow and arrow calmly. The bow he used wasn't some special imperial bow—it was standard-issue imperial army equipment, made of yellow birch wood with a black lacquered finish.

"It seems my talent for archery ends here!" Liu Chengyou said lightly, wiping his face and hands with a damp towel.

Accompanying Liu Chengyou in archery practice was Ma Quanyi, Chief Commander of the Longqi Army, also dressed in military attire, looking fit and vigorous. Hearing this, he couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs and has little time for practice. To reach your current level already surpasses most ordinary soldiers!"

Liu Chengyou smiled and pointed at Ma Quanyi: "I never thought our Chief Commander Ma would learn the art of flattery!"

Facing the Son of Heaven's teasing, Ma Quanyi's expression didn't change, and he answered seriously: "Your servant is merely speaking the truth!"

"Enough of my crude skill—let you demonstrate your archery!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand, signaling to Ma Quanyi.

Besides being a capable general, Ma Quanyi excelled in personal martial arts—particularly swordsmanship and mounted archery—and his archery skill was quite renowned in the army. He didn't stand on ceremony, drawing the bow and nocking an arrow, assuming his stance with the bearing of a true expert. Using Liu Chengyou's target, he hit the bullseye with a single shot.

Liu Chengyou, meanwhile, lay back on a newly made lounge chair in the palace, crossing one leg slightly, leisurely closing his eyes to enjoy the warm late-spring sun, listening to the beautiful rhythm of arrows striking the target. For a moment, it was pure relaxation.

The basic national policies had been set, the court situation was gradually stabilizing, with everything centered on recuperation and restoring production. In the short term, Liu Chengyou had no intention of stirring things up. During this period, he had also deliberately delegated many routine administrative matters entirely to his chancellors.

He basically didn't concern himself with minor matters. During the first year of his reign, he had shouldered everything, great and small, and it had worn him out considerably. As long as his throne remained secure and imperial power didn't erode, Liu Chengyou didn't mind lightening his own burden.

Of course, the reins of government remained firmly in Liu Chengyou's hands, growing ever more stable. He just had more free time now, and he used that time mostly for reading and martial practice. After all, this body of his wasn't even twenty yet, and his personal knowledge wasn't yet something to be proud of—this was the stage for diligently improving himself.

When reading, he especially loved history, particularly "recent history." In martial practice, he dabbled in various disciplines, but only archery gave him any sense of confidence.

There was also the matter of nurturing his body. The "Finger-Pointing to the Profound, Eighty-One Chapters" that Chen Tuan had gifted had been translated by Wang Qiwu. Just as the old Daoist Chen Tuan had said, his methods of nurturing life had little real effect on him—holding the supreme worldly power, did he still want to "cultivate immortality"?

Still, in the realm of physical fitness, there were some transferable benefits—certain postures, movements...

The spring sun shone warmly upon him, extraordinarily comfortable; Liu Chengyou nearly fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, Ma Quanyi had already put away his bow, gently shaking his arm—a full quiver of arrows shot took no small amount of effort.

Looking at the target thirty-five paces away, bristling with arrows, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but clap his hands and sigh: "The General's archery is truly exquisite!"

Ma Quanyi's expression was modest—clearly, he hadn't put in his full effort or strength.

"Serve tea! Serve refreshments!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Ma Quanyi sat down on a stone stool, drinking tea and tasting pastries, swallowing in large mouthfuls without being overly formal.

Liu Chengyou remained lazily curled up in his lounge chair, glancing at his beloved general beside him, and asked in a confiding tone: "Quanyi, from the founding of the Longqi Army, you and I have known each other—it's been nearly two and a half years now, hasn't it?"

"Indeed!" Suddenly reminded of those early days by Liu Chengyou, a trace of reminiscence appeared on Ma Quanyi's face. He bowed solemnly to Liu Chengyou: "Back then, under the late Emperor, your servant was but a common soldier in the Longqi Army. Had Your Majesty not promoted me and taken me into your confidence, I know not where I'd be making a living today, let alone becoming a commander of the Great Han's imperial army..."

Ma Quanyi's words were filled with abundant gratitude, and Liu Chengyou had no reason to doubt him. If even a trusted general of such long standing, who had followed the imperial banner for so long, had to scheme and plot, then being emperor would be far too exhausting.

Of course, from what he knew, Ma Quanyi did have some minor flaws—like being overly protective of his subordinates and showing favoritism—but overall, he was devoted to imperial affairs in the army and diligently trained the troops. At least his loyalty was beyond question—well, specifically to him, Liu Chengyou.

"Since coming south from Hebei, you've been training troops in the capital the whole time. The western campaign against Hezhong brought you little glory—do you ever find it dull?" Liu Chengyou asked in a calm tone.

"To be honest with Your Majesty, sometimes I do feel that way. The soldiers train hard in the arts of killing and warfare, yet have few opportunities to use them..." Ma Quanyi spoke his truest thoughts directly to Liu Chengyou.

Liu Chengyou nodded, his brows slightly furrowed: "I suspect there are quite a few in the army who feel the same way!"

"Exactly!"

Liu Chengyou chuckled, gesturing in a circle with his hand: "In the world today, the Great Han holds only three or four parts out of ten, surrounded by enemies on all sides. I intend to pacify the realm and restore the glory of China—there will be plenty of wars to fight, plenty of opportunities to build merit!"

"What Your Majesty says is most true!" Ma Quanyi clearly understood, clasping his fists in salute.

Military morale!

Liu Chengyou mused inwardly. He kept a close watch on the situation within the army and was wary of this not-so-subtle shift in morale. At the root of it all was the half-year-long military reorganization—large numbers of the old and weak had been cut, military discipline was strict, and control over the soldiers had tightened. This made the army, which was used to running wild, somewhat uncomfortable—not just the common soldiers, but the officers as well.

All these factors piled up, making the atmosphere in the army somewhat oppressive. An army should naturally be solemn and orderly, but this wasn't the way to achieve it. Liu Chengyou had thought deeply about it—the core issue was that ideological awareness hadn't reached the required level.

The current army was a bunch of mercenaries without "souls," serving the court only for money, profit, and survival. Even under the banner of the Great Han, Liu Chengyou didn't hold high hopes for how much loyalty they felt toward the court or toward him as emperor. He was self-aware enough for that.

And this was precisely the situation Liu Chengyou had been diligently seeking to change since ascending the throne. The several reorganizations and redeployments were all aimed at further reforming the army while keeping it under control.

Using money, grain, and favors to buy military loyalty was necessary, but it couldn't become the court's only means of controlling the troops.

Liu Chengyou's mind suddenly recalled the experiment of "lecturing" that had been tried in the Longqi Army. It seemed he needed to invest effort, gather talent, and send them into the army to preach—loyalty to the sovereign, love of country, defending the home, building merit, pacifying the world... these positive messages truly needed emphasis. For most simple-minded soldiers, continuous indoctrination to achieve a brainwashing effect shouldn't be too difficult—it just required investment.

To ease the soldiers' emotions, training methods should also be diversified—adding competitions, polo, cuju football, and other activities. Camp prostitutes were out of the question for now, but perhaps organized visits to the brothels and pleasure houses in the Eastern Capital could be arranged—the bachelors in the army needed outlets too, and it would incidentally stimulate consumption and increase tax revenue...

Ideas kept sprouting in Liu Chengyou's mind, and he gradually drifted into deep thought. When he came back to himself, he saw Ma Quanyi still sitting properly to the side, though his cup of tea was nearly drained.

"More tea!" Liu Chengyou signaled.

Ma Quanyi declined respectfully: "Your Majesty, no need to trouble the eunuchs—your servant's thirst is already quenched..."

Well then—the imperial tea of the palace seemed to serve only one purpose for Chief Commander Ma: quenching thirst.

Glancing at Ma Quanyi, Liu Chengyou asked: "Quanyi, would you be interested in being posted out to govern a region?"

Liu Chengyou's sudden mention caught Ma Quanyi off guard, but observing the Emperor's profile, he thought for a moment, realized what was happening, and bowed: "I am willing to serve at Your Majesty's command."

Looking at him, Liu Chengyou wanted to respect his wishes: "Do you want to go south or north?"

Ma Quanyi thought it over carefully for a while, then raised his hand and said: "I will follow Your Majesty's orders—your servant dares not decline!"

Liu Chengyou was clearly even more satisfied with Ma Quanyi's attitude.

His expression turning serious, he said directly: "Go to Mozhou, replacing Murong Yanzhao as Defense Commissioner. There are some things I need not hide from you—one day, I will raise an army for a northern expedition, and when that day comes, I entrust you to be the vanguard general of our Great Han!"

"Yes!" Ma Quanyi rose and bowed deeply.

"You may withdraw!" Liu Chengyou waved him off.

Some generals were being sent out because Liu Chengyou wanted to strip their power—like Shi Hongzhao, Zhou Hui, Wu Qianyu, and others. But some were sent out entrusted with positions of trust—previously Yang Ye, and now Ma Quanyi.

As for Murong Yanzhao, he would be recalled to the Eastern Capital to serve as Chief Commander of the Longqi Army.

In Chongzheng Hall, the two chancellors Yang Bin and Li Tao, along with Vice Censor-in-Chief Bian Guidang, came for an audience simultaneously to report matters to Liu Chengyou.

"Your Majesty, Dou Zhengu of Xuzhou has reported that the remaining members of the Liu Xin case have all been interrogated and tried. The verdicts have been fully submitted to the court—only the Ministry of Justice's review remains before the punishments can be carried out!" Yang Bin reported to Liu Chengyou with a stiff expression.

His style remained largely unchanged—addressing people by name directly, unwilling to even offer the courtesy title of "Chancellor Dou."

Liu Chengyou opened the memorial and quickly scanned through it. The manhunt in Xuzhou back then had been on a considerable scale—the officials and generals of Xuzhou had been swept clean, and that was no idle talk. It was inevitable that some innocent bystanders would be caught in the dragnet.

It had taken Dou Zhengu and Zhao Li a full month of effort before they could sort out a result. Scanning through the sentencing list, seventeen people had been condemned to death. These military and administrative officials had relied on Liu Xin's influence to commit no small number of misdeeds.

Liu Chengyou had little objection to this list. What he valued more was the investigative and judicial process of this major case—for instance, the central review.

"With Minister Dou's ability, I imagine there are no oversights, but the case files submitted to the Eastern Capital still need to be carefully reviewed by assigned officials!" Liu Chengyou said, looking at Li Tao, who oversaw the Ministry of Justice.

Li Tao responded crisply: "Yes! Before reporting, I have already dispatched ministry officials to verify against the case files!"

"What about the reassignment of Xuzhou's officials?" Liu Chengyou turned his attention to Yang Bin.

Meeting the Son of Heaven's gaze calmly, Yang Bin reported: "The administrative assistants of the various departments and the dismissed county magistrates have all been reassigned, with all records entered into the official registry. Those of lower rank are to be appointed by local authorities. At present, only the military and civil affairs of Xuzhou are still temporarily held by Dou Zhengu. I fear the candidates under discussion may not suit Your Majesty's intentions, and await Your Majesty's final decision."

Yang Bin's words were always this prickly. Tolerance for him had nearly reached its limit. Li Tao, standing nearby, let his gaze flicker quickly between the sovereign and his minister, lowered his head, and felt disdain in his heart.

Liu Chengyou's reaction was as calm as ever—even indifferent. He moved his gaze away from Yang Bin and looked straight ahead. At this moment, Yang Bin was merely within his field of vision; if his gaze did not shift, he could not even see him.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Liu Chengyou gave his instruction flatly: "Let Minister Dou take up the post of Prefectural Administrator of Xuzhou, overseeing all departments and managing government affairs. Hm... add the honorary titles of Director of the Chancellery and Minister of Justice!"

He paused, then looked toward Bian Guidang: "Recall Zhao Li to the capital, and select a new resident censor for Xuzhou to handle supervisory matters!"

"Yes!" Bian Guidang acknowledged in a low voice.

Though not proclaimed to the realm, this arrangement for Xuzhou was an initial experiment in separating military and civil authority. This was unlike the situation in Hezhong, Tongzhou, and Huazhou—over there, the Prefectural Administrators and Prefects, though nominally not as conspicuous as military governors, still held both military and civil powers in one hand.

Xuzhou was different. The Prefectural Administrator only managed prefectural affairs, with various departmental administrative assistants beneath him, each overseeing criminal justice, taxation, household registration, agriculture, industry and commerce, and other matters. As for the counties below, given the reality that imperial authority had not even reached the prefectural level, reaching the county level was already Liu Chengyou's initial goal.

As for military affairs in Xuzhou, just as Liu Chengyou had arranged before leaving, the Commander of the Xuzhou Cavalry and Infantry, Wang Hanlun, had thoroughly reorganized the troops to fulfill the functions of a local army.

The arrangements were made as such, but what direction things would develop in, and what results would come of it, remained to be seen. Fortunately, Xuzhou was near the capital region, and Liu Chengyou had not made a public fuss about it. He had ample time and patience to discover problems, make timely adjustments, and sum up experience.