Chapter 348: The Ma Clan's Internal Strife May Be Worth Exploiting

"Indeed, Ma Yin has just died, his bones not yet cold, when Ma Xisheng sent envoys north to obtain the Central Plains' appointment, forcibly suppressing Ma Yin's eldest son Ma Xizhen from succeeding as Military Governor of Hunan. And Ma Yin's deathbed decree was destroyed by Ma Xisheng from the very beginning..." Wang Qiwu narrated.

Liu Chengyou said, with a slight sneer in his words: "I have read the historical records of the Tang dynasty, though not in detail, and there are brief mentions of Hunan affairs. That Ma Yin, seizing his moment, strove forward amid the chaos of the realm, rose with the tide, and from a mere carpenter established a foundation and became a regional hegemon — truly a hero of his time.

Yet how could he be so unwise? He had over thirty sons — did he intend for all thirty-plus sons to take turns succeeding him? How ridiculous! Even succession from brother to brother must be judged by circumstances; doing it this way is truly courting disaster!"

"Your Majesty's insight is keen as a torch — well said!" Wang Qiwu agreed with Liu Chengyou's words: "Ma Yin sought to avoid fraternal strife with that decree of his, but it was wishful thinking. Judging by subsequent results, his goal was not achieved; instead, it made the sons' struggle for succession even more intense. For nearly twenty years, the Ma clan's struggle over the Hunan Military Governorship — trace it to its root, and it was Ma Yin's deathbed decree!"

"Ma Xisheng was greedy and cruel, dying after only three years on the seat. Ma Xifan, the third son of Ma Yin, succeeded him, and was even worse than his elder brother — arrogant, extravagant, indulging in wine and women, launching massive construction projects, wasteful beyond measure, driving away the worthy, and harming his own brothers, until the people of Hunan had no way to live and complaints filled the roads.

Then in the twelfth year of Tianfu, Ma Xifan died of illness. Had Ma Yin's decree been followed, the eldest among his younger brothers, Ma Xi'e, should have succeeded. But when Ma Yin first died, Ma Xisheng dared to disregard his decree — how much more so seventeen years later? Therefore, Ma Xifan passed the position to his full younger brother, the current King of Chu, Ma Xiguang. Naturally, this drew Ma Xi'e's resentment, leading to brothers fighting within the walls and turning weapons against each other."

Liu Chengyou commented lightly: "So it seems, Ma Yin was a hero of his generation, yet in the end, he left calamity for his descendants."

"You say it's now three horses fighting over one trough — who else is there?" He looked at Wang Qiwu.

"Ma Xichong!" Wang Qiwu spoke a name unfamiliar to Liu Chengyou, and explained to him: "It is said that when Ma Xi'e raised rebellion in Hunan, this man was among those stirring up trouble, residing in Tanzhou while secretly colluding with Ma Xi'e in Langzhou..."

"Even you have uncovered matters like this — how has Ma Xiguang responded?" Liu Chengyou asked, vaguely sensing something amiss.

Understanding where the Emperor's confusion lay, Wang Qiwu replied: "Aside from sending troops to deal with Ma Xi'e, the King of Chu has placed no restrictions whatsoever on Ma Xichong in Tanzhou!"

Liu Chengyou's calm gaze flickered, and he asked again: "Ma Xiguang's memorial was vague and incomplete — do you know how Ma Xiguang handled it after Ma Xi'e's defeat?"

At this mention, even Wang Qiwu's expression showed a hint of oddity, and he said: "To avoid harming his elder brother, the King of Chu ordered his soldiers not to pursue, allowing Ma Xi'e to retreat back to Langzhou and remain there, wishing to coexist with him. From the very beginning, the King of Chu had entertained thoughts of abdicating the throne; when that failed, some ministers early on perceived Ma Xi'e's treacherous intentions and urged him to kill Ma Xi'e, but the King of Chu refused — and thus the calamity was invited!"

"Ma Xiguang is so weak-willed and foolish, to such a degree?" Liu Chengyou could hardly believe it.

Seeing this, Wang Qiwu also shook his head slightly and reported: "When I first heard of it, I too was astonished. The King of Chu is so cowardly, indulging his enemy — the mercy of a woman. He will surely suffer disaster for it sooner or later!"

Liu Chengyou nodded, pondered seriously for a moment, and said: "Ma Xiguang's soft conduct will only make men like Ma Xi'e more rampant and less restrained. If my guess is right, once Ma Xi'e has reorganized his troops, he will surely march south again to seek the throne. With Ma Xiguang's character and style, if he does not change his ways, morale will scatter — can he block one attack, and then two, and then three?"

"In comparison, though Ma Xi'e is a base man, he is single-mindedly set on seizing the throne — Ma Xiguang will surely fall into his hands sooner or later!" Liu Chengyou spoke with certainty.

Wang Qiwu echoed: "Indeed!"

"Hunan is originally a remote corner of the south — vast land, sparse population, poor people. The foundation Ma Yin built through hardship and toil is now being ruined by the Ma brothers!" Liu Chengyou said.

"In the next year or two, Hunan will surely be fraught with troubles!" Wang Qiwu predicted.

Liu Chengyou mulled over this matter, wearing a thoughtful expression, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the imperial desk. Suddenly he turned his head to look at Wang Qiwu and asked: "The land of Hunan, after Ma Xifan's brutal rule, has seen its scholars and commoners suffer greatly; and now, because of the Ma brothers' power struggle, war has broken out — it is only the common people who suffer. Hunan is also territory of the Great Han, and its people are my subjects. As lord of all under heaven, how can I sit by and watch them suffer the calamities of war? I wish to rescue the people from fire and water — what does Minister Wang think?"

The meaning revealed in Liu Chengyou's words seemed to suggest he intended to act in Hunan, causing Wang Qiwu's expression to stiffen slightly. He glanced at him briefly, then bowed with caution and replied: "Your Majesty, the Great Han's disasters have only just subsided, and the granaries are empty. If we must prepare against the northern invaders while also acting in the southeast, I fear we lack the strength to attend to anything else. Moreover, between Hunan and the Great Han lies Jingnan..."

The corner of Liu Chengyou's mouth curled up slightly: "We'll take care of Jingnan along the way. Holding this crossroads of four directions, to the west we can restrain the Meng Shu, to the south we can suppress the false Han. To the east, we can sail downstream to control the Southern Tang — and then strike from two sides. Wouldn't that be splendid?"

Seeing the Son of Heaven with a serious expression, not feigning, Wang Qiwu could not help but speak urgently: "Your Majesty, the Gao clan of Jingnan is still quite obedient to the court, offering tribute and serving with considerable diligence — we cannot raise an army without just cause. Moreover, with the court's strength, we truly lack the power for war on two fronts. Even if Jingnan and Hunan are both weakening, they can still drain considerable energy from the court. Hunan is in ruin, but Jingnan, under three generations of the Lady Gao's management, can be called stable. If Your Majesty has ambitions to the south, you should advance steadily — do not act rashly..."

Wang Qiwu's opinion was already quite clear — he did not oppose using force to the south, but merely advised against Liu Chengyou diverting his attention to Hunan at this time.

Facing Wang Qiwu's somewhat tense reaction, Liu Chengyou could not help but laugh. He breathed calmly a few times before speaking slowly: "I have always favored those who know themselves well, and I believe I understand thoroughly both myself and the Great Han's current situation — I have a clear picture in mind. The strategic direction toward Huainan is a settled matter; how could I abandon it? I will certainly not change course."

Hearing Liu Chengyou's words, Wang Qiwu's expression relaxed, and he immediately bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"But our Han is the suzerain state of the Ma Chu. If the Ma Chu falls into chaos, though I am far away in the Eastern Capital, I cannot very well ignore it — I must display the responsibility of the great Central Plains state!" Liu Chengyou spoke with grand, high-sounding words.

Wang Qiwu asked directly: "What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

"Previously, Ma Xi'e sought to emulate Ma Xisheng, submitting a memorial to the Eastern Capital to seek the court's support. The various ministers advised rejecting him, and we issued an edict to Hunan, ordering them to make peace. Though Ma Xiguang is weak and incompetent, he is the King of Chu after all, and his claim is legitimate. As for a scheming rebel like Ma Xi'e, I hold him in deep contempt. Now that he has lost this battle, it is precisely the time to sternly rebuke him, order him to keep to Langzhou, and behave himself..."

Hearing Liu Chengyou say this, Wang Qiwu's face showed growing confusion: "If so, I fear the effect will still be minimal. For the sake of seizing the throne, a man like Ma Xi'e will hardly heed the court's will!"

At this, a hint of cunning gleamed in Liu Chengyou's eyes: "If Ma Xiguang gains the court's firm support, and Ma Xi'e wishes to resist the several prefectures of Hunan with just one prefecture, he would surely find himself isolated. If he wants to oppose Ma Xiguang, what would he do?"

"Seek external aid!" Wang Qiwu caught on, then considered carefully: "Among the forces surrounding Hunan, the only ones with the strength to intervene are the Meng Shu and the false Tang! But the only one truly capable of dispatching troops is probably the false Tang!"

At this point, Wang Qiwu's eyes seemed to light up as well.

Liu Chengyou was very satisfied with Wang Qiwu's quick wit, and said leisurely: "Back when Gao Conghui was at odds with our court, he submitted as a vassal and sought aid from Jinling, and Li Jing accepted him. When the Wang clan of Min fell into internal strife, the false Tang also sent out a great army to destroy Min. If the Ma Chu's internal strife continues unabated, and Ma Xi'e also submits as a vassal and pleads to Jinling — will Li Jing's heart be moved?"

Wang Qiwu fully grasped Liu Chengyou's intent now. He weighed it privately for a moment, then answered somewhat conservatively: "Cannot be guaranteed, but if it truly comes to that point, it would rest on a single thought of the false Tang sovereign. If we were to work some influence within the false Tang's court, the outcome would be unknowable!"

"But it is worth a try!" Liu Chengyou said with a calm expression: "If the false Tang uses force in Hunan, it must divide its troops. When our court then sends troops south, we might save ourselves considerable trouble!"

Wang Qiwu nodded unconsciously, looking at Liu Chengyou sitting there calmly with a placid expression, and understood. No wonder the Son of Heaven had discussed Hunan affairs with him at such length — his original intention was to use Hunan as bait to thin out the Southern Tang's military strength. As for those perfunctory words about caring for Hunan's people, Wang Qiwu automatically ignored them.

And Liu Chengyou's idea came from scattered memories buried in his mind — that the Ma Chu's rule in Hunan seemed to have ended as a result of the Southern Tang dispatching troops.