Chapter 363: The Yongqing Military Conference

The place where the imperial camp was lodged was called Yongqing, a small city in the north-central part of Hebei. Named Yongqing, it carried the hope that the borderlands would be forever peaceful, but since the late Tang, the Central Plains had been in turmoil and the northern barbarians rampant—how could this frontier land ever attain lasting peace?

A city on the plain, flat and open with no natural defenses to rely on, it was currently the northernmost point of the Great Han Empire's actual control in Hebei. To the south lay the Juma River, and to the north were the lands of Youzhou and Zhuozhou.

When Liu Chengyou had first traveled south from Hebei to the Eastern Capital, he had made certain arrangements for military defense on the northern frontier, setting down an agreement that the Han army would not cross the Southern Yi River. However, over the course of more than two years, as the commanders and officials of each prefecture continuously improved their defense zones, and with the court's redeployments and adjustments, they had crossed not only the Southern Yi River but even the Juma River.

On the Yingzhou side, the original garrison Army Commander had been Murong Yanzhao. During the process of shifting the defense line northward, he had established his banner at Bashui and fortified the pass at Yijin as the final point. Later, however, Murong Yanzhao was transferred to the Eastern Capital to command the imperial army, and Ma Quanyi took over his post.

As a general who had followed the Emperor from the very beginning, he was deeply valued. Ma Quanyi, feeling gratitude for this kindness and bearing the trust placed in him, directly moved his garrison north to Yongqing upon assuming his post.

Originally, since there were no natural defenses to rely on, the generals accompanying the Emperor all urged Liu Chengyou not to venture into dangerous ground again, given how far he was from the capital and how long the journey had been, to guard against unforeseen events. Liu Chengyou gave some consideration to his ministers' remonstrances, but ultimately decided to go north to Yongqing. His words were grand and resolute—he intended to personally inspect the frontier to comfort the hearts of the garrison soldiers.

In truth, Yongqing was indeed far away, but as for danger, it was not so severe as all that—otherwise, Liu Chengyou would not have hesitated. Still, as the Son of Heaven, unable to sit at the center of power to stabilize the realm, being so far from the capital was never entirely secure, especially given that the Great Han was currently at relative peace within but unsettled on all borders.

On this point, Liu Chengyou had privately given much thought, and when he pondered deeply, cold sweat would break out from time to time. Though he had made some preparations before leaving the capital, he could not help but worry that some unforeseen incident might arise.

Liu Chengyou had also made a decision in his heart: after this northern inspection tour, he had no plans to leave the capital for another tour in the near future. By the time he reached Yongqing, his heart was already turning homeward.

In Yongqing County, inspecting the defenses and garrison troops was an inevitable matter. The spectacle was naturally quite good—Liu Chengyou received a warm welcome from the soldiers stationed there, with cries of "Long live" unceasing and declarations of loyalty without end.

Liu Chengyou also personally stepped down to converse with the lower-ranking officers and officials, and delivered an impassioned educational speech in the drill ground about loyalty to the sovereign, love of country, and achieving merit and distinction. Of course, those inspiring speech drafts were all written by Wang Qiwu on his behalf.

At the imperial residence, a dozen or so generals filed out from amidst the strict guards, their expressions varied but all carrying a hint of joy. These men were all the cornerstone Army Commanders of the Great Han's defense line in Hebei, the principal garrison commanders, summoned by imperial decree to attend the "Yongqing Military Conference."

At this time, if the northern bandits caught wind of this and launched a large-scale southern invasion, it would certainly cause no small trouble for the border defenses.

The main theme of the Yongqing Military Conference was naturally to make adjustments in response to the changes in the northern situation over the past two years. Having traveled to the northern frontier, Liu Chengyou had already made arrangements for each city in advance.

Though this military conference was nominally a discussion meeting about northern border defense preparations, an even greater portion of it was Liu Chengyou's consolation, commendation, and promotion of the garrison generals and Army Commanders. The Han Emperor had come bearing full goodwill and favor. After a heartfelt discussion, sovereign and ministers were all pleased—regardless of how much awe the border generals actually held for the young Son of Heaven from the north, at least on the surface, all was harmony and joy.

On this visit, Liu Chengyou had dismissed many officials and removed many from their posts, but most were local civil administrators. Toward the military, his attitude was clearly much more lenient.

It was past noon, the snow had stopped, the wind had somewhat died down, and the sun shifting westward released a somewhat pale light, adding a touch of warmth to this bleak and cold northern land.

Standing in the corridor, accompanied by Zhao Kuangyin, Zhang Dejun looked at this group of border generals with a very kind demeanor: "Gentlemen, Governors, and Generals, His Majesty has instructed that you may rest at the guest lodge to the left of the camp, to relieve the fatigue of travel and discussion. Later this evening, His Majesty will host a banquet within the imperial residence."

Zhang Dejun's words pleased the generals greatly, and their bearing became even more relaxed. Clearly, this trip to Yongqing had been a good experience—the Son of Heaven truly cared about and valued them.

They were all garrison generals along the Youzhou and Ji Province line, each bearing responsibility for coordinated defense. Facing constant harassment from Khitan southern raids, they could not avoid coordinated operations to protect their territory and defend the border, so they naturally had frequent dealings with one another in peacetime.

A group of brave men and bold generals called out to those they knew well and headed off together, their voices carrying a faint undertone of relaxation.

Unlike the others, Li Yun walked alone at a slow pace, when suddenly a congratulatory voice carrying obvious flattery reached his ears: "Congratulations, Lord Li, on your promotion and ennoblement! With the Son of Heaven's regard for you, your future appointment as a general in the capital is well within reach!"

Coming back to his senses, Li Yun turned his head to appraise the man beside him—dark armor finely crafted, a red cloak draped over his shoulders, brimming with heroic vigor, and impossibly young. The speaker was none other than the Commander of Qizhou, Luo Yangui.

At the military conference just now before the Emperor, taking advantage of the harmonious atmosphere, Liu Chengyou had authorized the announcement of a series of border defense adjustments for the Youzhou–Ji Province line, making comprehensive plans for the garrison arrangements of the various frontier armies, accompanied by a reorganization of administrative divisions—abolishing prefectures, merging counties, and establishing new armies.

For his two years of garrison service at Taizhou (present-day Qingyuan, Hebei), Li Yun had rendered repeated meritorious service and received particular praise from the Son of Heaven. He was appointed Chief Commander of the Guangxin Army, enfeoffed as a Marquis with a fief of one hundred households, and placed in command of military affairs north of Dingzhou and west of Mozhou.

To be fair, among the old generals retained from the previous dynasty, Li Yun could be said to be "riding high on the spring breeze." Yet at this moment, facing Luo Yangui, Li Yun's flat tone could not help but reveal a hint of sourness, and he said with some reserve: "The Son of Heaven has always valued the young. General Luo, young and accomplished, is the one whose future is truly promising!"

Luo Yangui was one of the talents who had thrown in his lot with Liu Chengyou early on, a trusted minister of the Son of Heaven. Though he had not received any extravagant high office or lavish rewards at this military conference, he had been promoted to Chief Commander of the newly established Dujie Army, commanding three thousand troops to guard the Heng and Shen regions.

In terms of age, Li Yun was more than a dozen years older than Luo Yangui, yet their current circumstances showed little difference. Given his fiery and proud nature, even though Luo Yangui lowered his posture to accommodate him, Li Yun still felt uncomfortable in his heart.

Having offered a warm face only to meet a cold backside, Luo Yangui could not help but grumble inwardly. However, according to the central government's plans, the Guangxin and Dujie armies would inevitably need to cooperate in defense in the future, and since the other party was a senior, he simply endured it.

After exchanging a few pleasantries—since they could hardly become familiar with each other—Luo Yangui simply took his leave with due courtesy and quickly walked away.

Li Yun paid it no mind, merely staring somewhat listlessly ahead and to the side, where a hubbub of voices was loud. There, several border generals were clustered around an old general with graying hair and beard—the former Defense Commissioner of Yingzhou, He Fujin.

Just moments ago, the Son of Heaven Liu Chengyou had personally announced that He Fujin would serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front, responsible for coordinating military defense along the Youzhou–Ji Province line. It could be said that He Fujin would henceforth be Li Yun's direct superior—and that was the fundamental reason for Li Yun's low spirits.

In terms of seniority and reputation, Li Yun might be inferior to He Fujin, but when it came to martial valor and strategic skill, and to the achievements of the past two years, Li Yun considered himself superior. Moreover, it had been he who had taken the initiative to lead his men to defect to the Northern Han and pledge allegiance to Liu Chengyou.

Furthermore, Li Yun was younger and in his prime. When the court intended to establish the post of coordinating commander, he had harbored some expectations, but the reality did not match his hopes—the Son of Heaven had personally selected He Fujin, that old stick-in-the-mud.

He was neither a founding minister of the Han nor a close confidant, yet He was the one chosen. This result left Li Yun feeling deeply sour, and jealousy began to grow in his heart.

Unconvinced!

Up in the pavilion, Liu Chengyou stood with one hand on his hip and the other on the railing, standing silently in the winter sun, calmly surveying the courtyard below. The scene of border generals with arms around each other's shoulders, exchanging familiar pleasantries, was all in view.

With a furrowed brow and heavy expression, Liu Chengyou was also pondering the adjustments to northern defense preparations. The establishment of the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front was a decision he had made after repeated deliberation. It represented a delegation of power—and since his ascension, his sole endeavor had been two words: centralizing power.

This was the contradiction.

The nation's strategy was already set: turn south. In the coming years, the court's focus would be on the south, with no time to attend to the north. For the north, a proper arrangement and deployment was absolutely necessary.

And whether to delegate military authority was the crux of the matter, one that had made Liu Chengyou hesitate several times. After much deliberation, he ultimately decided that the necessary autonomy and decision-making power should indeed be delegated. In defending the territory and guarding the border, with the northern situation being unfavorable, the central government could not possibly exercise remote control and command with the precision of directing one's own arm.

When it came to selecting the person for this unified command, after sifting through candidates several times, He Fujin was chosen. According to the court ministers, he was a seasoned veteran of the battlefield with the talent of a commander. And based on Liu Chengyou's own judgment and examination, he too was capable of bearing this heavy responsibility.

Of course, the necessary checks and balances were not relaxed in the slightest. For instance, Li Yun's Guangxin Army, Luo Yangui's Dujie Army, plus the newly established Baoding Army under Ma Quanyi, along with the three military governorships of Chengde, Yiwu, and Henghai standing by—there was little cause for concern.

At this moment, Ma Quanyi, the newly appointed Chief Commander of the Baoding Army, stood quietly at Liu Chengyou's side, calmly and respectfully awaiting the Son of Heaven's instruction.

After a long while, Liu Chengyou turned with a somewhat stiff movement, a peaceful smile on his face, and looked at his young trusted general, speaking: "I have observed all your actions since you came north—your preparations and troop training, I have seen them all. The court's grand strategy is already set: from now on, defend in the north and campaign in the south, to expand our territory north of the Yangtze. Youzhou and the court will ultimately never hold one heart. Should the northern bandits invade southward, you at Mozhou will be the first gateway—you must do your utmost to assist Marshal He and ensure nothing goes wrong. I speak to you from my heart, placing great hopes upon you, hoping you will press forward with determination. When the day comes that our armies turn north and march out in force, I promise you the vanguard position!"

Liu Chengyou's heartfelt words stirred Ma Quanyi's emotions greatly. His eyes reddened, and he bowed with great solemnity: "Your Majesty has entrusted me with such heavy responsibility, and I am deeply grateful. I will not fail the name 'Baoding'—I will surely defend and pacify!"