Chapter 364: The Prince of Yan Comes South

After all, it was winter, and the sun slipped westward with great speed. Accompanied by gusts of north wind sweeping southward, dusk gradually descended, and the northern lands were once again seized by piercing cold.

A rugged, uneven road wound its way southward—this was the official road to Yongqing. It was not wide, nor had it been maintained, making it inconvenient to travel. The road lay empty and desolate, with no travelers in sight, only clusters of tangled, withered grass swaying in the cold wind—a scene of decay and solitude.

Amid the howling north wind, a rumbling of horse hooves shattered the loneliness of the place. Sturdy hooves pounded the ground as iron shoes struck the hard-frozen earth, producing sharp, clattering sounds.

This was an elite cavalry force, numbering over a thousand riders by the look of it. Among the riders flew a banner bearing the character "Yan"—clearly, these were troops from Youzhou.

And at this moment, within the ranks of the Yan cavalry, the Prince of Yan, Zhao Kuangzan, was being escorted and protected.

As the most powerful military province in the north of the Great Han, Zhao Kuangzan still appeared young. Compared to last year, the greatest change was his thick stubble. After more than a year as the Prince of Yan, his bearing had clearly grown much stronger. His upright frame exuded a quiet, restrained confidence at all times—the empowerment that came from wielding authority over a powerful frontier province.

With an expressionless face and calm eyes gazing at the road stretching southward, Zhao Kuangzan raised his hand and was the first to slow down. Following suit, the Yan cavalry guards around him also reined in their horses. The warhorses, constrained, let out a series of neighing cries as the column came to a halt.

His sturdy mount snorted, puffing out white vapor. Zhao Kuangzan summoned the subordinate officer in charge of scouting the route and asked, "We're almost at Yongqing, aren't we?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, Yongqing is no more than ten li from here. We can reach the city walls before sunset!" the subordinate officer replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan said in an odd tone, "Well then, I suppose we're on time after all. But I wonder whether the Son of Heaven will fault me for being slow?"

Zhao Kuangzan had come because Liu Chengyou had summoned him to Yongqing for an audience. In the words of the imperial edict, it was to "jointly discuss matters of state, to demonstrate the deep bond between sovereign and minister."

In truth, when faced with the Son of Heaven's summons, Zhao Kuangzan had hesitated considerably over how to respond. Before setting out, regarding the question of whether to come or not, Zhao Kuangzan had also gathered his close subordinates, officials, and officers for discussion.

Zhao Kuangzan was inclined to obey the edict and travel south to pay homage to the sovereign, but many of his subordinate officials and officers advised against it, saying that His Highness bore the weight of Youyan's military and civil affairs—a grave responsibility—and that the Han emperor's intentions in summoning him were unclear, making it inadvisable to act rashly.

In short, they distrusted the court and harbored suspicions toward the Son of Heaven, urging Zhao Kuangzan not to lightly leave his domain and venture into "dangerous ground."

And Zhao Kuangzan, evidently influenced, had begun to lean that way. At this critical moment, a piece Liu Chengyou had placed earlier—Gao Fang, the acting Surveillance Commissioner of Lulong—stepped forward, forcefully refuting the various objections, and admonished Zhao Kuangzan, urging him not to distance himself from the Son of Heaven and the court. He even staked his life as a guarantee that traveling south would be safe.

Previously, Gao Fang had clashed with Chang Si, the Military Governor of Zhaoyi, and their conflict had grown intense. He had been suppressed and persecuted, nearly losing his life. Later, misfortune turned to blessing—thanks to the friendship he had formed with Liu Chengyou during the rise of the Han, he was remembered by the emperor and transferred out of Luzhou, promoted eastward to Youzhou.

At that time, the Prince of Yan, Zhao Yanshou, had just passed away, and the original chief administrator, Zhang Li, had died even earlier. Zhao Kuangzan had only recently succeeded to the position, and the Yan troops were in a state of chaos and instability.

Gao Fang, bearing the imperial mandate, traveled north carrying the court's authority. His role was both to oversee Youyan on behalf of the central government and, more importantly, to assist Zhao Kuangzan in suppressing the disloyal, stabilizing Lulong—this powerful northern province—for the Great Han, so that it might properly fulfill its duty as a bastion guarding the Great Han's northern frontier.

Gao Fang had always been a man of vision—far-sighted and understanding of the greater picture. Before assuming his post, he had traveled south to the Eastern Capital, where Liu Chengyou received him. The sovereign and minister talked for a full hour and a half. Only after his mission was made clear did he bow deeply and set off north by carriage.

After assuming his duties, Gao Fang actively assisted Zhao Kuangzan—repelling the Khitan externally, comforting the army and people internally—and served as a liaison between him and the court, dispelling misunderstandings and easing tensions.

Previously, during the period when Youzhou was under heavy pressure from the Liao army, the fact that it could receive support from the Han army on the southern front was due in part to Gao Fang's coordination. Of course, Gao Fang alone did not have such influence—but standing behind him was the Son of Heaven of the Great Han.

It could be said that Gao Fang played a major role in Zhao Kuangzan's rapid assumption of power over Youyan, his settling of internal disputes, and his steadily consolidating authority. Zhao Kuangzan felt gratitude toward Gao Fang. Moreover, given Gao Fang's considerable administrative abilities and moral integrity, he also felt a measure of admiration.

Thus, when Gao Fang reasoned forcefully in remonstrance, Zhao Kuangzan finally set aside his doubts and resolved to obey the edict. Of course, during this process, the opinion of another important figure in the Yan army also played a decisive role. Li Shu, the Administrative Assistant of the Lulong Military Governorship, held the same view as Gao Fang.

This man Li Shu was an old retainer who had followed Zhao Kuangzan for many years and had always been relied upon as a trusted confidant. Back when Zhao Kuangzan was still serving in the Jinchang Army (renamed Yongxing Army shortly after Liu Chengyou's accession), Li Shu had been sent into the Eastern Capital to gather intelligence and present a memorial of surrender.

With the endorsements of Gao and Li, the opinions of the officers and officials under the Zhao banner became less important. Once the decision was made, Zhao Kuangzan packed his baggage and ceremonial train and led his army south.

Even so, to guard against the unexpected, Zhao Kuangzan brought over a thousand elite cavalry on this journey south, including a contingent of "Cimian Du" soldiers—the Cimian Du, commanded by the fierce Yan general Zhao Siwan, had been deliberately nurtured by Zhao Kuangzan and had grown into the most rigorously trained and most combat-effective unit in the Yan army.

Thirty li behind this cavalry force, another five thousand Yan infantry and cavalry followed as support. In short, the Prince of Yan's journey was grand in scale—even grander in display than that of the Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou himself.

But setting out was one thing; the pace southward was not fast—indeed, somewhat sluggish. When passing through checkpoints and passes established by the Han army, he deliberately lingered for some days. He timed his arrival to coincide with the military conference at Yongqing but did not attend it upon arrival. Still, as evening approached, he finally arrived.

At this moment, reining in his horse nearby, Zhao Siwan could not help but chime in upon hearing Zhao Kuangzan's words, speaking with great bluntness: "Your Highness has traveled several hundred li through this bitter cold to come face the sovereign. In this general's view, it would not be excessive even if the Son of Heaven personally came out of the city to welcome you—how could he possibly fault Your Highness?"

Since Zhao Kuangzan had gone north to Youzhou, Zhao Siwan had grown increasingly arrogant. Hearing his wild words, Gao Fang, standing on the other side of Zhao Kuangzan, could not help but raise an eyebrow, glancing at the man with a cold, sharp gaze.

Recently, a force had gradually emerged within the Yan army, composed mainly of a number of generals and local military-merit magnate clans. Their political platform was to incite Zhao Kuangzan to declare independence, hoping thereby to play both sides and recover the lands, property, and other interests lost during the seesaw struggles between Han and Liao.

A very foolish idea, but one with considerable appeal—and Zhao Siwan was a backbone element within it. This man seemed to have a natural "anti-Han" streak in his very bones.

Gao Fang was deeply worried about this. In his heart, he had already resolved that during this audience with the sovereign, he would have a thorough exchange with the Son of Heaven regarding the situation in Youzhou. Now, hearing these words, he immediately rebuked the man without mincing words.

Before Zhao Siwan could flare up in anger, Zhao Kuangzan interjected, saying in a tone that brooked no argument: "Do not be presumptuous. As a subject, how dare you show contempt for the Son of Heaven!"

"Continue southward—we must reach Yongqing before sunset!" With that, he raised his hand and spurred his horse southward, taking the lead.