Chapter 420: The Jingjiang Army

West of Kaifeng, between the Bian River and the Jinshui, in a low-lying area, there was a lake. It was dug in the autumn-winter of the second year of Qianyou, on Wang Pu's orders, to serve as the Great Han's naval training ground.

The lake was over thirteen li in circumference, running north-south, with its width stretching east-west. Water was channeled from the Bian River to fill it, and a dam was built at its southern end, connecting to the Jinshui, for flood discharge and drainage. When the lake was first dug, over forty thousand soldiers and civilians were conscripted, and the work took about two months, costing thirty million cash.

The lake was newly completed and had no special name, so it was simply called "New Lake." After it was finished, Liu Chengyou allocated funds and grain to build over three hundred warships of various sizes along the Bian River, and selected able-bodied young men familiar with water from the imperial army and the prefectures of the Central Plains and northern Huainan, organizing them into a naval force. Together with troops conscripted from the northern prefectures of Jingnan, they barely managed to assemble seven thousand sailors, designated the Jingjiang Army.

As for Chief Commander of the Jingjiang Army, Liu Chengyou weighed the matter over and over, and finally transferred Xiang Xun to the post. Liu Chengyou had no choice—the north truly lacked generals skilled in naval warfare, and using an outsider directly made him uneasy, for this was a "navy" he had built at great cost.

Using Xiang Xun was a case of "a dry-land general commanding water forces," something of a forced fit, but Liu Chengyou had consulted him in person. Though somewhat reluctant, Xiang Xun gritted his teeth and accepted, vowing to train the navy into shape.

Of course, Liu Chengyou also knew he could not push too hard. To ease Xiang Xun's burden, he transferred a batch of junior officers north from the southern prefectures of Xiang, An, Ying, and Fu to assist Xiang Xun in organizing and training the navy.

Xiang Xun, having received Liu Chengyou's commission, felt the weight of his responsibility deeply. Once warships, officers and men, and funds and grain were all in place, he brought over a dozen naval officers of various backgrounds and threw himself wholeheartedly into the training of the Jingjiang Army.

As far as Liu Chengyou knew, during his time as commander of the navy, Xiang Xun acknowledged his own shortcomings, was not ashamed to ask his subordinates, and took the two Commanders from Xiangyang as his teachers, seeking their guidance. He also read widely in military texts, studied historical cases of naval warfare, summarized their lessons and experiences, and actively discussed training, formation, and engagement with his men. At the same time, Xiang Xun took the initiative to study astronomy and geography, consulting the archives for information on the nation's rivers and waterways—especially those of the Jianghuai region...

The commander set an example, and the officers and men followed suit. After more than half a year, what had been a scattered, motley rabble gradually began to take on the appearance of a proper navy.

Boat handling, formation drills, and boarding actions all looked passable. Liu Chengyou had inspected several times, and at least on the surface, it seemed so.

In late spring, the New Lake was a pleasant sight—green fields stretching to the sky, trees casting shade. The dozen or so li around the lake had all been designated imperial gardens, and a unit of iron cavalry trained and patrolled there daily, in truth to prevent anyone from spying on the navy's training.

The news of digging the lake and training a navy could not be hidden, but the navy's specific details could be concealed as much as possible. As one who planned at the court, one ought to be overthinking and over-cautious. According to reports from Jinling, the ruler and ministers of the Southern Tang, upon hearing that the Han emperor was digging a lake in Kaifeng to train a navy, paid it no mind.

Only Han Xizai submitted a memorial, urging Li Jing to be wary of the Northern Han. Unfortunately, though Li Jing trusted Han Xizai, he could hardly stomach Han Xizai's "I'm the one who's right" attitude in remonstrance. As the Great Han's "good teacher and helpful friend," Feng Yansi even mocked the matter, saying that the Son of Heaven of the Northern Han digging a lake on flat ground to train troops was a case of loving grandiosity, getting half the result with twice the effort, and nothing to fear.

Though it was dismissed with a laugh, it was not entirely without reaction. Li Jing sent Vice Minister Li Deming as an envoy to Kaifeng to discuss joint action in attacking Chu. Liu Chengyou ordered Tao Gu to entertain Li Deming well, and had him report back to Li Jing that if Tang troops entered Chu, the Han army would surely follow.

Clearly, once hooked, the Southern Tang side was even more eager than Liu Chengyou had imagined. It was now the third month, and the Tang court had already begun preparations to send troops into Chu.

The sunlight was warm, the breeze gentle, and the scenery all around was deeply comforting. This time counted as Liu Chengyou's family coming out for a spring outing. The Empress, the Noble Consort, and the Worthy Consort had all brought the imperial princes along. This time, Liu Chengyou did not forget to bring his eldest son Liu Xu, personally cared for by Empress Lady Fu.

In the distance, a camp had been set up. Amid the lush grass and singing orioles, Noble Consort Gao and Worthy Consort Zhe were flying kites, running against the wind. Especially Noble Consort Gao—amid laughter and chatter, her lovely figure trembled in a way that stirred the heart...

Liu Chengyou, however, had no time to appreciate that beautiful sight. His gaze was fixed on the New Lake, where dozens of warships of the Great Han navy were drilling in attack formation.

Under the protection of the Inner Palace guards, with Xiang Xun accompanying the imperial entourage, he rode at a light gallop along the shore of the New Lake, from south to north, moving slowly.

Regarding the navy, Liu Chengyou was basically a paper strategist. Though he could not discern much of substance, gazing from afar at the ship formations and observing the soldiers up close, their bearing was indeed moving.

"Xingmin, you have not failed my expectations. Every time I review the navy, I gain a different impression—the navy is gradually taking shape!" Liu Chengyou said to Xiang Xun, pointing into the lake at the fleet advancing with signal flags waving and shouts ringing out.

Xiang Xun was nearing forty, and less than a year of naval command seemed to have aged him by three.

Hearing Liu Chengyou's words now, he felt the Son of Heaven was being a bit optimistic. Riding on horseback, he struck directly with a dose of reality: "To be honest with Your Majesty, the New Lake is still water. It cannot compare at all to the complexity of river conditions—rapids, undercurrents, reefs, all manner of dangers that a still-water force cannot easily overcome. We are still far from being a true army!"

Hearing Xiang Xun's conservative reply, Liu Chengyou expressed appreciation for his rationality and composure: "It seems my choice of Xingmin as commander was the right one. Using a land general to command the navy, an outsider to lead insiders, was a matter of necessity—but that you can actively learn and improve is all the more rare!"

Since following Liu Chengyou, Xiang Xun had been praised often enough, but only this time, unlike his usual calm composure, he sighed and replied: "Your Majesty has placed the navy in my hands. I feel the weight of that responsibility deeply. I can only work diligently and faithfully fulfill my duty to repay Your Majesty!"

Nodding, Liu Chengyou said: "With those words of yours, Xiang Xingmin, when the day comes to campaign against Huainan, the Jingjiang Army will be more than capable!"

His eyes lit up, Xiang Xun clasped his fists and said with fervor: "Even if our army lacks combat experience, I cannot guarantee victory—but when it comes to the officers' and men's training and their will to fight, we will surely surpass the enemy!"

"Those words are stirring!" Liu Chengyou said. After a moment's thought, he instructed Xiang Xun: "From here on, the navy's training should move from the river to the open waters—galloping across the surging waves. Real combat experience may not be obtainable, but everything else that should be familiarized and drilled must not be relaxed!"

"Yes!"

Xiang Xun remarked to Liu Chengyou with feeling: "The north excels at infantry and cavalry. When it comes to naval warfare, one must look to the southern states. As far as I know, in the wars among the southern lords, a thousand warships and tens of thousands of sailors were commonplace. But in the north, since the Three Dynasties, recorded instances can be counted on one's fingers. The largest scale was during the Liang-Jin standoff along the river, when the Jin army burned the Liang ships—and even that was less like a naval engagement and more like infantry rowing boats..."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou said: "Precisely for this reason, training a navy is indispensable. Relying only on strong infantry and cavalry to campaign against Huainan is not enough. Even if we could take it, who knows what price we would pay. The false Tang has tens of thousands of sailors. If they merely move a portion to the Huai River and cut off both banks, without a navy to respond, they would certainly cause our army great trouble."

"Your Majesty speaks truly!" Xiang Xun agreed.

"And if I wish to completely pacify the southern states, I must rely all the more on the navy's strength. Training in the New Lake is just small-scale play. Once we take Jingnan, we should train in the river gorges, even build seagoing ships, and launch surprise attacks from the sea..."

Hearing the Son of Heaven's grand strategy, Xiang Xun bowed again and said with emotion: "Your Majesty's grand vision and far-reaching plans set my heart racing!"

After briefly discussing naval drills with Xiang Xun and running through some naval tactics for the Huainan campaign, Liu Chengyou was still unsatisfied but had to let him go. He had already incurred the displeasure of the harem—they had agreed to come out for a spring outing, and here he was, holding a general and discussing endlessly.

"Your Majesty, come fly a kite with me!"

The young Lady Zhe rode up beside Liu Chengyou with a smile, a string in her hand, a beautifully crafted kite already soaring high beneath the blue sky. The young Lady Zhe's horsemanship was indeed excellent—one hand on the string, one hand guiding the horse, steady as could be.

Liu Chengyou's interest was piqued. He spurred his horse to follow, galloping across the fields, and even entered a dense forest at the edge. Soon, the kite's string snapped, and it drifted down with the wind. The Son of Heaven and Lady Zhe ended up sharing a single horse. The difficulty of riding together was too great, but indulging in a bit of hand-and-foot pleasure was no problem at all.

This, of course, was hard on the accompanying guards—they had to stay fully focused on protection to prevent any mishap, yet dared not look too closely. It was quite the dilemma.

His Majesty rarely indulged in such wanton behavior, and even the open-minded Lady Zhe was thoroughly embarrassed...

When Liu Chengyou returned, satisfied, and looked at Lady Zhe curled in his arms with a lingering blush on her small face, the Empress and the Noble Consort were both rather displeased.