Chapter 423: Liu Chengyou's Resolve and Doubts

Li Shaoyou and Wang Jingchong arrived at the gates of Chongzheng Hall one after another upon summons, just as Wei Renpu and the others filed out with solemn expressions, and both felt a knot tighten in their hearts.

Though the relationship between the two had deteriorated beyond repair, Wang Jingchong still cupped his hands and greeted with a smiling face: "Duke Shouyang has also come on imperial summons?"

Li Shaoyou let out a cold snort, not even deigning to look Wang Jingchong in the eye, and strode into the hall first. Wang Jingchong was left behind, his smile still like a spring breeze, but his gaze was unmistakably cold and sinister.

After a few steps, Li Shaoyou suddenly turned back, and to everyone's surprise, put on a smiling face, gesturing with his hand, cheerfully: "Lord Ren is advanced in years, please go first. His Majesty has summoned us—there must be important matters, and we must not keep the sovereign waiting!"

Li Shaoyou had indeed become increasingly unpredictable of late, so much so that even Wang Jingchong found him hard to fathom. The strange feeling in his heart quickly faded, and Wang Jingchong's old face nearly wrinkled into a chrysanthemum with smiles.

During this period, the Wude Office had undergone a fierce internal struggle, and through continuous infighting, gradually completed its self-purification. Many of the subordinates Li Shaoyou had promoted—the chiefs, the attendants, the intelligence officers—had been purged in great numbers, and Wang Jingchong naturally could not escape either. Under the same set of rules, who could out-blacken whom, and who could out-whiten whom?

Wang Jingchong's losses were even greater, for his style of conduct was far more unscrupulous than Li Shaoyou's, and his men were caught by their handles and crushed to death, almost none escaping. The fierce conflict gave the Wude Office a thorough rectification of its atmosphere, and even spread to the guard soldiers of the two Wude battalions.

It was only when Liu Chengyou saw that things had gone far enough that he issued an edict to cool things down in the Wude Office, summoning Li Shaoyou and Wang Jingchong to the palace and sternly rebuking them, and only then did the storm come to an end.

And in this storm, Wang Jingchong once again understood a profound truth: Li Shaoyou was not easy to deal with, precisely because of his background. Originally, he had thought that by seizing on Li Shaoyou's oversights, he could topple him, or at the very least have him transferred out of the Wude Office—after all, in Wang Jingchong's view, the Son of Heaven was not one to care about relatives; the examples of the imperial uncle and the empress's brother being disciplined were right there before him.

But the final result left Wang Jingchong deeply disappointed. Having learned his lesson, Wang Jingchong promptly changed his strategy, avoiding direct confrontation with Li Shaoyou and instead currying favor with the Emperor and actively handling affairs, in order to win back the trust he had lost with Liu Chengyou in this storm.

Wang Jingchong was a man of very high political sensitivity.

Before the imperial presence, Li Shaoyou and Wang Jingchong simultaneously resumed their respectful and obedient demeanor, listening quietly to the imperial instruction.

Liu Chengyou did not waste words with them, dismissing the two with a single sentence: "Next, select the ablest intelligence officers and spies from among the Wude Office's subordinates. By whatever means necessary, go north for me and spare no effort in spying on the Khitan's movements, watching for any unusual activity."

"Yes!" Facing the Emperor's deathly order, Li and Wang did not dare say more, only resolutely accepting the command.

The sun set in the west, and the last rays of the setting sun filtered through the lattice windows of the great hall, shining upon Liu Chengyou, his shadow cast upon the map that gleamed with a faint glow.

"Your Majesty, you have been standing for over an hour—please rest for a while!" Zhang Dejun stepped forward and advised in a low voice.

Liu Chengyou raised his hand and rubbed his sore, tired eyes, only then feeling the strain on his legs, for he had stood too long. He had a folding chair brought over, sat down, and asked Wang Zhu, who was attending in the hall: "Wang Zhu, you heard the discussion in the hall just now. In your opinion, if the Khitan were to launch a major campaign, what time would they choose?"

Liu Chengyou was simply making conversation. Upon the question, Wang Zhu showed a look of embarrassment and said: "Your Majesty, your servant is but a mere scholar, unversed in warfare, ignorant of military matters, and dare not speak recklessly. However, the histories record that when the barbarian hordes invade south, they mostly choose the time when autumn is high and horses are fat—at that time, the Central Plains is just at the autumn harvest of wheat, ready to supply their provisions!"

"But this time, the Khitan bandit cavalry took advantage of our spring plowing to plunder our people and ruin our fields—what is the reason for that?" Liu Chengyou pressed on.

Wang Zhu pondered for a while, then shook his head and answered honestly: "Forgive your servant's dullness. Though I know the barbarian horde must have designs, I truly do not know what lies within."

To know is to know, and not to know is not to know—Wang Zhu was a man without guile, simple in nature, and in his daily conduct displayed the bearing of a gentleman.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou said: "The Khitan's move may be to adopt a summer offensive, but if they intend to move troops in the high autumn, then their designs are even greater. Ruining our spring plowing means they want our harvest in northern Hebei to fail. If battle comes at that time..."

Liu Chengyou's speculation startled Wang Zhu greatly, and he said indignantly: "The Khitan—can their hearts really be so treacherous?"

Liu Chengyou muttered coldly: "I hear that Yelu Ruan delights in Han culture, studies our Han institutions, and employs our Han people. Such an enemy is far more difficult to deal with than the ordinary barbarian horde. In war, provisions are the foremost concern. If the northern raiders persist in a strategy of spring attacks and autumn plundering, it will surely be a great scourge to our dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, is there no way to curb the Khitan's ambition?" At this moment, Wang Zhu behaved like a hot-headed youth, burning with anger, unable to calm his indignation.

Liu Chengyou raised his head to gaze at the map that was nearly etched into his mind, his eyes shifting from calm to gradually sharp. He suddenly rose, clenched his fist, and with an aura of dominance said: "A few years seem to have made the Khitan forget the lesson of the Battle of Luancheng! If the Khitan truly dares to march south in force, even if I must postpone the Huainan campaign, even if I must fight Hebei to ruin, I will personally lead the infantry and cavalry in full force to meet them with a crushing blow—to hurt them, to hurt them to the marrow of their bones."

"Your Majesty's bold spirit—your servant bows in admiration!" Wang Zhu was moved, excitement appearing on his face.

Because of the Khitan's unusual movements, Liu Chengyou was already constructing a grand strategic blueprint in his mind. If the Khitan moved a great army south, he would make all of Hebei the battlefield, lure them deep into the heart of Hebei, use Yedu as the base, and Chan, Hua, Pu, and Bo prefectures as anchor points, gathering an army of two hundred thousand cavalry and infantry for an early strategic decisive battle. To solve the Khitan threat once and for all, or at least to avoid the predicament of being attacked from front and rear during his unification process.

Of course, this was only an immature conception of Liu Chengyou's, a notion forced out by his deep sense of the Khitan's enormous threat to his "south first, north later" strategy. Even if it could be carried out, using all of Hebei as bait—not to mention the outcome of the decisive battle—would be a tremendous injury to the Great Han in its state of revival, and would seriously delay his progress in conquering the various states.

But still, as the saying goes, how the situation develops and changes, and how the Northern Han should respond, ultimately depends on the Khitan's actions.

Beneath the map of the Great Han, Liu Chengyou remained until evening—the clearer his mind became, the more vexed his mood grew instead.

He walked to the front of the hall, letting the gentle night breeze blow over him, gazing into the distance at the star-studded night sky, so high and serene. On his face was a trace of confusion and bewilderment.

Liu Chengyou was pondering how Guo Rong had managed to avoid being attacked from front and rear when he swallowed up the Southern Tang. One must know that what Shizong of the Later Zhou faced, besides the threat of the Khitan holding the Yanyun region hanging like a sword over his neck, was also the "Northern Han" occupying Hedong.

As for the "Northern Han," Liu Chengyou could figure it out—the Battle of Gaoping had nearly broken the backbone of the "Northern Han," extinguishing the ambitions of Liu Chong and his son. Without the Khitan moving troops, facing the Later Zhou of that time, they could only adopt a defensive posture, not even daring to make major moves in harassment.

The question was the Khitan side—why, in the process of Guo Rong's massive conquest of Huainan, did they remain motionless and allow him to swallow up those fourteen prefectures north of the Yangtze with their million households? Guo Rong's campaign against Huainan was fought in three expeditions, with bitter fighting spanning several years...

Was something wrong with the Khitan? Or was there some other reason?

Liu Chengyou's heart was filled with deep confusion. Of course, if his reading were a bit broader, he might have resolved his doubts.

When Guo Rong marched south, the Khitan was already under the reign of the Sleeping King Yelu Jing.