Chapter 424: Winds Rise in the South

Though the Son of Heaven felt anxious over the rising wind in the north, it did not disrupt the normal functioning of the Great Han court. On the contrary, the pressure from above actually improved the efficiency of governance considerably.

Spring plowing had basically concluded, and the Great Han's war preparations were accelerating. River channels were still being dredged, and dozens of granaries along the canal route were quietly transporting and stockpiling grain. The weapons workshops in the Eastern Capital were also running at full capacity, forging armor and arms. Private textile workshops, at the behest of the Ministry of War, had begun mass-producing shoes, robes, and bedding.

The senior generals of the two imperial army commands were also assigned special tasks. For the Hebei campaign against the Liao, only a topic was given—no restrictions on subject or literary form—but everyone named had to submit an "answer paper" to Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs Zheng Renhui. Those with insightful views could have their papers presented to the imperial desk for Liu Chengyou's personal review.

The two imperial army commands, under the leadership of their various commanders and officers, also intensified their training, especially practical combat drills. Beyond honing combat techniques, marching, camp construction, and river crossings were all included in the exercises.

The most intense activity belonged to the Jingjiang River Navy. Under Xiang Xun's command, it was divided into several flotillas drilling on the Yellow River and the Bian River. Though the hydrological conditions of the Huainan waterways differed from those of the Central Plains, Liu Chengyou's requirements for the Great Han navy were not high to begin with—merely to cover the rear.

If a great war with the Khitan truly broke out, Liu Chengyou would need to deploy the navy as well. In severing river crossings and restricting the Khitan cavalry's range of movement, the navy could achieve surprising results. Liu Chengyou's investment in the navy was made with two contingencies in mind.

And after the Emperor's stern orders and the heavy investment of manpower and resources by the relevant court agencies, the investigation and espionage directed at the Khitan situation finally yielded results.

Synthesizing intelligence from all sides, a bold judgment could be made: within the Khitan state, the contradictions between Emperor Yelu Ruan and the imperial clan and tribal nobles had already become extremely acute. Though there had been no rebellions as large as before in these two years, small disturbances were unending, and like a cyclone silently gathering, they awaited only the day of eruption.

Yelu Ruan might fall short of Liao Taizong Yelu Deguang, but he could hardly be called a mediocre ruler. Having likely sensed the undercurrents lurking within his own state, Yelu Ruan planned to use war to divert domestic contradictions, seize the opportunity to consolidate his regime, and simultaneously realize his ambition of invading the south—a scheme that killed three birds with one stone.

And Yelu Ruan's blustering declarations—that he would lead his armies south to attack the Han, avenge the shame of Luancheng, and retake Youyan, Hebei, and even the Central Plains—were nothing new; he had been making such statements for some time.

Since late autumn of last year, Yelu Ruan had sent his trusted minister who had helped him seize the throne, Southern Commissioner of Military Affairs Yelu Anbo, southward. The intensive harassment since this spring was Yelu Anbo's handiwork. This man could basically be confirmed as the vanguard sent by the Liao sovereign Yelu Ruan.

News from the north arrived one after another, and the calculations of the Northern Han court continued without cease, yielding an ever clearer understanding of the situation in the north.

Wang Pu even asserted that given the Khitan's domestic situation, without any external pressure, it would surely descend into chaos on its own—such was the vision of a strategist, perhaps.

But precisely because of this, the likelihood of a Khitan invasion of the south greatly increased. In the court hall, Wang Pu, with deep reluctance, advised Liu Chengyou that the Huainan strategy must be postponed and active preparations made for Hebei, to meet the Khitan invasion.

Even though he had long been mentally prepared, Liu Chengyou still felt tremendous reluctance as he reluctantly ordered the strategic shift. Of course, the shift in strategic direction did not affect the ongoing preparations below—it was merely a difference in emphasis.

Even so, Liu Chengyou still harbored a sliver of hope. He even rejected the proposal some officers raised of seizing the initiative with a preemptive strike. Unlike the concealed Huainan strategy, which was kept hidden and restricted to a few high-ranking officials and the Emperor's close confidants, the preparations against the Khitan were known throughout the court and the realm.

While the Northern Han was forced to attend to the north, in the south of the Great Han, storms were likewise brewing.

First, Hunan. After the false Chu king Ma Xi'e usurped the throne, aside from retaining a last shred of reason in acknowledging submission to the Southern Tang, he was complacent and puffed up with arrogance.

Nursing old grudges, he killed without restraint and indulged in wine and debauchery day and night. All military and civil affairs of Hunan were entrusted entirely to his younger brother Ma Xichong. Ma Xichong was likewise a man of shallow talent and virtue—governance and justice were in chaos, and appointments were made purely on personal favor. Troops were sent to extort wealth from the people to reward those with merit, yet the soldiers still resented the uneven distribution.

By the spring of the fourth year of Qianyou, the Langzhou officers and soldiers who had marched south with Ma Xi'e were also gradually losing their loyalty. A household slave named Xie Yanyang, handsome in appearance, was favored by Ma Xi'e, who allowed him to sit mixed among his wives and concubines. At palace banquets, this man was seated above the military commanders, and all the generals considered it a disgrace.

Ma Xi'e also treated his old subordinates shabbily. When attacking Changsha last year, a great fire had damaged the royal palace, and Ma Xi'e ordered Langzhou's Jingjiang Commander Wang Kui and Deputy Commander Zhou Xingfeng to lead over a thousand of their troops to repair it. The labor was grueling, yet no rewards were given. Thus resentment festered among the officers and soldiers, and morale wavered.

A state on the verge of ruin teems with chaos. The Ma brothers had held the land of Hunan for barely four months, yet they had already lost both the loyalty of the army and the hearts of the people.

On ren'shen day (the eleventh) of the third month, Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng led their officers and troops, bearing weapons and arms, and fled back to Langzhou. Ma Xi'e only learned of it after waking from a drunken stupor, and immediately sent Commander Tang Shizhu with over a thousand soldiers in pursuit. They were ambushed and routed by Wang and Zhou, and Tang barely escaped with his life.

After occupying Langzhou, Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng installed Ma Guanghui, a scion of the Ma bloodline, as Military Governor, then sent men north to contact Li Prefecture, requesting to submit as vassals to the Northern Han. Defense Commissioner Cao Yin reported the matter to the Eastern Capital, and Liu Chengyou issued an edict of approval.

With the defection of Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng, the fragile "tranquility" of the Hunan situation was declared at an end.

Faced with such a perilous situation, Ma Xi'e was essentially slow to react and sluggish in response. Compared to raising troops in rebellion to seize the throne, governing the state and handling complex situations was truly asking too much of him.

With subordinates rebelling, seizing his old stronghold, and suffering a small defeat, Ma Xi'e was at his wit's end. He actually chose to appeal to the Southern Tang, hoping Li Jing could help resolve the rebellion. Of course, Ma Xi'e was not entirely that stupid—it was simply that his control over the Changsha Chu army had already weakened to a dangerous point. If he forcibly dispatched troops, they would likely turn their spears against him before even reaching Langzhou.

What Ma Xi'e did not know was that the Southern Tang he looked to for help was already sharpening its knives for the land of Hunan. His envoy Liu Guangfu, sent to Jinling to present tribute, had long since sold out the true situation of both Ma Xi'e and Hunan, and was vigorously urging the Tang sovereign Li Jing to send troops to take Hunan.

The Southern Tang court's plan to annex Hunan had formally entered the implementation stage. Since late spring, large quantities of grain, pay, weapons, and equipment had been transported westward and southward, stockpiled at E Prefecture and Hong Prefecture. Troops were likewise secretly mobilized and stationed at the two prefectures.

In the north, the veteran general He Jingzhu was appointed Military Governor of Wuchang, stationed at E Prefecture; in the south, Battalion Chief Inspector Bian Hao was appointed Prefect of Xin Prefecture, stationed at Yuan Prefecture. The intent was clear—advance on two fronts, north and south, secretly plotting to take the territory.