Chapter 433: The Fire God Marsh Rebellion

"Your Majesty, the Right Pishi Army Xiangwen Wuzhi requests an audience!" A palace eunuch entered the tent and reported in a low voice, being very careful, knowing that the Emperor had been in a bad mood lately.

Hearing that Yelu Wuzhi sought an audience, Yelu Ruan's brows immediately furrowed, a trace of displeasure flashing across his expression. As a meritorious minister and one of the few exceptionally capable men among the Khitan nobles, Yelu Ruan still held Yelu Wuzhi in considerable regard.

But lately, he had grown increasingly dissatisfied with Yelu Wuzhi, because the man opposed some of his policies, especially the decision to campaign south. Had it not been for his loyalty and considerable talent, he would never have kept him by his side, nor entrusted him with command of the Right Pishi Army.

He was inclined to refuse the audience, but in the end, the man was the commanding general of the Imperial Tent's personal guard, assisting in military and political affairs—it would not do to refuse.

Yet when Yelu Wuzhi entered the inner tent, sure enough, after performing the rites, the first words out of his mouth were exactly what Yelu Ruan did not want to hear: "Your Majesty, as I made my inspection rounds, I observed that the soldiers of the various tribes are restless in spirit and full of complaints. On the eve of facing the enemy, this is not an auspicious sign. I beg Your Majesty to be vigilant!"

Though he had not opposed it as bluntly as before, the meaning behind his words was nonetheless irritating to hear.

He wanted to rebuke him, but as a wise sovereign who should practice the virtue of listening to all sides, Yelu Ruan suppressed his displeasure and said flatly: "That the troops harbor grievances, I know well in my heart. Ordinary soldiers have only brute force, no understanding of strategy, no knowledge of affairs of state. Toward them, appeasement is all that is needed. Once they enter Han territory, take cities, plunder goods, seize slaves, and claim women—once they see all the benefits before them, the resentment in their hearts will naturally fade. I have already sent men to proclaim to all the armies that the Great Han's harvest this year is abundant, perfectly suited for them to gallop across and plunder to their hearts' content..."

Tempting with profit—no matter where, it was always the most direct and effective means, but timing also mattered.

Seeing Yelu Ruan's air of having everything under control, Yelu Wuzhi opened his mouth and added: "This campaign has been slow and delayed, long since losing the element of surprise. The Han state has already prepared its defenses. According to intelligence from the south, in the Younan region alone, they have built several formidable passes and several hundred fortresses, stationing tens of thousands of troops."

"The Southern Commissioner of Military Affairs' two large-scale harassing raids in spring and autumn, though they yielded considerable gains, also cost us no small losses—over five thousand soldiers in total, fallen to the Han army. This time, the Han army, and even Zhao Kuangzan's Yan army, fight with a resolve far surpassing anything before. From this it is clear that the Han army must not be underestimated. Once the two armies clash, it will surely be a bloody, bitter battle. Your Majesty must be cautious!"

Having heard Yelu Wuzhi's words, Yelu Ruan immediately rebutted: "When I harassed the Han during their spring planting and autumn harvest, I made a great commotion—that the Han would be on guard was already within my expectations. Naturally, I will not be careless or underestimate the Han army. But they are primarily infantry; though their formations are formidable, their tactics are rigid. On the plains, every stretch is ground for my iron cavalry to gallop."

"Those fortresses and strong cities the Han have built—I will not waste effort storming them. If the Han army cowers within them, that suits me even better; they are no cause for concern. As for the Han army's will to resist and fighting spirit, in my view, it only takes routing them a few times to wear it down. When it comes to ferocity and valor in battle, can my Great Liao's tiger warriors possibly be weaker than the Han?"

Thus Yelu Ruan, point by point, rebutted the concerns Yelu Wuzhi had raised.

Yelu Wuzhi felt the Emperor was overconfident, but seeing his demeanor, he did not speak his mind openly.

After thinking for a moment, he raised his hands in a bow and said solemnly: "Since the situation of the southern campaign is already fully within Your Majesty's grasp, I can only devote my full effort to assisting Your Majesty!"

At these words, Yelu Ruan's expression finally improved considerably, and he was likely thinking: This is what you ought to think, what you ought to do!

But then Yelu Wuzhi shifted his tone and reminded him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Taining, Yelu Chage, harbors impure intentions—I fear he has other designs. Your Majesty, mindful of his merits, is unwilling to kill him, and that is one thing—but how can you still let him command troops and pacify the soldiers? If you are not prepared, an unforeseen rebellion may arise! Your Majesty must be on guard!"

After this earnest plea, Yelu Ruan's face showed barely suppressed anger. He flicked his imperial robe and said with extreme impatience: "This same rhetoric again! As a high minister, instead of attending to military and political affairs, you repeatedly slander imperial kinsmen and fellow officials before me—what is your intention? Chage's loyalty was known to me long ago, when he upheld righteousness over family and exposed his own father."

"When I first took the throne, Chage also supported me and rendered great service. I know that because you once uncovered his father's rebellion, you fear Chage regards you as an enemy, hence this concern. But on this matter, I have already tolerated you again and again. If you utter such slander before me once more, even with your talents, I will not abide it! Withdraw!"

The Prince of Taining, Yelu Chage, was the son of Yelu Anduan, younger brother of the Liao founder Yelu Abaoji. Two years prior, Anduan had plotted rebellion, which Yelu Wuzhi detected and reported to Yelu Ruan. Yelu Chage then seized the opportunity to denounce his own father—far from being implicated, he instead gained further trust from Yelu Ruan.

Seeing the Emperor's attitude, Yelu Wuzhi truly felt a sense of helplessness. A son who does not love his own father—how can he be loyal to his sovereign? Your Majesty, you pride yourself on being well-versed in Han classics—how can you not understand such a simple principle?

However many loyal words he still held in his heart, Yelu Wuzhi had no intention of speaking them now. He lowered his head and pondered for a while, then clasped his hands and said: "I understand! But the morale of the various tribal troops is unstable and must not be taken lightly. To guard against the unexpected, I request permission to oversee the armies!"

"Mm!" Seeing this, Yelu Ruan also thought for a moment, then nodded in approval: "With Wuzhi overseeing the army, I can rest easy!"

"In that case, tonight at the imperial banquet, let us celebrate together as sovereign and minister—drink plenty!" His expression finally softened, and patting Yelu Wuzhi's arm, Yelu Ruan said.

Walking slowly out of the imperial tent, passing by the preparations being made, Yelu Wuzhi's anxiety only grew rather than diminished, and he could not help shaking his head. Standing before the tent, amid the forest of armor, gazing up at the vast and distant sky, his mood found no relief—instead he felt as if an invisible rope were binding his heart, so oppressive.

In the current situation, instead of letting the generals soothe the soldiers, they were holding a banquet. Such an approach would likely not only fail to inspire, but would further encourage the troops' complacency.

By evening, within the imperial tent, there was a great clamor, the atmosphere whipped up to a fever pitch. Before fine wine, most of the Khitan noble generals' bodies were quite honest.

Only a few—such as the Prince of Taining, Yelu Chage, who merely wet his lips; such as Yelu Wuzhi, who drank as if it were bitter water; such as the Prince of Shou'an, Yelu Jing, who was distracted—behaved otherwise.

At the seat of honor, Emperor Yelu Ruan sat cross-legged, flushed from drink, saying with great bravado: "Tonight, all generals, drink to your hearts' content! But once our great army passes through the passes and sweeps through Han territory, we must strictly observe military discipline and fight with full focus!"

"Yes!"

And Yelu Ruan, with women on both arms—on this journey, he had brought both his empresses along. That's right, the Liao Emperor Yelu Ruan had two empresses, one of whom was even a Han woman, Lady Zhen.

Lady Zhen had originally been but a maidservant in the Daliang palace, of humble status, but dignified, elegant, and quite beautiful. When she had entered Kaifeng with Yelu Deguang that year, Yelu Ruan had taken a liking to her at first sight, feeling that she was exactly the image of what he imagined a refined Central Plains lady should be.

Though she was somewhat older, as the saying goes—a woman of a certain age, her charm remained—Yelu Ruan was greatly attracted. Later, when he returned north, he brought this woman, more than ten years his senior, back to the Khitan. After seizing the throne, disregarding the nobles' opposition, he made her empress, and the two even had an imperial prince together.

Yelu Ruan certainly doted on Lady Zhen, but making her empress was also, in a way, a confrontation with the Khitan nobles who refused to obey his accelerated reforms. At this moment in the imperial tent, Yelu Ruan was also visibly favoring the Han woman over the Liao empress.

This imperial banquet lasted a considerable time. In the end, aside from a scant few, most of the army's senior generals were drunk. And Yelu Ruan, the Emperor himself, was dead to the world, helped to bed by Empress Zhen.

And in the dead of night, in a camp tent three li from the imperial tent, a group of Khitan nobles was secretly gathering. Generally, such clandestine meetings plot nothing good—but they are always matters of great import.

At the head was none other than the Prince of Taining, Yelu Chage, whom the Khitan Emperor Yelu Ruan relied upon as a loyal minister, along with several noble generals and tribal chieftains.

Yelu Chage did not wear a fierce expression; his full battle armor gleamed with cold light, but under the dim lamp, his bearded face revealed a somewhat incongruous sinister cast.

Looking around the circle, Yelu Chage, his breath still carrying a hint of wine, wasted no words and said directly: "We are about to pass through the passes. Once we enter a state of combat with the Han army, it will be inconvenient for us to act! The Emperor cares nothing for the lives of soldiers and tribesmen, insisting on this southern campaign. We shall remonstrate with all our strength to turn the nation's course—tonight!"

"Isn't it too hasty?" Someone expressed hesitation.

Yelu Chage immediately glared, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, frightening the man: "Today, that Wuzhi again spoke slander about this prince before the Emperor. If we delay any longer, we will all be in mortal danger!"

"This prince has already scouted it out—the Emperor is dead drunk, and most of the army's generals are likewise drunk and cannot command troops. We don't need many men; we only need to concentrate five thousand elite warriors, launch a surprise attack on the imperial camp, seize the imperial tent, and take the Emperor directly. The Pishi Army can be controlled, and the great deed accomplished. Afterward, we proclaim to the entire army that the southern campaign is halted—we will surely win the support of the soldiers of all tribes."

"The only one we must guard against is Wuzhi. When the time comes, dispatch a detachment to attack his camp and cut him down!"

"Success or failure lies in this very night. After tonight, this Great Liao will be ours to rule!" Finally, Yelu Chage no longer concealed his ambition, a fervent gleam surging in his eyes.

Until midnight, in the central zone of the Khitan encampment, torches suddenly blazed and killing cries abruptly rose—it was the rebels making their move, charging straight for the imperial camp. Though the guards of the imperial camp were Pishi Army elites, lacking command and caught by surprise, they were broken through by the rebels, who then charged directly at the imperial tent.

At the same time the imperial camp was attacked, Yelu Wuzhi's camp was also struck. But Yelu Wuzhi slept lightly; he was startled awake at once, seized his blade, and rose to investigate. In truth, there was no need to investigate—stepping out of the tent and seeing the flames and hearing the killing cries from the direction of the imperial camp, he understood at once.

His expression was extraordinarily grave, his eyes full of anxiety—the thing he had long feared had finally come to pass.

Seeing the rebels attacking his own camp, anger rose in his heart. He immediately ordered his subordinates to muster the Pishi Army that Yelu Ruan had placed under his command, and personally led men in a counterattack to annihilate them. With the Pishi Army's fighting power, that band of rebels was quickly routed.

Then, without pause, he led his troops straight for the imperial camp, intending to rescue the Emperor. But along the way, he saw swaths of Liao camps thrown into chaos by the killing cries and flames, the disorder spreading rapidly. Given the army's prior condition—morale already unstable and many generals drunk—if it were not suppressed, a full-scale camp mutiny would erupt, with consequences utterly unimaginable.

Cursing those villains who had stirred up chaos without regard for the greater situation, Yelu Wuzhi forced himself to calm down and think of a solution.

Amid the rebel troops and the sudden chaos of mutinous soldiers, nearly treading on the corpses of his own men, Yelu Wuzhi led his force toward the imperial camp to rescue the Emperor. By chance, he encountered the Prince of Shou'an, Yelu Jing, who had gathered his troops into formation to defend himself amid the disorder.

Yelu Wuzhi finally hit upon an emergency measure. He believed that only a small minority had actually rebelled—the fear was that the rest would be swept along. He dispatched several waves of riders to proclaim to each camp that mutinous soldiers had arisen, that the Emperor had already dispatched troops to suppress them, and that all who were not rebels should remove their helmets and form defensive formations—otherwise, the pacification forces would kill without mercy.

This method, though unable to quell the already-rioting troops, was effective for those armies stationed far from the imperial camp. And just as Yelu Wuzhi had guessed, those who truly wanted to rebel were, in the end, not so many.

While stabilizing the overall situation on one hand, he sent troops to forcefully break through the rebels to rescue the Emperor. Once the outer perimeter was somewhat stabilized, Yelu Wuzhi, together with the Prince of Shou'an, Yelu Jing, led troops to reinforce the imperial camp.

The several thousand personal guards watching over the imperial tent ultimately scattered, unable to react in time. Several hundred armored loyalists fought to the death in defense, but outnumbered, they were slaughtered by the rebels.

By the time Yelu Wuzhi arrived, the imperial camp had been completely occupied by the rebels, who had also swept up several thousand soldiers and were besieging the relief forces he had sent. And Yelu Chage had already raised the banner of Emperor Yelu Ruan, beginning to send men to win over other armies.

Seeing the rebel traitors about to turn right and wrong on their heads, Yelu Wuzhi was beside himself with rage. He immediately joined Yelu Jing in leading troops to attack, smashing their treacherous scheme.

On this autumn night, the Khitan imperial camp was lit up as if it were day, as the two sides fought a bitter, brutal engagement. It was not until dawn that the fighting finally subsided.