Chapter 435: A Surprise Too Sudden

At the time when the Fire God Marsh Rebellion erupted and the Khitan situation underwent drastic changes, the Northern Han side had already fully completed its war preparations. Yelu Ruan's troops had already reached the passes of Youyan, so how could Liu Chengyou fall behind the enemy?

After unifying the thinking of the civil and military officials at court, a decision was made to dispatch troops to resist Liao, with the Emperor personally leading the expedition. The Eastern Capital would send a great army of fifty thousand northward to join the garrisons at Hua, Chanzhou, and Yedu, totaling another hundred thousand. Adding the troops of the various military governors, defense commissioners, and militia commissioners of Hebei, plus the garrison troops along the southern Youyan line, two hundred thousand Han soldiers—not far off the mark. Among them, the imperial army of the Eastern Capital and the northern garrison troops were all well-trained and fit for battle.

Large quantities of grain, fodder, weapons, and equipment were successively issued from the various granaries. As the Fiscal Commissioner for Hebei's land and water grain transport appointed by Liu Chengyou, Li Gu had already conscripted over a hundred thousand civilian laborers from Heng, Ji, Shen, Zhao, Bei, and Cang prefectures.

It could be said that after receiving the clear news of the Khitan army's southward march, Liu Chengyou exerted full effort to respond, mobilizing every army he could deploy.

On the main force side of the Han army, besides He Fujin, the frontier commander of the northern line, who was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Jibei Circuit field army, Liu Chengyou also appointed Chief Inspector Murong Yanzhao of the Palace Command as Chief Commander of the Left Wing of the field headquarters, Chief Commander Xiang Xun of the Jingjiang Army as Commander-in-Chief of the water route, and Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Wang Jun as Commander-in-Chief of the field headquarters. Originally, he had intended to let his father-in-law Gao Xingzhou take the field, but the old man's health had somewhat collapsed and he could no longer endure military campaigns, so the plan was abandoned.

However, his other father-in-law, Prince of Wei Fu Yanqing, was hale and hearty, and was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Hebei field headquarters, commanding the troops along the Yellow River line, and had already been ordered to dispatch a force northward ahead of the main army.

On the Eastern Capital side, the Palace Command and the Imperial Guard—fifty thousand infantry and cavalry—had already set out northward in succession under the command of their various Commanders, heading for their target locations. The imperial entourage was also about to depart, and then news from the north arrived...

Inside and outside the Eastern Capital, everything had long been dyed yellow. With late autumn at hand, an even more desolate atmosphere pervaded everywhere. The cold wind, seizing the tail end of autumn, blew freely, bending withered grass and scattering falling leaves.

Southwest of the imperial city lay the encampment of the Left Wing of the Longqi Army of the Palace Command. Several thousand soldiers, led by their various army and battalion Commanders, entered from outside the city and returned to their respective camps.

All the officers and men wore expressions of confusion. Those among them with families had already bid farewell to their loved ones, prepared their rations and weapons, and made ready for battle, having been ordered to march to Chanzhou. Yet they had barely left the city, turned northward, and gone no more than ten li when they received a military order from the Bureau of Military Affairs: each army was to return to its camp and await further orders.

After all this shuttling back and forth, everyone from top to bottom was filled with bewilderment. However, constrained by military discipline, they dared not whisper to one another or discuss privately during the march. But once back in camp, the talk began.

After several reorganizations, the Longqi Army comprised a total of four armies in two wings, left and right, with twenty battalions. Counting officers at all levels, the army's full strength exceeded ten thousand men.

As the Battalion Commander of Battalion B, First Army, Left Wing of the Longqi Army, Shi Shouxin, after arranging for his subordinates to return to their quarters, was also pondering this matter.

"Brother Shi!" In the camp, Shi Shouxin stood with his hand on his sword, silently lost in thought, when a call startled him awake.

He looked up and saw a fellow young officer walking toward him. Returning the greeting with a cupped-fist salute, he said: "Brother Han!"

The newcomer was named Han Chongyun. Though his appearance was not as upright and handsome as Shi Shouxin's, he carried his own air of valor. But like Shi Shouxin, he was one of the outstanding young officers promoted by the Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou, in recent years.

"The army went out and then came back—I wonder what the reason is?" Because they had advanced together, the two shared a natural closeness. Han Chongyun had always admired Shi Shouxin's talent and insight, so when he had a question, he asked directly.

"When troops move, a thousand in gold is spent each day. The Son of Heaven has always valued military orders. If there had been no major change, he would never have altered his commands so capriciously." Shi Shouxin glanced at Han Chongyun and pointed north: "After careful thought, I believe only a major military development in the north could have caused this!"

"I know that too!" Han Chongyun said. "The question is, what kind of development exactly?"

At the question, Shi Shouxin spread his hands and said with a light laugh: "That's not something we can know. However, I suspect it must be good news. Otherwise, the order we received would have been to hasten the march, not to return to the Eastern Capital!"

"All that running back and forth." Shi Shouxin's tone carried a hint of emotion as he spoke: "Our Longqi Army got off easy since we were the last to depart. Those armies that had already gone north—they must be having a far worse time!"

"Sigh! After all this preparation, I was already ready to go into battle and cut off a few more Khitan heads..." Han Chongyun wore an expression of someone eager to get to the battlefield.

"There will still be chances!" Shi Shouxin said with certainty: "Since the start of this year, the court has spent nearly the entire year preparing for war—sharpening weapons and feeding horses at enormous expense. It cannot possibly end without result!"

Like most of the young officers in the Eastern Capital's imperial army today, Shi Shouxin likewise craved war. He needed military merit to prove himself.

In recent years, Liu Chengyou had reformed the military system, consolidated military authority, and promoted a large number of young officers and rising stars. But there were limits—even someone as outstanding as Shi Shouxin could only sit in the position of Battalion Commander. Even so, this had drawn jealousy and exclusion from many old generals and veterans.

The Son of Heaven had summoned them several times, repeatedly encouraging them, but the core message was always the same: whether one became a general or a marshal in the future depended entirely on fighting for it on the battlefield. No merit, no reward or promotion; any fault would surely be punished. There would be no more special treatment.

It was precisely this blunt imperial intent that made the desire to render distinguished service burn even hotter in these young officers.

And it wasn't just the Longqi Army's officers and men who had been put through the wringer. As the Son of Heaven of the Great Han, Liu Chengyou had also been thoroughly worn out. All his luggage had been packed, the accompanying personnel decided, and everything was ready to head north under the escort of the Inner Palace army and the Tieqi Army.

In the Chongzheng Hall, more than ten ministers of the Secretariat-Chancellery, the State Finance Commission, and the Bureau of Military Affairs were all present, their eyes fixed intently on the messenger standing in the hall. He was a low-ranking clerk from the intelligence office of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Facing the scrutiny of the Son of Heaven and the court's high ministers in this great hall, he was clearly nervous and couldn't help swallowing.

Liu Chengyou's expression was rather solemn, but seeing the man's unease, he tried to speak in a relaxed tone: "You needn't be so nervous. Tell the assembled ministers what you discovered about the Khitan situation at Wende!"

"Yes!" As an intelligence operative who lived on the edge of a knife, his mental fortitude was still strong. He quickly composed himself and spoke in a low voice: "The Khitan commander-in-chief's great army of a hundred thousand arrived four days ago at Fire God Marsh in Wende County, former Wuzhou territory. There they performed sacrifices to heaven and to the late emperor's spirit, and swore an oath to march south. I led my subordinates, disguised, to investigate within Wende territory, but dared not approach too closely because of the Khitan roving cavalry!"

"However, that very night, sudden turmoil erupted in the Khitan camp. Even from ten li away, one could hear the sounds of slaughter and see the glow of fire. Khitan horsemen scattered across the countryside, plundering the villagers. I took a desperate gamble and captured one enemy soldier. Upon interrogation, I learned that Khitan nobles had led the rebellion."

"The next day, I continued my disguised investigation and learned that the Liao emperor Yelu Ruan had already perished, and that the Prince of Shou'an, Yelu Jing, had succeeded to the throne. Although the Khitan had sealed off the news and outsiders could hardly know the specifics of the Fire God Marsh Rebellion, it was clearly a noble rebellion with no small number of casualties. I later secretly went to view their encampment—though it had been cleaned up, the traces of fierce fighting were extremely obvious."

"At present, the Khitan army has split into several contingents of unknown whereabouts. The largest, about forty thousand cavalry, is escorting Yelu Ruan's coffin and has turned toward Tanzhou."

"Knowing this matter was of great importance, I sent word ahead and then came to the capital myself to report what I had seen and heard."

After he finished his account, the hall fell silent for a long time. Those who had already known the news, such as Wei Renpu and Zheng Renhui, managed to remain composed. Feng Dao, Fan Zhi, Li Tao, Xue Juzheng, and others, however, lost some composure. That old fox Feng Dao immediately rose and addressed Liu Chengyou with a beaming smile: "Your Majesty, for the Khitan to suddenly suffer such a great upheaval—this must be heaven's blessing upon the Great Han, heaven's blessing upon Your Majesty!"

His expression was one of uncontrollable joy, almost to the point of clapping his hands in celebration. Even Fan Zhi's perpetually stern face wore a chrysanthemum-like smile, though he still maintained his composure: "If this proves true, then it is the greatest of tidings for our dynasty!"

"However!" Fan Zhi's gaze turned exceptionally sharp as he stared at the intelligence clerk: "We must confirm that this matter is beyond doubt!"

After he spoke, Zheng Renhui rose and said: "It should not be false. There has been much news from the north as well, just not as detailed as his report. According to military dispatches, the Khitan forces in the north have all pulled back and assumed a defensive posture. And the news that the Khitan have changed emperors has already spread throughout the border regions. Even if the Khitan had some scheme, they could never fabricate something of this magnitude!"

"What Minister Zheng says is true. Reports on the northern situation will continue to arrive!" Liu Chengyou spoke, though at this moment his thoughts were inscrutable.

"Your work in the north—bold yet careful, and your reconnaissance has borne merit. Well done!" Pausing briefly, Liu Chengyou first looked at the intelligence clerk and praised him, then said to Zheng Renhui: "He should be heavily rewarded according to his merit—promoted three ranks!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" As soon as Liu Chengyou finished speaking, the intelligence officer immediately knelt down, overcome with gratitude.

Having risked so much danger, spared no effort, and raced back to the capital in person—wasn't this exactly what he had been after? After withdrawing with utmost deference, he was overjoyed. His adventure had not been in vain after all.

In the Chongzheng Hall, after the assembled ministers had digested the good news, Liu Chengyou's gaze sharpened slightly as he asked: "Now that the Khitan have undergone this drastic change, our Great Han must also adapt accordingly. The previous operational plans can be torn up and started anew! But how we should adapt must be decided as quickly as possible!"

Given the current situation, no matter how things changed, there were ultimately only two major directions, two choices. Either follow the course of the Great Han's war machine and, taking advantage of the Khitan's internal chaos, march north to attack Liao; or, following the three-year strategy, march south to attack the Southern Tang.