Chapter 45: The Same Choice

Stepping out of the inner hall, the night had already grown deep. A clear breeze swept past, rustling the bamboo and trees in the courtyard with a "swish, swish" sound—which only made the stillness before the hall feel more pronounced. Glancing at the guards along the corridor, Gao Fang let out a heavy breath of turbid air. He could not help but look back; the yellow lamplight within the hall still burned, and through the window lattice he could faintly make out Liu Chengyou's figure, seated with his head buried over the desk.

Thinking back to his conversation with Liu Chengyou just now, some complicated emotions inevitably stirred in his heart, but he quickly steadied his mind. His gaze grew clear, and the expression on his face relaxed somewhat.

Hedong's troops were strong and its horses sturdy—that was a solid fact. Liu Zhiyuan's reputation had long since spread far and wide, and as things stood now, this second prince of the new dynasty was also a dragon among men. Judging by the man, one could infer the enterprise—Hedong's chances of achieving kingly rule were very great indeed!

As his thoughts turned, a heavy tread accompanied by the grating sound of scale armor reached his ears. Turning his head, he saw Li Wanchao striding over, guided by a guard. Subconsciously glancing back toward the hall, Gao Fang felt a slight surprise inwardly, yet he already had some guess.

Li Wanchao also spotted Gao Fang at once. Without overthinking it, he stepped forward briskly and offered a salute: "Administrative Assistant Gao."

"General Li." Gao Fang revealed a warm smile toward Li Wanchao and said softly, "It seems His Highness has summoned you as well."

The two exchanged a few brief words, and then Li Wanchao was urged by the guard to enter and pay his respects.

"I have long heard of your reputation, General. You joined the army as a youth, resolute and martial, accumulating merit in battle after battle until you rose to junior officer. In the campaign against Yang Guangyuan, you led from the front, bravely scaling the city walls; a flying stone struck your head, and you nearly died. At the Battle of Yangcheng, an arrow pierced your palm—you pulled it out and fought on, your expression unchanged. General, you are a true warrior!"

Upon meeting Liu Chengyou, Li Wanchao was greeted at once with this string of praise. Sitting there, he was momentarily stunned. But he did not overthink it, and what Liu Chengyou had recounted included deeds he was proud of. A trace of reminiscence appeared on his face as he smiled and said, "Those are all old stories from years past."

Li Wanchao was now in his forties, past the peak age for a military commander, but his whole body exuded a fierce, rugged air. He had risen from the lowest ranks, blade by blade and spear by spear, through bloody courage and desperate combat.

His rise had been accompanied almost entirely by the chaos of this age of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms—he could represent most of the military commanders of this era.

"General, do not be modest. To have a loyal and brave man like you aiding us in driving out the Khitan together and upholding the state—this is the fortune of Hedong, the fortune of the realm!" Liu Chengyou's voice was soft, but his words carried weight.

Li Wanchao evidently had some self-awareness. Praised to such a degree, he felt a bit embarrassed, yet not so much that he was carried away. Moved by what he felt, he raised his hands and said solemnly to Liu Chengyou: "This humble officer offers only this body, devoting all his strength to repay the state."

After exchanging some complimentary words with Li Wanchao, Liu Chengyou fell silent, pondering for a moment before fixing his gaze on him: "I imagine you are curious, General, as to why I summoned you."

Li Wanchao nodded very readily and answered honestly: "Yes!"

Drawing in a light breath, Liu Chengyou's back and spine stiffened at once, and his expression turned cold and stern. The yellow candlelight made his eyes gleam as he said: "Someone has suggested to me that Wang Shou'en be made the commander of Luzhou. However, I have already received a detailed report on the uprising. That Luzhou was recovered is entirely your doing, General. Wang Shou'en is greedy and base. I intend to put him to death and make you the Military Governor, to pacify and hold Luzhou. What do you think?"

Having said this, Liu Chengyou stared hard at Li Wanchao.

Li Wanchao was clearly startled, but he quickly recovered and shook his head repeatedly, answering with great certainty: "Your Highness, you must not have such an intention!"

"Oh?" Liu Chengyou's body slowly relaxed again as he asked: "Why?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Li Wanchao clasped his fists and said: "This humble officer raised the standard and slew Zhao Xingqian and the Khitan envoy in response to the Son of Heaven's call and aspiration to resist the Khitan and restore the state—not for personal gain. Wang Shou'en is greedy, and his conduct is shameful, but in the end he is a man of merit. If Your Highness kills a man of merit and replaces him with this humble officer, I fear it will chill the hearts of many!"

Liu Chengyou carefully observed Li Wanchao's expression—his face was plain and honest, his feelings sincere. His words must have come from the heart.

Blinking, Liu Chengyou continued, his tone carrying a hint of temptation: "General, you had best think it over carefully. This is the position of a Military Governor of an entire command."

Unfortunately, Li Wanchao still shook his head very readily: "This humble officer has neither the prestige to command obedience nor the literary talent to govern. I am but a rough man, only good at leading troops in battle and killing enemies on the field. Even if given the post of Military Governor, I fear only that I would mismanage affairs and harm the people..."

After hearing Li Wanchao's words, Liu Chengyou could not help but feel some admiration inwardly. There were plenty of military men, but one as reasonable and righteous as this was truly rare. Liu Chengyou did not know exactly how capable this man was at leading troops in battle, but just from what he had said, he could not help but feel favorably disposed toward him.

In history, the Five Dynasties period had produced many famous generals, but Li Wanchao had no great renown among them—Liu Chengyou had never even heard of the man. Yet from what he had observed, this was a general who could be entrusted with heavy responsibility.

"General, you are a true hero!" Liu Chengyou raised his hands in a solemn salute toward Li Wanchao and praised him—this time, with a bit more feeling.

Before he could respond, Liu Chengyou stood up and said: "I intend to submit a memorial to Jinyang, appointing you as Chief Commander of the Su Rui, leading the Su Rui troops in battle alongside our army. What say you, General?"

Hearing this, Li Wanchao did not hesitate in the slightest: "I am willing to follow Your Highness's command!"

In Liu Chengyou's impression, this era was one where the bond between ruler and minister was severed, loyalty was unreliable, and betrayal was the norm. But the conduct of Gao Fang and Li Wanchao gave Liu Chengyou a bit more confidence in this age—this world still had some positive energy in it.

After the nighttime audience, it could basically be confirmed that both Gao Fang and Li Wanchao could be put to use. With the aid of these two, it was essentially impossible for any major mishap to occur in Luzhou again.

Luzhou's army was not large in numbers—in total, no more than three thousand men. Aside from the thousand-odd soldiers of the Su Rui Battalion, the rest were the command's garrison troops, previously under Wang Shou'en's unified control. Now, Liu Chengyou intended to have Gao Fang take his place.

Liu Chengyou's reasoning was also simple and direct: once he had control of Luzhou's army, everything else would cease to be a problem.

As for Wang Shou'en, even if he were memorialized as the Military Governor of Zhaoyi, he would still have to stand aside.

The next day, the prefectural city took on a new atmosphere, as if some of the previous oppression had lifted. The soldiers and civilians in the city basically all knew that Luzhou had changed masters—they were now subjects of the new dynasty. Most people expressed support for this, at least no longer having to endure the oppressive exactions of Khitan rule, even if they could not remotely comprehend the suffering endured by the people of the Central Plains.

However, under Liu Chengyou's strict orders, all of Shangdang remained under martial law—no one was permitted to enter or leave.

That very morning, Han Tong returned with all the cavalry and was directly welcomed into the city, where he reported the military situation to Liu Chengyou in person.

And Han Tong's journey southward, lasting over a day and a night, had evidently yielded some results—he brought back news of the Khitan general Geng Chongmei's army.