Chapter 450: Border Report from the Northwest

After the imperial edict for the personal expedition was formally issued, the entire Northern Han court—the government, the army, and within the palace walls—tightened up once again. Liu Chengyou had chosen the eighteenth day for departure, leaving nearly ten days of leeway, both to prepare more thoroughly and to observe the situation a while longer.

Of the imperial army remaining in the Eastern Capital, the Tieqi Army's Right Wing, the Xingjie and Wujie armies still needed to guard the capital region and its surroundings, especially the Hua and Chan areas, while the Inner Palace Army and the Inner Palace Guard defended the imperial city. Accompanying Liu Chengyou south were the Fengchen Battalion, the Tieqi Army's Left Wing, the entire Longqi Army, and a naval force of over three thousand men assembled from various prefectures bordering the rivers to the north.

The imperial camp army, combining infantry, cavalry, and naval forces, totaled over twenty thousand men, plus several thousand auxiliary troops and civilian laborers, along with large quantities of weapons and supplies—a formidable force in its own right.

During the period of preparation for departure, Liu Chengyou received a piece of good news: Zhe Congruan, the Patrol Inspector of Lingqing in the northwest, reported that the Yejie tribe had submitted a formal surrender, bringing over thirty thousand people of their tribe to pledge allegiance to the Great Han.

Since last winter, the old Duke Zhe had been dispatched on campaign to suppress the rebellious Yejie, Shaniu, and other Hexi barbarian tribes. The Shaniu tribe was cleverer—after Zhe Congruan's first surprise attack, they honestly surrendered. The Yejie tribe, however, was different; they wanted to test their strength against the Great Han.

The Northern Han court, from start to finish, never pressed Zhe Congruan, allowing him full discretion in directing operations. Then early in the year, Shi Hongzhao arrived at his post in Lingzhou, recruiting warriors and reorganizing troops, joining forces with Zhe Congruan's army to strike the northwestern barbarians hard from both north and south.

Zhe Congruan was a famed general, a veteran with rich frontier experience, while Shi Hongzhao was a ruthless man with a heavy killing instinct. Facing the campaigns of these two, the rebellious barbarian tribes quickly could not hold out. The Yejie tribe especially, being the largest and strongest, was the primary target of suppression.

In fact, as early as before autumn, under the blows of Generals Zhe and Shi, the Yejie tribe had already been unable to hold out, but the Han army deliberately dragged things out until this winter before accepting their surrender.

Over nearly a year of strikes, the Han army, targeting the northwestern barbarians, had killed or captured over ten thousand barbarian riders, seized fifty thousand head of cattle and sheep, and over ten thousand horses. Basically, the Hexi barbarians' situation of "abundant cattle and sheep" no longer existed—it would take years to recover.

According to Zhe Congruan's military report, a batch of four thousand war horses was also on its way east—a tremendous treasure that delighted Liu Chengyou immensely. In the past two years, the court had reopened the horse administration in the northwest, but due to fiscal constraints and the limits of the military provinces, it had not yet achieved notable results.

Regarding the frontier report from the northwest, Liu Chengyou quickly issued his written response.

Previously, for the Shaniu tribe that had surrendered early, Liu Chengyou had established Anhua County in Qingzhou. This time, following the same method of handling the Shaniu, he ordered the surrendered Yejie tribe relocated to Weizhou, establishing Weihua County, with their chieftains and leaders appointed as officials. As for the other miscellaneous barbarians, he separately established Guihua County in Lingzhou. At the same time, he ordered each tribe to select their able-bodied men to fill the ranks of the Great Han's barbarian cavalry.

Basically, Liu Chengyou was willing to accept barbarians who sincerely surrendered—and conveniently, this came at the critical juncture of the Huainan campaign.

The northwest being pacified and the situation stabilized was absolutely good for the Great Han. The various prefectures and garrisons west of the pass could also save their supporting funds and grain, either shipping them east or using them to respond to unexpected developments—such as the Later Shu. The four prefectures of Qinfeng, Jie, and Cheng were still in Shu hands, and the Shu army could invade Guanzhong through them at any time.

Although the great victory at Jifeng Mountain in the first year of Qianyou had hurt the Shu army, three or four years had passed since then—the pain of that time had long been forgotten, and the wounds had scarred over.

I still remember that the Shu sovereign Meng Chang had accepted the Great Han's peace proposal for two reasons: on one hand, his front lines had been defeated; on the other, after more than a decade of biding his time, Meng Chang had finally disposed of all the founding ministers and arrogant generals, completely seizing control of the Later Shu.

After these past few years, the Shu state had grown increasingly stable, and Meng Chang's throne had become ever more secure. Although Meng Chang had begun to neglect court affairs somewhat, indulging in the pleasures of his harem, the Shu state's strength remained considerable. There was no guarantee he would not send troops north—especially while the Han army was heavily engaged in attacking the Southern Tang.

Additionally, the Shu sovereign Meng Chang had newly appointed a Commissioner of Military Affairs, Wang Zhaoyuan. This Commissioner Wang had been Meng Chang's childhood study companion—naturally intelligent, well-versed in military texts, and extremely favored by the Shu emperor. After becoming Commissioner of Military Affairs, he had already begun to style himself as Zhuge Wuhou, harboring ambitions to campaign north into the Central Plains. Who could say when he might actually lead the Shu army north through Qishan...

As the emperor of the Great Han, his vision of the overall situation had indeed been honed.

Therefore, even while engaged in the southeast, Liu Chengyou never neglected the enemies in the southwest and northwest. He had not even overlooked the Li family of the Dingnan Army, because the Tangut people, despite their surface submission over the years, had been making small moves every year. For instance, the Yejie and Shaniu rebellions had the Li family's shadow behind them.

Thus, not long ago, Liu Chengyou had issued an edict commending Gao Yunquan, the Military Governor of Yanzhou. Although he had found some pretexts that sounded obviously false, the real reason was that the Gao clan of Yanzhou was at odds with the Dingnan Army—their disputes had been brought to the court several times during Liu Chengyou's reign.

At the same time, Liu Chengyou sent envoys to Fuzhou to visit his father-in-law Zhe Deyi, bringing gifts from him and the young Lady Zhe.

The victory report from the northwest was good news for the Han emperor and for the Northern Han alike. Liu Chengyou ordered it copied and sent to the Eastern Capital and the Huainan front lines, to inspire the court officials, soldiers, and people.

That night, Liu Chengyou went to sleep at the Autumn Splendor Hall of the young lady, the Worthy Consort. In bed:

Gauze half veils the jade beauty fair,

Winter wind cannot bear the spring crabapple there.

Snow* flutters and flies in wanton play,

A light rider enters dreams—the sovereign's way.

Somewhat later, Liu Chengyou woke from his slumber, curled up in the bedclothes, feeling a delicate and warm touch against his skin, a faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose, with only two palace lanterns casting dim light around them.

"Your Majesty is awake?" the young Lady Zhe asked softly.

Turning his head slightly, he saw that Lady Zhe's eyes seemed bright even in the darkness of the night. Liu Chengyou asked: "How long did I sleep?"

The young lady's face was a bit cold, and she shrank back into the bedclothes, answering: "His Majesty has only been asleep for about half an hour!"

"It seems I truly am exhausted!" Liu Chengyou could not help but sigh.

In the past, after finishing, Liu Chengyou would always do some comforting, chat a little—unlike tonight, where he had lain down and unknowingly fallen asleep...

"The state is at a critical moment, with the great army in the field—His Majesty has worked hard!" The young lady's hands, trained in martial arts, gently stroked Liu Chengyou's chest, as if soothing his body and mind.

Letting out a light breath, Liu Chengyou suddenly said: "I am personally campaigning to Huainan—you will accompany me before the imperial presence!"

"Does His Majesty mean it?" Hearing this, Lady Zhe grew excited and sat straight up.

Her lovely eyes blinked as she looked down at Liu Chengyou, paying no mind to the spring scenery trembling on her body...

Clearly, the young lady Worthy Consort was quite interested in accompanying the imperial expedition.

"The sovereign's word is law!" Liu Chengyou surveyed his Worthy Consort with clear eyes, paying particular attention to the finer points.

"The weather is cold, you know!" Liu Chengyou pointed at the brocade quilt that Lady Zhe had pushed open, teasing her.

Seeing this, Lady Zhe finally shrank back into Liu Chengyou's embrace with the quilt, her skin already noticeably cold to the touch.

Having the Worthy Consort Zhe serve before the imperial carriage naturally stirred dissatisfaction among the harem ladies of the Han palace, including the Empress, the elder Lady Fu. Upon hearing the news, they all proactively petitioned Liu Chengyou, expressing willingness to accompany him at the camp. Faced with this enthusiasm, Liu Chengyou initially soothed them with kind words, but after being pestered enough, he directly tossed out a line: this is war, not an outing—what's the point of so many people going.

After those words, all was quiet.

However, just before departure, his imperial younger brother, the Prince of Huaiyang, Liu Chenghsun, also came to the palace seeking an audience. A handsome young man, his bearing carried a composed and heroic air.

With hands clasped behind his back, Liu Chengyou looked Liu Chenghsun up and down a few times as they walked together, and remarked: "I still remember, a few years ago, you were a wild young lad, mischievous and playful. Now you are pure, prudent, and modest—studious, reasonable, and wise!"

Facing Liu Chengyou's praise, Liu Chenghsun seemed a bit embarrassed and could not help scratching his head: "Second Brother, this is the first time you've praised me."

"Hm?" Liu Chengyou himself was surprised: "Is that so?"

Liu Chenghsun nodded. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou could not help but smile—he rarely smiled in front of this younger brother.

Turning to look at Liu Chenghsun, Liu Chengyou asked in a calm voice: "You came to see me in the palace—you heard of my personal expedition and couldn't sit still, could you?"

"I can't hide anything from Second Brother's eyes. I want to ask you for an assignment, to serve the state!" Liu Chenghsun said directly, not hiding his thoughts at all.

"I had intended to let you enjoy your new marriage, to keep you and your wife free from worldly matters and spend more time together." Liu Chengyou said: "But since you have this intention, and the state is at a critical juncture, how could I refuse if you're willing to do something for the Great Han!"

Liu Chenghsun was delighted to hear this and clasped his hands in salute: "Thank you for your trust, Second Brother!"

Liu Chengyou thought for a moment, then said: "Go to Guanzhong. I appoint you Governor of Jingzhao!"

Hearing this appointment, Liu Chenghsun pondered for a moment, as if considering the intent behind his imperial brother's decision.

Liu Chengyou then instructed him: "I am deploying troops in the southeast, but the Great Han still has hidden troubles—my only concerns are the southwest and northwest."

Hearing the emperor say this, Liu Chenghsun was quite sharp and immediately perked up: "Second Brother fears that the Meng Shu and the Tangut will take advantage to cause trouble, and wants me to guard Guanzhong to defend against their invasion?"

"Your ambitions are rather grand!" Liu Chengyou shook his head and said softly: "I already have arrangements for Guanzhong. Sending you there is to give you an opportunity to learn and practice. Your brother-in-law (Song Yanwo, Military Governor of Yongxing Army) has been stationed in Chang'an for many years—his character and abilities have long been trusted by me. You should learn much from him!"

"Yes!"