Chapter 459: The Uncontainable Heart of Suspicion

The imperial tour to Huainan was underway when Wei Renpu suddenly brought up this already-settled matter. Though abrupt, it was certainly not without purpose. Even through that secret memorial alone, even through Liu Chengyou's retelling, one could feel Wang Jun's arrogance and overbearing demeanor in Huainan.

Without the Xiаcai victory, the problem would not be great. But with such a major triumph that affected the entire Huainan campaign, if Wang Jun were not reined in, problems would surely arise. Wang Jun did possess talent for commanding troops, but he was not yet indispensable—he had merely been the most suitable choice after considering all factors during the period before mobilizing the army.

Wang Jun's character and conduct had not been a problem before, but after this great victory, the court had to consider that such a triumph would inflate his pride—after all, an arrogant army is always doomed to defeat. Under such circumstances, entrusting the court's main forces to Wang Jun's hands made Liu Chengyou uneasy at heart.

This was not deliberate suspicion by the emperor and the court toward frontline commanders, merely concern. Replacing the commander mid-campaign was naturally out of the question, but taking control of the frontline army had to begin. At such a time, only the emperor's personal presence could unconsciously suppress Wang Jun and smoothly reclaim command authority.

On the other hand, the emperor's personal expedition had been decided long ago, with the date already set—it was not abrupt at all. Moreover, for the current Great Han and the Son of Heaven, the grand strategy of annexing Huainan and the merit of territorial expansion should first and foremost be credited to Emperor Liu Chengyou.

"Since the personal expedition has been fully prepared, there should be no further debate. One victory at Xiаcai is not enough for the false Tang. I am defying the will of heaven to campaign against Huainan precisely because I do not intend to give them any chance to catch their breath!" Liu Chengyou said in a cold but resolute tone.

After speaking, he fell silent for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Guo Wei, a hint of anger appearing on his face: "Another matter—the Huainan forward camp has sent word that Li Chongjin and Wang Yansheng slaughtered captives by the Fei River, nearly three thousand defenseless Huainan soldiers and civilians, all put to the sword! Those two—how dare they!"

The matter of killing captives, though forbidden to be discussed in the army and covered up as much as possible, had not yet spread widely. But such affairs could never be kept completely secret, nor could they be hidden from Liu Chengyou's eyes and ears.

Liu Chengyou briefly described the situation to the two men, including Murong Yanzhao's handling of the aftermath and Wang Jun's attitude.

Upon hearing this, Guo Wei could not contain his anger and directly advised Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty, you should immediately arrest Li and Wang, throw them in prison, and interrogate them for their crimes!"

Indeed, when it came to his own nephew, "Guo Que'er's" heart seemed ruthless enough—not a trace of shielding. Of course, Guo Wei's admonition was more like a declaration of stance.

Wei Renpu, though somewhat sighing inwardly, maintained a calm demeanor throughout. He shook his head and said: "According to the military reports from Huainan, this battle badly routed the Tang army. Li and Wang led their men in courageous combat, their achievements were outstanding, and the Husheng Army's losses before and after were considerable..."

Guo Wei, rarely, interrupted Wei Renpu, interjecting sternly: "Merit is merit, fault is fault—they cannot offset each other. In these years, Your Majesty has reorganized the imperial army and strengthened military discipline, always rewarding merit and punishing fault without exception!"

"Then under what pretext would you mete out punishment?" Wei Renpu remained composed as he spoke: "If it is for the killing of captives, then this matter will inevitably spread on a large scale, further damaging our army's reputation. If it is under some other pretext, punishing newly meritorious commanders would fail to convince the troops and might wound military morale!"

Hearing Wei Renpu say this, Guo Wei wisely fell silent, then looked at Liu Chengyou, as if leaving the decision to His Majesty. Well then—the exchange between the two had already dissected the situation thoroughly enough.

"Set this matter aside for now; it will be dealt with after the war ends!" Liu Chengyou said with a sigh: "However, this precedent absolutely cannot be established! Since the end of the Tang, the Central Plains have been in chaos, heroes have risen together, and in their mutual wars, our Chinese population has sharply declined."

"Since I ascended the throne, though I have painstakingly managed affairs and developed national strength, I have been constrained by population and have never been able to surge forward. In taking Huainan, besides land and cities, what I value most is the registered households and people. Over two million souls—if I can take them all, then after some digestion and pacification, how much grain and how many soldiers can they provide my dynasty in the future? What a great boost to our national strength!"

"Three thousand captives—converted well, they would be three thousand armored soldiers; at the very least, three thousand farmers, three thousand laborers! And they were killed so easily by them, just to vent their killing lust!"

This outburst from Liu Chengyou was rare in its emotional intensity—clearly he was genuinely angry. Of course, he was not focused on humanitarian points like "killing captives brings ill fortune" or "harming heaven's harmony"; his considerations were more on population and national strength—to put it more bluntly, interests...

Guo Wei and Wei Renpu did not rashly respond, but waited for the emperor to finish venting.

They did not have to wait long. Liu Chengyou quickly steadied his emotions and said solemnly: "This matter has also reminded me—the various armies need to be further restrained, especially in military discipline!"

"Additionally, the Bureau of Military Affairs should issue directives, informing all armies in Huainan that the cruel killing of captives and the plundering of civilians are strictly forbidden! Violators will be severely punished!"

"Yes!" Guo Wei acknowledged the order.

Only then did Liu Chengyou nod with satisfaction, his expression returning to its usual calm stillness. Speaking of Liu Chengyou, he was someone who had fought his way through battlefields; he had seen plenty of death, and the killings and deaths directly caused by him were countless—his heart had long been tempered to be as cold as iron and stone.

Though Liu Chengyou appeared extremely angry about this matter, what truly angered him was the Huainan forward camp's concealment of the "captive-killing" affair—they had not even mentioned it...

"Speaking of the population issue, there is one point we must also consider!" Liu Chengyou's mind turned quickly, and seizing on this matter, he discussed it with Guo Wei and Wei Renpu: "Now that the war has just begun, our forces are only now pointed at the Huai River line. When the war expands later, engulfing the entire region north of the Yangtze and Huainan, then the people of Huainan will inevitably flee south across the river due to the chaos of war—this we must guard against!"

At this point, Guo Wei immediately praised the Son of Heaven for his foresight and long-term vision. In response, Wei Renpu offered several suggestions:

First, naturally, the Han army's military discipline must be strengthened—for the occupied prefectures and counties, no actions that disturb the people should be taken. This is the foundation.

Second, send people to publicize the Great Han's policies. Though the Southern Tang is wealthy, its various taxes are far heavier than even the Northern Han's, and the common people at the bottom have not had an easy life at all.

Third, win over Huainan's officials, military officers, and local clans.

Fourth, advance to the Yangtze's banks as quickly as possible, station troops to guard the ferry crossings, patrol with soldiers—and more importantly, end the war as swiftly as possible, incorporate Huainan into our territory, and stabilize the situation.

He discussed frontline matters a bit more with Guo Wei and Wei Renpu before finally letting the two return to their offices.

As for Liu Chengyou himself, he took out several more secret reports and perused them with an icy expression.

On them were all reports concerning Wang Jun.

For instance, Wang Jun loved luxury—his command tent was extravagant, glittering with jewels, and his ceremonial arrangements bordered on exceeding his rank;

For instance, Wang Jun put on great airs in the army, arrogant and overbearing, his word was law, and he drove his officers and men about as if they were oxen and horses.

For instance, Wang Jun spoke recklessly, voicing complaints that the Son of Heaven and the court did not fully delegate authority to him.

For instance, Wang Jun promoted his own people—in the merit rolls, his close associates and old subordinates were favored, while fairness was lacking.

For instance, Wang Jun lined his own pockets—from the spoils taken at the front, gold, jade, fine ornaments, fine horses, and precious swords were all placed into his private accounts.

For instance, on the day after the Xiаcai victory, Wang Jun, in the name of Commander-in-Chief of the forward camp, rewarded the soldiers, and the entire army was greatly pleased—some even shouted "Long live!"

These matters, one after another, accumulated—all proving that Wang Jun had already gotten carried away. Although Liu Chengyou had sufficient confidence to suppress Wang Jun, and after his many reorganizations of the imperial army he had confidence in his control over it, and he lacked no contingency plans, and Wang Jun had no popular support...

But with everything, one fears the one-in-ten-thousand chance—what if some unforeseen incident occurred at the front?

No matter how shrewd, how calm, how confident—having long evolved into a qualified monarch, the suspicion in Liu Chengyou's heart was already spreading and growing, gradually devouring his heart...

On the sixteenth day, Liu Chengyou enfeoffed his younger brother Liu Chenghsun as the Prince of Yong, appointing him to the post of Governor of Jingzhao, and personally accompanied by Empress Dowager Li, saw him off.

For the Prince of Yong's departure to Guanzhong, Liu Chengyou not only promoted his Grand Tutor to Administrative Assistant of Jingzhao, but also assigned him several assistant officials from the court and the Hanlin Academy, and transferred three hundred armored soldiers of the imperial army as his escort.

It could be said that toward this younger brother, Liu Chengyou had set aside his suspicion and showed exceptional care and regard.

On the seventeenth day, Liu Chengyou held a family banquet in the palace, gave instructions to the Empress and the consorts, and entrusted the affairs of the harem and the Eastern Capital to the Empress Dowager. No matter when, the only person Liu Chengyou could lean his back against was Empress Dowager Li.

On the eighteenth day, Liu Chengyou held a rally at the southern gate of the Eastern Capital, and after giving his instructions to the chancellors and generals remaining in the capital, the imperial carriage set off southward!