Chapter 47: Luring Them North

Liu Chengyou naturally thought of the "Battle of Gaoping," that famous battle of great weight and significance in the military history of the Five Dynasties—one that even influenced the course of history.

His gaze fell upon Guo Rong, this ordinary-looking man with a solemn expression before him, and Liu Chengyou's thoughts could not help but drift afar.

At that time, it was this very "Shizong of the Later Zhou" before him who, newly ascended to the throne with an unstable court and unswayed hearts, faced the Northern Han's Liu Chong joining forces with the Khitan army—a hundred thousand troops from both sides marching south with fearsome momentum, intent on destroying the Later Zhou.

It could be said that under internal troubles and external threats, Guo Rong overrode all objections and resolved to personally lead the campaign, marching north to meet the enemy. Right at Gaoping, braving arrows and blades, personally overseeing the battle, he suffered defeat first then won victory, achieving a great triumph at Gaoping.

In that Battle of Gaoping, Guo Rong had virtually staked the entire national fortune of the Later Zhou on a gamble—defeat would surely bring the peril of national ruin—and in the end, Guo Rong won his bet. A rousing, thorough victory inaugurated the Later Zhou's "Xiande Golden Age," and Guo Rong began his great enterprise of "bringing peace to the realm in thirty years," while Zhao Kuangyin likewise rose from within the Palace Command of the imperial army.

Of course, that battle was not purely a military gamble; Guo Rong had weighed many factors. But that situation, that pressure, that decisiveness, that generous valor, that determination to prevail against adversity... Compared to Guo Rong's boldness and strategy, his own current hesitation and overcautiousness fell more than a notch short.

Gazing at Guo Rong before him, Liu Chengyou could almost sense, beneath that ordinary appearance, a fierce and forceful character, a firm and fearless will.

Withdrawing his gaze and taking a deep breath, Liu Chengyou abruptly turned to Han Tong, who still stood in the hall: "What do you think?"

Han Tong clearly had not expected Liu Chengyou to ask the opinion of such a minor figure as himself. He froze for a moment, then very decisively clasped his fists: "If Your Highness orders an attack, this humble officer is willing to charge into the enemy ranks for Your Highness!"

Hearing Han Tong's declaration, Liu Chengyou's expression returned to normal, with a faint hint of relief. He realized that he himself might not know how to fight, but beneath his command he had plenty of men who did. Zhang Yanwei, Ma Quanyi, Murong Yanzhao, even those two Commanders of the second and third armies, plus Li Wanchao—there was truly no need to be cautious to such a degree.

Thinking this way, Liu Chengyou's thoughts cleared, and at the prospect of smashing the Khitan army in a single battle, he could not help but be stirred. Yet even with that impulse, Liu Chengyou did not let his head grow hot and directly order a march south.

It was still that saying: war is no child's play. Although he now knew his own side well and had some knowledge of the enemy, and the odds of victory should be somewhat higher, it had not yet reached the point of certain triumph.

After only brief deliberation, Liu Chengyou's tone gained a measure of visible resoluteness as he instructed Han Tong: "Han Tong, rest a while in the city, then lead the cavalry south. Hunt down and kill the enemy scouts and reconnoiter the enemy situation!"

Upon receiving the order, Han Tong's spirit stirred slightly, his eyes widening as he said directly: "Your Highness, no rest needed—this officer will take men and go at once!"

Satisfied with his fighting spirit, Liu Chengyou said: "After days and nights of hard riding and reconnaissance, you are weary troops. Even if you can bear it, you must consider the soldiers beneath you. Once you've restored your spirits and recovered your strength, it will be all the easier to kill the enemy!"

Liu Chengyou's words were spoken flatly, but Han Tong felt a surge of emotion in his heart. He respectfully performed a salute and withdrew.

"What does Your Highness intend?" At this moment, Zhang Yanwei tentatively asked.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. Now I know the enemy, but the enemy does not know me. A battle with no reason to lose—why not fight it!" Having made his decision, Liu Chengyou cast aside all lingering doubt and said coolly: "However, how exactly to fight this battle is something we must discuss carefully!"

Hearing Liu Chengyou say this, Guo Rong perked up at once. Thinking of Liu Chengyou's earlier arrangements, he knit his brows and asked: "What plans does Your Highness have?"

Liu Chengyou said directly: "Geng Chongmei wants to come to Luzhou to take up his post, doesn't he? We'll wait for him right here in Shangdang. Now that the Longqi Army's blades have arrived, Shangdang is in 'imminent peril'—Acting Military Governor Zhao Xingqian and the Khitan money-collection envoy should also be urgently sending word to the Khitan for aid..."

Liu Chengyou's words were steeped in cunning. Zhang Yanwei could not react at first and asked somewhat bewilderedly: "Weren't Zhao Xingqian and the others already killed? How can they seek aid, and why would they seek aid?"

"Does Your Highness intend to lure Geng Chongmei's army to Shangdang, then annihilate it there?" Guo Rong asked.

Liu Chengyou said flatly: "Gaoping is over a hundred li from Shangdang. Rather than march our army south, it's better to let them come north—wait at ease for the weary enemy and strike with the certainty of victory."

"Fortunately, after taking Shangdang, we sealed the entire city. We moved quickly, so word should not have spread yet—Geng Chongmei certainly cannot know!" Xiang Xun spoke up at this moment, hitting the crux of the matter in a single sentence.

Liu Chengyou nodded: "Send someone south at once to seek aid from Geng Chongmei! Then, with Han Tong's men beating the grass to startle the snakes as corroboration, let's see what choice this Geng Chongmei makes!"

"This matter—an ordinary man would hardly be up to the task. Your Highness, this humble officer requests the mission to serve as this messenger!" Xiang Xun took the initiative to petition Liu Chengyou.

Liu Chengyou, however, shook his head: "You won't do!"

"Why not?"

Seeing Xiang Xun unconvinced, Liu Chengyou said: "You, Xiang Xun—anyone can see at a glance you're no ordinary man! For this matter, we need a loyal, reliable ordinary person to go! Besides, the enemy camp is not like Shangdang—I can't bear to let you, Xiang Xingmin, take such a risk."

Having said this, Liu Chengyou summoned a personal guard and gave instructions. When it came to loyalty and reliability, no one was more trustworthy than Liu Chengyou's own personal guards.

"Now, it's time for us to go inspire the soldiers' fighting spirit!" Rising and letting out a breath, Liu Chengyou turned his head to look at Guo Rong: "Has the roster been tallied clearly?"

Such a trivial matter could hardly stump Guo Rong, who immediately gave Liu Chengyou a satisfactory answer.

In the Surui Army camp, over a thousand men of the entire army were gathered on the parade ground, arranged in neat ranks under the leadership of officers at every level. The scene was one of perfect order—merely observing the army's bearing, one could tell that Li Wanchao had trained this force very well.

On the parade ground, from officers at the top to common soldiers at the bottom, all stared fixedly at the reviewing platform. There sat several large chests, and beneath the opened lids were revealed string after string of copper coins.

Li Wanchao stood behind them, waving his hands and proclaiming in a loud voice: "Soldiers, His Highness the Prince takes pity on your hardships and has specially issued funds from the treasury to reward the three armies..."

When Li Wanchao finished speaking, seeing the rewards laid out before their eyes, the assembled soldiers burst into cheers. Soon, on the parade ground, reward money was distributed according to the roster and by rank. After the money was in hand, pigs and sheep were slaughtered, and there was good food and drink to feast them as well.

While the delighted soldiers of the Surui Army enjoyed Liu Chengyou's rewards, the other Luzhou troops in Shangdang city did the same—money and grain were basically distributed to each man, with no "middlemen" at all. Of course, as his personal force, the Longqi Army certainly was not left out either. One great army-wide reward consumed seven or eight tenths of Luzhou's treasury stores.

However, the effect was very good. Even if for nothing else, just for the money and grain, the soldiers' goodwill toward Liu Chengyou multiplied greatly. And this reward, in a certain sense, could also count as "marching pay."

"Master, this was sent by Patrol Inspector Guo's man, said to be a reward from His Highness for you!" In the Shangdang princely residence, a servant carrying a small chest walked obsequiously before Wang Shou'en to report. The weight was considerable—the servant looked strained.

But when Wang Shou'en saw it, he flew into a rage. With one hand he knocked over the money chest, silver coins scattering all over the ground. Wang Shou'en paced back and forth, fuming: "Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

According to the reward scale Liu Chengyou had set, common soldiers got one string, squad leaders three strings, team leaders five, Captains ten, battalion Commanders twenty, army Commanders fifty, and those above a hundred strings. By comparison, the Longqi Army soldiers were to receive somewhat more.

By Wang Shou'en's rank, he could only get a hundred strings. Of course, a hundred strings of cash was no small sum, but how could it satisfy his gluttonous heart?

In his view, if Liu Chengyou wanted to give rewards, he should have handed the treasury over to him to distribute—that way, there would be profit for him to skim in between. Unfortunately, Liu Chengyou's approach had greatly "disappointed" him.

Patrol Inspector Wang was very displeased right now. However, he would soon be even more displeased—his command authority had already been stripped away by Liu Chengyou...