Chapter 533: Hedong Storm (5)

"Well said! Very well said!" Amid the calm tone, sharpness was fully displayed. Liu Chong's brow seemed clouded, and he muttered: "No wonder the Son of Heaven values you so highly. Before the age of 26, he entrusted you with the post of Chief Inspector of the Palace Command. With this loyalty and this courage of yours, that alone suffices!"

There seemed to be a hint of sourness in Liu Chong's tone. Zhao Kuangyin seized the opportunity to say: "Reporting to Your Highness, this humble general has come north by decree of Your Majesty, to select the worthy and brave to reinforce the capital. I will need the cooperation of Your Highness and the officers of Hedong. If there is any disturbance caused in the future, I hope Your Highness will be magnanimous."

Glancing at Zhao Kuangyin, Liu Chong smiled a fake smile: "That is only natural. Working for the Son of Heaven and the court is the duty of a subject. Why speak of disturbance?"

"Your Highness understands righteousness profoundly. This humble general admires you!" Zhao Kuangyin offered a flattering remark, then immediately followed up: "The Commissioner of Military Affairs' orders must not be taken lightly. May I ask when Your Highness can provide the military registers and equipment ledgers, and assemble the soldiers for this humble general to select from?"

Seeing this, Liu Chong chuckled: "This Chief Inspector Zhao is indeed a capable official of the court, and indeed acts with thunderous efficiency!"

Unclear what Liu Chong was so pleased about, he seemed to greatly appreciate Zhao Kuangyin. The Hedong officials present mostly joined in with sparse, hollow laughter.

Liu Chong waved his hand and said: "There is no hurry in this matter. I have already issued orders to summon troops from Lan, Xian, Liao, and Shi prefectures. All of Hedong's troops will be assembled at Jinyang, for the General to select from to his heart's content!"

As Liu Chong finished speaking, Zhao Kuangyin glanced at him, a hint of deep thought flashing through his tiger-like eyes. Before he could respond, he heard Liu Chong speak again: "General Zhao has traveled a long way and must be weary from the journey. First, have some wine and meat. No matter how important official business is, one cannot work on an empty stomach! I will host a welcome banquet for you here. Everyone, raise your cups and toast General Zhao!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Zhao Kuangyin said respectfully, without changing his expression.

"Tell me, how are the imperial army troops that came? Any unusual movements?" After the banquet dispersed, Liu Chong summoned several trusted confidants to his study and asked Li Chan.

Earlier in the hall, Li Chan had seen Liu Chong's high praise and admiring expression toward Zhao Kuangyin, and jealousy had already arisen in his heart; he felt quite unconvinced. Now hearing the question, he immediately said: "In this humble general's observation, the imperial army that came north is merely resplendent in armor and bright in banners. Beyond that, they are not worth mentioning. I monitored them along the way, and with pressure applied, they dared not speak. That Zhao Kuangyin's bold words in the hall were merely showing off his loyalty to win fame. Your Highness need not worry!"

Liu Chong's brow furrowed slightly as he said: "I observe that Zhao Kuangyin has extraordinary bearing, eyes like lightning, neither humble nor arrogant. He is no ordinary man!"

"A mere five hundred men—at Your Highness's command, this humble general can seize them!" Li Chan said confidently.

Hearing this, Liu Chong could not help but nod. Thinking about it, it made sense. According to the intelligence he had received, the court had only issued successive decrees, transferred officials, and selected the able-bodied. Aside from sending Fan Zhi to inspect and dismiss officials, and Zhao Kuangyin coming north to select troops, there had been no other moves.

This situation made Liu Chong wonder privately whether he had overreacted.

But the troop-selecting general had already arrived, and Fan Zhi had unsparingly dealt with so many Hedong officials without leaving any face. Moreover, things in Hedong had already progressed to this point—an arrow already loosed cannot be called back.

"Send men to keep those five hundred imperial troops under surveillance. They are not permitted to leave the camp!" Liu Chong ordered sternly.

Hearing the order, Li Chan could not help but suggest: "Your Highness, why not directly disarm them and take them into custody?"

Before Liu Chong could react, Zheng Gong quickly spoke up to stop it: "That cannot be done. After all, we have not yet openly broken with the court. Zhao Kuangyin and his men have not acted arrogantly either. Acting rashly might give others a handle against us!"

Facing Zheng Gong's advice, which could not withstand scrutiny, Liu Chong did not think much of it and asked him: "Is the memorial to the Son of Heaven drafted yet?"

"I was just about to ask Your Highness to review and correct it!" Zheng Gong pulled out a piece of yellow silk from his sleeve.

What Zheng Gong had drafted for Liu Chong first spoke of the bond between uncle and nephew, then expressed the hardships of guarding Hedong, then proclaimed his own merits in founding the dynasty. Of course, the main purpose of the memorial was to request that the Son of Heaven, Liu Chengyou, issue an edict enfeoffing the prefectures of Hedong to him. Additionally, it raised a faint question: why should the outsider Zhao be enfeoffed with the Yan lands?

After reading it, Liu Chong felt that the memorial expressed his thoughts perfectly, hitting right at the core of his heart. With a trace of satisfaction on his face, he said to Zheng Gong: "Once all the armies are gathered at Jinyang, send this memorial to the Eastern Capital. If the Son of Heaven agrees, then all is well; if not, then the court has been ungrateful and unjust first, and I cannot be blamed."

"Your Highness is wise!" Zheng Gong flattered.

"Also, send men to urge the Kelan Army and the Liao Prefecture troops. Say that the court's envoy has been waiting for some time!" Liu Chong said with a sly smile, looking at Zheng Gong: "The court wants to select the able-bodied, so summoning them under this pretext is proper and justified. With such clever schemes, you are truly worthy of being my right hand!"

"Sharing Your Highness's burdens is this minister's duty!" Zheng Gong appeared very humble.

……

Outside the southern city wall of Jinyang, adjacent to the thick parapet, stood the camp built to house the imperial army. Zhao Kuangyin left the city and returned to camp. Scanning the Hedong yabing guards arranged in the "Three Talents Guard" formation, he could not help but remark: "The watch is indeed tight!"

"Chief Inspector, there is a guest in the camp!" Seeing Zhao Kuangyin return, Han Lingkun let out a great sigh of relief, came out to greet him, and whispered in his ear.

"Divide the entire camp into three shifts, rotating guard duty. Do not be negligent or lax!" This time, Zhao Kuangyin's tone was somewhat solemn.

"Yes!"

The guest in the camp was naturally Li Shaoyou. As the "Hedong Affairs" plenipotentiary envoy of the Son of Heaven, Zhao Kuangyin dared not be negligent.

Seeing him sitting calmly at the table, Zhao Kuangyin could not help but be astonished: "The camp is heavily guarded on all sides, full of eyes and ears. How did the Commandery Duke manage to appear here?"

Appraising this young general who had recently risen to fame in the court, Li Shaoyou said with a light laugh: "General Zhao, have you forgotten what I do for a living? To speak boldly, though there are many soldiers outside the camp and defenses are said to be tight, I see them as nothing. I come and go freely!"

"Your Majesty sent the Commandery Duke north in secret to take charge of the overall situation. Success is assured!" Zhao Kuangyin cupped his hands and offered a flattering remark.

"No need for pleasantries!" Li Shaoyou said. "What surprises me is that Liu Chong actually let you leave the city and return to camp."

"Perhaps the Prince of Taiyuan thinks this humble general is not worth worrying about!" Zhao Kuangyin said. "Chancellor Fan has been kept in the guest hostel in the city!"

"Chancellor Fan's safety should be guaranteed. With the two of you, one general and one chancellor, positioned inside and outside the city, it can also put our Imperial Uncle Liu at ease." Li Shaoyou said.

Nodding slightly, Zhao Kuangyin thought for a moment and said: "At the banquet, I tested him with the matter of troop selection. The Prince of Taiyuan said he had already ordered, according to court regulations, the assembly of all Hedong armies at Jinyang for selection. I think that the Prince of Taiyuan gathering troops may be with the intention of coercing the prefectural troops into rebellion. This must be guarded against. If he succeeds, and a military revolt breaks out, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"I know about this matter, and in fact, this strategy was my own suggestion!" Li Shaoyou said with a light smile, his face beaming.

Zhao Kuangyin was momentarily speechless, his brow slightly furrowed as he pondered for a while, lost in thought. Looking up at this Director of the Wude Office, who was about his own age, he said: "It seems the Commandery Duke already has everything under control. The situation in Hedong is entirely within your grasp?"

Li Shaoyou looked at Zhao Kuangyin and asked: "Before coming north, how did His Majesty instruct you?"

Zhao Kuangyin said: "If the Prince of Taiyuan obeys the edict and follows the regulations, then I am to select elite troops and complete the mission of the Commissioner of Military Affairs."

"But now things have taken an unexpected turn. Liu Chong has not only violated regulations, he has also made moves against the court!" Li Shaoyou took over the conversation.

Without hesitation, Zhao Kuangyin said solemnly: "Then I will assess the situation, adapt as circumstances require, and assist the Commandery Duke in eliminating the source of trouble!"

As he spoke, Zhao Kuangyin cupped his hands: "At present, the source of trouble is right before our eyes. This humble general will certainly do his utmost to assist the Commandery Duke and not fail His Majesty's mission!"

Exchanging a glance with Zhao Kuangyin, Li Shaoyou could not help but feel admiration inwardly—His Majesty truly knew how to judge people.

Li Shaoyou said in a solemn tone: "I will not stand on ceremony with you. The five hundred imperial troops you command will serve a great purpose. At the critical moment, they must strike with decisive effect!"

"Please give your orders, Commandery Duke!" Zhao Kuangyin had no second words.

"I ask you, with these five hundred men, can you break into and take control of the Prince's residence?" Li Shaoyou's words were almost sharp as a blade.

Hearing this, one could guess his intentions. However, Zhao Kuangyin did not let his blood run hot and agree casually, but instead fell into deep thought.