Chapter 549: Hunan: You Sing Your Song, I Take the Stage

By the time Zhong Mo walked out of the main southern gate of the imperial city, the sky had already turned pitch black. The guards around were tight, and the imperial army soldiers stood as still as sculptures, not even glancing sideways at this plain-clothed man emerging from the palace gates.

A crescent moon hung in the night sky, its light dim, yet beneath the imperial city walls, Zhong Mo's expression carried a hint of relief. He looked back at the Great Han imperial city towering like a mountain, and let out a heavy sigh.

After his exchange of questions and answers with the Han emperor, the intent in letting him return to Jinling was obvious—he was meant to serve as the Northern Han's mole within the Southern Tang's petty court. For Zhong Mo, this was not particularly cause for joy, because on deeper reflection, it seemed like a poisoned fruit.

First, if he returned south from the Eastern Capital, whether he could gain the trust of Li Jing and the Southern Tang court was itself a question. If he ended up like Li Deming, charged with colluding with the enemy, that was not a result he wished to see.

Second, being a traitor to his lord weighed on his conscience. If he stayed at the Han court and was granted some official post, there would be no such obstacle in his heart. But if he returned to Jinling, eating Tang salary while committing treason against his sovereign, word would spread, and it would hardly do his reputation any good.

Yet, after thinking it over again and again, Zhong Mo found he had no better choice. Once the Han emperor had summoned him, he no longer had any room to eke out a living in the streets of the Eastern Capital. On the other hand, though he could endure a life of poverty, deep down Zhong Mo truly did not wish to remain so for long. Besides, his wife, children, and clan were all in Jiangdong—being able to return home was, after all, a good thing.

There was one more point: what Zhong Mo had said to the Han emperor was indeed from the heart. He genuinely believed that, as the current situation developed, the Northern Han flattening all the other states and unifying the realm was only a matter of time.

Take one step at a time—that was all Zhong Mo could plan for now. Perhaps knowing of Zhong Mo's straitened circumstances, Liu Chengyou had rewarded him with a hundred taels of silver. With the reward tucked against his chest, heavy and solid, Zhong Mo's steps were nevertheless light and brisk. By the time he returned to his rented lodgings, Zhong Mo had already figured out how he would explain himself to Li Jing upon returning to Jinling, and how he would face the interrogations of the Southern Tang court officials.

"Your Majesty, that Zhong Mo took the travel permit issued by the Ministry of Rites and boarded a boat heading south!" Within the palace, Liu Chengyou received the report: "Before departing, Zhong Mo generously repaid his landlord and those who had shown him kindness, and hired two attendants in the city to serve as guards..."

"Since he can remember the kindness of a meal and a roof, let us hope he will not disappoint my high expectations!" Liu Chengyou said lightly, then instructed: "Send word to the checkpoints along the route—give him every convenience!"

"Yes!"

After Grain in Ear, the temperature had risen noticeably, and the vast wheat fields of Hebei had begun their harvest. Here in the Eastern Capital, another summer rain had come, and it was falling heavily.

"Your Majesty, slow down—your clothes are getting wet!" Zhang Dejun held up a large umbrella, following step by step, reminding him in a somewhat flustered tone.

Only when they reached the Bureau of Military Affairs did Liu Chengyou's pace finally slow. Zhang Dejun put away the umbrella and hurriedly helped brush the raindrops that had splattered onto the imperial robe.

"That's enough—tidy yourself up!" Liu Chengyou pointed at Zhang Dejun, whose eunuch robe was more than half soaked.

Inside the Bureau of Military Affairs, the scene was orderly and unhurried. Because of the weather, there was less bustle and more leisure. As he passed through, officials all set down their work to bow in salute.

In the military affairs chamber, the two commissioners Zhe Congruan and Guo Rong were discussing something. Upon learning that the Son of Heaven had arrived in person, they hurried out to greet and bow.

"No need for ceremony!"

"Brew some tea for His Majesty!" Guo Rong instructed his subordinates.

"Sit!" Liu Chengyou sat down with a commanding air, gestured to Zhe and Guo, and asked: "What were you discussing?"

Guo Rong said with a light smile: "Cao Yin of Lizhou reports that Zhou Xingfeng has moved troops against Langzhou—seven thousand men out of Changsha, advancing by both water and land, with Wuling as their direct target!"

"This Zhou Xingfeng—he's the first to lose his patience!" Liu Chengyou couldn't help but laugh.

In the two months since the Huainan campaign had ended, Hunan had seen a dramatic turn of events. With the sworn brothers of former Ma Chu generals Wang Kui, Zhou Xingfeng, and others as the protagonists, a storm of shifting alliances and brother turning against brother had played out around Langzhou.

The root of the matter lay with Wang Kui, Military Governor of Wuping. He had answered the imperial summons to attack the Tang, intending to take a bite out of that fat piece of meat that was the Southern Tang—only to find Ezhou a hard bone to chew. He was routed by the Tang general Liu Renshan, losing nearly half his troops, and retreated in disgrace back to Langzhou.

After the Ma Chu was destroyed, apart from the areas south of Gui and Chen, which had been taken by the Southern Han army, the remaining territory of Hunan was basically carved up among Wang Kui's ten brothers. Among them, Wang Kui was the strongest, holding Langzhou, and his troops were mostly fierce Wuling soldiers—the backbone force with which they had originally risen against the Ma clan and against the Tang army.

But after the defeat at Ezhou, his forces were greatly diminished, and without the strength that had surpassed all his brothers, the internal balance of Hunan was broken. Wang Kui was a mere warrior, originally just a deputy general under Ma Xi'e—rough and brave but lacking in strategy, without foresight, of a perverse temperament and insatiably greedy. By a twist of fate, he had come to carve out his own territory and command a region.

Of course, perhaps as a matter of instinct, sensing his weakened strength and fearing the covetous eyes of others—especially Zhou Xingfeng, who held Tanzhou—he was eager to expand his power. And the simplest, fastest means was to swallow up the troops of others.

So Wang Kui set his sights on Chenzhou, west of Langzhou, which was held by one of the ten brothers, Pan Shusi. He sent his subordinates with two thousand troops westward along the Yuan River to demand money and grain to supply Wuling.

Wang Kui was greedy, but his subordinates were even more so, and even more lacking in wit. Pan Shusi was no pushover either. Faced with the pressure from the Langzhou troops, he simply defeated the army Wang Kui had sent at the walls of Yuanling.

Once blows were exchanged, there was no turning back. Pan Shusi, in a fit of ruthlessness, raised all the troops of Chenzhou and advanced rapidly eastward, planning to strike first before Wang Kui could react. He launched a surprise attack on Wuling city. Wang Kui, caught unprepared, had the city taken in one stroke, and was killed by the chaotic soldiers.

Thus Pan Shusi smoothly took possession of the source of Hunan's troubles—Langzhou.

Pan Shusi himself probably hadn't expected the advance to go so easily, and was pleasantly surprised. But he moved quickly enough—absorbing the scattered troops and swallowing up Wang Kui's forces, he came to hold both Lang and Chen prefectures, commanding over five thousand soldiers, and in one leap became a major power within Hunan. His ambitions rose accordingly.

After taking Langzhou, Pan Shusi swiftly changed his stance and began to worry about the other brothers. The greatest threat to him was, of course, Zhou Xingfeng, who held Changsha.

Zhou Xingfeng had inherited a Changsha city that had been plundered and ravaged by the Tang army, but the man was ruthless enough and capable enough. After taking control of Changsha, he had once killed over a hundred lawbreakers in a single day, and showed no mercy to subordinates who lorded their merits over the people—thereby quickly stabilizing hearts and restoring order.

Thereafter, he recruited refugees, took in Chu soldiers, and while the Huainan campaign was raging, sent troops south to take control of Hengzhou. Borrowing the authority of the Han court, he issued proclamations to pacify Gui, Chen, Yong, and Dao prefectures, and proactively suggested that other brothers like Zhang Wenbiao go garrison them.

Later, he had a falling out with Wang Kui, and each submitted memorials to the court accusing the other. Liu Chengyou naturally played the peacemaker, ordering Zhou Xingfeng to lead troops against the Tang. Zhou Xingfeng did exactly that—marching out with his full force to attack the Southern Tang's Yuanzhou in the east.

Zhou Xingfeng was a man of considerable cunning. Entering Tang territory, he paid no mind to the Tang general's stubborn defense of the prefectural city. He kept one force to watch it while dispatching his subordinates to plunder goods and people throughout Yuanzhou, seizing seven thousand men and women along with valuables before withdrawing back to Changsha.

Within half a year, Zhou Xingfeng had come to effectively control Tanzhou and Hengzhou, commanding over ten thousand troops, his strength completely overshadowing the defeated Wang Kui.

Therefore, when Pan Shusi obtained Langzhou, how could he not be wary of that hungry wolf Zhou Xingfeng? On one hand, he drilled his troops, repaired the city walls, and scraped together money and grain; on the other, he sent men to Changsha to explain to Zhou Xingfeng the "difficult position" that had led him to kill Wang Kui—saying he had only acted to survive—and magnanimously invited Zhou Xingfeng to come take up residence in Wuling city.

To this, Zhou Xingfeng expressed understanding, and even volunteered to submit a memorial to the Eastern Capital court requesting that Pan Shusi be enfeoffed as Military Governor of the Wuping Army. Pan Shusi declined the honor, instead elevating Liu Yan—the former military governor whom the ten brothers had set up as their "figurehead"—to the position, taking the deputy post for himself, while also submitting a memorial to the Eastern Capital.

The Han court had no intention of interfering in those affairs of Hunan, adopting a wait-and-see attitude, and issued an edict granting approval. Having obtained what he wanted, with "righteousness" in hand, Pan Shusi felt secure and began to enjoy himself in Wuling city.

As for Zhou Xingfeng, how could he lack ambition for Langzhou? Seeing that his ploy to lull Pan Shusi had succeeded, he began to stir up Pan's subordinates. Earlier in Changsha, the two men Sun Lang and Cao Jin, who had instigated the rebellion against Bian Hao, had come into his field of vision.

Back then, after these two had led their men to defect to Wang Kui, they were given considerable responsibility. In the process of driving out the Tang army, relying on their familiarity with the Tang forces, they had made many contributions. After Wang Kui was killed by Pan Shusi, they were absorbed together with the rest, but under Pan Shusi's command, neither their wealth nor their ranks improved, and resentment grew in their hearts.

Faced with Zhou Xingfeng's secret overtures, they were indeed tempted. Not long ago, they killed Pan Shusi at a banquet, then directly led troops in a surprise assault on the commander's residence, taking care of Military Governor Liu Yan as well. Thereafter, the two seized Langzhou—Sun Lang proclaimed himself Military Governor of the Wuping Army, Cao Jin became Military Governor of Chenzhou, and they submitted a memorial to the court requesting confirmation.

Before the Han court had even reacted to this, Zhou Xingfeng made his move first.

Guo Rong said to Liu Chengyou: "Zhou Xingfeng is waving the banner of 'carrying out heaven's will, suppressing violence and quelling rebellion,' and has widely distributed proclamations to the brothers in the south, claiming he is avenging Liu Yan and Pan Shusi. Your servant and Duke Zhe have discussed it and believe that Langzhou, having gone through repeated rebellions and killings, has sharply reduced troops and unstable morale. Sun Lang and Cao Jin likely cannot hold against Zhou Xingfeng!"

Liu Chengyou nodded and asked: "Regarding the chaos in Hunan, what do the two of you think the court should do?"

Zhe Congruan replied: "Wang Kui, Liu Yan, and Pan Shusi were all military governors enfeoffed by the court. Their subordinates rebelled in succession, attacking one another, completely disregarding the court's authority. On that basis, to uphold the court's dignity, we should support Zhou Xingfeng in putting down the rebellion. However, Zhou Xingfeng dispatched troops without the court's permission—clearly using the name of pacification and revenge to carry out annexation and expansion. His ambition is plain to see, and he cannot be indulged! If Zhou Xingfeng is allowed to take Langzhou as well, then he will hold all the fertile lands of Hunan, which will surely become a menace—and the court will find him even harder to control in the future!"

"Have you noticed—this Zhou Xingfeng is remarkably skilled at using a tiger's skin as a banner!" Liu Chengyou nodded and said with a sardonic smile.