Chapter 619: Shifts in Frontier Command

"What does the Emperor mean by this! Granting me a mansion, telling me to go to Luoyang to pick one out?" Inside the Li residence, clutching that "gracious decree" in a daze, Li Yun's fleshy face was nearly twisted together, his expression pensive and utterly baffled.

"No, this is wrong—at this critical moment, isn't this just exiling me to Luoyang?" Even a fool may stumble upon a good thought once in a while. Li Yun pondered, but his expression grew uglier by the moment.

"Father, in my view, the Son of Heaven has no intention of entrusting you with the marshal's post! A mansion in Luoyang is less a reward and more a warning. I beg you, Father, to take heed!" Beside him, a young youth spoke to Li Yun, whose brows were knit and teeth clenched.

This youth was Li Yun's son, Li Shoujie, not yet sixteen, ordinary in appearance but steady in temperament—though in front of his father, he showed some timidity and fear.

"What do you mean by that?" Li Yun glared at Li Shoujie.

Li Shoujie clasped his hands in a salute and said gravely: "In the days since Lord He passed away, you have been rushing about the capital, Father, contacting officers and officials both inside and outside, seeking the post of supreme commander. This matter must have reached the palace and entered the Son of Heaven's ears—hence this decree!"

Li Yun raised an eyebrow and said: "You mean someone has slandered me to the Son of Heaven? Who? It must be that Luo Yangui—that's it. The post of commander-in-chief is one everyone wants; how could he not be tempted..."

Seeing his father's reaction, a flicker of unease crossed Li Shoujie's youthful face, and his tone grew somewhat anxious as he said: "Father, what I mean is, your pursuit of the marshal's post has been too blatant, your methods too direct. This has always been taboo. I fear this will bring disaster upon the Li family!"

"Insolent! You snot-nosed brat, still wet behind the ears—what do you know!" Hearing the implicit rebuke in his son's words, Li Yun immediately roared: "Everything I do is for the prominence of the Li family, to glorify our name, to shelter our descendants and leave blessings for posterity! Yet in your mouth, it becomes inviting disaster—preposterous!"

Facing his explosive father, Li Shoujie instinctively lowered his head, not daring to meet his wrath directly. But Li Yun, though angry, was not entirely deaf to his son's words—on reflection, they did make some sense. Still, being lectured by a mere whelp stung his pride.

Restlessness mixed with a trace of unease, he paced about the room for a while, then turned and asked: "Tell me, what should I do?"

Li Shoujie was startled, then looked up and noticed that his father's face was still hard and stubborn, but his eyes were somewhat evasive. Letting out a breath, Li Shoujie thought for a moment and said: "Father, my knowledge is shallow, and I have no great insights. From now on, we should simply obey the decrees of the Son of Heaven and the court, and no longer seek the marshal's post. You may follow the decree, go to Luoyang, select a mansion, and submit a memorial of thanks!"

Hearing this, Li Yun took a few heavy breaths, his whiskers twitching, and sighed: "I never thought that today I would have to follow the advice of a whelp like you."

"Alas!" With a heavy sigh, Li Yun seemed somewhat dejected: "But if it is as you say, then for the Li family to be prominent before others again—that will be difficult!"

Watching Li Yun's melancholy appearance, Li Shoujie lowered his head, not daring to voice what was in his heart. In his view, after all the trouble his father had stirred up, merely preserving wealth and safety would already be good enough.

Within the inner city of Kaifeng, among the mansions of the high and noble, there was one household whose plaque read "Wang"—the residence of Wang Yin, Deputy Chief Commander of the Imperial Guard. At this moment, however, the Wang residence was plunged into a flurry of activity; servants, maids, and the women of the various courtyards were all packing clothes and bundling luggage, as if preparing for a long journey.

The preparations were meticulous—jewelry, clothing, bedding, even bowls and chopsticks, toiletries, and even the pet birds and ornamental plants they enjoyed on a daily basis were all being packed up. The household stewards bustled about, making arrangements, urging people on, and occasionally cursing at the slower servants.

"We'll be departing soon. This trip to Mozhou is a thousand li away—everything must be prepared and in order..."

Within the Han palace, Emperor Liu Chengyou's mood had soured once again.

Originally, after Li Yun had submitted his memorial of thanks and obediently gone to Luoyang to select a mansion, the matter had been temporarily set aside. And after discussions with the Bureau of Military Affairs and the Ministry of War, a plan for adjusting the garrison forces along the Hebei frontier had finally been settled upon.

On the basis of the original defense line, starting from Suicheng in Yizhou, running from west to east along the Juma River, the Baoding Army, Shun'an Army, Xiong'an Army, Xin'an Army, and the Yongqing Army to the north were established, stationed at the various city passes, stockade entrances, and river defenses.

Each army had a strength of five thousand, and at Mozhou, a Commander-in-Chief headquarters was established, commanding eight thousand troops. In this way, the original garrison forces would undergo a new round of reorganization and downsizing—not only would their strength be weakened, but a batch of troops would also be rotated with the imperial army at Hua, Chan, and Yuancheng.

In the end, Liu Chengyou could not resist making a move against the Hebei garrison forces. Even though the supply of logistics and provisions was controlled by the court, because of the need to defend against the northern threat, Liu Chengyou had previously granted them considerable autonomy—which made him worry that the Hebei frontier forces were becoming their own separate faction.

Now, although He Fujin was dead, Li Yun's behavior had already been enough to alert him. This adjustment might affect morale and somewhat reduce combat effectiveness, but as long as it was carried out, it would reassure the Emperor and the central government and eliminate a major concern—it was worth it.

As long as there was a reasonable and sound system in place, there was no need to worry too much about the army's combat effectiveness. As for the soldiers who were cut, there were several destinations: first, they could be transferred into the soon-to-be-established Hebei Chief Command; second, they could supplement the Transport Commission; third, they could be discharged and return home; fourth, they could be converted to auxiliary troops and settled in military colonies on the spot.

As for the appointments of the various Army Commanders, except for Luo Yangui, who was transferred to the Shun'an Army, and Ma Quanyi, who remained with the Yongqing Army, the rest were all selected from the imperial army—Han Lingkun was made Commander of the Xiong'an Army, and Guo Jin of the Xin'an Army. As for the Baoding Army, although no decree had yet been issued to move Li Yun from his position, a replacement had in fact already been decided: Dong Zunhui, Commandant of Xingjie, was to be transferred in.

And the most critical matter was who would serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front. After some deliberation, it was decided that Wang Yin, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Command, would go north to take up the post and reorganize the army.

Wang Yin had always been a senior general in the Great Han's imperial army. In his early years he had endured many campaigns and earned considerable merit. Of course, since the founding of the Han, his greatest achievement was during the pacification of Du Chongwei, when he fought fiercely to breach the city and refused to retreat despite serious wounds—earning the praise of Gaozu, Liu Zhiyuan, and cementing his position in the military.

After Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, through several rounds of reorganization and training of the imperial army, Wang Yin had steadily risen, until the fifth year of Qianyou, when Wang Jun and Han Tong clashed in the court—an unexpected turn that advanced him further, making him Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Command.

This time, sending him north to take command—in terms of seniority and ability, Wang Yin did have merit. However, the very person who was now angering and vexing Liu Chengyou was Wang Yin himself.

Given his high position, he was already a person of interest to the secret agents; now that he was being made the frontier defense commander-in-chief, he became an even greater focus. According to reports from the Wude Office, upon learning of his appointment, Wang Yin was overjoyed, sending out invitations to colleagues, relatives, and friends to hold a celebratory banquet—quite ostentatious. He even said outright that after enduring for so long, it was finally his turn. And the "lively" scene at his residence was also reported in detail to the Emperor's ears.

Thus, how could Liu Chengyou not be angry, not be furious when he heard this? Slamming down a memorial in his hand and knocking over his teacup, Liu Chengyou raged: "Is he moving house or taking up a post? I had long heard of the Wang family's extravagance, but I tolerated it in consideration of his past merits. Now that I was about to entrust him with an important post, I discover his household is so ostentatious—it's simply laughable. In my view, he might as well move his entire mansion to Mozhou!"

"Since he knows the joy of promotion, why does he have no sense of the burden and responsibility that comes with it? Acting so flamboyantly—does he think he's going north to enjoy himself? The man I recommended was the wrong choice—he has deeply disappointed my expectations! And my failure to judge character is also my own fault!"

When the Son of Heaven raged, the entire hall fell silent—though there were few people in the hall to begin with. Li Chongju stood there with his hands clasped and head bowed, quietly listening to the Emperor vent, while Zhang Dejun carefully cleaned the imperial desk.

The matter of Wang Yin made Liu Chengyou reflect on himself—was he too confident? Were the officers of the imperial army not actually as obedient as they appeared on the surface?

Wang Yin's case was a living example right before his eyes. Clearly, in the past, although Liu Chengyou had enforced discipline and strict laws for the military, beyond military law he had actually been too lenient. It was time for measures to impose restraint. Otherwise, the problem of pampered troops would only ever be treated at the surface. And old generals like Wang Yin should also step down from their positions as commanders of the imperial army.

Angry as he was, given Liu Chengyou's temperament, he would not be blinded by rage. Quickly calming down, after brief consideration, he said again: "Summon Guo Rong!"

The next day, the Emperor issued several decrees in succession. First, Wang Yin was relieved of his northern appointment, stripped of his military post in the imperial army, and an envoy was sent to his residence to rebuke him and order him to reflect on his faults behind closed doors.

Second, An Shenqi, Commandery Prince of Chenliu, was sent north to Mozhou to take up the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front, overseeing all northern defense preparations.

Third, Li Chuyun, Drafter of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and Pan Mei were sent north to serve as Training Commissioners, responsible for the reorganization and training of the various Hebei garrison armies.

Fourth, the Army Commanders were released to return north, each granted gold, silver, money, silk, and fine cloth.