Chapter 697: Time to Prepare for Aftermath

Inside Chongzheng Hall, it was quieter than usual. Throughout the entire side hall, apart from the sounds of the gentlemen turning pages and writing, there was no other commotion. Those who needed to move or walk did so softly, restraining their movements.

Zhao Pu, who had just returned to the hall, walked with a slightly quicker pace to Zhao Yan's desk, and called out with a light chuckle: "Zhao Director!"

Zhao Yan was lifting his sleeve to write an investiture document. Hearing the voice, he stopped his brush and raised his head. Looking at the beaming Zhao Pu, he noticed the military report in his hand and asked: "Has there been progress in the Hunan campaign?"

Zhao Pu nodded and praised: "The Director is indeed astute—hit the mark with a single word. The Bureau of Military Affairs just received a report of victory. Commander-in-Chief Murong sent troops south and won a battle at Liyang. Yang Shifan's rebel army marching north was almost completely annihilated—only a handful escaped!"

"Oh!" Zhao Yan's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, his brows relaxing. He reached out to take the report, scanned through it quickly, then let out a light breath and said: "With this victory report, perhaps it can somewhat ease His Majesty's pent-up worries!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pu glanced toward the main hall and asked in a low voice: "His Majesty is not here?"

Zhao Yan nodded but did not say much more, nor did he show any intention of revealing the Emperor's whereabouts. Putting down the military report, Zhao Pu said: "When His Majesty returns to the hall, we shall report to him then!"

"Good!" Zhao Pu's gaze lingered on Zhao Yan for a brief moment, then he returned to his seat with a calm expression.

They did not have to wait long. The Emperor returned, and the two Zhaos hurried over to pay their respects. Upon receiving the news of the victory from the front, Liu Chengyou indeed perked up, and as Zhao Yan had said, his expression relaxed considerably.

"On the 13th, Generals Shi Yanchao and Li Yun led their troops south from Gong'an. Shi Yanchao made straight for Liyang to lift the siege and prevent Yang Shifan's rebel army from retreating. Li Yun's objective was Cenhe Village, intending to first annihilate the rebel detachment defending in the north. That night, seeing the situation was dire, the rebel troops attempted to flee but were blocked inside the village stockade by the well-prepared Li Yun.

At dawn on the 14th, Li Yun launched his attack. In less than an hour, he annihilated them completely, breaking over three thousand rebel troops, with the majority surrendering. Thereafter, after a brief rest, Li Yun reorganized his army and marched south, joining forces with Shi Yanchao and Pan Mei. The three routes kept Yang Shifan's army under surveillance, driving it into a desperate situation.

The rebel army's morale was thus shaken and their spirits low. Over the following day and two nights, more than a thousand men slipped out of the rebel stockade and came to the camp to surrender.

On the 16th, perceiving that Yang Shifan's army was on the verge of collapse, Generals Shi and Li led infantry and cavalry in a fierce assault on the rebel army. Although Yang Shifan led his central army in stubborn resistance, he was at the end of his rope. His soldiers had no will to fight, the Yao troops mutinied from within, and Pan Mei attacked from the flank and rear. After a great battle lasting one and a half hours, the rebel army was routed.

In that battle, the various armies together slew over three thousand rebel soldiers and accepted more than ten thousand surrenders. The rebel commander-in-chief Yang Shifan was struck by a stray arrow and died!"

After hearing Zhao Pu's report, Liu Chengyou was not overly joyful, let alone excited. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said: "Generals Li, Shi, and Pan fought this battle well! It seems that a year of idle living in Kaifeng really did make Li Yun pent up—once released, he's a fierce tiger!"

Of course, Liu Chengyou's reaction was also normal. For him, victory was to be expected. Had they lost the battle, he might have been more agitated.

"According to what we later learned from questioning the surrendered generals, Yang Shifan had been repeatedly thwarted beneath the walls of Liyang. Seeing the city's defenses were complete, he had previously used weak troops to attack the city, suffering heavy casualties. He then intended to adopt a strategy of lulling the defenders into complacency and deceiving the enemy—numbing the garrison before launching a surprise assault, concentrating his elite troops for a full-force attack on the city. Of course, Pan Mei at Liyang had detected the rebel army's unusual movements and was already prepared.

Originally, Yang Shifan had planned to launch his attack suddenly on the 14th. However, Shi Yanchao force-marched a hundred li on the 13th to reach Liyang, directly causing Yang Shifan's plan to fall through.

And before Shi Yanchao's troops arrived, Yang Shifan had also ordered the floating bridge over the Li River and all transport vessels to be burned, intending to emulate the story of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats—to inspire his soldiers to fight without regard for death..." As Zhao Pu spoke, he could not help but reveal a slight sneer.

"From this perspective, Zhou Xingfeng's appointment of this man as commander-in-chief did show some consideration—at least he understands some military strategy and has a streak of ruthlessness and decisiveness!" Liu Chengyou commented: "But failing to observe the situation, ignoring the morale of his troops, forcibly imitating the Hegemon-King of Chu, cutting off his own retreat—the natural result was attempting to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog. Driving his great army into a dead end and being utterly defeated is hardly surprising!"

"Your Majesty speaks truly! Were it not so, annihilating Yang Shifan completely at Liyang would not have been so easy!" Zhao Yan calmly echoed in agreement.

"As for the detailed account of this battle, the Bureau of Military Affairs will need to make a specific report!" Zhao Pu said.

"Summon Guo Rong, and call the chancellors as well!" Liu Chengyou said immediately.

"Yes!"

Before long, in the great hall of Chongzheng, the key ministers of the central government had all gathered, with Commissioner of Military Affairs Guo Rong giving a detailed report on the war situation in Hunan.

Guo Rong was as usual—his words and actions carrying a strong personal flair—though because of the victory report from the front, his tone was somewhat more spirited: "... After the Battle of Liyang, the western rebel army has collapsed. We need only a brief reorganization before crossing the river southward and advancing on Wuling. Once Wuling is taken, the southwest of Dongting Lake will be under our control, and Zhou Xingfeng's army at Yuezhou will immediately fall into isolation and danger, with no room to advance or retreat!"

"Tell me about the situation at Yuezhou—how is Zhou Xingfeng's army faring?" Liu Chengyou asked.

Guo Rong replied: "To answer Your Majesty, Han Tong has now led the imperial army, provincial troops, and the surrendered Jingnan soldiers—totaling over thirty thousand men on land and water—to take position at Sanjiangkou. However, under Murong Yanzhao's orders, they are pressing without engaging, primarily maintaining a standoff.

Murong Yanzhao's analysis is very accurate. Our army has ample provisions and weapons, and morale is high. Zhou the rebel is the opposite—eager for battle, wanting a quick decision. Originally, constrained by the enemy's navy, our forces were at a slight disadvantage. After Wei Lin led the naval forces into battle, the two sides fought on Dongting Lake, with casualties on both sides.

Later, Zhou Xingfeng also mobilized infantry, attacking our camp from two routes—Sanjiangkou and Baling City—intending to achieve a breakthrough on land. Under the command of Han Tong and other generals, they were beaten back..."

"After the Battle of Liyang, how will Zhou Xingfeng react?" Liu Chengyou asked.

At this point, Wei Renpu spoke up: "If he wishes to prolong his desperate existence, he should abandon Yuezhou, withdraw his troops back to Wuling, or even Changsha, and then seek to hold his defenses. Otherwise, with his flank and rear threatened, he cannot possibly hold out for long. But judging from Zhou Xingfeng's performance since the war began, he is not a man who easily admits defeat. His nature is fierce and stubborn, and he is decisive—otherwise he would not have so aggressively marched north to try to break the deadlock.

The closer he gets to the end of his rope, the more frantic he may become—staking everything on a single throw, fiercely attacking the army at Sanjiangkou. If he can break through our eastern route forces, his danger would be greatly relieved. He could even sail upstream and threaten Gong'an and Jiangling!"

"Minister Wei seems to understand Zhou Xingfeng's character quite well!" Liu Chengyou nodded slightly in approval, then looked toward Guo Rong.

Guo Rong remained as confident as ever, his expression unchanging: "No matter what decision Zhou Xingfeng makes, it is of no importance to our army! If he tries to break out from Sanjiangkou at any cost, then veteran generals like Han Tong and Du Hanhui are more than enough to contain him! Murong Yanzhao has already departed from Jiangling, leading his troops toward Liyang. Whatever choice he makes, he cannot escape the outcome of defeat and ruin!"

As he spoke, Guo Rong further explained: "Additionally, according to reports from the defeated soldiers of Liyang, before the enemy was broken, Yang Shifan's camp already had no grain to last even another day, and the rear had gone several days without supply convoys arriving. The various prefectures of Hunan are completely unable to sustain the rebel army's front-line operations.

If the Liyang army was in such a state, then even if Zhou Xingfeng's army is in somewhat better condition, it certainly cannot be much better. With the military report taking several days to be forwarded from Liyang to the Eastern Capital, I believe that by now, Zhou Xingfeng is already on the brink of collapse!

And from the Military Intelligence Bureau's reconnaissance of the various Hunan prefectures, in order to supply the front, the Hunan military government has scraped the earth three feet deep to raise money and grain, conscripted every able-bodied man to fight, and exhausted even the women for transport duties.

Now in Hunan, the people are in great distress, grievances fill the fields, and resistance grows ever fiercer. With the upper and lower ranks estranged, the Zhou clan has in truth already lost control of Hunan!

Zhou Xingfeng is waging war with all his might, exhausting the people's strength, emptying all money and grain. Murong Yanzhao originally estimated Hunan would fall within a month, but judging by the current situation, they cannot hold out even half a month!"

"Therefore, I believe that in pacifying Hunan, military conflict is no longer a concern. The court needs to consider the aftermath and rehabilitation matters in advance!"

From Guo Rong's words, it was clear that the situation in the Hunan campaign was extremely favorable. However, for the Great Han court, the more troublesome matters were likely still to come. To put it simply: pacifying Hunan by force was easy; governing its land was difficult!

For the court, Jingnan meant a million households and a strategically vital region—great benefit in taking it. As for Hunan, to be honest, it was a great burden—shattered and dilapidated. But no matter how heavy the burden, it still had to be brought under the court's governance.

The chancellors clearly agreed with Guo Rong's analysis. Fan Zhi, with a bitter face, said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, ever since the brothers Ma Xiguang and Ma Xi'e began contending with each other, the various prefectures of Hunan have seen frequent unrest and unceasing warfare. In eight years, six have been spent in calamity and turmoil.

Now, having suffered such devastation at the hands of Zhou Xingfeng, when the war ends, what the court takes over will be a Hunan in chaos and famine. As Commissioner Guo has said, the court indeed needs to make preparations in advance.

If the war ends swiftly, the time left for the court to prepare will not be much!"