Chapter 74: The Feverish Liao Emperor

Liyang, this strategic military stronghold on the northern bank of the Yellow River, had been completely occupied by the Khitan's main army returning north. The chaos along the way had pushed Yelu Deguang past his limit, and he had directly enforced strict discipline. After continuous adjustments and stringent restraints, things had finally become somewhat orderly—though barely passable at best.

In the central command tent, Yelu Deguang sat casually on a camp bed, his hair disheveled, wearing only a thin set of white silk clothes and trousers, barefoot. His face bore an unusual flush, fine sweat beading on his forehead, which he occasionally wiped with his hand. His collar hung open, revealing the thick hair on his chest...

Feng Dao sat hunched to the side, his aged face perfectly calm, but inwardly tense. These past few days, Yelu Deguang seemed particularly fond of summoning him for idle conversation.

Yelu Deguang held a map in his hands, browsing it carefully—likely studying the retreat route ahead, checking whether any adjustments were needed. A palace eunuch stood to the side holding a fan, carefully wafting air toward him.

"More force!" Feeling the weak breeze, Yelu Deguang turned his head and barked harshly.

The eunuch started in fright, immediately increasing both strength and speed. Feeling the refreshing wind against his skin, Yelu Deguang finally felt somewhat more comfortable.

Putting away the map, he looked at Feng Dao, who sat there stiffly, and said: "Lord Feng!"

"Your servant is here!" Feng Dao lifted his rear off the stool, as obedient as ever.

"Sit! Sit!" Yelu Deguang waved his hand casually, as if he had shut out all his irascible emotions, and said: "Do you remember, when you first arrived at Bianjing, you told Us: the people of the Central Plains—even if the Buddha himself were reborn, he could not save them; only I can. Yet now, the entire Central Plains opposes me, attacks my armies, kills my officials, and defects to my enemies. How do you explain this?"

Yelu Deguang's manner appeared very calm, as though he were not particularly angry. Hearing these words, however, Feng Dao could not help but break out in cold sweat on his forehead. Despite Yelu Deguang's mild demeanor at the moment, he dared not directly criticize his governance again.

After quietly deliberating for a moment, Feng Dao answered cautiously: "The villagers are mostly ignorant and unenlightened, unaware of Heaven's majesty, swayed by others' deceptions, and recklessly committing rebellious acts... Your servant is without virtue or talent, dull and foolish, and my words have been in error. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

"Lord Feng, sometimes conversing with you brings me considerable comfort. But at other times, it is far too tedious." After hearing Feng Dao's explanation, Yelu Deguang sneered.

Feng Dao bowed his head even lower, appearing even more cautious and timid.

"Think of last year, when I personally led the great army south, sweeping all before me all the way to the Eastern Capital. Now, less than half a year later, I'm leading my men back north with ash on our faces. My heart is filled with a hundred tangled emotions and deep reflections." Not seeming inclined to hold Feng Dao accountable, Yelu Deguang sighed.

"The situation in the Central Plains is chaotic—a land of trouble that will hardly settle down in a short time. Your Majesty is merely returning north for now, to rest and recuperate. The prefectures of Hebei, with their million households, remain under your control. Once you return home, rest and recover, and regroup your forces—with this experience gained, who knows, a return in force another day may yet come..." Feng Dao spoke up at the opportune moment to analyze and console, putting on a show of complete loyalty to Yelu Deguang.

"A return in force another day may yet come? Well said!" Yelu Deguang clapped his hands in approval, his gaze gradually sharpening: "Even if the Central Plains is thrown to Liu Zhiyuan, so what? Hebei is still in my hands. Next time I come south, I'll destroy Hedong as well..."

After a brief pause for thought, Yelu Deguang broke into a smile again, stroking his stubble as he said to Feng Dao: "Lord Feng is truly a worthy minister and good chancellor. Your loyalty, I have taken note of. When I return to the capital, I shall entrust all Han affairs entirely to you..."

Yelu Deguang was making promises again.

Upon hearing this, Feng Dao immediately rose and prostrated himself, putting on a look of tearful gratitude: "This old servant thanks Your Majesty for your trust."

If one observed carefully, one might notice that Feng Dao's gaze had been perfectly calm from start to finish. Of course, that was assuming the old fox would first lift his head.

"Sigh. If only I had listened to Lord Feng and the Prince of Yan back then, perhaps today would be a different scene..." The tent fell into a brief silence, then Yelu Deguang spoke with a faint, distant tone, his emotions unavoidably tinged with some regret.

In truth, with Yelu Deguang's talent and insight, at this point, how could he not understand the root of the problem that had led to this outcome of his southern campaign to destroy the Jin? Having been dealt such a fine hand and played it into this mess, the frustration in his heart was beyond words.

As for Yelu Deguang's lament, Feng Dao pretended not to hear it. The Liao Emperor admitting fault? An emperor could never be wrong...

"Your Majesty, the Military Governor of Anguo Army requests an audience." Amid their conversation, a guard general reported from before the tent.

"Balide is here!" Yelu Deguang's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered: "Summon him in!"

"Your Majesty, this old servant shall take his leave then." Feng Dao proactively excused himself. But Yelu Deguang kept him there.

Yelu Balide, similar in age to Yelu Deguang, was his cousin. Since Yelu Deguang had ascended the throne, he had always enjoyed his trust and was often entrusted with matters of the heart.

During the southern campaign to destroy the Jin, especially at the surrender of Du Chongwei at the Hutuo River, he had rendered no small merit. When Yelu Deguang had entered Bianjing in the south, Yelu Balide had been left in Hebei, appointed Military Governor of Anguo Army, overseeing all prefectural affairs of the Hebei circuit, wielding considerable real power. This time, as Yelu Deguang retreated north through Liyang, he had specially led troops to come protect the emperor.

Their relationship was evidently truly close—Yelu Deguang directly shifted his position to let Yelu Balide sit on the camp bed, exchanging pleasantries with him for a while.

After some idle chatter, Yelu Deguang finally turned serious and asked: "Balide, I have heard of the situation in the Hebei prefectures from memorials. How stands it now?"

"With the great army garrisoned across the prefectures, I have ordered all localities to suppress with full force. Overall, things remain fairly stable." Yelu Balide cleverly reported the favorable situation from a "macro" perspective.

Yelu Deguang's brow furrowed slightly—clearly he did not think the situation in Hebei could be all that optimistic.

Noticing his expression, Yelu Balide quickly added: "Only the city of Anyang in Xiangzhou was seized two days ago by a bandit leader from Cizhou named Liang Hui, who brought men to occupy it..."

"Ha!" Yelu Deguang's angry countenance reappeared upon hearing this: "Are my generals and officials truly so useless? Taken again by a pack of petty bandits breaking the city and seizing the prefecture! Who is the defender of Anyang? I will have him punished!"

"Your Majesty, the defender of Anyang has already been killed by the bandits..." Yelu Balide answered carefully.

"Anyang blocks my road north. It's been two days—why have you not sent troops to retake it?" Yelu Deguang, having studied the map, immediately turned his anger on him again.

Yelu Balide no longer dared to sit on the camp bed with the Liao Emperor. He swiftly knelt at his feet: "We do not yet know Anyang's true strength, and I dared not rashly dispatch troops. I was concerned for Your Majesty's safety..."

"I have an army of tens of thousands here—what need have I of your concern for my safety!" Yelu Deguang cut off his flimsy excuse, thought for a moment, and directly ordered: "Have Gao Tangying take the Yan troops in the army to attack Anyang! He's the Military Governor of Xiangzhou, yet he hasn't even set foot inside Anyang city—absurd! You, go as army supervisor. By the time I reach Anyang, I don't want to see any grass-bandit rebels!"

"Yes!"

"By the way, word has also come from Xiangzhou that Liu Zhiyuan's son, Liu Chengyou, has led an army east out of the Taihang Mountains and is currently stationed in Linlu County..."

"Oh? That brat who harmed Geng Chongmei?" Yelu Deguang was somewhat surprised, then sneered: "Tell me, this little whelp—surely he hasn't come to deal with me, has he..."

Yelu Balide laughed along: "Your Majesty jests. With the meager forces he has, if he dares to come, he can be wiped out in a morning."

"Have men keep watch on him. If there's an opportunity, I intend to fulfill my promise of avenging Geng Chongmei..."

Yelu Deguang and Balide spoke in the Khitan language. Feng Dao sat to the side listening silently—he understood it, having spent two years in the northern state when he had previously been sent as envoy to the Khitan. He remained silent throughout, but when he heard the news about Liu Chengyou, a barely perceptible change flickered across his face.

Having spoken in turn with Feng Dao and Yelu Balide, Yelu Deguang had lost his enthusiasm and soon dismissed the two.

Sitting in the tent, his originally eased mood inexplicably turned restless again. His body twisted involuntarily a few times, feeling an unbearable heat.

Reaching a hand into his chest, he felt an abnormal heat on his skin, as if there were a blazing fire in his heart and chest, about to burst forth.

"Why is it so unbearably hot and restless!" Muttering in frustration, Yelu Deguang wiped the sweat from his head in one sweep and began ordering consorts to be summoned to vent his fire.