Chapter 782: The Situation in the Northwest

A full company of Inner Palace guards stood watch around the imperial tent. In the heavy summer night, under the dim flicker of lantern light, the guards' faces all wore an expression of solemn vigilance. The palace attendants waiting nearby moved with great care, treading lightly, afraid to make any noise that might disturb the Emperor's contemplation.

Seated behind the wooden imperial desk, Liu Chengyou wore a detached expression, yet his dark, gleaming eyes betrayed deep thought. Dozens of secret reports lay scattered in slight disarray across the desk—all concerning the political situation at court during his tour of inspection, chief among them a series of actions by Chancellor Li Tao: his governance, his judgments, his decisions, his appointments.

Now, having found the time, he seriously reviewed and absorbed the contents. Deep and solemn thoughts began to churn in his mind. Regarding Li Tao overall, Liu Chengyou was still fairly satisfied. His talents could not be described as earth-shaking, but he was indeed a capable minister—had he lacked ability, Liu Chengyou would never have placed him in this position. Under his stewardship, the affairs of state were running smoothly.

Speaking of Li Tao, unconsciously, he had already served as a chancellor of the Great Han for ten years. In the early years of the dynasty, when Du Chongwei had rebelled from Yedu and the generals of the pacification army were at odds with one another, stalling all progress, Li Tao had distinguished himself with his incisive analysis of the situation and his forceful counsel that the Emperor personally lead the campaign. Liu Zhiyuan had valued him for this and, together with Dou Zhengu, elevated him to chancellor. Of course, Liu Zhiyuan had also intended to use a former-dynasty minister like Li Tao to counterbalance the increasingly arrogant Hedong old guard.

However, in the many years that followed, though Li Tao held the rank of chancellor, he had always been suppressed. In the early period there was Yang Bin—Li Tao was the target of oppression. Later came Feng Dao, an old fox too slippery to grasp. Only in the past two or three years, after Feng Dao retired due to age and died of illness, did Li Tao finally become Chief Chancellor.

Li Tao's administrative ability was quite good. When he first took office, he was not lacking in caution, but as time passed, some changes were inevitable. After becoming Emperor, as the throne stabilized and power concentrated, Liu Chengyou himself had changed as well. That Li Tao should change after grasping great power was only natural.

For many years, Li Tao had concurrently overseen the Ministry of Personnel, promoting and appointing a great number of officials. After he became Chief Chancellor, those people became his staunch supporters.

As a chancellor, wanting to accomplish things, needing support from subordinates, needing capable people to assist—this was understandable. But the problem was that in these past two years, Li Tao had promoted rather too many people. Too many officials in high and low posts throughout the court and provinces bore Li Tao's stamp.

Even though Li Tao controlled the Ministry of Personnel and had the authority of organizational appointment, once this reached a certain degree, it would arouse Liu Chengyou's suspicion. In his heart, there was a bottom line.

In light of this, Liu Chengyou had already issued warnings. Last year's discussion over the post of Governor of Kaifeng, the transfer of Li Huan during the northern tour, the arrangements involving various posts in Huaixi and Hebei—all carried implicit meaning.

Even so, judging from Li Tao's recent behavior, his power-gathering conduct seemed not to have abated...

He picked up a secret report, concerning the conflict between Li Tao and Wang Pu. Wang Pu's conduct was certainly open to question, but Li Tao's reaction had also been somewhat excessive. As the Chief Chancellor of the court, responsible for coordinating internal and external affairs, he should have been thinking of eliminating contradictions—yet instead he actively inflamed them, trading accusations with his rival. This showed a lack of magnanimity, breached court decorum, and the impact was unfavorable...

Of course, there was still that old saying: when one harbors a grudge against someone in one's heart, no matter what that person does, one inevitably views them through tinted glasses.

Looking at the matter between Li Tao and Wang Pu, had their positions been swapped, Liu Chengyou's attitude might well have changed. Likewise, had someone else wielded such exclusive power in Huaidong and meddled so heavily in prefectural personnel arrangements, Liu Chengyou might have reacted differently.

And if Wang Pu were to behave in court the way Li Tao did, Liu Chengyou was not certain what he would think. At root, it was still power at work. Sitting on the imperial throne, he had to consider matters from the perspective of an emperor.

His thoughts ran deep, and sometimes Liu Chengyou himself felt weary...

"Your Majesty! Patrol soldiers have spotted Lu Duoxun returning from his mission to Hexi!" Zhang Dejun entered the tent and reported in a low voice, snapping Liu Chengyou somewhat back to attention.

"Mm!" Liu Chengyou nodded, then quickly reacted: "Who? Lu Duoxun?"

"Indeed!" Zhang Dejun replied.

Liu Chengyou immediately perked up, his mood inexplicably brightening several degrees. He asked at once: "Where is he?"

"He has already been brought into the field headquarters, awaiting your summons!"

"Summon him!" Liu Chengyou waved his hand.

Soon, two figures covered in dust and travel grime, looking utterly bedraggled, entered the tent. With great excitement, they both knelt and prostrated themselves, crying out "Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise quickly, get up and speak!" Liu Chengyou immediately gestured with his hand.

His gaze burned as he sized up Lu Duoxun and the scout Wang. Under the light of the tent's candles, the two men's appearances were clearly visible—stubble flying wild, utterly unkempt, and even from several paces away, a faint sour odor could be detected.

"Since you've returned, why didn't you send word ahead? Had I known, I would certainly have sent people to welcome you in advance!" Gesturing for the two to take seats, Liu Chengyou said with a light smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lu Duoxun took his seat and replied: "When we entered Fengxiang territory, we heard that Your Majesty had traveled west to Chang'an, so we hurried eastward, hoping to pay our respects and report to Your Majesty. Unfortunately, we then learned that Your Majesty had already set out on the return journey to the capital, so we managed to procure some fast horses and caught up with the field headquarters!"

Hearing his account, Liu Chengyou swept his gaze over Lu Duoxun a few more times and said: "You've worked hard, rushing for days on end!"

He paused, then added with a note of emotion in his voice: "I remember—it's been nearly two years since you went west. Such a long time with no word at all. I have thought of you often, worried for you. Going out through the frontier passes, ten thousand li round trip, in the complicated situation of Hexi—I imagine you suffered no small hardship! But it's good that you've returned. Having returned, you are meritorious ministers of the Great Han!"

"When Your Majesty commands, we would die ten thousand deaths without hesitation! Though the journey west was far, the hardship was all worthwhile!" Lu Duoxun reported earnestly.

"Zhang Dejun, serve them tea, and have someone prepare some food!" Liu Chengyou gave the orders while watching Lu Duoxun with keen interest: "This journey west—your experiences must have been quite remarkable. Tell me about them!"

Lu Duoxun took a sip of tea, his spirits lifting somewhat, and clasped his hands: "I was just about to report to Your Majesty. The year before last, we set out westward with Zhe Fujiashi and his party, leaving the pass at Weizhou and heading north, passing through Lanzhou, skirting the old Shanzhou and Hezhou, then continuing north to Liangzhou. Thereafter we continued west, passing through the Ganzhou Uyghurs, crossing the Zhangye River, and entering the Guazhou-Shazhou region, where we proclaimed the imperial edict to the Guiyi Army and conveyed the court's intentions. We then continued further west, crossed Puchang Lake, and visited the Xizhou Uyghurs. As for regions further west, we did not venture deeper to explore!"

Liu Chengyou nodded again, murmuring to himself: "Not easy—Lanzhou, Shanzhou, Liangzhou, the old lands of Hexi, the Ganzhou Uyghurs, the Guiyi Army, the Xizhou Uyghurs, the Western Regions... Thinking of it, one cannot help but sigh! That you could make this journey on my behalf—it fulfills a longing of mine!"

"It is also our honor!" Lu Duoxun said.

"From what you observed, what is the situation in the northwestern old lands?" Liu Chengyou asked.

Lu Duoxun organized his words slightly, then reported: "In my view, the situation in the northwestern prefectures is extremely chaotic. Various peoples live intermingled, each holding their own territory, each claiming kingship. The old territories and cities of the Great Tang are occupied by Tibetans, Tuyuhun, Tangut, Uyghurs, Qiang, and other peoples. Of course, there are also a considerable number of Han remnants, but most have assimilated and intermingled with the various peoples.

Though the northwest is chaotic, the overall situation can be called stable. The Ganzhou Uyghurs, the Guiyi Army, and the Xizhou Uyghurs are the stronger forces. The remaining regions are mostly occupied by Tibetans, but since the Tibetan empire collapsed and fragmented, they are scattered like grains of sand, their influence actually less than that of the other powers.

There are also the Karluks, the Nine Clans of the Ughurs, Khotan, and other tribes distributed among the cities of the Western Regions..."

"From your summary, the situation is even more complex and chaotic than I imagined!" Liu Chengyou said: "However, chaos has its benefits. If a unified and formidable power truly emerged in the northwest, that would not be a good thing for the Great Han!"

"Your Majesty speaks truly!"