Chapter 823: Never Indulge Evil

As winter arrived in the Eastern Capital, the city had grown much colder, and the walls took on a more somber air. The elation over the pacification of Shu gradually faded, and the Great Han turned a new page. Vast quantities of gold, silver, jade ware, armor, and wealth flowed ceaselessly into the Eastern Capital, enriching the Liu family and the court alike, and letting everyone above and below understand just how wealthy Chuanshu truly was.

Regardless, for the Emperor and the court, the gains from pacifying Shu were enormous—they had eaten their fill from a brimming bowl. Though what Liu Chengyou cared about more were the two hundred-odd counties of Chuanshu, its millions of people, and the fertile lands of the Land of Abundance.

However, with urgent military reports arriving, a shadow was cast over this great victory.

In Chongzheng Hall, several senior ministers were summoned for an extremely confidential imperial conference to hear the Bureau of Military Affairs' report on the "Shu rebellion." Guo Rong spoke in a grave tone, narrating steadily:

"According to reports from Shu, the rebellion first erupted in Long'an County of Mian Prefecture, where six local magnates gathered village braves and deluded the common folk into revolt. They launched a surprise attack on Baxi City but were defeated by Chief General He Chongjian of Huaiwei. The rebel forces retreated to the Long'an and Shiqu area.

In Jian Prefecture, over a thousand Shu soldiers were the first to mutiny, seizing Jianmen Pass, which was recovered by Han Jixun, who was guarding Jiange. Zi Prefecture, Lang Prefecture, and other places were likewise affected—local magnates and powerful families, waving the banner of restoring the Meng Shu and driving out the imperial army, vied with one another to rebel.

By mid-October, within Chuanshu, places that raised banners in response and seized the opportunity to stir up chaos had reached twelve prefectures, with the six prefectures of Mian, Han, Zi, Jian, Mei, and Lang being the most severe. The number of rebels has reached one hundred thousand..."

Glancing at Liu Chengyou, Guo Rong continued: "This rebellion is concentrated mainly in the prefectures and counties of the plains. The eastern region of Shu remains relatively stable, while the south shows signs of instability. If the situation is not swiftly settled, there will inevitably be those who seize the opportunity to commit treachery and join the chaos!"

After listening to his account, Liu Chengyou swept his gaze across the assembled ministers and asked calmly: "You all understand the situation now. On how to respond to the troubles in Shu, feel free to voice your opinions!"

In truth, merely by looking at the outbreak and scope of the rebellion, one could tell its root cause, and the ministers who had participated in the previous conference in Guangzheng Hall knew it well in their hearts.

Li Gu thought for a moment, then asked Guo Rong: "What strategy do the garrison troops in Chuanshu have for suppressing the rebellion?"

Guo Rong said: "This rebellion is led mainly by the nobles and powerful families of Shu, who have coerced the ignorant Shu commoners, supplemented by a portion of surrendered soldiers with divided loyalties, seizing the opportunity to stir up trouble. Xiang Xun reports that he will consolidate the east and north of Shu, pacify the south through persuasion, and ensure the transport routes remain open. At the same time, he will screen and control the surrendered soldiers, using rewards of money, grain, and land to soothe their hearts and win them over. Otherwise, with this rebellion already erupted, the scattered occupying army cannot possibly cover the entire region.

Fortunately, although this rebellion erupted fiercely, the rebel forces are each fighting on their own, never having joined together, and cannot coordinate with one another. Xiang Xun plans to first steadily secure the various cities as strongholds, clear the disturbances around Chengdu, then concentrate heavy forces to gradually eliminate the remaining rebels..."

As soon as Guo Rong finished speaking, Wei Renpu spoke up: "As for the Shu rebellion, as long as the surrendered soldiers can be kept steady and not swayed into revolt, the situation remains under control. Xiang Xun's choice is correct. As for the gathered rebels in the various prefectures, they are a motley rabble—lacking both armor and training, they are no match for a major army. Trapping them within Shu and gradually eliminating them with Chengdu as the center—there should be no great problem!"

Liu Chengyou nodded. Since the reports of unrest had arrived, he had remained very calm, neither angered nor agitated. His gaze turned to Fan Zhi, and he said to Chancellor Fan, who had long been eager to speak: "What is your opinion, Minister Fan?"

Fan Zhi's expression was somewhat complicated, carrying a feeling of weariness. He had long advised Liu Chengyou not to be too hasty, warning that chaos would inevitably ensue, but his counsel had gone unheeded. Now that the chaos had indeed erupted, Fan Zhi felt not a shred of satisfaction in his heart.

Facing the Son of Heaven's gaze, Fan Zhi said solemnly: "Your Majesty, since the rebellion has erupted, everything must take a back seat to suppressing it. The court is far away in the Eastern Capital, and communication is difficult. Your minister believes that the task of pacifying the rebellion should be entrusted entirely to Xiang Xun, so as to swiftly defeat the rebel forces and restore stability to Chuanshu!"

From Fan Zhi's words, one could tell that this Chancellor's political awareness was still quite high...

Pausing briefly, Fan Zhi continued: "However, reflecting on the root of this rebellion, your minister believes that the existing policies toward Shu should be revised—strict military discipline, restrain the soldiers, ease contradictions, and employ both suppression and pacification..."

"I know your concerns, Minister Fan!" Liu Chengyou understood his meaning the moment Fan Zhi began, and for once, somewhat discourteously, interrupted him, saying: "I have only one stance: toward those who rebel, there will never be compromise—only extermination. Things have come to this pass; if the court shows any weakness, would that not embolden the rebels even further? How is the court to govern Shu in the future?

An army of over a hundred thousand, holding strategic passes and well-equipped, was broken and captured by our forces in a single stroke. These paltry rebels can hardly be called an army—should the court instead be afraid of them?"

Having said this, Liu Chengyou issued his directives with a stern attitude: "The court shall issue an edict to Chengdu, granting Xiang Xun full authority to suppress the rebellion. Additionally, proclaim widely to the officials and people of Chuanshu that the powerful families who instigated this rebellion shall all be severely punished, their property confiscated, and their lands seized and distributed among the Shu people.

Furthermore, this time only the ringleaders shall be executed; the rest shall not be pursued. Coerced rebels who repent and bring the heads of the ringleaders to the authorities shall have their crimes pardoned. During the suppression, all old and new officials of Shu shall diligently perform their duties to keep their jurisdictions peaceful. Once the rebellion is pacified, the court shall reward them according to their merits!"

This was effectively Liu Chengyou formally launching a policy of striking at the nobles and landowners of Shu, placing it directly on the table and carrying it out openly and aboveboard.

Hearing Liu Chengyou's words, Fan Zhi's face showed urgency. Even at this moment, the Son of Heaven refused to soften in the slightest, his measures still so harsh. He opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, if this is so, I fear the troubles in Shu will only continue to expand!"

Raising his hand to stop Fan Zhi, Liu Chengyou's expression was somewhat cold: "I will never indulge evil and allow it to fester. As for settling the people, that will depend on the officials sent into Shu. The central government must issue strict orders and urgings, ensuring that the policy of land and property distribution is communicated thoroughly to reassure the Shu people. Zhao Pu shall take charge of this matter overall. Anyone who is negligent or distorts the court's intent shall be severely punished! I believe that once the Shu people possess their land and increase their production, they will surely support the court!"

"And one more thing!" Liu Chengyou turned his head to look at Guo Rong and instructed: "Issue orders to all military commanders in Shu to strictly enforce military discipline and not forget the military law of the Great Han! The wording may be stern—past matters will not be pursued, but anyone who dares to test the law again will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

After withdrawing from Chongzheng Hall, Fan Zhi's expression was heavy and somber. He let out a deep sigh: "Even at this point, why must His Majesty persist in going his own way with such harsh and drastic measures? Those causing trouble in Shu will surely resist to the bitter end, and the suffering will be prolonged!"

Hearing this, Xue Juzheng, a chief minister who had not previously expressed any opinion on the matter, said in a deep voice: "Chancellor Fan, I dare not agree with your words!"

Slightly taken aback, Fan Zhi looked at him: "What is your view, Ziping?"

Xue Juzheng said: "In my opinion, since the Shu rebellion has already erupted, it should be suppressed with severity. If the court changes its stance because of the rebellion, it would only embolden the rebels' arrogance—that would be error upon error. Even if the chaos were temporarily quelled and stability briefly restored, how would the court govern in the future? If new policies run contrary to their wishes, would they not rebel again?

Moreover, do the rebellious people of Shu deserve compromise from the court? With His Majesty's firmness, how could he tolerate them!"

Saying this, Xue Juzheng looked around, lowered his voice, and said: "To speak a taboo word—if His Majesty chose to compromise because of this, would that not prove that his previous decisions were wrong?"

Hearing Xue Juzheng's words, Fan Zhi felt as if suddenly awakened. His expression shifted between light and dark for a moment, and with furrowed brows, he said: "I am merely worried that after this rebellion, the fertile lands will be ruined and Shu's vitality will be severely damaged!"

"But once the rebellion is pacified, it can lay the foundation for lasting peace and order!" Xue Juzheng's eyes burned with intensity.

In fact, what Fan Zhi had always worried about was precisely the outbreak of chaos. During the Han army's pacification of Shu, although there had been several major battles, they were brief and had not caused excessive damage to Shu—especially not to production.

The suffering of the Shu people lay only in the policies of the Meng Shu. In Fan Zhi's thinking, the Shu regime could have been easily accepted, and then, based on its flaws, the bad policies could be reformed and contradictions eased, allowing Chuanshu to be stabilized in a short time. Within half a year, Chuanshu could have become another major source of tax revenue for the court.

But with Liu Chengyou's maneuvering, popular uprisings had erupted everywhere, causing tremendous harm to the common people. How many would die was incalculable, how much property would be lost was even harder to reckon. Fan Zhi had confidence in suppressing the rebellion, but if the Land of Abundance were smashed to pieces, the price paid would be far too heavy.

Afterward, the court would also have to invest enormous effort into the recovery of Shu.

Simply put, there had been an easy, smooth road to take, but Liu Chengyou insisted on choosing a path full of risk and uncertainty—this made Fan Zhi somewhat uncomfortable.

However, up to this point, Fan Zhi could still understand the Emperor's intentions and could see the benefits within them. It was precisely because of this that his mood was especially complicated...

"Our Chancellor Fan still finds it hard to shift his way of thinking!" Inside Chongzheng Hall, Liu Chengyou could not help but remark.

Over this period, because of the policy disputes over Shu, Liu Chengyou had almost been avoiding Fan Zhi. The old minister's desire for stability was not wrong, and Fan Zhi upheld a sense of public duty without personal bias, so Liu Chengyou could not be too harsh on him.

But sometimes, he could not help feeling somewhat frustrated, feeling that his "well-intentioned efforts" were not being understood.

"Chancellor Fan is mature and prudent in statecraft, and he is utterly loyal!" Guo Tong, the Emperor's brother-in-law standing in attendance before the throne, spoke up.

After Zhao Pu went to Chengdu, Guo Tong, who had returned to court, took over as Chief Academician of Chongzheng Hall, responsible for the hall's affairs. Last year, he had arranged a relocation of Shu captives to the frontier in Guanzhong, completing the task well. After returning to court, his standing with Liu Chengyou had clearly risen considerably.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou glanced at Guo Tong with slight surprise. There were already signs of friction between Chongzheng Hall and the Hall of State Affairs, and that Guo Tong could speak up for Fan Zhi—Liu Chengyou, amid his surprise, could not help but feel a measure of appreciation.

"Send someone to summon Li Chongju to the palace!" After calming his emotions, Liu Chengyou's expression turned serious as he gave the order.