Chapter 835: The Crown Prince and the Great General

Runzhou, a hundred and forty li from Jinling, had long been a vital town of the Southern Tang—the eastern gateway to Jinling. The Southern Tang court had always attached great importance to it, stationing a Zhenhai Military Governor here with heavy troops to guard against Wuyue. In the decades of struggle between the two regimes of Jinling and Hangzhou, Runzhou had also been a battlefield where both sides clashed. The most recent occasion was in the fifth year of Qianyou, when the Han army marched south and Wuyue, acting on imperial orders, sent troops to cooperate—only to be broken by Li Hongji, the Tang Prince of Yan, within the borders of Run and Chang.

Because of the threat from Wuyue, the Southern Tang's capital at Jinling in fact carried a sense of "the Son of Heaven guarding the nation's gate." After losing all the land north of the Yangtze, that significance had grown even deeper.

Separated by only a single river, one could still see the fluttering banners of the Great Han. Boats and ships came and went, both sides sharing the Yangtze. Jinling could be said to face the Northern Han's military edge directly, though for the moment that edge had been sheathed.

Having lost every prefecture, county, and fortress north of the river, even with a barely presentable river-defense line constructed, Jiangnan in the eyes of the Northern Han court was like a beauty stripped of her outer skirt—the gauze beneath could not conceal her delicate form, but rather made her all the more alluring. And Jinling was the most tempting vital spot of that maiden's exquisite body.

Over these years, the Tang sovereign Li Jing had more than once entertained the notion of moving the capital, and had several times brought it up in court deliberations, with Tang ministers jointly endorsing the matter. Even with Li Jing's narrow military vision, he could perceive the weakness of the river defense and the danger to Jinling. He was afraid, and so he wanted to move the capital to avoid disaster.

However, the proposal to move the capital repeatedly sparked controversy. Although Li Jing had the support of the majority, there was a group of civil and military officials—Crown Prince Li Hongji, Chancellor Han Xizai, and knowledgeable men in the army—who opposed it fiercely and vehemently.

Li Jing was truly afraid, especially after the Han army took Jinghu two years ago. He had even considered having Li Hongji serve as regent in Jinling while he himself went south to hunt at Hongzhou. In the end it never came to pass—first, because court officials opposed it; second, because he did not trust Li Hongji; third, because over the past several years relations between Han and Tang had remained fairly peaceful; and fourth, because Jinling's splendor and wealth—how could Hongzhou, that "poor and remote backwater," even begin to compare?

Even so, Li Jing still elevated Hongzhou to Nanchang Prefecture, making preparations to "hunt south" at any time.

The Zhenhai Army Military Governor guarding Runzhou was Lin Renzhao. This surrendered minister of the Min kingdom had now become the Southern Tang's great general of river defense. Thanks to his outstanding performance in the great Huainan campaign, along with the recommendations of Li Hongji, Han Xizai, and others, two years ago, after serving as Patrol Inspector of Ezhou, Lin Renzhao was promoted to Military Governor of the Zhenhai Army. These two years, Lin Renzhao at Runzhou and Liu Renshan at Ezhou—one east, one west—served together as the twin pillars of the Southern Tang.

In December in Jiangnan, the rain was cold and the frost bitter, the river wind cutting to the bone. The north wind rolled the waves, ceaselessly eroding the riverbanks. At Runzhou, the Tang court stationed thirty battalions totaling fifteen thousand soldiers, of which five thousand were naval forces.

Among the riverine stockades facing the river, atop a tall tower, accompanied by Lin Renzhao, the Tang Crown Prince Li Hongji personally reviewed the troops. On the Yangtze, war drums thundered, signal flags waved urgently, and more than thirty warships were conducting naval exercises, with bursts of battle cries erupting from time to time.

News of the Han army's pacification of Shu had arrived quickly, startling the Jinling court at first. But in no more than three months came word that the Han army had taken all of Chuanshu—and this time it was shock and terror. It was said that when the news of Shu sovereign Meng Chang's surrender traveled down the river and reached Jinling, the Tang sovereign Li Jing's hand trembled and he directly ruined a fine piece of calligraphy.

Thereafter, the Tang court, sovereign and ministers alike, was immersed in an atmosphere of dread, and a sense of urgency grew in every heart. With Chuanshu settled, could Jiangnan be far behind? That question arose in everyone's mind. Immediately afterward, the Southern Tang strengthened its military construction. Crown Prince Li Hongji's arrival here was itself a statement. Lin Renzhao's ability to train and command troops had been tested and proven, and the Zhenhai Army he led was likely the best-equipped, best-trained, and most combat-effective force in the Southern Tang today.

"General Lin truly lives up to his name as the foremost warrior of the Great Tang. Your methods of command and training are sound, and the officers and men under you are indeed elite. I observed the ships advancing in formation, the issuing of orders, and the coordination in battle—all orderly and highly methodical." Looking down from his vantage point, observing the exercises of the Runzhou naval forces on the river, Li Hongji could not help but praise.

Li Hongji had flaws in his character, but he did possess considerable military talent. Brave and resolute, with the achievement of defeating the Wuyue army to his name, he enjoyed considerable prestige in the military. And men like Lin Renzhao also held considerable goodwill toward Li Hongji.

At this moment, hearing the praise, Lin Renzhao showed little joy. His resolute face was chapped red by the winter wind, and beyond that it bore no expression. His gaze looked far off across the river to the north, and he said in a deep voice: "No matter how precise the training, it still needs the test of the battlefield!"

Noticing Lin Renzhao's gaze, Li Hongji also looked slightly upward toward the north and smiled: "It seems General Lin cannot wait to do battle with the Han army! There will be a chance!"

Lin Renzhao nodded and said: "In these six years, the Northern Han has successively taken Qinfeng, Jinghu, and Chuanshu. Its next move will be either Lingnan or our Great Tang! War is about to begin—the time left to us is not much!"

Hearing this, the smile on Li Hongji's face also faded, and he nodded: "Indeed!"

The atmosphere grew colder than the howling winter wind. Lin Renzhao said with melancholy: "Back then, when the Han army came south in force, they were weak in naval forces. We possessed a navy but could not bring its power to bear, suffering repeated defeats on land, losing troops and territory. In these years, the Han army has also vigorously developed its navy. Now, facing them, I fear it will be difficult to achieve the same suppressive effect again..."

"It seems General Lin still harbors deep resentment over the defeats of those years!" Li Hongji said.

Lin Renzhao countered: "Is Your Highness not the same?"

Li Hongji clenched his fist and said in a deep voice: "What a pity that my father entrusted the wrong people back then. Had I been made commander, had we been able to employ fine generals like you earlier, how could the Han army have run rampant and let the opportunity slip away!"

Lin Renzhao sighed: "Two years ago, when the Han army took Jinghu and fought the great battle at Yuezhou, I personally went to observe. The elite quality of the Han army has not diminished from those days!"

"Could the General be afraid?" Li Hongji raised a thick eyebrow.

"Hmph!" Lin Renzhao immediately gave a light snort: "Know yourself and know your enemy—I simply dare not underestimate the Han army! But if the Han army comes south, I will fight to the death to repay the state!"

"The General's bold spirit!" Hearing this, Li Hongji could not help but clap his hands vigorously and praise loudly: "Far surpassing those mediocre literati in Jinling who fear Han like tigers!"

Looking at the somewhat agitated Li Hongji, Lin Renzhao sighed silently in his heart. Though he led troops in the field, he had heard something of the atmosphere in the Jinling court.

The man beside him, though established as Crown Prince by Li Jing, seemed to have no easy time of it. He had poor relations with many civil officials, and the Tang sovereign Li Jing was also dissatisfied with this jealous and suspicious son. In the past year, some in the court had begun to reminisce about the gentle and humble former Imperial Younger Brother (Heir) Li Jingsui, singing his praises as if building momentum—clearly targeting Crown Prince Li Hongji.

Thinking of this, Lin Renzhao felt quite disheartened. The state's power was declining, crises lurked on every side, yet those in power could not unite as one, still scheming and suspecting each other.

"General Lin, the Han army north of the river has few troops deployed—one might call it a vacuum. If you raised the full strength of Runzhou's forces, could you seize Yangzhou by surprise?" Suddenly, Li Hongji pointed far to the northwest, in the direction of Yangzhou, and asked Lin Renzhao.

Lin Renzhao was slightly startled, but seeing Li Hongji's burning gaze, he thought briefly and answered very seriously: "The Han army has only five thousand local garrison troops, land and river combined, at Yangzhou. If the court issues the decree, I have eighty percent certainty of taking it in one stroke!"

"It's just a pity that the court holds the reins tight and won't let the steed gallop—what can be done!" Lin Renzhao sighed again.

In fact, after news of the Han army's campaign against Shu arrived, Lin Renzhao had already submitted a memorial to Jinling, offering to take advantage of the Han army's westward focus to lead his troops north and recover Huainan. He left himself no room for retreat, stating plainly that if he did not win, he would ask the court to take his head and offer it to the Han court in apology. This sincere display of loyalty was directly suppressed by Li Jing, who refused without mercy—for the Northern Han, one could not flee fast enough; who would dare lightly stroke the tiger's whiskers? Because of this memorial from Lin Renzhao, Li Jing issued an edict reprimanding him and additionally dispatched an army supervisor to oversee him.

Hearing his lament, Li Hongji said seriously: "Back then, when you suggested taking the initiative to strike, I also approved! Given the current situation in the world, passive defense can only end in being starved to death. Only by taking the initiative to attack is there a thread of hope for survival.

To be frank with you, General, I have already planned to send someone across the sea northward to contact the Great Liao and arrange a joint attack on Han! As long as that succeeds, you can lead your troops north across the river to attack Han and restore the state!"