Chapter 846: Sharing the Couch, Talking Deep into the Night

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and asked with curiosity: "As commander of a great army, you led your troops to break a state, captured its sovereign, and achieved great success. You, Xiang Xingmin, are widely renowned. How is it that now you belittle yourself and lightly speak of being old?"

"To be honest with Your Majesty, in this campaign to pacify Shu, we broke stockades and took passes, with countless dead and wounded. I observed corpses strewn across the fields, blood staining the sky, and felt pity in my heart. It seems that as a man ages, his heart softens..." Xiang Xun replied.

"That does not sound like words from the mouth of a general who has killed countless men!" Liu Chengyou opened his eyes, turned his head to look at Xiang Xun, and changed the subject, speaking in a nostalgic tone: "I still remember the twelfth year of Tianfu, when the Shi Jin fell, the Chinese realm toppled, and the barbarians ran rampant. You came alone to Jinyang to offer your service. How dashing and heroic you were back then, full of bold spirit!"

Xiang Xun also looked at the Emperor, recalling those past events. His expression finally lost some of its "deathly dullness," and his face showed emotion. He smiled bitterly and said: "I grew up in Henei, always proud and ambitious, considering myself a hero. Yet nearing forty, I remained mediocre and accomplished nothing. When I went north to Jinyang that year, my temperament was unchanged. I spoke recklessly before the late Emperor, arrogantly discoursing on the state of the realm.

Had Your Majesty not disregarded my lowliness, taken me into your ranks, allowed me to attend you personally, and entrusted me with your confidence, I fear I would still be drifting through the world. How could I speak of today's honors and achievements..."

"You are flattering me again!" Liu Chengyou seemed to be in a good mood: "But with your talent, Xiang Xingmin, you would have met a discerning patron sooner or later and attained wealth and rank. I merely happened to be there at the right time!"

"I treated you with small kindness, yet you repaid me with tenfold achievements. Calculated this way, I have profited—and profited greatly!" A smile spread across Liu Chengyou's lips: "In these years since leaving Hedong, we have defeated enemies, attacked the Khitan, suppressed rebellions, trimmed the military provinces, and conquered the various states, gradually moving toward unification. In the book of merits, your name, Xiang Xingmin, must be written in heavy strokes!"

"Your Majesty flatters me!" Xiang Xun said seriously: "Twelve years since we marched east, the realm has taken on a new face. When Gaozu founded the dynasty and I followed Your Majesty eastward, I never imagined that in merely twelve years, the nation would be on the verge of reunification. The realm was in chaos for eighty years—military provinces carved up territory, various states standing side by side. How many heroes and bold men of troubled times emerged! Yet only Your Majesty is the true talent who swept away all rivals, reformed old abuses, and established a foundation for ten thousand generations!"

Xiang Xun adhered to one principle: keep flattering, keep saying good things. Yet he did not make Liu Chengyou feel it was sycophantic. After all, he had been deeply involved in the great transformations of these twelve years, with profound feelings, so naturally his words seemed sincere.

However, Liu Chengyou's mood grew increasingly complicated. He slowly propped himself up, raised a finger, and ordered the palace maids to withdraw. The thinly-clad beauties softly left the imperial couch, bowing as they departed. Only the sovereign and his minister remained on the couch, and Xiang Xun also sat up.

Liu Chengyou looked at Xiang Xun, his calm gaze making the latter dare not meet his eyes. His tone turned grave: "I know what you are worried about, and I know what makes you so cautious and careful. Is it that I am—headstrong? Suspicious? Cold-hearted? Have I made you afraid?"

Hearing the Emperor say this, how could Xiang Xun dare maintain any airs? He knelt directly on the couch and said solemnly: "Your Majesty's words fill me with terror. I would never dare harbor such thoughts of deceiving my sovereign!"

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou's emotions seemed to become somewhat agitated. He waved one hand, spittle flying: "I tell you, put your heart back in your belly. Those rumors in the court, I treat them all as nonsense. If I did not trust you, why would I have placed the southwestern army in your hands for six years? Toward meritorious ministers, I never recklessly harbor suspicion.

You and I, sovereign and minister, have known each other for twelve years. I believe I have been completely open-hearted. Today, let me be even more candid. You need not fear that your achievements overshadow your sovereign. Though I am not a founding emperor, I am a founding ruler of enterprise, and I believe I can still suppress everything!"

With the Emperor having spoken to this extent, Xiang Xun felt his heart tremble, but he also understood he should no longer maintain his previous demeanor, lest he truly incur the Emperor's wrath. He clasped his hands and bowed again, touching his head to the ground, in a posture of submission, with a tone of admiration: "Your Majesty's grace and authority are vast as mountains and seas. I can only kowtow and obey!"

Reaching out a hand to help him up, Liu Chengyou let out a light sigh and said: "Now it is just you and me, sovereign and minister. There is no need for these formalities—they only make things feel distant!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

In fact, during the six years Xiang Xun commanded the southwestern army, there was no shortage of rumors in the court. Back then, he had been ordered to reorganize the Guanzhong troops, gathering their elite to prepare for the campaign against Shu. It could be said that the southwestern Han army was built single-handedly by Xiang Xun.

Before the campaign against Shu, everything was relatively balanced. But after achieving the feat of destroying Shu, rumors began to fly. Liu Chengyou, the Emperor, remained calmly seated on his throne, but the censors and remonstrance officials of the court could not hold back, repeatedly submitting memorials urging Liu Chengyou to recall Xiang Xun.

After all, Xiang Xun held tens of thousands of elite troops in his hands, had accepted the surrender of a hundred thousand Shu soldiers, and with the special geographical nature of Chuanshu—though some practical conditions were deliberately overlooked—on the surface, Xiang Xun at that time really was quite "dangerous."

For distant examples, there was the affair of Zhong Hui; for recent ones, Meng Zhixiang could serve as a warning. How could the court officials not think more deeply? Especially after the news of the Shu rebellion was officially reported, those officials who did not know the details grew even more agitated, coming close to directly questioning Xiang Xun's loyalty and suggesting he harbored rebellious intentions.

How could Xiang Xun not have heard those clamorous words? Though he was a commander of a great army, decisive in killing, he too could feel fear and worry. In these years, as the Great Han grew ever stronger, the pace of unification accelerated, popular sentiment coalesced, and the reverence of officers for imperial authority also increased.

In the past two years, there were still arrogant soldiers and fierce generals in the army. Perhaps there were still those who acted wantonly, but they dared not offend imperial majesty. Xiang Xun was also an ordinary man and an ordinary general, known for his strategic judgment. It was only natural that a sense of crisis arose in his heart.

Precisely because he understood the Emperor, and had witnessed over the years the personnel changes and shifts of power among the upper echelons of the Great Han, even now, despite Liu Chengyou's frank and open words, he dared not take them entirely at face value.

After considering for a moment, Xiang Xun also spoke to Liu Chengyou with a candid attitude: "Your Majesty regards me as a trusted limb. I am moved to tears of gratitude. But in these years commanding troops in the southwest, far from family, not knowing my relatives, and after achieving success in pacifying Shu, I am exhausted in both body and mind. What I seek now is only rest, relaxation, and ease. I hope Your Majesty will understand and grant my request!"

"A talent for commanding armies, in the prime of life—how can you just put your horse out to pasture?" Hearing this, Liu Chengyou smiled freely, but added: "Let us discuss this later!"

Turning over to lie down, his head resting on his hands, Liu Chengyou said: "This campaign to pacify Shu was fought well. It lived up to years of preparation, taking all of two hundred prefectures and counties. It can be called the greatest achievement since the founding of the dynasty!"

Xiang Xun now feared nothing more than the Emperor praising him. Hearing this, he said with a grave expression: "I was just about to beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. Shu was won but then fell into rebellion—truly, I failed to control my subordinates, handled matters improperly, and failed to correctly carry out Your Majesty's will, leading to the uprising. When the rebels suddenly rose, I failed to respond in time, allowing the disaster to spread for a hundred days and inflict heavy damage on Shu. Not to mention the soldiers being worn out—more than a hundred thousand Shu commoners died because of this! Whenever I think of it, I feel I was negligent in my duty!"

"You need not carry any burden in your heart!" Hearing this, Liu Chengyou waved his hand and said magnanimously: "I speak from my heart—the root cause of the Shu rebellion lies with me, not with you. Moreover, this bout of chaos was not without its benefits! Didn't all those treacherous rebels with ulterior motives jump out, only to be swept away by us in one stroke?

From the army's departure to its arrival in Chengdu, it took less than forty days. The advance was too smooth, the destruction of Shu too easy. It reminds me of the story of the Sui destroying the Southern Chen. Though the circumstances differ, the effect is the same—won but then rebelling. Better to have a bout of chaos! Without chaos, one cannot know the flaws. Now the scholars and commoners of Shu should know the majesty of the court, should they not? Even if Shu has been smashed up, it makes it easier for the court to clean up and reorganize..."

The Emperor's words were somewhat heartless—not a trace of love for the people. Ambitious, clearly caring only about his rule. As for a hundred thousand or so dead and wounded, what did that amount to?

As for Xiang Xun, despite appearing "soft-hearted" and full of worries and hesitations, deep down he was not so compassionate. He merely put on such a show. Leading an army to conquer a state, killing countless—his heart could be hard. And as for Liu Chengyou's words, he actually agreed with them, immediately praising the Emperor's grand strategy and vision.

"In this campaign against Shu, when the court assesses merits and awards honors, who do you, Xingmin, think deserves to be ranked first?" Liu Chengyou asked again.

Xiang Xun: "As the commander, it is not appropriate for me to offer casual opinions!"

"Since you are the commander, you should be the one to speak up and request honors for your subordinates. If you do not speak, who in the court can decide it?" Liu Chengyou countered.

Hearing this, Xiang Xun pondered for a long while, then said seriously: "From entering Shu to suppressing the rebellion, weighing all the merits, Zhao Kuangyin should be ranked first!"

"Mm..." Liu Chengyou acknowledged lightly, showing no sign of surprise.

Then he gave instructions: "Among the victorious returning army, there are many southwestern soldiers I have never seen. Make arrangements—tomorrow I will review the troops at Qionglin Garden!"

"Then the soldiers will surely rejoice and gaze upon Your Majesty's countenance with admiration!"