Chapter 880: Deliberating the Northern Expedition

Still in Chongzheng Hall, still the same ministers, but the atmosphere was markedly different, because for this session of deliberation, the hall's doors and windows were tightly shut, and all the attending maids and eunuchs, except for Sun Yanxi, had been dismissed.

Seeing this secretive scene, the civil and military officials present all knew that the Emperor had made his decision. They exchanged glances, each composing themselves, waiting for Liu Chengyou to speak.

"Last night, I finally had a good night's sleep!" Liu Chengyou looked around, wearing a relaxed smile as he spoke. This display further corroborated the ministers' conjectures.

Meeting the gazes of the assembled ministers, Liu Chengyou picked up a memorial from the imperial desk and said, "Last night, I received another letter requesting battle!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to the memorial in Liu Chengyou's hand. During this period, the letters requesting battle that the Emperor had received had nearly piled up on his desk—what was so special about this one?

Liu Chengyou did not continue to keep them in suspense. A faint smile flickered at the corner of his mouth as he said, "This is a joint memorial from the Prince of Yan, Zhao Kuangzan, and the Surveillance Commissioner of Lulong, Gao Fang, hoping that the court will dispatch troops on a northern expedition, drive out the Khitan, and recover the passes and mountains!"

As the Emperor finished speaking, Guo Rong's spirits lifted, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Yan has rendered great merit and virtue! His sincerity is so evident—how could the court refuse his request and chill the hearts of those of lofty aspiration?"

The other civil and military officials also revealed expressions of slight delight. They were all men of insight, able to perceive the Prince of Yan's intentions behind this letter requesting battle. All along, within the Han court, there had been a certain wariness toward the Prince of Yan and the existence of the Yan army. After all, at a time when military provinces had been completely eliminated, the self-contained system of Youyan did indeed stand out somewhat, giving one a feeling of a fishbone stuck in the throat.

Of course, the military province was of secondary concern—after all, in the northwest there still existed the two military governorships of Xiazhou and Yanzhou. The key issue lay in the special geographical position of Youzhou; it was the most important link in the northern defense line, the finishing touch. Not being able to hold it directly in one's grasp was hardly reassuring. Otherwise, when he had made his northern inspection tour in the past, An Shenqi would not have advised him to lead troops northward and take Youzhou first.

This time, with the Prince of Yan's letter requesting battle, his attitude of submission was already perfectly clear. Everyone knew that once the Han army marched north, that would be the day the Yan army was fully incorporated into the Great Han's military and political system.

After Guo Rong finished speaking, Liu Chengyou rose and walked to the map hanging high in the hall. Seeing his movement, everyone else also rose to their feet. The Great Han map in Chongzheng Hall had been updated once again, redrawn anew.

Unconsciously, after ten years of expansion and management, the Great Han's territory had already become quite vast. Gazing upon it, one could not help but feel a surge of pride and satisfaction in one's heart.

"The struggle between north and south ends here!" After a long moment, Liu Chengyou turned around, a powerful brilliance radiating from his eyes, and declared solemnly: "Ministers, I have decided on a northern expedition. The pacification of the south will be temporarily shelved. From now on, the court shall devote all its efforts to preparing for the northern expedition, to recover the passes and mountains in one stroke!"

The Emperor's resolve immediately suppressed all previous disputes. Guo Rong and the others were naturally overjoyed, while Fan Zhi, though still maintaining his reservations, nonetheless solemnly bowed to Liu Chengyou and said, "Since Your Majesty has decided, we ministers can only devote ourselves fully to assisting, striking north against the Khitan!"

Looking at Fan Zhi, Liu Chengyou revealed a satisfied expression. No matter how great the differences or how fierce the disputes had been before, once a decision was made, he could quickly reverse his attitude, not letting personal views undermine state affairs. For this alone, Fan Zhi could continue serving as chancellor for a while longer.

In fact, over all these years, the Great Han court had already cultivated an atmosphere of "the ruler and ministers of one mind, superiors and subordinates working in concert"—this was the strong-nation temperament displayed by an empire striving upward.

Reseating themselves, the ruler and his ministers directly began discussing the matter of troop movements. War was a matter of life and death, not something where one could just slap one's head, mass the army, and then pile on to besiege cities and seize strongholds—especially a great undertaking like the northern expedition.

Deliberation at court and advance preparation were essential. Fortunately, in matters of war, over the years the Great Han court had accumulated ample experience, and in war preparation it had become systematic and institutionalized, even though the scale of the northern expedition against Liao would far exceed anything before.

Liu Chengyou directly began making arrangements. He first looked at Guo Rong and said, "For matters of troop deployment, march strategy, and timing of dispatch, the Bureau of Military Affairs should produce a detailed plan as soon as possible and implement it step by step!"

"Yes!" Guo Rong immediately responded, a gleam of brilliance in his bright eyes, clearly already formulating ideas.

"All weapons and military equipment will remain the responsibility of the Ministry of War!" Liu Chengyou then said to Wei Renpu.

Wei Renpu was already prepared for this and replied very calmly with a cupped-fist salute: "As commanded!"

"The State Finance Commission must coordinate closely with all the various departments, calculate the expenditures of the campaign, and prepare all the grain, funds, and clothing for the army's march north!"

Xue Juzheng responded: "Yes!"

What Liu Chengyou had said was merely guiding opinion. In fact, even without his saying it, the ministers would have done it, and done it well. Past experience was sufficient to put Liu Chengyou at ease.

What Liu Chengyou truly needed to concern himself with lay in strategy. After pondering for a moment, he continued: "The northern expedition is decided, but it requires preparation on many fronts. We must not act rashly or hastily, and we need to observe the Khitan's movements and decide accordingly. Before the northern expedition, the Khitan's situation must be closely monitored and probed. Throughout the army, the exterior should appear relaxed while the interior remains taut. All preparations should be carried out as secretly as possible, without making a great show of it. As for the north-south dispute at court, it may continue!"

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the ministers all understood—this was to deceive all parties. They then immediately offered their suggestions and counsel.

Fan Zhi reported: "Your Majesty, the court should also send envoys north to discuss this Han-Liao conflict, dispel misunderstandings, and repair relations!"

The same suggestion, this time spoken from Fan Zhi's mouth, carried a different tone—this time, clearly, it was to deceive the Khitan. Liu Chengyou directly approved: "Then send Wang Zhaoyuan. He has long harbored the desire to go as envoy to Liao. This time, I shall grant his wish!"

Hearing the Emperor's decision, Fan Zhi and the others could not help but reveal slightly amused expressions. This "eccentric" Wang Zhaoyuan had some reputation at court. However, the embassy itself was merely a stratagem; there was no need to consider success or failure. Using such an "eccentric" as envoy might even yield unexpected results, so no one objected.

Li Gu, who had not spoken much during the north-south debate, now also spoke up: "Your Majesty, if we launch a northern expedition, we must mobilize several hundred thousand soldiers and civilians. With such large-scale preparations, it is nearly impossible to keep them completely secret without any information leaking out.

I believe the court can, under the pretext of strengthening northern defense, dispatch grain and military equipment, while simultaneously spreading rumors of a southern advance and making moves to transfer troops southward. This way, both north and south are addressed, but the south is feigned while the north is real—using this to deceive the Khitan!"

"Additionally, this old minister should request to resign and proceed to Yangzhou to take up his post!" Li Gu cupped his hands and petitioned Liu Chengyou.

Li Gu's strategy was still about deceiving the enemy and concealing strategic intent. The fact that Li Gu was about to serve as the chief commander for pacifying the south was actually known to the entire court. With the Great Han's current strength, a southern campaign no longer required the same secrecy as in the past.

Liu Chengyou acknowledged this, looking at Li Gu and seeing his calm demeanor, his feelings somewhat complicated. Originally, Liu Chengyou had appointed Li Gu as chief commander precisely to grant him a great achievement and distinguished career. Now, with changes in the north and a strategic shift, he would have to temporarily set aside his own aspirations for merit.

When he had first transferred Li Gu from Hebei to the capital, it was to make great use of him in the pacification of the south. Now that the strategic direction had shifted to the north, for Li Gu it felt like being born at the wrong time, finding it hard to realize his grand ambitions.

Of course, Li Gu was not yet sixty years old, and logically speaking, Liu Chengyou should not have had such feelings on his account. But he knew that after years of toil, Li Gu's health had actually suffered—he was afflicted with wind-damp disease—and how much longer he could serve the Great Han was difficult to guarantee.

Yet observing his conduct, Liu Chengyou could still perceive that Li Gu was willing to suppress his own ambitions for the sake of the nation's grand strategy. To this, Liu Chengyou said solemnly: "With the army marching north, I entrust the defense of Jiangnan entirely to you, Minister Li!"

Pausing for a moment, Liu Chengyou added with a touch of emotion: "Do take care of your health!"

After Li Gu finished speaking, Li Chuyun, Chief Recipient of Petitions in the Bureau of Military Affairs, also offered a suggestion: "Your Majesty, the court could send envoys across the sea to Goryeo, instructing the Goryeo king to invite him to dispatch troops to attack the former Bohai territories!"

"Goryeo faces the Khitan threat directly and may not dare to take the initiative to invade, but it is worth attempting nonetheless!" Liu Chengyou said to Fan Zhi: "Minister Fan, you may arrange this matter, but be sure to watch for the right timing!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Kuangyin also offered his counsel: "Your Majesty, in warfare against Liao, we will directly face the mobile threat of enemy cavalry. Although the Great Han's cavalry has been built up over many years, its numbers and horse strength remain insufficient, and apart from the imperial army, it is scattered across various passes, difficult to concentrate for use. I have previously inspected the northwest, and perhaps we could use wealth and silk to recruit Tibetans, Wermo, and Tangut as barbarian cavalry to assist in battle!"

Within the Great Han's army, there was indeed a contingent of "minority"-composed barbarian cavalry, originally formed by Liu Zhiyuan, deeply sinicized, and currently stationed within Hedong's borders, under the jurisdiction of the capital command.

At Zhao Kuangyin's suggestion, Liu Chengyou frowned slightly, seeming somewhat hesitant, concerned that the barbarian cavalry would be difficult to control. But upon reflection, if they could conscript a batch of them to serve as cannon fodder, the benefits would likely outweigh the drawbacks. Moreover, if the recruitment succeeded, it would also be an opportunity to implement plans for the various northwestern barbarian peoples, beneficial for the future development of the northwest strategy.

Therefore, after brief consideration, Liu Chengyou said: "Have Guo Chongwei go to the northwest, responsible for recruiting these men, arming and training them on the spot!"

"Yes!"

Guo Chongwei was a great cavalry general of the Great Han—and, well, another former subordinate of Guo Wei. Even though Guo Wei had retired to private life several years ago, the court could not help but still be influenced by him in matters of appointing officials and generals.