Chapter 885: The Edict for the Northern Campaign

On the first day of the seventh month of the eleventh year of Qianyou, in the main hall of Chongyuan Hall, a grand enfeoffment ceremony was carried out. Before the witnesses of consorts, imperial clansmen, royal relatives, nobles, and court officials both civil and military, Emperor Liu of Han, Liu Chengyou, formally enfeoffed his second son, Liu Yang, as Crown Prince.

After a series of solemn and grave ceremonial rites, the assembled civil and military officials all bowed in proper order to Liu Yang. The ten-year-old Liu Yang, with his crown and cap complete and a bright yellow dragon robe adorning him, was decked out splendidly. Standing on the vermilion steps, gazing at the full hall of lords and ministers prostrating themselves at his feet, he felt, for a moment, rather unaccustomed to it.

He could not help but turn his head to look back at his father and mother, only to see the Emperor, full of majesty, with an imposing air unlike that of mortal men, inspiring awe. In contrast, his mother, the elder Lady Fu, though also maintaining her dignified bearing, had eyes filled with encouragement and expectation.

After all, he had studied letters and practiced martial arts for years, and had accompanied Liu Chengyou on imperial tours, possessing some experience and having been through great occasions. He took a deep breath, steadied his nervous heart, and, following the prior instruction, proclaimed the imperial grace to the ministers.

Liu Chengyou sat squarely upon the imperial throne, exuding an aura that overawed all beings, his gaze calm as he observed Liu Yang's performance—proper and according to protocol, passable enough. If he could not even withstand such an occasion, then this Crown Prince would be too disappointing.

In fact, Liu Chengyou often personally instructed Liu Yang in daily life. If his aptitude were truly inadequate, even as the eldest legitimate son, Liu Chengyou would not have installed him. Of course, though the Crown Prince was now established, it also signified that a long-term strict examination had formally begun.

Whether the Crown Prince's position could be secured would depend on Liu Yang's own fortune and ability.

Naturally, there were some in the great hall with other thoughts—such as Noble Consort Gao and Consort Fu. Seeing this scene, Noble Consort Gao looked at the lofty Emperor Liu, with the Empress Dowager and Empress Fu nearest to him, her heart filled with bitterness and a sense of powerlessness. And seeing her own son, Liu Xi, heedlessly performing the rites of a subject to Liu Yang, she felt even more a resentful frustration at his lack of ambition.

As for Consort Fu, her emotions were more those of a petty woman, her gaze somewhat plaintive, for she too had borne a son. Lady Zhe's gaze was comparatively more serene, taking things in stride.

Liu Chengyou also observed the bearing of his other sons—all proper and orderly. The eldest son, Liu Xu, maintained his consistent gentleness, almost engraved into his bones, with a smile on his face. The third son, Liu Xi, wore a faintly indifferent expression, though his gaze seemed somewhat wandering. The fourth son, Liu Fang, watched his second brother with rapt attention and a hint of curiosity. As for the fifth son, Liu Yun, and Prince Wei, Liu Min, they were merely going through the motions.

After the ceremony concluded, Liu Chengyou had the Crown Prince Liu Yang ride the imperial palanquin, escorted by several hundred Inner Palace guards, leaving the palace to tour the imperial avenues, receiving the cheers and acclaim of the Eastern Capital's populace—also formally proclaiming this matter to the realm.

At night, a banquet at Chongyuan Hall was the expected affair, with court congratulations and tribute offerings. At the same time, after consultation with Empress Fu, Liu Chengyou also assigned to Liu Yang the Eastern Palace staff and guards, all regulations following those from when he himself had been Crown Prince.

Judging from Liu Chengyou's conduct, he indeed held certain expectations for the Crown Prince Liu Yang—the status and treatment due him would never be lacking. After all, he was the Crown Prince, the empire's future successor; this was no child's play. Liu Chengyou's attitude was properly set, and he took it very seriously.

"You must be tired today!" Inside Kunming Hall, looking at Liu Yang, who was still wearing his bright, resplendent ceremonial robes, the elder Lady Fu said gently.

Liu Yang nodded, then shook his head, then nodded again. Seeing him like this, the elder Lady Fu summoned him to her side, stroked his head, and said: "From now on, you are the Crown Prince of the Great Han, and you must begin to learn to understand your father's toil and pains. Your weariness today is nothing compared to his diligence, constant as it has been for ten years. You must understand this. At court, you are sovereign and subject; after court, you are father and son. You must maintain respect for your father..."

Liu Yang could not fully comprehend the elder Lady Fu's words, but he was an obedient child, merely nodding in agreement. However, on his young face, a trace of hesitation could not help but appear.

The elder Lady Fu asked him, and Liu Yang said: "Mother, when I saw the lords, elders, and brothers performing rites to me, I felt very nervous for some reason—I have never felt this before!"

At this, the elder Lady Fu revealed a faint smile and sighed lightly: "This is the weight of the heir apparent's responsibility!"

After the Crown Prince's title was settled, Liu Chengyou devoted all his attention to the preparations for the northern expedition. Under his urging, the entire court operated at a tight pace.

The State Finance Commission opened the treasuries on a grand scale, purchasing all military necessities—from clothing, shoes and socks, gloves, rain gear, tents, and transport vehicles, anything the army could use was purchased in bulk. For a time, the artisans inside and outside the Eastern Capital made a handsome profit.

The armory was thrown wide open, actively shipping out supplies, while all kinds of weapons expanded their production scale, working at full capacity. Vast quantities of raw materials flowed into the workshops, where thousands of craftsmen forged them into instruments of death for reaping lives. According to the Ministry of War's report, for just the various crossbows and arrows alone, three million were to be prepared in the initial phase.

Provisions and fodder go first—by before the Mid-Autumn Festival, grain transported north through the capital region had reached two hundred thousand shi, and at Yongqing Army, the forward base for the northern expedition, stored grain exceeded four hundred thousand shi—and this was still with the court not yet fully mobilized. The imperial army units assigned to the northern expedition sequence were also, under the Bureau of Military Affairs' deployment, moving north in batches.

As had been anticipated beforehand, the Great Han's military preparations and movements could not completely deceive the enemy, but thanks to the court's series of deception strategies, the time before the objective was discovered was greatly delayed.

During this process, the most nervous was the Jinling court. Because of the Crown Prince's installation, Liu Chengyou issued an edict summoning Li Jing to court to observe the ceremony. Given Li Jing's temperament, he naturally was unwilling, and even more so dared not go to the Eastern Capital. Not daring to refuse directly, he made excuses that his illness had not yet recovered, and moreover the road was long and time insufficient, fearing he could not make it in time; to avoid discourtesy, he would not go. However, he still ordered Tang ministers to carry heavy gifts north, to respectfully present them to the Han Crown Prince.

This naturally would not "satisfy" Emperor Liu. Thereafter, Li Gu began making trouble in Yangzhou. The Yangzhou naval forces sortied, holding a review on the river, throwing the Southern Tang soldiers and civilians along the Jiangyin coast into a panic.

Combined with the surging torrent in the Central Plains, the Jinling court, having sensed something, was even more terrified. Though generals like Lin Renzhao advocated resistance, Li Jing remained fearful and uneasy, sending envoys again, bearing gifts northward a second time, seeking peace and safety.

If the Southern Tang was like this, how could the Khitan beyond the northern frontier remain unaware? In fact, regardless of how the Great Han's troops moved, they were already preparing for war. After the Battle of Yanmen, the Great Han had maintained only minimal envoy exchanges, also with the intention of deceiving the Han court.

Since Yelu Jing returned north to Shangjing, the Liao's registered soldiers—especially its main force, the tribal armies of the various tribes—had intensified their drilling, and were selecting elite soldiers and fierce generals, preparing to raid south.

At the same time, Yelu Jing also dispatched envoys widely, sending them separately to the various northern peoples who had submitted to Liao, communicating in advance and making preparations to conscript their masses to march south. In dealing with the Great Han, how could one do without servant cannon fodder?

And so, in the early phase, both sides harbored their own schemes, each making their own preparations. Yelu Jing had originally only been strengthening Liao's military training and construction, and, following Yelu Talie's suggestion, planned to first raid and plunder, weakening the Great Han's national strength.

However, as time passed, they sensed something was wrong. The Great Han's massive mobilization and aggressive posture was too alarming—it looked like it wanted to devour people. Upon learning of the Great Han's unusual movements, the Liao sovereign and ministers also accelerated their war preparations, and many plans that had been intended to proceed slowly had to be sped up.

After entering the eighth month, the two states had essentially laid their weapons bare, confronting each other, preparing for a great battle. Liao was waiting for the autumn when the horses were fat; the Great Han, having made ample early preparations and troop deployments, was also waiting for the autumn harvest, when the people's strength would be abundant.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, in the process of both states rushing troops to the borders, their cavalry had already begun clashing and slaughtering along the frontier. The clashes at Youyan were the most intense; wherever the Liao cavalry reached, the southernmost point was Zhuozhou. And this time, it was not the Yan cavalry fighting alone—the horse troops under the Hebei border army were all transferred north to join the battle.

By the twentieth day of the eighth month, after the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, the Han Emperor formally issued the edict to campaign north against the Khitan, drawing the eyes of the realm. By this time, in the Hebei region, the Great Han had concentrated a great army of two hundred thousand men.