Chapter 886: The Great Mobilization of Arms

This northern expedition could be described as a full deployment of elite forces—the imperial army of the Palace Command and Imperial Guard Command alone numbered a hundred thousand, with the bulk of garrison forces in the two capitals and their surrounding areas drawn away. The Tieqi, Longqi, and Xiaodi under the Palace Command, along with the Longjie, Husheng, Fengguo, and Xingjie under the Imperial Guard Command, all marched to war, and among them, the cavalry alone numbered thirty thousand riders.

Add to that the forty thousand border troops under the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Front, more than twenty thousand local troops assembled by the Hebei Command, twenty thousand Yan troops, and over ten thousand hired cavalry that Guo Chongwei had recruited in the northwest.

Thus, for this northern expedition, on the Hebei front alone, the Great Han dispatched a solid two hundred thousand fighting men. Apart from the command troops and hired miscellaneous cavalry, whose combat strength was somewhat weaker, the rest were elite soldiers trained through years of drill. If one counted the large numbers of auxiliary troops and civilian laborers, the number exceeded four hundred thousand.

To describe such strength as "mobilizing the entire nation" might be a stretch, but on the basis of maintaining domestic stability and defense of all borders, the Great Han court had truly done its utmost. And with over seventy percent of the Great Han's elite forces assembled, it was understandable that Liu Chengyou chose to lead the campaign personally.

The question of the emperor personally leading the campaign sparked another round of debate at court. There were always those who held a cautious attitude, not wanting the emperor to risk himself in the north. In a great war, victory and defeat were hard to predict—if the northern expedition failed despite such strength, it would be a tremendous blow to prestige, both for the emperor and for the nation.

The emperor would be better off holding the line at the Eastern Capital to reassure the people. To consider defeat before victory was a cautious and prudent attitude, yet many only worried about the consequences of defeat while giving little thought to the glory of victory.

Thus, even though some ministers led by Fan Zhi earnestly remonstrated, it was utterly useless. In the first year of Qianyou, when the nation was in difficulty, they couldn't even dissuade him from personally campaigning against Li Shouzhen—how much less now, when the emperor's authority had grown ever greater.

With such a massive scale of mobilization, besides a complete and orderly logistical support system, the coordination and command of the various armies was of paramount importance, and the construction of the command system was the top priority.

For the emperor's personal campaign, the imperial camp was composed of the Tieqi Army, the Longqi Army, a portion of the Inner Palace Army, along with some auxiliary troops and logistics personnel, totaling about thirty thousand infantry and cavalry, with Zhao Kuangyin serving as Commander-in-Chief.

On the front line, the Youyan Field Headquarters was established, with An Shenqi, Duke of Chenliu, as Commander-in-Chief, and Zhao Kuangzan, Prince of Yan, as his deputy, overseeing all Han and Yan armies. Beneath them, Gao Huaide served as Commander of Cavalry, Murong Yanzhao as Commander of Infantry, and Guo Rong as Army Supervisor. For logistics, Li Chuyun was appointed Grain Commissioner of the Field Headquarters, with Han Hui (son of Han Tong) as deputy commissioner, responsible for managing auxiliary troops and civilian laborers at the camp and supplying military provisions. Chancellor Wei Renpu was appointed Fiscal Commissioner of the Two Rivers, with Xue Juzheng as deputy commissioner, responsible for raising and supplying military resources from the rear.

Before the imperial departure, Liu Chengyou naturally made proper arrangements for the Eastern Capital. The Crown Prince would oversee state affairs, with the chancellors assisting him in handling government business, ensuring the nation functioned normally while the emperor was away. There had been ample experience with this during the emperor's previous tours, though this time there was a young crown prince being kept as a mascot.

Of course, the roles of the Empress Dowager and the Empress were indispensable, and this time, Prince Yong, Liu Chenghsun, was also among the assisting ministers. Since Guo Rong and Li Chuyun had both accompanied the army north, the affairs of the Bureau of Military Affairs were temporarily managed by Wang Pu.

As for the defense of the capital, Liu Chengyou entrusted it to Xiang Xun and Han Tong, who jointly served as Chief and Deputy Patrol Inspectors. In fact, after the main forces had gradually marched north, the defensive strength of the Eastern Capital immediately became considerably thinner—only the Inner Palace Guard of the Palace Command, the Wujie Army of the Imperial Guard, the Imperial City Inner Palace Army, and a portion of patrol troops remained. Of course, this was still a formidable force, more than sufficient to protect the capital.

The heaviest drawdown of troops was from the key cities guarding the Eastern Capital—Luoyang, Hua, Wei, Chan, Pu, and the Daming Prefecture. These were also the main areas where the imperial army had long been stationed. After the troops were transferred north, their defenses could be described as hollow. However, if the enemy wanted to attack these core governing regions, it was essentially impossible.

Of course, for this northern expedition, the Great Han did not only have the Hebei route as its main army. Second was the Hedong front, with the emperor's father-in-law, Wei Wang Fu Yanqing, as commander-in-chief, overseeing all Hedong troops, with Wang Yanchao as his deputy, dispatching fifty thousand infantry and cavalry through the Yamen and Baode regions to attack Yun and Shuo, with Yang Ye as vanguard commander.

Additionally, there were several secondary forces. Shi Hongzhao, Duke of Zheng, and Wang Yansheng, Army Commander of the Dingbian Army, also led troops operating from the Lingzhou region. The Chief Commander of the Jingjiang Army led the Laizhou naval forces, crossing the sea northward, seeking opportunities to cut off the Liaoxi Corridor and sever Liao's forces beyond the passes.

Li Yiyin of Xiazhou and Gao Shaoji of Yanzhou also received imperial edicts ordering them to attack Liao. On Li Yiyin's side, perhaps emboldened by the opportunity presented by the Han-Liao conflict, he dared to strike north against the Khitan, expanding his territory and increasing his strength. But with Gao Shaoji—that troublemaker—behind him, trying to conduct military operations peacefully while joining forces was essentially impossible. After all, the Li and Gao families were sworn enemies. The Xia and Yan forces would likely only end up adding to the momentum in the end.

As for Goryeo, the edict to attack Liao was also delivered by Han envoys, but that Goryeo King Wang Zhao was busy with reforms, striking down powerful clans and killing meritorious ministers. Having him pull chestnuts from the fire for the Great Han by sending troops against the Liao army was essentially impossible. If he could just show some attitude, that would count as him being friendly to the Han.

For the great cause of the northern expedition, defeating the Liao army would have to rely on the Great Han itself.

After all arrangements were made, on the 21st day of the 8th month of the 11th year of Qianyou, Emperor Liu Chengyou of Han formally led the imperial camp troops out of the Eastern Capital, heading north—this was also the last army to join the northern expedition.

Accompanying the emperor, besides some close ministers, there were no miscellaneous hangers-on. However, Noble Consort Gao and Consort Ning Guo were permitted to accompany the campaign, attending personally to Liu Chengyou's food, drink, and daily needs. In fact, had Lady Zhe not been pregnant, he would certainly have brought her along as well. At the same time, the eldest, third, and fourth imperial princes accompanied the campaign.

At Beizhou, on the Yongji River section, dozens of deeply laden large ships slowly sailed northeast along the canal. On the banks were over two thousand trackers in coarse cloth garments, bent-backed and hunched, ropes wrapped around their bodies, heads lowered as they hauled the ships transporting military equipment and supplies northward.

Behind them was an even larger fleet, with the dragon boat at its head, cavalry flanking on both banks, and dense black banners fluttering mightily in the autumn wind. The dragon boat Liu Chengyou rode was merely a converted tower ship, showing no splendor at all—it was only called such because the emperor rode it.

At this moment, Liu Chengyou stood on the dragon boat's deck, the cool wind stirring his beard this way and that. His expression was calm, his slightly heavy gaze fixed on the trackers on the shore.

The northern expedition against the Khitan mobilized the entire nation, and the most thorough mobilization was in the Hebei prefectures. Beizhou was still far from Youzhou, yet the conscription of civilian laborers had already been fully rolled out.

Though it was only late August and the authorities had urged the people to harvest their crops early, by the time the court issued the great conscription, many wheat fields remained unharvested, and farmers had already been called away from home. Militia and local braves, laborers and conscripts, gathered at the prefectural cities, awaiting deployment.

For the civilian laborers in the prefectures and counties along the canal, their main task was hauling ropes to keep the canal clear, ensuring the smooth transport of military supplies. For this northern expedition, the Han army's logistical transport was primarily delivered to Youyan via the waterways.

Since entering Hebei territory, similar scenes could be seen everywhere. The trackers were relatively fortunate—the court had decreed that prefectures and counties along the river each ensure the smooth transport of waterways within their jurisdiction, so the trackers only needed to expend labor and do hard physical work, without having to leave home to go north.

However, there were many more people who needed to go to the front lines, to serve before the battle arrays. That meant not just suffering hardship and traveling far from home, but also facing mortal danger at any moment, with no guarantee of safety.

Although in the court's plans, the Hebei army would dispatch two hundred thousand troops and two hundred thousand civilian volunteers, those actually mobilized for this war were far more than that. The impact of war on the people's livelihoods had already become apparent from the very beginning, and what Liu Chengyou could see with his own eyes was only a small fraction of it.

Over the years, the Great Han had campaigned east and west, dispatching great armies and conscripting laborers—these were all accustomed matters. Yet never before had any campaign weighed on Liu Chengyou with such pressure as this one.

"Having paid such a great price, I've left myself no room for failure..." His face was stern to the point of seeming indifferent, while inwardly Liu Chengyou silently warned himself.

"Your Majesty, the wind is strong over the water—please return to the cabin to escape the wind!" Noble Consort Gao walked to Liu Chengyou's side, seemingly able to sense the heaviness in the emperor's heart, and advised softly.

Hearing her voice, Liu Chengyou glanced at her, shook his head, and sighed: "The soldiers and the people all endure wind and cold—why should I alone avoid the wind and frost, sequestered in a warm cabin?"

Indeed, Liu Chengyou's words were a performance, because the matter was so momentous, he would not miss any opportunity to inspire the people. Of course, even as he said this, his body honestly let Noble Consort Gao help him drape on an outer robe—too much wind exposure really wasn't good for one's health...

Turning his head to look at Noble Consort Gao—a noble lady past thirty who understood the imperial heart well, accompanying her lord on campaign—she wore a well-fitted military uniform, without the frivolous elegance of palace attire, and also lacking the seductive allure she usually displayed before Liu Chengyou. The heroic spirit of a general's daughter radiated from her.

However, what Liu Chengyou felt more deeply was her tenderness. He still remembered that when she was first taken into his household, in the bitter cold of winter, she had used her belly and bosom to warm his hands.

Coming back to himself, Liu Chengyou summoned Zhang Ji and instructed him: "Draft an edict for me. As I have traveled north, I have seen that across the fields, much wheat and grain remains unharvested. Though conscription is urgent, agriculture must not be completely neglected. The local authorities in each region should find ways to coordinate the remaining labor in the villages and organize the harvest!"

"Yes!" Zhang Ji grasped the emperor's meaning, performed a salute, and quickly went back to draft the edict. Because of his previous performance, Zhang Ji had been given the position of recorder and accompanied the campaign with the emperor.

In fact, Liu Chengyou's words and actions did greatly inspire both military morale and the people's hearts. When his words were spread abroad, not to mention the soldiers of the imperial camp, even the trackers hauling along the banks found renewed vigor, and their hauling chants became more forceful. After all, even His Majesty the Emperor was accompanying them, braving the wind, watching them.