Chapter 891: The Imperial Carriage Arrives at Youzhou

On the ninth day of the ninth month in the eleventh year of Qianyou, riding the tail end of early September, after spending about twenty days traveling by both water and land, with several changes of route, Youzhou came into view. When they set out from the Eastern Capital, the imperial camp had only thirty thousand men; marching north all the way, by the time they passed Guan County, it had swelled to a host of eighty thousand.

Among them, besides the twenty thousand Hebei prefectural troops that An Shenqi had left at Yongqing awaiting the imperial carriage, there were tens of thousands of local militiamen and laborers as well as military supplies being transported. September had already arrived, and winter was not far off—winter clothing, winter boots, and cold-weather supplies were being produced in the rear, while the court made arrangements for their transport.

In fact, for this northern expedition, the Great Han side had prepared for a long campaign, as was evident in the preparation of all kinds of military supplies.

After crossing the Juma River, Liu Chengyou abandoned the boats and came ashore; all the vessels were used to transport baggage, and this also let the soldiers who had grown tired of being on board get their feet on solid ground, adjust their bearing, and restore their spirits.

The imperial carriage, naturally, was surrounded like stars around the moon. Further north lay the zone of direct collision between Han and Liao forces, and nothing was more important than the emperor's safety—hence Zhao Kuangyin, as Commander-in-Chief, governed his subordinates with increasing strictness.

Inside the spacious imperial carriage were stacked piles of memorials; apart from a few important matters from the Eastern Capital, they were all reports on the combat situation against the Liao army during this period, the battle results of the various armies, and some intelligence on the Yan army and the Yan people.

"Ma Quanyi has indeed not disappointed my expectations!" With a calm expression, Liu Chengyou's lips curled up slightly.

In the dozens of days of fighting against the Liao, a great number of meritorious officers had emerged in the Han army, and among them Ma Quanyi had achieved the greatest results. Of course, Liu Chengyou also paid attention to him because he was an old acquaintance; though it was said that in commanding operations one should avoid favoring close associates over distant ones, Liu Chengyou tried his best to maintain fairness in the overall picture.

Yet without trusted old subordinates, how could one maintain the hierarchy of superior and inferior and control a great army? One only needed to be clear in rewards and punishments, and others would merely envy those favored by the emperor, even actively drawing close and performing eagerly. In fact, in the Han army, there were plenty of men who wanted to become the next Ma Quanyi, Yang Ye, or Pan Mei.

However, Liu Chengyou's attention to Ma Quanyi was not only because of his military achievements, but also because he had attacked eastward and proposed the idea of advancing into Liaodong. After thirty years of management, the Bohai and Liaodong regions had long become Liao's strategic depth and granary. Bohai was even called the Prosperous Land East of the Sea—if the war could be extended to Liaodong, or even recover it, the blow to Liao would be deeply felt.

But a good idea was a good idea; actually realizing it would not be so easy.

First, knowledge of the old lands of Liaodong and Bohai was greatly insufficient. Having been severed from the Central Plains for so long, the current situation there was hard to ascertain—cities, roads, and popular sentiment were all vague, and much information could only be gleaned from ancient books and histories.

Second, in the east, Liao's military strength was not weak either. According to their military registration system, if truly pressed to a certain point, broadly conscripting able-bodied men to fight was a normal matter. In fact, with the large-scale northward advance of the Han army, Yelu Jing had already begun a great mobilization within Khitan territory; all the Khitan tribes of the southern and northern divisions had received conscription orders.

Third, the Luanping-Yingzhou region might be taken, but breaking through that narrow corridor in western Liaoning was also a problem. Striking out from Yu Pass to attack Liaodong would be a march of a thousand li; if one then advanced into the old Bohai lands, the final distance would be doubled. Too few troops and the attack would be insufficient; too many, and over such a long route, logistics and supply would be a major problem. Though there was the saying of living off the enemy's grain, that was not a cure-all remedy.

As for attacking Liaodong by sea, that was only a proposal; whether it could actually be realized depended on Guo Tingwei, Chief Commander of the Jingjiang Army, and the navy under his command. Did one really think that transporting troops across the sea for battle was an easy matter, accomplished just by moving one's lips?

In recent years, Guo Tingwei had been training the navy at Laizhou and Mizhou, drawing sea charts, studying hydrological conditions, and planning safe routes—but his focus was actually on the south. Though he had given some attention to the north, he had not made overly detailed plans. Of course, this was also to avoid arousing Liao's suspicion and letting them learn of the Han army's schemes; thus the Han navy in Laizhou Bay was kept very small in scale, with the bulk stationed at Mizhou in the south.

Moreover, even if the navy successfully landed on the other side of the Bohai Bay, achieving anything significant under unclear enemy conditions would not be easy. Therefore, in the edict dispatching troops to Guo Tingwei, Liu Chengyou explicitly instructed him to act flexibly and not force matters—even accumulating experience for the future would be acceptable.

In fact, as long as the navy could play some harassing role against Liaodong, Liu Chengyou would already be satisfied.

"Your Majesty, Commander Zhao has sent word that the front will soon reach Wanping; the Prince of Chenliu, the Prince of Yan, the field headquarters commanders, and the civil and military officials of Youzhou have all made preparations to receive the imperial carriage!" As Liu Chengyou was pondering, Zhang Dejun, accompanying him, reported from outside the carriage.

That's right—the palace eunuch had been changed back to Zhang Dejun. Sun Yanxi had fallen ill on the way, but the emperor could not be without a eunuch he was accustomed to using, so an edict was sent back to the Eastern Capital for Zhang Dejun to come serve at the camp. Zhang Dejun was very eager about this.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's thoughts immediately drifted back, his spirits slightly roused, and he said at once: "I know! Inform Zhao Kuangyin to proceed normally!"

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty!" At this moment, Zhang Ji, who had the honor of sitting in the imperial carriage drafting edicts for Liu Chengyou, spoke up.

"Hm? Finished drafting?" Liu Chengyou asked.

Zhang Ji nodded and respectfully presented the edict, its ink still wet, for his review. It was an "Edict Urging the Soldiers to Rouse Themselves, Advance Boldly, and Strike Hard at the Khitan." Liu Chengyou looked at it, then shook his head and said: "The rhetoric is too ornate, too much embellishment, the meaning too profound—some officers might not even understand it, let alone ordinary soldiers!"

"Rewrite it. Besides boosting morale and stirring valor, it must be plain and easy to understand—the cruder the better!" Seeing Zhang Ji's somewhat embarrassed expression, Liu Chengyou smiled: "Is asking a great talent like you to write a vulgar piece too much of a hardship, an affront to refinement?"

Hearing this, how could Zhang Ji dare to nod? He said at once: "Your Majesty overstates it! It is your subject who was pedantic. Since this is written for the soldiers of the northern expedition, if the soldiers cannot understand it, then even the most splendid prose, having lost its original purpose, is of what use?"

Looking at Zhang Ji, Liu Chengyou was quite satisfied with this level of understanding. In fact, if Liu Chengyou had literary talent, he would have written this edict himself. Over the years, there had been no small number of edicts personally drafted by Liu Chengyou, but most were dry administrative directives, some even with awkward wording—he had quietly lost quite a bit of face over it.

It had been proven that the emperor needed a few good pens, especially people who could correctly grasp his meaning and record, issue, and convey it with flowing rhetoric. Such people were quite rare.

Over the years, Liu Chengyou had gone through many men—Tao Gu, Wang Qiwu, Wang Zhu, Li Fang, Zhao Yan, Zhao Pu. The one who pleased Liu Chengyou most was Zhao Yan, but unfortunately he had died young; later it was Zhao Pu, who was still in Chengdu. As for this Zhang Ji, he barely passed muster, though he had some character flaws—his mind was not broad enough.

Zhang Ji did not redraft the edict, but instead bowed again and called out: "Your Majesty!"

"What, you have something to say?" Liu Chengyou looked at him with slight curiosity.

Zhang Ji said solemnly: "Your Majesty, when you reach Youzhou, please remain secure within the strong city to oversee the armies, and by no means venture north into danger again!"

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou raised an eyebrow and said: "You're meddling in my movements too now?"

This time, from the decision to personally campaign to the march north, Liu Chengyou had been ceaselessly admonished. For officials who favored stability, he had best stay at Daming and merely show the intention of a personal campaign. Even if he went north, staying at the Three Passes would be fine; going to Youzhou, or even to the front lines, was indeed a matter of no small risk...

"Your subject would not dare!" Zhang Ji had no habit of seeking favor through blunt remonstrance, and hurriedly explained: "It is only that with two great nations at war, with hundreds of thousands of troops clashing, the dangers of battle are great. Your Majesty bears the safety of the realm upon your person—you must be cautious!"

"You yourself said I am in the midst of the great army—what need to worry about unforeseen events? As for danger, since raising troops in Hedong, have the dangers I have experienced ever been few? Is hiding within city walls truly complete safety?" Liu Chengyou stared at Zhang Ji and refuted him at length, then suddenly said: "You are a man of letters; being afraid of the battlefield is understandable!"

Hearing Liu Chengyou say this, Zhang Ji was immediately displeased and said with some agitation: "Though your subject is but a Confucian scholar who cannot wield a sword to slay enemies, he still has a breast full of zeal to serve the nation. If ever on the battlefield, your subject will surely stand before Your Majesty!"

Zhang Ji had no choice but to be agitated and argue—if he admitted or tacitly accepted the emperor's words, his impression score would plummet, which could affect his official career. Involving his vital interests, Zhang Ji performed quite shrewdly.

Sure enough, hearing this declaration, Liu Chengyou smiled.

"Your Majesty, your subject has recently heard..."

Seeing him hesitate, Liu Chengyou waved a hand: "Speak plainly. Since you've started, why hide and prevaricate before me!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ji spoke: "There are rumors outside that the Prince of Chenliu is Commander-in-Chief of the northern expedition field headquarters, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops, and his son is in the imperial bodyguard, protecting Your Majesty's safety..."

"You've talked quite a lot today!" Liu Chengyou replied with this single sentence to his remonstrance.

Zhang Ji immediately said, pleading: "Your subject has spoken out of turn; please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

This time, Zhao Kuangyin was Commander-in-Chief of the imperial camp, and An Shouzhong was General of the Imperial Guard. If there were any suspicion of this father and son, that would be going too far—especially An Shouzhong, who had served at Liu Chengyou's side since the age of eighteen; over these eight or nine years, deep feelings had developed. Of course, the emperor never easily spoke of feelings...

At Wanping, led by An Shenqi and Zhao Kuangzan, tens of thousands stood in solemn welcome. To describe it as worthy generals like clouds and soldiers like a forest was no exaggeration. Though Liu Chengyou had been advocating for reducing and simplifying various procedures, deep in his heart he still enjoyed this feeling of being held up like the moon by all, of myriad people submitting—such a scene was enough to satisfy his vanity.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

Before the imperial carriage had even stopped, the cries of "Long live" had already erupted and gradually spread outward. The two hundred thousand troops temporarily stationed inside and outside Youzhou city also shouted upon hearing it, and even the scholars and commoners within the city joined in the excitement. Hundreds of thousands of people shouting two words in unison created a momentum that shook the heavens and pierced the clouds.

Amid the cries of the multitude, Liu Chengyou stepped out of the imperial carriage and stood before the imperial driver, raising his eyes to look—besides the dense ranks of the welcoming party, there was that majestic city to the north.

More than ten years had passed; this was the first time he had set foot in this territory. Youzhou, this city that had haunted his dreams countless times, today he finally beheld its appearance.