Chapter 9: Wang Jun Returns

"From today onward, the entire Longqi Army shall cancel all leaves. All those who have left camp shall be recalled at once!"

"Notify all officers and men of every camp, command, squad, and fire team: from this moment, the entire army is on alert. All personnel in every camp, whether combat or support, are forbidden from coming or going and shall remain at their posts. Violators will be dealt with by military law!"

"......"

Accompanied by Ma Quanyi and two other army commanders, he personally made a round through several of the camps, then stood atop the high rampart in the camp, looking down over the whole encampment. Liu Chengyou gave his orders to the several generals following at his side in a tone that brooked no dissent. His words came out like a string of firecrackers—whether the three had taken it all in, he did not know, but they simply clasped their hands and acknowledged.

"Furthermore, although military discipline has been rectified, I observe that the officers and men, outside of training, still cannot help but be lax and idle. We need to find them some amusement to relieve the tedium of camp life!" After a moment's thought, Liu Chengyou added.

The moment Liu Chengyou's words fell, the commander of the Second Longqi Army on his left brightened visibly and responded at once—though the man had clearly misunderstood, a lewd look creeping across his coarse face as he chuckled: "Army Lord, I hear that not long ago the Prison City Army brought in some prostitutes. Should we also......"

Mid-sentence, he suddenly felt a chill run through him. Looking up, he met Liu Chengyou's icy gaze and swallowed the rest of his words back down his throat. Liu Chengyou stared at this commander with indifference, a helpless sigh rising in his heart—with officers of this caliber, one could drive them to fight and kill, but one truly could not hold higher expectations of them.

Only after staring until the rough-hewn fellow's hands had nowhere to rest did Liu Chengyou withdraw his gaze. His eyes drifted into the distance as he said calmly: "I have found some scholars in Jinyang who fled from the Central Plains and Hebei to Hedong. I've had them brought into camp to tell the officers and men some... stories."

"Stories?" The three commanders at his side were all taken aback.

"Tell what?"

"Tell of the Khitan's brutal atrocities, tell of the suffering and ravishment the people of the Central Plains are enduring, tell of righteousness and integrity... There is so much to tell." Liu Chengyou said calmly, a heaviness seeming to spread across his face.

Having given his orders, he breathed deeply of the spring air a few times, and his expression returned to normal. A personal guard suddenly ran swiftly up to the rampart to report that Liu Zhiyuan had sent someone summoning him back to Jinyang at once. Hearing this, Liu Chengyou immediately headed for the command tent.

Ma Quanyi followed, but was slowed by the other two army commanders calling out to him. The commander who had spoken with Liu Chengyou moments before asked: "Brother Quanyi, you've always been close to the Army Lord—do you know what he meant just now? Bringing those useless scholars and literati to tell the brothers stories? What's the use of that?"

"Exactly!" the other army commander chimed in: "I thought the Army Lord was being considerate of the men, finding us some amusement—but it turns out to be this!"

Hearing the two men's words, Ma Quanyi stopped in his tracks, looked at them, and said flatly: "The Army Lord's temperament—after all this time, don't you two know it yet? Whatever he instructs, we do. Is there any room for discussion?"

"This......" Chastened by Ma Quanyi's retort, the two commanders' faces turned somewhat sour.

Noting the change in their expressions, Ma Quanyi continued coldly to the first man: "What the Army Lord has in mind, I cannot guess. But I do greatly admire Commander Sun's nerve—the Army Lord has placed the entire army on alert, and you still have the mind to think about such filthy matters. Do you truly not know what death is?"

Having said this, Ma Quanyi left the two behind and followed in Liu Chengyou's footsteps.

"That brat is too arrogant! Mark my words, before long he'll be treading all over the both of us!" Commander Sun snorted.

"The man's just lucky—has a patron who appreciates him, he's young, and he's deeply trusted by the Army Lord. How could the likes of us old soldiers compare?" the other commander muttered, his tone dripping with sour envy.

These two army commanders were both veterans of the army, with deep seniority, having climbed to their commander positions through martial valor. Previously they had been fairly courteous to Liu Chengyou, and moreover, to soothe the hearts of the old soldiers, Liu Chengyou had not purged these "chronic ailments" of the old army, leaving them in their commander posts.

But in recent days, with the army's shift toward "meritocracy" and the accumulation of friction between old and new, the two had repeatedly voiced complaints.

"Hmph!" Commander Sun's brow carried defiance: "We followed the Prince of Beiping for many years, carving out our place with blade and sword. Just wait—when we get to the battlefield, fighting and killing the enemy, it'll still be old hands like us they rely on! What can those young whelps accomplish?"

"Brother Sun, that Ma Quanyi fellow... he seems pretty fierce......"

The man Liu Zhiyuan had sent to deliver the message was a young man named Guo Yunming, a yabing officer who had long served at Liu Zhiyuan's side. He had a rather handsome face, with a pleasing cleverness in his eyes, and had always been a favorite.

He paced about in the command tent, chatting and laughing with Zhang Yanwei, an air of arrogance in his demeanor. But with several ingots of silver tucked in his bosom, his gaze toward Zhang Yanwei seemed quite amiable. Inwardly, though, he secretly scorned the man—a dignified Chief Inspector of the army, yet so stingy in his gifts......

When Liu Chengyou entered, Guo Yunming very naturally put on a display of "haughty first, servile after." He had always regarded himself as a servant of the Liu family, and upon seeing Liu Chengyou, he lowered his brows and eyes, hunched his back slightly, and stepped forward to pay his respects.

Liu Chengyou looked at Guo Yunming, his cold gaze making the man's heart tremble. Every time he saw this man, an intense killing intent surged uncontrollably in Liu Chengyou's heart. For you see, according to the normal course of history, "Emperor Yin of Han," Liu Chengyou, had ultimately been slain by this very favorite minister, Guo Yunming.

"Young... young lord." Under Liu Chengyou's stare, Guo Yunming seemed to shrink back, calling out in a trembling voice.

He still did not have the power of life and death over others, nor any reason to kill a man without cause—especially one who was Liu Zhiyuan's favored retainer. Quickly suppressing the killing intent in his heart, Liu Chengyou withdrew his gaze and asked in a soft voice: "What does my father want with me?"

Guo Yunming immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Before his racing heart had even settled, he replied deferentially: "To report to the young lord, it is Wang Jun who has returned from Bianliang, bringing news of the Khitan and the Central Plains. The Prince has urgently summoned all civil and military officials for counsel."

"The camp is in General Zhang's hands! Take good care of the scholars I've brought!"

Having heard Guo Yunming's answer, Liu Chengyou tossed a parting word to Zhang Yanwei, then turned and called for his personal guards to leave camp: "Back to Jinyang!"

The Longqi Army camp was not far from Jinyang to begin with. Spurring their horses without mercy, they galloped at full speed and reached Jinyang in less than half an hour. By the time they arrived at the Prince's mansion's main hall, the civil and military officials of the city were already assembled in full—the discussion had already begun.

A thin, gaunt figure stood humbly in the center of the hall under everyone's gaze. Liu Chengyou recognized him at a glance—it was Wang Jun, who had been sent as envoy to Bianliang.

Offering a distant bow toward Liu Zhiyuan from beneath the hall's eaves, Liu Chengyou slipped quietly inside, silently took his seat, and pricked up his ears.

Liu Zhiyuan only glanced at Liu Chengyou once before withdrawing his gaze. Holding a wooden staff in his hand, he toyed with it for a moment, then casually set it on the table and looked toward Wang Jun: "So this is the gift the Khitan ruler has given me?"