Chapter 913: The Princes Head to the Front

On the official road leading from Youzhou toward Changping, a sizable convoy was heading north—over two thousand soldiers and civilians escorting 250 carts of military supplies. The cargo consisted mainly of various medicines and herbs. During this period, the Han army before Nankou was most desperately short of medical supplies, and many wounded soldiers had died from their injuries going untreated.

To this end, Emperor Liu's order was to spare no cost in treating the wounded and to abandon not a single soldier. The attitude expressed by this order greatly soothed the army's morale—from top to bottom, there was no one who was not grateful for the Emperor's compassion toward his troops.

Because the Battle of Nankou had been fought with such brutality—especially for the besieged army of An Shenqi—after the fighting, faced with that mountain of corpses and sea of blood, quite a few soldiers found their psychological defenses on the verge of collapse.

Though it had not yet reached the point of resentment, there was still a certain oppressive mood. Dong Zunhui of the Baoding Army, for instance, actually broke down in loud sobs—his Baoding Army had suffered seventy percent casualties, a loss that could hardly be described even as "broken bones and torn sinews." Still, after that one bout of crying, he was fine.

Because of the Emperor's order, a great deal of manpower and materiel was being shifted from surrounding towns to Nankou—though it came mainly from Youzhou, which had already become the most reliable base of operations for the Great Han's northern campaign.

By the end of the ninth month, the grain transferred and stockpiled had reached 900,000 dan, while other supplies—weapons, fodder, bedding and clothing, medicinal herbs—were beyond measure. Take medicines: Puyin County under Shenzhou was the most important medicinal herb production base in Hebei. After the war began, every herb it produced that related to treating wounds or warding off colds had been purchased and shipped out completely.

This convoy bound for Nankou was merely one of the emergency shipments dispatched after the great battle. What made it somewhat special was the exceptionally high level of escort—over two hundred Inner Palace cavalrymen rode alongside—while the officer responsible for the escort was the Palace Command general Li Shoujie.

His personal involvement clearly meant he bore a mission from the Emperor. Escorting supplies was only secondary; the main purpose was to return to Youzhou and bring the three imperial princes to Nankou. That's right—Liu Chengyou wanted his sons to experience the atmosphere of the battlefield up close and witness the hardships of soldiers in combat.

The most excited was the Fourth Prince, Liu Fang. As early as the evening of the twenty-third, when Liu Chengyou left Youzhou for Changping, he had clamored to go along—only to be scolded by Liu Chengyou and handed over to Noble Consort Gao to keep a close eye on.

Now, being taken to Nankou by Li Shoujie, he was bouncing with joy, unable to sit still.

An eight-year-old lad, he could already control a sturdy horse with ease—though it was a tamed one, it was still no small feat. Along the way, Liu Fang's mouth never stopped, staring at Li Shoujie and firing off questions without end.

"General Li, when several hundred thousand men clash in battle, what's it like? The scene must be truly grand!"

"General Li, I heard this battle slew tens of thousands of Khitan barbarian chieftains—can they be piled into a mountain?"

"General Li, how many enemies have you killed?"

"General Li, did the Great Han's soldiers suffer many casualties?"

"......"

Facing the endlessly curious Fourth Prince and his unending questions, Li Shoujie's head was spinning, yet he had to keep a smile on his face and answer each one. The still-young Li Shoujie felt for the first time the pain of looking after children—especially such a highborn little terror.

It was the eldest prince, Liu Xu, who noticed Li Shoujie's predicament and spoke up: "Fourth Brother, General Li bears the responsibility of escort and guard—don't keep pestering him with questions. Hearing of a thing is not as good as seeing it. If you have all these doubts, wait until we reach Nankou, where you can observe for yourself, or ask Father!"

Toward his gentle, water-like eldest brother, Liu Fang generally had no temper. Hearing his words now, he said: "Among the officers ahead who have been through the great battle, General Li is the only one before my eyes—I was merely seeking his instruction!"

With that, he looked back at Li Shoujie, cupped his hands, and said: "General Li, I have been a bother—please don't take offense!"

"Your Highness speaks too gravely!" Li Shoujie hurriedly replied. "To be able to resolve Your Highness's doubts is this humble officer's honor!"

"Say, Fourth Brother, you're so concerned with military affairs—you're not actually thinking of becoming a general someday, are you?" From the other side, the Third Prince, Liu Xi, called out to Liu Fang.

Unlike his brothers riding horses, Liu Xi, freed from Noble Consort Gao's supervision, had reverted to his slovenly ways—he'd found a cart and was lounging against a pile of hemp sacks stuffed with medicinal herbs, one leg crossed over the other.

At the question, Liu Fang answered directly, his small face flushed with excitement and longing: "Father promised me that in the future I'll be a Grand General, expanding the Great Han's territory! It's just a pity I'm too young—otherwise, in this northern strike against the barbarian hordes, I'd certainly be taking up a blade and charging into battle myself!"

"Fourth Brother's ambition is commendable!" At Liu Fang's words, a genuine smile broke across Liu Xu's young, handsome face.

As for Liu Xi, looking at his fourth brother—young in years but sharp-edged—he couldn't help saying: "War is not as simple or as beautiful as you imagine. A single general's glory is built on ten thousand bones!"

Hearing Liu Xi's sigh, Liu Fang was a bit displeased: "Third Brother, you've never fought a battle—how would you know the joy of campaigning and chasing the enemy?"

Liu Xi smiled and didn't argue with the excited Liu Fang—there was no point in debating it. Producing a stalk of some herb from who-knows-where, he stuck it between his lips, flicking it with his tongue, his crossed leg bobbing in a relaxed rhythm.

Seeing this, Liu Xu rode his horse closer and reached out directly to pluck the herb stalk from his mouth, chiding mildly: "How can you just put a medicine stalk in your mouth like that!"

Sensing his elder brother's concern, Liu Xi said: "It's only a blade of grass—harmless!"

Seeing his carefree demeanor, Liu Xu's eyes turned slightly, and he said: "Third Brother, if I were to tell Lady Gao about your behavior along this journey..."

Before Liu Xu could even finish, Liu Xi shot up from his seat, put on a fawning smile, and stared at Liu Xu with wide eyes: "Eldest Brother, you wouldn't get me punished by Mother, would you!"

"Haha!" Liu Fang beside him couldn't help laughing: "Third Brother, you're still so afraid of Lady Gao!"

Liu Xi didn't deny it, instead countering: "You're not?"

Liu Fang immediately fell silent. Within the Han palace, Noble Consort Gao's authority was second only to Empress Fu's—there was no palace attendant who didn't hold her in awe, including these princes.

"Someone, bring my horse!" Standing on the cart frame, Liu Xi called out, preparing to ride on. Perhaps he'd grown tired of lying down...

After the great battle at Nankou, the Han territory south of the Yan Mountains had been thoroughly cleared—not a single Liao soldier or horse remained. Thus, the Liu brothers made it to Changping without incident.

As winter approached, the Han army gathered outside Nankou underwent a reorganization. The Chief Commander of the Xingjie Army was left as the main general, leading fifty thousand soldiers and civilians to remain at Nankou, rebuilding the camp fortifications and holding their position there to keep watch on Juyong Pass. The remaining roughly one hundred fifty thousand troops all withdrew to Changping to set up camp and rest.

The corpses strewn across the fields had been largely cleared away, and more detailed tallies were still underway. The bodies of the Han army's fallen needed proper handling. Because the numbers were so great, Liu Chengyou ordered a public cemetery established on a stretch of high ground outside Nankou for collective burial, and had Zhang Ji personally write the epitaph, with stone tablets carved to record their deeds—both to mourn the soldiers who had sacrificed in this battle and to provide a place for future generations to pay respects. At the same time, all the Liao army's corpses were also gathered and buried beneath the ridge, arranged in a submissive posture to signify their submission.

A cold rain had diluted much of the blood, yet that killing aura still seemed to linger around Nankou. The city of Changping was not large; the main army was camped outside the walls, while the houses within the city had all been converted to shelter and treat the wounded.

Even with enormous manpower and materiel invested, bodies were still being carried out every day. Of the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers, no one knew how many would survive. Fortunately, it was the turn of autumn into winter—the cold weather greatly reduced the risk of wound infection. Otherwise, even more would have died, and there would also have been the worry of epidemics breaking out.

The princes arrived in Changping and received their first imperial order: to go visit the wounded soldiers. When the three princes emerged from that scene of moans echoing off the rafters and the air thick with blood, their expressions were all grave.

Liu Xu was filled with pity and sorrow; Liu Xi was wistful and sighing. Only Liu Fang seemed to have taken the greatest shock—his face had gone somewhat pale. He now understood that his third brother had been right: war truly was not as beautiful as he had imagined. Behind the romance lay cruelty and bloodshed that nearly extinguished humanity.

Liu Chengyou was ruthless enough to send three young boys to look upon those bloody wounds, severed limbs, and broken legs—not fearing the psychological scars it might leave on them...

The Emperor was in the camp outside the city, handling military and governmental affairs. When the princes were brought to the imperial tent, he was receiving a visitor: Zhebu Sizhong. This man was a member of the Zhebu clan, a powerful local family of Liangzhou, and one of the barbarian cavalry generals who had joined the campaign. Because the barbarian cavalry had been routed and scattered during the fighting against the Liao army, he had come to plead for leniency on behalf of those who had fled and now returned.

Zhebu Sizhong, true to his name, appeared very loyal to the Great Han, having led his men in fighting to the death alongside Guo Chongwei. Thus, Liu Chengyou treated him with relative generosity.

Seeing his reverent, fearful demeanor, Liu Chengyou finally spoke: "Victory and defeat are common affairs for soldiers. That you were routed by the Pishi Army, I can understand. All barbarian cavalry who fought to the death in battle, I will reward handsomely; those who voluntarily returned to camp after the fighting, all their crimes are forgiven. But those who scattered among the populace—neither reporting to the authorities nor returning to their units, instead ravaging the countryside—the Great Han has its own laws, and they will be dealt with according to national law and military law!"

Seeing the Han Emperor's stance, Zhebu Sizhong immediately bowed: "Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty is magnanimous! This humble officer and his men can only serve with utmost loyalty!"

Zhebu Sizhong had achieved his goal—which was to request leniency for the barbarian cavalry who had returned voluntarily, not to plead for those who had run wild and caused chaos.

"You may withdraw."

"This humble officer takes his leave!"

Soon, the three princes entered the tent to pay their respects, their moods all somewhat unsettled.

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou asked: "You've all been to see the wounded?"

"We have," Liu Xu replied.

"What are your thoughts?" Liu Chengyou continued.

After thinking a moment, Liu Xu answered: "'War is a great matter of the state—a ground of life and death, a path of survival and ruin, and cannot be neglected.' These are truly wise words. We should show even more compassion to the soldiers and people, be cautious in war, and wage it sparingly."

Liu Chengyou was quite pleased with the benevolence his eldest son had shown since childhood, and turned his gaze to the third prince. Liu Xi said: "The soldiers fought in blood for the country and slew the enemy—they should be well cared for!"

Liu Fang's small face was drawn tight as he said: "War is truly cruel, yet it is only through this path that we protect the people and defend the state. If only the Great Han grows strong, with all four borders submitting, ten thousand nations coming to pay homage, and the barbarian tribes beyond the pale daring not to offend—then such tragedies can be brought to an end!"