Chapter 920: A Few Matters of This Winter

The arrival of the new year brought a measure of hope to the people of Youyan, who had long lived under the shadow of war. Though the Han and Liao armies were still locked in fierce combat, at least the harsh winter had been weathered. Moreover, with the large-scale northward shipment of supplies from the south, the people of Youyan, who had suffered grievous wounds during last autumn's campaigns, received excellent aid and support.

In truth, what the Great Han court needed to sustain was not only the northern expeditionary army, but also the common folk of the various prefectures. During the months since Liu Chengyou had come north, apart from overseeing military affairs, nearly all his thoughts and energy had been devoted to pacifying the soldiers and civilians of Yan. This included the people of the newly recovered prefectures and counties—most of whom had lived under Khitan rule for as long as twenty years. Winning their hearts would have been impossible without expending considerable effort.

His primary method was to entice them with benefits and buy their loyalty with favors. Toward these newly submitted people, Liu Chengyou showed exceptional generosity—distributing land, exempting taxes, and abolishing Liao governance. With the coordinated efforts of capable former Youzhou officials such as Gao Fang, Song Qi, and Song Xiong, the various prefectures of Youyan were successfully integrated into the Great Han's administrative system.

After a period of contact and assessment of these former Youyan officials, Liu Chengyou discovered that Yan King Zhao Kuangzan truly had no shortage of talent under his command. The one Liu Chengyou admired most was Song Qi, the former chief administrator of the Yan Prince's mansion, who was directly appointed as Acting Prefectural Administrator of Youzhou, responsible for all civil affairs in the entire Youyan region.

From confidant of the Yan King to favored minister of the Son of Heaven, Song Qi's official career seemed to be on an ever-rising trajectory. Toward the Emperor's regard, Song Qi displayed abundant enthusiasm, adapting his identity and thinking with remarkable speed, actively cooperating in accordance with the Son of Heaven's strategy for pacifying Youzhou.

Aside from the Yan King's subordinates like Song Qi, Liu Chengyou essentially chose to retain the officials of the other prefectures, including the Han officials appointed by Liao. However, these men all bore a "mark" upon them, and in future evaluations they would be treated with special scrutiny.

Nevertheless, the local strongman Wang Lin, who had switched sides on the battlefield at Shicheng County, was directly accepted because his pledge of allegiance carried substantial weight. Later, after Zunhua was recovered by Ma Quanyi, Liu Chengyou personally appointed Wang Lin as Prefectural Administrator of Jizhou and had him stationed at Zunhua City—also a mark of special treatment.

That the Han Son of Heaven would treat such a minor figure as himself with such generosity filled Wang Lin with both satisfaction and gratitude, his loyalty rising steeply. In truth, Wang Lin had simply been in the right place at the right time—by fate and circumstance, the opportunity had come, he had seized it, and power, position, and wealth followed in succession, impossible to hold back.

With those retained, there were naturally also those who faced reckoning. To be fair, during these twenty-odd years of Khitan rule, a fair number of deathly loyal Han ministers had indeed been cultivated. Toward such men, there would naturally be no softness—investigations, accusations, interrogations, and sentencing; there was never any fear of failing to find fault.

Liu Chengyou never practiced leniency alone. Combining firmness with gentleness, balancing grace with severity—that was his method and style. By the beginning of spring in the twelfth year of Qianyou, the hearts of the people in the recovered prefectures, while still far from true allegiance, had at least come to acknowledge the Great Han's rule.

Compared to the energy and thought invested in civil affairs, the Yan army—which had originally been Liu Chengyou's greatest concern—was resolved with surprising smoothness. During the winter's rest and reorganization, the several tens of thousands of Yan troops formerly subordinate to the Yan King were completely digested. After their elite forces were absorbed into the imperial army, the remaining old and weak were temporarily organized as auxiliary troops, continuing to serve the Han-Liao war effort.

It was a direct absorption and digestion. The original structure of the Yan army was carved into fragments, then wholly swallowed by the court. Throughout the entire process, no disturbance was provoked.

That the Yan army problem could be resolved so smoothly was the result of many factors working together.

First, as the leader of the former Yan army, Yan King Zhao Kuangzan was highly cooperative. During the absorption process, he even took the initiative to do persuasion work, helping to soothe military morale and dispel resentment. Zhao Kuangzan's conduct fully demonstrated his political foresight and decisiveness. Having chosen to submit to the court, he made no further reservations—scheming to maintain control of the army, that taboo act, was simply not something he would do.

And because Zhao Kuangzan was so sensible and well-behaved, Liu Chengyou's wariness toward him dropped to an all-time low, even giving rise to a feeling of guilt. He said to Zhao Kuangzan once again: "You have not failed me, and I shall not fail you." This time it was spoken from the heart, without a trace of pretense.

Second, it was a matter of circumstances and power. Since the war began, the Yan army had undergone a major expansion, growing to forty thousand troops. But in combat against the Liao army, over half had become casualties. Moreover, as the war developed and forces were redistributed, the Yan army was split into several detachments, scattered across various armies and locations.

When the court moved to swallow them up, they had absolutely no recourse. Additionally, through the process of coordinated operations with the Han army, a certain camaraderie had developed, and submitting to the court was simply the trend of the times.

Third, with the elimination of Zhao Siwan and his partisans, the Yan army's internal ranks were greatly purified. The remaining generals were basically all inclined toward submission to the court. At the same time, all officers at every level received proper arrangements after being incorporated into the imperial army, and the rank-and-file soldiers enjoyed all the same treatment as the imperial army.

The handling of the Yan army question was, in truth, the same old formula—grace and severity in equal measure. And after this round of digestion, one more weight was lifted from Liu Chengyou's heart.

Youzhou had been formally elevated to Youzhou Prefecture. Since last winter, when the Liao army withdrew westward from Huailai, and after Liu Chengyou had arranged the military defenses of Shanyou, he had set out on his return journey and thereafter remained in the city, holding court there.

With the arrival of spring, the warming weather, and the melting of ice and snow, the Han army—rested through the winter—was about to renew its martial endeavors and launch a fresh offensive against the Liao army. They had even already chosen a name for it: the "Spring Offensive."

But at this moment, news from the Eastern Capital made him unable to contain his anger.

"Ignorant pedants, shortsighted fools! How could they understand the nation's grand strategy, and yet dare to obstruct my great plan?!" In his temporary residence, before the assembled generals and ministers, Liu Chengyou rarely lost his composure, cursing at length.

The cause, naturally, was that Fan Zhi and other ministers had submitted a joint memorial, hoping he would consider the foundation of the state, not delay the farming season, and withdraw the army as soon as possible. They also said that public sentiment in the Eastern Capital was unsettled, and hoped he would return to court to steady things, so as to satisfy the expectations of officials and commoners alike.

In truth, even from far away in Youzhou, Liu Chengyou was quite well informed of the situation at court. As early as last winter, some had already raised the proposal to withdraw the army. With so many officials, internal and external, high and low, and so many mouths, some dissenting voices were only to be expected.

Therefore, toward those people—if they had opinions in their hearts, so be it; he could pretend not to have heard. But Fan Zhi was different. He was the Chief Chancellor of the current court; every move he made affected the functioning of governance and the direction of public sentiment.

When the great army was on its northern expedition and the strategy had reached a critical juncture, regardless of any opinions, all should have united their strength and worked together toward this endeavor. What Fan Zhi should have been doing was calming hearts, unifying thought, and fully supporting the front-line operations.

Yet this time, he had actually taken the lead, joining with a group of officials to submit a memorial to Liu Chengyou. In Liu Chengyou's view, this had already crossed his bottom line.

Liu Chengyou had come to understand Fan Zhi's character well enough, and he believed that this gentleman's remonstrance came from public spirit, not private interest. But while he could tolerate Fan Zhi's outspoken defiance of authority, he was deeply angered by the man's repeated displays of "failing to grasp the big picture and disregarding the overall situation" at critical moments.

Thus, this was the first time in many years that Liu Chengyou had been so merciless with his words, directly cursing Fan Zhi. And once these words were spoken, it was easy to imagine they would stir up a political upheaval. All in all, judging from the Emperor's recent attitude toward Fan Zhi, the man could no longer keep pace with the Emperor's steps and was no longer fit to serve as chancellor of the Great Han.

"Since he knows the northern expedition has already cost so much, if we don't seize this moment to recover all our former territories and drive the Liao army north of the Great Wall, then when they come again another day, how much greater will the losses be? Can't he even calculate this account?!" Liu Chengyou's anger remained unabated, his indignation hard to quell.

Seeing the Emperor so furious, the assembled generals and ministers dared not speak, each sitting with eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts. Only after Liu Chengyou's emotions had settled did Guo Rong take the initiative to counsel: "I beg Your Majesty to calm your wrath! Lord Fan and the others were also considering the nation's interests with forthright remonstrance. They are far away in the Eastern Capital and do not know the front-line situation. Your Majesty has long been away from court, and their concern is understandable. I beg Your Majesty to temper your thunderous anger..."