Chapter 922: Other Battlefields

After Ma Quanyi withdrew cheerfully, holding the Emperor's edict and golden token to find Guo Rong and discuss the eastern route's advance and troop movements, Liu Chengyou remained standing before the vast map of the Great Han, staring fixedly at it in deep thought.

Liu Chengyou had a habit of studying maps, and once standing before one, he could become so absorbed that he found it hard to look away for a long time. His expression remained calm, but his mind was engaged in intense mental activity. A map alone could not captivate the Emperor, but the rivers and mountains, the realm, the territories and cities, the achievements and the great enterprise—those could.

Liu Chengyou's gaze swept from Lingzhou in the west, through Yundai in the center, to Youyan and Liaodong in the east. Since the northern expedition was launched last year, the full-scale struggle between the Han and the Khitan had reached a critical juncture after half a year.

Of course, although the earlier movements had been considerable, the truly fierce clashes remained confined to the northeast—the Youyan region. As for other areas, the Han's secondary forces and vassals were basically playing supporting roles.

At Lingzhou, Duke Zheng, Shi Hongzhao, led the troops of Lingzhou and the Dingbian Army, along with some conscripted Hexi tribesmen, gathering ten thousand men to advance northward. Of course, because the Khitan's presence in the Hexi region was very weak, Shi Hongzhao could not find any targets even if he wanted to strike the Liao army hard.

In the end, it became a military parade—following the Yellow River northward for four hundred li, to the edge of the great desert and the foothills of the Helan Mountains. Although he failed to strike the Liao army hard, he compelled a great number of tribes living in the Hetao region to submit along the way, and at a local Yellow River crossing, he established a garrison fort named Shunhua Fort. If Shi Hongzhao were thick-skinned enough, reporting merits of expanding territory by two hundred li and subduing dozens of tribes would have been no problem at all.

Later, because no targets for battle could be found, Shi Hongzhao fell ill, and coupled with concerns about Lingzhou being left vulnerable due to the mobilization, as well as instability in the Hexi Corridor, Shi Hongzhao chose to withdraw his troops back to Lingzhou and report the situation to the court.

As for the Dingnan Army and Yanzhou, they received court edicts to dispatch troops against Liao. The two forces rendezvoused and marched out north from Xiazhou, also assembling over ten thousand men—though Tangut made up the majority. For this army to attack Liao, they would need to cross the great desert to the north, which was clearly neither something they could do nor were willing to do. Sending troops was merely going through the motions; both sides had their own agendas.

Li Yiyin wanted to use this campaign, under the court's authority, to further strengthen his Li clan's position and prestige among the Tangut tribes. As for Gao Shaoji of Yanzhou, he harbored the idea of sending troops to gain some advantages.

Sure enough, north of the Great Wall, Gao Shaoji separated from the Dingnan Army and indulged his subordinates in plundering Tangut tribes. As the spokesman of the Tangut people, Xiazhou Military Governor Li Yiyin could hardly tolerate Gao Shaoji's recklessness. He immediately led troops to hunt down those "Yanzhou bandit soldiers" to vent the Tangut tribesmen's grievances.

Facing Li Yiyin's attack, Gao Shaoji's temper was equally hard. He immediately gathered his troops for battle. The two armies arrayed their formations and fought at Mingtang River north of Yinzhou. Because the earlier plundering had yielded rich spoils, the Yanzhou army's morale was especially high. In a single battle, under Gao Shaoji's leadership, they actually defeated the Dingnan Army, which was twice their number.

After the Battle of Mingtang River, Li Yiyin was furious. He immediately mobilized more troops from Xiazhou and Yinzhou, and conscripted warriors from the Hequ tribes, wanting to fight Gao Shaoji again to reclaim his lost face.

Seeing that he had thoroughly enraged the Tangut and was on their turf, facing Li Yiyin's major mobilization, Gao Shaoji decisively backed down. He quickly led his men eastward, crossed the Yellow River, and entered Jinning Prefecture in Hedong Circuit. He planned to loop around and return to Yanzhou—there was no other way, since the southern route back through Xiazhou and Yinzhou had been cut off.

Gao Shaoji's move into Hedong effectively brought the fire to the court's doorstep. Humiliated and enraged, Li Yiyin refused to let the matter rest. He simply led his army across the river as well, pursuing to Jinning Prefecture. At this point, the matter had thoroughly blown up.

However, the two foreign armies within Hedong Circuit's jurisdiction did not dare to be too rampant. They did not fight, nor did they dare plunder or harass the people—they merely faced off near Lady Li. It was only when Prince of Wei Fu Yanqing, commanding from Daizhou, heard of this matter that he sent Li Wanchao of the Ninghua Army to mediate. In the northern expedition's order of battle, the Xia and Yan armies were subordinate to Fu Yanqing, primarily supporting operations in the Yunshuo direction.

At that time, although there were no major battles north of Yanmen, the border generals of Hedong were all rubbing their hands in anticipation, preparing to fight and earn merit. If the Yanmen victory had the greatest motivational effect on the Han army, it was certainly the surrounding border troops who were most inspired.

Carrying some resentment, Li Wanchao led his troops to Lady Li and summoned the two military governors to ascertain the situation. Both men insisted on their own versions and argued incessantly. Li Yiyin said that Gao Shaoji, this whelp, indulged his subordinates in plundering tribes; Gao Shaoji cursed Li Yiyin for lacking dignity in old age and launching a sneak attack.

The two argued fiercely, but Li Wanchao got the matter straight and made his judgment directly: Gao Shaoji was to return all the plundered goods and livestock to Li Yiyin, and then both sides were to withdraw their troops, leave Hedong, and return to their garrisons.

Gao Shaoji was immediately dissatisfied with such an arbitration. He had expended so much effort, and his subordinates had suffered several hundred casualties in the fighting against the Dingnan Army. Without these goods, how could he stop his losses and appease his soldiers?

Likewise, Li Yiyin was also unhappy, feeling that this was too lenient toward Gao Shaoji. His troop losses were greater than the Yanzhou army's, and the tribes that had been attacked also demanded an accounting.

However, Li Wanchao was a strong-willed general with a hard temper. With his mind on the campaign against Liao, he had no patience for their bickering.

In a fit of anger, he pulled out a dagger from his waist and slammed it on the table. The old general said sternly: "I came to mediate under the Prince of Wei's military orders. If you insist on arguing endlessly and cause me to miss my orders, I will have no choice but to treat you as enemies. Now, I have proposed my mediation plan and solution! I ask you once more: do you agree or not? Whoever disagrees, I will first send troops to attack."

Li Wanchao's words carried tremendous force, backed by both confidence and resolve. Faced with the old general's domineering manner, Li Yiyin and Gao Shaoji were both cowed. By reason of rank and seniority, these two—the last surviving military governors of the Great Han—both outranked Li Wanchao. Yet at this moment, facing the old general, they dared not speak any harsh words.

In the end, they agreed through gritted teeth. Afterwards, under Li Wanchao's supervision, Gao Shaoji returned all the plundered goods—at least those that were openly visible. As for the hidden details, Li Wanchao did not bother to pursue them.

Then each side withdrew across the river—Li Yiyin westward back to Xiazhou, Gao Shaoji southwest back to Yanzhou. Before they left, Li Wanchao added a reminder for both to explain to the court their unauthorized entry into Hedong with troops.

Originally, the court had mobilized the Xia and Yan armies without any hope of significant achievements—they just wanted to give them something to do, and had even provided some funds and grain for that purpose.

As it turned out, the affair developed into such a farce, ending in discord. Of course, the matter was not so simply concluded. The enmity between Xiazhou and Yanzhou had been accumulating since the time of Gao Yunquan; this was merely a minor eruption.

After returning to their garrisons, Li Yiyin and Gao Shaoji each submitted memorials to the court, accusing each other—this had been the political norm between the two factions for years. But this time, it was clearly more serious than before, since they had actually come to blows. Neither side was satisfied with Li Wanchao's ruling, and the contradictions in the northwest region showed a trend of intensifying.

When the news reached Youzhou, Liu Chengyou remained quite calm. He only replied to the Eastern Capital with one instruction: have the chancellors, in the court's name, send envoys to mediate again, and grant certain preferential treatment in the salt, grain, tea, and cloth trade to help dissipate their grievances.

In fact, because the Xia and Yan factions had been in continuous confrontation over the years without any major conflict erupting, Liu Chengyou had harbored suspicions—perhaps the two families were feigning discord to allay the court's vigilance. However, after this conflict, Liu Chengyou was basically convinced that the Li and Gao families were indeed hostile to each other, and that Gao Shaoji, this chess piece, could still serve to check and restrain.

As for the turmoil and conflict in the Hexi region resulting from this, Liu Chengyou viewed it with cold detachment. If there were no conflicts and everything was peaceful, where would the court find excuses in the future to resolve the problems of the northwest and Hexi?

Aside from the Lingzhou and Xia-Yan armies, among the other routes of troops, King Wang Zhao of Goryeo had agreed to the Han court's request to send troops against Liao, and had even dispatched an army—which was rather unexpected.

After all, Wang Zhao was in the midst of major reforms on the peninsula, striking at powerful clans and meritorious officials while strengthening royal authority. Of course, what happened later became understandable: the army he sent against Liao mutinied collectively before even leaving the country's borders, and the commander along with a batch of officers appointed by Wang Zhao were killed. At present, Wang Zhao was busy suppressing the rebellion, and had also sent people across the sea to Youzhou to explain the situation to Liu Chengyou, hoping he could support some funds, grain, and military equipment. Liu Chengyou agreed.

Meanwhile, Guo Tingwei, Chief Commander of the Jingjiang Army, departing from Laizhou Bay, after meticulous planning and thorough preparation, successfully crossed the Bohai Sea, landed at Suzhou (the Lüda region) in Liaodong, occupied the area, and smoothly advanced northward to Chenzhou (Gai County).

However, the complexity of the Liaodong region far exceeded expectations. Chenzhou was very close to Liao's Eastern Capital. When the Han army crossed the sea to attack and advanced to Chenzhou, it drew high-level attention, and troops were quickly mobilized from nearby to suppress them.

Moreover, aside from the surviving Han Chinese population, most of the local people were Balhae. These were people whom Yelu Deguang had forcibly relocated from the Dongdan Kingdom's jurisdiction in large numbers to weaken his elder brother Yelu Bei's power, settling them in the Liaodong region—which was why Chenzhou was established.

Thus, the arrival of the Han army was essentially an invasion from the local people's perspective, with no popular support whatsoever. Guo Tingwei held out in southern Liaodong until December, but ultimately could not endure winter campaigning. Combined with lacking popular support and supply pressures, he gradually retreated back to Suzhou. Because of the unfavorable campaign, he proactively submitted a confession of guilt to Liu Chengyou.

Thus, the cross-sea strike against Liao did not achieve much progress, but it provided valuable experience and deepened understanding of the local conditions and Liao army defenses.