Chapter 938: Beloved General

As he had just arrived, and there had been no small number of delays and detours along the way, he was quite weary. Without much idle talk, after briefly understanding the situation at the front, he announced the end of the discussion. However, Liu Chengyou still kept Fu Yanqing, Guo Rong, Murong Yanzhao, and Zhao Kuangyin behind, along with Gao Huaide, who had come to report after settling the imperial guard troops.

These five men were the core commanding generals of the several hundred thousand Han troops at Yunzhou. Facing the Son of Heaven's deliberate retention, the generals exchanged glances, looked at the emperor, and unconsciously grew solemn.

Liu Chengyou sat behind the imperial desk, his earlier geniality gone. Looking at Fu Yanqing, he asked directly: "Has Shi Yanchao's remains been found?"

At this question, the one with the gravest expression in the tent was naturally Fu Yanqing. He understood that the question was about Shi Yanchao's corpse, and that what the emperor cared about was that defeat.

"In reply to Your Majesty, after Yang Ye's second attack defeated the Liao army, at the southern mouth of the valley where the ambush occurred, his corpse was found. His face was mutilated, his body covered in wounds, pierced by thirteen arrows. He has already been buried together with the other fallen soldiers north of the Great Wall..." Fu Yanqing reported, a trace of sorrow in his voice.

As he spoke, Fu Yanqing rose, bowed deeply, and pleaded: "Your Majesty, Shi Yanchao's defeat cost several thousand imperial cavalry heavy losses. Though Shi Yanchao's reckless pursuit was his fault, it was also my error in employing men, my orders were not clear, and I failed to give advance warning.

Though Shi Yanchao was defeated, driven by eagerness to distinguish himself, at the moment of crisis he fought desperately to the death, enabling other soldiers to break out, and died fighting. For this defeat, I am willing to bear full responsibility!"

Fu Yanqing's words were sincere, and his taking the blame upon himself was somewhat surprising. Liu Chengyou looked at him and lightly raised his hand: "Prince Wei, no need for such ceremony!"

"Shi Yanchao was defeated and fought to his death. At least he did not disgrace our army's might or shame our nation's honor. Since the man is already dead, how could I be overly harsh?" Liu Chengyou said.

He was both doing Fu Yanqing a favor and unwilling to make things difficult for a dead man—especially a brave general who died fighting. In truth, if Shi Yanchao had returned alive, he would not have fared well; Liu Chengyou might even have taken his head to enforce military discipline. Many times, death truly settles everything. By the values of ordinary soldiers, Shi Yanchao died in battle, and that made him a good man—they would not ponder the causes and consequences deeply.

Likewise pursuing the enemy, recklessly advancing, and being ambushed, Li Chongjin's losses at Jiming Mountain were even heavier. But if asked which battle angered Liu Chengyou more, it was certainly Shi Yanchao's.

Back then, Li Chongjin had the authority to make on-the-spot decisions. His judgment in choosing to pursue could not be said to be problematic—he was merely overconfident and careless, which led to that disastrous defeat.

Shi Yanchao was different. The order Fu Yanqing gave him was to probe the strength of the Liao army at Yunzhong. Having ascertained the situation, without requesting permission, he took it upon himself to attack and pursue—this already violated military law.

Even with the saying "the general in the field," reckless haste is a great taboo in the art of war. Moreover, Kang Zaiyu had advised him several times, yet he completely ignored it and went his own way, walking into a death trap.

More importantly, the defeat at Jiming Mountain had only passed a few months, and its circumstances had been circulated to all the officers of the northern expeditionary army. Yet Shi Yanchao showed not the slightest precaution learned from that lesson. At the same time, he completely violated the emperor's operational policy of "steady and sure."

All these factors made Liu Chengyou extraordinarily dissatisfied with Shi Yanchao's defeat. If Shi Yanchao had returned, he would certainly have called him to account and punished him severely.

After pondering for a moment and looking around the circle, Liu Chengyou said calmly: "Regarding Shi Yanchao's defeat, what thoughts do you all have?"

Clearly, Liu Chengyou still had a knot in his heart over this matter. Seeing this, Guo Rong took the initiative to speak, and his words struck at the heart of the matter: "Since the northern expedition began, our army has fought the Liao army in dozens of engagements, large and small, winning more than losing. Especially the two battles at Tanzhou and Nankou, where we annihilated over a hundred thousand Liao troops. Under such circumstances, officers and men alike inevitably develop pride, and thus look down on the Liao army, losing caution in battle.

The reason Shi Yanchao rushed ahead and fell into the Liao army's trap, besides his eagerness to distinguish himself and his bold recklessness, was largely influenced by this sentiment..."

"Chai Qing speaks well!" Liu Chengyou immediately affirmed Guo Rong's words, and said to those present: "You are all battle-hardened generals. The principle that an arrogant army is doomed to defeat needs no elaboration from me. I observe that the army is quite restless—eager for battle, longing for home, and seemingly not taking Yunzhou city seriously. This will not do!

Prince Wei has also said that although the Yunzhou defenders are few, their will to resist remains firm, the city walls are thick, and capable generals guard it. If we grow careless because we besiege with ten times their numbers, thinking the city is within easy reach, we will certainly suffer greatly.

I hope you all will take this as a warning and govern your troops well!"

"We shall heed Your Majesty's instruction!" After Liu Chengyou finished, the several men responded in unison.

Liu Chengyou then said to Guo Rong: "The matter of military morale and spirit, I leave to Chai Qing to handle. Siege warfare is always arduous; we must not let our own problems affect the battle at Yunzhou!"

"Yes!"

He paused, glanced at Murong Yanzhao and Zhao Kuangyin, then finally said to Fu Yanqing: "The attack on Yunzhong shall be commanded by Prince Wei!"

"Does anyone have objections?"

"Prince Wei is a veteran of the battlefield who commands well. We naturally obey orders and cooperate fully!" Zhao Kuangyin, with his high political awareness, was the first to express his stance.

In fact, there was no one other than Fu Yanqing who could be the overall commander of the siege, for this was his home turf, and the psychology of the western route army's soldiers also had to be considered.

"With you all handling the battle, I can rest easy as a spectator!" Liu Chengyou finally broke into a smile.

The generals filed out one by one, and the imperial tent fell quiet again. Liu Chengyou pondered for a while, then rose and paced about the tent for a long time, looking deeply thoughtful. His peripheral vision caught a figure—it was Noble Consort Gao walking in, followed by two palace maids carrying food and hot water.

It was time for Liu Chengyou to make a choice: eat first, or soak his feet first. He finally decided—both at once.

Noble Consort Gao crouched down, a posture that fully displayed her alluring bearing, mature charm, and graceful figure, gently washing Liu Chengyou's feet...

Noble Consort Gao was a rather complex woman. A remarried woman, her figure and looks were both excellent. Born into a military family, her personality was gentle yet firm. Though she had a heart for competing for favor, she had always been sensible about the bigger picture. Most importantly, she had always been submissive to Liu Chengyou, serving him devotedly, unchanged for over a decade. This was also the reason he had favored her all these years—not just because of the Gao family.

"Your Majesty, Yang Ye, Army Commander of Dingxiang, requests an audience!" Zhang Dejun came to report.

"Summon him!"

Seeing Liu Chengyou's face brighten, Noble Consort Gao said: "Your beloved general has come. I won't disturb the two of you, sovereign and minister!"

With that, she gracefully withdrew toward the inner tent. There was no help for it—the Noble Consort's attire in the tent was somewhat alluring, and it would not do to appear before an outside minister.

Yang Ye entered upon summons and saw the emperor drying his feet. He immediately bowed: "Your subordinate pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Quickly, no need for ceremony! Sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Keep me company and eat!" Toward Yang Ye, Liu Chengyou was as warm as ever, personally setting out the bowl and chopsticks for him.

At this, a trace of emotion could not help but show on Yang Ye's resolute face, and he could not help saying: "Your Majesty..."

"Between sovereign and minister, there's no need for empty words!" Liu Chengyou said with a light laugh: "The merits you, Yang Chonggui, have built for the Great Han are worthy of this!"

Ever since first meeting Yang Ye, Liu Chengyou had enjoyed eating with him—both to draw closer and because Yang Ye often happened to arrive at mealtimes.

"I've read the battle report in detail. That battle of yours was splendidly fought—with five thousand men, you struck an enemy several times your number, pursued them over a dozen li, killed several thousand, and drove off the Liao army. You truly live up to the name 'Yang Invincible'—inspiring! After this battle, who in the realm doesn't know you, Yang Chonggui?" Liu Chengyou was full of praise.

"Your Majesty overpraises me; your subordinate dare not accept!" Yang Ye appeared somewhat embarrassed.

"Accurate judgment, bold use of troops, thorough preparation, fierce fighting—this is the mark of an outstanding general!" Liu Chengyou said seriously.

However, Yang Ye responded: "Had General Shi not fought the first battle and exhausted the Liao army, I would not have had the opportunity!"

"Are you speaking up for Shi Yanchao?" Liu Chengyou looked at him with amusement.

Yang Ye said frankly: "Your subordinate is merely reporting the facts!"

"That I have such a general is the blessing of the Great Han!" Liu Chengyou sighed.

He paused, then said to him: "Since the northern expedition began, the soldiers of the Great Han have fought in bloody battle, with casualties exceeding a hundred thousand. Shi Yanchao was the highest-ranking officer among the fallen generals. I am certainly angry that Shi Yanchao's impatience and recklessness cost several thousand soldiers needless casualties. However, I still admire his ambition and valor. His death in battle, I also mourn..."

"Your Majesty is benevolent and considerate—how dare the soldiers not repay you with their lives!" Hearing this, Yang Ye respectfully sang praises to Liu Chengyou.

Liu Chengyou laughed, calling Yang Ye to drink wine and eat meat, chatting with him.

"You've been stationed at Dai for over ten years now—truly not easy. When this battle is over, I must compensate you well!"

"I hear you already have three sons. You still need to work hard—I already have over a dozen children..."