Chapter 944: One Should Share in the Joy of All

Because of the victory in the Battle of Yunzhong, the entire Han army camp was immersed in a joyful atmosphere. Many soldiers and civilians spontaneously relaxed and celebrated, and the generals also slightly loosened their restrictions. Although military law remained strict, there needed to be a balance between tension and relaxation. After prolonged campaigning, now that victory had been won, it was appropriate to let the soldiers below relax their nerves a bit and release some pent-up emotions.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere in the camp, Liu Chengyou temporarily set aside his worries and walked out of the imperial tent. On the open ground before the tent stood a small figure—small because of his youth. The Fourth Prince, Liu Fang, stood straight and tall, drawing a bow with an arrow nocked, aiming at a target set up in the distance. With a "whoosh," the arrow flew and struck dead center.

On this trip to Yunzhou, the three princes had accompanied the imperial entourage. Liu Chengyou had let them truly witness a war, so that they might understand the danger of warfare and the difficulty of founding a state. Although the three boys contributed little to the battle itself, they could still serve a certain role on the spiritual level. Moreover, Liu Chengyou believed that letting the princes experience more things from a young age—broadening their horizons, increasing their knowledge, and shouldering early some of the responsibilities that imperial descendants ought to bear—was beneficial to their education and growth.

Watching from behind, Liu Chengyou saw his fourth son practicing archery, and a slight smile crept onto his lips. Though he did not expect the boy to become a warrior who could fell ten or a hundred men, this diligent practice of martial skills still pleased the imperial heart greatly.

"Too close, too close! Move the target farther back!" Having hit the mark several times in a row, Liu Fang eagerly ordered the two guards attending him.

"Your Highness, how far back?" one of the guards asked.

"Twenty-five paces!" Liu Fang said immediately.

Liu Chengyou stepped forward at this moment, and everyone hurriedly bowed in salute. Liu Fang, holding his bow and arrows, also came up, putting on a fawning smile. Patting his head, Liu Chengyou asked: "I only just allowed you to use a standard military bow, and you're already practicing with it—so absorbed in your delight!"

Originally, the princes practiced archery with ordinary wooden bows. However, not long ago, Liu Fang had told him that the bow he used was soft and powerless—good only for play, not for killing enemies.

It was because Liu Fang's strength was growing. At that time, Liu Chengyou had taken an interest and handed him a half-dan military bow of his own to try. Sure enough, the boy managed to draw it fully. The Emperor was delighted and immediately bestowed it upon him, also permitting him to use imperial arrows.

"Father, if you let me go to the battlefield now, I could shoot and kill enemies too!" Liu Fang said confidently.

"Big words, but no lack of ambition!" Liu Chengyou laughed. Looking at the target that had been moved to twenty-five paces away, he said in surprise: "You can shoot twenty-five paces?"

"Why not?"

Liu Chengyou said: "Twenty-five paces—if you can hit the bull's-eye, I'll reward you with something!"

"Watch this, Father!" Liu Fang grew excited.

With that said, he immediately drew the bowstring and took aim, looking very serious. After building up for quite a while, the sharp arrow flew out. As for the result—he missed the center. Though he hit the target, there was still a distance between the arrow and the bull's-eye.

Seeing this, the excitement on Liu Fang's face vanished completely, and his expression fell. Liu Chengyou couldn't help but smile: "What kind of expression is that? Even if you didn't hit the bull's-eye, you at least hit the target!"

Liu Fang was clearly dissatisfied and said immediately: "I will practice diligently. When Father next inspects my archery, I will definitely hit the center!"

This spirit pleased him greatly. Liu Chengyou said: "Good, I'll wait! But my reward—I won't be able to give it to you!"

"Since I failed to hit the center, how dare I ask for a reward!" Liu Fang shook his head.

"However, I think your archery now has already surpassed mine!" Liu Chengyou added. These words were the truth—in terms of archery accuracy, he truly might not match this young boy. After all, at thirty paces, he often shot wide, even missing the target entirely...

"What I shoot at is merely a dead target, while what Father shoots at is the realm itself. How could I compare?" Liu Fang suddenly said this.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou was somewhat surprised and asked: "Who taught you to say that?"

Liu Fang scratched his head, putting on a thoughtful expression: "I seem to have heard someone mention it—I've forgotten who said it."

"It seems I must still reward you!" Liu Chengyou smiled again: "I'll reward you by letting you accompany me on an inspection of the military camp!"

Riding on horseback through the vast Han camp, enjoying the cheers of soldiers and civilians, Liu Chengyou's mood was especially relaxed. Having captured Yunzhou and driven the mighty Liao northward, his state of mind seemed to have been eased once more. Looking up at the sky, he felt that this azure firmament was vast and boundless, and the whole world seemed to have opened up greatly, as if it had been taken into his bosom.

The cleanup of Yunzhong City was not finished until the afternoon. It was only a simple tidying up—the captives were moved outside the city for confinement, and the various armies that had participated in the battle, both internal and external, each sent detachments to garrison the city as representatives, to display their might and prestige.

The corpses and remains were collected and disposed of separately. The roads were simply cleared enough for the imperial procession to pass. Afterward, Liu Chengyou finally entered the city, stepping into Yunzhong, setting his feet upon the greatest city seized in the northern expedition.

Along the way, there were no cheers from the populace. The surroundings were occupied entirely by armored soldiers. The entire city had basically been reduced to ruins—everywhere were broken walls and collapsed buildings, rubble and scorched earth, and the air still carried an unpleasant stench.

The two great fires in the outer city and inner city had basically destroyed the Yunzhong City that Liao had painstakingly built up. The only thing keeping it from complete annihilation was that the city foundations remained—it had not been razed completely flat.

Standing in the Great King of the Southern Division's mansion, now a scene of devastation, Liu Chengyou could not help but sigh: "What a fine city, destroyed in an instant—all property lost, all buildings ruined, not a single inhabitant left. The devastation of war is plain to see!"

As the chief culprit, Liu Chengyou's words actually revealed a hint of heartache. Yes, heartache. Because now that Yunzhou was destroyed, its reconstruction would have to be put on the agenda. Repairing the city walls, rebuilding the houses, resettling the population—the court would still have to expend no small amount of effort and cost.

Of course, most of the generals present were still immersed in the glorious military achievement of taking the city and defeating the enemy. Those who could appreciate his feelings were few.

"Have the results of the battle been tallied?" Liu Chengyou looked at Guo Rong.

At this time in the army, Guo Rong was still the foremost minister under the Emperor, assisting with military affairs. Upon being asked, Guo Rong reported: "Within the inner city, 5,745 Liao soldiers surrendered; the rest were all annihilated. Most of the weapons and armor were destroyed. We captured over four thousand war horses. Additionally, the Liao army had stockpiled eighty thousand dan of grain in the city—apart from what was consumed, it was all burned..."

"Tell me, in this battle, did we come out at a loss or at a profit?" Liu Chengyou looked around and said with a light smile.

Regarding the losses of troops, money, and grain, these generals and military officials all knew full well. Those who did not understand logistics and supplies could not be senior commanders of the Great Han.

In response, Zhao Kuangyin said: "If one only considers consumption, obtaining this ruin is naturally not worth the cost. However, matters of state and military affairs involve far more than simple profit and loss. Not to mention the casualties inflicted on the Liao army—simply taking this key strategic point beyond the passes, around which the Great Han can construct a solid border defense, makes the loss of some troops, money, and grain worthwhile. Therefore, although this northern expedition has emptied the state treasury and drained the people's strength, to fight and win, recovering all the passes and mountains, is also worthwhile—greatly beneficial to the state!"

Zhao Kuangyin's words were spoken to follow the Emperor's thinking. Liu Chengyou was clearly very satisfied, and the others mostly expressed agreement as well. With the vision of the Great Han's current generals, they could naturally understand the enormous military significance.

"Tell me, what is the most important thing to do next?" Liu Chengyou asked again.

"Rest and regroup in place!"

"Send troops to take all the towns, passes, and key points along the Great Wall around Yunzhou!"

"Withdraw the troops!"

"Send troops beyond the passes to continue attacking the Khitan!"

"..."

Everyone expressed their own opinions, which were not unified, but they more or less revealed their thoughts. Liu Chengyou observed it all, noted it in his heart, and said with a smile: "Since the start of the spring offensive, the soldiers have marched and fought continuously, toiling for a month and a half. I believe that at this time, we should properly reward them. Pass the order—distribute meat and wine in abundance, let the soldiers relax properly. With the previous ban on alcohol, many people must have been suffering..."

"Yuanlang, has your craving for wine returned?" Liu Chengyou looked at Zhao Kuangyin.

"I've been thirsting for a drink for a long time!" Zhao Kuangyin laughed heartily.

"I too shall share in the soldiers' joy!"

At these words, everyone present could not help but laugh.

"However, though merits should be celebrated and wine should be drunk, basic defenses must not be relaxed. Chai, I'll leave that arrangement to you..." Liu Chengyou then instructed Guo Rong.

"Yes!"