Chapter 966: A Guilty Conscience

The sky was overcast with dense clouds, yet radiating an eerie light—a murky yellow that somehow cast brightness all around despite the dark tones. At the Ceremonial Guest House, where Li Yiyin, Military Governor of the Dingnan Army, was lodged, the approaching storm made the atmosphere feel oppressive, mirroring the heavy hearts of the guests within.

For these vassal lords who had taken the initiative to come to the capital, the court had made thorough arrangements, receiving them with complete hospitality and treating them with the rites due to state guests. Thus, Li Yiyin and his entire entourage, from top to bottom, had been living quite comfortably during their time in the capital, enjoying the splendor of the Eastern Capital as honored guests.

The only slight annoyance was that the court had arranged for Gao Shaoji's party from Yanzhou to be lodged "next door" as neighbors—though that was hardly a matter of consequence.

At this moment, however, Li Yiyin had no mind for such trivialities. Especially after learning that that fellow Gao Shaoji had entered the palace to petition the Son of Heaven to surrender his territory and submit to the court, his mood had soured considerably. Recalling the mocking, contemptuous smile that whelp Gao Shaoji had worn just moments ago, Li Yiyin now understood its meaning.

Just as Liu Congxiao's cession of territory had made Qian Hongchu restless, Gao Shaoji's move had caught Li Yiyin completely off guard. Gao Shaoji could make his choice readily enough, but for Li Yiyin, it was far more difficult.

Guards stood solemnly before the door; master and retainers sat in silence within, until a clap of thunder startled them all. Finally, one staff advisor spoke to Li Yiyin, who sat in the seat of honor: "Governor, now that Zhangquan and Yanzhou have successively ceded their lands, the question of where Xiazhou stands must also be settled!"

"Settled how?" At these words, Li Yiyin immediately snapped: "Are you asking me to follow the example of Liu and Gao, and hand over lands won by three generations of my forefathers through a century of hacking through brambles and thorns and hard fighting?"

Compared to the other three powers, the situation of the Dingnan Army was clearly far more complex, and far more dangerous. Even setting aside how many years the Tangut people had taken root and developed in the northwest, counting from Li Sigong onward, the Xia-Sui regime had been entrenched there for nearly a century.

From the Tuoba Li clan to Li Yiyin, five generations had passed, and over such a long time, a power had long since formed with the four prefectures of Xia, Sui, Yin, and You at its core, built upon the foundation of numerous Tangut tribes. Though it could not contend with the Great Han in scale, anyone who underestimated them because of that would certainly suffer a great loss.

Li Yiyin had held the position of Military Governor of Dingnan for nearly twenty-five years. In his early years, he had followed his father and elder brother in resisting the Later Tang dynasty. In the early days of the Han, he had been rather restless in the northwest, quite active, repeatedly making moves and stirring up trouble. Though he had kept a lower profile over the past decade or so, he had never caused Liu Chengyou to set aside his wariness of this force.

A man like this—barely qualifying as a warlord of note—could never be content with submission, as was evident from Li Yiyin's attitude.

This time, Li Yiyin had naturally not come to the capital alone; he had brought several staff advisors and members of the Li clan. After he finished speaking, a Tangut man stepped forward: "Elder brother speaks rightly. I say, this Great Han will sooner or later make a move against our Xiazhou. We should have joined hands with the Khitan back then, to stand in an unassailable position. And we certainly shouldn't have come to Kaifeng so rashly—if the court detains us and won't let us return, Xiazhou is in danger!"

At these words, Li Yiyin's expression turned as ugly as it could possibly be. The main reason for this voluntary trip to the capital was the Great Han's victory in the war against Liao, compounded by the recovery of the Hetao region, which had left Xiazhou in a tight spot. Faced with such circumstances and gripped by fear, he had made this move—hoping that by coming to the capital, he could express submission, gain the court's trust, and relieve the pressure. Of course, the risks of this journey had been discussed between Li Yiyin and his staff and subordinates, and the conclusion reached was that they should be safe.

But they had never anticipated that Liu Congxiao would pull such a move, exposing all these vassal issues. And Gao Shaoji's imitation had made Xiazhou even more passive.

Dark clouds gathered on his rough-hewn face, and fear was unavoidable. In truth, what Li Yiyin was worrying about at the moment was indeed the question of how to extricate himself—there was something of a persecution complex about it. The splendid and magnificent city of the Eastern Capital had suddenly become, it seemed, a gilded cage.

However, glaring at the Xiazhou general who had spoken, he rebuked: "If we had allied with the Khitan, the court's great army would likely have turned and wiped out our Tangut first! Besides, around Xia and Sui—the Hexi Army, the Dingbian Army, the Baoning Army—are Shi Hongzhao, Wang Yansheng, and their ilk easy to deal with?"

Hearing the rebuke, the man replied: "Even if the Han army is powerful, if they now intend to swallow our Xiazhou and seize our Lady Li's ancestral inheritance, are we to just sit and wait for death?"

These words were spoken out of righteous indignation, but they struck at the crux of the problem. He continued: "Now we are trapped in Kaifeng, like fish on a chopping block, without even room to resist!"

"You're so clever! Then tell me, given the current situation, what should we do?" Li Yiyin was growing angry as well.

This Tangut military officer was named Li Yirui, a cousin of Li Yiyin's from the Li Sigong line. Hearing the question, he immediately answered: "Better to slip out of Kaifeng secretly and flee back to Xiazhou, then observe the court's reaction. If they pacify us, we submit a memorial confessing our faults and continue our vassalage while building up strength; if they send troops against us, we gather the troops of Xia and Sui, rally the Tangut masses, and ally with the Khitan externally to resist!"

"What an excellent plan!" Li Yiyin laughed, though clearly with derision: "Let me ask you—how do we escape Kaifeng? Do you know how many court informants are around this guest house? How do we secretly evade the patrols? And from here to Xiazhou is over a thousand li—how do we get past all the checkpoints and towns along the way?"

"This..." Faced with this barrage of questions from Li Yiyin, Li Yirui fell silent. It seemed things really weren't that easy—slipping out of the Eastern Capital and fleeing back to Xiazhou wasn't a simple two-step affair.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yiyin tried to calm himself as much as possible. He looked at another staff advisor surnamed Zhang and said: "There's no denying that the current situation is indeed worrying, and what he said isn't entirely without reason. I am now in Kaifeng, far from my base. If the court truly intends to detain me, I would have absolutely no room to resist.

If I am imprisoned here, even enduring utter humiliation would be of no consequence—my only concern is chaos breaking out in Xiazhou. Though my son Guangrui is still there, it's hard to guarantee stability in the face of turmoil, which would give the court an opening.

Regardless, we must think of a way to extricate ourselves!"

Before coming to the capital, Li Yiyin had made thorough preparations, even arranging for what would happen after his death should he meet with misfortune. But if the court truly turned hostile, how could such contingency plans guarantee complete safety? He had ruled the Dingnan Army for over twenty years, and in stabilizing the situation and rallying the people's hearts, no one within the Li clan could yet replace him with the same prestige in the short term.

And from Li Yiyin's words, one could tell—ceding territory was out of the question!

"Governor, your subordinate believes that fleeing in secret is absolutely not an option—it would make us look guilty and provoke the court's wrath!" The staff advisor thought for a moment, then answered.

"At a time like this, why worry about so much?" Li Yirui couldn't hold back, but a glare from Li Yiyin made him shut his mouth again.

The staff advisor surnamed Zhang then said: "Your subordinate believes that the situation may not be as dire as we imagine!"

"Oh?" Li Yiyin's spirits lifted slightly. He raised a hand and said: "Speak quickly!"

"First, regarding the petitions of Liu and Gao—so far, the court seems to have shown no clear attitude or measures. It can be inferred that the Son of Heaven and the court are also hesitating. Zhangquan goes without saying—the mountains are high and the roads long, and it's blocked by both Tang and Yue. Even if accepted now, it couldn't be effectively controlled; it's truly a chicken rib.

"Second, the Governor came to court this time of his own accord, bearing sincerity and generous gifts to congratulate the great victory. With such deference, how could the court detain you without cause and invite criticism? How could the Celestial Court of the Central Plains disregard its own reputation?

"Therefore, your subordinate believes we must not let this turn of events throw us into disarray!"

This analysis did steady people's nerves somewhat. Li Yiyin thought it over and said: "That may be so, but our safety and Xiazhou's future cannot depend entirely on the court's benevolence! Judging by the court's years of gradual encroachment and expansion in Longyou and Hexi, our Xiazhou is their target sooner or later. If Liu and Gao's actions cause them to turn their sights on us ahead of schedule, the problem would be serious indeed!"

The staff advisor surnamed Zhang said: "That the Son of Heaven harbors ambitions to unify the realm is known throughout the land. But judging from the Great Han's past policies, they would first set their sights south, then north. Had the Khitan not provoked them last year, this earth-shaking Han-Liao war likely would never have happened.

"Barring unforeseen circumstances, we in Xiazhou still have time to build up our strength!"

"Just say it plainly! How do we get out of Kaifeng?" Li Yiyin was growing impatient.

With a wry smile, the staff advisor thought again, then said: "Governor, if you seek to extricate yourself, your subordinate suggests this: submit a memorial to the Son of Heaven, stating your willingness to offer up the territories of the Dingnan Army, but noting that the situation under your jurisdiction is complex and the land registers need to be compiled, and request permission to return to Xiazhou to prepare the cession. If the Son of Heaven grants it, once you return to Xiazhou, you can maneuver as you see fit!"

This suggestion did have some merit. Under normal circumstances, constrained by various factors, the court really couldn't forcibly detain Li Yiyin. Li Yiyin considered for a while, then suddenly said: "But if I submit such a memorial, what if the Son of Heaven simply uses that as a reason to keep me in Kaifeng? Wouldn't that be playing right into his hands?"

The staff advisor was taken aback, then thought it over seriously—that possibility wasn't out of the question. Human hearts were always hard to fathom, let alone the heart of the Son of Heaven. And the current Son of Heaven had never been one to follow convention.

Thinking back and forth, being in the Eastern Capital, no matter which direction one considered, there seemed to be risk. After a long while, the staff advisor spoke again: "Governor, your subordinate believes that the Son of Heaven's earlier restraint in not responding to Liu Congxiao's petition may well have been a test of the intentions of us vassal lords. Gao Shaoji made his choice following Liu Congxiao's lead. Regardless, the Governor should also make some gesture.

"Your subordinate suggests that the Governor request an audience with the Son of Heaven, using this matter to probe, while also expressing Xiazhou's intent to submit, and see his reaction before deciding further. Moreover, besides our Dingnan Army, there is still the state of Wuyue in Jiangnan that has not made its stance known—we need not be overly anxious!"

After considering for a while, Li Yiyin found no other recourse. Pacing back and forth a few times, he said: "For now, this is all we can do!"

Over Kaifeng, thunder rumbled intermittently several times. In the streets, common folk returned home, merchants closed their stalls—all had prepared for rain. Yet after a long while, not a single drop fell. In the end, the accumulated dark clouds gradually dispersed instead, the sun's radiance descended, revealing the sky's true face, and the world returned to clarity once more.

Li Yiyin, however, remained in the guest house, his heart heavy with bitterness. At last he sighed: "It seems this trip to the capital was a mistake!"