Chapter 978: Generals of Jianghuai

The late Duke of Shan, Zhao Hui, rose to prominence in the transition between the end of the Jin and the beginning of the Han, rendering great service to the court. As the actual initiator and advocate of the uprising against the Khitan, he voluntarily threw in his lot with Hedong, and after the founding of the dynasty, he again willingly submitted to the central authority, actively cooperating with Liu Chengyou's policy of reducing the power of the military governors. Later, he also led troops to victory in the campaign repelling the Later Shu's second invasion of Guanzhong, consolidating the Great Han's southwestern frontier.

Looking at his career as a whole, he was a late bloomer, shaped by the times. Though he had less than ten years to exercise his abilities, he still left a bold and vivid mark on the early Han's history, establishing no small merit. Liu Chengyou once offered this assessment of Zhao Hui: "In the rise of the Han, your contribution was substantial!"

Moreover, one point must be mentioned: Zhao Hui was also a general who came from the personal guard of Li Cunxu. Whatever came from Zhuangzong's ranks was bound to be of the finest quality.

And as Zhao Hui's son, Zhao Yanjin naturally received the Emperor's favor as well. The ducal title that many generals had to fight desperately to earn was directly inherited by him, and his official rank and military post rose steadily through the ranks. Of course, even if he had accomplished nothing at all, he would still have enjoyed wealth and honor for a lifetime.

However, among the second generation of Great Han generals, Zhao Yanjin could still be counted as an outstanding one. In the early years of the Qianyou era, there were several young generals by the Emperor's side—Zhao Yanjin, Zhang Yongde, An Shouzhong, and others—and now virtually all of them had become major commanders in their own right.

As for Zhao Yanjin, from the first year of Qianyou he had served the Emperor as a member of the imperial bodyguard, enjoying Liu Chengyou's deep trust all along, until just before the northern expedition, when he was sent to Yangzhou to assist Li Gu in preparations for the campaign.

When he first received the Emperor's summons, Zhao Yanjin was only twenty-one years old. In the blink of an eye, more than a decade had passed, and Zhao Yanjin had entered middle age, becoming a man of bearing, responsibility, and strategic wisdom—a complete talent in both civil and military affairs, worthy of entrusting with great responsibilities.

Thus, when he saw Zhao Yanjin again in Wansui Hall, Liu Chengyou was both delighted and quite moved, remarking bluntly that a man was growing old. Zhao Yanjin had always been one to speak his mind, and he directly cut through Liu Chengyou's slight affectation, saying cheerfully: "Your Majesty is in the prime of life—why speak of age? Though your subject is nearing forty, I feel this is precisely the time to establish achievements!"

When Liu Chengyou was magnanimous, he was exceptionally so, and he was quite pleased with Zhao Yanjin's spirited vigor. He smiled: "It's been over three years since we last met. I have missed you greatly. Come, keep me company over some wine!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Hearing Liu Chengyou's cordial words, Zhao Yanjin felt grateful in his heart, bowed once more, and then took his seat in a manner free of any false modesty.

On the food table were set only a few simple dishes—fish, spring bamboo shoots, greens, tofu—plus two bowls of chicken soup and a jug of wine. At this, Zhao Yanjin was somewhat taken aback, and said: "Your Majesty, is this the simple fare you eat on ordinary days?"

In the three years since returning from the northern expedition, because state finances were not abundant and the treasury was strained, the Han palace had once again begun to economize on food and clothing, and Liu Chengyou led by personal example. These days, he did not reject a life of plenty, but when it was time to set an example, he could always endure the cravings of his palate.

Moreover, if he was frugal, the other nobles and ministers had to follow suit, or else they would incur his displeasure, and this displeasure would manifest itself in every aspect of their lives. This was what it meant to extend one's own standards to others—and in this regard, the contrast between Liu Chengyou and Meng Chang of old was especially striking.

"Your Majesty's daily meals are even more meager than this. It's only because the Duke of Shan has returned that two extra dishes were added!" At this point, the old eunuch Sun the Yan army, who was attending at the side, spoke up on his own initiative, praising the Emperor's virtue.

"There's meat and vegetables, soup and wine—how can you call this meager?" Liu Chengyou waved his hand, looking at Zhao Yanjin as he said: "Make do with this for now. Once the pacification of Jiangnan is accomplished, I will naturally hold a great banquet for those of merit, and then I will properly entertain you all!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin said with deep emotion: "Your Majesty's conduct makes your subject feel utterly ashamed!"

In Yangzhou, with its wealth and prosperity, and given Zhao Yanjin's status, he clearly would not stint himself in matters of food and clothing. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou's expression remained calm; he merely raised his wine cup, gestured toward him, and took a drink of aperitif first.

Holding a private banquet for Zhao Yanjin alone showed his closeness to and regard for him. Of course, the purpose could hardly be limited to eating and drinking. After two cups of wine, Zhao Yanjin took the initiative to ask Liu Chengyou: "Your Majesty intends to formally dispatch troops to pacify Jiangnan?"

"Mm!" Liu Chengyou nodded directly, his tone so relaxed it seemed he was not discussing a matter of national military importance at all. He said: "You must have guessed already—by summoning the southern commanders back to court this time, I also wanted to hear your views. Having served on the southern front for so long, your understanding of the military situation can provide the court with a more comprehensive consideration!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin said directly: "Your Majesty, your subject believes that the time has come to sweep the south and unify the realm!"

Zhao Yanjin was confident and decisive, his tone resolute. Liu Chengyou was neither impatient nor excited, but looked at him and said: "Tell me about the situation in Jianghuai and Jiangnan!"

After briefly organizing his words, Zhao Yanjin reported: "After these past few years of adjustment, the troops Jianghuai can field have reached thirty thousand. Among them, the armies of Yangzhou and Luzhou are elite soldiers who train year-round, are well-equipped, and are familiar with the local climate. The Yangzhou navy, after being reorganized and drilled by General Zhang Yanqing, has also had over a hundred warships added and replaced, giving it outstanding strength that can be put to great use. Once the main army marches south, the Jianghuai forces can serve as the vanguard, crossing the river first!"

"I have long intended to use the Jianghuai garrison as the main force for pacifying the south!" Liu Chengyou's single sentence made Zhao Yanjin quite elated: "But with you all drilling intensively north of the river, eyeing them like tigers, the south must have reacted in some way, mustn't they?"

Zhao Yanjin nodded, his expression growing somewhat more serious: "The sovereign of Jiangnan has appointed Lin Renzhao as commander, responsible for river defense. This man does possess some military talent and carries out his duties diligently. When the imperial army marches south, he will be the greatest obstacle. The forces under his command number twenty thousand soldiers of both land and naval forces, and under his training, they should have a certain degree of combat effectiveness. Aside from that, the rest of the Jiangnan army is not worth a single blow. And in the end, Lin Renzhao alone cannot hold up a beam by himself—the Yangtze stretches a thousand li, and it is not something he can block against the tide!"

"You and Lord Li have been in Yangzhou—surely you've been studying the plans for pacifying the south for quite some time! Tell me your strategy for advancing the troops!" Liu Chengyou said with a light laugh.

Requesting a map from Liu Chengyou, Zhao Yanjin pointed at it and said: "Your subjects believe we can dispatch three routes of troops. The first route sets out from the upper reaches, attacking Ezhou by both land and water, then following the river eastward to take Hukou and Chizhou; the second route uses the Jianghuai land and naval forces as the main body, crossing the river at an opportune moment to strike directly at Jinling; the third route has the Wuyue troops advance northward to attack Changzhou and Runzhou. Of course, Lord Li believes this is only a view from the overall situation—the specific advance should still be adapted to circumstances as they develop!"

Liu Chengyou appeared quite satisfied with this. In fact, in the war to pacify the south, crossing the river to fight had never escaped this general strategy since ancient times—it was determined by geographical factors. Of course, what differed from history was that the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, and moreover, behind Jiangnan there was also the force of Wuyue stabbing them in the back, making the situation facing the Jiangnan court even more dire—almost a desperate predicament.

"Regardless, the forces Jiangnan can mobilize still number no less than a hundred thousand—they should not be underestimated!" Liu Chengyou said this, his tone cautious at first, but as he spoke, his dominance began to leak through: "However, it is also time to display the majestic might of the Great Han's tiger troops—to sweep away Jiangnan in one stroke and unify the realm!"

Throughout his reign, Liu Chengyou had always displayed a cautious and careful posture in military matters. Before every war, he would admonish his generals not to underestimate the enemy. However, with the passage of time, with continuous victories, and with the strengthening of the state's military power, this habit remained, but personally, he had long formed a confidence of swallowing up ten thousand li and being invincible under heaven. Take the pacification of the south—previously he had not sent troops, allowing it to linger on, simply because the time was not right. But once a decision was made and the great army marched south, there was absolutely no possibility of failure.

"How is Lord Li's health?" Liu Chengyou asked with concern: "I've heard his condition is not very good!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin's expression turned somewhat heavy, and he replied: "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Lord Li suffers from wind paralysis, and his symptoms are quite severe. Especially during the winter snows, the pain is unbearable, and he can barely get out of bed, having to rely on a wheelchair or carriage to move about. Even in handling official business, he mostly dictates orally..."

Upon hearing this news, Liu Chengyou sighed with melancholy. He was not unaware of Li Gu's condition, but since Li Gu did not report it, Liu Chengyou could only pretend not to know. He also understood what Li Gu was struggling to hold on for. In earlier years, he had promised Li Gu command of the southern expedition, but circumstances had forced delay after delay for nearly a decade, dragging Li Gu to the threshold of sixty.

After a long while, Liu Chengyou said: "I owe Lord Li a promise, and I should also give him the opportunity to fulfill his long-cherished wish!"

In fact, because of Li Gu's illness, Liu Chengyou was hesitant in his heart about whether to continue appointing him as the supreme commander of the southern expedition. After all, the pressure borne during wartime and peacetime was completely different. However, when the image of that old man of sixty, seated in his wheelchair, still gazing southward with longing, floated up in his mind, he could not help but waver.