Chapter 981: Swept Clean in One Stroke

"Minister Guo, how is the Eastern Sea naval force faring?" Liu Chengyou turned his gaze to Guo Tingwei and asked directly.

So it's my turn now? Guo Tingwei was slightly surprised, but reacted quickly, standing up and reporting crisply: "The losses from the northern campaign have long been replenished. Over these three years, after training and elimination, we now have thirty thousand men—ten thousand in Laizhou, twenty thousand in Mizhou—of whom eight thousand are combat soldiers, patrolling the sea year-round and conducting combat drills. I have confidence that we can gallop across the Eastern Sea, unmatched by any foe!"

Seeing Guo Tingwei display such a confident bearing, Liu Chengyou smiled and said: "I will not mince words—regarding naval warfare and warships, I am not familiar; I am an outsider. Minister Guo is a rare great naval commander of the Great Han. Since you speak thus, I too believe the Eastern Sea fleet is worthy of great use!"

"Your Majesty overpraises me; I dare not accept!" Guo Tingwei bowed in response. The Emperor's words were high praise indeed—both an acknowledgment and an encouragement to Guo Tingwei, yet also a tremendous pressure upon him. The words had been spoken; if any error occurred, setting aside other offenses, the charge of deceiving the sovereign could be directly laid upon him.

Therefore, Guo Tingwei asked with a solemn face: "I await Your Majesty's command!"

"No rush!" Raising his hand, Liu Chengyou then looked toward Cao Bin, carefully appraising this commander famed in history, and broke into a smile: "Cao Bin!"

Cao Bin stood, offered a respectful bow, and said steadily: "Your servant greets Your Majesty, humbly awaiting Your Majesty's instruction!"

This calm and composed bearing elevated his entire image. Liu Chengyou nodded inwardly and said: "I have long heard of your reputation! Through your memorials, I have come to know you as well. Seeing you in person today, you are indeed extraordinary—fit to be a great general!"

"Your Majesty flatters me!" Toward Liu Chengyou's praise, Cao Bin instead felt a pressure rise in his heart.

After finishing with Cao Bin, Liu Chengyou finally turned his attention to Pan Mei, saying with a light smile: "Zhongxun, I placed you in Hunan, and you've been there for seven years—you must be stifled by now!"

Before facing the Emperor, Pan Mei had been full of ambition, his heart surging, as if he had countless words to present to the throne. Yet when he actually saw the Emperor, meeting that calm yet dignified gaze, he found himself somewhat overawed.

Now hearing the question, he reported: "Your Majesty has promoted Your servant with great weight. Whenever I think of it, I wish only to fight to the death, to repay Your grace and virtue!"

Hearing his words, Liu Chengyou looked around the circle and said leisurely: "You are all shrewd men. As for the reason I have summoned you back to the capital, I imagine each of you has your own guesses. The tide of events is clear, and the hearts of the people are set—there is no need to avoid the topic. I have decided to dispatch troops to pacify the south. Summoning you here is precisely to deliberate on this matter!"

At these words, none of the men showed much surprise. Pan Mei took the opportunity to produce a memorial from his bosom, presenting it: "Your Majesty, before returning to the capital, I drafted a strategy for pacifying Yue. These are my humble opinions—please, Your Majesty, look them over and correct them!"

Taking Pan Mei's document from Sun the Yan army's hands, Liu Chengyou opened and read it on the spot. It did not take long before he looked up, a look of satisfaction already appearing on his face.

Though eager to render distinguished service, judging from the memorial, Pan Mei was not hasty; the strategy he presented was also sound and steady. From troop strength and supply allocation, to the timing of the advance, the route of attack, and the defenses of Yue's cities along the way—Pan Mei had provided a detailed exposition of all such matters.

This was a very complete plan of advance. Pan Mei had spent too long in Hunan—clearly not in vain, nor had he idled away his time. He had even served several times as the court's envoy to Xingwang Prefecture, fully achieving the principle of knowing both oneself and the enemy.

Looking at Pan Mei, Liu Chengyou showed slight curiosity and said: "To pacify and destroy the Yue state, you need only fifty thousand troops?"

Hearing the question, Pan Mei replied calmly: "Your Majesty, after the battles of the twelfth year of Qianyou, the true strength of Southern Yue has been fully exposed. Given the state of their nation, they can still muster an army of over a hundred thousand, but they are poorly trained and their equipment is crude—they are no match for the Great Han's elite troops;

Moreover, Southern Yue has always lacked capable generals, and because petty men have slandered them, their commanders have been put to death one after another. The Yue ruler has also appointed eunuchs as generals and marshals, so the officers are not loyal, the army's morale is unstable, and its spirit is flagging;

Third, since the Yue ruler ascended the throne, he has acted arbitrarily, ruling with tyranny and oppressive levies—the Yue people have long suffered under him. When the imperial army marches south, it is to rescue the people from fire and water. With the hearts of the people turned toward us, we shall be victorious in every battle.

To defeat them, thirty thousand troops would suffice. I request fifty thousand, however, out of caution—to be prepared for quelling unrest and stabilizing the region."

"My Grand General Pan has far-reaching vision and a grasp of the overall situation!" Hearing his statement, Liu Chengyou pointed at Pan Mei and said to Guo Rong and the others. Pausing, Liu Chengyou then raised the document in his hand and said: "This is not merely a plan of advance—it is also a letter of request for battle!"

Catching the meaning in his words, Pan Mei immediately knelt on one knee and declared with fervor: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to pacify Yue. I beg Your Majesty to grant permission!"

In truth, the choice of commander for the Yue campaign had been settled long ago—decided seven years prior. Many among the army's generals and marshals had guessed as much. Even without the Emperor's favor, there were few more suitable candidates than Pan Mei. As for senior commanders like Murong, Zhao Kuangyin, Gao Huaide, and others, they were not suited to compete with him.

Without directly responding to Pan Mei, Liu Chengyou glanced at Cao Bin and asked: "Minister Cao, you have garrisoned Chenzhou for many years—what are your thoughts on this?"

Cao Bin pondered a moment, then said: "I report to Your Majesty: for the commander of the Yue campaign, I believe no one is more suitable than General Pan!"

Seeing Cao Bin's frank demeanor, and meeting Pan Mei's expectant gaze, Liu Chengyou stood up and beckoned to the assembled men: "Come, let us go to the Bureau of Military Affairs!"

"Convey my oral decree—have Wei Renpu and Murong Yanzhao also come to the Bureau of Military Affairs, and summon Zhao Yanjin as well!" Before leaving, he instructed Sun the Yan army.

"Yes!"

Bureau of Military Affairs, war planning chamber. The Emperor sat in the seat of honor, with a host of the Great Han's military and political luminaries seated below. Seeing everyone assembled, Liu Chengyou raised a hand and instructed: "Present the southern pacification strategy formulated by the Bureau of Military Affairs to the assembled ministers!"

"Yes!"

Regarding the war to pacify the south, planning had begun long ago under Liu Chengyou's direction. By now, it was essentially finalized—including troop allocations, commander selections, and routes of advance, all aspects had been considered and continuously adjusted according to the latest developments. Though the pacification of the south was a grand strategy known to court and country alike, secrecy regarding its specifics was extremely tight.

The one responsible for the presentation was Zhao Kuangyin. Standing before the map that had been moved to the center of the hall, he began his narration with composure, while those present who were uninformed perked up—especially the generals who had been summoned back to the capital.

"According to the Bureau of Military Affairs' plan, this southern pacification will proceed in four routes! The first route: the Xiaodi Army is to be transferred south, mobilizing the troops of the ten prefectures of Jiangling, Gui, Shan, An, Fu, Ying, Xiang, Li, Yue, and Kui, along with the Jiangling naval force—a combined land and naval army of forty thousand. They will attack Ezhou from upstream, seize Hukou, and follow the river eastward. Cao Bin will be the main commander, with Liu Guangyi as his deputy;

The second route: mobilizing the garrison troops of Quan, Chen, Dao, and Gui, along with the troops of the various Hunan prefectures, plus three thousand Yao soldiers and the eastern Sichuan capital troops—fifty thousand in total—marching south to pacify the Yue state, with Pan Mei as main commander and Cui Yanjin as his deputy;

The third route: the Longqi Army, the Longjie Army, the Fengguo Army, and the various Jianghuai land and naval forces—a combined seventy thousand troops—crossing the river from the lower reaches at a chosen point, with the objective of Jinling;

The fourth route: with Guo Tingwei as main commander, leading thirty thousand troops of the Jinghai Army by sea route southward, landing at Hangzhou, joining with Wuyue's forces, and advancing north to attack Chang and Run..."

After hearing the Bureau of Military Affairs' general plan, everyone present—whether previously informed or not—could not help but sigh. This was another massive mobilization; the forces just described alone numbered nearly two hundred thousand. If the conscripted laborers were also counted, it would likely mobilize half the south. Of course, in scale it was far inferior to the northern campaign, and moreover, the proportion of professional soldiers in this mobilization was far smaller than before.

As for Liu Chengyou, he summarized with full boldness: "This time, I intend to sweep the south clean in one stroke—to resolve all the forces of Jiangnan at once!"