Chapter 982: Daily Life

As for the timing of dispatching troops, it was still early—the initial plan was for autumn of this year, leaving about half a year, enough time for the Great Han court to make preparations. On this point, however, Liu Chengyou had no say; the southern climate imposed constraints, especially in Lingnan. Per Pan Mei's advice, it was best to dispatch troops in winter.

Liu Chengyou was not the sort of sovereign who went against the tide of the seasons or acted arbitrarily; what needed waiting had to be waited for. Thus, by the time the southern campaign truly began, the Great Han would have rested and recuperated for nearly four years.

"For specific matters, if there are any questions, the generals involved may consult the Bureau of Military Affairs in detail. Especially the generals returning to the capital—they have some opinions, and the Bureau needs to communicate more with them, synthesizing military intelligence and enemy conditions to appropriately adjust and perfect the strategy for pacifying the south!" After sweeping his gaze across the room, Liu Chengyou looked at Commissioner of Military Affairs Li Chuyun.

"Yes!" Li Chuyun, who held great power in his hands, always maintained a low posture before the Emperor. Upon hearing the order, he immediately responded: "Strategy has no fixed form; it should adapt to changing times and circumstances. I do have matters on which I need to consult the generals!"

Nodding, Liu Chengyou stood up. The moment he moved, everyone quickly rose from their seats. Seeing this, Liu Chengyou said to Guo Rong and the others: "All of you have traveled a thousand li back to the capital—the journey has been taxing, and you need rest. Come, accompany me to the Qionglin Garden; I'll properly reward you with a feast!"

The four were just about to express their thanks when Zhao Yanjin stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, regarding the strategy for pacifying the south, I have a question!"

"If you have questions, both the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Military Affairs are here—ask them!" Looking at Zhao Yanjin, Liu Chengyou smiled slightly.

Zhao Yanjin, however, said: "Your Majesty, I fear my question is one that even the two Commissioners of Military Affairs may find difficult to answer!"

"Oh?" Liu Chengyou raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Li Chuyun and Zhao Kuangyin, who both looked somewhat surprised, then turned his head to look at him, a faint smile on his face, and said: "Go on, speak!"

"May I ask Your Majesty—the court is using troops on four routes; the other three have clear commanding generals. As for the Jianghuai army, which carries the heaviest troop strength and is the most powerful—who will command it?" Facing the gazes of both sovereign and ministers alike, Zhao Yanjin said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou fell silent. This question was still one he was hesitating over, which was why it was reflected as such in the Bureau of Military Affairs' plan. If Li Gu's health were sound, then there would be no doubt—the command would be secure. But his health was indeed poor, and in military warfare, in commanding a campaign to destroy a state, one could not afford such risks.

Of course, in this situation, if he felt a sense of indebtedness, Liu Chengyou could roughly give Li Gu the nominal position of commander while dispatching another general to hold actual command and direct the pacification of the south. But for Li Gu, did he need such compensation?

The promise made years ago had allowed him to realize his lofty ambitions, leading northern troops to pacify the lands south of the Yangtze—yet the final step would not be his to take. Liu Chengyou feared this old minister would be unable to let it go in his heart. To be fair, Li Gu had already spent more than three years in Yangzhou for the southern campaign. If all preparations were complete and someone else came to pluck the fruit, it would be somewhat unjust to Li Gu.

However, how things would ultimately play out still required reference to Li Gu's own opinion. Moreover, perhaps by the time troops were dispatched, Li Gu's health might have improved. Of course, Liu Chengyou was not optimistic in his heart—for wind-numbness affliction, what one feared was cold and damp weather......

Zhao Yanjin's question had somewhat stumped Liu Chengyou, but his mind was quick, and his expression did not change. He said with a light laugh: "As for the supreme commander of the southern campaign, I have long had a candidate in mind—you shall know when the time comes!"

On the way accompanying the imperial entourage to the Qionglin Garden, Pan Mei offered congratulations to Cao Bin: "Congratulations, General Cao—to command an army alone and display your skills, this is the time to fulfill a hero's ambitions!"

The two rode side by side. Tilting his head to look at Pan Mei, who was beaming with evident good spirits, Cao Bin smiled slightly as well, with an air of detachment, and said: "Compared to you, General, who will destroy an entire state single-handedly, I am truly ashamed of my inferiority!"

Hearing this, the smile at the corners of Pan Mei's mouth rose a few degrees more. It could be said that in the southern campaign, Pan Mei had bested Cao Bin. During their time together in Hunan, the two famous generals could not help but be compared. Though Cao Bin was modest and cautious by nature, that did not mean he was weak—in his conduct and on the battlefield, he had shown himself capable of contending with Pan Mei. This could be seen from the Han-Yue War of the twelfth year, when Cao Bin had shifted his forces to seize Lianzhou—a decision made after learning that Pan Mei had taken Guizhou.

Therefore, in selecting commanders for the campaign against Yue, Liu Chengyou had chosen to separate the two, making Pan Mei the lead in attacking the Yue state. And compared to Pan Mei's destruction of Yue, Cao Bin was appointed as the upstream commander—also a significant appointment—but in the end, it was merely one supporting route, coordinating to assist the attack on Jiangnan. Under the command of the Jianghuai field headquarters, his freedom in directing operations naturally could not compare with Pan Mei's.

This was also the reason Cao Bin spoke as he did, and Pan Mei understood this reasoning, which was why he was so delighted. Moreover, from the tone of both men, one could hear that the states lingering on in Jiangnan were, to them, merely so many military merits......

"The garrison troops of Chen and Lian—I hope you will treat them well!" Rarely, Cao Bin took the initiative to speak to Pan Mei.

Hearing this, Pan Mei immediately said: "The troops Commander Guohua led are all rare brave men—stout soldiers in the army, worthy of important use. As long as they do not violate military discipline or orders, I will naturally regard them as brothers!"

Compared to Cao Bin's magnanimity, Pan Mei was in fact a ruthless man—he dared to kill, and was willing to kill, whether friend or foe. In fact, during the campaign against Yue, he had already displayed a certain cruelty. Of course, as the commander of an army, to ensure military victory, nothing he did could be called excessive—which of the founding senior generals was not blood-soaked?

Using Pan Mei was precisely because of his awe over the Yue people—their fear of him outweighed their fear of Cao Bin.

"This Qionglin Garden is the only imperial garden His Majesty has built. It sits by the banks of Jinming Lake, with beautiful scenery and pleasant views. Whenever the provincial examinations are held, successful scholars come here to participate in the Qionglin Banquet, personally hosted by the Son of Heaven. I hear the spring imperial examination is about to begin—perhaps we can take the opportunity to absorb some literary aura......" With a bit more leisure and elegance, Pan Mei took the initiative to introduce to Cao Bin.

At the Qionglin Garden, naturally, there was a full suite of services—bathing, feasting, and women. For each of the returning generals, Liu Chengyou had bestowed two dancing girls.

The spring night was slightly cool. Sitting by the table, Liu Chengyou subconsciously tightened the thin robe draped over his shoulders. The bright candle flames flickered gently, the light falling on Liu Chengyou's face, which wore an expression of earnest concentration.

Liu Chengyou was still pondering matters—thinking about how to arrange Guo Rong. As far as the court structure went, there seemed to be no suitable position; too low certainly wouldn't do, and there were no vacancies in the high offices.

What seemed appropriate was to send him to the southern campaign, but Liu Chengyou felt uneasy about that in his heart. It wasn't that he suspected Guo Rong of rebellion or treason—it was simply that if his prestige in the army became too high and his real power too heavy, that would not be a good thing for any party involved.

Northwest Inspection Commissioner—in the end, Liu Chengyou picked up his brush and wrote out these five characters.

"Your Majesty!" A waft of fragrant breeze arrived, and a pleasant voice seemed to beckon to his very soul.

Looking up, he saw a beauty fresh from her bath, wrapped in thin silk, with a lovely face paired with a maturely alluring figure—it was Pure Consort Zhou, who had accompanied him. Setting down his brush, Liu Chengyou's eyes revealed a look of "appreciation" as he beckoned to her. The beauty came gracefully, lightly settling into his embrace, her delicate rear making close contact with his thigh.

Pure Consort Zhou was now twenty-seven years old, her countenance and figure approaching perfection. Unchanged was her learned and refined bearing as a talented lady, and she had borne Liu Chengyou a son and a daughter.

Perhaps it was the sense of achievement from conquering a talented lady, or some other psychology—recently, among the consorts of the Han palace, the one most favored by Liu Chengyou was Pure Consort Zhou. Several visits to her chambers had allowed the consort, who normally had little presence in the palace, to be nourished into a few degrees more radiant.

Unable to bear his teasing, and hearing Liu Chengyou's somewhat wanton words, the elder Lady Zhou's breathing grew a bit quicker, her face flushed, adding to her charm, as she said: "What has come over Your Majesty lately? Why are you so, so......"

Seeing that she seemed somewhat at a loss for words, Liu Chengyou's interest only grew. Staring at her face glowing with allure, he asked: "So what?"

"Frivolous! Lecherous!" Two words emerged from her rosy lips.

Liu Chengyou was slightly stunned. He withdrew his hand, stroked his beard, and looked at her with puzzlement: "Am I?"

But he soon laughed, directly scooping up the Pure Consort and heading toward the couch, while saying forcefully: "Then let me be a bit more eager......"

During this period, the Emperor's desires seemed particularly strong.