Chapter 696
Returning After Making Peace
The news of his father's death did not actually surprise Liu Cong. Before he led his army on his second expedition, Liu Yuan's condition had already become quite obvious. Therefore, Liu Cong had secretly made an agreement with Grand Chancellor Liu Huanle to report on Liu Yuan's health every ten days, so that Liu Cong could keep abreast of the situation in Pingyang and make the best possible emergency preparations.
The problem was that in both of these letters between Liu Cong and Liu Huanle, Liu Huanle stated that Liu Yuan's condition was stable and everything was normal, so Liu Cong was able to focus on the war in Guanzhong. Unexpectedly, he suddenly learned of this news, which undoubtedly caught Liu Cong completely off guard.
"When did Your Majesty's condition worsen?" Liu Cong asked.
“It was late last month,” Shan Mi replied. “After that, the Crown Prince ordered a citywide curfew in Pingyang. Not only the city gates, but also the side roads, farmland, and field ridges outside the city gates were all heavily guarded, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. Her Majesty the Empress saw that things were not going well and forcibly sent someone to cover me to come out and deliver the message.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Cong immediately understood: Liu Huanle had likely tried to persuade Liu He to defect.
The reason is not hard to guess. For a regent, Crown Prince Liu He was more likely to rely on someone else than Liu Cong, who had great prestige in the army. That was the monarch they preferred.
Liu He has now gained the upper hand over Liu Cong, having nearly a month to lay the groundwork in Pingyang. A month would be more than enough time for Liu Cong to complete the reorganization of the political order. Pingyang is now practically a fiery pit, completely out of Liu Cong's control.
In fact, upon hearing this news, all of Liu Cong's confidants present were greatly shocked. Liu Hu, Lu Zhuyan and other leaders of Shuofang also changed their expressions drastically. They all understood that the situation was urgent, and since they had already bet on Liu Cong, they shared the same fate. The most urgent task was to come up with a solution immediately.
Commander Guo Jingnian suggested, “Great Chanyu, there is no time to lose. We should immediately return to Fushi! As long as you are stationed in Fushi, commanding 100,000 troops from Shuofang, and send someone to contact the loyal ministers in the city, with your prestige, who would dare not bring provisions and follow you? Even if it doesn’t work, what can the Crown Prince, a mere scholar, do to you?”
This statement immediately garnered the approval of most people. In the current Zhao Han politics, Liu Yuan was not unaware of the conflict between his two sons. Liu He was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, while Liu Cong was the most outstanding son among them. If the two were to succeed to the throne under normal circumstances, a bloody battle would be inevitable.
Therefore, at the beginning of the fifth year of Qiming, Liu Yuan simply implemented a strategy of separate governance for the Han and non-Han peoples. He allowed his eldest son, Liu He, to succeed to the throne and oversee the Zhao Han court, but at the same time, he established the Shanyutai in Shuofang and appointed Liu Cong as the Great Shanyu. Liu Cong could use the Shanyutai to rule over the various Qiang, Hu, and Xiongnu tribes. In this way, the Zhao Han formed two separate administrative systems, each with its own army and bureaucracy.
Liu Yuan's intentions are not hard to understand. With a formidable enemy at hand, he hoped to use this method to make the brothers Liu He and Liu Cong both wary of each other and cooperate with each other, so as to eventually complete the great cause of unification.
At present, Liu Cong only needs to retreat to Shuofang according to his father's wishes to save himself, but he can only accept the fact that Liu He has succeeded to the throne.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, and everyone awaited Liu Cong's decision. Liu Cong stood there for a long time, his lips not moving, before finally saying, "Return to camp first and summon the generals to come and discuss this."
How could this matter be discussed with the generals? Those around him were very worried, wondering if Liu Cong had been blinded by the changes. But ultimately, this matter rested with Liu Cong, and others could not make the decision for him; they could only obey. If things really turned out badly, everyone knew how to act accordingly.
They quickly returned to their camp beneath Huangbai City and then sent messengers to summon all officers of the fourth rank and above to the commander's tent for a meeting. The generals, upon hearing of their commander's sudden summons, were understandably surprised and uneasy, for this was undoubtedly an unexpected turn of events.
When they entered the command tent, it was evening, and they quickly found the atmosphere inside to be extremely solemn. Commander Liu Cong stood in the center of the tent, staring blankly at the candlelight beside him, while his trusted confidants remained silent.
Liu Yao, who was in charge, immediately realized something was wrong. He asked, "Great Chanyu, what's wrong? Could it be that Liu Xian from the south has sent troops?"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Liu Cong remained standing there, staring at the flickering candlelight, saying nothing. Sometime later, his eyes filled with glistening tears, which streamed down his cheeks.
"Has Xu Chuquan Qu in the north rebelled?" General Liu Ya of Anxi asked. Some time ago, Liu Cong had mentioned the stability of Shuofang to everyone, saying that Xu Chuquan Qu was difficult to control and was very likely to rebel. As a result, Liu Cong shook his head.
"Is that the place of Zu Ti in Hongnong...?" asked General Huyan Hao, the General Who Pacifies the West.
"No...no...sigh! Shan Mi, tell them!"
Only then did Shan Mi tell everyone the news of Liu Yuan's death and Liu He's ascension to the throne, which shocked everyone present.
The wise, powerful, and magnanimous Emperor Yongfeng has passed away! The newly enthroned emperor demands that the marshal lead the army to retreat directly back to the capital and also kill the Great Chanyu!
For a moment, everyone was stunned by the news. They hadn't been unaware that internal strife would break out in the country, but they hadn't expected it to erupt so suddenly. Everyone present turned pale, and then cold sweat broke out on their backs.
Now is a crucial moment in the struggle for supremacy among the three kingdoms. Last year, Liu Bogen declared himself emperor, and this year, Liu Xian has also declared himself emperor. The other two kingdoms seem to be thriving, but is Zhao Han about to experience internal strife? If so, wouldn't all the hard-fought battles of the past six years have been nothing but a pipe dream, and all of them have become someone else's prize?
In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the atmosphere within Zhao Jun's army had already plummeted to freezing point.
At that moment, Liu Cong wiped away his tears like a child and said to everyone, "His Majesty entrusted the affairs of state to us brothers before his death, hoping that we brothers would live in harmony, the country would prosper, and the state would be at peace for a long time. I have always felt that this should be the case. My eldest brother is a well-known gentleman in the clan. How could I have any covetous thoughts towards him? But I never expected that as soon as His Majesty passed away, my eldest brother would want to kill his own flesh and blood with me."
Liu Cong's words were so poignant that those around him lowered their heads and dared not meet the Great Chanyu's gaze.
Then the King of Chu continued, “Logically speaking, the eldest brother is like a father, and now that he has ascended the throne as the Son of Heaven, he is the sovereign father. As the saying goes, if the sovereign commands the subject to die, the subject must die; if the father commands the son to die, the son cannot refuse to die. But… you and I have led our soldiers in a bitter battle for eight months, and we were about to capture Huangbai City. If we retreat now, will all our hard work of the past year be destroyed in an instant?”
Upon hearing this, the generals were filled with indignation. Under Liu Cong's guidance, they not only felt sympathy for him but also resentment towards Liu He. This was not merely a private matter between brothers, but a major issue concerning the state. For Liu He, without any merit in battle, was ordering his soldiers, who had fought valiantly on the front lines and were on the verge of victory, to retreat—this was utterly unacceptable.
Liu Cong continued, weeping, "Gentlemen, as a subject... I cannot disobey the late emperor's last wishes, nor can I put my elder brother in an unrighteous and immoral position... Moreover, my elder brother and I have been close since childhood, how could he be so disregardful of the overall situation? It's all because there are treacherous ministers around him sowing discord!"
At this point, the emotions in the tent had reached a climax. Someone spoke first, shouting, "Purge the court of corrupt officials! Eliminate the treacherous ministers!" As if pent-up anger had finally found an outlet, a chorus of voices immediately joined in, chanting, "Purge the court of corrupt officials! Eliminate the treacherous ministers!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Cong looked troubled and said, "But this matter is of great importance and involves many people. If we are not careful, it could lead to the extermination of our entire families. Do you all want to do the same?"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment, creating an awkward atmosphere. Fortunately, Zhao Gu understood Liu Cong's thoughts and immediately jumped out to support him, saying, "Why hesitate, Great Chanyu? If something happens to you, the country will perish immediately. Why worry about annihilating your entire family? I am willing to entrust my life to the Great Chanyu!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to Huyan Hao and asked, "General Pingxi, don't you agree?"
Huyan Hao was the cousin of Huyan You, the Imperial Clan Minister. Everyone knew that Huyan You disliked Liu Cong, so if the emperor wanted to purge corrupt officials, Huyan You would certainly be among them. Huyan Hao, who had been silent for a long time, saw everyone's gaze focused on him and noticed Zhao Gu's fierce expression. He immediately stammered, "Yes, yes, General is right! I will follow the Great Chanyu's lead!" With his approval, the others naturally had no more reservations and unanimously supported Liu Cong, saying, "We will follow the Great Chanyu's lead!"
"Good!" Liu Cong wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and in an instant revealed an unprecedentedly majestic light. He quickly swept his gaze over the generals and said in a resolute tone, "Everyone, return to your camps now to pack your supplies and prepare for the withdrawal!"
"But we can't just retreat hastily like this. If we don't retreat properly, not only will we fail to capture Huangbai City, but places like Niyang and Fuping will also be affected."
“Yongming, you don’t need to come with me.” Liu Cong looked at Liu Yao and instructed him, “You should prepare to defend Beidi County. Niyang is a dangerous place that Liu Xian has managed. As long as we don’t lose it, we will still have the advantage when we attack Huangbai City next year.”
"Yes."
"Shiguang, go to Xinping County and keep a close eye on Xu Chuquanqu!" Liu Cong then quickly issued another order to Liu Can: "If he makes any unusual moves or tries to stir up trouble, don't hesitate, just behead him!"
"Yes," Liu Can solemnly replied.
“You two armies can withdraw first and prepare to resist the Westerners.” After saying this, Liu Cong turned to look at everyone and said slowly, “But the rest of you do not need to rush to withdraw. Instead, make preparations and wait for the imperial decree.”
"I know that some people still have doubts and think that this is just Liu Cong's side of the story, and that he might be trying to trick everyone into starting a rebellion for his own selfish reasons. But Liu Cong has no such intentions. The imperial edict will arrive in three or four days. Once everyone has received the edict, we can start our rebellion legitimately! At that time, I will personally cover your retreat!"
Having said that, the last trace of doubt in everyone's hearts vanished. Looking at this man who had just shed tears but was now considering the next steps, they naturally felt that he was someone who could save the situation. Therefore, no one hesitated regarding Liu Cong's arrangements, and they all agreed.
Soon, Liu Cong completed the arrangements for the withdrawal of troops and strictly ordered all units to keep the news confidential and not to leak it to ordinary soldiers in advance, so as not to disrupt the morale of the army and give the defending army in Huangbai City an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
After everything was finished, it was already late at night. Liu Cong made a rare visit to the camp to let the soldiers see that the marshal was still working diligently.
Liu Hu was also in the night patrol. At this moment, he admired Liu Cong to the point of prostration and exclaimed, "The Great Chanyu is truly a genius. How dare I, Liu He, compare myself to the Great Chanyu? If it were me, I would have abdicated long ago."
Upon hearing this, Liu Cong merely smiled. He did not discuss the topic further, but rather pondered something else. After a moment of silence, he pointed to Huangbai City not far away and sighed, "What a pity. We were about to take this city, and half of Guanzhong was about to fall into our hands, but now all our efforts have been in vain."
“This is not the Great Chanyu’s fault,” Liu Hu said. “The current situation is one of no other choice. Once you ascend the throne, you will surely be able to conquer this city.”
“That’s not how it works,” Liu Cong shook his head. “The same opportunity won’t come again. If we miss it, things will be different next year. We might have to pay a much higher price to conquer this city again. Entering the pass is the long-cherished wish of my father and me. How can we give up so easily?”
After saying that, he fell into deep thought. Liu Hu looked at him, and couldn't help but wonder what Liu Cong could do in the current situation.
Unexpectedly, Liu Cong's eyes lit up, and he quickly summoned his chief clerk Liu Yin and said, "Lord Liu, please write a letter to Zhao Ran in the city to persuade him to surrender."
“Just tell him this: In these battles, I, Liu Cong, have long admired him and cherish his talent. But recently I heard that Yan Ding, in order to seek personal wealth and honor, took the initiative to persuade Liu Xian to become his subject, and I am very sorry for his future.”
"I heard that six years ago, General Zhao led his troops in a surprise attack on Weibei and Liu Xian's camp. He displayed great skill and almost killed Liu Xian with an arrow. Although he ultimately failed, he also killed Liu Xian's cousin, Liu Ke, and became famous throughout the world."
"But now, General, if you join Liu Xian's forces with Yan Ding, aren't you courting death? Even if Liu Xian values his reputation and doesn't pursue the matter with General Zhao, won't his relatives investigate and secretly frame you? Lu Lang, Xi Wei, Su Zhong, and others are still in the Western Army. They participated in the Battle of Luoyang. How will Liu Xian view them? Alas, we must think deeply about this!"
"Let's assume that all of the above is just my speculation. Judging others by my own standards, Liu Xian would protect the general and his men. But I've heard that Liu Xian is very strict in his military discipline. Even Yan Ding and others, who have become civil officials, can still live a carefree life. As a military officer, can you tolerate that? If General Zhao were to switch allegiance to me, I would certainly treat him as a national hero. High positions, generous salaries, concubines, and land would be at your beck and call. I hope you will think it over carefully."
In just a few moments, Liu Cong devised a perfect plan to sow discord. After Liu Yin left in a hurry, Liu Hu, who was standing to the side, was already ashamed of his own inferiority and exclaimed, "Great Chanyu, what a brilliant plan! If I were Zhao Ran, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to stay in the Western Army any longer."
Liu Cong shook his head and said, "It's far from enough! I only made Zhao Ran hesitate and dare not send troops to pursue me."
That very night, Liu Yin shot the letter into Huangbai City with an arrow. Sure enough, the next morning, Zhao Ran shot the letter back, mocking Liu Cong on the back of the cloth: "You are neither the emperor nor the crown prince, how can you possibly persuade them to surrender? You're just making a laughingstock of yourself!"
After reading it, Liu Cong smiled smugly at those around him and said, "Zhao Ran is already tempted, but she just doesn't dare to admit it in public."
He then ordered Liu Yin to shoot a letter at Huangbai City again, which read: "You shall see what happens in a month."
This time, there was no reply from the city, and all was silent.
And everything that followed seemed to unfold exactly as Liu Cong had predicted.
On the fourth day after the military council, at noon, the messenger from Pingyang arrived late. Zhao Han, the Chamberlain of the Palace, Liu Cheng, led a thousand soldiers to deliver an imperial edict, informing the three armies of the news of Emperor Yongfeng's death. Then, in the name of the new emperor, he ordered Liu Cong to lift the siege of Huangbai City, hand over the army to Liu Cheng, and demanded that Liu Cong and others immediately go to the capital to attend the funeral.
Liu Cheng had originally planned to seize military power amidst the chaos and force Liu Cong to leave the army. His thousand soldiers were intended to hold Liu Cong hostage. However, Liu Cong was prepared. Before he could even speak, the soldiers below began to riot. Liu Hu, leading the Tiefu army, preemptively seized Liu Cheng from the ranks, interrogated him, and obtained a confession that the new emperor intended to assassinate the Great Chanyu.
The Zhao army soldiers were filled with righteous indignation and immediately swore an oath to support the Great Chanyu in clearing the court of corrupt officials, punishing the treacherous ministers, and returning to Pingyang.
This operation was carried out with utmost speed. The 70,000-strong army swore an oath in the afternoon and lifted the siege and left by the next morning. Thanks to Liu Cong's prior communication, Zhao Ran of Huangbai City did not leave the city to pursue them. This allowed the Zhao army to enter Beidi County without any worries about their rear, and then cross the river at Longmen Ferry in Xiayang, returning to Zhao-Han territory.
Upon returning to his capital, Liu Cong raised his banners high and sent envoys to various counties to announce his decision to purge the court of corrupt officials. Soldiers along the way offered no resistance and readily defected. The army traversed the 800-li journey without hindrance. This allowed Liu Cong to easily reach the walls of Pingyang in just ten days, with his army exceeding 100,000 men.
Undoubtedly, this was a military miracle no less impressive than Liu Xian's eastern expedition, leading everyone to praise the Great Chanyu's brilliant strategy. Liu Cong outwardly appeared extremely calm. However, his inner thoughts were quite different, for Liu Cong knew that his true threat lay not in Pingyang City, but in Jinyang City. (End of Chapter)