Chapter 9: A Gamble Between Heaven and Earth, One Throw of the Dice

  Wang Fu considered for a moment, then said: "Although the Hebei expeditionary army is said to have 200,000 troops, they are not all reliable. It would be necessary to select elite soldiers from the imperial capital and the Western Capital expeditionary army to supplement them." He paused for a moment, hesitated, and continued: "The Hebei expeditionary army's commander, Liu Yanqing, is too lenient with his subordinates, and the army lacks discipline. In recent years, there have been many cases of conflict between soldiers from the expeditionary army and local officials. If Your Majesty intends to conquer Youyan, it would be better to choose a good general to replace Liu Yanqing as commander."

  Zhao You's face was shrouded in a gloomy cloud, his eyebrows furrowed even tighter. Liu Yanqing was the most loyal and obedient of the three major camps' commanders to the imperial court, but unfortunately also the most incompetent. Moreover, he had long intended to weaken the hereditary power of the three major camps, which were intertwined like a puzzle. Compared to the Yang and Zhe families in Hedong, the Cao and Pan families in Xijing, Liu Yanqing's ancestors in Hebei camp were not imperial relatives. His ancestors, the Liu family who guarded peace, had moved east with their entire household a hundred years ago due to the suppression of large clans by the Xia State in Guanzhong, and were a newly risen hereditary military family that had only recently emerged, making it relatively easier to deal with.

  Zhao You pursed his lips, thinking while lightly tapping the table. Vice Envoy Li Bangyan saw this and cupped his hands to say: "Whether it's the Khitan invading from the south or the imperial army marching north, the Hebei campaign headquarters will be the first to bear the brunt. If Your Majesty intends to conquer Youyan, you should replace Liu Yanqing and choose a better general to reorganize the Hebei campaign headquarters."

  "Oh?" Zhao You's eyebrows slightly raised, and he looked at Li Bangyan with a hint of curiosity. In a deep voice, he asked, "In your opinion, which high-ranking official in the court should go to replace Liu Yanqing?"

  Li Bangyan was seen by Zhao You with a nervous heart, but still plucked up the courage to say: "The Hebei campaign is the northern shield of the capital, a strategic location. The campaign has 2 million troops, originally one of the three major campaigns with the most soldiers. If we select the elite and fill it up, our strength will surely increase greatly, even comparable to the imperial guard. As the saying goes, 'the sharpened knife cuts people's fingers.' I think that in this case, the Hebei campaign must be commanded by a general who is most loyal to Your Majesty and whom Your Majesty trusts the most. I think..."

  Li Bangyan spoke hesitantly, which made Zhao You slightly displeased. He said in a low voice, "Li Gong, who do you actually want to recommend?" Although he trusted the few confidants present, whenever they discussed matters related to the country's foundation, such as the heir and military power, he instinctively added a layer of caution.

  After drinking and eating, Li Bangyan suddenly knelt down on the ground and said: "I dare to recommend that Tong Guan, the commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry, be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Hebei Campaign Headquarters, with Prince Wei, the Crown Prince, as the supervisor to accompany him and reward the troops."

  "Hmm?" Zhao You was slightly startled, Li Bangyan's recommendation of Tong Guan to govern Hebei was within his expectations, but the recommendation of Crown Prince Zhao Ke to supervise the army was beyond his expectations. He thought back to the day before yesterday when Crown Prince Zhao Ke had asked him to marry the daughter of Zhu Bao, the military governor of Wu Kang, and he hadn't directly agreed, saying that he needed to consider it carefully. "It seems that I, in order to win over the Cao family's generals, gave Cao Di's daughter to Qi'er as a wife, but this has made Ke'er restless." Zhao You thought to himself, "But when did Li Bangyan become friends with the Crown Prince?"

  Crown Prince Zhao Ke was born to the late Empress Li. Empress Li was gentle and frugal by nature, and when Zhao You was still in the Eastern Palace, she had already been established as the Crown Princess. The couple loved each other deeply, and when Empress Li passed away due to illness, she tearfully entrusted Zhao You to take good care of their only son, Zhao Ke. It was also for this reason that although Zhao You did not like his eldest son Zhao Ke, he had not replaced him as Crown Prince all these years.

  "This child who is timid and hesitant in everything, actually knows how to curry favor with the powerful ministers, and even volunteered to supervise the Hebei region. It seems that I indeed have been too biased towards Qi'er, making it difficult for him to progress. Never mind, wise empress, Ke'er is after all our child, let me give him another chance. Ke'er has always been good at recruiting talented people, if he can win over the arrogant and ferocious generals of the Hebei expeditionary army, I will be able to entrust the great Song dynasty to him with peace of mind after my death."

  Zhao You was still thinking, when the participant in determining government policies, Zhao Zhi, personally stepped forward and said: "Li Shou has carefully considered all aspects of this matter, I concur. Liu Yanqing has been in charge of the Hebei campaign headquarters for many years, if we suddenly change commanders, it will inevitably cause the army's morale to fluctuate. The Crown Prince has great prestige and is widely acclaimed for his virtues, if he goes to Hebei to comfort the troops, he should be able to achieve a stabilizing effect on the military."

  Since this morning, only one or two eunuchs have been sent out to govern the provinces. Li Bangyan recommended Tong Guan to govern Hebei, which was an opportunity he had longed for but could not get. Seeing that Zhao Zhi also agreed, and the Emperor still hesitated, he immediately knelt down on the ground and said: "I also agree. I am a humble servant, willing to serve Your Majesty with all my might, until death."

  At this time, the three senior officials present had agreed to replace Liu Yanqing with Tong Guan as the commander of the Hebei campaign headquarters. The Crown Prince Wei Wang would serve as the supervisor of the army and lead a tour of inspection in Hebei to reward the soldiers. However, the matter involved replacing the commander-in-chief of Hebei and the Crown Prince's departure from the capital, so the other three senior officials remained silent. Li Bangyan was still kneeling on the ground, Cai Jing had a gloomy face, Tong Guan restrained his inner excitement, Zhao Zhi suppressed his heavy breathing, Shen Yun seemed calm and stood by with his hands down, while Wang Fu waited for the decision of the official Zhao You with a loyal expression.

  Zhao Yu thought for a moment, nodded and said to Tong Guan: "This time in Hebei, apart from properly organizing the troops and horses of the expeditionary army, we must also carefully observe the strengths and weaknesses of the Liao Kingdom's southern capital road. We need to understand the terrain, troop deployments, and people's sentiments. This is preparation for future military campaigns in Youyan. The conquest of Youyan is our ancestors' wish, and Emperor Wu Zong had a will that whoever recovers Youyan will be rewarded with a king's title. I have high hopes for you, Tong Guan. This mission is not trivial, what are your requirements? Speak now." It was decided to replace Liu Yanqing as the commander of the Hebei expeditionary army with Tong Guan, in accordance with Li Bangyan's proposal.

  Tong Guan immediately kowtowed and accepted the order, saying: "There is nothing else, but Liu Yanqing's trusted officials have been deployed throughout Hebei for over a decade. Liu Yanqing has repeatedly shown favoritism and disrupted military discipline, causing the generals in the main camp to become arrogant and unmanageable for a long time. I am afraid that if I go alone, those soldiers will not obey me. Please grant me an imperial sword to demonstrate military law, and also allow me to select 5,000 elite troops from the Forbidden Army in the capital to form a new army to accompany me on my mission. This will serve two purposes: first, to intimidate the arrogant and ferocious generals of Hebei; second, to train a strong army for future expeditions against Yan."

  Although Tong Guan was a eunuch, he had a robust and powerful physique, with a hint of whiskers on his face. At this moment, he knelt down on the ground, displaying an appearance of being willing to risk his life for the king's affairs, which made Zhao You quite satisfied. He nodded and said: "Tong Guan has such a devoted heart, I am at ease now. I will grant your request and allow you to select 5,000 elite soldiers from the Imperial Guard, the Palace Guard, and the three military camps in the capital to go to Hebei with you." He then took out a precious sword hanging beside his throne and handed it to Tong Guan, saying: "This is the imperial sword that was bestowed upon Cao Zhongwu by Emperor Taizu for commanding the generals. You will take this sword to intimidate the soldiers in the army, and any deputy general or below who disobeys military law or does not follow orders can be beheaded first and reported later."

  Tong Guan was overjoyed and thanked the emperor again. However, the officials beside him, including Cai Jing, furrowed their brows slightly. Selecting three elite troops to intimidate the arrogant soldiers of the Hebei army was one thing, but the Emperor's Sword was a symbol of imperial authority. In the past, Taizu Emperor had bestowed this sword upon Cao Bin because the country had just been established and many generals who had conquered new territories had great merits. Without the Emperor's Sword, Cao Bin's military achievements and prestige would not have been enough to intimidate other generals. Even with the sword, Cao Bin was too virtuous to use it arbitrarily. Now that the country had been at peace for a long time, although some soldiers in Hebei were causing trouble, their unruliness could not be compared to that of the old generals during the Five Dynasties period. Bestowing the Emperor's Sword upon Tong Guan to control other generals seemed somewhat excessive. Moreover, Tong Guan was just an eunuch and could not be compared to Cao Bin, who had died for the country and been posthumously honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

  The officials all knew that the emperor's words and actions were exaggerated, so although many of the civil officials were dissatisfied in their hearts, they did not speak out. Only Tong Guan repeatedly expressed his gratitude and loyalty with tears streaming down his face. Zhao You then said: "This time the Crown Prince Wei Wang and Tao Fu went to Hebei together to supervise the army. The Crown Prince is not as talented as I am in both literature and martial arts, and has been living deep within the palace for a long time, only loving to read the classics of the sages. He has not experienced great events and cannot adapt to changing circumstances. Suddenly taking on the task of supervising the army, he may be insufficiently experienced. You must pay close attention to him. There are some stubborn officials by his side, who occasionally speak out of turn; you should tolerate them a bit."

  Tong Guan immediately knocked his head and said, "Your humble servant understands." Zhao You's actual meaning was that although the Crown Prince had taken up the post of supervising the army, he still couldn't let him get too involved in military power. If it involved military power, even if Tong Guan clashed with the Crown Prince because of this, he would still support Tong Guan. Although the official's words were ambiguous, Tong Guan, who had been by his side for many years, naturally understood the underlying meaning.

  The national strategy to tidy up Hebei in preparation for the expedition against Yan has been decided, and Deputy Prime Minister Zhao Zhi said: "If Your Majesty has the ambition to conquer Yan, then the matter of building large ships to sail out to sea to win over distant countries should be temporarily shelved. Otherwise, with limited national revenue and grain supplies, it will be difficult to afford both."

  Cai Jing and Tong Guan originally advocated for building ships to go out to sea, but at this moment Tong Guan had the heavy responsibility of leading the 200,000-strong army in Hebei, which was many times better than being a famous but ineffective envoy. Therefore, he no longer insisted on his original proposal, and instead worried that building ships to go out to sea would delay his great cause of strategizing against Yan. Cai Jing also did not speak out in opposition for some reason.

  "Hmm." Zhao Yu pondered for a moment, then changed the subject and said, "Recently, the Imperial Academy held a grand examination. I set the topic as 'Embracing Distant Lands with an Open Heart', and indeed received a rather innovative thesis. You gentlemen may take a look." As soon as he finished speaking, Tong Guan, who was originally a eunuch in charge of imperial seals, promptly stepped forward with quick steps, carefully took down a thesis from Zhao Yu's desk with both hands, and then respectfully handed it to Chancellor Cai Jing for review.

  The imperial examination is a major event for the country to select and appoint officials, and many of the late-blooming talents among the literati have entered officialdom through this path. This time's examination also involves the contentious issue of shipbuilding and going out to sea, which has been debated in the imperial court. Therefore, even high-ranking officials like Chancellor Cai Jing and Minister Zhao Zhi-fu are paying extra attention to it. The six people below have all read over Zhao Xing-de's essay, which was selected as the top one by the authorities, several times, and have pondered its pros and cons several times. At this moment, each person is harboring their own thoughts in front of the officials, but they are only pretending to watch with interest.

  "Your Majesty, I think this policy is not trivial, its intention is profound, its plan is grand and far-reaching, and it considers matters in detail. However," Zhao Zifu said slowly, "the sea route is vast, the overseas countries are distant, and the strategies of different products, trade routes, customs, and languages, if they are to truly take effect, cannot be achieved without decades of effort. In the current situation, even if it takes only a few years or ten years, our dynasty will inevitably have to fight battles with Liao State in Youyan, and wanting to expand our maritime borders at the same time may be difficult to accomplish."