Chapter 10 Unforgettable War 2

  "Great General......" Tian Shizhen had just muttered a sentence, not yet finished, when Liu Yanqing shouted at him: "Do you dare to quibble?" Tian Shizhen immediately shut his mouth, and Liu Yanqing continued to scold him harshly, telling the other generals to go back and reflect on their actions. Only then did he storm back into the inner chamber, take the tea handed to him by a servant girl and drink it all in one gulp, finally letting out a long sigh of relief, fortunately not causing a big disturbance.

  At the right time, the tooth soldier came to report, and the military governor Wang Yan asked to see him. Liu Yanqing was stunned for a moment, and then let him in. Wang Yan was the ears and eyes of the Jin Tianfu government in Hebei, responsible for monitoring.

  Wang Yan's face was thin and pale, with a slight mustache under his chin. Although he was only thirty years old, there were already deep wrinkles between his eyebrows and at the corners of his eyes, giving him an air of constant worry. When he saw Liu Yanqing, he bowed to her with courtesy, but his demeanor was tinged with a hint of reserve.

  "Congratulations to Lord Liu on his triumphant return to Bianjing, resolving a dispute with just a wave of his hand."

  Liu Yanqing smiled and stood up, clasping his hands together: "If this little setback can't be overcome, wouldn't I have been in charge of the Hebei campaign for 16 years in vain? The imperial court has entrusted me with these 200,000 troops, and now that Prince Wei's and Tong's carriages are about to arrive at Daming, the Imperial City should also feel at ease. In recent years, I must thank Your Excellency for your help."

  Wang Yan had just sat down when he saw Liu Yanqing pay his respects, and hastily stood up to return the courtesy. "The commander has killed one of his subordinates," he said. Although he had the duty of supervision and could report directly to the emperor, Wang Yan was a very strict person.

  Liu Yanqing, although he had no intention of rebelling, had always kept a distance from the people of the Imperial City Guard. Now that he was about to step down, he couldn't help but say: "These men from the Hebei garrison are all brave warriors who don't bat an eyelid when facing the enemy. It's just that I, Liu Yanqing, have been too indulgent and arrogant in my daily life, so I'm a bit confused now. My words may not be entirely proper, please forgive me, sir. Moreover, General Tong is a favorite of the Emperor, and his prestige in the capital must be well-known. This time, when he came to inspect the troops in Hebei, these rough men from the garrisons looked up to him with admiration. I hope you will take into account our years of working together and protect me a little."

  Wang Yan saw Liu Yanqing unscrupulously pleading for his subordinates, and although his face was expressionless, he was moved in his heart. As the saying goes, "A man's words are good before he dies, and a bird's cry is sad before it loses its voice." This Liu Yanqing still remembered these old subordinates when he left office, showing that those arrogant and indulgent actions were not entirely for buying people's hearts.

  "Director Liu, rest assured that the Hebei Garrison is a pillar of the state and the imperial court relies on it like the Great Wall. Director Tong has received great favor from His Majesty and will surely be able to discern even the smallest details.

  Wang Yan spoke slowly, he and Liu Yanqing had always been wary of each other, but now that they were both leaving Hebei, their words carried a hint of camaraderie among colleagues. "Moreover, I will also be summoned back to the capital soon, perhaps we will have another chance to meet then."

  Tong Guan, being an imperial eunuch, naturally did not want any more thorns left behind by the Imperial City Guards, so Shen Yun, the official in charge of the Imperial City Guards, tactfully arranged for Wang Yan's transfer. After all, since ancient times, eunuchs have only caused trouble within the capital and never rebelled or plotted in the outer provinces."

  Back at the residence of the military governor, Wang Yan closed his eyes in contemplation. Recently, Liu Yanqing's actions had made it impossible for him to plot a rebellion on impulse. He got up and went to the pigeon house, where he removed a piece of silk from the leg of a carrier pigeon using a fine needle. The five tiny characters "Liu Yanqing is plotting a rebellion" were starkly visible.

  Wang Yan burned the thin silk book to ashes and scattered them in the creek flowing through his residence, only then did he let out a sigh of relief. He returned to his study and carefully organized the files from the past few years. Although the Jinwei Prefecture was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City Guard, the main task of the Imperial City Guard was to monitor the capital city, while the Jinwei Prefecture was in charge of areas outside the capital, including the movements of neighboring countries such as Liao and Xia, which had become a standard practice. As the commander-in-chief of the Jinwei Prefecture in Hebei, Wang Yan not only monitored the border generals but also maintained contact with spies within the Liao Kingdom's borders and recruited bandits from Ma Mountain to serve as the outer forces of the Jinwei Prefecture. All these tasks needed to be handed over to the newly arrived River North Military Governor Tong Guan. Thinking that Shen Yun, an official of the Imperial City Guard, actually wanted to hand over the files of the Jinwei Prefecture to the border generals, Wang Yan felt a surge of absurdity in his heart. No wonder people in the capital regarded Tong Guan and others as treacherous parties; from this matter alone, it was clear that the national system had been severely damaged.

  Liu Yanqing listened intently, and although the various generals of Hebei were dissatisfied with the imperial court, they had no choice but to obey. When the commander and deputy commander met, they would occasionally vent their frustrations, thinking that it was just a trivial matter, and even sent trusted envoys to report to Wei Wang and Xuan Yuanshi, who were still on their way. As for these movements, Liu Yanqing and Wang Yan, who were about to step down as the commander of the imperial guards, ignored them, thinking that they would not dare to rebel or kill officials in this peaceful era. After all, it was a time of peace and stability, and the soldiers below were only concerned with their food and salary. Whoever stirred up trouble would soon calm down, and no one would take it seriously. As for Hebei's affairs, they would naturally be taken care of by Tong Guan, who had been favored by the emperor.

  On the fifth day of August, the town's northern army was guarding Crown Prince Zhao Ke and the envoy Tong Guan, who were about to arrive. Liu Yanqing had already summoned all the garrison commanders from far-off places like Zhending and Hejian on the Liao-Song border back. The envoys in front reported that the northern army camped only ten miles outside the big camp in Hebei, and the crown prince and the envoy would formally enter the camp at dawn to read out the imperial edict and summon all the generals.

  Within a range of 500 paces outside the main camp gate, tens of thousands of soldiers from nearby garrisons had swept the area clean and sprinkled water with willow branches to prevent dust from flying. As dawn broke, the 50,000 troops left behind in the main camp formed up outside the gate to welcome them.

  Liu Yanqing, already over fifty years old, to show his obedience to the imperial court, personally wore armor and helmet, rode a horse with other generals standing in front of the army. However, from morning till noon, the sun gradually rose higher, heat waves also emerged, but the Crown Prince and Tong Guan had not arrived yet. To demonstrate the military's majestic power, many soldiers from Hebei, who had lined up early, were fully armored, under the scorching sun, many of them were already drenched in sweat.

  "What the grandma, said it was going to be in the morning, but now it's almost noon, how come you're still not here? Isn't this just torturing Grandpa?" The fierce General Tian Shizhen glared at the military envoy sent by the Town North Army with a ferocious gaze. The other generals also looked displeased. The military envoy secretly cursed in his heart, "How can these Hebei soldiers not even understand discipline? They are indeed a group of arrogant and fierce generals." In the morning, when reviewing the troops, it's natural for the superior officer to arrive at noon. This is an established rule in the capital, which also makes it convenient for everyone to do their jobs. Every time there's a review, the four armies would practice various formations a month in advance. The swords, guns, and spears are all polished until they shine. The review takes place at noon, but the troops would gather outside the city the night before, at the second watch. Throughout the year, enduring hardships and difficulties is nothing, the review is the most important thing. Once the review is over, every day will be a comfortable one."

  Some of the Hebei soldiers had already begun to untie their helmet straps, open their collars and wipe away sweat, while others were using their swords and spears as walking sticks, leaning on them and yawning. Half of the cavalrymen had dismounted, leading their horses by the reins and chatting with each other in hushed tones. Liu Yanqing's face darkened, just as he was about to order his generals to reassemble the troops, when suddenly the sound of drums boomed loudly, and a tall and majestic cavalry corps emerged, carrying sixteen colorful dragon flags at the forefront, followed by various ceremonial instruments, and then the armor-clad battalions of the Zhenbei Army appeared in sequence.

  The Hebei army had been lax for a long time, rarely seeing such strict military discipline. They were intimidated by its majesty. The soldiers who had just been leaning to the east and west hastily stood up straight, those who had untied their armor straps quickly re-tightened them, the cavalry hurriedly mounted their horses, and the lower-ranking officers, including the battalion commanders, deputy generals, and others, began to urge their subordinates to reorganize their formations, lest they lose face in front of the Zhennan army and the newly arrived Commander-in-Chief.

  The vanguard of the Northern Expeditionary Army arrived in front of the Hebei Army, and after forming their ranks, with a single order from the herald, the cavalry at the front dispersed to both sides like a knife cutting through waves, revealing a high carriage with a golden roof and copper decorations, its four corners adorned with auspicious beasts. The wooden carriage was painted with figures of immortals, and the doors and windows were carved with intricate cloud-dragon patterns. The railing of the imperial horses was wrapped in gold-plated leather, inlaid with golden flowers. The canopy was made entirely of pearls and silver threads. In front and behind, over a hundred attendants held red silk fans with golden handles to provide shade. From afar, it seemed as if a auspicious cloud enveloped the crown prince's carriage.

  The gentlemen of Hebei had never seen such a magnificent carriage, and they couldn't help but whisper to each other. Even Tian Shizhen was puzzled: "What is this?" The military envoy of the Zhenbei Army proudly introduced: "This is the chariot frame of Prince Wei's mansion and Master Tong, don't you want to pay your respects?"

  "What?" Tian Shizhen exclaimed, "A dignified man, how can you ride in a carriage like a woman?" The soldiers below also understood that this was the carriage of the crown prince and the newly appointed commander-in-chief, and they were also discussing it. At first, they were intimidated by the majestic appearance of the Beiting Army, but now their fear dissipated, replaced by disdain and hostility. In the Hebei Army, carriages were mostly used to transport heavy loads and wounded soldiers. Even someone as high-ranking as Commander-in-Chief Liu Yanqing would ride a horse when inspecting the border towns on cold winter days, just like the other soldiers. This was an old tradition that had been followed since the late Tang dynasty. As a general, unless you were disabled, it was unheard of to travel by carriage.

  ZHAO KE wore the formal attire of a grand ceremony, waiting in his carriage for the Hebei generals to pay their respects. He heard the commotion from across the way and lightly tapped on the window, asking: "Lord TONG, what's going on with the Hebei army?" TONG GUAN was also puzzled, and replied: "I think these Hebei soldiers have been stationed at the border for a long time and have never seen the imperial majesty before, so they're probably just startled and frightened."

  "Oh, I see," Zhao Ke said warmly, "the officers and men have been toiling on the border for a long time. The king will make a tour of inspection in Hebei and reward the three armies generously." Tong Guan responded with a single word, his eyes flashing coldly; he had already regarded the Hebei expedition as his own domain, and would not tolerate anyone else's interference.

  At this time, the military formation of Hebei Xingying across the river had quieted down. Under the arrangement of the generals, the cavalry dismounted, the soldiers without heavy armor knelt on the ground, and those with heavy armor bowed to show respect. The 50,000 soldiers shouted in unison: "Pay respects to King Wei for a thousand years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!" The attendants opened the curtain of the carriage, Zhao Ke's smiling face emerged from the carriage, climbed onto the carriage frame, and waved his hand to greet the Hebei army across the river.