The Innocent Heart - Chapter 29

The next day, as if to confirm Huo Qubing’s conjecture, during the morning audience, Liu Che did not rehearse a classic battle from a hundred years ago based on military texts. Instead, he had the two thoroughly analyze the event from the second year of the Yuan Guang era, when General Han Anguo commanded three hundred thousand cavalry in Mayi and Dai Commandery but ultimately returned without success.

This was probably the most recent example of the court deploying troops against the Xiongnu. Unfortunately, before the two armies could even engage, the Xiongnu sensed something amiss early and retreated.

Huo Qubing, knowing that Guan Yueyao was completely ignorant of this past event mentioned by Liu Che, explained the situation to him during a pause in the discussion.

At that time, there was a local influential figure in Mayi named Nie Yi. He pretended to defect to the Xiongnu royal court, claiming he could kill the Magistrate and Officials of Mayi, and that all the city’s wealth and goods could be obtained. Afterwards, he returned to Han, killed several convicts, hung their heads behind the city gates, and replied to the Xiongnu envoy that the Chief Clerk of Mayi was dead, urging them to come quickly.

Those Xiongnu were indeed tricked. The Chanyu led ten thousand troops into Wuzhou, only to find livestock everywhere but not a single person. He had already become suspicious in his heart. Unexpectedly, the Commandant of Yanmen happened to be conducting a patrol there. Upon seeing the Xiongnu trying to secure the pavilion, the two sides fought to the death there, and the Commandant was defeated and captured. Unexpectedly, in order to save his life, the Commandant of Yanmen revealed the entire deployment of our army to the Xiongnu. The Chanyu was greatly alarmed and hurriedly led his troops north. Our army gave chase but could not catch up, returning without success.”

Guan Yueyao nodded upon hearing this, generally understanding the cause and effect of the situation.

“Hmph, Wang Hui was a coward, afraid of death. He clearly could have struck but chose not to, letting such a great opportunity slip away for nothing,” Liu Che, seated above, snorted coldly, still speaking indignantly.

This battle in the second year of Yuan Guang was his first military action against the Xiongnu at the beginning of his reign. An army of three hundred thousand, with a threefold advantage over the Xiongnu, returned without success—this could hardly be called a very good start for our dynasty. This was why Liu Che still held a grudge to this day. Back then, Wang Hui bribed the Emperor’s maternal uncle, Tian Fen, with ten thousand pieces of gold to intercede with the Empress Dowager on his behalf. Yet, Liu Che was determined to execute him, ultimately forcing Wang Hui to commit suicide in prison.

Among the Han Army even now, generals led by Han Anguo still appeared timid when facing the Xiongnu. Li Guang was indeed a fierce general, but he was not capable of bearing great responsibility. If Liu Che continued to tolerate this kind of appeasement toward the enemy, the result of future campaigns against the Xiongnu would likely be the same.

“But, Your Majesty, wasn’t the most direct cause of this campaign’s failure the fact that the Commandant of Yanmen leaked the information?”

Liu Che was lost in thought when, unexpectedly, a voice with a hint of doubt sounded in his ear. He looked over when he heard it, only to see Guan Yueyao, he was tilting his head, looking at him with confusion.

“Oh? It seems Yueyao holds a different view on this matter than I do, but speak freely,” Liu Che gazed fixedly at the youth, while at the same time, the corner of his eye was observing Huo Qubing. Huo Qubing was looking at his friend with surprise and worry, not knowing what he was thinking.

“This subject believes that the crime should fall on the Governor of Yanmen for dereliction of duty. Since the Commandant of Yanmen knew about this matter, as his superior, the Governor must also have known about the Mayi ambush plot. If so, he should not have sent the Commandant to patrol the border. Even if he was sent, he should have been instructed that the priority in the event of enemy contact was to preserve strength, to avoid being captured, so that the Mayi feint ambush would not be ruined over the minor detail of one Commandant being captured.”

Guan Yueyao poured out everything he was thinking: “Furthermore, Your Majesty just taught us that when leading troops in battle, one must be thorough and meticulous. This Commandant was not a combat-related personnel, yet he knew the details of the battle formation. This subject heard that a thousand-li dike can collapse because of an ant’s hole; does this mean that?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Che also fell into deep thought. The failure of the Mayi siege still vexed him to this day. One had to know that for every campaign prepared, the logistics for three hundred thousand troops required the mobilization of a large number of laborers to follow the army and transport grain. Yet, all his reasoned arguments in court and careful planning resulted in this outcome! This first unfavorable start had caused Liu Che to remain quiet for so many years without launching a new war. For a long time, obstructed and opposed by the peace faction in the court, he had focused solely on the Han Army’s retreat without fighting and their inability to catch up. But today, this youth’s words were like a sudden illumination of a blind spot in his heart, spreading out before him things he had unintentionally overlooked.

“This subject has one more matter I wish to inquire about, Your Majesty.” At this moment, Guan Yueyao’s voice sounded again.

“Speak!”

“I wonder what became of that captured Commandant of Yanmen?”

Guan Yueyao’s question was unexpected, catching Liu Che off guard as well. He paused slightly, frowned, and after a moment of recollection, said with uncertainty: “According to reports from the border generals, he was apparently made the Heavenly King by Chanyu Jiancheng in the Xiongnu royal court.”

“Your Majesty, if you were a Han general, seeing the fate of General Wang Hui and this Commandant of Yanmen, what decision would you make if you encountered the same situation?”

As soon as Guan Yueyao finished his question, Huo Qubing gasped slightly in surprise.

“Ah Yao! These words are not to be spoken lightly?! The Commandant of Yanmen traitorously defected to the Hu people, which is shameful, but how could General Wang Hui be let off lightly for being afraid of the enemy at the critical moment!” Huo Qubing quickly argued.

However, Guan Yueyao was not swayed by Huo Qubing’s words; his expression remained firm: “Yes, but General Wang Hui has already paid the price for his actions. What about the Commandant of Yanmen? A person who disregards the interests of the nation for the sake of his own survival—how can such a person be allowed to live on in this world?”

“Having been at the border for so long, he knew the deployment at Mayi that day. How much else of the Han Army’s deployment does he understand? This subject believes this Commandant of Yanmen deserves death more than Wang Hui.”

Guan Yueyao did not understand Han history, but during his childhood with his elders, he had watched plenty of anti-Japanese television dramas. He held utter contempt for those traitors who sold out national interests for personal gain. Seeking benefit and avoiding harm is human nature, but as a person, one must also know that in worldly affairs, there are things one should do and things one should not.

Guan Yueyao’s impassioned speech struck Liu Che and Huo Qubing like a heavy hammer. Both fell silent. After a long while, Liu Che finally spoke again, asking: “Then what do you think should be done?”

“Of course, we should send assassins to execute these traitorous collaborators on the spot, no matter how far they flee, to make everyone who dares to harbor treacherous intentions pay the due price.”

Guan Yueyao had this idea mainly because he had watched many foreign spy movies in the modern era. He thought the scenes of lone heroes sneaking into the enemy camp to execute traitors were incredibly cool. Just as Liu Che was worrying about the future fighting style of the Han Army due to the Mayi siege, Guan Yueyao could only see the surface issue of the Commandant of Yanmen betraying their intelligence.

He always thought of things too simply. His overly naive life experience often caused him to see only the result of an event but fail to understand how much time, effort, and money everyone involved had to invest, and how much hard work they had to exert, during the process of the event. But Liu Che, as the actual ruler of a vast nation, deeply understood this principle. Although Guan Yueyao’s words had some validity, putting this proposal into practice would by no means be easy.

“Not bad, a young man should have such spirit,” Liu Che smiled and praised him without explicitly agreeing or disagreeing.

Guan Yueyao did not catch the implicit meaning in Liu Che’s words, only assuming Liu Che agreed with his idea and became secretly happy. Huo Qubing, however, heard the hidden meaning in Liu Che’s words. Although he affirmed Guan Yueyao’s attitude, he did not take his suggestion to heart. Without the seemingly miraculous high-tech equipment from modern spy movies, ancient spies found it difficult to carry out assassination missions across borders. Moreover, the facial features of Han people and Xiongnu were vastly different; even genuine Han merchant caravans entering Xiongnu tribes were often confined to areas designated by the Xiongnu and not allowed to move freely. How could assassins quietly blend into places where the Xiongnu lived?

“Qubing, what do you think?” Just as Huo Qubing’s thoughts were carried away by the dialogue between the two, Liu Che suddenly shifted the topic to him. Compared to Guan Yueyao, Liu Che seemed more curious about how Huo Qubing viewed that campaign.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject believes that the Han Army, with three times the advantage in the Mayi siege, failed to annihilate them. The fundamental reason is that our army lost the timing. Every year, in late autumn and early winter, the fierce horses of the grasslands have just finished gaining fat after the autumn harvest and are in their best condition. Although Our Great Han boasts four hundred thousand horses, in terms of speed, endurance, and explosive power, they do not compare to the Xiongnu’s warhorses. To wage war at that time was like using our weakness against the enemy’s strength; hence the result of being unable to catch up.”

Huo Qubing’s answer was more satisfying to Liu Che than Guan Yueyao’s. After the failure of that enticement strategy, he had vaguely felt this way and had run similar deductions in his mind. But now, he was more curious what Huo Qubing thought.

“Then you think, when is the appropriate time to send troops?” Liu Che walked over with great interest, looking down at the youth before him, and asked expectantly.

“This subject believes that late winter and early spring is the opportune time for Our Great Han to send troops. At that time, the horses, cattle, sheep, and even the people on the grasslands will be exhausted after starving all winter. However, Our Great Han, although the quality of our warhorses is inferior to those on the grasslands, our horses still have sufficient feed supply during the winter. To send troops out at this time, the situation for both sides’ warhorses is reversed—why worry about the situation where we cannot catch up again?”

“Excellent! Precisely so!” Liu Che flung his sleeves back, placing his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the map on the desk. “Next time, I will make the Xiongnu pay with blood!” Liu Che said, paused slightly, as if remembering something, and suddenly turned his gaze back to the two youths. Guan Yueyao might be a military talent, but Huo Qubing was a rare strategic genius! Thinking of this, Liu Che suddenly looked at Guan Yueyao and asked: “Yueyao, are you willing to gain experience in the army?”