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Chapter 217 Vanguard Sets Off!

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the main court assembly in Chongyuan Hall was drawing to a close. The officials' reports gradually ceased, leaving only a solemn atmosphere in the hall.

Emperor Shizong Chai Rong's gaze slowly swept over the ranks of civil and military officials, landing on the imposing figure at the front of the military ranks—Li Yi, the commander of the palace cavalry and the emperor's brother-in-law.

Apart from Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde, who are currently stationed in Jianghuai with their troops.

Currently, among the various Imperial Guard generals in Tokyo, if one were to say who possesses both exceptional abilities and a close relationship with the royal family, then naturally only Li Yi would suffice.

This young general of the Imperial Guard has been entrusted with many important tasks in the past year or so... He has done an excellent job in reorganizing and reforming the Imperial Guard, recovering the four prefectures of Longyou, and guarding Tokyo.

What pleased Chai Rong even more was that he could clearly feel Li Yi's rapid growth.

Since his rise to prominence in the Battle of Gaoping, this brother-in-law has quietly shed much of his former naiveté and youthful arrogance.

Instead, he exudes a mature composure, subtly displaying the demeanor of a general capable of leading independently.

Chai Rong felt that this southern expedition would require placing more responsibility on his brother-in-law's shoulders...

At this moment, Li Yi stepped forward, holding an ivory tablet, and bowed, saying, "Your subject has something to report."

"Oh?" Chai Rong, seated high on the dragon throne, showed slight curiosity and nodded slightly, saying, "Please speak freely, my dear minister!"

He valued his brother-in-law's talent more and more. Whether it was the various measures taken during his stay in office or the previous consultations with the Privy Council, the other party had shown remarkable insight and responsibility.

As preparations for the second southern expedition were being made, Chai Rong wanted to hear Li Yi's views.

Li Yilang declared, “The second southern expedition is imminent. The royal army is determined to sweep away all obstacles, and only brave and fierce generals can serve as its spearhead. We now have Zhao Kuangyin, the Left Commander of the Crane Controlling Wing. Although he is in mourning at home, his loyalty and bravery are extraordinary, and his strategies are superb. He is truly an excellent choice for the vanguard.”

"I have heard that loyalty and filial piety are one, and family and country are always connected. At this critical moment when the country is in dire need of people, how can we let good generals sit idly by, with only a heart full of desire to serve the country? Zhao Kuangyin is from a family of generals for generations, and his father also bravely served the country for several dynasties."

"If Your Majesty could order him to go to Huainan first, the country would gain a great talent. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to appoint Zhao Kuangyin as the vanguard general of the southern expedition. I am sure he will live up to Your Majesty's favor!"

As soon as Li Yi finished speaking, many ministers turned their heads, some surprised, some inquiring, and some puzzled, all casting their gazes in his direction.

Although recommending talented individuals was the duty of high-ranking officials, it did not mean that military officers were not qualified to recommend worthy people.

However, what made everyone uneasy was not Li Yi's public recommendation itself, but the person he recommended—Zhao Kuangyin!

After all, the feud between Li Yi and the Zhao family was no secret in the Bianliang court; anyone who paid a little attention would know about it.

Logically speaking, even if the two did not have a public falling out, how could they not harbor resentment in private?

However, to everyone's surprise, Li Yi took the initiative to recommend Zhao Kuangyin to be the vanguard general, and his words of praise and commendation were full of effusive admiration.

Chai Rong's gaze swept across Li Yi's face and then over the assembled officials. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded and said, "What Minister Li has said is in line with my thoughts. In times of national turmoil, loyalty, righteousness, talent, and courage should be the priority. Considering that Zhao Kuangyin has received numerous favors from the state and has always been loyal and righteous, it is only reasonable to reinstate him now that we need capable people."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Li Yi bowed again and then returned to his place in the ranks.

During this court meeting, the matter of the southern expedition was discussed in general terms, while the specific arrangements would be finalized later by the emperor in a meeting with the prime minister and other important officials.

That afternoon, Zhao Kuangyin received his imperial edict of reinstatement. Actually, "reinstatement" is not accurate, because his military post was not revoked; it simply meant that his leave had ended and he was returning to work.

In the following days, taking advantage of the second southern expedition, the emperor made minor adjustments to the generals of the four main forces of the Imperial Guard.

First, the military ranks of Zhao Kuangyin, the Commander of the Left Wing of the Crane Controlling Army, Murong Yanzhao, the Commander of the Left Wing of the Dragon Swift Army, and Zhao Chao, the Commander of the Left Wing of the Tiger Swift Army, remain unchanged.

Secondly, Wang Shenqi, the commander of the right wing of the Iron Cavalry, was reassigned as the commander of the left wing of the Iron Cavalry, and was promoted from the prefect of Qinzhou to the military commissioner of Qianzhou.

Meanwhile, Han Chongyun, the Left Wing Commander of the Iron Cavalry, was promoted to the Right Wing Deputy Commander of the Iron Cavalry and concurrently held the title of Prefect of Qinzhou.

At the same time, Zhang Lingduo, the former deputy commander of the right wing of the Crane Controlling Army, was promoted to commander of the right wing of the Tiger Swift Army and concurrently served as the defense commissioner of Changzhou.

Gao Huaide, the former commander of the East and West Wings and governor of Jizhou, was reassigned as the commander of the Longjie Right Wing and concurrently served as the military commissioner of Guozhou.

Finally, Ma Renyu, the former commander of the Inner Palace Guard, was appointed as the commander of the Right Wing of the Crane Controlling Army and was also transferred to lead the Beizhou militia.

Liu Yuanmao, the former Left Commander of the Inner Palace Guard, was promoted to Commander of the Inner Palace Guard; Zhang Maochang, the Right Commander of the Inner Palace Guard, was reassigned as the Left Commander of the Inner Palace Guard; and Zhang Jiangong, the Right Commander of the Inner Palace Guard, was promoted to the Right Commander of the Inner Palace Guard.

The emperor had clearly given this personnel reshuffle careful consideration. After all, the second southern expedition was imminent, and replenishing the commanders of each division would facilitate the troop deployment during wartime.

Moreover, the selection of generals was not arbitrary. Without exception, all of them had rendered meritorious service in the Battle of Gaoping, thus helping Chai Rong secure his throne.

Among them were Murong Yanzhao and Zhang Lingduo, who were veteran generals of successive dynasties and had served Emperor Taizu Guo Wei since the early days of the Later Han Dynasty.

As for Zhao Kuangyin and Ma Renyu, they were young and promising talents promoted by Chai Rong.

In this way, since the reorganization of the Imperial Guards last year, the vacancies for the main generals of the four armies and eight divisions have been basically filled.

By the end of the first month, Emperor Shizong Chai Rong ordered Han Lingkun, the commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry, to concurrently serve as the commander of the vanguard army, temporarily giving him control over all the vanguard troops.

He also dispatched Zhao Kuangyin, the commander of the left wing of the Crane Controlling Army, Murong Yanzhao, the commander of the left wing of the Dragon Swift Army, Zhang Lingduo, the commander of the right wing of the Tiger Swift Army, and more than a dozen generals from various units to accompany him, leading a total of more than 10,000 cavalry and infantry to gradually set off.

Outside Nanxun Gate, on the widened road, thousands of elite imperial guards were assembled in orderly ranks, their solemn atmosphere reaching the heavens.

Zhao Kuangyin, fully armored, rode a magnificent warhorse. His face was somewhat resolute, but his eyes burned with a thirst for the battlefield and for glory.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Li Yi, who had come to see him off, and then spurred his horse to catch up with Han Lingkun and the others ahead.

"Let's go!"

As the third drumbeat ended, the bugle sounded its mournful wail. The vanguard of the second southern expedition set off from Kaifeng in a grand procession.

The dust settled, and the sound of horses' hooves ceased. The officials who had come to see them off dispersed and returned home.

Li Yi turned his horse around, intending to return to the yamen to handle official business, when a close attendant hurried forward and whispered, "General, a messenger just arrived to report that the caravan of Li Erniangzi's family in Chengdu arrived at Xia Cai Post Station in the south yesterday afternoon. After resting for a night, they are now heading towards Tokyo."

(End of this chapter)