The eunuch hurried to stop him. “Your Majesty, it’s already late at night, and you’re ill. You can’t go out and catch the wind!”

“This hall is stuffy. It’s summer, not winter. The sun has been blazing for seventy-three days straight. Even if I bare my chest, I won’t catch a chill!” The Emperor pushed the eunuch away. “Get away from me. I don’t want to see any of you.”

Outside the hall it was hot and stuffy, but the sky was bright with moon and sparse stars, clearly with no intention of raining.

Liu Yuan felt even more stifled in his heart. If this continued, they wouldn’t have to wait for Zhao Hanzhang and the Jin court to attack—chaos would erupt from within first.

His dynastic ambitions, his grand aspirations—would they all end here?

Liu Yuan’s emotions surged. He breathed heavily. His already dizzy head became even more muddled. He feared people calling him a rebellious traitor, lacking legitimacy, so he claimed the imperial title under the borrowed name of the Han house. As long as he could destroy the Jin house and unite the realm, creating an era of peace, all these slanders would disappear.

But now… Heaven was not blessing him!

Liu Yuan sat on the railing in front of the hall, lost in thought. The eunuchs following at a distance were extremely anxious.

Liu Yuan was old now, and with his indulgence in sensual pleasures over the past two years, his health had deteriorated even more. Not long ago, because of the persistent drought in Bingzhou and rebel uprisings in some counties, he had fallen ill from anxiety.

Liu Yuan thought that coming out to catch some breeze late at night was nothing serious, but the eunuchs knew that if his condition worsened because of this, none of them attending to him would survive.

The eunuch pondered desperately. Finally, with determination, he still had someone keep watch on the Emperor while he secretly ran to see Empress Shan.

By the time Empress Shan dressed and hurried over, several people were already kneeling before the hall, with Liu Cong at the forefront.

Empress Shan arrived in haste, her hair slightly disheveled. She hesitated but didn’t approach. She brought her attendants to stand at the corner and had a maid go persuade the Emperor to return to his chamber.

The maid went on her mission. Before long, the Emperor was supporting himself on a eunuch’s hand and turning back inside. Empress Shan breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the eunuch, “Quickly summon the imperial physician.”

The eunuch responded and left.

Empress Shan glanced toward the hall entrance again, only to see that the Emperor and several ministers had already entered. Liu Cong, who was about to enter, paused and stared at her intently with bright, piercing eyes.

Empress Shan was startled by his gaze. She frowned slightly, avoided his eyes, and turned to leave.

A maid beside the Empress also felt Liu Cong’s gaze was too presumptuous. “Your Highness, the Prince of Luli is too offensive. He actually dares to stare directly at Your Highness.”

The maid suggested that Empress Shan have the Emperor deal with him.

Empress Shan frowned. “His Majesty is currently troubled by the drought. Let’s not bother him with such matters. Just have Yi’er be careful around him.”

The maid lowered her head in acknowledgment.

Liu Yuan sat down and frowned at the ministers. “It’s not yet dawn. Why have you lords entered the palace at this hour?”

Liu Huanle bowed. “Your Majesty, we just received a military report. There’s a rebel uprising in the rear division.”

The Emperor supported his forehead. “Don’t all divisions have rebel uprisings?”

“But this time the leader is a Jie tribesman. He’s a lieutenant in the army named Yin An. Most of the rebels this time are Jie people, with Han people making up only thirty percent. I heard they’ve contacted Shi Le, wanting to bring our cattle and sheep to join him in Shangdang.” Liu Huanle’s expression was grave as he said seriously, “Your Majesty, you must be wary of Shi Le. If he hadn’t given promises, how would Yin An dare to rebel? In my view, Shi Le also harbors disloyal intentions.”

Many people shared Liu Huanle’s thoughts. Someone said, “Previously when Wang Jun and Liu Kun conspired to attack Qingzhou, and Zu Ti attacked our territories in Jizhou, Shi Le could have aided us with just a gesture. But he waited until Zu Ti captured several cities and threatened the areas under his control before taking action, allowing Zu Ti to grow powerful and occupy an entire commandery.”

“Your Majesty, the Han people have an excellent saying: ‘Those not of our kind must have different hearts.’ At the end of the day, Shi Le and we are not of one mind. He’s a Jie tribesman—how could he sincerely follow us?”

Liu Yuan was running a fever and didn’t want to speak at the moment. He asked wearily, “What do you propose?”

Liu Cong stepped forward. “Your son requests permission to mobilize troops and attack Yanzhou.”

Liu Yuan perked up a bit. He lowered his hand and sat up. “Attack Yanzhou?”

“Yes, Father Emperor. The summer harvest has just ended. Due to the drought, many people cannot pay their summer taxes, so there are many rebels. But judging from the situation, the autumn harvest will likely be even worse. Rather than letting those troublemakers cause chaos for us, we should take them to the battlefield. The summer harvest yielded nothing—we can go plunder. Cattle and sheep died of thirst and heat—we can also plunder them!”

Liu Cong continued, “Even Shi Le’s threat can be resolved by mobilizing troops. Have him attack Luoyang and draw away Zhao Hanzhang’s forces. Let them exhaust each other on the battlefield. After this campaign, not only will Shi Le have no strength left to rebel, but Zhao Hanzhang won’t be able to threaten us either.”

Liu Yuan clenched his fists and asked, “What if we lose this battle?”

Liu Cong said, “We don’t care about winning or losing. The goal is to plunder money and grain from the Central Plains to survive the natural disaster. By then we…”

“No,” Liu Yuan interrupted him. He raised his head to look at him, his eyes bright and intense. “We must win this battle!”

He continued, “We’ll mobilize the full strength of our nation to destroy the Jin house. From then on, the entire Central Plains will be ours. Whatever droughts, floods, or locust plagues—we won’t need to fear them anymore. Gold, silver, treasures, grand mansions, glass, beautiful women—you can have whatever you want!”

These words stirred everyone’s blood. Even an old man like Liu Huanle couldn’t help but have his eyes light up, his cloudy gaze flashing with determination to seize what he wanted.

Liu Yuan stood up, clenching his fists tightly. “The Han Kingdom was established four years ago. It’s time to unite the realm.”

He continued, “The drought has affected Bingzhou, but its impact on the Jin Kingdom is even greater. This time, Wang Jun and Liu Kun are too preoccupied to help each other. Gou Xi and Zhao Hanzhang are at odds. Even the Emperor and Gou Xi are suspicious of each other. When we mobilize troops, we have the favor of Heaven, geographical advantage, and harmony among our people. We will definitely take down the Jin Kingdom in one stroke with this drought that Heaven has sent to aid us!”

Liu Huanle took the lead in kneeling, responding excitedly with “Yes!” He declared loudly, “We will not fail Your Majesty’s expectations. We will attack Yuncheng, capture the Jin Emperor alive, and celebrate Your Majesty’s birthday!”

“Excellent!” Liu Yuan’s breathing became rapid. His eyes reddened as he stared at Liu Cong. “I appoint Liu Cong as Grand General of Expedition to the South. Mobilize troops immediately and depart for Yanzhou.”

He added, “Order Shi Le to serve as Grand General of Expedition to the West. Have him mobilize troops to attack Luoyang and be sure to recapture all of Sizhou that Zhao Hanzhang has taken. Order Liu Qin to serve as Grand General of Expedition to the North and recover Jinyang.”

His gaze turned cold. “Liu Kun holds Jinyang firmly, like a thorn in my heart. I won’t feel at ease until it’s removed!”

He had endured Liu Kun for a long time.

The Xiongnu were warlike. As soon as Liu Yuan’s order came down, all divisions immediately began preparations. Even the rebels who had been causing trouble, upon hearing they were going to war in the Central Plains, immediately stopped fighting the court’s forces. They turned around, gathered their weapons and armor, led their horses, and joined the army.

The Xiongnu army didn’t mind that they had just been fighting against them. They incorporated the rebels and placed them in the vanguard to charge first when the time came.

Only a small portion of people persisted. They were mostly Han people who didn’t want to go south to attack the Central Plains. They just wanted to survive. It would be best if the Han Kingdom fell. If not, at least reduce this year’s taxes and let them live. If that wasn’t possible, give them some food and let them leave.

Some wanted to go to Jinyang to join Liu Kun, others wanted to go to Sizhou to join Zhao Hanzhang.

However, these forces were small and scattered. No one paid them any attention. The main forces departed, leaving the remaining garrison troops to suppress the rebellion. When they caught people, they would either imprison them as slaves or send them to the front lines to fill the Jin army’s arrows.