Chapter 317. Prelude to the Great Battle
— The Whereabouts of Yelü Zhangnu
At some point in the past, Yelü Zhangnu had said something of the sort.
He wished to travel to the Supreme Capital and offer rites at the tomb of the founder.
He said he wanted to report the wavering fortunes of Great Liao to his ancestors and ask Heaven once more for its will.
The tongues of men who harbor rebellion are often smooth.
Their words are sweet, their reasoning plausible, and they reach the listener's heart before suspicion has time to rise.
The claim that Great Liao could only be restored by first replacing the emperor had emerged in much the same way.
Xiao Fengxian should have drawn his sword and cut him down on the spot.
But he had not.
Somewhere in his heart, he had already accepted part of what Yelü Zhangnu had said.
And Yelü Zhangnu could hardly have been the only man entertaining such thoughts.
Still, there was a distance as vast as heaven and earth between harboring a thought and actually acting upon it.
Even making up one's mind was difficult.
Turning that decision into soldiers, roads, and banners was harder still.
Yelü Zhangnu repeatedly brought up the name of Yelü Chun.
Emperor Tianzuo, he said, had lost the Way, while the emperor's uncle, Prince Chun of Yan, was a benevolent man.
If Tianzuo were deposed and Prince Yan raised to the throne, Yelü Zhangnu claimed, even the Jurchen would submit without further fighting.
Xiao Fengxian believed he had gone to the Supreme Capital.
The tomb of the founder was there, along with the ancient authority of the Liao dynasty.
If Yelü Zhangnu performed ancestral rites there and gathered troops under that banner, his rebellion could be made to appear not as a private act of treason, but as a righteous movement to restore Great Liao.
Yanjing was another possibility.
Yelü Chun was there.
Perhaps Yelü Zhangnu had both places in mind.
He may have intended to establish legitimacy in the Supreme Capital, then raise his chosen ruler in Yanjing.
A man whose only real talent was hunting had ascended the imperial throne.
Even so, the empire had continued to function.
Had it truly reached its end at last?
The resentment and dissatisfaction of the tribes had risen to the limit.
They still answered the summons, but their hesitation was obvious.
Xiao Fengxian already knew that the tribal armies gathered in the camp could leave at any time.
He could hardly blame the officials who had failed to pay what had been promised.
They too had probably run out of means.
Xiao Fengxian summoned the officers under his command.
His senior aides and staff officers hurried into the tent and lined up before him.
Xiao Fengxian spoke in a low voice.
"Yelü Zhangnu has disappeared. His Majesty is looking for him.
"I have already sent men to search, but we still have no confirmed whereabouts."
His words stopped there.
What more could he say?
Until the last possible moment, he did not want to speak the word rebellion aloud.
The instant that word was uttered, the air inside the command tent would change completely.
Then one of his advisers cautiously spoke.
"There are reports that he went to the Supreme Capital."
Xiao Fengxian's eyes turned toward him.
"The Supreme Capital?"
The adviser bent lower at the waist.
"They say he left with the members of his clan and everyone close to him. His quarters are empty now. There are clear signs that his horses, wagons, household, and guards all departed together."
Xiao Fengxian's expression hardened.
"Because of the founder's tomb?"
The adviser swallowed.
"That is what I heard. They say he intended to perform rites at the Temple of the Founder. He apparently took ritual vessels, offerings, ceremonial robes, and documents with him."
The officers in the tent exchanged glances.
Traveling to the Temple of the Founder to perform rites was no simple matter of worship.
At a time like this, leaving the emperor's camp and going to the Supreme Capital to report before the founder meant turning toward the old authority of Great Liao itself.
Xiao Fengxian remained silent for a long moment.
Then he slowly asked,
"Has Yelü Chun's name been mentioned as well?"
The adviser bowed even deeper.
"That rumor is circulating too."
Everyone knew.
The rumors moving beneath the surface of the camp were already pointing in one direction.
No one spoke openly, yet everyone could guess why Yelü Zhangnu had gone to the Supreme Capital.
"Come. We will see it ourselves."
Xiao Fengxian led his advisers toward Yelü Zhangnu's quarters.
The moment the order was given, the officers inside the tent moved as one.
Armor skirts struck against one another, sword scabbards swung at their waists, and military boots ground harshly into the dry earth.
The moment they stepped outside, a cold wind struck their faces.
The sun was sinking, and yellow dust mixed with cooking smoke hung low across the vast encampment.
From the distance came the neighing of horses, the rumble of wagon wheels, and the shouts of soldiers hauling provisions.
The camp of seven hundred thousand men was filled with noise in every direction.
Yet along the path where Xiao Fengxian and his officers passed, voices seemed to sink strangely low.
Soldiers stepped aside to clear the way.
No one asked questions.
But every eye followed them.
The mere sight of the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp leading his staff toward the deputy commander's quarters was enough for men to guess that something had happened.
Their pace quickened.
One officer went ahead to clear the road while the others followed, watching both sides as they moved.
Their footsteps struck the earth harder and faster.
Whenever they passed through the narrow lanes between tents, guy ropes trembled and horses tied to stakes raised their heads.
Some men suddenly fell silent.
Others swallowed whatever they had been about to say.
The closer they came to Yelü Zhangnu's quarters, the harder the air seemed to become.
The soldiers guarding the entrance hurriedly straightened when they saw Xiao Fengxian approaching.
Their faces already carried the tension of men preparing to answer questions.
Behind the tent, wagon tracks crisscrossed the ground.
Deep hoofprints led away toward the northern road.
Several heavily loaded wagons had already departed days earlier.
Xiao Fengxian looked at the tracks.
His advisers looked as well.
No one spoke.
Only the sound of their heavy footsteps remained as they came to a halt before the tent.