Chapter 1035: The Liao Army Advances West

Since the Han and Liao had once again reached a peace agreement, the Great Han was busy mobilizing troops and transporting grain, and the Liao state had not relaxed either, carrying out the same preparations in the same period. In fact, the Liao had been preparing for war for a full two years, and in the process of implementation, it was not merely for the western expedition—they had also taken the opportunity to consolidate the tribal forces in the northwestern regions of Liao.

For a long time, because the core ruling area of the Liao state was in the eastern region, the northern and northwestern tribes, though submissive and obedient to rule, were in fact only weakly controlled by the Liao court. Especially after the previous Han–Liao war, when Liao had suffered heavy losses, followed by internal turmoil, its national strength had been greatly diminished.

The survival of the fittest is the most basic principle of existence and interaction on the grasslands. When the Liao central authority was strong, they accepted its rule, paid tribute, and submitted willingly. But once signs of decline appeared, even the submissive wolves and dogs would not hesitate to bare their fangs and bite back.

Of course, for the Liao state, it had not reached that point. However, during these years when Yelu Jing was busy suppressing rebellions, pacifying governance, and comforting the people, the northwestern tribes had indeed shown tendencies toward separatism. Add to that a Prince Taiping, Yelu Yansage, who was there harboring tribesmen and secretly nursing ambitions.

In view of this, it was understandable that Yelu Jing had made several western hunting tours and strengthened military forces in the northwestern regions of Liao. Moreover, he appeared very patient, proceeding step by step, gradually. To appease his younger brother Yelu Yansage, Yelu Jing had even specially promised him that he would serve as commander-in-chief, leading the great army on the western expedition, and after conquering the Western Regions, he would take only half of the wealth and goods, then formally enfeoff Yansage with the Western Regions and the Jinshan region.

Yelu Yansage believed Yelu Jing's promise and cooperated in conscripting tribal soldiers. By the autumn of the fifteenth year of Qianyou, the Liao's western expedition preparations were basically complete. They had conscripted twenty thousand tribal soldiers from the Dada, Shiwei, Naiman, and other tribes, plus five thousand sent from the Supreme Capital, and the garrison troops of the northwestern region, totaling more than thirty thousand cavalry, concentrated for training at Zhaozhou, east of the Yanran Mountains.

Afterwards, before the oath-taking ceremony to set out on the expedition, Yelu Yansage was suddenly seized and escorted back to Linhuang Prefecture. For the sake of internal stability in Liao, Yelu Jing had broken his word. Then, amid Yelu Yansage's resentful curses, the rising star of the Liao imperial clan, Yelu Xiezhen, was appointed commander-in-chief of the western expedition, leading the army westward under the title of Pacification Commissioner of the Northwestern Route.

In terms of the timing of mobilizing troops, the Liao army had moved even before Emperor Liu issued the edict to pacify the south, and the forces employed were mainly from the northwestern tribes. Using neighbors as a drain, diverting domestic contradictions through war, was a method that never failed to work. Moreover, for Yelu Jing, it was a matter of little risk—if victorious, he could plunder the Western Regions, display his military might, boost his national strength, and consolidate his rule; even if he failed, it would not greatly affect Liao's rule over the central and eastern regions, but would instead weaken the strength of the northwestern tribes. And in the core ruling areas, a certain amount of strength would still be preserved, sufficient to guard against unforeseen events.

Because of the great distance and the blockade, by the time news of the Liao army's westward advance reached Lingzhou, it was already the end of the ninth month. By the time it reached Kaifeng, the army pacifying the south was already on the southern battlefield, capturing cities and forts, winning victory after victory.

As for the matter of the Liao army's westward advance, although Liu Chengyou was concerned, in truth he could only gaze at the ocean and sigh. So much time had passed, yet no useful news of its progress had arrived, and whenever he thought of this, Emperor Liu found the Uyghurs occupying the Gansu region particularly irritating to the eye...

The entire court was excited that the realm was about to be unified, but Emperor Liu could not help but think—with the Western Sea unsettled and Hexi not yet recovered, how could one speak of unification?

"If the Liao army invades the Western Regions, it will inevitably cause turmoil, sever communications between east and west, and block trade routes. The situation there will surely show itself!" After pondering for a long time, Liu Chengyou ordered: "In the name of the Bureau of Military Affairs, send a letter to Guo Rong, telling him to pay close attention!"

"Yes!"

"Minister Zhao, you once inspected the northwest and are familiar with northwestern affairs. Now that the Liao army has indeed acted, tell me—what impact will the Liao's western expedition have on the Great Han, and how great a threat will it pose to the northwestern border?" Liu Chengyou, harboring hidden worries, asked Zhao Kuangyin.

Similar topics had been discussed before between Liu Chengyou and his ministers, and now that it was raised again, Zhao Kuangyin's view had become even clearer. He said: "Your Majesty, I believe there is no need for excessive worry. The Western Regions are three thousand li from our border, with the Guiyi Army and the Uyghurs in between. Even if they were to break through, for them to threaten the Great Han's border from west to east would be extremely difficult.

Furthermore, the Khitan's ruling territory is mainly centered on their Supreme Capital and the Eastern Capital—their position is too remote, and the east and west are separated by ten thousand li. How could they combine forces to invade the south? Now that the Great Han's passes and mountains are all firmly fortified, even if they could cause some trouble, it would be no more than a minor ailment.

Moreover, regarding the current situation in the northwest, the Tibetans are fragmented, and the various tribes of Longxi have submitted. The only ones that could truly cause harm are the Dingnan Army and the Tangut people, and they are now firmly restrained by the court. The court has been managing the northwestern region for over a decade—pacifying the people, soothing the barbarians, and strengthening the military—and has sufficient strength to maintain its stability.

Therefore, even if the Great Han's northwestern defense cannot be said to be without any flaws, with the court on guard, it would not be easy for Liao to achieve a major breakthrough from the northwest!"

"Minister Zhao, are these words meant to reassure me?" Hearing his assessment, Liu Chengyou revealed a relieved smile and asked Zhao Kuangyin.

"I am merely answering according to the situation!" Upon hearing the question, Zhao Kuangyin clasped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, once the south is pacified, with all its lands, people, and tax-rich territories in hand, then with the Great Han's flourishing national strength and powerful military, securing the northern passes and controlling the Hebei region to the west, even the vast Khitan—how could it truly threaten the Great Han's state? In comparison, it is the Khitan who should be more worried about their own safety. Since when has a strong China tolerated rampant northern barbarians? The Xiongnu under Emperor Wu of Han, the Turks under the Sui and Tang—these are all their lessons from the past!"

Zhao Kuangyin's words carried a strong sense of confidence. Liu Chengyou, hearing this, felt a sense of wonder. After thinking it over, a gleam of spirit shone in his eyes, and he said with emotion: "Minister Zhao, your words are most reasonable! I should have long since changed my fixed way of thinking. After so many years of enriching the state and strengthening the military, pacifying the southern states, and recovering the northern passes, I should long have had enough confidence to face any challenge!"

Liu Chengyou left the Bureau of Military Affairs in a cheerful mood, heading straight to Guangzheng Hall, where, having been notified in advance, a group of Secretariat ministers led by Chief Chancellor Wei Renpu were already waiting.

Entering the hall and taking his seat, he looked around, and as usual, Emperor Liu wasted no words, saying directly: "I have just come from the Bureau of Military Affairs. The Jiangnan and Jiangxi regions have been completely occupied, and in the Lingnan campaign, only a few barbarian prefectures in Guangxi remain to be recovered. It can be said that the campaigns in Jiangnan and Lingnan have fully entered the final consolidation phase.

The military tasks are mostly complete. Next, how to pacify the people and fully bring them under the court's governance will depend on you gentlemen! Jiangnan and Lingnan together have over sixty prefectures and military commands—almost another Chuanshu—and with their elongated territories and complex local conditions, even more so than Chuanshu, achieving peaceful governance will be no small challenge!"

After Liu Chengyou finished speaking, Wei Renpu, as Chief Chancellor, took the initiative to say: "Your Majesty, I and my colleagues have drafted several governance policies in response to the situation in Jiangnan and Lingnan. Please review them, Your Majesty!"

With a gesture, Sun the Yan army hurried forward to receive the document and presented it to Emperor Liu with a bow. In fact, after the campaigns in Jingnan, Hunan, and Chuanshu, the court already had considerable experience in how to accept prefectures and counties, pacify the people, and govern. With precedents to follow, it was not particularly difficult—as long as the macro-level control was maintained, the execution capability of the current Great Han bureaucracy in the implementation phase was worthy of trust.

As for what Wei Renpu had drafted, to speak of novelty, there was indeed nothing novel—keeping old officials in their posts, transferring northern officials south, promoting Han institutions, promulgating Han laws, abolishing miscellaneous taxes—all these were matters with precedents. The policies originally applied to the Chuanshu region could simply be moved over with slight modifications. Of course, every place had its own particularities, but the general direction was the same.

Therefore, regarding the memorial Wei Renpu had presented, Liu Chengyou directly expressed his approval: "May it be promulgated as such!"

"Yes!"

Of course, Liu Chengyou had not summoned his senior ministers merely to go through such a procedural formality. Straightening his posture, he said casually: "I hear that Jiangnan has many titled aristocrats and local magnates. I intend to select the powerful families to enrich the various prefectures!"