Chapter 1093: The Attentive Jurchen

Facing his imperial father's question, Liu Xi wore his usual idle smile and said casually, "I happened to glance through the registry records. Before the twelfth year of Qianyou, there are only five recorded instances of Jurchen tribute missions. After the twelfth year of Qianyou, they came nearly every year. Starting from the fourteenth year of Qianyou, they split into summer and winter tributes. And this year, this is already the third time."

"Each time, the quantity of tribute was not large — at most seventy horses, at least thirty. By now, the Jurchen have presented over twelve hundred horses to the court in total. Of course, they are all war horses, and not a few are famous steeds of fine stock!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but smile, muttering to himself, "The numbers aren't great, but tributing this diligently does count as filial piety. Is this trying to make their presence known before me?"

Liu Fang said upon hearing this, "In the twelfth year of Qianyou, the Great Han's northern expedition succeeded. Clearly these Jurchen barbarians were influenced by that great war. With such frequent contact, could it be that the Jurchen also intend to resist Khitan rule?"

Emperor Liu looked quite satisfied with Liu Fang's keen observation, but he offered no opinion on his words. Instead, he glanced at Liu Xi and said, "Sanlang, what do you think?"

Liu Xi suddenly felt that the Emperor had been asking him quite a few questions today. He chuckled and replied, "Hard to say — I don't know much about the Jurchen!"

Emperor Liu waved his hand and said flatly, "Then tell me what you do know!"

Faced with the Emperor's insistence, Liu Xi had no choice. He thought for a moment, then said, "I once chatted idly with Bureau Director Wang (Wang Zhaoyuan). From his words I learned that the Jurchen tribe were the Heishui Mohe of the Tang era, having absorbed many other tribes. Their distribution is very wide, spanning nearly the entire northeastern region, and they live by fishing and hunting. But precisely because they are so scattered, they cannot unite their strength and are easily divided and ruled by the Khitan.

"In recent years, those who crossed the sea to present tribute are all tribes relocated by the Khitan to the Liaodong region — considered the larger clans among the Jurchen tribes. The Khitan's methods of ruling the various tribes are quite harsh. In the past, when the Khitan were strong, they dared not resist and could only swallow their shame and endure humiliation. But now that the Great Han is powerful and has defeated the Khitan, the Jurchen tribes inevitably harbor some thoughts.

"However, I believe the Jurchen may have some will to resist, but as for outright rebellion — that's unlikely. Presenting tribute and befriending the Great Han is perhaps just their hope of obtaining protection, of gaining a backer.

"Although the Khitan have suffered great losses in strength and prestige under the Great Han's blows, they remain the overlord of the north. Even if those tribes harbor disloyal thoughts, shaking their rule would still be very difficult. The rebellion organized by the Balhae people a few years ago being easily suppressed is clear proof.

"As for the Jurchen, their strength is too scattered — resisting Khitan rule would be even harder..."

Rarely, Liu Xi spoke at length in a torrent, then stopped abruptly, belatedly realizing he might have said a bit too much. He lifted his eyelids slightly and carefully observed Liu Chengyou. The Emperor's gaze was as sharp as ever, but when looking at him, it seemed especially bright, carrying a hint of profound meaning.

"That speech of yours counts as having some insight!" Emperor Liu's expression quickly returned to indifference as he commented.

Liu Xi gave an awkward smile and immediately humbled himself: "These are all Bureau Director Wang's words — I merely picked up his crumbs!"

"Quite a few people at court criticize Wang Zhaoyuan as fair without and foul within — all empty talk and no real talent. Why do you not take that view and instead associate with him?" Emperor Liu asked with some curiosity.

Liu Xi resumed a somewhat languid posture and replied, "If he were completely useless, how would the Son of Heaven employ him? Besides, I find Bureau Director Wang an interesting man — of no mean insight, eloquent and articulate. Conversing with him is sometimes quite enjoyable."

Liu Xi's words could be considered flattering to Emperor Liu, who couldn't help but be amused. Among the surrendered ministers of the Meng Shu, some had been taken into the palace, some into the Hanlin Academy and the Three Institutes, and some retained as officials — but if one asked who lived most comfortably after submitting, it would have to be Wang Zhaoyuan.

Though without real power, he counted as a close minister, frequently able to see the Emperor and speak with him. Sometimes, chatting with Wang Zhaoyuan was indeed quite entertaining. Most importantly, over these past five or six years, Wang Zhaoyuan had gained ever deeper knowledge of Liao and the various tribes under its rule.

"Your mother often scolds you for being lazy, but I see the things you know are not few either!" Emperor Liu glanced at his third son once more and said this.

At the mention of Noble Consort Gao, Liu Xi's body unconsciously tensed, then he smiled bitterly at Liu Chengyou: "I merely occasionally read some miscellaneous books and chat idly with others — truly not worth mentioning!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu did not extend the topic further. His attention finally shifted away from Liu Xi, and Liu Xi unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, as if the Emperor's questioning had placed immense pressure on him.

"The Jurchen..." Liu Chengyou muttered, pausing for a moment, then said, "Not worth much!"

If one were to think highly of the present-day Jurchen because of some memories and ways of thinking from a later age, that would truly be unnecessary. The Jurchen of today, though in a rising phase, were still in the very earliest stage, with very weak strength. Without unified leadership, fishing and hunting remained their primary mode of production, and between the White Mountains and Black Waters, quite a few tribes still lived in a state of eating raw meat and drinking blood.

In the eyes of the Khitan, the Shiwei and the Balhae posed far greater threats than the Jurchen. The Jurchen of this period could basically only survive by kowtowing to the Khitan's will — like a lump of dough, to be kneaded however one pleased, shaped into whatever form one wanted.

As for the saying "Ten thousand Jurchen soldiers cannot be defeated" — if the Jurchen of this era heard such a claim, they would probably find it laughable themselves.

Without a doubt, Emperor Liu had ambitions for Liaodong. Since ancient times, it had been the inherent territory of Central Plains dynasties; without Liaodong, the empire's map would be incomplete.

However, as to how to take it, Emperor Liu had no settled plan yet. That was, after all, the core ruling region of Liao — long administered, geographically remote. Emperor Liu dared not underestimate the difficulty of attacking Liaodong. Back then, Guo Tingwei had crossed the sea to strike Liao and had already tested its weight.

It could be said plainly that in Emperor Liu's view, compared to the eastern expedition, advancing west to take Hexi was far simpler. Of course, there might be difficulties, but they could not shake Emperor Liu's resolve to take it. This would be a systematic process — to attack Liaodong, the Khitan must be dealt another heavy blow, taking Liao down along with it.

After unifying the realm, Emperor Liu had already begun planning with his trusted ministers regarding the neighboring states. Though not yet put into practice, there was a rough framework, with breaking Liao and recovering Liaodong being the top priority.

Thinking of the Liaodong Jurchen's attentive fawning — even if insufficient for major use, they could still contribute some value!

Considering all this, Emperor Liu once again had the notion of sending envoys. Come to think of it, the Jurchen had been presenting tribute for so many years, and Emperor Liu had accepted it all without yet returning the courtesy — let alone sending envoys...

As for who to send, a figure immediately surfaced in his mind — naturally, Wang Zhaoyuan.

The weather was freezing cold, and as his body gradually cooled, Emperor Liu's aversion to cold flared up again. He did not stay long in the garden and set off back to the palace. The Fengchen guards who had gone hunting also returned, and unsurprisingly, their catch was meager. Emperor Liu was generous, "buying" the game at ten strings of cash per animal — that was his generous reward.

It wasn't that Emperor Liu was stingy, but one could hardly promote or raise the rank of soldiers just because the hunt had been successful.

Before returning to the palace, he stopped before a farmstead. Within the imperial gardens of the Eastern Capital lived some farming households and herders, all serving the Emperor. The household that made Emperor Liu stop naturally had some special identity — Zhou Baoquan and his mother.

When the imperial procession stopped, the Zhou mother and son were tending the horses they raised. Noticing the commotion outside the cottage, they checked and hurried out to kneel in welcome. Though surprised by the Emperor's visit, neither mother nor son seemed nervous — especially Zhou's mother, Lady Yan, who led her son with reverence but also great composure.

The cottage looked crude, but it was clean and orderly. Only the mother and son lived there. The loyal servants who had accompanied them into the capital had originally wished to follow them, but Lady Yan had dismissed them all, distributing all their wealth to provide for their livelihoods.

Thus, in their life within the imperial gardens, there was no one to wait on them — everything had to be done by the mother and son themselves. The two depended on each other, bearing hardship without complaint, all the way to the present. In truth, from the very beginning, Emperor Liu having the mother and son raise horses for him was merely a form of punishment — letting them atone for Zhou Xingfeng's militarism and stubborn resistance to the court. Raising horses could be said to be a symbolic matter.

Yet, under Lady Yan's leadership, the mother and son had earnestly managed to produce some results...

Looking at the surroundings, sizing up the mother and son kneeling in the cold wind, his gaze lingering on Lady Yan for a while — the woman before him could pass for an ordinary farm wife without any issue: rough skin, no adornment. But Emperor Liu believed at a glance that she was indeed a diligent and wise woman, an excellent and great mother.

Then looking at Zhou Baoquan, who knelt quietly to the side with his small face red from the cold, Liu Chengyou sighed inwardly and asked, "How many years have you mother and son been in the palace?"

Lady Yan did not answer; it was Zhou Baoquan who replied, "To answer Your Majesty, over eight years!"

"It's been that long already!" Emperor Liu mused briefly, then said, "From now on, you mother and son need not live here any longer. Move to the marquis's residence in Kaifeng city!"

Zhou Baoquan did hold a title — Marquis of Yiyang.

Upon hearing this, Lady Yan bowed and said, "Your Majesty once said to let my son and I feed horses for ten years. The term has not yet been fulfilled!"

Emperor Liu smiled and said, "I say the ten years are already complete — do you agree?"

Lady Yan was stunned for a moment. Meeting Emperor Liu's gaze, her eyes finally could not help but redden. She pulled Zhou Baoquan down to kowtow and choked out, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"