Chapter 1113: The Death of the Uyghur Khagan

While waiting for Guo Rong to arrive in the capital at the royal retreat of Qionglin Garden, Liu Chengyou also received one other person — Jing Qiong, Khagan of the Ganzhou Uyghurs. Ever since the Gansu region had been largely pacified, Jing Qiong, as a conquered ruler, had been escorted to the Eastern Capital as a tribute captive.

Though equally a ruler whose state had been breached and who had fallen captive, compared to his predecessors, the treatment Jing Qiong enjoyed was utterly incomparable. Under armed escort the entire way, transported in a prison cart, he received no preferential treatment whatsoever — instead he suffered every hardship imaginable. By the time he reached the Eastern Capital, the only arrangement made for him was to be thrown into the prison of the Court of Dependencies, where no one bothered with him for a long time.

The reason for such a vast difference was simple — the Great Han's western pacification of Gansu had not been a satisfying victory, and from top to bottom there was widespread discontent. Compared to other campaigns, the casualties in recovering Hexi were, all things considered, not heavy, but that feeling of being "offended" was nonetheless unpleasant.

Having examined their own reasons, one also had to look at the opponent's conduct. If everything had developed according to the formulated strategy and in the direction the Great Han's sovereign and ministers had expected, perhaps it would have been a different story. After all, in terms of the plan itself, it had not been entirely aboveboard.

But it happened that the Ganzhou Uyghurs, unwilling to sink into submission, struck with all their might — landing a sucker punch on the Han army that nearly succeeded, inflicting heavy losses on the Great Han and bringing more variables to the Hexi situation.

Of course, there is no principle in the world that forbids others from resisting — even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Objectively speaking, the Ganzhou Uyghurs' actions were understandable, but the world does not contain that much rationality and objectivity.

Might makes right, and that might was in the hands of the Great Han court. Therefore, the Ganzhou Uyghurs' sneak attack on the Han army was disloyalty, was rebellion, and deserved condemnation and severe punishment.

The empire was unified, was powerful, and had also developed a certain ailment — the great-power disease, a nearly arrogant and self-conceited sentiment that was festering. Though Confucian thought prized the golden mean, virtue, and propriety, it also depended on toward whom — even within the empire, few nobles or scholar-officials could manage to be courteous to the common people, let alone toward the four barbarian peoples.

Toward the Uyghur Khagan Jing Qiong, Liu Chengyou had originally had no interest in receiving him. Emperor Liu had absolutely no need to flaunt his might before a mere captive, nor would it do anything for his prestige.

The reason he saw him was simply that Jing Qiong, before his death, had wanted to meet him — to see with his own eyes what the Great Han Emperor who had destroyed his Ganzhou Uyghurs looked like. That's right — without much heated discussion, Jing Qiong had been sentenced to death, not as a foreign sovereign but as a rebel subject of the Great Han — a glaring double standard.

And Emperor Liu, in a great display of mercy, decided to give Jing Qiong a chance — to let him see the chief culprit who had broken his state and destroyed his family.

Upon first meeting, Jing Qiong was still quite proud. The hardships he had endured had already thinned him considerably and streaked his hair white, yet facing Emperor Liu, he refused to kneel. However, his legs clearly were not hard enough — with the friendly assistance of the guards, those knees still hit the ground, prostrating himself before the Son of Heaven of the Great Han. Even so, Jing Qiong still boldly stared straight ahead, as if trying to etch Emperor Liu's appearance into his memory, to carry it down to hell, to carry it into the next life, to be reborn and take revenge...

Liu Chengyou likewise appraised Jing Qiong. He looked quite old, but was tall and powerfully built — clearly a stalwart man. He had heard that before being captured, the man had personally ridden down and killed five Han army officers and soldiers. Meeting his gaze — a complex look clearly brimming with bone-deep hatred — Liu Chengyou rather felt like a lofty, condescending villain.

With such intense hatred in him, there was only one road — death.

"The Uyghurs have been on good terms with the court for over a decade. Why did you harbor evil intentions, turn against the court, and brazenly gather your people to ambush our westward-advancing troops? Now that you have fallen to the status of a prisoner awaiting execution, with the axe hanging over your head — do you regret it?" Liu Chengyou spoke first.

Upon hearing this, Jing Qiong countered in a low voice: "Was the westward-marching Han army truly going to rescue Xizhou?"

"Naturally!" Liu Chengyou said without a blush or a racing heart, in a calm tone: "Xizhou has had friendly relations with the court for over a decade, no less than Gansu. Their envoy, Pule, endured countless hardships to come east seeking aid, weeping tears as he begged. I felt compassion for him in my heart, was moved by his loyalty, and therefore dispatched troops to rescue them!"

"Speaking of which, you and the Xizhou Uyghurs share the same origin. They also once sought aid from you — but unfortunately, you refused to remember past friendship and rejected their plea!"

Facing Emperor Liu's rhetoric, Jing Qiong nearly snorted in disdain, though his reaction was not much more than that — he merely sneered and said: "I have heard that the Central Plains is a land of propriety, and that the Son of Heaven of the Great Han speaks with the authority of heaven itself, his every word as weighty as nine cauldrons. Yet now you utter such lies — do you not feel shame?"

"How dare you!" Yan Tuo was not present, but hearing this barbarian so insult the Son of Heaven, a eunuch in attendance could not contain himself — as if he had suffered some tremendous humiliation, he angrily rebuked him.

Liu Chengyou waved his hand, appearing unconcerned: "I didn't expect that the Uyghur Khagan would have such a sharp tongue — knowing about speaking with heaven's authority, knowing about words weighty as nine cauldrons. Impressive!"

"I have read Han books, and I have heard people tell of Han history!" Jing Qiong kept his head raised, continuing in a mocking tone: "The court claims to be aiding Gaochang in the west, but in truth covets my Gansu. Such a crude scheme — who could it fool? Do you truly take all Uyghurs for ignorant fools?"

"It seems I underestimated you all!" Liu Chengyou still smiled slightly: "But since you have also read Han classics, do you know the saying — all under heaven is the king's land, and all who dwell upon it are the king's subjects?"

"So you admit your designs on my Gansu?" Jing Qiong said with venom.

"So what if I do?" Liu Chengyou said calmly, with an air of laying his cards on the table.

"In that case, my gathering troops to resist was to protect my homeland and defend my family, to carry on the Uyghur legacy — what is there to condemn?" Clearly, after the court's "trial," Jing Qiong appeared deeply bitter and indignant at the Great Han court's arrogant attitude and way of thinking.

With a light chuckle, Liu Chengyou said: "And what was the result?"

"Because of your sneak attack, Hexi ran with blood, and Gansu's people were plunged into misery — is that the original intention of your 'defending your homeland'?" Liu Chengyou's tone remained calm.

At this mention, Jing Qiong's eyes immediately turned red. He had personally witnessed the slaughter committed by the Han army — his women had been violated, his kin murdered. If not for the guards watching him and the shackles he wore, he would have lunged up and tried to take Emperor Liu down with him.

His hateful gaze nearly turned tangible as Jing Qiong, almost screaming, said to Liu Chengyou: "The Han army always boasts of being a righteous force, yet it brazenly slaughters captives and civilians indiscriminately. In my eyes, you are no different from the beasts of Hexi — sooner or later, retribution will come!"

"So I ask you again — do you regret it?" Liu Chengyou's tone remained equally calm.

"What is there to regret?" Jing Qiong roared.

Seeing this, Liu Chengyou sighed, then said with a somewhat weary air: "You insisted on seeing me, and I have granted your wish. Since you have no regrets, you may go to your death without any lingering attachments!"

Without waiting for him to say anything more, he waved his hand and instructed the guards: "Send him to the authorities — execute him!"

Liu Chengyou could see it clearly — this fellow had wanted to see him purely to interrogate him and vent his anger. To this, he felt nothing but inner calm. Most importantly, he could not empathize — the bitterness of a loser, the anguish of a fallen nation's ruler held no value whatsoever in Emperor Liu's eyes.

At the same time, he felt fortunate that they had marched west early. Given this Uyghur Khagan's conduct, had they delayed much longer, he might well have managed to cause some unexpected trouble and add difficulties for the court.

"This barbarian is utterly insolent — daring to offend the imperial majesty, his crime is unforgivable. Your Majesty, why did you even bother receiving him? It only spoiled your mood!" As Liu Chengyou prepared to practice calligraphy, the attending eunuch ventured a remark.

Upon hearing this, Liu Chengyou reached out to smooth the brush tip, and while dipping it in ink, said calmly: "Show some respect to a dying man. Regardless, he was ultimately my defeated foe, a prisoner awaiting execution. Why should the victor care about the roar and cries of the vanquished..."

Emperor Liu had merely spoken offhandedly, but the palace eunuch who continued grinding the ink felt delighted — taking advantage of Yan Tuo's absence, he had spoken up on his own initiative, and actually drawn such a speech from His Majesty. He felt immensely honored.

For these servants, even one extra sentence from the Emperor was heavenly grace bestowed upon them.