Chapter 1155: Returning to the Great River

It took a full four days before Emperor Liu finished receiving, one by one, the Henan officials summoned to his presence. Throughout the entire process, he was a listener, a recorder, an examiner.

The experience proved that past memorial exchanges were like separated by mountains. Through direct communication with these local officials, Emperor Liu gained a clearer understanding of the governance conditions of the prefectures, departments, and counties in the Henan circuit — though this still needed to be combined with on-site inspections.

Regardless, Emperor Liu enjoyed such a process. He could be considered a ruler who was very close to the people and pragmatic, but having long-term contact with high-ranking ministers and nobles, some disconnect from the lower prefectures and counties was inevitable. Setting aside his dignity, delving deep into local conditions, and listening to the voices of these officials was also a method of enhancing Emperor Liu's understanding of this country.

For these officials who grew up in the localities, who had long been deprived of hearing the imperial voice or seeing the imperial countenance, this was a rare opportunity. Before the Emperor, speaking freely, displaying one's talents, expressing one's administrative policies and philosophies — perhaps only once in a lifetime.

Of course, with the opportunity laid out here, those who could grasp it were few and far between. Some things are fine to imagine, but winning the Emperor's favor in a single stroke also requires the right time, the right place, and the right people. And after so many years of Emperor Liu's reign, what great talents and worthy scholars had he not seen, what state-governing policies had he not considered? To win his favor was hardly so easy.

However, among these roughly two hundred officials, there were still a few who made Emperor Liu look upon them with special regard. These people were not distinguished by exceptionally sharp minds or stunning literary talent, but rather by a relatively deep understanding of the Emperor's governing philosophy and the Kaibao political strategy.

And through investigation, it was learned that these few, unlike most officials who would more or less incorporate their own ideas while administering, simply carried out the court's principles and policies to the letter.

This suited Emperor Liu's intentions very well. Over so many years, Liu Chengyou had rarely let others teach him how to govern the state and manage the people. What he needed was precisely a batch of people who could completely obey his will and act and work in the direction he indicated.

Just as no official was punished throughout the entire process, Emperor Liu likewise did not directly promote those he favored — he merely had people make a record of them, and this record would become a major boost to their future career advancement.

After receiving the Henan officials, Emperor Liu held an imperial banquet at his temporary residence to entertain the crowd, offered some words of encouragement, and then sent them back to their posts. His intention was not to let the chief officials of the various prefectures, departments, and counties remain away from their positions for too long.

At Licheng, Emperor Liu did not stay long. By the tenth day of the fourth month, the imperial carriage set forth, heading straight east. Administration Commissioner Li Hongwei accompanied the carriage, and they toured through Zi, Qing, Deng, and Lai prefectures, all the way to the bay.

Emperor Liu had long witnessed the magnificence and vastness of the Great Han. This time, it was not to listen to the sea or view the sea, but to review the Eastern Sea naval forces.

The Great Han's coastal navy originally had its base at Mizhou, but after the pacification of the south, the main force was relocated to Laizhou. The target was obvious: Liaodong across the sea.

By the fifth year of Kaibao, the Great Han's naval forces had already become systematic. Although still the stepchild compared to the army, with Emperor Liu's care, its development was still considerable.

The inland river navy was basically deployed in the Jianghuai region, while the open-sea navy, using seagoing ships as its main warships, was divided into two parts. The larger part was at Laizhou, controlling and patrolling the northern sea areas, with a troop strength of twenty thousand. The remainder was deployed in Fujian, led by naval commander Zhang Yanqing, who was currently crossing the sea with Liu Guangyi to strike at the Liu clan. Perhaps by the time Emperor Liu toured south to the Yangtze, news of victory would already have arrived.

Laizhou Bay was roughly the most prosperous seaport in the north of the Great Han at present. Contact with Liaodong, Goryeo, and even Japan basically all passed through this place.

When Emperor Liu inspected the seaport, he discovered that, imperceptibly, Laizhou had also become a gathering place for foreigners — Hu merchants of various peoples, political figures seeking refuge, and large numbers of ordinary people who had crossed the sea to make a living.

Imperceptibly, the Great Han's appeal to the various peoples of Northeast Asia had reached a very high level. Seeing it with his own eyes, he finally understood the most direct reason for the explosive population growth in Deng and Lai prefectures in recent years — there was a large population of naturalized people here.

Emperor Liu's carriage toured through the market, with the streets and markets cleared, and all Hu people were screened off outside. Yet when the imperial carriage passed, all of them prostrated themselves on the ground, kowtowing incessantly, muttering prayers — their prostrate, fearful postures like the most devout believers worshipping deities.

Hu speech was everywhere in Deng and Lai. This sight also sparked controversy among the accompanying ministers. Some believed this was the display of prestige spreading to the four seas to attract distant peoples, a manifestation of the Great Han's good governance. Others still upheld the idea that "those not of our kind must have different hearts," believing that these Hu people should be regarded with vigilance, controlled, and suppressed.

This wave of debate even reached Emperor Liu. And Emperor Liu's attitude was also very clear: Hu people who could be civilized should be accepted; those who refused to submit to imperial civilization should be rejected.

On the Hu-Han question, Emperor Liu also saw things quite clearly. As long as one was strong and prosperous, the four barbarians would naturally submit. And if the state weakened, those who would cause chaos were hardly limited to the Hu people.

However, while outwardly displaying an air of embracing all rivers and containing all things, privately, Emperor Liu's instructions to the Deng and Lai authorities were still to strengthen control over the Hu people, and to raise the standards for issuing household registrations...

At the same time, he had the Wude Office personnel raise their surveillance of the Hu people in Deng and Lai by a notch. In Emperor Liu's view, among these Hu people, there were absolutely no shortage of enemy spies and agents — especially Liao's secret agents.

At Laizhou, Emperor Liu stayed a full five days. Besides reviewing the navy, he received local worthies. Incidentally, he also invited the former nobles of Ding'an who had settled here.

Toward these Ding'an remnants, the court did not treat them with excessive distinction, providing them with proper resettlement. Of course, the large amount of wealth these people brought also played a certain role in promoting the development of Deng and Lai.

Additionally, from conversations, it was learned that these people had been heavily assimilated. Even though only a few short years had passed, they had already completely abandoned any thoughts of restoration, begun enjoying the comfortable life in the Great Han, actively registered for citizenship, and every family had changed to Han surnames and Han given names.

In fact, Ding'an could not really be considered a state — it was merely an alliance formed by remnants of Balhae. Therefore, it could be predicted that this batch of Balhae remnants would sooner or later be completely digested by the Great Han.

After inspecting Laizhou, the imperial carriage turned southward, inspecting Mizhou and Yizhou, deliberately accelerating the pace. But constrained by geography, it ultimately could not go fast.

Unable to resist, they detoured westward into Yanzhou and made a trip to Mount Tai — not for the Fengshan sacrifices, but merely to conduct a sacrificial ceremony. Emperor Liu's intention was obvious: to make preparations for a future return. At the same time, it must be said that Mount Tai was really not tall — Emperor Liu completely lacked the experience of "ascending Mount Tai and finding the world small."

Thereafter, they went south to Xuzhou, passed through Suzhou into the Huai River, and by the time Emperor Liu arrived at Chuzhou and rendezvoused with the waterway field headquarters led by Shi Shouxin, it had already entered the fifth month.

This inspection tour was conducted very slowly — roughly half the purpose was for relaxation. For eastern Huainan, this was also a revisit of old ground for Emperor Liu. Sailing south along the canal, what he saw and observed was naturally a scene of prosperity.

From time to time he would stop, also reminiscing about fifteen years ago, when he personally campaigned against Huainan amid iron horses and golden spears, wielding authority with boldness — although his main footsteps back then had been in western Huainan.

Stopping and starting, by the time the imperial carriage arrived at Yangzhou, it was already late in the fifth month. Yangzhou was the southernmost point his steps had reached back then. This time, Emperor Liu could finally make a grand display, cross the river southward, traverse this natural moat, and truly set foot on the soil of Jiangnan.