Chapter 1169: Turning to Face the Liao

"What's the situation in the Western Regions? Wasn't it said the Khitan were going to withdraw their troops? It's been nearly another year now, and still no movement? No latest reports from Hexi either?" Emperor Liu continued asking.

Upon the question, Li Chongju, with his usual competence, replied: "It is true that Liao wishes to withdraw from the Western Regions and extricate itself from the mire, and there are no small number of nobles and officials in their court who support this. However, from intelligence gleaned from the Liao court, the Kara-Khanids and Liao have in fact ceased hostilities for some time, and some have even proposed peace negotiations!"

"It seems the Khitan ultimately still can't bear to part with that fat piece of meat in the Western Regions!" Emperor Liu muttered: "And the Kara-Khanids seem to be running out of steam as well! That's only natural—otherwise, how could a mere minor state of the Western Regions contend with the Liao army to such an extent, repeatedly gaining the upper hand? Even for their expeditionary force, it shouldn't have come to this!"

In truth, Emperor Liu harbored a faint contempt for those minor states of the Western Regions. He could hold the Liao army in high regard and esteem, but upon learning of the battle conditions in the Western Regions, upon learning that the Kara-Khanid army could stand toe-to-toe with the Liao army, he felt schadenfreude mixed with a sense of disgust.

The source of this disgust lay in Emperor Liu's concern: if the Great Han army were to march west, in the distant Tianshan region, could it easily achieve victory and eliminate those who refused to submit?

"And what is the situation with the Kara-Khanids now?" Emperor Liu asked.

Facing this question, Li Chongju first showed a troubled expression, then clasped his hands in apology: "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but we know very little of the Kara-Khanids, and the Wude Office has few agents arranged in the Western Regions..."

In the final analysis, it was still a matter of insufficient attention and lack of awareness. Of course, Emperor Liu bore responsibility himself—had he but given a single instruction, Li Chongju would have actively seen to it.

Giving him a look, Emperor Liu instructed: "This matter should still be taken seriously. Send more spies and agents—not to say we must grasp every rustle of wind, but should any change occur, the court ought to obtain the information in time and respond accordingly!"

"Yes!" Li Chongju did not mention the difficulties involved, merely replying: "Your servant plans to recruit some persons from among the Western Regions people who have submitted to us, to bring them into the Wude Office, to open the eyes of Your Majesty upon the Western Regions!"

Li Chongju's mind was clearly quite agile. Emperor Liu nodded and did not give excessive instructions, trusting that Li would do well. Shifting his thoughts, Emperor Liu mentioned a man: "That envoy Pule who came east on behalf of the Western Prefecture Uyghur Khagan to request aid—where is he now?"

"Having failed to obtain aid back then, this man secretly returned to Yizhou, gathered followers and organized resistance. After being routed by the Liao army, he took refuge in the Great Han. Since the destruction of the Western Prefecture Uyghurs, this man has remained in Shazhou, and now serves as a low-ranking officer in the Hexi border army..." Li Chongju replied.

The reason Li Chongju's hair had turned white so quickly was precisely because of the worries he had to bear, the people he had to remember, the records he had to keep. When the Emperor asked, he had to respond—even a long-outdated former Uyghur envoy could be recalled from memory.

Hearing this, Emperor Liu chuckled: "Back then, I saw this man was tenacious yet not lacking in shrewdness, and wished to grant him some minor office, but he refused, insisting on returning to rescue his people. Now the Uyghurs have been destroyed, and after going full circle, he still serves the Great Han!"

"Send someone to summon this man to the Eastern Capital—I wish to see him!" Emperor Liu casually instructed.

"Yes!"

Clearly, Emperor Liu's sudden focus on a mere Pule was by no means so simple. Perhaps he intended to meddle in the affairs of the Western Regions. Li Chongju speculated inwardly, but showed nothing on his face.

The Western Regions had been in chaos for six years now, and at last it had grudgingly settled down. Though information was insufficient, Emperor Liu's guess was correct—the Kara-Khanid dynasty was indeed exhausted.

Since beginning their eastward advance, the two sides had fought bitterly for over three years in the former lands of the Gaochang Uyghurs. Though relying on advantages in various aspects they had once gained the upper hand, and in the fourth year of Kaibao captured the important city of Kucha.

But since then, the Kara-Khanid army seemed to have expended all its strength, unable to advance further. The Kara-Khanid dynasty's goal was naturally to defeat the Liao army in one stroke, annex the former Uyghur lands, and then unify the Western Regions.

However, having spent so much time and paid such a heavy price, in the end they had only seized Kucha—and a city that had been plowed over again and again by war. It was indeed fertile land, but compared to Gaochang, Yizhou, Luntai and the like, it was somewhat insignificant.

Numbers of men, proximity of supply lines, religious fervor—these were all advantages of the Kara-Khanid army, but they were not unlimited. In large and small battles against the Liao army, the Kara-Khanids had lost over thirty thousand troops, yet their gains were hardly satisfactory.

For a state with a population of barely a million, this bloodshed was already more than enough. Even with support from important holy warriors, that was not inexhaustible. Moreover, to the west lay the Samanid dynasty, a mortal enemy—how could they fight the Liao army to the bitter end?

The Kara-Khanid dynasty had previously expanded westward once, recovering Taraz, but because the Samanid dynasty was powerful, they had voluntarily restrained their expansionist desires and turned instead to farming and development. This time they seized a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to advance east, but the Khitan were clearly not easy to deal with either—so rationally choosing to retreat would not cause too much psychological distress.

On the Liao side, difficulties were equally numerous. Due to the Great Han's deterrence in the south, domestic support was perpetually insufficient, and their attention had to be split in two—half to deal with the Kara-Khanids, half to suppress the Uyghurs.

Under such circumstances, in the past year or so, the will to fight on both sides had further diminished, and they had reduced large-scale clashes, transforming from bitter struggle into outright stalemate—which was understandable.

For Liao, which had originally entertained the idea of abandoning the Western Regions to escape their predicament, if peace could be negotiated, there was no reason to refuse. As for Kucha, which had been seized by the Kara-Khanids, it no longer mattered.

And looking at the Liao army's western expedition as a whole, though it suffered repeated setbacks in the middle and later stages and invested no small amount of resources, overall it had still come out ahead. Not only had they obtained vast wealth, goods, and plunder from destroying the Western Prefecture Uyghurs, they had also intimidated many disloyal elements at home, conscripted many able-bodied men from the Mobei tribes to reduce their strength, weakened destabilizing factors, and strengthened their rule over the grasslands.

At the same time, through years of war, through iron and blood and the clash of arms, they had forged an elite force. In this regard, the Great Han was somewhat lacking—after all, since the northern expedition, the Han army had not experienced major battles or bloody warfare for nearly ten years.

And the subsequent wars—whether pacifying the south, or Hexi, Annam, Liuqiu—were all too easy for the Great Han, and were not unification wars, merely skirmishes.

An army lacking the baptism of iron and blood, relying only on training, can hardly become a great force. Of course, this was only relatively speaking—a matter of tendency.

In reality, the Great Han still held an absolute advantage over Liao in comprehensive national strength. However, setting aside some gaps in equipment, if one were to field an army and clash head-on with the Liao forces in the Western Regions, the Han army would not necessarily win.

By now, Emperor Liu had been unifying the realm for six years, and many conditions had matured. Emperor Liu could no longer contain himself, turning his gaze northward to resolve the great enemy that was the Khitan and Liao.

But this time, compared to the northern expedition of yesteryear, the war would clearly be far more difficult. Against Liao, which occupied nearly all of Mobei and the northeast, adjustments would be needed in every aspect. Perhaps it would be another protracted bitter struggle, one whose outcome might not be decided in just two or three years.

Therefore, in keeping with Emperor Liu's consistently cautious and steady style, he would be prepared at all times, yet would not act rashly.

As for the current situation, whatever Liao wanted to do, the Great Han would obstruct, would place obstacles in the way. The Western Regions, unsurprisingly, entered Emperor Liu's field of vision.

For so many years, the two states of Liao and the Kara-Khanids had contended, and the Great Han had watched the show to its fill. Now they wanted to stop, catch their breath, seek peace, pursue development—how could Emperor Liu allow it?

Whether the Western Regions were in chaos or not—if Emperor Liu spoke on the matter, his influence would naturally be powerful.

"I hear your young lord is also about to marry?" Coming back from matters of state and military affairs, Emperor Liu suddenly changed the subject, asking Li Chongju.

Li Chongju replied: "Yes, the engagement has just been settled, and we plan for the wedding this year!"

"Which family's young lady is it?" Emperor Liu asked again.

Li Chongju answered: "Merely a small clan from the same township in Luzhou—a modest household, hardly worthy of Your Majesty's notice!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu smiled, considered for a moment, then said: "Establishing a family and a career—after the marriage, you should also arrange some post for your son, so he can contribute to the court!"

Li Chongju's son Li Jichang was considered one of the more outstanding youths among the meritorious nobles' sons, and was now just past twenty. To this, Li Chongju immediately expressed: "This servant thanks Your Majesty for the favor of promotion, but my worthless son is young and inexperienced in affairs, and still needs much study and tempering. To entrust him with a post lightly would only risk harming official business!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu immediately said: "It's not as if I'm granting him high office and heavy responsibility—who wasn't trained from youth and inexperience? If he can't be a magistrate of a hundred li, then serving as a Registrar or Secretary should be within his reach..."