Chapter 1198: Westward Expansion, Southward Annexation

"These yellow-headed bandit rebels are finally dealt with!" When Li Chuyun explained his purpose and first reported the war news from Hexi, Emperor Liu's reaction was very genuine, directly commenting: "Yang Tingzhang has lived up to my expectations, lived up to the court's trust!"

Emperor Liu's mood immediately turned for the better. These remnants of the Uyghurs could hardly be called a worry of his — he didn't even think much of them. But over the years, they had still caused the Great Han a fair amount of trouble in the northwest. A fierce tiger naturally wouldn't mind the bites of flies and mosquitoes, but those noises were still naked provocations.

If it were Liao massively harassing the empire's borders, Emperor Liu wouldn't have been so annoyed. But a defeated remnant of a fallen state daring to be so rampant, harming our people — that made Emperor Liu feel his face had been lost.

Therefore, over these years, the court had paid considerable attention to the campaign against the yellow-headed Uyghurs and had issued several directives. This put great pressure on the civil and military officials of Hexi, including Wu Tingzuo, which was why Yang Tingzhang launched his frenzied offensives, even risking long-distance raids several times without regard for danger.

Now, with the report of victory arriving, Emperor Liu's attitude did a complete about-face, praising the officers and soldiers who had rendered merit. He directly instructed Liu Yang: "For the meritorious personnel reported, have the Ministry of War expedite verification and approve promptly. Especially the soldiers who braved the winter wind in a seven-hundred-li raid — they must be singled out for commendation!"

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, this time it wasn't just the Uyghur remnants. Our army also eliminated the Tibetan tribal barbarians colluding with them along the way, conquering seventeen tribes in total, capturing over sixty thousand men and women. Though the cattle, sheep, and horses aren't many, they can still offset the campaign's expenditures!" Li Chuyun said, explaining the gains and significance of destroying the yellow-headed Uyghurs:

"From this point on, southwest of Gua and Sha, all future troubles are pacified, and we have successfully expanded our territory by over seven hundred li. At the same time, this will surely greatly display our army's might, and the surrounding barbarians will be cowed once more, not daring to cast sidelong glances!"

Emperor Liu rose and walked to the map of the Great Han, his gaze falling on the northwestern region, following along with Li Chuyun's explanation. Though it was hard to be completely accurate, Qinghai Lake had now thoroughly become the court's internal lake, and the newly expanded territory roughly encompassed the Qaidam Basin.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Emperor Liu said again: "Very good!"

"Send an edict to Wu Tingzuo and Lu Duoxun — the captured Uyghurs and Tibetans are to be settled by them. As for the Tibetans, the main approach is to pacify and absorb them. As for those Uyghurs, the able-bodied men are to be pressed into labor, and the old, weak, women, and children are all to be reduced to government slaves!" Emperor Liu said calmly. A single light sentence, and it represented the suffering about to befall tens of thousands.

The difference in treatment between the Uyghurs and Tibetans was naturally a matter of differentiated handling. After all, in the northwestern region, Tibetans were more widely distributed and had greater influence. It could be said that for a long time to come, the court would mainly be dealing with Tibetans, so compared to the already-conquered and eliminated Uyghurs, the attitude and methods naturally had to be more lenient.

"Additionally, send a document to the Hall of State Affairs, having them draft a proposal for establishing prefectures and counties in the newly acquired lands. They must also produce concrete measures for how to digest the gains and stabilize rule!" Emperor Liu continued instructing Liu Yang.

Staring at the northwestern map, one could clearly see that the Great Han's territory had expanded again. Even just looking at the world on a map, it was hard not to feel one's heart surge — after all, this was his achievement!

Pointing at that region southwest of Gua and Sha in Gansu, Emperor Liu asked: "If I'm not mistaken in my recollection, this northwestern territory still doesn't encompass the four commanderies established by Emperor Yang of Sui, does it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chuyun's face stiffened — he didn't have such broad knowledge. It was the erudite Shi Xizai who rescued him from embarrassment, taking the initiative to say to Emperor Liu: "In the fifth year of Daye, Emperor Yang of Sui campaigned west against the Tuyuhun, seizing all their cities and lands, and established the four commanderies of Xihai, Heyuan, Shanshan, and Qiemo on the former Tuyuhun territory.

In my view, the Great Han's current northwestern territory already encompasses most of Xihai and Heyuan, and portions of Shanshan and Qiemo. Compared to the Sui dynasty's territory, it is indeed lacking!"

Shi Xizai was speaking frankly, after all — besides the four commanderies, the Sui had also achieved results in managing the Western Regions. On that point, Emperor Liu fell considerably short.

However, he didn't take it to heart. He simply stared seriously at the map, thinking for a long while, before finally sighing with emotion: "Though Emperor Yang of Sui was obstinate and self-conceited, tyrannical and unkind, causing heaven and man to turn against him and his dynasty to fall in the second generation, he could still be called a great sovereign of his era!"

It was probably a case of "mutual appreciation" between great sovereigns. Toward Emperor Yang of Sui, Emperor Liu's feelings and assessment were relatively more objective. After all, he was the Son of Heaven of the Great Han — he didn't need to engage in political correctness.

To be fair, before the Great Tang, the Great Sui was absolutely a peak period among all dynasties in both civil governance and military achievements. Even the later prosperity of the Great Tang could hardly completely overshadow the Sui's brilliance — the Tang inheriting the Sui's institutions was reflected in every aspect.

"Your Majesty, the matter of Emperor Yang of Sui should serve as a warning!" Shi Xizai detected the approval of that tyrant in Emperor Liu's tone and immediately reminded him sternly.

At this, Emperor Liu chuckled and continued: "Over these many years, the court has expanded its territory greatly in the northwest and recovered much of the homeland occupied by the Tibetans. Tell me — will this force the Tibetans to feel threatened, unite, and unify once again?"

Hearing this, Shi Xizai answered with certainty: "Absolutely not! The collapse of the Tibetan state lay in the disintegration of its slave system — it was a top-down collapse, the destruction of the very foundation of the state. When the foundation no longer exists, how can reunification occur? Moreover, they have been divided for over a century, each ruling independently, embroiled in endless strife, in continuous decline. Now there is no tribe or lineage with the strength and prestige to unify Tibet. And even more so — with the Great Han standing by, how could we permit it?"

Unexpectedly, this Confucian scholar Shi Xizai could possess such insight and bearing. Emperor Liu smiled slightly, moving his gaze from the Western Regions to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. After a long moment, he gave his directive: "From now on, regarding the various Tibetan tribes, we must strengthen contact and exchange. Open the way with grain, tea, cloth, and salt. Focus on winning them over and absorbing them, influencing them gradually so that they submit!"

"Yes!"

Of course, this was also the policy toward Tibet that the court had summarized over many years. A divided and chaotic plateau left far too much room for the court to maneuver.

And the best results were naturally achieved in the southwestern region. Under Zhao Pu's leadership, the territory actually controlled by the Great Han west of Jiannan had already expanded to the Batang and Markam areas of later ages, with influence reaching even the upper reaches of the Nu River. West of Longyou, it had also advanced to the Jishi Mountains.

Counting the gains from this campaign to eliminate the yellow-headed Uyghurs, the vast "Qinghai-Tibet" region was presenting a state of being gradually devoured by the Great Han. Though it was still being swallowed whole without proper digestion, and management costs remained high, it could not be denied that these regions had now formally been restored as territory of the Great Han, recorded on maps and in annals.

After the Hexi matters were reported, Li Chuyun immediately followed up by presenting the military situation in the southwest. Upon hearing it, Emperor Liu was thoroughly overjoyed — even his eyebrows couldn't help but dance.

If the territorial expansion in Hexi was worth a great drink, then the victory in the southwest deserved a song of celebration. Even without hearing the specific report, Emperor Liu could already see the positive impact of Dali's surrender.

Regarding the policy for ruling the southwest, the court had decided to adopt a conciliatory approach of pacification. Therefore, as long as the Duan clan surrendered, all the other powers and tribes, great and small, could be appeased and bought off.

After all, what Emperor Liu wanted wasn't to implement thorough rule over the Dali region — that wouldn't be realistic either. What he needed was to obtain de jure sovereignty and administrative and military authority over the main cities. Everything else could be distributed to those native tribes.

The ones that truly needed to be dealt with were only the Duan clan and those great clans. Now that they had surrendered, it meant the southwestern war was heading toward a victorious conclusion. This came even earlier than Emperor Liu had anticipated — an unexpected gain.

How could he not be delighted? It had to be said that even with the Great Han's considerable resources, sustaining a war of this scale in the southwest was no easy feat, with various expenditures rising exponentially. Not to mention anything else — the dead and wounded soldiers alone represented a tremendous loss. If one viewed this war from an economic perspective, it was absolutely a losing venture, and one from which the investment could basically never be recovered...

Now that the war was drawing to a close, it meant the court could begin to stop the bleeding. Emperor Liu was happy to see it.

Moreover, even just for the sake of the territory that had surged in size once again, some celebration was warranted. Compared to the gradual nibbling at Tibet, this was a whale-swallow of Dali — one bite taken, and it was far more than a thousand li of new territory. The entire southwest was about to be thoroughly connected into one piece.