Chapter 1222: Friendly Exchanges Between Han and Liao Emperors

Beneath the clear sky, beside the blue waters, before the two armies, the masters of the two mightiest empires in East Asia, the men who held the future course of China and even the world in their hands, two rivals of nearly two decades, finally met in a historic encounter.

There was no handshake, no embrace; both remained quite reserved, merely cupping their hands in simple greeting before taking their seats and calmly sizing each other up.

The Yelu Jing that Emperor Liu saw was quite handsome in appearance, with a composed bearing and dignified demeanor—an image utterly different from what he had heard and known before. His eyes could not help but reveal a trace of surprise, though upon closer inspection of the Liao sovereign's features, one could still discern some unusual symptoms.

Emperor Liu unabashedly scrutinized Yelu Jing, and in response, Yelu Jing stared straight back at Emperor Liu. He had to admit, facing the Emperor of the Great Han Empire directly, he felt a measure of pressure.

The two were similar in age, yet Emperor Liu appeared far more weathered, his every movement clean and decisive, exuding immense authority. This was the bearing cultivated by more than twenty years of ruling the realm, where his word carried the weight of nine cauldrons.

"The Liao sovereign has come from afar to keep the appointment, and I am grateful in my heart. I have prepared some modest wine to fulfill the duties of a host! I hear the Liao sovereign enjoys drinking—this is an imperial brew treasured in the palace, aged over thirty years. Even given the vastness of the Great Han, it is exceedingly rare..." After a moment of eye contact, it was Emperor Liu who first broke the silence, raising his cup in invitation.

Upon hearing this, Yelu Jing picked up the wine cup but held it suspended before his chest, meeting Emperor Liu's "warm and cordial" gaze and saying: "I thank the Han sovereign for this hospitality, but what you have said is mistaken!"

Though Yelu Jing's Chinese carried a thick foreign accent, it was spoken fluently and clearly. From this it was evident that despite having done things to exclude and suppress the Han in the past, this man was still a monarch deeply sinicized.

"What is the mistake?" Emperor Liu asked.

Yelu Jing held the cup in one hand and pointed at the ground beneath his feet with the other, saying: "If I remember correctly, the pastures and lakes of this place are all the lands of my Great Liao. I came here originally to inspect my territory and observe my tribesmen, and responding to the invitation was merely a coincidence. The duties of a host should be mine to fulfill!"

As he spoke, Yelu Jing waved his hand, and the attendants who had come with him immediately brought out from a carriage portions of cooked meat still steaming with heat, setting them upon the food tables.

Yelu Jing set down his wine cup, switched to the mare's milk wine offered by his attendants, and pointed at the roasted mutton placed before Emperor Liu, saying: "I hear the Central Plains is fond of mutton. This sheep was the freshest and tenderest in my imperial camp, carefully prepared by the kitchen. The Han sovereign may taste it..."

Somewhat surprised—so he was going to lock horns like this? Since the man would not drink his wine, how could Emperor Liu eat his meat? He raised his cup again in a toast, drained it in one go, and then said leisurely: "If I remember correctly, this land has been territory of China since the Qin dynasty!"

Yelu Jing also took a drink of mare's milk wine and said with a light laugh: "The Han sovereign need not dredge up stale history. If one wishes to debate history, it can never be settled. We are men of today, and Liao and Han are both current dynasties—let us speak of today's matters today!"

Emperor Liu grew interested and immediately said: "As for today's matters—this place has our Han people, garrisons our Han army, and is governed by Han officials. It is Han, not Liao. How could there be any dispute?"

"Surrounded by mountains on all sides, beside this lake, my people also graze their herds widely, and Liao patrols guard within. How do you explain that? Ten years ago in the Han-Liao peace agreement, the two states agreed that the southern dynasty's territory lay south of the Great Wall. Now the southern dynasty's soldiers and civilians have infiltrated and encroached northward—this is already a violation of the treaty and betrayal of the alliance!" said Yelu Jing.

"In the Han-Liao peace agreement, this land was left for deliberation. Since it was left for deliberation, it should be decided by the people themselves. Both Hu and Han peoples submit to the governance of the Great Han officials; the will of the people points here, and so we garrison here. How can there be any doubt?" Emperor Liu retorted.

"..."

During the tense standoff between the Han and Liao armies, no one had expected that the two emperors, each drinking his own wine and enjoying his own food, would actually start debating here—sharp and pointed, yielding not an inch of ground.

After wrangling for a long while, finally Yelu Jing burst into loud laughter. If you laugh, I laugh too—Emperor Liu likewise let out a hearty laugh. And with the laughter drifting away in the autumn wind, the smell of gunpowder permeating the air seemed to dissipate as well.

Looking at Emperor Liu, Yelu Jing said with some emotion: "The Han sovereign truly lives up to his reputation—ambitious and yet petty and calculating!"

Emperor Liu smiled slightly: "Every inch of the Great Han's territory was won by Han sons through blood and battle, sword and blade. How could there be any reason to yield!"

"What my Great Liao lacks least is warriors, war blades, and fine horses!" Yelu Jing's tone suddenly turned stern.

How could such bluster have any effect on Emperor Liu? As calm as clouds and wind, he took a sip of wine to moisten his throat and asked: "I wonder, when conquering the Western Regions, how many Liao soldiers died and how much grain and fodder was expended?"

Yelu Jing's eyes flickered slightly, and with a proud posture he said: "With a mere thirty to fifty thousand troops, we took all the Uyghur lands, gained hundreds of thousands of people, a million head of cattle and sheep, and countless wealth and goods. A few losses—what is there to speak of?"

"After years of bloody fighting, you gained only half of the Western Regions—ruins and rubble, provoking powerful neighbors while breeding internal troubles. Was it worth it or not?" Emperor Liu continued to ask.

He placed particular emphasis on the words "internal troubles," because in the Western Regions, the Uyghur resistance was growing ever more intense, and seeing the situation unstable, the Kara-Khanid dynasty to the west seemed to be entertaining some ideas again—only because they had been badly hurt by the Liao army last time were they holding back and daring not to act rashly. But one thing was certain: once the situation in the Western Regions broke down, the Kara-Khanid dynasty with its intense expansionist desires would absolutely not sit by and watch.

Behind the unrest in the Western Regions, of course, was the hidden hand of the Great Han—this Yelu Jing naturally knew clearly. Therefore, at the mention of it, his expression immediately darkened a few shades.

However, noticing Emperor Liu's amused gaze, Yelu Jing steadied his mind and feigned composure, saying: "Whether it was worth it or not, there's no need for the Han sovereign to worry on behalf of my Great Liao!"

"As friendly neighbors between Han and Liao, a necessary measure of concern is only proper—this is also the responsibility and duty of a great power!" Emperor Liu said without a flush of embarrassment or a racing heart.

"Then I must thank the Han sovereign for his concern!" Yelu Jing was already having difficulty maintaining the composure he had displayed.

"No need for courtesy!"

Seeing that Emperor Liu still maintained that indifferent bearing, Yelu Jing's eyes rolled, and he took the initiative to say: "The Han army drains its soldiers and people, expending hundreds of thousands to march south and take the barbaric wilderness—I wonder how many soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded?"

Emperor Liu said: "The Great Han's treasuries are full; a little expenditure is not worth mentioning. The soldiers and people of the Great Han all harbor great ambitions to expand the realm. The living have military merit, the wounded receive compensation, and the fallen have their spirits immortalized with no worries left behind—thus every man fights to the death..."

Yelu Jing naturally did not take this seriously, and a trace of mockery showed on his face. Even among the grassland peoples he commanded, not all were eager for battle and war—how much less so for the Chinese who believed in the golden mean and peace? What Emperor Liu said was nothing but embellishment.

"The Han sovereign repeatedly raises the sword, launching campaigns abroad—do you not fear criticism from your own people for militarism and aggression?" Yelu Jing asked.

Emperor Liu nodded: "Soon!"

"What?" Yelu Jing did not understand for a moment.

Seeing this, Emperor Liu offered a brief explanation: "At present, only one last enemy remains. Once that is dealt with, the Great Han can put its horses out to pasture and store its spears and blades away!"

At these words, Yelu Jing's face could no longer contain his anger, and behind him, the attendant Yelu Xian stepped forward with a stern voice: "The warriors of the Great Liao are sharpening their weapons and feeding their horses, waiting for the Han army to come north!"

Seeing his anger, Zhao Kuangyin, who was accompanying the emperor, also stepped forward: "In the last battle, our army advanced with irresistible force, sweeping the northern border, recovering the passes and mountains, and driving the Liao army back a thousand li. The next battle will not end with merely such a result!"

"The battlefield will show the true measure of men!" Yelu Xian showed no fear either.

Yelu Jing then stared coldly at Emperor Liu: "Is the Han sovereign personally here to declare war on my Great Liao?"

A look of "bewilderment" appeared on Emperor Liu's face. Licking his fingers that were stained with grease, he said nonchalantly: "That is going too far! Han and Liao are friendly neighbors and allied states, moreover bound by marriage—how could we recklessly move our blades? The enemy I refer to is the Tibetans to the west..."

This explanation from Emperor Liu carried not a shred of sincerity.

Noticing the stalwart and resolute Yelu Xian, Emperor Liu asked: "Who is this man?"