Chapter 1242: Lu Duoxun Governs Hexi

"That must be the Qilian Mountains!" Emperor Liu raised his hand and pointed into the distance toward the mountain ridges in the northwest, asking Lu Duoxun.

In truth, his question was somewhat superfluous. The Hexi Corridor was formed precisely because it faced the great desert to the north and stood against towering mountains to the south—from the moment one entered Liangzhou territory, the long mountain ranges hugging the corridor had been in view the entire time.

The cold wind was biting, dark clouds pressed down upon the city, and the whole world seemed dim and gloomy. Though the view was not entirely clear, the distant mountain ridges, rising and falling in uneven layers, stretching on in endless waves, still gave one a sense of majestic grandeur. The snow-capped peaks reflected a faint, muted light, adding a touch of brightness to the scene.

"Your Majesty, these are the snow mountains on the southern slopes, connected to the main range. The principal peak of the Qilian Mountains lies further northwest, within Gansu territory!" Lu Duoxun introduced.

"Where is Yanzhi Mountain?" Emperor Liu asked again.

Lu Duoxun gestured with his hand: "Following the official road northwest, about a hundred and fifty li away lies Yanzhi Mountain. It is also the place where the imperial army once routed the Uyghurs in a great victory!"

"The mountains and rivers of the Great Han—what boundless splendor!" Gazing at the vast snow mountains towering at the edge of his vision, Emperor Liu seemed greatly invigorated, speaking with leisurely ease: "This range of mountains has accumulated too much history. It bears witness to the glorious achievements eternally enshrined in China's annals, and it also inscribes the pioneering, enterprising spirit of our Chinese sons..."

Lu Duoxun was a man skilled at flattery. Seeing Emperor Liu give vent to such sentiments, he immediately followed his lead: "Emperor Wu opening the frontiers, the Champion Marquis breaking the barbarians—both are deeds worthy of eternal singing and praise by later generations. That Hexi has forever remained our territory also dates from that time!"

"Lost my Qilian Mountains, my six livestock no longer thrive; lost my Yanzhi Mountain, my married women lose their beauty." Emperor Liu waved one hand in the air with dramatic flair, speaking with deep emotion: "This is the lament of the Xiongnu, and also a hymn of praise for China! The martyrs and predecessors have set their example before us—now, it is our turn!"

"Your Majesty's brilliance and bold spirit move me so that I cannot help but feel my heart surge!" Lu Duoxun immediately declared his stance: "To encounter a sage ruler—we ministers are most fortunate. We can only devote ourselves utterly and follow Your Majesty!"

To this, Emperor Liu merely smiled slightly—neither rebuking nor encouraging—leaving one unable to fathom his thoughts.

"Let us speak instead of the situation in Hexi!" Emperor Liu and Lu Duoxun returned to the gate tower. The sovereign and his minister sat down by a brazier to warm themselves by the fire, and he said to Lu Duoxun: "I read your earlier memorial carefully and found it good. I would like to hear your thoughts further!"

"Yes!" Lu Duoxun returned the courtesy, then, without hesitation, narrated calmly. When it came to matters within his purview, Lu Duoxun was exceptionally capable and decisive.

"Your Majesty, since the Guiyi Army returned and Gansu was recovered, the Great Han has secured Hexi and brought the corridor completely under control—it has only been six or seven years. One could say that in the first four or five years, the main tasks of the Hexi government offices and garrison troops were all focused on suppressing bandits, pacifying unrest, and establishing public order. Only in the past two years have the barbarian bandits submitted, the people's hearts turned toward peace, and laws and regulations begun to be implemented.

In your minister's view, Hexi's true turn toward stability and restoration of prosperity formally begins in the seventh year of Kaibao! This is also the goal that I, upon taking office, jointly formulated with the various officials and subordinates..."

Lu Duoxun's words could be called arrogant—he had only been promoted this year. Translated plainly: in the past, Hexi had not been stable or prosperous enough, and its renewed development and rise would begin with Lu Duoxun himself.

To his words, Emperor Liu only raised the corner of his mouth slightly, his attention seemingly focused on the flames rising in the brazier. Seeing this, Lu Duoxun continued: "Your Majesty, the Great Han's current rule over Hexi is weak in two respects. First, the terrain imposes limitations—the region is overly narrow and elongated, making the transmission of official documents and the promulgation of decrees less than smooth. To achieve control as strong as that in the Central Plains hinterland, one can only rely on sufficient military force to control and deter;

Second, population is the constraint—many peoples stand side by side, Hu and Han intermingled, yet the number of Han remains scarce. Although in recent years the roads to Guanlong and the Central Plains have been opened, attracting not a few people, it is still not enough. Therefore, your minister should further open policies and continue to attract people.

What your minister considers most worthy of concern is that the people's hearts have not yet been completely won over. Including the surviving inhabitants of Hexi, their submission is still due to awe of the Great Han's formidable national strength and military power—they do not have much sense of belonging to the Great Han.

What your minister must do next is first to win over the people's hearts. Once hearts are settled, Hexi will naturally be at peace..."

"Hearts are hidden behind the belly!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu pointed at his stomach and asked Lu Duoxun: "Winning over people's hearts is no easy matter!"

Lu Duoxun nodded: "Your minister understands! On this matter, I still intend to proceed from the cultural foundation. With Han institutions initially implemented throughout the region, I will promote unified reforms in matters of language, names, dress, customs, and the like! Having spent many years in Hexi, I have seen many Han still dressed in barbarian garb and native clothing..."

"Changing customs and transforming habits should proceed slowly—one must not be too hasty!" Emperor Liu nodded, expressing approval of his starting point, but could not help adding a word of caution.

"Yes! Your minister believes that with the foundation of the past few years, it can already be promoted! Moreover, I do not intend to enforce it one-sidedly—I will combine it with the local conditions and customs of Hexi itself!" Lu Duoxun explained: "What I wish to promote is the concept of the court's grand unification, integrating it into the very marrow and sinews of Hexi's officials and people!"

"Adapting measures to local conditions! Very good!" Emperor Liu said: "In governance and ruling the people, one must also avoid disregarding reality, failing to combine with actual circumstances, and forcibly applying a one-size-fits-all approach! I have inspected no small number of places. There is no lack of officials who faithfully implement court policies and uphold the laws of the Great Han, but those who can handle matters flexibly within the framework of national policy—those are still too few!"

Facing the implicit praise hidden in the Emperor's words, Lu Duoxun's lips curled up slightly, with a touch of self-satisfaction.

"I recall that you mentioned the contradictions between Han and Hu peoples!" Emperor Liu pointed out another matter.

Lu Duoxun explained: "The conflicts between Han and Hu were relatively frequent in the earlier years, still due to historical reasons. In the past, under the background of Hexi's complete fall, all the surviving inhabitants of Helong were ruled by the Hu barbarians.

The situation in Liangzhou was still relatively good—in the former Wenmo regime, the Han had a place. The more serious situation was in Gansu, where under Uyghur rule, Han people were virtually slaves to the barbarians, much exploited and oppressed.

Now, the Great Han has returned to Hexi, destroyed the Ganzhou Uyghur regime, and restored it to Han rule. The local Han survivors have turned over and become masters, and it is inevitable that they seek to repay the suffering they once endured.

Moreover, the Uyghurs harbor hidden resentment toward the Great Han. Earlier, when the Yellow bandits harassed and horse bandits ran rampant, the restless Uyghurs were placed under even greater military and administrative surveillance and control. And to maintain stability in Hexi and rapidly bring it under Great Han rule, the support of the Han survivors was also needed.

Various factors thus intensified the contradictions between Han and Hu—conflicts continued unabated, even with bloodshed occurring. In the past, it was the Uyghurs oppressing the Han; now, it is the Han oppressing the Uyghurs."

Hearing this, Emperor Liu's brows furrowed tightly. After pondering for a moment, he asked: "If left uncontrolled, in the long run this will surely lead to disaster—one must be careful and vigilant. How have the government offices mediated and resolved this?"

Lu Duoxun said: "The current provisional measure is to govern Hu and Han separately, each dwelling in their own places—Han tilling their lands, Hu herding their sheep—so as to reduce conflicts. However, in the previous process of demarcating territories, the Han people were allocated a great deal of fertile fields and pastures, which is also one of the main causes of dissatisfaction among the Hu people..."

"In that case, I fear this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause!" Emperor Liu sighed.

Lu Duoxun said: "This is also a matter of helplessness. Over the past two hundred years, although the Hu and Han of Hexi have been continuously integrating, the fundamental boundary between them still exists. When the court takes over governance, it must make choices and trade-offs—it cannot cover every aspect.

After the separation of governance, conflicts have indeed decreased considerably in the past two years. Since taking office, I have also issued new orders to the government offices of various regions, requiring prefectures, counties, and towns to strictly implement public security requirements and strictly prevent disputes under their jurisdiction.

Moreover, cases must be adjudicated in accordance with legal procedures, reducing partiality. In particular, those Han people who deliberately target and provoke trouble must be strictly restrained and not indulged.

Under this premise, promoting the fusion of customs—your minister anticipates that as time passes and the people of Hexi, from top to bottom, form new habits, this problem will ultimately be resolved..."