Chapter 1517: The Hidden Danger of the Hu Tribes

"It seems you still have reservations about Xiao Siwen, Chancellor Zhao!" Emperor Liu said with a slight smile.

Zhao Pu paused, then said, "Your Majesty, Xiao Siwen is indeed talented—skilled in both civil and military affairs, adept at practical governance, capable of maintaining order, and well-versed in Han learning. Even among the officials of the Great Han, such talent is rare.

Since coming south, Xiao Siwen has always been well-behaved, respectful, diligent, and loyal, providing the court with much secret intelligence on the Khitan. I hold no prejudice against him. However, he is after all of Khitan descent, a noble of the Inner Four Tribes. How long this deference and loyalty to the court will last, I cannot readily judge.

Just now, when I mentioned the death of his eldest daughter, his face showed no change, no trace of grief, not the slightest sorrow at losing a child. Such a heart seems far too cold and hard..."

Zhao Pu's words were not lacking in recognition of Xiao Siwen's abilities, and he acknowledged his value to the Great Han. Yet between the lines, suspicion still pervaded, carrying a strong sense of wariness, and he took the opportunity to criticize him on moral grounds, displaying an almost instinctive contempt.

Hearing Zhao Pu's words, Emperor Liu smiled faintly and said leisurely, "To be honest with you, Chancellor Zhao, I cannot claim to fully trust Xiao Siwen either. But since he has come, let him be at peace. It has been quite some time since he defected south, and I did indeed cold-shoulder him for a period.

Now he is eager to make progress, to render meritorious service for the Great Han, and has achieved results. This enthusiasm deserves recognition. Without Xiao Siwen, our understanding of the Khitan would not be so thorough. Without his vigorous recruitment efforts, those Khitan nobles and tribesmen would not have responded and submitted.

To attract distant peoples and settle them peacefully follows the way of the ancient sages. Since we employ him, we should trust him without suspicion. As the saying goes, judge by deeds, not by intentions. As long as it benefits the court and serves the Great Han, private virtue need not be the measure of gain or loss.

In the court of the Great Han, with virtuous and upright ministers like yourselves, do we fear a lack of moral standards? Even if he harbors treacherous designs, with you gentlemen keeping watch, what is there to fear from a single Xiao Siwen?"

This discourse of Emperor Liu displayed considerable grace and magnanimity. Whether or not he agreed in his heart, Zhao Pu still assumed an air of heartfelt admiration and praised the lofty words.

"When you mentioned recruiting and buying over the Khitan tribesmen just now, I noticed a strange look on your face. If you have any concerns, speak them all now!" Emperor Liu, equally satisfied with Zhao Pu's reasonableness, turned to ask.

At this, Zhao Pu pondered for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, on this matter, I do indeed have some misgivings."

Pausing briefly to organize his words, he continued, "Over the past two or three years, the court has successively taken in nearly two hundred thousand people from the tribes of Mobei. Now, in the northern prefectures and circuits such as the Yan Mountains, Shanyang, and Yulin, the Hu barbarians of various tribes distributed there already exceed five hundred thousand.

So many Hu gathered along the northern frontier pose too great a threat to the stability of the Great Han's borders. They may be docile now, but that may not last. Even if there is no immediate worry, there is long-term concern. Since ancient times, when Hu have submitted to the south, few have remained peacefully governed under the court's rule for long.

The Great Han is now strong, and they bow before its might, forced into submission, sheathing their claws, even relying on the court to develop and grow in peace. But Hu are wolves by nature. Once they are allowed to grow strong, they will inevitably turn and bite. Should trouble arise on the border, these Hu would become the greatest threat to the Great Han's northern stability.

And the threat of the Khitan surpasses all other tribes. First, they once dominated the steppe; though crushed by the Great Han, they surely do not submit willingly. Second, as long as the Khitan royal court exists in Mobei, the Khitan who have submitted to us can never be fully trusted. The court must always guard against them playing both sides and colluding internally and externally..."

"There are that many Hu in the northern frontier?" Emperor Liu was somewhat surprised.

Zhao Pu nodded, his tone grave: "Perhaps my account is even conservative. The actual numbers may be greater."

Zhao Pu's words clearly served as a wake-up call to Emperor Liu, whose face showed visible contemplation. After a long moment, he said, "Chancellor Zhao, you have reminded me again! If the Hu population becomes unbalanced, it is indeed no small hidden danger to the stability of the northern frontier!"

"How many Han are distributed across the northern prefectures and circuits?" Emperor Liu asked.

"According to current registered records, the Han subjects in the prefectures and circuits of Yulin, Shanyang, and others number over two million. But most are concentrated in Yunshuo and the major towns to its south. As for the remote borderlands, the population is truly sparse.

In border prefectures such as Feng and Sheng, the larger ones have several thousand, the smaller ones only a few hundred, and that includes many criminals exiled to the frontier. Though the court has relocated many Han commoners to the border regions, against the vast northern frontier, it is like trying to put out a cartload of firewood with a cup of water.

As for the lands of Monan, they are primarily garrisoned by troops. Moving among them, besides a portion of Han herders, are mostly merchants traveling north and south.

In fact, most of those distributed there are Hu who have submitted from the south..."

"This matter must be handled with great care—the court needs to give it serious consideration!" Emperor Liu even stood up, paced a few steps before the imperial desk, and gestured as he spoke.

Noticing Emperor Liu's furrowed brow, Zhao Pu knew that his remonstrance had thoroughly captured the Emperor's attention.

"The problem now is no longer merely taking in some Khitan tribes—it already involves the stability of the entire northern frontier!" Emperor Liu said gravely.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

In truth, although the Great Han now looked down upon the world, having crushed Liao and forced the Khitan to flee far to Mobei, making all lands south of the Yin Mountains Han territory, the court's rule over Monan was extremely precarious—one could say it rested entirely on overwhelming military strength.

The slightest change would pull one hair and move the whole body, even triggering turmoil across the entire northern frontier. The core problem lay precisely in the submitted tribes the court had taken in and settled over these years—though there were also some Uyghur and Tangut peoples who had migrated north from Hexi and Yulin.

As for these people, the court was still in an initial stage of assimilation, having not established overly firm rule. This was why Emperor Liu had always harbored wariness toward the Khitan.

Not merely because of the near-instinctive mindset that the Khitan were a great enemy, but also because the Khitan who had fled north showed signs of recuperation and recovery. Now it seemed this instinctive wariness was also related to the Great Han's weak rule over Monan and the entire northern frontier.

With unease in his heart, he could never ignore the Khitan threat. Should the Khitan raid south, the stability of Monan and the entire northern frontier would be challenged.

"Chancellor Zhao, since you have identified this problem, you must have a plan in mind for solving it!" Emperor Liu looked at Zhao Pu with an inquiring gaze.

Asked this, Zhao Pu replied unhurriedly, "Your Majesty, in my view, we should proceed from two aspects. First, continue migrating population to the northern frontier to fill the border regions and consolidate the Great Han's foundation of rule. Second, for the tribes distributed in the north, implement household registration and full assimilation, absorbing them completely into Han subjects! However, neither of these policies will be easy to implement!"

As he spoke, Zhao Pu let out a soft sigh. Emperor Liu understood his meaning. Regarding migration, the court had been operating intermittently for nearly twenty years, and by now it had basically ground to a halt—unless they continued to forcibly relocate people from interior prefectures and circuits.

But coercive measures often breed popular resentment. After all, unless compelled by necessity, who would willingly go to the borderlands to make a living? At least up to now, the resentment of the several hundred thousand Han relocated to the northwest by the court had yet to subside.

The court's migration to fill the borders was originally meant to strengthen control over the frontier and consolidate the foundation of rule. But if all they sent were resentful people, that would only add hidden dangers.

Ultimately, the Great Han's internal land conflicts were not yet severe. There were not that many landless refugees, nor enough surplus population to migrate and fill the borders.

As for registering the Hu tribes as regular households, that was not entirely undone, but no significant results had been seen, and resistance was strong. After all, such thorough digestion and absorption encroached upon the interests of those tribes and their chieftains.

Previously, for the sake of overall stability in the northern frontier, local governments had not enforced it too harshly. For local officials, even if they executed it well, the merit might not be great—but if they provoked the Hu tribes under their jurisdiction into rebellion, that would be a grave error.

Emperor Liu thought for a moment, then suddenly said resolutely, "Even if it is difficult, it must be done! Fearing hardship and danger is not the style of the Great Han—we should rise to meet the challenge. As for migration to fill the borders, since coercion won't work, we shall adopt more flexible means. Formulate friendly policies, entice them with benefits. If the court offers generous rewards and follows through, there will surely be Han commoners who are tempted.

As for registering the Hu as regular households, that must also continue to be pushed forward. In the past, perhaps compelled by circumstances and seeking stability in the northern frontier, we had to make appropriate compromises.

But being content with the status quo is wrong. We cannot trade temporary peace for hidden dangers to long-term stability. Since they survive within the territory of the Great Han, they must submit to the Great Han's rule. The court's will is not something a bunch of nobles and Hu chieftains can defy!"

"Since this matter was raised by you, you shall oversee the planning and implementation!"

"Yes!" Zhao Pu acknowledged.