Chapter 1578: One Ought to Make Some

Emperor Liu gave a slight nod at Wang Yinwu's explanation, a gesture of acknowledgment, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly, revealing an expression that was half smile, half not.

His gaze drifted and settled on Xiao Siwen, who had not yet spoken: "Minister Xiao, what do you think?"

At the question, Xiao Siwen bowed in salute and said in a measured tone: "To answer Your Majesty, when the Khitan lord was young, he encountered the Huoshen Dian Incident. Fleeing from the chaos of war, his body and mind were both traumatized, and from childhood he developed a chronic ailment that never fully healed.

When he later usurped the throne and attended to state affairs, military and political matters weighed heavily upon him, further taxing his body. During the Northern Expedition War, the Khitan lord personally led a great army south to attack Shanyang, but was ultimately repelled by the imperial forces, suffering a great defeat and fleeing north in disgrace. The journey was arduous—he endured the hardships of military campaigning and caught the chill of the winter month, falling gravely ill.

Afterwards, the Khitan's situation deteriorated by the day, with unrest both within and without. The Khitan lord held on for a long time, struggling desperately to support himself, and his body, much like the Khitan's tottering national fortunes, was on the verge of collapse.

That he managed to hold on until now was already somewhat beyond my expectations. Therefore, when the news came south, I was certain it must be true!"

"I remember as well—you told me of this before!" Emperor Liu nodded repeatedly, looking at Xiao Siwen and sighing with admiration: "This matter, you foresaw it years ago, Minister Xiao. Now it proves true indeed—you have remarkable foresight!"

Facing Emperor Liu's praise, Xiao Siwen immediately demurred: "Your Majesty overpraises me; I truly dare not accept it. It was merely a fortunate guess!"

Emperor Liu smiled, made no comment on Xiao Siwen's modesty, but rose and paced a few steps in the hall. Gazing at the hazy curtain of rain outside, he remarked with emotion: "Yelu Xian is a pity—died young! To be fair, the man was not bad. The collapse of Liao and the decline of the Khitan were an inevitable tide!

Within two years of his succession, he brought the state to the brink of collapse, and the foundations laid by several generations of ancestors were lost one after another. For the Khitan, he may be called a sinner! However, the torrent of history rolls on—even if Yelu Abaoji and Yelu Deguang were alive, they could not have reversed it!

Moreover, in these past few years, he managed to keep the Khitan scattered but not dissolved, crumbling but not collapsed. He even decisively abandoned Monan and the Supreme Capital, retreated far to the Onon River, re-established roots in Mobei, and maintained rule over the northern tribes. It is clear this lad had some skill, and his will was fairly resolute—he counts as a man of talent for this age.

What a pity! He was born in the wrong era and chose the wrong opponent!

With Yelu Xian's death, my heart's burden seems to have eased a few more degrees..."

Emperor Liu held forth there, his condescending victor's posture tinged with smugness, and the ministers present seemed to detect a note of schadenfreude in his reflective tone.

However, none of them dared to comment freely on Emperor Liu's "fair" assessment—in this age, only Emperor Liu could so "confidently" evaluate the Khitan lord.

Of course, flattering Emperor Liu was still quite necessary. It was Wang Yinwu who spoke: "The Khitan lord presumptuously styled himself emperor, carved out territory beyond the northern frontier, and opposed the Great Han—his failure was inevitable! Now his early death is heaven's punishment. Count him fortunate, for otherwise, when the imperial army marches north one day, he could not have escaped the fate of being bound and presented to the palace..."

Compared to Wang Yinwu's unreserved flattery, Xiao Siwen's tone and expression were more restrained. He remarked with feeling: "To receive such an evaluation from Your Majesty, the Khitan lord can die without regret!"

"Heh heh..." Emperor Liu was amused by the two men. He shook his head, his smile slightly fading, and after pondering a moment, asked: "What is the situation after Yelu Xian's death?"

Wang Yinwu said: "To answer Your Majesty, all that is known at present is that after Yelu Xian died of illness, the Left Pishi Xiangwen Yelu Xiuge escorted his body back to the tent palace on the Onon River, sealing off news along the way and only announcing it upon arrival. As for further information, we await reports!"

"Yelu Xiuge..." Emperor Liu's brow furrowed slightly, and he muttered the name involuntarily.

Perhaps feeling that Emperor Liu did not know this man well enough, Xiao Siwen took the initiative to introduce him: "Yelu Xiuge is of Khitan imperial clan, a rising star in the military, extremely skilled in strategy. In his youth, he participated in the campaign against the Shiwei rebellion and earned fame through his exploits.

He later served under the Great King of the Southern Division, Yelu Xiezhen. During the Northern Expedition, he defended Jinzhou and resisted the imperial army. After Liaodong was recovered, he followed Yelu Xiezhen in retreating north to Tongzhou and Huanglongfu, and led troops to defeat the northeastern tribal rebellion.

After Huanglongfu was retaken, Yelu Xiezhen fell in battle, and Yelu Xiuge led several hundred remnants, evading pursuit, and returned west to the Supreme Capital. In the long confrontation with the Great Han, the Khitan lost countless generals and soldiers. Therefore, when a warrior combining courage and strategy emerged from the imperial clan to follow in Yelu Xiezhen's footsteps, the Khitan lord naturally cherished Yelu Xiuge greatly, and had thoughts of promoting him to become the new supreme military commander.

In the past few years of pacifying the Mobei tribal rebellions, Yelu Xiuge also led armies into battle many times, nearly undefeated in every campaign. Afterwards, he was granted the posts of Pishi Xiangwen and Commissioner of the Northern Bureau of Military Affairs, showing how highly he was regarded. When the Khitan lord made his western inspection tour, it was Yelu Xiuge who led troops to guard him..."

"I have heard of him for a long time!" At Xiao Siwen's explanation, Emperor Liu smiled faintly and said: "One Yelu Xiuge is nothing to worry about! From how this man handled matters after Yelu Xian's death, he is a capable man who can bear responsibility!"

"However, compared to that, I am more curious—after Yelu Xian's death, who will succeed him, and how will the Khitan situation develop?" Emperor Liu's lips curled slightly as he said: "Yelu Xian seems to have left behind only a young son, does he not?"

"Exactly so!" Wang Yinwu answered proactively: "The Khitan lord had only two sons. According to the system he established previously, the eldest son, Longxu, should succeed. However, Yelu Longxu is only four years old—just a child. How could he bear the heavy burden of ruling Mobei? I believe that over the succession, the Khitan will hardly avoid a struggle!"

Emperor Liu looked at Xiao Siwen, and taking the hint, Xiao Siwen also said: "Commissioner Wang speaks truly. Around that seat of power, the Khitan has already been fighting internally for decades, fully affecting the fate of the state. After Yelu Xian succeeded, although he clearly established the system of succession by the eldest legitimate son to eliminate the chaos and abuses of those decades, due to the development of the national situation, it did not take root in people's hearts.

In recent years, Yelu Xian also devoted himself to consolidating Mobei to counter the threat of the Great Han, and had no time to attend to it. Moreover, because the Khitan had fled far to Mobei, his prestige plummeted. Though he struggled to maintain support, in truth, people's hearts were turning toward dissent.

When the Taiping Prince launched his rebellion back then, one could glimpse this. If Yelu Xian had been given more time to further rectify internal affairs, or to let his son grow a bit older, then perhaps there could have been a smooth transition and the succession could have continued.

But heaven did not grant him more years..."

As he spoke, Xiao Siwen could not help but sigh: "The succession struggle that has plagued the Khitan for decades continues to this very day!"

Clearly, Xiao Siwen was not optimistic about the situation the Khitan in Mobei would face next—he was even already convinced that a new round of succession struggle would erupt. And such a view naturally pleased Emperor Liu greatly.

"Then in Minister Xiao's view, who will succeed? That Yelu Bishe?" Emperor Liu followed up immediately.

Xiao Siwen answered: "If it is for the stability of the Khitan, then the Yue Prince Bishe would naturally be most suitable. He is a close relative of the imperial clan, has prestige, and has experience in governance. However, in recent years, facing Yelu Xian's suppression, how much strength Yelu Bishe still possesses among the Khitan in Mobei is unknown.

Additionally, Yelu Xian still left behind a group of civil and military talents, such as Yelu Xianshi, Han Derang, Yelu Xiuge, and others. It was precisely with the assistance of these men that the Khitan was able to re-establish itself in Mobei.

If these men could unite in purpose and support the young lord's succession, it would not be impossible—after all, they hold the real power of the Khitan in Mobei.

However, with a young ruler and a suspicious state, whether this can win over people's hearts and gain their support remains an unknown."

"Regardless, with Yelu Xian's death, the Khitan will not be stable for some time!" Emperor Liu said with a smile.

"That is so!" Xiao Siwen responded.

The heavy rain outside the hall continued. Emperor Liu paced and pondered for a while, then suddenly raised his head and said: "After all, he was my opponent for several years. Now that Yelu Xian is dead, should I not send someone to offer condolences (congratulations)?"

"That is only proper!" Li Jilong spoke up.

Looking at him, Emperor Liu said with a beaming smile: "What a pity! You are in the capital at this moment—otherwise, I could give you another opportunity to go north to Mobei!"

The "going north" Emperor Liu spoke of clearly meant leading troops. As he finished speaking, he waved to Yantuo, who was attending nearby: "Instruct someone to summon Zhao Pu and Cao Bin for me!"

"Yes!"