Chapter 1893: Anxi's Delayed Enfeoffment

After finishing the discussion on Liu Yun's arrangements, Emperor Liu fell silent once more, turned and walked slowly a few steps to the northwest corner of the map, where "Zone Three" was located. Regarding how to handle this area, Emperor Liu did not directly state his intentions for the moment, but stared down at it for a long time with a pensive expression, as if he had not yet made up his mind, or perhaps as if he had too many considerations.

Seeing Emperor Liu like this, everyone else quieted down as well, standing silently around him, waiting for Emperor Liu to finish his deliberations.

Judging only from what was shown on the map, the "Zone Three" that Emperor Liu had marked encompassed the entirety of Anxi, without any finer division.

Ever since Emperor Liu had split up Anxi back then, with the vast lands south of the Tianshan Mountains being separated from the Protectorate's jurisdiction and established as the Gaochang Circuit, the territory under the Anxi Protectorate's control had shrunk dramatically. At the very beginning of the Islamic allied forces' eastern expedition, it had even been reduced to controlling only the southern region of Lake Issyk-Kul, with the only cities of any note being Suyab and Guocheng (Barskhan, renamed after Guo Yi captured it with his troops).

However, after more than two years of warfare, the replenished Han army had returned in force, and especially with the successive captures of Yang City and Taraz last year, the Anxi army's room for expansion had grown once more. At present, the territory under Anxi's control had already expanded to eight hundred li southwest of Taraz, and only by taking Samarkand, that major city of Transoxiana, could the achievements of the western expeditionary soldiers be thoroughly consolidated.

Not only had they utterly routed this wave of the Arab allied forces, but they had also expanded their territory by a thousand li, seizing more than ten cities large and small from the Samanid Dynasty—truly remarkable achievements. However, Anxi, which had ballooned like an inflated balloon, was not exactly stable at the moment. Stretching too far can strain even the most elastic, let alone having expanded two thousand li east and west in less than half a year.

Up to now, what the Anxi army truly controlled were only those garrison cities along the Silk Road; even some towns marked on the map had not been completely brought under control. What is always harder than expansion is the aftermath—maintaining order and security.

The reliable strength the Protectorate could rely on was only the Anxi army of just over thirty thousand, of which the core force was less than twenty thousand. These soldiers were stationed in various cities, and all they could do was maintain military control; the establishment of the Great Han's political and economic management system had only just begun.

Even so, the security situation was poor, with repeated setbacks and unrest springing up everywhere. The most detestable were undoubtedly those Islamic believers, who time and again recklessly charged the Han army or ambushed patrols. The series of "religion-eradication" policies that Liu Min had implemented in Suyab back then had earned him a "notorious reputation," and after the army invaded the Samanid Dynasty, it naturally provoked fierce backlash from the populace.

If it were only a matter of counterinsurgency warfare, that would be one thing, but the counterattack from the Samanid Dynasty was also imminent. Throughout the entire eastern expedition, they had come off worst, suffering enormous losses. The loss of troops and horses was one thing, but the key issue was that they had lost too many cities and territories—even Samarkand itself was now threatened.

If Samarkand was in danger, how far away was Bukhara? Therefore, even with domestic instability, swelling regional powers, and the increasingly obvious trend of Turkic military commanders carving up the provinces, Bukhara could only transfer its remaining guard forces eastward to resist the Anxi army, while urgently conscripting troops to prepare for war. The fighting in Anxi was far from over—indeed, it might face an even more chaotic situation.

Of course, given the Samanid Dynasty's current decrepit state, beset by internal strife and external threats, it was nothing to fear. But those Islamized Persians and Turks demanded vigilance. The first Islamic allied forces had been routed, but given their fanaticism, it was hard to say there wouldn't be a second.

Not to mention anything else, those Ghaznavid troops looked quite formidable, with strong cohesion, and had inflicted the greatest casualties on the Anxi army in successive battles. Of course, after Taraz fell, they were also the fastest to flee...

Therefore, despite the brilliant results achieved, the situation in Anxi was hardly optimistic. They could face an enemy counterattack at any moment, and the pressure on the Anxi Protectorate was actually not light. Indeed, with the dispersion and weakness of their forces, the situation was even more perilous.

Of course, the Protectorate had organized some auxiliary troops, but aside from the various ethnic conscripts recruited from within the realm, these auxiliary forces were basically incapable of fighting. Even when they could fight, they were hard to trust, for one could not guarantee whether Islamic heretics were hidden among them. Even for maintaining order and collecting taxes and grain levies, they had to be used with caution.

At the root of it all, the situation in Anxi had developed to its current state because the strength available to the Anxi Protectorate was severely insufficient, while the support and resources projected from the court were limited. The further west they pushed, the more acute this awkwardness became.

Under such circumstances, directly administering the Anxi region had become thoroughly impractical. Establishing a vassal state on the foundation of the Anxi Protectorate was only natural.

What Emperor Liu was hesitating over was merely how to divide and enfeoff the territory. Liu Min's title as Prince of Anxi was essentially set in stone, but directly granting all of present-day Anxi to Liu Min left Emperor Liu somewhat reluctant.

It was not that he had any dissatisfaction with Liu Min; rather, within Emperor Liu's aging frame there still burned certain ambitions. In Emperor Liu's view, Anxi was a place of great potential—whether Transoxiana or the even more western lands of the Two Rivers, they were the essence of the world-island, cradles of civilization.

A single Kingdom of Anxi would hardly be enough to conquer it all. Of course, Emperor Liu knew that would be extremely difficult, for these were not the native barbarians of the south to deal with; military, political, cultural, religious—every aspect faced enormous difficulties. But with it within arm's reach, Emperor Liu could hardly resign himself without at least trying. At the very least, he wanted to preserve that possibility, even if he would most likely never live to see that day...

Therefore, in Emperor Liu's initial plans, Anxi was to be split into three to four states depending on circumstances, developing in the north, west, and south directions. But the current situation was not well suited for splitting up Anxi, for that was precisely a time to concentrate strength for great undertakings...

The deeper Emperor Liu pondered, the tighter his brow furrowed. The princes observing his expression instinctively grew cautious, holding their breath and not daring to disturb him.

After a long while, Emperor Liu suddenly raised his head and called out: "Liu Ye!"

"Here!" Liu Ye immediately stepped forward, his handsome face full of confidence and anticipation, his every move carrying a strong military bearing.

Looking at this thirteenth son, who had known how to make his presence felt since childhood, Emperor Liu pointed at Anxi and said: "You are to return to Anxi. Your fief will also be in the west, but the specifics are not yet known—that will depend on your performance from here on! Territory cannot rely solely on my bestowal; you must fight for it, seize it, and win it yourselves!"

Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Liu Ye's thick black brows couldn't help but leap with excitement as he asked steadily: "If I conquer a realm ten thousand li wide, will it all be enfeoffed to me?"

"Quite the bold claim!" Emperor Liu seemed to recall the sight of Liu Ye making wild boasts before him in his youth, and couldn't help but laugh and scold: "That's something to talk about after you've actually conquered it!"

Liu Ye wore a nonchalant expression, thought for a moment, then clasped his hands and said: "Your subject also has a request, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it!"

"Speak!"

"Sixth Brother has already brought the Prince of Wei's consort dowager to Suyab. Your subject is far off in the western frontier and will likely find it difficult to return to the capital in the future. I humbly request permission to bring my mother back to Anxi!" Liu Ye said with a serious expression.

Emperor Liu had originally thought Liu Ye would ask for troops, money, grain, or weapons, but never expected he would ask only for his mother. Looking at Liu Ye, a feeling that his son had grown up welled up within him. Without much hesitation, he said: "When you return to Anxi, take your mother with you!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The current Emperor Liu was already immune to matters of women and such, with nothing he was unwilling to part with. Moreover, Liu Ye's mother, Consort Qin Xiang, was not particularly favored—she had not received Emperor Liu's attentions for well over a decade.

After finishing with Liu Ye, Emperor Liu turned his gaze to Prince of Zhao, Liu Fang. When the gaze fell upon him, Liu Fang instinctively straightened his chest. Although his usual attitude was to go wherever Emperor Liu pointed, how could he not care about matters touching his own interests and future? At the very least, he had to consider his descendants.

If he were like Fifth Brother, exiled to that island of the Emishi, surrounded by sea on all sides and barbarian tongues filling his ears—wouldn't those days be a living torment...

Toward Liu Fang, Emperor Liu had always been lenient, and now he wore a reasonable and understanding expression, speaking in a consultative tone: "I give you two choices. One: I will select a place among the various countries and islands of the South Seas as your fief. Two: go to Anxi like Liu Ye. Consider it yourself!"

But the moment Emperor Liu finished speaking, Liu Fang gave it no thought whatsoever and directly said: "Your subject chooses the second!"

Seeing him so decisive, Emperor Liu was somewhat surprised and asked with slight curiosity: "The situation in Anxi is far more complex and difficult, with limited support from the court. Those Arab states and Islamic believers are not easy to deal with—not comparable to those barbarian natives of the south!"

Hearing this, Liu Fang chuckled: "From childhood to now, has your subject ever avoided difficulty in favor of ease? Besides, your subject does not know how to swim and prefers land warfare, so Anxi suits me better. As an elder brother, I ought to take on the hard battles. As for the South Seas, better to divide it among the younger brothers..."

"Excellent!" Hearing him say this, Emperor Liu clapped his hands and said: "For now, Anxi still needs to concentrate its strength to consolidate and expand its gains. Once you brothers unite and carve out a realm of your own, the court's enfeoffment decree will arrive!"

"However, Anxi is severely lacking in strength. To accomplish anything, it cannot do without the court's support!" Liu Fang took the opportunity to add.

At this, Emperor Liu, in excellent spirits, was also quite generous, waving his hand and saying: "Whatever I can give, I will certainly give. How could I be stingy with my own sons!"