Chapter 1910: The Raole Kingdom

The King of Raole was naturally the fourteenth prince, Liu Xin. His territory included the northern part of the Yan Mountains North Circuit and a portion of the northwest of Andong, with Wugu (Hulunbuir) and Xingguo (Qiqihar) as his principal cities. To the west it bordered the Khitan of Mobei, to the north it reached the Greater Khingan Range, and to the east it was divided from Andong by the Yuanna River (Nen River).

Clearly, this was another nail Emperor Liu had driven into Mobei to control the northern grasslands. In his private conversation with Liu Xin, Emperor Liu had made it very clear: the value of the Raole Kingdom lay in suppressing the Khitan of Mobei and the various Shiwei tribes.

Ever since the Han-chen faction led by the two Hans had been purged, the internal contradictions among the Mobei Khitan had been greatly alleviated, and their cohesion had been much strengthened. Yelu Longxu had received Emperor Liu's imperial appointment, relations between the two states had gradually eased, and with the opening of border markets and trade exchanges, the Mobei Khitan had enjoyed much better days in recent years.

To the west, they had forcefully blocked the eastward expansion of the rising Naiman confederation, even forming a counter-push momentum, with a tendency to drive the Naiman back to the Golden Mountains and recover the northwestern circuit of the former Liao territories. To the east, they had not only repelled the incursions of the Shiwei tribes of the Khingan Range but had also, through continuous warfare, conquered some Shiwei tribes, acquiring considerable populations and livestock.

Over the years, while the Khitan had continuously strengthened their grassland polity attributes and returned to their primitive roots, their status as the hegemon of Mobei had also been re-established. But when the Khitan had good days, Emperor Liu was not necessarily pleased—he habitually had to find something to do.

Thus, the Raole Kingdom appeared at the opportune moment. When the result was announced, Liu Xin was rather surprised, while Andong Prince Liu Xu was not in a good mood. Emperor Liu had cut up the Yan Mountains North Circuit and enfeoffed it to Liu Xin—that he had no objection to—but simultaneously carving flesh off Andong was something he could not accept.

The territory Emperor Liu had sliced off from Andong was mainly in the Na River Plain, one of the principal grain-producing regions under Andong's administration. Although the Na River basin had been taken by the Han army during the northern expedition, the subsequent consolidation, development, and public security had all been built up bit by bit by Liu Xu after he took office.

It had taken a full fifteen years to change the local blood, with the influence of the Khitan and Shiwei basically wiped clean. Han settlers were moved in, farmland was reclaimed, cold-resistant rice strains were researched and cultivated, and only now had modest results been achieved. The area around the Na River was showing signs of becoming Andong's granary.

Just as harvest was about to be reaped, Emperor Liu wielded the knife, cutting flesh to feed the poor. From the perspective of brotherly relations, showing the responsibility of an elder brother and supporting a younger brother seemed only natural. After all, if it were only the Wugu region, it would be too shabby for the newly born Raole Kingdom—that area was close to the Mobei Khitan and the Shiwei of the Khingan region, had always been unstable, and had not previously been a key governance area of the Yan Mountains North Circuit, with only a few garrison soldiers and scattered officials maintaining a rule so fragile it existed in name only.

But in the face of real interests, brotherly affection appeared utterly worthless. Moreover, what close relationship was there between Liu Xu and Liu Xin? The age gap between the two was already enough to form a generational divide.

And thinking that the fruits of more than ten years of painstaking management—another important foundation he had laid for Andong—would have to be shared with others, Liu Xu's discontent could well be imagined.

In recent years, most of the Han settlers who had migrated to Andong had been placed on the Songnen Plain, and the Na River Plain was also a major receiving area, with local Han settlers numbering over one hundred thousand.

Xingguo was also something Liu Xu had painstakingly built. When it had been in Liao's hands, it had been merely a small settlement, without even a rammed-earth wall, let alone various supporting facilities.

Now, Xingguo City was already one of the top three cities under Andong's administration, with a permanent population of over three thousand. Every brick and tile embodied Liu Xu's effort. Besides its economic and demographic value, it was geographically situated on the upper reaches of the Black Water. If it were assigned to the Raole Kingdom, would that not mean even the interests of the Black Water basin would have to be shared?

If the old man felt the Wugu and surrounding areas were not presentable, why not be generous—he would have no objection even if Linhuang Prefecture were given to Liu Xin—but he had to set his sights on Andong. So many years of painstaking effort, hair turned white from worry, body worn down from exhaustion, and only then had this little bit of family foundation been accumulated. How difficult it had been for him, Liu Xu…

However, even with full indignation and unwillingness, Liu Xu dared not directly oppose it. Not everything could be bargained with Emperor Liu. And regarding the enfeoffment of Raole, there was another force in the court pushing it forward—that was the Crown Prince and his supporters.

Whatever Emperor Liu's original intention in enfeoffing Raole might have been, in their view, this was an opportunity to weaken Andong's strength and also an opportunity to check Andong. Some wariness and prejudice were innate, or perhaps the phrase "a man of great talent is hard to control" was too classic—those around the Crown Prince had always maintained vigilance toward Liu Xu, never once abating.

In the past, they had worried about Liu Xu contending for the heir position and seizing the succession—the status of eldest son had market value anywhere. Later, when Liu Xu was unexpectedly "demoted" to Andong, people were somewhat reassured. But as Liu Xu's management of Andong progressed, his prestige gradually rose, his strength continuously increased, and he received more and more praise and recognition from Emperor Liu—some grew uneasy again. After all, an eldest son with a power base, even if not in the capital, still posed no small threat.

This time, with the enfeoffment settled, they could rest easy again, because it basically completely cut off Liu Xu's hopes and possibilities. But more than ten years of suspicion and resentment were not so easily set aside, and suppression had become a habitual action—especially when it was in compliance with Emperor Liu's will, which gave even more room for maneuvering.

Thus, the establishment of the Raole Kingdom, besides the strong support of Emperor Liu as the family patriarch, also had the covert push of Crown Prince Liu Yang's faction. When two forces pulled in the same direction, there was little in this world that could not be accomplished.

Unlike Liu Xu, Liu Yang had always had a good relationship with Liu Xin. In ordinary times, he was quite considerate of Liu Xin, whose mother had lost favor, and it could be described as "an elder brother is like a father." Liu Xin, in turn, had always been highly respectful toward Liu Yang. Thus, with the sea to the east, Raole to the west, and Liaodong to the south, even if Andong dared to harbor treacherous designs in the future, it would be hard for it to stir up any great waves—this was the thorough planning of the Crown Prince's loyal ministers.

In establishing vassal states like Andong and Raole, Emperor Liu's original intention had been to consolidate the frontiers, suppress the local fishing-hunting peoples, and at the same time reduce the burden on the central court through a method of delegating authority while contracting control. However, from the very beginning, the path he had envisioned had already begun to deviate…

And Liu Xu had clearly sensed the unusual pressure. Given his temperament, he naturally would not go complain or grumble to Emperor Liu, but rather chose to silently accept it. His only request was that the people living on the lands assigned to the Raole Kingdom who were under Andong's administration be allowed to relocate—but this point was directly refused by Emperor Liu. If you moved all the people away, what use would Liu Xin have for empty cities and wasteland?

However, Emperor Liu was ultimately not unkind to Liu Xu. He compensated him with one million strings of cash and a population of fifty thousand. The money was easy enough; as for the people, besides coordinating from the migration quotas of prefectures with population overflow from the interior, the rest were drawn directly from the penal labor camps. Only thus did it provide some measure of appeasement.

Yet for Liu Xu, the result of this enfeoffment was clearly not ideal. In terms of tangible benefits, it was actually inferior to the system of the Andong Governor-General's office. Of course, as a vassal king, the powers he enjoyed were also different—from now on, he could basically be free of the vast majority of restrictions from the court, even if only in name…