Chapter 1957: The Raole King Pays a Visit

Needless to say, as the capital, as the political, military, economic, and cultural center, Suihua City was the largest and most prosperous city in the Andong State. In scale it might not compare to Liaoyang, and even lagged behind northeastern prefectural cities like Jin, Shen, Tong, and Huanglong Prefecture, but in terms of liveliness it was in no way inferior.

After all, a "king" always possessed a certain special appeal, and a king who worked earnestly and devoted himself to development could attach a pair of soaring wings to a city or even a nation.

The Suihua of today was built by Liu Xu through nearly twenty years of painstaking effort, leading the officials and people of Andong in its construction. Naturally, the essence of Andong's developmental achievements over the years was also largely on display in Suihua.

Liu Wenyuan and his party rode swiftly and finally returned to Suihua City just before dusk. Compared to the pitch-black, silent, and terrifying wilderness outside, Suihua City was an entirely different world—ten thousand household lamps dotted the king's city under the cold night, giving one a feeling of peace.

Suihua City was essentially newly built; traces of the Khitan and earlier ruling periods had long been covered over in the process of Suihua's development and expansion. Surveying the city, in terms of layout, Suihua showed no obvious difference from most cities of the Great Han, only having some features adapted to the environment in architectural style—loose arrangement, steep slopes, and thick walls.

Counting officials and military personnel, Suihua City had only a little over twenty thousand people. Excluding the itinerant merchants and peddlers, the permanent population was even smaller. However, the walls around Suihua City were two li in circumference and sturdy and thick, letting one see at a glance its formidable defensive power. Liu Xu had expended no small amount of wealth and manpower in building Suihua City back then.

Build a nest to attract phoenixes—though no phoenixes had come, some "scrub chickens" arrived upon hearing the news, which was equally important to Andong and Suihua, and played no small role in promoting their development.

Under the snowy night, Suihua was cold with congealed air, but the atmosphere carried a warmth; the smoke of daily life was thick, and the air seemed to be permeated with the fragrance of wine. In Andong, liquor had never been dispensable.

Aside from the rustling sound of falling snow and the occasional dog bark, the most common sounds were the low murmurs and private conversations among the dwellings. In the homes of the gentry and common folk alike, steam rose as they fought against the bitter cold; the warm heated kang became the most frequented area for Suihua's people in winter, especially at night.

When Liu Wenyuan returned to the city, the sky above Suihua was still a scene of curling smoke. Paying it no heed, he arranged for the soldiers to return to camp and went straight back to the prince's residence, intending to report on his mission.

The Andong Prince's Residence was the former Andong Governor-General's Office, with no renovations at all—only the sign had been changed—but its bearing was greatly altered. Some had suggested to Liu Xu that a royal palace should be built within Suihua City, separating inside from outside, to emphasize royal authority.

Of course, this was rejected by Liu Xu, but it had already been put on the agenda, awaiting only the satisfaction of funds, grain, manpower, and resources before scheduling construction. After all, Andong was now a state and needed its own royal palace—this was where "ritual" lay, and building it early was better than building it late.

The moment he entered the prince's residence, Liu Wenyuan sensed something amiss—it seemed a distinguished guest had arrived. He asked the respectfully waiting gate officer, "Is there a visitor?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, it is the Great King of Raole who has come. The king is currently hosting a banquet in the hall. The king instructed that Your Highness should go to the hall to pay respects upon returning to the residence!" the gate officer explained.

Hearing this, a trace of surprise flickered across Liu Wenyuan's face. After a moment's thought, he stuffed his horsewhip into the gate officer's arms, brushed the falling snow off his clothes, and made his way toward the main hall of the residence.

In the great hall, a harmonious atmosphere prevailed. Liu Xu showed the utmost regard for the arrival of the Raole King Liu Xin, welcoming him warmly and, despite his ailing body, personally hosting a banquet in his honor.

It had been quite some time since Liu Xu last appeared before the assembled crowd; the previous time had been to publicly support Liu Wenyuan in calming the people's hearts. Though the banquet was of high standard, the number of attendees was not large—the only one accompanying the king was State Chancellor Geng Jixun, and the rest were attendants.

Liu Xu's complexion was truly terrible to behold, clearly showing no relief in his illness. For this reason, no one urged him to drink at the banquet. However, seeing that Liu Xu could barely even speak, his words feeble and seemingly labored, Liu Xin could not help but ask from his seat, "Elder Brother, I see your complexion is poor. If your body is unwell, you should rest early. My rash visit was truly presumptuous."

Hearing this, Liu Xu gently waved his hand, a pale smile appearing on his face. After coughing a few times, he said, "It's nothing. In this remote, bitter-cold land, it's just us brothers. With Fourteenth Brother visiting, I am truly delighted. It's only that this body of mine really is inadequate, and I cannot drink heartily with you. State Chancellor, you keep the Raole King company in drinking—be sure to entertain him well."

"Yes!" Geng Jixun acknowledged with a cupped-fist salute, then raised his cup to Liu Xin: "Great King, your minister drinks a toast to you on behalf of Andong!"

Liu Xin looked at Geng Jixun, then turned his head to glance at Liu Xu. He drained his cup in one go, set it down, and said to Liu Xu with a sigh, "Elder Brother, I'll speak plainly. This visit to Suihua is both to seek help and to ask for guidance!"

Hearing this, Liu Xu maintained his gentle demeanor and said with a light smile, "It seems Fourteenth Brother has encountered difficulties in governing Raole. Speak freely—our two lands in the northeast ought to help each other. Whatever this elder brother can provide, I will never be stingy!"

In fact, Liu Xu had some understanding of the situation in the Raole State. After all, it was a true brother state—one of only two enfeoffed states in the northeast—and a considerable portion of Raole's territory had been carved out from Andong.

Xingguo City, where Liu Xin's royal capital was currently located, was only about five hundred li from Suihua—practically within arm's reach. And in the Raole State, there were planted some intelligence agents from Andong's side.

Also a newly established enfeoffed state, compared to Andong, the Raole State was far more desolate, for its foundation was simply too shallow. Its territory was not small, but it had no more than three or five cities, and a population of under fifty thousand.

Leaving aside the period of Khitan rule, even under the administration of the Northern Yan Mountains Circuit, it had been almost entirely neglected—the circuit office's operational focus had always been on the former lands of the Xi people, and in the entire north, only Linhuang Prefecture received somewhat more attention.

In fact, for the Northern Yan Mountains Circuit, the establishment of the Raole State caused no regret—there was even a sense of being rid of a burden. And the current Raole royal capital, Xingguo, was not even as good as a county seat in the interior. Even this was only because the Northern Yan Mountains Circuit had taken pains to tidy the place up to "make room" for the Raole King; otherwise it would have been even more dismal.

Compared to Andong's vigorous reforms and institutional overhauls, the Raole State was cold and quiet. To this day it remained only a makeshift setup, unable even to fill out the basic organizational structure of a state. The support the imperial court gave was simply not enough.

In his early days in Raole, Liu Xin still had some passion, touring all the cities under his rule, but he was soon deeply disappointed—this truly was not even as good as a single county in the Central Plains. Gradually, Liu Xin became lost in that vast grassland.

Adding insult to injury, as the border between Raole and Andong was demarcated and boundary steles were erected, those populations originally belonging to Andong all migrated eastward, preferring to abandon their original lands and pastures.

Liu Xin's Raole State was miserable, pitiful, and Liu Xin clearly lacked experience in governing a state. After deep deliberation, he finally decided to come east, to seek advice and help from his elder brother Liu Xu. Most importantly, he needed to stop the Raole people from continuing to emigrate—if this went on, his state would be emptied out.

"Elder Brother, to be honest with you, I am deeply ashamed to be the Raole King—I can hardly show my face to anyone! My Raole State is probably not even as good as a large county in the Central Plains, inviting nothing but ridicule. I feel I am the 'Yelang State' of the northeast," Liu Xin said, looking at Liu Xu with a self-deprecating smile.