Chapter 1958: The Predicament of the Raole Kingdom

"Didn't His Majesty send Xiao Jiyuan to you? Hasn't he come up with any solutions?" Seeing Liu Xin looking so troubled, Liu Xu asked casually.

At the question, Liu Xin immediately shook his head and said, "Xiao Jiyuan is very capable, but even the cleverest housewife cannot make bread without flour, and besides..."

Xiao Jiyuan was Xiao Siwen's nephew, frugal and skilled in governance, the most outstanding talent among the Xiao clan's younger generation, and the only one Xiao Siwen had ever recommended for advancement. Even the Crown Prince thought highly of him, and he had previously served as a guard commander in the Eastern Palace.

When the Raole Kingdom was enfeoffed, Emperor Liu ordered the Ministry of Personnel to select capable men to go north to Raole, to help build the fief and jointly guard the frontier. To support the Raole Kingdom and also to look after his fourteenth brother, Crown Prince Liu Yang "reluctantly parted with a beloved possession," transferring Xiao Jiyuan from the Eastern Palace to assist in Raole.

Though Liu Xin was only about the same age as Liu Wenyuan, and though he had developed a low-key, forbearing personality from childhood, that did not mean he was unintelligent—in fact, he was quite sensitive. He accepted the Crown Prince's goodwill, but as for gratitude, that perhaps only ran skin-deep.

In Liu Xin's view, Xiao Jiyuan's Khitan identity was indeed helpful to his governance of Raole, especially in pacifying the Hu barbarians within the territory—a natural advantage (the Raole Kingdom's current population was over seventy percent Hu, including Khitan, Xi, and Shiwei). But that was not the most important thing. The key was that Xiao Jiyuan in Raole, just like Ma Huaiyu and Fu Zhaoyuan had been in Andong before, carried a mission of "other" purposes.

Liu Xu had been able to drive Fu Zhaoyuan out of Andong and back to the court through institutional reform, but Liu Xin did not have that kind of confidence. Seeing Liu Xin's hesitant expression, Liu Xu chuckled and said, "Fourteenth brother, places like Andong and Raole have harsh conditions and terrible environments. In my nearly twenty years of governing here, my greatest realization is how hard it is to keep people alive, and the most important thing to persist in is attracting distant peoples and settling them peacefully.

Population is the foundation of a state. Without population, you may have a mountain of treasure but cannot mine it, fertile land but cannot use it. I do not fear Andong's bitter cold, nor do I dread the barbarians on all sides—my only fear is that the population will not be sufficient..."

Hearing Liu Xu say this, Liu Xin's spirits immediately lifted. He raised his cup and drained it in one gulp, saying, "What the eldest brother says is absolutely right! This is precisely what troubles me most, the most pressing difficulty facing Raole at present.

To be honest with you, eldest brother, even before I arrived at my kingdom, people had already begun moving away, and after I took up my post, it still did not stop. It has only been because winter has arrived and travel is inconvenient that the exodus has paused, but I find it hard to be optimistic about the situation once spring comes next year.

If I cannot find a way to keep people soon, before long my Raole Kingdom will be empty..."

"That won't happen!" Liu Xu shook his head again and analyzed quite "rationally": "The Raole territory has the finest pastures in the surrounding region, especially suited for animal husbandry. For that reason alone, some people will always stay.

The current out-migration is just common folk being shortsighted, failing to weigh costs and benefits, acting rashly. Once they come to their senses, those who should return will eventually return.

What you most need to do now is reassure the people and establish your authority in the eyes of Raole's subjects..."

Liu Xin nodded repeatedly, then quickly asked, "That is exactly what I wished to consult you about, eldest brother!"

Liu Xu could not help coughing a few more times. Geng Jixun, seated in attendance, could not help but put on a cold face and said to Liu Xin, "King of Raole, His Highness is unwell and urgently needs rest. If you have matters to discuss, perhaps another day!"

Those words left Liu Xin deeply embarrassed, especially seeing Liu Xu's sickly complexion. Seeing this, Liu Xu smiled gently and said, "It's fine. Fourteenth brother has come from afar, and I am overjoyed. When brothers converse, Brother Xun, you should not interrupt!"

"Yes!" Geng Jixun rose, bowed respectfully, then sat back down and listened quietly.

Seeing this lord and vassal, seeing Liu Xu's bearing—even in illness, that kingly aura was admirable, and with a few casual words he subdued the seemingly difficult Geng Jixun. Liu Xin secretly envied him greatly; compared to this, he himself was like a child...

Liu Xu paused, gathered his thoughts, then continued: "People, whether Hu or Han, all pursue profit and favor. If you want quick results, you must offer benefits! Take my Andong for example—back then, to attract population, I promised five strings of cash per person as settlement money. If you add in the investment in housing, seeds, farm tools, and oxen, every migrant laborer who came cost ten strings of cash—a considerable sum that nearly drained Andong's treasury. Half of the court's support at the time was spent on immigrants..."

Hearing Liu Xu's account, Liu Xin's expression shifted from excitement to dejection. Out of politeness he did not interrupt, and only after Liu Xu finished did he say somewhat gloomily, "Eldest brother, my Raole is not like your Andong. I truly cannot produce much money or grain to reassure the people. The support from His Majesty and the court barely keeps my administration running. To support me, the King of Raole, my mother sold off more than twenty years of savings, and now in Xingguo she wears plain clothes and a wooden hairpin..."

Liu Xin's words highlighted utter poverty and destitution—and indeed, the current Raole was truly barren of everything.

Unlike his elder brothers, Liu Xin had only recently established his household and simply had not had the time or opportunity to accumulate any family fortune.

Naturally, he could not be like his ninth brother Liu Shu, who had been able to bring a large household to his fief. Setting aside money, grain, cloth, and silk, in population alone he had over thirty thousand servants, attendants, craftsmen, and tenant farmers "following" him, including even scholars, monks, and Daoist priests—not to mention those three thousand armored soldiers.

As for court support, it was mostly symbolic—positive in appearance, but you had to be able to hold onto it. As for money, grain, and supplies, what Emperor Liu allocated from the inner treasury and the Palace Supply Office was actually more substantial. After all, the fief had already been established; supporting it at the same cost-no-object level as Andong back then was clearly impossible, and it would also violate the original purpose of enfeoffment.

With no accumulated wealth on one hand and poor timing on the other, Liu Xin's Raole Kingdom was doomed to stunted development from the very start. Compared to neighboring Andong, it looked all the more inferior, and if it wanted sound development, it would have to rely on itself.

Thinking of Raole's dire straits, Liu Xin's dejection was written all over his face. He raised his cup again, drowning his sorrows in wine, and said to Liu Xu with no small envy: "Eldest brother, your exceptional talent is truly admirable—you have governed Andong into such prosperity, with harmony above and below and a bright future ahead..."

Liu Xu smiled modestly and was about to reply when Liu Wenyuan walked in, cooling down the hall that was being roasted by the fire stove. Seeing Liu Wenyuan, a hint of joy appeared on Liu Xu's pale face. He waved him over and said, "Wenyuan, come quickly and pay your respects to your fourteenth uncle, then take your seat!"

"Yes!"

Liu Wenyuan looked at Liu Xin, and Liu Xin likewise sized up Liu Wenyuan. In terms of age, Liu Xin was actually a year younger than this nephew of his. But with seniority as it was, there was not much awkwardness—though the unfamiliarity was obvious, since the uncle and nephew had only ever crossed paths at court banquets. To be frank, theirs was merely a nodding acquaintance.

"You just said Andong is harmonious—well, your nephew has just settled a disharmonious affair!" Liu Xu pointed at Liu Wenyuan and said to Liu Xin.

Then he asked Liu Wenyuan: "Was a small disturbance worth such a major mobilization, and you even had to take the field yourself?"

Liu Wenyuan withdrew his gaze from Liu Xin, took a drink of the warm wine, and then said: "The Andong fiefdom was only recently established. The barbarian unrest in Meituo Prefecture was a provocation against Andong, and it had to be sternly suppressed!"

"All cleaned up?" Liu Xu asked again.

Liu Wenyuan paused, then spoke truthfully: "Before your son's army arrived, the officials and people of Meituo Prefecture had already defeated and driven them back into the mountains and forests."

Liu Xu: "I heard you killed over a thousand barbarians there. What was your reasoning? To save face and vent anger? Or revenge?"

"Revenge!" Liu Wenyuan answered directly, without the slightest pretense.

Liu Xu sighed and said in a tone of warning: "That move of yours has shaken all of Andong! People are all saying that you, the Crown Prince, are a second Tian Qinyou..."

"Compared to General Tian, your son is far inferior!" Liu Wenyuan said: "But the circumstances this time were different. They broke into our towns and killed our people—how is that different from rebellion? These barbarians had to be taught a profound lesson, or Andong will never be at peace. For the long-term stability of Andong, what does a little damage to my reputation matter?"

Hearing Liu Wenyuan say this, Liu Xu neither approved nor objected, though a trace of satisfaction showed in his dark eyes. He did not ask further, but extended his hand: "Drink!"

"Fourteenth brother, this banquet was originally meant as a welcome feast for you—you are the honored guest. I might as well use it to wash the dust and celebrate the merits of my son as well. How about it?" Liu Xu then looked toward Liu Xin.

"The guest follows the host's pleasure!"