Chapter 1999: Believe in the Faith and Lose Your Head—Keep Your Head and Renounce the Faith

When Yang Fu and his party arrived at Suiye City, it was already the eighteenth day of the fifth month. After all, this was one of only two major Han-populated settlements in Anxi, and also the military-political center of Anxi, so the population here was still relatively substantial. However, in Yang Fu's view, compared to Guocheng, Suiye had somewhat less vitality.

The sunlight was somewhat dim, but still scorching when it fell on one's body. The city was like a furnace, stuffy and suffocating. The defenses on the walls were strict, the street patrols were tight. Feeling the oppressive atmosphere in the city, Yang Fu couldn't help but sweat profusely.

The Governor's Office sent out a military officer to receive them, responsible for guiding and arranging the inspection and acceptance of this batch of relief supplies from Ganzhou. The specific handover matters were naturally handled by his subordinates. What made Yang Fu somewhat disappointed, or perhaps curious, was that the Governor's Office had no other show of hospitality.

One should know that on the previous two visits to Suiye, important figures from the Governor's Office had received him—at minimum officials of the rank of Administrator or Staff Officer. Last time, he had even been received by Duke Xiang Deming of Wen, who personally expressed his regards to Yang Fu.

But after some roundabout probing, he learned that the Governor's Office was holding a meeting, with the major dignitaries of Suiye City all gathered together. When he tentatively asked the reason, he was told it was related to the Jile Town incident. Yang Fu became even more interested—just a few days ago, he had personally experienced that disturbance.

In the Diligent Governance Hall, the main staff of the Governor's Office and the principal generals of Anxi were all gathered. Of course, the core figures were still the three princes and dukes—Liu Min, Liu Fang, Liu Ye, and Xiang Deming—along with the old marshal Kang Zaiyu. Among the senior generals, only Yang Yanlang was absent, as he was stationed at Talas.

Such a high-level meeting was naturally rare in Anxi; only when facing matters of life and death would they attach such importance. The main seat was left empty, probably to show respect for his elder brother. Liu Min did not presumptuously take the principal seat as he had in past high-level meetings, though he still controlled the proceedings.

And from the very beginning, the meeting proceeded in a solemn atmosphere. Instead of first raising the meeting's theme, the Recording Officer reported a series of data to those present.

From the losses caused by the religious bandit rebellion at Jile Town, to the number and destruction of bandit disturbances within the territory over these years; from the production and tax difficulties in various parts of Anxi, to the management and suppression problems of the Kara-Khanid and Samanid remnants; from the daily consumption of the Anxi armies, to the current supply reserves of each city in Anxi—

Basically, they laid out in detail all the difficulties Anxi currently faced before everyone. Liu Min sat at the left head, his expression grave. He raised his eyes and swept a glance over the assembled company, whose faces all looked none too pleased, then slowly spoke: "The situation is already quite clear. Anxi has long faced two major problems.

The first is external threats from the west. Since we defeated the Islamic allied forces and the neighboring Samanid state fell into internal turmoil, external threats can be set aside for now.

The second is the endless, repeatedly-suppressed-but-never-eliminated rebellions of 'religious bandits' and 'bandit traitors.' This matter has plagued the territory ever since the recovery of Suiye, and after seizing Talas and other places, the situation became even more severe. Because of these bandit disturbances and riots, the losses to our Anxi soldiers and civilians—you have all heard them—can only be described as grievous! This situation has become a chronic ailment, the greatest obstacle to Anxi's return to proper governance."

Pausing for a moment, Liu Min continued: "The news from Luoyang, I'm afraid all of you present already know. The court has changed its policy on supporting the western expedition. The large quantities of military supplies and equipment sent from the homeland over the past decade will gradually decrease until they stop entirely.

In other words, from now on, Anxi cannot merely rely on the court's support and assistance; we must find ways to become self-sufficient. And the grain production under Anxi's governance, the money and tax revenues from various regions, simply cannot supply the army's consumption needs. Starting from this summer, all consumption by Anxi's soldiers and civilians has begun drawing upon the reserves accumulated over these years.

This is a new problem Anxi currently faces, and a more serious one. Bandits can still be suppressed with effort, but if soldiers and civilians cannot fill their stomachs, that would be the real problem—it would directly shake the very foundation of our standing in Anxi!

The reason I have gathered you all today is to discuss how to resolve these two major problems before us, and where Anxi should go from here!"

After Liu Min finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the hall. After everyone pondered for a while, the first to stand up was Chang Guzhen, the Commander of Suiye's troops.

Chang Guzhen could now be called the foremost fierce general under the Anxi Governor's Office, exceptionally valiant in battle. His initial career advancement had been granted by Crown Prince Liu Yang, but he truly made his name during the bloody battle of Kucha back then.

Since then, he had received Liu Min's appreciation and promotion. Throughout the western expedition, he had been active in every major battle and hard-fought engagement. Over a decade later, he had risen from an ordinary low-ranking officer to Commander of Suiye's troops, commanding three thousand infantry and cavalry—one of the two defense forces of Suiye City.

And Jile Town also fell within Chang Guzhen's defense area. Jile had been attacked with heavy losses, so he bore some measure of joint responsibility. Therefore, Chang Guzhen's attitude was especially resolute. His rough-hewn face showed a ruthless edge as he said with murderous intent: "Great King, the 'religious bandits' rebel and harm soldiers and civilians alike—this cannot be tolerated! This general requests permission to lead troops in suppression, to slaughter those vermin to the last one!"

In ordinary times, faced with a beloved general's request, even if Liu Min didn't approve of his thinking, he would at least offer some words of encouragement. But this time, Liu Min merely nodded, then asked in return: "Bandits are not wooden stakes. If we launch a large-scale campaign, they will surely hide in the mountains and evade our forces. What then? Should we follow them into the mountains and tangle with them? Can we really slaughter them all?

Have the suppression operations organized by the Governor's Office these past two years been few? Has the treasury been lacking in funds and grain? Have our soldiers not done their utmost in suppressing bandits? Yet the bandit plague remains unabated—why? If we don't identify the root cause and then prescribe the right remedy, how can we achieve our goal?"

"This..." Seeing Liu Min speak this way, Chang Guzhen gave an awkward smile, then decisively kicked the ball back: "This general is dull-witted; I'll just follow the Great King's orders!"

In any case, Chang Guzhen's purpose was merely to state a position! Of course, his attitude could basically represent the stance of most Anxi generals toward the "religious bandits"—resolute and hardline!

On the other side, Duke Xiang Deming of Wen spoke up at the right moment: "What His Highness the Prince of Wei has said hits the nail on the head, cutting to the very heart of the matter! In this old man's view, those bandits who gather in the mountains and roam the hills and villages are not the frightening part—what's frightening is that they can always obtain support from the local religious followers and believers, receiving from them grain, clothing, livestock, and even weapons and recruits!

Without this foundation, those 'religious bandits' alone, even if they couldn't all starve to death in the mountains, certainly couldn't have remained rampant to this day, still possessing the strength to attack our towns! This is also the reason the 'religious bandits' can never be fully eradicated—this is the direction Anxi must take to cure this disease at its root!"

"What are 'religious bandits'?" Pausing, Xiang Deming's tone gradually turned stern: "They are those who believe in Islamic doctrine, who do not revere our Han sage, who do not submit to Anxi's governance, who organize by religious law and band together to oppose the Governor's Office!

Allow this old man to speak frankly—over the past two years, the Governor's Office's bandit-suppression strategy has had its flaws. The targets of elimination were mostly placed on those large active 'religious bandit' groups. Though there were results, it was merely skimming the surface—like trying to stop boiling water by scooping it out.

At the same time, supervision over the Islamic followers and believers under our governance has not been strict—it has even been relaxed somewhat!

In this old man's view, so-called believers and religious bandits are separated by only a thin line, with no essential difference. Go into the mountains and they are bandits; stay in the village and they are commoners. Equally deceived and led astray by that evil Islamic cult, unwilling to work peacefully and pay taxes, single-mindedly bent on opposing our Anxi soldiers and civilians!"

"Therefore!" At this point, Xiang Deming straightened his back, swept his gaze around the room, and said in a cold tone: "To solve the 'religious bandits,' we must first solve the 'believers'; to solve the 'believers,' we must solve the 'religious establishment'!"

As for how troublesome Islam is, I believe everyone present has some experience. Over these years, though the Governor's Office has suppressed and restricted it, the efforts have not been thorough enough—the attitude not resolute enough, the methods not complete enough.

By now, the existence of this religion has severely affected the normal life and production of our Anxi soldiers and civilians, and has already endangered the Han people's rule over Anxi. There can be no further compromise or tolerance whatsoever!

In this old man's view, the two major difficulties facing Anxi that His Highness the Prince of Wei raised, when boiled down, are actually one single problem.

If the 'religious bandit' problem is not solved, public order remains unstable, the people cannot work and produce with peace of mind—where would grain production come from, and where would the Governor's Office get its tax revenues?

This old man proposes that toward the Islamic religion within Anxi's borders, we must adopt a clear stance!"

After Xiang Deming's speech, the atmosphere in the hall gradually heated up. Clearly, his words struck a chord with many. Several generals even looked eager, rubbing their fists and ready to take action.

Seeing the atmosphere stirred up, Liu Min, who had been observing everyone's reactions, felt a slight relief in his heart. As long as these people were united in will, there was nothing that couldn't be accomplished in Anxi.

However, his gaze drifted and gradually settled on Zhao King Liu Fang, seated across from him. He gave a light cough to interrupt the rising discussion, then asked Liu Fang: "Fourth Brother, I believe that Anxi's current situation is extremely similar to the Yulin Rebellion back then. The experience of pacifying Yulin can serve as a reference!

Back then, it was precisely under Fourth Brother's command that the Yulin disturbance was ultimately pacified.

Regarding Anxi's 'religious bandit' problem, I wonder if Fourth Brother has any strategies? Please do not hesitate to enlighten me!"

Liu Fang had been somewhat lost in thought. Hearing Liu Min's question and the mention of the Yulin Rebellion, he pondered for a moment before calmly looking at Liu Min: "The final pacification of the Yulin Rebellion had the full support of the court and the encirclement of over a hundred thousand troops. Does Anxi have the strength to replicate the Yulin pacification?"

Hearing this question, Liu Min smiled lightly and said: "Anxi cannot compare to the homeland, but Anxi's situation also has its particularities!"

As for what those particularities were, a little thought made it clear. At Yulin, the court mobilized such enormous forces for the fundamental reason that they wanted to contain the rebellion within Yulin's borders. The Tangut people had a relatively high degree of Sinicization—if the rebellion spread, it would affect the prefectures and counties of the Great Han's interior, with consequences too dire to estimate.

But here in Anxi—it's just Anxi. Even if it were turned upside down, that would be all. Those religious bandits and believers could never flee toward the Great Han, could they?

"Even the Kara-Khanids were destroyed by us, and the Islamic allied forces were defeated by us. Why should we have excessive scruples in dealing with mere remnant bandits?"

To put it more bluntly, these remnant peoples of Central Asia are not yet even regarded as proper people. Under Anxi's governance, they are only third-class or even fourth-class people. Dealing with them requires no scruples whatsoever, and no means should be spared!

"Since Sixth Brother has already made his decision, and the generals do not oppose it, for Anxi's long-term peace and stability, and for the Han soldiers and civilians to establish themselves here permanently, your elder brother naturally gives his full support!" Liu Fang said calmly.

Hearing Liu Fang's statement of support, Liu Min's face lit up with joy, and he clasped his fists forcefully: "Thank you, Fourth Brother!"

"We've said so much! I wonder how Sixth Brother plans to proceed?" At this moment, Liang Duke Liu Ye, who had remained silent all along, spoke up, his tone somewhat flat.

Hearing the question, Liu Min's gaze was firm as he clenched his fist and said: "Destroy the temples, extinguish the religion, kill the bandits, change their attire! Believe in the faith and lose your head—keep your head and renounce the faith!"