Chapter 2151: Shizong Arc 19: A Hero in Decline

In the winter of the first year of Jianlong, eleventh month, Khotan.

In the depths of winter, the vast northwest was a frozen world of ice and snow, the heavens and earth shrouded in a killing stillness. The towering, sprawling Kunlun Mountains and the Black Kunlun (Karakoram) were already blanketed in white snow, and the White Jade and Black Jade Rivers, which originated from the two ranges, had frozen over, sealing hundreds of li in ice.

Owing to its geography and climate, the vast and boundless land of Khotan seemed somewhat lonely and desolate. But it could be expected that when spring returned to the earth the following year, the glaciers would melt, the two rivers would flow again, and crops would be planted across the hundreds of thousands of mu of fertile land along their banks—this region of ancient history would once again regain its vibrant vitality.

The reason Prince Kang, Liu Ye, had long cast covetous eyes upon Khotan, and had ultimately dared to raise arms and, breaking the constraints of the empire's feudal-tributary system, destroy it—beyond considerations for the security of his royal city of Shule—was that Khotan possessed vast tracts of alluvial plains formed by glaciers and rivers. Its excellent water and soil conditions gave it the potential to support a population of several hundred thousand.

On the other hand, it was also for Khotan's population. The empire's vassal states, both within and beyond its borders, had always placed great importance on population—of course, this referred to Han Chinese population (or, with some leniency, population of the Han lands)—using it to fill out and expand their ruling foundations and enhance their national strength.

As for the Three Kingdoms of Anxi, due to their long and frequent wars with the Islamic world, their population losses had been considerable, and they were all the more hungry for people. They had used every means and offered every kind of condition to recruit population and talent from the mother country.

As for the Kingdom of Kangju, it possessed a condition the other two kingdoms lacked: it bordered Khotan. And Khotan's population of nearly three hundred thousand was one with a good foundation of Sinicization, cultural customs close to their own, and little difficulty in transformation.

In Liu Ye's eyes, these were its most valuable aspects. One should know that since the founding of their fiefs, the Three Kingdoms of Anxi had taken nearly thirty years to extract a total of just over a million able-bodied people from the Great Han. From this, one could imagine how precious Khotan's several hundred thousand people were, and what a "fat piece of meat" they appeared to be in the eyes of their neighbor.

Setting aside everything else, once Khotan was annexed and its wealth, population, and land were digested, Kangju's strength would rapidly close the gap with Anxi—on the point of core ruling power alone, it would be able to catch up.

Of course, completing these plans would still require some time, and more importantly, they would have to withstand inquiries—even sanctions—from the central empire. On this point, Prince Kang Liu Ye was in fact well aware. He acted with arrogance and self-will, but that did not mean he was foolish.

Liu Ye's destruction of Khotan had not required much effort, thanks to several factors. Strength was the most fundamental. Compared to twenty years earlier, Kangju's power had made considerable progress (after all, it could gain improvements in every aspect through exchanges with the empire), and through wars against Islamic forces in Central and West Asia, it maintained a crack army. Meanwhile, Khotan's situation had deteriorated day by day—Kangju's very existence and its powerful aggressiveness had already been squeezing their living space.

Facing Kangju's incursions, the former king, Yuchi Baoxiang, had still been able to hold on with difficulty while he lived. After all, he came from a military background and had a certain toughness. At the same time, because of his history of serving as envoy to the capital, he had always been careful to maintain relations with the imperial court.

Once Yuchi Baoxiang died, Khotan's decline became unstoppable. His grandson Yuchi Jue succeeded to the throne, possessing neither his grandfather's power and prestige nor his outstanding ability to balance forces. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the Kang army approached the city, and hastily embark on a path of flight and "appeal for justice."

The Kang army's casualties in destroying Khotan were not heavy either—they fought only two battles in total. First they besieged the city of Ya'erkan (after the state's destruction, Liu Ye renamed it Shache), taking it in three days. Then they raced to Khotan, routing the Khotan royal army at the small town of Zhawa on the west bank of the Black Jade River, and then, amid the welcoming of Khotan nobles and commoners bearing food and drink, they rolled up their armor and entered the city. Before this, the upper echelons of Khotan's nobility had largely been entangled with Kangju—either bought off or cowed by its strength—so when things became hopeless, switching allegiance was only natural.

After taking all of Khotan, Liu Ye established Hezhou on its foundation, renaming the city of Khotan as Hotan and making it the prefectural seat, essentially maintaining the original administrative structure of the former Khotan state. Of course, Khotan's territory was considerable in size, so a certain degree of division was quite necessary.

Liu Ye placed Shache County and its surrounding areas, with their tens of thousands of people, under the direct jurisdiction of the royal city of Shule. He also renamed the city of Keriya in eastern Khotan as Khotan, established it as a county, and appointed an Army Commander of Khotan to govern it militarily and administratively.

By the winter of the first year of Jianlong, nearly a year and a half had passed since Khotan's destruction. Through Liu Ye's multi-pronged methods of political co-optation, economic inducement, and military deterrence, the former Khotan region had already basically stabilized.

This was also, in thirty years of expansion, the easiest campaign Liu Ye had fought and the easiest conquest he had made. Compared to the Muslims from the Arab lands who were thoroughly brainwashed by Islam, the nobles and commoners of Khotan were far too "lovable."

It was precisely for this reason that Liu Ye extended the greatest possible tolerance toward the Buddhism they believed in. Apart from implementing certain reforms in accordance with Han religious management regulations and confiscating some temple property and temple laborers, he did not strike any harder—at the very least, there was no destruction of temples or eradication of the faith.

In this process, the interests of Khotan's Buddhist establishment inevitably suffered losses, but there was not much resistance. For one thing, the "de-Islamization" carried out by the Three Kingdoms of Anxi within their territories had caused a great stir throughout Central and West Asia, and they had long heard of it.

As the former greatest rival and the most dangerous enemy in their eyes, Khotan's Buddhist establishment knew all too well how formidable it was. But even such a formidable faith had been dealt a miserable hand by the Liu family's kings—with their thin arms and small legs, how could they possibly withstand it?

On the other hand, it was also related to the fact that Liu Ye's methods were not thoroughgoing. At the same time, even in the central empire, the "suppression of Buddhism" was a matter of nearly seventy years past. Although secular power's interference in religious power still existed, the empire's Buddhist establishment had in fact flourished and developed once again. Khotan's Buddhist establishment, which had no lack of exchanges with the empire's Buddhists, naturally benefited from this as well.

There is nothing that cannot be resolved through compromise. It was precisely amid the various compromises between the two sides—Kangju and Khotan, and among the various factions—that the situation in Khotan, or rather in Kangju's Hezhou, stabilized, and Hezhou began to integrate into Kangju.

As the first year of Jianlong was drawing to a close, amid the frozen wasteland, a formidable cavalry force escorted a chariot-style carriage, traveling across the hard frozen ground toward the city of Hotan.

The fluttering "Kang" and "Liu" banners, as well as the carriage's specifications and ornamentation, all proclaimed the identity of its master. The fierce winter wind brought bone-piercing cold, but fortunately all the riders wore silk and cotton-padded garments beneath their armor, and sheepskin caps on their heads. Though the weather was cold, they looked warm.

In Kangju, the only troops treated to such standards were the royal palace guards and the elite private soldiers of the great nobles. Ordinary camp troops could hardly be guaranteed one set per man, after all—such equipment carried a luxurious quality.

This was already the third time in a year that Prince Kang Liu Ye had made a southern inspection tour of Hezhou, enough to demonstrate the importance he placed on the region. He intended to manage Hezhou in the same way as the royal domain (Shule).

Kangju's territory was now no small matter. Apart from the royal domain of Shule and Hezhou, it encompassed nearly all of southwestern Kyrgyzstan, all of Tajikistan, and parts of northern Afghanistan. And the places Liu Ye had always regarded as his root lands to be carefully managed were only Shule and Feizhou (the Fergana Valley)—now, Hezhou was to be added to the list.

Hotan was situated on the delta plain before the confluence of the Black Jade and White Jade Rivers, built between the two rivers—its geographical position was extremely advantageous. Of course, apart from its fine jade, the city's most distinctive feature was its numerous Buddhist temples.

Inside the city of Hotan, in the main hall of the Pacification Commissioner's office, Prince Kang Liu Ye—gaunt of face but bearing an air of stern authority—sat in the seat of honor, receiving the obeisances of the Pacification Commissioner Liu Wenqian and a host of Hezhou's military and civil officials.

Time waits for no man. Liu Ye was now fifty-five, no longer young, and his aging was visible to the naked eye. But the heroic majesty radiating from his entire being remained as strong as ever—when his gaze swept across the room, no one present dared to look aside.

In the hall, Liu Wenqian, on behalf of Hezhou's officials, presented Liu Ye with a brocade box. The box was carved with the character "longevity," lined with red silk inside, and contained two jade bi discs—one green, one white—of excellent quality. In another month would be Prince Kang Liu Ye's fifty-fifth birthday. These two precious jades were naturally produced in the upper reaches of the Black Jade and White Jade Rivers outside the city, obtained by jade prospectors who had braved the upstream glaciers and perilous gorges. The prefectural office had acquired them and then commissioned skilled craftsmen to carve and polish them with care.

Liu Ye had never been particularly interested in rare treasures, precious stones, or fine jade—but this time, he made a rare exception. Taking the two jade discs, he gently handled them, examining the luster and grain of the jade, especially the piece of clean, lustrous mutton-fat white jade.

After a moment, he set down the jade discs, pondered for a while, then raised his head to look at the respectfully postured Liu Wenqian and spoke these words: "Jade is a great vessel of the state. You must conduct yourself well!"

Facing such an instruction from the prince, the civil and military officials who understood its meaning all wore solemn expressions and instinctively turned their gazes toward Liu Wenqian. Liu Wenqian, standing respectfully in the hall, could not help but feel ripples stir in his heart, and he bowed gravely: "Yes!"

Liu Wenqian was the second son of Prince Kang Liu Ye, born in the third year of Yongxi, now twenty-four years old. In the third year of Duangong, after Liu Ye destroyed Khotan, he appointed him Pacification Commissioner of Hezhou, responsible for suppressing and pacifying Hezhou's officials and people, as well as for immigration work. Liu Ye intended to relocate fifty thousand "Khotan officials and people" to Feizhou and Longzhou (newly established by Liu Ye, located roughly in western Tajikistan) to strengthen local governance.

Being entrusted with such an important task at such a young age clearly contained Prince Kang's special expectations for Liu Wenqian. The Hezhou appointment was also a test for the young Liu Wenqian, and judging from Liu Ye's attitude, he was fairly satisfied.

Prince Kang Liu Ye had loved military strategy since childhood, possessed a chivalrous spirit, and had begun his military career before he was twenty. It could be said that his entire life had been accompanied by war—either suppressing rebellions and violence or expanding territory. For some thirty-six or thirty-seven years, he could be called a hero of his age.

However, even though he refused to admit to aging in his heart, his decline was irreversible. The deteriorating bodily functions and the old ailments spread throughout his body, those faint aches and pains, constantly reminded Liu Ye: he was already old, no longer in the prime of his vigor, no longer in the flush of his spirited youth.

Therefore, Liu Ye had to consider the question of succession. This question had already been placed on Liu Ye's agenda as early as the sixth year of Pingkang (1012), and the choices available to Liu Ye were truly few—after all, he had only two sons who had grown to adulthood (all the rest had died young): the eldest, Liu Wentao, and the second, Liu Wenqian.

The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate birth did not need to be considered, because neither son was born of the principal wife. Liu Ye had initially followed convention in treating the eldest son, Liu Wentao, as his heir, since being older brought a greater sense of reassurance.

But after a period of cultivation and observation, Liu Ye had to give up on the eldest son. The problem was that this eldest son was far too gentle and refined—he could not fight battles, could not kill people, and was soft-hearted and hesitant when facing rebellious barbarians. In governing subordinates, he was uniformly lenient. When sent to pacify the Buddhist establishment, he completely failed to understand the true meaning of "using Buddhism to control Islam"—Liu Wentao actually went and sincerely believed in the Buddha, diligently studied Buddhist doctrine, and sought out eminent monks and great masters to discuss Zen and debate the Dharma.

In short, apart from filial piety, there was not a single thing about Liu Wentao that could satisfy Liu Ye. If this were in the central empire, it would be one thing—gentleness was not a major problem there, and one could still be a peaceful ruler.

But what kind of place was Kangju? What kind of place was Central Asia? Here, wolves surrounded on all sides, and the land was filled with strongmen inside and out. A gentle sheep could not lead a pack of wolves. Liu Wentao truly did not possess a single quality that a King of Kangju ought to have.

On the other hand, Kangju was also at a highly critical stage of development. Its current achievements and stability were inseparable from the support of the Great Han Empire and Liu Ye's formidable campaigns and suppression. Whether these achievements could be truly consolidated would depend on the management of the next one to two generations. Among these, the existence and performance of the second King of Kangju would be especially important.

These factors also made Liu Wentao's elimination inevitable. As for the whole system of primogeniture, it had to be applied according to the times and the region. At least in the Western Regions and Central Asia, it had no great market, nor were there so many people who fully believed in its doctrines.

One should know that among the upper echelons of the Three Kingdoms of Anxi, those born of concubines from the empire's noble families constituted the vast majority. To a certain extent, everyone could be considered "victims" of primogeniture. Even though many of them, after achieving success and fame, became the very thing they once despised and began selecting heirs according to the rules of primogeniture, they were not rigid in this regard.

Of course, this was related to the national geography and political-military environment in which the Three Kingdoms of Anxi found themselves. Here, what was needed was a strongman, an alpha wolf.

With Liu Wentao eliminated, Liu Ye had no choice but to turn his gaze to his second son, Liu Wenqian, who was then not yet twenty. And this son, at least, did not display the "deviation" that Liu Ye understood.

Over the course of several years, Liu Ye placed Liu Wenqian in various key offices throughout Kangju for training. His performance was not outstanding, but at least it was not poor—he had committed no major errors. Words like "decisive" and "capable" could be used to describe him. Even so, Liu Ye remained uneasy.

Thus, after conquering Khotan, he arranged for him to serve as Pacification Commissioner in the newly established Hezhou. This was a comprehensive examination, and the most important test of all. Judging from the current results, Liu Wenqian had basically passed.

Sure enough, that very night, Liu Ye summoned Liu Wenqian to his lodgings. Father and son talked at length by candlelight. Besides hearing Liu Wenqian's report on certain confidential details of Hezhou's military and civil affairs that could not be shared with outsiders, Liu Ye also, for the first time, explicitly indicated to him that he had decided to establish Liu Wenqian as his heir apparent.

He had already sounded out the powerful nobles and military leaders of Kangju's upper echelons on this matter, and the documents of investiture were also planned to be submitted to the imperial court when he went to the capital, in order to gain proper legitimacy.

That was right—Liu Ye had already received the summons edict from Luoyang, and he had decided to personally go to the capital. That fellow Liu Wenji wanted his thirteenth imperial uncle to give an explanation—then he would go openly and give him one.

On this matter, Kangju's upper echelons actually had many objections, and no few people tried to dissuade him. The main reason was concern for Liu Ye's safety. Even if his personal safety should not be an issue, what if the imperial court detained him? The great affairs of Kangju could not do without the prince's stewardship.

Unexpectedly, it was Liu Ye himself who saw this matter most clearly. He stated one thing: the annexation of Khotan was already a fait accompli, but to make it a complete and permanent fact, the hurdle of the imperial court had to be cleared.

Otherwise, even if Kangju could shut its doors and live on its own, the nation's development and advancement would inevitably be interrupted. If that were the case, then what was the point of annexing Khotan? Compared to friendly relations with the empire, what were the paltry benefits of Khotan worth?

Liu Ye admitted that there was an element of gambling in annexing Khotan, but he still knew in his heart which was heavier and which was lighter.

Regarding Liu Ye's decision to personally go to Luoyang, Liu Wenqian also showed the appropriate concern and worry. And Liu Ye, after deliberation, decided to bring Liu Wenqian back to Shule to hold the fort, while also handing over the command arrows and imperial seal that could mobilize the royal city guards, just in case.

This was a measure to thoroughly establish his status as heir apparent, and there was no fear that the transfer of military power would bring any backlash. As the founding sovereign of Kangju, Liu Ye himself carried more authority than any command arrow, tally seal, or identity verification, and there were very few officers in the Kangju army who did not know Liu Ye.

This was also the authority and bearing that only a founding monarch could possess.

On this deep winter night, Liu Ye and Liu Wenqian talked for a long time, saying much—besides looking back on the magnificent experiences of the past several decades, they also discussed some visions for the future of the Kangju state, as well as instructions on handling relations with Anxi, Beiting, and the imperial court.

Perhaps Liu Ye did not intend it that way, but this was almost an act of settling one's affairs before death…