Chapter 729: The Han Family of Khotan

There were actually quite a few Han Chinese serving the Khitan, and among them the Han family of Khotan and the Geng family of Shanggu were the most powerful.

The Han family's Han Zhigu married a woman of the Xiao clan of the Bali tribe, a Khitan empress clan, while the Geng family's Geng Chongmei simply married a niece of Yelu Abaoji and a cousin of Yelu Deguang.

Historically, both families did the best among the Khitan's Han subjects, better than most ordinary Khitan nobles, and the two families intermarried for generations, enjoying boundless prestige.

But in this timeline, the two families' fates were somewhat different.

The Geng family's Geng Chongmei followed Yelu Deguang into the Central Plains and fought at the great battle of the Hutuo River. After Du Chongwei surrendered, Geng, swelling with pride, went on to capture Yizhou and personally killed the Later Jin Prefect of Yizhou, Guo Lin.

But unfortunately for him, Guo Lin, whom Geng Chongmei had killed, soon became a loyal minister and righteous martyr posthumously honored by Zhang Zhao.

Correspondingly, Geng Chongmei, who as a Han had served the Khitan and killed Guo Lin, found his reputation utterly ruined.

In the great battle of Luoyang, Geng Chongmei was captured at Xiaoyi Bridge and was immediately seized by Guo Lin's son, who cut open his belly and tore out his heart as a sacrifice to Guo Lin.

And after Yelu Deguang died at Shahulin, Zhang Zhao ordered the release of the Khitan guards who were willing to be buried with Yelu Deguang, but had all the Han ministers who had followed Yelu Deguang executed.

Geng Chongmei's two sons, Geng Shaoji and Geng Shaozhong, were among the dozens of Han ministers who were killed.

Thus, in this timeline, before the Geng family of Shanggu could even take flight, they were essentially wiped out, their line extinguished.

But the Han family was different. What their family did was govern territory on the Khitan's behalf, and at most train two Han armies — nothing involving southward invasions.

Han Kuangye and Han Kuangtu did follow the army into the Central Plains, but soon one of them was sent back to Youzhou for remonstrating, and the other was dispatched as an envoy to Hedong.

Therefore the Han family suffered almost no losses. Even in the period afterward when the Han people were thoroughly suppressed, the Han family still pulled through.

Moreover, the Han family had another advantage: from Han Zhigu onward, the family produced generation after generation of political figures skilled at governing territory, managing military farms, and handling finances, which let them survive many military crises.

Historically, the Han family had Han Zhigu at the top, and in the middle generation Han Kuangye, Han Kuangsi, Han Kuangyou, Han Kuangmei, and others, all great talents at governing territory.

The third generation produced the famous Han Derang, who slept on the dragon bed and with the empress dowager.

This is also an important reason the Khitan could even be regarded historically as a northern dynasty — because at their root, unlike the Xiongnu or the Turks, they were more like the Xianbei.

Politically, the Han were not, as the history books claim, in a thoroughly ruled class. In fact, among the Khitan there were quite a few Han ministers, and their status was not low.

Not to mention Han Derang — even Han Derang's fifth uncle, Han Kuangmei, rose to the high positions of Nanjing Army Commander, Military Governor of Tianxiong, posthumously Grand Preceptor, concurrently Administrator of Political Affairs, acting Chief Clerk of the Grand Governor of Weizhou, Supreme Pillar of State, and Specially Advanced with Ceremonies Equal to the Three Excellencies, enfeoffed as Prince of Ye.

So one can say that the Northern Song's so-called recovery of Yan-Yun was simply impossible, because the powerful Han clans of Yan-Yun had already merged into one with the Khitan during the time of Empress Dowager Chengtian, Xiao Chuo.

Compared with the power the Khitan shared with them, what the Northern Song could offer was pitifully little.

Or rather, the window for recovering Yan-Yun closed after the death of the Liao Emperor Muzong, the "Sleeping King" Yelu Jing.

Because during the reign of Liao Emperor Jingzong, Yelu Xian, the Liao state's three pillars — Empress Dowager Chengtian Xiao Chuo, Han Derang, and Yelu Xiuge — ascended the stage of history.

Zhang Zhao remembered that in an old film, The Great Liao Empress Dowager, the actress playing Xiao Chuo said a line that was deeply striking.

"The seeds of the southern Han, sown across the pine-desert steppes of the northern dynasty, take root and sprout, and what blooms is the flower of the Great Khitan."

Historically, Xiao Chuo did exactly that. Beginning with her, the Khitan truly gained a firm hold on the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun.

The people of Yan-Yun also began calling themselves Han, while calling the Han to the south "Song people" — a poison whose influence even ran deep into the Yuan dynasty.

From the Liao onward, through the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, the estrangement between northern and southern Han grew ever deeper, until finally it developed to the point where the northern Han lords threw all their strength into helping the Mongols destroy the Southern Song.

This also shows the greatness of the Hongwu Emperor. Were it not for him, had the northern and southern Han remained divided for another hundred years or so, they truly would have become two separate peoples.

And at this moment, in this timeline, Yelu Xiuge was around sixteen, Han Derang seven or eight, and Xiao Chuo still four years from being born. The Geng family of Shanggu had already been nearly exterminated.

Now the Han family of Khotan, as the representatives of the Khitan's Han subjects, were terrified beyond measure.

It was not that they did not want to defect — it was that the strategy Zhang Zhao was carrying out had frightened them.

One must remember that in these past few years, Zhang Zhao first ordered Geng Chongmei's belly cut open and his heart torn out, and had all the Han ministers who followed Yelu Deguang south put to death.

Then he had Zhao Yanshou executed (at least as far as outsiders could tell, Zhao Yanshou was killed by Murong Xinzhang on Zhang Zhao's orders).

Especially last year, Ma Tingxu of the Ma family of Mount Yiwulu, because of his private communications with Shulu Ping, had troops sent by the Grand Governor of Andong, Murong Xinzhang, and more than ninety males of his entire clan were all executed.

There were only so many great Han minister clans in the Liao state — the Geng family of Shanggu and the Ma family of Mount Yiwulu had both been nearly wiped out, their lines extinguished, by Zhang Zhao and Murong Xinzhang, father and son.

Had the Zhao family of Lulong not produced a Zhao Kuangzan, they too would likely have ended with their whole clan dead.

The only exception was the Liu family of Changping. Their family produced literati generation after generation, and Murong Xinzhang was short of capable civil clerks, so they fared somewhat better.

So how could the Han family of Khotan — the sole survivors, holding the highest status among the Khitan's Han subjects — dare to defect?

Given the Shaoming Son of Heaven's loathing of Han people who served the Khitan state, who knew whether he might one day remember them and drag the whole family out to be killed?

When Han Kuangsi made up his mind and walked out the door, he saw his fourth brother Han Kuangyou and fifth brother Han Kuangmei already waiting outside.

At the sight of Han Kuangsi's expression, Han Kuangmei immediately grew excited.

"Third Brother has finally decided to act? I've said all along — only by binding Shulu Ping and presenting her to the Shaoming Son of Heaven, offering our pledge of allegiance, will our Han family be safe."

Han Kuangsi's face was full of unease. "Fifth Brother, do you really think the Shaoming Son of Heaven will accept our Han family? The cautionary examples of the Geng and Ma families are not far behind us."

Han Kuangmei shook his head, a somewhat self-satisfied look appearing on his face. "Third Brother, are they worthy of comparison with our Han family?

Geng Chongmei was a fool. He truly thought of himself as a Khitan, and for a bit of advantage he went so far as to kill Guo Lin with his own hands.

A loyal minister like Guo Lin — how much better to praise him to the skies, then bind him and send him to Emperor Li of the Zhuangmiao for disposal. Having already served a foreign race, how could there be any sense in personally killing a loyal minister of the Han lands?

As for the Ma family, Ma Yanxu was even more senile — stupider than Geng Chongmei.

He got a line to the Prince of Liaoyang, yet instead of quickly sending eight or ten Ma family daughters to serve Great King Murong and honestly climbing to a higher branch,

he ended up hedging his bets, wanting the benefits of both sides, without looking at his own abilities. Where did he get the nerve?

Look at our Han family of Khotan by contrast — we did not follow Emperor Li of the Zhuangmiao south to commit a single evil deed, nor did we raid the borderlands as military commanders.

At most we held a region for the Khitan and trained a few thousand armored soldiers of the Zhangwu Army — and even that bit of military strength was taken away by Emperor Li of the Zhuangmiao.

Our ancestors served the Khitan because they were carried off by the Khitan, not because our Han family went beyond the passes to defect of our own accord. One can say we have not wronged the court in the slightest.

Now we are even binding the Khitan empress dowager and defecting. Why should the Shaoming Sage not treat our Han family generously? If he does not grant us a marquis or count title, that would count as the Shaoming Son of Heaven being small-minded."

Han Kuangsi nodded repeatedly at Han Kuangmei's words. Of course, there truly was no other choice — if they did not act now, the Han family would truly be buried along with the Khitan — no! — buried along with Shulu Ping.

By the shores of Lake Buer, blood had already flowed like a river. Nearly a hundred thousand terrified herders were completely surrounded, and the Zhou army's attacks had already caused at least several thousand casualties.

But the ringed walls they had formed from carts and tents still held, and the cavalry hidden among the crowd had launched several desperate charges, though each was quickly beaten back.

In truth, what both sides lacked now was an effective medium of communication.

The terrified steppe people understood things according to the laws of the steppe: they believed that at least most of the adult men would be killed — kill everyone taller than a cart axle, the custom of the steppe through the ages.

The men did not want to die, and the old, weak, women, and children could not bear to see their loved ones killed — this was the driving force that kept them resisting.

As for Zhang Zhou's side, they naturally did not want to slaughter them all, but the opposing side was already in a state of collective panic. If you went up now and said you would not kill them, there probably would not be many who believed it.

And it would not take effect quickly either, so the most convenient approach was simply to crush them completely first and then win them over.

"Sage, the vanguard has captured a man who calls himself Han Kuangmei. He says he has important intelligence to report and requests an audience with the Sage."

Hearing Murong Xinchun's report, Zhang Zhao was slightly startled. The surname Han immediately made him think of Han Derang — he could not help it; the man was simply too famous.

Never mind sleeping with a Khitan empress as a Han man — even for a subject to openly sleep with the empress, and then have the next emperor treat him like his own father, in all of China's thousands of years of history, you truly could not find a second example.

One must know that by then the Chengtian Empress Dowager Xiao Chuo had already been dead for several years. When Han Derang fell ill, Emperor Shengzong of Liao, Yelu Longxu, still treated him like his own father, personally serving medicine to Han Derang on his sickbed together with the empress.

Even a real son might not necessarily do that. It was truly shocking and baffling.

So upon hearing that someone from the Han family had come, Zhang Zhao immediately decided to grant an audience.

Before long, Han Kuangmei was led before Zhang Zhao.

Good heavens — when I, Sage Zhang, looked up, the Han Kuangmei before me must have been six chi tall. By Tang measurements, that was basically over one meter eighty-five. His facial contours were as sharply defined as if carved by blade and axe, extremely distinctive.

Although he had broken out through deadly peril to offer surrender, his expression was composed, and he walked with a vigorous, commanding stride. His physical condition was extremely robust, yet his bearing carried a touch of scholarly refinement.

Damn — this was practically Eddie Peng's looks with Wang Xueqi's presence. At first glance, in appearance and bearing he even surpassed Murong Xinzhang by a point or two.

Though he did not know what relation this man was to Han Derang, if Han Derang had possessed such looks and bearing, then it would be no surprise that he could captivate a great heroine like Xiao Chuo into loving him alone.

"Sage! The Han clan of Khotan has finally waited for a true sage lord to restore our Han heavenly dynasty. Ever since our people were taken captive in the Later Dynasty years, there has not been a single moment when we did not gaze southward, longing for the royal army! Today, we have finally waited for it."

Whoa! An actor too. Zhang Zhao's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

The man was still seven or eight paces away, yet the tears on his face were already pouring down like a burst dam. Then he threw himself headlong onto the ground dampened by the light snow, rolled about until he was covered in mud, and wept with such grief that all who heard it shed tears and all who saw it were stricken with sorrow.

He came prepared! He knows exactly what works on me, Sage Zhang.

But this actually suited Zhang Zhao's taste. Sage Zhang no longer cared whether you were a fake loyalist or a true loyalist — as long as you were willing to put on the appearance of a loyal subject and righteous man, that was enough.

Zhang Zhao waved a hand and ordered his men to pull up the fellow who had rolled himself in mud. "Who are you, and why have you come to see Us?"

Han Kuangmei immediately stood up, then performed a deep bow with his head to the ground before loudly declaring: "This commoner Han Kuangmei is willing to bind and deliver the Khitan Empress Dowager Shulu Ping to the Sage, and can also offer the loyalty of at least four chieftains among the eight Dilie tribes."

(End of Chapter)

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