Chapter 731: This Emperor Is Truly Ruthless

"What? His Majesty wants to develop the Liao Marshes?" Han Kuangsi and Han Kuangmei stared wide-eyed, their faces full of disbelief.

Han Kuangsi in particular lacked his younger brother Han Kuangmei's talent for acting, which made him look very much like a man ready to turn and run.

The so-called Liao Marshes were a vast expanse of swampland that had existed in the northeast since ancient times.

This was unlike what later generations imagined—that Liaodong and Liaoxi had always been flat, fertile black-soil land.

In fact, in the middle of present-day Liaoning, roughly between Panjin and Shenyang, there lay a great marshland gathering numerous lakes.

How large was it? Roughly equal to most of present-day Panshan County in Panjin, Tai'an County in Anshan, the greater part of Heishan County in Jinzhou, and most of Xinmin and Liaozhong County under Shenyang.

In other words, from Panjin to Shenyang, except for a few scattered areas, it was basically all marsh.

The History of Song records that the Liao Marshes lay low, were entirely overgrown with reeds, and were sodden with standing water. In a single day one crossed water thirty-eight times, and many were drowned; it was called the Liao River. Along the river it stretched more than a thousand li north to south, and two hundred li east to west.

In autumn and summer it swarmed with gadflies and horseflies, day and night without cease, so that neither ox nor horse could pass. Travelers wrapped their chests and bellies in cloth, everyone wore layer upon layer of clothing with robes draped over them, and when they sat they burned mugwort and grass for smoke, which only slightly helped.

After the Jingkang Disaster, when the Jurchen carried off Wanyan Jiumei's mother Lady Wei and the other consorts on their return to the Supreme Capital, someone recorded that in crossing the Liao Marshes, it was said to be like walking through water; even though the consorts lay in litters or on camel and horseback, their layered robes were soaked through. The torments of hell could be no worse than this.

Imagine it—this was the northeast! The gadflies and horseflies were so thick that neither man nor beast dared approach, and the damp was so heavy that merely crossing was like walking through water.

If one did not name the place, most people would assume this was in the jungles and swamps of Southeast Asia in the Tang era.

Setting aside the matter of miasma and plague, this was even fiercer than the jungle swamps of Southeast Asia.

Note that these gadflies and horseflies were not the bloodsucking mosquitoes one might think of, but creatures larger than flies that specialized in sucking the blood of livestock—scientifically known as tabanids, commonly called blind horseflies, ox mosquitoes, and the like.

These things could grow up to four centimeters long. Never mind people—even oxen could not withstand them. Zhang Zhao had lived hard in his childhood, and when herding cattle, what he feared most was these creatures. One bite, and the sensation was pure agony and ecstasy at once.

And the ferocity of the Liao Marshes did not stop there. Even more ferocious was that the Liao Marshes region contained the West Liao River, the Lower Liao River, the Xilamulun River, and other rivers great and small, along with a vast expanse of lakes.

Together they formed the maddening Liao River basin, whose defining trait was frequent flooding—once it broke out, it was earth-shaking and rampaged unchecked.

Even in later times, into the early years of the People's Republic, flooding on the Liao River remained an extremely vexing problem.

Therefore, to eliminate the Liao Marshes and turn the West Liao River plain and the Lower Liao River plain into a rich and happy land, the first thing to be dealt with was the flooding of the Liao River—and the difficulty was anything but ordinary.

And could one simply not deal with it?

Certainly not. Historically, the reason the population of the entire Liao region never rose was precisely the existence of the Liao Marshes.

And the failure of the Liao region's population to rise was in turn the greatest reason the Central Plains regimes could never securely control the peninsula—or at least the Four Commanderies of Han.

From the time Gongsun Kang carved out Liaodong for himself, the regimes there had relied on the Liao Marshes to resist the Central Plains court. The reason the Sui and Tang campaigns against Goguryeo were so difficult was also the Liao Marshes.

No matter if you had a million troops or two hundred thousand armored men, to cross this marshland you would shed a layer of skin.

And Goguryeo would be waiting at the outlet of the Liao Marshes. Once your army was worn out and your soldiers exhausted, they would come up and give you a beating; if they still could not win, they would withdraw to the mountain fortresses of Liaodong and hold out, forcing your supply lines to pass through the Liao Marshes all over again.

Under such conditions, even if the Central Plains court had the strength of a thousand jun, it could not bring it to bear.

The reason the Great Tang ultimately finished off Goguryeo, apart from the later development of its navy, was largely that Emperor Taizong emptied the treasuries of Hebei Circuit and ordered Yan Lide to build a solid post road through the Liao Marshes.

Later, when the Tang lost Liaodong, it was also because the post road had been destroyed, allowing the Da clan regime of Balhae to face off against the Tang's Yingzhou across the Liao Marshes.

Even as late as the Ming dynasty, one could still rely on the Liao Marshes to guard against the Mongols to the north coming south to raid.

Historically, the complete disappearance of the Liao Marshes had to wait until the late Qing, when the great migration into Manchuria brought tens of millions of settlers, after which the Liao Marshes finally vanished completely.

Looking at the Han family members before him, already somewhat frightened, Zhang Zhao rose to his feet, his heart filled with boundless ambition.

To control the peninsula, the whole of Liao must be made prosperous; to make the whole of Liao prosperous, the Liao Marshes between Liaodong and Liaoxi must be eliminated.

Moreover, if in the future he was to firmly hold the Outer Northeast, the Liao region must be made passable. Only with Liaoning as a great base would developing and controlling the northeast become realistic.

"The Count of Khotan seems somewhat afraid?" Watching Han Kuangsi looking ready to flee, Zhang Zhao asked with a chuckle.

Han Kuangsi did not dare look at the Emperor's face, and only grumbled inwardly: What kind of joke was this? Taming the Liao Marshes—was that something a human being could do?

It was simply going to one's death. Only a fool would not want to run.

But very soon, a single sentence from the Emperor sent Han Kuangsi plummeting into an abyss.

"Originally, We intended to entrust this task to the Ma family of Yiwulu Mountain. It is only a pity that Ma Yanxu did not know his place and dared to hedge his bets, ending with his whole clan executed."

Damn! Now even an actor of Han Kuangmei's caliber could not keep his composure.

He looked up at the brilliant smile on the Emperor's face and felt as though a venomous snake were flicking its tongue at him.

What did ruthlessness mean? This was what ruthlessness meant!

Han Kuangmei finally understood why Ma Yanxu of the Ma family of Yiwulu Mountain had been such an idiot—why, having already latched onto the new dynasty's thigh, he had still gone making eyes at Shulu Ping.

So it turned out he had been pressed into going to tame the Liao Marshes. Who could endure that! Better to have run off with Shulu Ping to the Great Xianbei Mountains to fish, hunt, and herd.

But the two brothers quickly realized what the Emperor meant by deliberately bringing up the Ma family. This was a threat—a naked threat. That was a whole clan executed!

Watching the two brothers' expressions, Zhang Zhao naturally knew that taming the Liao Marshes was a task that could only be done well by staking one's life on it.

And Zhang Zhao's demands were very high. Historically, from the middle period of the Liao dynasty onward, because the population had grown and communication between the Central Capital at Liaoyang Prefecture and the Southern Capital at Xijin Prefecture was poor, they too had attempted to eliminate the Liao Marshes.

But their methods were crude—as were those of the later Jin kingdom—and their overly crude practice of enclosing the marshes to create farmland instead led to the desertification of the West Liao River basin.

In the rainy season there was massive flooding, and in the dry season the soil desertified, nearly bringing the Horqin Sandy Land into Liaoning.

Therefore, what Zhang Zhao wanted now was not merely to eliminate the Liao Marshes, but to do so as far as possible with planning, in a relatively rational manner.

Such a task required not only desperate effort, but also capable people who were willing to do it.

The Han family before him was in a period of overflowing talent; across three generations they had produced many outstanding figures, so their ability was not in question.

So in the end, it came down to whether they would work wholeheartedly—and that, of course, also depended on Zhang Zhao.

If the benefits were given in full measure, there was no fear that no one would do the work.

Zhang Zhao beckoned the Han brothers, whose faces were beginning to show a touch of grief and indignation, to come forward, and pointed to a road marked out on the map.

"This is a side road built in former years when Emperor Taizong Wen of the Great Tang emptied the treasuries of Hebei Circuit.

In the dynasties since, from Liaoyang Prefecture to Jinzhou Prefecture and on to Beiping Prefecture, communication has largely depended on this one side road.

But this road was severely damaged in the final years of the Balhae kingdom. Fortunately, after the Khitan rose to power, they made slight repairs, so that to this day it can still serve a certain purpose.

Our intention is for you two Han ministers to take this side road as the core, first expanding to both sides, channeling the water of the smaller marshes into the Liao River and leveling the ground.

As for the great marshes, simply dig them deep into lakes, while at the same time reinforcing the embankments along the main stretches of the West Liao River, the Lower Liao River, and the other principal rivers.

In this way, during the water season, the Liao River's waters can be diverted into the lakes, and with the aid of the embankments, six or seven tenths of the flooding can be brought under control."

At the same time, We shall also bring from Jiangnan a strain of yellow-husk rice suited to marshy ground and tolerant of waterlogging, to be planted there.

We further intend to change Liaoxi Prefecture on the West Liao River into Liaoxi Superior Prefecture, establishing one Prefect of Liaoxi Superior Prefecture concurrently serving as Liaoxi Troop and Horse Supervisor.

On the lower Liao River, in the Fengxian Army region (the Panjin and Anshan area), We shall establish Liaoning Superior Prefecture, with one Prefect of Liaoning Superior Prefecture concurrently serving as Liaoning Troop and Horse Supervisor.

These two superior prefectures shall be directly administered prefectures, under the direct jurisdiction of the Secretariat, with the right to submit sealed secret memorials."

Zhang Zhao laid this out in careful detail. The Han brothers, having been caught, could only contain their impatience and listen with their hearts in turmoil. The more they heard, the more Han Kuangsi and Han Kuangmei exchanged glances, until they understood exactly what the Emperor had in mind.

The Khitan nation numbered several hundred thousand, and together with the Bohai and others, there were fully five or six hundred thousand.

For so many people, their lands had all been seized by the Prince of Liaoyang and redistributed to Han settlers from the Central Plains, to Tuyuhun migrants from the east, and to the various Tangut commoners.

One can imagine that when five or six hundred thousand of the original Khitan nation return to Liaodong and Liaoxi, even if they are grateful at first, discontent will surely accumulate with the passing days. They will always be a source of instability.

But if these people can be organized, settled by districts, and then set to opening up the Liao marshes, first, it will expend their energies.

Second, it will keep them constantly in an environment where they can be watched.

Third, it will give them hope — once this marshland is leveled, it will become the land on which these people survive.

Fourth, it will keep them from returning to their homes, so that they will not breed resentment from seeing their seized property every day.

A formidable killing of four birds with one stone! No — it should be called eating one fish four ways. Han Kuangsi and Han Kuangmei exchanged another glance, and their state of mind shifted at the same moment.

It was not that they no longer feared the hardship of opening up the Liao marshes, but that they suddenly understood: the Emperor across from them had such deep schemes and such meticulous thought. Now that he had come to their Han family, unless the Han family was willing to die out completely like the Ma family of Yiwulu Mountain, they had no choice but to agree.

Seeing the Han brothers' expressions soften, Zhang Zhao nodded as well.

Truly, these were men who in history had thrived among the Khitan. Compared to Ma Tingxu of the Ma family, they were far more adept at reading the times, and they had not fallen into self-destructive despair because the task was too difficult.

Having probed this far, Zhang Zhao could now offer the benefits. He had not mentioned them earlier because he wanted to see how much these two could endure — and the result had left this Sage Zhang quite satisfied.

"We have heard that your fourth son, Derang, and fifth son, Dewei, are bright and quick-witted. The fourth son, Derang, in particular, is well read in the classics and histories, with exceptional natural talent.

Our eighth son, Xianzai, and fifth daughter, Qining, are in need of two study companions. If your family is willing, they may come to the Divine Capital to attend as study companions."

Han Kuangsi's expression jolted, and an incredulous look appeared on his face.

The Emperor's eighth son, Zhang Xianzai, was born of the Empress, making him in effect the reserve heir. If anything unexpected happened to the designated Crown Prince Zhang Xianjing, it was highly likely that the position of Crown Prince would fall to Zhang Xianzai.

The Emperor's fifth daughter, Zhang Qining, was even more extraordinary. She was born to Noble Consort Cao Sanniang, daughter of Cao Yanna, the Emperor's trusted confidant from his earliest following and his companion through hardship.

This Noble Consort had borne a child late in life, and only after great tribulation had she given birth to this one daughter. The girl was therefore exceedingly favored, and at just five years old had already been enfeoffed as Princess of the State of Chen.

One must understand that before her, only Zhang Qixiu — actually the eldest daughter but ranked as the second — had received the title of Princess of the State of Song, and that was because her marriage to Pei Yuan, Duke of Zhao, had already been settled.

Among the other sisters, only Zhang Qiwan, who had married Zhao Kuangzan, held the title of Princess of Baoding, and that was not a state princess but a commandery princess.

Moreover, the Emperor's fifth daughter, Zhang Qining, had yet another identity: she was the half-sister by the same mother of Murong Xinzhang, the foremost military merit-holder of the Great Zhou, who now held all power over Liao, and who had been granted the right to open his own administration as Prince of Liaoyang — and she was his only sister.

Whether it was serving as a study companion to a reserve heir like Zhang Xianzai, or — Han Kuangsi suddenly steeled himself, because he sensed it — the Emperor intended to have his fourth son, Derang, marry the Princess, who was also the only sister of the Prince of Liaoyang.

Damn it, we're all in!

Han Kuangsi dragged Han Kuangmei down, and with a splash they knelt before Zhang Zhao. "The Han clan of Khotan is willing to go through fire and water for the Sage!"

Zhang Zhao laughed heartily and raised the two men up. "So long as you two carry out this task with all your hearts, We will not stint on titles and offices. Even enfeoffment as prince or duke — We would grant it gladly!"

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