Han Shizu

Chapter 1092 The Attentive Jurchen
Facing the emperor's father's question, Liu Xi showed his usual idle smile on his face, and said casually: "I accidentally checked the case records. Before Qianyou 12 years ago, there were only five recorded Jurchen tributes. After the 12th year of Qianyou, there was one tribute for almost one year old. Since the 14th year of Qianyou, the tribute was divided into summer and winter. This year, this is the third time.

Each time, the amount of tribute was not too much, the most was no more than 1000 horses, and the few were [-] horses. Up to now, Jurchen has presented a total of more than [-] two hundred horses to the court.Of course, they are all war horses, and there are many famous horses! "

Hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help smiling, and said to himself: "Although the number is not many, paying tribute so diligently is considered filial. Is this a sense of presence in front of me?"

After hearing this, Liu Fang said, "In the 12th year of Qianyou's reign, the Northern Expedition of the Great Han Dynasty was successful. Obviously these Jurchen barbarians were affected by that war, and they came and went so frequently. Could it be that the Jurchen barbarians also intend to resist the rule of the Khitan people?"

Emperor Liu seemed very satisfied with Liu Fang's sensitivity, but he didn't express any opinion on his words. Instead, he glanced at Liu Xi and said, "Sanlang, what do you think?"

Liu Xi suddenly felt that the emperor had a lot of questions about him today, so he smiled and replied, "It's hard to say, I don't know much about Jurchen!"

Emperor Liu waved his hand and said flatly, "Then say you know it!"

Facing the strength of Emperor Liu, Liu Xi was helpless, thought for a while, and said: "I once chatted with Wang Langzhong (Wang Zhaoyuan), and I learned from him that the Jurchen clan should be a combination of Heishui Mohe in Tang Dynasty. The tribe has a wide distribution, almost all over the Northeast Region, and lives by fishing and hunting. However, because they are scattered, they cannot work together, and they are easily divided and ruled by the Khitans.

In recent years, those who paid tribute from the sea were all the tribes who were moved to the Liaodong area by the Khitan, and they were considered to be relatively large clans among the Jurchen tribes.The Khitan people's methods of ruling the tribes can be said to be severe. When they were strong in the past, they did not dare to resist and could only bear the humiliation. However, now that the big Han is strong and has defeated the Khitan people, the Jurchen tribes inevitably have some ideas.

However, I think that the Jurchen may have the desire to fight, but if it is said to be rebellious, it is not enough. If you pay tribute and be a big man, maybe you hope to get asylum and a backer.

Although the strength and prestige of the Khitan people were greatly damaged under the attack of the big Han, they were still the overlords in the north. Even if those tribes had different intentions, it was still very difficult to shake their rule.A few years ago, the rebellion organized by the Bohai people was easily extinguished, which is a clear proof.

As for the Jurchens, their strength is too scattered, and it is even more difficult to resist the Khitan rule."

Rarely, Liu Xi talked incessantly, and then stopped abruptly, and realized belatedly that he seemed to have talked a little too much.Lifting his eyelids slightly, he observed Liu Chengyou carefully, only to see that Emperor Liu's gaze was as sharp as ever, but when he looked at himself, it was so bright and full of meaning.

"Your words are considered insightful!" Emperor Liu commented after his expression quickly returned to indifference.

Liu Xi smiled awkwardly, and immediately said modestly: "These are all what Mr. Wang said, and I'm just picking up my teeth!"

"There are many people in the court who criticize Wang Zhaoyuan for his wealth and wealth. He only talks about it and has no real talent in his chest. Why don't you take it seriously and associate with him?" Emperor Liu said curiously.

Liu Xi resumed his lazy posture again, and replied: "If he is completely useless, how can the emperor use him? Besides, I think Wang Langzhong is also an interesting person, with good knowledge and eloquence. Talk, and sometimes have fun."

Liu Xi's remark was considered to be catering to Emperor Liu, and he couldn't help but be happy when he heard it.Among the ministers of Meng Shu, some were accepted into the court, included in the Hanlin and the Three Halls, and some remained as officials, but to say who lived the most prosperous life after surrendering, it must belong to Wang Zhaoyuan.

Although he has no real power, he is still considered a close minister. He can often see the emperor and talk to him.Sometimes, chatting with Wang Zhaoyuan is really fun.Most importantly, in the past five or six years, Wang Zhaoyuan has gained a deeper understanding of the Liao Kingdom and the tribes under its rule.

"Your mother often blames you for being lazy, I see that you know a lot!" Emperor Liu said, glancing at his third son again.

Speaking of Concubine Gao, Liu Xi tensed subconsciously, and then smiled wryly at Liu Chengyou: "I just occasionally read some miscellaneous books and chat with others, it's really not worth mentioning!"

Hearing what he said, Emperor Liu didn't expand on this topic anymore, and his attention finally shifted away from Liu Xi, and Liu Xi also subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, as if Emperor Liu's question made him feel great pressure generally.

"Jurchen." Liu Chengyou muttered, paused, and then said: "It's too useless!"

If you think highly of the current Jurchen clan because of the memory and thinking of later generations, that is really unnecessary.Although the current Jurchens are in the rising stage, they are still at an extremely early stage and their strength is very weak.Without a unified leadership, fishing and hunting are still the main mode of production. Between the white mountains and the black waters, many tribes are still living in a state of life and death.

In the eyes of Khitan people, Shiwei people and Bohai people are much more threatening than them.The Jurchens of this period basically could only survive by relying on the breath of the Khitan people, just like a piece of dough, they could be kneaded however they wanted, and could be kneaded into any shape they wanted.

As for the saying that "the Jurchen soldiers are full and invincible", if the Jurchens at this time heard such a statement, they would probably find it ridiculous.

There is no doubt that Emperor Liu has ambitions for Liaodong. Since ancient times, it has been the inherent territory of the Central Plains dynasty. Without Liaodong, the empire's territory would be incomplete.

However, Emperor Liu had no idea how to conquer it. After all, it was the core ruling area of ​​the Liao Kingdom. It had been in business for a long time, and the geography was remote. Emperor Liu did not dare to underestimate the difficulty of conquering Liaodong.Back then, Guo Tingwei floated into the sea to attack Liao, but he had already tested its strength.

It can be said bluntly that in Emperor Liu's view, it is much easier to go west and collect Hexi than to go east.Of course, there may be difficulties, but it will not change Emperor Liu's ambition to attack. This will be a systematic process. To fight Liaodong, one must beat Khitan again, and take Liao together.

After the unification of the world, Emperor Liu has already planned the affairs of the neighbors with his confidants. Although it has not been practiced yet, there is a general framework, among which breaking Liao and recovering Liaodong is the top priority.

Considering the hospitality of the Liaodong Jurchens, even if it is not very useful, it can still play some value!

Considering this, Emperor Liu once again thought about sending envoys. Speaking of which, the Jurchens have paid tribute for so many years, and Emperor Liu has accepted all the tributes, but he has not returned the gifts, let alone envoys.
As for the candidate for the envoy, a figure immediately came to his mind, naturally it was Wang Zhaoyuan.

It was freezing cold, and when his body gradually cooled down, Emperor Liu suffered from the cold again, so he didn't stay in the garden for long before driving back to the palace.The Fengchen guards who were hunting also came back, and as expected, they had very little harvest. Emperor Liu was very generous and "bought" one at the price of ten sticks, which was a big reward.

It's not that Emperor Liu is stingy, but that he can't be promoted just because he is successful in hunting.

Before returning to the palace, they stopped in front of a farmhouse. In the palace gardens in Tokyo, there were also some farmers and herdsmen living in the service of the emperor.The family who made Emperor Liu stop had a special identity, Zhou Baoquan's mother and son.

When the imperial driver stopped, Zhou's mother and son were taking care of the horses they were shepherding. They noticed the movement outside the house, checked it, and hurried out to greet them.Although surprised by the emperor's visit, the mother and son were not nervous at all, especially Zhou's mother Yan, who took her son with her, and seemed very calm while being respectful.

The house looks very simple, but it is clean and organized. Only the mother and son live in it. The loyal servants who came to Beijing with them were sent away by the Yan family when they wanted to follow them.

Therefore, in the life in the palace garden, there is no one to serve, and everything has to be done by the mother and son.The two depended on each other for life and worked hard without complaint until now.In fact, from the very beginning, Emperor Liu asked the mother and son to raise horses for him, just as a punishment, and let them atone for Zhou Xingfeng's militarism and stubborn resistance to the court. Horse raising can also be said to be a formal thing.

However, under Yan's leadership, the mother and son insisted on raising some fruits with their heart.
Looking at the surrounding environment, looking at the mother and son kneeling in the cold wind, You Qi stayed on Yan Shi for a while.The woman in front of him said that she was an ordinary peasant woman, she had no problems, her skin was rough and she didn't wear makeup, but Emperor Liu believed at a glance that she was indeed a hardworking and wise woman, an excellent and great mother.

Looking at Zhou Baoquan who was quietly kneeling aside, his face flushed with cold, Liu Chengyou sighed slightly in his heart, and asked, "How many years have you mother and son been in the palace?"

Yan Shi didn't answer, and Zhou Baoquan replied: "Return to Your Majesty, more than eight years!"

"It's been so long!" Emperor Liu pondered for a while, and said, "From now on, your mother and son don't need to live here anymore, you can go live in the Hou Mansion in Kaifeng City!"

Zhou Baoquan has a title, Marquis of Yiyang.

Hearing this, Yan paid homage: "Your Majesty once said that I would let my mother and son feed the horses for ten years, but the deadline has not yet come!"

Emperor Liu smiled and said, "I said it has been ten years, do you agree?"

Yan was stunned for a while, met Emperor Liu's eyes, finally couldn't help the redness in his eyes, pulled Zhou Baoquan to knock down, choked up and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)