Han Shizu

Chapter 2157: Sejong 33: The "Coronation" of the Heavenly King, the Death of the Founder

In August of the autumn of the sixth year of Jianlong's reign, almost at the same time, Liu Wengong, King of Beiting, and Liu Wenqian, King of Kangju, personally led a delegation, carrying valuable gifts, and came west to Hezhong City for three purposes.

First, it has been countless years since the royal families of the three Central Asian countries have gathered together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Secondly, since Anxi had achieved a historic victory over the Islamic army, the two kings came in person to congratulate him and thank Anxi for his efforts and sacrifices for the safety, dignity and glory of the Han Dynasty.

The third, and in fact the most important, meaning is to express apology or even apologize.

In fact, both Kangju and Beiting paid great attention to the "Six Great Wars", and both countries carried out sufficient war mobilization and preparation. Otherwise, how could Kangju take the northeastern territory of Ghazni at lightning speed? In fact, in the later stages of the war, Kangju had already taken the initiative to join the battlefield and launched an attack on Ghazni.

As for the Beiting Kingdom, it quietly organized 30,000 infantry and cavalry. Although the number of people was not large compared to the Gaozhou battlefield, it was the most elite army in the country. The commander was Beiting's most capable general, Rui Hou Liu Jikun (Liu Wengong's nephew, who became famous in the first Battle of Mingcheng).

For the two countries, sitting on the sidelines and watching is indeed possible. Considering practical interests, if the two countries are asked to shed blood and sacrifice for the safety and national interests of Anxi, it is also too much to ask. For the Han family, for civilization, these are too empty and broad. As time goes by and the countries become centrifugal, they are not as real as power and interests.

From the perspective of the two countries, it would be best for Anxi to rely on its own strength to resist the counterattack of YSL. This is also its obligation and responsibility. After all, it has the largest population, the strongest strength, occupies the most fertile land and rivers, and is on the front line.

A treacherous person like Zhang Han hoped that both Anxi and Ghazni would suffer heavy losses, which would give Beiting Kingdom a chance to catch up or even replace them.

Of course, Anxi's hard power is there, it is not so fragile, and it will not be easily defeated by the YSL coalition. Even if something goes wrong and it suffers a defeat, there is still a large hinterland depth to the east of Hezhong City, which is enough for the armies of Beiting and Kangju to enter and save the crisis.
However, in that situation, Anxi would have to pay a more "expensive" price for the coalition. Even the Central Empire would not provide free assistance. Could it still expect close relations between the vassal states?
The only unexpected thing was that Anxi never sent envoys to ask for help from the two countries, but handled the matter alone. There were hundreds of thousands of Islamic troops, and the commander was Mahmoud, a monarch with a great reputation for decades, but they were defeated by Liu Wenze, a "young man", and fell into the abyss.
No matter how many unexpected things are, after the matter has become a reality, we have to consider how to end it. Whether it is cultural or blood factors, they all lead to the two countries of Beiting and Kangju feeling a little embarrassed when facing Anxi.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the prosperous state of Hezhong City is like a dynasty with rising sun, full of vitality. The prosperity of the capital city is the best in Central Asia. It is like a pearl hatched by Han civilization, dazzling and brilliant. It is also a majestic city that integrates the essence of Han civilization.

Before the arrival of Kings Liu Wengong and Liu Wenqian, representatives from various parties and envoys from various countries had already gathered in Hezhong City. In particular, representatives of nobles from Ziyaer, northeastern Persia, and Balkh regions, which had just been conquered by Anxi, came eagerly to congratulate King Anxi.

Over the past few decades, the Han nationality has thrived and taken root in the vast Central and West Asia region. Apart from the protracted war with Islamic civilization, the strong side of Han civilization has gradually played an assimilation role. For the countries and tribes in this region, if they cannot oppose or resist, then they can only accept and naturalize.

Even those frontline areas where fighting and killing have been fierce for many years, including some Arabs, have in fact become accustomed to the existence of Han people and the spread of Han civilization. Habit is a terrifying thing when you think about it carefully. The exploiters are accustomed to plundering, the enslaved are accustomed to numbness, and even war, killing and death are a habit.

Some of the characteristics and customs of Han civilization have in fact spread to Central and West Asia, such as language, writing, etiquette, clothing, calendar, system, and the five major festivals.
In addition to the jurisdiction, there were also some unexpected envoys, such as the Buyid Dynasty of the Baghdad Caliphate, whose Emir sent envoys to Hezhong to congratulate Anxi and at the same time express his intention to stop fighting, negotiate peace, not attack each other, and have friendly exchanges.

The former hegemon of the Mesopotamia had long since fallen on hard times, and was no longer worthy of its name. Its internal power was also torn apart, and its own rule was in jeopardy. After Mahmud's defeat, it dared not look east. Especially after Guo Ju led his troops to destroy the Ziyarid Kingdom on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, the two sides actually bordered each other.

With the strong military strength of the Han people, once Anxi launched another westward expedition, the scattered political power in the two river regions would be unable to resist. As a result, the Buyid Dynasty became the first country in the Islamic world to make peace with the Han Dynasty.

Moved by his sincerity, Liu Wenzhe "kindly and generously" agreed to his request, although the fundamental reason was that after the war, Anxi's expansion was weak and it needed to recuperate and stabilize the country, and the newly conquered land and population also required energy to establish assimilated rule.

The Central Asian Han State, guided by the spirit of Han civilization, essentially preferred farming and development, and had long passed the stage of fighting to support war. From the middle and late period of Liu Min's rule, it had entered the right track of diligently cultivating internal strength, rather than pursuing war expansion blindly. The serious losses in the two wars also calmed down those fanatical expansionists in the country.

The envoy fulfilled his mission and successfully brought back "peace" and "friendship" from the river. He even established trade relations. After returning to Baghdad, he received a generous reward from the Emir of the dynasty.

However, this surrender also greatly intensified internal conflicts, especially stimulating religious fanatics, and in fact aggravated the disintegration and demise of the Buyid Dynasty.

Equally surprising were the envoys from distant Kievan Rus, who traveled thousands of miles, through mountains and grasslands, and passed through the territory of the Oghuz Yegu Kingdom.

However, it was Grand Prince Yaroslav of Kievan Rus who developed a strong interest after hearing about the rise of the Han civilization in Central Asia. He sent envoys to contact Anxi. After many hardships, he finally arrived in Anxi, which coincided with the Han-Iranian War and witnessed the glorious victory of Anxi.

At this moment, on the edge of the Eurasian continent, the Russian civilization formed by the descendants of Vikings and the Eastern Slavs is in a prosperous stage. Liu Wenzhe is not very interested in this barbarian country thousands of miles away, but since friends have come from afar, there is no etiquette conflict between the two sides, so he still gives the envoys courtesy reception and lets them feel the unique charm of Han culture etiquette.

The envoys were amazed after seeing Anxi's civilization, strength and prosperity with their own eyes. After returning home, they gave a detailed report of what they had seen and heard to Grand Duke Yaroslav, which prompted the Grand Duke to consider trading with Anxi.

It was also from the sixth year of Jianlong that there began formal and official exchanges and contacts between Han civilization and Russian civilization, which broadened the horizons. A Silk Road stretching from Kiev in the west to Gaochang in the east was established through exchanges between Kievan Rus and the Han Kingdom in Central Asia.

Of course, the journey was long and far, and due to the harassment and obstruction of the nomadic peoples in the middle, this trade route was not stable and even seemed fragile, but it was the closest transportation and communication route between Eurasian civilizations during this period.

In addition to the Buyid Dynasty and Kievan Rus, the most surprising thing for Liu Wenzhe was the envoys from the Seljuk tribe. The Seljuk people were intriguing in themselves. You know, during the Han-Iranian War, they attacked the most fertile lower delta area of ​​the Jihun River Basin and killed and looted countless people.

This time, the envoys brought valuable gifts to the south, which naturally aroused Liu Wen Ze's curiosity, anger and murderous intent. Having just won a great victory over the Islamic coalition forces, Liu Wen Ze could not take care of the rebellious nomadic tribes in the north for the time being, but he was already planning to send troops north to clean them up to ensure the safety of the northern border. The Seljuks, who were just stroking the tiger's beard, were the first target, and the envoys came at a good time.

The envoy came on the orders of the Bey of the Seljuk tribe. He had two main purposes. One was to surrender to Anxi and apologize. As a result of the six wars, not only the Islamic core world in the Mesopotamian region was shaken, but the nomadic tribes around Anxi were also greatly frightened, especially the Seljuks.

The second is to express the Seljuk tribe's willingness to become loyal servants of Anxi King Liu Wen Ze. They are willing to guard the border for Anxi to prevent the invasion of northern nomadic tribes. Of course, this is conditional. The Seljuk tribe hopes that Anxi can grant them land and pastures in the northeast of the Aral Sea and the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya for nomadic survival. At the same time, they are willing to follow Anxi to conquer the rebellious Oghuz Yegu Kingdom.
The Seljuks' proposal was not out of the ordinary. After all, there was a precedent. About half a century ago, the Seljuks, one of the four major tribes of the Oghuz Yegu State, broke with the Yegu over a land dispute and were forced to move east to the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya River, where they served as mercenaries for the Shaman Dynasty to guard the north.

In the two or three decades before the Anxi Three Kingdoms destroyed the Samanid Dynasty, the Seljuks, in addition to leading the local Islamized tribes as Sunni Muslim leaders to conquer other pagans, were also competing with the Oghuz Yadgu State and paying close attention to the situation in the Transoxiana region.

As religious believers, the Seljuks were extremely disgusted with the foreign Han people of the Three Kingdoms of Anxi. However, due to their powerful situation, they did not dare to be too aggressive in the past. They just multiplied and developed quietly in the Syr Darya River Basin and rarely went south to plunder.

This time, the coalition forces were powerful enough, the commander was still Mahmud, the well-known Islamic backbone, and the three Anxi countries had a new king, so the Seljuks tried to attack. Of course, after more than half a century of development, the Seljuks' growing strength was the foundation. Then the news of Mahmud's defeat spread to the north, and the Seljuks were immediately embarrassed.
The Seljuks believed that they were sincere enough and wanted to continue to grow. However, the Han dynasty of Anxi was not the original Samanid dynasty. Liu Wenzhe instinctively felt repulsed and wary of these nomadic peoples in the north, not to mention that they were religious, which made them a fundamental enemy.

As for their request, Liu Wen Ze even thought they were crazy. At that time, the former king Liu Min was busy with domestic affairs and had no time to take care of the north, but Liu Wen Ze was determined to advance northward.

After all, whether it was the Oghuz Yadgur state, the Seljuk state, or other northern tribes, they were all too close to the Central Asian region. How could they sleep so close to their bed? At the same time, wherever the river reached, it was a place where Han civilization could take root and sprout.

Of course, Liu Wenzhe was well-mannered. Even though he felt contempt in his heart, he still had the tolerance of a conqueror and victor on his face, and he put forward two requests to the Seljuks in a calm tone.

First, let the Seljuks destroy their faith and religion and de-islamize; second, let the Seljuks accept Han transformation, implement the camp system for their subordinates, and accept the supervision of Anxi Xuanwei, Yushi, and tax collectors.

The former is a question of faith, which is also the fundamental conflict between Han civilization and Islam. For the Seljuks, they have been Islamized for a long time, which is also the main reason why they have grown and become the leaders of the Islamized tribes in the north. The extermination of religion and conversion to Islam involves fundamental issues.

As for the latter, it is a question of autonomy. Why did the Seljuk tribe quarrel with Yehu in the beginning, and later participated in the "anti-tax" struggle of Yehu? If they could accept Anxi's conditions today, they would not have defected to Yehu in the first place?

It is conceivable that when Liu Wenzhe proposed these two conditions, the Seljuk envoy looked very ugly and embarrassed, and even had a sense of being angry but not daring to speak. With the attitude of King Anxi, the Seljuk people's "goodwill" was doomed to be fruitless. At the subsequent Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony, the Seljuk envoy remained silent and did not get angry even when someone poured wine on his head.
This unsuccessful diplomatic activity also marked the beginning of the Seljuk's confrontation with the Kingdom of Anxi. After the envoy reported Liu Wenzhe's reply in full, the Seljuk Bey was furious, believing that this was Anxi's contempt and trampling of their sincerity. He decisively "rebelled against the Han" and soon launched an army to march south to plunder and invade the towns in the northwestern part of Anxi.

Of course, although the Seljuks at this time had a certain strength and prestige, they could not even cope with the declining Oghuz Yehu, so how could they be a match for the Anxi Army? Faith and will have a bonus to combat effectiveness, but most of the time, the absolute strength gap cannot be easily erased.

Facing the invasion of the Seljuks, Liu Wenzhe was furious and sent Guo Ju as the General of the Northern Expedition to lead 40,000 cavalry to attack the Seljuks in the north. Guo Ju was still very capable, and the Anxi Army was all cavalry, so the power of the guerrilla warfare that the Seljuks were good at was greatly reduced, and in terms of equipment, training and command, they were not even on the same level.

Therefore, in the winter of the sixth year of Jianlong, the Seljuks, who suffered heavy losses and could not bear the enemy, were forced to leave the Syr Darya River Basin where they had lived for more than half a century and migrate (flee) northward. The Anxi Kingdom took the opportunity to expand its actual controlled territory by hundreds of miles, including the Syr Darya River Basin and the Aral Sea.

This also led to further intensification of the conflict between Anxi and the Oghuz Yaghu Kingdom. After all, the bordering area was greatly increased. At that time, the main activity area of ​​the Oghuz Yaghu Kingdom was on the grasslands north of the Aral Sea and northeast of the Caspian Sea.

The Seljuks' move northwards was not the end of their feud with Anxi, but rather the beginning. The Seljuks moved northwards all the way to the Caucasus, where they rested and recuperated in the Volga River basin.

A tribe always has strong will and sufficient resilience in the period of upward development. The Seljuks proved this. They stayed in the unfamiliar and complicated Caucasus for several years. After integrating some of the remaining Khazars and Eastern Slavs, they embarked on the road of migration to the south and plunged into the battlefield of civilization in Central and West Asia again, bringing endless troubles to the Anxi Dynasty.
We will not mention what happened later, but the Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony held in the Dacheng Hall in Hezhong City in the sixth year of Jianlong was considered the most glorious moment for King Anxi Liu Wenzhe. He enjoyed a grand occasion of "all nations coming to pay tribute" in Central Asia.

Some Persian nobles in Khorasan proposed to Liu Wenzhe that he should follow the local tradition and be crowned with the title of "King of Kings". This proposal was supported by many people, especially the local nobles. From the bottom of their hearts, they hoped to use this method to slowly "convert" Liu Wenzhe.

However, Liu Wenzhe showed contempt for the title of "King of Kings". However, after this Mid-Autumn Festival, the title of "Heavenly King" officially began to spread within the Anxi system and spread far and wide to the East and West of the world.

In the eyes of Beiting King Liu Wengong, this Mid-Autumn Festival celebration was actually a "coronation ceremony" for Liu Wenzhe. He saw the submission of various ethnic groups in Central Asia, the prosperity of Anxi, and the pride and pride of Liu Wenzhe, and all of this made him feel mixed emotions.

Among the royal families with the surname Liu in the three Central Asian countries, Liu Wengong was the eldest, with the best family background and the most seniority. However, the Beiting Kingdom, which he ruled, became the last one due to its innate conditions. This gap in reality hurt him a lot, especially when facing the current King of Anxi Liu Wenzhe.

As the eldest son of King Zhao Liu Fang, and as the founding king of Beiting who fought in Central and West Asia together with his second uncle Liu Min and Liu Ye, how could Liu Wengong not feel proud?

Therefore, even though Liu Wenzhe accepted Liu Wengong's apology and gift of thanks (the relationship between the brothers was drifting apart, but as the Eastern Empire was thriving, the relationship had to continue), Liu Wengong did not feel at ease at all.

On his way back to Beiting, he passed through the cities and lands in the Seven Rivers Basin ruled by Anxi. The usually heroic Liu Wengong was rarely embarrassed. He almost roared in his heart: Emperor Taizu was unfair!
Seeing Liu Wengong's depression, Zhang Han, who got along well with him, took the initiative to comfort him. Zhang Han believed that Anxi had reached its peak. If Liu Wengong could stay sober, guard the foundation, and eliminate domestic conflicts and accumulated problems, then it could continue to be prosperous. Otherwise, it would inevitably decline. The hope of Beiting State lies in the future.

In response to this, Liu Wengong lamented for the first time that "a good cook cannot cook without rice"!

Compared to the heavy-hearted Liu Wengong, King Kang Liu Wenquan was much more relaxed. After all, he had already gained the benefits, so what did it matter if he lost some face? After being supplemented by Hezhou (Yarkand), he had been in a semi-take-off state in recent years.

However, after returning to Beiting Kingdom, Liu Wengong calmed down and continued to devote himself to his "foundation-building" cause. In addition to his usual close ties with the Han Dynasty and population policies, he also made up his mind to continue expanding northward.

Land was secondary. The main purpose was to go deep into the northern border, conquer those nomadic tribes, and obtain their population and livestock. Previously, Liu Wengong wanted to retain a bit of the "purity" of the Han people, but this ideal had to be put aside due to the actual needs of national development and growth.

Liu Wengong assembled all the cavalry troops in the country and handed them over to Rui Hou Liu Jikun to lead the northern expedition. Starting from the sixth year of Jianlong, Liu Wengong spent six years to expand the territory by 2,000 miles, conquer many nomadic tribes in the north, and bring them under the rule of Beiting State, greatly enriching Beiting's national strength. Beiting's strongholds also extended to the Ob River and Irtysh River basins.
Three years later, Liu Wengong, the founder of Beiting, died at the age of 60. He was the founder of Beiting State. He spent more than 30 years in a desolate and remote place to lay a solid foundation for future generations.

Even when Liu Wen died, Beiting's national strength was still far behind Anxi, but his half-life efforts laid the foundation for Beiting's complete rise.
(End of this chapter)