Facing the emperor's father's question, Liu Xi showed his usual casual smile and said casually: "I accidentally checked the case records. Twelve years ago, there were only five Jurchens paying tribute in total. After the twelfth year of Qianyou, there was almost one tribute per year. Starting from the fourteenth year of Qianyou, tribute was divided into summer and winter. This year, this is the third time.
Each time, the number of tributes was not large, with a maximum of seventy horses and a minimum of thirty horses. So far, the Jurchens have presented a total of more than 1,200 horses to the court. Of course, they are all war horses, and there are many famous horses and horses! "
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but smile and said to himself: "Although the number is not large, paying tribute so diligently can be considered a filial piety. Is this to establish a sense of presence in front of me?"
Liu Fang heard this and said: "In the twelfth year of Qianyou's reign, the Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition was successful. Obviously these Jurchen barbarians were affected by that war and had such frequent exchanges. Could it be that the Jurchens also wanted to resist the rule of the Khitans?"
Emperor Liu seemed very satisfied with Liu Fang's acumen, but did not 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 for him today. He smiled and replied: "It's hard to say, I don't know much about the Jurchens!"
Emperor Liu waved his hand and said calmly: "Then tell me what you know!"
Faced with Emperor Liu's strength, Liu Xi had no choice but to think about it and said: "I once had a chat with Wang Langzhong (Wang Zhaoyuan) and learned from him that the Jurchen tribe was the Heishui Mohe of the Tang Dynasty, a mixture of many The tribes are widely distributed, almost all over the Northeast, and make a living by fishing and hunting. However, because they are scattered, they cannot join forces and can easily be divided and conquered by the Khitans.
In recent years, those who have paid tribute in the floating sea are all tribes that were moved to the Liaodong area by the Khitan, and are considered to be relatively large clans among the Jurchen tribes. The Khitan people's rule over the various tribes was very harsh. In the past, when they were strong, they did not dare to resist and could only endure the humiliation in shame. However, now that the Han Dynasty is strong and has defeated the Khitan people, the Jurchen tribes will inevitably have some ideas.
However, I thought that the Jurchens might have a desire to resist, but if they were to be rebellious, they would not go so far as to be rebellious. They might just pay tribute and make friends with the powerful men in the hope of being protected and having a backer.
Although the Khitan people suffered a great loss in strength and prestige under the attack of the Han, they are still the overlords in the north. Even if those tribes have different intentions, it is still very difficult to shake their rule. In the past few years, the rebellion organized by the Bohai people was easily extinguished, which is proof of this.
As for the Jurchens, their strength is too scattered, and it is even more difficult to resist the Khitan rule..."
Rarely, Liu Xi spoke eloquently for a while, then stopped abruptly. Afterwards, he realized that he seemed to have talked a little too much. He raised his eyelids slightly and carefully observed Liu Chengyou. He saw that Emperor Liu's eyes were as sharp as ever, but when he looked at him, they looked so bright and meaningful.
"What you said is quite insightful!" Emperor Liu's expression quickly returned to calmness and he commented.
Liu Xi smiled and immediately said humbly: "These are what Wang Langzhong said, I am just picking up his wisdom!"
"There are many people in the court who criticize Wang Zhaoyuan for his wealth and reputation but for his external failure. He only talks about words and has no real talent. Why don't you take it seriously and go out with him?" Emperor Liu said a little curiously.
Liu Xi regained his lazy posture and responded: "If he is completely useless, how can the emperor use him? Furthermore, I think Wang Langzhong is also an interesting person, with good knowledge and eloquence. Talking and sometimes having fun doing it.”
Liu Xi's words were considered to be catering to Emperor Liu, and he couldn't help but feel happy when he heard them. Among the ministers who surrendered to Meng Shu, some were admitted to the palace, incorporated into the Imperial Academy and the Three Halls, and some were retained as officials. But who lived the most prosperous life after surrendering, it must be Wang Zhaoyuan.
Although he had no real power, he was still considered a close minister and could often see the emperor and talk to him. Sometimes, chatting with Wang Zhaoyuan is indeed quite fun. The most important thing is that 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 scolds you for being lazy. I see you know a lot!" Emperor Liu said, glancing at his third son again.
When Liu Xi mentioned Concubine Gao, his body tensed up subconsciously, and then he smiled bitterly at Liu Chengyou and said, "I just occasionally read some miscellaneous books and chat with others. It's really not worth mentioning!"
After listening to what he said, Emperor Liu did not expand on this topic any further. His attention finally moved away from Liu Xi, and Liu Xi 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 useless!"
If you think highly of the current Jurchen tribe because of some memories and thoughts of later generations, it is really unnecessary. Although the current Jurchens are in the rising stage, they are still in an extremely early stage and their strength is very weak. Without unified leadership, fishing and hunting are still the main mode of production. Between the white mountains and black waters, many tribes are still living in a state of living like a raw material and drinking blood.
In the eyes of the Khitan people, the Shiwei people and the Bohai people were much greater threats than them. The Jurchens during this period basically had to rely on the breath of the Khitan people to survive, just like a piece of dough, they could knead it how they wanted and knead it into whatever shape they wanted.
As for the saying that "the Jurchen soldiers are invincible", if the Jurchens at this time heard this statement, they themselves would probably find it ridiculous.
There is no doubt that Emperor Liu was ambitious about Liaodong. Since ancient times, it had been the inherent territory of the Central Plains dynasty. Without Liaodong, the empire's territory would also be incomplete.
However, Emperor Liu had not yet determined how to capture it. After all, it was the core area ruled by the Liao Kingdom. It had been in operation for a long time and was geographically remote. Emperor Liu did not dare to underestimate the difficulty of conquering Liaodong. When Guo Ting launched an attack on the Liao Dynasty in the Weihai Sea, he had already tested its weight.
It can be said bluntly that in Emperor Liu's view, it was much easier to march westward to capture Hexi than to march eastward. Of course, it may be difficult, but it cannot change Emperor Liu's ambition to conquer. This will be a systematic process. To attack Liaodong, the Khitan must be defeated again, and the Liao Kingdom must be dealt with together.
After the unification of the world, Emperor Liu had already planned matters concerning his surroundings with his confidants. Although it had not yet been implemented, there was a general framework. Breaking the Liao Dynasty and regaining Liaodong was the top priority.
Thinking of the diligent hospitality of the Liaodong Jurchens, even if it is not of great use, it can still exert some value!
Taking this into consideration, Emperor Liu once again considered sending envoys. Speaking of which, the Jurchens had paid tribute for so many years, and Emperor Liu had accepted them all, but he had yet to return the gift, let alone the envoy...
As for the candidate for the envoy, a figure appeared directly in his mind, naturally it was Wang Zhaoyuan.
It was freezing cold, and when the body gradually cooled down, Emperor Liu's fear of the cold broke out again, so he did not stay in the garden for long before driving back to the palace. The Fengchen guards who were hunting also came back, and as expected, the harvest was very little. Emperor Liu was very generous and "bought" one for ten guan, which was a huge reward.
It's not that Emperor Liu is stingy, but he can't be promoted just because he is successful in hunting.
Before returning to the palace, he stopped in front of a farmhouse. In the palace gardens of Tokyo, there were also some farmers and herdsmen living, all of whom served the emperor. The identity of the family that asked Emperor Liu to stop was naturally somewhat special, Zhou Baoquan and his son.
When the imperial driver stopped, Zhou's mother and son were taking care of the horses they were tending. They noticed the movement outside the house, took a look, and hurried out to greet them. Although they were surprised by the emperor's visit, the mother and son were not nervous at all, especially Zhou's mother Yan, who was respectful and calm with her son.
The house looked very simple, but it was neat and organized. The mother and son lived there. The loyal servants who accompanied them to the capital originally wanted to follow them, but they were dismissed by the Yan family and all their belongings were dispersed to support them in making a living.
Therefore, in life in the palace, there was no one to take care of her, and the mother and son had to do everything by themselves. The two depended on each other, working hard and never complaining, until now. In fact, from the beginning, Emperor Liu asked his mother and son to raise horses for him, just as a punishment to atone for Zhou Xingfeng's militarism and stubborn resistance to the court. Raising horses can also be said to be a formal thing.
However, under the leadership of Yan, the mother and son worked hard to achieve some results...
Looking at the surrounding environment, he looked at the mother and son kneeling in the cold wind, especially staying on Mrs. Yan for a while. The woman in front of him was said to be an ordinary peasant woman with no problems, with rough skin and no makeup. However, Emperor Liu believed at a glance that she was indeed a hard-working and wise woman and an excellent and great mother.
Looking at Zhou Baoquan who was kneeling quietly aside with his little face flushed red from the cold, Liu Chengyou sighed in his heart and asked, "How many years have you, mother and son, been in the palace?"
Yan didn't answer, so Zhou Baoquan answered: "Your Majesty, it's been more than eight years!"
"It's been so long!" Emperor Liu pondered for a moment and said, "From now on, you mother and son don't have to live here anymore. Let's live in the Hou Mansion in Kaifeng City!"
Zhou Baoquan had the title of Marquis of Yiyang.
Hearing this, Mrs. Yan bowed and said, "Your Majesty once said that I would let my mother and my son feed the horses for ten years, but now the time limit has not come yet!"
Emperor Liu smiled and said: "I said it has been ten years, do you agree?"
Yan was stunned for a while, then when she met Emperor Liu's gaze, her eyes finally couldn't help but turn red. She pulled Zhou Baoquan and knelt down, choking with sobs: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
