The situation in the northwest is complex, changeable, and full of hidden dangers. It may not be optimistic and is a headache, but fortunately, it is just a corner. For the Han Empire, which was in its nascent stage of growth and whose national power was far from reaching its peak, it was impossible for it to be full of problems and hidden dangers.
Among the four territories of the Han Dynasty, the Khitan in the north is the most threatening, or can pose a threat to the Han Dynasty. Not only were farming civilizations always wary of and rejecting nomadic civilizations, but also because of the system of the Liao Kingdom, those Han systems, Han rituals, and Han ministers, were the most feared by the aristocrats and scholar-bureaucrats of the Han Dynasty, because it meant that the Khitans would take over the Central Plains. The ambition and cultural foundation of the country are very jealous of people with insight.
The fact is that the ruling class of the Han Dynasty would rather have an ignorant and wild nomadic tribe in the north than see a semi-nomadic and semi-feudal dynasty that combines the Han cultural system to exist for a long time.
Today's Han Empire is not the same as the Song Dynasty in the same period of original history, and its attitude and response to its powerful neighbor in the north are naturally different. The Song Dynasty had no choice, it couldn't defeat it, it just couldn't be defeated. The Han Dynasty found an opportunity and had to go north to seek to destroy the "Liao".
After unifying the world, as the only large threatening force around the empire, the Han Dynasty continued to pay more attention to the Khitan Liao Kingdom. Exchanges between the two countries have become more frequent.
As the eldest and second eldest countries in East Asia, they share a long border with each other. It is impossible for Han and Liao to have no exchanges. Whether friendly or malicious, the exchanges between the two sides are close.
Especially among the private sector, the trade in Shanyang and Yanshan roads and border markets developed in the fourth year of Kaibao and was already very prosperous. Don't think of the Khitans as pure barbarians. They occupy the northeast and the vast grasslands. Their products are not poor at all. Cattle, horses, alpacas from the grasslands and medicinal materials and furs from the Northeast are very popular in the Central Plains market.
The bloody scenes of the Han-Liao War are still vivid in our minds, and the bones of soldiers from both sides are still exposed. However, the two countries maintained "friendly" exchanges against the complex and contradictory political background.
It is also conceivable that if you say you are friendly, you cannot really be friendly. There is harmony and tranquility, but naturally there are also times of conflict. Khitan plundering did not happen in the border markets. The Han army went north to Guancheng to "hunt for bandits", and there were also times when it "taken care of" the Khitan tribe.
However, it always maintains an overall stability and restraint. Moreover, in the third year of Kaibao's reign, the Liao Kingdom sent a clan daughter to Tokyo, named Yeluling, who was eighteen years old. For this reason, Emperor Liu also gave a "princess" in return.
It has been more than seven years since the Han-Liao War. After such a long time, the Liao Kingdom's national and military strength has recovered, and recuperation is not just a patent for the Central Plains.
In these seven years, in addition to eliminating rebellions, calming the subjects, and consolidating its rule, the Liao Kingdom mainly accomplished two major external affairs.
One was the westward expedition to Gaochang and the destruction of the Uighurs in Xizhou. The results of the battle have been described above and will not be shown here. The effect was also obvious. The Liao Kingdom gained a lot of blood.
However, due to the confrontation with the Black Khan Dynasty for more than a year, the fierce fighting continued for a long time, so that the dividends of the war were no longer what they were before, but instead the troops were wasted. There were also internal differences in the Liao Kingdom regarding matters in the Western Regions.
Some people feel that they have made enough and hope to abandon the Western Regions, reduce unnecessary losses, and withdraw their troops eastward; some people are reluctant to part with the happiness of the Western Regions and insist on holding on to the Western Regions and continue to create wealth. The opposing Black Khan dynasty was destroyed, and all the Western Regions were taken over, taking all their money and livestock.
In this regard, Yelu Jing, the leader of the Liao Dynasty, was still hesitating. He had to hesitate. It would be fine if the Black Khan was as easy to fight as the Gaochang Uighurs. The key was that he was not easy to chew, and the big men in the south had to be prepared. Therefore, the Khitan could never devote too much power to matters in the Western Regions.
As for the treasure land of the Western Regions, he really couldn't bear to part with it. The wealth from the Western Regions had made Yelujing very generous in recent years, and he even rewarded his ministers generously.
Compared with the Western Expedition, another thing seemed less spectacular. In the winter of the second year of Kaibao in the Han Dynasty, when the imperial court was busy quelling the Wuyue rebellion in the southeast, Yelujing, the Lord of the Liao Dynasty, sent troops to destroy the Ding'an Kingdom entrenched in his back garden with Gao Xun, who stayed in Tokyo, as his commander.
This small country formed by the survivors of the Bohai Sea had little ability to resist when the Liao Kingdom really made up its mind to annihilate it. The result was no surprise: the city was destroyed and the country was destroyed.
The previous year, the nobles of Ding'an Kingdom had hoped to annex the Han Dynasty, but due to geographical limitations, the court refused. However, in order to appease them, the Han Dynasty came forward and invited Goryeo and Ding'an to discuss the matter.
After all, Ding'an State was backed by the Goryeo Kingdom. Therefore, although the country was destroyed, many nobles and common people fled south to the Goryeo Territory and accepted the asylum of the Goryeo Kingdom. Only a few people came from the sea, took refuge with the Han, and were placed in the Denglai area.
These few people are considered lucky. In addition to the difficult journey, after arriving in Dahan, their property and life are guaranteed, they have a place to live, they behave well, and they have the opportunity to become naturalized.
As for those who were taken in by Goryeo, life was miserable. It was said that many of them were extorted and forced to become slaves, living under other people's roofs, and suffered from oppression. As they progressed, many chose to flee back to the Liao Kingdom, preferring to become Khitan people. Obedient people. They were also enslaved, but at least the Khitans were stronger.
The imperial court was actually very dissatisfied with the way Goryeo treated the people of Ding'an. This matter was originally led by the Han Dynasty, but Goryeo behaved so greedily and unjustly that he even tried to slap the face of the court.
Although there was no attack, cracks began to appear in the relationship between Dahan and Goryeo. In particular, the situation behind the Northeast did not develop as the Han monarchs and ministers expected.
After Goryeo took in the Ding'an people, it really angered the Liao army. Gao Xun personally led the army and knelt down, as if he wanted to fight Goryeo. After all, it didn't take much military power to destroy the Ding'an state.
In response to this, Koryo responded calmly. On the one hand, it increased its troops to strengthen border defense, and on the other hand, it prepared a large amount of wine, meat and food to reward the Liao army. It was a very full gesture.
In the end, the two countries did not fight. Goryeo cut off some of the heads of Ding'an nobles and gave them to Gao Xun to show their sincerity. Therefore, after the Liao army showed off its power, they decisively withdrew their troops and attacked Goryeo. They did not have that plan yet.
After the details of the situation in the Northeast reached the Han Dynasty, everyone from Emperor Liu on down was indignant. The Goryeo Kingdom had gone too far and acted without considering the feelings of the Han Dynasty court.
Regarding the Ding'an incident, Wang Zhao was sent to question Wang Zhao. As a result, Wang Zhao said that the border issues were all made by local generals without his knowledge, so he immediately investigated thoroughly. Then, when the Han envoy returned, he brought back a human head and said that he had been punished for Ding'an. This head was the explanation to the court.
How could such an approach and such a trick be hidden from the eyes of the Han monarchs and ministers? What really made Emperor Liu feel angry was the news from the Northeast that communication between Liao and Goryeo had begun. This greatly touched Emperor Liu's bottom line.
Why he made good friends with Goryeo and supported Wang Zhao was because he wanted to use Goryeo's power during the Northern Expedition. As a result, before the matter was completed, his rebellious nature was revealed.
It is not difficult to understand Goryeo's performance like this. It can only be said that after the Han Dynasty became stronger, it put too much pressure on neighboring countries. Nowadays, it is obvious that Han is strong and Liao is weak. King Wang Zhao of Goryeo is not a fool. Of course he is willing to see that Liao can withstand the pressure of Han, so that he can safely be the third in command in East Asia and even take advantage of opportunities.
Of course, being on good terms with the Liao Kingdom does not mean that he has completely offended the Han Dynasty. He fell out with the empire and still served him respectfully. Every year, envoys continued to pay tribute, but it was obviously impossible for the Han Dynasty to interfere with its military affairs. What Wang Zhao hopes is to be able to have both sides of the conflict between Han and Liao.
However, Emperor Liu was really angry about this. At one point, he threw Goryeo's tribute to the ground and cursed Wang Zhao, saying that his wings were stiff. However, despite being angry, there was really nothing Goryeo could do about this matter.
There may be some punishment methods, but they really don't make much sense. Instead, they will completely push Goryeo into the Liao Kingdom. After all, Emperor Liu was not an emotional person, and he would not let anger affect his thoughts. However, he already secretly hated Gao Li in his heart.
