In the winter of November of the first year of Jianlong, Hotan.
In the cold winter, the vast northwest has become a land of ice and snow, and the world is shrouded in a chill. The tall and stretching Kunlun Mountains and the Black Kunlun Mountains (Karakorun Mountains) are already covered with white snow. The white jade and black jade originating from the two mountains
The two rivers have frozen over and are frozen for hundreds of miles.
Due to the geography and climate, the vast and vast land of Hotan seems somewhat lonely and desolate. However, it can be expected that when the spring returns next year, the glaciers will melt, the two rivers will flow again, and hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile fields and fertile soil will be planted along the river.
Crops, this historic area will regain its vitality.
Why did Kang Wang Liu Ye always covet Khotan, and even finally used weapons to break through the constraints of the imperial vassal system and destroy it? In addition to considering the safety of the royal city of Shule, Khotan had a large area of glacial river alluvial deposits
Plain land is a very important reason. Good water and soil conditions give it the potential to support hundreds of thousands of people.
On the other hand, it is for the population of Khotan. All the feudal states at home and abroad of the empire have always attached great importance to population. Of course, this refers to the Han population (it can also be appropriately relaxed to the Han population). From this
Enrich and develop the foundation for governance and enhance national strength.
As for the Three Kingdoms of Anxi, due to the long-term and frequent wars with the ysl world, the population consumption is not small. They are even more hungry and thirsty for this. They have also exhausted various means and offered various conditions to recruit people and talents from the mother country.
As for Kangju State, it has conditions that the other two countries do not have, that is, it borders Khotan, and Khotan has a population of nearly 300,000. It has a good foundation for sinicization, close cultural customs, and it is not difficult to transform.
In Liu Ye's eyes, these are their most valuable features. You must know that since the founding of the feudal state, it took the Three Kingdoms of Anxi almost thirty years to plunder a million people from the Han Dynasty. You can imagine
We know how precious the hundreds of thousands of people in Khotan are, and how "fat" they are regarded by their neighbors.
Not to mention anything else, after annexing the Khotan Kingdom, as long as its wealth, population, and land are digested, the strength of the Kangju Kingdom will quickly become closer to that of the Anxi Kingdom, and it will be able to catch up in terms of core ruling power.
Of course, it will take some time to complete these plans, and more importantly, it must withstand the questioning and even sanctions from the Central Empire. Kang Wang Liu Ye actually knew this very well in his heart. He acted in many domineering ways, but
Doesn't mean he's stupid.
Liu Ye's demise in Khotan did not take much effort. This was due to several factors. Strength is the most fundamental. Compared with twenty years ago, Kang Juguo's strength has made great progress (after all, it can be achieved through fighting with the empire)
(obtained improvements in all aspects through exchanges), and maintained an elite division through wars with the YSL forces in Central and Western Asia. At the same time, the situation in Khotan was deteriorating. The existence of Kangju State and the powerful
Aggression inherently compresses their living space.
In the face of the invasion of Kangju State, the former king Yuchi Baoxiang was still able to survive. After all, he was a military commander and had a strong character. At the same time, because of his mission to the capital, he always paid attention to maintaining relations with the imperial court.
Once Yuchi Baoxiang died, the decline of Khotan was out of control. His grandson Yuchijue succeeded to the throne. He had neither the power and prestige of his grandfather nor his excellent balancing ability. In the end, he could only watch Kang
The army approached the city and embarked on the road of escape and "rights protection" in embarrassment.
The Kang army was defeated in Khotan, with few casualties. They fought two battles in total. They first besieged the city of Ya'erkan (after the destruction of the country, Liu Ye changed its name to Shache), defeated it in three days, and then rushed to Khotan.
The Khotanese army was defeated in the small town of Zawa on the west bank of the Wuyu River, and then a group of Khotanese nobles and the common people entered the city in armor. Prior to this, most of the upper-class dignitaries of the Khotan Kingdom were affiliated with the Kangju State.
It is natural to be linked to others, or to be bribed, or to intimidate others. When things cannot be done, it is natural to change the family.
After taking over Khotan, Liu Ye established Hezhou on its basis, changed the city of Khotan to Hotan, and governed it as a prefecture, basically maintaining the original institutional structure of Khotan. Of course, the land area of Khotan is not small, and a certain analysis
It is very necessary.
Liu Ye placed tens of thousands of people in Shache County and its surrounding areas under the direct jurisdiction of Shule, the royal city. He also changed the name of Keriya City in eastern Khotan to Yutian, established a county, and established military envoys in Tian for military and political administration.
By the winter of the first year of Jianlong, it had been almost a year and a half since Khotan was destroyed. Thanks to Liu Ye's political co-optation, economic bribery, military deterrence and other means, the original Khotan area had basically stabilized.
This is also the easiest time for Liu Ye to fight and conquer in terms of expansion in the past thirty years. Compared with the MSLs from the Dashi area who have been brainwashed by YSL, the nobles and civilians of Khotan have
But it's just too "cute".
Because of this, Liu Ye gave them the maximum tolerance for the Buddhism they believed in. Apart from carrying out certain reforms in accordance with the Han religious management regulations and confiscating some temple properties and temple servants, there was no bigger blow.
At least there was no destruction of temples or religion.
In this process, the interests of Khotan Buddhism inevitably suffered losses, but there were not many incidents. First, the "de-YSLization" carried out by the Anxi Three Kingdoms in the territory caused an uproar in the entire Central and Western Asia. They
I've heard about it for a long time.
As the biggest opponent and the most dangerous enemy in the past, Khotan Buddhism knew how powerful it was. But even such a powerful sect was miserably beaten by the Liu family. Their little arms and legs,
Where can I bear it?
On the other hand, it is not completely related to Liu Ye's approach. At the same time, even in the Central Empire, the "extermination of Buddhism" happened almost seventy years ago. Although the interference of secular power in religious power still exists, the imperial Buddhism
In fact, it has prospered and developed again, and Khotan Buddhism, which had many exchanges with imperial Buddhism, naturally benefited a lot from it.
Nothing cannot be compromised, and it was precisely during the various compromises between various factions in Kangju and Khotan that the situation in Khotan or Kangju State and Hezhou stabilized, and Hezhou also began to integrate into Kangju State.
At the end of the first year of Jianlong, in the ice and snow, a mighty cavalry guarding a chariot-like vehicle rode on the hard frozen soil towards Hotan City.
The rustling "Kang" and "Liu" flags, as well as the regulations and decorations of the car, all tell the identity of the owner. The fierce winter wind brings biting cold, but fortunately all the knights are lined with linings under their armor.
Wearing silk and cotton clothes, and wearing a sheepskin hat on his head, he looked very warm despite the cold weather.
In the Kangju Kingdom, the only army with such treatment was the Royal Guards, who were still elite private soldiers of the major nobles. It was difficult for ordinary camp officers and soldiers to guarantee a manpower set, after all, it was a luxury.
This is already the third southern tour of Hezhou by King Kang Liu Ye in one year, which is enough to show that he attaches great importance to the Hezhou area. He intends to run Hezhou like the Wangji (Shule) area.
Today's Kangju Kingdom is no longer very small. Except for Wangjishule and Hezhou, it almost covers southwestern Kyrgyzstan, the entire Tajikistan and part of northern Afghanistan. And it has always been regarded as fundamental by Liu Ye.
Only Shule and Feizhou (Fergana Valley) are engaged in land management. Now, Hezhou will be added.
Hotan is located on the delta before the confluence of Wuyu River and Baiyu River. It is built between the two rivers and has a very advantageous geographical location. Of course, besides the beautiful jade, the most obvious feature of this city is the numerous Buddhist temples.
.
In Hotan City, in the lobby of the Governor's Office, Kang Wang Liu Ye, with a thin face but a majestic look, sat in the main seat and accepted the worship of the Governor Liu Wenqian and a group of Hezhou military and political officials.
Time is not forgiving, and Liu Ye is now fifty-five. He is no longer young, and his aging is also visible to the naked eye. But the heroic and majestic aura in his body is still strong. With a glance, everyone present
No one dared to look sideways.
In the hall, Liu Wenqian, on behalf of the state officials, presented a brocade box to Liu Ye. The box was engraved with the word "longevity" and had red silk interior. Inside, there were two pieces of fine jade, one green and one white.
This month is the fifty-fifth birthday of King Kang Liu Ye.
These two pieces of jade were naturally produced in the upper reaches of the two rivers of black jade and white jade outside the city. They were obtained by looking for jade men and venturing into the dangerous glacier valleys in the upper reaches. The state government obtained them and asked famous craftsmen to carefully carve them.
Liu Ye has never been interested in rare treasures, precious stones and jade, but this time, he rarely made an exception. He took two pieces of jade and played with them gently, observing the luster and texture on the jade body, especially
It's the clean and moist mutton-fat white jade.
After a while, he put down the jade, pondered for a while, then raised his head to look at Liu Wenqian with a respectful posture, and said this: "Jade is an important weapon of the country, you should take care of it yourself!"
Facing the king's explanation, Wen and Wu, who understood the meaning, all expressed solemn expressions and subconsciously cast their eyes on Liu Wenqian. Liu Wenqian in the respectful hall could not help but feel ripples in his heart, and solemnly said: "Yes!"
Liu Wenqian, the second son of Kang Wang Liu Ye, was born in the third year of Yongxi's reign at the age of 24. In the third year of Duangong, after Liu Ye was destroyed in Khotan, he was appointed as the governor of Hezhou, responsible for suppressing and pacifying the officials and people of Hezhou.
At the same time, he was also responsible for immigration work. Liu Ye wanted to move 50,000 "Khotan officials and citizens" to Feizhou and Longzhou (Liu Ye's new establishment, probably located in the western region of Tajikistan) to enrich local governance.
Being entrusted with such an important task at such a young age obviously contains King Kang's special expectations for Liu Wenqian. The appointment of Hezhou was also a test for the young Liu Wenqian, and judging from Liu Ye's attitude,
Quite satisfied.
Liu Ye, the king of Kang, was good at martial arts and chivalrous since he was a child. He started his military career before he was twenty years old. It can be said that he has been with war all his life. He was either quelling chaos and controlling violence or opening up frontiers.
Tu, for thirty-six or seven years, he can be called a hero in his lifetime.
However, even if he refuses to accept old age in his heart, his aging is irreversible. The degraded body functions, old diseases all over his body, and the dull pain are always reminding Liu Ye that he is old.
He is no longer as young and vigorous as before, nor as high-spirited as before.
Therefore, Liu Ye also had to consider the issue of successors. This issue had been on Liu Ye's agenda as early as the sixth year of Pingkang (1012), and there were really not many choices for Liu Ye. After all, he had a total of
Only two sons grew up (the rest all died in infancy), the eldest son Liu Wentao and the second son Liu Wenqian.
There is no need to consider the difference between legitimate concubine and concubine, because both sons are not legitimate children. Liu Ye initially regarded his eldest son Liu Wentao as his heir as usual. After all, being older can bring more peace of mind to others.
But after a period of training and observation, Liu Ye had to give up his eldest son. It was really that this eldest son was too weak and delicate to fight or kill. When faced with the barbarians who made trouble, he was soft-hearted and hesitant.
Controlling his subordinates, he was blindly lenient and asked him to appease Buddhism. He did not understand the reality of "using Buddha to control Iraq". However, Liu Wentao truly believed in Buddha, studied Buddhist teachings with heart, and talked to eminent monks and masters about Zen.
All in all, apart from filial piety, nothing about Liu Wentao could satisfy Liu Ye. If he were in the Central Empire, that would be fine. Weakness would not be a big problem, and he could still be a lord of peace.
But what kind of place is Kangju and what kind of place is Central Asia? This place is surrounded by wolves and full of strong men inside and outside. A weak sheep cannot lead a pack of wolves. Liu Wentao really does not possess any of the health qualities.
The qualities a king should have.
On the other hand, Kang Juguo is also at a very critical stage of development. The current achievements and stability are inseparable from the support of the Han Empire and Liu Ye's powerful conquest and suppression. Whether this achievement can be truly consolidated still needs to be
Look at the management of the next one to two generations. Among them, the existence and performance of the second generation Kang Wang will be particularly important.
These factors also made Liu Wentao's elimination inevitable. As for the system of direct descendants, it also depends on time and region. At least in the Western Region and Central Asia, there is not a big market, and there are not so many people who completely believe in dogma.
people.
You must know that in the upper echelons of the Three Kingdoms of Anxi, the vast majority of the empire's powerful families are concubines. To a certain extent, everyone can be regarded as a "victim" of the direct patriarch system, even if many of them have become famous after becoming successful.
Although he used to be annoying, he also began to choose heirs according to the rules of direct lineage, but he was not rigid in this regard.
Of course, this is related to the national geography and political and military environment of the Three Kingdoms of Anxi. What is needed here is a strong man and a wolf.
With Liu Wentao out of the game, Liu Ye had to turn his attention to his second son Liu Wenqian, who was not yet twenty years old at the time. However, this son at least did not have any "deviant" behavior as Liu Ye understood.
Over the past few years, Liu Ye put Liu Wenqian in various key yamen in Kangju for training. His performance was not outstanding, but at least it was not bad. He did not make any big mistakes. Words such as sharp and capable can also be used to describe him.
, Even so, Liu Ye was still worried.
Therefore, after conquering Khotan, he was appointed as the governor of the newly established Hezhou. This was a comprehensive inspection and the most important test. Judging from the current results, Liu Wenqian has basically passed the test.
.
Sure enough, that night, Liu Ye summoned Liu Wenqian to his dormitory again, and the father and son held a candle and had a long talk. In addition to listening to Liu Wenqian's report and some details of the state's military and political affairs that should not be disclosed to outsiders, Liu Ye also clearly stated for the first time
Tell him that he has decided to make Liu Wenqian the crown prince.
He had already settled this matter with the dignitaries and military officials in the upper echelons of Kangju, and had registered a document. He also planned to report it to the imperial court when he entered Beijing in order to have his name justified.
That's right, Liu Ye has received the summons from Luoyang, and has decided to go to the capital in person. Liu Wenji wants an explanation from his thirteenth uncle, so he will go and give him an explanation.
Regarding this matter, the upper echelons of Kang Juguo actually had a lot of objections and many people discouraged them. The main reason was that they were worried about Liu Ye's safety. Even though his personal safety should not be a problem, what if the court detained him? Kang
The overall situation of the country cannot be separated from the king's presiding.
Surprisingly, it was Liu Ye who saw the matter most thoroughly. He made one thing clear: the annexation of Khotan was a foregone conclusion. However, if he wanted to make it a reality, the imperial court had to pass the test.
of.
Otherwise, even if Kangju can close the door and live on his own, the country's development and improvement process will definitely be interrupted. If so, what is the point of annexing Khotan? Compared with the friendly exchanges with the empire, the mere benefits of Khotan,
What does it matter?
Liu Ye admitted that he was gambling on annexing Khotan, but he still knew which was more important and which was less important.
Regarding Liu Ye's decision to go to Luoyang in person, Liu Wenqian also showed due care and concern. After thinking about it, Liu Ye also decided to bring Liu Wenqian back to Shule to take charge. At the same time, he would also be able to mobilize the royal guards' command arrows and seals.
Leave it to him, just in case.
This is a measure to completely establish his status as the heir apparent, and he is not afraid of the backlash caused by the loss of military power. As the founder of Kangju, Liu Ye himself is more authoritative than any arrow, seal, or identity test, and Kangju's military
, there are very few officers who do not know Liu Ye.
This is also the power and power that only the founder of a country can possess.
On this cold winter night, Liu Ye and Liu Wenqian talked for a long time and talked about a lot. In addition to recalling the magnificent experience of the past decades, they also had some ideas about the future of Kang Juguo and the relationship with Anxi, Beiting, and the imperial court.
Handling explanation.
Maybe Liu Ye didn't mean that, but it was almost an act of explaining the aftermath...