Song Xiu

Chapter 148 Strategic Maneuvering and Diplomatic Maneuvering Incite Internal Strife
Han Kuangsi was quite puzzled by Zhao Dexiu's sudden arrival.

Did they come to see me off because they knew I was about to return north?

This idea is a reasonable speculation, but given Zhao Dexiu's previous performance, he doesn't seem like someone who would value the delegation.

Han Kuangsi served Khitan rulers such as Yelü Abaoji and Shulü Ping from a young age. The constant presence of these rulers instilled in him a cautious nature.

Now facing a fierce tiger once again, Han Kuangsi gradually became extremely cautious.

Despite his suspicions, Han Kuangsi showed no sign of anything amiss on his face and respectfully welcomed Zhao Dexiu into the hall.

The hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and the rising incense smoke created a solemn atmosphere.

After Zhao Dexiu and Han Kuangsi took their seats, the key areas inside and outside the hall were gradually taken over by the Prince's personal guards.

Behind Han Kuangsi stood several robust Khitan warriors.

Outside, both sides displayed friendly attitudes, but after entering the lobby, their attitudes subtly shifted to defensiveness.

This contradictory change vividly reflects the complex relationship between the Song Dynasty and the Khitan.

Because of national and personal grievances, the Song Dynasty and the Khitan will inevitably have a fierce battle in the future.

However, given the current national circumstances, the Song Dynasty and the Khitan had to maintain a certain degree of restraint.

After Han Kuangsi sat down, his gaze toward Zhao Dexiu carried a hint of scrutiny and apprehension.

After a moment of silence, the shrewd Han Kuangsi was the first to "happily" say:

"I will be returning to my country soon, and I am deeply honored that Your Highness Prince Jin has condescended to come and see me off today."

Regardless of Zhao Dexiu's true purpose, Han Kuangsi planned to first use a soft approach to overcome a hard one.

As the saying goes, you can't hit someone who's smiling.

Han Kuangsi's humble attitude made it difficult for Zhao Dexiu to come up with a sharp retort.

Han Kuangsi spoke first, steer the conversation toward the matter of sending off Zhao Dexiu. As long as Zhao Dexiu followed his lead, Han Kuangsi could demonstrate his diplomatic skills of "not sticking to the pot".

Did they want to extract information about the Khitan from him?

Absolutely impossible!

After Han Kuangsi finished speaking, he stared intently at Zhao Dexiu.

In response to Han Kuangsi's gaze, Zhao Dexiu first smiled faintly, then took a book from his pocket and placed it on the table, before saying:

"I have recently been studying the Rites of Zhou and have some questions. I have heard that your father, Lord Han, was a famous Confucian scholar in the Khitan. Lord Han came from a prestigious family and must have studied the Rites of Zhou quite well."

As the saying goes, "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me."

I have come to see Lord Han today, firstly to see him off, and secondly to seek his guidance.

Han Kuangsi's father was named Han Zhigu. Han Zhigu was not just a great Confucian scholar. The current etiquette system of the Khitan was created by Han Zhigu by combining traditional Han etiquette with Khitan customs.

Han Zhigu was one of the meritorious officials personally appointed by Emperor Taizu of Liao to assist in establishing the dynasty.

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu's words, Han Kuangsi's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Song Dynasty was full of great Confucian scholars, so why would Zhao Dexiu need to ask me if he had any questions about his studies?

Even though he noticed this abnormality, Han Kuangsi couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Because Han Kuangsi had no reason to refuse.

First of all, as the crown prince of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Dexiu's willingness to "ask questions of those of lower status" is a sign of respect. If he had refused rashly without knowing what was good for him, people would have criticized him for being arrogant.

As the chief envoy of the Khitan, his arrogant and wicked behavior would have an impact on the Khitan.

Han Kuangsi knew that many political enemies in the Khitan country wanted to find fault with him and kill him, so he could not give them any ammunition to use against him.

Furthermore, Han Kuangsi could not refuse Zhao Dexiu's request for guidance on the grounds that his skills were not yet proficient.

Han Kuangsi had to consider the reputation of his late father, Han Zhigu.

Han Zhigu's excellent reputation and political achievements in Khitan were the soil for the Han family's survival in Khitan. How could Han Kuangsi allow even a speck of mud to appear in this fertile land?
With neither side able to gain the upper hand, Han Kuangsi was completely under their control.

Despite his wariness, Han Kuangsi replied helplessly:
"Your Highness's love of learning is truly admirable."

However, I am of limited talent and learning, and my knowledge is far inferior to that of my late father. If my answer is incorrect, I hope Your Highness will forgive me.

Han Kuangsi suspected that Zhao Dexiu intended to attack him through his knowledge, so he took precautions beforehand.

However, Han Kuangsi's guess was wrong.

Zhao Dexiu didn't want the content of his answer; he wanted his willingness to answer.

Zhao Dexiu tapped the "Zhou Li" (Rites of Zhou) on the table with her fingers, producing a series of crisp sounds.

His tone was calm, yet it was like a stone thrown into water:

According to the patriarchal system, the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be given priority in inheritance.

The Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou) contains a commentary by a great Confucian scholar: "The ancestral system should not be abolished."

However, observing the cases throughout the land, I have discovered that during the decades of chaos and turmoil, countless individuals have violated ancestral rules and the system of primogeniture. Why is this?

Zhao Dexiu's questioning sounded exactly like that of an inflexible and pedantic scholar.

In chaotic times, the strong rule, so what's the point of discussing etiquette and rules?

But as soon as Zhao Dexiu's question reached Han Kuangsi's ears, his expression changed drastically.

Just as Han Kuangsi was about to stop Zhao Dexiu from asking further questions, a more direct remark echoed in the hall.

"Just like your country's emperor, who is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and I am also the eldest son of the legitimate wife. I feel great sympathy for his plight."

I wonder what Han Gong's opinion is on this matter?

The sharp wit and biting words will inevitably return.

When Zhao Dexiu asked these questions, he was all smiles, while Han Kuangsi reacted quickly.

Zhao Dexiu was indeed up to no good.

Han Kuangsi slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

At this moment, the composed demeanor that Han Kuangsi had always deliberately maintained slowly disappeared.

However, Han Kuangsi, who slammed his fist on the table, did not direct his anger at Zhao Dexiu. Instead, he first shouted at the Khitan warriors behind him:

"You may all step back."

Under Han Kuangsi's command, several Khitan warriors left the hall, leaving only his bodyguard Han Derang behind him.

After the Khitan warriors left, Han Kuangsi composed himself and sat down again with a complicated expression.

Zhao Dexiu took in Han Kuangsi's reaction. The main reason why the old fox lost his composure was that his words touched on the old fox's inner secrets.

On the surface, Zhao Dexiu's discussion of the primogeniture system with the Khitan envoy Han Kuangsi seemed like a waste of time, as many people perceived the Khitan as a barbarian state.

In barbarian countries, there is a law of regicide and succession.

However, this impression does not apply to the Khitan state. Just as many people do not know, the process of Sinicization within the Khitan state had already begun long ago.

The process of Sinicization was personally initiated by Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelü Abaoji.

Yelü Abaoji's great achievements can be summarized in two aspects:

On the one hand, it was about expanding territory and establishing the borders of the Khitan state.

On the other hand, it was to support Han Chinese officials and cultivate Sinicized political forces within the country.

Yelü Abaoji's strong support for Sinicization stemmed from the unchanging nature of human nature throughout the ages.

The succession of the Khan in the Khitan tribe was not initially a succession from father to son, or even from brother to brother.

Today, everyone knows that the royal family of the Khitan tribe is the Yelü clan, but in the time of Yelü Abaoji, the Yelü clan was just a noble surname among the Khitan tribe.

The Yelü clan's rise to become the royal family of the Khitan tribe was due to Yelü Abaoji's lifelong efforts.

After Yelü Abaoji achieved great feats and ruled the vast grasslands, would he be willing to pass on the throne of the Khitan Khan to another nobleman in accordance with Khitan tradition?
Not to mention other nobles, he didn't even want to give it to his own younger brother Yelü Abaoji; he wanted the Khan's throne to be passed down to his direct descendants.

This idea aligns with human nature, but it violates centuries-old Khitan traditions, and Yelü Abaoji will face resistance from numerous conservative Khitan forces.

To realize his vision, Yelü Abaoji had only one path to take—to cultivate a Han Chinese force that naturally supported the succession of fathers to sons. Under Yelü Abaoji's patronage, the Han Chinese political forces developed rapidly and united around Crown Prince Yelü Bei.

Yelü Abaoji originally thought that with Yelü Bei, who admired Han culture, succeeding to the throne, everything would proceed as he envisioned.

However, Yelü Abaoji overlooked one point—he single-handedly created the confrontation between the Sinicization forces and the conservative forces within the Khitan state.

After his death, the first to betray him was his wife, Shulü Ping.

With the support of the Khitan conservative forces, Shulü Ping purged the Sinicization forces at Yelü Abaoji's funeral.

This is the "Fuyu Incident".

The bloody purge severely damaged the Sinicization forces within the Khitan state, and even Crown Prince Yelü Bei, who should have rightfully inherited the throne, was imprisoned and stripped of his right to succession.

The one who later succeeded to the throne was Yelü Bei's younger brother, Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü Deguang.

Yelü Deguang was able to rise to power because he did not favor any faction and focused on political balancing.

Shulu Ping originally thought that after the Fuyu Rebellion, the Sinicization faction in the Khitan state would no longer be a threat, but she underestimated the tenacious vitality of the Sinicization faction.

During Yelü Deguang's reign, the Sinicization faction secretly developed and recovered its strength. However, Yelü Deguang's sudden death on his way back from the southern expedition gave the Sinicization faction an opportunity to turn against him.

Before his death, Yelü Deguang had designated his legitimate successor as his younger brother, Yelü Lihu.

However, before Shulü Ping could react, the Sinicization faction, through a series of connections involving interests, directly supported Yelü Ruan's ascension to the throne by the Khitan's elite southern expeditionary force.

Yelü Ruan was the eldest son of Yelü Bei and was considered the legitimate successor by the Khitan Sinicization faction.

After gaining the support of the southern expeditionary army, Yelü Ruan led his troops back to Khitan and forced Shulü Ping to recognize his imperial throne. From then on, the Khitan imperial throne returned to the eldest son's lineage.

This is the "agreement to cross the river".

Just when the Sinicization faction of the Khitan felt they had succeeded, the conservative faction of the Khitan launched a counterattack.

Yelü Chage, a member of the Khitan royal family, launched another coup and killed Yelü Ruan. After Yelü Ruan's death, the Khitan noble forces supported Yelü Deguang's eldest son, Yelü Jing, to succeed to the throne.

Yelü Jing is the current Emperor Shuizong of Liao.

This coup d'état is known as the "Vulcan Lake Rebellion".

Although the three coups had different names, they were essentially all struggles between the Sinicization faction and the conservative faction in the Khitan state.

Through several coups, the political interests of the Sinicization faction of the Khitan have become deeply intertwined with the direct line of Emperor Taizu of Liao.

As a key figure in the Khitan Sinicization faction, Han Kuangsi knew that Zhao Dexiu was well aware of the internal turmoil within the Khitan when Zhao Dexiu intentionally mentioned Yelü Bei.

Han Kuangsi realized that Zhao Dexiu's sudden mention of the Human Emperor must have a deeper scheme.

These speculations were enough to make him uneasy.

Because of Zhao Dexiu's scheme, his own interests may be harmed.

Han Kuangsi, who had sat down again, asked in a low voice with a cold face:
"Your Highness, what exactly do you want to say?"

Han Kuangsi's act of dispersing the others indicates that, spurred on by Zhao Dexiu, he wanted to discuss something more profound.

Seeing that even Han Kuangsi was losing his composure, Zhao Dexiu also stopped hiding his thoughts:

"I wish to communicate with Prince Yelü Xian of your country through Lord Han."

Yelü Xian is the last surviving son of Yelü Ruan and is currently the eldest direct descendant of Emperor Taizu of Liao.

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu mention Yelü Xian, Han Kuangsi's expression darkened further.

"The Prince Xian is of such high status, how could I possibly have the opportunity to meet him?"

Although his face was gloomy, Han Kuangsi subconsciously indicated that he was not familiar with Yelü Xian.

Zhao Dexiu did not believe Han Kuangsi's words at all.

Thanks to a TV series from her previous life, Zhao Dexiu had researched Yelü Xian's life.

Zhao Dexiu clearly remembered that Yelü Xian had gathered a powerful political force around him very early on, thanks to the legacy of his ancestors.

That political force was the Sinicization faction within the Khitan state.

The Sinicization faction surrounded Yelü Xian, partly to protect his safety and partly to try and gain favor by supporting the emperor once again.

How could Zhao Dexiu, a person from later generations, not know about the "Black Mountain Incident" that occurred several years later?

It seems plausible that a close attendant, whose life was in constant danger, would risk murdering the emperor.

The problem is that Yelü Jing liked to kill his close attendants, and he had been doing so for many years. Why didn't he retaliate earlier or later? It wasn't until the day after Yelü Jing threatened Yelü Xian that the attendants launched a counterattack.

As soon as Yelü Jing died, Yelü Xian, as if he had expected it, seized military and political power at the fastest speed.

All these signs are enough to prove that Yelü Xian was the mastermind behind the Black Mountain Incident.

Regarding Han Kuangsi's dishonesty, Zhao Dexiu laughed and said:

"There has never been anyone I have been unable to get to know."

If Lord Han is unwilling to act as an intermediary, I will submit a memorial to Your Majesty next month requesting that a delegation be sent to the capital.

I have sent an envoy to personally visit Yelü Xian. I wonder what your monarch will think upon learning of this?

Upon hearing Zhao Dexiu's words, Han Kuangsi was so anxious he almost jumped up and down.

Yelü Jing was already quite wary of Yelü Xian because of his status, and if the Song Dynasty envoy really did that, Yelü Xian's situation would be even worse.

Zhao Dexiu's intentions were truly malicious.

With his own interests at stake, Han Kuangsi had no way to continue making excuses.

Han Kuangsi lowered his body, his expression suggesting a conspiracy.

Then a low question came from his mouth:
"Your Highness, please do not act rashly. I have my own way of making contact."

"I wonder what Your Highness wishes to do by contacting the Prince?"

Why?
Of course, they want to incite internal strife among you Khitans.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun must be recovered.

The Khitan were a powerful and formidable enemy.

As the art of war says, "The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities."

The best opportunity for the Central Plains regime to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun was during Emperor Shizong of Zhou's northern expedition, when the Khitan underestimated the strength of their defenses in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Unfortunately, this golden opportunity was interrupted by Emperor Shizong of Zhou's sudden illness.

Since that battle, the Khitans have greatly strengthened the defenses of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Furthermore, although Yelü Jing was known as the "Sleeping King," bloodthirstiness was one of his personality traits. The problem was that Yelü Jing killed either his close attendants or those who actively rebelled.

Contemporaries described him as "neither as good as the ministers nor as good as the common people."

Yelü Jing was slacking off, but at the same time, he didn't give blind orders.

Yelü Jing entrusted power to important ministers such as Yelü Wuzhi, who were in charge of major military and political affairs. This indirectly led to the Khitan's national strength not only not declining, but also steadily increasing.

A contemporary saying goes: "With reduced taxes and corvée labor, people are happy with their lives."

Yelü Jing was very similar to Gao Yang in his later years—"When the ruler is confused above, the people are at peace below."

The Khitan under Yelü Jing's rule may not be considered to be at its most powerful, but it was certainly not as fragile as some later marketing accounts claim, "easily broken with the slightest touch."

Given the Khitan's steadily rising national strength, if Zhao Dexiu wants to successfully reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in the future, he must find a way to weaken the Khitan's national strength as much as possible.

Since the Khitan had a tradition of internal strife, Zhao Dexiu naturally wanted to take advantage of it.

But in front of Han Kuangsi, Zhao Dexiu had to put it another way:
"The eldest son of the legitimate wife should occupy the position of honor, which is beneficial to the virtuous prince and even more beneficial to me."

"Lord Han, there's no need to worry. I simply wish to cultivate a relationship with the virtuous prince and, incidentally, offer him some assistance."

After saying that, Zhao Dexiu showed a sincere smile.

What Han Kuangsi didn't know was that Zhao Dexiu had also smiled like that in front of Li Yu, the ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Han Kuangsi, who was skeptical, could only silently agree under the pressure from Zhao Dexiu.

(End of this chapter)