Ch.95Western Liao (4)

As the Mongols prepared for their expedition against Western Liao, an ominous atmosphere hung over the nation.

More precisely, it began when masked men started coming and going near the imperial palace where the emperor resided.

Knock knock.

“Password.”

“Jurkin.”

When the masked man spoke the password, the door opened immediately. As it opened, the man carefully looked around before stepping inside.

Inside, a man sat sipping tea.

“Welcome.”

“I pay my respects to Prince Kuchlug.”

“So you’re the one sent by Jin Dynasty’s Chancellor Wanyan Liang.”

The masked man’s expression briefly soured at Kuchlug’s dismissive tone toward Wanyan Liang, who was essentially the second-in-command of the Jin Dynasty. However, to complete his mission, he quickly brightened his expression as if nothing had happened and replied.

“That is correct.”

“I see.”

The sound of tea being sipped filled the air. Soon, Kuchlug put down his teacup and addressed the masked man.

“How much support can Jin provide for me?”

“That depends on Your Highness’s intentions.”

“My intentions?”

“Yes. If you intend to ally with the Western Liao Emperor’s eldest princess, Princess Dongping, and seize power behind the scenes, Jin’s support will be minimal. However, if you remove the current Western Liao Emperor and…”

“If I wish to become emperor myself, Jin will provide more support. Is that what you mean?”

“Precisely.”

“Why does Jin want to make me the Emperor of Western Liao?”

“We simply wish to assist Your Highness with your burning desire for revenge.”

“Desire for revenge…”

At those words, Kuchlug gripped his teacup tightly. His grip was so strong that the cup shattered in his hand. Blood eerily trickled from Kuchlug’s hand where it had been cut by the fragments.

“I lost my father because of Yesugei. My father told me not to oppose Yesugei, but I can never forget the humiliation he inflicted upon me.”

Kuchlug’s father, Tai Yang Khan, had been driven back by Yesugei’s attack and died. Although Yesugei hadn’t killed Tai Yang directly, his soldiers had pursued him under his orders, so Kuchlug’s anger was justified.

Additionally, under Yesugei’s orders, he had been chased away even by his uncle whom he had approached for help.

Because of this, Kuchlug had no choice but to flee from the steppes where he was born and hide in Western Liao.

Of course, he didn’t have major complaints about hiding like this. However, that didn’t mean his anger toward Yesugei had subsided.

Even his current efforts to increase his influence in Western Liao by marrying Yelu Pusuwan, the emperor’s sister, were actually for the purpose of taking revenge on Yesugei.

Kuchlug’s anger was clear enough to make him forget his father’s dying wish.

In this situation, a Jin spy had approached him, dangling the sweet proposal of making him emperor.

“Make me emperor. If you do that, I will attack and crush the Mongols as Jin wishes. And…”

Kuchlug looked at the hot drops of blood on his hand and muttered softly.

“I will return to Yesugei the exact same pain and humiliation my father suffered, in front of everyone on the steppe.”

At Kuchlug’s words, the spy smiled and bowed.

“We will give you the power to become emperor.”

With those words, he took out a small box. Seeing the box, Kuchlug looked at the masked man with an incredulous expression.

“Do you think you can bribe Western Liao’s nobles with such a small amount of valuables?”

“The greed of Western Liao’s nobles is well-known even in Jin. I’m well aware that it’s impossible to bribe them with the valuables contained in such a small box.”

“Then…”

“This box contains something more important than such valuables.”

“Something more important?”

“Yes. What do you think you need to become emperor?”

“Are you trying to have a question-and-answer session with me now?”

Kuchlug made no attempt to hide his displeasure. However, since Kuchlug was the one in need, he had no choice but to answer the spy’s question.

“Military power, I suppose. The current emperor hasn’t properly secured control over the military, so if I can seize military power, I could easily have the throne abdicated to me.”

Kuchlug’s explanation was very accurate. The reason the Western Liao Emperor was trying to appease Kuchlug by giving him his sister was precisely because of military power.

Typically, the emperor would command military power. However, as the Western Liao Emperor’s health deteriorated, the imperial in-laws gradually began to exert influence over this military power.

“Exactly. Currently, most of Western Liao’s military power is held by the Xiao family.”

The Xiao clan was an ancient Khitan surname. In fact, all of the emperor’s maternal relatives bore the surname Xiao, though in reality, the Xiao clan was formed by the merger of several families.

When the Yelu clan belonged to the Khitan Yaonian federation, the Yaonian clan was leading the Khitans. The Yelu family drove out the Yaonian family and secured the submission of other families: the Shuliü, Bali, and Eulshi families.

Abaoji, the founding emperor of the Khitan, abolished the surnames of these three families and made them all use the surname Xiao.

Anyway, the Xiao clan, which had been with the Liao Dynasty since its inception, exerted significant influence on the Khitans as the imperial in-laws, both openly and behind the scenes.

“Do you know anything about General Xiao Apgang, the Military Governor?”

“Of course I do. Everyone knows he’s the actual leader of the military command.”

“This box contains a strategy to win over Xiao Apgang.”

At the spy’s words, Kuchlug couldn’t help but look surprised. If he could bring the actual power holder of Western Liao’s army, Xiao Apgang, to his side, the Western Liao throne would essentially be his.

“…Is that true?”

“You’ll know as soon as you open it.”

Kuchlug opened the box with a dubious expression, as if he couldn’t believe the masked man’s words. As soon as he saw its contents, his eyes widened.

“This…this is…!”

At this moment, the spy smiled and closed the box that Kuchlug had opened. Then he calmly spoke.

“Will you accept Jin’s proposal?”

“Of course…! Of course! This will be enough. With this…!”

“Then would you please make a pledge here?”

When Kuchlug saw the paper handed to him by the Jin spy, his expression darkened. It stated that if he obtained the Liao throne, he would attack the Mongols.

“…Fine. If I can have my revenge…this much is…! If that’s what you want…I’ll do it…!”

Kuchlug left his mark on the paper with his bleeding hand. Seeing the paper with his fingerprint clearly stamped on it, the spy bowed with a satisfied expression.

“Now Western Liao is yours.”

* * *

Western Liao Emperor Yelu Yilie was deeply troubled. In his anger, he had killed a Mongol envoy.

This meant that a conflict between the two nations could arise.

“I was too hasty.”

Though he regretted it now, it was already too late. In truth, he had reason to be enraged.

If he had sent Kuchlug, who was his guest, as the Mongols demanded, the emperor’s authority would have been undermined.

Normally, such undermining of authority wouldn’t have been a major issue. However, rumors about the emperor’s health problems were already spreading within the imperial court, making him particularly sensitive.

“But I cannot show weakness. Especially not in front of the Military Governor…!”

Xiao Apgang, from the emperor’s maternal family and the actual power holder in the military, had also been present. If the emperor had yielded to the Mongols’ demands in that setting, Xiao Apgang might have seized complete control of the military.

From the emperor’s perspective, this was an absolutely unacceptable situation.

While he was talking to himself and trying to regain his composure, his son, Crown Prince Yelu Zhilugu, came to visit.

“Father. I came to pay my respects…respects.”

As a father, he couldn’t help but be pleased when his seven-year-old son came to visit like this. The emperor lowered himself and smiled at his son.

“Thank you. Your visit makes me feel much better.”

“Hehe…”

After this brief exchange, the crown prince sat in the chair placed before the emperor. Seeing his son seated, the emperor sat across from him, gave him snacks, and they chatted about various things.

“Father. I…I have something I wish to ask.”

“What are you curious about? This father will tell you.”

“W-why does the Military Governor…”

“You’ve learned that the relationship between the Military Governor and myself is not good.”

The emperor swallowed hard as he looked at his son. He couldn’t help but wonder whether he should explain this or not.

But soon he resolved to explain the details to the crown prince. After all, if his son was to rule this country after him, he needed to know the details.

“It’s an old story.”

When Yelu Yilie’s father, Emperor Dezong Yelu Dashi, died and Yelu Yilie’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Gantian, was serving as regent, the Military Governor Xiao Apgang’s father, Xiao Aliruk, was what one would call a corrupt official. However, his abilities were so outstanding that Empress Dowager Gantian protected him.

With the empress dowager’s favor, Xiao Aliruk engaged in corruption, such as placing his son in key military positions.

When such corruption was rampant, the emperor was still too young to do anything about Xiao Aliruk.

As time passed and the emperor came of age, he tried to end the empress dowager’s regency and rule directly.

However, the empress dowager was reluctant to relinquish her power. Eventually, the emperor had to gather information about his mother in order to push her aside.

That was when the emperor discovered that Xiao Aliruk and his mother were having an inappropriate relationship.

As a result, Yelu Yilie was able to seize power by essentially confining his mother and eliminating the corrupt official Xiao Aliruk. In the process of removing Xiao Aliruk, he purged most of his family, but failed to eliminate Xiao Aliruk’s youngest son, Xiao Apgang.

There was a reason for this: Xiao Apgang was married to the emperor’s half-sister, Yelu Chengah. At that time, the emperor had no heir, and there were no male relatives, so if the emperor died, there would be no successor.

“…That’s what happened.”

“Ah…”

“But the crown prince doesn’t need to worry too much about Xiao Apgang.”

“Why is that, Father?”

“I hold his weakness. When you succeed me as emperor, I will give it to you. With that, even the Military Governor will have to obey you.”

The emperor reassured his son with these words, completely unaware that the means to control Xiao Apgang had disappeared without his knowledge.