Riding a tiger is a dilemma

Gongyi Xiuyi abandoned his usual playful banter and said seriously, "Lord Sile, you flatter me. From what I saw at the time, the Northern Qiang territory was still a tribal slave system. Most of the time, Han commoners were classified as the lowest class and turned into slaves to do hard labor. The management methods were almost like those of slaves. However, Han people with a slightly higher position or status could be treated better and retain their original estates, retainers, and servants."

What A Qiu was thinking about were the Han Chinese aristocratic families like the Xiao clan who had submitted to the Northern Qiang.

Gongyi Xiu continued, “But most Han Chinese civilians live as slaves to the Hu people. After washing clothes and cooking, they still have to farm. The difference is that in the past, the harvested grain could be kept by the farmers after paying taxes, but now all the harvest is taken away by the Northern Qiang people with whips. As for the separation of parents, wives and children, and death from hunger and disease in the fields, it is commonplace.”

Consort Chen, who was also listening attentively, interjected, "Then wouldn't the Han Chinese population remaining in the Central Plains have drastically decreased?"

Gongyi Xiu smiled bitterly, “Who says otherwise? To support the extravagant lifestyle of the Northern Qiang nobles, these Han slaves had to toil under the whip. I remember when I left the area, the village population was reduced to only one-tenth. Apart from those who had already crossed the river, the rest had been tortured to death. But because of this, fewer and fewer people were working. The Hu people themselves did not engage in production; they were only responsible for fighting and enjoying themselves. After a period of time, even the Northern Qiang upper class felt that with the population decreasing like this, with more and more people dying and almost no newborns, it would be difficult to guarantee their future revelry and debauchery. Therefore, they finally put their minds to work and decided to introduce Han Chinese governance methods to see if they could maintain the productivity of these Han slaves.”

In the past, when he was in Lanling Hall, A Qiu had only seen his senior brother's eloquence and ability to persuade heroes with just a few words, but he had never seen him analyze the situation so clearly and incisively. This made him look at his fellow disciple with even greater respect.

At the same time, one has to admire Master Wanqiqing's eye for recognizing and nurturing talent.

She had no idea that her senior brother's understanding of the Northern Qiang's rule was so profound.

Sikong Zhao said in a deep voice, "This must also be one of the reasons why they launched a large-scale invasion southward. These barbarians are used to being bandits, and they have no patience to carefully establish systems and manage production. Whenever they feel that resources are insufficient, looting is the easiest thing for them. The Central Plains have been ravaged in recent years, leaving nine out of ten houses empty. They also feel that they have no power to develop further, so they decided to go south to plunder."

Gongyi Xiu praised, "The Grand Commander's insight is brilliant. This must be an important reason why they were able to gain the support of all the tribes for this invasion of the south. They have seen the wealth and prosperity of the Central Plains and Luoyang, and they expect that after conquering the Southern Dynasty, they can plunder another wave of accumulated wealth and people. Otherwise, who would be willing to go on such a long and arduous expedition if there were no benefits?"

He added, “But the insightful people in the upper echelons of the Northern Qiang are indeed aware that continuing in this way, which only leads to destruction and no production, is not a long-term solution. The Han people who are still serving in the Northern Qiang royal court have also been strongly advocating the implementation of the way of the king. Therefore, in recent years, there have indeed been plans to learn from the Han system, stabilize the people and bring peace, and these plans are being implemented gradually. The Great Khan Hulijin’s establishment of the imperial system and the reconstruction of the Confucian Temple to worship the sages are examples of such attempts.”

Mu Huaying snorted coldly and said, "From the words of the Right Chancellor, it can be seen that jackals and tigers have a long way to go before they can learn to stand upright and walk properly. As for the so-called attempt, I'm afraid that as long as the regime is dominated by barbarian nobles, there is not much consensus on implementing benevolent governance. It's just a show."

Gongyi Xiu sighed and said with a wry smile, "Yes. To see results from implementing benevolent governance, nothing beats robbery! But among the upper echelons of the Northern Qiang, there are indeed some who genuinely want to achieve Sinicization, and that's all I know."

A Qiu's mind raced, and he guessed that the person Gongyi Xiu was referring to was probably none other than his master, Wan Qiqing.

As the master of Lanling Hall, Wanqiqing was refined and elegant. His every move showed no trace of non-Han characteristics, and he seemed to transcend worldly affairs, detached from ethnic and national boundaries. His thoughts could not possibly be those of bandits or brigands.

If he did not genuinely appreciate and accept the Sinicized lifestyle, given his unrestrained personality, he would not have willingly remained hidden as a musician in Jianzhang Palace for so many years.

If he genuinely admired violent rule, then his three disciples, A Qiu and his companion, wouldn't have developed their unique personalities and styles.

Shangguan You, the head of the elders, was clearly calmer and snorted heavily: "In fact, if the Grand Master of Music wants to know the truth of the benevolent governance of the Northern Qiang people that Hulü Guang mentioned, he should just look at Hulü Guang himself, their most representative achievement, and he will know."

Aqiu sighed and said, "Yes. If even Hulü Guang, the most successful Sinicized member of the Northern Qiang royal family, is a hypocrite who spouts benevolence and morality but is actually extremely treacherous and vicious, then the authenticity of this benevolent rule is self-evident."

Sikong Zhao said patiently, “However, the rest of the people in the capital who do not know the true face of Hulü Guang do not think so. I have heard that Hulü Guang is quite popular among the Jianzhang aristocracy and is a guest of honor. Those officials of slightly lower rank also recognize this Northern Qiang prince as a wise and virtuous king who is courteous to scholars and has an enlightened style. He is a rare wise king in this era.”

Everyone present looked at each other in disbelief: This Hulü Guang is actually so popular?

Gongyi Xiu, the most sociable and well-connected among them, smiled wryly and said, "I have also heard of this. To be honest, it's not surprising: in our Southern Dynasty, whether officials or commoners, we have always been deeply afraid of the Northern Qiang. Now that we have such a handsome and refined Northern Qiang prince, who is not only 'able to speak well' but also treats scholars with respect, who wouldn't want to cultivate a good relationship with the Northern Qiang?"

What he didn't say was that everyone was thinking that, even if the Northern Qiang really conquered Jianzhang one day, having such a connection would be better than having none at all.

A Qiu calmly said, "Therefore, if we kill Hulü Guang now, it will first cause chaos in the capital. These powerful families and officials who have been deliberately won over by him will only think that we are deliberately provoking a war between the North and the South to consolidate our own high positions, disregarding the possibility of reconciliation between the two countries."

Sikong Zhao's eyes once again revealed an expression of appreciation, and he said deeply, "That's exactly right."

Pei Yu retorted, "So we're just going to let this scourge spread its heresies and mislead the public so recklessly in Jianzhang Palace?"

Before anyone could respond, Xie Lang, lying on the dragon bed, burst into a series of violent coughs.

Consort Chen and Xie Tiao quickly went over and helped him up.

A Qiu immediately went over and took Xie Lang's pulse. Upon examining him, a dark cloud instantly settled over her heart.

It seems Xie Lang's illness is unlikely to improve.

But she immediately composed herself, pretending nothing was wrong, and continued to channel her innate true energy into Xie Lang's meridians.

With A Qiu's help, Xie Lang's complexion improved after a while. He said with difficulty, "Actually, at this point, there are only three paths waiting for us to choose from."

He paused briefly, then spoke as clearly as possible: "The first priority is war. However, as you all know, the cost will be enormous, and the chances of victory are slim."

Once the war machine is set in motion, a steady stream of soldiers will be sent to the battlefield. Pei Yu's 80,000-strong Jianzhang Army will be the first to bear the brunt, followed by reinforcements from other prefectures and counties. In addition, the rear must continuously supply provisions and manpower to replenish the troops, inevitably increasing the tax burden, which will only become heavier as the labor force dwindles.

If victory cannot be achieved, the country's resources will be continuously depleted. When resources are exhausted, the central government will no longer be able to exert strong control over the local areas, and bandits will rise up everywhere, and the prefectures and counties will rebel and govern themselves independently.

No one else spoke; they all listened quietly to the analysis of the founding emperor of the Dayan Kingdom from his sickbed.

Xie Lang continued, "The second is peace. Judging from the current determination of the Northern Qiang to launch a full-scale war, this peace cannot be a peace in the sense of equality, but can only be a peace begging for peace where we agree to a marriage alliance, pay annual tribute, and lose money and people."

He had been confined to his sickbed for a long time, and his voice was gentle and steady, yet he was able to clearly and meticulously explain the cruel facts without any emotional bias. A Qiu thought to himself, Xie Lang truly deserves to be called a wise ruler.

Xie Lang continued, "If we choose to sue for peace, we actually need to understand what peace means."

Seeing Xie Lang panting, Gongyi Xiu chimed in at the opportune moment: "Begging for peace can only be a temporary strategy to buy time. It can only be used as a delaying tactic when there is no time to mobilize a large army or when an alliance has not yet been formed. If it is used as a long-term national policy, it will only help the enemy weaken itself, exhaust its strength before the battle even begins, and ultimately it will be unable to escape being slaughtered."

Fan Liancheng chimed in, "Then this strategy is also inapplicable. Because no matter how long we delay, our manpower and combat strength are limited, and our combat strength cannot increase just because of a short delay. Giving supplies to the Northern Qiang will only strengthen them and weaken us."

Seeing everyone speaking enthusiastically, Xie Lang's eyes shone even brighter. He straightened up and said, "The last path is surrender."

When Xie Lang uttered these words, the hall fell into complete silence.

This is because no one had ever imagined that, as a whole nation, surrendering without a fight could be such a simple option.

If any other court official had uttered these words, they would have been severely reprimanded. But it was Emperor Xie Lang who uttered them, the only person in Dayan whom they could not be subdued.

This is all because there are several precedents demonstrating how the Northern Qiang treated Han emperors. They either forced them to their deaths or tortured and killed them.

Everyone in the hall looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

Xie Lang coughed again, then said, "I have never believed that the world belongs to the Xie family. The world should always belong to the people. If we hand over this throne, our soldiers will not have to go to the front lines to die, and the people can continue to live and work in peace without being affected. What's wrong with me, Xie, surrendering?"

He looked back at Gongyi Xiu and said, "I believe that in his lobbying efforts these past few days, Hulü Guang must have made a promise to the powerful families that even if the Northern Qiang become the ruler of Jianzhang in the future, their status and wealth will not be affected. As for the lower-level officials, he must have described to them a future where the ruler of the Northern Qiang is diligent and hardworking, recruits talents without being bound by convention, and where even the lowest-ranking officials can make great strides."

Gongyi Xiu was speechless. The facts were exactly as Xie Lang had predicted. And he had tried his best to conceal these embarrassing details.

Even though Xie Lang rarely attends to official business now, there are still some things that someone who has sat on the throne can guess with their eyes closed.