I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 379 Governing Liaodong
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The Xi people held a very high status in the Liao Dynasty, and were referred to as "two countries" along with the Khitan.

The Xi people and the Khitan both originated from the Donghu people. In their early days, they were called "Kumo Xi". They rose to prominence during the Tang Dynasty and were of the same ethnicity but different race as the Khitan.

After Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelü Abaoji, established the Khitan state, the Xi people voluntarily submitted to the Liao regime and became its most core ally, enjoying the autonomy of the "Xi King," a status far superior to that of other tribes such as the Jurchen and Bohai.

Subsequently, the Xi people intermarried with the Liao people for generations and all changed their surname to Xiao.

The Xi people also lived a nomadic life, while also engaging in agriculture, and were famous for their fine horses and furs.

Militarily, the Xi cavalry was one of the main forces of the Liao army, forming the "Xi Army," which fought for the Liao state in the north and south and was an important pillar of the Liao dynasty's rule over the grasslands.

The Xi people, as the core tribe of the Liao Dynasty, had a population of about 100,000 to 150,000. If the elderly, women and children are included, the total population was about 150,000 to 300,000.

Later, with the Song-Liao War, the Liao-Jin War, and the Song-Liao-Jin War, the Xi people, who were the main force of the Liao army, saw their population decline sharply.

But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. To this day, the Xi people still have tens of thousands of people, and if you include the elderly, women and children, the total population is still between 100,000 and 200,000.

The Xi people's living area in the early period extended from Gubeikou in the south to Chongxinguan in the north, and from the Bailangshui River basin in the east.

As the Song Dynasty seized the Yan-Yun region, the Xi people first shrank to the south bank of the Luan River and then to the Pu River basin, a tributary of the Luan River. Later, they were basically left with only the middle and lower reaches of the Luan River.

After that, the Song Dynasty began to conquer the Liaodong region.

Initially, King Xiao Gan of the Xi Kingdom led the Xi people to help the remnants of the Liao Kingdom restore its kingdom.

Xiao Gan, whose given name was Huilibao, also known as Huilibu or Kuilibu, was a descendant of the Xi king Telin. His life was deeply intertwined with the political and military vortex of the late Liao Dynasty.

In his early years, Xiao Gan, thanks to his background and abilities, was able to serve as a bodyguard to Emperor Daozong of Liao. Later, he took command of the elite Khitan Iron Falcon Army, thus beginning his military career.

As Xiao Gan advanced in his career, his talents gradually became apparent. He successively held the positions of Grand King of the Six Xi Tribes, became the Grand King of his own tribe, and also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Khitan Palace, concentrating both military and political power in his hands. Subsequently, he held important positions such as the Northern Jurchen Chief Administrator, the Military Governor of Xianzhou Circuit, and the Commander of the Eastern Capital, shouldering heavy responsibilities wherever he went. During his tenure, when faced with invasions from various tribes, he led his troops in valiant attacks, defeating all the invaders; when the rebel leader Huo Liuge captured cities and looted everywhere, it was Xiao Gan who led his troops to successfully quell the rebellion and safeguard the peace of the region.

In the late Liao Dynasty, Xiao Gan was like a shining star, active on the historical stage of the remnant Liao, helping the Liao Dynasty fight countless wars.

Historically, after Yelü Yanxi fled west, Yelü Chun, who remained in Nanjing, established the Northern Liao Dynasty with the support of his ministers.

At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty believed that the time had come to recover Yan and Yun, so it broke the century-old alliance and appointed Tong Guan as commander-in-chief to lead hundreds of thousands of troops north to attack Liao.

Faced with internal and external troubles, Yelü Chun once considered surrendering to the Song Dynasty. If this had happened, the Liao-Song alliance against the Jin Dynasty might have become a reality.

Unfortunately, when the Song army split into two routes—one led by Zhong Shidao directly threatening Yanjing, and the other led by Xin Xingzong attacking Zhuozhou—Xiao Gan was appointed to take command of the Northern Liao military alongside Yelü Dashi. Neither of them wanted to surrender to the Song and insisted on fighting.

With absolute control over the Xi cavalry, Xiao Gan quickly integrated the Xi army with the remnants of the Khitan forces. Targeting the Song army's weakness in open field battles, he devised a tactic of luring the enemy deep into their territory and launching a surprise attack to divide and conquer them.

In the first campaign against the Liao, Xiao Gan personally led the elite Xi cavalry, taking advantage of the plains terrain to launch a fierce attack on the Song army's flank.

The Xi cavalrymen grew up on horseback and were extremely powerful. With Xiao Gan's skillful command, the Song army was thrown into chaos, and the soldiers fled in panic, trampling each other in countless numbers.

The Song army suffered heavy losses in this battle, and Zhong Shidao was forced to lead his troops in retreat, ending the first campaign against Liao in failure.

Not long after, the Northern Song Dynasty, unwilling to accept defeat, once again gathered its forces and launched a second war against the Liao Dynasty, commanded by Liu Yanqing and his son Liu Guangshi.

Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi joined forces again, taking advantage of the Song army's hasty retreat. Under the pincer attack of Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi, the morale of the Song army collapsed, and hundreds of thousands of troops instantly disintegrated. Liu Yanqing fled in disarray with only a few close confidants. All of the Song army's weapons, equipment, and supplies were captured by the Northern Liao.

After these two battles, Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi completely shattered the Northern Song Dynasty's plan to attack Liao, and also made Yelü Chun give up his idea of ​​surrendering to the Song Dynasty.

After the war, although the Northern Liao temporarily stabilized the situation, the trust between Liao and Song had vanished, and the possibility of an alliance to resist the Jin Dynasty had disappeared.

Subsequently, the Jin dynasty seized the opportunity to move south, first destroying the Northern Liao and then attacking the Northern Song, ultimately leading to the downfall of both Liao and Song.

Without the strong resistance from Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi, Yelü Chun's surrender to the Song Dynasty might have become a reality, and the alliance between Liao and Song might have delayed or even changed the fate of being destroyed by the Jin Dynasty.

In this life, Xiao Gan led the Xi people to fight for the Liao Kingdom for many years, and the Liao Kingdom became less and less hopeful with each battle.

When Yelü Aoluwo, the last hope of the Liao Dynasty, became more and more like a tyrant, Xiao Gan simply broke away from the Liao Dynasty and led the Xi, Han and Bohai armies away from the Liao Dynasty, returning to his hometown of Jianji Mountain, which was the base of the Xi people.

As the leader of the Xi people and a powerful figure, Xiao Gan, caught in this chaotic world, hoped to carve out a world of his own amidst the chaos of the Song Dynasty, the remnants of the Liao Dynasty, and the Jin Dynasty.

This is his dream, this is the goal he pursues. Even if he ultimately fails, he will never regret it.

Therefore, Xiao Gan renamed the main hall of the Xi King's Palace "Iron Tile Black Dragon Hall," where he established the Great Xi Empire, proclaimed himself "Holy Emperor of the Xi Kingdom," and changed the era name to "Tianfu." Politically, he established three Privy Councils—Xi, Han, and Bohai—to manage the affairs of the three tribes, and changed the Eastern and Western Military Governors to two kings, establishing separate offices and officials. Economically, he minted "Tianfu Tongbao" coins, which circulated in the Xi region. In terms of ethnic policy, he promoted a policy of hating the Khitan tribes and maintaining good relations with the Song Dynasty.

Not long after the founding of the state, Xiao Gan began to lead the Xi people to attack the Khitan tribes and plunder their people and livestock.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Gan's act of treason aroused the dissatisfaction of the Xi people, and he lost the support of the people.

Last spring, a severe famine struck the Xi region. In order to survive, many Xi people fled to the Song Dynasty's territory and surrendered to the Song.

Zhao Yu gave special instructions to provide relief to the tribes that came to the Song Dynasty and to properly settle them in the newly built cities of the Song Dynasty in the northeast.

At that time, Xiao Gan was training troops at Lulong Ridge, preparing to make great strides.

Upon learning that the Xi people had broken up into smaller groups and fled to surrender to the Song Dynasty, and that the Song Dynasty had even accepted these Xi people and settled them in various cities in Liaodong, Xiao Gan felt that the situation was very serious. He was also very angry that the Song Dynasty had poached his people.

Therefore, Xiao Gan risked leaving the mountains and leading his army south to search for food within the territory of the Song Dynasty.

Xiao Gan's first target was Beian City, also known as Beian Prefecture.

This city, nestled between the Yanshan Mountains to the south and the Songmo Desert to the north, was strategically located at a crucial point on the post road between Liao Zhongjing and Gubeikou, serving as a transportation hub connecting the grasslands and the Central Plains. Its administrative history can be traced back to Anzhou during the Northern Wei Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Shengzong of Liao, it was re-established as Bei'anzhou based on the influx of Han Chinese residents, with Xinghua Army established, governing Wende County, under the jurisdiction of Zhongjing Circuit, and serving as a prefecture-level city. This prefecture was once occupied by the Jin Dynasty and renamed Xingzhou. Later, it was recovered by the Song Dynasty and renamed Bei'anzhou.

After Xiao Gan captured Beian City, he looted all the grain in the city and sent people to transport it to Lulong Ridge.

When the news reached Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Yu was furious.

This was not just about the population and resources of a city; Xiao Gan also cut off the passage between the Central Plains and the grasslands, and even affected the Song Dynasty's campaign against the Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhao Yu ordered Liu Fa to immediately organize an army to suppress Xiao Gan, in order to eliminate this anti-Song force's threat to the vital transportation routes of the Song Dynasty. After receiving Zhao Yu's imperial edict, Liu Fa immediately dispatched Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi, each leading 5,000 troops, to Shimen Town to occupy the strategic passes there.

Shimen Town is located at the foot of Lulong Ridge, not far from Xiao Gan's base.

Liu Fa planned to first cut off Xiao Gan's retreat route, and then engage him in a decisive battle from the front.

Therefore, Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi led their troops forward, assuming that Xiao Gan's army was still in the vicinity of Beian Prefecture, and thus lowered their guard. They did not expect that Xiao Gan had received the news and quickly returned to set up an ambush on the southwest roadside of Shimen Town.

Not long after, Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi were defeated by Xiao Gan and fled in disarray.

Xiao Gan pressed his advantage and quickly captured Chengde, looting everywhere.

Xiao Gan's military force was extremely fierce, and he even boasted that he would recover the Yan-Yun region, cross the Yellow River, and attack Bianliang, the capital of the Song Dynasty.

The Jin dynasty also took this opportunity to recapture several fortresses and launch a small counter-offensive.

Having tasted this benefit, Wanyan Aguda even sent someone to contact Xiao Gan, hoping to persuade Xiao Gan to surrender to the Jin Dynasty.

Unfortunately, Xiao Gan no longer wanted to obey anyone, so he ignored Wanyan Aguda's offer to surrender.

Upon seeing this, Wanyan Aguda was filled with rage and stopped paying attention to the unruly Xiao Gan.

At the same time, Liu Fa ordered Wu Jie to lead 10,000 troops out of the Great Wall to besiege Xiao Gan.

Wu Jie knew that Xiao Gan was always cunning, and that to deal with him, he had to use unconventional methods to win.

Xiao Gan had a general named Yelü Aguzhe, who was very greedy. Wu Jie had someone who knew him, so he sent this man to Lulong Ridge to bribe him with a large sum of money, so that he could provide timely intelligence, find out Xiao Gan's movements, and work together to find an opportunity to eliminate Xiao Gan.

On this day, Wu Jie learned that Xiao Gan had once again sent troops out of Lulong Ridge and was active in the Yaopu Town area. Wu Jie decided to personally lead the main force to fight a decisive battle.

Wu Jie divided his troops into two routes. One route, led by Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi, continued to advance towards Shimen Town along the main road, cutting off Xiao Gan's retreat. Wu Jie himself led the other route through Hongzhuang and Xiaogang, secretly flanking from the west and heading straight for Yaopu Town.

In the battle of Yaopu Town, Wu Jie caught Xiao Gan off guard.

Xiao Gan hurriedly retreated to Lulong Ridge, but when he reached Shimen Town, he was attacked from both sides by Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi's troops.

Xiao Gan suffered heavy losses and was forced to flee in disarray to Fengshan with his remaining troops.

Wu Jie decisively ordered the entire army to pursue, and the Song army took advantage of the victory to pursue them all the way past Lulong Ridge, where they engaged in a decisive battle with the remnants of Xiao Gan's forces at Fengshan.

Xiao Gan's army suffered more than half its casualties, and the families, vehicles, and grain accompanying the army were all captured by the Song army. More than 5,000 Xi, Bohai, and Han soldiers surrendered to the Song army.

Meanwhile, the Song army also captured Grand Tutor Alu alive and obtained several treasures, including the title seal of Emperor Taizong of Liao, Yelü Deguang, and the Khitan gilded seal.

The Song army won a great victory, and morale soared.

Wu Jie felt a little regretful because Xiao Gan had escaped.

At the same time, Wu Jie also felt a little smug, because Yelü Aguzhe hadn't been found either. He judged that it was very likely that Xiao Gan had fled with Yelü Aguzhe. As long as Yelü Aguzhe was with Xiao Gan, there was no worry about not being able to catch Xiao Gan.

After breaking through the encirclement, Xiao Gan, along with his general Yelü Aguzhe, his nephew Yishi Bajin, and his servant Baidige, hid in the homes of the Xi people.

Xiao Gan was deeply saddened by the defeat of Xi Jun, but he remained determined. He planned to bide his time, conceal his abilities, and prepare for a comeback.

However, he was unaware that his confidants had already given up hope for the future, and that death was drawing ever closer to him.

A few days later, Yelü Aguzhe, Yishi Bajin, and Baidige conspired and, taking advantage of Xiao Gan's unpreparedness, assassinated him.

Thus ended the tragic life of a great hero.

Xiao Gan's death removed a major military threat to the Song Dynasty.

Xiao Gan's head was later presented to the Song army, and Wu Jie sent men to escort it to the capital and present it to the court.

Upon learning of this, Zhao Yu issued an edict granting amnesty to the Xi people who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty, and ordered local officials to properly resettle and govern the Xi people assigned to their territories.

Xiao Gan's wife was named Yelü Agu. After she was captured, she was given to Zhao Yu by Wu Jie along with many other beauties from the Xi tribe.

Afterwards, the remaining Xi troops fought in the area of ​​Sage Mountain, where they were eventually defeated by Zhe Keqiu and Liu Guangshi, bringing the Xi Kingdom to a complete end.

The fate of the Xi people is just a microcosm of the many tribes in the Liaodong region.

The Song Dynasty established a governance system that combined appeasement and assimilation, with "transforming the barbarians into Han Chinese" as its core principle.

The Song Dynasty did not centrally resettle the Xi people who had surrendered to the Song due to famine, nor did it continue the strategy of "dispersed integration." The court ordered that these tribal populations be divided into households, with every three to five households embedded in newly built cities in Liaodong, where they lived interspersed with the Han Chinese who had migrated from the Central Plains.

—For tribal leaders who voluntarily surrendered, they were granted honorary official positions, and their families were relocated to the Central Plains as hostages. For ordinary tribal members, when allocating land and farming tools, priority was given to those who actively learned Han customs, using incentives to guide their integration. Each surrendered tribe was divided into family units, grouped into groups of three to five households, and dispersed into newly built cities, with each unit within the same tribe at least fifty li apart. This broke the traditional tribal settlement model, depriving tribal leaders of direct control over their people and preventing the potential for separatism.

To ensure the effectiveness of the resettlement, Zhao Yu specially approved grain and funds, requiring local officials to allocate farmland and farming tools to the Hu tribes, and at the same time, to select experienced farmers from the Central Plains to teach farming techniques, thus promoting the integration of Hu and Han peoples from the production level.

In terms of administrative structure, the Song Dynasty completely abandoned the tribal system of the Liao Dynasty and fully implemented the prefecture-county system. Twelve prefectures were established in the recovered Liaodong region, with counties under each prefecture, and townships and villages under each county. Officials at all levels were appointed by the imperial court from among scholars from the Central Plains. To weaken tribal power, the Song Dynasty strictly prohibited tribal leaders from continuing to govern their former tribes, while simultaneously recruiting literate individuals from the tribes to serve as minor officials in the county government. This both gave them a sense of identity and facilitated communication between the Han and non-Han peoples.

The imperial court encouraged merchants to go north and build factories, and encouraged non-Han people to enter the factories to "tighten screws," so that they could realize from a practical point of view that being a beast of burden every day was much better than plundering.

After the railway connecting Jinzhou to the Liaodong front was completed, various advanced goods from the Song Dynasty entered Liaodong, while furs, medicinal herbs, and timber from Liaodong were also transported to the Central Plains via the railway. In the course of trade, Chinese became the common language, and the happy life and customs of the Central Plains spread among the Hu people.

To accelerate cultural assimilation, the imperial court established official schools in various prefectures, forcing non-Han children to study Confucian classics, while also allowing non-Han private schools to teach Chinese classics. Local governments also regularly held "Han Customs Festivals," organizing non-Han and Han people to participate in activities such as worshipping Confucius, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival, gradually helping non-Han people to identify with Central Plains culture through cultural immersion.

Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers believed that after several decades, the boundaries between the Han and non-Han peoples in the Liaodong region would become blurred, newly built cities would be scattered across the plains, and the former tribal settlements would be completely integrated into the Song Dynasty's territory, becoming a solid barrier for the Song Dynasty's northeastern borders...

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(End of this chapter)