I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 382 The Great Wealth Offered to Zhao Yu
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When Xiao Wugu Lun and Xiao Tabu Yan learned that the cabinet was practically the only institution in the harem where women could have access to politics, and that good performance there could even earn them Zhao Yu's favor, they were both intrigued.

The Liao Kingdom has been destroyed, and their once illustrious family has now fallen into decline. To regain their former glory, not only do all the members of the family need to work hard, but they also need opportunities and the support of benefactors.

Zhao Yu's cabinet had access to the politics of the Song Dynasty, which meant that the women were no longer just concubines confined to the harem and relying on the emperor's favor. They could also share Zhao Yu's burdens in political affairs based on their familiarity with the Liao region. This value was far more important than mere appearance in securing their positions.

Compared to the Xiao Wugulun family, who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty early on, the Xiao Tabuyan family, who chose to join Yelü Dashi on the western expedition, faced even greater difficulties. Many of her family members, including her father Xiao Li, were currently imprisoned by Zhao Yu.

Xiao Tabuyan pondered in her heart: if she could gain Zhao Yu's trust and favor through the cabinet, she could not only rescue her clansmen and secure a stable livelihood for them, but also perhaps allow her family to have a place in the Song Dynasty, and even become a prestigious family again.

The key issue is that Xiao Tabuyan's family originally wanted to be loyal to the Liao Dynasty and follow Yelü Dashi on his western expedition. However, Yelü Dashi died before he could achieve his goal and was imprisoned by Zhao Yu, completely eliminating any hope of success.

The crucial point is that Xiao Tabuyan was captured on the very day she was to marry Yelü Dashi, so she never became Yelü Dashi's woman. Instead, she was favored by Zhao Yu on her very first day in Zhao Yu's harem, thus becoming Zhao Yu's woman in name and in fact. From this perspective, there's no reason why Xiao Tabuyan would be devoted to Yelü Dashi, a prisoner, rather than her own man, especially since her man showed interest in her.

Furthermore, Xiao Tabuyan is a heroine and a virtuous wife and mother. The greatest advantage of such a woman is that she is a good helpmate. No matter who she marries, she will do her best to support him.

After entering the cabinet by order of Zhao Yu, Xiao Tabuyan discovered that her biggest weakness was her poor Chinese language skills, which made her very slow when reading memorials written in Chinese.

Actually, it's not a big deal.

Because each memorial would be reviewed by at least three cabinet ministers who would refine it and provide preliminary opinions.

As a newly appointed member of the cabinet, it's okay to take things a little slower and do less.

Xiao Tabuyan was very strong-willed, and she absolutely refused to allow herself to fall behind in the cabinet because of language barriers. She knew that in the Song Dynasty's harem and in the cabinet, every step behind could mean missing out on a precious opportunity, an opportunity that was not only related to her personal fate but also to the future of her family.

So, after finishing her daily cabinet duties, while the other concubines rested or chatted amongst themselves, Xiao Tabuyan would stay alone in the somewhat deserted study, picking up one Chinese classic book after another and studying them word by word.

When she encountered unfamiliar words or phrases, she would humbly ask her personal maids or the concubines who were better at Chinese for help.

In order to improve her Chinese proficiency more quickly, Xiao Tabuyan even found some simple memorials and tried to extract the key points and give preliminary opinions.

At first, her summaries often missed the point, and her opinions seemed somewhat immature and one-sided. But she never got discouraged. She treated every mistake as a stepping stone to progress, constantly summarizing her experiences and improving her methods.

Over time, Xiao Tabuyan's Chinese proficiency has improved significantly.

She read memorials faster and faster, extracted key points more and more accurately, and her suggestions were often adopted by Zhao Yu.

Moreover, Xiao Tabuyan had an advantage that Zhao Yu's other concubines rarely had: her family was a clan that had patrolled the grasslands for generations and had a deep understanding of the northern deserts, the various tribes of the grasslands, and even the Western Regions.

Zhao Yu's target was never just the Jurchens living in the Northeast, but also the various tribes living on the grasslands, which were the predecessors of the Mongols.

It could even be said that, in Zhao Yu's view, the various tribes scattered across the Mongolian steppes were more troublesome and more dangerous.

After all, how large was the Jurchen territory at its peak?
Starting from the Jurchen homeland in the lower reaches of the Hunhe River in the east, extending west to the Longzhou area of ​​Shaanxi, bordering the Western Xia, south to the Huai River and Qinling Mountains, where it was divided with the Southern Song Dynasty by the river, and north to the area of ​​the Jurchen tribes north of the Outer Khingan Mountains, the total area is only a little over three million square kilometers.

Although this territory encompassed half of the Central Plains and part of the northern grasslands, it was ultimately fragmented by mountains and rivers. In the west, it was restrained by the Western Xia, in the south, it was in constant confrontation with the Southern Song Dynasty, and in the north, the grassland tribes would sometimes surrender and sometimes rebel, so its foundation was far from stable.

But what about when the Mongols were at their peak?

From Sakhalin Island on the Pacific coast in the east to the Hungarian Plain in the Danube River basin in the west, from the Persian Gulf and the Indus River basin in the south to the vicinity of the Arctic Circle in Siberia in the north, its territory at its peak exceeded 33 million square kilometers, more than ten times the size of the Jin Dynasty at its height.

Even more terrifying is that this vast territory was not a collection of scattered spheres of influence, but rather a tightly connected system of post stations, forming a massive empire spanning Eurasia.

Moreover, the Mongols were far more aggressive than the Jurchens.

After the Jurchens entered the Central Plains, they quickly adopted the comfortable habits of agrarian civilization within a few decades. The nobles indulged in pleasure, and the army's fighting capacity gradually declined. In the later period, they even had to rely on conscripted soldiers to maintain their rule.

The Mongols, however, were different. They grew up on horseback, living by raiding, and had an expansionist gene in their bones. Every conquest was not the end, but the beginning of the next invasion. Wherever their iron cavalry went, whether it was a prosperous city or a remote tribe, they either submitted and paid tribute or were completely destroyed.

In terms of potential, the Mongols far surpassed the Jurchens.

The rise of the Jurchen people relied on the bravery and skill of the Jurchen tribes, but the tribes had a limited population, and once their core forces were damaged, it was difficult to replenish them quickly.

The Mongolian steppe had a large number of tribes and a population base far exceeding that of the Jurchens. More importantly, they could integrate the originally scattered tribes through the "thousand-household system," breaking down blood ties and incorporating all Mongols into the military system. This made the Mongol army as abundant as wild grass on the steppe, impossible to burn out and always springing back to life.

What worried Zhao Yu even more was that the Mongols were not only good at fighting, but also good at learning. They learned to manufacture siege weapons from the Han people, mastered astronomy and calendar from the Persians, and even incorporated artisans from different ethnic groups into their army, providing them with a continuous stream of technical support for their campaigns.

In contrast, the Jurchens, apart from imitating the political system of the Central Plains, had almost no innovation in military technology and strategic planning.

Xiao Tabuyan was well aware of the immense potential of the various tribes on the grasslands, and she understood that if Zhao Yu wanted to realize his grand ambition of unifying the world, he must make preparations on the grasslands in advance. Drawing on her family's generations of experience patrolling the grasslands, she was intimately familiar with the tribal origins, troop distribution, and internal conflicts of the Mongol tribes. Therefore, whenever she offered advice to Zhao Yu, especially when analyzing memorials concerning the grasslands, she would mention the situation on the grasslands and focus on analyzing the movements and governance strategies of the Mongol tribes.

Xiao Tabuyan's efforts paid off, and she soon caught the attention of a key figure.

The key figure in this case is Zhang Chun.

After seeing Xiao Tabuyan's advice to Zhao Yu, Zhang Chun couldn't help but exclaim, "This person is quite insightful!"

Upon seeing Xiao Tabuyan's name again, Zhang Chun smiled knowingly: "So it's the Empress Gantian, no wonder." He then summoned Xiao Tabuyan and asked, "Now that the Liao dynasty is destroyed and the Jin dynasty is on its last legs, the tribes of the northern deserts are growing like wild grass, and will surely become a major threat to the Song dynasty in the future. In your opinion, what strategy should be used to contain them?"

Xiao Tabuyan replied: "The problem with the grasslands lies in their scattered nature, making them difficult to gather, and also in their gathering nature, making them difficult to control. In the past, the Liao Dynasty established a system of division and governance to deal with the problem of the grasslands. We can now follow that method and innovate upon it."

"In my humble opinion, we should send envoys with gold and silk to bribe the various tribal chiefs, promising them the benefits of trade, so that they will each guard their own borders and not attack each other. If any tribe unilaterally annexes another, the court will send troops to help the weak and suppress the strong, so that the various tribes are evenly matched and difficult to unify."

Zhang Chun said, "This strategy only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause, and is not a long-term solution. If the various departments realize this and unite, how will we respond?"

"Use education to soften their nature."

Xiao Tabuyan continued:

“Choose a place with abundant grasslands and water, set up a ‘Han Academy,’ and summon the sons of noble tribes to study there. Teach them Confucian classics, rites, and music. After they complete their studies and return to their tribes, they can inherit their tribes’ positions, and their sons can also study at the Imperial Academy of the Song Dynasty. In this way, after several generations, the tribes will be devoted to the Central Plains, and although they may be brave, they will have no intention of rebelling.”

"The people of the grasslands believe in the Yellow Sect, which respects Buddha and Heaven and takes cause and effect, reincarnation, tranquility and non-action as its tenets. This is precisely what counteracts the aggressive and fierce nature of the grassland tribes. In the past, the Tibetan king followed this sect and was able to turn the valiant tribes from fighting to making peace. This is a lesson from the past."

Zhang Chun's eyes lit up. She truly hadn't expected that Xiao Tabuyan could not only think of using Confucian methods to tame the nomadic peoples of the grasslands, but also the Qing Dynasty's secret weapon for governing the grasslands. She said calmly, "Both separate governance and education are good strategies. But I have a question..."

Xiao Tabuyan said, "Your Majesty, please speak freely."

Zhang Chun didn't mince words and asked directly, "If the Yellow Sect can be used by me, how should it be implemented?"

Xiao Tabuyan replied, “We can send eloquent and skilled monks with scriptures and Buddha statues to the northern desert, where they can build temples in places rich in water and grass. They can be granted land for incense offerings and exempted from taxes. If the tribal leaders can support the Yellow Sect, the court will bestow upon them the title of ‘Promoting the Dharma and Following Righteousness’ and reward them with gold, silver and silk.”

After a pause, Xiao Tabuyan continued slowly, "The tribes of the grasslands live by following the water and grass, without a fixed base. The Yellow Sect temples can serve as their spiritual anchor. When the children of the tribes enter the temples to become monks, they can be exempted from corvée labor and military service, which reduces their manpower and puts their hearts at ease."

"Furthermore, the Yellow Sect's doctrine advocates 'austerity in this life, happiness in the next,' which can eliminate the desire for tribal plunder. If all tribes follow this doctrine, and the leader wants to wage war, the monks can use divine warnings to dissuade him; if the court issues decrees, high-ranking monks can also convey the decree through Buddhist teachings, which is far more effective than weapons. Moreover, temples can accumulate tribal wealth, and the court can indirectly control the tribal economy by rewarding temples, making them dare not easily rebel."

Zhang Chun's smile grew even brighter as she continued to probe, "What if the Yellow Sect gains too much power and turns against the imperial court?"

Xiao Tabuyan chuckled: "We can set up 'supervisors' in temples, appointed by the court from among Confucian monks, who will be in charge of the temple's accounts and also spread Central Plains culture. At the same time, we can support multiple branches of the Yellow Sect, so that they can check and balance each other and prevent any one sect from becoming too powerful. In this way, the Yellow Sect will be like a rein in the hands of the court, able to tame the horse of the grasslands without letting it break free."

Zhang Chun grew increasingly optimistic about Xiao Tabuyan, thinking to herself, "What a gracious Empress, what a powerful empress!"

As for jealousy?

Zhang Chun was a time traveler, so why would he be jealous of Xiao Tabuyan, a native?
Besides, Zhang Chun had already thought of what Xiao Tabuyan said, but it was not the right time to make a big move, so she did not bring up these suggestions.

Crucially, Zhang Chun had absolute confidence that he knew more and was more capable than Xiao Tabuyan.

To put it simply, the only native who could put pressure on Zhang Chun was Zhao Yu. Zhang Chun wasn't afraid of anyone else, not even Wanyan Aguda.

Therefore, Zhang Chun only admired Xiao Tabuyan, thinking that it was truly remarkable for a native, especially a female native, to have such insight.

Zhang Chun asked a few more questions, such as: "The tribes of the grasslands are known for their cavalry. If they encounter natural disasters, they will surely raid southwards. How can we defend against them?"

Xiao Tabuyan answered fluently: "Use the border wall to confine their hooves, and cut off their food supply through trade. Build the Great Wall along the southern desert, set up beacon towers and post stations, and station elite cavalry to strictly guard the southward route. Open the trade markets, allowing only the exchange of furs and horses for tea, salt, and cloth from the Central Plains, and strictly prohibiting the flow of iron and bronze into the grasslands. If any tribe rebels, immediately close the trade markets to cut off their livelihood. Tea and salt are essential for the grasslands; without them, the tribes will be restless. If this is cut off for a long time, they will inevitably fall into disarray."

Xiao Tabuyan's answer, while not particularly brilliant, was still quite insightful.

Zhang Chun, who intended to bring Xiao Tabuyan under his command, directly introduced Xiao Tabuyan to Zhao Yu and said to Zhao Yu, "Yelü Meiren has unique insights on the grasslands and may be of use. Your Majesty, you might as well listen to her?"

Zhao Yu knew that Xiao Tabuyan was powerful, but more importantly, he would definitely have to give Zhang Chun face.

Therefore, Zhao Yu asked Xiao Tabuyan to share her views on governing the grasslands.

Xiao Tabuyan immediately told Zhao Yu everything she knew, and then added, "Your Majesty, I have another great fortune to offer."

'Great wealth and honor?!'

To dare to speak of great wealth to an emperor, especially one as wealthy as Zhao Yu, must mean that such wealth must be extraordinary. Otherwise, it would not only be considered a crime of deceiving the emperor, but it would also give Zhao Yu the impression that he was ignorant.

Is Xiao Tabuyan an ignorant person?
Not quite.

Regardless of how remarkable Xiao Tabuyan was in history, even today's Xiao Tabuyan is at least from a powerful family in the Liao Dynasty.

Kings and nobles who inherit their positions for generations, living for a thousand years without dying or disappearing, can be called powerful clans; those who endure for a hundred years can be called wealthy families; those whose surnames produce outstanding individuals for three generations can be called a noble family.

How could someone from such a family background be so ignorant?

Therefore, the great wealth that Xiao Tabuyan wanted to offer to Zhao Yu was definitely not ordinary.

Therefore, Zhao Yu showed an interested expression and asked, "What riches does my beloved concubine have to offer me..."

……

(End of this chapter)