Chapter 692: The Bohai Plan

A sudden blizzard swept across the entire Northeast region. It wasn’t until three days later that the storm gradually subsided, and when the sun emerged, the world was covered in snow, with rivers of all sizes frozen over.
The Raole River in the territory of Qidan’s Songmo Prefecture was actually the upper reaches of the Liao River. The Qidan tribes had moved their camps to the banks of the Raole River. The men had gone to war in the Bohai State, leaving behind only over 200,000 elders, women, and children around the camps.
Qidan operated under a tribal confederation system composed of eight tribes, ruled by the Yaoxian clan among the three major Qidan clans. Li Huaijie served as the confederation’s chief, known in Qidan as Dinianzuli and calling himself Khan Zhuwu. For a long time, he was merely the nominal leader, while real power lay with Neli, the leader of the Qidan elders. It wasn’t until Neli’s death a few years ago that Li Huaijie seized full control.
This was Qidan’s golden age, with a population of over 600,000 and nearly 200,000 armed soldiers. However, years of war against the Tang Dynasty had severely weakened them. Especially in the 11th year of Tianbao, Qidan was defeated by An Lushan, who captured half of the Qidan and Xi people’s children, drastically reducing their population and strength. Only five of the eight tribes remained. Had An Lushan not been defeated by Shi Siming, it would have been the Qidan who were conquered by An Lushan’s forces.
It was precisely because of this severe weakening that Li Huaijie decided to ally with the Xi and Yan tribes to attack Bohai, aiming to acquire its population and resources.
Conquering Bohai had always been a strategic goal for the Qidan. It wasn’t until a century later, under Yelü Abaoji, that they finally destroyed the Bohai State, fulfilling their ancestors’ long-held desire.
But history took a dramatic turn with the emergence of Li Qing’an. The Tang army transported 100,000 troops to Bohai via sea, turning it into a nightmare for the Qidan. While the Qidan forces were trapped in Bohai, a Tang army of 10,000 cavalry began to sweep through the Qidan and Xi tribes. This was another catastrophe for Qidan, following their defeat by An Lushan six years earlier—but this time it was a devastating disaster.
Of course, the Qidan people by the Raole River were not all of them. There were still over a hundred thousand Qidan scattered elsewhere. This place was merely where their camps were located. These 200,000 people represented the main Qidan tribes. All the able-bodied men had gone to war in Bohai, leaving behind only the elderly, women, children, and many Han slave laborers.

Han slave women were mostly women who were captured by the Khitans from various counties in Hebei during An Lushan’s rebellion. Like the Xixia, the Khitans had a strong desire for Han women—not merely as a physiological need but as an urgent requirement for population growth. This need persisted for hundreds of years. As the Uyghurs declined and the Khitans expanded their territory, yet failed to keep up with population growth, this desire grew even stronger, gradually giving rise to a brutal culture that was later adopted by the Jurchens, leading to the tragic fate of Han women during the Song Dynasty.

In the Khitan camps by the Rao Le River, there were fifty to sixty thousand captured Han women—almost one in every household. They were slaves, not counted in the population, forced to perform the heaviest labor during the day and abused by their masters at night, living a life worse than that of animals.

When the heavy snow finally stopped, Khitan elders, women, and children came out of their camps to enjoy the first snowfall of winter. Groups of Khitan children rolled in the snow, wrestled, and played snowball fights, their laughter echoing across the snowy plains. Meanwhile, the Han slave women went to the sheep and cattle tents to clean up manure and milk the animals; their figures were nowhere to be seen in the snow.

At that moment, a long black line appeared on the distant hills—ten thousand Tang soldiers led by Zhao Chongjie had arrived. Soon, the Khitans noticed them and panicked, fleeing toward their main camp. Zhao Chongjie coldly stared at the Khitan camps stretching for miles ahead and ordered, “Leave only women and children; kill all men!”

The Tang cavalry charged down the hills like an avalanche, sweeping toward the Khitan camps. The Tang soldiers waved their swords, their eyes filled with killing intent, desire, and the excitement of plunder. Hundreds of slow-moving Khitan elders were caught and killed by the Tang forces. In an instant, the cavalry rushed into the Khitan camps…

It took more than two hours before the killing stopped. The cruelty of war became evident immediately. While Khitan soldiers massacred civilians and raped women in the Bohai State, their families also suffered the same fate. By the time the Tang army restored order, tens of thousands of men who had stayed behind were dead, and many Khitan youths capable of riding horses also perished. Only hundreds of thousands of women and children remained.

The Han women who had become slave women were freed as well. Their humiliation and anger erupted at that moment. But with the Khitan men killed, they had no way to vent their pain, so their fury turned toward the Khitan elders and children who had oppressed them.

When the bullied women were finally allowed to take revenge, the hatred and cruelty they unleashed were unbelievable. Many Khitan elders and children were killed by them, who seized their masters’ property, stripped the female masters of their clothes, humiliated them in every conceivable way, and handed them over to Tang soldiers so that they too could experience the same humiliation. Cries filled the Khitan camps.

Finally, Zhao Chongjie ordered the Tang troops to restore military discipline and stop mistreating the Khitans. They began burying the corpses, and the soldiers returned to camp to rest. The 500 military police started counting the number of Khitan women and children as well as the cattle, sheep, and valuables. It was not until dusk that the counting was finally completed.

In Li Huaijie’s golden tent, Zhao Chongjie was listening to a report from the military officer in charge of the campaign.

“Reporting to the general, we have captured a total of 173,000 Khitan women and children, including 132,000 women and 41,000 children. There are about 800,000 cattle and sheep, and nearly 200,000 horses. In addition, there are 25,000 women from various counties in Hebei who were captured. Most of them are quiet, but some are quite agitated. Many women are clamoring to go home. General, what should we do with them?”

Zhao Chongjie pondered for a moment before saying, “Gather together the ones who are making the most noise. I want to give them a speech.”

An hour later, over a thousand women were gathered in front of the large tent. They were all wearing lambskin coats, warm leather boots, and thick sheepskin hats. Although they had caused a lot of trouble in the camp, they were now quiet, filled with anxiety, not knowing what fate awaited them.

It was already dark. Over a thousand soldiers, holding torches, surrounded them. The light from the torches illuminated the snowy ground. Zhao Chongjie stepped onto a makeshift wooden platform. He could see the fear in the women’s eyes and knew they were terrified.

Sighing inwardly, he spoke loudly, “You need not be afraid. We are the Anxi Army, sent by the general and under the orders of Prince Zhao to rescue you.”

He paused and then asked, “Do you know who Prince Zhao is?”

A few women nodded, saying they knew, but most of them were confused. They were housewives at home and didn’t pay much attention to state affairs. They only knew it was a prince, but not who exactly. Seeing that many didn’t understand, Zhao Chongjie declared loudly, “Prince Zhao is none other than the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty! I am here to rescue you by order of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!”

The soldiers erupted in cheers, “Long live! Long live the general! Long live the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!”

Many women burst into tears. The humiliation they had suffered made it impossible for them to hold back their emotions, and their cries infected everyone; almost all the women started crying. Many knelt down, crying and shouting, “General, we want to go home! Please, let us go home!”
Zhao Chongjie’s eyes also reddened slightly. He waved his hand and said loudly, “Please listen to me finish speaking. After I’m done, you can make your decision!”
He took a deep breath and continued, “You may not be aware of the current situation in your hometowns. Let me tell you: Hebei Province is now in ruins. Most of the people have fled, and every county is deserted. An Lushan is still fighting against Shi Siming. If you go back now, you will only become their captives again, and your fate will be even worse. Moreover, this winter has arrived early; heavy snow has blocked the roads, so you can’t return at all. You’ll just die of cold along the way. So follow my plan and spend the winter here. Next spring, once the Tang army suppresses An Lushan and Shi Siming’s rebellion, we’ll send you back. By then, the imperial court will arrange for you and reunite you with your families.”
The women stopped crying and listened blankly to Zhao Chongjie’s arrangements for them.
“We will give you some of the Khitan people’s property—cattle, sheep, and tents. There will be soldiers to protect you. You can rest peacefully waiting for the day to return south. But from now on, you must obey the army’s rules. No more fighting or causing trouble. Those who disobey will have their property taken away. Do you hear me?”
Zhao Chongjie’s voice was stern at the end. Seeing that the women dared not speak and clearly showed fear in their eyes, he knew his words had taken effect. He waved his hand and said, “Now go back to your tents! Get some rest. Soldiers will come tomorrow to register you and distribute the property. But no more noise.”
More than a thousand women went back on their own. Many rode horses, while those living further away had to walk for miles. After pondering for a moment, Zhao Chongjie ordered his subordinate general Zhang Zhong, “You can lead two thousand soldiers to stay here. Make sure to maintain military discipline and treat these poor captured women kindly. If anything happens, I’ll send someone to contact you.”
“Is the general going to Raole?”
Zhao Chongjie nodded. “There are also hundreds of thousands of Xixia people there who need to be conquered as well. I leave this place to you. Remember, maintain discipline and don’t let the soldiers act too recklessly. Otherwise, I won’t be able to report to the higher generals.”
“Please rest assured, General. I will definitely keep my men in check!”

Zhao Chongjie patted his shoulder and returned to his tent. Early the next morning, he led eight thousand cavalrymen southward toward the Xi people’s settlements.
…
The first light snow fell in Chang’an in October. Compared to the blizzards in Bohai State, the snow in Chang’an was gentle—fine flakes dancing in the sky, occasionally stretched into long chains by the cold wind. When they landed on rooftops, a thin layer accumulated; on the ground, they melted quickly, turning into pools of black slush as carriages rushed past, splashing water everywhere.
Chang’an had been quite peaceful these days. As the end of the year approached, the price of rice dropped further to sixty wen per dou. With the full restoration of grain transportation, grain from official stores and taxes from various regions in the south were gradually transported to the capital, enriching Chang’an’s treasury and effectively stabilizing grain prices in the market.
If too much currency circulated in the market, it was necessary to increase the supply of goods to effectively stabilize prices.
Three hundred cavalrymen escorted Li Qing’an’s carriage onto Chunming Street, heading rapidly toward the Daming Palace. Li Qing’an had been back in Chang’an for almost half a month. In the south, he used the case of the maritime envoy Yang Xunwu to rectify the officialdom in Huainan and the south. Seven governors were warned, seventeen county magistrates were demoted, and a number of officials, including county assistants and county commanders, were purged. Nine of them had their homes seized and they were imprisoned. However, aside from Yang Xunwu, who was beheaded and had his family confiscated, none of the other officials were sentenced to death. Li Qing’an always maintained a balance—his goal was to deter the officialdom in the south without causing chaos, as that would not help stabilize the political situation.
Li Qing’an went to the Daming Palace to attend a meeting in the Council Hall to discuss matters related to the Khitans and the Xi. He had just received intelligence sent through various channels by Li Baozhen. Li Baozhen had performed remarkably well in the battles in Bohai, annihilating nearly a hundred thousand members of the Khitan allied forces in just two battles. Now, Li Huaijie’s fifty-thousand-strong army was besieged in Huzhou City, running out of food and forced to eat horses to survive.
Zhao Chongjie led ten thousand cavalrymen to sweep through Songmo and Raole, essentially clearing out the Khitans’ and Xi’s strongholds. He needed to raise the issue of resettling the Khitans in the Council Hall.
The carriage entered the Daming Palace and stopped in front of the Central Secretariat’s gate. A bodyguard opened the door. Li Qing’an got out of the carriage and hurried toward the Central Secretariat, entering the Council Hall. The seven prime ministers were already waiting there—Zhang Gao, Cui Ning, Wang Jin, Yan Zhenqing, Pei Min, Liu Yan, and Guo Ziyi—all gathered together.
When they saw Li Qing’an enter, the seven stood up and bowed, saying, “Your Majesty has arrived!”
“I’m truly sorry for being a little late.”

Li Qing’an bowed apologetically with a smile and said, “The wheels of the carriage broke along the way, so we had to switch to another one, which is why we arrived late and kept everyone waiting.” His gaze fell on Guo Ziyi. This was the third time he was meeting with all the members of the Political Council, yet Guo Ziyi remained silent each time. However, in his absence, Guo Ziyi spoke actively, criticizing flaws in governance and expressing his opinions freely. Li Qing’an knew that Guo Ziyi still had some lingering concerns. He smiled at him and then sat down. Everyone else also took their seats. An official gently closed the door to the meeting hall, and silence settled over the room. “Distinguished chancellors, last time I submitted the plan for Bohai Circuit to the Political Council, and it was finally approved. I am deeply gratified…” At present, the Political Council was the highest authority in the Tang Dynasty. As the Supreme Commander of the Army, Li Qing’an’s all major actions had to be approved by the Political Council to be legitimate. He had also submitted a proposal to bring Bohai under direct Tang rule and transform it into Bohai Circuit. As the highest governing body, the Political Council not only had to safeguard the Tang Dynasty’s interests but also uphold moral principles. Unlike the Hexi and Turfan regions, which were reclaimed from the Arabs and could be directly governed, Bohai was already a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. After being enfeoffed by several emperors, it had recognized its status as a vassal and continued to pay tributes without violating its obligations. Therefore, Li Qing’an’s initial proposal to annex Bohai outright was morally untenable. This proposal sparked intense debate within the Political Council. Aside from Zhang Gao and Liu Yan who supported Li Qing’an, almost all the chancellors opposed it, as it violated the fundamental moral principles of the Tang Empire. The court’s intention was not to prevent the northeast region from returning to Tang control; on the contrary, it had been a goal since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. The Sui and Tang dynasties had sent troops to this region in pursuit of this goal. It was only due to the rise of Tubo that the Tang Dynasty was preoccupied elsewhere and was forced to adopt the current vassal system. What the Political Council wanted was a morally acceptable, honorable return that could be justified to the public, rather than forceful occupation by taking advantage of a weak situation.

Under no other choice, Li Qing’an revised the plan, changing direct annexation to a gradual integration approach. The plan involved three steps: stationing troops, relocating immigrants, retaining the royal family but dissolving the court, and having provincial officials appointed by the court. Once conditions were ripe, Bohai State would be transformed into Bohai Circuit, with a timeline of five years set. This was a moderate compromise that was generally accepted by the Political Affairs Hall. Eventually, after the hall extended the timeline from five to ten years, the plan was approved.

Thus, the Bohai Circuit plan was no longer just Li Qing’an’s personal idea but became a national strategy of the entire Tang Dynasty, to be implemented by the court.

Li Qing’an had great ambitions. The scope of Bohai Circuit he envisioned included not only Bohai State but also Silla, Khitan, and Shiwéi—areas ranging from north of Sakhalin to Siberia and Alaska. During the Tang Dynasty, these places were mostly uninhabited. Once established, Bohai Circuit would become the third largest administrative region after Anxi Circuit and Hezhong Circuit.

What Li Qing’an wanted to report today was the latest progress of the Bohai campaign and the resettlement of the Khitans.

“…General Li Baozhen dealt a crushing defeat to the Khitan allied forces in Bohai State. The areas controlled by the Khitans and Xis have also been cleared. Currently, there are 240,000 Khitan women and children who need to be relocated inland. In addition, nearly 40,000 women and children who were captured and taken to various provinces in Hebei have been rescued. I suggest learning from past experiences with the assimilation of non-Han tribes—instead of giving them land to settle separately, we should disperse them and resettle them in various provinces and counties in Hedong and Hebei, where the government can keep records of their households. What do the prime ministers think?”

With the lesson from An Lushan’s rebellion, the entire Tang Dynasty generally agreed that non-Han tribes should not be given land to settle separately but should instead be relocated for mixed living with the Han, gradually assimilating them. Therefore, Li Qing’an’s proposal was reasonable, and no one objected.

But Guo Ziyi sensed something amiss. He asked slowly, “From what Prince Zhao said, it seems only the women and children of the Khitans and Xis are mentioned. Where are their men?”

Li Qing’an smiled slightly and said, “Minister Guo should know that the Khitans are a militaristic people. All their men are fighting in Bohai State. So their homes are only occupied by women and children. Of course, if there are prisoners of war, then there would be men as well.”

The other chancellors in the Council of State were not very familiar with this. What Li Qing’an said seemed reasonable—after all, it was a situation where everyone became a soldier! Naturally, all the men went to fight. But Guo Ziyi knew well that even in such a situation, there must still be men left in the tribes; it was impossible for them all to go to war. He also guessed that it must have been Li Qing’an who ordered a massacre in the homelands of the Khitans and Xis, leaving only women and children behind.

At that moment, their eyes met. Li Qing’an’s smile carried an air of dominance, or rather, it was a warning—to tell Guo Ziyi not to create extra problems. Guo Ziyi slowly lowered his head and stopped speaking.

“Chancellors, if this plan is approved, next spring, the army will transport the Khitan people back to the Tang Dynasty using large ships. Once the chaos in Hebei subsides, they will be settled gradually. Please vote, chancellors!”

The Council of State consisted of seven members. Under normal circumstances, a majority vote was sufficient for approval. However, for major matters such as establishing new administrative regions or waging war, the consent of all chancellors was required—such matters were known as first-level policy proposals.

Thus, a proposal first had to be classified by five clerks from the Secretariat, a process called “determining the category.” Policy proposals of level three or lower did not require approval from the Council of State and could be directly approved by the acting chancellor in charge.

Even for lower-level proposals decided by a single person, they still had to be reviewed by the Department of State Affairs. If the review failed three times, the proposal would be upgraded to level two and put to a vote by the Council of State.

Since the acting chancellor changed every ten days, in this sense, all seven chancellors had equal power—each had ten days to hold the position.

This was the power-checking mechanism designed by Li Qing’an. Even if he became emperor in the future, he could only handle first- and second-level affairs. He could propose or veto decisions. If his opinions clashed with those of the Council of State and could not be reconciled, he had only one option: he had the power to dissolve the Council of State and appoint a new one through public selection among officials of rank five or higher, with the emperor making the final nominations.

This was essentially the essence of the Three Departments and Six Ministries system—using the power of chancellors to check the power of the emperor while ensuring that the emperor’s authority was not undermined.

Li Longji had undermined the power of the Council of State by issuing imperial edicts through the Hanlin Academy, while Emperor Daizong of Tang, Li Yu, expanded the emperor’s authority over appointments by promoting all officials by one rank. Li Qing’an, however, formalized this system and implemented for the first time a system of public selection for officials. These measures could undoubtedly prevent the decline of the dynasty due to an incompetent emperor in the future.

Of course, in the future, Li Qingan also considered the option of the emperor proposing candidates with a difference and having the Political Council vote on them, among other ideas—details of which will not be discussed here.
Li Qingan’s plan for resettling the Khitan people had already been put forward and was reviewed by the Secretariat clerks; it was quickly finalized as a Class B political matter, meaning it could be passed as long as it received majority approval.
Perhaps the prime minister failed to notice the meaning of the words “women and children,” or perhaps the prime ministers knew full well but pretended not to—either way, the policy was successfully passed in a vote of 6 to 1, with only Guo Ziyi opposing. He stuck to his principles but gave Li Qingan face by not exposing the fact that Li Qingan had massacred Khitan men.
Seeing the vote pass, Li Qingan breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, saying, “There is another proposal regarding the possible invasion of Hebei by the Uyghurs. I’d like to discuss this with everyone again to prepare in advance.”