The Sui Dynasty's chess game

Chapter 820 The Peninsula Returns to One
Goguryeo surrendered. According to the agreement, the Sui army confiscated all the weapons of the Goguryeo soldiers and sent them all back to their hometowns. Luo Shixin ordered the swords to be sheathed and peacefully took over Hanyang City.

Just then, Li Luming, the governor of Liaodong, arrived in Hanyang.

Inside the main tent, Luo Shixin politely invited Li Luming to sit down, showing a certain respect for this legendary middle-aged woman who had long been in charge of the inner guard.

As soon as Li Luming sat down, he got straight to the point and asked, "General Luo, what do you plan to do with these Silla princes and nobles?"

Luo Shixin sighed and said, "Although I have signed an agreement with them, I am still considering executing them to prevent future troubles."

Li Luming nodded. “We must not be soft-hearted in handling this matter. General Luo’s decision is correct, but we should not act rashly. We should adopt some strategies that can achieve our goal without leaving any room for criticism from those pedantic scholars. For example, the sinking of the Silla fleet in a storm was a good idea!”

"That's what I was thinking too. Summer is full of storms, what if we encounter two more?"

Li Luming waved his hand, "Once is enough. Doing it again would be superfluous and would only diminish its credibility."

Luo Shixin knew that Li Luming was very capable, so he quickly said, "I humbly request your guidance, Governor Li!"

Li Luming smiled slightly and said, "Does the general know why dynasties throughout history have exiled rebels to the frontier?"

Luo Shixin shook his head, "Please enlighten me, Governor Li!"

"Because of the distance!"

Li Luming slowly said, "The frontier is far enough that there is no way to verify the truth after death. No one would travel thousands of miles to the frontier to verify whether these rebels are still alive. So, the rebels are basically all executed, but no one will tell the outside world that they are dead. They just don't mention it. Over time, they are forgotten. If they are remembered again, it will be decades or even a hundred years later. These rebels have long since turned to dust. Who would know how they died?"

Luo Shixin seemed to understand something. "Does Governor Li mean that I should exile them to extremely remote places?"

Li Luming sneered, "That's just what we say to the court. Once you're exiled thousands of miles away, who's going to bother to verify it?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Li. I know what to do now."

Li Luming said calmly, "It's just to shut up some pedantic scholars. Everything we do is for the benefit of the Han people for thousands of years!"

.........

Three days later, more than two thousand Goguryeo nobles and their wives and children traveled to Pyongyang on ten large ships, while their valuables were transported separately by a dozen other large ships following behind the ten large ships.

Although many nobles opposed this arrangement and demanded that their valuables stay with them, they had no choice in the matter. After the Sui soldiers forced them onto the ships, their valuables were placed on other large ships.

The fleet set sail amidst the sound of horns. Under normal circumstances, it would have reached Pyongyang in three to five days, but three days later, only a dozen or so large ships carrying goods arrived in Pyongyang.

The ten large ships, laden with Goguryeo rulers, were never heard from again.

The Sui Dynasty was far less well-informed than later periods. Distance was the best way to isolate information. The people of the three kingdoms on the peninsula believed that their princes and nobles had been sent to the Sui Dynasty, while the Sui court believed that the nobles of the three kingdoms had been stripped of their status as commoners.

Luo Shixin's report only briefly mentioned that the fleet transporting Silla nobles encountered a violent storm on its return journey and sank completely, with only a dozen or so elderly people surviving.

Considering the dangers of crossing the sea, the Sui army changed its strategy and built a city in the far north to house the nobles of Baekje and Goguryeo.

As for the final fate of these nobles, it was only mentioned in the Kyoto Morning Post two years later: a blizzard had struck, lasting for more than half a month, with snowdrifts reaching several meters deep. The city of Ryogoku in the far north was swallowed by the blizzard, and no life remained. But by then, no one cared about the lives of these nobles, and they were completely lost to the annals of history.

Emperor Xiao Xia then issued an edict to re-establish four commanderies on the peninsula: Lelang, Xuantu, Zhenfan, and Lintun, in order to recover the territories lost since the Han Dynasty.

The Kyoto Morning Post also published the news of the restoration of the four commanderies of the Han Dynasty on its front page. When the news spread, scholars all over the country were overjoyed, and the common people were also excited. The court also conveyed the emperor's decree to relocate 30,000 households from various parts of Jiangnan to the four commanderies of the peninsula over three years. All landless refugees were eligible to be relocated.

In early July, Luo Shixin returned to Luoyang to report on his work.

Inside the Hall of State Affairs, Luo Shixin addressed the cabinet ministers and prime ministers, saying, "Apart from Silla, Baekje and Goguryeo also surrendered, but their internal opinions were not aligned, and the hardliners even had the upper hand. They only surrendered because their soldiers were unwilling to fight any longer."

These nobles are influential, capable, and resourceful; they are only temporarily yielding due to their lack of strength. Once the Sui Dynasty withdraws its troops from the peninsula, they will inevitably instigate another rebellion, slaughtering Han civilians and officials. Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided to send them to the far north to build a city between the two countries and settle them there.”

"How many people are there in total?" Gao Jiong asked.

"Approximately five thousand people, including nobles from Baekje and Goguryeo?"

"What about the Silla nobles?" Grand Secretary Su Wei asked.

At this moment, Emperor Xiao Xia slowly said, "The fleet transporting Silla nobles encountered a storm on its return journey, and more than a dozen large ships sank. Therefore, for safety reasons, I no longer require the nobles of Baekje and Goguryeo to be sent to the Sui Dynasty. Instead, I will adopt the method of resettling them in other places."

Fang Xuanling also said: "Considering the lessons of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Council of State also unanimously believes that if it is not handled properly, it will inevitably lead to long-term war and rebellion on the peninsula. The best way is to separate the princes and nobles from the common people. General Luo's decision to send them to the far north to build the city of two countries is indeed a wise move."

Su Wei pressed further, asking, "Where are the two cities?"

Luo Shixin said, "Reporting to Grand Secretary Su, there is also a peninsula in the far north. It is a vast area, but the island is deserted and uninhabited. It is thousands of miles away from Luoyang, and a round trip would take three years. If Grand Secretary Su would like to go and see it, I can arrange for soldiers to escort you."

Su Wei laughed awkwardly, "I was just asking casually, I don't intend to go see it."

At this moment, Emperor Xiao Xia slowly said, "Let's discuss how to govern the people of the four prefectures and what effective measures to take to completely transform the people of the three kingdoms into subjects of the Great Sui!"

...........
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia met with Luo Shixin alone. Xiao Xia said with some displeasure, "Whose idea was it to build the city of two kingdoms? Why didn't you report to me first?"

Luo Shixin quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this is a plan that I discussed with Governor Li. In reality, there is no such thing as a city between the two countries; it was just talk."

Xiao Xia's expression softened slightly, and she nodded. "Did you get rid of them all?"

"We guarantee that no one will escape!"

That's more like it. Xiao Xia thought that Luo Shixin had really created a city where the princes and nobles of the two countries were imprisoned. If the Mohe people were to seize these hostages, the consequences would be endless!

Xiao Xia walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and said, "I do need you to build a military city in the far north. You can call it the City of Two Kingdoms or something else. Stockpile a large amount of grain, cured meat, coal, medicine and other supplies, and leave a hundred soldiers to guard it!"

"Your Majesty, I obey your command. May I ask where Your Majesty's military city will be built?"

Xiao Xia took out a map, spread it out, and said to Luo Shixin: "Next year, I will send a fleet to explore the distant deep sea, but they will travel along the coastline. There is a large peninsula in the far north called the Kamchatka Peninsula. I am considering building a supply town at the southernmost corner of the peninsula. This task is very difficult, so I entrust it to you."

(End of this chapter)