Mi Han

Chapter 686: The Western Regions Conspire to Follow Ban Chao Again

Chapter 686: The Western Regions Conspire to Follow Ban Chao Again

With the power of money, the King of Cheshi quickly found out the identities of Zhou Cang and Zhang Wen.

After learning that Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian were envoys from Eastern Wu, the King of Cheshi couldn't help but frown.

After the Han army recaptured Yumen Pass, he was the first to express his submission to the Han army despite being caught up in civil strife in the country.

This move not only allowed him to leverage the power of the Han army and successfully quell the civil unrest in the country, but also made him the first person from the Western Regions to come to Chang'an.

After arriving in Chang'an City, the King of Cheshi did not feel that he could rest easy.

On the contrary, the King of Cheshi, who was always prepared for danger in times of peace, used the power of money to gather information after arriving in Chang'an City.

The King of Cheshi was a man who was willing and good at spending money. This talent ensured that he knew a lot about the current situation in the Central Plains.

As far as the King of Cheshi knows, the current Han Dynasty is not essentially a unified dynasty. There are two powerful enemies in the east of the Han Dynasty who are eyeing it covetously and want to seize the Han Dynasty's sacred artifacts.

Even if it weren't for Mi Yang's existence, the person who would have accepted his worship at that time would have been the Emperor of Wei who had just been expelled from Guanzhong.

After learning this important information, the King of Cheshi has been thinking about how to use this important information to benefit himself.

The King of Cheshi did not think about this question for too long and soon came up with an idea.

This is not because the King of Cheshi is a wise man, but because his ancestors have left him valuable experience.

The Western Regions first witnessed the power of the Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu.

At that time, there was another dynasty that was more powerful than the Han Dynasty, and that was the Huns.

In fact, the Western Regions is a very vast and spacious area, but its strategic location is not very good. Hundreds of years ago, the Western Regions were basically under the attack of the two great dynasties of Han and Xiongnu.

According to common sense, even if we don't mention the raw meat and blood-drinking Huns, according to the mind of Emperor Xiaowu, the Western Regions should have followed the fate of Korea, Minyue, Nanyue and other countries and should have been conquered by the iron hoofs of the Han army long ago.

However, such a "tragedy" did not happen to the countries in the Western Regions. On the contrary, in order to win over the countries in the Western Regions, Emperor Xiaowu constantly sent envoys to show goodwill and even sent princesses of the royal family to marry the countries in the Western Regions.

The reason why the ambitious Emperor Xiaowu took such action was not because of the strong military power of the countries in the Western Regions, but because at that time Emperor Xiaowu needed the help of the countries in the Western Regions to fight against the Huns together.

Under this strategic approach, the countries in the Western Regions, with the protection and support of the Han Dynasty, enjoyed a golden period of development.

Many people in later generations believed that the Han Dynasty was the beneficiary of the interactions between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty, but in fact, the interactions between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions were of great benefit to both sides.

It was interests that led to the initial integration of the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions.

After recalling the history of his ancestors in his mind, it was impossible for the King of Cheshi not to yearn for the prosperous time of Cheshi Kingdom hundreds of years ago.

However, in the eyes of the King of Cheshi, restoring Cheshi to its former prosperity is not a difficult task given the current circumstances.

Of course, in order to fulfill this idea in mind, the most important point is to not let the envoys from Eastern Wu have any chance of success.

Thinking of this, the King of Cheshi immediately asked his confidants to summon the envoys from the Western Regions who were currently in the Sifang Pavilion.

The Cheshi Kingdom was a powerful country among the countries in the Western Regions. In addition, it was the King of Cheshi who personally called for the envoys. So soon, most of the envoys from the Western Regions who were in the Sifang Pavilion came to the courtyard of the King of Cheshi.

Of course, there are still some people who are unwilling to accept the call of the King of Cheshi.

After all, the countries in the Western Regions have been in constant civil strife for many years, and many of them have grudges against each other.

But the arrival of more than 20 people has already made the King of Cheshi satisfied.

After seeing that all those who were willing to come had arrived, the King of Cheshi, who was sitting at the top, immediately spoke to the people below in the language of the Western Regions:

"Today, the envoy from Dongwu has checked into the Sifang Pavilion."

As soon as the King of Cheshi finished speaking, there was a commotion among the people below.

The commotion was caused by confusion.

Not everyone knows how to gather intelligence like the King of Cheshi. Many of the envoys below had just arrived in Chang'an, and they had no idea what the envoys from Eastern Wu were like.

Since they did not know the identity of the envoys from Eastern Wu, many of them were surprised as to the purpose of the King of Cheshi summoning them.

Could it be that the King of Cheshi wanted to lead them to meet the "Eastern Wu envoy"?

However, they had never heard of the name of Dongwu. If it was a smaller country than theirs, wouldn't it be shameful for them to visit it?

Seeing that the riots were getting worse, the King of Cheshi cleared his throat and informed the envoys from the Western Regions present at the meeting of all the information he had obtained.

After learning that Eastern Wu was the enemy of the Han Dynasty, except for some clever people, most people felt even more confused.

The enemies of the Han people will naturally be dealt with by the Han people. What does it have to do with them?

The King of Cheshi had long anticipated that his good intentions would not be known to everyone at the first time, so he continued patiently:

"According to the information I have gathered, the Eastern Wu sent an envoy here to seek peace with the Han Dynasty!"

“You may not know that since the Battle of Guanzhong, the Han Dynasty has become the most powerful dynasty in the world.

Originally, the alliance between Eastern Wu and Northern Wei could still pose a threat to the Han Dynasty, but once Eastern Wu and Han Dynasty renewed their alliance, the Han Dynasty could withdraw all its strength and focus on attacking Northern Wei.

By then, the demise of the Northern Wei Dynasty was only a matter of time.

Once the Northern Wei Dynasty was destroyed, could the Eastern Wu Dynasty escape destruction in the end?"

As the King of Cheshi expressed his views, the noise in the courtyard gradually died down.

Most of those who can serve as messengers are naturally not fools.

They easily heard that what the King of Cheshi was going to say next was a very important event.

After noticing that the atmosphere in the courtyard had returned to peace, a smile appeared on the face of the King of Cheshi.

He can be held responsible for what he said above.

Originally, the King of Cheshi had some concerns about the envoys from Eastern Wu coming to seek peace.

But after hearing a nursery rhyme, his worries instantly disappeared.

"The Wu barbarians entered Wuguan Pass and were greeted with golden flags. The golden flags were hidden, and the Wu barbarians were angry. The golden flags were waved, and the Wu barbarians surrendered."

You're so cowardly now. If you're not here to make peace, then are you here to declare war?

The King of Cheshi continued with a firm mind:

"You are all either ministers or members of the royal family. You will not forget the prosperous scenes of the Western Regions hundreds of years ago!"

“And wasn’t it the unremitting support of the Han Dynasty that enabled our countries to achieve such a situation back then?

As for why the Han Dynasty spared no effort to support our countries, you should all know it clearly. "

When these words were spoken, the envoys from the Western Regions who were seated nearby all had thoughtful looks on their faces.

Why?

Isn’t it because there is a powerful enemy like the Huns, and the Han Dynasty wants to rely on the power of the countries in the Western Regions?

Even if we don't help, at least don't let Guanzhong's backyard catch fire.

Although the Huns were beaten to pieces long ago after the changes of the times, the powerful Huns are no longer there, but aren’t the Northern Wei and Eastern Wu still there?

As long as the Han Dynasty has a strong enemy, it will need economic support from the countries in the Western Regions.

It was not until this moment that the many envoys from the Western Regions understood what the King of Cheshi meant by what he had just said.

As long as the Han Dynasty has strong enemies, the Western Regions countries will be able to receive the highest attention from the Han Dynasty, and they will be able to restore the glory of their ancestors.

No matter how powerful the Han Dynasty was back then, didn't it still use marriage to win them over in order to stabilize the situation?

If the Han Dynasty back then could do this, why can't the Han Dynasty today do it?

Thinking of this, many envoys from the Western Regions showed excitement on their faces.

Although the countries in the Western Regions have never been a monolithic entity, all of them who hold high positions of power in their own countries want their country to prosper. The more prosperous the country is, the greater the benefits they can obtain.

Of course, not all of the more than 20 envoys from the Western Regions are profit-seeking people.

Some people just want to go with the flow.

Soon, the envoy from Loulan Kingdom raised his objection.

“Although what the King of Cheshi said makes sense, rashly interfering in the diplomacy between the Han Dynasty and the Eastern Wu may arouse the anger of the Grand Marshal.

I'm sorry that my country cannot agree with the King of Cheshi's idea."

The Kingdom of Loulan was a powerful country in the Western Regions that was as famous as the Cheshi Kingdom. Due to its unique location, the Kingdom of Loulan has always been relatively prosperous.

The comfortable life made the people of Loulan Kingdom not want to change the status quo, and they would not suddenly participate in any dangerous actions.

There were several other envoys who had the same idea as the Loulan envoy.

The three words "Grand Sima" mentioned by the Loulan envoy instantly cooled the originally excited atmosphere in the courtyard.

Many envoys from the Western Regions wanted to gain greater benefits and were willing to take some risks to do so.

But the problem is, the consequence of angering Mi Yang cannot be simply described by the word "risk".

The King of Cheshi was disgusted by the Loulan envoy's act of pouring cold water on him, but as the Loulan envoy said, if he could just go with the flow and maintain the status quo, why would he ever think of taking risks?

Unfortunately, there are people in the Han Dynasty who don’t want them to live in peace!

The King of Cheshi looked at the Loulan envoy and said slowly:

"Don't you wonder why the Emperor of Han hasn't summoned us yet, even though we have been in Chang'an for quite some time?"

The words of the King of Cheshi indeed made many envoys from the Western Regions look puzzled again.

Logically speaking, based on the Han Dynasty's previous style, they should have summoned them as soon as possible and decided on the candidate for the Protector General of the Western Regions in front of them.

In this way, the countries in the Western Regions could nominally become vassal states of the Han Dynasty again.

But it didn't.

So why is this?

Facing the envoys' puzzled looks, the King of Cheshi dropped a bombshell message:

"Just a while ago, Liu Feng, the eldest son of the late Emperor of the Han Dynasty, petitioned the Emperor to abolish the post of Protector General of the Western Regions and appoint a vassal king to rule the Western Regions instead!"

The tone of the King of Cheshi was solemn, and his words were like a depth bomb to the ears of the envoys from the Western Regions.

Immediately, many envoys from the Western Regions stood up, unable to suppress their shock and fear.

Although they wanted to say something when they stood up, the surging waves in their hearts made them stammer.

Although they hesitated, an idea emerged in their minds:

We must not let Liu Feng’s suggestion come true!

The reason why the envoys from the Western Regions reacted so strongly was that Liu Feng's suggestion was undoubtedly digging up their roots.

The Protector-General of the Western Regions was a position established by Emperor Xiaoxuan in the Western Regions. The Protector-General generally had the power to establish a government.

The main responsibilities of the Protector General were, on the one hand, to lead the army to pacify the situation in the Western Regions and mediate the conflicts between the countries in the Western Regions, and on the other hand, to supervise and teach the subjects of the countries in the Western Regions about farming.

With these two powers, it can be said that the Protector-General of the Western Regions was actually the highest administrative and military chief of the Western Regions.

However, in order to stabilize the situation in the Western Regions, the Protector General would generally not rashly interfere in the internal affairs of the countries in the Western Regions.

That is to say, although the kings of the Western Regions had to obey the orders of the Protector-General of the Western Regions, they were still the supreme rulers of their own country and could still act tyrannically in their own country.

Because of this, the countries in the Western Regions never rejected the Protectorate-General of the Han Dynasty. On the contrary, after Emperor Guangwu unified the world, the countries in the Western Regions jointly wrote a letter to the Emperor requesting him to quickly establish a Protectorate-General.

Because of the existence of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, the interests of the nobles of the Western Regions were actually guaranteed by the use of force.

But what if the Protectorate of the Western Regions no longer existed, and the Han Dynasty instead sent princes to govern the Western Regions?

In this way, the land of the Western Regions would nominally become the fiefdom of the princes of the Han Dynasty.

And would the princes of the Han Dynasty allow someone who claims to be a king to exist in his fiefdom?

Would he allow the subjects in his fiefdom to pay taxes to others?

What’s even more terrifying is that conflicts are bound to arise between the two. Which side will the Han army support?

In fact, the envoys from the Western Regions have clear answers to these three questions.

The most important thing is that it was not someone else but the eldest son of the former emperor of the Han Dynasty and the elder brother of the current emperor of the Han Dynasty who made such a suggestion!

With such a status, no one can guarantee that his suggestion will not be passed. The fact that the Han Dynasty has been delaying in establishing the post of Protector General of the Western Regions is the best proof of this.

The envoys from the Western Regions gradually felt a chill in their hearts.

Perhaps some envoys may not desire greater benefits, but they will never sit idly by and watch their interests being violated or even deprived.

However, the envoys from the Western Regions did not dare to openly resist the powerful Han army.

So they all turned to the King of Cheshi for help, including the Loulan envoy who had just spoken out in opposition.

Seeing the eager gazes of the Western Regions envoys, the palms of the Cheshi King began to sweat.

He knew that after today, he would become a great hero of the Western Regions and his name would be recorded in history books for generations to come.

The inner tension did not affect the thoughts of the King of Cheshi. Did he have a way to "turn the tide"? Of course he did.

Under the gaze of the Western Regions envoys, the King of Cheshi said solemnly:

"In the history of the Han Dynasty, there was a hero named Ban Chao. He was sent as an envoy to the Kingdom of Loulan on behalf of the Han Dynasty. However, at that time, the Kingdom of Loulan had an ambiguous relationship with the Xiongnu and there were signs that it was forming an alliance with the Xiongnu.

At that time, not only Ban Chao's life was at risk, but even the alliance between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty seemed to be in jeopardy.

Do you know how the hero Ban Chao turned the situation around? "

After saying this, the King of Cheshi turned his gaze towards the envoy from the Kingdom of Loulan.

I think no one here knows this history better than him.

Noticing that many people in the field were following the King of Cheshi's gaze upon him, the Loulan envoy felt his breathing becoming more and more rapid.

But in the end he took a deep breath and said:

“If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, you won’t catch the tiger’s cubs!

Back then, Ban Chao slaughtered all the Xiongnu envoys in one night, forcing my country to become completely hostile to the Xiongnu. Since then, there has been no possibility of an alliance between my country and the Xiongnu. "

"And today's Dongwu envoys are just like the Xiongnu envoys back then!"

　Today's chapter.

(End of this chapter)