I'm really not King Jing of Zhongshan

Chapter 313 Zhou Yafu, it's time to rebel

Regarding Tian Ziqi's seemingly random question, Liu Sheng thought over and over again, but he was not in a hurry to give an answer.

Because Liu Sheng knew very well in his heart: What Tian Ziqi really wanted to ask was not the simple question "How is Gillian doing?"

——Last autumn, I couldn't help my aunt who became more and more impatient: Princess Liu of Guantao, and felt that there was no room for change in the short term. Liu Sheng finally followed Tian Ziqi's suggestion and formally asked the Queen Mother Dou of the Eastern Palace to send his cousin Gillian Canonized as the crown princess.

That's right;

Now only seven years old, Gillian Wengzhu has become Liu Sheng's princess.

For this result, all parties can be described as happy.

——Empress Dou felt a big stone in her heart, and she has no reservations about Liu Sheng since then, and has already made a gesture of "I will personally help my grandson to sit on the throne";
With this marriage, she became a relative with the next generation of Emperor Han. Princess Liu Xing of Guantao was also very satisfied. In order not to cause trouble for Liu Sheng, who was still the prince, she didn't even go to the Shaofu's house often.

For Liu Sheng's sensibility to facilitate this matter, Tianzi Qi is obviously very relieved.

After all, back then, when the reserve position was in doubt because of Liang Wang Liu Yi, Tianzi Qi also relied on this hand to stabilize the reserve position;
Now, seeing his son Liu Sheng make the same choice, Emperor Qi is naturally very pleased.

But today, when Ziqi asked the phrase 'how is A-Jiao recently', no matter how slow he was, Liu Sheng could always react: Regarding this matter, Tianziqi probably has other doubts... ···

"Since moving into the womb, Gillian has always been depressed, and even reduced her meals a lot."

"I don't know what to do, so I can only visit Aunt Guantao for help."

"Since the beginning of spring this year, Aunt Guantao will visit the door every three to five days to chat with Gillian;"

"From time to time, Erchen will also bring Gillian to the door to visit Marquis Tangyi and Aunt Guantao."

"Nowadays, Gillian seems to be used to the daily life of the Taiwo, and there is nothing wrong with it."

"It's the concubines that Aunt Guantao sent to Gillian to marry into the uterus..."

Unable to understand Tianziqi's intention for a while, Liu Shengzi had no choice but to follow the Huatou and try to answer Tianziqi's question;
Sure enough, Liu Sheng did not expect that: after he responded, Tianzi Qi quickly put Huatou on the right track that should have been started long ago.

"Concubine Teng..."

"Hey······"

"Sister is good anywhere, this is it..."

"Hi, that's all..."

···
"In the past few years, I have been more careful."

"I have sent people to investigate the concubines who married into the Crown Prince's uterus with Gillian."

"Although there is nothing wrong with it, she is a woman sent from Tangyihou's Mansion after all."

"If you can't touch it, try not to touch it."

"—As for A-Jiao, she is still too young, she just lives in the womb of a prince."

"As for the future..."

At the end, Tian Ziqi only cast a pointed glance at Liu Sheng. Although he didn't speak very clearly, the deep meaning in his eyes was enough to make Liu Shengfu feel his heart.

Even so, Tianzi Qi still did not forget to mention one last sentence: "After I wait for a hundred years, if Mrs. Bo is still alive, I will go to Handan and become the Queen Mother of Zhao for Lao Qi."

"The empty North Palace..."

"Um······"

"Keep it for Gillian, there's nothing wrong with it..."

With a chilling whisper, Tianzi Qi lowered his head and sipped the ginseng soup in his hand.

Liu Sheng was silent.

Everything seems to be unspoken...

"horse."

"A matter of contacting the Donghu Department and the Marquis of Chang'an."

The brief thought was interrupted by Tian Ziqi's low-pitched reminder, which also brought Liu Sheng's briefly scattered thoughts back to his eyes.

Recalling the past year, the painstaking efforts he had put into this matter, and the development process of the whole matter, Liu Sheng finally smiled wryly and shook his head, showing his helplessness to Emperor Qi.

"Marquis Chang'an's price tag is really too high."

"My son wanted to nod several times, but in the end, he still couldn't make up his mind."

"--Oh?"

"——Lu Tazhi, what do you want?"

"—Or should I say: What price did he, Marquis of Chang'an, offer to the crown prince of my Han family?"

"ordnance······"

With just a few words, the relaxed look on Tianzi Qi's face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a touch of depth and gloom that one could not see the bottom of at a glance.

For more than a year in the past, Tianzi Qi has naturally maintained a very high level of concern for Liu Sheng's attempt to approach the Eastern Hu tribe of the Xiongnu in order to facilitate a certain-scale horse smuggling import agreement.

After all, having been the prince for more than 20 years and the emperor for seven years, it is impossible for Tianzi Qi not to understand the importance of flattery to the Han Dynasty today, to an appalling extent.

Just like the games of later generations, for a certain task, there will often be a progress bar;
For today's Han Dynasty, the speed at which horses are obtained will directly affect the reading speed of this progress bar called "Decisive Battle with the Huns".

To put it more bluntly: if you gather enough horses one day earlier, you can prepare for a decisive battle with the Huns one day earlier;
The increasingly deteriorating physical condition of Tianzi Qi also made this middle-aged emperor who was about to end his life more obsessed with the words "decisive battle against the Huns", and even became Tianzi Qi's obsession.

But as Liu Sheng said: The horses that Lu Tazhi offered for the horse smuggling trade were indeed "higher" than Tian Ziqi expected.

"ordnance······"

"Although the Donghu tribe is in the south of the Mu, no matter whether the Xiongnu went west to pursue the Yuezhi people or went south to attack our Han family, they never dispatched the troops of the Donghu tribe."

"As for the other Mannan tribes, although they have long coveted the pastures of the Donghu tribe, due to the indispensability of the Donghu tribe, every time a Mannan tribe wants to get involved in the Donghu tribe, they will be stopped by the Xiongnu Shanyuting."

"There is no need for recruitment from the outside, and Shan Yuting's protection inside, the Donghu Department doesn't even need to maintain too many troops."

"He told him, what is the use of ordnance?"

···
"Um······"

"What kind of ordnance does he want?"

"How much?"

A soft inquiry only provoked another burst of wry smiles from Liu Sheng.

"A good-bred mare needs five swords, a halberd, or three long bows, each with a hundred arrow feathers."

"One excellent stallion needs three armors, or four crossbows and ten crossbows, each with one hundred crossbows..."

With just a simple sentence, Tian Ziqi's frown was relaxed quietly.

But it is obvious: the emperor's loose brow does not mean that the price is 'acceptable';
But after hearing the exact price, Tianzi Qi came to the conclusion in his heart almost without thinking: There is nothing to discuss about this business...
"In the past, not to mention military weapons, even the bronze wares used for agriculture and sacrifices were strictly controlled by our Han family, and they were never allowed to flow into the grassland."

"Of course, horses, especially stallions and thoroughbred mares that can be used as war horses, are also strictly guarded by the Huns and will never allow them to cross the Great Wall."

"I originally thought that if Lu Tazhi was willing to export horses secretly for our Han family to build a horse garden, it is not impossible to give him the bronze wares."

"But I really didn't expect that the 'bronze vessel' he wanted was actually an ordnance;"

"Not only armaments, but also armor and crossbows. Even in the Han family, they are never allowed to hide privately. Hiding is a heavy weapon of 'rebellion'..."

···
"Let's just let this matter go."

"Lu Tazhi, don't worry about it anymore."

The Son of Heaven had made a decision, and Liu Shengzi followed the good example, and after only a moment of tangling, he also put the matter behind him.

It's just that even though he has made the decision of 'no longer considering this matter', Liu Sheng still has a doubt in his heart.

——Lu Tazhi, why do we need weapons?

Just as the emperor Qifang said: In the grasslands, the Donghu tribe of Lu Tazhi did not need to participate in the external conquest by the Huns, nor would they be attacked by other tribes;
Without the need for war, Lu Tazhi's Donghu tribe should have no need for ordnance.

But for Liu Sheng's invitation to "do some business", Lu Tazhi asked not only for arms, but also for a highly controlled weapon that was randomly found at home, which is enough to kill a household registration book...
"Is it tactful rejection of this business, wanting me to retreat in spite of difficulties?"

"Or, the situation of the Eastern Hu tribe in the grassland..."

Seeing Liu Sheng frowned, lowering his head and sinking into deep thought, Tianzi Qi, who saw Liu Sheng's doubts, also fell into a short thought.

Soon, Emperor Qi, who came to a general conclusion, put his guess in front of Liu Sheng.

"Today's Xiongnu Shanyu is the grandson of Tongda Maodun and the son of Lao Shangji Porridge: the military minister of Tongda."

"It's different from the bravery of Maodun and the scheming of old Shangji porridge: the military minister of Tongda is quite petty."

"During the reign of Old Shangji Porridge, the military ministers of Suoda presided over the Xiongnu's attack on the Yuezhi people in the capacity of the Xiongnu Zuoxian King;"

"And after succeeding to the throne, the army ministers wiped out the power of King Youxian in one fell swoop, and naturally created an atmosphere of 'it is not correct to go south to attack the Han Dynasty' in the Shanyu court of the Xiongnu."

"In addition, the military minister himself was the Zuoxian King who was in charge of attacking the Yuezhi people. After succeeding to the throne, he naturally saw that the Yuezhi people were placed in a more important position."

"Thus, although the attitude of the military officials of the Han family seems to be very tough, compared to the Tao Maodun of the Taizu Emperor Gao and the old Shangji porridge of the first emperor, they are actually much gentler. "

"—After all, a dog that can bite people, don't bark."

"Although the military officials bark and threaten our Han family from time to time, in fact, they are more inclined to ignore our Han family."

"And the existence of Lu Tazhi—and even the entire Donghu tribe—is just for the Huns to have a group of people who are familiar with my Han family when they go south to attack the Han side."

"Since the military officials have shifted their focus westward, with the Yuezhi people as the primary problem, then Lu Tazhi's 'Han Dynasty master' will naturally become less important."

"Lu Tazhi is no longer important, and the Donghu tribe is in the grassland, so naturally they will no longer be protected by Shan Yuting."

"And after losing Shan Yuting's protection, if Lu Tazhi still wants to protect the whole family, the only way is to strengthen himself by all means..."

Tian Ziqi's simple words reached his ears, making Liu Sheng nod his head thoughtfully.

Liu Sheng can figure out these things.

——In the Xiongnu grassland, or most of the entire history, nomads believed in the naked law of the jungle.

To put it bluntly, it means that the fist is big and the voice is loud, the winner takes all, and the loser loses all.

Specific to today's Xiongnu, although it is a nomadic civilization and a loose tribal alliance as a whole, the Xiongnu Shan Yuting often takes a default attitude towards the conquests among member tribes in more cases.

The reason is simple: in the grassland, only those who can fight are eligible to speak.

Go to heaven, that is, after the war is over, Shan Yuting will come forward to maintain order and remind the victor to stick to the grassland rule of 'not killing women and children'.

Other than that, nothing else.

Under such naked jungle law, the only way for Lu Tazhi's Donghu tribe to protect themselves, especially without the protection of Shan Yuting, is to make themselves strong enough.

Only when it is so strong that other tribes dare not covet it, the situation of the Donghu tribe in the grassland can barely be regarded as "sit back and relax".

For the Donghu tribe, a unique tribe that is almost entirely composed of Han people but lives on nomads, the best way to strengthen itself in the short term is of course to acquire a batch of advanced weapons and equipment.

And in the known world of this generation, those who can claim to be "advanced weapons and equipment" in front of the Huns, except for the Roman Republic civilization tens of thousands of miles away, only the Han Dynasty remains...

"if it is like this······"

"or······"

"--no."

"—absolutely not."

Considering the internal reasons, Liu Sheng, who had already given up the "deal" with Lu Ta, could only feel his heart stir again;

But before Liu Sheng opened his mouth, Emperor Qi resolutely denied Liu Sheng's temptation.

"Ordnance, unlike others."

"If other things flow into the grassland, the court can still whitewash the peace, saying that it is a businessman's treachery;"

"But weapons and ordnance are something that only the army and the Shaofu have."

"In case the matter is revealed, in order to explain to the people of the world, I can only pull out a few generals, or send the Shaofu directly to Dongshi to be cut in half."

···
"Not worth it."

"For the sake of horses, it is not worthwhile to lose the generals and Jiuqing, and at the same time, greatly damage the prestige of the court."

"Don't even think about it."

"If you have nothing else to do, just think about Zhou Yafu and how to deal with it."

Man Man resolutely stated his position again, and finally made Liu Sheng completely let go of all luck;
After hearing the long-lost word "Zhou Yafu" from the mouth of the emperor, Liu Sheng's expression became strange again.

"Disposal?"

"Oh······"

"Yes;"

"Zhou Yafu 'privately hides the armor'..."

(End of this chapter)