Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 113 Marriage
In front of Jianzhang Palace, Huo Xian jumped off his horse, and the guards did not stop him. This was their superior, and Liu Jieyou and his party needed to check the palace talisman, etc.

When Liu Jieyou got off the carriage, she was not necessarily a beauty, but she had a pretty and elegant appearance, which made people like her at first sight.

"You look quite old." Huo Xian asked, "What year was he born?"

Liu Jieyou said in a clear voice, "The same age as Grand Marshal."

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment. This meant that Liu Jieyou was also born in the third year of Yuanshou.

"That's not right." Huo Xian was a little surprised. "At your age, why haven't you married yet?"

Liu Jieyou looked at Huo Xian with a smile and said jokingly, "It's true that I'm not married, but the Grand Marshal hasn't married either. Could it be that the Grand Marshal doesn't have someone he likes, or is he not allowed to marry?"

It seems that there is nothing wrong with what Liu Jieyou said. The biggest reason why she has not married yet is because of her family background. Her grandfather rebelled in the past, so the descendants of the King of Chu are now the descendants of criminals.

Huo Xian walked in front and said, "Do you know what this trip to Beijing means?"

Liu Jieyou was quite carefree, "Go to Wusun to marry! Princess Xijun passed away, it's my turn to go to Wusun."

Huo Xian was silent for a moment before he said, "It's not good outside. The Wusun people are barbarians, and their habits are different from ours. I have seen Princess Xijun and her daughter before."

Liu Jieyou said with a bright smile, "Don't worry, Grand Marshal. I am the descendant of a criminal. Now I can marry into the Wusun tribe. If I can control the Wusun tribe for the Han Dynasty, it will be a great honor for me."

Huo Xian didn't know what to say and just led the way silently.

"Your Majesty, I'm here." When Huo Xian arrived at the palace, he said, "I met Princess Lieyou on the way and brought her here with me."

Liu Che nodded slightly and asked, "What brings you to the palace today?"

"I'm thinking about getting a crown." Huo Xian replied, "I'm also of this age, and it's reasonable for me to get a crown. If Your Majesty thinks I can get one, then please give me one."

Liu Che was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Shan'er has reached the age to be crowned. All right! How about this, when we come back from the tour, I will crown you! Let the general and the prime minister be the deputy guests, and I will crown you personally!"

Huo Xian was not surprised at all. "That would be the best. I had thought that it would be His Majesty who would crown me. I will ask the people in the palace to prepare it. I will wear the military crown from now on!"

Liu Che crowned the crowned prince once, and Huo Qubing once. It has been more than 20 years, and now it is Huo Shan's turn.

Liu Che, with eyes full of admiration and pride, patted Huo Shan on the shoulder and said, "Shan'er has grown up. Not only should you make great achievements, but you should also be crowned an adult. Good, good!"

Chuntuo coughed softly, and faced with the emperor's unhappy look, he quickly reminded, "Your Majesty, Princess Jieyou is asking for an audience outside the palace."

Liu Che then remembered the important matter and said, "Let her in."

Liu Jieyou entered the palace and bowed to pay respect, "Daughter of the clan, Liu Jieyou, pays respect to Your Majesty."

"Get up." Liu Che said, "Wusun Kunmi Liejiaomi wanted to take the prince's son Censou Junxumi as his heir. Previously, I sent Princess Xijun to form an alliance. I didn't expect her to die early. Now I send you to Wusun to form an alliance to form a bond between Tianhan and Wusun. Do you understand?"

Liu Jieyou answered seriously, "I understand."

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian who was standing aside with a stern face and said, "It just so happens that Marquis Guanjun is here too. He is familiar with the Western Regions and Wusun. Let him tell you about the Wusun Kingdom."

"There are some things you don't need to say, such as how far the journey to Wusun is, and others will tell you about it." Liu Che said to Huo Xian, "For now, just talk about the situation in Wusun, that's all."

Huo Xian said, "Wusun is now the largest nomadic country in the Western Regions, wavering between the Han and the Xiongnu. Its ruler calls himself Kunmi. The crown prince of Liejiaomi has died, and he wants to make the crown prince's son Junxumi his successor. But there is also dissatisfaction in Wusun. The crown prince's younger brother Dalu holds military power and wants to kill Junxumi."

Liu Jieyou immediately paid attention to it, as the situation in Wusun seemed a little unusual.

Huo Xian further explained, "Now it is Junxumi who is said to command over 10,000 soldiers and is leading his troops elsewhere. Liejiaomi is in charge of over 10,000 cavalry for self-protection, but the troops commanded by these grandfather and grandson are not all the troops of Wusun. Wusun has Xiang and Dalu, and these two also have military power."

Liu Jieyou couldn't help but worry. If she went to Wusun, a dispute over the leadership of Wusun might break out at any time.

"Princess Xijun was previously the right wife, and there was also a Xiongnu left wife." Huo Xian explained, "There are still many pro-Xiongnu people in Wusun. It seems that Wusun is willing to marry into the Han Dynasty, but in fact it is betting on both sides and wavering."

Liu Che nodded slightly. This was the reason why he wanted to marry Liu Jieyou off to a distant place. He wanted to truly win over Wusun.

Liu Jieyou asked with concern, "Wusun is a powerful country in the Western Regions, and it has been rebellious. How can the court not use deterrence?"

It is obviously not enough to just show favor blindly, otherwise it might just breed some ungrateful people. For a country like Wusun, you need to win it over when it is time to win it over, but you must deter it when it is time to deter it.

Liu Che was quite proud and said complacently, "Marquis Guanjun was far-sighted. He had previously sent troops to destroy Dayuan and forced Wusun to send troops to help." Huo Xian disagreed with this statement and quickly explained, "Your Majesty, it was not a forced invitation. I sent an envoy as a sincere invitation. Besides, the Wusun cavalry did not really contribute, but they had to help after seeing the might of my army."

Liu Che was not angry, and said with a smile, "That's enough. Wusun has been hesitant to break off relations with the Xiongnu, only because they are afraid of the strength of the Han Dynasty."

This was something that would have been impossible before Liu Che ascended the throne. Before that, Wusun was just a small follower of the Xiongnu. It was only after seeing the strength of the Han Dynasty that they began to waver and intended to get closer to the Han Dynasty.

This can be considered as the way of survival for small countries. If they side with a powerful country or offend another powerful country, they may become cannon fodder at any time.

However, it is not an easy task to maintain a balance and please both sides between these two powerful countries.

"There are also Kangju, Cheshi and other countries around Wusun, all of which are close to the Xiongnu." Huo Xian said to Liu Jieyou, "Last time I led the army to destroy thousands of Kangju soldiers and horses, which was enough to make them feel distressed. I also stationed troops and cultivated land around Cheshi and other countries as a deterrent. They should also think about it."

Liu Che looked at Liu Jieyou and said earnestly, "There are still many people in Wusun who are close to the Xiongnu. When you go there, you must find a way to drive those people away."

It seems a bit too optimistic to entrust such a task to a woman, but in Liu Che's opinion there is still a chance.

Liu Jieyou is backed by the Han Dynasty, and the Han army's military presence in the Western Regions is getting stronger and stronger. In addition, Junxumi is the legal heir of Wusun, so he still has a chance to influence the upper class of Wusun.

This is Liu Che's confidence. To win over Wusun is not just about marrying a princess of the royal family to them, there are also a series of other means.

"Okay, it's enough for you to know some things." Liu Che looked at Liu Jieyou and said, "Go back and rest first. I will ask some officials to talk to you in detail about Wusun later."

Liu Jieyou took her leave. When she left, Huo Xian couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, do you still want to marry?"

"Marriage for peace?" Liu Che looked at Huo Xian with an unfriendly look, "This is a marriage for peace. You should know what marriage for peace is all about!"

There's nothing wrong with that.

When Emperor Gaozu formally concluded the marriage alliance with the Xiongnu, the alliance was mainly based on marriage, supplemented by military defense; while the Xiongnu mainly used military invasion, supplemented by marriage.

The result was that the princess of the Han Dynasty married the Chanyu and gave him money and other things every year. While receiving tribute, the Xiongnu were not willing to completely give up their invasion and even used it to threaten the Han Dynasty with more tribute.

The Western Han Dynasty at that time was indeed compromising, and everyone knew that marriage alliances were of little use and were humiliating in nature.

However, some people think that marriage alliances have existed since the Spring and Autumn Period, which is also very normal.

Liu Che said unhappily, "I have already forbidden the Xiongnu from marrying into the alliance, but now we are marrying into the alliance with the Wusun. This is two different things!"

Huo Xian naturally understood this truth, and muttered softly, "I know, but I feel uncomfortable when I think about the fact that our Han Dynasty is now strong and powerful, but still uses women as envoys."

"Uncomfortable?" Liu Che immediately glared at Huo Xian, "Am I comfortable? It's true that she is the daughter of a criminal, but she is also a relative of the Han Dynasty! What do you want from me?"

Seeing Huo Xian remained silent, Liu Che became even more annoyed. "I am the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and I should protect the people! She is a daughter of the Han Dynasty, born rich! Why can only ordinary people's sons go to the battlefield to kill the enemy? Shouldn't the descendants of my Liu family do something for the country?"

Huo Xian quickly said, "Your Majesty, I didn't say much."

"You were born rich and have great ambitions. I am happy!" Liu Che pointed at Huo Xian and said, "Say less about your ambitions in the future. You have been by my side for twenty years. It is time for you to make some progress!"

Obviously, Liu Che was not happy about marrying a princess to a foreigner. Huo Xian's grumbles ignited the emperor's anger.

Huo Xian didn't know what to say. At this time he should just listen obediently instead of talking back.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and said, "You know the importance of the Western Regions. It was a good thing that you stationed troops and cultivated land in the Western Regions before. After defeating the Xiongnu, it is time to attack the Western Regions. You also know this better."

Huo Xian nodded, he knew this clearly. The Western Regions would be fought sooner or later, and there was even a high possibility that they would temporarily not fight the Xiongnu and focus on conquering the Western Regions.

"When Wusun is under control, the Western Regions will be easy to conquer." Liu Che reminded, "You arrange people to go to the Western Regions, and I won't stop you. If those people are incompetent, I will punish you first!"

Huo Xian thought about it carefully and said, "Your Highness is a man of integrity and will definitely not start a war."

Liu Che said fiercely, "Don't provoke a war for me now. If you want to fight the Xiongnu, you will have plenty of opportunities! Over in the Western Regions, those tribes should first establish their roots and gain a foothold!"

Liu Che then said irritably, "Go away and explain the matter of Wusun. You should know what I am planning, and Princess Jieyou should also know it."

(End of this chapter)