Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 169 There is no free lunch

Weng Guimi looks big and strong and extremely rough, but this is just an illusion. Don't think that he is a reckless man, in fact, he is very scheming.

This time, he followed Feng Ling to see Huo Xian, naturally, he also had some demands from the Wusun side.

In fact, it wasn't just Feng Ling who came along this time. Although they "trusted" Feng Ling, they needed more translators at this time. This was the safest way.

The same goes for Huo Xian. Trusting Feng Ling is one thing, but the state affairs cannot be taken lightly. Feng Ling may speak Wusun language well now, but it would be bad if the translation is wrong.

You need to be cautious when you should be cautious, and be serious when you should be serious. Everyone does this tacitly.

Weng Guimi looked at Huo Xian and said incessantly, "The Grand Marshal should know that my Wusun was destroyed by the Great Yuezhi, and my grandfather was able to restore the country with the help of the Xiongnu."

Huo Xian smiled and nodded, then said, "Of course I know this, but now that the Wusun have defeated the Yuezhi and moved to the Ili River Basin, their military and economic strength have become even stronger. If they are exploited by the Xiongnu again, I think you will definitely be dissatisfied."

Weng Guimi was telling the truth. Wusun and Xiongnu had a close relationship, which had historical roots. It was understandable that there were many pro-Xiongnu people within Wusun.

However, what Huo Xian said was also the actual situation. The Wusun were now dissatisfied with the exploitation of the Xiongnu, which would inevitably lead to sharp contradictions and conflicts with the Xiongnu.

There is not so much friendship and gratitude between countries. In fact, it is more about gains and losses. These are the most essential things, and they seem to be the ones that need the most attention.

Even if Wusun defeated Dayuezhi with the help of Xiongnu, it was because Xiongnu did not want Dayuezhi, an unruly kingdom, to become strong, and also wanted to better control Wusun militarily and economically.

As for Lie Jiaomi, he shouted that he was raised by Maodun Chanyu, but it did not affect his desire to drive out some of the Xiongnu forces in his country after Wusun became strong, and he was unwilling to be cruelly exploited by the Xiongnu again.

It seemed that they were willing to marry the Han Dynasty, but that was just to increase their bargaining chips and prevent the Huns from getting angry and attacking directly.

Weng Guimi also continued, "The Grand Marshal sent someone to ask Wusun to send troops. This is not right. Wusun and Kangju have always been in harmony. Starting a war without authorization will inevitably lead to retaliation."

This is also a lie. Wusun and Kangju were not very friendly neighbors. It's just that there has not been a direct conflict between them now because neither can do anything to the other.

Wusun was quite powerful, but Kangju was also quite powerful. If they fought, other countries might suffer.

For example, the former countries of Cheshi and Dayuan might have staged a good show of the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole is waiting behind.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Kangju is willing to be a minion of the Xiongnu. Prince, do you think that if the Xiongnu becomes powerful one day, will they join forces with Kangju to attack Wusun?"

Weng Guimi was naturally aware of this matter. The Xiongnu were very dissatisfied with the Wusun, but they were unable to do anything about it now, so they were in a helpless situation and had to appease them in every way possible.

We are all smart people, so we naturally know that it is useless to say some polite words, and it is more important to have some practical actions.

Huo Xian looked at Weng Guimi and continued, "I think your Highness knows what the Xiongnu is like now. The Xiongnu are in turmoil, and it is difficult for the Chanyu to command the tribes. This is no secret, right?"

Weng Guimi nodded. Anyway, Wusun and Xiongnu were already fighting each other but could not break each other. "The Han army defeated Xiongnu several times, which did weaken Xiongnu's national strength, and it is even more so now."

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Of course, Tianhan will not miss these opportunities. If it weren't for Cheshi, our dynasty might have gone to fight the Xiongnu this year."

Weng Guimi was not surprised at all. There had been constant wars between the Han Dynasty and the Huns. It seemed to have stopped for a few years in the past, but the mutual provocations and small-scale wars had never stopped.

Now that Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, has emerged, the wars between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu have naturally become more frequent. It seems that this is something that everyone has expected.

Huo Xian continued, "Your Highness should be aware of the Cheshi incident this time. We, the Tianhan people, will not allow children like Cheshi to become the pawns of the Xiongnu. This is their own fault."

Was Cheshi seeking its own death, or was it forced to the front by the Huns? It may be a matter of each person's own opinion. There is no need to worry about these things now.

The Cheshi had already been destroyed, so naturally there was nothing much to say. A weak country should not be involved in the competition between big powers.

Weng Guimi immediately said, "What the Grand Marshal said makes sense, but in the eyes of the Han and Xiongnu, we Wusun are nothing more than Cheshi. We know how powerful the Han and Xiongnu are, and we dare not offend them."

Not only Huo Xian, even Gongsun Ao and others couldn't help but look at Weng Guimi. This seemingly rough member of the Wusun royal family was actually very meticulous.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Prince. I, Tianhan, will not force Wusun to send troops." Wusun may not want to choose a side immediately, nor do they have the courage, because they know that once they choose a side, they will naturally invite attacks from the other side, which they cannot bear.

Even though Wusun seemed to have sent troops to follow Huo Xian to attack Dayuan, everyone knew what was going on. The thousand or so cavalrymen were just following for tourism.

Weng Guimi breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about was the invitation from the Han Dynasty. After all, the Grand Marshal had actually sent an envoy and did mention the invitation to send troops.

The people of Wusun were naturally unhappy, but even if they refused, they needed to find some reasonable excuses, otherwise they would anger the Han army's Grand Marshal, and who knew if he would be young and hot-tempered.

It seems that this Grand Marshal is not an unreasonable person. It can even be said that he is more reasonable than the Han Dynasty envoys in many people's impressions.

Huo Xian continued to smile and said, "This time Wusun did not send troops, but it should not help Kangju either. Prince, do you think this is the truth?"

Weng Guimi immediately said, "Grand Marshal, don't worry. Kangju has a grudge against us Wusun. They are subject to the Xiongnu and Dayuezhi. These people are of the same race as Dayuezhi and have a grudge against us Wusun."

There is nothing wrong with saying this. Wusun and Kangju did have a grudge against each other. The simple reason is that Kangju and Dayuezhi are of the same race and origin. This is why the relationship between Wusun and Kangju could not be good.

Huo Xian naturally understood this principle, but he reminded, "If Kangju wants to pass through, what do you think, Prince?"

Weng Guimi frowned immediately, and then said, "Grand Marshal, don't worry. If Kangju sends troops to aid Cheshi, they will not go through Dayuan and Wusun. They will only go north to join forces with the Xiongnu."

Huo Xian had nothing to say. He wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Weng Guimi, leaving him no room or space to further expand on the topic.

If Kangju wanted to assist Cheshi, the shortest route would of course be through Dayuan and Wusun, but this was obviously not a route that everyone thought was feasible.

Although Dayuan was severely weakened, it was still considered a country controlled by the Han Dynasty by many people. Kangju was also constantly encroaching on Dayuan's land. How could it be passing through it now?
Needless to say, Wusun was wavering between the Han and Xiongnu, and these people might help the Han army. Moreover, even Wusun could not allow the Kangju army of thousands of people to pass through its land.

Therefore, if they wanted to rush to the rescue, it would be more appropriate to join forces with the Huns. They certainly didn't want to go through the experience of sending troops to rescue in a fierce manner and then being defeated by the Han army in one blow.

This is the reality. Weng Guimi just made it clear that Wusun would not help either side and planned to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers.

Even if the Han Dynasty offered some seemingly very generous chips, it would not work. There was only one possibility for Wusun to take sides, and that was that the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu had a decisive battle, and only then would Wusun make up his mind.

It is completely understandable that Wusun has their stance, and there is no need to force certain things.

Weng Guimi looked at Huo Xian and said, "Grand Marshal, the envoy said earlier that the Han Dynasty is willing to join forces with Wusun to divide Cheshi."

Huo Xian smiled and said, "When I first entered the Western Regions, I sent envoys to invite Wusun to send troops. When the troops surrounded Jiaohe City, I also sent people to invite them to send troops. Now that Cheshi has been destroyed by me, Wusun has sent troops?"

They didn't contribute anything, but now they want to get benefits. This is really too much. Even if the Han Dynasty wanted to win over Wusun, it would not do such a stupid deal.

Weng Guimi immediately said, "Grand Marshal, our Wusun pastures are thousands of miles long and we have countless war horses. If the Han Dynasty allocates pastures, we Wusun are willing to sell some war horses to the Han Dynasty every year."

The Wusun people were also obsessed with land. They were now nomadic in the Ili River Basin, which was considered a good pasture. But the location of Cheshi was also an extremely good pasture.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "I also captured a lot of horse slaves this time. Prince should also know that there are many pastures in Cheshi. The road from Hexi to Cheshi is now smooth for our Han Dynasty."

Although it is a bit exaggerated, the Han Dynasty's control over Cheshi and other places has obviously been strengthened.

The Han army could march directly north from Yumen Pass and other places. Loulan, Cheshi, etc. were directly connected into lines and pieces, and were no longer just a simple point.

It was obviously not Huo Xian's style to spit out the fat meat in his mouth. It was even more impossible for him to directly hand over the land that he and his soldiers had fought hard for to Wusun, who had not contributed anything.

In the past, we might have worried that we wouldn't be able to hold on to the city even if we conquered it. At that time, we might have done it as a favor or used it as a bargaining chip to win over some forces.

But if Wusun wants to get benefits from the Han Dynasty now, it must directly state its position and make efforts. There is no free lunch in the world!

(End of this chapter)