My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 112 Western Regions, Western Regions

"I really like the tall and powerful horses from the Western Regions. I would like to ask Marquis Bowang to buy a batch of BMWs for me when he returns to the Han Dynasty!" Liu Ju said frankly.

He had some friendship with Zhang Qian, so it was not too abrupt to make this request at this time.

"BMW?"

Zhang Qian concentrated and repeated it again.

Seeing this, Liu Ju thought that he was inconvenienced and said hurriedly: "Everything should be based on the mission of Marquis Bowang. If it is inconvenient, I will not force it."

"Hey."

Zhang Qian shook his head, "That's not the case."

This time he was sent to the Western Regions again, and His Majesty gave him two tasks: one, to persuade the countries in the Western Regions to rebel against the Xiongnu; two, to win over the Wusun people who had a grudge against the Xiongnu.

The two tasks actually have the same purpose.

Chaos on the right wing of the Huns!
Even if Zhang Qian agreed to the prince's request to buy horses, he would not delay the completion of the above tasks...

He pondered for a while, then looked across, "To be honest, Your Highness, when I was on a diplomatic mission last time, I found that the horses in the Western Regions were much better than those in the Han Dynasty."

"I also want to buy some good horses when I am sent to the Western Regions this time, but..."

There is a problem!
In today's era, fine horses are considered hard currency everywhere, and are even important strategic materials. The better the horse, the more valuable it is.

The Kingdom of Dayuan even had a type of horse whose sweat was like blood. They were strong, fast, and had great endurance, and were truly the best of all horses!

"Whether it's a fine horse or a Dayuan horse, they are already scarce in the Western Regions. If outsiders want to buy them..." Zhang Qian sighed without holding out hope.

"Disaster!"

Marquis Bowang is not just trying to please the Crown Prince, it is really difficult. How difficult is it?
Is it possible that in the later years of Emperor Wu's reign, in order to obtain good horses from the Western Regions in order to improve the Han horse breed, he even mobilized tens of thousands of troops to travel thousands of miles to expedition to the Western Regions!

If you don’t sell it, just snatch it away!

Of course, we are far from that point now. Although Zhang Qian has been on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions once, only two people returned safely to the Han Dynasty last time.

Bringing back some sesame seeds was the limit, not even a BMW.

The good horses from the Western Regions really entered the vision of the Han Dynasty and even the emperor, until Zhang Qian completed this "breakthrough".

That is, after the second mission to the Western Regions.

When Han envoys began to travel frequently to the Western Regions and the Silk Road began to take shape, the good horses from the Western Regions would be noticed by the emperor.

but.

It may take the emperor many years to notice this good thing, but the prince has already set his eyes on it now!
"That's right, what I want is that kind of Dayuan horse." Liu Ju said excitedly. He didn't hear the difficulties mentioned by Marquis Bowang at all, he only heard that it was the best quality horse.

"There is a fine horse in my palace that was sent by the Champion Marquis. It is tall and mighty, very majestic. It was brought by the Xiongnu from the Western Regions!"

Liu Ju said with a little excitement: "Since it won't delay Marquis Bowang's mission, then thank you for your help."

Zhang Qian was startled and was about to speak.

"I know the difficulty." Liu Ju guessed what he was going to say and said with a smile, "The horses I want to buy are not just a few hundred or a thousand."

"A few dozen horses will be fine, a hundred is even better. It doesn't matter if we can't buy the best Dayuan horses. Just do our best. I will give enough gold to Marquis Bowang!"

"Money talks. I think the Western Regions can still buy a few dozen good horses, right?"

Hear this.

Zhang Qian nodded thoughtfully, "The quantity is not large, it is indeed available, but Your Highness only wants to buy a few dozen..."

"Haha." Liu Ju did not hide it and explained: "I am thinking of taking it slow and steady!"

He knew that horses were precious everywhere. If he wanted to buy thousands of them at once, he would probably have to go through war, so he might as well buy them in small batches.

Try not to attract the attention of those in power in the Western Regions.

Liu Ju added solemnly, "The fine horse that the Champion Marquis gave me has bred a lot of fine breeds over the years."

"I want to use the good horses from the Western Regions to improve the horses of our Han Dynasty. When Marquis Bowang purchases them, he must not let the stallions be castrated."

Hear this.

Zhang Qian suddenly understood. He had previously thought that the prince came to ask him to buy a horse purely for entertainment. He had never expected that the prince actually had such an idea!

He immediately bowed solemnly and said with awe, "Your Highness is impartial, I will do my best!"...

Since ancient times, willow trees and riverside have been places where literati and poets have expressed their feelings of farewell, and countless poems have been born from these places.

today.

On the bank of the Wei River, beside the willows on the official road, a similar farewell was taking place.

"Take care, Marquis Bowang!"

"Your Highness, stay!"

Zhang Qian bowed, then mounted his horse, whipped his whip and ordered: "Move out!"

A team of hundreds of people behind him responded, with the sound of horses' hooves and camel bells, the Han envoys officially embarked on their journey westward.

This time, the envoy was sent to the Western Regions with 300 guards and dozens of horse-drawn carriages, and he brought a large amount of gold coins and silk. After arriving in Longxi County, he would also replenish his supplies with a large number of cattle and sheep.

Compared with the first time, the conditions for Zhang Qian's mission this time were much better!

and.

The Hexi Corridor was no longer in the hands of the Xiongnu, otherwise such a large-scale caravan would not have been able to pass through that narrow corridor.

As one side gained strength, the other side declined. After the Hexi Corridor fell into the hands of the Han Dynasty, after several years of conquest, it was densely populated with cities, beacon towers, villages, and post stations along the way, making it safe.

No need to sleep in the open air anymore.

On the bank of the Wei River, Liu Ju sat on his horse, gazing into the distance at the team heading west. The rising sun shone brightly, stretching their shadows very, very long.

All the way to the west...

"drive!"

After gazing into the distance for a while, Liu Ju gathered his thoughts and headed south with the guards behind him, following a tributary of the Wei River, but not returning to Chang'an City.

Instead, go to Shanglinyuan.

After galloping for a while, a cavalry team came running from upstream. Shanglin Ling Zhang He got the news in advance and led his troops to meet them.

"Your Highness!"

"Go to the temple's workshop." Liu Ju said directly without slowing down his horse.

"Yes!" Zhang He responded, then turned his horse and led the way.

Not long after.

A group of buildings built beside the river and hidden in the dense forest came into view. The outside was separated by a fence and there were soldiers patrolling. When they saw the prince's procession, they hurriedly saluted.

Liu Ju went straight into the camp, where many people were already waiting.

"I have met His Highness!"

Cai Cheng, a worker at Shanglin Temple, stepped forward and saluted, and a group of Mohist disciples followed closely behind him.

"No thanks." Liu Ju jumped off his horse and threw the reins to the guard. "Go to the barracks and take a look at your achievements."

"Yes!"

Cai Cheng turned sideways and gestured to go to the left.

Liu Ju had come for inspections like today's many times since he took on the supervisory duties of the Water Conservancy Commissioner.

He visited not only the temple workshop that made weapons, but also the 'Shanglin Sanguan' that was responsible for minting coins. However, Liu Ju paid more attention to this place.

As soon as we entered the camp, we could hear the constant noisy sound of clanging and clanging, and the heat was rising. In some half-open sheds, we could see shirtless men hammering their weapons, sparks flying, and their bronze skin was covered with tiny beads of sweat.

Liu Ju glanced around the periphery, and then followed Cai Cheng into a huge workshop.

The house was noisier and hotter.

Cai Cheng led the way and said loudly: "According to your highness's advice, we have tried dozens of times and finally found a way to smelt it!"

"I am teaching the craftsmen. They will be able to speed up forging soon!"

(End of this chapter)