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

Chapter 153 Oh, Marquis of Bowang, my dear friend

Western Regions, Shule Kingdom.

This country borders Wusun to the north, Gumo and Qiuci to the northeast, Shache and Yutian to the southeast, and Dayuan and Dayuezhi to the west.

Located at the junction of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions in the north and south, and a must-pass place on the east-west transportation route, the State of Shule has firmly established itself among the major powers in the Western Regions by virtue of its geographical location.

"General Zhonglang!"

In the building specially prepared by the State of Shule for foreign envoys, an interpreter quickly walked across the courtyard and handed a note to Zhang Qian.

"The spies in Qiuci sent a letter saying that the Xiongnu are drawing troops stationed in various countries to gather in the north!"

Zhang Qian unfolded the intelligence report as he listened. By the time he finished reading the content, other members of the Han delegation in the building had heard the news and rushed over one after another.

"Homeowner?"

Tang Yifu held the hilt of the knife and asked doubtfully. The guards and translators around him also had three parts of doubt and seven parts of vigilance on their faces.

Ever since the Han Dynasty's envoys entered the Western Regions, the roaming sand bandits were nothing, and the hostility of the Western Regions countries was nothing. The only thing they were worried about was the Huns!
Along the way, they were often intercepted and killed by the Huns.

If the political power in the Western Regions had not been complex and there was room for maneuver, Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions would probably have ended up with the same outcome as the first...

present.

Upon hearing the news of the Huns' troop mobilization, everyone was nervous, including Zhang Qian. Fortunately, after reading the intelligence, his tense expression relaxed.

"After the Huns gathered, they kept heading north, and showed no signs of coming west."

call!
After the words were spoken, the people around him breathed a sigh of relief.

Without the pressure of life and death, Zhang Qian passed the note to the person next to him, and he frowned and thought:
"A month ago, I heard from the King of Shule that there was a conflict between the new Great Khan of the Xiongnu and the Right Wise King. Could the mobilization of troops be related to this?"

At this time.

After reading the intelligence report, Tang Yifu bowed and said, "Master, do you want to check it out?"

"...Investigate!" Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment, and said to the court official in a serious tone: "Investigate immediately and try to find out the Xiongnu's intentions."

"Here!"

Tang Yifu left immediately after being told to do so. The guards gathered outside the courtyard also took up their tasks and quickly dispersed. Looking at their leaving figures, Zhang Qian had a serious expression.

Always frowning.

His Majesty gave him two tasks when he was sent to the Western Regions again this time. The first was to win over the Wusun people, who had a grudge against the Xiongnu, and persuade them to return to their homeland in the east.

However, it failed.

Unfortunately, when the Han envoys arrived in Wusun, the Wusun people were experiencing civil strife. At this time, they would not and could not make any major decisions.

There is no other way. This mission can only be abandoned.

However, the second task was carried out well - lobbying the countries in the Western Regions to rebel against the Huns.

The kingdoms, big and small, in the Western Regions did not dare to rebel directly, but although they did not dare to do so openly, they could pretend to obey in secret.

The fact that Zhang Qian and his entourage were able to escape danger many times along the way on their journey west is proof of this. The same reason is also behind their ability to stay in Shule State, where the Huns have weak control.

Not only that.

In the second year after he left Chang'an, that is, the fifth year of Yuanshou, a war broke out between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu in Mobei.

In order to preserve his strength, the Right Wise King was unwilling to send troops and only dispatched a right general to the Chanyu court to deal with the matter. As a result, he was severely reprimanded by Yizhixie.

afterwards.

King Youxian thought about changing his mind and sending troops from the side to attack the Jiuquan and Wuwei counties of the Han Dynasty. However, he did not expect that Han envoys in the Western Regions instigated rebellion.

He took advantage of the situation and delayed the time of sending troops on the grounds of stabilizing the countries in the Western Regions.

The result was delayed...

Then Yizhixie was dragged out and shot to death, and the two kings fought against each other!
Zhang Qian was in a foreign land and did not get much information. He only knew that there was trouble on the grassland and that a self-proclaimed great khan had come to the Western Regions with the intention of winning over the right wing.

It is unknown what happened during the negotiations, but a conflict arose between the Great Chanyu and the Right Wise King.

After that.

Zhang Qian received intelligence from Qiuci...

The speed of the investigation was very fast, or in other words, the news about the Xiongnu's movements spread very quickly.

The Huns are gone!
Except for a few large countries such as Yanqi and Chechi, the rest of the Xiongnu's right wing troops stationed in various places all gathered northward and headed towards the northern desert.

Along with the troop mobilization, there was also news that the Xiongnu Chanyu Julihu had killed the former Right Wise King.

According to reports.

A fight broke out in the capital of the Cheshi Kingdom. The Chanyu of Julihu was invited to a banquet at the palace. He took advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and led his troops into the palace!
The former Right Wise King, who was also Ju Lihu's uncle, was beheaded on the spot by him!

That night.

The former Right Wise King Yanshi, his six sons, and the King and Queen of Cheshihou State were all killed. The killing and screaming continued throughout the night.

Ju Lihu supported a puppet to sit on the throne of the Cheshi Kingdom again.

At the same time, he formally appointed his eldest son as the new Right Wise King, and with the cooperation of the right wing leaders he had won over in advance, he quickly eliminated dissidents and took control of the right wing.

Immediately, he ordered the troops to be gathered and return to the Chanyu court in the north!
obviously.

In Julihu's eyes, the Western Region is just a jewel on the crown that can be taken at any time.

Before that, he must gather his troops and secure the crown!
After the Huns left, in the vast Western Regions, there were dozens of kingdoms, but only a few large kingdoms were left that they actually controlled with military force.

Others are simply intimidated by residual power.

In the past, this method would have been fine, as the means the Huns used to control the Western Regions were already very crude.

If they pay tribute and submit on time, then there will be peace. If they are not obedient, then the emperor will send troops to kill them. Once they become obedient, they will be replaced with an obedient ruler and kept in captivity.

The residual power alone can intimidate people.

However, this is old news and things are a little different now.

What's the difference?

The Han Dynasty envoys have arrived! The Han Dynasty that defeated the Huns!

The countries in the Western Regions were unfamiliar with the countries in the East, but it didn’t matter. They were very familiar with the Huns who had ruled the Western Regions for half a century.

The powerful Xiongnu were driven to the far north by the Han people. Even their Chanyu Yizhixie died at the hands of the Han people!

Shouldn't the rulers of the Western Regions think carefully about who is stronger and who is weaker? Shouldn't they turn a blind eye to the Han Dynasty envoys passing through their borders?

now.

The right wing of the Xiongnu moved its troops northward, reducing its control over the Western Regions. The rulers of various countries who were good at weighing things began to react. The first to take action was the ruler of Shule.

Inside the building.

The guard hurried over to report: "General, the king just sent someone to invite you to a banquet!"

"Ha." Zhang Qian looked around and said with a smile, "They are all smart people. It seems that our progress will be smoother. Maybe we can return home earlier."

"Hahahaha!"

All the members of the delegation laughed heartily.

It is said that a weak country has no diplomacy and a strong country has no obstacles. The envoys have experienced the most the benefits brought by the powerful Han army.

To enhance the prestige of our country is not just a cliché among some officials, it also has a very heavy and passionate practical meaning!

A few days later.

The king of Shule changed his previous attitude of avoiding Zhang Qian and had a pleasant conversation with him, entertaining him every day.

The kings of other countries in the Western Regions, regardless of whether Zhang Qian had visited them before or what attitude they had shown towards Zhang Qian before, now sent envoys again.

and……

Each one speaks more pleasantly than the other!
It was in this atmosphere of pleasant conversation that many stalled issues were brought to the table again and quickly passed.

"The Marquis of Bowang wants us to send an envoy to go back east with you to meet your king? No problem!"

"You still want to buy top-quality horses? Two hundred!?"

"No, no, no, Marquis of Bowang, considering that you are my best friend, I will give you at most fifty... eighty horses! No more!"

Amidst strange names and accents, Zhang Qian completed the process of asking for a sky-high price and paying back the money on the spot.

The envoys are negotiating.

National prestige is the basis of confidence, but the real confrontation still has to come from words. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

Before long, good things happened one after another. The civil strife in Wusun that had lasted for several years showed signs of slowing down, and the Wusun leader Lie Jiaomi prepared to send an envoy to return to the Han Dynasty with Zhang Qian.

Most of the envoys sent by small states and countries were meant to curry favor with the Han Dynasty and show goodwill, but the envoys sent by Wusun were different.

The Wusun people mainly came to test the strength of the Han Dynasty!
after all.

The Wusun people also have the strength to resist the Xiongnu. They have to take a real look at the Han Dynasty before they can make up their minds.

When spring came, Zhang Qian, who was staying in Shule State, and his deputy envoy returned. He traveled around the countries in the Western Regions, while the deputy envoy of the delegation left for the west at the same time.

He visited Dayuan, Kangju, Dayuezhi, Daxia and other countries in turn.

In the seventh year of Yuanshou... Zhang Qian didn't know that the emperor had changed the reign title, and was still using the previous Yuanshou calendar.

All in all.

In the spring of this year, the delegation finally embarked on the journey back east!
(End of this chapter)