Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 847 The Grand Stage of the Western Regions, Come If You Dare

In the Li Tang court, Changsun Wuji's face was extremely grim. His meticulously planned scheme of using one enemy to devour another not only failed to weaken Xia Lin, but also severely damaged the strength of the Northern Han, and earned Xia Lin a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, making him highly respected in the Western Regions.

There were many dissenting voices in the court, who considered this move to be aiding the enemy and extremely foolish. For a time, Changsun Wuji's own abilities were also questioned. It was only because Third Sister was willing to protect him that Changsun Wuji was able to get himself imprisoned for his rash actions.

Back in her study, Third Sister dismissed everyone and remained silent for a long time, staring at the map of the Western Regions.

Xia Lin's methods left her feeling powerless. This man was cunning and shrewd in his military tactics, always able to find a way out of seemingly impossible situations and turn disadvantages into advantages.

To be honest, if she had the chance to choose again, she really wouldn't want to be the emperor. The Second Princess might still be able to fight him, but she was truly powerless. He could easily manipulate everyone; it was so annoying!
"Pass down the order." Third Sister finally said to her trusted eunuch, "Strengthen the collection of intelligence in the Western Regions, especially regarding Xia Lin and the Western Regions Construction Corps' movements. Also, have our people in the Western Regions temporarily cease all direct actions against Xia Lin and observe the situation."

She understood, of course, that making any rash moves against an opponent like Xia Lin would only lead her into his trap.

"Oh, right, one more thing. Make preparations and summon the King of Qin again. I plan to have him oversee the country for a while longer. I will personally go to the Western Regions. He will still have concerns while I am there, but if I am not there, he will kill all our people."

Now, in the Western Regions, having lost the powerful deterrent of the Northern Han and having heard of the benevolence and strength of the Wei army, the attitudes of the kingdoms of Kucha and Yanqi began to subtly change. Xia Lin's envoys and caravans received a warmer reception than ever before.

The King of Kucha even subtly indicated during his meeting with the envoy that he was willing to consider establishing closer trade ties with the Western Regions Construction Corps and welcomed the Corps to send advisors to help guide water conservancy and agricultural techniques.

The King of Yanqi was more direct. He complained that the Northern Han had been too harsh in its grain requisitions and hoped to obtain a more stable grain supply and trade guarantee from the Wei Dynasty.

Xia Lin responded enthusiastically to all these probing attempts, generously offering numerous preferential conditions and promising to guarantee their safety.

Haste makes waste; the most important thing now is to sow the seeds and wait for them to sprout.

The situation in the Western Regions became increasingly delicate. The Northern Han lay dormant, the Tang Dynasty retreated, and the influence of the Great Wei spread silently like mercury seeping into the ground. Xia Lin sat in Shanshan City, seemingly inactive, but in reality, he had firmly grasped the strategic initiative through a series of combined moves.

However, he knew that beneath the surface of calm, undercurrents were still surging.

Liu Min would not give up, the Tang dynasty would not abandon the cause, and the kingdoms of the Western Regions were also watching. The next upheaval might be just around the corner.

However, he really didn't know what trick Li Tang would pull next, but it didn't matter. If all else failed, he would just kill all these cowards and say that it was done by bandits all over the Western Regions.

The epidemic in the Northern Han camp gradually subsided, but its strength was severely depleted. Nearly 30% of its warhorses were lost, and although few soldiers died due to timely treatment, they were generally weak and needed time to recover. Even more serious was the problem of morale; that fierce and valiant spirit seemed to have been drained away along with the disease.

Looking at the daily consumption list of enormous quantities of food and medicinal herbs, most of which had to be purchased at exorbitant prices from the Western Regions Merchant Guild, Liu Min felt his heart bleed. He knew perfectly well that this was a case of drinking poison to quench his thirst, but he had no other choice.

On this day, the manager of the Western Regions Chamber of Commerce visited again, but this time he brought not medicinal herbs, but an invitation.

"General Liu, a new leisure club has recently been built in Shanshan City. It has hot spring baths, various delicacies, and entertainment programs from all over the country... well, entertainment programs." The manager smiled and said, "My commander-in-chief appreciates your hard work these days and has specially ordered me to deliver this invitation to you and your generals to relax there. All expenses will be covered by our club."

Liu Min instinctively wanted to refuse; this was clearly a sugar-coated bullet! But seeing the eager gleam in his subordinates' eyes, he swallowed his words. After all, the atmosphere in the military camp had been too oppressive these past few days, and he needed a way to relieve his tension. Perhaps this was also an opportunity to probe the true situation of Shanshan City?

He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Please thank Commander Xia for his kindness. I, Liu... will respectfully accept your offer."

Thus, a "visiting group" composed of high-ranking officers from the Northern Han Dynasty entered Shanshan City with mixed feelings.

The so-called "leisure club" was far more luxurious and novel than they had imagined. The warm spring water washed away their fatigue, the carefully prepared food conquered their taste buds, and the exotic dancers with their graceful figures and captivating eyes kept these men, who had been cooped up in the military camp for too long, staring intently.

During the banquet, the officials from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps who were accompanying them were very enthusiastic. They didn't mention military or political affairs at all, but only talked about local customs and trade. They kept implying that only by following Marshal Xia and the Production and Construction Corps could they have a future and a good life.

In the midst of the revelry, some members of the merchant guild even secretly revealed to certain Northern Han generals that they could exchange some captured, inconveniently disposed spoils for more practical supplies or cash at absolutely fair prices.

Liu Min remained clear-headed, observing coldly. He could see that Xia Lin was corrupting his subordinates with a combination of pleasure and financial gain. But he was powerless to stop it. Even he himself, while enjoying this moment of peace and luxury, felt a slight wavering deep within. After all, it meant being Xia Lin's enemy—a fact almost universally acknowledged, and one that was extremely difficult and thankless. This leisurely trip, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, created ripples in the hearts of the Northern Han generals. Loyalty versus pleasure, honor versus profit, clashed fiercely in the hearts of these men.

Moreover, it's important to understand Xia Lin's status in the Northern Han. He was a king promised by the Great Khan himself, and he was the one who single-handedly lifted the Northern Han out of poverty during the slave society. Although Liu Min was dissatisfied, the other generals didn't think so. They even believed that they were able to turn the tide this time because of Xia Wangye's compassionate heart, just like when Xia Wangye couldn't bear to see them being treated like cattle and led them to rebel against the Turkic court.

The saying goes, "A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow," which refers to word-of-mouth. No joke, if Xia Lin were to appear before them now and say, "If you kill Liu Min, I'll have your Khan replace him with a more humane commander," Liu Min's head would be on his hands tonight.

Xia Lin didn't do that simply because there was no need to completely push the Northern Han towards Chang'an, as that would create more trouble in future diplomatic maneuvering. After all, force can solve most problems, but the remaining ones cannot.

When the news reached Xia Lin, he simply smiled and said to Zhuo Heng, "See? Sometimes, what swords can't do, warm water and sugar can. In the future, we should regularly invite officers from the Northern Han to come and exchange ideas, and the level of cooperation can be even higher. We want their swords to slowly rust in their sheaths."

Zhuo Heng took the towel off his face, took a deep breath, and said, "Senior brother, when will there be true peace?"

"Just you wait and see," Xia Lin laughed heartily. "Mountains may crumble, heaven and earth may unite. Winter thunder may roar, summer snow may fall."

At the same time, economic and cultural infiltration into countries such as Kucha and Yanqi is being intensified.

Goods, books, and even theatrical troupes from Fuliang began to appear in the markets and palaces of these countries. A new order, different from the domineering Northern Han and the hypocritical Tang, was quietly revealing its allure.

The saying goes, "When you enter a barbarian land, you become a barbarian; when you enter a Chinese land, you become a Chinese." When the rich, colorful, and friendly Han culture becomes a popular trend in the Western Regions, the next step is to see how resilient it is.

In fact, some people suggested to Xia Lin that Han culture, which was an invading culture to the people of the Western Regions, should be localized. Xia Lin said that it was completely unnecessary. Only by quickly occupying the aesthetic, public opinion, and cultural high ground of a region can a cultural transformation be completed.

Of course, it's not about completely rejecting local culture, but rather incorporating it in a different way. For example, their dancing is beautiful, very good... now it's mine. The food is unique? Great, now it's mine too.

There are nearly fifty kingdoms in this small Western Regions. Xia Lin really can't tolerate this. Isn't this a betrayal of the Great Unification? Isn't this a desecration of the First Emperor?

What? You say the Western Regions are the Western Regions and have nothing to do with Qin Shi Huang? Anyone who says that will have their whole family killed.

“Hey, Zhuo Heng.”

"Senior brother is here."

Xia Lin lay flat in the highly saline hot spring, floating back and forth like a corpse, and casually asked, "You haven't found a wife all these years in the Western Regions?"

"I have no such thoughts. The country is not yet unified, and the world is not yet at peace. How can I talk about my personal life?"

"I won't pressure you to get married. I just want to ask you, have you ever experienced the life of a girl from the Western Regions?"

Zhuo Heng remained silent for a long time: "It's alright..."

"Oh! You little rascal," Xia Lin chuckled, "I thought you were going to become an ascetic."

“That’s not necessarily true…” Zhuo Heng coughed. “Let’s not talk about this anymore, senior brother.”

"That won't do." Xia Lin submerged himself in the water, leaving only his head above the surface, like a monkey soaking in a hot spring. "Before I came, your father sent me a gift, saying that he would urge you to have a baby soon when he sees you next time."

"I'm not in the mood," Zhuo Heng shook his head and said, "Senior brother, please don't rush me. How about we discuss the future situation in the Western Regions, and how long you plan to stay here?"

(End of this chapter)