After making proper arrangements for all the Xianbei herdsmen and women from the Western Regions, He Lianye happily moved into the Wusun Palace under Li Ru's guidance.

Li Ru, along with more than ten Han officials who had accompanied him, discussed the development of Wusun over the next two years.

Although the taxes and revenues of Wusun for the next two years will belong to the Western Expeditionary King's Palace, managing them well in advance will save a lot of trouble for the future takeover by the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, both Li Ru and these Han officials were extremely diligent.

The first thing the group did was to establish a household registration system for the people under the rule of Wusun, first issuing them Han household registration so that they could accept their Han identity.

Following the governance model of the Han Dynasty's inner prefectures, the people first promulgated the laws and management system of the Han Dynasty, and then set a series of governance measures such as repairing water conservancy, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, commerce, and establishing factories and workshops.

Just as everyone was busy with their tasks, the messenger dispatched by Xie Zhiyu arrived in the capital of Wusun.

"Xie Zhiyu finally couldn't hold on any longer!"

Upon receiving Li Ru's report, He Lian couldn't help but smile slightly.

Previously, Li Ru had told him about the plan to bring the Xiongnu people along on their westward migration.

For Helian, moving westward together is acceptable, but a priority must be given to one side.

Now that Xie Zhi has taken the initiative to request negotiations, he has put the initiative in his own hands.

Subsequently, He Lian wrote a reply to Xie Zhiyu, agreeing to the other party's request for talks and agreeing on the time and place for the negotiations.

Meanwhile, Xie Zhiyu's messenger to Gaochang also met Liu Yu as he had hoped.

Upon seeing the cooperation agreement mentioned in the letter, Liu Yu was filled with doubt and ordered his men to take the Xiongnu envoy away.

Watching the Xiongnu messenger's departing figure, Liu Yu ordered the guard beside him, "Go, fetch Benchu!"

"Here you go!"

The guard agreed, then bowed and withdrew.

Before long, Yuan Shao followed the guards to the office of the Protectorate General.

"Protector, you wanted to see me?" Yuan Shao bowed and stepped forward to ask.

Liu Yu gave a soft "hmm" and said in a deep voice, "Just now I received a letter from the Xiongnu, saying that the Xianbei people who went to Wusun had a conflict with them, and they hoped that our Han Dynasty could mediate."

This kind of thing wouldn't normally be a problem, but..."

Finally, Liu Yu paused and raised his voice: "What I don't understand is, what's the deal with that cooperation agreement that the Xiongnu people mentioned?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure.

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "I did indeed sign a cooperation agreement with the Xiongnu leader Xie Zhiyu before."

Seeing that Yuan Shao readily admitted it, Liu Yu frowned, then asked in a deep voice, "Has Yuan Shao submitted this agreement to the court?"

"No!"

Yuan Shao shook his head and explained, "This agreement is merely a private agreement I signed to persuade the Xiongnu to advance westward in order to prevent the Kingdom of Gaochang from continuing the war!"

"The Primordial One was confused!!"

Liu Yu's face darkened: "You are the Deputy Envoy of the Western Regions appointed by His Majesty. Your every word and action represents the Han Dynasty and agreements with other ethnic groups. How can there be any talk of personal matters?"

If you go back on your word later, people won't say anything about you, Yuan Shao; they'll just say that the Han Dynasty is untrustworthy!

“What Governor Liu said is true. At that time, I saw that there were less than one in ten able-bodied men left in Gaochang. I really couldn’t bear to let the war continue. At that time, the Kingdom of Kucha was up to no good, so I had no choice but to take this drastic measure to make the Xiongnu turn their attention to Kucha.”

As you know, if we were to report to the imperial court and wait for their reply, it would take at least two months, by which time it would be too late..."

Yuan Shao also sincerely explained his thoughts and the situation at the time to Liu Yu in detail.

Upon hearing Yuan Shao's explanation, Liu Yu's expression softened: "Benchu's considerations are not without merit. Since an agreement has been signed with the Xiongnu, our Han Dynasty must abide by it. You will be in charge of mediating this matter!"

Yuan Shao nodded slightly, then said in a deep voice, "Protector, I can take responsibility for mediating this matter, but there is something you should know!"

Liu Yu's brow furrowed: "What is it?"

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "Regarding the agreement, I only opened the road to Kucha for them and provided them with some equipment. There were no other agreements..."

According to the agreement, we have fulfilled its terms, and the cooperation agreement can now be void!

"What does Benchu ​​mean by this?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu looked at Yuan Shao with a puzzled expression.

“Protector, the Xiongnu originally planned to occupy Kucha first, and then Wusun and Dayuan, using these three kingdoms to recuperate. If left unattended, they will surely covet the borders of our Han Dynasty once they recover their strength…!

Now that the Xianbei have occupied Wusun, ruining the Xiongnu's plans, they know they are no match for the Xianbei, which is why they want us to mediate and buy them a chance to regroup!

Yuan Shao calmly and deliberately explained the Xiongnu's intentions to Liu Yu in detail.

"Originally, the plan was to take this opportunity to unite with the Xianbei and destroy the Xiongnu?"

Upon hearing these words, Liu Yu's expression shifted, and a hint of interest appeared on his face.

The Xiongnu had been a threat to the borders of the Han Dynasty since its founding. The two sides fought each other for hundreds of years, shedding countless blood.

For Liu Yu, a member of the imperial clan, the conflict between the Liu imperial family and the Xiongnu was a deep-rooted national and personal feud.

If we can wipe out this last group of Xiongnu in the Western Regions today, it will not only avenge our long-standing feud, but also leave a significant mark on our resume.

Yuan Shao, who was standing to the side, also keenly noticed Liu Yu's interested expression, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Protector, with the current military strength of Gaochang, it is probably impossible to destroy the Xiongnu. The Xianbei people will not fight the Xiongnu to the death in order to facilitate their westward migration."

My idea is that we should unite with the Xianbei people to push the Xiongnu westward. This would be far more meaningful than annihilating them, and it is also His Majesty's wish..."

In the end, Yuan Shao also brought up Liu Hong.

Liu Yu: "Oh? What does Your Majesty mean?"

Yuan Shao nodded solemnly: "That's right. His Majesty once gave me a secret letter, saying that it would be best if the Xiongnu could be destroyed, but if they cannot be destroyed, then they should be driven out!"

"Since it is His Majesty's will, then I, Benchu, will handle it as I see fit. Just tell me if there is anything I need you to do!"

Upon hearing Yuan Shao relay the Emperor's instructions, Liu Yu's face showed a hint of respect.