As mentioned earlier, weakness is a sin, and this statement is especially true when applied to a nation.

Consider Lanming, the once-glorious King of Gaochang, who lost his military power simply because of an imperial edict.

Princess Lanzhi, who had been on the run for nine years, was welcomed as queen just two days after returning home, simply because she had obtained the identity of a daughter of the Han imperial family.

Such a dramatic change was, in Gaochang, perfectly normal and natural.

A single word can determine the fate of an entire nation; this is the Han Dynasty of today.

The royal palace of Gaochang Kingdom.

Lanzhi, who was welcomed as queen by a group of ministers, sat on the throne with some unease, holding Zhang Xiu's hand tightly and refusing to let go.

At this point, under Zhang Xiu's protection for so long, she had lost the fortitude she had when she was in the desert and had completely reverted to her girlish side.

Now, having suddenly ascended to the throne of Queen, she was momentarily flustered.

The officials of Gaochang Kingdom stood in their positions with their eyes downcast, not daring to look around.

Standing beside Lanzhi, Zhang Xiu smiled gently and said softly, "Now you are the queen here. Whatever you say, they will do as you command!"

Lan Zhi asked hesitantly, "Then... what should I say?"

Zhang Xiu said in a low voice, "First, you must declare that from this day forward, the Kingdom of Gaochang will forever submit to the Han Dynasty, respect the Han Dynasty as its master, and will never rebel!"

Lanzhi nodded, and then relayed Zhang Xiu's words verbatim to the group of officials.

Now that she has acknowledged Liu Yu as her father, the Han Dynasty is practically her second family, so there's nothing wrong with submitting to the Han.

Officials, led by the Left Chancellor, immediately responded loudly to Lan Zhi's order.

Then, Zhang Xiu continued to Lanzhi: "Second, announce to the people of Gaochang that you have ascended the throne, and open the granaries to distribute grain and relieve the people."

Third, in the name of the Kingdom of Gaochang, they requested the Han Dynasty to station troops there and called on all men in the country to join the army and prepare for war in order to deal with the Xiongnu attack.

Fourth, he ordered the execution of the former king, Lanming, and expelled other religions from the country, making Taiping Religion the state religion and requiring his subjects to learn Chinese characters.

fifth,……"

In this way, Zhang Xiu would say one thing, and Lanzhi would relay it to the officials.

The officials in the hall also carefully and diligently took notes.

They could also see that their queen was completely focused on the Han Dynasty and her husband, and all the conditions were naturally very favorable to the Han Dynasty.

Of course, having the Han Dynasty as a backer was also a good thing for the officials of Gaochang, at least they didn't have to worry about being suddenly wiped out by other countries.

The news of Princess Lanzhi's return and her removal of the tyrannical Lanming from power quickly spread throughout the royal city.

The people of Gaochang, who were suffering from hunger and cold, were overjoyed.

The moon of the former Gaochang Kingdom has returned, and the night will no longer be so dark.

Immediately afterwards, the royal treasury was opened, and the soldiers of the Imperial Guards, pulling cartloads of grain and supplies to be handed over to the Rear Army, came to the streets and distributed them to the poor people.

Of course, while distributing the supplies, the soldiers also reminded the people that this was all thanks to the help of the Han Dynasty.

The people who received relief and were able to survive were also moved to tears. They bowed and paid their respects towards the palace, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to the Han and Lanzhi.

In their eyes, the moon goddess they had longed for had returned with the help of the Han Dynasty, and their good days were just around the corner.

The next day, the former king, Lanming, was taken to the square in front of the palace, where a dense crowd of onlookers filled the area.

The people were all loudly cursing Lanming, who had exploited and oppressed them for many years, venting their anger.

Zhang Xiu, as the executioner, personally supervised the execution. After listing Lan Ming's crimes, the executioner raised his broadsword and beheaded Lan Ming...

Three days later, after some appeasement, things in Gaochang were completely stabilized.

At Lan Zhi's call, a total of 8,000 young men in Gaochang enthusiastically signed up to join the army.

Zhang Xiu carefully selected three thousand men and incorporated them into the guard, while the remaining five thousand men began to reinforce the city walls and prepare various defensive weapons.

After receiving the invitation from Gaochang, three small kingdoms in the south also organized a coalition of 5,000 men and rushed towards this place.

They also knew that if the Gaochang Kingdom fell, the Xiongnu would target them next; preserving the Gaochang Kingdom would ensure their own safety.

March 15th.

The message from Gaochang Kingdom requesting the Han army to garrison the area was delivered to the Han army stationed in Shanshan.

The Han army camp.

Yuan Shao, seated in the main seat, looked solemnly at the message sent by the Kingdom of Gaochang.

On either side of the main tent sat Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Guo Si, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Chu, and Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Hua Xiong, whom Yuan Shao had borrowed from the Dunhuang camp.

This force, once deployed, is sufficient to guarantee all of Yuan Shao's actions in the Western Regions.

After reading the message, Yuan Shao handed it to Dong Zhuo, who was standing nearby.

“Zhongying, the Xiongnu have been staying in Wutan for four months now. Spring has arrived, and they may launch an attack on the Western Regions to the north at any time!”

The Kingdom of Gaochang is a crucial hub connecting the southern and eastern parts of the Western Regions; it must not be lost. We must act swiftly.

Dong Zhuo said solemnly, "What Yuan Shao said is correct, but in order to prevent the Xiongnu from taking a detour and launching a surprise attack on Shanshan, we cannot bring too many soldiers on this trip!"

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. The Xiongnu have come to the Western Regions to occupy land, not to plunder. Their attack speed should not be that fast."

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