This was probably the first time Lu Xuan had seen Liu Tan show such a sharp side. He didn't rush to answer, but instead admired him for a moment before slowly saying, "That depends on how you understand it."
Liu Tan's eyes were cold: "Then how do you understand it?"
Lu Xuan said, "I don't feel like I'm being restrained."
Liu Tan originally wanted to say that it was because you were not with me, otherwise loyalty to the Han Dynasty would be his only requirement.
But he didn't say it out loud, only reminding: "That's because the big man has no requirements for you."
Lu Xuan also understood this and said, "And then? Even if there are requests, so what? I only want to conquer a portion of the Xiongnu. I want to be your shield. With me here, I can ensure the safety of the Northern Border. Your Majesty, would you not agree?"
Liu Tan's eyes flickered, and he felt a bit overwhelmed by the momentum he had just maintained. He slowly sat up straight and said, "You should understand what I'm saying. You replaced the Xiongnu, so in the eyes of the Han people, you might be the next Xiongnu."
Lu Xuan smiled faintly. "No, I've already said it. I'm the Wusun King of the Han Dynasty. At worst, I can just take this land as my fiefdom. Wusun and the Han Dynasty will become one family."
Liu Tan said decisively: "It's different!"
He was a little annoyed. "Have you paid taxes to the Han? The military power of the Han Dynasty is in the hands of the emperor, right? Is it the same for Wusun? If these two issues are not resolved, how can we talk about becoming one family?"
He didn't hide it anymore. He knew that such a request was excessive, but he didn't ask for it. He just put the problem in front of the two of them and told Lu Xuan that there was no way to solve it.
Lu Xuan sighed: "It's my fault for making you uneasy."
Liu Tan: ...
Why did he feel for a moment that he was being unreasonable?
Liu Tan lowered his head: "It's not that I'm uneasy, this is reality."
Lu Xuan placed his hands on the desk, leaned over and smiled, "I'm very happy."
Liu Tan looked at him with a puzzled look on his face. Lu Xuan couldn't help but reach out and touch his head, saying, "Since you've thought about it, that means... it's okay, right?"
Liu Tan's eyes widened instantly. He had never expected Lu Xuan to interpret it from this perspective.
But...it's true.
If he didn't have that intention, why worry about it? Lu Xuan could accept it or not. If he didn't accept it and wasn't honest, then he could just beat him honestly.
Aren’t we worried now that the two of them will become enemies in the future?
Liu Tan swatted away Lu Xuan's restless claws and emphasized, "Focus on this issue and don't think about anything else!"
Lu Xuan smiled, his attitude seeming to be quite confident of victory. He asked softly, "Since you've already thought about it, you must have come up with the conditions. You were just testing my limits just now, right? Tell me, as long as it's you, no matter what the conditions are, I won't be offended."
I don't feel offended, but I won't agree to it casually. This is a respect for Liu Tan and a responsibility to his people.
Liu Tan took a deep breath and said, "Wusun has become a vassal state of the Han Dynasty. The throne of the Wusun King can be hereditary, but it must be recognized by the imperial court. A Wusun King who is not recognized by the imperial court is no longer a Wusun King. The candidate can be replaced at any time. Wusun must also accept officials sent by the Han Dynasty to assist the Wusun King in handling Wusun affairs."
Lu Xuan didn't show any reaction when he heard this. Instead, Liu Tan shrank back while speaking. Although his voice didn't get any quieter, he was almost sticking to the bench.
He truly demonstrated what it means to have a guilty conscience.
Lu Xuan couldn't help but pull the man back. "What are you doing? Do you think it's too much? How are you going to interact with other countries in the future if you're like this?"
Liu Tan dodged for a moment and subconsciously said, "What's there to worry about when dealing with other countries?"
Lu Xuan asked in a low voice: "So I'm different, right?"
Liu Tan was almost suffocating. He felt that he was discussing serious matters, while the other party was trying to trick him into confessing his feelings.
Liu Tan was almost furious, slamming the table and saying, "Don't change the subject!"
As he spoke, he observed Lu Xuan's expression, and found that Lu Xuan's eyebrows and eyes were actually smiling. He couldn't help but wonder if his conditions were very generous?
No, this is equivalent to letting the Han Dynasty control the Wusun regime. Although the military power was not taken away, but... Liu Tan believed that Lu Xuan could see that after the Han officials entered Wusun, Lu Xuan was probably the only one in the entire Wusun who could control the Han officials.
Wusun... It's not that he looked down on Wusun, but the fact that Wusun could produce a person like Lu Xuan was already a blessing from heaven. A country that didn't even have its own writing system could not compare to the courage of the Han officials.
However, Lu Xuan seemed to be in a good mood. He looked at Liu Tan with a smile and asked, "I can agree to this condition."
Liu Tan couldn't help but widen his eyes again, as if something unbelievable had happened: "You... did you hear what I said?"
Lu Xuan said, "I heard it clearly. I know every condition is beneficial to the Han people, but I am willing to agree to it."
Liu Tan was completely shocked. He knew that Lu Xuan was willing to compromise for him and was willing to tolerate him, but this condition... even from Lu Xuan's perspective, he felt it was a bit too much.
Seeing him remain silent, Lu Xuan smiled and asked, "Why? I've already agreed, but His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory is still unhappy? Do you have any other conditions? Then tell us all."
Liu Tan choked and said, "I... this is just my opinion. The rest will probably have to be discussed by the court first."
Lu Xuan nodded: "I know, you don't have to worry. I will agree to the conditions you mentioned, but if the conditions proposed by Chang'an are excessive, I will also refuse them."
Liu Tan said in confusion: "I... I don't understand, I thought..."
Lu Xuan's current strength is not bad, and he has practiced the principle of fighting to support the war very well. He can tell from the fact that he has captured so many Huns and the Huns are not in any danger.
The Xiongnu King Wu Shilu was no pushover, so how could he allow Lu Xuan to provoke him like this?
Liu Tan was really confused that Lu Xuan actually agreed to this condition.
Lu Xuan suddenly said, "But I'm very happy."
Liu Tan tilted his head and looked at him. Lu Xuan's dark green eyes were filled with tenderness and affection. "You never doubted me. Your anxiety was only for the future. You were worried about the person who would inherit the throne of the Wusun King. All your precautions were directed at them, not me."
Liu Tan was slightly stunned. Lu Xuan held his hand, lowered his head and kissed it, saying, "I want to thank you for your trust."
Liu Tan stammered, "No, that's not the case. The Han Dynasty still needs to send... officials. It's the same if you're in power!"
Lu Xuan looked up at Liu Tan and said, "Well, it seems that you won't be able to let go until I explain it clearly."
He pondered for a long moment before saying, "Ah Tan, do you know how many countries have disappeared from the Western Regions in the past ten years since I was old enough to understand?"
Liu Tan shook his head very honestly: "No...I don't know."
Lu Xuan's expression was unusually melancholic. "At least a dozen countries are gone. They might be drinking and chatting happily with my father one day, and be destroyed the next."
Seeing his expression, Liu Tan subconsciously said, "Don't be sad. They are incomparable to the Wusun. They were destroyed so easily. Either their people are stupid or their numbers are small. Stupid people are helpless. Small numbers... Leading a few hundred or a thousand people is just like a village chief in the Han Dynasty..."
Halfway through his speech, Liu Tan felt that his way of comforting someone seemed a little wrong. At that moment, he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.
Sure enough, whether in the past or now, this is what he is worst at.
Lu Xuan laughed after hearing this. "Perhaps, but... that land of the Western Regions truly demonstrates the unpredictable nature of life to its extreme. I used to think the world was just like that, but after witnessing the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, I realized... there's actually another way to go."
He turned and looked at Liu Tan with a fiery gaze, saying, "I can be a hero for a while, sitting on equal footing with the Han emperor, enjoying unparalleled glory, but so what? My glory has no future, and neither does the independence of Wusun."
Liu Tan asked seriously: "Now that you understand all this, you can naturally follow the path of the Han people."
Lu Xuan shook his head. "No, the biggest difference between the Western Regions, even the Xiongnu, and the Han is that the Han have written language. I can't describe how that feels, but I think it's crucial. The Wusun have their own language, but no written language, and I can't create one either. So, we have no choice but to learn the Han's writing system and everything about the Han. But I know there's no reason for the Han to help us for free. If we want to learn, we have to pay a price. Your conditions, in my opinion, are just one of the prices we have to pay. I think... compared to those, this is even insignificant."
Moreover, he did not lose his throne.
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