Liu Tan instantly breathed a sigh of relief after receiving Liu Che's instructions. To be honest, he had no interest in raising his enemy's son for more than ten years just to support that child to ascend to the throne and achieve the goal of controlling the Huns, and finally to have a love-hate relationship with this child. No, no, no, it was pure killing.
But if he really were to kill the child, he would really not have the heart to do it.
You have to know that even the laws of this era would show leniency to children of this age and allow them to become slaves instead of killing them directly.
The root of the problem can be summed up in four words: children are innocent.
Among them, Wu Shilu's child was particularly innocent. After all, he was only three or four years old and not old enough to do evil.
But if I don't kill him, I'll feel uncomfortable. This is really a hot potato.
It's really great that his father is willing to take this child over. I believe that even if this child goes to Chang'an, he will not be able to do anything special. There are so many talented people in Chang'an.
Because of this child's matter, Liu Tan directly put the matter of Zhang Qian and Su Wu returning to Chang'an on the agenda.
Originally, he thought that since he had rescued the people, he might as well be a good person and let them rest well. Now it seems that he should just... send them away first.
Zhang Qian and Su Wu were both eager to return home, but they were reluctant to leave.
Liu Tan personally saw them off and asked them to take a letter to Liu Che. He was in a hurry when he wrote to Liu Che before and did not write down the cause and effect of the matter clearly.
But the most important reason might be that he thought the embroidered envoy would report the matter, and he was too lazy to write so many words, so he just briefly summarized it.
Now this letter is still written by Yan Xingsheng.
Zhang Qian took one last look at the walls of Shuofang City and said, "Your Highness is a genius of unparalleled talent, having built such a fortress. From now on, Chang'an will no longer have to worry about Xiongnu invasions from the south, and can sleep soundly."
Liu Tan smiled reservedly and said, "Marquis Bowang, you are too kind. There are still many things in Shuofang City that are not perfect. I don't deserve the title of a genius."
Zhang Qian shook his head. "If Your Highness isn't a genius, then no one is. In such a short time, you've transformed the once dilapidated Shuofang City into such a prosperous place that I almost didn't recognize it before. Now, Shuofang City is only a little less populous than Chang'an City."
Liu Tan could hardly suppress the smile on his face, and he continued to be polite to Zhang Qian.
Qiemo Che, standing by, couldn't help but ask in awkward Chinese, "Your Highness, the King of the Northern Territory, since you accepted the Chanyu's letter, why don't you adopt the little prince?"
After hearing this, Liu Tan said sternly, "It's not that I don't want to adopt him, but you know in your heart that the Northern Border Kingdom is not much better than the Xiongnu. The border is bitterly cold, and neither the climate nor other places can compare to the prosperity of the Central Plains. Now that you take him to Chang'an, he will learn more and gain a broader perspective. In any case, it is better than staying in the Northern Border Kingdom."
Qiemo Che was suspicious: "Really?"
Liu Tan raised his eyebrows. "If it's not true, why have you been wanting to invade the Central Plains for generations? Isn't it because the Central Plains is so prosperous?"
Although Qiemo Che was Wu Shilu's confidant, Wu Shilu himself was semi-illiterate and had never been to school. Besides being loyal, he was not very smart, so he was easily fooled by Liu Tan.
The others on the side listened to Liu Tan's tricks on Qiemo Che without saying a word. As far as Zhang Qian was concerned, although Qiemo Che had saved his life, even if he wanted to repay the favor, the recipient would only be Qiemo Che. What did Wu Shilu's son have to do with him?
It would be better to send him to Chang'an. His Majesty the Emperor is always more reassuring than the King of the North.
For some reason, although His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory is very powerful, Zhang Qian feels that if this child remains in his hands, it might be a variable, so it is better to send him to Chang'an.
But to be honest, Zhang Qian didn't expect that the emperor would let the child go to Chang'an.
This feeling was especially like the son getting into trouble and the father helping to clean up the mess, but this kind of drama often happened in ordinary families, as for the emperor and his son... he had never seen it before.
He returned to Chang'an with some questions.
When Liu Che received Liu Tan's... I don't know how many letters it was, he really lost his temper.
He felt that all his sons combined were not as troublesome as this one son.
After reading Liu Tan's letter, Liu Che sneered, "Wu Shilu is dreaming."
Liu Ju had just finished reading Liu Tan's letter and couldn't help but sigh, "Wu Shilu... is truly a remarkable man."
This train of thought is absolutely amazing.
However, Liu Ju still asked, "Father, what should we do with Wu Shilu's youngest son?"
Liu Che waved his hand and said, "Find them a house, give them some money, and let them fend for themselves."
Not to mention Liu Tan, even Liu Che had no interest in raising a Xiongnu child just to control them in the future. How long would that take? He might as well hope that his son and Lu Xuan would join forces to destroy the Xiongnu.
After hearing this, Liu Ju didn't say anything. He let them fend for themselves. In fact, it was better than staying in the Xiongnu. At least there were foreigners in Chang'an. As long as they didn't reveal their identity as Xiongnu, they would be able to survive in the end. But if they stayed in the Xiongnu, it might not be certain.
Liu Che didn't care about the child at all. Just as he finished dealing with this matter, the embroidered robe envoy delivered a secret report.
Liu Che picked it up, took a look at it, raised his eyebrows and said, "This time it's Tan'er's turn to worry."
Liu Ju asked in surprise, "What worries you, brother?"
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he always felt that his father was gloating just now.
Liu Che laughed and said, "The new Chanyu of the Xiongnu has been chosen, and it is Xulihu."
Liu Ju's eyes widened slightly. "The Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, Xulihu?"
Liu Che nodded. For a moment, Liu Ju was a little worried and said, "This man is no easier to deal with than Wu Shilu. After he takes the throne, will he seek revenge for Wu Shilu's brother?"
Liu Che threw the secret report on the imperial desk and said, "No."
Liu Ju looked up at Liu Che, who patiently instructed his son, "He's just become Chanyu and hasn't had time to gather his forces yet, so why would he rashly start a war? Furthermore, Lu Xuan is holding them back. Even if Xulihu wants to cause trouble for Tan'er, he'll have to deal with Lu Xuan first. I think... Lu Xuan won't give him that opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ju wrinkled his nose and said, "This Wusun King... is quite useful."
Liu Che said slowly: "He is of great use."
Otherwise, he would not have acquiesced to the current situation of Liu Tan and Lu Xuan.
Liu Che was gloating over this, and Liu Tan was not too surprised after knowing that it was Xuli Lake.
It's exactly the same as in history, so what's so surprising?
The most important thing is that even if we don’t look at historical records, Xulihu is qualified to be the Chanyu.
You have to know that Wu Shilu was not very old when he came to power, and the Right Xian King Xulihu was his uncle. Like the Han people, strong and powerful uncles are generally restless.
Wu Shilu's father had many brothers at the beginning. He killed a group of them when he came to power, and then killed another group when Wu Shilu came to power. Even so, he was unable to touch a hair of Xulihu, and even allowed him to sit in the position of Right Wise King for so many years. This shows how scheming and cunning Xulihu is.
Liu Tan sighed: "Another strong enemy has arrived."
Huo Guang looked at Liu Tan warily and said, "Your Highness, Xulihu doesn't know you. You won't be able to get him out even if you go."
Liu Tan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "As long as he's not as sick as Wu Shilu, why would I have to fight him to the death?"
Who would risk their life to stab someone when they could go through the proper channels of diplomacy or war? Is he addicted to stabbing others?
If Wu Shilu hadn't been ill, Liu Tan wouldn't have done this. He would have been better off managing his own territory with that time.
Now his energy is basically focused on the Cheshi Kingdom. After the Cheshi Kingdom was conquered, Wei Buyi once asked Liu Tan how to deal with the royal family of the Cheshi Kingdom.
After all, the king of Cheshi surrendered voluntarily. According to the customs of the Han Dynasty, generals who surrendered voluntarily would not be killed. However, the identity of the king of Cheshi was rather special, so it was necessary to inquire.
Liu Tan was very straightforward: "Kill him! He sent people to hunt me before. Why keep him alive? I want to let those small countries in the Western Regions know that a gentleman's revenge is never too late. Next time before detaining or killing Han envoys, they should weigh their own strength first, and don't cry when their country is destroyed and their family is ruined."
Wei Deng muttered beside him, "It hasn't even been ten years yet."
Liu Tan glanced at him and said calmly, "Yes, so there's actually a second sentence to this sentence."
Everyone looked at him curiously.
Liu Tan said confidently, "I will never stop seeking revenge until I die!"
Everyone: ...
Huo Guang, now immune to Liu Tan's nonsense, dragged the topic back to where it had wandered, "Your Highness, what are your plans for Cheshi?"
Liu Tan asked, "What is the current situation in Cheshi State?"
Huo Guang looked disgusted: "What else can we do? The whole country cannot be more chaotic because of the oasis. It may take a long time to rectify them."
Liu Tan asked, "Do you have a map?"
Wei Buyi immediately had the map brought up and said, "It was drawn a long time ago, but it's too messy. In fact, the entire Cheshi Kingdom is even more chaotic. In my opinion, it's better to tear it all down."
The map was placed on the table. Liu Tan looked down at it and felt a little dizzy.
The entire map looks like a collection of randomly drawn lines. If you say there is no pattern, it is not completely irregular. At least all the buildings are built around the spring in the middle, but there is almost no architectural planning.
Liu Tan took one look and didn't want to look at it again. He looked up and said calmly, "Let's tear it all down."
He turned to look at Gongshu Can and said, "The engineering is now under the charge of the Minister of Works. Gongshu Yi is now temporarily taking over the position. Ask him to take people to Cheshi State and draw up a blueprint."
Gongshu Can immediately said excitedly: "I obey your command!"
Huo Guang asked, "But if we tear it all down, what will happen to the passing caravans?"
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