127 Chapter 127
◎Disposal. ◎
At the end of the celebration banquet, each general received a medicinal food recipe contributed by the Crown Prince, which was bestowed by His Majesty. They had already tasted it at the banquet and it tasted very good, but for some reason the word "medicine" was added to it.
After that, the issue of how to deal with the Xiongnu Chanyu was discussed. Before the army returned to the court, there had already been a round of debate in the court.
Confucian scholars believed that the Han Dynasty, a nation of propriety, possessed the broad mind of a great nation, demonstrating its magnanimity. Even towards barbarians, it should be treated with leniency and generosity. Their implication was that, to demonstrate the Han Emperor's magnanimity, the Xiongnu Chanyu should be released and sent back to the grasslands.
Opponents thought they were talking nonsense. What kind of etiquette are you talking about with barbarians? Have they ever been polite to you? Don't you remember the Siege of Baideng? How much did Maodun take from us when he besieged my Emperor Taizu? Why don't you go to Changling and tell the Emperor Taizu that we, the Han people, have captured the Xiongnu Chanyu and released him unharmed?
In the end, His Majesty acted as a peacemaker and said that the matter would be discussed after the army returned to Chang'an.
Now that the army has returned, the Xiongnu Chanyu has been imprisoned... no, he has been settled down. The issue of how to deal with him must be put on the agenda.
Of course, it's not just Yizhixie alone, there's also the entire grassland. Although they captured many high-ranking Xiongnu prisoners this time, there are still many Xiongnu people grazing on the grassland. If they want to bring such a large area under the rule of the Han Dynasty, they still need Yizhixie.
When the topic was discussed to this point, Yizhixie's life or death was decided. He had to live and submit to the Han Dynasty.
Liu Che first asked a few people headed by the prime minister to meet Yizhixie, explain the pros and cons to him, and let him know that our Han Dynasty has been on the passive defensive all these years, and it was you Huns who first raided our border and harassed our people!
It has only been a few years since the Siege of Baideng. If we want to talk about the harm caused by the Huns to the Central Plains people, we have to go back even further. During the Zhou Dynasty, you Huns started bullying us Han people!
——Don’t worry about whether the people at that time were called Han people or not, we all share the same roots and origins.
Yizhixie rolled his eyes as he listened. "Shameless Han people! You're being treated like pathetic little creatures. Who are you now holding captive? Who is it that has left us Xiongnu with almost no place to stay?"
But Yizhixie could only think about these words in his heart. When you are under someone's eaves, you have to bow your head. He had read Han books and knew the story of sleeping on firewood and tasting gall. Only by returning to the grassland alive could he regroup and have another chance to seek revenge.
So, after listening to the words of the Han Dynasty ministers, Yizhixie immediately knelt down and cried, deeply reflecting on the shameless behavior of himself and his ancestors, and vowed that from now on he would be loyal to the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to atone for his sins.
Everyone present was stunned by this performance. Everyone who was sent by His Majesty the Emperor was an experienced actor, but... this kind of shameless acting was indeed the first time they had seen it.
It is really impressive and breathtaking.
When Prime Minister Li Cai returned to report to the Emperor, Liu Che sneered and said, "You have wolfish ambitions."
Some of the subordinates agreed with him, while those who did not support letting the tiger go back to the mountains took the opportunity to explain the pros and cons.
The Crown Prince beside him sighed suddenly, and Liu Che asked in confusion: "Prince, what's wrong?"
Liu Ju said, "I'm so sorry. I also want to see the Xiongnu Chanyu's performance. Listening to the Prime Minister's talk is even more exciting than any other performance."
Liu Che laughed. He nodded at the prince and said, "Mischievous."
Many people present smiled. After all, the prince's comparison of the Xiongnu Chanyu to an actor performing various kinds of operas was really hilarious.
Liu Ju asked again, "Ah Weng, do you want to see it?"
Liu Che raised his eyebrows and said to the Prime Minister, "I have heard that the Xiongnu people love singing and dancing. Coincidentally, I also like it and I was just thinking of enjoying some Xiongnu singing and dancing."
Li Cai understood the hidden meaning of His Majesty's words and said with a smile, "Yes, I will tell the Xiongnu Chanyu."
Liu Che smiled and said to the two newly appointed Grand Marshals, "Zhongqing and Qubing, I'm sure you haven't seen it either, so enjoy it with me and the Crown Prince."
Wei Qing smiled and said, "Yes."
Huo Qubing said, "Yes."
His Majesty had recognized Yizhixie's evil ambitions, but they needed a Xiongnu Chanyu to return to stabilize the situation there, and a new discussion began in the court.
The two Grand Marshals estimated the fighting power of the Xiongnu. They both believed that Yizhixie would be powerless in his lifetime and would not be able to make any waves at all. They might as well consider controlling Yizhixie's successor in the hands of the Han Dynasty.
This point was supported by His Majesty the Emperor. As for how to control the next Xiongnu Chanyu, everyone had their own opinions.
Some people said that we could choose one and raise him in Chang'an, allowing him to enjoy the grace of Your Majesty, and he would naturally be loyal to the Han Dynasty when he returned in the future.
However, a Xiongnu Chanyu who had grown up in Chang'an and didn't understand the situation on the grasslands would be nothing more than a puppet in the future. Would he still need the Han army to help him consolidate his royal power? Although it was possible, the cost was too high, so this suggestion was quickly rejected.
A reliable suggestion is that the next Chanyu should be appointed by the Han emperor, and several officials should be sent to assist the Chanyu to ensure that if the Xiongnu have any rebellious intentions, they can inform the Han Dynasty as soon as possible.
But this is not without consequences. The emperor is far away and people's hearts are hidden. It still needs to be improved.
His Royal Highness had a solution. He asked, "Aweng, why is there only one Chanyu? The Han Dynasty naturally has no two suns under the sky, and no two rulers under the throne. But the Xiongnu are merely a vassal state of the Han Dynasty. How can the Xiongnu Chanyu be equal to the Han Emperor?"
His Majesty the Emperor suddenly realized that Yizhixie would definitely not have only one son. In order to allow them all to have a foothold, it would be better for the Xiongnu to have three Chanyu in the future!
If the Xiongnu Chanyu still wants to attack the Han Dynasty, that’s fine, but you should finish your internal fighting first.
As for whether the three Chanyu will work together, with the Han officials assisting them, and believing in the strength of the Han envoys, the rift between the Chanyus will only grow bigger.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also had a proposal that even the Emperor was dumbfounded. He believed that the Huns should compensate the Han Dynasty for its losses.
Li Cai stuttered: "Loss...loss? Your Highness, you mean..."
Liu Ju counted on his fingers, "Let's start from the Siege of Baideng. The Xiongnu shamelessly harassed our Han people, and our people on the border suffered terribly. We lost countless soldiers, horses, and food in our fight against the Xiongnu. They also forced our Han people to marry them. Don't we owe an explanation to those innocent women who were forced to sacrifice? Shouldn't the Xiongnu compensate us for the livestock, grain, silk, and other items they sent to the Xiongnu as dowries?"
"Shouldn't the Xiongnu be held responsible for the taxes the court levied on the people for resisting their raids?" Liu Ju asked. "Shouldn't the Xiongnu be held responsible for compensating the Han Dynasty for the losses, including interest, in the form of cattle, sheep, horses, and gold each year from now on? The Xiongnu should be compensating the Han Dynasty for at least three hundred years, right? Aung, I think that's too little. How many more years do you think we should add?"
Liu Che: “…”
His Majesty the Emperor was a little slow to react, as this was an angle he had not expected.
Ah, yes, asking for money from the princes is no big deal. I, the Emperor of Han, want to ask for money from the Huns!
Liu Che nodded, still a little dazed. "Let me think about it, adding a few more years... What do you think, my dear ministers?"
The general, who loved to exploit the Xiongnu, was the first to speak in agreement: "I think what the Crown Prince said is absolutely right."
The General of the Cavalry followed suit: "I also agree with what the Crown Prince said."
Prime Minister: “…”
The Prime Minister felt that he didn't need to speak anymore.
However, some people still disagreed and dared to speak out in opposition: "Your Majesty! Our Han Dynasty is the most powerful country in the Central Plains. How could we do such... such..."
For a moment, the minister could not think of a word that would be elegant and appropriate and would not offend His Majesty the Prince.
Liu Ju kindly added, "Shameless behavior, is that what you mean?"
"You are sitting comfortably in Chang'an City, enjoying the glory and wealth, so you can talk without any pain in your waist." Liu Ju sneered.
"It wasn't you and your people who were plundered and killed by the Xiongnu on the Han border. The cavalrymen who died on the grasslands had no children or grandchildren like you. They were forced to marry the Xiongnu, never to see their parents and relatives in the Central Plains again, and buried deep in the desert. It wasn't your daughter, who was bent by the taxes and wars of the imperial court. It had nothing to do with you." Liu Ju glanced around at the ministers in the hall. "You have peace of mind. You can rest easy."
Everyone bowed their heads and said nothing.
Liu Che gently patted the crown prince's shoulder and asked everyone, "Does anyone have any objections?"
Yes, there is, but the prince's words were too harsh. Anyone who speaks out against it will be labeled shameless for the rest of their life, and may even be recorded in history books forever.
After all, the reason why they opposed the prince's proposal was nothing more than for reputation.
Everyone knows that such an unprecedented event will definitely make them famous in history if they participate in it, so of course they have to come out and show themselves.
However, seeing that showing up would bring them disgrace and being criticized by the ten-year-old prince from the moral high ground, they had no choice but to give up the idea.
After the discussion, it was Prime Minister Li Cai who went to inform Yizhixie. Thinking of what he was going to say, he specially brought two more guards with him in case Yizhixie suddenly attacked and did something like kidnapping the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty.
After that, he thought about it and asked the emperor for two imperial doctors to prevent Yizhixie from being angry to death.
Liu Ju was in the Xuanshi Hall at the time. After Li Cai left, he laughed and said, "He is the Xiongnu Chanyu after all. If he could be so easily angered to death, his uncle and cousin have been suppressing them for so many years. He should have been angry to death long ago."
Liu Che laughed and said, "Being beaten is different from being a prisoner. The conditions we proposed are, to be fair, a bit harsh."
Liu Ju shook his head and smiled, "That's not our fault, Aung. He should blame himself, or his grandfather. In short, it's all their own fault."
Liu Che agreed, "That's right. It was clearly the Xiongnu who were harsh on us first. They didn't think it was harsh at first. We were just too soft-hearted."
Liu Ju nodded: "Aweng is right, we are too soft-hearted."
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