117 Chapter 117
◎Happy. ◎
The cotton seeds are still on the way, but the New Year atmosphere in Chang'an City has already come to an end.
In the new year, His Majesty the Emperor planned to do something big. Sang Hongyang proposed to him the idea of state-run salt and iron industries. After reviewing it, Emperor Liu Che thought it was feasible, so he brought it up in the inner court and asked the ministers to discuss it.
Liu Ju happened to be present at the time and witnessed a group of people arguing in an elegant and polite manner. Except for the emperor and his son, and the uncle and nephew of Wei and Huo, the rest of the people were arguing in a mess.
His Majesty the Emperor smiled and let them quarrel, showing no sign of anger, and he was really not angry. After Liu Ju followed him back to the Xuanshi Hall, he saw with his own eyes that His Majesty the Emperor was thinking over the content of the quarrel among his ministers, and then using it to add bricks and tiles to his salt and iron official camp.
Emperor Wu of Han is indeed Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Ju exclaimed inwardly.
While the issue of the state-run salt and iron industry was still being debated, His Majesty the Emperor had already begun to plan another matter without any hindrance. He was going to send envoys abroad again, this time to a country far away, which was called Li Xuan by the Han people.
After searching, Li Ying discovered that this was an African country. He exclaimed in disbelief, "Did we have any connection with Africa during the Western Han Dynasty?"
Liu Ju was reading a book. Hearing this, he said briefly, "I'm surprised by what I've seen so far."
Li Ying said, "I only knew we were interacting with Rome at the time, but I didn't expect we were also interacting with Africa. That's amazing."
This event of great historical significance is of little importance to the current Emperor. His main focus is still on the state-run salt and iron business. He must keep such huge profits in his own hands.
Li Ying asked in confusion, "If that's the case, why didn't your father just make the decision instead of just watching them quarrel?"
Liu Ju said, "The emperor is only one person. He does have supreme power, the ability to decide life and death, but if he wants others to work for him, he must make them willing to serve him. Or, in other words, he must make everyone see his unshakable determination and force them to do so. Only then can the emperor ensure that everything is carried out according to his orders. Otherwise, it would be too easy for his subordinates to do bad things."
Li Ying nodded slowly, then exclaimed, "It's really hard to be a successful emperor. What's wrong with your father's brain? How could he accomplish so many things in his lifetime?"
Liu Ju said, "My father is still preparing for next year's war against the Xiongnu, this year's currency reform, and Zhang Qian's next diplomatic mission. Besides, there are many other matters, big and small, that he needs to take care of."
Li Ying was once again at a loss for words and exclaimed, "That's amazing!"
Liu Ju smiled.
"Being the crown prince for such a powerful emperor must be quite stressful, right?" Li Ying suddenly said.
Liu Ju suppressed his smile. He thought for a moment and said truthfully, "In my previous life, I thought I could surpass my teacher." He smiled again, "I was quite overestimating my own abilities."
Li Ying said: "Not really. At that time, you couldn't look at your father from a historical perspective. You also have historical limitations."
Liu Ju shook his head and said, "That's all."
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Ju thought, he was unmatched to begin with, so it's only natural that I can't compare to him. There's no need to be discouraged.
Li Ying didn't understand what he meant. He asked with a frightened look on his face, "Well...what do you mean, Your Highness? We can't just give up just because we can't compete, right? We can still try harder."
Liu Ju: “…”
Liu Ju stood up and was about to leave: "Forget it, just play with yourself."
"Ah?" Li Ying pulled him back, "Your Highness, let's not be a riddler."
"This spring, Yizhixie will attack Beiping and Dingxiang counties. I was just about to go and remind my father." Liu Ju said.
Li Ying reacted for a moment and loosened his hand. This didn't seem like a sign of giving up. He patted his chest and said, "I was scared to death. I thought I was going to fail in this third attempt."
Liu Ju shook his head again.
It’s bad enough that my dad is so awesome, but my colleagues are so stupid.
Liu Ju is currently in the learning stage. He can ask his father about anything related to state affairs or military affairs. No matter how straightforward the question is, his father will answer it in appropriate detail and from the shallow to the deep.
Therefore, to remind his father about the Hun's raid, he only needed to frequently ask about the battle situation on the Hun's side, and his father, who was already extremely sensitive about the Huns, would involuntarily become even more nervous.
Soon, spies came to report that Yizhixie planned to attack Beiping and Dingxiang counties.
The Xiongnu raids were intended to provoke the anger of the Han emperor and lure the Han army into Mobei to fight so that they could take advantage of the situation and wait for the Han army to tire themselves out. Therefore, this small-scale conflict was inevitable.
Moreover, the Huns' conspiracy coincided with Liu Che's plan, and he was happy to let Yizhixie think that he had been fooled.
In the Battle of Mobei scheduled for the fourth year of Yuanshou, the Han army was targeting the Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie, but because Li Guang and Zhao Shiqi got lost and missed the deadline, Yizhixie escaped under the siege and pursuit of the Han army.
Although the Han Dynasty won a great victory in this battle, resulting in the absence of a royal court south of the desert, the failure to capture the Xiongnu Chanyu alive was not only a regret, but also had endless consequences.
——After all, only by making the Xiongnu gradually identify with the Han Dynasty can the threat of the Xiongnu be completely eliminated. To achieve this, the Xiongnu cannot have a Khan who does not submit to the Han Dynasty.
Liu Ju wanted to make up for this regret and wanted to naturalize the Huns, but there was little he could do.
First of all, it was impossible for Liu Ju to speak at the military meeting as he was not qualified to do so yet.
Secondly, it was too common for Han army generals to get lost, and replacing Li Guang and Zhao Shiqi could not ensure safety.
Therefore, there was only one thing Liu Ju could do, which was to speed up the progress of the work on the telescope and compass and try to participate in it personally.
Liu Che knew about his son's recent behavior, and after teaching him government affairs one day, he specially praised him a few words.
Because in the eyes of His Majesty the Emperor, the prince is not only worried about the Han Dynasty, but also worried about his father's concerns.
He is both loyal and filial, truly a role model for the world.
Liu Ju felt a little guilty after being praised, saying that he did not consider his father. He did consider it, and it was indeed his father's wish to make the Xiongnu no longer a threat to the Han Dynasty and make Yizhixie a vassal.
You might say he thought about his father, but he really didn't think much about it.
At the end of his speech, Liu Che said, "The Xiongnu threat has plagued the Han emperors since Emperor Gaozu, but it will end in my hands." He patted Liu Ju on the shoulder and said, "I will hand over to you a Han Dynasty that will be submitted to by all the barbarians."
Liu Ju looked at his ambitions and his endless expectations, and his throat felt a little blocked. He couldn't speak for a while and could only nod heavily.
The Xiongnu Chanyu came to pay homage to you, that is your achievement, it’s a pity that you didn’t see that day last time.
…
Pepper Room Palace.
When Liu Ju came over, he saw Wei Zifu and Liu Yuan talking quietly with smiles on their faces. He said with a smile, "Mother is so happy to see my sister. I hope you will come back often in the future."
Wei Zifu smiled and said, "Your sister has to be careful now. If it's nothing serious, you should move around less." But she said the rest of the words while holding Liu Yuan's hand.
Liu Ju didn't react for a moment and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong? What's wrong with my sister?"
Wei Zifu laughed and said, "It's not bad at all, it's great, it's a happy occasion!"
"Happy news?" Liu Ju was stunned. He looked at Liu Yuan and suddenly realized, "Oh! Happy news!"
My sister, who had just been married for a year, had good news. What else could it be? Of course she was pregnant!
Liu Yuan covered her lips and smiled, "Mother, if you don't explain it clearly, how can my brother understand? How old is he?"
Liu Ju laughed and said, "Sister, I'm nine years old, and you still treat me like a child!"
Liu Yuan smiled and said, "When you are nineteen, come and talk to me about this."
Liu Ju sat down on the other side of his mother and reached out to pull his sister's sleeve: "You are not nineteen years old, are you also a child?"
"Hey..." Wei Zifu hurriedly held his hand, "Children are so careless, don't provoke your sister."
Liu Yuan smiled and said, "It's no problem."
"I didn't use any force," Liu Ju explained. He patted his mother's arm and said, "Don't be afraid, mother."
"What am I afraid of?" Wei Zifu looked at Liu Yuan, "Yuan'er, don't be afraid."
Liu Yuan held his mother's hand and said gently, "Don't worry, mother. I'm fine. Ju'er is not the kind of child who would make trouble. Don't scare him."
"I can't be scared!" Liu Ju quickly raised his hand.
Being comforted by the two children in turn, Wei Zifu couldn't help but smile and no longer felt overly nervous: "Okay, okay, mother, don't be so paranoid anymore."
Wei Zifu then told Liu Ju, "Your sister is pregnant."
Liu Ju laughed and said, "I've already guessed it. I'm not a child!"
Liu Yuan smiled helplessly: "Yes, Ru'er is really smart."
Liu Ju immediately jumped on the bandwagon: "My nephew will look like me, and my niece will look like my mother!"
Liu Yuan refused: "The children I give birth to must naturally look like me. Mother can't agree with that. Both my daughter and my son should look like me!"
"That's great!" Liu Ju clapped his hands in agreement.
Wei Zifu couldn't help laughing: "They all look like you. Xiang'er will definitely not be happy about this."
Liu Ju then remembered that one person was missing, so he asked, "Why did my sister come alone? Where is my cousin Cao Xiang? My sister is pregnant, and he didn't even come with her."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Liu Yuan said hurriedly, "We entered the palace together. He went to see Aung and will be here soon."
Liu Ju reluctantly said, "That's OK."
Liu Yuan looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "Why do you always dislike Cousin Cao Xiang? I remember that although you used to be more attached to Cousin Qubing, you didn't dislike Cousin Cao Xiang either."
"I don't dislike him!" Liu Ju explained, "Sister, it's because his status is different now. He's not just my cousin, he's also my sister's husband. Of course I have to let him know that the daughters of our Liu family are not to be bullied. You have someone backing you up!"
Liu Yuan was born noble, loved by her parents, and was pampered after marriage. She never thought that her younger brother also had a desire to protect her.
Liu Yuan was touched and touched. She rubbed Liu Ju's face and smiled softly, "Sister, I know your feelings. Don't worry, cousin Cao Xiang treats me very well."
"Besides, I'm not someone who will suffer for nothing. I have my father-in-law and mother, as well as our Crown Prince. Who would dare to offend me?"
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