Chapter 598 The Xiongnu envoy provoked!
"My Turkic people have ceded territory to the Great Zhou. I do not kneel before His Majesty. In your Great Zhou terms, this is loyalty to the emperor and love for the country," Muli Kui said with righteous indignation.
The officials objected when they heard him say that.
"Although the Turks are not a vassal state, they are a defeated state, and you are a subject while our Emperor is the ruler. When a subject sees his ruler, he should naturally kneel and pay homage."
"If the Turks have any objections to this, we can have a contest. At that time, the Turks will become a vassal state of my Great Zhou. The entire Turkic people, including your Khan, will have to kneel and pay homage to His Majesty of my Great Zhou."
“Last year, when your Turkic envoys came to deliver tribute to our Great Zhou, they knelt and bowed respectfully before His Majesty. Why is it that when it’s your turn, they don’t behave the same way?”
"Naturally, it's because the Turks have changed their Khan. This newly appointed Khan thinks that the Turks can start a war with our Great Zhou."
"That's a pipe dream! The Turks are even buying grain and cloth from our Great Zhou. Let's eat our fill first!"
Hearing the courtiers' discussions, Muli Kui was filled with shame and indignation and immediately retorted.
"Our Turkic Khan is not someone you can freely discuss!"
"I have come here for two reasons: first, to ask for a marriage between our Turkic prince and the princess of the Great Zhou; and second, to inform the Great Zhou that the one sitting on the Turkic throne is no longer the Empress Dowager, but our esteemed royal uncle, Ganda."
"From now on, my Turkic people will no longer pay tribute to the Great Zhou, and the Great Zhou should no longer send inspection envoys to my Turkic people."
The old tutor's face instantly darkened.
"Does that mean our Great Zhou will stop selling grain and cloth to the Turks from now on?"
"Are you Turks no longer going to trade with our Great Zhou?"
"Should the trade between the two sides be suspended? And should the Turks no longer be allowed to send people to our Great Zhou to study?"
Three consecutive sentences left Muli Kui speechless.
"Of course not."
The trade must continue. The Turks are not good at farming, and every year they have to exchange cattle and sheep with the Great Zhou for food to get through the winter.
If the trade stops, how will they survive the winter?
Liu Mingxin scoffed, "Do you Turks really think our Great Zhou is a sucker? Just because you changed the ruler, you think you can be so tough as to take advantage without paying anything back? What a joke."
Wu Yanzhi snorted coldly: "The Turkic tribe is a small tribe. If you want to fight, then fight. Stop talking nonsense."
Seeing that none of the officials stopped him, Muli Kui felt a little flustered.
Isn't the Great Zhou in turmoil? Why are you speaking so arrogantly?
She was definitely putting on an act for him on purpose.
"This is our Khan's will. If your Great Zhou does not agree, then we will have to meet on the battlefield." Seeing that negotiations were not going to work, Muli Kui resorted to threats.
"Let's fight! You mere Xiongnu, our Great Zhou will crush you as easily as crushing an ant."
"Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to go to war."
"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu are going too far! Let's fight them!"
"beat!"
The eunuch's shrill voice rang out.
"quiet!"
The imperial court fell silent instantly.
"Your current Khan of the Xiongnu has probably forgotten who made him the king."
"If Abe Hiroshi hadn't been fighting against my Northwest Army, would he have been able to take advantage of the situation?"
"He was placed on the throne by my Great Zhou. If I am not happy, I can replace him with another Khan, and it will be the same!"
Muli Kui's expression changed drastically. The Khan's only task this time was to arrange a marriage alliance, and he repeatedly instructed that no conflict should arise.
"Your Majesty, that's absolutely not what we, the Great Xiongnu, meant."
The old tutor roared, "What do you mean 'not'?!"
"Is it that you are unwilling to pay tribute to my Great Zhou, or that you are unwilling to kneel before my Great Zhou Emperor?"
“You little Xiongnu dare to disrespect my Great Zhou Emperor? If it weren’t for the rule that envoys are not killed in war, I would have killed you first.”
"With a flick of my finger, my Northwest Army can bring down the Xiongnu."
"Fight until the Xiongnu are subdued!"
When a country is strong, its officials can be full of confidence.
Muli Kui looked at the agitated courtiers with a wary expression, his eyes flashing with humiliation and ferocity.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Muli Kui knelt down with a thud and began to perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony with great seriousness.
The officials looked on with disdain. They had spoken so confidently just now, but they were the ones who knelt down the fastest.
Shen Lanxi: "Could you please repeat what you just said?"
"Which line was it again?"
Liu Mingxin: "We will no longer pay tribute to our Great Zhou."
"Yes, that's it. Say it to me again!"
Does Muli Kui dare to say it?
I wouldn't dare!
He misjudged the situation; he hadn't expected the woman sitting on the dragon throne to have such high prestige in the court.
Shouldn't many people oppose her?
Just like the Xiongnu, when the Empress Dowager was in power, everyone wished she were dead. When a woman was in power, she made the Xiongnu a mess and caused them to decline to their current state.
If the Great Zhou continues to allow this woman to be emperor, it will be destroyed sooner or later.
"I misspoke earlier. We, the Xiongnu, are willing to pay tribute to the Great Zhou Dynasty and will present the best and most precious treasures to the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty every year!"
Shen Lanxi raised the corners of her mouth.
"I previously signed a ten-year peace treaty with your Xiongnu general Abe Hiroshi. Now that more than half of the time has passed, your provocations have made me think the treaty would be terminated prematurely."
Muli Kui's face turned ugly, and he dared not utter another word in rebuttal.
"Go back and tell your Khan that whether he can secure his throne depends on his performance."
“Your Xiongnu court has no shortage of princes, no shortage of leaders, and no shortage of Khans!”
"Since you've brought up tribute today, you might as well not leave."
"I intend to incorporate the Xiongnu into the territory of the Great Zhou, and treat them the same as the southwestern foreign tribes, and implement a policy of dual governance with my Great Zhou."
"After we've settled this, you can go back!"
Muli Kui's face turned pale. He hadn't expected to gain nothing from his trip to the Great Zhou, and the Great Zhou emperor even wanted to incorporate the Xiongnu.
How could their Xiongnu warriors submit to others and become slaves?
"Your Majesty..." Muli Kui was about to retort when Shen Lanxi raised her hand to interrupt him.
"The Xiongnu envoys have come from afar and must be tired. The Ministry of Rites will negotiate with them regarding the incorporation of the Xiongnu. The affairs of the Great Zhou are busy, so I will not keep the envoys in the palace."
A blatant farewell.
Muli Kui's face was ashen. Looking at the menacing Imperial Guards on either side, he dared not entertain any thoughts for a moment, only wanting to quickly return to the post station and send a message back to the Xiongnu.
After Muli Kui left, Shen Lanxi immediately issued an edict ordering the Ministry of Rites to negotiate with him.
The officials initially thought His Majesty was just saying it to scare the Xiongnu, but they never expected it to be true.
"Is now the right time to incorporate the Xiongnu?"
"Why is it inappropriate? Our Great Zhou is still strong and well-equipped. Why should we be afraid of the small Xiongnu?"
"Will Tianjin seize this opportunity to launch a rebellion?"
"To incorporate the Xiongnu, Your Majesty has great courage. Even our ancestor Emperor did not dare to easily move against the Xiongnu."
"The Xiongnu are brave and skilled in battle, and they are all barbaric and ferocious. They are not easy to deal with!"
"What are you afraid of? Do you think our Northwest Army is a pushover? Don't forget, General Wei is also guarding the Northwest."
The name Wei Dongzhu had not been mentioned for a long time, and when it was heard again suddenly, all the officials were taken aback.
"You say that His Majesty sent General Wei there, but is the real purpose to incorporate the Xiongnu?"
(End of this chapter)
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