Cheshi Royal City.
As dawn broke, a series of urgent bugle calls rang out from the Xianbei camp.
The Xianbei soldiers, who were still asleep, immediately opened their eyes upon hearing the bugle call and began to quickly put on their clothes and tidy their bedding.
Soon, the soldiers in the tents, dressed in their best, gathered on the drill ground.
"Sir, you are truly wise. You invited General Dong and others to train the soldiers. Such a rapid assembly speed is truly astonishing. In the past, this would have been almost unimaginable..."
On the reviewing stand, looking at the neatly arrayed soldiers, He Lian's smile never stopped.
Li Ru also smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the Han army is strong, and it must have its own strengths. Our army should naturally learn from them, select the best ones and use them, so that our army can grow stronger and gain more advantages in the future!"
“What you say is true. Only by combining the strengths of many schools can we, the Xianbei, create a world of our own!”
Hearing Li Ru's words, He Lian nodded in agreement.
Just as the two were talking, a staff officer in charge of taking attendance rushed over.
"Your Majesty, the entire army has assembled. Of the expected 31,500 men, 31,500 have arrived. Please give your instructions, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you for your advice!"
He Lian nodded kindly to the staff officer, then stepped forward and looked at the soldiers below the stage.
"Warriors, we embark on this journey to the west to find a peaceful land for future generations. For this, we are willing to go to any lengths and fight."
Now, the kingdoms of Wusun and Dayuan to the west are blocking our way. What do you suggest we do?
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
As He Lian finished speaking, the more than 30,000 Xianbei soldiers below the stage shouted in unison, their deafening roars like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down, with the momentum to crush any obstacle in their path.
Facing the soldiers below the stage, who were full of fighting spirit, He Lian nodded with satisfaction, and then said loudly, "The whole army should pack up immediately and set off tomorrow!"
"yes!!"
The 30,000 soldiers responded in unison, then quickly dispersed to begin preparations for the expedition.
After the soldiers dispersed, Li Ru looked up at the sky and said, "Your Majesty, it's almost time. Liu Yu and the others should have left the city by now. We should go and keep our appointment!"
"good!"
He Lian agreed, and then, together with Li Ru and several guards, headed towards the agreed-upon negotiation location outside the city.
Before long, the two groups met up about fifty miles south of Cheshi City.
Seeing He Lian approaching, Liu Yu forced a smile and went to greet him.
"I am Liu Yu, Protector-General of the Western Regions. Greetings, King Conquering the West!"
Although this was a negotiation between the Han Dynasty and the Xianbei, Liu Yu still treated Helian with the respect due to the emperor's investiture.
"Haha, Protector Liu, you're too kind!"
He Lian seemed very happy with Liu Yu's attitude.
In his view, Liu Yu, as a member of the royal family, should be extremely arrogant, but he never expected him to be so polite.
"King of the Western Expedition, please allow me to introduce you!"
With that, Liu Yu led He Lian to Yuan Shao and the others.
"I am Yuan Shao, greetings to the King of the West!"
"My name is Zhang Xiu. Greetings, King of the West!"
"My name is Hua Xiong..."
Those who accompanied Liu Yu, including Yuan Shao, Zhang Xiu, and Hua Xiong, also stepped forward to pay their respects to He Lian, showing great deference and giving him ample face.
"It seems that the imperial decree from the Emperor of the Han Dynasty is quite effective!"
Seeing that those Han generals who used to be high and mighty were now all so respectful to him because of the title of King of the West, He Lian couldn't help but feel a secret sense of satisfaction.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two parties went behind a table and sat facing each other.
"King Helian, the King of Wusun intercepted and killed my Han envoy, offending the might of my Han Dynasty. As the King of the West appointed by His Majesty, I hope that you will fulfill your duty as a subject, send troops westward, and severely punish this disobedient country of Wusun!"
As soon as he sat down, Liu Yu asked He Lian to send troops.
“What Governor Liu says is true. I have received great favor from the Emperor and been granted the title of King of the West, and I have a duty to uphold the majesty of the Han Dynasty. But what would we gain by sending troops? After all, my title of King of the West is not specifically aimed at the Western Regions…”
He Lian did not explicitly refuse Liu Yu's request, but instead subtly expressed his desire for some benefits.
Liu Yu frowned: "The King of the West has received a lot of aid from our Han Dynasty before, plus the supplies sent by the Wusun Kingdom, is that enough for your army to send troops?"
“That is indeed enough for our army to send out troops, but our army is ordered by the emperor to march west. Where will we get the supplies for our westward journey?”
It was Li Ru who spoke, and he directly invoked the emperor's decree, making their ultimate goal clear.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yu's expression hardened, and he turned to look at Yuan Shao beside him.
Seeing this, Yuan Shao smiled and then said, "What you say is true, sir. Your army's westward march will indeed require a lot of supplies. I have a suggestion, I wonder if your army would be willing to accept it?"
"General Yuan, please speak!" He Lian also looked at Yuan Shao with a smile.
Yuan Shao then said slowly, "After your army conquers Wusun, you may stay in Wusun for two years and establish the Conqueror's Palace to temporarily manage all affairs of Wusun on behalf of the court. Our army will send officials to assist Your Majesty in management."
Over the past two years, all of Wusun's tax revenue and resources have belonged to the Western Expeditionary King's Palace and will be used to support your army's westward march!
"General Yuan's suggestion is good; I can accept it!"
He Lian readily agreed to Yuan Shao's suggestion.
Liu Yu, who was standing to the side, then said, "However, there is one thing we hope King Lian can agree to!"
He Lian smiled and said, "Please speak, Protector-General Liu!"
"During the period when the King of the West governs Wusun, I hope Your Majesty will not treat the Wusun people too harshly. All taxes and administrative matters should be carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Han Dynasty..."
"That's natural. Our troops are only temporarily stationed here, not for looting!"
He Lian readily accepted the additional conditions proposed by Liu Yu.
"In that case, let's sign an agreement, so that His Majesty and the court can have a response!"
As he spoke, Liu Yu took out two pre-prepared agreements for the division of administration and placed them in front of He Lian.
"good!"
He smiled and nodded, then picked up a pen and signed his name on the agreement.
"Governor Liu, gentlemen, military affairs within the camp are quite busy, and I cannot stay any longer. I shall take my leave now!"
After putting away the agreement, He Lian had no intention of staying any longer, and stood up to bow to Liu Yu with clasped hands.
"Take care, Your Majesty the King of the West! I wish you a resounding victory!" Liu Yu also rose and returned the salute to He Lian.
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