"Does Madam mean to make our move tonight?"
Upon hearing his wife mention the opportunity, the Right Chancellor of Wusun's brow furrowed.
“That’s right. The Left Chancellor is currently in Gaochang, which is too close to Yuan Shao. There are too many unpredictable events. My husband should strike first to avoid any unexpected changes!” said the Right Chancellor’s wife.
"That makes sense!"
The Right Chancellor's expression hardened: "Madam, please rest here. I will be right back!"
With that, the Right Chancellor stood up and walked outside. After leaving the room, he made his way to a guest room.
Inside the room, a young man with a dark complexion, thick eyebrows, and large eyes—a typical Guanzhong appearance—was engrossed in reading a book of imperial sayings by lamplight.
Seeing the lights on in the guest room, the Right Chancellor immediately stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Knock knock knock!"
Hearing the knock, the young man tucked the Emperor's Sayings into his robes, then looked outside and said, "Please come in!"
With a creak, the Right Chancellor of Wusun pushed open the door and walked in with a smile on his face.
Upon seeing this, the young man quickly stood up and went to greet him. "Your Excellency, what brings you here at this hour?"
The Right Chancellor said solemnly, "Han Envoy, I have come here to discuss something with you!"
"Please speak, Right Chancellor!"
The Right Chancellor asked, "May I ask the Han envoy, was that Xianbei cavalry outside the city truly sent by General Yuan Shao?"
The young man smiled and said, "Of course. Although General Yuan has Liu Yu above him, military operations in the Western Regions are still entirely decided by General Yuan. Otherwise, why would the Xianbei people come here under the name of the Han Dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, the Right Chancellor's expression relaxed, and he said in a deep voice, "In that case, I am prepared to take action tonight, using the pretext of intercepting the Han envoy to expel the King of Wusun from power. What does the Han envoy think?"
The young man raised an eyebrow: "Of course, may I ask how I can help the Right Chancellor?"
The Right Chancellor hurriedly said, "The Han envoy only needs to write a proclamation demanding an attack, calling on all of Wusun to jointly punish the Wusun King, this disloyal scoundrel who does not respect the Han. The rest is up to me!"
"no problem!"
The young man smiled and agreed, then turned around and went behind the desk, where he took out paper and pen and, following the instructions of the Right Chancellor, wrote a proclamation to attack the King of Wusun.
"Haha, Han envoy, please rest well here and do not go out. I will take my leave now!"
After reading the contents of the proclamation, the Right Chancellor smiled broadly, said something, and then took the proclamation and walked outside.
Watching the Right Chancellor's departing figure, the young man narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile appearing on his lips: "Hmph~, what a fool!"
After closing the door, the young man sat back down at his desk, took out the book of Emperor's Sayings from his pocket, and flipped directly to the place he had been looking at earlier.
The quotations say: "The Emperor said: Those who are loyal to the Han Dynasty will have the highest honor..."
"Supreme glory..."
The young man murmured these words repeatedly, his eyes filled with fervor and determination.
After a moment, the young man stood up and took the book of quotations onto the lamplight.
As he watched the quotations slowly ignite, a bright light flickered in the young man's eyes.
As the quotes turned to ashes, a relaxed smile appeared on the young man's lips. He then took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and extracted several dark green pills from it.
"To be loyal to the Han Dynasty..."
After whispering something, the young man poured the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.
Not long after swallowing the pill, the young man's originally dark complexion suddenly turned red, his clear eyes became bloodshot, and two streams of blood flowed from his nose.
On his deathbed, a scene suddenly appeared in the young man's mind: in the government office of Gaochang City, Yuan Shao held a letter in his hand and looked solemnly at the young man who was bowing in the hall.
"I have a plan that would allow the Han Dynasty to legitimately annex Wusun and Dayuan. Your mission to Dayuan to deliver a message is a crucial link, but it is also a one-way trip. Are you... still willing to go?"
Upon hearing this, the young man was momentarily stunned, but then said decisively, "I'm willing!"
Yuan Shao's eyes flickered, and he said solemnly, "Don't worry, after you die, your remains will be sent to the Martyrs' Cemetery for a peaceful rest, your son will be sent to the Imperial Guard for training, and your wife and parents will be supported by the court!"
"Thank you, General!!"
Upon hearing this, the young man had no other thoughts. He took the letter from Yuan Shao and resolutely walked out.
As the young man's figure gradually blurred, Yuan Shao couldn't help but sigh deeply, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
Sending his own men to their deaths was a choice he made out of sheer desperation.
"The Han Dynasty is a celestial empire, a land of propriety and courtesy. Its army is a righteous force. When it conquers other countries, it must do so with a legitimate reason and just cause..."
This was Yuan Shao's conviction; he would not tarnish the name of the Han Dynasty for his own achievements. Therefore, he could only resort to certain means to accomplish his plan.
"General...I...I have not failed your trust..."
As the young man's figure disappeared from the screen, he slowly closed his eyes, but a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
On the other side, the Right Chancellor, holding the proclamation written by the young man, summoned all the guards in the mansion to the front courtyard.
In the torchlight, a blush appeared on the Right Chancellor's face.
After glancing at his subordinates, the Right Chancellor handed the proclamation to the steward beside him and instructed, "Take men immediately and go to the new recruits' camp in the city. Read the Han envoy's order to attack to the soldiers, and order them to immediately send troops to besiege the royal city!"
"Yes, Master!"
The steward agreed, then took the proclamation and led several guards toward the military camp in the city.
After the steward left, the Right Chancellor immediately turned to the group of guards in the courtyard and said loudly:
"Gentlemen, the King of Wusun is tyrannical, arbitrarily seizing the people's strength and intercepting and killing Han envoys. Now the Great Han has dispatched its royal army to punish the disobedient, and 30,000 iron cavalry have been stationed east of the city."
"The end of the Wusun king is near. We absolutely cannot perish with this wicked man. Are you willing to take up your weapons and join me in driving the Wusun king off the throne, restoring peace to the Wusun people?"
As the Right Chancellor finished speaking, the leading group of trusted guards shouted loudly, "We swear to follow our master to the death!"
"I swear to follow my master to the death!!"
The remaining guards also raised their weapons and shouted in unison.
"Alright, let's go!!"
Upon seeing this, the Right Chancellor immediately waved his hand and led a group of guards away from the mansion, heading towards the palace.
On the other side, the steward who arrived at the military camp also gathered together several of the city gate officers and other generals who had served the Right Chancellor.
"Our lord has ordered that all soldiers respond to the Han envoy's proclamation and punish the disloyal one!!"
"yes!!"
The general responded loudly, and then quickly began to gather his soldiers.
Before long, the newly recruited 25,000 soldiers set off from the camp and headed towards the capital.
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