Seeing that every official in the hall had a smile on their face, Liu Hong also smiled slightly.
Nowadays, officials in the imperial court have taken a liking to rice, which is a good thing. This is undoubtedly an opportunity to further deepen communication between the North and the South, and to gradually understand and enjoy the benefits brought by the South.
The obstacles to developing the south or even further regions in the future will be much smaller.
Liu Hong then said in a deep voice, "The rice from the Imperial Household Department was bought with my own money. This is the last time I will bestow this reward upon you. If you wish to eat it again in the future, you will have to go to the south to buy it yourselves! Do you understand?"
Liu Hong's words were very clear: "Now I'm telling you where it's sold. If you want to eat it, go buy it yourself. Don't keep an eye on my private stash anymore."
All the civil and military officials replied in unison, "We understand!"
Liu Hong smiled and waved his hand, "Alright! Court adjourned!"
"We take our leave!"
After the court session ended, the first thing the officials did upon returning home was to quickly send people to contact the powerful families who had sent merchant caravans to the Western Regions, urging them to send messages and hoping to purchase a large quantity of cotton.
The second thing was to send people to Yangzhou or southern Jingzhou to purchase rice.
Inside the Deyang Palace, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction upon learning of the officials' actions.
He has already achieved his initial goal of guiding the situation. Now all that remains is for the situation to gradually develop, and the powerful families will naturally look outward and even further afield.
Only by tightly binding the interests of powerful clans with the interests of the nation can their expansionist ambitions be maximized.
Once they discover the enormous hidden profits and benefits outside, even if Liu Hong doesn't take the initiative, they will push Liu Hong and the Great Han to expand outwards on their own.
Upon learning of the news from the imperial court, Xi Zhicai rushed to Deyang Palace immediately.
After bowing, Xi Zhicai hurriedly asked, "Is Your Majesty truly determined to unite with the Xianbei and annihilate the Northern Xiongnu?"
"Indeed! The Northern Xiongnu have been a scourge for too long, and I also feel it is time to eliminate them!"
Seeing Xi Zhicai's anxious look, Liu Hong nodded in agreement.
"No, Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing Liu Hong's meaning, Xi Zhicai's expression changed, and he hurriedly spoke up to advise him.
Liu Hong looked calmly at Xi Zhicai and asked, "Oh? Why not?"
"Your Majesty, judging from the intelligence, Tan Shihuai is an ambitious man who has integrated the scattered western Xianbei in just a few years, which shows that his ability should not be underestimated!"
Although the Northern Xiongnu are now in decline, they can still restrain and weaken the Xianbei. If we unite with the Xianbei to eliminate the Northern Xiongnu, then Tanshihuai will inevitably unify the Xianbei. At that time, the Han Dynasty will face a unified and powerful Xianbei, which would be more detrimental than beneficial, Your Majesty!
"Hehe~ Zhicai is right, the rise of the Xianbei people is indeed more harmful than beneficial!"
After listening to Xi Zhicai's analysis, Liu Hong smiled and nodded. From a strategic perspective, there was indeed no problem. Therefore, Liu Hong agreed with Xi Zhicai's statement.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Hearing that Liu Hong agreed with his idea, Xi Zhicai relaxed a lot.
"However, I have still decided to send an envoy to the Xianbei!"
"Uh... Your Majesty, what's wrong...?"
Xi Zhicai had thought that his words had moved the emperor and made him abandon the idea of uniting with the Xianbei, but Liu Hong's next words left him speechless.
Liu Hong looked at Xi Zhicai with a smile, "Zhicai, you've always been shrewd, why are you so clueless today?"
"this......?"
Xi Zhicai was stunned for a moment, looking at the emperor's smiling face, and then suddenly realized what was going on.
Xi Zhicai's eyes lit up as he looked at Liu Hong. "Does Your Majesty intend to mislead the Xianbei and take the opportunity to provoke a war between the Xianbei and the Northern Xiongnu?"
Liu Hong smiled and nodded, "Not bad!"
"But should our Han Dynasty send troops? What if we actually wipe out the Northern Xiongnu? Wouldn't that be counterproductive?" Xi Zhicai couldn't help but ask.
"Of course we will send troops, but when a general is in the field, he may not obey the emperor's orders. As for how the troops fight, I am far away in Luoyang and cannot supervise him for the time being. Don't you think so?"
Xi Zhicai said with some concern, "Your Majesty is right, but even if the Han Dynasty only goes through the motions, it will still play a certain role in diverting attention. What if the Xianbei people take advantage of the situation and wipe out the Northern Xiongnu?"
Instead of answering directly, Liu Hong asked, "What does Zhicai suggest we do?"
"what to do?"
Hearing Liu Hong's question now, Xi Zhicai frowned, and then thought of a series of feasible options.
Xi Zhicai's eyes lit up, and he said, "Your Majesty means that our army should feign defeat, and then take the opportunity to let the Northern Xiongnu seize a large amount of supplies to increase their strength, and then let them turn around and fight with the Xianbei?"
Xi Zhicai had only been thinking about the impact of the Northern Xiongnu's destruction, and for a moment he inevitably fell into a mental trap. Now, after some thought, he suddenly felt enlightened.
Liu Hong nodded. "That's right, but the Han army cannot afford to be defeated. We can recruit the Southern Xiongnu's vassal army. Only when the strength of all parties is equal, with the weak supporting the strong and the strong suppressing the weak, can the Han Dynasty gain an advantage from the middle!"
"Your Majesty's plans are far-reaching, beyond my ability to comprehend!"
Xi Zhicai's words were not flattery, but genuine admiration.
Remotely controlling a war between two countries while remaining uninvolved and profiting immensely from it, allowing their conflict to generate a continuous stream of benefits for oneself, and then reaping the rewards once the conflict is over—this kind of strategy is indeed far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
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