Since taking control of the western Xianbei, Tan Shihuai's strength has grown with years of conquest. In his eyes, both the Han and the Xiongnu are lambs to the slaughter.
But now, a mere Han envoy dared to humiliate him in his own royal tent, which caused Tan Shihuai to lose his temper.
"How dare you...!"
Tan Shihuai immediately drew his curved sword from his waist, gritted his teeth, and glared at Chu Qian, wishing he could kill him on the spot.
Hearing the commotion outside the tent, the Xianbei soldiers rushed in quickly, and several Han soldiers immediately drew their long swords to protect Chu Qian in the middle.
The two sides confronted each other once again, seemingly on the verge of bloodshed at the slightest provocation.
The captain licked his lips, looking at Tan Shihuai with a bloodthirsty expression.
"It's not that I'm being bold, but everything I've said is true!"
Even if you kill us here, it won't change this fact! My Han Dynasty is stronger than yours...!
Chu Qian pushed aside the Han soldiers guarding him and looked at Tan Shihuai without fear.
Enraged, Tan Shihuai gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll see if your mouth is tougher, or your neck is tougher, warriors...!"
"Please calm down, leader!!"
Seeing this, Han Sui quickly stepped forward to stop the furious Tan Shihuai.
Then Han Sui leaned close to Tan Shihuai's ear and whispered, "The best strategy is to feign weakness to confuse the enemy, gain advantages, and wait for the right opportunity!"
When Tan Shihuai saw Han Sui blocking his way, he remembered the stories Han Sui had told him about King Goujian of Yue and Han Xin, and only then did he regain a sliver of his rationality.
What I need to do most right now is to destroy the Xiongnu and then unify the grasslands. It is indeed not advisable to turn against the Han Dynasty at the moment.
Moreover, judging from the attitude of the Han envoy and the edict from the young emperor of the Han Dynasty, they didn't take him seriously at all.
The Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu were sworn enemies, and the Han Dynasty always regarded them as a thorn in its side.
In Tan Shihuai's view, the so-called alliance was nothing more than him being responsible for entangled with the Xiongnu, while the real effort should have come from the Han Dynasty.
"Hmph~, I'll make you pay the price for your arrogance sooner or later!!"
Tan Shihuai snorted inwardly, then calmed himself down and put away his scimitar.
"All of you, stand back!!"
Then Tan Shihuai waved to the Xianbei soldiers, signaling them to leave the tent.
Chu Qian waved his hand, signaling the Han soldiers to put away their weapons.
"I wonder if what the Han envoy just said about providing us with weapons and armor is true?"
Once the tent had quieted down, Tan Shihuai narrowed his eyes and looked at Chu Qian.
Chu Qian smiled and nodded, "Of course! Before I set off, General Zhang, the Protector of the Xiongnu, had already prepared a thousand sets of iron armor and three thousand Han army longswords for you! You can send someone with this imperial edict to receive them!"
"Very well! I am willing to accept the investiture from the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!"
After struggling with his conscience for a moment, Tan Shihuai finally agreed to accept the Han Dynasty's investiture and then respectfully accepted the imperial edict from Chu Qian.
"Haha~ Congratulations, Marquis of Mobei!"
Upon seeing that Tan Shihuai had accepted the investiture, Chu Qian also offered his congratulations with a beaming smile.
"Heh~, same to you, same to you!"
Tan Shihuai returned Chu Qian's greeting with a forced smile, feeling extremely resentful at the thought that he was now submitting to the Han Dynasty, which he looked down upon the most.
Afterwards, Chu Qian and Tan Shihuai began to discuss the number of troops to be dispatched by both sides, the date of dispatch, and the distribution of spoils of war.
Ultimately, both sides agreed that the Han Dynasty would send 50,000 troops and Tan Shihuai would send 20,000 troops to launch a simultaneous attack on the Xiongnu in early June. As for the spoils of war, they would belong to their respective sides.
Moreover, Chu Qian specifically stated that the cattle, sheep, horses, and slaves captured by the Xianbei could be sold to the Han Dynasty in exchange for grain and salt, with the price reduced from more than ten times the previous exchange rate to five times.
This gave Tan Shihuai some comfort, and the two sides quickly signed an agreement to jointly send troops.
Finally, Chu Qian left Xianbei with a satisfied expression of his submission to Tan Shihuai. Tan Shihuai also dispatched a team with tribute gifts to return to the Han Dynasty.
......
February 10th.
With the completion of the expansion of Chongzheng Hall, the first court assembly of the second year of Jianning finally began.
"What...what is that??"
When the civil and military officials arrived at the palace, they were shocked to see the transparent glass installed in the windows and door frames of the main hall.
"It seems to be Liuli..."
"This...this...is it really that extravagant?"
Looking at the glass panes, which shone brightly in the early morning sunlight, the officials, both civil and military, couldn't help but discuss among themselves.
In the Han Dynasty, glass was extremely expensive; a small glass ball could sell for millions of coins.
In the eyes of the civil and military officials, the glazed tiles on these door frames and windows ranged from two feet square to more than half a foot in length and width.
"How much...how much will this cost?"
An elderly minister stared wide-eyed at the glass before him, a look of regret creeping onto his face.
Immediately, some ministers who were unaware of the inside story cast questioning glances at Cao Song and Yuan Feng.
"Hehe~, please don't be angry! This really didn't cost much, these things aren't worth much!"
Faced with the angry stares of the crowd, Cao Song and Yuan Feng quickly explained the price of the glass.
"Oh? Is what the Grand Minister of Agriculture said true? Such a piece of glass is only selling for a thousand coins??"
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