Seeing the emperor's expression suddenly turn serious again, Xi Zhicai looked puzzled.
"The best...? I wonder what Your Majesty means by that?"
Liu Hong did not answer Xi Zhicai's question, but looked at Xi Zhicai with a serious expression and asked:
"Zhicai, do you know how many princesses our Great Han Dynasty has sent out for marriage alliances since Emperor Gaozu?"
Xi Zhicai paused for a moment, then said, "According to historical records, there should be around twenty-odd people!"
Liu Hong looked at Xi Zhicai and asked in a deep voice:
"More than twenty people...! Zhi Cai knows this so clearly, he must understand the purpose of the marriage alliance, right?"
"Your Majesty, the purposes of the previous emperors were different. From the reign of Emperor Gaozu to Emperor Xiaowu, it was because the power of our Han Dynasty was relatively weak, and they had no choice but to do so in order to appease the Xiongnu! As for the later ones, perhaps it was to ease the conflict and improve relations!"
"Heh~, the goals are different, but the essence is still the same: to use our women to exchange for peace and to use our women to pursue our own interests..."
Liu Hong couldn't help but sneer, a gloomy look flashing across his face.
Liu Hong turned around, looked at the deep night sky outside the hall, and said, word by word:
"In my opinion, regardless of the reason, relying on women to appease and win them over is a disgrace, a disgrace to the Great Han Dynasty, a disgrace to all the men of the Great Han Dynasty...!"
Liu Hong's words sent a jolt through Xi Zhicai, who echoed their sentiments:
"Your Majesty is right. The temporary peace and benefits gained by sacrificing women are all illusory and humiliating!"
Liu Hong nodded. "That's right. Compromise and concessions will not only fail to bring peace, but will also embolden them and make them even more arrogant. The Xiongnu are the best example of this!"
Then Liu Hong let out a soft breath and said in a deep voice:
"Even a feud spanning ten generations can be avenged...! The humiliations of past emperors, I will avenge them all today!"
Not only will they get it back, but I will make them pay tenfold!
Xi Zhicai couldn't help but look at Liu Hong and ask:
"So what Your Majesty meant just now was...?"
Liu Hong smiled, then turned to look at Xi Zhicai and said with a laugh:
"You are all future important ministers and generals of our great Han Dynasty. Taking their women as concubines and maids is a sign of respect for them. Therefore, the backgrounds of those women must be commensurate with your status!"
Therefore, I am going to issue an edict to the barbarians in all directions, ordering them to send you all the daughters of their kings, great kings, nobles, and officials!
"Didn't our Han Dynasty send out over twenty princesses? I demand that every country and every tribe send over two hundred women!"
"Uh~!"
The emperor's words stunned Xi Zhicai. Sending women was humiliating enough, but to send so many, and for them to be his subordinates' concubines and maids.
When the Han Dynasty sent the princess away, it was at least disguised as a "marriage alliance," which, although humiliating, provided an explanation and offered some embellishment.
But the current emperor has directly torn off this veneer, intending to blatantly humiliate them.
This kind of behavior is undoubtedly like slapping someone in the face and demanding a woman from them, which most people would find unbearable.
Xi Zhicai gave Liu Hong a deep look, and only now did he truly understand the emperor's true intentions.
"Your Majesty is right. In this way, we can not only demonstrate the power of our Great Han Dynasty, but also see their attitude clearly!"
Now that the various tribes in the Northwest, Northeast, and grasslands are fighting each other, this is their weakest time. The Han, who are outside the situation, should not only take advantage of the situation but also seize the opportunity to establish their authority.
In Xi Zhicai's view, the emperor's actions were not only to avenge the past humiliations, but also to seize the opportunity to establish his authority and subdue them.
Liu Hong sneered, "Ha~, I don't need their attitude, I just need to break their spines!"
This time... they have to give them to those women, whether they want to or not!
It would be best if they obediently delivered it. If anyone dares to disobey, then they are making an enemy of me and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of my Great Han!
"When the time comes, it will be perfectly reasonable for me to destroy him!"
As he finished speaking, Liu Hong's eyes grew increasingly cold, and a murderous aura flickered across his face.
"So domineering, so incredibly domineering...!"
Looking at Liu Hong, whose murderous intent was palpable, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe.
The statement, "I want your women, and you have to give them to me, or you'll die," is utterly unreasonable.
But looking at the domineering emperor, Xi Zhicai felt that this was the only natural thing to do.
Soon, Liu Hong ordered someone to summon Jian Shuo, who had recently returned, to the Deyang Palace, and then had him take the imperial edict to the Ministry of Personnel.
As the saying goes, a bad soldier is a bad soldier, but a bad general makes a bad army.
A domineering emperor will naturally have equally strong civil and military officials and subjects under his rule. This was true during the reigns of Qin Shi Huang, Han Wudi, Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Di.
At the Imperial Secretariat, Tian Feng, Guan Ning, and others on duty were shocked by the emperor's domineering power after receiving his edict.
This is the first time in the hundreds of years since the Han Dynasty issued such a strong edict to the surrounding states.
"Very well! Our great Han Dynasty is a powerful nation that commands respect from all sides. They should rightfully submit and pay tribute. The Emperor should do the same!"
After the initial shock, Tian Feng clapped his hands in delight, and the others echoed his sentiments.
These young people, like Xi Zhicai, not only did not find the emperor's unreasonable remarks inappropriate, but also thought they were perfectly reasonable!
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