"Now that the Kingdom of Shanshan is willing to submit to the throne, what are your opinions, gentlemen?"
Chen Fan was the first to step forward. "Your Majesty," he said, "I believe that we should bestow an official title upon the King of Shanshan and authorize him to guard the Western Regions for our Great Han."
"We second that proposal!!"
All the officials echoed in agreement.
The Shanshan Kingdom was located at a strategic point on the Silk Road, making it extremely important for the commercial development of the Han Dynasty.
Even if Shanshan Kingdom hadn't come today, the officials would have found a way to send troops. Now that they've delivered themselves to our doorstep, the officials are naturally more than happy to accept.
Liu Hong nodded, then looked at Yin Xun.
"Minister of the Imperial Secretariat"
"Your subject is present."
Yin Xun also quickly stood up.
"Minister Yin may draft an imperial edict of investiture and send it to Shanshan immediately."
"promise!"
Then Liu Hong looked at Chen Fan and said solemnly, "The court can issue an order to Dunhuang and all prefectures that in the future, any merchant caravans from Shanshan that come to Han should only be charged commercial taxes and nothing else, and the post stations along the way should be well taken care of."
"promise!"
Upon seeing the Emperor of the Han Dynasty so readily agree to his king's request, the envoy Mulang was overjoyed and immediately bowed in greeting.
"Your humble servant, on behalf of my king, expresses his gratitude for Your Majesty's divine grace!"
Liu Hong laughed and said, "Our Great Han is a celestial empire, and naturally has the obligation to take care of its vassal states."
Mu Lang then said, "Your Majesty is merciful, but I have another request to make, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it..."
Liu Hong nodded: "Speak!"
"Your Majesty, my king ascended the throne at the beginning of this year, but there are many rebels in the country who refuse to recognize my king. Many people have defected and gathered a total of 50,000 troops from Cheshi, Xiaowan, Qiemo, Jingjue and other countries to invade. My king is afraid that he cannot resist them, so he requests Your Majesty to send the royal army to help him!"
"What.....?"
Upon hearing Mu Lang's words, the officials were startled.
You should know that many of the Han Dynasty's caravans, including the Royal Merchant Guild, are still in the Western Regions. Now that there is war there, if some people break the rules and try to steal money or kill people, the losses would be enormous.
A middle-aged official immediately stood up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, now that Shanshan is a vassal state of our Great Han, their daring to offend Shanshan is an offense against our Great Han. I believe we should immediately send troops to punish them!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! The might of the Han Dynasty cannot be offended. We should immediately send troops to deter the villains!"
"We second that proposal!!"
In an instant, all the civil and military officials in the hall stood up to support the dispatch of troops, especially the military generals, who all looked at Liu Hong with excitement.
Mu Lang and the others standing inside the hall also looked at the officials who had come to request permission with astonishment.
Before his mission to the Han Dynasty, he had read some records about the Han Dynasty.
In his understanding, no matter how chaotic the Western Regions were, as long as they did not become enemies of the Han Dynasty and affect the stability of the Han Dynasty's borders, the Han Dynasty was generally unwilling to send troops to the Western Regions.
Military officers were one thing, but even the civil officials were so warlike. This situation completely overturned Mu Lang's understanding.
Little did Mu Lang know that after several purges, the remaining officials in the Han Dynasty court had long been molded into a community of shared interests by Liu Hong.
I don't care whether the Western Regions are chaotic or not, but if you affect our ability to make money, then there's nothing more to say.
Furthermore, with the Han Dynasty now possessing abundant resources, a large army, and numerous generals, the 50,000-strong army of the four Western Regions is, in the eyes of the officials, easily defeated.
For the Han Dynasty, conquering the Western Regions was as easy as a strong man hitting an infant; what was there to hesitate about?
Faced with the requests from a group of civil and military officials, Liu Hong simply smiled and then looked at Mu Lang.
"I have a question for you, and you must answer it truthfully."
"Your Majesty, please ask," Mu Lang said respectfully.
Liu Hong looked at Mu Lang with a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "I sent four teams of soldiers to the Western Regions. To this day, three teams have not yet returned. Do you know the reason?"
Mu Lang's expression shifted, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, those three groups of Han soldiers have gone to the kingdoms of Cheshi, Kucha, and Khotan respectively."
These three kingdoms have always defied Heaven's authority and harbored rebellious intentions. Heaven's army has yet to return; they are either imprisoned by them or killed by them..."
"Bang!"
No sooner had Mu Lang finished speaking than Liu Hong slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"How dare they plot against my soldiers?"
Although Liu Hong was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help himself after confirming it with Mu Lang.
At this moment, Liu Hong's eyes were wide open, his face was flushed, and he looked like an enraged tiger, his whole body exuding a violent aura.
The sight startled even the officials.
first.
For the first time, the civil and military officials in the palace felt the true meaning of the emperor's wrath from the emperor who had always been gentle and refined, a man who made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
Although the dozen or so coal stoves inside the Chongzheng Hall were burning fiercely, the officials still felt a chill, which made them shiver involuntarily.
Even military generals like Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo, Huang Zhong, Ma Teng, and Gongsun Zan, who had slain countless enemies, felt a sudden tremor in their hearts and looked at their emperor with awe.
"Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo!"
"Your subject is here!"
Upon hearing the emperor's name called, Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo immediately stepped forward.
"I hereby order you two to return to Bingzhou and Liangzhou overnight, and lead the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and five thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry to the Western Regions to repel the four-nation coalition."
"promise!!"
Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo responded loudly at the same time, and then strode out.
"Huang Zhong".
"Your subject is here!"
"I hereby order you to lead two thousand Imperial Guards to depart immediately to escort the envoys of Shanshan back to their country, and to join forces with the armies of Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo to bring back my soldiers."
"Furthermore, if they kill even one of my soldiers, bring back the heads of their king and nobles as well. Those who kill my Han soldiers, even if they are thousands of miles away, I will make them pay for their crimes in blood!"
Liu Hong's extremely cold and murderous words sent a chill down everyone's spine once again.
This is the true, supreme emperor of the Han Dynasty.
"promise!"
Huang Zhong excitedly accepted the order and strode out of the hall.
Among the officials, not one dared to object to the emperor's decision to bypass the court and directly send troops to the Western Regions.
At this moment, no one dared to provoke the enraged emperor.
Soon, Huang Zhong walked out of Chongzheng Hall and came to the Imperial Guards lined up in front of the hall.
Huang Zhong gathered his strength and shouted, "Gentlemen, last year His Majesty sent four teams of brothers to read the imperial edict. However, there are a few small countries that despise the might of the Han Dynasty and refuse to submit to the great Han, so they trapped those brothers there."
His Majesty has specially ordered us to go to the Western Regions to bring them back…
Huang Zhong's shout clearly reached the ears of every soldier present.
When these loyal soldiers learned that the emperor was furious and had launched a major attack for their trapped comrades, the soldiers present were deeply moved.
"We will obey Your Majesty's command!"
The two thousand Imperial Guards soldiers lined up also roared out.
"Set off!"
At Huang Zhong's command, the two thousand Imperial Guards soldiers turned around in unison and ran out of the palace.
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