The day after the Yuwen delegation checked into the guesthouse, the cabinet sent a message to the Deyang Palace about the delegation's situation.
Regarding this envoy's visit, the cabinet suggested that the requests from the Yuwen tribe for titles and a marriage alliance be granted.
After reading the cabinet's memorial, Liu Hong frowned.
The plan to win over the Yuwen tribe and split the Xianbei people was decided long ago, so giving the Yuwen tribe a title is not unreasonable.
However, Liu Hong found this marriage alliance somewhat unacceptable.
Although Liu Hong had encouraged his officials and officers to take in some foreign women in preparation for conquering the surrounding areas in the future, this did not mean that he could do the same.
Different races can exchange goods and resources, but the royal family must never have blood from other races mixed in.
Today, the emperor has taken a Xianbei woman as his concubine, and she gave birth to a prince. This prince will now have the Xianbei people backing him up.
If the emperor takes a woman from the southern barbarians as his concubine and she gives birth to a prince, then this prince will have the southern barbarians backing him up.
When I'm gone, the princes will fight each other, relying on their respective powers. If they succeed and allow those foreign women to sit on the throne as empress dowager, wouldn't that plunge the world into chaos?
Those powerful clans could use this strategy to divide themselves, but for the royal family, it was the source of chaos.
Liu Hong would never allow such a thing to happen.
Putting down the cabinet's memorial, Liu Hong began to ponder.
In addition to the large amount of gold and jewelry brought by the Yuwen tribe, the envoys also handed over tens of thousands of fine horses and nearly 30,000 cattle and sheep to the Bingzhou camp ahead of schedule. They even brought Yuwen Rong, who was to be married off to the Han Dynasty, which shows their sincerity.
Therefore, if we refuse their marriage proposal and force them to send Yuwen Rong back, it would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to them, and the two sides would definitely develop a rift as a result, which might even cause the Yuwen tribe to side with Tan Shihuai.
Although the Han Dynasty has deployed nearly 300,000 guards along the Great Wall in You and Bing, it is not afraid of the Xianbei people's attack.
However, most of the guards were infantry. Even including the battalions of soldiers under Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan, Ma Teng, and Gongsun Du, the border cavalry numbered only about 60,000, and their training time was only four years.
At this time, the Han cavalry, relying on their superior equipment, might be able to defeat the Xianbei, but the casualties they would suffer would not be small, which Liu Hong was unwilling to accept.
Every soldier was exceptionally precious to him.
Although dying on the battlefield is what soldiers strive for, Liu Hong did not want those soldiers' blood to pay for his wrong decisions.
It is said that a kind heart cannot command an army, but this "kindness" refers to outsiders, not one's own people.
After a moment of contemplation, Liu Hong picked up the memorial, read it carefully again, and then smiled, an idea suddenly forming in his mind.
"Zhang Rang!"
"Yes, sir!"
Zhang Rang, who was serving nearby, quickly bowed and stepped forward.
"Send an order to Liu Yu, the head of the Imperial Clan, to send a list of unmarried members of the collateral branches of the imperial clan who are in Luoyang and are over sixteen years of age."
"Here you go!"
Zhang Rang respectfully agreed and then quickly retreated out of the hall.
Watching Zhang Rang's retreating figure, Liu Hong revealed a relaxed smile.
The Yuwen clan only said they were coming for a marriage alliance, without specifying who they wanted to marry. They could easily choose someone from among the imperial clan members for the marriage alliance; there was no need for them to personally participate.
Upon meeting Zhang Rang, Liu Yu dared not be negligent. He immediately led his subordinates, following Liu Hong's orders, to compile a list of eligible young men from the imperial clan and sent it to Deyang Palace. Liu Qian was among those listed.
Looking at the four members of the imperial clan on the list, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction and then handed it to Zhang Rang, who was standing next to him.
"According to this list, go and pay them a visit, and tell them to visit the inn more often these two days, and get closer to Yuwen Rong!"
Furthermore, I will tell them that whoever wins Yuwen Rong's heart will be richly rewarded by me.
As for whether or not Yuwen Rong will be made the principal wife, I will not interfere; that is entirely up to their own decision.
"Here you go!!"
Zhang Rang respectfully accepted the list and then left.
The four members of the imperial family who received the emperor's order were also very excited. They understood that this was an opportunity to catch the emperor's eye, so they dressed up carefully and headed to the official residence one after another.
Faced with the sudden and unusually enthusiastic visit from the imperial clansmen, Yuwen Qi couldn't help but feel flattered.
After talking with the group, Yuwen Qi finally understood their purpose.
Yuwen Qi couldn't help but feel quite disappointed about this.
After all, their initial plan was to present Yuwen Rong to the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
But if the emperor doesn't like it, you can't force it on him, can you?
Moreover, the fact that the emperor sent these members of the imperial clan was already a great honor for them. Their tribe's situation was not what it used to be. In any case, the status of these members of the Han imperial clan was much higher than that of the noble children under Tan Shihuai's command, so it was not an insult to his sister.
Having figured all this out, Yuwen Qi stopped worrying and introduced his sister to the visiting members of the imperial clan.
Surprisingly, Yuwen Rong was indifferent to all the visiting members of the imperial clan, except for Liu Qian, whom she showed some enthusiasm for.
Perhaps this is a case of preconceived notions.
Soon, news of Liu Qian and Yuwen Rong's situation reached Liu Hong.
Seeing that his approach had worked, Liu Hong immediately ordered someone to summon Liu Qian, intending to have a talk with him.
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