Upon hearing the request from the King of the Mountain Kingdom, Yuan Shao was taken aback.
The Treaty of Shanshan, on the surface, appears to be a mutually beneficial agreement between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, and may have been helpful to the various countries in the Western Regions in the short term.
However, in the long run, it was the Han Dynasty's reliance on the Western Regions for sustenance that weakened and controlled the Western Regions.
Large Western Region states like Kucha, Wusun, Houcheshi, and Dayuan were all trying to avoid this place, but they never expected that this mountain kingdom would actually come to them.
Yuan Shao would naturally not refuse such a request.
Yuan Shao looked at the king of the mountain kingdom and said with a smile, "Since your country has this intention, our great Han is naturally more than happy to oblige."
"Very well, very well, I will immediately order someone to draft the treaty!"
Upon seeing Yuan Shao nod, the king of the mountain kingdom happily instructed his men to draft the treaty.
Before long, two officials from the Mountain Kingdom arrived before Yuan Shao with two treaties.
The contents of the treaty were the same as those in Shanshan: the Han army would be stationed there to protect and provide provisions for the Han army, Han merchants would be exempt from taxes, only the Taiping Sect would be allowed to preach and build schools to learn Chinese characters within the country, idle land would be allocated to Han people for cultivation, and land would be set aside to build factories and workshops...
After carefully reading the contents of the treaty, Yuan Shao nodded in satisfaction, then signed his name and affixed his seal.
The king of the mountain kingdom happily and carefully put away the treaty.
The Mountain Kingdom was originally a small country, with a smaller population and army than even Gaochang. Its geographical location was also unfavorable, so few merchants came to visit. Its economic conditions were poor, and the people's lives were also difficult.
Such a small country had a very low profile among the countries of the Western Regions, and was always in danger of being annexed.
Therefore, after seeing that countries like Shanshan had become rich and powerful through treaties signed with the Han Dynasty, the Shan Kingdom was filled with envy. Now that Yuan Shao had arrived, they were naturally unwilling to give up this opportunity.
When a country is small, its vision and overall perspective naturally cannot be very broad.
At this time, the mountain kingdom only wanted to become rich and powerful as soon as possible, and had no idea about the true intentions of the Han Dynasty.
The day after the treaty was signed, Yuan Shao sent messengers to Shanshan to summon merchants and immigrants, while simultaneously demanding that the king of Shanshan begin conscripting able-bodied men from his own country.
After staying there for three days, Yuan Shao and his party, along with two thousand able-bodied men recruited from the mountain kingdom, set off for the next country.
Two days later, Yuan Shao and his party arrived at a country called Guhu.
This country has a population of nearly 30,000, and the surrounding land is fertile and rich in resources, so the people live a very prosperous life.
The king of the Hu people was very welcoming to Yuan Shao and his entourage. He held a grand banquet in the palace to entertain Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo, and others, and was generous with food, wine, and beautiful women.
Yuan Shao and his entourage all brought swords to the banquet. Because of their status as Han envoys, the King of Guhu and his officials dared not say anything.
After raising his cup, Yuan Shao smiled and looked at the King of Hu, saying in a deep voice:
"I have come here on the orders of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to lead the kingdoms of the Western Regions in expelling the invading Xiongnu. Your country must also do its utmost to cooperate!"
The King of the Hu echoed, "Your Excellency is right. The Xiongnu are our common enemy, and it is my duty to do so!"
Yuan Shao smiled and said, "That's good. I've noticed some bald-headed people preaching in your country. Where do they come from?"
King Guhu laughed and said, "In response to the angel, those are Buddhist followers from Parthia!"
"The Buddhist Cult?"
Yuan Shao's brow twitched, and he couldn't help but think of the White Horse Temple in Luoyang that had been shut down.
Yuan Shao looked at the King of Guhu and asked with a laugh, "So, you also have quite a faith in this Buddha?"
King Guhu nodded: "Their doctrines do have some merit, and I agree with much of it."
Yuan Shao's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "According to His Majesty's newly decree, the Great Han Dynasty, together with its vassal states, does not allow any religious sect other than the Taiping Religion to preach. You would be better off expelling them as soon as possible!"
"this……"
Upon hearing this, King Guhu was taken aback for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Angel, the Buddha Sect has been here for many years and enjoys the deep trust of the people. If we rashly expel them, it may cause panic!"
"Oh? So you're not going to follow the Emperor's decrees?"
Upon hearing the other party's words, Yuan Shao's expression darkened, and he stared intently at the other party with a cold glint in his eyes.
King Guhu hurriedly said, "My lord, please don't misunderstand. I dare not disobey the Emperor's decree, but this matter is indeed quite difficult to handle!"
"Yeah?"
Yuan Shao sneered, "Since you find it difficult, how about I help you?"
King Guhu hurriedly replied, "This, I dare not trouble the angel, I will handle it myself!"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed deep in Yuan Shao's eyes. He had figured it out: this king of the Hu tribe, who appeared obsequious on the surface, was actually two-faced.
It seems that this Buddhist sect is really powerful, able to bewitch the King of Hu to the point of disregarding the emperor's decrees. If it is allowed to develop here, will the Western Regions still belong to the Han Dynasty?
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao immediately picked up his wine cup and coughed lightly.
Upon hearing Yuan Shao's commotion, Dong Zhuo, Yan Liang, Xu Chu, and others who were not far away immediately stopped frolicking with the beauties and subtly reached their right hands towards their waists.
This was a pre-arranged code between Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo, and others.
Yuan Shao also knew that he would inevitably encounter some countries that were unwilling to obey the orders of the Han Dynasty on this trip. As the Han envoy, he had to show the proper demeanor of a Han envoy when dealing with these countries.
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