Tuoba Xiong was very satisfied with Fu Ran's performance. As a leader, his greatest fear was that his subordinates were not only capable but also ambitious, and that they might be killed one day and then replaced...
Fu Ran, on the other hand, not only showed no ambition, did not vie for power or profit, but also did not form cliques or engage in corruption; he was practically a model worker...
Tuoba Xiong gave him a look, indicating that he could speak...
Fu Ran cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention in the entire royal court, then looked at Li Zhu and said with a smile.
"I think we should agree to his conditions..."
What?
Everyone stared at him in shock, even Li Zhu, who couldn't believe that the top strategist of Xiliang would actually speak in his favor...
"Fu Ran, why?"
Tuoba Xiong did not fly into a rage. He merely looked at Fu Ran with suspicion, wanting to know why the other party had agreed to Li Zhu's conditions. He knew that Fu Ran would not speak without reason, and he still trusted Fu Ran very much...
"Khan, don't you all think that the Crown Prince of the New Tang Dynasty's conditions are actually helping our Western Liang?"
Upon hearing Fu Ran's words, everyone fell silent. They felt the offer was too good to be true, almost unbelievable. They suspected Li Zhu had some ulterior motive, but couldn't quite put their finger on it, so their instinct was to refuse…
After Fu Ran finished speaking, she exchanged a glance with Li Zhu, which made Li Zhu's heart tighten. He felt that the other party seemed to have seen through his thoughts, but just didn't call him out on it. This made Li Zhu wonder why the other party was on his side...
"Strategist, the Crown Prince of the new Tang Dynasty certainly has ill intentions. Moreover, how can the Khan of my Western Liang allow the offspring of a little girl to inherit the throne? Especially not a generation after that?"
“That’s right, this has seriously affected the rules of Xiliang, and I cannot accept it…”
Hearing what these people were saying, Li Zhu couldn't help but stand up and speak.
"On the grasslands, might has always been supreme. Whether it was the Xiongnu or the Western Liang, they were all conquered on horseback. Since you were able to conquer this place, I wonder if my 100,000-strong army can? I don't mean to look down on any of you here; I simply look down on everyone in the world..."
Li Zhu's words immediately caused an uproar. It was too arrogant; it was practically a challenge to everyone in the world. In the hall, only Nazha looked at Li Zhu with stars in her eyes, her admiration overflowing. What girl doesn't dream of love? What girl doesn't love a hero?
"Arrogant!"
"Khan, this man should be taken out and beheaded..."
"Young people are too arrogant and ignorant..."
“Drive him out of Xiliang…”
"I, the princess of Xiliang, cannot marry such an arrogant man..."
Provoked by Li Zhu's words, the crowd began to berate him, but Li Zhu looked on with complete disdain, not taking anyone seriously at all...
"Haha... Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young. The Crown Prince of the New Tang Dynasty has such courage, which is truly admirable. If such a person cannot become the consort of my Western Liang, then who is qualified to become the consort of my Western Liang?"
Fu Ran laughed heartily and praised!
His behavior made Tuoba Xiong's eyes flicker, but he didn't show it directly, instead seeming to be thinking about something...
Many nobles from Xiliang looked at Fu Ran with suspicion, wondering what was wrong with him today. Not only was he showing his face in public, but he was also repeatedly protecting Li Zhu, which was not in his usual character…
Faced with the silence of the crowd, Fu Ran looked at Tuoba Xiong and said...
"Khan, His Highness the Crown Prince surely has limited patience. If we cannot obtain His Highness's help, then the fall of our Western Liang kingdom is not far off..."
Upon hearing Fu Ran's words, everyone realized that they were facing invasions from the Abbasid Caliphate and Loulan on the frontier. If they couldn't send troops to support them in time, they might be driven to the royal court. At that point, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing face, but rather the extermination of their entire clan...
"I think you all understand what that means without me saying it, so we have no right to refuse. Besides, such conditions are entirely beneficial to Xiliang..."
You might think I'm siding with the new Tang crown prince, but you should understand that even if we don't agree, he can still conquer a vast territory with his current strength...
Moreover, this marriage alliance was intentionally orchestrated by us to humiliate the New Tang Dynasty. By having the Crown Prince, the regent, marry in Xiliang, we severely weakened the prestige of the New Tang. In this contest, Xiliang has won…
However, it is our Xiliang that is facing a life-or-death crisis first. The struggles on the grasslands are far more brutal than those on the Central Plains. I think none of you want to become slaves of the enemy country, do you?
The Crown Prince of the New Tang Dynasty is right. Naza's offspring are also members of the royal family of Xiliang and are qualified to inherit the Khanate. As long as he grows up on the grasslands, he will be devoted to the grasslands. There is nothing that cannot be done. The Crown Prince is the future emperor of the New Tang Dynasty. The bond of offspring will only make our alliance more solid.
There are some things I can only hint at; you can consider them yourselves…
Fu Ran's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples in everyone's hearts...
Seeing that everyone remained silent, Li Zhu understood their choice. He looked at Tuoba Xiong, his future father-in-law, whose eyes flickered uncertainly…
Tuoba Xiong glanced at the nobles in the hall, then slowly asked...
"Gentlemen, what do you think?"
A brief silence fell over the hall, followed by a series of responses.
"I beg Mr. Fu's consent..."
"I agree to the Lian family's demands..."
"I, Zha Lushi, agree..."
Seeing that more than half of the seated nobles had agreed to Fu Ran's proposal, Tuoba Xiong's gaze turned grave...
This naturally acquired influence made people even more wary, because if Fu Ran wanted to form cliques for personal gain, it would only take a word. Only now did he realize that many things were no longer under his control…
"Since everyone has no objections, let's proceed according to the conditions given by Li Zhu. I hope all the tribes will cooperate..."
Upon hearing that the matter was settled, Li Zhu smiled. Now that paper could be used on a large scale, spreading culture to Xiliang was not a big problem...
He took a deep breath and realized that his goal shouldn't just be to survive, but to spread Chinese culture to every corner of the world...
"In that case, I will return to prepare my troops and launch an attack on Loulan..."
As he spoke, Li Zhu led Nazha away from the main hall, causing everyone's lips to twitch in disbelief. This was utterly disrespectful to his family…
This military expedition is not only to help Xiliang, but also for our own benefit…
The demon god's final destination was Loulan, and the Imperial Seal of the State was also buried in Loulan, so he had to go to Loulan no matter what...
Back at the camp, before Li Zhu could even sit down, there was a knock at the door. He and Nazha exchanged a glance, wondering who was being such a spoilsport…
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