Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 421 Han should be the ruler!
Liu Bei used excuses to force Huochequan to stay, and promised him that he would treat the Xiongnu herdsmen as kindly as the Han people, and that in the face of natural disasters, there would be no distinction between "Han" and "Hu".

Hearing Huochequan swallowing his saliva, a bad premonition came to his mind. Logically speaking, the Han emperor was willing to treat the Huns in a conciliatory manner, and as the Great Khan, he should be happy.

But for some reason I always felt that there was something else behind the emperor's words. When he said we were as close as one family, did he really want to turn the Huns into Han people?

Although Huo Chuquan was nervous, he hid it very well, nodding and bowing from time to time with a flattering smile. His slightly fat figure made him look honest and naive.

When Guo Jia and Fa Zheng saw this, although they did not show any sign of surprise on the surface, their vigilance towards Huochequan increased to a higher level in their hearts.

This Xiongnu Khan was much smarter than the previous one, Yufuluo.

Such a person must never be allowed back into the Xiongnu tribe, otherwise he will become a threat. Even if he stays in Luoyang for the rest of his life, his entire clan will be killed immediately if there is any change.

Liu Bei talked with Huochuquan for a long time with a smile on his face. In the surprised eyes of the court officials, he learned dozens of authentic Xiongnu words from him and asked him about some etiquette of the Xiongnu Khan.

He even summoned more than 20 followers brought by Huochuquan, such as the royal guards, witch doctors, grooms, etc., and not only asked about their family situations in a friendly way, but also asked about the annual grazing and livestock breeding issues, and how to survive in the event of natural disasters without being robbed.

As herdsmen, they had to pay a certain amount of cattle and sheep to the upper class every year. If they died in a war, would the nobles provide them with any compensation?

The Huns shook their heads. The tribal nobles were not fools. It would be fine if they gave out compensation if they won the battle, but if they lost the battle and the casualties were high, and they gave out money or cattle and sheep as compensation, what would that do?

"Your Majesty, I have heard that all the Han soldiers who join the army will receive financial compensation, whether they die on the battlefield or are injured. Is this true?"

A Hun follower couldn't help but suddenly ask.

He had heard such rumors for a long time, but did not dare to ask the ferocious Han soldiers. However, when he saw that the Han emperor was more friendly than the Great Chanyu, he could not help but ask.

He regretted it after asking, and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed and apologized.

But Liu Bei just smiled, asked the soldiers on both sides of the palace to help him up, and explained to the many Huns: "Of course this is true. No matter whether it is a combat soldier or an auxiliary soldier, as long as they are injured on the battlefield, the military government will provide pensions from my treasury."

"Soldiers go out to fight to protect their country, so how can the emperor not take care of the aftermath?"

"Since ancient times, I have never heard of a country being destroyed because of excessive rewards, nor have I heard of a country being destroyed because of promoting education."

The words of admission from the Emperor of Han himself made many Huns look envious.

"People all over the world are suffering. If they could have enough food every day, the number of people fighting for their livelihoods would be reduced by more than half."

"It's like the Han is strong and the Xiongnu is weak. If the herdsmen blindly obey the orders of the tribal nobles or adults, households, and quequ, and ride south with bows and swords to plunder the Han land, they will only suffer a devastating disaster."

"Not only is life and death unpredictable, but the whole family will suffer disaster. The wife and daughter will be sold into slavery, and the cattle, sheep and horses that you have worked so hard to herd will be swallowed up by others. Such disasters are not what people want."

"You say you will lead the tribe south to replenish the land, but in reality you are just using your lives to satisfy the nobles' huge profits, and then share the tiny profits with the herdsmen."

"Even if they are defeated, the nobles can still come back, but the herdsmen cannot. Therefore, do not listen to the nobles' inducements, but look at what they actually do and whether they care about the lives of the herdsmen. There are thousands of ways to fill your stomach, but you choose to hit the rock with an egg, and hit your head against the rock of the Han family until it is broken and bloody."

"Such nobles are either incompetent or have evil hearts..."

Liu Bei shook his head, feeling deeply moved. The Huns not far away fell into a dead silence, wanting to refute, but what the Han emperor said was also true.

Others may not know how powerful the Han army is, but don’t the Huns, with whom they have fought several times, know this?
Even if we fight with the Xianbei, it is better than facing the well-equipped Han army.

If there was a choice, who would want to use bows and crossbows to fight? What's more, the enemy was wearing iron armor and had equally powerful light and heavy cavalry.

It is indeed as the emperor said, the leaders who ordered them to fight to the death with the Han army are either stupid or evil.

But where could they find the great Khan who could lead them to victory after victory, was invincible and cared about the life and death of the herdsmen?

The strong and sturdy royal guards looked at the invincible Han emperor with some admiration.

They couldn't help thinking that if the emperor was their Chanyu, he would be able to wipe out the Xiongnu's decline, break out of the Great Wall, defeat the Xianbei and Wuhuan, and lead them to restore the Xiongnu's prosperity.

What a pity, why don’t they know the hard work of the herdsmen and their powerful leader?

Seeing that the Hun followers were all silent, Huo Qubing, who was standing next to them, was shocked. How come the spearhead between the Han and the Huns was now directed at the nobles and the Chanyu? How could this be tolerated?

So Huochuquan quickly stepped forward, bowed to the emperor, and said with a flattering smile: "Today is approaching dusk, and I dare not make Your Majesty too tired. How about we talk again tomorrow?"

If Liu Bei continues talking, his followers will start to feel closer to the Han Dynasty.

I have never met such an emperor before. He is so kind and generous and can chat and laugh with the lower class of the Huns. He can come up with all kinds of words and bring out conflicts in just a few words, and it seems that there is a way to resolve it.

Such a leader of the Han family is really terrifying...

Huochequan was not afraid that the Han people would still be arrogant and look down on the Xiongnu tribe. He was afraid that the other side would put aside their attitude and seriously analyze the situation of the Xiongnu from the inside out.

The former allows them to continue to stick together for warmth, but the latter will cause a fatal rift between the upper and lower classes of the Huns.

Moreover, the emperor was also trying to win over the nobles. If this continued, there would not only be discord between the upper and lower levels, but also conflicts among the nobles, and there would be intimidation from the Han army.

When Hu Chuquan thought of this, cold sweat broke out on his back.

The Southern Xiongnu were about to be completely devoured. No one could stop them unless their ancestor Maodun was resurrected and led them out of the grassland.

"The setting sun is like the aging of a person. The decline of things is inevitable. Whoever can make everything new and make the people worry-free about food and clothing will surely be the one who wins the support of the people, hold the power of the world, and become the ruler of all people. Do you think so?"

Liu Bei pointed at the setting sun outside the palace gate, which happened to be reflected on the red "Han" flag, looking so bright and eye-catching, so he asked with a smile.

The Xiongnu people and officials in the palace could not help but look up. Seeing the scene illuminated by the dusk, they could not help but praise in their hearts: "The Han Dynasty should be the prime minister!"

They are not talking nonsense. When the setting sun shines on the golden Chinese characters fluttering in the wind, the light produced is more beautiful than any flag, including the flag of the Xiongnu royal court.

(End of this chapter)