Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 436: The Han Family does not allow powerful countries to surround them

In late September of the third year of Jianxing, Liu Bei left his ministers in Guanzhong to preside over the government affairs, while he led the central army and ordered Zhao Yun to go ahead, as well as the Huben Cavalry, the Xiandeng Camp, the Hengqiang Camp, the Shengshe Camp, and the newly established Changshui Camp. In addition, the Chai Camp also went on the expedition.

The remaining auxiliary soldiers were recruited from other military offices and gathered together on the road of advance like drops of water forming a river.

At the same time, grain and fodder were also collected from the granaries of various counties in the Sili region and dispatched by the local warehouse chiefs, their assistants, and their assistants, including Taiyuan, Shangdang, and several Hexi counties in Bingzhou. When the imperial edict was delivered, all counties in Bingzhou began to conduct strict inspections. From the prefect to the village head, everyone was trembling with fear.

The emperor of the Han Dynasty did not stay in the capital, but led the army to the border in person. Among the emperors of all dynasties, there are only a few such people. The last one was Guangwu, the next one was Gaozu, and now it is His Majesty...

How could the officials who had never come into contact with the emperor not be afraid when thinking of this?

After all, Guangwu was a graduate of the Imperial Academy, so it is not an exaggeration to call him a Confucian scholar. On the other hand, the current emperor is different. He was born a knight-errant, just like Emperor Gaozu in the past.

What's even more terrible is that he was very strict in governing his officials and liked to get to know them in depth. If the emperor discovered that the roster was false, the official would probably be carried away by military officials on the spot.

When many officials thought of this, their faces turned pale instantly.

What they fear most is the large-scale mobilization of civilians, food, fodder, and military equipment. Many records in warehouses, arsenals, and household registers that are not visible to the public will be checked inside and out.

In addition to the local magistrate and magistrate's chancellor, the assistant officials involved included military officials, legal officials, county officials, and prefecture officials. They jointly reviewed the list, checked each other's names, and verified the accuracy of the number of items.

Unlike usual times when he could just fill in the blanks and try to get away with it, now he wanted to cover it up and didn't want to be severely punished.

Unless all the military officials, legal officials, and county officials who are responsible for off-site investigations and supervision are bribed, the court will be prevented from discovering the true situation of the treasury.

Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to do so at this time. Not to mention the ordinary corrupt officials, even the prefect of two thousand stones could not cover the sky with one hand. The county Gongcao, Zhubu and other clerks around him were all appointed by the court, and their salaries were directly increased to eight hundred stones and paid by the court.

It is equivalent to having your left and right arms at your disposal, but if they are replaced by someone else's arms, they still need to be used in coordination.

Even the prefect was no longer a prefect with great power, let alone ordinary officials.

Compared to the fear of officials along the way, Liu Bei did not care too much. He was a little busy facing the grand occasion of many court ministers coming to see him off.

Outside the Yunyang Palace, drums and music were deafening, and the palace was packed with people, almost shoulder to shoulder.

For the people living near Ganquan Mountain, it was a rare opportunity to witness the emperor going to war. The flags and drums were connected in front and behind, and the soldiers were ready to fight and shouting "Long live the emperor", which undoubtedly aroused the curiosity of the people.

Everyone would rather not farm for a day and come to join in the fun to see what the emperor looked like and whether he was different from ordinary people as the rumors said.

"Wen Ruo, I'll entrust all of Guanxi to you. You need to manage the affairs of the Qiang people and keep a close eye on the conflicts between the Han and Qiang people. Don't relax at all. As for the affairs of the Western Regions, I have sent Fu Yancai and Gan Xingba to lead the delegation all the way across Hexi, ride out of Yumen Pass, and carry the imperial seal to deal with the affairs of the Western Regions. If there is any change in the Western Regions, you can let Zhang Gong, the governor of Dunhuang, go first to respond."

"The court immediately implemented an expedient measure and ordered Zhang He stationed in Jiuquan County to immediately recruit cavalry and send them out of Yumen Pass to support the Han envoys. If the army is short of food and grass, they will be allowed to fight to support the war and first eliminate those who refuse to obey."

"This is my oral order. The Secretariat can announce it to the ministers at that time."

Liu Bei had to solemnly remind the Han Dynasty of opening up the Western Regions, as it was an important matter for the Han Dynasty. He led his army to Bingzhou in order to make a feint to the east and attack the west, so as to draw the attention of the Budugen court to Bingzhou and Youzhou.

It could create opportunities for Han envoys, win over the pro-Han countries in the Western Regions, and alienate the relationship between the Xianbei and the Western Regions.

But it is better to be prepared for any eventuality. If there is any unusual movement among the Xianbei in the west, the Han Dynasty can respond in time and quickly dispatch troops to support.

"Your Majesty, although Fu Yancai and Gan Xingba are the chief and deputy envoys, and they are both very talented, the delegation consists of only more than 50 people. They have to cross the quicksand and the White Dragon Sand Pile. The languages ​​of the countries are not mutually intelligible, and they are also tasked with the important task of opening up the Western Regions. I am afraid there will be many difficulties."

After thinking about it, Xun Yu decided to express his inner concerns.

I was afraid that the emperor would place too much hope on it, which would end in failure.

The Western Regions were too far away from the Han Dynasty, and the Han army could not even exert one-tenth of its strength.

Since Zhang Qian, Marquis of Bowang, every time the Han dynasty opened up the Western Regions, it was not filled with numerous difficulties and dangers. Even the Han envoys who represented the emperor and held the imperial seal often encountered dangers.

Otherwise, how could Marquis Dingyuan say in such a resounding voice: You can't get the tiger cub without entering the tiger's den?

"Wenruo, there is no need to worry..." Liu Bei laughed immediately. He originally thought that Fu Gan and Gan Ning would still need some time to get used to each other and prepare, but he didn't expect that their personalities were extremely compatible. While looking up things in the Western Regions and looking for rangers who were proficient in martial arts, as well as guides, doctors, translators, and cooks, the two also became good friends.

With Fu Gan's decisiveness and good strategy, Gan Ning's bravery and courage, and so many talented people joining in, and nearly two years of preparation, a lot of information was extracted from the mouths of the envoys from the Western Regions.

Even so, they still failed in the Western Regions. It can only be said that these two people were unlucky and did not have the appearance of Ban Chao, who had a chin like a swallow and a neck like a tiger, or the Marquis Wanli.

"The most powerful countries in the Western Regions today are Wusun, Kangju, and Dayuezhi. Compared with them, Jumi, Shache, Shule, Shanshan, and Yanqi are all small countries."

"Among the three kingdoms, the strongest was the Great Yuezhi. It is said that when they were at their peak, they conquered India in the south and conquered Dayuan and Kangju in the north. All the kingdoms called them the King of Kushan, and they even wanted to ask for marriage from a Han princess."

When Liu Bei said this, he couldn't help but smile. Since the restoration of Emperor Guangwu, the Han Dynasty no longer married women to barbarians, and regarded marrying a princess as a disgrace.

"I heard that in recent years, Dayuan and Kangju have gradually gotten rid of the control of the Kushans. It can be seen that the powerful countries in the west have gradually declined. The same is true for the Northern Xiongnu near Kangju. The Xianbei on the grassland have also been divided into three tribes. The Han family is the only one that is strong in the world."

"If we don't take this opportunity to encompass Wanli and let other countries feed back to the Central Plains, wouldn't it be a missed opportunity?"

"As long as we can completely subdue the Southern Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty will have the ability to return to the grasslands. By then, we can fight from east to west to support our war. Decades later, when we encounter natural disasters or man-made disasters, the Han Dynasty's mighty power can still shock thousands of miles away."

Liu Bei raised his whip and said with a chuckle.

This is just like beating up a bad neighbor. Even if you become weak inside in the future, thanks to the fact that you have beaten up your bad neighbors so many times, even if they move their hands and feet, they will shrink back out of fear due to conditioned reflex and won't dare to stick their heads out again in the short term.

(End of this chapter)