I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 530 Grass Team
There always needs to be a pretext for the emperor to receive foreign envoys.

But it's neither a grand court assembly nor the emperor's birthday... But that doesn't matter, if there's no reason, then we'll create one.

Moreover, what could be a more important reason than the victory in the Han-Zhao War?

Zhang Zhao proposed that the emperor should commend the soldiers who had made meritorious contributions during the Han-Zhao War in front of the Zhuque Gate south of Jinling City, and incidentally, use this to intimidate foreign envoys and demonstrate the power of the Han Dynasty!
"Just now, Lord Zhang was complaining that the Han Dynasty was so poor that it couldn't even afford to pay the soldiers' rewards. How come it's going to be so extravagant now?"

Faced with Liu Miao's teasing, Zhang Zhao said seriously, "Showcasing the power of the Han Dynasty is not considered extravagance!"

"Oh~~~"

"..."

Ignoring Liu Miao's sarcastic remarks, Zhang Zhao notified the Ministry of Personnel and then spread the news widely.

The news caused the already bustling city of Jinling to erupt like oil on a raging fire, completely igniting the excitement among the people of the Wu region!

After so long of fighting and so much economic hardship, the entire Han Dynasty and the entire city of Jinling desperately need an excuse to celebrate!

Along the Yangtze River, all those capable of reaching Jinling packed their bags, intending to broaden their horizons in the Han capital… and, incidentally, if the emperor or some other high-ranking official took a liking to them, wouldn't they easily rise to prominence? At the very least, some wealthy family's daughter would fall in love with them at first sight and then cry and beg to marry them…
These people, whether seeking promotion and wealth or indulging in a life of luxury, flocked to Jinling. They were bound to look for lodging and food, and perhaps buy some local specialties to boast about back home... Putting all that aside, the sheer amount of vehicle and boat taxes collected at the ferry crossing astonished Kan Ze, who had just been promoted to Prefect of Danyang.

"Without increasing taxes, the national treasury can still be full. Could such a situation be called a golden age?"

even.

The revenue generated by Jinling City in just these few days is enough to cover all the expenses of the Han Dynasty in organizing this grand event!
The people and officials of the Han Dynasty were all excited, and even the foreign envoys hidden in the Honglu Division were infected. They lingered in the bustling markets of Jinling, seemingly intoxicated by the night view of the Qinhuai River, forgetting that they were just guests in this place.

The various envoys were also banding together.

Although, according to the official narrative of the Han Dynasty, these envoys were all barbarians, in the eyes of the barbarians, there were clearly different classes among them.

The envoys of Gongsun Du and Shi Xie were naturally of the highest rank. In fact, they came to pay homage to the emperor as subjects of the Han Dynasty, so they were the most aloof and looked down on the other barbarians.

Those countries like Buyeo and Wa, which accepted the Han dynasty's tributary system, belonged to the second category.

They really were able to pull out the golden seal given to them by the Central Plains dynasty!
Don't worry about whether it was given by Wang Mang or Liu Xiu, anyway, it was a legitimate vassal state of the Han Dynasty! It was the eternally loyal dog of our Han father!
The third category includes many countries such as Goguryeo and Linyi, which were not recognized by the Han Dynasty and even had conflicts with it.

However, they were not at the very bottom of the envoy class.

At the very bottom were the southern barbarians and mountain tribes from the southwestern Yi, Wuling, and southern Kuaiji regions.

The four groups were originally playing their own games and doing well, but during the ceremony, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the officials of the Han Dynasty deliberately separated these envoys to watch the ceremony.

For example, the Goguryeo envoy was assigned to the side of the envoy of a barbarian king in the southwest.

The Goguryeo envoy was naturally aloof, and after taking his seat, he did not speak to the southern barbarian envoy next to him.

Seeing that the Goguryeo envoy was looking down on them, the other party naturally didn't want to pay him any attention. Instead, he asked the Han official accompanying him, "Will we be able to see the Emperor of Han today?"

"After the ceremony, you will naturally be able to see the Emperor."

The southern barbarian envoy tilted his head, revealing the patterns on his face without any attempt to conceal them: "What exactly is this ceremony for? I can't see any offerings."

Sacrifice?

When the burly Han official saw the Southern Barbarian envoy point to his neck, his hair stood on end! The Goguryeo envoy beside him also showed a look of disdain.

"The Han Dynasty does not use living people for sacrifices. This celebration is to commemorate His Majesty's defeat of the traitor Yuan Shao."

The envoy from the southern barbarians was clearly more difficult to understand.

"Since we've won the battle, shouldn't we kill all the captured enemies?"

"..."

Because the other party was of such low rank, the question was difficult for the Han officials to answer.

It was the Goguryeo envoy standing nearby who couldn't help but ask, "Kill them all? Do you know how many people from Northern Zhao the Han Dynasty captured in this battle?"

"Two hundred thousand!"

"A full two hundred thousand!"

The Goguryeo envoy raised two fingers, and spit flew onto the other person's face!
Two hundred thousand?
The envoy from the southern barbarians tilted his head to the side again.

Clearly, he didn't quite understand the true meaning of the number.

"That means there are far more men, women, elderly, and children than all the tribes in the entire Southwestern Yi region combined!"

Now the southern barbarian envoy understood!

He exclaimed in alarm, "So many people?"

At the same time, he worried, "Since the emperor of the Han Dynasty was able to defeat the entire southwest, does that mean that the emperor of the Han Dynasty could also defeat the entire southwest?"

"..."

The Goguryeo envoy rolled his eyes again.

Is not this nonsensical?

Are these barbarians only realizing this now?
After decades of decline and repeated humiliations at the hands of the Qiang, Xianbei, Shanyue, and Nanman, the Han Dynasty has returned with its iron fist that inspires fear at first glance!
Today, the Emperor of Han will show them the iron fist of the Han Dynasty!

Shh! Shut up! It's starting!

The ceremony begins.

The first part is the recitation of poems and the playing of music.

The southern barbarian envoy didn't quite understand these things. He just thought that the Han people's things were quite interesting, but it was a pity that they were too elegant and not vulgar enough, so they were not easy to understand.

But when the Han soldiers lined up in battle formation and marched forward with their heads held high to the oppressive drumbeats, the southern barbarian envoy was suddenly startled!
Countless Han soldiers, holding red flags and wearing heavy armor that would be treasured even if it were lost to the southwestern barbarians, and carrying the iron-clad longswords that would make any barbarian leader fight tooth and nail, slowly advanced across the Bright Moon Bridge from the Vermilion Bird Gate.

If this was merely shocking, then what the Han Dynasty subsequently displayed truly instilled a deep-seated fear in the envoys from various countries!

Heavy cavalry!

The thunderous sound of hooves propelled a horde of colossal beasts, their bodies clad in steel, forward with unbridled speed! Their terrifying momentum seemed capable of shattering mountains and rivers!

The appearance of even a single heavily armored cavalryman like these in these countries could cause unrest throughout the entire nation! The appearance of even a hundred of these heavily armored cavalrymen could lead to the complete annihilation of these countries! But now, standing before them, passing by, there were no fewer than a thousand of them!

Scimitars, heavy arrows, sickle-hooked spears!
These things on these heavily armored cavalrymen don't look like equipment at all; they're clearly sharp spikes!

In contrast to the silence of these foreign envoys, the commotion among the other people in Nanjing was like a carnival!

The crowd erupted in cheers when they saw the Han cavalry carrying Yuan army seals, tallies, axes, cymbals, and clothing items captured during the Han-Zhao War, with long spears!
When finally, the bright yellow imperial dragon banner belonging to Yuan Shao appeared before the crowd, the people who had gathered on both sides of the riverbank were completely overwhelmed with excitement, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!"

"The great man is victorious!"

"..."

It was at this crucial juncture, at this moment that shook the hearts of envoys from various countries, that the officials of the Han Dynasty finally took action and led them to the magnificent Zichen Palace to meet the Emperor.

During regular court assemblies, Han Dynasty officials all sat on mats.

Today, however, they stood on either side, adorned in magnificent robes, bearing double seals, and wrapped in sashes, displaying the beauty of their attire with grandeur! The ceremony was awe-inspiring! They resembled celestial beings, looking down from the heavens! This caused envoys from various countries to lower their heads, not daring to meet their gaze!

At its very top.

A majestic figure sits atop a large, square chair crafted from nanmu wood.

He wore a twelve-tassel crown, red shoes and black boots, and a robe with twelve symbols of the sun, moon and stars, black on top and crimson on the bottom. Who else could he be but Liu Miao, the emperor of the Han Dynasty?

When standing here.

Especially after seeing the Han soldiers standing here, all the envoys were completely blank in their minds.

Even the Southern Barbarian envoy, who was not particularly serious to begin with and was eager to see Liu Miao, did not dare to look up at Liu Miao at this moment. He just stared at his toes, repeatedly recalling the etiquette that the Han officials had taught him these days, for fear of being impolite in the slightest...

"This humble subject greets the Emperor of the Great Han!"

I bowed nervously.

The gazes of the Han officials surrounding them were just like the heavy arrows of the Han heavy cavalry they had seen at the Vermilion Bird Gate, easily piercing through them!
The big man has already introduced himself.

The rest is up to them to introduce themselves to the Han Dynasty, to explain their status in coming to the Han Dynasty and to meet the Emperor!
The first to arrive were the Buyeo envoys, who were of impeccable lineage and had received generous rewards from King Gwangmu.

"On behalf of the King of Buyeo, I inquire about the health of the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty."

"I am at peace."

Liu Miao's voice rang out.

They weren't that indifferent.

But it's definitely not that humane.

The Buyeo envoy was drenched in sweat, but he still braced himself and presented gifts to Liu Miao.

There is earth and hair, there is gold.

There are furs and jade artifacts.

Although the total amount of all these things is not large, after adding many embellishments, they at least sound much more high-end and classy.

After listening, Liu Miao didn't react much, simply nodding and saying, "I understand."

This calm demeanor made the Buyeo envoys uneasy again. Fortunately, Liu Miao maintained the same attitude towards all the envoys without exception, which made the envoys both relieved and puzzled.

Only after hearing the Wuling barbarian envoy, who was last in line, present "a pair of red-feathered divine birds"... which were actually just two red-bellied pheasants with somewhat tough meat, did Liu Miao finally have a different reaction.

"The gifts you have presented are so valuable and numerous, how can I possibly accept them all?"

"?"

The envoys from various countries looked at each other in bewilderment.

its not right!
According to the officials of the Court of State Ceremonies, shouldn't Liu Miao have started to return the favor to them one by one at this time, and bestowed upon them many treasures of the Han Dynasty?
Moreover, hasn't the Han Dynasty always valued reciprocity?

Why did the Emperor of Han not mention returning the gift at all? Didn't he feel it was presumptuous?

……

While the envoys from various countries were wondering what was going on, Liu Miao above them was watching them with a half-smile.

What a bunch of bastards!
Of course, Liu Miao wasn't referring to these envoys, but rather to the officials of the Han Dynasty!
According to the system of the Han Dynasty, Liu Miao should indeed reward them at this time.

But Liu Miao immediately flew into a rage when he saw what they were being given!
"Damn it! A gilded white porcelain bowl inlaid with jade? I've never even used one myself, and you want me to give it to them?"

"You son of a bitch! You mean, they just sent me a few worthless stones, and I'm supposed to return them with a gold seal?"

"Damn it! Who's in charge of the Court of State Ceremonies? Bring him here! I went through so much trouble to extort so little from Yuan Shang, and he just handed over most of it without a word? Damn it! Don't stop me! I'm going to chop him up!"

"..."

Not bad.

Just one day before the ceremony was to begin, Liu Miao, whom the Honglu Si (the Minister of State Ceremonies) saw as a demon incarnate, interrupted and rejected all the established procedures.

So at this moment, the Han officials, who seemed so powerful and terrifying to the foreign envoys, were actually on tenterhooks, praying that Liu Miao wouldn't cause any major trouble...

In truth, all things in this world are as childish as a makeshift stage performance...

Liu Miao, however, completely disregarded the tense Han officials who were almost unable to breathe, and instead forgot all matters of etiquette, casually asking the envoys, "You have been in Jinling for some time now, what do you think of this city?"

"..."

Faced with Liu Miao's questioning style, which completely deviated from protocol, the several "superior envoys" were all flustered, even wondering what the deeper meaning behind Liu Miao's question was. Was he testing whether they harbored any ambition for the Han Dynasty? Or did he value their talents and want to keep them by his side as court officials? So that they could become loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty like Jin Midi in the future?

On the other hand, those "lower-ranking envoys" were simple-minded and answered whatever came to mind.

The southern barbarian envoy was the first to respond to Liu Miao: "Good!"

"This Jinling City is really great! Everything is so convenient! The markets sell everything! If you want to eat something, you can just have it delivered to you... The only downside is that Jinling is too far from Yizhou. If Jinling could be located in a place like Jianwei or Yuexi, that would be wonderful!"

These words immediately enraged some of the burly Han officials, who glared and puffed out their beards!

What do you mean?
Are you perhaps trying to curse our great Han Dynasty to one day retreat to Shu and become a mere corner of the land?

But Liu Miao burst into laughter when he heard this!
"Indeed! Jinling is wonderful! But it's a pity that there's only one Jinling in the world today!"

With a smile, Liu Miao asked a question that sent chills down the spines of all the Han court officials—

"Since you think Jinling is so good, how about I help you build a Jinling city in those places in southern Yizhou as well?"

　Sorry, it was my birthday yesterday, and I was also having some writer's block. I drank too much and got drunk, hehe~ (Your Majesty, I deserve to die. Please spare my life, Your Majesty, since I just turned eighteen.)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)