Chapter 284: Liu Wu is not in the court, Cao Mengde can’t sit still!
Chapter 284: Liu Wu is not in the court, Cao Mengde can’t sit still!
On the second day after the Han army captured Yancheng, the capital of Qiuci,
Zhou Gongjin officially took office as the Protector-General of the Western Regions in Yancheng.

What followed was a busy process of reorganization, adjustment and expansion to perfect this unprecedented Western Regions Protectorate.

More than a dozen veterans from the former Western Regions Chief's Office were all transferred to Zhou Yu's Western Regions Protectorate.

Under the temptation, almost half of the Han army that was on the expedition to the Western Regions were willing to stay, and finally a quota of 10,000 people was decided.

These 10,000 people were immediately assigned to the Western Regions Protectorate and were included in the army.

Then there were other tedious matters, mainly the division of the land, cities, population and other resources between Qiuci and Gumo...

"Not counting Yancheng, there are a total of nine cities in the two countries of Kucha and Gumo. We can appoint a general to lead the army in each city as the chief officer of that city."

Zhou Yu made a final suggestion.

Liu Wu naturally agreed and told him that he could make his own decisions on all matters within the Protectorate of the Western Regions.

A general is the leader of five hundred men.

One team after another set out from Yancheng and went to various places to be stationed, or to be more precise, to become a vassal.

Each team is composed of the same configuration, a general with 500 men under his command.

These five hundred men, each bringing with them the war servants, concubines, slaves, etc. that had just been assigned to them, set out in a mighty procession.

A Han soldier was assigned to lead more than ten people, which was actually quite dangerous as the boat could easily capsize.

However, no similar signs appeared. First of all, these Han soldiers were naturally born from fighting on the battlefield. They were good at fighting and had great deterrent power.

Secondly, the women and war servants that were assigned to them were all messed up. They didn't know each other at all, so it was difficult for them to form a joint force.

Furthermore, these people were composed of people from Kucha, Gumo, and prisoners of war from Dayuan. The three of them checked and balanced each other and monitored each other. In addition, the status of the Dayuan people was deliberately raised, so they started to make all kinds of complaints almost from the very beginning.

Time passes little by little,
Teams arrived at their destinations one after another, entered the city, and were allocated houses and fields...

Nearly a month passed before everything was finally settled.

The Protectorate of the Western Regions, which controls more than ten cities, has a territory as vast as a state, a population of over 100,000, and can provide 40,000 combat troops, has finally been completed.

Yancheng!

The throne of the former Kucha Palace is now hung with a sign of the Grand Protectorate, and the generals hold meetings here every day. Of course, it is currently serving as Liu Wu's temporary palace.

However, Duke Zhou of Chu did not dare to ask him to move out.

On this day,

early in the morning,
Taishi Ci, Gao Shun, Chen Dao, Lu Meng and many other generals were all present.

The former Palace of the King of Qiuci, and now the Protectorate Hall...

Hulala! ~
A brand new, huge map was spread out and hung on the wall.

All the countries in the Western Regions are above it, but the situation has changed dramatically. Excluding Wusun and Dayuan, the strongest force in the Western Regions with the largest territory is the Western Regions Protectorate.

"Kucha and Gumo refused to submit, and led the troops of Dayuan to resist the king's army. Their kings submitted and were executed, their clans were destroyed, their countries were destroyed, and their people were enslaved..."

"This matter has been reported to the countries in the northern part of the Western Regions, and they are all terrified."

"Don't be afraid to obey the newly issued Enfeoffment Order!"

The current Protector General of the Western Regions is reporting on the recent situation in the Western Regions: "News has come from all nine tribes, and they have all settled down."

Liu Wu on the throne said: "Wusun, Dayuan, how are they?"

"King of Chu, Dayuan has a total of 60,000 soldiers and horses. These 60,000 are all the best soldiers in the country."

"We sent 20,000 troops to support Qiuci before, but they were all annihilated. Qiuci's young and strong men have been killed, and their vitality has been greatly damaged. We have now submitted a petition to apologize and are willing to offer 3,000 Ferghana horses in exchange for mercy."

"Wusun has not made any moves, but after learning about the fate of Qiuci, they recently sent a letter, expressing their willingness to restore friendly relations with the Han Dynasty and become the ruler of the Western Road, and also said..."

Liu Wu: "What else?"

Zhou Gongjin: "He also said that if the Han Dynasty is willing, he would like to marry a Han princess as the mistress of Wusun."

The voice fell and there was silence.

Many generals had strange expressions on their faces. Oh my god, here comes another man who wants to marry a Han Dynasty princess.

Although Wusun did not suffer any consequences and had no intention of becoming an enemy of the Han Dynasty, it seemed that it was being a bit arrogant, almost on an equal footing with the Han Dynasty.

Obviously,

This made the generals unhappy...

The Kushan Empire, with a population of tens of millions, asked to marry a Han princess, but was spat back by Ban Chao. Could Zhou Yu, the Protector-General of the Western Regions, lose face?

Even if Zhou Yu thinks it's possible, would the King of Chu agree?
"Wusun is the largest country in the Western Regions, with more than 100,000 soldiers. It should not be underestimated."

"And up to now, they have not had any intention of becoming an enemy of the Han. Now that they have shown goodwill, it is not easy to refuse them outright."

"However, marrying a Han princess is not allowed. It would damage the dignity of the court. But as in the old system, the Wusun king would send his prince to the Han Dynasty as a hostage, and there would be a Han woman to marry him."

This is Liu Wu’s reply.

Since Wusun wants to resume relations with the Han Dynasty, let's go back to the previous rules and not have any other unreasonable expectations.

Wusun showed goodwill, and Liu Wu also made a prudent response. Next, it depends on Wusun's sincerity.

"As for Dayuan's surrender..."

"I can't accept it." Liu Wu looked at Zhou Yu and said, "Gongjin, what do you think?"

Zhou Yu answered without thinking, "Of course we cannot accept Dayuan's surrender. Now that Dayuan is seriously injured, it is time to strike hard. Dayuan has more than 70 cities and a population of more than 300,000. Even if all the northern countries were added together, they would barely be comparable to it. It is really a big piece of fat meat."

"Now that Wusun has no intention of becoming an enemy of the Han Dynasty, naturally..."

"But if the former Great Yuezhi, now the Kushan, intervene, it will be difficult to deal with."

after all,

Dayuan was a vassal state of Kushan.

"If the Kushans intervene, that would be a good opportunity..."

Liu Wu made the final decision, and there was no longer any doubt about what to do next.

The Han troops on the expedition had been resting in Yancheng for more than a month. On this day, they all broke camp and left the stronghold. The mighty army matched the rolling clouds in the sky.

Go forward courageously, march westward! March westward! Continue marching westward! Until the far west of the Western Regions!!

……

Central Plains!

Xudu!

Imperial City!

Chengguang Hall...

The last time we heard news, the King of Chu was wiping out all the Qiang people in Liang Province.

Now, nearly half a year has passed, and during this half year, no news has come from the west.

Liu Wu seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth.

In the first few months, no one dared to act rashly due to the power of the King of Chu.

However, as time went by, many people finally couldn't sit still anymore...

On the dragon throne,

Emperor Liu Xie, who had once straightened his back because of Liu Wu's entry into the court, now had some uneasiness in his eyes.

Da Da Da~
Cao Mengde stepped out with a sword in hand and said in a loud voice: "May I ask the emperor, may I ask Prime Minister Zhuge, may I ask all the dignitaries, what on earth is the King of Chu doing?"

(End of this chapter)