When Zhao Tuo tremblingly returned to the mansion where he was currently staying, two of his followers hurriedly stepped forward and helped him into the inner room.
After closing the door, the confusion and anxiety on Zhao Tuo's face immediately disappeared.
"Your Majesty? What happened?"
Everyone saw that Zhao Tuo's face was a little solemn, not as casual as the previous few days. Zhao Tuo shook his head and whispered: "Han Xin is still alive."
Before Zhao Tuo became king, his official position was not high. He was the magistrate of Longchuan County. He had some achievements, but he could not be compared with Xiang Yu, Han Xin, or even Zhou Bo and Cao Shen. Bao Qin conquered Baiyue for the first time.
, with Tu Sui as the main general and Zhao Tuo as the deputy general. However, the three-year campaign failed and even the main general Tu Sui was killed in the war.
If they hadn't killed the Baiyue leader before, such a defeat would have been enough for Zhao Tuo, the deputy general, to be executed as well, and the man who really conquered the Baiyue region was called Ren Hao. This person was killed in Tu Ju
After killing Baiyue, he took over the position of general and attacked Baiyue again. Only then did he completely pacify Baiyue and served as the governor of Nanhai County in Qin Dynasty.
Later, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rebelled, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang fought against each other. In the second year of Qin II, before Ren Xiao died of illness, he called Zhao Tuo to his side and asked him to act as Nanhai County Lieutenant. He left his last words: "Qin's government is unruly, the Central Plains is disturbed, Panyu,
The mountains are dangerous and the South China Sea is blocked. It is thousands of miles from east to west, and there are quite a lot of Chinese people to help. This is also the lord of a state, and he can build a country."
Zhao Tuo immediately conveyed instructions to the troops at various passes in the Nanling Mountains to defend themselves in danger, saying: The thieves are coming, so hurry up and gather your troops to defend yourself.
In order to prevent the uprising army from the Central Plains from invading, he took the opportunity to kill the officials placed in Nanhai County by the Qin Dynasty and replaced them with his cronies, thereby completely controlling South Vietnam.
Many people say that Zhao Tuo directly rebelled during the Qin Dynasty. This is wrong because Zhao Tuo established himself as king in the first year of Emperor Gao. Before that, he guarded the pass in the name of guarding against thieves.
At this time, Da Qin was unable to protect itself and could not control him at all. Xiang Yu had not thought about this barbarian land, and all his thoughts were on the Central Plains.
Up to now, Zhao Tuo has been operating in Nanyue for more than ten years. He relies on the strength of the three passes and does not think that the Han Dynasty can easily destroy him.
At this moment, Zhao Tuo was indeed a little panicked.
South Vietnam has three dangers. The terrain and climate are not good for the Han Dynasty. But the problem is that the Han Dynasty's national power is far superior to South Vietnam. Even the three kingdoms of Chu, Wu and Qi can recruit more than 300,000 troops, just because the Han Dynasty is not willing to pay too much.
The price is high, so we can live in peace with South Vietnam, but if Han Xin comes, what Han Xin is best at is preserving his own strength and destroying the enemy to the maximum extent.
If Han Xin served as the commander-in-chief of the Han Dynasty, with soldiers from Changsha, Wu, and Chu as the main force, South Vietnam might not be able to hold on for three years.
Hearing Zhao Tuo's words, the two followers immediately frowned. Han Xin's reputation was quite scary at the moment.
"The Han army is going to attack South Vietnam?"
"I don't know yet... However, I see that the emperor is not as gentle as the rumors say. He has been threatening me verbally and wants to use Han Xin to force me... The queen mother even asked me for the land of two counties.
, if it is given, then our three barriers will be broken without any attack, and the Han army wants to take South Vietnam, just like picking out a bag!"
"Then how did the king reply?"
"I said that I will no longer be involved in South Vietnam and let them give orders to Shi..."
The two followers pondered for a long time, and one of them said: "Your Majesty, the current situation is quite unfavorable to South Vietnam. I think we can dedicate a few county towns and make concessions for the time being. Then I will see the emperor as a minister and tell the story.
The stakes are that Han Xin has rebelled several times, and the Queen Mother may not really dare to let him take charge of the army. As long as we are polite and considerate, they cannot make things difficult for them at will..."
And another person said: "The benefits are still to rely on the King of Tang. The King of Tang is quite powerful. Moreover, I have talked with the Han officials who came here in the past few days. I heard that the King of Tang is greedy for money.
If you are lustful, you might as well give him a big gift and ten South Vietnamese beauties..."
"fart!!!"
Zhao Tuo became furious and cursed: "How can he indulge in lust and harm his body at his age?!"
The man was stunned for a moment, and then said with a wry smile: "The king recognizes this grandson, but the grandson may not recognize the king... Besides, may I ask, the king, who is more important than the son of the family and the country and the grandson?"
Zhao Tuo snorted coldly, "If he doesn't recognize me, I won't be able to come to Chang'an safe and sound... This guy specializes in bullying the young and old, but he has never hurt me... However, your idea is right.
We should prepare generous gifts... In the court, this person is the only one who can convince the Queen Mother."
.......
"Mom!!!"
"How did you come up with the idea of connecting these three things? Teach me! This is really amazing. They are so interconnected that Zhao Tuo's face turned pale!!"
Liu Chang hung around Empress Lu, smiled flatteringly, and gently rubbed Empress Lu's shoulders.
This scene was very inconsistent. A burly man with a flattering smile on his face was courting the thin woman in front of him, and even acted coquettishly. His bulging upper arms were almost as thick as Queen Lu's head.
, but Empress Lu didn't think so. In her eyes, the strong man behind her seemed to be the same little boy back then, without any change.
"Oh, the teacher I hired for you could have taught you this... If you hadn't skipped school and stayed up during class, you might have learned it long ago."
"Mom~~"
"Okay! Tell me, what's the matter?"
Liu Chang was stunned for a moment, then asked in a low voice: "How do you plan to treat the South Vietnam Kingdom?"
"What do you think?"
"I feel that now is not the best time to attack South Vietnam... South Vietnam will be recovered sooner or later. However, to attack South Vietnam now, even with Master as the general, it will take at least three or four years and mobilize three to four hundred thousand people.
The army, the food, and the weapons they consume can all allow us, the Tang State, to have a great war with the Xiongnu!"
"Now that Maodun has calmed down domestic affairs, its troops are constantly moving to the border of Tang State, and they have the idea of taking action. The biggest threat to the Han Dynasty comes from the north, not the south."
"For South Vietnam, I think it is better to use gentle methods to solve the problem. My fourth brother is in South Korea and has won the hearts of the people... Zhao Tuo was able to secure South Vietnam because he won the hearts and minds of the people. The locals all supported him. My fourth brother was in Wu
The country will definitely be able to divide South Vietnam. What Fourth Brother is most powerful about is not attacking the troops, but attacking the heart!"
Queen Lu's tone suddenly became cold and she asked: "Do you value Heng so much?"
Liu Chang was stunned, and he hurriedly explained: "It's not that I value it. If it comes to fighting, ten fourth brothers tied together are not as good as me. But if it is to win the support of the people and turn the barbarians into summer, then I am far inferior to the fourth brother."
Empress Lu nodded, her face softened a little, and she said: "In that case, Zhao Tuo will stay in Chang'an."
"No, mother, Zhao Tuo should be sent back."
"Um??"
Empress Lu was furious, and she cursed: "Shuzi! How can there be any reason to let the tiger return to the mountain? He is just pretending. The affairs of South Vietnam are still in his hands!"
Liu Chang said calmly: "Mom... what Zhao Tuo did in South Vietnam was a great event that will last forever."
"He encouraged intermarriage and civilized people in South Vietnam, turning the barbarians in South Vietnam into Chinese people...I didn't want to let him go because of his merits. The reason why I let him go was because of his actions.
At the same time, it is beneficial to the big man."
"If Zhao Tuo were not in South Vietnam, South Vietnam would gradually turn into a land of barbarians. As long as they were not the people of China, they would not return to the Han Dynasty anyway. If Zhao Tuo goes back, sooner or later South Vietnam will completely turn into China instead of
The barbarians...South Vietnam will naturally become a country of the Han Dynasty, and its people will also become the people of the Han Dynasty."
"From a long-term perspective, Zhao Tuo's governance of South Vietnam is not a bad thing. Although South Vietnam is large, its national power is weak. The Han Dynasty is developing rapidly, and the gap with South Vietnam will only become wider and wider. Zhao Tuo is helping
The Han civilized one side and governed South Vietnam for the Han!"
"As for governing South Vietnam, who else is more skilled than him?"
Queen Lu's face was a little dazed and her eyes were dull. She never thought that one day, it would be this Zhuzi's turn to lecture her. What Queen Lu cared about was the gains and losses of the current man, but this Zhuzi was thinking about
The situation decades or even centuries from now.
But Queen Lu suddenly became very angry. She said angrily: "What do you know, you idiot? I have my own arrangements for South Vietnam! It's not your turn to dictate!"
"Why is my mother so unreasonable?!"
"Then go kill Zhao Tuo now! What's the use of killing?! Let Han Xin defeat South Vietnam, and then wait for Mao Dun to plunder Chang'an!!!"
The mother and son suddenly started arguing. Liu Chang's face turned red and he stretched his neck like a fighting cock.
The attendants around him hurriedly lowered their heads.
"What I said was right! Why didn't you listen to me?!"
"Yes, yes, you are right, it was me who was wrong, I was wrong! It was my fault that I raised you so big! Now that you have grown up, go back to your Tang country!"
"Go back, go back! I will never come to Jiaofang Palace again! I'm leaving now!!"
The attendants thought silently: Couldn't the mother and son use another alternative?
When Liu Chang returned to Houde Hall angrily, Cao Shu hurriedly stepped forward and asked in surprise: "What's wrong with your Majesty?"
"Please clean up! We are going back to Tang Kingdom now!"
"ah?"
When Liu Chang told Cao Shu about what happened in Jiaofang Palace, Cao Shu laughed and shook her head, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry yet. Listen to me."
"If Liu An grows up in the future and tells you the principles of fighting, and you find that you are wrong and he is right, what will you do?"
"I will be very happy! I will reward him!"
Cao Shu stared into his eyes and asked with a smile: "Is this really the case?"
Liu Chang thought seriously for a moment, and suddenly felt guilty, "Well, of course that's the case... My child has grown up and is better than me, so of course he should be happy..."
"I do think the king might give An a good beating."
"Why?"
"Because if An grows to this point, it will only make the king feel that he is old and not as good as before..."
Liu Chang seemed to have thought of something and immediately calmed down. Cao Shu continued: "Look, Your Majesty, the Queen Mother raised you just like I raised An. At that time, there was no one around her who could rely on her like Your Majesty."
..."
"I'll go back right now..."
As Liu Chang spoke, he looked at Liu An again, pinched his face, and said loudly: "You can boldly tell me your thoughts in the future, and I will never beat you up!"
After saying that, he hurriedly left Houde Hall.
"Mom~~~"
When Liu Chang returned to Jiaofang Hall with a silly smile, he was suddenly stunned.
He saw his mother sitting alone by the window, with a lonely look and gray hair. He suddenly realized that his mother was old.
"Mom."
Liu Chang sat obediently in front of Queen Lu, lowering his head, "I was wrong...I shouldn't have yelled at you..."
Empress Lu just glanced at him, her face as calm as ever, "We can't let Zhao Tuo go like this, we have to make him donate something before we can let him go... Three levels must be passed, at least one level must be passed."
"Well, my mother is right."
Mother and son sat in the Jiaofang Hall, silent.
"Sir... I'll leave it to you to communicate with the King of Nanyue."
Liu Chang nodded solemnly, "Mom, don't worry. You have entrusted me with such an important task. I will not let you down."
"Well, in Chang'an, if it comes to taking advantage of the situation, plundering and plundering, no one can compare to you... Go ahead."
Liu Chang was about to reply humbly, but he quickly came to his senses, "How could my mother say that to me?!"
"I, Liu Changle, am good at charity and help all over the world. I am a great philanthropist known in Chang'an..."
"Yes, yes, good man, go quickly."
Empress Lu waved her hands disdainfully and drove Liu Chang out.
Liu Chang muttered something dissatisfied and walked out of the palace.
He had just walked out of the palace when Zhang Buyu suddenly appeared in front of him, his eyes fiery, "Your Majesty! Some people say that the King of Nanyue is your biological mother and father. Is this true?!"
Liu Chang slapped his hand away, "So what?"
"Oh! This is God's help to the king! Why doesn't the king pretend to flatter Zhao Tuo and take the land of South Vietnam?!"
"The king is sitting on the land of Tang and Yue, and then he annexes Wu and Chu, and uses Jibei County to connect the Tang Kingdom. In this way, the king is sitting on half of the country, and he can seal the land as..."
"Zhang Buyi!! You rebel!!!"
Zhao Ping shouted loudly.
"I don't have any other intentions. Now that Mao Dun is so powerful, if the Tang State is not strong enough, how can it resist him?!"
"Zhang She's words make sense!"
Chao Cuo expressed his strong agreement.
Liu Chang said angrily: "I am not a weak person like King Zhao. If the Huns come, I will block them myself. Why should I recognize the thief as my father?!"
The two of them did not dare to continue talking when they arrived at Zhao Tuo's residence.
Zhao Tuo was lying on the bed, and a personal attendant was giving him... acupuncture??
Liu Chang's eyes widened and he looked at the thin needle on Zhao Tuo's back, feeling a little confused.
Zhao Tuo smiled and said, "The person behind me was a disciple of the imperial physician Ling Xia Wuji who was a military doctor. He is very good at acupuncture. I feel a little unwell today, so I asked him to treat me."
Liu Chang was stunned, and then shouted: "I heard about this man! I heard that when Jing Ke assassinated the King of Qin, it was this man who threw out the medicine box and protected the King of Qin! It turned out to be his disciple, no wonder he knew this.
This Xia Wuqi is a powerful person!"
The entourage was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said with a smile: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty, I will tell Master truthfully what Your Majesty said!"
Liu Chang was stunned and asked suspiciously: "Tell your master??"
"Your master is not dead yet???"
The man's face turned dark. If the man in front of him hadn't been Prince Tang, he would have thrown away the medicine box in his hand.
"My master is quite tough."
“He’s in South Vietnam??”
"No, in Hanoi."
"Oh! I don't even know that... How can such a famous doctor be reduced to the common people? He must go to the Tang Dynasty!!"
Seeing that the king's old habit had returned, Luan Bu couldn't help but clear his throat. Only then did Liu Chang remember the business of coming here. When he heard that Xia Wuji was alive, he almost forgot about the important matter of taking advantage of the situation. It was really uncomfortable.
Yes.
"Long, sit closer..."
Zhao Tuo said with a smile, and Liu Chang also sat closer and said, "I am here this time for matters related to South Vietnam."
"oh?"
"We, the Tang State, are currently fighting against the Xiongnu and starting a war with South Vietnam, which is harmful but not beneficial to our Tang State. I am willing to persuade the Queen Mother to preserve South Vietnam."
"Okay! This is a good thing!"
Zhao Tuo said happily, but looking at Liu Chang's greedy eyes, he asked again: "Tell me, Shuzi, what do you want?"
"Cede the city."
"Okay, tell me, which city do you want?"
"You have to cede five counties to me in Tang Dynasty."
Zhao Tuo was stunned, "But I only have four counties..."
"Then cut four."
"Shu Zi!! Is it true that ceding the entire city is called ceding the city and offering land?! This is calling the whole country surrendering!!"
Zhao Tuo couldn't help it anymore and cursed loudly.
"Then three counties!"
"I cede three cities!"
"Two counties, plus 300,000 shi of grain, 100,000 people, and 60,000 armor shields."
"Five cities, 100,000 stone grains, and I don't have any shields in South Vietnam... Hey! Shuzi! Come back to me!!!"
Looking at Liu Chang who turned around and was about to leave, Zhao Tuo felt his teeth itching with hatred.
"Hengpu Pass is for you! Plus three cities, fifty thousand shi of grain! South Vietnam is willing to be a Han vassal for generations to come, never change its mind, pay tribute every year, and allow the Han to send officials to govern South Vietnam!"
"Oh, once the officials enter South Vietnam, they can't get out, right?"
Zhao Tuo scolded: "How can I treat the officials of the Han Dynasty like this?"
"Things like this are all leftover from my play. Stop pretending. Officials of the Han Dynasty, as long as they enter our Tang Dynasty, they will never come out. Do you think I don't know your thoughts?"
The two of them bargained like this. After a long time, they finally settled on a "price" that only King Tang was very barbaric. However, Zhao Tuo said angrily: "But someone has to come to South Vietnam to teach many techniques. No ban is allowed!!"
"Of course, you still can't trust me as a person? What I say is worth a thousand pieces of gold! Everyone says that if you get a promise from the King of Tang, you can get a thousand pieces of gold!!"
Liu Chang said proudly.
Ji Bu's face behind him twitched, "Okay, you are the king, just say so."
Seeing Liu Chang's promise, Zhao Tuo didn't quite believe it. He looked at Liu Chang suspiciously and asked, "You will really keep your promise, right? You won't just take something and refuse to acknowledge it, right?"
"Absolutely not! My eldest uncle made an oath! If I violate my promise, my eldest uncle will die badly!"
"You're such a bastard!!!"
Zhao Tuo laughed angrily.
"If you still don't believe it, I can swear on my third brother!"
"Forget it, forget it, I believe it!"
ps: In the Biographies of the Assassins in Historical Records, Sima Qian said that the reason why he knew Jing Ke’s assassination of Qin in such detail was because Xia Wuji said it when chatting with Dong Zhongshu and the others... Oh my god, Dong Zhongshu, good guy, this
How long do you have to live? A hundred years old? In an era when people start calling themselves old men at the age of thirty, is it really true that if you live to be a hundred years old, you won’t be regarded as a god?
I started taking online classes from Lu Academy today, but I will definitely not stop updating!!