Of course, Pei Zilie also knew what Xu Deyan, an old subordinate, was thinking, so he simply asked him to follow him to meet the caravans from the Western Regions, which was actually equivalent to the envoys of various countries in the Western Regions, and then discuss the next strategic arrangements in detail.
Watching the merchants from the Western Regions leave, Xu Deyan sighed and said: "For these small countries in the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty is a giant that they cannot afford to offend, so it is inevitable that they will be honest and not cause trouble. We cannot expect them to be like Tuyuhun."
They came here without knowing what they were doing, and then we caught the reason and defeated them in one battle."
"Surviving in the cracks, you are just a first-class wallflower." Pei Zilie also shook his head, feeling helpless, "Acting in the name of the 'Heavenly Kingdom' always has its hands tied."
There are no outsiders here, and Xu Deyan speaks casually: "Luckily, at least our Minister of Etiquette is not an old scholar. Otherwise, morality must come first in everything, and we must have a good reputation. That would really be a headache."
Pei Zilie couldn't help but smile: "Speaking of this, I suspect that your Majesty's insistence on making Mr. Jiang the Minister of Rites was based on this fact."
Xu Deyan also shook his head helplessly. Putting a guy who is absolutely obedient and not a good guy himself in the position of moral propaganda is obviously because he does not want those poor Confucian scholars to catch some "deviant" people in the court.
criticized the policy.
As for whether His Majesty ever thought that one day the Han might want to open up new territories but might not be able to find a suitable reason, it is not unknown. After all, this is the secret of the Emperor.
Today, as the Han Dynasty expands its territory bit by bit, the horizons of Pei Zilie, Xu Deyan and others have also naturally improved. Perhaps they are unknown in history, but they followed Li Xinchen in the south and north.
Over the years, I have personally watched His Majesty go from being a Bashu warlord to what they are now, but it can be said that he is standing on the shoulders of giants.
The world is so big beyond everyone's imagination, which makes them feel a little funny. Previously, a group of small countries in the Northern and Southern Dynasties fought inextricably. What was the reason?
Nowadays, the big men who have gradually reached out to all over the world see that the wars and conflicts at that time were just a group of children playing house behind closed doors.
Your Majesty seems to be that giant. He has always seen so far, so he is very concerned about the war between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but he has never lost confidence. It seems that in his view, the reunification of the Northern and Southern Dynasties is inevitable, and it is
Something that will happen soon.
At that time, everyone didn’t know where His Majesty’s confidence came from. Looking back now, I realize that if you have seen the vastness of the world, if you know that there is a world beyond the mountains and seas to fight for, then those wars in the Central Plains are nothing.
?
Now they, standing on the shoulders of giants, have understood.
But they still don't know how this giant stood up.
Of course, Pei Zilie, as his right-hand man, is very clear about His Majesty's origins. He has witnessed His Majesty's rise with his own eyes when we were not even separated much, so he doesn't know where His Majesty got this from.
vision and mind.
When it comes to how big the world is, everyone actually feels it to some extent. Countless history books from past dynasties also record the countries outside.
But everyone has never thought that the areas where these countries are located are worth exploring and conquering. According to the words passed down from ancestors from generation to generation, these places are barren and barbaric places, otherwise the ancestors would not let them go.
.
But in His Majesty's eyes, every piece of land and every tribe here seems to be able to play a role under the banner of the Han Dynasty. The forests, soil, minerals and manpower are all urgently needed by the Han Dynasty, and each one is an already
It is necessary for a nation that has been in troubled times for three hundred years to revive.
But everyone before was completely unaware of this.
Shameful.
But think about it, compared with His Majesty the Emperor who brought China back to peace, this is nothing more than normal, and it doesn't seem that shameful.
No one will try their best to find out the reason for all this. If you lose the secret, the country will lose. Your Majesty has never mentioned at any time how he knows this or how he realizes this, so no one will ask.
In this regard, everyone would rather believe that Your Majesty is really the savior sent by the ancestors above the blue sky to feel sorry for the descendants who have endured three hundred years of separation and war. He is an omniscient and omnipotent god.
Pei Zilie coughed lightly, and Xu Deyan quickly recovered from his trance.
It's a state secret, so don't talk about it.
"In this Western Region, the imperial court is bound to win." Pei Zilie decisively changed the topic, "Whether the division is famous or not, it cannot stop the Han from marching into the Western Region."
"But now the imperial court may face war in both Tuyuhun and Liaodong. Tuyuhun is almost over, but Liaodong may be protracted." Xu Deyan said directly, "In this case, like Ban Dingyuan,
It seems unrealistic to decide the Western Region in one battle."
"Not bad!" Pei Zilie couldn't help stroking his hands, and his words already added a sense of appreciation, "Xiu Yuan is in the position of governor, coordinating military and civilian government affairs, and he has really developed his skills through experience, and now it makes people look at him with admiration. In this battle in the Western Region, do you think it should be
How to push it?”
Xu Deyan felt a little embarrassed. Pei Zilie should have made up his mind to some extent. Now he was just complimenting himself and letting him speak out the arrangement. Then the credit for the suggestion would naturally fall on him.
When the time comes, Pei Zilie will be responsible for repairing it and then praising it. Naturally, it is impossible for both inside and outside the court to ignore this strategy.
My old boss is still considerate.
Facing Pei Zilie's encouraging gaze, Xu Deyan said in a deep voice: "To pacify the Western Regions, we should slowly plan for it, which is nothing more than three steps. The first is to 'explore the Western Regions'. Since the Sima family lost the Western Regions, China has cut off direct monarchy and ministerial affiliation with the Western Regions.
It has been hundreds of years. We can only rely on hearsay about what the situation in the Western Regions is like. There were thirty-six ancient countries in the Western Regions at that time. We don’t know how many of them still exist today and how many have disappeared. The only ones whose names we have heard are Gaochang and Sha.
Che, Kucha and a few other countries.”
Pei Zilie couldn't help but sigh: "In this case, I still owe it to the caravan."
The Central Plains and the Western Regions have been cut off from contact for so many years, and the Western Regions are definitely not static. Gaochang has transformed from a small country to the current hegemon in the Western Regions, and there must have been wars and annexations in the process. The Central Plains actually knows very little about the many changes in the Western Regions, basically
Relying on some news brought by caravans traveling to and from the Western Regions.
Therefore, it is really unknown what the situation in the Western Region is now, whether it is a fragmented state, each working independently, or whether it has formed an alliance centered on Gaochang or other countries and is preparing to fight against foreign enemies in the east and west.