Mi Han

Chapter 685: Transforming the Domain into a State and Building Momentum

Chapter 685: Transforming the Domain into a State and Building Momentum

Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian were both well-educated people who were well-versed in history books. Even though they were from Jiangdong, they still had some understanding of the distant countries in the Western Regions.

According to the "Book of Han", "The Western Regions were first opened up during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. Originally, there were 36 countries, but later they were divided into more than 50 countries. There were large mountains in the north and south, and a river in the center. The area was more than 6,000 miles from east to west and more than 1,000 miles from north to south."

Ever since Emperor Xiaowu first exerted influence on the Western Regions, successive emperors of the Western Han Dynasty have worked tirelessly to incorporate the Western Regions into the territory of the Han Dynasty.

Later, under the leadership of Emperor Xiaoxuan, this ideal that had lasted for decades was basically completed, and the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate was a significant sign of the completion of this ideal.

Emperor Xiaoxuan's move to establish a Protectorate in the Western Regions not only greatly expanded the Han Dynasty's territory politically, but also had a profound impact on the Han Dynasty's economy and military.

Under the influence of all these aspects, even though there was the Wang Mang Rebellion in the middle, Emperor Shizu of Han, Liu Xiu, did not forget to restore sovereignty over the Western Regions after unifying the world.

It can be said that due to past examples, in the hearts of people all over the world, the mysterious and vast Western Regions, returning to the embrace of the Han Dynasty, is a symbol of the Han Dynasty's restoration of its heyday.

However, this symbol was not expressed through the mouths of others, but was clearly presented in front of Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian. How could they not be shocked?

Even if the Cheshi Kingdom was willing to submit to the current Han Dynasty, the King of Cheshi was the ruler of a country. Could it be that there were no other ministers or royal family members in Cheshi who could serve as envoys?

The king of a country was so respectful to a mere minister of the Han Dynasty. It cannot be said that Cheshi Kingdom was submitting to the Han Dynasty. It should be said that everyone in Cheshi Kingdom was licking the Han Dynasty.

Do you have any shame?

Can you straighten your back a little?

In addition to being deeply shocked, Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian's thoughts couldn't help but drift away.

Now they only saw the King of Cheshi being respectful to Meng Guang, so were there other envoys or royal members from other Western Regions countries in the Sifang Pavilion?

And if so, is their attitude the same as that of the King of Cheshi?

The answers to these two questions are what Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian are eager to know.

Meng Guang naturally accepted the greeting of the King of Cheshi, but did not relax his attention on Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang, and it was not difficult for Meng Guang to see some clues from their expressions.

As a famous scholar, Meng Guang was happy to help others solve their problems.

As the King of Cheshi kept bending over, Meng Guang smiled and said to Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang:

“Since our army recovered Anding County, the Grand Marshal has ordered General Zhang Boqi to lead his army to reopen Yumen Pass.

In the middle of the night, I sat in my tent with the candles turned off, thinking only of opening the Yumen Pass again. "

After reading this line of poetry spoken by Mi Yang himself, Meng Guang's words were filled with emotion.

Since Emperor Xiaohuan, the Han Dynasty's control over the Western Regions had become increasingly weaker. After the Dong Zhuo Rebellion, the Han Dynasty essentially and completely lost its sovereignty over the Western Regions.

How many Han men in the past have regretted this?

The loss of territory is something that every passionate man in China cannot tolerate.

But then the emotion in Meng Guang's words disappeared, and a gleam of light appeared in Meng Guang's eyes. He continued:

"Tian Ce's Northern Expedition has not yet returned, and the Chinese people are all over Tianshan. Recovering 30,000 miles of territory will bring the spring breeze back to Yuguan."

When reading this poem that was recently circulated in Chang'an City praising Mi Yang for recovering the Western Regions, Meng Guang's face was filled with pride. At this moment, he no longer needed to remain humble!

"After the news of our army's recapture of Yumen Pass spread throughout the Western Regions, the Western Regions countries that received the news sent envoys to Chang'an to show their intention to pay tribute and submit."

"If I remember correctly, there are already more than 40 envoys or royal family members from various countries in the Western Regions staying in the Sifang Pavilion."

More than forty countries?

Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian were shocked again when they heard the news.

According to historical records, there were more than thirty people who claimed to be countries in the Western Regions at the beginning. Later, with the passage of time, the number of people who claimed to be countries in the Western Regions reached more than fifty.

With this base number, what does it mean that there are more than forty envoys from various countries in the Western Regions staying in Sifang Pavilion?

This means that most of the regimes in the Western Regions, which covers tens of thousands of miles of land, are willing to submit to the current Han Dynasty.

This means that Mi Yang’s ambition to establish Sifangguan has been initially achieved, and it also means that the current Han Dynasty already has the outline of its heyday!

What a grand event this is?

Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian were so shocked that they were speechless.

As members of the Chinese nation, they yearn for such a grand event.

As court officials of Eastern Wu, they were somewhat frightened by the Han Dynasty's achievements.

This kind of fear was far more terrifying than having thousands of cavalry standing in front of them.

Seeing Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang's shocked expressions, Meng Guang stroked his beard faster and faster, but everything should be done in moderation, so Meng Guang did not continue to attack Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang with words.

Meng Guang first asked his subordinates to welcome Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang into the Sifang Pavilion and settle them there. After Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang left, Meng Guang turned his attention to the King of Cheshi.

Seeing the strange clothes worn by the King of Cheshi, Meng Guang instinctively felt a little displeased.

Foreign clothing is not as elegant and gorgeous as our Chinese clothing.

But due to her status, Meng Guang still leaned forward and helped the King of Cheshi up.

During the conversation between Meng Guang and Zhang Wen just now, the King of Cheshi remained in a bent posture because he did not receive a response from Meng Guang.

Although this posture was uncomfortable both physically and psychologically, the King of Cheshi did not feel uncomfortable at all.

Because the King of Cheshi knew that even if he was the Protector General of the Western Regions Protectorate, his status was only roughly equivalent to that of a captain in the Central Plains, not to mention that Meng Guang was one of the Nine Ministers.

To put it bluntly, Meng Guang was giving him face by accepting his greeting.

After being helped up by Meng Guang, the King of Cheshi's expression became quite restrained.

The main reason was that he had never learned the etiquette of the Han Dynasty and didn't know how to start the conversation.

Fortunately, Meng Guang knew something about Mi Yang's next plan for the Western Regions, so Meng Guang didn't want to embarrass the King of Cheshi too much.

Meng Guang took the initiative to ask the King of Cheshi: "Where are you going?"

With the help of the translator, it was not difficult for the King of Cheshi, who did not know Chinese, to communicate with Meng Guang.

Seeing Meng Guang taking the initiative to ask him, the King of Cheshi was overjoyed.

He quickly replied respectfully, "Recently I heard that the son of the Grand Marshal has caught a cold and needs some herbs from outside the city as a medicine.

Fortunately, with the help of the Grand Marshal, I was able to successfully restore my country. I must repay such a great kindness.

I see the weather is good today, so I am about to go out and look for those herbs for the son of the Grand Marshal."

After hearing the explanation of the King of Cheshi and looking at the medicine bag on the follower behind him, Meng Guang knew that he was not lying.

Although the military capabilities of the countries in the Western Regions are average, they are basically wealthy countries. It is not difficult to find out the news by spending a little money.

But the reason why the King of Cheshi went out made Meng Guang feel a little funny.

After all, he is the king of a country. He is willing to take risks in person to find medicine for the son of the Grand Marshal. The Chinese name of the King of Cheshi is indeed correct.

The Chinese name of the King of Cheshi is "Shu Ai Yang", which is a very meaningful name.

Shu represents Yizhou and Yang is interchangeable with the character "Yang". In this way, the meaning of the three characters "Shu loves Yang" is self-evident.

Apart from anything else, the King of Cheshi’s ability to lick others’ boots and kneel is truly unique.

“No need to go.

We have many talented people in the Han Dynasty, so there is no need for you to take risks to get a few herbs."

After saying this, Meng Guang turned and left Sifang Pavilion.

After Meng Guang left, the King of Cheshi, who had received Meng Guang's orders, did not know for a moment whether he should go back.

But after thinking for a while, the King of Cheshi decided not to disobey Meng Guang, so he returned to the Sifang Pavilion with his entourage in a dejected mood.

But after returning to Sifang Pavilion, the King of Cheshi immediately put on a different face.

In front of Meng Guang, the King of Cheshi appeared humble and honest, but when there was no one around, the King of Cheshi became solemn and doubtful.

The King of Cheshi kept rubbing the valuable glass cup in his hand with his fingers, wondering what he was thinking.

After thinking for a long time, the King of Cheshi called a confidant, gave him a lot of money, and asked him to find out the identities of the two envoys he had just seen outside the door.

The King of Cheshi always felt that the arrival of the two men would bring a significant impact to the current situation in the Western Regions.

As to whether this impact is good or bad, it depends on the results of the investigation.

After leaving Sifang Pavilion, Meng Guang went straight to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Since the death of Liu Bei, a very interesting situation has emerged in the political landscape of the Han Dynasty.

In his will, Liu Bei had planned three regents for Liu Chan, but Liu Bei did not specify who would be the head of the three regents.

"All military and national affairs shall be discussed by the three governments and then reported to the young master."

Perhaps Liu Bei was unable to make a decision, or perhaps Liu Bei did it on purpose. Under Liu Bei's words, the current political structure of the Han Dynasty is to maintain a situation of three governments in a tripartite relationship.

The three palaces are Zhuge Liang's Prime Minister's Palace, Mi Yang's Grand Marshal's Palace and Zhang Fei's Grand General's Palace.

When the masters of the three palaces reach an agreement, they can achieve the historical pattern of "the palace and the palace are one: the power of the government is in the hands of the assistant government"

Judging from a series of personnel changes in the Han court in recent times, it is not difficult for others to judge that the three ministries essentially have their own division of labor and check and balance each other.

For example, Mi Yang’s Grand Marshal’s Mansion was mainly responsible for the military operations of the Han Dynasty.

Zhuge Liang's Prime Minister's Office was mainly responsible for the daily government affairs of the Han Dynasty.

As for Zhang Fei's General's Mansion, it controlled the military power in the capital area.

Of course, although generally speaking, the three governments have different power bases, many things require the cooperation of the three governments to be implemented.

They check and balance each other, yet they are inseparable from each other.

Such a power structure has never appeared in history, but it is very consistent with the national conditions of the Han Dynasty today.

At least since Liu Bei's death, under this power structure, everything in the Han Dynasty has been running very smoothly.

Originally, Mi Yang had volunteered to be responsible for all matters related to welcoming the envoys from Eastern Wu, but Mi Cheng had caught a cold in recent days, so Mi Yang took a day off and stayed at home to take care of him.

Therefore, after welcoming the envoy from Eastern Wu, Meng Guang went to Zhuge Liang's prime minister's residence to report.

After learning the news of Meng Guang's arrival from his subordinates, Zhuge Liang immediately asked his subordinates to welcome Meng Guang in.

When Meng Guang came before Zhuge Liang, she first bowed to him, and then reported to him the arrival of Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang.

After hearing Meng Guang's report, Zhuge Liang, who was buried in his work, nodded slightly.

But when Zhuge Liang saw that Meng Guang had not left after reporting, he knew that there were some things Meng Guang didn't know whether to continue reporting.

"Go ahead."

Zhuge Liang put down the brush in his hand and looked at Meng Guang quietly.

After getting Zhuge Liang's promise, Meng Guang bowed and told him about her meeting with the King of Cheshi.

Meng Guang, who had a strong character, instinctively disliked the flattering behavior of the King of Cheshi.

Meng Guang also didn't believe that the king of a country could be as harmless as he appeared to be.

If this were true, the King of Cheshi should have died in the previous rebellion and would not have been able to wait for the support of the Han army.

Meng Guang's report did not surprise Zhuge Liang. Instead, Zhuge Liang chuckled and said:

"Is it that Shu Aiyang?"

When talking about this name, Zhuge Liang could not hide the teasing look on his face.

Seeing that Zhuge Liang didn't seem to care much about this matter, Meng Guang didn't say much. After bowing to Zhuge Liang, he left the hall.

After Meng Guang left, Zhuge Liang continued to handle the government affairs at hand.

As the number of documents on the desk continued to decrease, a piece of silk book underneath the documents gradually emerged.

After seeing the silk book, Zhuge Liang reached out and pulled it out.

Looking at the four big characters written on the silk book, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but think of what Mi Yang said to him a few days ago:

"Military deterrence alone is not enough, and the Han Dynasty should not ask for tribute.

If you need something, just take it. Why do you need others to contribute?

The reason why there have been so many rebellions in the Western Regions over the past hundred years is that they believe in their hearts that they are not part of China.

Although they did not agree in their hearts, they naturally surrendered when the Han Dynasty was strong. But who could guarantee that the Han Dynasty would not decline in the future?

Today the sword is in our hands, and we must plan for the eternal foundation of the Chinese nation!

I don’t like the name “Western Regions”.”

Zhuge Liang still remembers vividly the generous expression of Mi Yang that day.

Zhuge Liang also remembered that after listening to Mi Yang's last words, he subconsciously asked him: "What kind of name do you like?"

Faced with this question, how did Mi Yang answer him?

Four words are enough.

"Transform the domain into a state!"

Looking at the four inspiring words on the silk book, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but feel hot in his heart.

In the heat, Zhuge Liang raised the brush in his hand again and approved a memorial as if inadvertently.

The following words were written on the report:

"I, General Zhang Yi of Pingxi, am ordered by the Grand Marshal to transfer 50,000 dan of military rations to Yumen Pass!"

Most of the countries in the Western Regions have surrendered, so why does Zhang Yi still need so much food and fodder?

The entry of all envoys from the Western Regions and Eastern Wu into the Sifang Pavilion was an important step that Mi Yang and Zhuge Liang had already agreed upon.

It is better to take advantage of the momentum than to create it!

　Overtime, one chapter today.

(End of this chapter)