I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 612 Returning Home Rich and Rich
After more than three months of hard work, Liu Xi and Liu Miao finally led their team to Yumen Pass. During this period, some people were left on the road due to illness, but fortunately, the officials along the way had prepared medicines and doctors, so most of these sick people were properly cared for.

At Yumen Pass, the two met the person who was waiting for them there - Liu Fan.

During Liu Fan's self-introduction, Liu Xi learned that he was the eldest son of the current Zongzheng. He gave up a bright future in the court and chose to open up the Western Regions. In Liu Xi's view, this was exactly the same person as him!

Moreover, facing Liu Xi's endless questions about the Western Regions, Liu Fan did not feel bored at all. He answered them one by one, and there was almost nothing he did not know.

So, after Cheng Yu, Liu Fan also gained a little fan.

After setting out from Yumen Pass, Liu Fan introduced the situation in the Western Regions to Liu Xi and Liu Miao.

The three of them rode on camels, walking side by side. The sound of camel bells rang out, setting off the melodious scene of the yellow sand Gobi in the distance.

Liu Xi was a little dazed for a moment.

This was a scene he would never see in Langya Kingdom.

Then, Liu Fan's words brought Liu Xi back to his senses.

"In the early years, in order to guard against the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty stationed troops in both the front and rear of Cheshi State. Now the Xianbei people were defeated by Xu Duhu, and the remnants fled far away. Cheshi State suffered great damage because of the Xianbei people. The location of the country is just right for stationing troops and cultivating farmland, and it can also prevent the Xianbei people from returning."

"The current Vice Commandant of the Western Regions, Hu Zhen, is there. Do you think the Vice Commandant of the Western Regions does not sound like the deputy commander of the Western Regions Protectorate? In fact, many people think so. Its origin is to manage the Western Regions Colonial Farm Commandant... However, Protector General Xu has already written a letter requesting that the Vice Commandant be changed to Vice Protector General. This way it will be simple and clear."

"Except Hu Gong, the King of Chen, the King of Hejian, and the King of Dongping all went to Cheshi State... Actually, originally the two divisions of Cheshi State only intended to go to the two kings. Later, when the king decided to come to the Western Regions, the King of Hejian went to Cheshi State and left a good place for the king."

"My brother and I are from the same royal family and are of the same generation... I have been following my brother for a long time, so there is no need to call me the king..." Liu Xi emphasized.

Liu Fan nodded and agreed: "What the King of Hejian left behind is Haitou City."

Haitou City?
Liu Xi was a little puzzled: "Isn't that the original seat of the Western Regions Chief Secretary?"

He felt looked down upon.

He would instinctively appear in a more dangerous place rather than a place that had already been well managed by the Han Dynasty.

Liu Xi's thoughts were almost undisguised in Liu Fan's eyes. Liu Fan, who had already taken care of several younger brothers, understood this kind of young man's thoughts very well, and immediately said: "Although Haitou City was once the seat of the Western Regions Chief Secretary's Office, it is not the seat of the Western Regions Protectorate now."

"Protector Xu has long been planning to move the Western Regions Protectorate to Wulei City between Yanqi and Qiuci... It was the seat of the Western Regions Protectorate more than 200 years ago. Later, when Ban Dingyuan redeveloped the Western Regions, he also established the Western Regions Protectorate here. And Haitou City is not as peaceful as you think."

Wulei City is Luntai.

Liu Xi wanted to ask in detail, but Liu Fan gave him a mysterious smile - "You will know when you get there."

After seeing Liu Fan's statement, Liu Miao realized that even if Haitou City was not peaceful, it would not be a big problem, so he did not get involved.

Liu Fan continued to introduce the general strategy of the Western Regions to Liu Xi, attracting Liu Xi's attention and not asking any more questions - "When the Protectorate is stabilized in Wulei City, combined with the Cheshi Kingdom's military farming, the northern part of the Western Regions will be settled."

"The southern part of the Western Regions has benefited a lot from the trade route, so we can slowly develop it..." At this point, Liu Fan still revealed some information to Liu Xi and Liu Miao, "When the southern countries saw that the Han Dynasty sent so many people here, they couldn't help but feel suspicious."

……

By the time Liu Xi arrived at Haitou City, his curiosity had been almost exhausted along the way.

Although the scenery of the Western Regions was spectacular, Liu Xi had gotten used to it after seeing it for a long time, and he even felt homesick. However, as the dignified King of Langya, he naturally did not want to give up halfway.

After arriving at Haitou City, he finally understood what problem Liu Fan was talking about.

——"Your Majesty has come from afar, so as the host, I must show my hospitality!"

"Haitou City and Loulan City are the original territories of our Shanshan Kingdom... It's a pity that Loulan City has been abandoned..."

"No, why would we object to the royal army stationing troops here? If the royal army had not been so powerful and driven away the Xianbei people in the past, we Shanshan people would have been oppressed by the Xianbei people!"

"I only regret that the people of Shanshan have been oppressed by the Xianbei for a long time. Our country is poor and we cannot provide any help to the royal army stationed here."

"However, the Puchang Sea is full of salt water. The reason why Loulan City was abandoned in the past was because there was a lack of water that could be used for drinking and farming... The current Haitou City seems to be able to support a lot of people. I am only worried that when Haitou City has more people, it will become the same as Loulan City in the past... That would be a pity..."

Liu Xi listened to what King Bi of Shanshan said. At first, when he saw King Bi of Shanshan welcoming him with a smile, he also smiled back and just listened to Liu Fan and Liu Miao talking to him. Then, he heard the slightly hidden meaning in King Bi of Shanshan's words, and the smile on the corner of his mouth disappeared - he thought King Bi of Shanshan really welcomed him.

When Liu Xi heard the King of Shanshan compare Haitou City to the almost abandoned City of Loulan due to lack of water to irrigate the fields, he frowned.

As Shanshan King Bi became more and more explicit and almost expressed his unwillingness to have the Han Dynasty send more people to cultivate the land, Liu Xi could no longer sit still. At this moment, he suddenly noticed that Liu Fan winked at him.

Liu Xi stood up all of a sudden like a lit firecracker!

This action frightened King Bi of Shanshan.

He came back to his senses and immediately asked: "I wonder what's wrong with the king? Is the food and wine not to your taste? Alas, the products of the Western Regions are like this... The king will need to get used to it in Haitou City in the future..."

"Am I being too reasonable and polite with you?" Liu Xi asked angrily.

"Ah...where do I start?" King Bi of Shanshan was stunned.

"Call me King!" Liu Xi was still furious. "Since we met, you have been saying something else - I thought you didn't know that it was the Han Dynasty that sent troops from afar to drive out the Xianbei people!"

"I dare not! I dare not..." King Shanshan made excuses again and again.

"Since you don't dare, do you think that I, the King of Langya of the Han Dynasty, am weak and can be bullied?" Liu Xi approached the King of Shanshan. His young body looked like a god in his eyes. "Remember, I am the King of Langya of the Han Dynasty!"

After Liu Xi finished speaking, the scene fell silent for a moment.

Not long after, King Bi of Shanshan left in a hurry.

Liu Xi asked Liu Fan with some concern: "Brother, the King of Shanshan will not be angry and bring troops back for revenge after returning, right?"

"He doesn't dare." "That's good, so we don't have to kill him now."

Liu Fan: ???
……

It was June, and after the summer harvest and planting, Liu Bian went out on tour again.

After Empress Dowager He told Liu Bian about her wish to return home, Liu Bian had already begun to prepare.

In fact, strictly speaking, the best time for the emperor to go on tour is October. At that time, the farmers are done with work and the emperor's tour is to give people a chance to see him. Normally, the emperor welcomes the people to greet him on the roadside, although this kind of welcome may very likely become a political show.

The last time he went on a tour of Jizhou, Liu Bian specifically ordered that these be waived in order to avoid this situation. Even he himself had very little time to interact with the Doushi Zuoshi and the common people, and it was mostly the folk customs that were done. This time, Liu Bian planned to go even further into the people, just like when he went to Kaifeng County. I just don't know if he can meet the next Zhao Yi.

Before setting out, Liu Bian issued an edict, announcing that the purpose of this trip to Nanyang was "to spread the teachings, examine the people far and near, and resolve grievances."

In layman's terms, Nanyang was the imperial hometown of Emperor Guangwu, and there were many old noble families. They were targeted when the land was measured. The noble families and the common people were all civilians, and Liu Bian's trip was to publicize the emperor's grace and eliminate the people's grievances.

Of course, it would be a good deal to stop by the Empress Dowager's hometown, Wancheng, the county seat of Nanyang.

Nanyang County is adjacent to Henan Yin, so travel is actually very convenient. By mid-June, Liu Bian arrived in Wancheng.

In fact, not only Empress Dowager He, but even He Miao has not returned to Wancheng for many years.

He Jin's whereabouts were relatively free. He came back several times over the years. This time, he had already made preparations in Wancheng before Liu Bian's trip set off.

Therefore, after arriving in Wancheng, accommodation for Liu Bian and his accompanying officials had already been arranged.

When Empress Dowager He returned to the home where she grew up, she was in high spirits. She took Liu Bian around the house and introduced him to interesting things that happened in her childhood.

By the way, it makes up for her regret of not being able to accompany Liu Bian's childhood.

As she was talking, Empress Dowager He suddenly thought of Shi Zimiao, who had raised Liu Bian. She asked, "Since Shi Daoren went on a journey, we haven't heard from him for so many years... My son, do you know where Shi Daoren is?"

If Liu Bian might occasionally worry about Shi Daoren's sudden appearance at the beginning, then later on, he no longer cared about it. In Liu Bian's impression, Shi Daoren was a smart man.

But he had indeed not heard any news about Shi Dao Ren.

"Back then, my father had issued a document, hoping to find a historian and reward him, but in the end, nothing happened..."

"He won't..." Empress Dowager He thought of a possibility and covered her mouth with her hand. Then she said, "It shouldn't be the case. Shi Daoren is a master of Taoism. He will definitely be able to turn danger into safety."

Sensing that Empress Dowager He was still struggling with Liu Bian's childhood, Liu Bian said, "Don't worry, mother. I will ask the officials to publish the court bulletin and look for the teacher... After so many years of wandering, maybe he wants to settle down?"

Empress Dowager He smiled and agreed: "After all these years, I still haven't had the chance to thank him in person for raising you so well."

"Well, there will be a chance... Mother, let's go to the next place..."

"it is good."

……

In addition to accompanying Empress Dowager He, Liu Bian did not forget another important purpose of his visit to Nanyang. A few days later, Liu Bian was fortunate to meet an official on the road, and after conferring favors on the officials, he walked to see the deployment without using a sedan chair. As a result, all the officials in Nanyang were delighted.

Next, his next stop was the old residence of Emperor Guangwu. It was impossible for Liu Bian to come to Nanyang without visiting this place to pay homage to the emperor, and Caiyang County, where the old residence was located, was still south of Wancheng.

At the same time, in a village in Yiyang County on the way of the inspection, a woman came to a courtyard with cheerful steps.

"Sister-in-law, have you heard that the emperor will pass by us on his way to Caiyang County... I just heard from the headman, who said that the emperor will come in ten days or so. When the time comes, we can all go to the roadside to watch! Who knows, there may be rewards!"

The woman called A'sao looked to be at least fifty years old. When she heard the other woman coming, she quickly brought out a plate of cakes from the house. The woman who spoke first was not polite and poured her a bowl of water without being asked. It was obvious that the two had a very close relationship.

"When the time comes, we'll go down to the fields and weed out the grass, and then go and see."

"If you ask me, why does sister-in-law have to work so hard... Before, she was called Yan... Oh, by the way, now she's called Wen Chang..."

"We are all family, so just call me Ayan."

"I also think Ayan is a good person... Didn't Ayan want to take you away to enjoy a good life a long time ago? Now Ayan has become successful!" The woman finished a piece of cake and drooled.

"Alas... Ayan is so busy that he doesn't even have time to marry a new wife. I'm living well here, so why should I bother him? Just let him focus on his work."

"That's what you don't understand, sister-in-law... I heard people say that for people like us who are of low birth, if there are people who are well educated or have abilities like Ayan, we don't have to rush to marry a new wife... We can marry the daughters of the big families in the future... In the past, the big families still paid attention to matching, but now they are not so particular. In my opinion, sister-in-law's good days are still to come!"

"I didn't think so much about it. I just wanted to have my grandchildren soon."

"Auntie, your good days are still here." The woman ate cakes while talking, surprisingly fast. "By the way, didn't Ayan say before that he would take Aunie to Luoyang... I heard that many officials from Luoyang followed the emperor this time, I wonder if Ayan will come... Counting it up, Ayan hasn't been back for seven or eight months, except for sending people to deliver money every month..."

"Yeah!" The voice was a little low.

Just at this moment, she vaguely heard the sound of horse hooves outside... The last time she heard such horse hooves sounds was when her son came back.

"There's some noise, sister-in-law. Could it really be A'yan coming back?" The woman said this, but she saw that her sister-in-law had already gotten up and gone out.

She stuffed the small piece of cake in her hand into her mouth, took a sip of water, picked up a new piece of cake, and followed him out.

She also heard the sound of horse hooves.

After going out, she saw a very majestic-looking figure had dismounted from the horse and knelt in front of her sister-in-law.

"I'm really back!" She took another bite of the pastry.

Then she said hello to Wei Yan and left, giving mother and son time to reunite after a long separation.

(End of this chapter)