My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 25 Don’t look at me like that
Upon hearing Shen Tujia's words, Liu Rong, who had originally planned to smile playfully, but took the opportunity to get acquainted with Shen Tujia, immediately fell silent.

——Making peace with a foreign tribe is extremely humiliating no matter what dynasty or generation it is.

But for today's Han family, it is also an indisputable fact that "the border wall cannot be kept stable without marriage."

In fact, as early as the time of Emperor Taizu Gao, the Han family had tried to get rid of the Xiongnu, an external threat that had only just grown strong and powerful, once and for all.

It was just that in the Battle of Pingcheng, Taizu Gao Emperor Liu Bang, who underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, was trapped in the Baideng siege set by the Xiongnu Chanyu: Luota Maodun himself.

Just a short distance away, Liu Bang, the great emperor of the Han Dynasty, almost achieved the extraordinary achievement of "being both the founder of a country and the king of its destruction."

It was also the Battle of Pingcheng and the Siege of Baideng that made Emperor Taizu Gao deeply realize that the Huns could not be eliminated in a short time by the Han family by gritting their teeth and tightening their belts. .

Since then, the Han family has gradually clarified its phased strategic goals: to first eliminate the separatist forces of feudal princes with different surnames and ensure internal stability - at least superficial stability;

Then he gradually planned to suppress and weaken the clan princes in order to completely eliminate internal hidden dangers.

While solving internal problems, try to recuperate and accumulate strength as much as possible;
When the time is right, then concentrate on solving the external problem, that is, the Huns in the north.

Now that the foreign strategic policy of "Growing up first and taking away the last wave" is clear, marriage is naturally a natural choice.

——After Emperor Taizu Gao was trapped in the siege of Baideng, he almost married his eldest daughter, Princess Liu Le of Lu Yuan, to the Huns, but in the end, Empress Dowager Lu desperately tried to stop her.

During the Xiaohui period, Maodun Shanyu insulted Empress Lu in a book. Empress Dowager Lu had such a temper that she had to endure the humiliation and bear the burden.

Maodun Shanyu said: I am a lonely man, and you are a widowed woman. Why don't we each take what we need, enjoy each other, and by the way integrate the inside and outside of the Great Wall into one?

Empress Dowager Lu wrote back: I am already old, my hair is gray, my skin is sagging, and my teeth have fallen out. I am afraid I will not be able to please Shan Yu;

Instead of letting me, an old woman, go to the grasslands to insult Shanyu, it would be better to send some young and beautiful women for Shanyu's enjoyment...

The founding emperor and empress were like this, and subsequent kings naturally had no choice but to continue using this strategy to temporarily appease the Huns through repeated marriages, thereby gaining valuable development time.

Even the late emperor was intolerable when he first came to the throne and intended to fight the Huns. However, after being stabbed in the back by the rebel king Liu Xingju of Jibei, he could only endure his nausea and continue to make peace with the Huns.

But now, it's time for Emperor Qi to endure the humiliation, marry his daughter, and get married in order to achieve a short-term peace...

"Chao Cuo, most likely he is gambling."

"——Bet that the Huns will not receive the news before Liu Bi is crowned. Even if they get the news, they will not have time to go south to invade."

"But I can't gamble, and your Majesty can't gamble."

"Even if we can't ensure that the Huns will not go south, we should at least do something to reduce the probability of the Huns stepping in."

"It's just His Majesty's side..."

As he said this, Shen Tujia couldn't help but sighed again, obviously distressed by Emperor Qi's eagerness.

——Emperor Qishen was afraid that King Wu Liu Bi would raise an army to avenge the dead Prince Wu, so he wanted to strike first. This is of course understandable.

It also makes sense to force Liu Bi to rebel as soon as possible to prevent Liu Bi from accumulating more power.

But the Huns will need time...

Leaving aside other aspects, getting married also takes time...

"If 'the Huns will go south' is the prerequisite, then this vassal cannot be reduced under any circumstances."

"Don't talk about fighting on two fronts, dealing with the foreign barbarian Huns and the internal traitor Liu Bi at the same time - even if we use the strength of the whole country and concentrate on dealing with the Huns, it will be difficult for our Han family to get an advantage."

"In the end, the Huns probably wasted their time and our Han family destroyed the border wall."

"In order to rebuild after the war, all the wealth that the late emperor had accumulated for more than 20 years must be smashed into the rotten side wall..." At this point, Shen Tujia finally turned around and stood up carefully while facing his side. Liu Rong is meditating in the pavilion.

"This is why I asked Your Majesty to lend me the young master for three days."

"——I can't tell His Majesty these things."

"Your Majesty, you have been blinded by hatred and confused by Wu Wang Liu Bi."

"If I tell His Majesty these words, His Majesty will probably make the same choice as Chao Cuo in the end: bet that the Huns will not go south..."

After saying this, Shen Tujia sighed again and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he turned to face Liu Rong and raised his hands solemnly.

"If the young master had not put himself in danger, I would never have had the opportunity today to ask your Majesty to listen to my opinions."

"Young Master can see your Majesty's thoughts very clearly - at least better than a stubborn old man like me."

"So, I would like to ask the young master to give you some advice: How can we calm down His Majesty and first solve the hidden danger that the Huns may take advantage of the situation, and then consider reducing the vassal state?"

"How can we make His Majesty, the once extremely calm, even 'cold' Majesty, reappear on the imperial couch in the Xuanshi Palace?"

Asking this question sincerely, Shen Tujia even ignored the difference in identity and status between the two parties and decided to bow down.

This was painful for Liu Rong - his butt was smashed, so he could only bear the pain and took two steps forward to help the old prime minister up before Shen Tujia bowed his back.

The talk was nothing more than a matter of lightning. Liu Rong had already helped Shen Tujia up, and immediately picked up the robe behind him with a grin on his face, and shook it carefully.

The stinging pain finally eased a bit, and he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a pale face;

He pursed his lips, lowered his head and thought for a long time, and then tentatively said: "Therefore, Marquis An just said that in addition to making peace, it is best to let the Huns have something to do, so as to ensure that after Liu Bi raises his troops, the Huns Won’t go south.”

"Then if the Huns themselves have something to do, they would have no time to go south..."

As soon as these words came out, Shen Tujia's pupils suddenly shrank, and in the blink of an eye, countless possibilities flashed through his mind!
After a moment, Shen Tujia calmed down and shook his head again: "If this is really the case, it would be great."

"But even if this is true, we must at least contact the descendants of Chang'an Marquis and Han Wangxin in the grassland to confirm the authenticity of the news."

"It's just that the grassland is thousands or tens of thousands of miles away from Chang'an, and we come back and forth, plus delivering news and confirming news..."

"——Alas~"

"Your Majesty, you will not give me so much time..."

After saying this, Shen Tujia seemed to have finally accepted his fate and no longer hoped that Liu Rong could come up with any effective suggestions, so he turned around and looked north again.

Behind Shen Tujia, Liu Rong, the eldest son of the emperor, was holding the pavilion pillar with one hand and pinching the back of his robe with the other hand - fanning his back with a grin on his face and getting entangled at the same time.

I don’t know how long it took, but I finally gritted my teeth secretly.

"If I say, I have some..."

"Well, through inhumane means, we have obtained the news that the Huns will be 'very busy' in the next few years..."

·
"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Don't look at me like that, Marquis An. I, I just said it casually..."

"No, I'm not a monster, why are you looking at me like this?!"

(End of this chapter)