I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 300: Joint Protectorate and Mutual Security Treaty!

"..."

Sang Hongyang and She He felt at a loss as to what to do when they heard the conversation between the father and son.

The two of them embody a contradictory father-son relationship that is both harmonious and disharmonious.

Speaking of harmony, it feels like they can't even pee in the same pot, and there are signs of choking as soon as they open their mouths.

To say they were inharmonious, it also felt like their relationship was much more casual than that between an emperor and his subjects. At least after being rebuked by Liu Che, Liu Ju did not feel embarrassed at all and was able to respond with a smile. Liu Che did not seem to have any obvious emotional fluctuations, as if he was just deliberately teasing his son.

So, they don’t know whether it is appropriate for them to continue staying here.

Only Su Wen, who was standing by, lowered his head silently, looking unperturbed by praise or criticism, as if he had already gotten used to it...

"Pretty mature?"

Liu Che snorted and sneered,
"Come on, come on, tell Sang Hongyang and She He about your mature idea and let them judge it. If they think your idea is mature, I will adopt it. If they don't agree with your idea, you should stop interfering in military and political affairs in the future."

"?"

When Sang Hongyang and She He heard this, their hearts immediately tightened again, and difficulty appeared in the depths of their eyes.

Liu Che's decision was tantamount to roasting them on the fire.

Although this matter seemed to be just for the two of them to make a judgment, if you think about it more deeply, it can be regarded as a test of their positions, and there is a hint of hidden meaning in Liu Che's words.

On one side is the emperor, and on the other side is the prince.

If he affirmed the crown prince, he would be standing against the emperor, and Liu Che might even regard him as supporting the crown prince's meddling in military and political affairs...

This was the thing that Liu Che could not tolerate the most, especially military and political affairs. Even the general Wei Qing could only make suggestions and must not interfere without authorization.

To affirm the emperor would mean standing against the future emperor. If one became enemies with the prince because of this, it would obviously not be a wise thing to do.

This is a question that is wrong no matter how you answer it...

When the city gate catches fire, will the fish in the pond be affected?
"..."

Su Wenze looked at his nose and his heart, secretly thanking his lucky stars that his presence was not strong and he escaped this disaster.

As a result, when I was thinking this, I heard Liu Che say:

"Su Wen, you also take part in the judging. The majority will win, so as to avoid a tie that cannot be resolved."

"……promise."

Su Wen trembled when he heard this, and he wanted to die.

As expected, when the emperor and the prince appear together, it is better to dig a hole and bury yourself, and never rely on luck.

Liu Ju didn't care what others thought, he just bowed and thanked him:
"I think that since Wei Man Joseon has submitted a letter of surrender to the Han Dynasty and sent the crown prince to Chang'an as a hostage, if your father sends troops to attack again at this time, you may be criticized for not having the reputation of a righteous army."

Hearing this, Liu Che moved his lower lips, obviously intending to refute Liu Ju.

Upon hearing this, Sang Hongyang and She He also raised their heads and looked at Liu Ju. This was exactly what they had just discussed.

And a result has been discussed. This time Shehe will go to Wiman Joseon and follow Liu Ju's practice in Nanyue and strongly demand Wei Youqu to implement "one country, two policies". Then he will follow Liu Ju's request to Chen State and order Wiman Joseon to hand over the "wartime command" and let the generals sent by the Han Dynasty take over.

If Wei Youqu surrendered, then Wei Man Joseon would have no fangs, and Liu Che's goal would naturally be achieved.

If Wei Youqu refused to surrender, or did something to She He, then Liu Che could justifiably use the excuse that Wei Man Joseon had falsely surrendered and was plotting treason as an excuse to send troops to the Korean Peninsula and attack Chen State from the north and south to destroy it.

Then Liu Ju continued:

"But with Father's wisdom, he must have made up his mind."

"I dare not ask about your father's military and political strategies, let alone comment on your father's military and political strategies. Therefore, I will share my mature ideas with you for your reference. I will just throw out some ideas to inspire others."

"Throwing jade to attract bricks?!"

Liu Che frowned instantly.

Su Wen, Sang Hongyang and She He were also shocked. It was the first time in their lives that they saw someone dare to compare his own ideas to jade and the strategy set by Liu Che to bricks.

Is there anyone in the world who is braver than Liu Ju?
"I was afraid that if I continued to be modest, Father would not allow me to speak, so I decided to be a little arrogant. Please forgive me, Father." Liu Ju laughed.

"In fact, the strategy I proposed today can be summed up in six words: 'Mutual Security Treaty'."

"As far as I know, Wiman Joseon was established during the reign of Emperor Xiaohui. At that time, the Han Dynasty and Wiman Joseon agreed that Wiman Joseon would be a vassal of the Han Dynasty and would protect the borders of the Han Dynasty from being invaded. It would not prevent the leaders of the tribes outside the borders from paying homage to the Han Emperor and the countries from trading with the Han Dynasty. In return, the Han Dynasty would provide Wiman Joseon with a batch of military supplies and economic support every year."

"Because of its status as a vassal of the Han Dynasty and its military and economic support, Wiman Joseon began to constantly invade and conquer neighboring small states, forcing small states such as Jinfan and Limtun to submit in order to protect themselves. As a result, Wiman Joseon's power expanded rapidly, and its territory expanded to a thousand miles today. It dared to be arrogant and confront the Han Dynasty."

"So my son's idea is that the Han Dynasty should now bring out the border map when Wiman Joseon was founded, stand on the high ground of justice and uphold justice, order Wiman Joseon to restore the sovereignty of other small countries on the Korean Peninsula, and help those small countries that have previously submitted to the Han Dynasty to restore their countries."

"This will ensure that our Han Dynasty will be transformed into a messenger of justice, and will have a good reputation among the leaders and subjects of the small countries on the Korean Peninsula. While fully gaining the support of the subjects of the Korean Peninsula, it will also be able to dismember and weaken the current Wei Man Joseon, causing it to fall into internal troubles and unable to effectively organize armed forces to resist the Han army."

"And to achieve this, Father should send more envoys to the Korean Peninsula. While negotiating with Wei Youqu, he should also contact the existing leaders and nobles of other small countries at the same time, and help them restore their countries as a condition, and unite many small countries to sign the 'mutual security treaty' that I just mentioned."

"The so-called 'Mutual Security Treaty' is that our Great Han will take the lead with national strength and military power to guarantee it, station troops on the Korean Peninsula and establish a joint protectorate, and then each country will send representatives to station there, using the joint protectorate as a local arbitration agency to unite many small countries to jointly maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, prevent the recurrence of the phenomenon of Wei Man Joseon bullying the weak, and guarantee the right of small countries to survive. Otherwise, our Great Han will take the lead and urge the small countries to jointly send troops to fight and jointly maintain the authority of the 'Mutual Security Treaty'."

"Of course, in order to maintain the stable operation and garrison of the United Protectorate, all small countries that join the 'Mutual Security Treaty' must pay a membership fee every six months. The Han Dynasty will not use this membership fee privately in name only. It will only be used for the operation and maintenance of the United Protectorate and the support of the army. In addition, the income and expenditure of the United Protectorate will be announced to all countries every year to demonstrate fairness and justice."

"As long as this situation is formed, for a long time in the future, our Han Dynasty will not have to pay too much to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The local situation will also be firmly in our Han Dynasty's hands, and it will not be easy for a thorn like Wei Man Joseon to dominate alone."

"This is what I think. Please make the decision, Father. Please also ask the three ministers to judge."

"..."

After hearing Liu Ju's words, Liu Che and others fell silent, thinking about the feasibility of this "mutual security treaty" and "joint protectorate".

Liu Che had fully understood Liu Ju's meaning.

Bringing out the national border map at the time of the founding of Wiman Joseon and helping the small vassal states that were annexed by Wiman Joseon to restore their sovereignty was indeed very "just", much more "just" than his previous strategies, and could be called the "incarnation of justice".

And those small countries that were forced to submit to Weiman Joseon would certainly have the desire to restore their country.

If the Han Dynasty agrees and supports their restoration of their country, let alone a "mutual security treaty", even if the conditions are more stringent, they should be acceptable.

What's more, Liu Ju also proposed the idea of ​​setting up a "Joint Protectorate" by having the Han Dynasty station troops to farm and garrison troops. This would add another layer of insurance to the "Mutual Security Treaty", so that those small countries would not have to worry about their own national defense in the future and could completely rely on the Han Dynasty for shade.

Of course, "protection fees" still have to be paid. The membership fee is the protection fee, which can greatly reduce the financial pressure of the Han Dynasty.

And even if the "United Protectorate" sends troops, it will not be just the Han Dynasty that sends troops. Other small countries must also send troops together, led by the Han Dynasty to "uphold fairness and justice."

This is simply gaining both fame and fortune, being a whore and pretending to be a saint!
As for whether Wiman Joseon would accept it, it didn't matter. He had already prepared to send troops. If Wiman Joseon insisted on standing on the opposite side of "fairness and justice", then it would not just be a matter of the Han Dynasty and Chen Kingdom attacking Wiman Joseon from the north and south. Other small countries that wanted to restore their country would also join in for their own interests, and the war would only become simpler...

This is an open conspiracy, and the most powerful strategies in the world are often open conspiracies!

This story is good!
This story is exactly what I want, I like it very much!

However, Liu Che did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he glanced at Su Wen, Sang Hongyang and She He and asked calmly:
"What do you three think of his idea of ​​throwing jade to attract bricks?"

Hearing the words "throwing jade to attract bricks" again, Su Wen instantly understood what Liu Che meant, and immediately bowed and said against his will:

"Your Majesty, I think your strategy has its merits, but it also has many inappropriate aspects, and is not as good as the strategy Your Majesty has previously decided."

She He also came back to his senses, avoided Liu Ju's gaze, lowered his eyebrows and said:

"I also think that the strategy that Your Majesty has previously formulated is more foolproof..."

Sang Hongyang then said:
"Since the majority has won, Lord Su and Minister She have already made their judgments, so my judgment is no longer important."

"?"

Su Wen and She He couldn't help but look at Sang Hongyang when they heard this.

This guy is really good at taking advantage of loopholes. If I had known this, I would have been the last one to speak. Wouldn't I have been able to offend neither side like him?
"Eh?"

Liu Ju had a puzzled look on his face and looked at Liu Che curiously. Could it be that my cheap father really had a better idea?

But Liu Che just smiled proudly and waved his hand at Liu Ju:
"I heard you, you are still not mature enough, you can leave now."

Rebellious son, even if you have a brilliant mind, you will ultimately be no match for my ability to rule over people.

Let's go quickly. I will discuss with them how to implement this "Mutual Security Treaty". It's really great!

(End of this chapter)