I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 483 For the Han
Sang Hongyang indeed regarded Guan Zhong as his idol, and also yearned for Su Qin's deeds of being awarded seals of six kingdoms, hoping that one day he would be able to become a general or a prime minister, and be granted land and a title.

In other words, this kind of thinking is success in the mainstream sense in this era.

Unfortunately, his life was not easy.

Although he was an indispensable hero of Emperor Wu of Han's reign, and perhaps even more important than Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, he was branded as "competing with the people for profit" for Emperor Wu of Han, and he was also born into a humble merchant family of that era.

The final result was that although he finally became one of the four ministers appointed by Emperor Liu Che, he was never granted a title or appointed as a prime minister until his death.

However, after hearing Liu Ju's words, Sang Hongyang may not have understood the true meaning of "local specialties". His worries deepened, and he frowned and advised:

"Please think twice, Your Highness. His Majesty's edict has been delivered. Although a general may not obey the orders of the emperor when he is away from home, His Majesty has never been one to interfere in the war on the front line. Now that His Majesty has ordered Your Highness to return and report, there must be a reason for it. Your Highness must not act arbitrarily, otherwise it may be disadvantageous to Your Highness."

Sang Hongyang couldn't have said this any more clearly.

Anyone with a brain would be able to understand what he is saying and make the best choice for themselves.

In Sang Hongyang's view, Liu Ju was by no means a fool. He spoke so bluntly that he even felt like he was insulting Liu Ju's intelligence.

But I can't feel at ease without telling him.

After all, Liu Ju's words just now clearly showed that he was going to disobey the imperial order, and he seemed to be prepared to go all the way to the end. This was definitely not a trivial matter.

"Sang Nong Ling may not know what the local specialties of the Western Regions are."

Liu Ju continued to talk to himself.
"In fact, in addition to special products such as camels and grapes, the Western Regions are also rich in achievements that have earned them titles of nobility and generals. Sang Nong Ling should know that since coming to the Western Regions, Zhao Po Nu, Wang Hui, Dongfang Yu and others have successively made achievements that have earned them titles of nobility. The other officials and generals have also made contributions, and at the very least, they can be promoted to higher positions."

"Although Lord Sang Nong is already a high-ranking official, he shouldn't be satisfied with just this, right?"

"In my opinion, Sang Nongling can also be awarded a title of nobility. With a fief and fiefdom, he can also provide protection for his descendants, allowing the Sang family to completely escape the embarrassing situation of being born into a merchant family."

"..."

However, after hearing this, Sang Hongyang's expression changed slightly, but he remained silent for a moment before continuing to persuade:

"I appreciate your kindness, Your Highness, but returning to the capital to report is the most important matter and must not be delayed."

"Your Highness, please do not embarrass me, nor do you empress Wei and your Highness's wife who are far away in Chang'an. And please do not let your Majesty down."

"I have been following Your Majesty for decades, and I have never seen Your Majesty miss anyone so much."

"If Your Highness does not return as soon as possible, I am afraid that His Majesty will be hurt. Please think twice!"

Although these words were meant to appeal to Liu Ju's emotions, they actually contained a hint of "threat". It was more like a reminder to Liu Ju that he still had his mother and wife left in Chang'an, and that he must not do anything irrational for their sake.

On the contrary, Sang Hongyang remained rational enough in the face of Liu Ju's temptation and did not change his position.

And this can also be seen through these words.

Sang Hongyang was not mindlessly supporting Liu Che, nor was he inclined towards Liu Ju. He was supporting the Han Dynasty and his first consideration was the national interests of the Han Dynasty. Now that Liu Che and Liu Ju were in harmony, the best thing for the Han Dynasty.

His performance also won Liu Ju's heartfelt respect, so he finally relaxed a little:

"It doesn't matter if Commander Sang Nong is not interested in the local specialties of the Western Regions. Then please go back and report to my father that the Xiongnu have now moved to the area of ​​Shache State, which is less than 2,000 miles away from the Pamir Mountains."

"The Congling area is full of high mountains and steep cliffs, with only one navigable corridor running north and south. As long as we guard these two corridors, the countries in the Western Regions will be in the embrace of the Han Dynasty and will not be able to escape easily."

"Forcing the Xiongnu to leave the Pamir Mountains and firmly control these two corridors will have far-reaching strategic significance for the Han Dynasty."

"So it's not that I'm delaying on purpose, it's just that this is a very serious matter."

"As long as we wait for the Xiongnu to cross the Pamir Mountains and enter the territory of the Great Yuezhi, I will send troops to guard the two corridors and immediately set off to return to the capital to report without delay. This way, Sang Nong Ling will be relieved, right?"

Upon hearing this, Sang Hongyang looked at Liu Ju scrutinizingly, as if he was considering the truthfulness of his words.

But it was not a question of whether he believed it or not, because even if he had Liu Che's edict and staff, he could not force Liu Ju, the prince who commanded a large army.

You must know that since Wei Qing passed away.

The soldiers he brought with him have also been incorporated into Liu Ju's army. Liu Ju now controls almost one-third of the elite troops of the Han Dynasty.

Even though Zhao Po Nu is still the commander-in-chief now, Liu Ju is still the Central Guard General.

But Sang Hongyang had already realized that Zhao Po Nu was only the commander-in-chief in name only, and military affairs and the affairs of the Western Regions would ultimately have to be decided by Liu Ju.

Moreover, Zhao Po Nu and other generals in the army had no objection to this. Instead, they showed their wholehearted cooperation.

Therefore, if Liu Ju really wants to establish his own regime, the area outside Yumen Pass is where he can do whatever he wants. Even if Liu Che sends a large army to suppress him, he may not be able to gain any advantage.

Besides, could Liu Che do this?
Although the remaining two-thirds of the elite troops were still in Liu Che's hands, there were still generals available in the court.

However, most of those generals were old subordinates of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Liu Che might not be able to rest assured if he asked them to come and destroy Liu Ju.

What's more, destroying Liu Ju would be a civil war.

Using two-thirds of the Han elite to wipe out one-third of the Han elite will only result in the Han elite suffering heavy losses, which may not be better than the current situation of the Huns.

Therefore, Liu Che must be cautious in this matter.

Also.

What Liu Ju didn't know was that Sang Hongyang actually carried a secret edict from Emperor Wu of Han.

This secret decree could only be taken out at the last step, and it was given to Zhao Po Nu and other generals in the army.

In the secret decree, Liu Che ordered Zhao Po Nu and other generals in the army to obey Sang Hongyang's orders. To put it bluntly, he was forcing them to choose sides between Liu Che and Liu Ju, completely sidelining Liu Ju and forcibly bringing him back to Chang'an.

By then, even if Liu Ju had ulterior motives, he would become a commander without any soldiers under his command and would not be able to cause any trouble.

no doubt.

After all, Liu Che was still wary of Liu Ju.

If Liu Ju had been obedient, then Liu Che's feelings for him would have been "missing".

If Liu Ju disobeyed, then Liu Che would be the ruthless and iron-blooded emperor.

Sang Hongyang naturally did not want things to develop to this point... Although he had followed Liu Che for decades, he had also had many contacts with Liu Ju and knew what kind of talents Liu Ju possessed.

Therefore, he also believed from the bottom of his heart that Liu Ju was the most suitable heir among the current princes, and it would be a blessing for the Han Dynasty if he could succeed to the throne.

And once this secret decree is issued.

That would mean that Liu Ju had lost control, and Liu Che would never be kind to him again after he returned, and the relationship between father and son would probably come to an end.

On the way here, Sang Hongyang was thinking.

Fortunately, Liu Che sent himself. If he had sent someone with ulterior motives and ill intentions towards Liu Ju, he would have deliberately manipulated the situation and released the secret decree. Even if Liu Ju had no ulterior motives, Liu Che was not sure whether Liu Ju had any ulterior motives. The situation would also be beyond Liu Che's control and eventually turn into a tragedy similar to "Prince Fusu of Qin Dynasty". In fact, Liu Ju did not know about this.

I don’t know what Sang Hongyang is thinking at this moment.

If he knew, he would definitely slap his thigh and praise the decision he made.

Because the "Witchcraft Disaster" in history actually happened in this way, and Liu Ju in history was forced to start an army in this way. The source of everything was Liu Che's self-righteousness.

In the end, after playing the eagle's political machine all his life, he was pecked in the eye by the eagle in the end.

And now.

Sang Hongyang was unwilling to issue this secret decree, but it was inconvenient for him to force Liu Ju. The most important thing was that he felt that the Pamir strategy mentioned by Liu Ju did make some sense and was no less important than attacking the Huns.

So after hesitating for a moment, he said with some embarrassment:

"I wonder how long it will take to achieve this strategic goal, Your Highness? The distance is less than 2,000 miles, and the Xiongnu are being pursued by the Han army. I think the marching speed should not be too slow, right?"

"The Xiongnu migrated with their families this time. Because of the shortage of supplies, they also had to plunder other countries' cities along the way."

Liu Ju pretended to think about it and said in a formal tone,
"Therefore, I estimate that it will take the Xiongnu two months to cross the Pamir Mountains. In addition, our army will need at least four months to station troops and fortify the two important corridors on the Pamir Mountains, transport supplies, and build the most basic passes."

"About half a year."

"Half a year..."

Sang Hongyang really didn't expect Liu Ju to ask for such a high price.

Liu Ju continued to speak to himself:
"Sang Nong Ling can send someone back to pass on the message to my father, and you can stay here and complete this task with me. In half a year, we will return to the capital together to report."

"In addition, Sang Nong Ling also knows that my ultimate goal of this expedition is to open up the trade route to the Western Regions."

"Now that the situation is so good, it is the best time to establish and consolidate this trade route. Sang Nong Ling is best at calculating benefits. The account books I asked Han Ling to write down were actually prepared for Sang Nong Ling. It is a good opportunity to ask Sang Nong Ling to study them and formulate a win-win strategy that is beneficial to our Han Dynasty and can convince the Western Regions along the way."

"Only by achieving win-win cooperation can this trade route be truly stable and long-lasting. Only under the leadership of 'NATO' can we spontaneously contribute our strength to resist the barbarians who destroy the trade route. Sang Nong Ling should have no objection to this, right?"

"I have no objection to this..."

Even though he did not agree with Liu Ju's "half-year period", Sang Hongyang was deeply moved by Liu Ju's strategy.

Making some appropriate concessions and achieving win-win cooperation with the countries in the Western Regions is the lowest-cost approach to maintaining this trade route.

Otherwise, there is a saying that goes "A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake". If these countries, out of jealousy, continue to rob caravans and block roads, the Han Dynasty will have to send heavy troops to station and guard them, and will inevitably have to send troops to attack the few countries that stand out to deter other countries. Once this large army is stationed and takes action, it will not be possible to make up for it by giving up those small profits.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble Sang Nong Ling to take care of this matter. Everything is for the sake of the Han people."

Liu Ju smiled and nodded, then held Sang Hongyang's hand and shook it vigorously.

"…For the sake of the big man."

Sang Hongyang repeated himself unconsciously, but he always felt that there were still topics that had not been discussed, but Liu Ju seemed to want to end the conversation.

Then I saw Liu Ju turned around and walked out, saying as he walked:

"Ling Sang Nong has been traveling all the way. I will order someone to prepare a dinner to welcome him tonight."

"Your Highness, wait a minute?"

Sang Hongyang shouted quickly.

Liu Ju just made a "come on" gesture to him:

"For the big man."

"For the big man?"

When Sang Hongyang heard this sentence again, he felt that he had heard another layer of meaning. This sentence seemed to be a double entendre, and Liu Ju seemed to be deliberately pointing at him.

The "Congling" plan is for the Han Dynasty.

This trade route is for the Han Dynasty.

Is Liu Ju delaying his return to the capital to report for the sake of the Han Dynasty?

Is this what you mean?

But why does it sound like a threat...

……

Chang'an, Weiyang Palace.

"Sang Hongyang is staying in the Western Regions temporarily?"

When Liu Che saw the messenger sent back by Sang Hongyang, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder whether Liu Ju had learned some magic that could bewitch people.

After all, ever since Liu Ju went to the Western Regions, none of the envoys he sent to convey imperial edicts returned safely. Dongfang Yu and Zhao Qian were forcibly recruited by Liu Ju to be envoys, and Wei Lu defected to the enemy during his mission to the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu. If nothing unexpected happened, he would never be able to return.

Now even Sang Hongyang, who went to deliver the imperial edict, not only failed to recall Liu Ju immediately, but also temporarily stayed in the Western Regions, and would not return with Liu Ju until half a year later...

If others are not strong enough.

So what about Sang Hongyang?

Although Liu Che was only a few years older than Sang Hongyang, Sang Hongyang had already entered the palace to be his study companion when he was in his early teens. It is no exaggeration to say that he watched Sang Hongyang grow up.

Therefore, Liu Che felt that he could use the saying "No one knows a son better than his father" to describe his understanding of Sang Hongyang, no matter what kind of person he was.

This shouldn't have happened to Sang Hongyang!
"This rebellious son keeps delaying his return. What on earth does he want to do?"

The next moment Liu Che's expression turned cold.

Although he did not want Sang Hongyang to use the secret decree, Liu Ju, who was supposed to return after the great victory at Gu Shi, found various reasons to delay.

The most important thing is that as time goes by, Liu Ju's power in the Western Regions is expanding rapidly, which has caused him considerable concerns.

If Sang Hongyang had gone this time, Liu Ju would have come back obediently to report.

Then Liu Che's worries would disappear, and he would tell himself that he was overthinking.

And now, he must take precautions!

(End of this chapter)