I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 485: The Emperor of the Han Dynasty is so blessed
Again, the Huns had crossed the Pamir Mountains and were now wreaking havoc on the land of the Great Yuezhi.

The Dayuezhi originally lived in the Hexi Corridor area and were quite powerful in the beginning. Even Maodun Chanyu, a key figure in the rise of the Xiongnu, had been a hostage in the Dayuezhi. Later, he took the opportunity to escape back to the Xiongnu, and then trained soldiers and killed his father, which contributed to the strength of the Xiongnu.

It was also for this reason that Maodun Chanyu had some hatred with the Dayuezhi.

Soon the Dayuezhi were attacked by the rising Maodun Chanyu, and their king was killed. The destroyed Dayuezhi people then began to migrate westward, fleeing all the way to the west of the Pamir Mountains, where they surrendered to the local Bactria Kingdom and were therefore taken in.

However, it didn't take long for the Dayuezhi to discover that the strength of the Great Xia Kingdom was just so-so.

So the Yuezhi began to rebel, and after a series of wars, they finally established the relatively powerful Kushan Empire.

Didn’t Emperor Liu Che always send envoys to search for Sindhu (ancient India)? At that time, the territory of the Kushan Empire had expanded to Sindhu, and to the Kushan Empire, it was almost as if it had reached Sindhu.

But that all happened later.

The Yuezhi are still more than a hundred years away from establishing the Kushan Empire, and they are still a vassal state of the Bactria Kingdom.

In fact, when Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions, he had in-depth exchanges with the Dayuezhi. His purpose was to persuade the Dayuezhi to take revenge on the Xiongnu and return to their homeland in the Hexi Corridor.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

At that time, the situation between the Han Dynasty and the Huns was still unclear, and Liu Che had not even launched the Mayi Plan. Based on the previous dynasties' understanding of the Huns, he naturally had many concerns in his heart and hoped to win over more allies.

What's more, the Battle of Hexi had not yet taken place at that time, and the Hexi Corridor was not the territory of the Han Dynasty.

If Liu Che were asked to persuade Dayuezhi to come back now, he would definitely not agree. Not to mention there is no door, there is not even a window. This place has belonged to our Han Dynasty since ancient times!
This series of events can be used to rank the military strength of various forces.

The most powerful nation at the moment is naturally the Han Dynasty. The Xiongnu have been beaten by the Han army and have moved westward like the Yuezhi.

The second most powerful group was the Huns. After they crossed the Pamir Mountains, the Yuezhi people instantly became lambs to be slaughtered. Their land, population and livestock were being plundered on a large scale.

The third most powerful was the Great Yuezhi.

Although the Yuezhi were no match for the Xiongnu, they were able to defeat the indigenous people of Bactria and eventually establish the Kushan Empire. This shows that the Yuezhi were still stronger than the local Bactria people.

The Kushan Empire even annexed many territories of the Parthian Empire, which bordered it.

That is to say, the four largest countries in the world at that time were the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu, the Parthian Empire and the Qin Dynasty (Rome).

Apart from the fact that the Qin Dynasty was far away in the Mediterranean region and had no chance of military conflict with any country or force related to the Han Dynasty for the time being, the Xiongnu and Parthia were definitely no match for the Han Dynasty.

But even so, Liu Ju knew that the Qin Dynasty was not up to the task either.

Although a military reformer named Marius emerged in the Qin Dynasty during this period, many wars in later generations have long proved to the world how powerless and desperate the Western armies were when facing the "Scourge of God".

Not to mention the big man who drove away the "Whip of God"...

But this is all for later.

The "Whip of God" could not reach the Mediterranean for the time being. Moreover, the reason why the Yuezhi people settled west of the Pamir Mountains was because there was land with lush grass and water, and the Huns also liked such land.

And one month after the Huns crossed the Pamir Mountains.

Liu Ju met the envoys sent by Dayuezhi, who came to request to join the "Western Alliance" and hoped to obtain military assistance from the "Western Alliance" to drive the Huns out of their land.

"If I remember correctly, I have previously sent envoys to invite the Great Yuezhi to join the 'Western Alliance'."

After hearing the request of the Dayuezhi envoy, Liu Ju pondered and said.

"Indeed, Your Highness has a very good memory."

The envoy from Dayuezhi thought that Liu Ju agreed, and nodded repeatedly.

But Liu Ju suddenly changed the subject and said:

"If I remember correctly, your queen refused at that time. It seems that she said that the Great Yuezhi was still outside the Pamir Mountains. Even if the Xiongnu had a long arm, it would be difficult for them to cross the Western Regions to attack the Great Yuezhi. Therefore, there was no need for the Great Yuezhi to join the Western Alliance to jointly resist the Xiongnu."

Yes, now the king of Dayuezhi is a queen.

According to historical records, when Zhang Qian was sent as an envoy to Dayuezhi, the king of Dayuezhi was a queen. It is not known whether the person has been replaced after several decades.

If she hasn't changed, then the queen must be quite old.

"This……"

The Great Yuezhi envoy immediately looked embarrassed. He knew this, of course. After all, before coming on a diplomatic mission, he must first understand the specific situation.

But he really didn't expect that this young Han prince would speak so directly and naturally.

The most important thing is that he has no idea what the Han prince in front of him is thinking, whether he agrees to Dayuezhi joining the "Western Alliance" and then mobilizes the "Western Alliance" coalition forces to rescue Dayuezhi.

Or should I just sit back and watch as Dayuezhi is destroyed by the Xiongnu again...

Then Liu Ju continued:

"When my envoys invited Dayuezhi, they declined. I didn't force them. Now that Dayuezhi is being invaded by the Xiongnu, they want to join the Western Alliance and borrow the troops from the Western Alliance to resist the Xiongnu."

"You guys are making it very difficult for me to handle this."

"I suddenly remembered a sentence. You can come and taste it. It's called 'You ignored me in the past, but now I'm too high for you'. Doesn't it rhyme?"

"..."

The face of the Dayuezhi envoy began to turn red and white again. These words were full of sarcasm, and it really made people wonder how to respond.

However, the Great Yue Clan was in imminent danger, and he had the important responsibility of being the queen. He could not just go back like this, even if he had to sacrifice his dignity. So he could only bite the bullet and laugh dryly:
"Your Highness, there may be some misunderstanding. Although our country has not accepted the invitation to join NATO, we have no intention of ignoring it."

"At that time, the envoy of His Royal Highness the Prince was personally received by our Queen, and a state banquet was held to welcome him. The etiquette and etiquette were all of the highest standard."

"therefore……"

"Well, no need to explain. I have no prejudice against your country, nor do I intend to embarrass you."

Liu Ju interrupted him halfway through his words and said with a smile,

“It’s just that you may not understand the operation mode of NATO very well.”

"Now that NATO has a system, it is not just me or the Han who have the final say. If your country wants to join NATO, you must first submit an application. This application must also be approved by all current NATO member states. Otherwise, your country cannot join NATO and cannot receive military support from NATO." "Is what I said clear enough?"

"Since your queen has sent you here, I will simplify the process and treat it as you submitting an application. I will later organize a meeting of representatives of various countries stationed in the Western Alliance to vote on this matter. What do you think?"

"Uh……"

The Great Yuezhi envoy felt his head starting to itch.

This was the first time he had heard of such an unprecedented alliance system... But the "Western Alliance" was also unprecedented, at least in terms of the number of allied countries, no one could match it.

So, if this happens, does Dayuezhi still have a chance to join NATO and get its military support?
It feels almost impossible...

Let’s not talk about other member states for now, let’s just take the Shule Kingdom, which is relatively close to Dayuezhi.

About half a year ago, Dayuezhi detained a caravan from Shule State heading to Parthia, and this caravan belonged to the king of Shule State, so Shule State would definitely vote against this matter.

Moreover, in recent years, because the Dayuezhi was the only way for the Western Regions countries to trade with the Parthian Empire, they took the opportunity to detain merchant caravans and extort money and property.

Therefore, it was definitely not just Shule that was dissatisfied with the Dayuezhi.

In addition, the Han Dynasty is still the only permanent member of the Western Alliance, and the attitude of the Han prince towards him is lukewarm, and one can even vaguely feel that he is dissatisfied with the Dayuezhi.

In this case, it would be almost impossible to pass the investment, right?
After all, that requires the consent of all NATO member states...

Speaking of which, why didn’t the Queen choose to join NATO in the first place?
Even though we are far away from the Huns and it is unnecessary given the situation at the time, it seems like there would be no loss in joining them, right?

While the Great Yuezhi envoy was thinking this, he heard Liu Ju continue to say:
"But you don't have to worry too much. As the only permanent member of NATO, Han still has some influence in NATO."

"Our Han envoy Zhang Qian was sent to Dayuezhi several decades ago. Although we did not form an alliance with Dayuezhi, we lived in your country for a year and were taken care of by your country during that time."

"So now that the Great Yuezhi is in trouble, our Han will naturally not stand idly by and should play a constructive role in it."

"But the Han is not a dictator in NATO."

"I, the Han Dynasty, can persuade other member states on behalf of the Great Yuezhi in this matter, but the Great Yuezhi also needs to give me a reason to persuade these member states, otherwise I am afraid that even a good cook cannot cook without rice."

"What do you think?"

When the Great Yuezhi envoy heard that there was a chance, his heart immediately began to beat again, and he asked hurriedly:
"I wonder what reason Your Highness thinks is the most appropriate. If my Great Yue Clan can do it, I will do my best."

"It's not about what reasons I think are appropriate, but what reasons these NATO member states think are most appropriate and can most impress them."

Liu Ju patiently persuaded the way,
"I don't know much about the Great Yuezhi, nor has your queen given you any decision-making power. I really can't help you with this matter. Stay at the inn now and think about it carefully. Come back to me when you've made up your mind."

After saying that, Liu Ju actually turned around and prepared to leave.

"Your Highness, wait a minute!"

The envoy of Dayuezhi hurried forward to stop them.

The Great Yuezhi is now in dire straits. If they delay for one more day, there will be more casualties and losses. Even the country is in danger. How can he have time to think carefully?
"Your Highness, I, the Great Yuezhi, am willing to abide by the agreement of the Western Alliance and jointly maintain the trade route to the West. If other countries in the Western Alliance are in trouble, I, the Great Yuezhi, will definitely send troops to help. Do you think this is okay?"

"You should think about it again..."

Liu Ju grinned and gave him a "what do you think" expression, letting him experience it for himself.

This guy is too good at thinking big. Since he wants to join NATO, he must naturally abide by the agreements of NATO. Otherwise, wouldn't it be like breaking the agreement?

"After joining NATO, all the food and military supplies and compensation for the fallen soldiers that the NATO coalition forces are sending to help will be borne by Dayuezhi alone!"

The Great Yuezhi envoy gritted his teeth and immediately added.

"You are treating the NATO coalition as mercenaries. We Han people are not so estranged from the members of NATO. We have always called each other fathers... and brothers."

Liu Ju was still smiling.

"This……"

The Great Yuezhi envoy looked embarrassed. Seeing that this was not working, he hesitated for a moment and finally gritted his teeth and made a real concession.

"After joining NATO, for the next thirty years, the tolls charged by NATO member states for caravans passing through Dayuezhi will only be half of the standards of other countries!"

"The relationship between the Han Dynasty and the Yuezhi is extraordinary. When the Han Dynasty's caravan passes through the Yuezhi, the tolls will be waived forever!"

"Your Highness, this is the greatest sincerity I can offer. If it's more, I'm afraid I can only go back and ask the Queen for permission. Please be flexible, Your Highness!"

Having said that, the Dayuezhi envoy bowed deeply to Liu Ju to express his sincerity.

Hearing this, Liu Ju finally nodded reluctantly:
"Then I will convene a meeting on NATO affairs later, and give it a try for now."

In fact, after the Great Yuezhi was destroyed, Liu Ju could have sent the "Western Alliance" coalition to drive out the Huns and support a new regime, or the Han Dynasty could have directly taken over the land, which should have brought greater benefits.

But considering the cost of ruling, it is definitely more worry-free to have a stable regime to help maintain business and manage public order.

Don't doubt it. In this era, the territory is too large, and the direct rule is too long. The cost of governance alone can drag down a country. Even the Han Dynasty may not be able to bear it.

The most important thing is that "Western Alliance" actually belongs to the Han Dynasty.

The prerequisite for joining the "Western Alliance" is to submit a letter of submission to the Han Dynasty. From that moment on, the kings of these countries must also accept the seal of the Han Dynasty and call themselves Han subjects from then on, so there is really not much difference.

"Then thank you, Your Highness, first."

The envoy from Dayuezhi bowed quickly to express his gratitude.

He had witnessed the ability of this prince. Although he was young, he was definitely an expert in diplomacy.

The Yuezhi were clearly being blackmailed by him, yet they still had to be grateful to him and the Han Dynasty.

It can also be imagined that other countries have also benefited this time, and they will definitely thank him, and from then on they will follow the Han Dynasty's lead even more.

The Emperor of the Han Dynasty was blessed to have such a talented prince...

(End of this chapter)