After Liu Ji's anger subsided a little, he left the wing and walked back to the palace.
Shusun Tong praised Liu Ying in a low voice and followed everyone out. Lu Pheasant was telling Liu Jing again,
"When you go here, if you can see Maodun Shanyu's Yan family, be sure to make good friends with her. Don't always adhere to the teachings of Confucius: don't look at anything that's not polite and don't do anything that's not polite."
Liu Jing only responded, but he heard Shusun Tongqi say,
"Hey, the Yan family of Maodun Chanyu?
Wasn't it already shot to death by his Mingdi? "
Liu Ji only annoyed him for being pedantic, so he replied angrily,
"I am a chanyu on the grassland. If I shoot a woman to death, am I not allowed to have another string?"
Shusun Tong didn't dare to say anything anymore, but he saw Lu Fei thought for a moment, took off the yellow, purple, and white crystal bracelet that he usually wore on his right wrist, handed it to the palace attendant, and said to Liu Jing,
"This string of beads is very cute, and I think the Hun women would also find it rare.
You can give it to the Mao Dunlan family and just say that the Empress of the Han Dynasty gave it to you sincerely. "
When everyone looked at the bracelet, they saw that each crystal bead was as big as a knuckle. It was polished, as clear as water, as hard as jade, and alternated between three colors, making it appear more agile and delicate.
Liu Ji also stretched out his head to take a look, and said with a disdainful smile,
"Even if you send all these beads and strings, what great things can be accomplished with this woman's plan?"
Lu Pheasant tried hard to hold back the urge to roll his eyes. He just smiled and nodded, but he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart——
Tai Shigong wrote that during the Battle of Pingcheng in history, you rushed in and underestimated the enemy. You were surrounded by Maodun Chanyu on the Baishan Mountain for seven days and seven nights. You were deprived of food and wages and almost starved to death.
Later, not only by relying on Chen Ping's plan to bribe the Shan Yulan family, but also relying on the Hun woman's various intercessions, Maodun was able to forgive you in exchange for your life.
It is a pity that Tai Shigong only wrote a few words, and the words are unclear. It is not known whether the soft-hearted Yan family outside Pingcheng a few years later is the Yan family of Maodun at this moment.
Don't be shot to death by his Mingdi again, otherwise the palace treasury will be destitute, no matter how many jewelry gifts are given, it will not be able to keep up with the speed of Mao Dun's replacement.
Being the queen of the Xiongnu would also be a misfortune in this life, and Lu Pheasant secretly slandered her.
Liu Jing's eyes suddenly lit up and he asked,
“Human nature is all about leisure and indolence. The Huns must have been very happy to collect wine, rice, gold and silver every year without having to go south to fight.
If the Xiongnu Chanyu agrees to conclude an alliance from now on and never have a war, we will only lose the wealth of the city and gifts, and we can ensure the peace of the north all year round. Wouldn't it be settled once and for all? "
***
"Feng Chunjun's words are wrong."
Lu Pheasant was worried that Liu Jing was about to go to the Huns, but he had a lucky mentality of making peace for a long time, so he couldn't help but stop him immediately.
"If the two countries want to conclude a long-term alliance, there are only two reasons for it -
First, the national strength of the two countries is almost the same, either both are strong, or both are weak, and both are tired of fighting and want to give up.
Secondly, both countries are countries that keep their word and keep their promises.
You think, can we, the Han and the Xiongnu, combine these two things at the moment? "
Liu Jing hesitated,
"I don't dare to make unreasonable comments on the first point, but on the second point, what the queen said is absolutely true. The Huns look like wild beasts, and their promises cannot be fully trusted."
"What Liu Jing said is both correct and incorrect." Liu Ji thought about it.
"The Huns advance when they have advantages, and retreat when they have disadvantages. Their customs are indeed very different from those of the Han people, but we cannot rashly regard them as barbarians."
"Your Majesty is holy."
Lu Pheasant didn't expect that the seemingly vulgar Liu Ji had such vision. He raised his eyes and looked at him with a hint of admiration.
"Mutual trade and generous gifts are all forms of appeasement and are by no means a long-term solution. They are all due to the unique customs of the Huns."
When she caught a glimpse of Liu Ji's lips moving, she put her words aside and handed the words to the emperor secretly.
"Your Majesty said, but this is the truth?"
"Liu Jing, after all you are a Confucian scholar who has studied to death. Like Shusun Tong, you have never been out of a study or done business."
Liu Ji unconsciously took over the conversation and scolded jokingly,
"The mutual market talks about the way merchants trade. I sell my surplus and use the money I get to buy the other person's surplus.
Lao Tzu, oh, no, I have been walking in the market since I was a child, and I know the ways of this all too well.
Many of our Han people's livelihoods, such as farming, when the wheat will ear and harvest, and spinning and selling cloth, the cost and profit of the cloth, and the duration of the construction can all be estimated and planned.
Unless there is a severe drought or flood that has not happened in several years, the surplus on hand at the end of the year can be roughly calculated at the beginning of the year when planting. "
"The nomadic life is very different."
Liu Ji looked at Xiao He, Xiao He understood and continued to explain to Liu Jing,
“I later talked with Zhang Cang about this issue and was deeply inspired.
According to him, the herds of cattle, horses and sheep all over the mountains and plains look strong and strong, but whether the mare and the ewe will give birth to calves each year, and how many calves they will give birth to, are all determined by God.
Moreover, the weather on the grasslands changes rapidly, unlike in the Central Plains. In the event of plague or heavy snowstorms, all livestock will die overnight.
For the nomads, not to mention the surplus at the end of the year, they may not even know how many cattle and sheep will be left outside the yurt when they wake up tomorrow morning.
How could the Huns, who had grown up like this for generations, have the custom of trading their surplus? "
"So, the mutual trade between the two countries will not last long, and it is all due to the Huns' folk custom of neither farming nor doing business." Everyone sighed.
Lu Pheasant concluded,
"Yes, so the peace talks and the opening of the market are just to delay the war for a few more years, and then there will be a battle between Han and Hungary.
It's okay for Liu Jing to go to the Huns and drink more ecstasy soup with Mao Dunxu and Wei Snake. Just don't deceive yourself. "
Lu Pheasant knew very well that based on her experience with the Turks and Tubo in her previous life, only by ending the war with war and relying on the absolute advantages of combat effectiveness and national power could they be made to obey the rules obediently.
Those who are good at fighting have no great achievements. I hope that by then, we will have fast enough horses, good enough cavalry, and enough allies to fight several great victories quickly, accurately, and ruthlessly.
And where to find a fast enough horse is a question.
There are many heroes in the hall, but Lu Fei doesn't believe that no one except her has discovered this key point.
Seeing that everyone had finished taking stock, Liu Ji said "I'm going to Qi Ji's place" and walked out of the hall.
***
Everyone dispersed one after another. Zhang Liang told Liu Ying a few words about her homework, then followed Lu Fei and walked slowly out of the palace. He stood on the steps and looked at the rows of palaces.
"The veteran is puzzled. The queen obviously grew up in Peixian County, so how can she understand the character of the Mobei people so well?"
"Oh, this is not difficult. It's just a matter of trying to save others by yourself and adding some guidance from sages."
In fact, solid border and mutual trading were strategies proposed by Chao Cuo, a famous official in history, for Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Although Lu Pheasant could not say it clearly, he did not dare to plunder the beauty.
The Huns, Wuhuan people, Donghu people, Loufan people, Yuezhi people, and countless other tribes in the Western Regions are all human beings.
This person will have weaknesses, and it will be obvious to ordinary people if they think about it.
Zhang Liang heard that her words were obscure and did not delve into them further. He just praised,
"The Queen is so talented and powerful, it is admirable. The old minister has some words from the bottom of his heart, I don't know whether to say it or not."
"Please just say it doesn't hurt."
"I dare to ask the Queen, are you really prepared to endure hardships and fight against the Huns?"
"That's natural."
Lu Pheasant didn't look at him, just looked at the white clouds on the horizon, and said leisurely,
“I don’t like to cause trouble for my children and future generations.
If I can solve my most serious problems in this life, I must solve them before I can be considered satisfied. "
"The old minister then spoke frankly.
If you want to defeat the Xiongnu, you have to fight for nothing more than horses, bows, swords, and generals. "
"What I'm waiting for is the Taifu's words."
Lu Fei smiled relievedly and said that these talented people in the early Han Dynasty were indeed not in vain, and they did not disappoint her.
"Tian Ji races a horse, with my top horse against the other person's middle horse, my middle horse against the other person's lower horse.
Even though I am a female, I can see that we have no chance of winning right now——
The cavalry could only fight short distances, their bows and arrows were not accurate enough, they had no swords, and they did not have fast horses.
As for the divine general, I have long been optimistic about one of them, I just don’t know if he is willing to do it. "
