Liu Jing took the return gift from Modun Chanyu and the Dayan clan and returned to Han Dynasty by following the same path he had taken when leaving the customs, heading straight from the heart of the grassland to Yanmen Pass.
It was summer when we arrived, with green mountains and green grass and gurgling water. Now on our way back, all we could see was gray and vast grasslands, patches covered with residual snow, desolate and lonely.
But he lived up to expectations and completed his important task. He returned home as fast as an arrow, and his mood was naturally very different. He did not feel desolate. He only felt that the sky was vast and the body was extremely small. The mountains were high and the water was long, and there was a lot to do in the future.
The convoy traveled day and night. After galloping for several days and nights, we could finally see the undulating mountains of Yandi from a distance, which was the direction of home.
The garrison on the enemy tower at Yanmen Pass also had sharp eyes. In the hazy morning light, they spotted this small convoy slowly appearing on the horizon, approaching from far to near.
The marquis in charge was extremely excited. He ran to the barrier city on the inside of the city wall in three steps and woke up the Yanmen prefect Chen Huan (huàn) who was still sleeping.
The imperial court has sent orders to all the border fortresses that the envoys sent to the Xiongnu will return at any time. Along the long border between the Han and Xiongnu, countless garrison officers and soldiers are waiting eagerly.
Chen Quan had a gut feeling that Liu Jing and his party would return along the original route out of the fortress, so he simply moved his bedrolls and moved directly into the Duwei's Mansion in the Barrier City.
When he excitedly pulled on his shoes and ran to the city gate out of breath, he happened to catch up with the motorcade entering the city in an orderly manner.
Chen Quan looked at the people on the horse one by one with some hesitation, and finally recognized Liu Jing, grabbed him, pulled him off the horse while crawling on the ground, and cursed with a smile,
"We haven't seen each other for just half a year, how did you become like this!
If you don't come back, I will report it to the court and send people into the desert to find your body! "
"If something unexpected happened, the body would have been cut into pieces and fed to the wolves. It would never be recovered."
Liu Jing looked dark and strong, with rough and peeling cheeks and an abnormal red color. The image of a chic and elegant Confucian scholar when he set out was gone. He seemed to be a completely different person. No wonder Chen Quan almost couldn't recognize him.
And his voice was hoarse by the cold wind along the way, and he could barely hear his words.
Nie San, who was standing beside him, had not changed much. He was still blinking his little eyes and smiling mischievously.
Chen Huan looked at the convoy behind them and saw dozens of majestic horses with their manes dragging the ground among them. He was shocked and said,
"You are so capable, you have even brought Huma back?
This looks like a cross between a Dawan horse and a Hun horse. "
"Huh, it's just a joy for nothing,"
Liu Jing said angrily,
"Go behind the horses and take a closer look. Every horse has been gelded.
That old man, Maodun, was very smart, so he didn't give us a stallion, and just let us look at it with envy. "
***
"I see, it's such a shame."
Chen Guan stroked the horse's neck with a sense of loss, then used his five fingers as a comb to comb the horse's mane up and down, and then asked curiously,
"Besides the horse, did Modu return any good gifts?"
Liu Jing glanced at him,
“There are several large carts of leather goods, including tiger skins, bear skins, and fox skins, as well as kefir, cheese, and wine from the Western Regions.
The Dalan family and the Huyan family of my mother's family also gave a lot of gifts, which was considered quite sincere.
Don't just focus on the petty profits in front of you and settle accounts. What's more important is that we finally got on the line with the leader of the Huns. From now on, the two countries will exchange supplies, open and close markets, and trade caravans, and we will have an agreement with Kundi. "
And, they began to gradually understand the land, people and animals, customs, beliefs, likes and dislikes, laws and prohibitions, and tribal structure of the Xiongnu Empire. They were no longer in the embarrassment of Liu Ji and his ministers sitting in the Luoyang Palace just before leaving. .
There are also countless clues as fine as the claws of snow and mud, but equally important, such as the miraculous effect of alfalfa on raising horses, the preparations of the countries in the Western Regions, and the whereabouts of Zhong Lixuan.
Chen Xuan nodded frequently.
"Yes, the deal has been settled this time, and we can live in peace for a few days.
Since the emperor went north to crusade against rebellion, we have not had a single night's sleep. We have been afraid that the Huns and Yan Ni will join forces and suddenly attack us from both sides. "
Recalling those days when he could not sleep at night and was on tenterhooks, Chen Guanshang was still frightened.
Liu Jing turned around and glanced at the checkpoint tower at Yanmen Pass, and started chattering again,
"Well, your Yanmen County is a large county. It can take over the merchants of Zhao State, and it has the advantage of terrain. In the future, a Daguan City between Han and Hungarians will be located here.
The posthouse and inn receive travelers, Tibetan merchants come to Guan City to do business, and they have to apply for government documents. You are very busy with all kinds of things.
I estimate that there will be a bustling crowd of people and Yalang merchants passing by. This city gate was built during the Qin Dynasty and is too small——"
He stretched out his hand and pointed,
"——It still needs to be renovated and expanded."
Chen Quan personally helped Liu Jing hold the horse. He secretly laughed at his verbosity and asked with concern,
"Stay with us for a few days to repair before leaving, right?"
"Well, let's stay one night and let everyone take a good bath.
I have to borrow your fast horse to send a message to Luoyang.
I have been gone for several months and there has been no news. The emperor must have been impatient. "
Liu Jing didn't plan to stay at first, but he just felt that his legs were wobbly when he walked. He also thought that the people accompanying him must also be tired, so he had to give in and agreed to spend one night repairing.
"By the way, there are also two Xiongnu household members and their attendants who are coming with me. They are both from the Huyan clan. They are here to escort me, and secondly they are here to see the environment and venue of Guan City.
Don't be lazy, be sure to treat me well. "
***
Liu Jing had already prepared the draft of his report to the Xiongnu as an envoy while he was in the grassland. He also considered every word and every sentence on the bumpy horseback ride back, and carefully considered it. At this time, he had reached the state of perfection.
After a group of people entered the Yanmen Governor's residence, he poured hot water all over his head and face, mixed rice with meat soup, and hurriedly cooked two bowls, then locked himself in the house, and stayed there from noon to night. A splash of ink, eloquent, and done in one go.
As the prefect of the border county, Chen Yuan had great responsibilities, and he had a special six-hundred-mile speed horse gallop. Liu Jing wrote the memorial here, and he immediately sent the most capable post soldiers to Luoyang non-stop at starry night.
Liu Ji couldn't help being overjoyed when he received this long-awaited memorial. He read it word by word at night, and ordered several Huangmen to copy it overnight, and immediately sent it to the houses of several confidential ministers.
At noon the next day, after the court meeting broke up, several monarchs and ministers gathered in the ban again with huge dark circles under their eyes.
Thanks to Liu Jing's detailed report, at this moment, they already have a basic understanding of the powerful mysterious empire that stretches across the north.
"Let's talk about it. What countermeasures should we take against the Huns in the future?"
Liu Ji stayed up all night, with a headache threatening to attack. He pressed his forehead and asked with eyes wide open,
"Will the Huns be friends or enemies in the future? If they are friends, how long can they last?
How should we divide and rule the Luotang clan of the Moton family, as well as the Huyan clan, Lan clan, and Xubu clan, so that they are not involved in each other?
Also, as the market is about to open and close, how many will be opened and where will they be opened? Which yamen is in charge? Are there any prohibited items that cannot be exported? "
