Hearing Liu Ji mention Zhao Tuo's ancestral tomb, everyone froze.
Since he calls himself a barbarian and categorically denies that he is of the bloodline of Zhao Di Zhending, then there is indeed no need for this ancestral grave to continue to exist.
Wu Chen's face changed slightly, his brows furrowed slightly, and he carefully considered,
"Zhao Tuo was a far-sighted man. As early as the war broke out, he moved his closest family members to South Vietnam.
If we look for him now, we can find Kundi, who is related to Yuanzhi, but we may not be able to find any important family members as hostages. "
He thought that Liu Ji planned to follow the example of Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, and took Zhao Tuo's wife and family as hostages, and even killed them one by one as a warning to others.
"Where did you think of it?" Lu Pheasant saw his benevolence, sighed in his heart, and said with a smile,
"Even if we find Zhao Tuo's father, wife and children, we can only support them well and even respect him as His Majesty's biological parents, in order to demonstrate the benevolence of our dynasty.
Killing people randomly will only drive them further and further away. "
Liu Ji rubbed his brows. Ever since Lu Fei mentioned it, he had been thinking about Mei Rong's whereabouts in the past few days, and also thought about the crisis-ridden north-south border. His thoughts were ups and downs, and he had a faint headache, as if there was a hot and sharp iron saw. I kept rubbing back and forth between my temples, it was so painful that I couldn't bear to live.
"Well, the queen is right. Even if she kills them all, it will be useless. Instead, she will give people a handle and make Zhao Tuo legitimately rebel against the Han.
Xiang Yu, a child, can do this kind of thing that harms others and does not benefit oneself. As the emperor, I don't bother to do it. "
He couldn't help but think of the time when Xiang Yu, the arrogant overlord of Western Chu, threatened him in an alarming way outside Guangwu City, threatening to cook Taigong Liu into soup——
Huh, who can you scare?
He even treacherously imagined more than once that if Xiang Yu really killed his old father or wife, the Han army would be filled with resentment, and I'm afraid the battle could be fought more efficiently.
***
In this way, even if Zhao Tuo's clan Kundi and ancestral graves in Zhending were found, they would not be able to be killed. If they were handled slightly improperly, it would be counterproductive and they would simply become a hot potato.
"Although most of his family members are no longer in Zhending, the families of other northerners in South Vietnam cannot escape. In the end, he was able to gain a foothold in South Vietnam. Half of it relied on the local Vietnamese, and the other half also relied on Qin Shisui. He sent 100,000 soldiers from the Central Plains south."
Lu Pheasant looked around and saw a little frustration on everyone's faces, so he analyzed it methodically.
"In my opinion, the Zhao family's ancestral grave still needs to be found. Not only does it need to be found, it also needs to be properly guarded.
Also, Zhending City is only so big. He is a big living person who stayed in the city until he was thirty years old before leaving. There will always be some other clues left behind that can be used by me. "
A lowly person like Zhao Tuo would obey Qin and serve as the Longchuan Order of Nanhai County during the Qin Dynasty. Once the Qin Dynasty declined, he would immediately separate his country and establish himself as the king.
She sneered,
"He is a wavering person. To put it nicely, he is aware of current affairs and knows how to follow the trend.
As long as my man is strong enough and rich enough, he will obey me under coercion and inducement. "
Even if he is not strong enough now, he can still look strong by taking advantage of the obstacles of mountains and rivers and the inconvenience of transportation.
Furthermore, they believed that they were at odds with the Xiongnu, and that they would tightly control the Han Dynasty from the south to the north, and they were in a dilemma. This was also the confidence that Zhao Tuo was ready to make.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said to Liu Ji, "You have to strike while the iron is hot. This matter should not be postponed. In two generations, people will really not even recognize their ancestral graves. We will only have one way to attack by force."
***
Liu Ji hummed, then heard Wu Chen praise in a low voice,
"Exactly!"
Unexpectedly, Lu Pheasant's views coincided with his father Wu Rui's idea during his lifetime.
Wu Rui always told Wu Chen during his lifetime that before he captures the thief, he should capture the king first. If he wants to persuade Zhao Tuo to return to the Han Dynasty, he must first eliminate the forces in the South Vietnamese Dynasty that oppose the unification of the Han Dynasty.
Otherwise, with Zhao Tuo's wavering character, even if he agrees to submit, he will go back on his word.
And as those Central Plains people who went south gradually became indifferent to the emotional ties to their homeland, in a few decades they might even have to abandon the Chinese language, let alone return to the Han righteousness.
But these were private discussions between father and son. Because he was unsure of the emperor's attitude towards South Vietnam, Wu Rui repeatedly told Wu Chen before his death that he must not try to get in or out of the limelight on the South Vietnam issue and strive for success, but should just do it with peace of mind. If you maintain the feudal barrier between South Vietnam and the Han Dynasty, you can ensure lifelong prosperity and wealth.
Therefore, at this moment, he thought about it, swallowed the suggestions about the different forces in the South Vietnamese court, and only said conservatively,
"South Vietnam purchases a large number of cattle and iron field implements from surrounding areas every year. Over the years, they have gradually begun to forge iron implements in their territory, but the skills are not as good as others, and the output is far insufficient and cannot be used."
"Okay, since he wants something from me, you can give it a try after you arrive in Changsha.
Just don't let the talks break down. If there's going to be a war in the south, the Changsha Kingdom won't have enough troops to fight. "
Liu Ji had a splitting headache and warned Lu Pheasant impatiently.
Wu Chen was about to propose returning to Changsha in advance and escorting the queen and her party along the way, but suddenly he thought that the queen would have to meet with local officials and wealthy households in Wancheng and Jiangling on the way. Very secret, in Liu Ji's opinion, is a huge taboo.
He swallowed hard and swallowed back the words that came to his lips.
***
After everyone dispersed, Lu Fei was thinking about another thing, so he hurriedly talked long and short,
"I am determined to leave the matter of finding the origin of the Zhao family to Yuan'er."
Liu Ji stared, "Yuan'er? What does she know? Let's leave it to Zhang Cang."
"Think about it, Zhang Cang is the Prime Minister of the State of Zhao, and the King of Zhao came to Luo for an audience. He stayed behind to take charge of government affairs. He is already very busy, so it will be inconvenient to go out to look for him with great fanfare.
The attendants around Yuan'er were all middle-aged women who were sophisticated in the world. They took advantage of the time they spent out of the palace to do the shopping, and they got it done quietly. "
"Since you insist, that's it. If Yuan'er fails, don't blame me."
Liu Ji never regarded his daughter far away in Zhao as an extension of his power. In his eyes, Zhang Cang was far more useful than Queen Zhao.
Therefore, it would be good to cause Zhang Cang less trouble.
Lu Pheasant went out in response and hurried forward, only to see a man sitting on the stone steps outside the front hall to rest.
That man's beard and hair were all white, but he was Zhang Liang.
She felt relieved, knowing that Zhang Liang was waiting for her, so she walked over quickly and said,
"It's cold outside, why are you sitting here?"
"I'm old and useless,"
Zhang Liang smiled and stood up with difficulty with the help of the palace attendants.
"My legs and feet were numb from sitting just now. I just took two steps and wanted to take a rest."
"I'll go for a walk with Tai Tu." Lu Pheasant understood and walked slowly with Zhang Liang.
She was hesitating how to express her unkind request, when Zhang Liang asked first,
"How long do you plan to go this time?"
She calculated, "Keep everything simple and travel day and night. It will take at least four months and we will be back."
Zhang Liang said slowly,
"That's good. I worry about the three hundred pregnant mares in Longxi day and night. I really can't wait to see the newborn foals."
The mare was pregnant for ten months, and it was almost early autumn when the mares were released from the border. The calving time happened to be late spring and early summer this year. These two lines of dialogue, which may sound clueless to others, sound like fairy sounds to Lu Fei’s ears——
Zhang Liang agreed to stay in Luoyang during her departure from Beijing in case of emergency.
With a thousand pieces of gold and a promise, with Zhang Zifang's presence, nothing big could happen to Liu Ying. She immediately let go of what had been worrying her for a long time, followed by endless gratitude. Just as he was about to say some words of thanks, Zhang Liang said,
"Oh, by the way, Shusun Tong needs to see you for something."
"see me?"
"Yes, he wants to ask you to bring one more person with you when you go south this time."
