Khotan, together with Loulan and Qiuci, is known as the three strongest cities in the Western Regions.
And relying on the advantages of natural jade, its economic strength has become the richest among the top three.
Now that it has established trade with Da Qin and is the only way to Dawan, its national power is even more prosperous.
King Qin has become their God of Wealth.
How could the King of Khotan dare to neglect such a man?
"I heard that King Qin arrived in Jingjue. However, there have been some wars in recent days and I dare not leave. Otherwise, I would have gone to Jingjue to pay homage to the two monarchs." King Khotan said with a smile, "The outer hall is a place to receive foreign guests. I also invite you two to enter the inner hall to talk."
Ying Zheng greeted him with a few polite words, and then took Wu Chan and followed King Khotan into the inner hall at the back.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Ying Zheng explained his intention.
"To be honest with King Khotan, Jingjue's migration is inevitable." Ying Zheng said, "But I don't want the vacancy left to become a factor of instability."
Of course King Khotan understood that if a piece of land was freed, it would inevitably lead to competition from many forces. If it was not handled well, it might lead to huge disputes, especially in the Western Region where there are many small countries.
"I understand what King Qin means." King Khotan nodded, "I just don't know what problems I can solve for you?"
Ying Zheng took out a map, spread it out on the table, pointed to the southwestern boundary of Jingjue and said: "I want to hand over the territory west of Jingjue City to the King of Khotan, and also transfer the trade route rights of the South Road of the Western Regions. for you."
King Khotan's brows moved, his heart was filled with joy, and he asked, "Seriously?"
Wu Chan said: "The King of Khotan will never think that we come all the way just to joke with you."
King Khotan laughed loudly and said, "If that's the case, it's too late for me to be happy, but I still don't know what your conditions are?"
It's not that easy to just take advantage. You have to pay a corresponding price or meet the other party's conditions. How could the always smart King of Khotan not know this.
Ying Zheng did not beat around the bush and said directly: "I want a lower price for jade, and for items that Jingjue can't take away, you have to take them as ordered and don't lower the price. As for the jealous tribe, you can handle it yourself. Bar."
"That's no problem." King Khotan said, "I can lower the price of jade by another 30%. I will also let the tribe buy the jade that cannot be taken away. I originally wanted to destroy those small countries in the south. Peaceful."
The requests made by King Qin turned out to be within his plan.
"Don't be too busy being happy yet." Ying Zheng said seriously, "I have one more critical request."
"King Qin, please speak." King Khotan raised his hand and said.
"You also know how powerful the desert is." Ying Zheng said slowly, "If it is not prevented and controlled, there will be endless troubles."
"Right now, I have a rough plan, but it will take some time. If future generations need to come to the Western Regions for further rectification, they must unite the Western Regions to surrender to China."
"After all, if you control sandstorms for a vassal country, no one can say anything."
"Are you willing?"
King Khotan's brows moved slightly, thinking about Ying Zheng's words.
If this were normal, if someone asked him to surrender to another country, wouldn't he fall out on the spot?
But it is different now. King Qin can completely move Jingjue away from here, and then completely ignore the life and death of the Western Regions.
As for the so-called trade, you can probably make money wherever you can, and who cares about future generations?
King Qin said this really because he was thinking about the future of the Western Regions.
"Can you be more specific?" King Khotan said.
Ying Zheng said: "Generally speaking, I will probably let future generations establish a Protectorate in the Western Region, and then send an army over to protect your safety and manage the desert."
"As for the political power, it is up to you to manage it yourself. China will not interfere in the slightest, let alone impose extortion. You may also know that what I value most is the suffering of the people."
King Khotan was silent for a while and asked: "Are you talking about your future generations? I think it happened dozens or hundreds of years ago. How can you be sure that it will be like you said?"
Ying Zheng said sincerely: "I have arranged a thousand-year plan that will control the general direction of China within a thousand years, but it is hard to say whether it will be out of control by then. Just like you in Khotan, it seems that the fate of a hundred years from now is hard to say. "
The King of Khotan was silent again for a while, then took a long breath and said: "If you can really rectify the sand millstone, we in Khotan will definitely welcome you. Even if you become a vassal of China, it doesn't matter."
After a slight pause, his tone suddenly became cold and stern: "But if you use this as an excuse to seize the land in the Western Region and fish the people here, I, Khotan, will definitely resist to the death even if the country is destroyed!"
Ying Zheng smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's a big desert, what's there to grab? If you don't want to take risks here, you can follow me back to Daqin at any time."
The King of Khotan knew that what Ying Zheng said was true, and he was broad-minded enough to accept them. How could such an emperor covet land that was of little use to him?
"Okay, I promise you." King Khotan became firm, "If you can really control the spread of the desert, Yutian is willing to surrender to the Qin Dynasty."
"It's not Da Qin," Ying Zheng corrected, "but China. After I unify the Central Plains, or at some time in the future, I may change the name of the country."
He couldn't guarantee that his thousand-year plan would be carried out smoothly. If Liu Bang could take over smoothly, it would probably be replaced by another country name. If the Western Regions only recognized Da Qin, what he said now would be in vain.
(This arrangement by King Qin brought a young hero to the later Han Dynasty. People only said that he was brave and invincible, but they did not know that the Western Regions actually had no intention of resisting, and that was how the Western Regions Protectorate came into being. talk.)
"A word or a written document?" King Khotan asked.
Ying Zheng said: "The transfer of Jingjue's land requires a document. As for our agreement... you can just pass down the holy order within the royal family."
"That's no problem." King Khotan said, "For your promise, I decided to destroy several small countries in the south to prevent them from not listening to persuasion in the future."
The fewer small countries there are, the easier it will be to manage the Western Regions. This is indeed an indisputable fact.
"After you gain half of the Jingjue, and then destroy Ronglu, Mumi and other small countries, you should be able to control half of the Western Region, right?" Ying Zheng asked.
"It's a bit difficult." King Khotan said, "Yarkand to the west is not weak, but Qiemo to the east is also a bit difficult."
Ying Zheng said: "The countries such as Yarkand and Shule in the west, as far as Dawan, should focus on trade. As for Qiemo and Nuqiang in the east, I will let King Loulan find a way."
King Khotan smiled and said: "If you guessed correctly, you want to give Jingjue's other half, including Jingjue City, to that old boy, King Loulan, right?"
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"You're right." Ying Zheng also laughed and said, "That's indeed what I planned, but the requirements for him may be more stringent."
King Khotan knew in his heart that Loulan's position was much better than his own. Whether it was a strategic fortress or a business channel, Loulan was guarding the most critical position. Now even if the King of Qin handed over the entire elite to Loulan City, Not an exaggeration.
And since he had already gained half of the Jingjue advantage, there was nothing he could not be reconciled to.
"In this way, if Loulan agrees to your request, then the Western Region will surrender to China." King Yutian analyzed, "Although Qiuci is a powerful country, it can't beat the combination of me and King Loulan. "
Among the top three powers in the Western Region, Ying Zheng was the only one who had never been to Qiuci. He only heard from King Loulan that the people there also loved Daqin's goods and often went to Loulan to purchase.
The Cheshi Kingdom between Loulan and Qiuci has also gained considerable strength in recent years, and prefers Daqin's products. Many herders are learning to do business, and gradually give up herding and change their profession to travel through the Tianshan Mountains. area.
It seems that we have to find a way to conquer the Tianshan Mountains in the Northern Territory in another way, and Loulan is the breakthrough.
In Ying Zheng's plan, half of Jingjue was given to Khotan and half was sold to Loulan. In this way, he could sell more favors more effectively and control the north and south of the Western Region more easily.
After discussing some details with the King of Khotan, the King of Khotan hosted a banquet in honor of him.
However, King Khotan was not good at drinking, so he simply drank some, and Ying Zheng took Wu Chan back to the camp.
After calling the Meng brothers, Ying Zheng told the Khotan palace what he wanted to do in the future to establish a protective palace.
Meng Tian was always outspoken and said directly: "Your Majesty, in the future you will lead the royal family to hide in Jiuyou. If Liu Bang successfully takes over the country, it will definitely be in chaos. How can he care about the Western Region? In my opinion, this It’s okay if we don’t set up a Protectorate.”
But Meng Yi shook his head: "Brother is short-sighted. The king is talking about making the entire Western Region a vassal of China, and thus a territory of the Central Plains. How can we ignore it? Besides, with the barrier of the Western Region, no matter what Whether it’s the Huns to the north or Persia to the west, if we want to make a move, we have to weigh it carefully.”
Ying Zheng smiled and said: "Meng Yi is right. If the Western Region can be our help, it will not be a good thing for Beidi and Xirong."
"Aren't the Xiongnu and Xiqiang friendly with us now?" Meng Tian asked doubtfully.
Ying Zheng said: "There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies between the two countries. No matter how good the relationship between me and the King of Xiqiang and Touman is, there will be a day when I will drive to the west. Who can know their fate?" What are the thoughts of future generations? Besides, if I help Liu Bang ascend to power, it will not be easy for me to directly control the court in the future."
"What the king said makes sense." Meng Yi said, "There are many tribes in the Huns, and they all have their own minds. King Xiutu is the best example, and the Xiqiang are not on good terms with the Ruoqiang. , maybe one day when the Xiqiang becomes weak, we will face our opponents on the plateau again."
Meng Tian nodded and said: "I understand, but there are many small countries in the Western Region. Isn't it more difficult to control than Beidi and Xirong?"
"It is because there are many small countries that it will not cause too much change." Ying Zheng said, "As long as we control the trade routes well and have sufficient supply of goods, in the long run, the Western Regions will naturally regard the Central Plains as their parents for food and clothing. Once we leave, China, on the other hand, will not be able to adapt to it."
"That's right." Meng Yi said, "Then we will contain the three strongest powers in the Western Region, and those small countries will definitely follow."
Wu Chan said with a smile: "Let me put it this way, Jingjue has obviously moved away, but Da Qin's control over the Western Region has deepened."
Although Wu Chan is a woman, she has been a queen for many years and her knowledge is several times higher than ordinary people.
Ying Zheng looked at her and asked: "You haven't expressed much opinion about the matter in Khotan. In your opinion, is it appropriate for me to handle it this way?"
Wu Chan smiled knowingly and said: "Didn't I tell you before you came that now you are the backbone of the family and the court, and I will listen to you in everything. However, the prince of Persia is still in charge of Jingjue, will you give in to me?" The King of Khotan gave Persia some privileges, allowing their caravans to pay less taxes, and their safety could be guaranteed. After all, the Qiemo people were helping to take care of the caravans coming from Yangguan, but after I leave, King Qiemo will inevitably There will be dissent."
Ying Zheng slapped his thigh: "You're right to remind me. I almost forgot about King Qie Mo. That guy is an evil-minded man. I will meet him again this time."
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