Liu Bang died, and many of the capable generals in the court also died. The great man had only one woman left to assist a cowardly emperor, who looked a little tired. However, the Xiongnu became stronger day by day under the galloping iron cavalry and strong bows and crossbows of Maodun. The Han Dynasty was weak and the Xiongnu was strong. This contrast between the weak and the strong increased the pride and arrogance of the Xiongnu.
In the second year of Emperor Hui's reign (193 BC), the Han Dynasty sent another woman to the Xiongnu for marriage. Lou Jing's marriage plan is very good, but the plan is dead, but the person is alive. The Han Dynasty sent so many beauties to marry, but the Huns were still arrogant and behaved without any rules. If the Xiongnu is happy, they will accept the marriage, but if they are not happy, they will not accept it. They act as they please and regard the covenant as nonsense.
This time, Mao Dun did not accept the marriage. Instead, he sent a letter to Lu Fei:
Although I am the overlord of one party, I am alone and unbearable all day long. I was born in a swamp and live in the vast grassland. The reason why I invaded your border several times is to travel to the Central Plains to relieve loneliness and find happiness. You are the master of the Han Dynasty, and you are extremely noble; I am the master of the Xiongnu, and I have an unparalleled position. It is too cold to be at a high place, and we have no partners and are very lonely. Since we were both so lonely and had nothing to entertain ourselves, I wanted to trade what I had for what I didn't have.
Anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance that this is a love letter, a love letter to Lu Pheasant. From this point of view, it is not that Mao Dun did not accept the marriage, but that he wanted to marry Lu Fei.
After the death of his father, the son can marry his father's concubine; after the death of his elder brother, the younger brother can marry his sister-in-law: this is the custom of the Huns, and they do not think it is unnatural and unreasonable. After Mao Dun killed his father, he married his stepmothers. When Mao Dun saw that Liu Bang was dead, he wanted to marry Lu Fei. He acted according to the Huns' thinking and logic. However, through the development of successive dynasties, the Central Plains has formed a set of etiquette systems centered on human relations. Royal incest is a taboo and no one dares to violate it.
Lu Pheasant was already ruthless. After seeing such a letter, he had already made up his mind: kill the envoy first, and then send troops to kill the Xiongnu. Therefore, Prime Minister Chen Ping, Generals Fan Kuai and Ji Bu were immediately summoned to discuss the matter of sending troops. Fan Kuai was brave but not wise. When he saw the barbarians insulting his sister, he loudly said: "Please give me one hundred thousand elite soldiers, and I will defeat the Xiongnu and return." All the courtiers agreed with Fan Kuai.
When the Han Dynasty made peace with the Xiongnu, the courtiers were very reluctant and wanted to end this humiliation as soon as possible. The Xiongnu insulted the Empress Dowager, which was a great opportunity to encourage them to send troops to defeat the Xiongnu in one fell swoop. Only by slaying the Xiongnu and stabilizing the frontiers can the majesty of the Han Dynasty be displayed, and the people of the Han Dynasty can live uprightly. If the Xiongnu were not exterminated, the borderlands would never be peaceful for a day, the people would be slaughtered, and the court would be humiliated, which is really sad. The courtiers were talking a lot, and they all stood next to Fan Kuai, discussing how to kill the Xiongnu. Lu Fei was very satisfied when he saw that the ministers supported sending troops. At this moment, someone in the court hall shouted:
"Fan Kuai should be killed!"
The person who said this was none other than Zhonglang General Ji Bu. As soon as Ji Bu's words came out, the court fell silent, and dozens of pairs of eyes shot at him. A mere lieutenant general dared to make a loud noise and wanted to kill Fan Kuai in front of Lu Pheasant. Chen Ping worked hard and achieved great results. He did not dare to touch Fan Kuai even under Liu Bang's orders. This lieutenant general is too bold! Ji Bu was once Xiang Yu's general. He was brave and invincible and trapped Liu Bang many times. After Liu Bang destroyed Xiang Yu, Ji Bu was worried about being executed, so he hid in the Zhu family and became a slave. Later, he was recommended and became an official in the court. A once-all-powerful general could live in a wealthy family and be willing to be a slave, so he was naturally very tolerant.
At this time, the court was full of people who were stunned by the insult and wanted to destroy the Xiongnu immediately. Ji Bu could endure it. He had suffered the humiliation of being a slave, and Mao Dun's letter had no impact on him at all. Ji Bu calmly analyzed the situation and felt that he could not attack the Xiongnu forcefully. The reason why Ji Bu said Fan Kuai should be executed was because Fan Kuai was flattering. Flattery means flattery. The law stipulates that anyone who deceives the emperor will die, let alone flattery.
When the courtiers heard this, they didn't take it seriously. Instead, they felt that Ji Bu was the one who was flattering. The courtiers retorted like this, naturally they wanted to kill Ji Bu first and then let Fan Kuai lead the army to the expedition. Ji Bu said that Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang personally led an army of 300,000 soldiers. He had strong soldiers, brave generals, and sophisticated counselors. He was trapped in Baideng and even Fan Kuai was trapped. Now Fan Kuai said that he could defeat the Xiongnu with only one hundred thousand, didn't he deceive Lu Fei to his face? He also gave an example, saying that it was the Qin Dynasty's construction of the Great Wall to resist the Xiongnu and its extensive collection of corvee labor that led to the uprising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, leading to the destruction of the country and the annihilation of the nation. Before the wounds of the war had healed, Fan Kuai flattered him in person and encouraged the war. Once he sent troops, the world would be in chaos.
At the beginning, Liu Bang led the generals to march into Pingcheng with great vigor and high spirits. He originally wanted to annihilate the Xiongnu in one fell swoop, revive Mengtian's glory of the past, and let the people on the border live in peace. However, as soon as they arrived in Pingcheng, Liu Bang and his entourage were trapped for seven days and seven nights. They had difficulty in food and clothing. The soldiers were so hungry that they could not even draw their bows. Therefore, the people of the world gave Liu Bang a few lyrics:
It is also hard to live in Pingcheng. If you don't eat for seven days, you can't make a crossbow.
The courtiers regarded Bai Deng's embarrassment as a great shame and would not mention it lightly. Now when they heard Ji Bu talk about it, the courtiers' fear of the Huns suddenly increased. When Ji Bu talked about the peasant uprising at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the courtiers were even more worried that the Han Dynasty would follow the footsteps of the Qin Dynasty and perish by attacking the Xiongnu. After Ji Bu finished speaking, the hall fell silent. The courtiers were deeply frightened and returned to their seats, all seeming to be thinking about Bai Deng's dilemma.
It was precisely because the Han Dynasty had suffered heavy losses from the Huns that it later resorted to the tactic of making peace with the Huns, in order to prevent the two sides from interfering with each other, and to allow future generations to settle accounts with the Huns when the country became strong. The courtiers were angry at the momentary humiliation and forgot about long-term plans. After being awakened by Ji Bu, they all suggested to continue the marriage.
The tyrannical Lu Pheasant was frightened and helpless after hearing Ji Bu's analysis. However, the thought of marrying the Huns far away was not feasible anyway, and I felt embarrassed for a moment. Seeing that his words were effective, Ji Bu went on to say: "Since the Xiongnu are a tribe of barbarians, we are not happy when the barbarians praise us. We don't need to be angry if we are insulted by them."
Lu Fei had not had time to enjoy the power he had first gained. If he married the Xiongnu far away, the hardships he had endured following Liu Bang all these years would have been in vain. As long as he can continue to be in power and not marry the Huns far away, Lu Pheasant will agree to any conditions. Lu Pheasant is like Liu Bang, he can do anything for himself. Ji Bu pointed out that the Huns were arrogant and rude, and invaded repeatedly. In addition to robbing, they just wanted to hear flattery. Lu Pheasant catered to his wishes and wrote a very humble and respectful letter to Mao Dun. The letter said:
Modun Chanyu is still so concerned about me, the big man, and took the trouble to write to us. The big man is very grateful and flattered. I am very happy that you think highly of me and want me to serve you. However, I am very old, I look haggard, my hair is sparse, most of my teeth are missing, and I can’t walk. When Shanyu hears other people say good things about me, they must be infinitely exaggerated. How can I serve Shanyu in my current state? It is better to meet than to be famous. After meeting me, you will be scared to death. The big man could not satisfy Shanyu's request, so he begged Shanyu for forgiveness.
In addition to such a humble letter, there were also generous gifts such as cars and horses sent to the Xiongnu.
After reading the letter, Mao Dun sent someone to deliver a few words, saying: "I didn't know the etiquette in the Central Plains area before, but now I know. I also ask the Queen Mother to forgive me for my rashness."
With some humble words, Lu Pheasant made Mao Dun obedient, and the marriage continued as usual, and the two families were also on good terms.
