"I know it, I know it!" Emperor Liu's sonorous voice echoed in the palace beams in the Chui Gong Palace. He stood in front of the throne, waving several memorials in his hand, his joy beyond words: "Crossing the mountain of corpses in the sea of blood. The generals who came out, although Mobei is big and dangerous, it is not the place where they fell! Yang Ye, Wang Yansheng, and May Day are not tough people! But Liu Fang and Liu Min, these two kids, should know the dangers of the battle formation by now, right? !”
The joy in his heart was fully reflected in the smile that spread across the corners of Emperor Liu's mouth. Zhang Yong waited on him and said: "It is because of your majesty's grace and grace that the soldiers can turn danger into good fortune and turn danger into safety!"
That's right, after a long wait and unremitting efforts to search, the news from the remnants of the Han army in the Mobei expedition finally reached Emperor Liu's ears.
Almost at the same time, three reports came from Hexi, respectively from the Hexi Wude Department, the Chief Secretary, and the Capital Command Department. They were all urgent reports from six hundred miles away. Although the reports were based on their respective functions, they all focused on the same purpose. They are all reporting good news to the court. Obviously, even though they were thousands of miles apart, the bureaucrats in the Military and Administrative Department at home and abroad all had a consensus on the matter of pleasing Emperor Liu.
Emperor Liu browsed briefly, while Zhang Yongze narrated the main information to Emperor Liu as usual, including the battle history of the expeditionary force, survival experience, and the current situation of the soldiers.
Emperor Liu had anticipated their difficult and dangerous journey, so although he was sympathetic, there were not many surprises. However, when I learned that of the 20,000 Han cavalry, only 10% survived in the end, I still felt sad.
"Loyal bones are buried everywhere in the mountains!" Emperor Liu temporarily put down the report and sighed deeply: "It will be difficult for the soldiers of the expeditionary force to fight thousands of miles for the rest of their lives!"
Of course, Emperor Liu undoubtedly cared more about his beloved son and generals than ordinary soldiers. He suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked Zhang Yong directly: "What happened to Yang Ye, the two kings, the Liu Fang brothers, and Yang Yanzhao?" , everything is fine!"
Of course, Zhang Yong understood Emperor Liu's thoughts, so he quickly gave a positive answer: "Although it is not unavoidable, it has recovered well, and the two highnesses are safe and sound. Your Majesty can rest assured. Only the old general Wang Yansheng, who is already old, has recovered." I’m tired and my body feels weak!”
"As long as it's alright, let's send an order to Hexi Civil and Military to take care of the arrangements and bring them back to the Han Dynasty safely! After that, let Yang Ye and the others return to Beijing. I will personally meet them and reward them!" Emperor Liu directly ordered .
Hearing this, Zhang Yong showed some hesitation, and then responded: "Your Majesty, the expeditionary force is stationed in the south of Jinshan Mountain, only separated from Beiting by a desert. After learning about the situation in the Western Regions, he took the initiative to cooperate with the Western Regions army to attack from the north and the south to eliminate them. The remnants of the Liao army. Now, I am afraid they have led their troops south to raid Beiting City!
In addition, His Royal Highnesses Zhao Gong and Wei Wang have returned to Hexi first, but went straight to Gaochang, hoping to participate in the war in the Western Regions, and met the soldiers of the expeditionary army in Luntai and Beiting! "
Emperor Liu frowned immediately. In his opinion, such a move was really unnecessary. He read the report carefully again, put it down again, and sighed softly: "Yang Ye and the others still have doubts about this move, and they want to make meritorious deeds." Ah! Why bother? No matter whether they are victorious or defeated, they are all warriors and heroes of the Han Dynasty. If my praise is not enough, why should I blame them?"
"If the soldiers knew His Majesty's intentions, they would be more fearless and have no regrets and be loyal to the country!" Zhang Yong said.
After a pause, he asked for instructions: "Your Majesty is so thoughtful of me, will you issue an edict to summon your two highnesses first?"
"No! If we call them back now, I'm afraid these two sons will blame me!" Emperor Liu shook his head and waved his hands, and said softly: "Since they have gone, let's just go with them. Let's wait until the outcome of the war in the Western Regions is achieved! So I’ve been missing for a long time, so why bother waiting for a while longer!”
"Plan the northwest and let all the Taoists fully support the Western Region army to end the war as soon as possible and stabilize the situation!" Emperor Liu ordered.
"Yes!" Zhang Yong responded.
After pondering for a while, Emperor Liu added: "We will send a message to the political affairs hall to prepare an envoy to go west to Gaochang!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yong was slightly surprised. Although he had some guesses, he still asked for instructions: "What is your Majesty's intention?"
Emperor Liu said leisurely: "For more than ten years, the Western Region has been repeatedly attacked by wars. The Uighurs, Liaos, Black Khans and the Han Dynasty have been fighting non-stop. The land has been bare for thousands of miles, and there is not a single living person. The Han Dynasty has sent tens of thousands of troops to fight on expeditions. It's a waste of time and effort, with very little benefit, so it's not worth it.
At present, the enemies of the Han Dynasty are still mainly the Liao Kingdom, but they should not launch another conquest and cause extra problems. This time, if the remnants of the Liao army were not entrenched north of the Tianshan Mountains, I might not have ordered more troops.
The Black Khanate, after so many years of tug-of-war, is probably too overwhelmed! "
Zhang Yong answered: "Although Black Khan is known as a big country in the Western Region, the country is weak and the people are few. After more than ten years of fighting eastward, he must be exhausted!"
Emperor Liu said: "I will release some goodwill first and send the envoy to the west. There is no feud or grudge between the two countries. If the two countries can be reconciled and communicate with each other, I will also be willing to stop the war and return peace to the Western Regions. !”
"Your Majesty has the world in mind and has stopped fighting with force. If we can negotiate a peace and reconcile each other, it will be of great merit!" Zhang Yong said: "I think that the Black Khanate will definitely not refuse, and they will not dare to continue to be hostile to the Han Dynasty!"
Emperor Liu was completely immune to the compliment and said with certainty: "Eight years after the opening of the Bao War, the Han Dynasty should not have any other wars except in the north!"
As he spoke, Emperor Liu muttered again: "Big man, it's time to close up the stall and walk slowly!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhang Yong said from the bottom of his heart.
In recent years, the Han Empire has expanded rapidly, and there are many knowledgeable people in the court. They can all see that the emperor was very enthusiastic and enjoyed it. Although he warned, the situation was not serious yet, so he did not dare to give too much advice.
And Zhang Yong, thanks to his position, can also see some problems based on the overall situation, and often makes circumstantial suggestions. However, rather than being dissuaded by the ministers, it would be more appropriate to have the self-awareness of Emperor Liu to start changing his ways.
"By the way, it was the people from Wude who found the expeditionary force!" Emperor Liu suddenly changed the subject.
"Exactly, Wang Yinwu, a well-known person in Hexi Province of Wude, went north to the Hexi Desert three times to explore Jinshan, and finally found something!" Zhang Yong said.
"Who is this? Thank you for your hard work!" Emperor Liu smiled a little.
Wang Yinwu, who was also a figure in the northwest, had no impression on Emperor Liu. In response to this, Zhang Dejun, who was also waiting in the palace, spoke: "Guan family, this Wang Yinwu is also an official under the Wude Department. When Lu was sent to the west, he was the one who accompanied him. He no longer served his mission and returned to the country with meritorious service! "
"I seem to have some impression!" Emperor Liu nodded and couldn't help but glance at Zhang Dejun: "You do know something about Wude Si's situation!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dejun smiled and said, "I also sent some people to search for the traces of the soldiers of the expeditionary army, so the people below came into contact!"
Emperor Liu didn't take it seriously and asked Zhang Yong: "Where is Li Chongju? He has always been responsible for this matter. Now that there are results, why don't you come and report in person?"
Zhang Yong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Commander Li is ill!"
"Sick?" Emperor Liu raised his eyebrows, and then said playfully: "It seems a coincidence that you are sick!"
After thinking about it for a moment, he ordered: "Notify the Taiyuan Hospital and send someone to his house to cut off his pulse. He is sick and must be treated!"
"Yes!" Zhang Yong felt a little nervous when he heard this.
Zhang Dejun, who was standing beside him, had a strange color in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up in a slight arc.
"Yan Tuo!" Emperor Liu's attention quickly returned to the good news he had received, eager to share it.
"The little one is here!"
"Immediately send someone to Kunning Palace to tell the queen the news of finding the second prince. She will feel relieved!" Emperor Liu said with joy on his face.
"yes!"
"No!" Emperor Liu quickly retracted his order, stood up and walked out: "I want to go in person, and then call Concubine Xian, and also go out of the palace and bring Princess Wei into the palace... "
