Liu Ju, the crown prince of the Han Dynasty, has been enveloped in all his emotions by a huge surprise since he set foot on the land of the Western Regions. They never imagined that when the trip ended, they would be greeted by such a shocking scene.

"Yuanhou is mighty! All the soldiers of the Red Fire Army are mighty! The credit they have made this time is really great. Admire, admire! ”

Although royal loyal defenders such as Feng Jiu did not have the opportunity to personally go into battle to kill the enemy, they have always had respect for these warriors of the Han family who fought in the bloody battlefield. Hearing the hearty nature of the war, I couldn't help but exclaim with joy.

Dongfang Shuo, who accompanied him, smiled and couldn't stop nodding. Seeing that the crown prince was still unsatisfied, he was overflowing with excitement, and he was asking the people who greeted them in detail about some of the highlights of this Hexi battle. couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart, Yuan Zhao thought about the interests of the prince, but it was really painstaking.

The crown prince is eighteen or nineteen years old this year, and it is the time to be in high spirits. He has a slender figure, a handsome face, and a royal extravagance, but between his eyebrows and eyes, he has more inherited Queen Wei Zifu genes, so the lines on his face and temperament tend to be feminine.

Although in recent years, the emperor has begun to focus on cultivating his ability to handle political affairs, entrusting him with some less important matters to hone in order to speed up his growth. But after all, he grew up in the deep palace since he was a child, and he still experienced too few storms. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve that kind of mood and anger, calm and majestic.

While listening to the story of the large number of people who were crowded, the prince couldn't stop laughing heartily, and when he heard the excitement, he couldn't help but dance with his hands. And when he heard the heroic circumstances of those sacrifices for the country, he also shed tears of sadness without scruples.

A large group of officials and attendants of the East Palace who came from the west, many of them secretly frowned on the side, complaining in their hearts that the prince did not respect his identity. On the orders of Yuan Zhao, the only one who was waiting for the prince here was a young lieutenant lieutenant leading a small group of cavalry, while the rest were a large number of Central Plains merchants who came to the Western Regions with the Western Expeditionary Army this time.

In the eyes of the attendants of the East Palace, the crown prince is a precious person, he is the prince of a country, what should he say until he meets Yuan Zhao, in front of these people, he should show his majesty, just say a little, and talk to them more!

Generally speaking, as long as they are qualified to serve the crown prince, they are carefully selected people of outstanding intelligence. If nothing else, when the prince succeeds to the throne in the future, they will be the new team in the court, the emperor's confidant ministers. Therefore, it is understandable to have the pride of being empty-eyed. Of course, not everyone is like this, and in this East Palace team, there are many quiet and far-reaching people.

It's just that dissatisfaction is dissatisfaction, and in such a scene, naturally no one will show it. They were just watching with their own emotions, and what they were looking forward to most was that the prince would go to the grassland as soon as possible and preside over the upcoming grassland alliance, which was the most important thing!

However, the prince seems to be very interested in these merchants who have come from the Central Plains. After learning the news that he was most concerned about, he casually asked a few more about the activities of the merchants in the Western Regions.

These merchants came from all over the Central Plains, from the south to the north. What they represent almost covers the business of the Han Dynasty. Originally, there were not so many people who followed the footsteps of the Western Expeditionary Army, but later, with the changes in the situation in the Western Regions, especially the news of the Red Fire Army's great victory, more and more big merchants from the north and south heard the wind and rushed to come as quickly as possible.

It is common for businessmen to pursue profits. Their sense of smell, at some point, is far more sensitive than anyone else's. The smooth opening of the Western Regions Passage will be a major event that will change the geographical pattern, no matter who it is, as long as it can seize the opportunity in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then the benefits obtained in the future will be unimaginably huge!

Coupled with the last Yuan Zhao ship, a rough count shows that there are already thousands of merchants in the Central Plains, and if you concentrate the financial resources of these people, it will be a terrifying number.

Although the crown prince Liu Ju is not good at the way of economics, he has listened to Yuan Zhao's words and teachings over the years, and he also has a lot of understanding of the huge role played by this aspect in the development of the country. That's why he put down the prince's shelf and talked casually with them. Because he knew very well that the reason why Yuan Zhao attracted so many wealthy Central Plains merchants to come here must have a big plan. Although he didn't know what kind of big chess game it would be for the time being, he was already looking forward to it.

The plateau river, the birthplace, makes people extraordinarily broad-minded. In the atmosphere of warm conversation, finally, the captain of the Red Fire Military Academy, who was ordered to greet him here, came over to ask the prince and his party to set off, so that they could rush to the Shule River on the grassland within the specified time to complete the mission delivered by Yuan Zhao.

When Liu Ju, the crown prince of the Han Dynasty with an earnest attitude, waved goodbye, he immediately saw many people from the Western Regions hired by merchants carrying things to the ship, and he couldn't help but feel a little strange in his heart. I asked casually.

"What's in those dark jars? Could it be a specialty of the Western Regions? ”

When everyone looked back, they saw that on the bank of the plateau river, on a clean and flat open space, a large number of small black ceramic altars brought from a distance by horse-drawn carriage were neatly stacked here, and then under the care of the housekeepers sent by the merchants, the people hired from the local area were carefully carried onto the boat.

The rest of the people, like the prince, did not understand what these things were. Dongfang Shuo, who had always seen and heard a lot, suddenly felt a sadness in his heart, and he knew what these were.

Sure enough, when the young lieutenant who led the Red Fire Army heard the prince's inquiry, his face changed, and he forcibly concealed the desolation that appeared, but his eyes were already slightly red.

"Back to the prince's words, these small jars are ...... But it's not a specialty of the Western Regions, but the heroic souls of my Han sacrificed soldiers! ”

As soon as the words came out, they were already choked. And all the rest of the people in the know also bowed their heads, and there was a solemn mood like a strong wind blowing through the crowd, silent and solemn.

The crown prince Liu Ju was stunned for a moment, his hand gripping the reins tightly, and then letting go again. When he raised his eyes again, the expression on his face was already different.

The Red Fire Military Captain named Huang Tao, who was personally ordered by Yuan Zhao to greet the prince, has emerged in the army and grown into the backbone of the Red Fire Army since he left Chang'an, crossed the Yumen Pass, and followed the Hussar General's horse. Of course, he knew that those small black jars were filled with the three thousand warriors of Zhao Ponu's department who died on the battlefield in the Western Regions, as well as the soldiers who died one after another in the next few wars.

Behind every glorious victory, there is always some generosity and tragedy. Passionate loyalty and unyielding will spread all over this plateau. The majestic green mountains are not old, and they retain their posture. Since then, the surging river has been flowing eastward, but it has been inexhaustible, and the blood of heroes for thousands of years has passed!

The crown prince Liu Ju jumped off his horse, and all the people from Chang'an silently followed behind him, and walked to the open space with a solemn expression. Several leading businessmen in charge of this matter hurriedly came over and bowed down.

"You guys, be careful! Allow me to express my sincere thanks to you on my own behalf! ”

After finishing speaking, the prince was not hypocritical, bowed to the ground for a long time, and bowed to the ground.

"Don't do that, prince! The tormented villain waited...... This is all Yuanhou's arrangement, and we are only doing our best. ”

Those merchants hurriedly bowed to the ground, not daring to accept such a heavy courtesy from the prince.

The crown prince Liu Ju nodded and said no more. He knew that since Yuan Zhao had come to the Western Regions, he would never let the soldiers chill. Whether he is injured or sacrificed for the country, he will definitely be properly settled.

The crown prince untied the Shu brocade flower cloak he was wearing and put it on the bow of the ship on the piece of heroic soul that was about to return to his homeland. In this regard, although it is as light as a feather, I admire it in my heart, but it is as heavy as Mount Tai!

After Huang Tao and the cavalry of the Red Fire Army led by him saluted with the salute in the army, they jumped on horseback, opened the way in front of their heads, and led the prince and his party to turn north and go straight to the depths of the grassland.

Two days later, when the morning glow in the east filled the sky again, the western grasslands, where the war had subsided, seemed to be rejuvenated under the light of the morning sun. This breath is so different from before.

The Qilian Mountains in the distance, as if ancient giant beasts were entrenched there, have witnessed countless vicissitudes of life for thousands of years, and the world has been turned upside down. And today, it will use its own broad mind to accommodate an important grassland alliance.

This large-scale meeting of kings, known in history as the "Shule River Alliance", was originally located on the flat grassland not far from the river. And in the near future, a majestic city will rise from the ground. Its name is: Dunhuang!

Of course, this historical name has not yet appeared in the world. It only existed in the heart of Ling Yuanzhao, the great Han Shangshu, and gently appeared on the fold he spread out on the desk, faintly flowing under the wolf ...... full of pen and ink.

For several days in a row, Yuan Zhao was very busy. He was so busy that he didn't even have time to say a few words after his proud disciples came to his tent a few times.

There are 36 countries in the Western Regions, and a total of 30 kings or princes and ministers in power have come by appointment. They came on behalf of the sincerity of these countries, and no matter how big or small the country was, Yuan Zhao treated them equally and talked to them individually one by one.

The results are good, and the results achieved are remarkable. Under the premise of common interests, the results of the talks were all overjoyed and praised.

Han, Western Regions, Grassland, Desert...... On this western road, they are finally united. Yuan Zhao looked at the blueprint he had drawn, and a large area outside the Yumen Pass in the west was painted with a fiery red, and the red arrow extended farther to the west...... He finally smiled in satisfaction.

This is my ancestor, my Han homeland! A rapidly rising red empire, with magnificent mountains and rivers, thousands of weather, nine catastrophes without regrets, life and death calmly! From now on, may my blood melt into the blood of this Chinese land, surging passion, full of heroism!