More than 20 years have passed in a very short period of history. But in a person's life, it seems so long.

Yu Dan, the king of the grassland, no matter what kind of sword and frost he has experienced over the years, and no matter how many honors and disgraces he has endured, he still remembers the scene of the first time he saw Yuan Zhao clearly. He will never forget every detail.

When the autumn wind rose again that year, as a little prince, he followed the huge Xiongnu mission to Chang'an. By chance, he met the boy who was just an ordinary person. The other party gave him a packet of precious fine salt, and he gave him a golden knife in return.

Much of that autumn was extremely precious to Yu Dan. It was in Chang'an that he had his first real contact with and understanding of the culture of the Han Dynasty. The Xiongnu prince, who has half of the Chinese blood in his body, probably didn't even realize that from that time on, he was already extremely eager for the prosperity of the Central Plains.

And in that short period of time, it was naturally impossible to know what kind of major impact these friends he made on the future steppe and all the Huns. But as time went by, he felt more and more that maybe this was all providence in the dark!

When he came to Chang'an again more than 20 years later in another capacity, the city was still the same city, and the people were still the same person, but everything had already become the same.

At that time, Xiao Ju'er was already the emperor of the greatest empire in the world. The man he called Yuan Ge'er was the most powerful person in the dynasty. And himself, although he has also become the king of the grassland, Yu Dan deeply understands that such a king of the grassland is far from being the king of the Huns who once had hundreds of thousands of iron horsemen.

The grassland is still the original grassland, but the grassland is no longer the original grassland. After the last decisive battle between the Han and the Huns ten years ago, that is, after the Battle of Mobei, the upper aristocratic forces of the Xiongnu royal court were almost completely wiped out. And the small remnants who escaped across the Tianshan Mountains to the depths of the desert, although they persevered for a few more years, did not escape the fate of the losers in the end. The cavalry of the Han Dynasty treated those who resisted to the end with extremely cruel methods, and most of the bones of those Huns were buried deep under the yellow sand, and their souls could never return to the grassland.

Yu Dan, who stayed on the grassland to accept the title of Da Dan Yu from the emperor of the Han Dynasty, actually felt very helpless sometimes. In any case, the vast steppe is the homeland of these unruly Huns. After their defeat, they would rather flee to the desert and wait for an opportunity to come back than surrender to accept the gifts of the Han people, which is understandable in terms of integrity. But it also brings deep hidden dangers to the long-term tranquility of the grassland.

There are thousands of different races living under the sky, and about none of them are willing to be vassals of others. The inheritance of history and the characteristics of the nation determine that everyone only identifies with the culture of their own nation in the depths of their hearts. It has nothing to do with the level of civilization, and sometimes it is often just a historical inertia. But this point should not be overlooked. There are many vivid examples of how conquest by forceful means alone is not successful.

Hatred and confrontation, yin and yang disobey and kill secrets. The hearts of the vanquished are densely planted with hatred

Seed...... They can remain dormant for ten, twenty, or even hundreds of years until the conditions are ripe and they explode again.

People's hearts are like the grass on the grassland, rising and falling with the wind, and it is difficult to calm down. Yu Dan, who has been back in the grassland for more than ten years, knows very well these secrets buried in the depths of the long grass. And the more he understood, the more uneasy he became.

"The grasslands have been in drought for three consecutive years, and there is almost no harvest. Most of the fertile land that has been painstakingly cultivated has also been barren...... As for other animal husbandry and fishery industries, they do not seem to have much effect on improving the livelihood of the people in the grasslands, and have had little effect. Alas! Before the winter of this year, if Chang'an does not increase its support, I am afraid that there will be unpredictable turbulent ....... ”

Yu Dan, who was sitting cross-legged, drank the liquor in a big gulp, feeling a little bitter in his throat. Looking at the prosperous night scene of Chang'an at his feet, he really wanted to give up the throne on the grassland, just be an ordinary citizen of Chang'an, and no longer have to worry about maintaining the stability of one party.

Yuan Zhao under the starlight turned his head and noticed the exhaustion on Yu Dan's face. He patted him on the shoulder and said with deep feeling.

"All these years, you have suffered! It's not easy to throw such a big mess on your shoulders, and you can carry it until now. Rest assured! It won't be so hard in the future. ”

With just a few short sentences, Yu Dan suddenly felt that his ten years of exhaustion were worth it. He raised the jar in his hand and took another sip, taking the opportunity to hide the red eye sockets. The boy doesn't flick when he has tears, but it's not time to be sad. Or Brother Yuan knows himself best! It turned out that he saw all the hard work and sacrifices he had made over the years.

"It's not bitter, I've never taken it to heart. Since he accepted the title of Da Dan Yu at the beginning, he took over the burden of the entire grassland. After the war, I know better than anyone how important it is to recuperate. I have half Han blood in my veins, and half of them Hun blood. Maintaining peace between the Han and the Xiongnu is also a task that I need to do my best...... It's just that when the ten years passed, I felt more and more powerless. Alas! Without Chang'an's help, I don't think I would have the ability to maintain the tranquility of the grassland. Don't say it's ten years, I'm afraid I won't even be able to last the first three years! ”

"It's not your responsibility. Yu Dan, you have done a good job. ”

"Brother Yuan, let's not hide it, the activities of some secret forces on the grassland have become more and more rampant in recent years. The ambition of those aristocratic forces in exile to revert the steppe has never stopped. They constantly sent people to infiltrate the grassland, secretly instigating and instigating ordinary people not to obey the arrangements of the Han court officials...... Some of the measures to benefit the people have made it difficult for them to move forward. In the first few years, the fields that were cultivated with the help of the Han army were no longer cultivated. The grain seeds that had been transported all the way from the Central Plains were eaten up. Most of the cattle, sheep and livestock that were distributed became food, and no one wanted to graze them...... I believe that Brother Yuan, you and the people in the Han court have channels to understand these situations clearly, right? ”

Yu Dan looked at Yuan Zhao, in front of this person, he no longer had to hide the hidden crises of these grasslands. At first, he listened to him and returned to the grassland, according to his rules

Plan to lead the Huns to a new future. However, after all the efforts he had put in, he was dismayed to discover that peaceful coexistence and harmony were not so easy to obtain.

Yuan Zhao didn't avoid his gaze, he nodded lightly. In the past three or four years, although he has made expeditions to the western continent, whether it is the fluctuation of the situation on the steppe or any changes in other areas conquered by the Han Dynasty, he is in his control.

People who are accustomed to getting everything for nothing and using knives and force are naturally unwilling to pay so much hard work and sweat to change their lives. When they feel tired, it's no surprise that they miss the easy days of the past.

"Now that the Huns have dismounted and put down their swords, they will never be able to go back to the past! For them, this is an unprecedented transformation. It is also a labor pain that requires a lot of sacrifice...... However, this is the only right path for them. Yu Dan, do you know? Perhaps from now on, the world will change in ways that you and many others in this world could not have anticipated. If you can describe it in one sentence, it is the earth-shaking and vicissitudes of life! ”

Yu Dan's eyes widened suddenly, as he heard a trembling amount of confidence in Yuan Zhao's tone that had begun to become impassioned. He couldn't help but hurriedly ask.

"Brother Yuan! What do you mean to say...... From now on, are you going to implement the big changes that you talked about that involve all aspects? ”

"Yes! The strength of the Han Empire has far exceeded that of any other era. In order to make this strong and prosperous for a long time, there must be various supporting institutional guarantees. Time is running out for change! Yu Dan, the reason why I revealed this news to you in advance is that I hope that after you return to the grassland, you will cooperate with all the actions of Chang'an by strong means. You have to remember that the general trend of history is mighty, and those who go along with it prosper, and those who go against it perish...... If the Xiongnu ethnic group wants to continue to survive, there is no other way to go except to accept the integration and edification of Chinese civilization! And this is not only for the Xiongnu, but also for the Dongyue, Nanyue, Goryeo, Baiyi, Xiyu, and Persians...... Wait a minute! Under the firmament, on the top of the earth, who leads thousands of races to follow the trend, who is it that I am in China?! ”

Yuan Zhao stood up and poured out the ambition in his chest into the vast starry sky. And the person who followed closely behind him felt trembling all over his body as he looked at the huge figure in front of him. Even the king of the grassland, on the stargazing platform at the highest point in Chang'an, the only thought now is just to bow down to him and regard it as the will of immortality!

"Brother Yuan, I have only one request...... When the destiny reaches the steppe, I hope that there will be no bloodshed and killing as much as possible! ”

"Don't worry. The obedience of the human heart is far from being won by force alone. What can be solved with a knife is only a superficial problem, and it is also the lowest means. I will make unified arrangements for all the Han territories, including the grasslands. When you go back after the centennial celebration, there will be a special group of people who will follow. They will help you take care of everything...... ”

Yuan Zhao smiled faintly and stretched out his hand, the universe was invisible, the universe was desolate, and the whole world seemed to be in his palm.