"That, Aziz, how is the Jin Kingdom's Western Regions Governor's Mansion running now?"

"If you go back to Da Sima, it shouldn't be good. They are now cowering near the former Loulan Ancient City, and have reclaimed about 1,000 acres of land. There were only about three or four hundred people in the entire Changshi Mansion. ”

When the Western Han Dynasty was strong, the Chang'an government set up a capital protectorate in the Western Regions. The new reckless usurpation of the Han Dynasty led to the withdrawal of the Han regime from the Western Regions. After the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Chao turned things around, so that the Han family once again established the capital protectorate in the Western Regions. However, the national strength of the Eastern Han Dynasty was too far behind that of the Western Han Dynasty, so the Eastern Han Dynasty's capital protectorate was abolished soon after its establishment.

In 123 AD, Ban Chao's grandson Ban Yong once again settled on the Western Regions. At this time, the Eastern Han government had fallen into an embarrassing situation in which relatives and eunuchs took turns to fight, and the family continued to grow. Therefore, the Eastern Han Dynasty no longer set up the capital protection office, but set up the Changshi Mansion - from the administrative level, the capital protection office is the state level, and the Changshi Mansion is the county level. In short, the Eastern Han Dynasty no longer tried to control dozens of countries in the Western Regions in general, but tried to keep a Han stronghold in the Western Regions, nothing more.

Even so, in the short 66 years from 123 to 189 of the Yellow Turban Uprising, the Governor of the Western Regions has also experienced three links and three uniques. It was not until Cao Cao completely defeated Ma Chao that he sent people to open the Western Regions again.

However, at that time, Cao Wei's main energy was to deal with the challenges of the Han and Wu countries in the south. Therefore, for the Western Regions, the policy of the late Eastern Han Dynasty was also maintained: set up the Changshi Mansion, and in this part of the Western Regions, it is good to have a Han stronghold or outpost. When our Han people become strong in the future, this stronghold will be the foundation for restoring the entire Western Regions.

And where is this outpost? After the Yumen was closed, it was less than 800 miles to the northwest, the hometown of Loulan on the northeast edge of the ancient Lop Nur.

The so-called Loulan is the former name of Shanshanguo. As mentioned earlier, the water sources around the Tarim Basin are stable and variable. In the past, Lop Nur was rich in water, and the ancient kingdom of Loulan prospered because of this. Later, Lop Nur gradually shrank, and the whole country of Loulan moved to the southwest, resettled in a new oasis, and the name of the country was changed to Shanshan. The warriors of the Han family, who did not have the strong support of the central government, had no choice but to pick up the abandoned ancient city of Loulan at this time, and use this as the center to hang out the sign of the Western Regions Changshi Mansion. Declare the existence of the Han Chinese to the entire Western Regions.

How helpless this is, and how tragic it is.

In the archaeological excavations of later generations, a large number of wooden tablets from the Wei and Jin dynasties were unearthed in the ancient city of Loulan. It's almost all about how to farm, how to harvest, how to use water efficiently...... It can be seen that the Western Regions Changshi Mansion of that era actually existed. However, its main function was no longer the ruling institution of the Han family in the Western Regions. Rather, it was an outpost and a base for the Han Chinese.

"Well, three or four hundred. Hehehe, then, this official can imagine that if there is any dispute among the countries of the Western Regions, they should not go to the Changshi Mansion to ask for justice, right? ”

"Uh...... Da Sima saw thousands of miles. ”

At this time, the Western Regions was a great time for Shanshan and Khotan. The Northern Huns have gone far to the northeast, and they will regain their vitality in the black soil of Ukraine. In another hundred years, their leader, Attila, will lead them and whip all of Europe as the whip of God. The Yueshi people, who were also powerful in the past, also went to the Indus Valley in the south to establish the Kushan Empire. Sassanid Persia in the west was busy fighting the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Han Chinese in the east were also in civil war. The countries of the Western Regions sandwiched in the middle actually had no one to trouble them. So there are no tigers in the mountains, and the monkeys are overlords. Countries like Shanshan and Khotan, which have a population of less than 100,000 and are as big as their noses, actually dare to dominate.

"If you are not as good as others, you certainly can't get the respect you need. So, is there anyone in the Western Regions who dares to ask the Governor of the Western Regions to pay taxes to them? ”

"Not really. Although the Changshi Mansion is weak, it is a representative of the Han family after all. Besides......" Aziz looked up at Guan Yi, feeling that Guan Yi was not the kind of fiery temper that blew up at a point, and continued: "A small place planted by hundreds of people has extremely limited production. I can't afford to provoke the reputation of the Han people for the sake of such a small thing. ”

"Hey, it seems that the latter is the real reason." With a long sigh of helplessness, Guan Yi's heart was also a little sad: "I didn't expect that my Han is in the Western Regions, and there is only one signboard left." ”

After cleaning up his mood, Guan Yi continued to ask: "The west of the Western Regions is Sasan, right?" How is that country now? ”

"Venerable Grand Sima, let me answer this question." Then stood up a tall man with fair skin, deep eyes, and turquoise eyes: "Your servant Daye was originally an Elamite. It's just that the family provoked a nobleman in Sassanid and had to live in Shule for a long time. ”

Seeing Guan Yi make a gesture of continuation, Dai Yi hurriedly continued: "Sassanid is very powerful. Although the territory under its control is not as large as that of the Great Han, it is far larger than the entire Western Regions. The king is called the King of kings and is in charge of the sacred fire. There were no less than 5 million citizens and no less than 200,000 soldiers. In the war with Rome eight years ago, the Sassanids captured the Roman emperor and made him a slave......"

Well, Sassanid Persia in this era was still on the rise. Their tear with the Roman Empire would continue for a long time. A Roman emperor was taken prisoner, and in the back, there was an outstanding emperor who died on the battlefield.

In short, the country can only be friendly with it for the time being, and cannot be provoked.

"So, what about Kushuang?"

"Venerable Grand Sima, your servant Kurshan is familiar with the situation there." Kurshan, who was robbed of the right to speak by others just now, finally has a chance to perform at this time. "The Kushan Empire, which has more than five million people in its country, can mobilize more than 200,000 soldiers. His soldiers consisted of light horsemen and elephant soldiers. However, there are many ethnic groups in the country, and only the top-level Yue people are good at fighting. The Darobitas at the bottom of it are humble and obedient. In recent years, Kushan's conquests with the Sassanid in the northwest have basically failed. In its southeast, the rise of Gupta posed a challenge. Although Gupta can be suppressed for the time being, judging from the experience of your servants who have traveled north and south for so many years, the decline of Kushan is irreversible. ”

Heck, that part of India is really good, and the natives there are really very easy to conquer. It's just that the cultural environment there is too exaggerated, and no matter which conqueror enters it, it won't be long before it will be softened into a puddle of mud.

However, if Gupta wants to truly replace Kushan, according to the development of the historical plane, it will take at least more than a hundred years of water milling work.

"Well, Kurshan, you walked in Kushan and Gupta and have you ever seen Buddhism there?"

"Of course you have seen it, Venerable Great Sima, are you interested in Buddhism?"

"Hehehe, Kurshan, are you a Buddhist?"

"Hehe, of course not. Your servant believes in the golden coin, and seeks to do great things in this life. Buddhism is not interested in doing good deeds in this life and enjoying happiness in future lives. Da Sima, do you need me to bring you the monks over there from Gupta? ”

"No need."

After carefully listening to the introductions of many merchants, Guan Yi had a rough idea of the situation in the Western Regions and the west of the Western Regions.

Although the Xinjiang Autonomous Region was the first of the five northwestern provinces to achieve self-sufficiency in grain, its agricultural production was promising even in this era. However, there is already a serious shortage of population in the interior of the Han family, and a large amount of land has not been effectively cultivated. Therefore, to effectively control the Western Regions and migrate a large number of people there for farming, in this era, is purely brain-dead.

The Western Regions of this era, for Guan Yi, it is a simple line of communication. The Han needed to maintain a certain military presence in this area, and it was enough to ensure that the trade routes here were unblocked.

As for the cost of garrisoning troops on this land, of course, it is necessary to combine the army and the cantonment, and at the same time suck blood from the countries of the Western Regions, so as to ensure the self-sufficiency of the garrison army.

If the trade route of the Western Regions remains unimpeded, many good horses and horses, wheat breeds, rape flower seeds....... and a large number of gold coins from West Asia and Europe will continue to be imported into the Han Dynasty. While effectively improving the national strength of the Han Dynasty, it can also improve the people's livelihood of the Han Dynasty in advance.

Of course, what Guan Yi attaches more importance to is to open up new fields for the Han people of this era in their thinking. The cultural essence of ancient Greece and Rome was introduced into China as soon as possible. So that the local philosophy of this land can absorb new nutrients, so as to change a new look. This leads the country to a higher apex in the future.

Of course, once the door to cultural exchange is opened. There must be people who want and like to come in (Western classical philosophy, classical jurisprudence). There are also things that the traverser is not very interested in or resistant to coming in. For example, Buddhism in the Indian Peninsula (in fact, it was already popular in Han China during this era), Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism) in Sasansanid, and Christianity in Rome...... Fortunately, there is no Xingyue Sect in this era.

However, China has its own national conditions. Thanks to the blessings of the Duke of Zhou and the sons of the pre-Qin Dynasty, the word "rite" has been deeply rooted in the bone marrow of the Chinese nation. Ancestor worship and family identity will always be the mainstream of Chinese values.

So, what am I worried about here? History has long proven that any religion that enters China must change accordingly in order to survive in this country. Is it that those world-renowned business giants in later generations entered China, and they still want to sell porridge fritters?

"Ladies and gentlemen, this official has made up his mind. The army of the Han family will enter the Western Regions no later than the year after tomorrow. At that time, the trade routes in the Western Regions will definitely be completely opened. And you are one step ahead of your peers. I hope that you will do what the official has to do, and as long as the official is satisfied, you will definitely be satisfied! ”