"Even if Zhao Tuo knows the grape pattern and knows that this is a famous product from the Western Regions, so what?

Could it be that you want to hint at something to him? ”

Liu Ji looked at Lu Pheasant intently, speculating on her motives.

"Exactly.

Didn't Your Majesty ask me to think about how to prepare a gift for South Vietnam to promote my prestige? ”

Lu Pheasant raised the corners of his mouth and said confidently,

"Then give them some brocades embroidered with grape patterns, and let them guess."

Let them guess whether we have made peace with the Xiongnu, guess whether we have hollowed out the way to the west, and whether we have communicated with the countries of the Western Regions outside the control of the Xiongnu on the right. ”

Everyone was still thinking, and Liu Jing was the first to jump out and enthusiastically support,

"The queen has a brilliant plan."

With his great contribution to the establishment of the capital Chang'an and the envoy to the Xiongnu, his status in the court is not what it used to be, and he has a place in the deliberations of the veterans.

"The old herdsmen on the grassland will mention when chatting that there is a Nanyue country in the south of our Han Dynasty, from Nanyue to the Xiongnu, although separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, there are caravans from time to time.

It can be seen that the relationship between Beihu and South Vietnam is not only interconnected, but also inextricably linked all year round, and the doorway may be deeper than we guess. ”

Xiao He sketched the general shape of the southwest Sichuan and Shu regions in his mind and asked,

"In my guess, most of the caravans that the Huns have seen are the camel caravans of the Bashu merchants, right?

They set out from Lingnan, traveled to western Sichuan, and then passed through the territory of the Qiang people on the plateau, crossed the mountains and mountains to Hexi, and finally went to the Western Regions. ”

Although this road is long and obstructive, it can avoid the interception of the "right arm" of the Xiongnu and directly connect the countries of the Western Regions.

Liu Ji nodded,

"There is a strong Hu in the north, and there is a Jinyue in the south, these two families are close neighbors of our dynasty, helping each other with evil, and tending to each other.

Zhao Tuo judged the situation, bent and stretched, and was very cunning.

In addition, he grew up in Zhending in the north, and eighty percent had secret contacts with the Xiongnu early.

In my opinion, according to your strategy, use the grape pattern to make him suspicious of each other with the Huns. ”

He turned his face and said to Lu Pheasant,

"So far away, there are only three counties, in the rugged mountains and seas, the climate is humble and humid, and there are snakes, insects, rats and ants everywhere, even if they are given to me, I don't want them."

He has made up his mind and is ready to sacrifice a little face to make Zhao Tuo a nominal foreign prince.

***

Unlike the seven princes with different surnames, the foreign princes did not need to enter the Hajj and did not need to use the Chinese law at home, and they also enjoyed full official power.

Although the princes and kings with different surnames at this time could also appoint officials within their own borders, since Zhang Cangshi, the new prime minister of Zhao State, Liu Ji has been determined to exert pressure with an iron fist and gradually replace the prime ministers of the princely kingdoms in each inner country with his own people.

In addition to appointing and dismissing officials at will, foreign princes also have the power to confer titles and divide princes.

In short, in Liu Ji's view, the land is barren and barbaric, not worthy of labor, and the empire that is in ruins cannot afford the consumption of a war on the north and south fronts.

Lu Pheasant listened to the emperor's disdainful ridicule and contempt, but his brows furrowed slightly.

Zhao Tuo is a true person who is like a fake, and he is also the Longchuan Order of Nanhai County personally sealed by Qin Shi Huang, whether it is based on Taoguang Yanghui or his homeland, he is full of indescribable complex attachment to the Central Plains Dynasty.

At the beginning, as a conqueror from afar, when Zhao Tuo led the Qin army into Lingnan, the local Yue people were unwilling to be captured by Qin and frequently fought fiercely.

In order to seek long-term peace and stability and alleviate the contradictions between different ethnic groups, Zhao Tuo once asked the First Emperor to relocate 15,000 unmarried women from the interior to serve as the spouses of Lingnan soldiers and locals.

Later, in order to better care for the locals, Zhao Tuo further followed the local customs, boldly used the big clans among the Yue people, encouraged them to participate in politics, grasped the secrets, and ordered the Zhao family to take the lead in setting an example and intermarrying with the Yue people.

"Zhao Tuo is in the prime of life right now, and it seems to be peaceful for a while, but what about a generation later?"

She muttered, worried.

It is conceivable that in a few decades, when the second and third generations of the Zhao dynasty slowly grow up, in that hot and hot land where the emperor is far away, the memory of the homeland of Middle Earth is destined to gradually become thin, and the subtle influence of the local natives will become more and more great.

At that time, for South Vietnam, the Han Empire was no longer a suzerainty with flesh and blood, but only a huge neighbor, and the vassal covenants between the two countries would no longer count.

***

Lu Pheasant looked at Liu Ji, who was a little carried away, and secretly strengthened his determination,

"South Vietnam is different from the Xiongnu, if South Vietnam can be completely incorporated into Han County, not only can it be peaceful for a long time, but it can also be poisoned in the south, which is promising.

Moreover, with careful planning, South Vietnam may be within reach without spending a single soldier.

It's just that the relationship with the Qiang people also has to be taken care of, and it still needs to start from the west of Longxi. ”

Thinking of the Qiang people, she diverted the topic and asked Liu Ji with a smile,

"Mr. Zifang and Liu Fei, when will they go back to Luoyang?

I haven't seen them for months, and I really miss them. ”

"Count the days, it's almost time."

Liu Ji rolled his eyes and thought about it,

"Zhang Zifang is such a cautious person, before he left, he also boasted about Haikou in the song, saying that this time he wants us to see the good skills of the six counties in the northwest."

Six counties of good family? Lu Pheasant's eyes suddenly lit up.

The stars rotate the sky, the mountains and rivers spread across the earth, the peach and plum do not speak, and the next is its own, and it may come to meet the famous general who is difficult to seal.

She quietly pinched her fingers in her sleeve and silently counted the years:

"If it's under me, I will definitely make him a marquis."

***

On the day when Zhang Ao, the king of Zhao, set off to Luoyang with his officials, the queen Lu Yuan and all the ministers went to see him off outside Handan City.

It was cold and frozen, and Lu Yuan was dressed in a silver-white mink skin and stood quietly in the snow.

It is said that the mink is a special product of Liaodong Korea, they usually eat pine nuts, day and night.

Knowing its habits, hunters often wait under pine trees at night, stand quietly with bated breath, and shoot them when they appear.

The mink is very small, a mink fur, the total party is not a foot, collect this big piece on her body, not to mention it will cost sixty or seventy mink, it can be described as extremely rare, not ordinary fur is comparable, in the palace of Zhao Wang is considered a rare thing.

Lu Yuan was too cruel at first, and he didn't want to wear it to death, but Xiao Yuan, who served closely, didn't ask about thirty-seven twenty-one, and forcibly draped it on her.

"Some time ago, you were fooling around like practicing arrows, and you were caught in the cold, and the queen was sympathetic to you, so you didn't have to go to Luoyang together.

If I stay in Handan, something will happen under my nose, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep it. ”

Zhang Ao pulled Lu Yuan's hand and asked her to take care of her life, Lu Yuan returned the salute and reverently hoped that her husband would return early.

Lu Shizhi, who was not far away, winked at her and reminded with a smile,

"If you dare to be playful, I'll go back and tell your mother and see her send someone to clean you up."

Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, and said aloud to his uncle tacitly,

"I can reflect on myself, Uncle Wanwang take care all the way."

Lu Shizhi followed the ranks of Shangji into Beijing this time, and at the same time took away Lao Jiang, a lame engineer who was good at managing bows and crossbows, but left a treasure for Lu Yuan.

"This is a new style of crossbow created by Lao Jiang, and I only made three in total, two of which I took to Luoyang, and the remaining one was left for you to relieve your boredom."

Two days before departure, Lu Shizhi held up a shiny copper crossbow machine and said to Lu Yuan complacently.

Lu Yuan went out early and returned late to practice shooting in Zhao Ji's courtyard this time, and her temperament was not as depressed as when she first arrived in Handan, she snatched the crossbow machine over, and looked at it over and over again.

Lu Shizhi saw that she was still a child, and continued to pretend,

"This crossbow is much stronger than your bow.

Moreover, this crossbow can also be fired in bursts, and you can shoot three arrows at a time, which is enough for you to play. ”