Great Han Arrow God

Chapter 597 Rejection
Hexi was pacified, and the Son of Heaven was satisfied with his ambition. He was about to set up a county in Hexi, directly control the Hexi Corridor, and cut off the connection between the Huns and Qiang people. He was really surprised to receive this news suddenly.

The envoy of Yueshi was ambiguous and did not say the real cause of Aliusu's death, but the accompanying Han envoy told the truth.

Aliusu was shot dead while chasing a group of Hun horse thieves.Two hundred steps away, an arrow pierces the heart!
Hearing this news, the emperor was very surprised.Shooting and killing opponents from a hundred steps away is already the realm of a sharp archer.Taking the two best archers he is most familiar with - Li Guang and Liang Xiao - it is not easy to hit with one arrow from a hundred paces away, let alone one that pierces the heart.

I'm afraid they won't be able to achieve such a realm.

The Han envoy then explained more about this person.About a year ago, this horse thief who called himself Sirius suddenly appeared on the grassland. With his superb archery skills, he quickly recruited more than 100 people, all of whom were mercenaries and horse thieves with outstanding archery skills.With these people, he plundered everywhere and never failed.All of a sudden, the merchants in the Western Regions became pale when they heard the wolf, and suffered heavy losses.

After Li Danghu and Li Shuyun received the merchant's report, they led the troops to fight several times. Although they were numerous and armed with excellent weapons, they shot and killed several people with powerful crossbows, but they still failed to catch the leader Sirius.Of course, these horse thieves didn't take advantage of it. After seeing the strength of the Han army's crossbows, they avoided the main force of the Han army and started guerrilla warfare. They gradually moved to the front of the desert and entered the territory of the Yuezhi people.

Alyusu relied on his bravery, and when he heard that these horse thieves had entered his territory, he led his troops to fight without saying a word.As a result, the two sides pursued for several days in the Loulan area. Not only did Aliusu fail to catch this group of horse thieves, he was shot and killed by Sirius on the contrary.Now the Yuezhi crowd has no leader, and many people have surrendered to Sirius.Sirius now has thousands of people, almost controlling most of Monan.

Li Danghu and Li Shuyun's Han army had no more than 500 people. Even with a few reliable tribes, the number was very limited.Facing the skyrocketing Sirius, the Han army could only take advantage of the strong crossbow to defend the fortress, but they had more than enough energy to pursue them.Although several important frontier fortresses are safe now, business travel has been greatly affected.If it is not wiped out in time, I am afraid that the situation in the Western Regions may undergo unexpected changes.

Li Danghu asked the emperor to issue an edict to send troops to the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains to strengthen the strength of the Han army.Whether it was intentional or unintentional, he did not mention Liang Xiao's name, but asked the emperor to arrange for warriors with superb archery skills to go there as appropriate.

The speaker is intentional, and the listener is even more intentional. Li Danghu deliberately avoided Liang Xiao's name, but the emperor heard the deep meaning.Even though Li Danghu was thousands of miles away, he knew that the imperial court suppressed Liang Xiao, so he deliberately didn't mention it, so as not to cause trouble for Liang Xiao.

After figuring out this section, the emperor was somewhat embarrassed.Needless to say, although Li Danghu and others are good at fighting, their abilities are definitely not enough for two or three hundred people to control the Western Regions.The reason why it is today is entirely the foundation created by Liang Xiao.The Han army took 300 cavalry to take control of Hexi, but Liang Xiao used ten cavalry as an envoy to the Western Regions, and almost single-handedly pacified the Western Regions, causing the hostages of Dawan and Yuezhi to come to the court.

If it was not possible to determine the extent of Liang Xiao's achievements before, it can be determined now.Without Liang Xiao, Li Danghu and others couldn't even deal with a group of horse thieves. The Western Regions had reached a stalemate. If the situation could not be brought under control as soon as possible, the Western Regions might be lost again.In this way, Hexi will become the front line.

The purpose of controlling Hexi is largely to do business with the Western Regions. If the Western Regions fall into the hands of others, the significance of controlling Hexi will be greatly reduced.No matter what the consideration is, the Western Regions cannot be lost.

While considering the countermeasures, the emperor sent someone to call Yueshi's proton Batu into the palace, preparing to arrange for him to return home.

Batu has stayed in Chang'an for several years, and he already speaks fluent Chinese. If you don't look at his appearance, no one will know that he is from the Yuezhi.Wearing Hanfu and speaking Chinese, he is already half a Han Chinese.Recently, Chang'an discussed Taoism, and he also added a foot in it and wrote an article. Although there are some mistakes in the use of allusions, to be honest, the writing style is not much worse than Liang Xiao's.

When the emperor saw Batu, he tried to comfort him, and then asked him about his plans after returning home.

Batu is straightforward.The minister is deeply favored by heaven, and has seen the wealth and strength of the great man with his own eyes, so he never dares to betray His Majesty.However, there are many races in the Western Regions, Yuezhi is only one of them, not even the strongest one, and survival is not easy.If His Majesty sends troops to assist, I will naturally lead the Yuezhi warriors to help out, and it is my duty to do so.If His Majesty cannot send troops, then the minister can only guarantee himself, not others.

After all, survival is the first priority. If the big man can't protect the Yue family, it is impossible to expect all the Yue family to support the big man.

The emperor asked: "In your opinion, how many troops are needed to protect the countries in the Western Regions?"

"It depends on the person His Majesty appoints. If this person can convince the crowd, about one or two thousand riders is enough. If he can't convince the crowd and can only rely on the Han army, then at least 2 elites are needed. Not to mention the west of Congling , just at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in the east of Congling Mountain, there is such a big country as Wusun. Wusun has [-] to [-] cavalry, and the Han army is brave. With one enemy three, [-] people should be sure of victory."

The emperor frowned when he heard this.It is already difficult to march [-] pacers to Hexi, how could it be possible to transfer another [-] elites to the Western Regions thousands of miles away.It seems that there is only one possibility left: to send a general who can convince the masses to go west and use the barbarians to control the barbarians.

This person was none other than Liang Xiao.

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After several days of careful consideration, the emperor sent someone to call Liang Xiao into the palace.

Seeing the ceremony, Liang Xiao knelt aside and listened quietly to what the emperor had to say.The emperor sized Liang Xiao up and hesitated for a while.Although he knew very well that Liang Xiao was the only suitable candidate if he wanted to win more with less, but when Liang Xiao stood in front of him, he was still a little uneasy.

Is it really okay to send Liang Xiao to the Western Regions? If he gets too big, and ends up being too big to lose, and separate himself, wouldn't it be a slap in the face?

Tianzi rubbed his fingers and opened his mouth unhurriedly. "Have you heard about the Western Regions?"

"I've heard about it." Liang Xiao didn't go around the bush, and said straight to the point: "I heard General Li talking about it the other day, and I felt like I had known him before. This Sirius might be Wu Dan, King of Hunxie."

"Hunxie King Wu Dan?" The emperor was taken aback.He curled his fingers and tapped his temples thinking for a while. "Is his sister the Wusun Yan clan?"

"Yes, Your Majesty's memory is really good. I heard from the Yuezhi people that the Yuezhi people had three precious bows. They were called heaven, earth and people. They were snatched by the Huns and given to the Wusun people. The human bows are my ministers. The bow in his hand, the hard bow in Wu Dan's hand should be an earth bow."

"So, the ground bow is stronger than your bow?"

"It should be so. But I haven't seen it, so I don't know if it's true or not." Liang Xiao frowned slightly. "I feel that Aliusu's shooting may have been a coincidence. It's rare to hit an arrow two hundred paces away, let alone one that pierces the heart."

"Even if it is a coincidence, this ground bow should not be underestimated. To be able to pull such a hard bow, its strength must be astonishing. I am afraid it is already the legendary strength." The emperor let out a long breath. "Who do you think is more confident?"

"No one is sure." Liang Xiao frowned even tighter. "If it's a large army attacking, it's not a big problem. After all, one person's strength is limited. Thousands of arrows are fired at once, no matter how good the archery skills are, it won't help. But the bandits with more than a thousand people are chasing them in the desert. Such an opponent But it is very difficult to deal with, and the threat of the environment is even more troublesome. Once you get lost in the desert, the possibility of surviving is extremely low."

"Then what do you say? Do you just give up like this?"

"The only way seems to be the most appropriate way for me to go. As a prince, I also have the responsibility to fight for the country. However, I don't want to go."

"Don't want to go?" The corner of the emperor's eyes twitched. "why?"

"First of all, I'm not sure. I use a human bow with a range of about 120 steps. He uses an earth bow. The range is said to be about [-] steps. I don't have any advantage at all, let alone he is more suitable for the Western Regions than I." The terrain has changed. Secondly, the minister is blessed by His Majesty, the youth is rich and honored, and now there are [-] households in the city, and he is a champion. I don’t know how many people are envious and jealous. Waiting to see the jokes of the minister. If the minister goes out to fight, I am afraid that people who sing bad Not a few."

Liang Xiao paused, and then said: "Finally, there is one more thing. I don't want my family members to worry about Chang'an. If I lose, I will die on the battlefield. If someone sows right and wrong in front of Your Majesty, it will harm my family. , even under the Nine Springs, it is difficult for me to rest in peace."

The emperor raised his eyebrows, showing displeasure. "In your eyes, am I so confused?"

"I don't dare to say that your Majesty is confused, but three people become tigers, Zeng Zi is a wise man, mother and son are close, and Zeng's mother still jumped over the wall. The Western Regions are thousands of miles away from Chang'an, and it takes half a year for the news to go back and forth. Your Majesty is deceived by others." It's also possible. Even if your Majesty is wise enough to realize it, but my family has been tortured by the prison guards, how can I feel at ease? Therefore, I don't want to go."

The emperor looked at Liang Xiao, trying to see a clue from Liang Xiao's face.Liang Xiao lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, his face was calm.After a long time, the emperor sighed. "Okay, I'll think about it again."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Liang Xiao bowed and saluted, and got up to leave.

Seeing Liang Xiao come out of the hall, the emperor's eyebrows twitched, and he turned to look at Xu Le and the others. "What do you guys think? Liang Xiao's reluctance to go to war, is it true or not?"

Xu Le and the others looked at each other a few times, and no one wanted to speak, but the emperor insisted, and his face became more and more ugly.Seeing this, Xu Le stepped out first. "Your Majesty, I think that Liang Xiao is not lying. There is no reason to win when you advance, and you are afraid of being slandered when you retreat. You are suspicious and uncertain. This is a big taboo for generals. The son of a daughter knows that he will not sit down. Liang Xiao is worried about this, and it is also true. Human nature."

The emperor was bored.He didn't want to send Liang Xiao, but when Liang Xiao really refused him, he felt very disappointed and even a little annoyed. "As a lieutenant, splitting the soil and dividing the land, shouldn't you share your worries for the king?"

"What Your Majesty said is true. Liang Xiao should indeed share your worries. But there are different ways to share your worries. Leading the army is one way, and fighting with the bandits is another way. Liang Xiao, as a king, should be the former, It shouldn't be the latter."

The Son of Heaven choked.He understood what Xu Le meant.This expedition was unusual. Cao Shi went to Hexi with [-] soldiers. Liang Xiao went to the Western Regions with a maximum of [-] riders. He was also a lord, and Liang Xiao's treatment was much worse.A few years ago, because of his wealth, Liang Xiao was able to send ten riders to the Western Regions. Now that he is no longer an ordinary man, he is also a king. There is no need to take this risk, not to mention the suspicion of the monarch and his ministers.

In other words, Liang Xiao really didn't want to go, not just talking about it.How comfortable he was staying in Chang'an, why did he have to go to the Western Regions to try his best, and he couldn't make it in the end.

The emperor's face was a little hot.He knew that Liang Xiao was not afraid of dying in battle, but was afraid of his suspicion.They used to know each other as monarchs and ministers, but now this kind of trust is long gone.He felt that Liang Xiao was setting up tricks everywhere to instigate people's hearts.Liang Xiao was worried that he would run out of money, so he would rather become a rich man in Chang'an than go to war.

Of course, if he could choose, he probably wouldn't even want to stay in Chang'an.He was sick because he didn't want to stay in the palace, he would rather stay in his own mansion, drink with Mei Gao, and watch Mei Gao write articles.

Thinking of Mei Gao's article, a chill rose up the emperor's back.The popularity of Mei Gao's article is behind the fear of countless expedition soldiers.They worried that they would end up like Dou Ying and Liang Xiao.Even those lords who didn't speak out, they didn't have such worries. So far, Cao Shi, Li Guang and others have not expressed their opinions. It doesn't mean that they have no opinions, but they just refuse to jump out.

If Liang Xiao refused to go, Li Guang would go, and Cao Shi would go?They might not refuse directly like Liang Xiao, but they probably also rejected it in their hearts.On the front line, while they were fighting the enemy, they may have more thoughts on Chang'an.

The emperor paced back and forth a few steps. "However, there must be no loss in the Western Regions. Apart from the large army going out, only Liang Xiao can deal with that Sirius. How can we make him willing to go out?"

Xu Le shook his head in embarrassment, not knowing what to say.Liang Xiao refused to go, but the emperor insisted on letting him go. No one could guess what his real intention was.It can be understood that the emperor attaches great importance to Liang Xiao, or it can be understood that the emperor wants to borrow a knife to kill someone.Before knowing the truth, rashly making suggestions may push Liang Xiao into a dangerous situation.

There was silence in the hall for a long time, the emperor's face became more and more ugly, the atmosphere was oppressive, and there was even the sound of wind and thunder.At this moment, the master father Yan stood up. "Your Majesty, if you want Liang Xiao to go to war, there is only one person who can persuade him."

"Who?"

"The Lord of Huainan."

The emperor smiled silently. "Okay, master father, you go to Mount Lu and invite Lord Weng to Beijing."

Xu Le, Yan An and the others looked at each other, but neither of them spoke, but contempt flashed in their eyes.One of the reasons why Liang Xiao refused to go out was that he didn't want his family members to be hostages.Zhu Fuyan suggested calling Liu Ling to Beijing, which was too poisonous.Once Liu Ling arrived in Chang'an, Liang Xiao had to leave if he didn't want to, otherwise the emperor would really turn his back on him, and not only Liang Xiao himself wanted an emissary, but Liu Ling would also die.

The master father Yan saw the eyes of Xu Le and others, but pretended not to know.He received the imperial edict and set off immediately to Mount Lushan.
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(End of this chapter)