Chapter 1189

"Respected King, our Kunmo brings you greetings from afar."

Yuan Feigui looked at Aoluoye and said.

Aoluoye immediately returned the courtesy: "This small king is deeply honored."

"Regarding the Great Han's plan to re-establish the Western Regions Protectorate and the Wuji Commandant's Office, I presume you are already aware, King."

Yuan Feigui pointed toward the direction of Gaochang Wall and said: "The Han army has arrived in your country and has occupied your land."

"But as far as I know, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty has not issued such an order, and Wusun has never received any word from the Han Emperor."

"Therefore, I have reason to believe that this is the private decision of that Han general from Liangzhou; as for why, I presume you are aware, King."

"For these years, the Western Regions have been under the jurisdiction of Wusun."

"The order of the various states in the Western Regions has also remained peaceful for decades under Wusun's position."

"We do not wish to break this peace of decades because of the sudden arrival of the Great Han."

"Last year, that Han general killed the Yutian General in Loulan, which was already disrupting the order and stability of the Western Regions; my trip here is also for this matter."

"Our great Kunmo wishes to know whether you, King, will stand on our side as always, or stand on the side of the Great Han."

After Yuan Feigui finished speaking, his eyes inadvertently looked at the Superior of the Great Buddha Temple, Chapiya, who was sitting opposite him with his eyes narrowed as if he were asleep.

Aoluoye, having heard Yuan Feigui's direct ultimatum, also turned his gaze toward the Superior of the Great Buddha Temple, Chapiya.

Chapiya, with his eyes narrowed, turned his head and nodded slightly toward Aoluoye.

Aoluoye then looked at Yuan Feigui and said with a smile: "Both Wusun and the Great Han are powerful existences for the Jushi Kingdom."

"The tiny Jushi Kingdom, like a moth, can only survive by relying on the protection of powerful wings."

"I have never had any intention of opposing Wusun or the Great Han."

"It's just..."

Choices require bargaining chips.

Even if the Jushi Kingdom is very small.

The necessary bargaining chips must still be demanded.

Yuan Feigui, sitting in his seat, twisted a strand of his beard with his thumb and forefinger and said with a smile: "The great Kunmo has already prepared a gift for you, King."

"As long as you maintain your previous stance, the Northern Xiongnu will not collect any taxes from the Jushi Kingdom for the next few years."

"This is the sincerity the great Kunmo gives to the King."

Aoluoye's eyebrows arched, and his eyes revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

Although Wusun nominally governs the Western Regions today.

Wusun is simply too far from the Jushi Kingdom, whereas the Northern Xiongnu are different.

Half of the small countries located on the northern line of the Western Regions are under the threat of the Northern Xiongnu.

The Northern Xiongnu, who come and go like the wind, would ride south every year before the bitter winter closed the Tianshan Mountains.

And the Jushi Kingdom bore the brunt of it.

The Wuji Commandant's Office was established here precisely to guard against the Northern Xiongnu moving south.

And the Jushi Kingdom, having lost the protection of the Han Dynasty for decades, had to pay tribute to the Northern Xiongnu every year.

With the hint from the Superior of the Great Buddha Temple, Chapiya, last night.

And now with the promise from the Wusun Ambassador.

Aoluoye had already made his decision in his heart.

"Good, since that is the case..."

Just as Aoluoye was speaking, a general in armor suddenly walked into the hall.

Aoluoye, his words cut short, turned his head to look at the Left Great General who had walked into the hall.

The official configurations of almost all countries in the Western Regions are roughly the same.

Excluding countries with larger populations like Wusun, Kangju, and Dayuan.

The configurations of the remaining small countries consist of a King, an Assistant Marquis, a Peace Marquis, Left and Right Generals, and Commandants, though some names and titles differ.

Like Wusun.

The King of Wusun is called Kunmo, and can also be called Kunmi or Kunmi.

Below the King is the Xiangdalu; the role of the Xiangdalu is roughly similar to the Chancellor of the early Han Dynasty, mainly responsible for helping the King handle government affairs, and the Xiangdalu not only has the authority to handle government affairs but also holds a certain number of troops.

Wusun has a caste system; all noble surnames, just like the Xiongnu, originate from their respective tribes and possess their own fiefs and troops.

Below the Xiangdalu are the Left and Right Great Generals, similar to the Left and Right Worthy Kings of the Xiongnu.

Below that are the Marquises: also known as Xi Hou; there are three in total in Wusun.

There are also Xi Hou among the Greater Yuezhi, but the Greater Yuezhi is a country composed of Xi Hou, and the Xi Hou of the Greater Yuezhi are equivalent to vassal kings.

Further down, there are Left and Right Commandants, Grand Supervisors, Ambassadors, etc...

Compared to small countries, it is clearly much more complex and complete.

At this moment, the Left Great General of the Jushi Kingdom walked quickly onto the hall.

He first bowed to Aoluoye, who was sitting on the throne, and then turned to bow to the Superior of the Great Buddha Temple, Chapiya, before speaking.

"King, the Han envoys have arrived, but... but they are asking the King to leave the city to welcome them," the Left Great General said to Aoluoye.

Aoluoye, sitting on the throne, frowned instantly upon hearing this.

Yuan Feigui, who had understood on the side, smiled softly.

"The Han envoys... are so arrogant," Aoluoye said, his face flushed red.

Saying this in front of the Wusun envoy group was equivalent to a slap in the face.

No matter what, he was a King, and the Han Dynasty was only sending envoys.

Even when the Xiongnu envoys came, Aoluoye did not leave the city to welcome them.

Now asking him to leave the city to welcome them, wasn't this intentionally humiliating him?

But before Aoluoye could finish his words, the Left Great General spoke again.

"That... the Han envoys said that their Liangzhou Governor has arrived in person."

Ah?

Aoluoye's eyes widened instantly.

Even the expressions of Yuan Feigui and Chapiya changed.

The Liangzhou Governor, Duan Yu?

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly went quiet.

Although he had not met Duan Yu in person.

But ever since Duan Yu wanted to establish the Western Regions Protectorate and the Wuji Commandant's Office, Aoluoye had already begun collecting news about this Liangzhou Governor who had only been in office for two years.

But due to geographical limitations, he could only obtain some inaccurate news through passing merchants.

Everyone said something different.

Some said Duan Yu was over a zhang tall, had three heads and six arms, and liked to eat people.

Others said Duan Yu rode monsters, was cruel in his methods, and killed people like grass.

There were also some Qiang people who ran from Liangzhou to the Western Regions who said Duan Yu was a murderous demon king.

Although there were many descriptions, they could be summarized as one thing: Duan Yu was bloodthirsty and had killed countless people.

If he hadn't heard so many rumors and hearsay, Aoluoye wouldn't have been wavering and would have definitely stood on the side of the Northern Xiongnu long ago.

"How... how many troops did he bring?" Aoluoye asked, looking at the Left Great General standing below the hall.

"Only a few dozen people," the Left Great General replied.

A few dozen people?

Aoluoye was stunned.

Only a few dozen people?

Could this Duan Yu really be a demon descended to earth, daring to enter the capital of another country with only a few dozen people?

Conversely, when the Wusun Ambassador Yuan Feigui heard this news, a look of surprise and urgency appeared on his face.

His pair of blue eyes also began to roll around non-stop.

This mission alone had hundreds of people in the Wusun envoy group, and there were two thousand soldiers in Jiaohecheng.

If that Liangzhou Governor were to enter the city, it would be easy to get in but hard to get out.

Jiaohecheng is easy to defend and hard to attack; as long as that Duan Yu is controlled, it wouldn't matter how many people the Han army had.

In an instant, Yuan Feigui's brain spun rapidly.

Yuan Feigui's goal for this trip was to see if he could negotiate with Duan Yu. ===== CHAPTER 1191 =====