Chapter 516 Assimilation of the Western Regions
The human heart is a very strange thing.

Tian Ze did not intend to conquer the world by winning the hearts of the people. He just wanted to control the situation by winning the hearts of the people and separate ordinary people from the war.

As a result, despite this unintentional outcome, Yuan Shao and Sun Ce were still completely defeated.

Although Liu Bei and Cao Cao still maintained their relationship on the surface, secretly…

The secret letters Jia Xu received had piled up into a mountain, including those from Xun Yu and Chen Qun.

Even Tian Ze couldn’t help but admire the firmness of these two people’s will.

He was absolutely worthy of the titles of Emperor Wu of Wei and Emperor Zhaolie of Han, and he withstood all the pressure purely on his own.

This kind of thing is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Just for this reason, Tian Ze felt ashamed of himself.

With things in the southeast getting on track, Tian Ze’s attention naturally turned to the areas surrounding the Western Regions.

Under the double-team rule of Gongsun Zan and Lu Bu, the once glorious Xianbei has completely ceased to exist.

After achieving the achievements of engraving the stone at Yanran and drinking from the vast sea, Lu Bu once again regained his former spirited and vigorous demeanor as a flying general.

Tian Ze was not stingy with his reward and erected a huge jade stele at these two places of great significance for Lu Bu and his meritorious soldiers.

Afterwards, after the destruction of Dingling, Jiankun and Hujie, Lu Bu and Gongsun Zan had completed their novice tasks and received rewards from Tian Ze.

He unceremoniously took over all these places and divided them among the aristocratic families for management.

Tian Ze settled Gongsun Zan and Lu Bu in the Western Regions and Wusun respectively, and supplemented them with a large number of Han people and supplies.

Lu Bu now has no less than 200,000 soldiers and horses under his command, most of whom are elite cavalry, and the population is nearly three million.

In terms of strength alone, he can be regarded as the crown jewel among all the princes in the Central Plains.

You know, these soldiers are elite soldiers who have experienced many battles and are armed to the teeth.

To put it bluntly, with Lu Bu’s current strength, he is not afraid of challenging two Central Plains princes alone.

This is the advantage of being first-mover advantage.

Although Gongsun Zan was a little backward, with a population of only one million and elite cavalry of no more than 100,000, he had been operating in the Western Regions for two years and was richer than Lu Bu.

Tian Ze is now busy with the affairs of the Central Plains and has no energy to manage the Western Regions.

Although he knew that this was a treasure trove and, as an important part of the Silk Road, had accumulated a large amount of wealth, in Tian Ze’s eyes it was just that and not worthy of attention.

So Gongsun Zan took advantage of this without any hesitation.

Tian Ze is now a wealthy man and no longer cares about many things. However, these things are a feast for princes like Gongsun Zan.

After the two of them took root here, according to Tian Ze’s arrangement, they did not continue to expand, but instead began to absorb the expanding population.

Gongsun Zan stationed in Shule, and Lu Bu stationed in Wusun.

Both countries were on good terms with the former Han Dynasty and were obedient.

Gongsun Zan and Lu Bu were actually very unhappy about this.

It still feels a bit awkward to be on someone else’s turf.

It would be great if Shule and Wusun rebelled directly. They could just take them down and gain more than 100,000 people in the process.

You know, Wusun is the largest country among the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, with a population of over 600,000 and nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses.

Lu Bu has been eyeing this piece of fat meat for a long time.

However, the news that Lu Bu had pacified the Xianbei had already spread to the Western Regions.

Gongsun Zan also caused a bloody storm in the Western Regions.

Now the Western Regions were so frightened by the sight of the White Horse Cavalry that their legs trembled, fearing that their death was imminent. With the two killing gods in the south and north, the Wusun dared not move, and sent envoys to pay tribute without hesitation.

Not only did he give Tian Ze valuable treasures, he also gave one each to Lu Bu and Gongsun Zan, the main point of which was a humble attitude.

Although Lu Bu was very unhappy, he had to suppress his desire to conquer at Tian Ze’s request.

However, he did not have a good face towards the envoys from Wusun, and made excessive demands without hesitation.

This includes but is not limited to ceding a small amount of territory for garrisoning, conscripting the Wusun population to help build cities, providing food at low prices, etc.

But the King of Wusun agreed without hesitation, and his attitude was extremely respectful, which made Lu Bu feel a little embarrassed, so he patted the King of Wusun on the shoulder and said that he would protect him in the future.

The King of Wusun was so moved that he dared not move.

They know very well how to get along with the Han people.

Compared with the Han envoys recorded in the national history, Lu Bu was really too easy-going.

With so many soldiers and horses, they only wanted to take a barren piece of land on the border. They conscripted the people and paid them wages, and even bought food for them. I was so moved that I cried.

Think about the Han envoys in the past. They dared to assassinate people alone, and dared to use swords to make remonstrations with dozens of guards.

And the most terrifying thing is that after the failure, the Western Regions countries did not dare to kill them and wanted to capture them alive and send them back, but they actually committed suicide.

What happened next was that the Han Dynasty became furious and raised an army, which destroyed the country and ruined the family. It was a one-stop service.

There used to be more than thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. They were slaughtered until only thirty-six countries remained.

Those who can survive are all elites, and the Thirty-Six Kingdoms in the Western Regions know the tricks of these Han people too well.

They have been paying close attention to the war in the Central Plains, especially the situation in Xiliang and Sili.

Although they were not very clear about the inside story of the relationship between Da Qi and Gongsun Zan and Lu Bu.

But they knew that Gongsun Zan and Lu Bu were under the command of the Great Qi, whose power far exceeded that of the former Han Dynasty and even destroyed the arrogant Xianbei.

After figuring out the power comparison, they knew what they should do.

Lie down quietly and wait to be recruited.

Previously, those countries that were destroyed by Gongsun Zan were all small countries that were pushed out to appease the anger.

After all, based on their understanding of the Han people, if they just lie down, the Han people will definitely not feel comfortable. They still have to sacrifice some lives so that the Han people will not feel that their trip was in vain.

Many small countries were really frustrated. They went to pay tribute and pay homage, but the envoys disappeared halfway, and they couldn’t explain it clearly.

Wusun and Shule, one was the largest country in the Western Regions, and the other was a staunch Han minister, so their attitudes were naturally extremely correct.

The thirty-six countries in the Western Regions are also divided into high and low states. The reason why the declining ones are maintained is to prevent disasters.

Sandwiched between the two great empires of the Han and Kushan and the small empire of the Xianbei, the Western Regions were destined to be unable to unify internally and had to be divided and stable.

This is also the reason why Wusun dared not act rashly despite its powerful strength.

The Western countries are proficient in the art of survival of the weak.

When surrounded by many powerful opponents, the only way to live long is to sit still, be a fence-sitter, and not offend anyone.

But unfortunately, the weak are ultimately unable to control their own destiny.

Since the time Gongsun Zan and Lu Bu moved in, countless powerful families had already begun to infiltrate.

Since the other party is lying down and our army is nearby, what is there to worry about? Assimilate as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)