Chapter 4 4. Born to be a King

When Liu Zhao was busy in Luoyang City, Ban Chao in the Western Regions thousands of miles away was also busy.Three years ago, that is, in the eighty-seventh year of the AD, Banchao conquered Shache Kingdom in the first battle, and everyone in the Western Regions was famous.However, some people said that the earthquake in Banchao was so severe, how could my place be so safe? Who has such a big breath?Ban Chao heard the sound and turned around to look, oh, it turned out to be you, the king of Yuezhi Kingdom. We know that when Ban Chao attacked Shache Kingdom, he worked very hard.At that time, Shache Kingdom couldn't hold on any longer, so he threw a big basket of gold bullets at Kang Juguo, saying that I will give you money, and you can help me to surpass the class.

It is human nature to collect money to work, and Kang Ju brought his soldiers here without saying a word.Ban Chao saw it and smiled. Yarkand has money to throw away, so I don't have to throw it away? Therefore, Ban Chao also sent someone to bring a large amount of money to someone and said, as long as you help me persuade Kang Juguo to withdraw, the money will be yours.As soon as the man heard this, he didn't say anything. He collected the money and went to work, and he really got the job done.So Kang Juguo withdrew his troops, and Ban Chao successfully captured the rogue country of Shache.

Speaking of this, you may have remembered that the person who did things for Ban Chao was the king of Yuezhi Kingdom. Yuezhi Kingdom, the capital is located in Lanshicheng (now the city of Wazirabad in the northern part of the Republic of Afghanistan).We can also see that the reason why he didn't take Ban Chao seriously is based on two reasons.One is that he is far away from Ban Chao's earthquake center, and the other is that Ban Chao invited him to dinner and errands at a critical moment. How could it be unsafe? Some people, with a few pennies in their hands, dare to enter a casino to be a banker, give him ten catties of rice, and he can open a restaurant.This is true of people, and so is the country.The king of the Yuezhi Kingdom thought that Ban Chao asked him to do something in the past, and it was done. Now it's his turn to ask Ban Chao to do something, so it should be fine, right?

Therefore, he sent someone to tell Ban Chao, I want to marry your princess of the Han Dynasty, please write a book and tell the emperor of the Han Dynasty. However, the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom never expected that when his envoy passed the message to Ban Chao, Ban Chao yelled loudly and ordered someone to take down the envoy. Etiquette is reciprocal, human nature, Ban Chao comes from a state of etiquette, and he understands the truth better than anyone else.The question is whether all monks can learn scriptures from the west; not all eunuchs can sail long distances; not all countries can marry the princess of the Han Dynasty.

What kind of person can marry a princess?The answer is simple, you can marry only when it is of use value to the Han Dynasty and the price is worth it.For example, the Huns, and King Wusun of the Western Regions. But Ban Chao wants to say that you are not yet the king of Yuezhi Kingdom. The present Han Dynasty is not the Han Dynasty of the past.In the past Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu wolves harassed the border counties every year, and they came fiercely. Emperor Wu of the Han fought against them all his life, his hair turned white, and his national strength was exhausted.That's why he thought of using Wusun to contain the Xiongnu and marry the princess.In the current Han Dynasty, the Huns are about to be kicked out of the earth by Dou Xian, and the Western Regions are too late to be obedient, so they still want to attack the princess of the Han Dynasty?

Don't think that you want to marry the princess of the Han Dynasty to give me Ban Chao face, then you are very wrong. If I, Ban Chao, really marry the princess to you, it will not only embarrass me, but also embarrass the Han Dynasty.In the current Western Regions, who is the boss, everyone can see clearly, but why can't you see clearly? The king of the Yuezhi Kingdom not only couldn't see clearly, but also didn't think clearly.As soon as he heard that Ban Chao turned against him and detained his matchmaker, he became angry and immediately sent 70,000 people to greet Ban Chao.

To be honest, the greeting ceremony of the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom was so grand that Ban Chao couldn't take it anymore.If you can't eat, you have to carry it around.Before the arrival of the Yuezhi Kingdom army, Ban Chao called his brothers and held a mobilization meeting.At the meeting, Ban Chao said lightly, you were all scared when you heard that the Yuezhi army was coming.Let me tell you, with my old class around, don't be afraid. The Western Regions are like a piece of paper, and Ban Chao is like a super painter, who can paint whatever he wants.In his life dictionary, there has never been the word "difficulty", let alone the word "fear".

Then, Ban Chao told everyone the battle plan. He said that the Yuezhi Kingdom has many people and we have few people, so we should suffer.But, don't forget, fighting requires strength, and strength requires food.No matter how many people from the Yuezhi Kingdom came, as long as they had no food to eat, they would naturally run away.It is actually very simple to make them have nothing to eat.They came all the way, and all the food they brought was eaten on the way, so naturally they couldn't make it to the end. So when they came to our city, the first thing they did was to find something to eat.He wanted to look for it, but I couldn't find anything for him.As long as we fortify the walls and clear the fields, harvest all the crops in the fields, and burn everything that can be eaten outside, and we defend the city and not fight them, what will they eat when they come?Of course, you can only drink northwest wind.

In the end, Ban Chao calmly and confidently concluded: Believe me, within ten days, victory will belong to us. After Ban Chao finished speaking, King Yueshi went to the city. Just as Ban Chao expected, as soon as they arrived at the city, they shouted to the people on the city, saying that they would come out and fight if they had the guts, and don't hide in the city, like some men.Of course Ban Chao has the guts, but why does he have to fight with you if he has the guts?I'll keep the seed, can't I beat you tomorrow when you're tired? Ren Yueshi shouted outside the city, but Ban Chao was unmoved.

Can't shout, only hands.King Yuezhi ordered to attack the city, but the attack lasted for a long time without any progress.The people below the city were exhausted to death, and the people above the city were also very busy. They were busy getting those who had climbed up the city down.It is easy to get people to go down the city, but it is not easy to get people up the city.This is not fatal, what is even more fatal is that King Yuezhi found that the food they brought was not enough. The king of the Yuezhi Kingdom probably didn't expect that Ban Chao's reputation really wasn't built on.He dared to venture into the Western Regions with only thirty-six brothers, and with an army of 70,000, he couldn't manage a single city.The quality of the city passed the test, and the quality of the people was even more frightening.

However, the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom did not slack off, nor was he ready to run away.Because he also brought something that Ban Chao didn't expect.This thing is the benefit that Ban Chao asked him to do and gave him - money. Money can turn ghosts around, let alone buy food.The king of the Yuezhi Kingdom sent people with a lot of money to take a small route to buy food elsewhere. People in the Western Regions have always been proud of doing business and ashamed of not being able to do business.Business is God, followed by ghosts and gods. If gods and ghosts can't handle things, businessmen can definitely handle them.Someone heard that the Yuezhi people were coming for business. Without further ado, the gate was opened, and they said that as long as you bring money, you can send back as much food as you want. The person who said this was the King of Kucha Kingdom. We should not be unfamiliar with this person.Back then, why the Shache Kingdom dared to turn against Ban Chao was mainly because of the backing of the Kucha Kingdom and the Huns.Today, the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom fought with Ban Chao, but he hid behind his back to make a fortune in food. For him, this was a double win. Just as the king of Kucha Kingdom was thinking about his wishful thinking, a bad news came suddenly, which completely shattered his dream of food wealth.The news is that the food money of the king of Yuezhi Kingdom was robbed on the road. It's okay to rob, and the envoy was killed. You don't even need to guess at Kucha, in the Western Regions, there will never be more than two people who dare to grab the business of Kucha.He knew that Ban Chao must have done the murder and robbery. That's right, Ban Chao did it. Ban Chao predicted that the king of Yuezhi Kingdom would not give up easily after he worked tirelessly to come all the way from afar.And if he couldn't find anything to eat, he would definitely buy it.The person who dares to sell grain must be Kucha.Therefore, he ambushed hundreds of soldiers on the main road to Kucha Kingdom in advance.Sure enough, when the food procurement team of the king of Yuezhi Kingdom passed by, they were caught by ambushes. What is this called?Applying the experience of later generations Zhou Yu, it is called it-losing money and losing soldiers. Ban Chao killed the envoy of Yuezhi and sent someone to deliver the head to the king of Yuezhi.When the king of Yuezhi Kingdom saw it, the cold air came to his head.He finally knew that when fighting with Ban Chao, the Shache Kingdom was not an opponent, the Kucha Kingdom was not an opponent, and neither was he. I'm willing to gamble and admit defeat, so let's admit it? Yes, the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom decided to admit it.Soon, he sent someone to plead guilty to Ban Chao.To say that the younger brother came all the way to trouble the elder brother is really ignorant, the elder brother can pull a boat in his stomach, and hope to let the younger brother survive. Killing is not an end, but a means.Subduing others without fighting is the king's way of Banchao's rule of the Western Regions.Dang Banchao nodded and smiled when he saw the letter of surrender from the king of Yuezhi Kingdom. Now that you know how high the sky is and how thick the earth is, let me give you a way, where do you come from and where do you go back.In this way, the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom came boldly and left in a gloomy manner; after he left, he had to send people to give gifts every year to condolences to the boss of the class. The king of the Yuezhi Kingdom has been dealt with, and other countries are just floating clouds.A year later, Qiuciguo and others didn't dare to argue with Ban Chao anymore, so they sent someone to say that the younger brother knew he was wrong, so he came here to confess to the elder brother. In the blink of an eye, the time came to December, ninety-one AD. Ban Chao was appointed as the Protector of the Western Regions by the Han Dynasty, and he deserved it.In this year, Ban Chao led 70,000 troops to sweep the Western Regions and carry out a military sweep.In the end, the remaining few who had killed the Han envoys and dared not come to surrender were also taken in. So far, more than fifty countries in the Western Regions have all belonged to the Han Dynasty.After Dou Xian, Ban Chao achieved another peak in the Han Dynasty's extraterritorial military operations. Once, Ban Chao looked up to his predecessors Zhang Qian and Fu Jiezi, but the predecessors of these heroes were covered by his shining light.In the land of the Western Regions, if the former is the pioneer, Ban Chao is the real master. Because, he flies higher and walks farther than his predecessors. How far?According to historical records, Ban Chao's prestige spread as far as the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The so-called barbarian foreign countries traveled thousands of miles, and after several translations, they came here for a common dream-to pay tribute to the Han Dynasty.Dealing with the Han Dynasty has become the lifelong dream of these foreign envoys. Ban Chao opened up a magnificent vision and history for the great Han Dynasty.However, it was only a little bit short, and Ban Chao could achieve a perfect overflight.Because the history of miracles seems to have reached its limit, and at that point of perfection, it stopped moving—Ban Chao almost opened the channel between Eastern civilization and Western civilization. The reason why it is said to be close is that Ban Chao sent envoys out to the Great Qin Empire (Roman Empire), and they may have only gone as far as the Mediterranean Sea. Hearing that the journey was far away, he returned home. History loves to joke. If it is not a joke this time, it is an art of regret. In 102 A.D., Ban Chao was seventy years old.Life is seventy years old, and Ban Chao has nothing to be attached to.Looking back on this life, the first half of my life was mediocre, and the second half of my life was full of sharpness. The whole thirty years were dedicated to the desolate and vast Western Regions.He and his thirty-six brothers single-handedly conquered the Western Regions.But now, he wanted to be the cloud in the west, and went home with the wind. Ban Chao is homesick. Ye Luo returns to her roots, this is his only dream for the rest of his life.As early as three years ago, he wrote a letter to Emperor Liu Zhao expressing his wishes.But the book has been played for a year and a year, but there is no reply.Su Wu stayed outside the territory for nineteen years, and he wanted to climb back to the Han Dynasty. Is it possible that I, Ban Chao, have stood guard for the Han Dynasty for thirty years, and am I not qualified to return to China? The sad Ban Chao wrote another memorial to Liu Zhao. This time, he made his words very clear, saying that his health was about to fail, and he just wanted to return to his country before he died, and see the motherland that haunted his dreams.I'm still not sure whether I can go to Jiuquan County. If I can enter Yumen Pass, I will be really satisfied. After the memorial was submitted, as usual, it was suppressed again.At this time, someone came to intercede on Ban Chao's behalf.The person who came was Ban Chao's younger sister, Ban Zhao. Never in the history of the world has a woman's name been left in the history of philosophy.In terms of historical research, women are also scarce animals.And Ban Zhao turned out to be one of the super national treasures. Like his elder brother Ban Gu, Ban Chao also fell in love with history.Ban Gu was on the wrong team because of politics and followed Dou Xian, but Liu Zhao pulled him out and chopped him down.After beheading people, Liu Zhao discovered that Ban Gu had not finished writing "Hanshu", and regretted it to death. You must know that the book "Han Shu" was the national history written by Liu Zhao's grandfather Liu Zhuang under the command of Ban Gu, and it is also the family tree of the Liu family.If he didn't have this book, he wouldn't know where to learn the trick to kill his relatives. Therefore, the "Book of Han" must be finished, and Emperor Liu Zhao handed over the task to Ban Zhao. Ban Zhao told Liu Zhao this way: My second brother Ban Chao sent you a report to apply for retirement three years ago, but he was never approved.In your opinion, the Western Regions may be inseparable from Ban Chao. The problem is that he is old now and his health is about to fail.If we don't find a successor for him, once he suddenly disappears, the Western Regions may become a mess, and it will be too late to clean up. I have heard that in ancient times, when one joined the army at the age of fifteen, one could be discharged at the age of sixty.Ban Chao is seventy years old this year, and I risked the death penalty to intercede for him, allowing him to return to the country alive. Liu Zhao looked at the playing book and stared at the surging thoughts in the west for a long time, feeling a lot of emotion. Thirty years of fame and fame, dust and earth, eight thousand miles of roads, clouds and moons, this is the choice of a hero; Humayi's north wind, and the south branch of the bird's nest, this is the destination of animals. As with things, so with people. Ban Chao is a man first, and a hero second. No matter how beautiful the Western Regions are, they are just a station of his life.Only his hometown, the water and soil of the Han Dynasty, is the place where his soul really lingers in his dreams. At that moment, Liu Zhao finally understood Ban Chao.This year, in August, Ban Chao returned home smoothly.In September, died of illness. I seem to see a shining meteor, beautifully across the sky of the Han Dynasty, flying towards a farther place.The wings of a flying bird flew across the sky without leaving a trace.There is a beautiful meteor across the sky of history, but it is forever frozen in our hearts. This is a heroic meteor, the real king of the Han Dynasty.