Rosanna wrapped her arms around Long Chen’s strong body, pressing closely against his warm chest with a seductive smile and said:
"Lord Marquis, are you familiar with the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions?"
"I’ve heard a little, but I’m not very familiar. Give a general overview!" Long Chen lifted Rosanna’s pretty face and gently touched her sensual red lips.
Ah~~
Rosanna blinked her eyes.
Her fair skin turned a soft pink, and she smiled alluringly:
"The Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions include Qiuci, Yanqi, Ruoqiang, Loulan, Jingjue, Qiemo, Xiaowan, Ronglu, Mishi, Qiule, Pishan, Xiye, Puli, Yinei, Shache, Shule, Weitou, Wensu, Weili, Gumo, Beilu, Wutanzi, Beilu Back State, Shanhua, Pulai, Pulai Back State, Xiqiami, Jie State, Huhu, Shan State, Front Cheshi, Back Cheshi, Cheshi Weidu State, and Cheshi Back City State."
"Among them, the three most powerful and influential kingdoms are the Kingdom of Qiuci, the Kingdom of Wusun, and the Kingdom of Yutian."
Long Chen nodded in understanding.
In simple terms, aside from the Kingdoms of Qiuci, Wusun, and Yutian, the rest of the kingdoms were minor players.
The real dominant forces in the Western Regions were these three kingdoms.
"The Moon Worship Sect sent to approach you, hoping to invite you, Lord Marquis, to collaborate with the Moon Worship Sect to conquer the Thirty-Six Kingdoms and unify the Western Regions!" Rosanna looked at Long Chen with deep affection and seductive eyes.
Collaborate to conquer the Western Regions??!
It probably wasn’t that simple!
Long Chen frowned, deep in thought.
Currently, he was still entangled in the battlefield of vying for dominance in the Central Plains. How could he have the ti or energy to deal with the affairs of the distant Western Regions?
"It would be difficult..."
Long Chen didn’t completely dismiss the idea but expressed that his current situation was not optimistic.
"To unify the Western Regions, I would indeed like to achieve that, but the Western Regions are too far away for to reach!" Long Chen waved his hand, expressing his helplessness.
"It’s fine. The Moon Worship Sect just sent to inquire... Besides, now I belong to you, Lord Marquis~" Rosanna breathed lightly into Long Chen’s ear.
Long Chen was highly resistant to these tactics, thinking to himself that Rosanna might be intentionally getting close to him, only to deliver a fatal blow in the end.
That would be disastrous; it was better to be cautious.
But still, he couldn’t let go of the advantages.
He might as well take a little interest from Rosanna.
She was truly a little enchantress.
Long Chen sighed inwardly.
Setting aside his distracting thoughts, Long Chen carefully considered what benefits the Moon Worship Sect could bring him.
The Moon Worship Sect was highly respected among the various countries of the Western Regions, that was undeniable.
And what attracted Long Chen the most about the Western Regions was not its territory but the cattle, sheep, and especially the precious Ferghana horses it produced.
Back then, Emperor Wu of Han sent envoys to the Western Regions with lavish gifts to seek out the Ferghana horses to improve the inferior horses in the Central Plains.
Emperor Wu’s decision was later proven correct.
With superior horses and elite warriors, the Han Empire achieved the world-renowned result of "Whoever offends the Han, no matter how far, shall be punished!"
Now, more than 400 years had passed, and the Han Empire was no longer as strong as it once was.
But Ferghana horses were still very rare in the Han Empire.
If Long Chen could establish a connection with the Moon Worship Sect and engage in trade with the Western Regions, he might be able to obtain Ferghana horses through other ans.
With this thought, Long Chen’s eyes glead with excitent.
In Yangzhou, not to ntion Ferghana horses, even ordinary inferior horses were hard to co by.
This was due to geographical factors, as Yangzhou’s hilly and mountainous terrain was more suited to growing rice.
In contrast, the Western Regions had vast deserts and grasslands, where water and grass were abundant, making it more suitable for the survival of cattle, sheep, and horses, which in turn made it easier to produce Ferghana horses.
If he wanted to trade with the Western Regions, and especially for Ferghana horses, he would need to offer sothing that would truly entice them. Otherwise, why would they trade their rare Ferghana horses with him?
In the Han Dynasty, the Ferghana horses were priceless and worth their weight in gold.
Long Chen noted this idea down and decided to discuss it in detail with Guo Jia once he returned.
This matter was of great importance, as it could directly affect the future developnt of Long Chen’s cavalry forces.
Warhorses were the second most important weapon for cavalry, and they were even the most crucial factor influencing the combat power of cavalry units.
The Bingzhou Wolf Riders, Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and White Horse Volunteers were so powerful that the cavalry from other regions of the Han Empire couldn’t compete with them.
A significant reason for this was that the horses ridden by these three cavalry units ca from the northern frontier regions.
With superior warhorses, their combat power was formidable.
Thus, Long Chen affectionately said to Rosanna, "Who said I don’t want to cooperate with the Moon Worship Sect?"
"We can engage in comrcial cooperation."
"Comrcial cooperation? What is that?" Rosanna asked innocently, biting her finger.
The term "comrcial" was modern, so it was understandable that the ancients wouldn’t understand it.
Long Chen then explained, "You can think of it as a form of trade."
"Trade? What kind of trade?"
"For example, the fine horses and Ferghana horses that are abundant in the Western Regions."
"Fine horses might be possible, but trading Ferghana horses could be difficult."
"Why?"
"Because Ferghana horses are also rare in the Western Regions. Additionally, after Emperor Wu of Han purchased Ferghana horses from the Western Regions to improve the quality of Central Plains horses, it greatly strengthened the Han cavalry. This made the various countries of the Western Regions wary, and they beca unwilling to sell Ferghana horses, especially to the Central Plains."
Rosanna’s mature voice echoed in Long Chen’s ear.
"I see, so the Han Dynasty’s actions in the past frightened the countries of the Western Regions."
Long Chen thought to himself.
But this difficulty wasn’t insurmountable for him.
"The countries of the Western Regions may be unwilling to sell, but why can’t the Moon Worship Sect?"
"Well..." Rosanna looked troubled.
"If I’m willing to cooperate with your sect to unify the Western Regions, could that be arranged?"
Long Chen dropped a bombshell, which left Rosanna astonished.
"If that’s the case, it might be possible. However, this matter is significant, and I need to report it to the sect leader for approval."
"In a few days, I’ll co back to inform you, Lord Marquis. How does that sound?"
"Don’t worry, now that I belong to you, my heart is naturally with you, Lord Marquis~" Rosanna playfully stuck out her nimble tongue.
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