Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1696: Chapter 1623: The Feud Between Kushan and the Great Han

Vasu Deva I gazed at the fleet of a thousand warships on the Arabian Sea, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride. Seeing the awe in the eyes of everyone around him, the once idle Vasu Deva I suddenly had a realization.

It turns out this group is merely comprised of loud-mouths; beneath the might of the great fleet and Iron Cavalry, they are nothing but paper tigers. Even divine right has shown me favor. Surely, I must continue to strengthen our martial force.

Vasu Deva I basked in the awe of the crowd and developed a new perspective on the nation. He suddenly realized that as emperor, there was no need for caution; what he truly needed was a strong arm, the iron fist of the Emperor System enough to teach others their place.

”Embark, bring me everything I desire, go forth and conquer the world for me!” Vasu Deva I shouted with laughter, and then all the ships began to move, the mighty force once again stirring his ambition.

[Let Kushan turn for me, not for the nobles; only I am qualified to enjoy this country!] Vasu Deva I thought as he gazed at the flagship.

Once the thousand warships set sail, Vasu Deva seemed as if he had suddenly been injected with an intoxicating elixir, his enthusiasm for work burning wildly. He wanted to make this empire’s chariot run swiftly again—not for the gods, not for the nobles, but for himself.

[I want to become the Great Emperor! To be known as the Great Emperor, surpassing all previous emperors.] Vasu Deva I resolved.

From that moment, Vasu Deva I not only built ships, he also trained infantry and cavalry. The halted steps on the East Side for nearly a hundred years moved once more under his will, tens of thousands of elite infantry advancing eastward along India.

Similarly, despite the North having been abandoned for countless years, under the will of Vasu Deva I, Central Asia was reclaimed once more, even raising a desire to occupy the Western Regions. However, this far-fetched thought quickly passed through him.

Regarding the Han Empire, unless absolutely necessary, Vasu Deva I preferred not to provoke it. Unlike the quarrel with Parthia, the predecessor of the Kushan Empire, the Great Yuezhi, actually had quite a good relationship with the Han Dynasty.

Yes, at least back when they were the Great Yuezhi, the relationship was quite good; at the peak of their relations, the Silk Road of the Han Empire was managed by them.

At that time, the Kushan Empire was in the Central Asian Region, and quite powerful. The reason for them not being present later was actually because they were defeated by the Han Empire.

Regarding this aspect, the Book of Han does have records, but the sages of the Central Plains hardly paid attention to it. When Chen Xi mentioned it, Li Youu could respond, indicating they knew of it, but habitually they did not think of it.

For Li Youu and others, that place was considered a Barbarian Land of little significance; only when Chen Xi voiced it did they recall past interactions.

Of course, that exchange was not particularly good, and afterward, Kushan, due to the threat of then-powerful Parthia, kept moving south, leaving Central Asia largely abandoned. Now, however, with Vasu Deva I’s tyrannical execution, he has returned, prompting much reconsideration.

Speaking of Central Asia, it is actually a buffer zone. Though the Han Dynasty had the Thirty-Six States of the Western Regions as a major buffer zone, the area east of the Caspian Sea in Central Asia was really a buffer zone among the Kushan, Han, and Parthian Empires.

Once when Kushan was formidable, they occupied part of Onion Ridge; however, the then Kushan Emperor King Yano Gaozhen acted foolishly, provoked the Han Dynasty, and after being defeated by Ban Chao, completely abandoned the place.

However, it was also from that time that the relationship between the Han Empire and the Great Yuezhi began to turn cold, which led to most of the Han Dynasty forgetting about the Kushan nation a hundred years later.

And now, with Vasu Deva I returning to Central Asia, he must face this problem head-on: how to deal with the Han Empire, whether to have another battle at Onion Ridge?

Forget it, Vasu Deva I does not consider himself superior to King Yano Gaozhen, noting how even King Yano Gaozhen was forced to submit under Ban Chao’s blows, eventually admitting defeat.

Though Kushan is now thrice as strong as then, at that time when Ban Chao defeated King Yano Gaozhen, the Han Army wasn’t even fully utilized; just over a thousand from Wuxi Colonel along with a rabble from the Thirty-Six States of the Western Regions took out Yano Gaozhen.

He was, after all, the most powerful and ferocious in Kushan’s history, with records of nation-destruction, an incredibly strong emperor undefeated until meeting Ban Chao, defeated convincingly, immediately relinquishing Onion Ridge, rushed south without looking back, ceased only upon reaching India, nearly cementing the Google Earth Kushan.

Of course, now Vasu Deva I has successfully cleared the domestic unrest and has returned to Central Asia, earning the title ”Restorative Tyrant,” but compared to King Yano Gaozhen, he still feels a bit apprehensive, so Vasu Deva I decided to probe further.

Thus, after subduing Khwarezm in western Central Asia, Vasu Deva I decided to probe the Han Empire. Unlike King Yano Gaozhen who foolishly directly stated his intent to marry the nation’s legitimate princess, Vasu Deva I wisely sent envoys first to the Wuxi Colonel.

Though all these years Kushan hasn’t fully grasped the appearance of the Han Empire in the Western Regions, it seems Wuxi Colonel holds a significant position in the eyes of Kushan’s nobles, since at that time when Ban Chao overwhelmed Yano Gaozhen it was the Wuxi Colonel who led a rabble.