The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 813 Powerless
But Zhuge Xu was not in a hurry to refuse.

After all, supporting combat does not necessarily mean sending troops to fight.

For example, after the Wei Dynasty's large-scale disarmament, many weapons were eliminated. Perhaps these could be used to help the Kushans resist the Persians.

Who says we must send troops to support combat?
Anyway, it is right to do more business with the Kushans now.

The Wei Dynasty does not need war at the moment, what it needs is development. Even the Sassanid Persians can trade with them. Their trade distance is farther than that of the Kushans and their scope is larger.

But the Kushan King seemed to be thinking about more than just these. When the banquet was over, the Kushan King ordered the governors to rest, and he took Zhuge Xu to his office to talk.

But as soon as he stood up holding Zhuge Xu's hand, he was stopped by several governors.

The Governor-General stood in front of the King with a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, the envoy has come a long way and should rest first. Furthermore, there are bandits causing trouble along the way, and we were just about to ask the envoy about them so we can help you defeat them. Please allow the envoy to rest in the guesthouse first and return to see you tomorrow."

The Kushan king was furious.

Obviously, these governors were unwilling to let the Kushan King be alone with Zhuge Xu.

In fact, on the way here, these ministers discussed many things with Zhuge Xu.

What they said most was that they hoped Zhuge Xu would not get involved in government affairs. They would fully cooperate with matters such as trade, but they hoped Zhuge Xu would not interfere in the internal situation of Kushan.

It wasn't just one person who said this; almost all the governors we met along the way said the same thing.

They are very afraid that external forces will disrupt the current balance.

The Kushan king's situation was really dire. His royal city faced the Persians, while his governors were in the rear.

When the king's army suffered heavy casualties, the local army was no longer the king's army.

The governors knew very well that the Kushan king would not miss any foreign aid that could change the status quo.

Therefore, along the way, they repeatedly guaranteed Zhuge Xu and asked him not to get too close to the king on the grounds of various convenient trade.

At this moment, seeing the conflict between the two groups, Zhuge Xu just narrowed his eyes and pretended not to notice anything.

The Kushan king looked at the people in front of him. The head of his royal guards had already placed his hand on the hilt of the sword, and many other guards were also eager to try.

As long as the Kushan king gave the order, they would rush forward and quickly subdue these governors.

The corner of the Kushan king's eye twitched, but he did not dare to act rashly.

If all the governors were present, he could have killed them all, but these were only a part of the group. If he killed these people, the rest would have rebelled.
The Kushan King looked at Zhuge Xu and said forcefully, "Today, I need to discuss important matters with the angel. Let's discuss the bandit issue tomorrow!"

After saying this, he gestured to the guards on his left and right.

These people quickly separated the governors, and the Kushan king took Zhuge Xu away in such a powerful manner.

The governors watched their departing backs in silence.

The Kushan King and Zhuge Xu walked into the room where government affairs were handled. They sat facing each other, and the Kushan King then showed his true appearance.

He looked very tired, not much better even than Zhuge Xu who had come from thousands of miles away.

A highly respected monk was sitting next to them.

This monk is a famous monk in the local area.

The Kushan kings usually gathered some famous people around them.

These celebrities include monks, doctors, mathematicians, architects, etc.

The Kushan king still trusted these people.

"The Kushans are currently facing a formidable enemy. You have witnessed the situation I have encountered. I hope to receive assistance from the Emperor of Wei."

"If you can help me stabilize the situation at home and defend me against these foreign enemies, I am willing to serve as a minister of Wei for generations!"

The Kushan king spoke very sincerely.

Zhuge Xu remained unmoved.

If the Great Wei has the ability to interfere in the affairs here, does it still need you to be its minister for generations?

However, Zhuge Xu still put on a look of deep sorrow and anguish. "I already understand everything. Don't worry. I will inform His Majesty of what happened here. If His Majesty learns of it, he will definitely not turn a blind eye."

Zhuge Xu could only comfort the king in front of him.

To be honest, it takes almost two years to come here once, and four years to go back and forth. When the envoy comes here next time, it is hard to say whether the king will still be here.

But when the Kushan King heard Zhuge Xu's comforting words, he was particularly excited.

It's like a person who has been drowning for a long time suddenly finds a life-saving straw.

He hurriedly shouted to the door.

Soon, a half-grown child came up to them.

The Kushan king asked him to pay his respects to Zhuge Xu, and then said, "This is my eldest grandson. I named him Bodiao in the hope that he can inherit the wishes of our ancestors."

Apparently, the Kushans don't care about taboos and they like to give their children the names of their ancestors.

Bo Diao also looked at Zhuge Xu curiously.

The Kushan King continued, "I hope he can follow the angel to Luoyang and meet the emperor on my behalf." Zhuge Xu was a little worried, "The journey is long. The grandson is young."

"He is already the strongest among my many descendants. If even he cannot reach Luoyang alive, then my Kushan Empire will indeed not have the protection of the gods."

Zhuge Xu talked a lot with the Kushan King that day, ranging from the future trade between the two countries, to the reinforcements he hoped to receive, and many local issues.

The Kushan king even promised to send a group of his own famous scholars to accompany Zhuge Xu to Luoyang.

Zhuge Xu also achieved the goal of this mission.

I hope that when I return to Luoyang, Kushan will still exist.

The accompanying officials were not doing nothing. They were investigating the situation in Kushan and the surrounding areas.

They recorded all of this and reported it to His Majesty.

Of course, some people do it to write books.

If people like them could go back and write a book about Kushan, they would surely be recorded in history and become real celebrities.

Zhuge Xu stayed in the royal city for a month, during which time he met many governors and marshals.

Nobles from all over the country often visited, and even some people from far away came to pay a visit.

Among them were the "Qin people". These Roman merchants were particularly curious about the Wei Dynasty, and Zhuge Xu was even more curious about them.

During the conversation, Zhuge Xu even got some maps from them.

These maps were travel maps brought from their own countries to merchants and were extremely valuable. Zhuge Xu successfully obtained them using only some silk and porcelain.

Some Persians even secretly contacted the officials accompanying Zhuge Xu.

Zhuge Xu stayed in the Kushan Palace and the Persians could not contact him, but the accompanying officials could still find opportunities to communicate with him.

The Persians also had their own power in the Kushan territory, and even many governors and marshals had secretly defected to the Persians.

Use Persian currency openly.

The Persians contacted Zhuge Xu's subordinates at this moment, and their purpose was actually very simple.

They also wanted nice things like silk.

The Persians seized areas such as Khwarezm that were originally controlled by the Kushans. From then on, the Persians were able to communicate directly with the Western Regions.

The Persians also did not think that the Porcelain Country would go to war with them for the Kushans. If it came to trade, they were better at it than the Kushans.

Zhuge Xu did not meet the Persians privately.

However, his officials still "took the initiative" to have some conversations with the Persians.

After staying there for three months, Zhuge Xu finally set out on his journey back.

Zhuge Xu brought a lot of things with him, including a group of famous scholars, monks, doctors, mathematicians, architects, etc., as well as many special decorations, ivory, etc.

The Kushan king personally escorted him to the city gate, and Zhuge Xu led his entourage and slowly left.

On his way out, Zhuge Xu met with local governors several times and discussed many important matters.

The way back was just as long, but because of the previous experience, it was much easier.

Zhuge Xu brought a lot of doctors this time to prevent casualties on the road.

These famous Kushan doctors were not all incompetent. There were indeed experts among them, and the attrition rate was effectively reduced.

Along the way, there is not just an endless desert, but cities and tribes. Zhuge Xu can replenish his supplies along the way. Of course, he also has to be careful of possible sneak attacks from nomadic tribes.

Zhuge Xu couldn't remember how long he had been traveling.

When Zhuge Xu appeared again in Qiuci County, Shazhou, it was already the end of the sixth year of Ganlu.

As soon as Zhuge Xu approached here, he saw a large number of cavalry, which made him extremely worried. It was not until he saw the flags they raised that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he got closer, Zhuge Xu felt a huge difference.

Outside the city, you can see many busy farmers, and inside the city, there are suddenly many more buildings, the roads have become unusually flat and tidy, and you can see many merchants hawking their goods along the streets.

For a moment, Zhuge Xu felt as if he had returned to Yongzhou.

The official who greeted them laughed. "It's been like this since the establishment of the county. Officials have been governing diligently and no longer dare to waste money on pagodas and stone walls."

Zhuge Xu was confused. "Is this place also a county?"

"Shazhou now has five counties, all with complete officials."

Zhuge Xu rested in Qiuci County for three days and then continued on his journey.

After just a few years away from home, Shazhou has become so different. Wouldn't the changes in the Central Plains be even more frightening?

Today's Shazhou is different from what it was before. The princes are no longer in actual control, and are instead governed by county governors and county magistrates. The governance level of these people is certainly not comparable to that of the princes. When the money is used for serious matters, the poor financial situation of the Shazhou countries has suddenly improved greatly.

Even Shazhou showed a strange prosperity.

(End of this chapter)