"Brothers, pack up all this wine, meat, and grain!"

West of Gaochang City, Dong Zhuo loudly ordered his soldiers to continuously load jars of fine wine and meat onto the carriages.

Before long, five hundred jars of fine wine, five thousand pieces of meat, and one thousand bushels of grain filled forty carriages to the brim.

A lieutenant approached Dong Zhuo and asked, "General, given how much stuff we're transporting, should we bring more men to escort it?"

Dong Zhuo waved his hand dismissively: "No need, those Xiongnu wouldn't dare to rob me!"

Afterwards, Dong Zhuo carefully inspected the caravan and, after confirming that there were no problems, led the team toward the Xianbei people.

Not long after Dong Zhuo left, Li Jue also led his soldiers, pulling carts full of grain and fodder, out of Gaochang City.

Soon, the commotion in Gaochang City reached Xiezhiyu.

"Your Majesty, why do you think the Han army suddenly transported grain out of the city?"

"Hmph, that Yuan Shao is always cunning. He must be trying to lure our army into an attack, either by ambushing us on the way or by launching a surprise attack on our city!"

Upon hearing his subordinate's question, Xie Zhiyu gave a light snort, naturally assuming that the actions of Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and others were Yuan Shao's scheme.

"Your Majesty, look how long we've been stuck here, yet we still can't take Gaochang. The men of Cheshi are almost all dead. If this continues, we'll have no choice but to send our own warriors to fight!"

"Alas, I never expected that the Han Dynasty would send so many powerful generals. If it weren't for them, Gaochang would have been conquered long ago, and we wouldn't be stuck here!"

Hearing his subordinate's words, Xie Zhiyu couldn't help but sigh.

Previously, Xie Zhiyu had repeatedly sent armies of more than 50,000 to attack Gaochang City. Each time, just as the city was about to fall, the army was driven back by generals such as Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Hua Xiong.

On several occasions, he was nearly killed when those Han generals killed him right in front of him.

Now, when Xie Zhiyu thinks of those exceptionally brave Han generals, he also feels a sense of powerlessness and defeat.

Before, when they were on the grasslands, they were already being ravaged by Lü Bu, Gao Shun and others. Now that they have arrived in the Western Regions, they will be ravaged by Yan Liang, Wen Chou and others.

Why is it that no matter where you go, you can't escape the fate of being trampled on?

A leader named Chou Chan hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, if all else fails, why don't you agree to Kucha's request, cooperate with them, and take over Gaochang together?"

"fart!"

No sooner had Chou Chan finished speaking than Xie Zhiyu angrily shouted, "You idiot, what do you know? Kucha is asking us to cooperate, they clearly have ulterior motives."

They feared that the Han Dynasty would cause them trouble in the future, so they dared not send troops easily. They planned to take advantage of our conquest of Gaochang and then seize the opportunity to devour us.

In this way, Gaochang would become something we destroyed, and it would have nothing to do with them. If they destroyed us, they could then justifiably annex Cheshi, Gaochang, and other states.

Furthermore, rather than submitting to the Han Dynasty, they would much rather eliminate us enemies who came to seize their territory!

"Your Majesty is right."

Faced with Xie Zhiyu's reprimand, Chou Chan nodded with a look of understanding, and then said, "But our southward journey is now blocked. If we want to make progress in the Western Regions, we can only go west!"

"Yes, we have no choice but to head west. We've already wasted too much time here; we can't afford to wait any longer!"

Upon hearing Chou Chan's suggestion, Xie Zhiyu couldn't help but sigh and turned his attention to the several major powers in the west.

"Your Majesty, the brothers have also inquired about the situation in countries such as Kucha, Dayuan, and Wusun. These so-called great powers do not have many troops. Among them, Wusun, which has the largest army, has less than 40,000 men."

If we take any one of them individually, we could destroy it by attacking either one.

"It's easy for you to say, but I'm afraid the Han army won't let us leave easily. If we head west, and the Han army takes the opportunity to cut off our retreat, and those countries unite, then we'll be in real danger!"

Upon hearing Chou Chan's suggestion, Xie Zhiyu shook his head with a worried expression.

Chou Chan thought for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, what do you think about us cooperating with the Han army?"

"Cooperate with the Han army? We are in our current predicament entirely because of the Han army, and you actually want me to cooperate with them?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhiyu immediately frowned and looked at Chou Chan with displeasure.

Chou Chan trembled, then explained, "Your Majesty, it is true that our predicament today was caused by the Han army, but given the current situation, we have no choice but to submit."

After all, the Cheshi Kingdom is too small and has too few resources. If we continue to stay here and waste time with the Han army, we will be wiped out in a few years!

After hearing these words, Xie Zhiyu's anger gradually turned into a serious expression, and he began to think carefully.

"You're right. What does face matter when the survival of a race is at stake!"

In the end, Xie Zhiyu followed Chou Chan's advice and chose to compromise.

Then Xie Zhiyu looked at Chou Chan and asked, "Although I am willing to cooperate with the Han army, will the Han army agree?"

"Your Majesty, the reason why the Han army fought so hard to block our army in Gaochang is that they did not want us to annex those small countries in the southeast and cut off their trade routes."

Furthermore, our standoff has dragged on for so long, they must be quite exhausted as well.

Now that we intend to travel west, we might as well use Cheshi as a condition to negotiate with them. As long as they can help us contain Wusun, then we can attack Kucha with peace of mind.

After we destroy Kucha and replenish our forces, we will then take advantage of the situation to launch an attack on Wusun, Dayuan, and other countries..."

"Okay, okay!"

Upon hearing Chou Chan's plan, Xie Zhiyu also cheered repeatedly, his gaze towards Chou Chan filled with admiration.

How come I never noticed this guy had such talent before?

Xie Zhiyu then looked at Chou Chan and said, "How about this, let's go and negotiate with the Han army. As long as they agree to cooperate, we can agree to any conditions!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Chou Chan responded loudly, then turned and walked away.

Watching Chou Chan's departing figure, Xie Zhi narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.

While Chou Chan's performance today surprised him, it also stirred a hint of doubt in his heart.

During the last attack on Gaochang, some of Xiezhiyu's leaders were captured by the Han army. Xiezhiyu later sent a lot of food and money to ransom those men.

And this Chou Chan was one of the prisoners from that time.

Therefore, Xie Zhiyu suspected that Chou Chan either sided with the Han Dynasty or acted as an intermediary between the Han Dynasty and himself.

However, upon closer reflection, Chou Chan's suggestion did not seem to have any disadvantage for him, and the latter possibility is more likely.

Thinking of this, Xie Zhiyu gave a helpless bitter smile and then sat down.

In this situation, what else can I do but choose to believe?