Amidst unanimous opposition from the Kushan people, the old king issued an edict canceling the gift of supplies to the Xianbei and Xiongnu, and instead using it to supply the army at the front.

Immediately afterwards, the third prince, Damoshi, also received an order from the old king to raise funds for the army.

After seeing off the official who delivered the imperial edict, Damoshi, with a bitter expression, went to Yuan Shao to ask for advice.

"Brother Benchu, what do you think Xiao Wang should do now? Raise military funds, but that would be like funding Second Brother. Even if he wins, I won't get any benefit."

If we don't raise funds, and he loses, he'll definitely pin all the blame on me, and my father won't let me off easily either!

Thinking about the possible consequences of this matter, Damoshi felt powerless.

Of course, what made him most uneasy was the old king's attitude.

Raising military funds should be the eldest prince's responsibility, but he was instead put in charge.

This gave him the illusion that the old king was targeting him.

If you do it well, you will not only gain nothing but also lose a lot of money and suffer a severe blow; if you do it poorly, you will be completely finished.

This job is extremely disadvantageous to me no matter how you look at it.

"Your Highness, in my opinion, the old king probably senses that his days are numbered and has already decided on his successor. The reason he is doing this is to pave the way for his successor!"

Just as Damoshi was pondering this, Yuan Shao's words jolted him awake.

Damoshi asked with a solemn expression, "Brother Benchu, are you referring to my eldest brother?"

"good!"

Yuan Shao nodded and said solemnly, "In fact, when His Majesty agreed to the peace talks, he probably already had his mind made up."

Now that the eldest prince has successfully negotiated, Your Highness has taken advantage of rumors to undermine the peace talks. His Majesty is naturally furious, which is why he has entrusted you with the task of raising military funds.

In this way, whether it succeeds or fails, Your Highness will lose the right to compete with the First Prince.

As for the second prince, although he has many generals under his command and an army of 150,000, logistics and supplies are in the hands of the eldest prince, so he can't do much!

"Father is really biased. In terms of ability, my eldest brother is not as good as my second brother; in terms of talent, my eldest brother is not as good as me. Why would he choose this good-for-nothing as his successor?"

After listening to Yuan Shao's analysis, Damoshi was filled with resentment and felt a growing dissatisfaction with his father.

Yuan Shao shook his head: "This, I have no idea!"

Damoshi looked dejected and said, "Brother Benchu, is there really no other way?"

Yuan Shao shook his head: "Your Highness has already been excluded. No matter what we do, it will be of no use. Your Highness should withdraw now and devote yourself to studying Buddhism!"

"Heh~, quit?"

Damoshi gave a bitter smile. "Even if I quit now, my elder brother will definitely not let me off the hook when he takes over!"

In the struggle for the throne, it has always been a matter of the victor living and the loser dying. How can one simply back down? One must either admit defeat and await execution, or fight to the death. There is no other way.

A hint of madness flashed in Damoshi's eyes as he thought about his possible future.

Damoshi looked up at Yuan Shao and said in a deep voice, "Brother Benchu, as the Han envoy, you represent the will of the Han Dynasty. I hope that you and the Han Dynasty will support me!"

Yuan Shao: "What does Your Highness intend to do?"

Damoshi gritted his teeth and said, "The young king has decided to raise an army and seize power by force!"

"Raise an army?" Yuan Shao's brow twitched, and he looked at Damoshi in disbelief.

"That's right, now there's no other way!"

Damoh nodded and then said, "I hope that the Great Han can provide me with more support in terms of military equipment. As long as I can successfully seize power, I am willing to lead the Kushan Kingdom to submit to the Great Han, pay tribute every year, and never betray it!"

"this……"

Upon hearing Damoch's terms, Yuan Shao couldn't help but ponder them with a look of interest.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Shao said in a low voice, "Your Highness, our Han Dynasty can provide weapons and such, but where will you get your soldiers?"

Damoh said in a deep voice, "To be honest, Brother Benchu, I have already gained the support of the Nami and Kate families. They have nearly 30,000 guards and more than 500,000 able-bodied tenant farmers under their command."

In addition, there are more than 200,000 young and middle-aged monks from both the old and new sects of Buddhism, as well as a large number of believers.

These people could easily be organized into an army; all they lacked was weaponry!

Upon hearing Damoshi's words, Yuan Shao nodded silently: "If that's the case, then there's no problem. But what should Your Highness do next? Where should we raise our troops?"

Damoh narrowed his eyes: "Most of the businesses and lands of the Nami and Kate families are in the eastern region."

Therefore, Xiao Wang planned to raise an army in the east, firstly because of the geographical advantage, and secondly because it would be more convenient to purchase military equipment from the Han Dynasty.

"Didn't my father tell me to raise funds for the army? Then I'll use that as an excuse to thoroughly exploit the area around the capital, and first make sure the people lose all support!"

In the end, a look of madness appeared on Damoshi's face.

"Since Your Highness already has a plan, I will immediately notify the Han army stationed in the Western Regions and have them prepare the appropriate weapons for you."

However, Your Highness, please remember to keep this a secret. Before you succeed, you must not implicate me!

In closing, Yuan Shao gave his solemn instructions.

Damoshi said solemnly, "Brother Benchu, rest assured, even if we fail in the end, I will never implicate you!"

Now, Yuan Shao and the Han Dynasty have become his only means of success, and he naturally knows what to do.

Yuan Shao nodded: "That's good then, Your Highness, you should go and make preparations as soon as possible!"

"Farewell!"

After bowing to Yuan Shao, Damoshi also got up and left.

"It's finally starting!"

Watching Damoshi's departing figure, Yuan Shao smiled slightly, then summoned several trusted subordinates and informed Xi Zhicai and Jia Xu of what had just happened.

After receiving Yuan Shao's notification, Xi Zhicai and Jia Xu also began their respective preparations.

Xi Zhicai then got up and, with Dian Wei and his entourage, left the capital and headed towards Damoti's army.

Jia Xu dispatched several spies from the Investigation Bureau, disguised as assassins from the Nami family, to intercept and kill the eldest prince who was on his way to the capital.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Damoshi also summoned members of the Nami and Kate families and told them about his plans to raise an army.

The two families sided with the Third Prince because of the Morin family's example, and they knew that the old king and the other two princes would eventually turn against them.

Therefore, after learning that Damoshi had already gained the support of the Great Han, he immediately agreed to raise an army.

As for the Buddhist sect, after the new faction expressed its full support, the old faction also agreed.

After all, it was common knowledge that they had fully supported the Third Prince in the past.

The three princes raised an army, but it was impossible for them to escape unscathed.