"Oh, why do you say that, Your Excellency? Let's sit down and talk about it slowly!"

Seeing the Kushan envoy who was extremely anxious, Cao Cao remained calm and composed.

"General Cao, a month ago, the Xianbei and Xiongnu suddenly sent an army of 40,000 to burn, kill, and plunder in our territory."

The number of people they have plundered is now at least several hundred thousand.

"If we had been even a minute later, who knows how many more people would have perished!"

Seeing Cao Cao's calm expression, the Kushan envoy was so anxious that tears were about to fall.

Of course, he wasn't worried about how many people had died, but rather that he hadn't made any progress after being out for so long, and if he delayed any longer, he feared he might lose his life.

Cao Cao raised an eyebrow: "Oh? The Xianbei and Xiongnu have actually gone to your side?"

"Yes, General, those barbarians are far too cruel. They not only plunder the people, but also burn down houses and trample on fertile fields. Their actions are clearly intended to starve the people of Kushan to death. It is even more hateful than murder."

"The Han Dynasty is a celestial empire, and the Han army is a righteous force. If the general can lead his troops to our aid, the entire Kushan Empire will be eternally grateful, and the people will welcome the royal army with food and drink!"

In the end, the Kushan envoy went on and on praising the Han dynasty, hoping that the self-proclaimed righteous Han would send a righteous army to do righteous deeds.

Sure enough, Cao Cao showed a pleased expression after hearing the Kushan envoy's words.

"Our great Han Dynasty has already issued a pursuit order against the Xianbei and Xiongnu. Now that we have learned that they have caused trouble in your country, our Han army naturally has an unshirkable duty to send troops to wipe them out!"

The Kushan envoy's face lit up with joy: "In that case, on behalf of the Kushan people, I thank the general for his great kindness!"

Cao Cao: "Very well, Your Excellency, please rest here for another month. Once my army has assembled, we will set off immediately!"

"January...?"

Upon hearing Cao Cao's words, the Kushan envoy immediately became uneasy.

The Kushan envoy was so anxious he was almost in tears: "General Cao, we Kushan people can't wait another month. Can your army set off as soon as possible?"

Cao Cao frowned: "With such a large army on the move, provisions, supplies, and logistics all need to be prepared properly. A month is already fast enough!"

The Kushan envoy quickly replied, "General, rest assured, we will take full responsibility for your army's provisions and supplies, and we guarantee there will be no problems!"

Cao Cao: "With our army mobilized, the soldiers' families also need to be properly settled..."

Kushan envoy: "We will prepare all necessary accommodation expenses!"

Cao Cao: "What about the deployment of personnel during the battle?"

"The general will be in overall command of everything!"

The Kushan envoy agreed to all the conditions proposed by Cao Cao without hesitation.

"good!"

Upon seeing this, Cao Cao also revealed a satisfied smile.

Subsequently, Cao Cao summoned all the generals in the army and began to make arrangements for the expedition.

Early the next morning, 20,000 Han soldiers and 30,000 auxiliary troops, fully equipped, left Wusun and headed towards Kushan.

Seeing how quickly the Han army moved, the Kushan envoy felt as if he had fallen into Cao Cao's trap, but dared not show it.

After all, the faster the Han army moved, the less damage they would suffer.

Three days later, Cao Cao's army, after a rapid march, arrived at the border of the Kushan Empire.

Just as the Kushan envoy promised, the third prince, Damoshi, had already ordered his men to prepare provisions and supplies for an army of 100,000 at the border, demonstrating his utmost sincerity.

After entering the Kushan Empire, Cao Cao did not delay. He ordered Xiahou Yuan to lead 20,000 Han troops as the vanguard and head towards Luoyang ahead of them, while he himself led 30,000 auxiliary troops, escorting a large amount of military equipment, and followed behind at a leisurely pace.

Xiahou Yuan, aside from other skills, was truly fast at leading troops on the road.

In just three days, he led 20,000 Han soldiers on a rapid march of 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers) from the border to the Eastern Capital.

The arrival of the Han army brought a sigh of relief to the Third Prince and a group of officials in the Eastern Capital.

"Your Majesty Damoxi, what is the situation with the Xianbei and Xiongnu?"

After exchanging pleasantries upon entering the city, Xiahou Yuan couldn't wait to inquire about the situation of the Xianbei and Xiongnu.

Upon hearing Xiahou Yuan address him as "Your Majesty," a hint of excitement appeared on Damoshi's face.

In his view, the Han Dynasty had already acknowledged his status as the ruler of the Kushan Empire.

With the recognition and support of the Han Dynasty, the possibility of him eventually unifying the Kushan Empire would be much greater.

After calming himself down, Damoshi said in a deep voice, "General Xiahou, the Xianbei Xiongnu are currently active near Qingshui City, about 100 miles west of Dongdu."

Now, nearly 30% of the farmland under Xiao Wang's command has been trampled, more than a dozen cities have been burned to the ground, and millions of refugees have been driven towards the Eastern Capital by them..."

When it comes to the Xianbei and Xiongnu, Damoxi is filled with hatred.

Now that their territory has been destroyed by the Xianbei and Xiongnu, it will not only cause a reduction in grain production during the autumn harvest, but they will also have to spend a lot of resources on reconstruction and resettling displaced people.

As a result, his plan to quickly recruit soldiers and then march westward would have to be put on hold.

After listening to Damoshi's explanation, Xiahou Yuan immediately said, "These barbarians have driven so many refugees here, they must be planning to use the refugees to attack the city and seize it in one fell swoop. Your Majesty must be on guard!"

Damoshi replied, "General Xiahou, rest assured, I have already ordered the garrison troops of all cities not to let any refugees into the city, nor to go out of the city to provide relief. Those barbarians are only wasting their efforts!"

"That's good!"

Xiahou Yuan nodded and then asked, "What is the defense situation in Qingshui City? How many soldiers are stationed there?"

"There are about 30,000 troops stationed there, and the city has plenty of food and supplies, so they should be able to hold out for some time."

Xiao Wang's biggest worry right now is that the Xianbei and Xiongnu will bypass Qingshui City and wander to other places to cause trouble.

Currently, Xiao Wang has less than 200,000 troops under his command, and can only garrison a few cities around the Eastern Capital, unable to launch an attack.

As for repelling the enemy, that will depend entirely on the Han army!

"Please rest assured, General, all the military pay and rewards for your troops during the campaign will be paid by me!"

In the end, Damoshi bowed deeply to Xiahou Yuan with a pleading expression.

Xiahou Yuan waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will lead my troops to Qingshui City to hold off those barbarians. Once General Cao's army arrives, we will wipe them out!"

"In that case, thank you for your trouble, General!"

Damoshi was overjoyed, and then ordered the guards, "Quickly, bring up the gifts I prepared for the Han army!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The guard agreed and then quickly ran out of the palace.

Soon, two hundred soldiers carried one hundred wooden boxes, each one meter long and half a meter high, to the outside of the palace.

Upon opening the wooden box, one finds it filled with various gold and silver jewels; the jewels in the box alone are worth at least ten thousand silver coins.