Xianbei camp.
As evening fell, the Xianbei soldiers, exhausted after a day of intense training, lined up and headed towards the mess hall.
Although the day's training had left these Xianbei soldiers exhausted, they did not feel any annoyance with their strict instructors and staff officers.
For no other reason than that the instructors and staff officers spent the whole day training with them.
The instructors and staff officers' practice of sharing weal and woe with the soldiers was recognized by the Xianbei soldiers.
Most importantly, these instructors and staff officers were very strict with military discipline, and the previously hot-tempered leaders in the army no longer dared to beat or scold the soldiers at will.
"Everyone, no one is allowed to take more than their share, no one is allowed to be picky about food. After you get your food, find your own seats. No one is allowed to start eating before the appointed time, no one is allowed to switch seats, no one is allowed to make loud noise, no one is allowed to..."
The instructors responsible for maintaining order guided the soldiers into the mess hall while constantly emphasizing dining discipline.
"yes!!"
All the soldiers who entered the mess hall responded in unison, and then began to get their food and take their seats in an orderly manner, waiting for the order to eat.
"Dinner's ready!"
The instructor did not give the order to eat until the last soldier was in place.
These standards are exactly the same as those used in the training of the Han Dynasty army.
The reason the instructors trained these Xianbei soldiers in this way was not only to make them accept the Han Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts, but also to make them, like the Han soldiers, clearly understand what they were doing and to resolutely continue on the westward migration route.
At night, after dinner, the instructors and staff officers gathered the Xianbei soldiers under their charge according to their groups and began to teach them to read and write.
This is their most important mission: not to make these Xianbei soldiers well-versed in literature, but at least to make them accept the Han script and regard the Han script and the Chinese language as their mother tongue and culture.
Of course, for these Xianbei soldiers, learning to read and write was something they never dared to dream of in their lives.
Although they were raised with the idea that the strong are respected and that the use of force to solve problems, this did not diminish their respect for scholars.
In the past, when they were enemies of the Han Dynasty, they killed the old, children, and women, but never scholars.
In their eyes, the scholars of the Han Dynasty were no different from the priests and shamans in the tribes; they were people who understood profound principles, and such people deserved to be treated with respect.
"Han, Xianbei!" An instructor pointed to a black-painted wooden board and taught the soldiers below to familiarize themselves with the two originally hostile names.
"Han, Xianbei!!" The Xianbei soldiers followed their instructor, loudly proclaiming the two words and memorizing their strokes.
While the Xianbei soldiers were focused on training and learning, rapidly growing stronger, tensions were rising in the western part of the Western Regions.
At this time, more than a month had passed since Xie Zhiyu led the Xiongnu army westward.
After a long journey, Xie Zhiyu's team finally arrived in the territory of the Kingdom of Kucha, and was only a hundred miles away from the capital of Kucha.
The entire kingdom of Kucha was terrified by the sudden arrival of the Xiongnu army.
No one could have imagined that the Xiongnu, who had been fighting and confronting the Han Dynasty for so long, would suddenly lead their army to their location.
The royal palace hall in the capital city of Kucha.
The noble leaders of all the tribes in the Kingdom of Kucha had also arrived, and everyone stood in their respective positions with different expressions.
Some frowned in deep thought, some sighed, and some looked dejected, wondering if they should run away.
"Gentlemen, let's discuss how to deal with this invasion by the Xiongnu!"
The King of Kucha, seated on his throne, looked at the nobles under his command and asked in a deep voice.
He had previously sent people to contact Xie Zhiyu several times, hoping that the two sides would cooperate to take over Gaochang, Jingjue, Qiemo and other countries.
As a result, Xie Zhiyu not only did not respond, but also abandoned the standoff with the Han army and led his troops to attack them.
Faced with the menacing Xie Zhiyu, the King of Kucha suddenly felt a pang of regret.
Now that the Han army is no longer there to restrain them, the Xiongnu can attack them without any scruples. How can they possibly resist the ferocious Xiongnu?
Thinking of this, the King of Kucha became increasingly agitated. Looking at the silent crowd in the hall, he couldn't help but show anger.
"Are they all mute? Why isn't anyone saying anything?"
The King of Kucha roared angrily, causing everyone present to tremble involuntarily.
The Left Chancellor of Kucha stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task at present is to immediately prepare the army for war, lest we be taken advantage of by the Xiongnu!"
"Military preparations and war readiness?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed. The Right Chancellor of Kucha stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Let's not even mention the 30,000 brave and skilled Xiongnu cavalry under Xie Zhiyu's command."
His 30,000 subordinate troops were also hundreds of thousands of able-bodied men who had survived countless battles; their fighting strength was far beyond what our army could withstand.
In my opinion, we should send envoys to sue for peace, find out what the Xiongnu really want, and try our best to satisfy them. Perhaps this will make them withdraw their troops!
"The Right Chancellor is right. The Xiongnu are too brutal. If we resist, we will surely suffer!"
"That's right. It would be better to offer some money and supplies to make the Xiongnu withdraw their troops!"
"Yes, if a major war breaks out, none of us will be spared!"
As soon as the Right Chancellor finished speaking, the once quiet hall suddenly became noisy, with many people echoing his words.
Seeing this, the King of Kucha couldn't help but show a hint of interest.
In the past, the Kingdom of Kucha was always caught between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu. Whichever side was stronger, Kucha would become its vassal and pay tribute.
It was precisely through this skillful maneuvering that the Kingdom of Kucha has been able to survive to this day.
When faced with a powerful enemy, choosing to submit to the enemy, pay tribute, and buy peace with money seems to have become the ingrained mindset of most people in Kucha.
"That's utter nonsense!!"
Just as most people were advocating for peace, the Left Chancellor of Kucha shouted angrily, drawing everyone's attention.
The Left Prime Minister of Kucha looked angrily at the Right Prime Minister of Kucha, "Are you suggesting that Kucha should perish?"
Faced with the questioning, the Right Chancellor of Kucha's face immediately darkened: "What do you mean by that, Left Chancellor? I clearly wanted to avoid the calamity of war, how did that become the destruction of the country?"
"The Xiongnu abandoned the Cheshi Kingdom they had occupied, which must have been with the support of the Han army. How could they have left so easily after only accepting some money and supplies?"
According to the Left Chancellor, Xie Zhiyu's courage to abandon the already occupied Cheshi and other places to attack Kucha must have been due to some kind of agreement with the Han army, so that the Han army could remain on the sidelines.
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