"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. We did indeed procure the supplies as agreed. As for the missing items, they all came from Dayuan!"
Seeing He Lian's changed expression, Cheng Xu quickly bowed and explained.
"Dawan?"
He Lian frowned, looked up at Yuan Shao opposite him, and gave him a questioning look.
Yuan Shao smiled and stepped forward, saying, "King Helian, the Wusun envoy is right. The other half is indeed the responsibility of Dayuan. I have already sent a messenger to inform them, and the supplies from Dayuan should be on their way!"
Upon hearing this, He Lian frowned and turned to look at Li Ru beside him.
Li Ru replied, "Your Majesty, that was the agreement I made with General Yuan!"
"In that case, let's give General Yuan face and wait another five days!"
As he spoke, He Lian looked up at Yuan Shao and said in a deep voice, "I urge General Yuan to expedite the delivery to Dayuan. If it is delayed, my 30,000 Gaoliu Iron Cavalry will have to go and collect it!"
"How dare you, defeated generals, threaten me to my face?"
Before Yuan Shao could speak, Wen Chou behind him shouted loudly, glaring fiercely at He Lian, looking ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
"Hmph! The Han general is rude!"
Upon seeing this, He Lian's face darkened, and he reached for his waist.
"Want to fight?"
Wen Chou immediately shouted and grabbed his weapon, ready to step forward.
"Wen Chou, step down!!"
Before Wen Chou could make a move, Yuan Shao immediately turned his head and shouted a rebuke.
Wen Chou paused, snorted to himself, and then retreated.
He Lian, on the other side, was also persuaded to go back by Li Ru.
"General Yuan, I shall take my leave now!"
After putting away his weapons, He Lian bowed to Yuan Shao, then turned and jumped onto his horse, leading 30,000 cavalrymen, escorting grain and supplies, and headed towards Cheshi in a grand procession.
Only after He Lian and the others had gone far away did Yuan Shao look at the Wusun envoy Cheng Xu with a smile.
"Brother Cheng, your mission is accomplished. Why don't you come with me into the city to rest for a while?"
"In that case, General Yuan, I'm sorry to have troubled you!"
Cheng Xu smiled and nodded, accepting Yuan Shao's invitation.
Before long, the group returned to the Protectorate General's office.
After everyone was seated, Yuan Shao asked with a smile, "Brother Cheng, I wonder how the situation is in Wusun?"
"Sigh, this isn't good!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xu sighed and said in a low voice, "The news of the fall of Kucha has now reached the ears of the people in the country. Everyone is worried that Wusun will follow in Kucha's footsteps, which has caused panic among the people and low morale among the soldiers defending the city..."
"Heh~, the reason why your country is in such a state of panic and low morale is probably not just because of the Xiongnu, is it?"
Upon hearing Cheng Xu's words, Yuan Shao chuckled softly, looking at him with a meaningful gaze.
"Nothing can be hidden from General Yuan!"
Upon hearing Yuan Shao's question, Cheng Xu couldn't help but lower his head and give a bitter smile.
The Wusun Kingdom is now facing numerous difficulties, with the Xiongnu eyeing it covetously from the south and the Xianbei extorting it from the east. At this critical juncture, the nobles and officials within the country are taking advantage of the situation to plunder the people's wealth, causing them to lose all popular support.
Under such circumstances, Cheng Xu, as the Left Chancellor of Wusun, naturally felt a sense of distress.
"Brother Cheng and I are old friends. There's something I just have to say!"
Looking at Cheng Xu's appearance, Yuan Shao also said with a heavy heart, "Wusun and our Han Dynasty are closely connected, and the King of Wusun is a descendant of Princess Jieyou of our Han Dynasty."
Unfortunately, he was an unscrupulous man who colluded with powerful and influential people and failed to care about the people's livelihood. As a result, the Wusun Kingdom is now facing internal and external troubles and is in constant danger of being destroyed.
Brother Cheng is a rare sage in Wusun; it is only right that he step forward to save your people from this perilous situation!
"General Yuan is right, but nowadays, the nobles, officials, and most soldiers in the country have all sided with the Right Chancellor. I am willing, but powerless to do anything about it..."
Cheng Xu naturally understood Yuan Shao's intention in urging him to replace his own king, but considering the current situation in the country, he couldn't help but hesitate.
Yuan Shao chuckled lightly: "What? Brother Cheng, do you not trust me?"
"I have no doubt about General Yuan's abilities, but your army is currently tied down here, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to suppress the Right Chancellor...!"
Thinking of the scene outside the city today, where Wen Chou and others almost fought with He Lian, Cheng Xu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Although the Han army is very strong, they can't get through now. Even if I get Yuan Shao's support, what's the use?
Yuan Shao smiled and said, "That's only for now. The Xianbei will be leaving soon!"
"oh?"
Cheng Xu raised an eyebrow: "General Yuan means that the Xianbei people's target is not Wusun or Dayuan?"
Yuan Shao nodded: "That's right. Whether it's Wusun or Dayuan, for the Xianbei people, they are just temporary stops. Their real target is the far west!"
"The far west? Could it be that Great Qin?"
Cheng Xu's brow twitched, and he couldn't help but recall the great western country that the merchants had mentioned in the past.
Yuan Shao smiled and said, "That's right. The Xianbei will leave sooner or later, and Brother Cheng can take advantage of their stay here to do some things he wants to do!"
Cheng Xu's expression shifted: "General Yuan can get the Xianbei people to cooperate?"
"Of course, it all depends on whether Brother Cheng is willing!"
As he spoke, Yuan Shao looked at Cheng Xu with a smile, waiting for his reply.
Cheng Xu was also caught in a dilemma. From Yuan Shao's words, he understood that although the Xianbei people's target was the Qin Dynasty, the Wusun, Dayuan and other countries along the way would also become targets for the Xianbei people to plunder.
After all, only with sufficient supplies could the Xianbei people travel westward.
Therefore, even if the Xianbei people take those grains and supplies today, they will still attack the Wusun tomorrow.
In short, the Wusun were destined to perish...
Thinking of this, Cheng Xu's hesitation vanished instantly, and he looked at Yuan Shao with a determined expression: "I am willing to follow General Yuan's arrangements. Whatever you say, I will do!"
In Cheng Xu's view, with Yuan Shao and the Xianbei people's schemes, Wusun was definitely doomed. Rather than being buried with them, it would be better to follow Yuan Shao's plan and use the Xianbei people to kill the Wusun king, the right prime minister, and all the nobles and officials who did not get along with him.
When the Xianbei people leave, I can rightfully ascend the throne of Wusun.
"Alright, then Brother Cheng, you shall stay in Gaochang for now and wait for the right opportunity!"
Seeing that Cheng Xu had agreed to his conditions, Yuan Shao smiled.
"Report!!"
Just then, a guard from the gate rushed in.
"Reporting to Governor Yuan, several messengers from Dayuan have arrived outside the city, saying they have important matters to report to you!"
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