"The Kushan Empire has been plagued by continuous turmoil, its army is exhausted and lacks supplies. In addition, General Cao has been providing them with a large number of defective weapons. This outcome is quite normal!"
Yu Jin, who was quite knowledgeable in military strategy, also offered his own views.
Meanwhile, Liu Hong, who led his army to Dayuan, was also surprised when he saw the battle report sent back by Xiahou Dun and others.
Although Liu Hong had a thorough understanding of the Kushan situation through various intelligence reports, he never imagined that the Kushan Empire had become so weak.
Logically speaking, people in a state of chaos should be stronger in combat, but the Kushan Empire is an example of the opposite.
However, Liu Hong soon understood the reason.
In recent years, although the three princes of Kushan have been constantly at odds, they have mainly focused on plundering each other's territories, and their armies have rarely engaged in direct confrontations.
As soldiers, if they don't fight on the battlefield but instead are keen on plundering civilians, it's no wonder their combat effectiveness is low.
Looking at the map, Cao Cao said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, given the current situation, our army can divide into three routes and launch a full-scale attack on the three princes of Kushan at the same time. I believe that we can eliminate all the resistance forces of Kushan before the beginning of next spring!"
"As the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Is Cao Cao being too optimistic?"
As he matured with age, Liu Hong became much more prudent in his actions. Despite the Kushan Empire's apparent weakness, he did not show excessive contempt for his enemy.
"Your Majesty, Mengde is right. The Kushans are indeed too weak and are not worthy of being a match for our Han Dynasty!" Lu Bu said somewhat listlessly.
"Haha, if that's really the case, then it would be a great thing for all of you!" Liu Hong laughed upon hearing Lü Bu's words.
"Your Majesty is right!"
Lu Bu also realized the inappropriateness of his words. No matter what, even if the Kushan Empire was weak, it was still a major power occupying the western part of the Han Dynasty. Once it was destroyed, it would be a matter of being recorded in history.
"In that case, let's follow Mengde's advice and divide the 300,000 troops into three routes."
Led by Fengxian, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao, 100,000 troops attacked the Second Prince's tribe in the west.
Xu Huang, Xu Chu, Li Dian, and Yue Jin led 100,000 troops to attack the capital's eldest prince's tribe.
Generals Zhang He, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou went to attack the Third Prince's tribe!
"Mengde will remain by my side and command from the center!"
"Here you go!!"
Upon hearing Liu Hong's order, the generals in the tent excitedly agreed and then dispersed to prepare for the army's expedition.
While the Han army was busy with their tasks, unrest was already brewing within the Kushan Empire.
Although the officials and nobles maintained a calm demeanor, news of the annihilation of 50,000 elite troops had already spread like wildfire.
The people were not worried at all about the defeat of the Kushan army; on the contrary, they were overjoyed.
Zhang Jiao, who was preaching in the Kushan capital, also received the intelligence sent by Jia Xu immediately.
With the full support of the eldest prince and Yuan Shao, and after several years of preaching, Zhang Jiao and his disciples had developed nearly one million followers in various cities throughout the Kushan Empire.
Zhang Jiao divided these million believers into five major groups, each headed by a bishop to manage them.
Upon learning that the emperor had led a large army to launch a general offensive against the Kushan Empire, Zhang Jiao immediately sent messengers to inform his disciples to prepare for the uprising.
Inside the Eastern Capital Palace, the Third Prince looked at his trusted confidants with a sorrowful expression.
His most trusted 50,000 elite troops died at the hands of a group of refugees who had fled from Han China. Even now, he refused to believe this terrible news.
A minister stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, according to the messenger’s report, those young men who call themselves the People’s Salvation Army are well-armored and their battle formations are well-organized. Their fighting style is very similar to that of the Han army. In my opinion, the Han army must be manipulating all of this behind the scenes.”
The third prince said with a bitter face, "I know what you're saying, but the problem right now is, what should we do? The Han army has already been deployed to our doorstep and could launch an attack at any time."
"Right now, we can't even defeat a group of young refugees. If the Han army attacks, aren't we doomed?"
"this……"
Upon hearing the third prince's question, all the ministers lowered their heads, unsure of how to answer.
The third prince sighed, "What do you think about sending someone to negotiate peace with my eldest and second brothers?"
Upon hearing the Third Prince's question, the group of trusted ministers were taken aback.
"Your Majesty, the Han Kingdom has deployed a large army on our border, and its intention is very clear: to destroy our Kushan Empire."
Now that things have come to this, the only option is to join forces with the other two princes to fight against this powerful enemy!
"Yes, that's the only way!"
A group of trusted ministers also spoke up, agreeing with the third prince's opinion.
"Alright, you all go and make preparations, arrange manpower, and contact the two princes."
Furthermore, we will mobilize a large army to attack those so-called "rescue armies." We must annihilate them before the Han army launches a full-scale invasion to restore our army's morale!
"yes!"
Upon hearing the Third Prince's instructions, all the trusted ministers withdrew.
Half a month later, the three kings led all the troops they could muster, a total of 150,000 men, and marched in a mighty procession toward the city where the People's Salvation Army was located.
He had to prove to the soldiers and civilians at home that he was still strong and could at least defeat those fleeing traitors.
When the third prince led his army out, the Han army, which had been preparing in Dayuan for a long time, finally began to move.
Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao led an army of 100,000 and were the first to attack the Kushan garrison on the border.
After successfully opening a breach in the border, Lü Bu led 40,000 cavalry as the vanguard, advancing westward, while Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao led 60,000 infantry to attack cities and capture strongholds from behind.
Lü Bu's cavalry fought every day and was invincible. In just over ten days, they advanced more than 500 li and directly attacked the heartland of the Second Prince.
At the same time, Xu Huang, Xu Chu and other generals led an army of 100,000 to invade the territory of the eldest prince and captured three cities in succession.
The Kushan Empire was in uproar at the Han army's triumphant advance.
No one expected the Han army to advance so quickly. When the news reached the three princes, they were all stunned.
They knew that the Han army was truly preparing to annihilate the Kushan Empire in one fell swoop.
Upon receiving the third prince's request for peace, the eldest and second princes no longer hesitated and immediately decided to put aside their past grievances and work together to resist the Han army.
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