"Greetings, sir!"
Upon entering the room, Damoti bowed deeply to Xi Zhicai.
"Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony, please have a seat!"
Xi Zhicai nodded slightly, gesturing for Damoti to sit down while pouring him a cup of tea.
"Thank you, sir!"
After kneeling and sitting opposite the table, Damoti politely accepted the teacup and took a small sip.
Setting down the teapot, Xi Zhicai asked in a deep voice, "May I ask what brings Your Highness here today?"
"Sir, as you probably know, the Xianbei and Xiongnu people suddenly entered our northwestern region and stopped there."
Today, Father summoned us to inquire about our strategy…
Then, Damotti recounted in detail to Xi Zhicai what had happened in court that day, as well as the old king's instructions.
"Heh~, it seems our Emperor isn't so muddle-headed after all, still thinking about maintaining a balance!"
After hearing Damoti's account, Xi Zhicai couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes, Father is in such a state now, yet he still refuses to decide who will inherit the throne. It really makes people feel uneasy!"
Damot also sighed helplessly, looking quite powerless, clearly unaware that the old king was feigning illness.
Xi Zhicai's expression hardened: "Your Highness, in my opinion, His Majesty seems to have already chosen someone in mind!"
"Oh?" Damot's expression shifted. "The person you mentioned, sir, could it be my elder brother?"
Xi Zhicai nodded slightly: "That's right, it is indeed the eldest prince."
Since the fall of the Morin family, the eldest prince has gradually taken control of all commercial trade within the Kushan Empire, as well as the country's financial power.
Last year, the Xianbei and Xiongnu allied to invade. Wasn't the reason your soldiers were defeated precisely because they couldn't sustain their supplies?
"Yes, if it weren't for his interference, my men wouldn't have lost their territory and land, which has led to my father's resentment towards me!"
Upon hearing Xi Zhicai mention this matter, Damoti was filled with rage.
Xi Zhicai picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said calmly, "So, the reason His Majesty agreed to the eldest prince's proposal for peace talks is that he doesn't quite trust you!"
After all, the Xianbei and Xiongnu have now entered our territory. If you are defeated again, the losses will be even greater!
Upon hearing this, Damot's expression changed: "Then what should we do?"
Xi Zhicai's expression hardened: "Broken peace talks and start a war with the Xianbei and Xiongnu, if you can win, will not only affect the Crown Prince's favor with His Majesty, but also further enhance your prestige in the army!"
"this……"
Upon hearing Xi Zhicai's suggestion, Damoti hesitated for a moment.
"Sir, disrupting the peace talks is fine, but winning might be difficult. Not to mention the 40,000 elite cavalry from the two tribes, even their herdsmen are formidable fighters..."
In the end, Damothi fell silent. In recent years, he had been busy with internal strife and had no time to manage his army.
Nowadays, those Kushan soldiers are only good at bullying ordinary people; they can't do anything else.
Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Your Highness, rest assured. Based on my speculation, the Xianbei and Xiongnu are just passing through. Their destination is probably to the west."
After all, they were a nomadic tribe, and the northwestern region of the Kushan Empire was quite desolate and simply not suitable for them.
"You only need to defend the city until they leave, then you can report the victory back home!"
Damot's eyes lit up: "If that's the case, then that would be wonderful!"
However, Damoti's face soon darkened, and he hesitated, saying, "Since, according to you, the Xianbei and Xiongnu have no intention of staying, how can we sabotage the peace talks?"
“There are many ways to sabotage peace talks. First, you can send troops to harass the Xianbei and Xiongnu territories to provoke them.”
Secondly, you could send assassins to kill the envoys of the Xianbei and Xiongnu and frame the eldest prince. Perhaps the Xianbei and Xiongnu would be so enraged that they would send someone to kill the eldest prince.
Third, you can spread rumors that the Xianbei and Xiongnu have no intention of making peace, and that their true intention is to take advantage of the situation before attacking the Kushans in the south, thus discouraging peace talks!
Upon hearing Xi Zhicai's three methods, Damoti began to ponder them carefully.
After a moment of contemplation, Damotti said in a deep voice, "The first one is easy to expose and will definitely displease Father."
The second option is worth a try; I have some capable men under my command.
But this third point might not be so easy either!
Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "If your people spread rumors, no one will believe them. But if the Floating Pagoda Sect comes forward, then there won't be a problem, right?"
Nowadays, most of the people and officials of the Kushan Empire believe in Buddhism, so it is most appropriate for Buddhism to spread any messages.
"The Buddhist Cult?"
Damoti shook his head with a wry smile: "The Floating Pagoda Sect is on the Third Brother's side, so why would they help me?"
"Your Highness, have you forgotten the three Buddhist monks from the Han Dynasty that I mentioned to you?"
Damothi's expression shifted: "Oh? You mean that monk named Hapi?"
“It’s Hachi!” Xi Zhicai corrected.
"Oh, right, right, it's Hachi!"
Damothi slapped his forehead and then said, "But I heard that they were spreading heretical doctrines and have been expelled from the Buddhist order by the Buddhist sect. What can they possibly do?"
"That's just an internal dispute within the Buddhist sect. As far as I know, the three of them, Hachi and his companions, have already established their own sect, which they call the New Sect, and many Buddhist monks have joined them."
Moreover, in addition to inheriting the essentials of the original Buddhist religion, their doctrines abolished those so-called taboos, advocated pragmatism, and were more in line with the needs of the people.
Therefore, their doctrines are quite popular among the people, and they have begun to rival the Buddhist religion, and will eventually replace the old Buddhist religion!
At the end, Xi Zhicai paused, then continued, "Your Highness could strongly support Protestantism. This would not only gain you a powerful base of support, but also weaken the Third Prince's influence!"
Upon hearing this, Damoti nodded with a look of interest: "What you say is true, sir. It is indeed time to make a move on the old Buddhist sect!"
Since Buddhism was the state religion of the Kushan Empire, the Kushan people were required to observe a vegetarian diet and abstain from sexual activity during sacrifices and festivals.
For Damothi, who always loved pleasure, the precepts of Buddhism were utterly disgusting.
Now that a new Protestantism has suddenly appeared, one that allows people to abandon their faith and no longer abide by those grueling rules and regulations, Damoti is naturally happy to support it.
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