"Purchase the Han army's weapons?"
Upon hearing the second prince's suggestion, the old king of Canaan was slightly taken aback.
"Yes, Father, when I saw those Han soldiers, they were all wearing gleaming iron armor and carrying fearsome bows and arrows. Their weapons were far superior to ours. If we could also possess a batch of such weapons, then the Kingdom of Mopi would certainly be no match for us!"
Upon hearing this, the old Canaanite king hesitated and said, "In that case, those iron armor weapons must be very expensive, right?"
“Father, as long as we can defeat the Kingdom of Mopi, we can earn back whatever it takes, no matter how much it costs.”
Furthermore, this is also an important way for us to build good relations with the Han Dynasty!
Seeing that his father was actually starting to feel sorry for money, the second prince anxiously tried to persuade him.
Upon hearing this, the old Canaanite king was suddenly jolted awake.
Just now, he was thinking about how to build a good relationship with the Han Dynasty so as to realize his dream of dominating the surrounding area. Now that the opportunity is right in front of him, he is hesitating because of money. This is really wrong of him.
The old Canaan king gave the second prince an appreciative look and then said, "My son is right. As long as we maintain good relations with the Han Dynasty, nothing else matters!"
"My father is wise!"
The old king waved his hand: "Alright, the matter of procuring military equipment is entrusted to you. Try your best to agree to the Han army's demands, and make sure they see our sincerity and financial strength!"
"Yes, Father!"
The second prince excitedly agreed, then bowed and withdrew.
Shortly after the second prince of Canaan left the palace, the other princes and the spies planted in the palace by the nobles also sent the news back.
When they learned that the second prince was safe and sound, everyone was quite surprised.
In their expectations, even if the second prince wasn't executed outright, he would certainly suffer greatly. But in the end, he walked out of the palace unharmed and with a happy expression, which was truly puzzling.
Just as the people of Canaan were wondering what was going on, news came that the Han army had sent a messenger.
After learning the whole story, everyone finally understood.
Facing the Han army capable of annihilating the Kushan Empire, the Second Prince's ability to escape unscathed was already a great achievement; how could he possibly be punished?
For a moment, while the Kushan people secretly lamented their loss, many nobles and officials began to think of ways to get closer to the second prince.
When the Kushan Empire existed, they were oppressed and could be said to have been able to take whatever they wanted. Now that the Han army, which is even more powerful than the Kushan Empire, has arrived, they naturally have no other thoughts.
Now that the second prince has taken on the task of contacting the Han army, he might be able to build a good relationship with them.
In this way, the future throne of Canaan will almost certainly fall to the second prince. If he doesn't seize the opportunity now, when will he?
Shortly after the second prince returned home, a group of nobles from the capital city rushed to his house with gifts.
The second prince greeted all these people who came to him with a smile.
Although these guys were no longer of any use in their fight for the throne, they were rich.
With money, they could do better business with the Han army and thus strengthen their relationship with them.
So, while receiving the nobles, the second prince also revealed the financial difficulties he was facing in purchasing military equipment.
The nobles immediately pledged their full support.
At the same time, the old king also issued a royal decree to summon all the country's troops to assemble in the south.
On the other side, King Maha, who also received a message from the Han army, issued a similar summons, mobilizing the entire nation's army to gather in the north, preparing for a decisive battle with Canaan.
However, his summons only took effect after being approved by the Brahmin high priest.
In a short time, both Canaan and Maha began to prepare for war, and a major battle was imminent.
The Kingdom of Lorraine, caught between the two countries and likely to be used as a battlefield, was quite frightened by this situation.
Initially, the King of Lorraine sent messages to Canaan and Mapi respectively, hoping that the two countries could sit down and have a proper talk, but the two countries did not take him seriously at all and continued to assemble their armies.
Seeing that the two countries ignored him, the King of Lorraine began to seek help from neighboring countries. However, the smaller countries that received his plea for help, faced with the conflict between the two great powers, also expressed their inability to assist him.
Finally, King Lorraine, left with no other option, turned his attention to the Han army and sent men to Hannan City, hoping that the Han army could come forward to help.
In the early part of October of the twenty-third year of the Kaiyuan era.
After several months of construction by tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, Hannan City, covering an area of nearly 100,000 mu, has taken initial shape.
Inside the city, not only were the city lord's mansion and various government offices built, but also various shops were built along the main streets. All the Han Chinese merchants and Southeast Asian merchants who had been doing business in India also settled here.
The port of Hannan became even more prosperous and bustling due to the arrival of these merchants.
The lives of the fishermen and ordinary people who originally lived here improved as a result. Even the poor people from many surrounding towns fled to Hannan City, hoping to find a way to survive.
Zhang Liang first brainwashed these refugees with religion, and after they came to believe in the Taiping Religion, he then settled them down.
After receiving stable income and a peaceful life, those who were resettled sent letters to their relatives, telling them about the many benefits of Hannan City.
Of course, their letters were all written under the guidance of the Taiping sect's Taoist priests, and the contents of the letters were roughly as follows:
"Hannan City is a clean and tidy place. There is no stench here, no corpses of the starved dead lying everywhere. There is no oppression or discrimination here. As long as you believe in the Taiping Church, you are one of them and can get a job, a job where you can earn a living. You no longer have to worry about hunger or poverty. It is a place where even the air is filled with a sweet fragrance..."
As more and more news spread, Hannan City, in the eyes of many Indians, had become a paradise on earth.
While envying the people of Hannan City, many lower-class Sindhu people also became increasingly dissatisfied with their country.
We are all human beings, so why is it that the places governed by Han people are so much better, while the places where we live are so much worse?
Is this a distortion of human nature or an injustice of the world?
Using Hannan City as a benchmark to incite discontent among the people of India against their country was one of Zhang Liang's plans for invasion.
As a result, more and more people abandoned their homeland and began to move towards Hannan City with their families.
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