In the following days, under the cover of Xi Zhicai, Jia Xu, and Yuan Shao, Hachi's Protestant sect moved between the three princes and gained their full support.
In a short time, the already rapidly developing Protestantism, with the support of the three princes' money, power, and people, also embarked on a crazy development mode.
For a time, not only ordinary people, but also many ministers in the court began to accept and support the doctrines of Protestantism.
After all, the precepts of the old sect of Buddhism really made those noble lords who were used to enjoying life suffer in silence.
Now, being able to do so without changing their beliefs or adhering to those ridiculous rules and regulations is something they naturally welcome.
For ordinary people, the Protestant monks not only provided them with free medical treatment, but also distributed money and food to them from time to time, bringing them tangible benefits.
In contrast, the old-fashioned Buddhist sect has been constantly asking them to donate money and food. Sometimes, if they donate too little, they are said to be unrelated to Buddhism and unable to receive its protection.
After comparing the two, even a fool would know which one to support.
During this time, the third prince also organized a debate between the old and new factions.
Compared to the new school that encourages pragmatism, the old school of monks who spend their days studying doctrines are undoubtedly much more eloquent.
Before long, the new-style monks were at a disadvantage in the debate.
"As the Buddha said, those who are stubborn and unrepentant should be forcibly converted!"
As the debate reached its climax, with a Buddhist chant from Hachi, the new-style disciples raised their fists and charged at the old-style monks.
What was originally a debate on Buddhism suddenly turned into a brawl between Buddhist scholars.
Damoshi not only failed to stop the fight between the old and new factions, but also ordered that officials not be allowed to come and cause trouble.
For him, monks with fighting skills seemed to be of greater use.
The disciples following Hachi were all guard monks selected from the soldiers of the Imperial Guard. Apart from their monk robes, they were no different from ordinary people, and their combat power was naturally incomparable to those monks who did not engage in physical labor.
Not long after the conflict began, all the old-school monks fell victim to the new-school "Buddhism".
The old-fashioned monks, though verbally defiant, honestly chose to concede defeat.
The debate ultimately ended with the new school emerging victorious.
At this point, the Protestant monks had finally established themselves firmly.
The three princes were all pleased with this situation.
Of course, what concerned them most was the terrifying fighting power of the Protestant disciples.
With the overt and covert support of the three princes, the Protestant Church also gained great power and began to gradually erode the influence of the old sect of Buddhism.
As the Buddhist sect was embroiled in fierce internal strife, the three princes also made their own arrangements regarding the Xianbei and Xiongnu affairs.
In early March, the eldest prince led a peace negotiation team and left the capital ahead of the others, heading towards the garrisons of the Xianbei and Xiongnu. The army gathered by the second prince followed closely behind.
Meanwhile, the third prince, who remained in the capital, contacted the Nami and Kate families and began to infiltrate the second prince's army regarding its supplies and equipment.
After traveling for half a month, the eldest prince and his party finally arrived at Mohan City, which was fifty miles away from the Xianbei and Xiongnu encampments.
Upon learning that the Xianbei and Xiongnu had not looted the surrounding cities and people during their stay, the eldest prince secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, the eldest prince wrote an invitation to peace talks, which he gave to a trusted subordinate along with a secret letter and sent to the garrisons of the Xianbei and Xiongnu.
Inside the central command tent of the Xianbei and Xiongnu, Helian and Xiezhiyu, after reading the invitation, both focused their attention on the secret letter.
In the secret letter, the eldest prince also reminded the two of the danger of assassination attempts during the peace talks.
"Sir, what kind of trick is this guy up to?"
After reading the secret letter, He Lian looked completely bewildered and asked Li Ru a question.
Li Ru smiled and said, "It must involve internal power struggles within the Kushan Empire. Some people want peace talks, while others do not!"
Xie Zhiyu slammed his hand on the table: "Hmph, these bastards! They're fighting amongst themselves, but they've dragged us into their schemes too. What do they take our 40,000 iron cavalry and 100,000 able-bodied men for?"
Li Ru stroked his beard and said confidently, "Your Majesties, the current internal strife within the Kushan Empire may actually be a good thing for us!"
If planned properly, we can definitely acquire a large amount of supplies from the Kushan Empire, making life easier for the people of both tribes on their westward journey!
He Lian's eyes lit up: "What are your plans, sir?"
Although they obtained a lot of supplies from Dayuan and Kangju, it was only enough to keep the herders from starving.
If we could replenish our supplies in this Gusang, that would be exactly what we wanted.
Li Ru stood up and said solemnly, "Your Majesties, in my judgment, the majority of people in the Kushan court are afraid of our army, which is why they sent people to negotiate first."
As for those who do not want peace talks, they seem to know that our army has no intention of staying here for long.
Therefore, in my opinion, we should adopt a posture of staying here for a long time. During the peace talks, we can ask for supplies. If they give them, all the better; if not, we'll march south!
He Lian hesitated and said, "Sir, what if they all defend the city? We don't have that much time to attack the city, and we can't afford the losses from an attack!"
Li Ru smiled and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, since the pro-war faction wants to sabotage the peace talks, the pro-peace faction will naturally not be willing to accept defeat. Their struggle is our capital for victory!"
"Well……"
He Lian and Xie Zhi were slightly taken aback, clearly not understanding the meaning behind Li Ru's words.
They were both good at leading troops in battle, but they were completely clueless when it came to this kind of complex political struggle.
He Lian looked at Li Ru with an embarrassed expression: "Since you have already made a plan, then you can take care of everything. Whether it's peace talks or sending troops, we'll follow your lead!"
"Yes, that's right, we'll do whatever you say, sir!" Xie Zhiyu quickly chimed in.
They clearly didn't want to get involved in something so mindless.
"Your Majesties, please rest assured, I will handle this matter properly!"
After agreeing to the peace talks, Li Ru returned to his tent with the eldest prince's secret letter.
Sitting at the table, Li Ru also took out another secret letter from his sleeve.
This secret letter was sent by Xi Zhicai through Jia Xu.
The letter also detailed the series of schemes devised by Xi Zhicai, Jia Xu, and Yuan Shao in Kushan.
After reading Xi Zhicai's letter, Li Ru also took an oil lamp and burned it.
Then, Li Ru unfolded the eldest prince's secret letter and, following the prince's handwriting, wrote a new secret letter.
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