Chapter 519 Exchange of needs

I don’t know whether it is a coincidence or an inevitable result of the Little Ice Age.

During this period in history, the four great empires almost simultaneously fell into a huge crisis and were on the verge of national destruction.

The current situation of the Kushan Empire can be said to be precarious, with both internal and external contradictions being extremely acute.

From the outside.

To the west, the powerful enemy Parthia had never stopped fighting with the Kushan Empire.

In the north, Kangju and Dayuan broke free from control, and Khorasan and Khwarezm also broke free from rule.

To the south, in the large area of ​​Sindhu occupied by Kushan, some local forces gradually rose up and began to resist, posing a challenge to the Kushan rule.

To the east, the Great Qi suddenly rose again, showing signs of annexing the Western Regions, and its troops were close at hand.

Internally, local forces grew stronger, established their own territories, and sought independence. The economy declined, and power struggles became serious, almost a replica of the end of the Han Dynasty.

However, a centipede is still alive even after death.

The Kushan Empire is only in decline today, not yet at the point of destruction.

Moreover, once faced with a powerful foreign invasion, it is possible that it will rebound.

Tian Ze looked at the slightly wary Kushan envoy, smiled gently, and said slowly: “Kushan and my Great Qi have always been brotherly countries. I have always respected you and am willing to have friendly exchanges with you and share what we have.”

The Kushan envoy looked extremely honored and wanted to leave.

“I wonder if there are any beautiful women in your country? Can you let me see their faces?” Tian Ze asked suddenly, with a hint of interest in his eyes.

The Kushan envoy was slightly stunned when he heard this, then smiled and said without hesitation: “There is no shortage of beautiful women in our country. Since Your Majesty has such a refined taste, I will carefully select several for Your Majesty to enjoy after I send a letter back to the country.”

Tian Ze raised a faint smile and waved his hand: “Then I’ll trouble you, envoy. I’ve heard that Kushan women have both the charm of the Western Regions and the wild beauty, and I yearn for them.”

After that, Tian Ze turned his gaze to the civil and military officials in the court: “My dear ministers, today’s court meeting and the visit of the Kushan envoy are indeed an opportunity for friendly exchanges between the two countries. Our Great Qi and the Kushan should strengthen exchanges in the future.”

In the court, all the ministers responded.

The Kushan envoy also expressed his gratitude.

Of course, what they heard was not what they meant at all.

Tian Ze’s subtext is: Now that they have come to our door, we have to speed up our infiltration.

Tian Ze continued to ask: “The envoy came here this time, in addition to the routine tribute, I believe he also heard about some of the measures taken by my Great Qi in the Western Regions. I intend to maintain peace in the Western Regions and promote the development of various countries, but I wonder what your country thinks about this?”

The Kushan envoy’s heart tightened, but he still maintained a respectful smile on his face: “Your Majesty cares about the world and seeks the well-being of the countries in the Western Regions. Our country naturally admires you. We are willing to work together for the prosperity and stability of the Western Regions under your Majesty’s leadership.”

Tian Ze nodded and said meaningfully: “The envoy’s words are sincere, very good. However, I heard that the Kushan Empire is now busy with many internal affairs and many wars outside. I wonder if the Kushan Empire has the energy to participate in the affairs of the Western Regions?”

Realizing that Tian Ze was testing the strength of the Kushans, the envoy instead breathed a sigh of relief.

After calming down, he replied, “Your Majesty, rest assured. Our country is strong and powerful. If Your Majesty wants us to participate in the affairs of the Western Regions, we will do our best.”

Tian Ze smiled slightly and said, “Forget it. The affairs of the Western Regions can be solved by our Great Qi. I will not trouble your country anymore.”

“Over the years, our Great Qi has been busy pacifying internal turmoil, and has been short of food and grass, but we have not thought about strengthening trade with your country and exchanging what we have with you.”

The messenger nodded and said, “It is my honor.”

The areas occupied by the Kushans were all fertile lands, including half of Sindhu, so there was more food than could be eaten.

Tian Ze wanted to exchange it, so they naturally agreed. Perhaps they could also take this opportunity to boost the domestic economy and reverse the downward trend.

After chatting for a while, Tian Ze didn’t let him leave.

The world is very big. With Tian Ze’s deliberate connections, even Parthia and Rome sent envoys to pay homage to him, and there were also countless small countries in Central Asia and West Asia.

These countries were targeted one by one by Jia Xu and others, and they were ready to start the most familiar infiltration work.

Only by knowing both yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. Doing intelligence work in advance can save a lot of time and energy in the future.

After the morning court session, Tian Ze kept Jia Xu and others and went to the side hall to hold a small meeting alone.

A big meeting is held for small matters, and a small meeting is held for big matters.

The major events that determined the direction of the Great Qi were basically decided by Tian Ze and these ministers. Yu only reported the results in the court.

“Your Majesty’s acting skills are getting better and better. The way he lusts for beauty is just like acting himself.” Guo Jia teased first.

Tian Ze gave the guy a displeased look.

This playboy is already in his thirties, but he is still so frivolous and hangs out in bars and brothels every day.

Except when war breaks out, this guy has been enjoying himself all the time, living a very comfortable life.

Tian Feng coughed lightly, then said: “Your Majesty, judging from the situation in the morning court, the Kushans are still wary of our Great Qi.”

Among the countries that came to pay tribute, only a few were worthy of their attention. Tian Feng and others naturally could not fail to notice the tentative intent in the eyes, behavior and words of the Kushan envoy.

Otherwise, Tian Ze wouldn’t have acted out that scene to put his mind at ease.

“How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?” Tian Ze said indifferently.

If it were him, he wouldn’t feel at ease either.

Fortunately, the other party only made a slight test and did not really realize his ambition.

After all, in their opinion, the size of their current territory is less than half of Da Qi’s, and because the territory is too large, there are many hidden dangers such as internal instability and local encroachment.

No matter how powerful Da Qi is, it cannot reach that far.

There are no irreconcilable contradictions or conflicts of interest between the two sides.

The fight between the Kushan Empire and the Parthian Empire was because both sides were on the Silk Road and were natural rivals in terms of business and trade.

There was no such contradiction between Kushan and Great Qi.

From their perspective, to put it bluntly, Da Qi probably wouldn’t take them seriously.

These Kushans completely copied their understanding of the former Han Dynasty to the current Qi Dynasty.

The Han Dynasty was once as powerful as ever, driving the Huns out of the grasslands and pacifying the Western Regions.

But so what?
Due to the limitations of the times, the grassland eventually returned to the hands of the barbarians, but they were renamed Xianbei.

As for the Western Regions, there was only a small army stationed there, and it was half-dead. On paper it was a vassal state, but in reality it was unable to be managed.

Many facts have proved that the territory ruled by the Han Dynasty was only so large and it was impossible to expand too much.

The same should be true for Da Qi today.

(End of this chapter)