Chapter 2326 - 2064: If You Think You’re So Good, Then Step Up!

Rome’s insane plan to muster a massive army and go all‑out to kill Parthia is something that Zhuge Liang and the others by the Two Rivers don’t know yet, but even if they did, there wouldn’t be much they could do. After all, the second Rome–Parthia war over the Two Rivers has been a brute‑force slugfest from the very start.

This kind of way of fighting where anything we field on the battlefield will immediately be met with at least double, sometimes several times, the enemy’s strength specifically aimed at countering it, is just too deranged—there was never any intention of leaving the Parthians any path to survive.

They’re forcing you into king‑to‑king, general‑to‑general direct clashes, all‑round crushing combat. Normal stratagems have already lost their meaning; what’s being tested is purely each side’s hard power.

Of course, right now the Han Dynasty also doesn’t know what exactly is happening in Western Asia, but both Jia Xu and Chen Xi are pretty at ease about that front. After all, the Martial Force and brainpower Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi and the rest have at their disposal is no joke; if they can’t win, they can at least run.

What Chen Xi is brooding over now is whether Kushan has gone full retard with this stunt. Sure, Kushan as a state is indeed quite strong, but compared to the Han Dynasty, the strength it can actually mobilize still has a gap, and this country also has severe internal contradictions.

To put it bluntly, calling this country an empire is less accurate than calling it a second‑level alliance formed by two powerful alliances.

Central Asia, and the parts bordering the South Asian Subcontinent, can be called Kushan’s roots. The people once known as the Great Yuezhi migrated from there; that region has a complex and rich culture.

The South Asian Subcontinent, the Indus River and the Ganges Plain can be called Kushan’s source of power. This area nurtures a huge portion of Kushan’s populace and is also Kushan’s granary. You can say that a major reason Kushan was ultimately able to found an empire is this granary that produces two, even three harvests a year.

However, these two regions are completely different civilizations, different cultures, with massive conflicts between them. Central Asia and the parts bordering the South Asian Subcontinent—that side is where Kushan’s Elite Infantry and Cavalry come from, whereas the South Asian Subcontinent has raised Kushan’s Marines.

You could say the root cause of Kushan’s chronic division lies right here: the northern Central Asia plus the border zone and the Indian part are in total conflict—from civilization, culture, all the way to military development, they clash in every aspect.

This is also why Kushan set its capital at Peshawar. This is the junction between the South Asian Subcontinent and Central Asia; only by choosing here can they prove they’re not biased toward either side.

In more practical terms, choosing this spot is choosing balance, and choosing internal friction. Kushan’s fragmentation in essence began with making Peshawar the capital. From that moment, the southern and northern Kushan launched into endless self‑consumption: one side is the orthodox root, the other is the source of strength.

This is also an important reason why Kushan is so cocky in every respect, yet can’t fully bring its potential to bear.

Without an iron‑fisted emperor, Kushan is better described as a powerful alliance than a real empire. In terms of sheer strength it really does leave normal kingdoms in the dust, but once it encounters an Empire Level strike, if the emperor can’t suppress domestic turmoil, it’s very easy for the opponent to violently tear off a chunk of it.

Put it simply: if Southern Kushan’s India part comes under attack, then for Northern Kushan’s Central Asia, the question is, "Why should I help you? What right do you have to ask for my help?" And vice versa.

Therefore, in Chen Xi’s view, if Kushan doesn’t have a powerful emperor, they might actually be lamer than Parthia. And even though Vasu Deva I is passable, Chen Xi still doesn’t believe he can fully suppress Kushan’s layers upon layers of domestic contradictions.

"What’s the situation on Kushan’s side?" Chen Xi looked helplessly at the intelligence sent from Chang’an. Stirring up the Regent Grand Princess right on the Imperial Court... Kushan is acting so damn cocky it’s ridiculous.

After returning from the North, Jia Xu, who’d been grabbed by Li Youu to mutter over the affair with Ji Xiang, showed obvious displeasure toward Chen Xi once he was released.

Nothing to be done—Jia Xu is also that type of Sage who focuses on nipping problems in the bud. So in his view, Chen Xi sending him off to the Northern Grasslands at this particular juncture to work on the National Ranch, plus Ma Zheng, and to placate the aristocratic family clans, is frankly just to prevent Jia Xu from blocking the door.

After all, given the level of coordination between Jia Xu and Li Youu, if those two had been on the scene that day, Li Youu would definitely be the one doing the cutting, while Jia Xu came over to block Chen Xi. With Jia Xu’s methods, Chen Xi would absolutely never have made it out of Ye City, and by the time Chen Xi arrived on site, Li Youu would probably already have dealt with Ji Xiang.

Chen Xi does know that Ji Xiang had prepared some measures against Li Youu, but it’s not that Chen Xi underestimates Ji Xiang—Li Youu’s Will simply doesn’t waver. If he says he’ll kill you, he’ll kill you, and he might even follow up by tracking down and chopping Sima Hui, who was involved in the affair.

"They’ve probably had a brain spasm." Jia Xu flipped through the intel, his expression indifferent as he spoke.

"Enough, Wen He, stop sulking at Zichuan. There’s no point. Zichuan’s way of handling things wasn’t wrong, and barring accidents, we’ll be able to get the Imperial Edict anyway." Guo Jia took the report on Chang’an, speaking in a soothing tone.

"Let’s ignore Kushan for now and let Cao Mengde experience Kushan Empire’s power for himself. Besides, Kushan’s reaction won’t be that quick. It’s impossible for them to go to war with us instantly." Li Youu said slowly.

"Yeah, even just mobilizing troops isn’t something simple. If Kushan declares war on us in an instant, that can only mean Kushan had long‑standing premeditation. And once that’s exposed, it’s highly likely Kushan will face a comprehensive strike from the Han Dynasty." Guo Jia said with a grin. "Even if Kushan’s brain short‑circuits, they still wouldn’t do something so pointless, even if they want to showcase their power."