The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 685 Rest in Peace
The fall of the Kushan Empire caused a great uproar in Parthia and Rome.

Even if the Kushan Empire was chaotic, and even if it was full of coincidences, it was still an empire after all, an empire with a vast territory and a population of tens of millions!
In just two or three years, it was gone!
When King Vologius V of the Parthian Empire received the news, he was completely stunned and looked utterly incredulous.

It's important to know that among the four great empires, the weakest was not the Kushan Empire, but the Parthian Empire.

Even though he never admitted this, believing that the Kushan Empire was no stronger than their Parthian Empire, he still felt that the two sides were not that different in strength.

"Your Majesty, it has been confirmed that the Kushan capital, Purusha, was indeed captured last month, and the surrounding territories have been occupied."

"The Kushan Empire is gone!"

"The chief of the Noble Council, Arsak, said with a somber expression."

Although Parthia and Kushan had a long history of conflict, he felt no joy at the demise of his old rival; instead, he felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Today it is the Kushans, but who knows if tomorrow they will be at rest?

Wars between empires have always been driven by self-interest. Despite fighting each other for over a century, there has never been a case of annihilation.

The Kushan Empire has now collapsed suddenly, and it is not merely a superficial destruction; its territories in various regions have also been occupied.

According to the intelligence he gathered from various sources, the Han Chinese had already occupied large numbers of Kushan areas, and the local Kushan population had been transported away.

This can be described as uprooting the Kushan Empire completely, severing any possibility of its reconstruction.

Vologis V stared blankly at the grape wine in his golden goblet, quietly processing this shocking news.

"The Kushan Empire, with the natural barrier of the Hindu Kush Mountains to the north and the vast fertile plains to the south, had tens of millions of people and nearly a million soldiers. How could it have vanished in just a few years?" Vologus V murmured in disbelief.

He was aware of the news of the Han people moving westward.

I originally thought they were just a group of wanderers who had been driven from their hometown and had nowhere to go, like the Northern Xiongnu, who at most lived a meager existence in a corner of the world.

Even if they retain some fighting strength, it's just a minor problem.

But he didn't expect that these Han people were not weak stray dogs at all, but incredibly greedy wolves.

Under their tearing and biting, the unsuspecting Kushan were so vulnerable that they were completely devoured.

"What exactly is the situation with this group of Han Chinese?" asked Altabanus, the military representative and commander-in-chief of Parthia.

They had only heard some things about the Seven Kings and had never seriously investigated their situation.

After all, they had been fighting Rome and their attention was entirely focused on the western border. They paid little attention to the Kushans and the Northern Huns in the east, let alone the Seven Kings who were even further away.

The eastern border between Parthia and the Kushan Empire consisted of vast deserts and mountains, sparsely populated and unsuitable for large-scale military campaigns, so they never paid it any attention.

But now, the demise of the Kushans has forced them to pay attention to this power they had never cared about before.

Even if he was confident that the other party could not do anything to him, they would still be neighbors, and they also had the terrifying power to destroy an empire in a short time, so he could not help but take them seriously.

Interior Minister Marduk said in a deep voice, "Based on the information we have so far, these Han people are not a single group, but belong to seven states: Zhao, Wei, Yan, Liang, Yue, Wu, and Han."

"Seven countries? And the Han?" Vologus V frowned.

What is their relationship with the Great Qi?

As a mysterious ancient Eastern country, Parthia served as a crucial link between East and West. After the Qi dynasty replaced the Han dynasty and unified the Central Plains, Vorgis V learned of the situation immediately and specially arranged for someone to establish diplomatic relations as a sign of respect.

He knew that a group of Han people had been driven out by the Great Qi, but he hadn't taken it seriously. Now, upon suddenly hearing that it involved seven countries, he couldn't help but have doubts.

Arsak said in a low voice, "According to what the Great Qi once said, these seven countries were all enemies they defeated when they unified the country."

"Since they belong to the same lineage and pose little threat, we simply released them, appointed them as kings, and let them fend for themselves."

“At first we didn’t pay much attention to this matter, but now it seems that this matter is probably not simple.”

"What do you mean?" Vologius V gently swirled the wine glass in his hand.

“These countries are very likely pawns and daggers sent out by the Great Qi for external expansion!” Arsak said with great certainty.

As a capable politician, Al-Shaq understands this very well.

A group of wanderers driven from the empire could have so quickly taken over an empire without the support of the Great Qi.

Volognes V slammed his wine glass onto the marble table, splashing a splash of crimson.

"Han people are all insatiable wolves!"

His tone conveyed disgust, worry, and deep fear.

Those countries that had dealt with the Han people were well aware of their ambitions.

Although they often preach benevolence and morality, their expansionist efforts have never stopped.

From the perspective of the surrounding small countries, this empire is constantly moving closer to them, and they may not know when their home will be gone.

Just like the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions, there were originally far more than thirty-six, but a few years ago only more than twenty remained, and now only a few are left to maintain appearances.

On the surface, it seems that the Han people did nothing, but how did these countries disappear?

They claimed it was an internal conflict, but who has ever seen a country weaken as a result of internal conflict? Moreover, the victorious side even voluntarily surrendered to the Great Qi.

The director behind this is self-evident.

As a ruler, Vologius V was not a fool; on the contrary, he was a rather wise and capable monarch.

He was resilient and cunning, possessed a strong will to resist Rome's long-term oppression, and was adept at maneuvering through internal contradictions within Rome and regional situations.

While lacking the initiative to launch offensive military campaigns, it demonstrated excellent strategic planning capabilities in defensive operations.

His king played a crucial role in enabling Parthia to fight Rome to a standstill over the years.

For a powerful ruler, seeing through appearances to the essence and figuring out who the ultimate beneficiaries and leaders are is almost instinctive.

He also employed similar tactics against the surrounding nomadic peoples.

However, he did not have the same possessiveness and power as the Han people; he focused on cooperation and tried to win the support of various parties, both internal and external.

He felt threatened almost instinctively when facing the current state of Da Qi.

(End of this chapter)