Chapter 6657 The Last Help

Chapter 6657 The Last Help
Masinde, who came from the Northern Kushan Mountains, had never actually thought that he would betray the Kushan Empire one day. Even though he had done some very incredible things when he was still young, at least when he was young he had never thought that one day he would completely cut off ties with the Kushan Empire.

However, with the passage of time and the changes in people's hearts, Masinde eventually drifted away from the Kushan Empire. But even so, Masinde still did not want to stab the Kushan Empire when he left. For him, Kushan was, after all, the place where he was born and raised, the old place in his memories, and Fuward was also an old friend in his memories. If he had a choice, he would try to divorce as much as possible.

"Did you choose this opportunity just for this day from the very beginning?" Fu Ward seemed to understand something. He sat in the main seat and looked at Masinde quietly.

"Yes, I was willing to carry out this plan in order to completely cut off my own shackles while doing the last thing for Kushan." Masinde had no intention of hiding anything. Now that things had come to this, it was time to showdown. If Fuward played dumb, there might be a buffer period of time, but since Fuward asked, there was no need for Masinde to lie.

"Am I the stepping stone you prepared for me to advance?" Fuward asked, suppressing his anger.

Masinde shook his head. "It's not necessary. You know my abilities. It doesn't matter whether I have the chance to advance or not. As long as I am still myself, there is no place in the world that I cannot go."

Fu Ward remained silent, then looked at Mashind. He knew that Mashind was telling the truth. They had all witnessed Mashind's abilities more than 20 years ago. Moreover, the Tibetan area could now operate smoothly and support Fu Ward's food and fodder logistics because of Mashind. As long as this ability could be brought into play, in Fu Ward's view, Mashind would definitely be the top one.

It's a pity that Mashind fell because the other side was too strong, so strong that it could really threaten the rule of Dayuezhi, so Mashind had to fall. Winning or losing was not just the calculation of Zhu Helai and others. Even the most noble people at that time could only watch from the sidelines, and most of the Dayuezhi nobles had to push for Mashind's downfall.

Who made Masinde not a member of the royal family of the five branches of the Great Yuezhi, and not even a member of the Great Yuezhi? How could a mere conquered Saka tribe control such power?

"Fuward, come with us. What will happen if you go back now? You should be very clear about the situation of the Kushan Empire." Assam looked at Fuward and said.

If Fuward surrendered to the Han Dynasty now, the Han Dynasty would certainly be willing to give him a decent treatment. Moreover, having a heavyweight officer taking the lead would also be beneficial to the officers under his command, and he might even retain the title of marquis. So after Masinde spoke, Assam also spoke immediately.

"I know what the Kushans are like." Fuward waved his hand without even looking at Assam. Even though he knew very well that Assam was also a very outstanding officer, Assam standing next to Masinde was at most a guard.

"What price did the Han Dynasty offer you?" Fuward stared at Masinde and asked.

"Maybe it allows me to use my abilities at will. In fact, this is not important. What's important is that I have found a suitable place for retirement." Masinde said after thinking for a while.

When Fuward heard this, he snorted coldly, "Masinde, if you follow me back to Kushan now, the Kushan Empire will also allow you to use your abilities at will."

Masinde laughed when he heard this, but he did not deny what Fuward said, because it was the truth. The reason why they chose to exile him instead of executing him directly was not only because they had Arvind as a talisman, but also because the Kushans were somewhat covetous of Masinde's abilities.

To put it bluntly, they were afraid of Masinde back then because he was only in his forties. Even if it took time to discover and train him, after twenty years, Masinde would have enough students all over the world and then shake the Kushan Empire. But now Masinde is seventy years old. It doesn't matter. Can he live another twenty years? Well, even if he can live another twenty years, what can he do?
At this age, do you still want to overthrow this country? It's impossible. Even if you want to, those officers and civil officials trained by you who are willing to follow you will not be willing to do so. After all, the risk is too great and the benefits are too low. So Masinde at this time can use his talents at will, and this is the funniest thing in Fuward's view. Is this the price offered by the Han Dynasty?
"Masinde, do you have to surrender to the Han Dynasty?" Fuward sat in the main seat and looked at Masinde. He asked again after the other party stopped laughing.

"Well, not only me, but also Rangarajan, and even Gumara in the future." Masinde nodded, and Fuward's expression became ugly at a visible speed. These three people were almost the most capable wise men in Beigui in the last era.

"Are the Kushans so untrustworthy?" Fuward asked angrily.

"No, we just think the Han Dynasty is more suitable for us to rest." Masinde replied softly, "At our age, we no longer have the ambition we once had. When Celian called me, I was willing to fight against the Han Dynasty with him, but that was only because I owed him a favor. Now that Celian has fallen, this favor has ended."

Fuward listened to Masinde's answer and recalled his experiences over the past few decades. In the end, even he had to admit that even if Masinde chose to defect to the Han Dynasty, it was understandable in the eyes of a Kushan officer like him who was not extremely radical.

"You can't leave the northwest. Even if you use some tricks, you can't fight back with the elite troops you brought with you like before. If the Bactra Mountain City is still there, you can still take a gamble, but now..." Masinde looked at Fuward calmly, "You should have known the power of the Han Dynasty very well in the past few years. While waging war, it has maintained domestic stability."

"I can't possibly abandon these men I brought with me personally." Fuward shook his head and said.

"Don't worry, they will be fine. There are no personal guards of Fuward anymore. There are only Han survivors." Masinde said calmly, "In the past few years, I have traveled between Chang'an and Zangzhou from time to time. Every time I go, I will bring some backbone officers with me. Now, those who need to be persuaded have been persuaded. Even if there is no clear discussion, they have spontaneously connected with each other."

Masinde did not deliberately block any information from Fuward, but the Kushan officers and soldiers who were gradually conquered by Masinde spontaneously blocked Fuward from receiving information, which was also the reason why Fuward's ears and eyes gradually became ineffective.

If Mashind were to play Fu Ward alone, there would inevitably be flaws. But when the backbone of the entire army spontaneously cooperated with Mashind to play Fu Ward, how could Fu Ward see the flaws?

"I really am a failure." Fuward sighed.

"Let's go together." Masinde raised his hand and said to Fuward. Although he felt that it was unlikely that Fuward would agree, he still had to try, even if he was rejected.

"I refuse." Fuward said formally, "Even if you and Assam team up to beat me to death here, I will not surrender to the Han Dynasty."

"If you are willing to lead your troops to surrender, you will at least have a title of marquis, and maybe you can see the princess every day." Masinde used Beigui's greatest obsession to poke Ward's trachea.

"What does the princess look like?" Fuward did not respond, but asked another question.

"It's a video recorded during a court meeting. It's an official document circulated in the Han Empire. It's used to let the people get to know the country's top leaders and understand national policies, and to avoid the deception of the middle-level officials. But for you, it's a prop that allows you to see what the princess looks like." Masinde was not surprised. Even if Fuward did not surrender, it was normal for him to be obsessed with the princess.

As he was speaking, Masinde walked over and handed the secret mirror to Fuward. This thing was actually the complete version of the images that Yin Luo distributed to Kushan.

This thing was originally made to popularize the policies of the Han Dynasty's top leaders. Because of the Jizhou case and the Yanzhou case, Chen Xi felt it necessary to let the lower levels of the Han Dynasty know what the Han Dynasty's top leaders were doing and what policies they issued. Having such a thing can at least increase the cost for the middle levels to deceive their superiors and strengthen the country's ruling capabilities.

It’s just that this thing is just like the movie literacy campaign that Chen Xi had conceived back then. The thing has been produced, but there are still too few people who can easily broadcast it.

But even if it is small, as long as it exists and is still being promoted, it will be fine. For the subsequent literacy campaign, Chen Xi will most likely still have to rely on this thing. However, judging from the current optimization situation of Tong Yuan, Nan Dou and others, it will probably take several more years.

Fu Ward took the secret mirror, opened it and looked at the image of Liu Tong sitting on the throne. He felt a little disappointed. He had been in the Han Dynasty for so long, and the closest he had been to Chang'an was only three or five days away, but he still had not seen the eldest princess of the Han Dynasty.

"Masinde, let's part ways now." Fuward quietly finished looking at the secret mirror, and then spoke directly to Masinde. While saying this, his originally calm expression gradually became ferocious as he spoke.

"If you leave now, who can you take with you?" Assam asked back.

Fu Ward looked at Masinde. Even though Masinde had placed countless people in his army and even his own guards were corrupted, it did not mean that everyone agreed with Masinde's plan. The simplest point was that Fu Ward believed that among the officers and soldiers he brought with him, even if they did have some other ideas, in addition to those who truly chose the Han Dynasty, there must be some who were waiting for his voice.

"Then you can take the officers and soldiers who are willing to follow you." Masinde said calmly, "I will not force them to stay, nor will I ask them to follow you. I just provide them with another choice. Only those who are willing to join us can be our own people."

"I can even control them so that they don't clash with you." Masinde said softly, "But, Fuward, after you do this, there is no turning back, because you are doing this in front of everyone. Choosing the officers of the Han Dynasty will create a kind of shame, and this shame will lead to you leaving, but when you come back, you will be enemies."

After hearing this, Fu Ward was silent for a while, but still made his choice decisively. However, before he opened his mouth, Masinde interrupted what Fu Ward wanted to say.

"Don't say anything now. There are only a few of us, so we can still talk. Once it is announced to the public, we will have to go our separate ways. Fu Ward, I believe in your ability. As long as you open your mouth, there will definitely be two thousand, three thousand, or even five thousand people following you. But have you ever thought about how to go back?" Masinde looked at Fu Ward very seriously.

"I have received your belief. You are still loyal to Vasudeva I. Under such circumstances, you still chose the Kushan Empire. But Fuward, you need to consider one thing. If you can go back, how can others go back?" Masinde looked at Fuward and answered seriously, "I won't stop you, but think carefully about why you are taking these people back to Kushan."

Was it for his own loyalty, or for his own dignity, or to prove that he still had the ability, or some other possibility? But no matter which one it was, Masinde said it so directly, and Fuward, who was just thinking about how to withdraw, had to face reality.

"If you have thought it through, let your personal guards come to me. I won't stop you. After all, for mortals in this world, only when they have some things to deal with even at the risk of death can they be considered truly alive." Masinde looked at Fuward and spoke very solemnly.

In Masinde's opinion, most people in this world actually don't know what they are doing in their entire lives, but as long as anyone has a career that he is willing to risk his life for and burn himself out for, then at least one day when he falls into the coffin, he will still be able to smile.

Success or failure is only one aspect. Such a career at least proves that you have been to this world and that you have truly lived.

Therefore, if Fuward chooses to join the Han Dynasty with himself, Masinde will be happy to help him solve all the difficulties and then join the Han Dynasty decently.

But if Fuward chooses Kushan, Masinde will also agree with his choice. After all, people always need some obsession to support themselves in order to stand proudly in the world.

For Masinde, as long as Fuward did not impose his beliefs on himself and think that he was loyal to Kushan, so Masinde must be loyal to Kushan, Masinde was still willing to communicate with Fuward and end it decently.

The former are comrades, the middle ones are shining beliefs, and only the last one is trash. Bringing Assam here is to see what choice Fuward will make. If it is the first two, everything is fine. If it is the third one, Masinde will kill Fuward here.

Admittedly, Fuward is very powerful, but Assam is not a pushover either. Combined with Mahinde's preemptive mental energy, he can most likely kill the opponent directly. However, things did not come to this point, which is also a good thing for Mahinde.

Although the choice made by Fuward was not what Masinde had expected, that is, everyone should surrender to the Han Dynasty together, but at least the choice made by Fuward was not wrong.

"Masinde." Fuward sat in the main seat and watched Masinde leave. He knew very well that the other party was not talking nonsense. It was very difficult to leave the Tibetan area with a large army now. The times were different from the past. No matter whether they went through the northwest, Yizhou, or the Himalayas, it was impossible to leave.

The blockade of the northwest and Yizhou meant that even if Fu Ward himself led his elite headquarters, it would be unlikely to break out. After all, the scale of several thousand people was not small, and it was impossible not to leave traces. As long as traces were left, no matter whether it was the Yizhou army or the Liangzhou soldiers, as long as they surrounded Fu Ward, a mere 5,000 people, even if they were made of iron, would be beaten to pieces.

What's more, even if they broke through the blockade of Xinzhou, they would still have to face Wan Peng in Congling. That level would be very difficult. Even without the Three Idiots, Wan Peng, who had tens of thousands of men under his command and a large number of Qiang auxiliary troops, would still be very difficult to deal with.

Even if Wan Peng was careless and allowed Fuward to get through, and did not send the Qiang people to pursue and harass him, Central Asia and Kandahar were still difficult barriers that could not be overcome, so there was basically no hope in the northwest, and it would not make any difference whether he went through Khotan or Shule.

As for going through Yizhou, the degree of difficulty is actually not much different. After all, there are too many detours to go through Yizhou, and the uncertainties in the process are too great. If you encounter the main force of the Han army on the road, with only so many people like Fu Ward, they may not even be enough to fill the gaps in your teeth.

The only possible way to leave safely was to force a march all the way to Wenjia, without encountering the Han army stationed in the rear on the way, and then encounter the warships arranged by Meng Kangbu along the coast of Wenjia on the day of arrival.

To be honest, if you are lucky enough and can make an agreement with Montcomb so that he can show up there on time, it is possible to leave by this road.

However, Meng Kangbu's current situation is being closely watched by the Han Dynasty. Once a large-scale deployment is launched, the Kunwu Kingdom will quickly send intelligence to various places, and the coastal areas will be prepared. Therefore, it is basically impossible for Meng Kangbu to arrive at the Bay of Bengal first and wait.

Therefore, taking the route from Yizhou to Central and South China is too dependent on luck and is basically not an option. The only option is to take the Himalayas.

In fact, the Himalayas route itself was the evacuation plan that Fu Ward prepared for himself. The problem was that Fu Ward had already reached the realm-breaking level thanks to his enlightenment in recent years. How could the snow cover of the Himalayas possibly stop Fu Ward?

But for the soldiers under Fuward, it was too difficult to take the Himalayas route.

Back when the Little Ice Age was not very serious, there was indeed a passable gap in the Silk Road on the Himalayas that could lead directly to Daxia. This was also the trade route map that Wu Yuan gave to Chen Xi. But now, because of the Little Ice Age, the road is completely covered by ice and snow.

Considering the thickness of the snow cover in the northern foothills of the Himalayas, the extreme environment to be faced in passing through the gap, and the high probability of avalanches, except for a few people under Fu Ward's command who could get through here, there was no hope for anyone else.

Just like when Guo Jia and Guan Yu attacked Peshawar from the southern foot of the Himalayas, they had planned to see if they could go through Tibet and directly attack the Kushan Empire. However, they found that due to the ice age, the mountain paths that were originally passable were now buried in snow. Except for the top immortal veterans who could force their way through, the regular army basically had no hope. And if a few hundred immortal veterans were to do this...

To be honest, Guo Jia would never gamble unless he was absolutely sure.

"Masinde was probably waiting for me to say that. Those thousands of soldiers who are willing to believe in me and follow me are my bond." Fuward sighed and quickly understood Masinde's intention. He could go back anyway without the soldiers, but he could never go back with the soldiers.

But what if Fu Ward were to just leave these people here? Before he said that, Fu Ward could still do such a thing, but after he said that, he truly realized that these people were waiting for his orders and his choice. It was impossible for Fu Ward to pretend that he knew nothing and leave these people here.

After all, if he abandons his brothers who are willing to follow him to hell, how can he lead others to the light? Fuward chose to confront Masinde in order to save Kushan, his own country, and his friends and subordinates. However, because of this choice, he betrayed his friends and subordinates. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

This is also why after Masinde told Fuward the facts, he stopped talking and let Fuward think for himself - without these subordinates who are willing to fight for your ideals and your beliefs, you might as well surrender to the Han Dynasty and take these subordinates who believe in you and firmly believe that you can lead them to create the future. You will definitely not be able to return to the Kushan Empire, and even if I don't take action, you will die on the road.

No, maybe you won't die, but your men will definitely die.

This is the dilemma that Mashind casually set for Fuward, and it is also the last help for Fuward. For Mashind, as long as Fuward does not think of placing his will above his own, no matter what Fuward chooses, he will give the other party the last help while setting the dilemma, because only in such a dilemma, can Fuward who walks out of it have the possibility of realizing his obsession, the ideal Fuward.

"It's difficult, Fu Ward. Since you have chosen this path, this is all the help I can give you. It's the last help I can provide before we part ways peacefully." Masinde walked out of the palace of the Zhangzhung Dynasty and looked back. He could no longer see Fu Ward, but he spoke his reasons softly, as if Fu Ward was standing next to him.

If he can't even do such a thing and can't even overcome such a test, what can Fuward do when he returns to Kushan? He might as well die!

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