Chapter 6661 Decent

Chapter 6661 Decent
The difficulty of passing through the Karakoram Corridor is there, and considering the blockade and pursuit by the Han Dynasty, the chances of survival are almost nine out of ten, if not ten to one. If this situation is not clearly informed to the soldiers who are willing to follow, on the one hand, it would be an insult to these people for following Fu Ward, and on the other hand, it is also to avoid the army from directly disintegrating when they really encounter difficulties in the end.

There was no other way. With such a difficult situation in front of us, if we didn't say anything, people would collapse and Fu Ward would be dragged to death as well. After all, if we wanted to retreat alone, we could just go straight to the Himalayas and fly back.

But since he chose to return to Kushan with his soldiers, he had to be mentally prepared to lead his troops to be blocked. The battlefield was different from other places. After the army was covered by clouds, even Fu Ward would not be able to leave alone. So to be realistic, choosing to lead the army back was also a life-and-death struggle for Fu Ward.

"It was only told to the middle-level officers, but not to the ordinary soldiers." Sidney told the truth. He knew the importance of the matter, but after thinking for a long time about whether to tell the ordinary soldiers, Sidney gave up.

"Gather everyone together. I will inform them." Fuward was silent for a while, then looked at Sidney and spoke. Then when Sidney left, Fuward spoke again, "Sidney, if you lead the army with me, even you will risk your life. With your internal energy leaving your body, you will die if you are surrounded by the army."

"But General, aren't you the same?" Sidney said, turning sideways.

"I led them to Tibet back then, so of course I have the obligation to take them back, even if this road is risky. As the general who led them, I have this obligation, but you didn't. You specially found a way to come and inform me. There is no need to take the risk." Fu Ward looked ahead, as if he saw the blood and death along the way.

"Go back through the Himalayas. You are still young and have a brighter future." Fuward advised Sidney, and Sidney smiled, very happily. The secret skills on his body naturally dissipated and turned into his true appearance.

"In fact, there is really no need to consider me." Sidney said softly, "If you go to the northwest and get killed here, you know that I may not be willing to continue to follow the Kushans."

As one of the four division commanders under Fuward, Sidney's status is similar to those under Barak. They are all pillars in the true sense. However, these pillars have certain beliefs. After training day after day, facing the situation in the Kushan elite area, it is actually difficult for them to maintain their mentality of defending their country.

"Isn't Oswald a very good general?" Fuward said to Sidney.

"Yes, General Oswin is very good." Sidney nodded, "But I cannot accept the changes of the Kushan Empire. I cannot accept this kind of degeneration from top to bottom. If you are alive, I will follow the Kushan Empire for you to realize that slim hope. But if you die on the way, I will surrender to the Han Dynasty. General, please let me go with you."

Fu Ward looked at Sidney and said nothing more. As generals who came from the Beigui Mountain area, they possessed amazing willpower to a certain extent, but they were also extremely easy to be destroyed to a certain extent. Their beliefs and their long-cherished wishes were too clear and extreme and could no longer keep up with the times.

Signaling Sidney to leave, Fuward sat quietly on the throne. He could feel Sidney's self-destructive thoughts, but it was normal to think about it. The migration of the Yuezhi south into the Ganges and the completion of the confluence of the north and the south was a good thing for most of the Yuezhi people, but for some people, it was basically equivalent to the Yuezhi betraying their ideals.

The Great Yuezhi who were able to realize this were all elites who truly carried that unattainable wish and had been truly tempered for decades. Because only if their ancestors had always carried this unchanging wish and continued to strive for it, would they have a sense of destructive collapse of faith at the moment of confluence, and Sidney was like this.

"Where is the future of Kushan?" Fuward asked with a bit of bitterness.

It only took a short time for the camel riders under Fuward to gather together. Although there were no camels left in the plateau area, these people were still considered elite.

Looking at the five or six thousand people standing in front of him, Fuward felt much better. Even though Masinde had done so many things, there were still so many people willing to follow him.

"Everyone, we need to evacuate Tibet next, just like when we came to Tibet at the risk of death in order to buy time for the Kushans." Fuward said seriously, looking at the faces of the soldiers, which had become obviously dark and red due to the plateau climate.

"In the past few years in Tibet, we have successfully tied down a large number of Han soldiers for the Kushan Empire. But now, with the changes in the situation, we need to return to the country to exert our strength more effectively." Fu Ward simply informed all the soldiers of what was happening now, and after hearing these things, the Kushan soldiers standing in place were basically not moved.

"When we arrived in Tibet, we relied on the people we stationed in Khotan and Shule, and we caught the Han army by surprise. That's why we were able to successfully enter Zhangzhung with very little loss and become a force entrenched in Tibet. But this time when we retreat, we need to face the pursuit and blockade of the Han Dynasty. It may be a life-and-death struggle along the way!" Fuward's low and solemn voice reached everyone's ears without any concealment.

"Masinde has chosen to surrender to the Han Dynasty. I don't blame him. Even I, from a neutral perspective, have to admit that it is indeed us, the Kushans, who have let Masinde down. What he has done, for the Kushans and for us, has been the most he can do." Fuward frankly told his soldiers the secret that should not have been told.

This time, unlike the previous news, Masinde's defection to the Han Dynasty was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples for the Kushan soldiers. The originally quiet training ground was filled with noisy sounds.

After all, even if they were not familiar with Masinde before, these people were still very clear about how much Masinde had done as a military strategist in the past few years. To put it bluntly, without Masinde, the Kushan soldiers would have to consider whether they could have enough to eat. However, the military strategist actually surrendered to the Han Dynasty.

"You are all brothers who are willing to follow me back to Kushan. I will not hide it from you. Masinde has also arranged a retreat for the soldiers who are willing to surrender to the Han Dynasty." Fuward said very calmly, "I can't say how good this retreat is, but at least it can ensure that they will not starve to death and live like ordinary people."

The noise in the training ground became louder. What was the purpose of being a soldier? Just to have enough food to eat. It was true that being a subordinate of Fu Ward had a brighter future. Besides, Fu Ward himself did a good job and the soldiers were willing to trust and follow him. However, Masinde's performance in recent years had real influence. Masinde had already surrendered to the Han Dynasty, so what could these minions of his count for?

"I'll give you one stick of incense time. Those who want to follow me back to Kushan stand on the left, and those who want to follow Masinde and surrender to the Han Dynasty stand on the right. The road back to Kushan is very difficult and it will be a life-threatening journey. So you choose to follow Masinde. I don't blame you. In fact, except for you, other soldiers have basically chosen to follow Masinde." Fuward said sincerely as he looked at the elite troops under his command.

After these words were spoken, the soldiers who were originally considering whether to join Masinde hesitated for a moment and then walked to the right side of the parade ground. Soon, one or two, ten or a hundred people, even the elite troops of Fuward's headquarters, did not want to return to Kushan under the current situation, and chose to follow Masinde and join the Han Dynasty.

"What about you?" Fu Ward looked at the army that was divided into two parts with a ratio of almost two to one, and felt somewhat relieved. At least in his own headquarters, most of the people were willing to follow him. He thought that his performance as a general was not too disappointing. Then his eyes fell on the small number of people in the middle.

"General, can't we stay in Tibet and continue to fight the Han Dynasty? Tibet is so vast. Even if it is not as big as our Kushan Empire, there are many places we can move around. With the support of some mountainous areas, we can continue to fight the Han Dynasty, unless the Han Dynasty has the ability to conduct a dragnet search of Tibet." The leading officer looked at Fu Ward and asked.

The entire Qinghai-Tibet region is larger than many countries, and the terrain is complex, with a lot of terrain that can be relied on. In this case, if the Han Dynasty chooses to play hide-and-seek or guerrilla warfare, it will be difficult for them to deal with it. After all, as long as Fu Ward does not confront the Han Dynasty head-on, the Han Dynasty does not really have any better solution. In this territory, even if millions of troops are deployed, they can only maintain a density of one person per square kilometer. So from a logical point of view, this idea is fine.

"It's unlikely. Our rule in the Zhangzhung Dynasty is being disintegrated. Without Masinde's help, it will be difficult for us to obtain enough supplies from Zhangzhung. Maintaining the war requires a lot of logistics. Without the Zhangzhung Dynasty and Masinde, we won't even have the basis to continue maintaining the war." Fuward sighed.

At this moment, Fuward finally figured out what Masinde had been doing in the past few years. That guy had probably been considering joining the Han Dynasty since he came to Upper Tibet.

Without Masinde's ability to reorganize the Zhangzhung Dynasty's political system and organization, although Fuward and others would have encountered great difficulties in the early stages, after a few years, they had almost completely taken control of Zhangzhung. By then, even if the Han Dynasty launched a general offensive, Fuward would be able to continue to hold on by relying on the complex terrain of the Tibetan area.

But now, Mashind's surrender to the Han Dynasty is almost like cutting off the fuel supply for Fuward. It seems that there is enough food at present, and Mashind is willing to provide logistics for Fuward, but when the change is over at a certain moment, Fuward will be directly cut off from logistics.

In this case, if Fu Ward didn't choose to leave before that moment came, when it happened, he would not be able to leave even if he wanted to.

As for continuing to struggle in Tibet by relying on the Zhangzhung Dynasty and entangled with the Han Dynasty, it is even more impossible. From the moment Masinde chose to surrender to the Han Dynasty, this thing would not happen. Masinde's level of control over the Zhangzhung Dynasty was several levels higher than Fuward.

To put it a little exaggeratedly, to Masinde, Fuward is just a clay sculpture or wooden sculpture on the table. He was willing to worship him before, so he was surrounded by flowers and ceremonies, but now he is not willing to worship him anymore. He is not a real god. What can a clay sculpture or wooden sculpture like Fuward do?
There was nothing that could be done, the roots had already been plucked out by Masinde.

Although he did not deliberately try to harm Fu Ward, and even to some extent he had done his utmost, a careful recollection would reveal that Masinde had done his best and had prepared all the qualifications for promotion long ago, and he had prepared them in front of Fu Ward.

"Is that so?" The officers who were promoted from veterans looked at Fu Ward with bitterness on their lips. The nearly 100 middle and lower-level officers standing in the center felt the most uncomfortable about this matter, because they had followed Fu Ward for many years, faced the Three Idiots, and fought against the elite Han army. It was the right thing for them to continue following Fu Ward, but Masinde's guidance in the past few years allowed them to quickly climb from ordinary soldiers to middle and lower-level officers, and they did a good job.

Therefore, whether choosing Masinde or Fuward is very unfriendly to these people, because no matter which one they choose, it is equivalent to betrayal.

"You go and follow Masinde." Fuward was silent for a while and then said with a smile.

As soon as these words were spoken, the middle and lower-level officers who were still stuck in the middle quickly split into two groups. The same words would have different meanings to different people, and Fu Ward's free and easy farewell words were heard as a threat by some officers, but as Fu Ward's benevolence to some.

Therefore, the officers in the middle quickly integrated into the team they chose.

"Okay, soldiers who are willing to follow Masinde, you can leave now." Fu Ward called to the soldiers on the right. Those soldiers bowed to Fu Ward and left quickly.

When these people left the parade ground, Masinde stood outside the parade ground and asked Assam to help receive these soldiers, while he also sent another group of soldiers in.

Looking at Mashind who suddenly entered the parade ground with nearly a thousand soldiers, Fuward couldn't help but be stunned. He never thought that when he was about to swear an oath and part ways with Mashind to choose their respective ideals, Mashind would enter the parade ground with his soldiers.

"Masinde, what do you mean?" Fuward said with a cold expression. Unlike the previous situation, Fuward is now in a state where he must be responsible for those soldiers who are willing to continue to follow him. So at this time, if he has to go against his own beliefs and kill Masinde, there is a high probability that he will take action, as long as Masinde cannot give a convincing reason.

"These soldiers are willing to follow you, and I brought them to you." Masinde said calmly, "Although I can drag these people to surrender to the Han Dynasty as long as I lead them, there will be a hidden danger after all. With Zhu Helai's ability, he will inevitably take advantage of this. I don't want to fight with him in this regard. After all, the dead are all our own people."

Fuward looked at the soldiers behind Masinde, was silent for a while, and asked Sidney to incorporate all these people into his own headquarters.

"Sidney." Masinde suddenly threw something at Sidney, and then said, "This is for you. If you are in a situation where you are sure to die, give this thing to the other party. It may save your life."

Sidney caught the seal thrown by Masinde and crushed it in front of Masinde. Masinde sighed and said nothing more. It was not that he was plotting against Fu Ward, but his eyes were not blind, so how could he not see Sidney's true intention? The other party had long been unwilling to follow the Kushan Empire, but only because Fu Ward was still alive and in Kushan, so he continued to fight.

Just like Urdu and Salman, as Sakas and officers who were severely suppressed in their youth, they actually have the same mentality as Assam, but now they are fighting for the Kushan Empire. Is it because of patriotism?
Actually, it is not. Neither Urdu nor Salman are patriotic. The Kushan Empire is not something worth following for them. To be more direct, as Sakas, how can they trust the Kushan Empire after experiencing so much?

They were willing to fight for Kushan only because of Oswald. Sometimes, even if people are disgusted by certain things or environments, they will still persevere for the sake of certain people and exert a strength no less than that of the peak. The same is true for Sidney, so Sidney will definitely die this time.

"Really? No one wants to understand me." Masinde looked at Sidney, then at Fuward, and finally sighed, "Fuward, we may never see each other again. If you return to the Kushan Empire, no matter who picks you up, you just need to follow Oswin."

"I follow Oswin?" Fuward said to Masinde with a gloomy face. To be honest, Oswin is still his junior. He is of the same generation as Niranjan, Barak and others. Oswin is Niranjan's younger brother. Okay, asking him to follow Oswin, isn't that going against the will of Heaven?
"This is one of the few ways I can help you. It is also a chance for you to serve as a decent officer and a decent hero after returning to Kushan." Masinde sighed.

At this point in time, Masinde, who had jumped out of the chessboard, did not need to consider any evidence. He only needed to make judgments based on the situation. He naturally understood that the high-level spy was either Prince Qi or Vasudeva I. If he had to choose one of the two, it would most likely be Prince Qi.

Therefore, after Fu Ward returned to Kushan, he still had to face a very bad situation, and he had defected to the Han Dynasty. Even if Fu Ward traveled thousands of miles back to Kushan, he still had to face some kind of scrutiny.

These will have a huge impact on Fu Ward, and if someone tampers with it during this period, Fu Ward may lose all its dignity.

"You are involved in too many things. The Zoroastrianism and I have a great influence on you. In this case, even though you have achieved relatively good results, it will be difficult for you to end safely. So, if you still want to be a decent general of Kushan, go find Oswald. He is indeed a hero." Masinde persuaded Fuward very seriously.

"He is too weak!" Fuward said coldly. It was not because of his seniority or arrogance, but the most realistic thing. Oswald was not even in the big army. This situation where there were no heroes and the young men became famous made Fuward very dissatisfied.

"That's true, but Fuward, there are both righteous and evil ways to advance to the position of commander of a large army. You can always trust Zhu Helai's bottom line." Masinde said with a smile, "And once Oswin becomes the commander of a large army, he will be so strong that you will be afraid, as long as he can get over the psychological barrier."

Fuward was silent for a while. He was definitely not as good as Masinde in judging the future. And since Masinde said that once Oswald became the commander of a large army, he would be so strong that he would be afraid, it meant that this future would most likely happen.

"What is the heart barrier?" Fuward changed the subject.

"It's the key to Oswin's enlightenment, whether it's military command or personal strength, this matter is the key. I can guess what Zhu Helai will do, but I can't find the key to how Oswin can overcome his mental barrier. To put it bluntly, I don't see the possibility of Oswin overcoming his mental barrier. Sometimes, heroes are too upright." Masinde said with some emotion.

"However, even if he can't get over it, it should be enough for him to survive during the time when Zhu Helai deceived him." Masinde said calmly, "Maybe Oswin is also Zhu Helai's consumable material. Why don't you work under Oswin and then someone else can replace him?"

Fuward looked at Masinde with a sneer.

Masinde turned and left, waving his hand at Fuward, "Listen to me and go find Oswin. He is the key to saving you. Although you will definitely die, I think that since you can do this, you should at least die with dignity."

Fuward looked at Mashind's back and finally took Mashind's words to heart.

"Oswin? Okay." Fuward looked at Masinde who was blocked by the camp gate and made a decision that was quite humiliating for him.

When Zhang Ji led Yang Pu and others to capture the nominal capital of the Zhangzhung Dynasty, Fu Ward had already quietly left.

"Governor, our investigators have confirmed that they have found the traces left by Fuward when he evacuated." Yang Pu brought scouts to inform Zhang Ji and asked Zhang Ji whether to give chase. Zhang Ji looked at the lazy Ma Xinde and was somewhat silent.

"I won't interfere in this matter. You guys figure it out on yourselves." Masinde felt Zhang Ji's gaze. He knew where Fu Ward would go and that the other party was deliberately confusing him, but he wouldn't say it out loud.

It seems that I really can't get up these days. I will resume normal updates tomorrow. Everyone, please vote quickly. It seems that the monthly ticket list has really recovered.