The alliance meeting, which had been relatively peaceful initially, began to take a peculiar turn after Zhang Ren's comment, as it deeply stung the Kushan Empire.

However, Zhang Ren wasn't entirely wrong. At least, given that the Kushan Empire had just been heavily defeated by the Han Dynasty not long ago, they were left powerless to refute his statement.

As for the discontent among the generals of the Kushan Empire, the Han Dynasty couldn't care less. You who have tasted defeat, can you really threaten us, the victors? What a joke, stop being ridiculous.

Anyway, after the battle, Yan Yan and Zhang Ren gained confidence. The Kushan Empire's army had noticeable shortcomings—while strong, this kind of strength was only relative to small countries. To an empire, these obvious weaknesses were enough to be their downfall.

More importantly, Zhang Su also noticed that the Kushan Empire was even more apprehensive towards the Han Dynasty than vice versa. So why bother pretending to be amiable and courteous, which is not even the Han Dynasty's nature, is it?

Since being amiable and courteous wouldn't win the favor of the Kushan Empire, it didn't matter. A country with masochistic tendencies might as well be ravaged once or twice. Pretending to be amiable and courteous was something the Han Dynasty found challenging, but acting arrogant, domineering, and flashy—that was the Han Dynasty's forte.

Isn't it just about slapping faces? The Han Dynasty was very skilled at this and didn't even need to pretend. After all, they had slapped the faces of who knows how many countries, and some countries were not just slapped in the face but entirely wiped out.

At this point, the civil servants of the Han Dynasty had already come to realize that although the Kushan Empire was somewhat dissatisfied, they seemed to have no intention of fighting again.

On the Han Dynasty's side, they were somewhat apprehensive before the confrontation, but after engaging, their worries were pretty much set aside. The Kushan Empire was strong, but that's all there was. Indeed, only when you engage personally can you feel assured.

In the subsequent meetings, the Han Dynasty fully displayed its true colors: I'm just this arrogant, just this bright and flashy. I just don't think you're capable. I know you want to fight us, but just consider for a moment that we just pressed you down and rubbed you onto the ground not long ago. If you still want to be pressed down and rubbed, then you must truly have a bond with the earth.

In the later meetings, if any Kushan military general showed the slightest hint of provocation, the Han Dynasty decisively did not let it go, seizing the opportunity to crush them thoroughly. The reasons for the victor's victory are always more than the reasons for the defeated's defeat. Moreover, the outcome had already been decided earlier, leaving nothing for the Kushan Empire to say.

Ultimately, the alliance meetings ended under a somewhat discordant atmosphere. However, none of the agreements that were supposed to be signed were left unsigned. As they departed, Wutugu didn't forget to take away the last half of the roasted meat while munching on it, whereas on the Han Dynasty's side, they were indifferent. This is just how we are. If you are dissatisfied, then come bite us. We're not your father; whether you're satisfied or not doesn't concern us, as long as we're satisfied.

The civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty were seen off as they left first. The civil and military officials from the Kushan Empire looked at the chaotic scene and felt their moods were quite like the mess left behind.

"The Han Dynasty..." Brack let out a long sigh, turned, and left immediately. He needed to leave here and vent, for being verbally cornered in front of the Han Dynasty left him speechless. After all, what the other party said was indeed reasonable, and even Brack found himself without face to retort.

Especially with Leiblalei by his side, who could discern the truth from the words, Brack found himself powerless to argue. After all, knowing the other side was speaking the truth, indulging in senseless arguments was something Leiblalei couldn't bring himself to do. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Leiblalei and the others took another glance at the departing figures of the Han Dynasty, feeling a notable sense of awe. The other party was so arrogant that they were left speechless. If they hadn't known the other party was speaking the truth, they might have deemed it absurd, but in this world, the most shocking thing is reality.

"What do we do now?" Sulapri asked with a wry smile as he followed behind Hirilah, "The situation with the Han Dynasty has completely surpassed our expectations. Had we known earlier, I would rather we hadn't moved eastward. This current situation is truly frustrating."

"What's done is done; saying more doesn't have much point. We should prepare to send people to pay tribute to the Han Dynasty to strengthen our ties and convey the information we've gathered back to the homeland, then advise His Majesty to seek alliances," Hirilah said calmly, as he had thought of the Han Dynasty as extremely strong from the beginning.

"How many countries can we ally with?" Leiblalei said with a bitter smile. "The small countries nearby are merely a rabble to us. Ally with them? We might as well take action and sweep them away ourselves."

Hirilah gave a rueful smile upon hearing this. Though not as strong as the Han Dynasty, the Kushan Empire's strength was at the level of an empire, where combat power means commanding one should take on fifty of the enemy. This kind of combat power disparity is absurd, but history is way more unreasonable than fiction.

Empires with similar sized territories and populations could obliterate multiple small kingdoms. Therefore, the Kushan Empire found it difficult to seek an ally that could genuinely enhance their empire's combat prowess.

Like the war between the Han and the Huns, where the Huns brought in hundreds of thousands of Miscellaneous Huns, which merely served as a distraction with little significant effect.

"Among the countries we are aware of, only three are eligible for an alliance with us, but the Han Dynasty can be excluded. That leaves Parthia and Rome. Although Rome is somewhat further, I tend to prefer Rome," Hirilah said slowly.

"Parthia is a friend of the Han Empire. They established diplomatic relations hundreds of years ago, and not long ago, we know the Han Dynasty helped Parthia repel Roman advances. Furthermore, Parthia's decline is apparent. If we allied with them, I'm not sure it would be beneficial," Hirilah explained while walking, both of them nodding in agreement.

"Ultimately, Parthia still relies on the Han Dynasty. For them, maintaining composure under the Han Dynasty's power by allying with us isn't necessary. What they need is someone to help them withstand Rome's military might," Sulapri considered for a moment and said.

"Indeed, Parthia has already fallen," Leiblalei thought for a while and said, "As for the Han Dynasty, besides the historical times during the Han-Hun wars, when they genuinely allied, subsequent situations can only be considered as controlling small countries."

"Then Rome is our only option, though Rome is quite far," Hirilah said helplessly, but quickly composed himself.