The Han Dynasty doesn't really care about allies or not. Except when fighting the Huns back then, the Han Dynasty considered drawing allies, but across the entire Eurasian continent, those they could find either gave ambiguous responses or treated Han envoys with good food and drink, and claimed to know nothing about what the Han proposed.

In the end, the Martial Emperor waved his hand in frustration, saying, "Don't tell me I can't deal with the Huns without allies?"

After that, there wasn't much more to say. The Han Dynasty, for hundreds of years, didn't have any allies. After all, it became clear that allies between countries were entirely unreliable, only strength was reliable. So later, the Han Dynasty didn't form alliances or friendly states with any country.

They all became younger brothers, paying tribute. We don't need allies; we can defeat our enemies alone and take all the benefits ourselves.

Even when Zhang Ren and others issued their first battle challenge, they habitually used terms like reaffirming leading and following roles instead of saying things about being close as family and mutual alliances.

And when the Kushan lost, their first response was, "We'll come back and offer tribute," without uttering words about forming an alliance with the Han Dynasty. After all, forming an alliance meant being on the same level, and without an alliance, there's at least a chance to compete for the top position if they became powerful.

Of course, Zhang Ren and others probably didn't think doing so was wrong. To them, it probably counted as a habit ingrained in their bones, allies? When did we ever have them? But we do have quite a few younger brothers.

Meanwhile, in the Kushan capital of Baiwasha, they finally received urgent reports from the front line. Vasu Deva I, upon seeing the secret letters from Hirilah and the other two, couldn't help but sigh, no longer as flamboyant as before. The Han Dynasty is still so strong on land, nearly decimating them?

[It seems I still need to think carefully about the Han Dynasty.]Vasu Deva I said with a bit of a headache. No matter how reliable their navy is, confronting such an almost invincible land army is absurd, and the Han army's land forces are indeed too powerful.

[It looks like we must dispatch the desert camel cavalry from Central Asia to face the Han Dynasty. The combat power of the empire's southern land forces is too mediocre. Although they have quite excellent officers, the soldiers' combat power is somewhat lacking. Send the elite troops from Central Asia to test the waters.]

The impressive performance of the Yizhou Han army in the Wenga region did not instill fear in Vasu Deva I. On the contrary, this report fueled his combat desire even more. Dominating domestically without opponents, he yearned for new challenges.

"Order Fuward to create some minor friction in the southern Onion Ridge, allow him to employ a heavy hand, but tell him if he cannot withstand it, then he might as well die." Vasu Deva I coldly told the scribe officer, and being a tyrant controlling the country's machinery, his manner was extremely brutal, and his orders exceedingly harsh.

The civil official recording the order, with bated breath, quickly wrote the contents, and after Vasu Deva I confirmed the order, he sent someone to rush it to Fuward in Khorasan.

Unlike Brack, a new general that Vasu Deva I valued but felt needed more training, Fuward was one of the remarkably sharp implements under Vasu Deva I's command. Whether in strength, ability, or experience, he counted as one of Kushan's genuinely presentable generals.

Additionally, possessing a formidable elite cavalry that was exceptionally powerful across the Asian region, Vasu Deva I relied heavily on him. The issue of ordering in such a manner was merely to ensure the opposite party would pay a bit more attention.

However, it was fortunate that Vasu Deva I's orders were extremely firm, forcing Fuward to approach things cautiously, which avoided an unfavorable battle against Li Jue and Fan Chou. Otherwise, that desert elite cavalry, unmatched in Central Asia, might not have those subsequent achievements.

As one of Kushan's most elite cavalry units, in specialized terrain combat, they could even suppress the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Even in other locations with preparations, they were not afraid of engaging with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. In the situation of underestimating in the first battle, for them not to be wiped out by Li Jue was indeed Vasu Deva I's blessing.

Northern Bingzhou, 200,000 Han troops marched vigorously southward. After Zhao Yun dealt with the Southern Huns, he sent a message to the rear, putting everyone's worries about the rear conflicts at ease.

"As expected, the Southern Huns can't withstand a beating at all." Chen Xi, after reading the letter, said with a smirk, "Speaking of which, at this pace of advancement, it'll take us half a month to reach Bingzhou's border, and then it will take another seven, eight, or nine days to get back to Chang'an."

"It'll probably be slower than you want." Xun Yu calmly looked at Chen Xi and said.

"This is maddening. Why don't you repair the roads?" Chen Xi unhappily said to Xun Yu. Bingzhou is such a fine place, with plenty of arable land, isn't it?

"First, there's no money; second, there's no goods. Besides, at that time, this place was a mixed residence of Han and Hu people, and building roads there was not meaningful. Not everyone likes to build roads like you do." Chen Qun answered on behalf of Xun Yu.

"You see? You're an outsider. It's not that I like building roads; I like having everyone busy. As long as they have something to do, they won't have time to engage in activities detrimental to the country," Chen Xi said with a smirk.

"I completely can't understand your way. Although it always feels like there's a bit of fallacious and heretical talk, it seems there's no obvious error overall," Chen Qun shook his head, unwilling to engage with Chen Xi.