The envoys from the Western Regions countries were quite clear about the questions raised by Ma Yuan and talked about them.

It is said that after the Northern Huns and the Eastern Han Dynasty withdrew one after another, the countries in Shanbei were controlled by the Xianbei and became vassals of the Xianbei. The countries in Shannan were exempted from the protection of the Tianshan Mountains and were not controlled by the Xianbei.

However, the countries in Shannan are relatively weak in strength and do not have a large population. They also have many hatreds, fight against each other, and trade with each other.

During this period, some small countries were annexed by larger countries, and some small countries were successfully restored. Anyway, the situation was quite complicated.

It is also very common for China to manage it, uphold justice, big countries bully small countries, small countries have no way to go, and then they will be destroyed.

A big country is justified, while a small country is sad. There is nothing we can do about it. Even if the Wei Empire comes, it may not be possible.

But when it comes to trade, in addition to their own trade with each other, they mainly trade with the Kushan Empire in the west. Of course, some people also cross the borders of the Kushan Empire and go to the Silence Empire to do business.

"Did the Kushan Kingdom block the way to the Sabre Kingdom?"

Ma Yuan was a little surprised.

"Yes, the Kushan Kingdom occupied the main transportation route, but business travelers can also go, but they just have to pay a little more toll. The Kushan Kingdom will not stop us from doing business in the Abnormal Kingdom. Although the Kushan Kingdom and the Abnormal Kingdom also have wars, they are not frequent."

The envoy replied so.

"What about the Great Qin State? Do you know the news about the Great Qin State?"

"I know, the Great Qin State is further west of the Anxi Kingdom and often has wars with the Anxi Kingdom. Some of us are brave enough to go directly to the Great Qin State to do business and bring back a lot of gold and silverware. However, the journey is too far, and it takes months and years to go, so no one goes."

"So that's how it is."

Ma Yuan nodded: "Does the Kushan people have many people? Are there many soldiers and horses? Is the country strong?"

"There are many people, many soldiers and horses, and they are very powerful."

The envoy nodded decisively: "We heard that the Kushan Kingdom had a land area of ​​thousands of miles, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, and was very powerful. He often defeated the Anxi Kingdom and once attacked the Western Regions, but was defeated by the Dugu Bangong of the Western Regions of the Han Kingdom at that time."

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers... Then shouldn't they covet the Western Regions? They have not attacked the Western Regions in the past few decades?"

"It's hard to walk."

The envoy laughed: "From Kushan to our borders, we have to cross countless dangerous mountains. It's okay for the business and travelers to come. It's hard for the army to come. And if people can come, it's hard to get through the baggage. Once there are too many people, the food will not keep up. What else can we fight? As long as we can't stand, they have to retreat obediently."

“That’s true.”

Ma Yuan nodded.

It is bad if the logistics is not kept up in the war. No matter how strong the army is, if the logistics are not kept up, it will be a bunch of waste, and no one can say anything about combat effectiveness.

By the same token, if enough food can be given to the Qin army or the Western Han army, and it can be provided at any time without limit, they can fight to the end of the world.

If Zhuge Liang could provide him with sufficient logistical support and provide him with unlimited food, he would also have a great chance of leading the Shu Han army to defeat the Wei army, and the outcome was unknown.

The biggest factor limiting any powerful army in any era is logistics and transportation.

Otherwise, why would Guo build roads crazily and build roads within the Wei Empire with all the channels?

How much did it cost?

The fiscal expenditure spent on road construction every year accounts for about 30% of the fiscal expenditure of the entire Wei Empire.

It now seems that Ban Chao was able to defeat Kushan back then, and most of the time it was relying on the advantageous terrain to lengthen their supply lines, drag down their logistics, and let them know the difficulty of attacking the Western Regions. Therefore, Kushan lost his military spirit of advancing the Western Regions.

But on the other hand, things that were very difficult for the Kushan were also very difficult for the Wei Empire. It was difficult for them to get through, and the Wei army was not easy for them to get through, and they were all in a difficult situation.

Maybe this can create a better bilateral trade relationship.

Ma Yuan had this idea.

Guo Peng had no military ambitions for Kushan, and Ma Yuan also knew this.

After saying goodbye to the envoys and promised them to go to their country to do business, Ma Yuan arrived in Dunhuang County in October and met Cao Ren.

After reading Guo Peng's warrant, Cao Ren replenished grain and water for the joint caravan, and asked them to go to Liuzhongcheng to find Cao Xiu, and helped him transport a batch of supplies to raise.

"You are lucky. Before you arrive, the countries in the Western Regions already knew about the arrival of our Wei, and sent envoys to surrender. This is a good thing. You must seize this opportunity to open up the trade route."

Cao Ren said to Ma Yuan with a smile, and then sent Ma Yuan and the United Caravan away.

The joint caravan walked out of Yumen Pass and embarked on a land that was extremely unfamiliar to them.

The strange scenery and scenery made the business travelers of the United Caravan feel curious. There are many things I have never seen before. Many people have watched it all the way and recorded the scenery of the Western Regions along the way.

The guide followed Ma Yuan, constantly telling him stories and legends about the Western Regions, and also introducing him to some magical animals and plants that can only be seen in the Western Regions.

Not long after, the joint caravan arrived at Liuzhong City. Cao Xiu went out of the city to greet Ma Yuan himself, and then took Ma Yuan to the city wall.

"I thought I wanted to fight a few wars in the Western Regions before, but I didn't expect that there was no need to fight at all. The former Han left too strong deterrence to the countries in the Western Regions. Although the Han Dynasty no longer exists now, the countries in the Western Regions still dare not disobey China. As soon as the army arrived, the order was made."

Cao Xiu was quite content with this and a little depressed.

"In this way, the trade route should be much safer. Your Majesty is worried about our safety, so he specially allocated 700 elite soldiers to me to command and protect the caravan. The people in the caravan also had weapons. If there was any problem, they could protect themselves at any time."

Ma Yuan said so.

"After that, the scale of this caravan is large enough. I have never seen such a large caravan, so many mules, horses, carts, and so many people... By the way, how many people are there in total?"

"Seven thousand one hundred and sixty-three."

“So many?”

Cao Xiu was a little surprised, and then asked with a joke: "What are you going to do with so many people? Are you destroying the country along the way? Is the order given to you by Your Majesty to destroy the other party while doing business?"

"Of course not, because I carry more goods, mules, horses, carts, etc., Your Majesty plans to let us circle the entire Western Regions, so we have to keep up with our manpower and material resources."

Ma Yuan shook his head with a smile.

"Then you don't have to worry about any dangers. There are only a handful of countries in the Western Regions that can produce 7,000 combat troops. If such a country dares to attack you, it is basically turning against me, Wei, and you must send troops to attack him."

Cao Xiu smiled and said, "Don't worry, go there. Whenever you go to a place, remember to send someone back to contact me and let me know your whereabouts. This is also an extra layer of protection. If something goes wrong, maybe I can still dispatch troops from all over the country to provide assistance in time."

"Can the general mobilize the troops of the Western Regions?"

"It's not possible yet, but it's too soon."

Cao Xiu smiled: "Your Majesty has the idea of ​​rebuilding the Western Regions Protectorate. He was just preparing before. Now the Western Regions countries are going to Luoyang to worship. Your Majesty will inevitably rebuild the Western Regions Protectorate. At that time, all countries in the Western Regions, from kings to minor officials, will have their seals and ribbons.

Since we have been given the Wei official seal, it is natural to obey the orders of the Western Regions Protector. Although there is no name yet, if something happens, I will make a request to the countries in the Western Regions. I think they dare not object, so you can just go."

After saying that, Cao Xiu continued to look at the vast caravan outside the city.

"You have brought so many goods, can you sell them? The countries in the Western Regions are not big, with a large population of tens of thousands, and a few hundred or thousands. If you bring so many things, you probably can't sell them, right?"

"Your Majesty has never expected the countries in the Western Regions to buy all our things. On the contrary, we may have to buy a lot of their things, which is considered barter, so we brought a lot of gold and silver.
Chapter completed!