PFC Chapter 7204 A New Large-Scale Plan
Chapter 7204 A New Large-Scale Plan
Chapter 7204 A New Large-Scale Plan
After leaving Oswin's place, Xun Qi went to see Vasudeva I with a blank expression.
In Xun Qi's view, his conversation with Oswin solved his biggest problem—Oswin already knew that he had a problem, but for some reason, Oswin didn't seem to care about his problem and seemed to take it very lightly.
Of course it's boring, how could it not be?
From Vasudeva I to Zhuhelai and Xunqi, none of these high-ranking Kushan figures were in the Kushan Empire's will. Furthermore, Oswin's capable lieutenants, Urdu, Salman, Falgun, Balas, and even Kusroy, whom Oswin relied heavily on, disappeared from the Empire's will every few days.
Okay, all of the above is understandable. When Urdu and Salman were young and ambitious with bright futures ahead of them, they were affected by the Mahind incident and suffered a lot in the northern Gui Mountains. The reason was simple: they were descendants of the Saka people.
It would be a miracle if Urdu and Salman said they didn't develop any distorted ideas as a result.
They came out of the mountains because of Oswin, but just thinking back to how they were forced to eat dirt in the mountains during their prime years, if it weren't for the hope that Mahinda left for the Cypriots before he died, these two brothers would have fallen into depravity long ago.
Given this reality, how can these two be patriotic? Patriot my ass! They're the Yuezhi and the Brahman Kushans, what do they have to do with us Saka? Now they're participating in the Han-Gui Kingdom war, fighting bravely, they're just mercenaries, nine times out of ten they're only doing it because of Oswin!
Falgon and Balas are even simpler—shall we attack the South Nobles today? Shall we knock the Brahmins' heads? No? Then when will we knock them? And remember to call us when you do!
To be honest, Oswin was speechless about this, but you have to understand that this is how the orthodox Northern nobles are. They're either fantasizing about princesses or thinking about how to kill the Brahmins. They'd be unethical if they were missing one of them. Obviously, Falgon and Baras are far too ethic!
As for Kusroy, needless to say, as a Dalit, Kusroy was someone even Oswin wasn't qualified to persuade. If it were the group of capable henchmen before him, Oswin could still curse them a bit, saying, "You fucking have to be patriotic! No matter how beastly the Kushans are, at least they treated you like human beings, gave you a chance, and allowed you to stand here!"
In short, Oswin could still ramble on a bit and let those guys hear what he was saying. As for whether his capable henchmen believed him or not, Oswin was at least qualified to say it.
What about Kusroy? After reviewing Kusroy's life, Oswin couldn't find anything about the Kushan Empire that was worthy of him. Even when Rahul helped Kusroy back then, it wasn't because the Kushan Empire was worthy of him, but because Rahul liked to find those ruthless, willing-to-fight, and competitive guys at the bottom of society.
But what does this have to do with the Kushans? To be honest, they don't owe them a single penny. The Kushans owe Kuslaus, not the other way around.
Now that he has stepped into the command of a large legion and holds the will of the empire in his hands, Oswin recalled the words he could say to Kusroy when he was not yet the leader: "My ancestors were also slaves." How should I put it? Now that I think about it, I really deserve to die!
Oswin then apologized to Kusroy, who felt better and occasionally reappeared in the Imperial Will. Oswin was satisfied with this and did not insist.
There was no other way. Once he became the leader and raised the imperial will, he could see the deepest and darkest parts of this society without any hindrance, and he could project his power into the corners of Kushan. Oswin knew clearly how rotten some corners of Kushan were, and to what extent they could be rotten!
If the cannibalism of the Han Dynasty is a metaphor, then the cannibalism of the Kushans is a real phenomenon!
So, when faced with the current Kusroy, Oswin felt only self-blame—not to mention that the other party occasionally ran away from the imperial will and then returned after a while, even if the other party turned against the Kushan, it was all perfectly reasonable in Oswin's eyes.
However, if Kusroy really rebels one day, Oswin will also kill him without hesitation. This guy now really has the same belief as Huangfusong - I have something I want to protect, and you have something you want to protect, so let's fight and talk about it after we win!
Given the state of the Kushan Empire, Oswin felt it was pointless to pick a fight with Xun Qi. After all, most of the top leaders did not actually recognize the Kushan Empire that he had established; they actually recognized Oswin himself more!
Oswin himself could sense that many of the Kushan high command were observing him. Those people had their own ideas, but Oswin didn't care. He just needed to do what he believed was right. And Oswin, who held the will of the empire, could ensure that what he did was beneficial to the majority!
To put it simply, more and more people are leaving their mark on the imperial will, and those who come and go are staying longer. This means that the imperial consensus built by Oswin is gradually gaining more and more acceptance.
For this reason, Oswin took it all in stride and had no interest in Hrilah’s insistence on killing the traitor. After all, Hrilah himself didn’t fully agree with the imperial will of the Kushan Empire. It was just that he would activate his imperial will whenever he encountered Oswin, and would disconnect when he didn’t see Oswin for a while.
Oswin was speechless about this; many of his capable aides were like that.
So there's not much to say. If he's a traitor, he's a traitor. I'm used to it.
Of course, the only thing I'm not used to is, Helilah, you who keeps disconnecting, don't you have any self-awareness? What exactly are you thinking, saying you're going to kill all the others who are disconnected or not online!
You yourself disconnected!
Dude, since you're my strategist, can't you have some integrity?
Hrith was completely unaware of this; he was working very hard to eliminate the lingering effects of Brahma's power on Oswin. The Avatar's Radiance was meant for this kind of thing.
"Your Majesty." Xun Qi bowed once to Vasudeva, then nodded to Zhu Helai.
"It's a rare treat to have you come to Mathura," Vasudeva I said very politely. He had a high opinion of Xun Qi, who never caused trouble and just quietly carried out construction in the rear, which was very good.
"Yes, I heard that General Oswin has taken command of the army, so I came here specifically to see," Xun Qi nodded and said.
"Strange, aren't you doing some research in Peshawar? Why are you so concerned about this?" Zhu Helai asked with some curiosity.
Zhu Helai was just asking a normal question. He had no doubts about Prince Qi. Perhaps he had in the past, but after repeated tests, Zhu Helai felt that Prince Qi was probably just a relatively conservative Yuezhi nobleman with his own ideas, but they didn't conflict with him or the Kushans themselves.
Of course, this was also something Xun Qi deliberately created. The perverse place of the Xun family made Xun Qi realize early on that the more wary you are of someone, the less you should reveal your true stance too early. Instead, you should try to maintain the closest possible contact with them.
In the Kushan region, Xun Qi felt that the most outrageous strategist was Zhu Helai. Even though Zhu Helai had actually lost to the Han Dynasty's civil officials several times, it wasn't because Zhu Helai was weak. On the contrary, the fact that he could hold out against so many monsters and prevent the Kushan from suffering a major defeat was already quite extraordinary.
Watching Zhu Helai turn the tide time and time again, Xun Qi's wariness of Zhu Helai reached an all-time high. He no longer considered confronting this monster head-on, but instead tried his best to show his goodwill and stand with Zhu Helai. Of course, this goodwill would not be too obvious, but he would still show his wisdom and thoughts when necessary.
After all, he was a top-notch sage. If he were merely a yes-man, he would never be considered a teammate. And if he wasn't a teammate, how could he possibly eliminate the opponent in the most crucial moment?
Of course, Xun Qi didn't know if there would be such an opportunity. He was just waiting silently because his current situation was not bad. If it really came down to a fight, he would either remain still and wait for the right moment to act, or strike a fatal blow!
Before this, Xun Qi was Zhu Helai's comrade-in-arms. Although they may have different political views and judgments, they shared the same level of understanding and national stance. Xun Qi was a comrade-in-arms that Zhu Helai could entrust with his duties!
"After all, it concerns the future of our Kushan Empire," Xun Qi said with a hint of sorrow. "Moreover, I have some matters that require His Majesty's approval."
"What is it?" Vasudeva I stopped Zhuhelai, since the Kushan Empire had reached this point largely due to Zhuhelai's previous wrong decision, so it was better not to mention it.
"I need to allocate manpower to carry out construction in the Thar Desert." Xun Qi heard Vesudeva I's words and didn't say anything more about it. Instead, he stated his plan with a blank expression.
"That's not a problem. How many people do you need?" Vasudeva I didn't quite understand this, so he gave Zhuhe a look, letting Zhuhe handle it.
"It will probably require 700,000 people. I plan to completely solve the Thar Desert problem and divert water from the Indus River there. According to my estimate, the first phase of the plan will take about 15 years, which should be enough to complete." Xun Qi gave an outrageous estimate, leaving Zhu Helai stunned.
"Is this really possible?" Although Vasudeva I didn't understand construction, Xun Qi's intensity was so outrageous that even Vasudeva I, who didn't understand, could sense how absurd this project was. To be precise, could this amount of work really be completed?
"Well, although I don't have many people with political acumen or good at planning on my side, I have quite a few people who are good at construction. I didn't think it would be good to just leave them there, so I let them find their own work, and they found such a big job." Xun Qi looked astonished. "Of course, after their calculations and related technical simulations, they confirmed that this plan is quite feasible, so I came to ask if this can be done!"
The Kushan dynasty's relocation of its capital was also driven by Zhu Helai and Xun Qi, which ultimately led to the elimination of a number of traitors. Of course, there were also many collateral damages, but these were necessary sacrifices, and there's not much to say about them.
After the relocation of the capital was completed, Xun Qi took the initiative to adjust the position of Baishawa in the Kushan territory, and then came up with a plan to actively recruit various professional talents. The Kushans did not have any special feelings about this behavior, and even Zhu Helai did not think there was a problem.
Afterwards, Xun Qi naturally took the command and recruited a large number of talents from the Brahmans. This is why Baishawa also has a secret arts room and can even produce top-level secret arts. Of course, in addition to the relevant secret arts talents, there are also talents from all walks of life such as water power, animal husbandry, construction, and bridges.
These people were mostly from the Vaishya and Shudra classes in the Southern Noble Community. However, before the Brahmanical system was completely mythologized and still had a social division of labor, these people had quite good professional skills. Xun Qi also realized this and prepared his hand in advance.
After all, the Xun family will also be taking a piece of this land eventually. General Zhao's Boluoyaga and Prince Qi's Baishawa are not bad either, are they?
These top talents in their respective fields are what Xun Qi has prepared for his own family. In the future, when the Cao family breaks through Kabul and comes out of the Khyber Pass, they will definitely join forces with the Xun family. So, by accumulating cards in advance, once the territory is determined, they can simply take flight.
After accumulating so many people, Xun Qi thought he couldn't just keep them around for nothing, so he asked them to research whether there was any big project they could undertake. Then, during his communication with Cao Ang, Xun Qi received relevant intelligence from Cao Ang's side.
In other words, how Cao Ang resolved the turmoil under his command and rebuilt his reputation.
Because Xun Yu was Cao Cao's top strategist, he was very clear about the relevant intelligence. After Cao Ang successfully entered Kabul, and the Li family of Sichuan, the Wang family of Lelang, and the Sang family of Luoyang signed the Sistan irrigation area construction plan, which Chen Xi reviewed and was willing to endorse, the Cao family, which had been in turmoil, finally settled down.
People always need something to strive for. After the completion of the water conservancy network construction, the Sistan irrigation area can probably create about 2700 million mu of plantations. It is the core trading city and irrigation area of South Asia and West Asia in history, and also the birthplace of the Helmand civilization, a secondary civilization of the Bronze Age.
Anyone who understands the logic of the birth of civilization should know that places where ancient people could live in peace and form large-scale civilizations were fertile lands. As for why they later became barren, that's worth discussing.
However, for the Cao family, the reason for the desolation was not important. What mattered was restoring this place to its former glory. Once it was restored to its former state, Cao Ang could easily resolve all the previous problems.
After talking with his most respected cousin, Xun Qi learned about the Cao family's grand plan and naturally hoped that Xun Yu would help him find some professional water and water network planners.
There are such people among the Brahmins, but the planning of water power and water networks requires inherited knowledge. The Brahmins have knowledge records, but no Brahmin is willing to do this work. The Vaishyas and Shudras have this profession, but they cannot have the data recorded and stored by the Han Dynasty for hundreds or thousands of years.
Therefore, when it comes to water management, the Han Dynasty is second to none among the existing empires.
Xun Yu arranged for several members of the Sang family who had nothing else to do to come over. After conducting on-site research and having Xun Qi extract Brahman's stored information by holding a knife to his neck, the old men of the Sang family came to a very outrageous conclusion: based on the hydrological conditions of the Thar Desert and the actual situation of the Indus River, this thing should be manageable.
This was an outrageous and absurd theory, but it invigorated Xun Qi. The Thar Desert was about 200,000 square kilometers in size. If it could be managed, and according to the Sang family, it would only take about 50 years, then there was great potential!
Farming in the Kushan Empire is nothing special, but if Xun Qi can lead the way in turning 200,000 square kilometers of desert into fertile land, he will surely go down in history. So give it a try!
I don't need to provide manpower myself. The manpower of Kushan is my manpower. As for the reasons, just make up a few. I, Prince Qi, have no face left in Kushan.
So Xun Qi immediately put a big show for Vasudeva I and Zhuhelai, but the result was just as Xun Qi had expected. As a prince in Kushan, he still had some face.
“There’s nothing we can’t do,” Zhu Helai said after thinking for a while. “But are you sure there won’t be any problems with using so many people? And right now, there’s no point in managing the Thar Desert.”
Zhu Helai didn't think this was something that couldn't be done. What he couldn't understand was why Xun Qi wanted to do this at this time. Logically speaking, although the Kushan Empire had been dealt a heavy blow by the Han Dynasty, they actually didn't lack food supplies. In particular, Oswin had formed an inspection team to inspect local wasteland and ensure that agricultural areas were basically cultivated. In terms of food reserves, the Kushan Empire was not lacking at present.
After all, there are three harvests a year, so even if the yield is less in one season, the impact is not significant. In addition, the Han Dynasty and the Kushan Empire had been at peace for a long time, so even though they suffered from locust plagues, the Kushan Empire had recovered.
Therefore, as things stand, the Kushan Empire has no real purpose in managing the Thar Desert. Doing so would require drawing manpower, and 700,000 able-bodied men is no small number.
“Large-scale construction is also a way to strengthen organizational capacity, and I also need to make some preparations for the future.” Xun Qi said calmly, “You have all seen the Han Dynasty’s grand military exercises. What are your thoughts? I think we do need to consider the situation in case we fail.”
“It does require some consideration.” Zhu Helai remained silent for a while, glanced at Vasudeva I, whose expression was unreadable, and finally agreed with Xun Qi’s suggestion.
The Thar Desert is one of the very few deserts that can truly be managed through water conservancy projects. If it were China, those 200,000 square kilometers (300 million mu) would probably have been transformed into arable land by now. India, on the other hand, manages it in stages, then stops; it seems they've only converted 20,000 square kilometers into grassland. Those interested can look up relevant information. It just goes to show that some things really depend on the people involved.