Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7222 Let go of grudges and face reality

“There is really nothing more to say now that things have come to this,” Serian said with a complicated expression. “I beg Your Highness to give the Yuezhi people, descendants of the Five Marquises, a chance.”

For the descendants of the Yuezhi, choosing between the Han Dynasty and the Kushan Empire was essentially a no-brainer. Historically, they chose Ardashir because the Yuezhi's middle and upper classes, who had penetrated deep into the Indian plains, were corrupted by the Brahmins. In a fit of anger, the Yuezhi in the northern Guishan Mountains directly surrendered to Ardashir.

Clearly, given the choice between the two, the Yuezhi would rather choose Ardashir, with whom they had fought for over a decade, than choose the Brahmins.

Given the legitimacy and legal basis, it really only took a little push for the Yuezhi people to submit to the Han Dynasty.

For Serian, a third-generation descendant of the Yuezhi who migrated south, this was tantamount to betraying his ancestors, his beliefs, and even himself!
“Since he is a descendant of the Five Marquises, the Han Dynasty will naturally give him a chance.” Liu Tong nodded, somewhat understanding the despair that Serian felt upon realizing that the Brahmins were the main body of the Kushan Empire’s imperial will, and that they, the Yuezhi, were merely lackeys.

As for Mahinda and Langarajan, they were even secretly laughing. Their ancestors had been defeated long ago, so they didn't have to go through these things. Serian's ancestors were the legitimate Yuezhi royal family, who came to conquer the Brahmins and even once attacked Pataliputra, leaving the Brahmins severely wounded. But now, in the blink of an eye, the Brahmins are riding on the necks of the Yuezhi.

It can only be said that fortunes change, and things can change drastically in the next thirty years.

Oh, it really has been thirty years. Serian is quite interesting!
"Your Highness, I will now continue to explain how to recast the Imperial Scepter." Serian was, after all, a renowned general who had experienced the turmoil of the era. Although he was bewildered by the previous speculations, he realized that since things had come to this point, there was no point in pursuing the matter further. It would be better to take remedial measures and entrust the Imperial Scepter to the Han Dynasty. With this thing to unite the Yuezhi, at least it could ensure that the Yuezhi would leave a lineage in the Han Dynasty.

Indeed, while Serian intended to hand over the imperial scepter to Liu Tong, his actions also carried a degree of hedging. If the Han Dynasty and the Kushan Empire were to clash, whether to punish them or truly deal with them was a matter of considerable discretion.

No matter how freely they exercise their authority, as long as the Han Dynasty obtains the imperial scepter entrusted to them by Serian, they will certainly create an imperial scepter in the spirit of making the most of it.

As for what Mahinda said about the imperial scepter not being Sinicized enough, to be honest, it is indeed a bit petty, as Serian said. The Han dynasty really wouldn't care about such things.

Just thinking about it, the fact that the Han Dynasty could shamelessly claim that almost all cavalry talents were created by them, including the talents of the Illusion lineage and the White Disaster, shows that the Han Dynasty didn't care at all about where these things came from; it was pure pragmatism!

Since it's all about pragmatism, let's talk about how useful the Imperial Scepter is. With the princess holding the scepter, she can unleash at least 80% of her combat power. That means she can raise the dual talents of six legions to a level close to the triple talent level. Unless the Han dynasty is a fool, they will definitely use this kind of auxiliary ability.

Serian acknowledged that there were indeed military spirits in the world that were stronger than the Imperial Scepter in terms of large-scale support capabilities, such as the Roman Parliament Guard and the General of the Guards. However, compared to the Roman Parliament Guard and the General of the Guards, to fully unleash their support capabilities, they basically needed to increase their main force size to more than 200,000, which meant they needed to rely heavily on the legion commander's abilities.

The Imperial Scepter is very flexible in this respect. Even though there is a possibility that the user cannot unleash the full power of the Imperial Scepter and thus cannot achieve the seven-in-one combination, it can still maintain a full-strength elite legion with three talents at a low cost.

However, given the two titles of "Han Dynasty Princess," she is naturally able to utilize 80% of the Imperial Scepter's combat power. If needed, she can easily summon six Imperial Guards. Frankly, is there any need to bring up any other conditions?

A few negative effects, a little face-saving? Heh!
Such a useful thing, if we give it up because of so-called face, what kind of pragmatism is that? As for this thing being from the Kushan Empire? Just tell me if the Kushan Empire is dead or not. Since the Kushan Empire is dead, then this thing was created by our Han Dynasty. Serian was also an elite of the lineage of the Five Marquises of Han Dynasty, and it is worthy to leave behind a shrine for worship!
Serian was very clear-headed. Even if the imperial scepter he created had some problems, it was not as big as the problems of the Xiongnu. The problem was that the Han Dynasty had been using the talents of the Xiongnu for hundreds of years, including various classic cavalry talents and all sorts of strange and wonderful things. Surely no one really thought that the Han Dynasty had developed them!
Since they can use the stuff of their greatest enemy, what can't they use with this little bit of stuff from the Yuezhi? Even if it's a little bit poisonous, is that a problem with the Han Dynasty's extravagant system?

Just like how chili peppers evolved capsaicin, making them impossible for other creatures in nature to eat, thus allowing them to survive to this day, but after encountering humans, humans are not interested in chili peppers themselves, but rather in the spiciness of capsaicin!
Similarly, even if the scepter created by Serian has negative effects, the Han Dynasty might use those negative effects to develop its own system. After all, the Han Dynasty was quite eccentric in this regard.

"Your Highness is aware of the essential beliefs behind the scepter, but please remember that these three beliefs are not necessarily required; they can be substituted. I chose these three back then because they have the broadest coverage, not because these are the only three beliefs that can be used." Seeing Liu Tong listening attentively and nodding frequently, Serian seemed quite eager to explain further.

"Can other beliefs be used instead?" Liu Tong was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Although he had guessed before, he was still quite surprised when Serian said it.

“Essentially, it’s a matter of coverage and commonalities, not a matter of whether it’s possible. As for combining the three beliefs of the scepter into a whole, there are two ways: one is the talent of law, and the other is the talent of oath. I chose law because the Kushans didn’t study the talent of oath in depth,” Serian said with a hint of disappointment.

At the level of the Serian, it is clear that using oaths to bridge the gap at the level of will is more appropriate for shaping something like the Imperial Scepter. However, the Kushans have a weakness in the talent for oaths, or to put it more directly, when the Yuezhi were constructing the Kushans, problems arose at the collective level.

Those who do not hold grudges will surely forget kindness. The problem with the Yuezhi in the past was that they did not hold grudges, and the problem that did not hold grudges was that they forgot kindness, which in turn led to a systemic problem.

Of course, the Yuezhi gods later reshaped the collective will, allowing the Yuezhi to complete the transformation of their own will. However, after backing down from the blood oath with the Xiongnu back then, the Yuezhi as a whole were too ashamed to study this. Or, to put it more deeply, their own will was not enough to convince them that they had no problems in this regard.

At the individual level, there may still be powerful beings who can use oaths, but at the collective level, it is difficult to further explore the talent of oaths. In the era of the Serian, although it was realized that using the talent of oaths to eliminate conflicts at the level of will was the most correct choice, the general public did not have this thing, so they could only settle for the second best and choose the talent of law.

“Oaths can distort one’s own will to some extent,” Liu Tong said, frowning. “A strong collective oath can lead to a bias in the legion’s will.”

Serian shook his head upon hearing this. Although he was somewhat surprised that Liu Tong could clearly understand these things, after all, it was impossible for someone who did not have a deep understanding of the Oath Talent to say such simple two sentences. You should know that in Kushan, there are definitely no more than ten people who can summarize these two sentences so simply, and that is when Kushan was at its peak. At other times, there are even fewer.

“Oaths are distorted, but when used for righteousness, they are actually corrective. How to control the degree of the Oath talent is very important.” Serian said very seriously, “If the will of the Imperial Scepter is rectified by an Oath, it is impossible for the Oath to be distorted.”

Liu Tong was silent for a while after hearing this. He felt that Serian might be a bit out of touch with the times. Couldn't the oath of a collective will of the Imperial Scepter level be distorted? What a joke. Forget it, let's use the Law Talent to bridge this gap.

Serian also noticed the doubt on Liu Tong's face. If Serian were in Kushan and encountered such a look, he would definitely have said something. But since she was facing a princess, Serian felt that this expression was tolerable. After all, she was a princess of the Han Dynasty, and she did know these things. At most, her understanding was not very thorough, but considering that she was a princess, it was completely tolerable and acceptable.

“Selian, it’s not that I think you’re wrong, I just think you might be underestimating the Oath Talent.” Liu Tong said after thinking for a while, with a hint of seriousness.

Having witnessed a monster like Chen Xi practicing with his Oath Talent, and having seen Sun Wu and the other two, as well as receiving guidance from Lord Wu'an and Marquis Huaiyin, Liu Tong was wary of this thing with its extremely high ceiling—the Oath Talent could really backfire if misused.

“I know that the upper limit of a vow talent depends on the user, but the power that a vow can exert ultimately depends on the individual’s belief.” Serian looked at Liu Tong with some doubt. He found Liu Tong’s question very strange. After all, Liu Tong’s performance did not show that he did not understand vow talents. On the contrary, he had a very thorough understanding of them. But if he had such a thorough understanding, why would Liu Tong ask such a question? It shouldn’t be like this. Can a vow talent distort a general’s soul?

"Forget it, take a look at this and see if it can be used to construct the Imperial Scepter." Liu Tong felt that it was indeed difficult to say whether someone like Chen Xi, a deity, could be used. So he took out the Divine Seal of Laws that he had obtained from Lord Wu'an and shook it at Serian.

Serian stared at the Law Seal in silence for a long time. To be honest, Serian would never have imagined that such a thing existed in the world. Could the Law Talent actually materialize? Could it be used like this? This doesn't seem right!
“If we use this law to mend the broken scepter, as long as we build the structure based on the law from the beginning and choose the right beliefs, constructing the Imperial Scepter will not be difficult.” Serian thought about it carefully for a moment and felt that with this thing, combined with his own technology for building Imperial Scepters, it would be quite easy to construct a new Imperial Scepter. The only problem was that his original plan was probably ruined.

Selian had previously thought that even if the Han Dynasty wanted to establish an imperial scepter, it would have to incorporate the Yuezhi people. This would at least provide a way out for future generations. With a military spirit legion in existence, the Yuezhi people would definitely be able to integrate into the Han Dynasty's army. And a long-lasting organization would mean that the Yuezhi people would have enough time to integrate into the Han Dynasty.

But now, facing the small seal that Liu Tong had taken out, Serian suddenly realized that the Han Dynasty did not need to build the imperial scepter according to his previous construction at all. He only needed his knowledge and the manifestation of the Law Decree Talent to directly construct the imperial scepter. This was absurd.

"I see, then I understand more or less." Liu Tong nodded slowly, gaining a clearer understanding of the Divine Seal of Law in his hand, and further realizing that even the military spirit could be reversed under an oath of the level of Flourishing Era.

"Among my guards are many imperial guards who are of Yuezhi origin. Let's construct a scepter based on these people." Liu Tong's mind worked out slightly, and he had already figured out how to create the imperial scepter. As for finding someone else to create it, it was meaningless to Liu Tong. Since Serian used the Yuezhi people to create the scepter, then it would be simple: just replicate that path.

Just follow the path that has already been successful, isn't that all?

Moreover, the safety and stability of this road are paramount for a princess like Liu Tong, given her inherent desire and support for princesses. In contrast, frankly speaking, it's difficult for ordinary people in the Han Dynasty to feel the same way about princesses.

So let's just choose the more useful Dayuezhi. After all, Dayuezhi is a kind of barrier, so this arrangement can be considered a promotion. It's a win-win situation for both of us.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Serian looked at Liu Tong's calm expression, and countless scenarios flashed through his mind. For example, Liu Tong took out the Divine Seal of Law to warn him, to make him understand that the situation of the Han Dynasty was far superior to that of the Yuezhi, and that he did not need those things at all. And he knew what Liu Tong was thinking, but he did not care, because he had no intention of annihilating the Yuezhi. They were also his subjects!

"Go and let the guards who were guarding the palace gates today come in," Liu Tong said to Xin Xianying, who bowed slightly and then quickly withdrew.

Soon, the guards stationed outside Weiyang Palace entered the palace, bowed to Liu Tong, and stood quietly in place like gateposts.

"Ji Xuan, it's you guarding the palace gate again today." Liu Tong said to Ji Xuan with a slight smile. By now, Liu Tong basically knew what was going on with Ji Xuan, but there was no need to pursue it. This was the sixth level of refinement that laid the foundation for his merits with the head of the Southern Nobleman in the Ganges. Don't underestimate him just because he is only a centurion in the Imperial Guard in Weiyang Palace. Once he is released, he will be worth more than two thousand shi. There is no need to dwell on his background.

The saying "a hero's origins are irrelevant" is good for everyone!

"Iberf has taken leave to go home for the New Year, so I've been on duty lately," Ji Xuan replied seriously. Anyway, Liu Tong has been around every day, so Ji Xuan was happy to be on duty every day.

"Plat, why are you staring at Serian?" Liu Tong asked Prat with a smile. Zena, Kuyil, and Anada have all returned to Kushan. This is why the Han Dynasty decided to launch a decisive battle against Kushan. However, Prat has already cleared his identity. He is now a man from the Northwest with the title of Guan Dafu and the position of a guard in Weiyang Palace.

If the previous titles were bestowed by Mahinda, then the current titles were earned by beheading Xiongnu people during the grand military exercises.

“It really is His Highness Selian. I’ve met him a few times before, but I never expected to see him again in Chang’an.” Pratt gave a brief explanation. He was also a guard who worked in smelting back then, and he was considered to be in the upper-middle class anywhere. So he had the opportunity to come into contact with Selian. However, while he knew Selian, Selian did not know Pratt.

“These should all be top-tier elites from the Yuezhi.” Serian looked at Prat, who was carrying a spear blade, and after a brief moment of sensing, he realized that these were the most elite troops. The fact that such elites could appear outside the Weiyang Palace was enough to show that the Kushan Empire and the Han Dynasty had fallen out, and that the Yuezhi and the Han Dynasty were still maintaining their former vassal relationship.

When the princes of the Han dynasty rebelled, they would usually only execute the ringleaders. The common people under the princes' rule who were officials under the emperor would continue to hold their positions, and there would be no investigation.

Having confirmed this fact, Serian no longer hesitated. He had originally planned to hand over the creation method of the Imperial Scepter to Liu Tong. Now that Liu Tong had shown a completely accepting attitude towards the Yuezhi, after all, this was the Weiyang Palace. For the Yuezhi to serve as guards here, frankly speaking, they were definitely the core of the core.

Therefore, Serian didn't need to say those things pleading with Liu Tong to let the ordinary Yuezhi people go after the war, because there was no need at all. The Yuezhi people had all come to Weiyang Palace to serve as guards, so why would you worry about these people?

There is absolutely no need for that. Given the current situation, the Yuezhi will not be wiped out. Even after the war, the title of the Five Marquises will remain, and there will still be a territory where the Yuezhi will be allowed to enjoy the full power of a feudal lord. Since that is the case, there is no need to say more. Let's just keep this tacit understanding!

I can't concentrate on work, I just want to go home for the Chinese New Year.