After settling matters here, Liu Shi set out for the Kingdom of Kucha.
Compared with the Kingdom of Karasahr, the situation there was somewhat more serious.
Bai Shan had already begun contacting the kings of various lands, preparing to join forces and deal King of Yanqi a heavy blow.
If Liu Shi did not go there soon, a coalition army would be taking shape.
Of course, this coalition army would ultimately number no more than five thousand, and its fighting strength probably would not be very high.
But Sha Province had few people to begin with and could not withstand such turmoil.
Traveling from Yanqi to the Kingdom of Kucha was much better than traveling from Gaochang to Yanqi.
Not merely because the journey was shorter, but because there were cities along the road where they could rest, and they could encounter other travelers.
Kucha's overall strength far exceeded that of the present Kingdom of Karasahr, whether in territory, population, or other respects.
After leaving the Kingdom of Karasahr, they entered Kucha's sphere of influence.
The first city they reached was Wulei City. This place had once been very famous, for a protectorate headquarters had once been established here, though that was a very long time ago.
After resting here for a while, Liu Shi continued onward and soon reached Kucha City.
Even at a glance, Kucha City looked considerably larger than Yanqi City, for it had three concentric circuits of walls.
Like Long An, Bai Shan led everyone out to welcome him.
Bai Shan was much younger than Long An and looked somewhat stronger as well.
He, too, hurried forward to pay his respects to the new chief clerk.
Liu Shi did not dismount. With a stern expression, he demanded, "Bai Shan! Have you been contacting the other kingdoms