But Zhuge Xu was in no hurry to refuse.
After all, supporting a war did not necessarily mean sending troops to fight.
For instance, after Great Wei's large-scale military reductions, plenty of weapons and equipment had been retired. Perhaps these could all be used to help the Kushan Empire resist the Persians.
Who said supporting a war meant having to send troops?
In any case, doing more business with the Kushans was the right thing to do now.
What Great Wei needed at present was not war but development. Even Sasanian Persia could actually become a trading partner; their trade reached much farther than the Kushans' and covered a much wider area.
Yet the Kushan king seemed to have more than this on his mind. When the banquet ended, he ordered the governors to rest, while he intended to lead Zhuge Xu to his office for a conversation.
But just as he took Zhuge Xu's hand and rose, several governors stopped him.
The grand governor stood before the king, smiling.
"Great King, the envoy has traveled far and should rest first. Besides, bandits have been causing trouble along the route, and we would like to ask the envoy about these matters so we can crush them for you. Please permit the envoy to rest at the guesthouse first and come to see you tomorrow."
The Kushan king flew into a rage.
Clearly, these governors were unwilling to let the Kushan king be alone with Zhuge Xu.
In fact, on the journey here, these ministers had already discussed many things with Zhuge Xu.
What they had mentioned most often was their hope that Zhuge Xu would not involve himself in government affairs. They would cooperate fully on trade and similar matters, but hoped he would not inquire into the Kushan Empire's