I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1008 A Long March In, Bloodstained Tokharistan (5K)

"Your Highness is truly awe-inspiring!"

In the early morning valley, Zhang Liao, carrying a blood-stained longsword, strode quickly to Su Yao's side and excitedly reported:
"Our army has achieved a great victory, beheading more than 3,000 and capturing more than 1,000. The Kushans' ambush in the valley has been completely defeated!"

"Oh? How come they only captured a little over a thousand? I remember they had nearly ten thousand troops lying in ambush."

Zhang Liao paused, then smiled helplessly and said, "Thanks to Your Highness's formidable reputation, the enemy forces mostly collapsed at the first contact in this battle."

"Ha, what do you mean by 'renowned for its power'? I think it's more like 'renowned for its ruthlessness'!"

Su Yao immediately understood.

In fact, he had already discovered when he personally took action that very few of the enemies surrendered voluntarily in this battle.

Even if their morale is completely shattered, they will run away as fast as they can, and very few will voluntarily kneel down and surrender.

It's all thanks to that prince's demonizing propaganda, claiming he was some kind of devil called Frieza.

These ragtag soldiers believed it to be true, and when they realized they were outmatched, they all fled for their lives.

Of the more than three thousand people beheaded, many of them, as far as Su Yao could see, had fallen to their deaths from the mountain after tripping over their heels, and were then beheaded by his soldiers.

But it's not all bad; being feared by others isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As long as they can maintain overwhelming pressure, no one will dare to fight to the death.

"Speaking of Bahar, I think I spared his life."

Su Yao's tone was slightly hesitant.

Since his breakthrough in strength, Su Yao has been practicing mastering his power, and he doesn't dare to use his full strength at all, otherwise he wouldn't be able to do his daily life.

This time, he intentionally held back against Bahar, delivering a powerful punch to his face with his bare hands at 10% of his strength. He probably won't die, right?

"Your Highness, he's here!"

Not far away, Hufro shouted.

Bahar was seen being led over by several Xiongnu soldiers, bound hand and foot. His face was bruised and swollen, covered in blood, and he looked listless. Only his eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity as he stared intently at Su Yao.

"Kill me if you want, I won't say a word. I, Bahar, will never bow down to you, you devil!"

"It's the devil, isn't it?"

Su Yao looked at Bahar with amusement, and said with a smile:

"Do you know that there is a soul-searching technique in the East? After killing someone, you can extract their soul. Not only can you easily obtain their memories, but you can also prevent them from being reborn for eternity."

"what?!"

Bahar's pupils contracted sharply, and he exclaimed in shock, "Are you really the devil from the oracle?!"

"Huh? You mean that oracle that claims the prince can defeat me once he becomes king? Isn't that just an excuse for you to fight for the throne?"

"An excuse? Humph!"

Bahar sneered and raised his head, saying:
“Our prince is not the kind of person who needs excuses. Miss Dina’s oracle is absolutely true. She foretold your appearance, foretold General Suren’s defeat, and foretold our final victory!”

"I don't know what kind of demon you are, but we have the protection of the gods, and the prince will eventually defeat you, you evil spirit!"

"Miss Dina?"

Su Yao keenly noticed the unfamiliar name and said in a flippant tone, "She sounds like a beauty. You trust her so much, could she be your sweetheart?"

"nonsense!"

Bahar roared angrily, "Miss Dina is the daughter of the High Priest, a saint of our religion! How dare you blaspheme her like this!"

"The High Priest's daughter? A saint?"

Su Yao raised an eyebrow and said, "It seems that the religious power in your Kushan country is quite considerable. The daughter of the high priest is a saint. Isn't your so-called temple just a one-man show for them? Can we really believe what they say?"

"What do you know?"

Bahar snorted coldly:
“Miss Dina is pure and innocent, intelligent and wise, and has never uttered a false utterance when listening to divine pronouncements.”

"If she hadn't given us a heads-up, His Highness wouldn't have been able to retreat in time to avoid your wrath!"

"Don't think that just because you've won, you can do anything about it. The prince will definitely avenge me in the end!"

After saying this, Bahar remained silent, closed his eyes, and pretended to be dead, seemingly realizing that he had been provoked and had revealed a lot of information.

As for his current lack of cooperation, Su Yao simply chuckled and waved his hand, ordering his men to take him away for treatment and custody.

"Guo Jia, send someone to take good care of him, and make sure he doesn't die."

"This Kushan swordsman looks tough, but he doesn't seem to be very bright. Maybe he can be of more use when he comes back."

After Bahar was taken away, Su Yao immediately summoned his generals to discuss the next steps.

Having defeated the ambush, they also successfully seized a batch of dry rations, temporarily relieving the supply pressure.

"Send orders to Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and others in the rear, instructing them to speed up their march and make sure they reach Pengikent to join us within ten days."

"In addition, send someone to contact the remnants of the Kangju tribe and tell them that as long as they are willing to submit to the Han Dynasty, we can help them restore their country."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in greeting and said, "This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately!"

Yufuluo stepped forward, rubbing his hands together, and asked, "General Tian, ​​what should we do with those prisoners? Should we..."

He made a gesture of wiping his neck.

Su Yao shook his head: "No need. Hand them all over to Sadhguru and let him train them properly. They'll be a good source of manpower for us. Tell the soldiers that they must not mistreat prisoners. Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to military law!"

"Yes!" Although somewhat disappointed, Hufro still respectfully accepted the order.

Soon, the Han army began to clear the battlefield, collecting prisoners and spoils of war. Su Yao, on the other hand, walked alone to a high ground and looked out at the mountains to the south.

"Miss Dina. Oracle"

He muttered to himself, his expression gradually becoming serious.

This mysterious woman who suddenly appeared, along with the temple forces behind her, seems to have considerable influence within the Kushan Empire.

More importantly, if she really did foresee her own appearance, wouldn't the world become a little more complicated?
Do gods and such really exist?

Although it was a bit strange for a transmigrator with a system to say this, he searched the Central Plains but couldn't find any supernatural power.

Could it be that the Kushan Empire, thousands of miles away, possesses some kind of spiritual entity?
Could there be a key to solving my problem, some useful clues, or special techniques?

"Your Highness."

As Su Yao was deep in thought, Guo Jia appeared behind him unnoticed and asked softly, "Are you pondering the matter of the divine oracle?"

Su Yao nodded: "Fengxiao, what do you think?"

Guo Jia gently waved his feather fan, paused, and said, "This matter is somewhat strange. Generally speaking, most of the so-called divine pronouncements and prophecies circulating in this world are not given by any deity, but rather are judgments made by clever people through clues. They then use the name of a god to enhance their persuasiveness in order to achieve their own hidden purposes."

"Even if she can foresee my arrival and my abilities?"

Guo Jia nodded slightly: "Your Highness, please consider this. The Kushan Empire has close ties with the Western Regions, and there is a constant flow of merchants. Your Highness's achievements in the Western Regions and even the Central Plains are not difficult to collect if someone is interested. As the daughter of the High Priest, Miss Dina has the opportunity to obtain this information."

"With the Kushan king seriously ill, the temple forces do not want another group to take power. It is entirely possible that they will use the oracle to recall the prince."

Su Yao nodded slowly: "But?"

Guo Jia snapped his fan shut and said with a wry smile, "But His Highness possesses extraordinary abilities, born in response to celestial phenomena, sweeping across the world, exceeding the scope that ordinary people can calculate."

"I dare not speak definitively, insisting that there are no extraordinary people in this vast Kushan Empire."

"After all, the myriad schemes and plans of your subordinates can only be considered human affairs, not matters of destiny."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao gazed thoughtfully at the rolling mountains to the south.

In the morning light, the undulating mountains resembled lurking giants, guarding the rich Tokharistan Basin behind them.

"Destiny, huh?" Su Yao stroked his chin, then suddenly chuckled. "I'd like to see if the gods of Kushan can truly stop me."

Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is wise. Since the heretical saintess clearly prophesied that the prince could only defeat Your Highness after he became king, then we only need to kill him before he becomes king, and the prophecy will be proven false."

“That’s right. I’ll go to their capital again then, and see what the Holy Maiden will have to say.”

However, despite this, Su Yao secretly hoped that the saintess was someone with real skills.

Only in this way can he avoid wandering aimlessly in this world like a blind man touching an elephant.

Once the plan was finalized, Su Yao quickly devised a pursuit strategy.

On the advice of strategists such as Guo Jia and Lu Su, the army ultimately did not advance blindly, but instead split into two groups after a short rest.

One route was led by Su Yao, with light cavalry under the command of Yufuluo and Sadhguru in pursuit. The other route was led by Zhang Liao, with a portion of the Han army and a large number of surrendered soldiers, to advance steadily and conquer cities along the way, ensuring the stability of the vanguard's supply line and supporting the main force in the rear.

Thus, even before the smoke of battle had cleared from Pengikent, Su Yao led five thousand light cavalry south in pursuit, their morale soaring. Meanwhile, Prince Bo Diao's army suffered a blow to its morale.

"what?!"

"Bahar has lost?!"

In the previous night battle, Su Yao did not pursue the fleeing soldiers too closely, largely to allow them to undermine the prince's morale.

Obviously, when the routed soldiers rushed back, the news of Bahar's crushing defeat could no longer be kept secret.

"Your Highness, we can't win! We really can't win!"

"The prophecy is true! That Han general is truly a demon!"

"Thunder roared, and people were killed without mercy. Our people, our people died so tragically!"

The defeated soldiers knelt before Prince Bodiao, weeping and recounting the tragic fate of Bahar's army.

According to them, the Han army was unstoppable.

The general Bahar, whom the prince had always relied on, was no match for the Han general and met an uncertain end.

"Bahar"

Prince Bodiao clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Bahar was not only his capable general, but also his childhood friend. Now, his fate was unknown, causing him immense heartache.

"Your Highness," Teacher Fatkh said worriedly, "Now that things have come to this, we must hurry back to the capital. If the Han army catches up..."

"I know!" Prince Bo Diao abruptly interrupted his teacher, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Order the entire army to abandon all baggage and advance lightly!"

"Furthermore, leave a rear guard unit behind and have them carry out a scorched-earth policy to the best of their ability to hinder the Han army's advance!"

Princess Samira hesitated, wanting to say something but ultimately only sighed softly. She knew the torment her brother was going through, but the battle for the throne was imminent, and they had no way out.

So when Su Yao's army caught up, all they saw along the way were scattered supplies and scorched earth left behind by Prince Bo Diao's retreat—villages were burned, wells were poisoned, and even the precious bridges were destroyed.

“This Prince Tiao is ruthless,” Yufuluo spat. “What’s the difference between doing this and setting fire to your own pasture? He’s leaving no way out for his own people.”

Sadhguru explained with a somber expression: "You may not know this, but although Prince Bodiao has a distinguished military record, he has always regarded the northern provinces as barbaric lands. This time, he is in a hurry to return to the capital to seize the throne, so naturally he will not care about the life or death of these 'barbarians'."

This is true.

Having grown up in the rich lands of India to the south, the prince felt no kinship whatsoever with the people of these impoverished northern lands.

Furthermore, the shift from settled to nomadic lifestyles has ironically led them to become even more discriminatory towards their own closely related peoples.

But in any case, Prince Bo's approach did have some effect.

Even with the support of local guides, they still took many detours to solve the water problem.

The only thing to be thankful for is that the Kushans may still retain some nomadic habits.

Despite the rugged mountain ranges in the area, Su Yao and his companions had not encountered a single pass resembling those in Han territory.

So much so that as long as the army found a river, it could go downstream and drive straight in, easily crossing the mountains and entering the rich Tokharistan (Amu Darya) basin.

The iron cavalry rolled forward, and soon the first city came into view.

"The beautiful city of Zhuohanna—one of the three major cities under the rule of the Northern Governor, should have a garrison of about three thousand men."

Sadhguru asked, "Should we go around it, or..."

"The Governor-General of the North? I remember he didn't get along with Prince Botiao?"

Su Yao pondered and said:
"First, send someone to persuade them to surrender. Tell them that we are only pursuing the prince and will not harm the people. As long as they are willing to open the city gates and provide supplies, I can grant them autonomy."

They've already wasted a lot of time on the road, so if possible, Su Yao doesn't plan to fight his way through each city one by one.

So he summoned Guo Jia and Lu Su, and had them write a letter of persuasion to surrender, using diplomacy before resorting to force.

But nothing.

Clearly, the city's commander was not a pragmatic person.

"You traitor, stop insulting me! How dare you call a mere Han dog a god? You have no shame!"

On the city wall, the defending general, Shamai, tore the letter urging surrender to shreds and then cut off the messenger's nose.

"Go back and tell that damned Tang King, if he has the guts, come and attack the city! I want to see if he's really as powerful as the rumors say!"

And then his fate was already sealed.

The envoy represented the face of the empire.

If you disagree, fine, but to actually humiliate and harm the envoy, then Su Yao will naturally retaliate resolutely.

Seeing the envoy flee back to camp with his face covered in blood, Su Yao, unusually enraged, didn't even wait for nightfall. He grabbed his Mo Dao and charged out, heading straight for the city wall alone.

"what?"

"Has that Han general gone mad?"

The soldiers guarding the city wall were completely bewildered.

Su Yao had taken a detour here, and they had no idea about the specific situation at the front. When they saw Su Yao rushing in alone, they were still completely confused when Su Yao suddenly leaped onto the city wall.

"what?!"

"Enemy attack! Enemy!"

The warning shouts abruptly stopped, and Su Yao raised his knife and slashed down, beheading the soldier who had shouted them.

"Monster! Monster!"

The soldiers guarding the city wall screamed in terror and raised their weapons to attack Su Yao.

However, Su Yao was like a tiger among sheep, his Mo Dao unstoppable, stirring up waves of bloodshed.

"Just one person?!"

"How could this be?"

The garrison commander, Shamai, arrived late. When he saw what was happening before him, he panicked completely and shrank back behind his guards, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Shoot the arrows! Shoot him dead!"

With no chance of close combat, they turned to long-range fire support.

Soon, a hail of arrows came flying in, trying to turn the reckless brute into a pincushion.

However, Su Yao simply waved his hand twice, and the Mo Dao, accompanied by a whooshing sound, stirred up a storm of sword energy.

In the midst of the storm, the incoming arrows were all swept away, and none of them could get close to him.

"That's it?" Su Yao sneered, rushing towards the location of the guard general Sha Mai in the instant everyone was stunned.

"no, do not want!"

"Stop him! Stop him now!" The garrison commander, Shamai, turned pale and retreated repeatedly.

The dozen or so loyal guards immediately raised their shields and stepped forward, forming a solid human wall to protect their commander tightly behind them.

Not far away, more and more soldiers were swarming in, eager to launch a desperate attack.

Su Yao merely smiled contemptuously, his broadsword sweeping across, shattering shields and sending blood and flesh flying.

After the chilling glint of the blade, only the garrison commander Shamai remained, kneeling on the ground, his legs weak and trembling.

"Spare me, spare my life!"

The garrison commander, Shamai, had lost all his previous arrogance; his legs trembled, and fluids flowed freely from his crotch.

"I was blind and ignorant. Gods, please have mercy on me."

"If you spare my life, you can take all the gold and silver treasures in the city. And if you want to know anything, I will tell you everything I know!"

Su Yao coldly stared at the arrogant and obsequious general, his longsword pressed against his throat: "Now you know fear? Where were you before?"

After saying that, Su Yao didn't waste any more words with him.

A flash of light, and Shamai's head flew high into the air, a jet of blood gushing out.

Amidst splattering blood, Su Yao carried Sha Mai's head slowly out of the city wall and held it high above his head:
"Open the city gates! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Those who disobey will be punished with this!"

Upon seeing this, the soldiers guarding the city wall were terrified and dropped their weapons, kneeling down to surrender.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Han army below the city had only just finished mobilizing and had not yet reached the city gate.
(End of this chapter)