I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1018 Anxi Makes His Move, Prince Ambushed (5K)

The prince probably won't be dealt with so easily?

Guo Jia's words suddenly reminded Su Yao of Miss Dina's divine oracle.

This stirred a very subtle feeling within him.

To be honest, he did consider personally taking action, making a long run into the area, and resolving the problem directly to avoid any unforeseen complications.

However, compared to chasing the prince, the matter at hand is clearly more important.

"No matter what, the things we need to do remain the same."

Su Yao paused, then shook his head and said:
"Notify the rear guard to assemble here as soon as possible. As long as we gain a foothold here, the Kushan Empire will be a ripe fruit within our grasp."

Guo Jia immediately nodded in agreement.

Upon arriving here, they quickly discovered that the Tokharistan Basin was an excellent base for advancing.

This area is rich in water and grass, with vast pastures where they can water their horses freely. The land on the north bank of the Amu Darya River also has a well-developed water system, which can be used for farming and stationing troops.

This was an excellent place for the army that had come all the way from the Western Regions and was always burdened with the heavy pressure of supplying supplies.

The only concern is that this place is far from the Central Plains, the language is different, and the culture and religion are very different from those in Han areas, making it difficult to manage.

Therefore, after capturing Kapisa City, Su Yao did not venture any further.

Compared to his civil and military officials who heavily relied on the very few Sogdian translators, Su Yao was the only one who could communicate with the locals without any barriers.

He must stay here to stabilize this vast land that has just been conquered, guide the rear army, and then cultivate new pro-Han forces.

Guo Jia nodded in agreement: "Your Highness is wise. At present, all the major cities in Kushania Province are under my control, and the leaders of the surrounding tribes are flocking to Kapisa City to pay homage."

"With His Highness personally overseeing things, and with the help of the temple priests, those opportunists won't be able to cause any trouble, and local order will be restored soon."

Zhang Liao added, "General Guan Yu has led the main force to Pengjikent and is currently handling the replenishment of supplies and provisions. Once the army is fully assembled, our army will be invincible."

"in addition."

Lu Su, who had been busy copying with his head down, suddenly looked up and added:
"Perhaps we should also pay attention to the Parthians in the west."

"According to the confession of the former provincial governor Huvishka, the reason he was able to act lawlessly in this area was because of the long-standing confrontation between the Kushans and Parthians to the west. Now that the internal strife in the Kushans has intensified, we should be wary of any moves by the Parthians."

"Parthians?"

Su Yao closed his eyes slightly, smiled, and said:

"It's alright, as long as we act quickly enough, they won't have time to react."

"However, it doesn't matter even if they come, I'll be looking for them sooner or later anyway."

August of the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era.

The Parthian Empire, with its capital Ctesiphon.

During the empire's routine council of nobles, the King of Kings, Vologasis V, who had been dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes:
"oh???"

"You're saying those lowly Kushans and the Qin people from the east are fighting?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The speaker was Shapur, the king's court secretary:

"According to news from merchants and the border, the long-lost Qin people have risen again, and their army has now crossed the yellow sands to compete with the Kushans for control of the Kangju and Dayuan kingdoms."

"Judging from the timeline, they've probably already started fighting over there."

"Okay!"

Vologasis V abruptly sat up from his throne, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Vologasis V has only been on the throne for three years, and he has already faced challenges from the Persian tyrants within the country.

To this end, he once dispatched 20,000 cavalry to the east to quell the Persian rebellion, but many factions within the country remained dissatisfied, and some even questioned his legitimacy, accusing him of murdering his father to seize power.
Although the King of Kings scoffed at these rumors, he was well aware that he could not let them spread and had to do something to prove his rule.

Nothing wins hearts and minds more than glorious military achievements.

He didn't know the strength of the Qin people in the east, but he knew the Kushan people next door very well.

Those nomadic bastards bullied the weak and feared the strong, always taking advantage of his internal instability or when he was at war with the Romans to plunder.

If their lands weren't so worthless and if the nobles within the country hadn't opposed the expedition, they would have been wiped out a hundred times over.
But who would have thought?
Those poor bastards who were once looked down upon suddenly became rich and powerful after seizing the land of India and the rich and beautiful, and became their biggest threat, repeatedly burning and killing on the border.

As a result, in recent decades, wars against the Kushans have become increasingly easier to gain support.

If he could take advantage of the Qin people's war with them to get a good bite out of them, even if he didn't get a lot of meat, at least he could seize some advantageous territory on the border, which would greatly help his prestige.

He originally intended to swing the knife at the Romans.

After all, the old grudge of the Romans burning Ctesiphon was still fresh in everyone's minds.

Ultimately, however, the Romans were still quite powerful, and it would be even better if they could pick up any remaining enemies in the east.

Therefore, after confirming from various sources that a major battle was inevitable between the Kushans and the Qin people, Vologasis V excitedly ordered the mobilization of 5,000 cavalry from the central army and 20,000 infantry from the eastern Persian provinces to form the imperial vanguard, which was to immediately march on the Kushans and join this grand event.

At the same time, he also decided to send several teams of envoys in the hope of bypassing the blockade of the war zone, contacting the Qin people, and launching a joint attack from the east and west.

As for the contents of the covenant, they are very simple and straightforward.

Vologasis V waved his hand triumphantly:
"After the Kushan Empire is destroyed, the two countries will use the Hindu Kush Mountains as the border. The land north of the mountains will belong to Qin, while the land south of the mountains will belong to Parthia!"

The King of Kings' decision immediately caused an uproar in the Council of Nobles.

"Your Majesty is truly generous!"

“This land south of the mountains is all fertile land.”

"If we can acquire all the land south of the mountains, the strength of our Parthian Empire will more than double, and the Romans will no longer be a match for us."

The land south of the mountains naturally contains the essence of the Kushan Empire, including the Ganges River basin in India.

The Kushan Empire was only qualified to challenge them and compete for the title of King of Kings because it had access to Indian territory.

"But would the Qin people easily agree to these conditions?"

Some questions were raised.

Others aren't stupid either; do they think they can let them get all the good things?
Moreover, the Kushan Empire is now a large and powerful empire; it's not so easy to destroy it.

"Haha, that's just an excuse and a pretext!"

The Fifth Emperor laughed and explained:
"The Qin people travel long distances across the mountains and deserts. At most, they can only come here to take advantage of the situation. They can't possibly gain a foothold here. They probably don't even know what the land south of the mountains looks like."

"What I need is to make these Qin people bleed for us as much as possible, to wipe out the Kushans' fighting force, and to fight them to the death."

"Then, as long as we act quickly and seize the opportunity to send troops to occupy the key mountain locations, what can the Qin people do to us then?"

A cunning glint flashed in Vologasis V's eyes; he had already calculated everything:
"After our army occupies Gandhara, we'll give them some treasures and beautiful women, and send an envoy to flatter them. What other choice do they have but to obediently withdraw their troops?"

The ministers agreed.

Ahura is above.

The Qin people? The last time I dealt with them was over a hundred years ago.

At that time, there was a Qin envoy named Gan Ying who wanted to pass through their territory on his way to Rome.

It has to be said that the naiveté of the Qin people is truly hilarious. Anyone with half a brain would know that unless they were completely out of their mind, they would never have allowed these two powerful eastern nations to unite.

So they sent someone to give them a good talking-to, and finally managed to get the person to leave.

This time, the Qin people have sent troops here for the first time ever. Isn't it precisely to show their might in foreign lands and to bring honor to their king?

Then they can just fool them a bit, give them some money and beautiful women, and send them some exotic treasures and wild beasts. Once they've made up their faces, those people will naturally be satisfied and leave.

Then, when we see the Han army crossing the desert and Pamir Mountains again, it will probably be at least another hundred years before a great Qin ruler emerges.

After all, that's the beauty of distance.

Seeing that none of his ministers objected, Vologasis V immediately made the decision:
"Issue my order: immediately mobilize the armies of the eastern provinces and prepare for the eastern expedition! In addition, send envoys in two groups—one to the Kushan capital under the pretense of mediation, but in reality to investigate the situation; the other to detour to the north and find the Qin commander to convey my Parthian 'goodwill'!"

The nobles readily accepted the order and departed, and the entire city of Ctesiphon was abuzz with excitement because of it.

Inside and outside the palace, messengers were on horseback at breakneck speed, and troops were frequently mobilized, all fully engaged in this conspiracy and war against their arch-enemy.

Meanwhile, the northern governor in charge of defending Parthia devoted almost all his energy to the siege of Prince Botiao.

"Your Excellency, can we be sure this Han Chinese's information is accurate? What if we come up empty-handed?"

Near the Bamiyan Valley, the army of the northern governor, Moroko, was making a difficult march along the rugged mountain roads. The lieutenant wiped the sweat from his brow and asked with concern.

Moroko, mounted on his warhorse, had a solemn expression, his gaze sweeping across the valley ahead like that of a hawk:
“I don’t understand theological matters, but those Han Chinese chased the prince all the way and even beheaded a fierce general like Bahar, so they must have some skills.”

"Now that we have this lead, we absolutely cannot let it slip by!"

Moroko squinted, looking at the rolling mountains:
"Send more scouts to search the valley; don't let a single bird escape!" "If the prince is in the mountains, then this will surely be his death trap!"

The Bamiyan Valley was swept by a biting night wind.

Prince Bo Diao wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and looked at his exhausted soldiers by the campfire, his heart filled with bitterness.

"Your Highness, please have some hot soup," said Teacher Fatheh, his voice hoarse as he brought over a bowl of meat soup.

Bo Diao took the soup bowl, but had no appetite: "Teacher, how many of us are left?"

Fatkh sighed, "We have less than 20,000 men, and our supplies are almost exhausted. We've also lost more than half of our warhorses. We must leave here immediately and head back to Gandhara."

Bo Diao clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.

Once upon a time, he led an army of 100,000 men on a northward expedition against Kangju, full of vigor and ambition. Now, however, he is like a stray dog, barely clinging to life in this desolate wilderness.

"Those hateful Han Chinese!"

"That hateful Governor-General of the North!"

Prince Bodiao knew very well that everything was because of the Han general's joining the party.

He swept through his army like a whirlwind, first against General Iron Wall Suren, and then against his close friend General Bahar.
His trusted lieutenants, who had distinguished themselves in numerous battles, were all eliminated, and his once-proud army was no match for them.

That would have been bad enough, but the hateful Governor-General of the North, disregarding the national crisis, insisted on making trouble for him.

The road home was full of thorns.

He had clashed with the troops guarding the mountain several times along the way, and had no choice but to lead his remaining soldiers to hide in this Bamiyan Valley, hoping that these two damned bastards would fight each other so that he could slip away in the chaos.

But fate did not seem to be on his side.

Time passed day by day. He sent Amir out of the mountains many times to scout ahead, but the Han Chinese continued their rapid advance, while the governor of the north remained unmoved.
"No, I can't wait any longer!"

Prince Bo slapped his thigh and made a decision:
"We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning, head straight for the Khyber Pass, and force our way through!"

"We must return to the capital no matter what!"

And so, early the next morning, Prince Bo Diao's army quietly assembled in the morning mist.

More than 10,000 remnants of the army dragged their weary bodies, their warhorses emaciated, yet they still maintained the last vestiges of discipline of the Kushan elite.

However, facing such a loyal army, Prince Bo Diao's heart was shrouded in gloom.

"Where is Amir? I haven't seen him." the prince asked his teacher.

Teacher Fatkh's expression was grave: "Your Highness, Amir went out to scout last night and hasn't returned yet. Perhaps he's discovered something."

What's going on? What's going on?
At this point, it's probably not good news.

Prince Bo's heart pounded.

He glanced instinctively at his sister, who was clutching her cloak tightly to the side.

"Everything will be alright."

Samira whispered, "The oracle says you will become king, and Miss Dina's oracle cannot be false."

"hope so."

Prince Bo Diao took a deep breath and gave the order:

"No more waiting, let's set off, heading east. Everyone, prepare for battle!"

At the prince's command, the horns of departure sounded in the valley.

And then, suddenly...
boom!
A loud explosion came from afar, startling the prince's entire army!
"How could this be?"

"Could it be the Han army arriving???"

"No way, aren't they still outside the mountains?"

Panic is spreading.

The prince, riding his warhorse, was about to boost morale.

What happened next broke the soldiers' hearts even more.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Get ready! Something terrible has happened!" the sentry at the front of the column shouted in terror. "The Governor-General of the North is here!"

In the morning mist, countless banners fluttered as the Northern Governor's army surged in from all directions like a tide, instantly surrounding the valley.

"Hahaha! You little brat, you've finally met your match!"

Moroko rode his horse to a high place and laughed loudly:

"Today is your death day!"

Prince Bodhi's face turned deathly pale. He looked around and found that his retreat was completely blocked. To his utter despair, Amir's bloodied head lay prominently displayed before the enemy lines.
"Moroko! You shameless bastard!"

Teacher Fatcher shouted through gritted teeth:

"You, the dignified Governor-General of the Northern Empire, have actually colluded with the Han people and harmed your own kin!"

Moroko sneered, a cruel glint in his eyes: "Fellow clansmen? You southern bastards dare to call yourselves fellow clansmen? Today, I, the governor, will cleanse the Kushan clan!"

Prince Bo Diao gripped his longsword tightly, his eyes burning with fury: "Moroko, do you think this will stop me? Even if I, Bo Diao, am left with only one soldier, I will fight my way out!"

"Your Highness!" Princess Samira gripped her brother's arm tightly, her eyes filled with terror. "Miss Dina's oracle said you would return to the capital safely!"

Prince Bo Diao took a deep breath and whispered to his sister, "Samira, I will have my guards escort you to break through the encirclement later. You must return alive!"

"No! I won't leave!" Samira shook her head stubbornly. "I want to stay with my brother!"

Just then, Morok's army pressed forward, the war drums thundering across the land. Prince Bodiao drew his longsword and shouted, "All troops, heed my command! Today, only by fighting to the death can we survive! Follow me and fight our way out!"

"Kill—!" The remnants of the Kushan army roared in their final fury as they charged toward the northern governor's army.

The battle erupted instantly, with swords flashing and blood and flesh flying everywhere in the valley.

Prince Bo Diao led the charge, and with a wave of his longsword, several enemy soldiers fell to the ground.

It must be said that although Moroko shouted fiercely, the difference in troop strength between the two sides on the battlefield was actually quite even.

Although he had a slight advantage in terrain and initiative, he was unable to defeat Prince Bo Diao's battle-hardened army for the time being.

"Moroko—is that all you've got?!"

Prince Bo Diao's eyes were bloodshot, his battle robe stained with blood, yet he fought with ever greater ferocity.

After this encounter, he had discovered that Moroko was all bark and no bite.

What elite troops could this corrupt governor possibly have under his command? They were no match for his brave warriors.

Therefore, Prince Bodiao quickly changed his strategy. Instead of simply defending, he led his personal cavalry in a proactive attack, thrusting straight into Morok's central command flag like a sharp knife.

Their warhorses galloped, their battle roars shook the heavens.

Where the blade passed and the horses trod, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The prince's personal guards fought with their lives and managed to tear a gap in the northern governor's army.

"not good!"

"So strong!"

"Is this the Prince of Waves?!"

Moroko's soldiers suffered repeated defeats, and some even turned and fled before they could withstand the pressure.

"Moroko! Today I will take your dog's head!"

Prince Bo Diao roared, his longsword pointing directly at the purple-gold banner on the high slope. He single-handedly used his blood and courage to break the deadlock and try to end the battle directly.

But
"Hmph! You ignorant fool, do you think this governor only has these tricks up his sleeve?" Moroko laughed loudly.

"What did you say?!"

Although the prince was some distance away and couldn't hear his words clearly, he could still sense Morok's contempt.

Why don't you turn around and take a look at what this is?

With those words, Moroko sneered and suddenly waved his command flag.

Immediately, countless crimson battle flags were erected on both sides of the valley, with crooked square patterns embroidered on them.

This scene immediately threw the morale of the Polish troops into chaos during the fierce battle.

(End of this chapter)