I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1051 I'll Agree to Anything

Two days later, at dawn.

Just as Su Yao's army was preparing to launch their final attack, Anmoti rushed over and presented the Parthian king's handwritten surrender document.

In the letter of surrender, Parthian King Vologasis V not only agreed to all the conditions proposed by Su Yao, but also made an additional promise to pay tribute to the Han Dynasty with treasures and warhorses every year, and proposed to marry a princess of the Han Dynasty, as well as to send a princess to the Han Dynasty for a marriage alliance.

“Your Highness, His Majesty sincerely seeks peace. We hope you will be magnanimous and accept this sincerity.” Anmoti knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

“Is that right?”

Su Yao asked in surprise, "Isn't the griffin a divine beast of peace? Your Majesty is even willing to part with this?"

Anmoti gave a wry smile: "His Majesty said that the beast is wild and untamed, and keeping it by his side would only bring trouble. It would be better to give it to the Emperor of Han for his amusement."

The generals in the tent exchanged bewildered glances, all finding the matter suspicious. Zhang Liao whispered, "General, something unusual must be going on. Be careful, it might be a trap."

Su Yao closed his eyes, accessed the system map, and after a moment of contemplation, asked, "Anmoti, where is your Northern Route Army now?"

Anmoti's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "General Mihran is still confronting your army in Khwarezm."

wrong!

Although Su Yao did not receive battle reports from Ma Chao and others of the Northern Route Army due to the distance, he could still tell from the map he had been paying attention to in his spare time these past few days that Ma Chao and his men had initially won but then lost, and were forced back to the north bank of the Amu Darya River by the Parthian army. To be honest, the situation was not very optimistic.

This was also one of the reasons why he was certain that the Parthian king would not easily accept the conditions.

—It's not like all three armies were defeated at the same time and were driven to our doorstep. Why would we surrender so easily?
Now, the Parthian king has taken the initiative to seek peace and has so readily agreed to all the conditions, including offering up a divine creature like a griffin, which is truly unusual.

"Anmoti," Su Yao suddenly shouted sternly, "Do you know the consequences of deceiving me?"

Anmoti trembled, but feigned composure: "Your Highness is wise, I have not uttered a single falsehood!"

"Okay, then!"

Su Yao snorted coldly: "Since you are willing to surrender, then this afternoon, I would like Your Majesty to personally lead the griffins out of the city to surrender."

"Once I confirm that everything is correct, I will guarantee his safe return to your Ctesiphon."

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Anmoti's forehead as he forced a smile and said, "Your Highness is wise. Surrendering from the city is no problem. But the griffins... I'm afraid..."

Su Yao narrowed his eyes: "What's wrong with the griffin?"

Anmoti took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "The griffin is our tribe's sacred beast, a creation of mythology, and does not actually exist."

"My king is merely using griffins to rally the army and intimidate the enemy."

An uproar instantly erupted inside the tent.

"what?!"

"The griffin is fake?!"

"Yes."

Anmoti explained carefully.

According to him, the so-called griffin was just a larger lion, which is why the Parthian king was disheartened after the defeat of the central army and decided to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

It must be said that this explanation was quite convincing, especially if Su Yao was unaware of the changes in the northern war situation and Dina's divine oracle.
However, Su Yao did not directly expose his lie.

"Interesting, interesting."

Su Yao laughed and said, "Alright, since that's the case, then please, Your Majesty, quickly open the city gates and surrender, so that I may take over Mulu."

"How to do how to do?"

"What should we do now?" In Mulu City, the officials left behind were filled with anxiety.

"It seems we really can't hold out any longer this time."

When Anmoti returned to Mulu, the once magnificent Central Asian city was shrouded in gloom and despair, showing no sign of joy or solemnity.

"The king of the Han army has accepted our terms."

Anmoti said to the officials, "But he demands that His Majesty personally come out of the city to surrender."

"But His Majesty is still in the north!" The Finance Minister slammed his fist on the table.

It turns out that Anmoti's willingness to agree to the conditions was not due to any decree from the Parthian king, but rather a result of their own improvisation.

At this moment, the Parthian king was still fighting a major battle in Khwarezm in the north, and the city of Merv was almost empty. How could he possibly withstand the overwhelming Han army outside?

"First, find someone to impersonate His Majesty and discuss the details of surrender with them. We can stall for as long as possible."

The speaker was none other than Bahram, who had escaped back a few days earlier.

He knew Su Yao's formidable military strength; with only a few thousand defeated soldiers in Mulu City, there was no way they could withstand the Han army's attack.

Therefore, he decided to use delaying tactics, feigning surrender to buy time for the Parthian army in the north.

"Impersonating the king is a capital offense."

Anmoti was horrified: "We were already guilty of a serious crime for acting on our own initiative. If we were to impersonate the king, not only would we be investigated afterward, but the consequences would be unimaginable if the Han army discovered our deception."

Bahram sneered: "Do you think we have a choice? You've seen the battle reports from the north. His Majesty just used griffins to defeat the Han army's northern route and won a great victory. If the Han army breaks through Mulu now and marches north, the consequences will be truly unimaginable!"

Anmoti fell silent immediately.

He cursed inwardly, "Isn't this situation all caused by Bahram?"

However, the two were of vastly different social standing. The former was merely a minor nobleman who had come here through hard work and a bit of luck. How could he dare to speak loudly in front of the Suren family?

Suren, that's right. Bahram and the vizier Suren are from the same clan, the head of the seven great families of Parthia, and their family has always presided over the coronation ceremony of the new king.

However, not opposing it does not mean that everyone will approve of the plan.

When the Fifth King was absent, Shapur, the court secretary in charge of managing the affairs of Mullah, said after a moment of silence:

“Lord Bahram is right. The most urgent thing now is to buy time. However, impersonating His Majesty is too risky. If something goes wrong, we will have no room for maneuver. In my opinion, it would be better to do this.”

Shapur turned to Anmoti: "Anmoti, go see the Great Qin King again and tell him that our king is the king of all kings in this place. Even if he submits to the Han Kingdom, he should not be neglected in terms of proper etiquette."

"Therefore, we need three days to build a high platform, prepare tribute, and explain the situation to the officials and subjects. This will make it seem more solemn, and they won't find fault with the time it takes."

“Lord Shapur is wise, but three days is still too short. We should at least try to get seven days!” the Chancellor of the Exchequer suggested.

Shapur shook his head: "Seven days is too obvious, three days is just right. Moreover—" he lowered his voice, "I have already sent a fast horse north, and if we consider the time, three days is enough for His Majesty to receive the message and make a decision."

"As for us, we must also hurry up and prepare for our escape route, lest the Han soldiers realize they've been tricked and act desperately."

Anmoti felt a chill run down his spine and stammered, "Well, the King of Han is shrewd but has little patience. If we keep making excuses, I'm afraid he won't listen."

"Then give him more incentives!"

Bahram said sternly, "Open the treasury and send a batch of treasures and grain to the army! Then select a few noble girls to serve you in bed."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer also said, "I heard they've plundered many women along the way to supply their soldiers. Why don't we do the same? We can select eight hundred women and send them to the troops this afternoon to provide entertainment. Let them expend their energy on those women's bellies first; perhaps then they won't be in such a hurry to attack the city."

(End of this chapter)