I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1062 A Vicious Scheme

Shortly after, in the main hall of the Governor's Mansion.

"What? You want me to forge letters for you, Your Majesty? Don't even think about it!"

The palace secretary, Shapur, knelt on the ground, her face flushed with anger.

Su Yao's plan was actually very simple: you want to stall for time, right? Well, I'll do as you wish.

Using the identities and seals of Shapur and others, they created the illusion that the Han army had fallen into a trap and was already stranded at the gates of Merv, in order to lure the Parthian army into a siege and attack the reinforcements.

Of course, the key to this plan is not to reveal too much of their strength, while at the same time making the Parthian king believe that Mulu City is still safe.

Therefore, Su Yao went to great lengths to persuade Anmoti to surrender, trapping Mulu City like a turtle in a jar, and preventing news of the city's fall from leaking out.

Next, they needed the cooperation of these surrendered officials to create a false sense of urgency, making the Parthian king believe that the city of Merv was in imminent danger, but was still under his control.

As for why they did this instead of just charging straight in, it was naturally to lay a foolproof trap.
The target, of course, isn't that damned Parthian king. Does he even deserve it? He doesn't!

King Anxi was nothing but a nobody; the real treasure was the griffin—a precious creature that could "advance" him to become a griffin knight and allow him to soar through the skies.

After confirming the existence of the griffin, and especially after seeing the breeding records, Su Yao couldn't wait to add it to his collection.

He's not afraid of any trouble as long as he can achieve this goal.

"Your Excellency Shapur, a wise man submits to circumstances."

Suppressing his excitement and eagerness, Su Yao slowly walked to Shapur and said in a slightly gentle tone:

"Now that the city of Mulu is in my hands, the Parthian king's escape route has been cut off, and his defeat is inevitable. If you are willing to cooperate, you can not only save your life, but also continue to enjoy wealth and honor in the future."

Shapur scoffed, "What if I say no?"

"That's no problem."

Su Yao chuckled and said, "If you're not willing to do it, there are plenty of people willing to do it for you."

"Yeah!"

Beside Shapur, Denam hurriedly answered, kowtowing repeatedly: "Shapur is ungrateful, I am willing to do it for you!"

"I am the Minister of Finance, and I also have the right to report to His Majesty. If Your Majesty tells me to write 'East,' I promise I won't write 'West.'"

"You! You traitor, you rebel, you coward!"

Shapur was so angry that he started cursing.

Denham wiped the cold sweat from his brow and chuckled awkwardly, "Lord Shapur, discretion is the better part of valor. Didn't you see those people outside?"

Denham glanced slightly towards the door. Just before they came in, a group of officials and generals had been executed outside the governor's mansion, their heads still bloody and hanging on poles.

In contrast to the Han people's tolerance towards the city's residents, they were ruthless in dealing with their own officials.

Those people merely expressed some thoughts of resistance and refused to cooperate with the Han army's demands, yet they met a tragic end, their heads being used as a sacrifice to the flag, which drew cheers from the people of the city.

Denham had no doubt that the reason these men were still kneeling there unharmed was because they still had value; otherwise, they would have been...
Denham didn't want to be with those people outside.

"So what if I die?!"

Shapur snorted coldly:
"Don't forget, your family and businesses are all in Taisi City."

"If Your Majesty betrays us, they will all die because of you!"

Denham's face turned deathly pale instantly, his lips trembling as he couldn't utter a word. Although he was afraid of death, he was also well aware of the Parthian king's cruelty—under his iron-fisted rule, no relative of a traitor had ever escaped.

Seeing Denham waver, Shapur's face lit up with a smug look, and he turned to Su Yao and said:
"Don't expect this good-for-nothing to help you."

“I am the court secretary, His Majesty’s plenipotentiary representative in Merv.”

"Although he has the authority to submit memorials, without my personal letter, His Majesty will not easily believe his sweet words and will immediately return to the capital to reorganize the army." "Your conspiracy is doomed to fail!"

Still a tough nut to crack.

Su Yao narrowed his eyes slightly. While admiring the eunuch's loyalty, he also felt a bit of trouble.

Just as he was considering how to deal with the secretary, Lu Su, who had been silent all along, spoke up:

"Your Highness, I have a plan that can solve this problem."

"Oh? What plan do you have, Zijing?"

"That's how it is." Lu Su leaned closer and whispered a few words in Su Yao's ear, at which point Su Yao burst into laughter:

"Good good!"

"Zijing's plan is truly brilliant."

The two communicated in Chinese. Shapur was completely confused, vaguely sensing that something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Just as he was wondering if these Han people were about to become enraged and torture him, he saw Su Yao slowly walk over, untie Denham's ropes, and pull him up:
"I've changed my mind."

"Since our palace secretary is so assertive, then I'll grant your request."

“Denham, write a letter to the Parthian king now and tell him that Shapur colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, selling out intelligence, which not only led to the disastrous defeat of Bahram in the central route, but also opened the gates of Merv to surrender, resulting in the fall of the city.”

“Now, Shapur has become a high-ranking official in the Han army. He not only uses his beloved concubine to curry favor with the Han army, but also plans to cooperate with the Han army to set up a scheme to lure him to the city for an ambush. You risk your life to send this letter, asking him to withdraw his troops and return home as soon as possible, lest he fall into the enemy’s trap.”

Su Yao finished speaking in a very fast pace, leaving Denham and Shapur completely dumbfounded. They never expected the plot to reverse so quickly.

Shapur's face turned deathly pale instantly.

If His Majesty truly believes these lies, not only will he be utterly disgraced, but his family members in the country will also suffer the same fate.

Poisonous! What a vicious plan!
How could these barbarians from the East have such a cunning and vicious scheme?!
In an instant, Shapur, disregarding his hands being bound by ropes, arched his head and lunged at Denham, tearing at him:
"Stop right there! His Majesty would never believe such nonsense!"

Denham immediately realized what was happening.

Although he didn't know why the Han army had changed its strategy, once this letter was sent out, as long as the Han army cooperated in the charade, he would become a great hero and buy time for his family to be evacuated.

So, in response to Shapur's outburst, Denham kicked him hard.
"Go away!"

"Serves you right for being so ungrateful!"

"The Holy Lord gave you a chance!"

"Spend the rest of your life regretting it!"

After being kicked away by Denham, Shapur was quickly pinned down by two soldiers, struggling violently but to no avail.

Seeing Denham's smug success, after he had finished writing the accusatory letter in a fawning manner and was about to send it out after the Han Chinese leader had read it, Shapur finally broke down:
"no, do not want!"

"I surrender! I'm willing to cooperate! I'll write whatever you tell me to write! Just don't send this letter out!"

"It would have been better if it had been this way."

Shapur gave in.

Although he was a eunuch, he was not an orphan. On the contrary, precisely because he could not have offspring, he was more loyal to his family and blood ties than others.

Soon, at Su Yao's request, he and Denham each wrote a letter swearing allegiance to the Han army for record-keeping. Then, under orders, they quickly wrote an urgent military intelligence letter, full of emotion, and sent it to the north.

At this time, the Parthian king was still completely unaware of all this, speeding back to the city.

(End of this chapter)