I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1077 Precarious
"Run, run!"

"The demon army is coming! The sacred beasts are coming!"

In the plains southwest of Mulu City, there were scattered troops everywhere.

Without Su Yao or any famous generals needing to intervene, Han cavalry could often chase away armies of hundreds of men with just three or five riders when facing these enemies who had lost their courage and honor.

They are the remnants of the Parthian army led by the current prime minister, who were sent by the Parthian king to besiege Merv.

After suffering a crushing defeat and losing the emperor the day before, these people became like stray dogs, fleeing for their lives.

Although Prime Minister Suren was nominally the commander-in-chief, he had no real control over the troops.

Of course, he didn't just lie down and give up; instead, he tried to gather the remaining troops to restore some organization.

However, when Su Yao appeared behind them riding Griffin, all their efforts had come to naught.

"Monster! Demon! Monster!"

The brave warriors of yesteryear pointed to the sky and cried out in terror:
"He tamed Griffin, is there anything this devil can't do?!"

"Escape! Escape!"

Thus, the Parthian army's morale completely collapsed, and no one could stop them from escaping.

Seeing that things were hopeless, Prime Minister Suren eventually gave up and fled back to his country.

When he finally found the Crown Prince's army, the thousands of defeated soldiers who had accompanied the prime minister were reduced to a mere thirteen guards.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister?"

"What exactly happened at the front? Why are you in such a sorry state?"

Nisa.

Crown Prince Ardaban sat high in the hall, his mind reeling as he looked at the prime minister, who was covered in blood.

Although he was in the rear, he was not unaware of the news from the front.

Bahram's central army suffered a crushing defeat, and the city of Mulu was on the verge of collapse. However, his father, the emperor, was making great strides in the north, using the power of the sacred beast to drive the Han army into a series of defeats.

The last news he received was that the King of Kings had personally led an expedition to relieve the siege of Mulu.

Seeing Prime Minister Suren in such a sorry state, he felt a sense of foreboding.

"Could it be... Father...?"

"Yes."

Prime Minister Suren took a deep breath, his voice hoarse: "Our army has suffered a crushing defeat, and His Majesty has been captured. Please, Crown Prince, make preparations as soon as possible!"

"This...this is it? We've already lost??"

Aldaban's mind went blank. After a long silence, he murmured, "Isn't there a sacred beast? Even if we're defeated, Father shouldn't be unable to return."

"Don't mention that beast!"

Before the prime minister could speak, a general beside him, equally disheveled, flung his sleeves, trembling with rage:

"That guy has been tamed by the Han soldiers, and now he's carrying that Han dog and showing off in the sky!"

"what?!"

A deathly silence fell over the hall, and disbelief filled the faces of everyone present. Crown Prince Ardaban slumped back into his seat, speechless for a long time.

"Your Highness!"

It was Prime Minister Suren who first broke the silence.

Ignoring the blood and exhaustion on his body, he immediately and loudly proposed that the prince lead the army to withdraw immediately and quickly ascend the throne as crown prince.

"Ascension to the throne???"

Ardaban suddenly stood up as if his butt had caught fire:
"Prime Minister, stop talking nonsense! My father is still alive. How could I do such a treasonous thing?"

Ardaban's eyes gleamed as he stared intently into the vizier's eyes.

Prime Minister Suren, a man of great stature, saw the flicker in Ardaban's eyes and knew what the crown prince was thinking—he feared both being branded a "treasoner" and the overwhelming power of that Han traitor, Su Yao. He immediately crawled two steps on his knees, his voice booming:
"Your Highness! Hesitation will only lead to more chaos! His Majesty has been captured, and the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day! If you do not ascend the throne now, the country will surely descend into chaos! Which of those provincial governors who hold sway over their armies, or the covetous Romans, will let this opportunity pass by?"

Seeing that the crown prince was still hesitating, he suddenly slapped his thigh:
"Furthermore, that Han dog Su Yao can even tame sacred beasts and defeat my army of 100,000. Now that he has captured His Majesty, his next step will surely be to annex the entire territory of Parthia! If Your Highness does not ascend the throne as soon as possible to unite the people, are you going to surrender without resistance?"

After the prime minister, the other civil and military officials in the hall finally came to their senses and stepped forward to urge the crown prince to inherit the throne, return to Ctesiphon, and command the world to defend the territory. Thus, amidst the enthusiastic support of the crowd, Ardaban held a hasty coronation ceremony that very day in the palace within the city.

Thanks to the fact that this was the birthplace of the Parthian Empire, the basic ritual objects and the place of coronation in the ancient palace are still well preserved.

Even so, the crown prince was not concerned with any pomp and circumstance at this moment.

There were no elaborate rituals or music, no homage from the masses, only the kneeling of a few dozen officials and generals in the Nisa Palace.

Ardaban was thus crowned on the spot, becoming the new Parthian king, Vologasis VI.

Then, that very night, the army retreated westward and fled back to the heart of Parthia.

Two days later, General Bahadur on the southern front also received news of the disastrous defeat of Merv.

Without any hesitation, the general immediately abandoned his baggage, provisions, and everything else that was difficult to carry, and withdrew overnight, abandoning all the gains he had made in the past few days.

Thus, the Parthian Empire's great invasion ended in a crushing defeat.

Not only were there no more Parthian soldiers left in the Kushan homeland, but the entire Parthian country was also shaken, and its military forces were all deployed to retreat and defend, wary of the terrible threat from the East.

"do you understand?"

"No one can save you; you have been completely abandoned!"

In the dungeon, Anmoti crossed his arms and said coldly:

"Either submit to the glory of His Majesty the Holy Lord, or be buried with your muddle-headed Fifth Emperor."

"Choose your choice—today is your last chance."

"No! I will never surrender!"

Suddenly, a roar came from the cell next door.

Anmoti and Bahram turned around and saw that it was Demius, the former commander of the Imperial Guard.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, angrily tearing the parchment scroll in his hand to shreds: "Fake! It's all fake!"

"Don't even think about deceiving us!"

"The Parthians will never yield!"

While roaring, Demius also cursed Anmoti and Bahram for their betrayal.

Those curses were like poisoned whips, lashing their faces and striking the places they were most ashamed to be seen.

"Stubborn!"

"You're courting death!"

Anmoti didn't have that much patience. He immediately flew into a rage and sent men to drag him out and give him a good beating.

Soon, Demius stopped breathing and began to whimper, becoming a cold corpse.

"Who else wants to follow in his footsteps?"

Anmoti's face turned ashen as he asked in a stern voice.

Under his iron-fisted suppression, the people in prison saw the reality clearly.

When Anmoti ordered the public execution of a stubborn nobleman who was making a lot of noise, the remaining will to resist finally collapsed.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

The first to speak was Mehr, the former Vice Minister of Finance of Parthia. This thin, elderly man tremblingly kowtowed and said, "I am willing to serve the King of Kings with utmost loyalty."

Once the first one appeared, a second one followed, and soon most of the nobles chose to submit, writing pledges of allegiance and a voluntary "donation list" to buy their lives.

Indeed, as diehards, they naturally could not receive the same treatment as those who surrendered early on, and each of them handed over most of their family property.

The remaining die-hard opponents, depending on their performance and official rank, were either executed on the spot or sentenced to exile and placed under house arrest, to be escorted to Luoyang with the Parthian king as prisoners of war.

With this, the last remaining threat to Mulu City was completely eliminated.

With his worries resolved, Su Yao was finally ready to embark on a new journey.

(End of this chapter)