I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1128 Attacking from All Sides
After a brief rest at Yumen Pass and replenishing Griffin's food and water (mainly a large amount of fresh meat), Su Yao did not linger and set off again.

Beyond the Jade Gate Pass lay the vast Gobi Desert and snow-capped mountains. Su Yao and Griffin were already very familiar with this route. They followed the Silk Road, passing through Dunhuang, Loulan, Kucha, and Shule... Each descent caused a sensation and prostrations in the towns below.

The further west you go, the stronger the atmosphere of war becomes.

Along the way, one could see troop formations and supply trains marching westward everywhere, their banners fluttering and their weapons like a forest. The red flags of the Han army intertwined with those of the surrendered Qiang, Xiongnu, Wusun, and other tribes, forming a large and diverse force.

Griffin flew very fast, quickly overtaking the reinforcements led by Lü Bu and Zhang He. Su Yao didn't expect these people to participate in the upcoming battle in Parthia, but had other plans for them.

The Indian subcontinent—that's the target of this second wave of troops.

After crossing the Pamir Mountains, they will head south to join forces with the Kushan army to subjugate the rebellious vassals on the Indian subcontinent. Their first step will be to seize the rich Ganges River basin, laying a solid foundation for the Han Dynasty to establish itself in India.

Su Yao himself rode in a Griffin, taking Safia to the Kushan Empire first. After a long separation, he reunited with Samira and enjoyed two days of family reunion. After giving some instructions and arranging the follow-up work between the Kushan Empire and the Han army, he returned to Nisa, the ancient capital of Parthia.

This time, due to the level improvement of Su Yao and Safia, Griffin's speed was even faster. The last trip took 24 days, and this time, not counting the two days in the Kushan capital, it only took 16 days.

The atmosphere on the streets of Nisa, which had been somewhat somber due to the tension of the war, instantly erupted when the golden figure in the sky was seen.

The soldiers guarding the city were the first to drop their spears and halberds, kneeling down and shouting "Holy Lord!" The news spread like wildfire. Merchants abandoned their stalls, craftsmen put down their tools, and women and children ran out of their houses. Dense crowds gathered on both sides of the road, bowing in the direction where Griffin had landed. Dust rose with the movements of countless people, but it could not conceal the fanaticism and awe in their eyes.

Su Yao piloted the Griffin, landing steadily on the square of the former Parthian Palace.

After several months, the old palace has been renovated by the Han army. The damaged palace walls have been reinforced, and the blood-stained stone slabs have been cleaned and replaced. It can now be seen that it has regained some of its former majesty.

Without keeping Su Yao waiting, Zhang Liao, Lu Su, An Moti, and others hurriedly arrived to pay their respects shortly afterward.

"This humble general (your subject) respectfully welcomes Your Majesty and the Queen's return!"

Su Yao leaped down from the griffin and gestured for support, saying, "Gentlemen, no need for formalities. The East has been quite busy lately, and I have only just finished. How is the Parthian War going? And how is the Queen (Amina) doing?"

As soon as Su Yao finished speaking, Amina, the principal wife of Parthia, walked over with her nearly five-month pregnant belly supported by her maid.

"Holy Lord! You've finally returned!"

Amina first glanced at Safia's slightly protruding belly, offered her congratulations, and then immediately reported Su Yao's recent condition:
"With Your Majesty's return, half the weight has been lifted from my heart. If you hadn't returned soon, the situation on the front lines might have truly changed." As Su Yao and the others had predicted, the newly enthroned Parthian King VI naturally wouldn't wait for them to attack. Instead, he used the winter truce as an opportunity to amass a powerful armed force.

"They joined forces with several powerful nobles in the former Persian lands and won over the Scythian tribes along the Caspian Sea who were not loyal to us. They gathered nearly 100,000 troops, stationed them at Bailaomen, and repeatedly sent troops to harass our supply lines. They even boasted that they would 'drive out the Han traitors and restore the glory of Parthia.'"

"If General Zhang Liao had not been prepared, and if General Zhao Yun and General Bahram had not personally led a large army to intercept them, they would have almost all fought their way out of the mountains and arrived at the city of Nisa."

At this point, Amina's tone became more indignant: "What's even more hateful is that, knowing you were not in Nisa, those people sent many spies from who-knows-where to spread rumors everywhere, causing many small states and tribes that had submitted to them to be uneasy, fearing the false king's growing power and wavering between two sides. Not only are their tributes delayed, but some people are even secretly tipping them off. It's truly hateful."

"Oh? So how did you handle it?" Su Yao asked calmly.

Although Amina made it sound very serious, Su Yao's nonchalant sightseeing in the Central Plains was naturally due to his general understanding of the situation here through the system map.

The front lines do not lie. Now, several months later, the Parthian front is even closer than when he left. Not only have they captured the Kopet Dag Mountains, but they have also pushed all the way to the Salt Flats of Kavir, taking almost half of Persia. Their army is now pressing against Ecbatana—later known as Hamadan, the capital of the ancient Median Kingdom and one of the many capitals of the Ahmenid Dynasty.

Amina saw that Su Yao remained unfazed, and instead revealed a knowing smile:
"Thanks to General Wen Yuan's skillful command and the proper execution by Generals Zilong and Bahram—General Wen Yuan, stationed in the rear, used the 'collective punishment' system to restrain the various tribes that had submitted to him. Anyone found to be colluding with the false king would have their entire clan relocated from their homeland and forced into military service; while General Zilong personally led light cavalry, together with General Bahram and Yufuluo Chanyu, and fought a brilliant battle, annihilating more than 30,000 enemy troops and inflicting a great defeat on the enemy army."

Amina recounted the events of the battle to Su Yao in detail.

That happened two months ago, just at the beginning of spring.

King Parthia VI, who succeeded to the throne in a time of crisis, first mobilized over 20,000 infantry and nearly 60,000 cavalry from within the country, along with over 20,000 cavalry from various Scythian tribes, and stationed them at Bailaomen to observe the situation. Upon learning of Su Yao's absence, they immediately launched a grand campaign to reclaim lost territory.

At that time, since Parthia still controlled most of the Kopetd Mountains defense line, their cavalry quickly went out to carry out harassment and annihilation missions.

At this time, the Han army was severely divided and suffered from insufficient manpower. The elite Bingliang cavalry of the Han army expanded with Ma Chao around the Caspian Sea in the north, while the mixed elite forces of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei operated along the Persian Gulf in the south. Around Nisa in the central region, only the elite Red Cloud Cavalry brought by Su Yao, some nomadic servant cavalry, and the Parthian Green Standard Army led by Bahram were at a significant disadvantage in local battles.

This was naturally not a problem when Su Yao led the team in the middle lane. His Majesty the Holy Lord, who was invincible in every battle, could be worth a million soldiers by himself. No matter how many people came to attack, he could push them all the way through.

However, after Su Yao's departure, the false emperor of Parthia, with the support of his treacherous minister, made full use of the Han army's division of forces and launched a full-scale attack on the direction of Nisa. He used a large number of cavalry to carry out multiple harassment missions, preventing the Han army from concentrating its forces and forcing them to deal with the situation at a breakneck pace. This once earned him considerable prestige and shook the entire eastern territory of Parthia.

However, the false king and his advisors clearly underestimated Zhang Liao's steadiness and Zhao Yun's sharpness, and even more so, they underestimated the veteran general Bahram's familiarity with Parthian tactics.

Soon, they paid a bloody price after the Han army adjusted its tactics.
(End of this chapter)