I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1129 Seeking Aid from Rome
Ecbatana, the temporary palace of the Parthian kings.

The furious roar of Vologasis VI, King of Parthia:

"Horse riding!"

"Asshole!!!"

"How could this happen? Didn't they say they were about to take Nisa City?!"

Earlier, while Su Yao was holding a grand ceremony in Luoyang, a major battle in eastern Parthia had just ended, and the continuous stream of tragic battle reports had left the Parthian king in agony.

Happiness left too suddenly; he never imagined that the front lines, which had been reporting frequent victories just a while ago, would collapse in an instant.

His Majesty the Sixth suddenly shuddered: "Could it be that the devil has returned?"

"No, he didn't come back, but that traitor Bahram, he... he knows our tactics too well..."

The newly appointed chief eunuch knelt on the ground, explaining tremblingly:

"Bahram! And that Han general named Zhao Yun! They're like ghosts, always appearing in the most unexpected places and leaving us battered and bruised!"

Even without Su Yao's intervention, the Han army's strength already created a huge generational advantage over the Parthian army.

Whether it's the quality of soldiers' equipment, the application of rudimentary firearms, or even the tactics of cavalry group warfare, it can all be described as a dimensional reduction attack.

Therefore, after they gradually figured out the Parthian army's tactics, Zhang Liao, Lu Su, and others quickly devised a meticulous tactic: to lure the Parthian army deep into the vicinity of Nisa to plunder, and then annihilate them in one fell swoop.

The palace steward's voice was choked with sobs as he lay prostrate on the cold floor tiles, not daring to raise his head: "Your Majesty, those Han soldiers are extremely cunning. Their initial weakness was all a lie. Sending so many grain transport teams was just to lull us into a false sense of security!"

"Half a month ago, they spread the word that Nisa City was running out of food and that a large shipment of grain would be transported from Merv to provide emergency relief."

"How could our general at the front miss such a good opportunity? He immediately deployed a large army to prepare for a big operation—if we can destroy their supply lines, Nisa City can be captured without a fight."

"For this reason, General Hulamu at the front personally selected 30,000 cavalry, including 5,000 of our most elite armored heavy cavalry, and 4,000 Scythian tribe riders to assist. But who knew that once they went, they would never return!"

Vologasis VI clenched his fist tightly, blood dripping from between his fingers: "Thirty thousand elite troops! How could they all be gone?! How many Han soldiers were escorting that supply convoy?!"

"The escorting Han army numbered less than three thousand!" The general cried even harder, his voice hoarse and almost inaudible. "But those Han people were too good at hiding! They hid their main force behind the cliffs on both sides of the 'Black Wind Valley,' a vital passage for the grain transport route, and even buried their flags in the sand! When General Hulam led his men to the valley entrance, they only saw a few dozen grain carts and a few hundred seemingly loosely organized Han infantrymen. How could they have imagined it was a trap?"

He trembled as he recalled the details of the battle report, his lips shaking uncontrollably: "When our cavalry charged in, those grain wagons suddenly overturned! They weren't filled with grain at all, just dried firewood and oil drums! Before we could even react, a bunch of smoking iron balls rolled down from the top of the valley—the kind of 'earth-shaking thunderbolts' the Han army used! With a deafening roar, the valley was ablaze, the warhorses bucked wildly in fear, and the cavalrymen couldn't even keep their footing!" "Even worse were Zhao Yun and Bahram!" The commander's voice suddenly rose, filled with extreme fear, "Zhao Yun led several hundred white-robed cavalrymen, circling around from the back of the valley and cutting off our retreat! His silver spear was as fast as lightning. A dozen or so of General Hulam's personal guards rushed to stop him, but he knocked them all off their horses with a single thrust. Even General Hulam himself had his throat pierced by his spear!"

"Not to mention that traitor Bahram!" The steward gritted his teeth, yet his voice was thick with helplessness. "He led his old men, dressed in Parthian armor, and mingled among the chaotic soldiers, specifically targeting our centurions and chiliarchs! He even shouted, 'Those who surrender to the Han will be spared death, those who resist will die!' Many soldiers were already afraid of the thunderclap bombs, and when they saw that Bahram had rebelled, they threw down their bows and arrows and surrendered!"

Vologasis VI staggered back two steps, crashing against the armrest of his golden throne with a dull thud. His vision blurred, and all he could hear were the sobs of his chieftain and the horrifying numbers in the battle report—30,000 cavalry, less than 200 had escaped, mostly crippled and missing limbs; even the Scythian chieftain had been captured alive by Zhao Yun and beheaded in front of the surrendered soldiers!

“How could this be… how could this happen…” the Sixth Emperor muttered to himself, his eyes vacant. He had always believed that his Parthian cavalry was invincible, and that even if the Han army possessed some sorcery, they could not withstand the onslaught of his massive cavalry charge.

But he never expected the outcome to be so cruel. Before that legendary, terrifying demon even joined the battle, his army on the front lines was utterly defeated.

"Your Majesty, there's worse!" The steward suddenly remembered something, his face turning even paler. "The soldiers who escaped said that the Han army in Black Wind Valley not only has thunderclap bombs, but also crossbows that can fire in rapid succession! They can fire three arrows at once, and their range is even farther than our composite bows! Many cavalrymen hadn't even charged close before their armor was pierced by the crossbow bolts, and they fell to the ground along with their horses!"

The Sixth Emperor looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Repeating crossbow bolts?! Such a weapon actually exists in the world?!"

"It's true!" The steward nodded repeatedly. "The centurion who escaped saw it with his own eyes and even picked up a Han army crossbow bolt. The arrowhead was made of iron and was much sharper than our bronze arrowheads!" As he spoke, he took out an iron crossbow bolt about half a foot long from his pocket and presented it to the steward with both hands.

The sixth king trembled as he took the crossbow bolt. The cold touch of the metal sent chills down his spine. The bolt had a straight shaft, an extremely sharp arrowhead, and three small feathers at the tail—a craftsmanship he had never seen before.

He suddenly realized that the strength of the Han army was not only due to those evil magic spells, but also because their iron smelting and forging techniques had far surpassed his own.

"Damn it, damn it..." The Sixth King slumped onto his throne, the crossbow bolt in his hand clattering to the ground. He recalled his earlier fantasies of retaking Nisa and then launching a counterattack to drive out the Han army, but now it seemed those ideas were nothing but pipe dreams.

"Have the men on the front lines withdraw and reorganize the defenses. Hold Bailaomen and hold the Kopet Mountain defense line at all costs. No one is allowed to attack without my order!"

“But Your Majesty,” a battle-hardened veteran general couldn’t help but step forward, “if we retreat now, the morale of the army will surely collapse, and if the Han army takes advantage of the situation to pursue us…”

"Then let them chase!" King VI abruptly interrupted him, his eyes bloodshot. "In the mountains, our light infantry and archers can still be of some use! It's better than being wiped out on the plains by their iron cavalry and those... those exploding devilish weapons! Execute the order!"

Emperor Liu Shi finally came to terms with reality; he knew that the strength of the Han army was not something he could easily shake.

He paused, took a deep breath, and as if using all his strength, roared at the kneeling court eunuch: "Send men immediately—no, you go yourself! Take my most precious gifts and my most humble letter of state, travel by sea, and get to Rome as quickly as possible! Tell the Roman Senate and the new emperor that the demons of the East have awakened, and their appetite is far more than just Parthia! If Parthia falls, Rome will be next! We need their legions, we need their gold, we need all possible aid!"

"Go!"

(End of this chapter)