I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1134 The Falling Dominoes

"what?!"

"Lord Ispabdan has surrendered?!"

Upon hearing this, the lord of Obis, a city in the northeast of Ctesiphon, staggered in shock: "How could this be? Is the news true?"

The city of Obis was horrified. The surrender of Ispabudan's 60,000 troops was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

There was no longer any army of tens of thousands in Parthia that could fight and resist.

With a heavy heart, the loyal city lord immediately sent the message to the royal city of Taisifeng, hoping that their respected king could make preparations as soon as possible and come up with a plan.

However, his letters went unanswered, like mud and stones disappearing into the sea.

Taixi fell silent, shrouded in gloom and deathly stillness. Meanwhile, in Anxi City of the Han Dynasty, the city was immersed in a sea of ​​joyous laughter and celebration.

The manner in which Eqbatana fell was so horrific that it completely shattered the remaining Parthian will to resist.

Therefore, before the Han army's forces had even truly arrived, countless towns and tribes had already submitted to them. Envoys, carrying generous gifts and declarations of loyalty, flocked to Anxi City, which had become the main base for the Han army's western expedition, as if on a pilgrimage.

In an instant, this ancient Persian city, the former capital of the Median Kingdom and the Achaemenid Dynasty, once again radiated powerful vitality.

Not only did countless warlords, generals, nobles, and clergy from all over Parthia arrive, but leaders of neighboring nomadic tribes, as well as leaders and envoys from eastern vassal states such as the Kushans, Khwarezm, Kangju, and Dayuan, also gathered in Anxi City, vying to pay homage to the new ruler and offer tribute and loyalty.

Even envoys from Armenia in the northwest came, and it should be noted that they were vassals of the Roman Empire.

"Oh my God."

"How many years."

"This is the true grandeur of the King of Kings!"

The people of the city were full of praise, and this grand occasion of all nations coming to pay tribute lasted for nearly a month before the framework of the new Anxi Protectorate was finally completed thanks to the full efforts of Lu Su, Zhang Liao and others.

Zhang Liao, the meritorious commander-in-chief of this western expedition, became the first Grand Protector of the Parthian Protectorate, in charge of the various Parthian regions. General Bahram and Governor-General Anmoti served as his deputies, assisting in the integration of the former Parthian territories and quickly putting local rule on the right track.

Documents, officials, and even the first immigrant artisans from the East began to arrive in droves along the reopened and strengthened Silk Road. Chinese-character plaques began to appear in front of government offices, and Chinese-style weights and measures were promoted in markets. Several Confucian scholars from Luoyang, with the approval of Su Yao, even opened the first "Chinese Academy" in the city for the children of Parthian nobles, teaching them basic Chinese language and Han etiquette.

The Parthian nobles who submitted discovered that their "Emperor" did not seem to be solely devoted to force. As long as they demonstrated loyalty and cooperated with the Sinicization policy, most of their property and status were preserved, and some were even granted official positions under the Protectorate General for their active assistance in governing local areas and transporting provisions. This strategy, which combined appeasement and deterrence, greatly calmed the people's hearts and accelerated the stabilization of the ruling order.

By this time, the entire Persian Plateau had been incorporated into the territory, and the Parthian Empire had not given up its resistance except around Ctesiphon in the northwestern Mesopotamian plain.

On the system map, its glaring red color was like a thorn, piercing the newly established Anxi Protectorate's territory and also piercing Su Yao's heart.

"Ctesiphon must be taken. The false king must be captured. This battle will not only completely end the Parthian dynasty, but also demonstrate the might of our great Han dynasty, making the western nations, especially Rome which is still observing, fully understand the consequences of disobeying our great Han dynasty!"

In July of the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, the fully reorganized Han army for the western expedition set off from Anxi City after a swearing-in ceremony. The scale of this expedition was unprecedented.
At the heart of the army were approximately 50,000 elite Han cavalrymen battle-hardened by war, supplemented by over 100,000 auxiliary troops composed of surrendered Xiongnu, Wusun, Qiang, Kushan, and Parthian soldiers. Countless civilian laborers and artisans also accompanied the army. Stretching for dozens of miles, the army's banners blotted out the sun, and its drums and horns thundered, like a roaring dragon advancing in a straight line towards the Mesopotamian plain.

Countless cities along the way surrendered upon hearing the news. Even the few Parthian loyalists who attempted to resist with their fortresses were quickly reduced to dust before the Han army's advanced siege weaponry. Su Yao didn't even need to personally intervene; the Han war machine had already demonstrated its overwhelming power.

When the news reached Ctesiphon, the last Parthian court was in chaos.

Beneath the stained-glass dome of the palace, the throne, once revered, envied, and coveted by countless people as a symbol of Parthian royal power, now seemed like a burning brazier, making Vologasis VI, who sat upon it, feel extremely uneasy and anxious. The once magnificent and exotic palace was now shrouded in an apocalyptic panic and deathly silence.

Overturned fruit platters and wine cups lay scattered on the exquisite Persian carpet, untouched. The gilded wall lamps cast a dim light, illuminating pale, despairing faces. The nobles and ministers who had once spoken so eloquently and vied for power now mostly huddled to the side, their eyes darting around, whispering amongst themselves about the terror of the Eastern demons and the possibility of surrender for survival. Even the few veteran generals still clad in armor stood to the side, their faces ashen, their hands on their sword hilts, yet unable to conceal the helplessness and bewilderment in their eyes.

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

King VI slammed the final alarm from Obis to the ground, roaring in fury:

"Ispabudan has surrendered, Susa has surrendered, even the city of Obis is saying that the Han traitors are unstoppable—is my peace, the land conquered by my ancestors, so easily defeated?!"

The nobles and ministers inside the hall were silent, none daring to utter a word. Some of the older ministers hung their heads, their eyes filled with despair; some of the younger nobles secretly stroked the swords at their waists, their eyes gleaming, clearly already planning their escape.

When news of the fall of Ecbatana arrived, Ctesiphon was as if his spine had been removed. Even the street vendors were whispering that "the gods of the Han people are coming." People's hearts were in complete disarray.

"His Majesty."

Finally, the high-ranking and powerful Prime Minister Suren stepped forward, his voice hoarse, and said:
"The Han army has now occupied the Persian Plateau, and their advance is aimed directly at Mesopotamia. I believe that the most urgent task is to hold Ctesiphon. It has two natural barriers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, and its defenses are strong, with ample supplies. As long as we hold on to the death, we can wait for Roman reinforcements..."

"Roman reinforcements?!" Vologasis VI looked up abruptly, a glint of morbid hope in his eyes. "Where is the second wave of Roman reinforcements? Didn't they say Emperor Severus would send three legions? Where are they now?!"

Prime Minister Suren's face flushed red instantly, then turned deathly pale. He stammered, "The day before yesterday, we received a message from the Roman envoy saying... that Emperor Severus is busy quelling the rebellion in the west, and the second batch of reinforcements can only be sent five thousand men. We also need to pay three thousand talents of gold as 'military expenses' first, otherwise... otherwise it may be difficult to proceed."

"Five thousand men? And gold?!" Vologasis VI trembled with rage, abruptly standing up and kicking over the table in front of him, scattering agate goblets and bronze vessels across the floor. "These Romans! I'm on the verge of national ruin, and they're still talking about gold! The first batch of eight hundred mercenaries were captured before they even showed their faces, and now they're trying to extort me. Do they think my gold just falls from the sky?!"

His roar echoed in the empty hall, but only elicited a few suppressed sobs and a deeper silence. A princess, richly dressed but with disheveled hair, slumped beside him, sobbing softly, "Your Majesty...we...we must escape...escape to Armenia, or...to Rome..."

"Escape?" Emperor VI seemed stung, turning sharply to glare at her with a ferocious look. "Where can we escape to?! That fiend can fly! He can ride that monster for thousands of miles a day! How long did it take him to cross the salt flats to Ecbatana? Ten days! Even if we escape to Rome, he'll come after us! The Romans... the Romans are completely unreliable!"

His Majesty the Sixth Emperor recalled the laughable eight hundred "reinforcements," and a sense of humiliation and despair at being mocked welled up in his heart.

If I were to go alone like this, I would probably be packed up by the Romans and handed over to the devil in no time.

"Then...what do we do? Are we just going to wait here to die?" a young nobleman cried out in despair. "Even Lord Ispabudan has surrendered, who else can we rely on? The city walls? Can our city walls withstand thunder?!"

These words struck like a hammer blow to everyone's hearts. Indeed, Ecbatana, far more fortified than Ctesiphon, was still utterly vulnerable before divine might; what could they possibly do?

"Shut up!" An old general with a white beard stepped forward and angrily rebuked him. He was also from a collateral branch of the royal family, but at this moment, he was at a loss for what to do.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now... perhaps... perhaps we could try negotiating peace? Offer a large sum of money, cede land, become a vassal and pay tribute... perhaps... perhaps we could exchange it for a glimmer of hope..."

"Peace talks? Submission of vassalage?" His Majesty the Sixth Emperor laughed bitterly, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Hahaha...who do you think that Su Yao is? He wants to completely annex Parthia and become the King of Kings! Would he accept vassalage? He only wants my head and my throne! Look at the Kushans, look at Khwarezm! The consequence of surrendering is becoming his slave!"

Just then, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from outside the palace gates. A guard, without even having time to announce his arrival, rushed in, his face ashen and his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! To the east... to the east, the vanguard cavalry of the Han army has already left the Zagros Mountains!"

"If we cannot organize troops to stop them as soon as possible, at most... at most a few more days, their main force will probably be at the city gates!"

boom--

This devastating news struck the sixth emperor like a thunderbolt, causing him to immediately black out, fall to the ground, and faint.

(End of this chapter)