I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1136 The Merit of Destroying a Country Has Vanished
Meanwhile, as Hazar led his troops across the pontoon bridge, he felt a growing sense of unease as he looked at the Han army's formation.

He was nearly sixty years old and had fought alongside the late emperor against the barbarians along the Caspian coast and against the Romans in the west. He boasted that he was used to seeing battlefields, but he had never seen such a terrifying military formation.

Those Han army knights rode tall horses, wore red battle robes, and were armed to the teeth with iron armor, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

How could their ragtag soldiers possibly defeat such an army?
Not to mention the sacred beast hovering low in the sky, constantly reminding him of the majesty of the supreme "Emperor," crushing the last shred of hope in his heart.

"Your humble servant, Khazar, pays homage to the King of Kings, His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Led into the commander's tent by two Han soldiers, Khazar immediately knelt down and raised the prepared surrender document high:
"Your sinful subject Khazar, by the order of His Majesty King Parthia VI... no, by the sinner Vologasis, has come to beg surrender to His Majesty the Great Emperor! I, your sinner Vologasis, know the enormity of my sins and the wrath of Heaven. Now I have come to my senses and offer up the imperial seal, map, and register of census, and submit the entire nation to His Majesty for eternity! I only beg Your Majesty to remember Heaven's benevolence and forgive the Parthian royal bloodline of my king, and grant me a way out!"

The interpreter quickly translated his words into Chinese. Upon hearing this, the generals in the tent all showed expressions of disdain, arrogance, or sneers.

The defeat was inevitable; to surrender only when the enemy was at the gates was far too late! Gao Shun snorted coldly, Cao Cao stroked his beard in silence, his eyes deep, while Jia Xu remained expressionless, as if he had already expected this.

It must be said that Cao Cao and his men, as the main force following behind, got up very early but arrived very late.

Every time they were just about to reach the battlefield, the vanguard cavalry had already taken care of the problem.

This time, they finally saw a chance to achieve the merit of destroying a country, but the false king of Parthia came to surrender again, giving them no chance at all!
This made Cao Cao, Gao Shun, Xiahou Dun, and other generals, who were eager to take down Ctesiphon and make a name for themselves in the war of annihilation, feel quite uneasy, and their gazes toward Khazar became even colder.

Su Yao sat in the main seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the golden scepter, his gaze fixed on Khazar's trembling hands. The silk of the surrender document gleamed with a luxurious sheen, yet it couldn't conceal the fear and humiliation between the lines. He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice low, but instantly making the air in the tent heavy: "Eternal submission? Khazar, do you know what you can exchange for 'submission'?"

Khazar froze, cold sweat trickling down his forehead and dripping onto the cold floor tiles. He immediately kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty! Parthia is willing to offer all the treasures of Mesopotamia's treasuries, 30,000 warhorses, and 500,000 shi of grain. Furthermore, we are willing to send members of the royal family to Luoyang as hostages to serve Your Majesty for generations! All able-bodied men in the kingdom can be incorporated into the Han army's auxiliary force, at Your Majesty's command, ready to go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Oh?" Su Yao raised an eyebrow and looked at Jia Xu beside him. "Wenhe, do you think this 'sincerity' is enough?"

Jia Xu stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Khazar, and slowly said, "Lord Khazar, His Majesty is merciful, granting you the intention to surrender, which is already a great favor. But there is one thing that needs to be made clear—can your Parthian royal family truly make its own decisions now?"

"You just said you were acting on the orders of Vologasis, but according to our spies, your king is already unconscious, and the nobles in Ctesiphon harbor their own ambitions, with some even hoarding weapons and intending to resist. If you surrender today, things may change again tomorrow. How can His Majesty's army be toyed with by you?"

These words struck like a hammer blow, turning Khazar's face deathly pale. He hadn't expected the Han army to be so aware of the chaos within Ctesiphon. He quickly retorted, "Your Excellency is wise! The chaos within the city is the work of a few treacherous officials. This old minister has joined forces with the Khazar family and his former troops to control the palace and city gates. With Your Majesty's approval, within five days, before the arrival of the heavenly army, we will surely be able to eliminate all the resisters and present Ctesiphon intact to Your Majesty!"

"Five days?" Su Yao stood up, slamming his golden scepter on the ground. "Within three days, my vanguard cavalry will arrive at the city walls. At that time, I want to see the gates of Ctesiphon wide open, Vologasis personally bound and brought out of the city to plead guilty, and all armories and granaries under my command. If anything is missing, or if even a moment is too late—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the outside of the tent, where the clanging of Han soldiers' armor echoed like the drumbeats of death. "I will then send my main army to personally enter the city and take it."

Khazar trembled and dared not hesitate for a moment longer, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I will obey your decree! Within three days, Taisifeng will be as Your Majesty wishes, and I will not dare to make the slightest mistake!"

Su Yao waved his hand, signaling the armored soldiers to take Khazar away. Once only his trusted ministers remained in the tent, Cao Cao finally couldn't help but step forward, clasping his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your Majesty! The Parthians are fickle and may be plotting something! This humble general is willing to lead three thousand vanguard soldiers to accompany Khazar into the city, just in case!" "No need."

Su Yao shook his head, his gaze fixed on the Euphrates River outside the tent, its waters rushing and shimmering.

"The Parthians are already at their wits' end, and the nobles in the city are only concerned with their own survival. Who would dare to truly oppose me? We can just let things slide. If Ctesiphon opens the city as agreed, we will take over its defenses; if there is any unusual activity, we will attack the city immediately."

"I will finally understand!"

Cao Cao bowed in agreement, lowered his eyes, and sighed inwardly.

He knew all too well the power of Su Yao. In the past, even without the golden scepter that could summon thunder, he was able to conquer the barbarians in all directions and make the feudal lords of the country run for their lives. Now that he not only has the power to summon thunder, but also a divine beast that can soar through the nine heavens, he has long become an inescapable nightmare in the hearts of his enemies. The Parthians would never dare to gamble with the lives of their entire tribe.

But if he did that, wouldn't his westward expedition have been for nothing?

What's going on here? Is this an armed march?

"Ha ha!"

Seeing the looks in the eyes of his generals, Su Yao laughed and said:

"Gentlemen, do not be hasty. The world is still vast. The Parthians have surrendered, but there is still a great Rome to the west, waiting for you to send troops to conquer it."

Immediately, Jia Xu understood and handed over a secret report, saying:

"Your Majesty, according to reports from our spies, the Romans are quite wary of our military operations. Their governor of Syria is secretly colluding with their vassal Kingdom of Armenia, offering them a large sum of money in an attempt to launch a surprise attack on our army."

"Oh? Wenhe, that's impressive. You've even gathered information on the Romans?"

Su Yao raised an eyebrow; he was more curious about Jia Xu's intelligence sources than military intelligence.

When Jia Xu revealed the information from the intelligence source, Su Yao immediately smiled again.

"You're saying the informant was the King of Armenia?"

(End of this chapter)