I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1140 The New Masters of Jerusalem
A few days later.

Antioch, the capital of Syria's provinces, is a place of widespread anxiety.

This third largest city in the Roman Empire, a city known as the "Queen of the East," is now shrouded in unprecedented panic.

The once bustling streets, teeming with merchants, are now deserted. Markets close early, wealthy households keep their doors shut, and Roman legions that were once scattered throughout Syria have been recalled to the city. The streets are filled with the footsteps of patrolling soldiers and the clattering of horses' hooves.

On the city walls, sentries craned their necks, gazing at the eastern horizon with a tense air, as if the next second would bring a sea of ​​crimson banners and the legendary golden monster. Meanwhile, in the taverns and squares, rumors were spreading like a plague:
"Have you heard? Kakamish is finished! He couldn't even hold out for a day!"

"The Armenians have betrayed us! That coward Vologis, he's led the barbarians in an attack!"

"They're not barbarians...they're from the distant Qin Dynasty! They now call themselves Han Chinese! They're demons from the East! They have weapons that can breathe fire and strike thunder!"

"Even our former enemies, the Parthians, have been destroyed by them. We'll be next!"

"Where are the Roman legions? Where are our reinforcements?!"

Panic was spreading in every corner. Wealthy Roman citizens and Greek merchants began quietly packing their valuables, preparing to flee to the coast and sail to Cyprus or even further into mainland Greece. The local Syrians, on the other hand, had mixed feelings, fearing the devastation of war while harboring resentment towards Rome's long-standing oppression, and secretly speculating about the possibility of a change of dynasty.

Inside the governor's palace, the newly appointed governor of Syria, Marcus Julius Basus, was in a state of utter distress.

Before him lay messages from various messengers, the information much clearer than the rumors circulating in the marketplace, but it was precisely because of this that he felt even more desperate.

"Kakamish has fallen, and the defending army has been completely wiped out..."

"Zeuma Fortress has surrendered, and the garrison commander has given up the city..."

"The army of the traitorous king Vologis has passed Calkimish and is less than a hundred miles from Antioch!"

"The main force of the Han army has crossed the Euphrates River, and the vanguard has already joined forces with the Armenian rebels!"

"They have a long-range weapon that can launch explosives, far surpassing our most powerful ballistae, and can easily destroy our city gates!"

"enough!"

Governor Barsus slammed his hand on the table, glancing around at the assembled civil and military officials who looked utterly bewildered:

"What's the panic?! Antioch is not Cácsmish! We have towering walls, two battalions of the Tenth "Straits" Legion, loyal citizens from Italy and Greece, and possible support from the sea! We can muster at least 15,000 trained warriors! How could those Eastern barbarians and traitors so easily shake the glory of Rome?!"

He roared in an attempt to boost morale, but was met mostly with shifty eyes and bowed heads. An elderly elder with white hair and beard spoke in a trembling voice:
"Your Excellency, it is not that we are afraid to fight, but the Han army... we have heard that they possess a terrifying weapon that emits thunder and fire, capable of easily destroying our city walls and towers. Their self-proclaimed emperor leader can even ride divine beasts."

"Shut up! What good is one person's strength?! What determines the outcome of a battle is never weapons, but the iron will of the legion!"

Basus interrupted him, forcibly suppressing the unease in his heart:

"I have sent an urgent plea for help to His Majesty the Emperor (Septimius Severus) and the Egyptian province! As long as we hold our ground and wait for reinforcements, we will surely crush these invaders under the walls of Antioch when the imperial army arrives from the sea!" Barsus's words could not easily appease the crowd, as everyone knew that distant water could not quench a nearby fire.

Since the assassination of Emperor Commodus, the empire has been plunged into chaos during the "Year of the Five Emperors".

His Majesty Emperor Septimius Severus, then Governor of Pannonia, ultimately emerged as one of the three most formidable contenders, along with Clodius Albinus, Governor of Britain, and Pesenius Nigel, Governor of Syria.

Just earlier this year, His Majesty the Emperor had miraculously defeated Nigel's 3-strong army with only three legions (around 10) in the Battle of Issus, thus pacifying the eastern part of the Empire in one fell swoop.

His Majesty the Emperor has just completed the purge of Nigel's forces, taken control of Byzantium, consolidated the eastern territories, and taken the final step toward becoming the sole emperor of Rome, resolving the issue of his former ally, Albinus.

At this time, it was uncertain how much energy His Majesty the Emperor could spare to help the East. Instead, their garrison in Egypt became the only force they could rely on.

Egypt was the empire's granary, and Alexandria, the capital of Egypt, was the empire's largest city in the East, home to two entire imperial legions!

If they could get help from the governor of Egypt, they might be able to handle this crisis.
However, they did not know that Egypt would soon find itself in dire straits.

Elijah Kabitorian, once Jerusalem, welcomed a new master after the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Romans—the Han Chinese.

Just as the Roman garrison at Antioch was living in constant fear and pinning their last hopes on southern Egypt, they were unaware that a powerful Han army detachment had already pierced the Nile Delta like a sharp sword.

After completing his sweep of the Persian Gulf coast and joining forces with Su Yao's main force in Ctesiphon, Guan Yu, the commander of the southern route, did not rest for long. After receiving Su Yao's secret order to "seize the opportunity to advance westward and conquer Egypt," he, along with generals such as Zhang Fei, led an army of more than 30,000 men to join Cao Cao and Gao Shun in their attack.

Their army first marched north along the Euphrates River. After capturing Kakamish, they split into two groups: Cao Cao, Gao Shun, and others marched towards Antioch, while Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others marched south, first capturing Damascus, then Tyre, and finally arriving in Jerusalem.

The reason they were so successful, much faster than Cao Cao, was naturally because of Su Yao's personal command of the expedition.

"Ailiya Gabidole? What a tongue-twisting name."

As soon as Su Yao finished speaking, a Roman administrator with a Mediterranean hairstyle next to him explained the reason with a fawning and excited expression.

It turns out that the reason this Jewish holy site has become known by such a name is entirely because...
"Those are the punishment the Jews deserved for their sins!"

"We Romans kindly allowed them to live and multiply in our ancestral lands, and even gave them a separate province called Judea. Who knew they would repeatedly rebel and massacre our Roman people and the peoples of the surrounding areas."

"They not only slaughtered soldiers, but were also extremely cruel to ordinary people and herders. Anyone who was not of Jewish descent was skinned and dismembered, their bodies smeared with the blood of the victims, and made to wear clothes made from the skin of the victims. Many people were sawed in half from head to toe, and even after they died, they were still made food for those beasts!"

"Finally, thanks to His Majesty Hadrian's wisdom, a large army was dispatched to completely wipe out these Jewish rioters! Their evil temples were burned down, and they were all expelled from their ancestral land, never to return! This place was renamed Elia Gabidorian, and loyal Greek and Roman citizens were relocated there, which brought us the peace and prosperity we enjoy today!"

"Your Majesty, you must not listen to the lies of those Jews and let them return to this place!"

(End of this chapter)