I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1181 One Arrow Determines India
"Mighty! Mighty Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Su Yao's arrow was so powerful that it not only knocked down the commander's flag, but also directly destroyed the command center of the hundred-chariot army.

In an instant, the Han soldiers erupted in deafening cheers. Having been prepared, the Han soldiers immediately pushed their previously built small boats and began their assault.

For a time, thousands of boats raced on the Nabata River.

On the other hand, those on the opposite bank lost all will to fight after that arrow.

The scene of Commander-in-Chief Swaraj being reduced to ashes in full view of everyone was like a thunderbolt, destroying all their will to resist.

That sight was beyond the power of ordinary people!
"Run! The Han devils are coming!"

"Run! That person is an incarnation of Shiva!"

Panic spread rapidly through the 80,000-strong army like a plague. Officers attempted to quell the unrest, but their orders were powerless against the overwhelming fear. Soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons, scrambling for their lives, trampling each other in countless ways. The massive war elephants, startled, charged wildly, creating even greater chaos within their own ranks.

"Divine punishment! This is divine punishment!"

"Please forgive me, God."

The rout of the Baicheng Army was no longer an orderly retreat, but a complete collapse.

Some people jumped into the Nabata River in a panic, but struggled and sank in the turbulent water because they couldn't swim; some people ran wildly into the depths of the Ganges Plain with their helmets in their arms, not even noticing that their straw sandals had fallen off; some even knelt down on the bank, clasped their hands together and kept bowing in the direction of the north bank, regarding Su Yao as a god who had descended to earth, and praying for the god's forgiveness.

Lu Bu and his men would naturally not let such an opportunity slip by.

"Army attack!"

"Kill!"

As soon as the Han army's small boats touched the shore, Lü Bu, wielding his halberd, leaped down first, sweeping all before him like a tiger among sheep. Behind him, generals such as Zhang He and Qu Yi led their elite troops in close pursuit, and the Han soldiers surged onto the south bank like a tide.

Those who resisted were mercilessly killed, while those who knelt and begged for mercy were temporarily detained by the rear guard.

The war elephants, on which the Hundred Chariots Army had placed high hopes, scattered in terror after losing their riders, which instead broke through the remaining formation of the Hundred Chariots Army and caused them massive damage.

In less than an hour, the defenses on the south bank of the Nabata River collapsed completely. The Han army took full control of the crossing and began to pursue the enemy deep into the territory, leaving corpses strewn across the fields and rivers of blood flowing.

In this battle, the Han army, with overwhelming force, completely destroyed the main defensive line of the Baicheng Dynasty at the Nabada River. The 80,000-strong army collapsed, with over 10,000 killed in battle, countless drowned or trampled to death, and over 40,000 kneeling to surrender. The rest scattered into the mountains and wilderness.

Lü Bu himself led the Guanzhong cavalry in pursuit for over a hundred miles, reaching the foot of Huashi City, a major northern town of the Baicheng Dynasty in the Ganges River basin.

Huashi City, the ancient capital that once witnessed the glory of the Mauryan Dynasty, is now shrouded in a cloud of panic.

The defending troops, seeing the smoke and dust obscuring the sun in the north, the red dragon flag fluttering in the wind, and the fleeing defeated soldiers and the Han cavalry following closely behind, were immediately plunged into a great panic.

The local garrison commander was stunned upon hearing the news and could do nothing but order the gates to be closed.

The one ordered to guard Huashi City was Suliye, the younger brother of the current King of Baicheng. When he learned that the Han army had arrived at the city, he could hardly believe his ears.

"Eighty thousand troops! Eighty thousand troops!" "It's only been less than half a month, how could Swaraj be such a useless piece of trash?!"

Prince Surya stomped his feet and roared from the city walls, his jewel-encrusted scimitar hacking away at the debris. This royal, known for his extravagance, now wore a crooked crown and his brocade robes were covered in dust—he had been urgently dispatched by his brother three days prior to oversee the battle, accompanied by dancers and musicians, only to find that the front lines had already collapsed before he could even finish watching a newly composed piece!
"Your Highness, the Han people! The Han people know sorcery!" The general who had fled back collapsed to the ground, wailing. "General Swaraj was struck by lightning and his body was never seen again! Our war elephants were all terrified, and they trampled more of our brothers to death than the Han soldiers!"

As if to confirm his words, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from below the city. A dozen strange machines, all black with menacing barrels, were pushed out from the Han army ranks—the very same Tiger Crouching Cannons that had shone so brightly during the previous western expedition.

The people of Baicheng had never seen such a weapon before. They stared wide-eyed as flames shot from the cannon muzzle, and solid iron projectiles whistled as they crashed into the copper-clad city gate. The first shot made the entire section of the city wall tremble violently, the second shattered the gate hinges, and the third pinned the fleeing defenders, shields and all, to the stone wall of the marketplace!

"Shiva's wrath!" Prince Surya slumped in the arrow tower, watching Lu Bu's Red Hare rear up outside the city. The Han general raised his halberd with one arm, the tip pointing directly at the royal banner atop the city wall:

"If they do not surrender within three days, not even their chickens or dogs will be spared!"

That night, the granaries of Huashi City suddenly caught fire. It turned out that the Brahmin priests in the city had secretly surrendered the city. They hung white banners at the entrance to the temple tunnel and led the Han army's vanguard straight to the palace. When Surya was dragged off his ivory bed, he was still clutching his jar of rose oil used to maintain his beard.

The Royal Palace of Huashi City.

"Gold, silver, jewels, pepper, ivory, cloth, and tens of thousands of slaves—this little Indian kingdom is truly rich."

Hong'er's eyes sparkled as she looked at the list that Su Yao had placed aside.

She had previously witnessed Rome, a nation whose wealth was second only to the Celestial Empire. But now, seeing the riches of this hundred-chariot dynasty, she realized the vastness of the world. The treasures plundered from this small border city far exceeded the spoils of Antioch.

Safia covered her mouth in disbelief, never expecting that India's wealth far exceeded that of Parthia.

Su Yao sat on his throne and laughed heartily. He waved away the group of beauties who had been brought before him, ordered them to be distributed as rewards to the soldiers, and then addressed the crowd:
"These gold treasures are only the smallest gain. Do you know where the real wealth of this place lies?"

Su Yao surveyed the hall, his gaze sweeping over the mountains of gold and silver jewels, before taking out an exquisite map of India and saying:
"Gold and silver will be used up, and jewels will be covered in dust, but the 'foundation' buried in this land is the true wealth that can support the eternal hegemony of my Great Han!"

Su Yao's fingertips traced the confluence of the Ganges Plain and the Indian Ocean on the map, drawing a curved arc that connected the fertile delta with the azure sea.

"The Ganges Plain has abundant rainfall during the rainy season and irrigation during the dry season, allowing for the planting of three crops of rice and wheat a year. Although the people here are not good at fighting, they are skilled in farming. The only thing they lack is technology."

"As long as we send immigrants from the Central Plains, and send officials from the Ministry of Works to improve agricultural tools, promote the curved plow and waterwheel of our Great Han, and establish rules of light taxes and levies, this place will become a land of abundance that is no less than the Central Plains in less than three years."

"At the same time, this place is also rich in cotton, pepper, sandalwood and ivory, and can also grow the sugarcane that we have successfully tested before—these things can fetch astronomical prices in the Han Dynasty and Rome at opposite ends of the world!"

"Previously, when our Great Han Dynasty traded with the Western Regions, it had to transit through the Kushan Empire. On land, it was subject to layers of exploitation, resulting in profits being reduced by more than half. Now, as long as we control India, we can directly open the 'Indian Ocean route,' allowing Great Han merchant ships to depart from places like Guangdong and Quanzhou, heading west through Malacca, Ceylon, and directly to the west coast of India!"

"At that time, our Han Dynasty's silk, porcelain, and tea can be directly sold to Rome and Parthia, while India's spices, gems, and ivory can be continuously imported into the Central Plains. This maritime Silk Road will be more convenient than the land route, and the profits will more than double!"

"And finally, and most importantly, is the navy!"

"He who controls the ocean will ultimately control the world!"

"Zhou Yu built a Western fleet in the Mediterranean, and the coast of India will become the foundation of our Han Dynasty's South Seas Navy. Look at this coastline—from the mouth of the Ganges to the Malabar coast, it is full of natural harbors. Cochin, Mumbai, and Kolkata are all excellent anchorages that can accommodate thousands of warships!"

"When our giant ships set sail across the seven seas in the future, the whole world will be bathed in the light of the civilization of our great Han Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)