Ardashir looked at Varagh for a long time without saying a word. Ever since he received the news of Maximus' bizarre defeat, he began to worry about domestic security. The reason why he dared to go on an expedition when the Red Sea was controlled by the Vietnamese navy was because there was a serious civil strife in Rome and it was impossible to have the strength to attack Sassanid in a short time. Without the cooperation of Rome, the Kushan people would not dare to act rashly. Now Rome has solved Maximus's rebellion in one battle. Although there are still some losses, the losses are limited. With the pride of the Romans, it would be strange if they do not take this opportunity to attack Sassanid. Once Rome recovers, , Guishuang will naturally be ready to make a move.
His originally confident expedition now seemed very reckless, and the city of Aksum was surprisingly strong. Under the protection of the Yue people who were good at defending the city, he lost confidence in breaking the city and prepared to return quickly before suffering a disastrous defeat. Ctesiphon to prevent the rear from falling.
At this time, he was both happy and worried about Varag's appearance. Varag hadn't contacted him for so long. How could he know whether Varag had sincerely surrendered to Sun Shao and turned around to ask for help? Help Sun Shao earn him? Kushan and Roma are all tied to Sun Shao, so it is not surprising that little Axum turns to Sun Shao.
Varag narrated Yu An's story again. Of course, in order to show his alertness and caution, he naturally modified it and made the originally not exciting story even more twists and turns.
"How do you get into the city?" Ardashir asked casually.
Seeing Ardashir¡¯s look, Varag couldn¡¯t help but become anxious. If Ardashir didn¡¯t believe him and didn¡¯t want to take risks, what other way would he survive? Sun Shao defended the city of Aksum and showed his strength in front of the Aksumites. His status in the hearts of the Aksumites increased greatly. Without any external force, how long would it take for him, Wallag, to take back the city of Aksum?
"Your Majesty, there is a secret passage in the Axum Palace that can lead directly to the outside of the city. This is a secret that only the royal family knows. Now only I know." Wallag unnaturally lost his patience and told the whole story of the most confidential situation. As soon as he said it, he regretted it. At this time, he should first discuss the conditions with Ardashir.
Shapur saw the look flashing in Wallag's eyes, and he smiled at the right time: "Don't worry, we Sasanians are trustworthy. If this thing really succeeds, we will never I¡¯m treating you badly.¡±
Varag smiled sheepishly and looked at Ardashir with a guilty conscience. Ardashir stroked his beard and thought for a moment: "Shall we go directly to the palace from the secret passage? Since we are in the palace, how can Sun Shao be unprepared?"
"Sun Shao doesn't know about this secret passage." Wallag said with some pride: "He once asked me in a vague way. I told him that there is no such secret passage in Aksum City, and he never asked again. Of course, I think he will definitely look for it. If he finds it, can I still sit here now?"
Ardashir nodded and asked: "Then how do you plan to respond to us?"
"Your Majesty, you must remember the Trojan Horse, right?" Wallag chuckled.
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Watching the Sassanid army that came in good fortune and left in dismay, they broke camp and left. The city of Aksum, which was originally surrounded by water, suddenly became empty, leaving only the smashed siege equipment and the Sassanids who died in the battle. After seeing the blood stains left by people, everything returned to calm. The soldiers stationed at the city head day and night immediately became excited. Some of them beat the city wall stained with a lot of blood hard, some hugged each other and cried, and some They beat each other to celebrate. Gradually, this joy spread to the entire city of Aksum. The streets of Aksum City, which had been under military control for more than half a year, became lively again. People came out of the houses with wooden curtains and gathered on the streets, passing the news to each other. News of victory. I don¡¯t know who started it, but they began to thank the gods for blessing them, the soldiers of the Deefeng Battalion who guarded the city with them, the wise King of Yue, and even those who thought further, even thanked the Emperor of the Han Dynasty who was far away in the east. .
Sun Shao stood on the city tower, accepting the worship of his subjects, with a smile on his face. He happily said to Wallag: "How about it, I say the Sasanians will leave in despair. The city of Aksum will become his disastrous fate." Memory, he will definitely think twice before coming to Axum City again."
"Your Majesty is wise. Without Your Majesty's command, how could the city of Axum have withstood the attack of one hundred thousand Sasanians and achieved such a victory." Wallag pointed at the wooden curtains that could be seen everywhere, and then at the top of the city. Repeating crossbows can be seen everywhere, as well as the city-defending crossbows on the city towers that even frighten the heavy-armored knights of Sassanid. He said with pride: "These are all brought by the king. Without the king, there would be no such thing as Axum." People will now all become slaves of the Sasanians and will no longer be able to bathe.In the sunshine of freedom. "
Sun Shao laughed proudly, his laughter full of arrogance.
Varag said with concern: "Your Majesty, for more than half a year, your Majesty has worked hard to defend the city of Axum. Now the Sasanians have finally been defeated by your Majesty. Even people like Ardashir have been defeated by your Majesty." My men, the day is not far when the king will become famous all over the world. It¡¯s just that the king has worked hard during this period. From now on, the king should pay more attention to his health and take a good rest."
Sun Shao waved his hand and said proudly: "I'm not tired. I defeated Ardashir. I'm full of energy now. Pass on my order. All the officers and soldiers and all the subjects have made meritorious service in defending the city. I want to reward them. The whole city will have a feast for three days, and everyone will be given a liter of wine, and the number of people who participated in the defense of the city will be doubled. Let the nobles who sacrificed their slaves come to the palace, and I will get drunk with them before resting, and celebrate with the people."
¡°Long live the king¡ª¡ª¡± Varag got what he wanted and quickly knelt down and shouted long live.
The order was passed down, and the city of Aksum began to boil. Ding Feng and Zhou Yin rushed to dissuade them, thinking that the Sasanians had not gone far yet, and they were all cavalry, so they might return at any time, so it was better to be cautious. Sun Shao was a little unhappy, his face darkened, and he walked away. Ding Feng glared at the proud Varag fiercely, but he was helpless. What happened to Yu An a few days ago made them scruple, and they did not dare to have a face-to-face conflict with Axum, who was now favored.
Looking at Varag¡¯s humble smiling face, Ding Feng shook his sleeves angrily, turned around and left. Zhou Yin, however, cupped his hand and said half-jokingly: "King of Axum, you are the first to save the city of Axum this time. Don't forget my contribution to destroying the Feng camp when the time comes."
Wallag quickly laughed and said: "What are you talking about, General Zhou? I don't have any credit, it's just the king's appreciation. If you really want to say it's credit, the soldiers of the Destroying Camp are the first. General Ding and General Zhou Your hard work has paid off, and your Majesty will never forget you."
Zhou Yin was also so angry that he couldn't speak. He chatted for a few words and left in a hurry. Varrag looked at his back and knew that he would definitely try to persuade Sun Shao. However, Sun Shao was currently in high spirits and probably wouldn't listen to their advice. And if they forcefully persuade and make Sun Shao angry, that would be the best. Without the constraints of the Destroying Camp, this matter would be easier to handle.
As expected by Wallag, Zhou Yin hit another snag. Sun Shao got angry and said that since you are worried about the Sasanian people leaving and returning, then go and defend the city, and you should not participate in the celebration banquet. After hearing this, Wallag felt secretly proud and turned around to arrange a grand celebration banquet.
Axum was immersed in celebrations. Only the soldiers of the Deefeng Battalion were still guarding the city. Ding Feng and Zhou Yin were sitting on the tower, listening to the singing and dancing in the palace, relatively speechless. Neither of them spoke, but what they wanted to say was clearly revealed in their eyes. During this period, Wallag came over and saw that the two of them looked gloomy and sighed, feeling happy in their hearts. On the surface, he gave a few words of sincere advice and said, It was thanks to them for guarding the city that the city could celebrate with peace of mind, which made Ding Feng and Zhou Yin roll their eyes in anger.
After two consecutive days of celebrations, the entire Axum fell into a state of confusion. Apart from being punished to defend the city, the only conscious person in the Destroyer Camp was filled with complaints, and the only one who was awake was Wallag.
In the dead of night, when everyone in the palace was already drunk, Wallag quietly walked into a side courtyard. After making sure that there was no one behind him, he lit a candle and walked into an inconspicuous cabin. He opened a cabinet door that looked very old, revealing a secret passage. He walked down the secret passage, and a heavily armed Shapur was waiting inside.
"How about it?"
"They are all drunk, just like dead pigs, just waiting for you to slaughter them." Wallag smiled contemptuously, stared into Shapur's eyes and said: "Your Highness, I have fulfilled everything I promised you."
"I will do what I promised you." Shapur patted Varag on the shoulder: "After the thing is done, Egypt will be yours. Don't worry, as long as you capture the Yue people, the Romans and Kushan people are not us. My opponent, you are the eternal King of Axum. Not only do you not have to listen to the mercy of the Yue people, you can even ignore the Romans."
"I hope so." Wallag was satisfied and led Shapur out of the hut. He pointed to a wall not far away and said: "After passing this wall and walking through a gate, you will be the core of the palace. Sun Shao will sleep. There, he is probably so drunk that you wouldn't even recognize him standing in front of him, and you can cut off his head without even breaking a sweat."
"What a Trojan horse trick." Shapur lowered his voice and smiled, stretching out his hand: "Please ask King Aksum to lead the way."
Varag nodded, walked at the front, and took Shapur out of the hut. More than three hundred capable people filed out, followed Varag and Shapur through a small door one by one, and arrived at the core area of ??the palace. . Through the gorgeous curtain,Poole could almost see the guests staggering around in the front hall. The sound of the dancers' skirts when they twirled could be clearly heard. From time to time, someone shouted. There was a young nobleman who probably drank too much. He thought he was at home. He held a female musician who was playing the piano out of hand, so she opened her mouth full of alcohol and moved forward. The female musician did not dare to refuse and struggled in humiliation, but the sound of the piano became out of tune.
Shapur smiled slightly, followed Varag in several circles, and went straight to the palace where Sun Shao rested. There was no one to check along the way. Many guards were holding weapons and dozing against the wall. Those who were awake picked up their weapons and followed the leader as soon as they saw Varag.
"This is my cronies." Varrag explained, emphasizing his tone and saying emphatically: "I came here with my kindness to exchange for the guards from the Tiger Guard Camp and let them go drink."
Shapur did not say a word and nodded as he walked. He looked carefully and saw that the drunken soldiers had heavy breaths and the smell of alcohol all over their bodies. They didn't even have the strength to get up after being stepped on. They just muttered curses. It was obvious that they were drunk.
Sun Shao turns out to be a human being, not invulnerable. Shapur glanced at Wallag, who was leading the way, and felt inexplicably regretful. Unfortunately, he failed to capture Axum. It was in vain that Wallag had made a great contribution, and he had to give him Egypt.
Shapur thought as he quickly followed Varag into a large and gorgeous room. As soon as he entered the room, he was stunned. Wallag said that Sun Shao, who was extremely drunk, was sitting on the bed. A scantily clad maid was kneeling behind him and squeezing his shoulders. Another maid was kneeling on the ground and put one of his feet on her knees. Manicure his pedicures carefully. Sun Shao rested his forehead with one hand and looked at Varag and Shapur who walked in with piercing eyes. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, with a pleasant smile on his face.
Varag took a look, subconsciously took two steps to catch up, and showed a habitual flattering smile: "Your Majesty, are you sober?" Then he realized that he was not here to pay respects, but to kill Sun Shao. , and more importantly, Sun Shao should have fallen asleep deeply, but the current situation was obviously not in line with what he expected.
"Wake up. If you don't wake up, I'm afraid I won't have a chance to wake up." Sun Shao smiled, waved his hand, asked the two beautiful maids to step back, and clapped his hands gently: "Here, a distinguished guest has arrived, okay? Greet them."
Wallag was shocked. Before he could recover, Shapur already knew that something had changed. Without saying a word, he pushed Wallag away and rushed forward with his left hand and went straight to Sun Shao's neck. Holding the sword tightly. After the two maids retreated, there was no one around Sun Shao. If he didn't attack now, he would never have a chance again once the ambush came out. If he could control Sun Shao before the ambush came out, he might still have room for bargaining.
Sun Shao smiled even more happily. He sat there motionless, watching Shapur rush towards him. Shapur didn't think too much. He used all his strength and was as agile as a lion. In a blink of an eye, he was in front of Sun Shao.
"Kill!" With a loud shout, a figure flew up in the air and hit Shapur's head hard with his bent knee. Shapur went all out, leaving no room at all. This time he was hit from the side, and he had no chance to react. His whole body was like being hit by a bison. He flew out and fell to the ground with a bang. He felt like stars were rising in front of his eyes, his ears were ringing, and the world was spinning. Although he tried his best to identify Sun Shao's direction, he had no strength at all in his hands. He tried all his strength to only raise his head a little. , and soon fell down weakly. His forehead was pressed against the smooth floor tiles, and his heart kept sinking. What seemed like an extremely clever plan, seemed to cost him his life.
Ao Lei knocked down Shapur with a flying knee. He defended Sun Shao vigorously, holding a knife in one hand and a halberd in the other hand to point at the trapped Sassanid warriors who were still fighting. He shouted: "Take them all!". Following a burst of chaotic footsteps, Tu Hu led the Tiger Guard Battalion to surround the palace. More than a hundred crossbows were ready to fire, aiming at the Sasanian warriors. Tu Hu himself strode to Sun Shao, bowed and said: "The king is frightened."
"You're the one who was frightened." Sun Shao rolled his eyes angrily, pushed him away, walked up to the bloodless Varag, and grinned: "Varage, you have done another great service. It's a waste of time." It¡¯s really not easy to trick Shapur into me with such great scheming.¡±
Varag tried his best to force out a smile, but the muscles on his face froze. He tried hard for a long time but couldn't smile. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and his strength was drained away. Sun Shao's smile His eyes slowly turned into a ferocious smile, and the whole world changed in his laughter.
"Oh, what a villain, not even half as good as Shapur." Sun Shao looked condescendingly at Varag who was lying on the ground, put away his smile, and waved his hand dismissively: "Pull him out. ,take advantage ofSince those nobles haven't left yet, let them see this villain who doesn't want to be the King of Axum, but wants to be the mole. "
"Youyouyou never believed me?" Varag worked hard for a long time and finally squeezed out a sentence intermittently.
"Do I believe you? You look like a bitch on your face. Do you deserve my trust?" Sun Shao curled his lips and glanced at Shapur who was still trying to get up not far away: "As long as you want to make contributions and think about it, Only a crazy fool would believe you."
Varag¡¯s lips trembled, and he stretched out his hand to hold Sun Shao¡¯s feet, but Sun Shao kicked him away in disgust, and walked towards Shapur with a big smile. Shapur had just half sat up and was shaking his head, trying to wake himself up.
"Leizi, your knee is too harsh. Will he become an idiot?" Sun Shao said worriedly.
"This girl's head is really hard. She was hit by me and she's not dead yet." Ao Lei grinned happily and said, "Your Majesty, is this considered a capture?"
Sun Shao turned his head to look at him and couldn't help but laugh. "I know you are unhappy because you didn't drink. Don't worry, the merit you have accomplished this time is enough to keep you drinking for a lifetime."
Ao Lei smiled sheepishly.
Under the siege of the Tiger Guard camp, the warriors brought by Shapur did not last long before they were shot down. Then they were surrounded by wolf-like tiger warriors and beat them up. In just one meal, they were defeated. There were only a dozen people left, fighting back to back.
"Leave two alive." Sun Shao greeted. He walked up to the frightened warriors, looked at them, and casually ordered two: "You two take Shapur's head back and tell Ardashir about it. Old man, Shapur is careless and impulsive. He is not a good successor. I will take care of it for him and let him choose another son among the remaining sons. In addition, tell him to hurry up. Go back, don't let us stab him in his lair. I heard that the Romans and Kushan people who besieged Ctesiphon are a little anxious, and I'm afraid they won't be able to leave anything intact after entering the city."
The two warriors looked at each other, not understanding what Sun Shao was talking about. An interpreter next to them stepped forward and translated Sun Shao's words. Only then did the two warriors understand. They knew that they had saved their lives. Without saying a word, they immediately knelt down. kowtow.
"Let them repeat it again." Sun Shao waved his hand and said to the interpreter: "If the retelling is wrong, kill them and replace them with two. Anyway, there are more people."
The interpreter translated his words again, and the two warriors' faces turned pale, and they quickly stammered and repeated it, not even daring to change Ardashir's name into an honorific. After hearing the interpreter's report, Sun Shao nodded with satisfaction, chopped off Shapur's head and asked them to take them out of the city. None of the remaining dozen warriors were spared, and all had their heads chopped off to show to the public.
The next day, the news spread that Wallag had colluded with the Sassanid people to plot a rebellion. The whole city was in uproar. The heads of hundreds of Sasanian warriors testified, as did the body of Shapur, and those who were lucky enough to enter the palace for the banquet that night. After being accused by the nobles, Warag suddenly became a public enemy. Sun Shao had him hanged on the city wall in front of the palace. The angry people crowded over and cursed him with all kinds of unpleasant words. Finally, some soldiers with a bad temper simply used The spear stabbed him to death. One person moved his hand, and the rest of the people swarmed in. It didn't take long to cut Wallag into pieces alive.
At dawn, Aldashir, who was waiting in ambush outside the city with his eyelids twitching, received Shapur's head. He fainted as soon as everything went dark. When he woke up, he flew into a rage and had two unlucky warriors pushed away. He went out to behead him, and at the same time led the army to rush to the city and ordered an immediate attack on the city. Ding Feng and Zhou Yin, who were sulking, were alerted. They were surprised and happy, and immediately ordered the Guefeng Battalion defending the city to launch a counterattack. Ardashir came in a rage, but he was not actually prepared to attack the city. Faced with the sharp counterattack of the Destroyer Camp, more than two thousand people were killed in one fell swoop, and they had to return in defeat. He looked at Axum, gritted his teeth, and wished he could grow wings from his ribs, fly into the city, and bite Sun Shao to death.
"It's a pity that he is not an angel after all and has no wings. After calming down, he can only follow Sun Shao's suggestion and immediately withdraw his troops and rush back to Ctesiphon. This expedition to Axum ended in a disastrous failure. It took half a year and nearly 10,000 soldiers were lost. Not only did they fail to capture the city of Axum, but they also lost two of their most promising sons. Their hometown was in danger again, and Ardashir I was anxious and angry, and soon became ill.
More than 80,000 cavalry left Axum in frustration and marched toward Ctesiphon day and night.
As the saying goes, "The house leaks when it rains, and the ship breaks when the wind blows against it." Unlucky things either don't happen or happen one after another. As soon as the dejected Sasanian cavalry entered Egypt, they encountered a new situation. I don't know where they came from. Arabs came out in groups to harass them and robbed their supply camps. At first, Ardashir didn't pay much attention to them. Arabs were good at robbing and robbing.??'s reputation was outstanding, and Egypt was close to their sphere of influence. It was not surprising that there were a few robberies. But later on, more and more such things happened, and the size of the Arab robbery groups became larger and larger, which aroused Aldashir's vigilance.
The Arabs were so arrogant that they dared to rob the Sassanid army. Could it be that Ctesiphon was really surrounded, making the Arabs think that the Sassanids were vulnerable and ready to be slaughtered?
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