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Volume 2 Set Sail Chapter 163 Divide the spoils in advance

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    Chapter 163: Divide the spoils in advance

    Ctesiphon is on the left bank of the Tigris River. The Dira River flows around the city from the east and merges into the Tigris River in the south. Ctesiphon is at the intersection of the two rivers.  Because of such convenient conditions, after Ardashir established the Sasanian Dynasty here, he diverted water to build a wide moat, making the already strong Ctesiphon city even more inaccessible.  However, taking into account the superiority of Vietnam in the navy, Ardashir ordered a large number of wooden stakes to be laid in the moat, so that the warships of the Vietnam Navy must not be allowed to directly approach the city wall.

    On the right bank of the Tigris River, there is an ancient city left over from the Seleucid Dynasty.  The two cities stand sandwiched between each other, supporting each other and firmly guarding the Tigris River.  All ships passing by the river are within the attack range of the two big cities. It is not easy to pass safely.

    However, Ardashir was still worried. He ignored the objections of his ministers and moved all the residents within twenty miles into the city. Even the houses were demolished and all the wood was transported into the city, leaving no room for the incoming enemy.  Next bit of supplies available.  Faced with everyone's doubts about whether Vietnam and Rome would come to siege the city, Ardashir said with certainty that they would definitely come, and it wouldn't be long before Ctesiphon would face another test after Trajan's invasion.

    I guessed the first sentence correctly, but I guessed the next sentence wrong.  The allied forces of the Han, Roman and Kushan kingdoms arrived in Ctesiphon, but only three months after Ardashir returned to Ctesiphon.  It was not until the beginning of October that Sun Shao and Quintus led an army of 300,000 people to slowly arrive thirty miles outside Ctesiphon.  Although Aldashir was nervous, he was also relieved. With these three months of preparation time, he had made all the preparations, even grabbing food and bringing it into the city. Now he was as stable as a mountain and had enough confidence to hold on.  Cecilia sealed off the city, leaving Sun Shao and Quintus to work in vain outside the city.

    However, for the Sasanians, who have been focusing on offense in the past ten years, they have been watching the enemy approaching step by step, but they can only stick to the city instead of taking the initiative to defeat the enemy. This is already a problem.  The humiliation was unbearable.  Especially the tens of thousands of soldiers who returned from Axum. They were full of anger and eager to return these humiliations a hundredfold to the Vietnamese.  As for the Romans, they didn't take them seriously. Although the Romans were large in number, Quintus had never fought in a war. He only ascended the throne of Roman emperor because of a woman, and the most powerful of the 80,000 troops.  The capable 40,000 people did not last for a long time in front of the Sasanians. They had enough capital to despise the Romans.

    The same goes for the Kushans. In the eyes of the Sasanians, only the Yue people are their opponents. Only the Yue people are worthy of being their opponents.  If Sun Shao, the king of Yue, had not led the attack this time, the Sasanians would not have stayed in the city. They would have taken the initiative to defeat the Romans and Kushans outside the country.

    Ardashir worked hard to defeat Sun Shao in the city of Taixi, use the blood of the Yue people to wash away the shame and humiliation he suffered under the city of Aksum and the revenge of his son's murder, and use Sun Shao's failure to commemorate Alpha and Shapur.  The spirit in heaven.  For this purpose, he worked at full capacity with rare energy, doing every major event personally, and never letting go of any doubts. All Han Dynasty merchants, scholars, and people of all kinds who failed to exit Ctesi Feng in time were detained by him.  Even other Chinese who had been to Yue were detained on the grounds of war.

    The city of Ctesiphon has entered an unprecedented tense state of war. Compared with the Roman Emperor Trajan who made more concessions when he besieged the city more than a hundred years ago, the atmosphere in the entire city is depressed.  Walking through the streets, the common people hid behind closed doors and stared nervously at these ferocious-looking soldiers, not even daring to take a breath for fear of being heard by the soldiers, and then broke down the door and rushed in.

    The priests of the temple were also mobilized by Ardashir. They walked out of the temple, into the streets, and into the homes of ordinary people, preaching to them the will of Ahura Mazda and calling on them to obey Ahura.  Summon, obey the orders of the Sassanid king Ardashir, Allahu's spokesman in the world, and fight against the Yue King Sun Shao, the spokesman of the evil god Ahriman.  They promised that all those who fought bravely would receive varying degrees of pardon based on their merits. Even if they committed the most unforgivable crime, they would still be forgiven.  Welcomed by beautiful fairies into heaven.

    Zoroastrianism is the state religion of Sassanid. Almost everyone in Ctesiphon, from nobles to slaves, believes in Zoroastrianism. According to the priests, except for the Ardashir family and a limited number of nobles,  Most of them are guilty, and have very little chance of entering heaven. A considerable number of them will eventually go to hell to be punished. Now that such a good opportunity suddenly appears, those who have been worrying about death all day can't help but be overjoyed.  Listen to words?obey.

    With the efforts of all parties, Taixi Fengcheng has made all preparations for a fierce battle.  Ardashir followed the example of the wooden curtains that Sun Shao had hung in the city that he had seen in Axum. He also made a large number of wooden curtains to protect important buildings in the city to avoid being damaged by artillery stones from outside the city.  wreck.

    Thirty miles away, Sun Shao and Quintus stopped advancing and saw Cao Zhang and Bo Diao who came to meet up.  When they met, Bo Diao first expressed his gratitude to Sun Shao, and then said with some regret: "It's a pity that the king came too late. The Sassanid people have made sufficient preparations. If they could arrive a month in advance, the attack would be better."  The city will be much easier.¡±

    Seeing that he was not in Bo Diao's eyes, Quintus couldn't help but feel a little unhappy, but for Sun Shao's sake, he didn't have an attack yet, but his face looked a little unsightly.

    Sun Shao smiled: "Why, your Majesty is worried that I won't be able to capture Taixi Fengcheng?"

    Bo Diao smiled awkwardly and said: "How dare I doubt the king's methods. I just said that if we could come earlier, the Sasanians would not be so well prepared, and it would be less difficult for us to attack the city. Now Ardashir  Move all the surrounding people into the city, gather all their belongings, and collect all this year's grain into the city. Preliminary estimates are that it can support the army for at least one year. Now the people in Ctesiphon are stable, but it is not easy to attack."

    Sun Shao laughed and didn't take it seriously, and asked: "If Ardashir doesn't gather all these together, even if we capture the city of Taixi, how will we be able to distribute it? Your Majesty, there are too many people here who are waiting to share the spoils.  If it¡¯s too much, if it¡¯s too little, it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    Bo Diao couldn't help laughing when he saw Sun Shao's funny words.  He thought about it, and although he felt that Sun Shao's words made sense, there was a premise for it, that is, Sun Shao could capture Ctesi Feng.  Can Sun Shao capture Ctesiphon?  Bo Tiao was unsure. Anyway, from his point of view, it was impossible to capture the city with the current strength. Even if the Han Dynasty people had more experience in attacking and defending cities than he did, he still saw it.  I don't think Sun Shao might have some clever way to attack the city.

    Maybe we can only rely on the blessing of the gods. Bo Tiao said to himself in his heart that Sun Shao has always been lucky. He hopes that he can also get the favor of the gods this time and conquer Taixi Feng City in one fell swoop. Not only can he destroy the Sassanid people, but also let Guishan relax.  With his tone, he can also rob some property from Taixi Feng to make up for Guishang's losses over the years.

    "Then I'll wait to collect the spoils." Bo Diao also laughed in amusement.

    "There are spoils of war, but only those who have meritorious service can receive them. Not everyone can participate in sharing the spoils. We can't let those who lose the battle also receive the rewards." Quintus interjected in a nonchalant manner.  Mouth.  Bo Diao glanced at him sideways, curled his lips and said with disdain: "Then I want to see what kind of achievements His Majesty the Emperor can achieve."

    Quintus¡¯ expression changed, and he was about to have a fit, but was stopped by Sun Shao.  Sun Shao waved his hand: "Both of you, please relax. It's okay to joke, but you must not take it seriously. The reason why we can gather under the city of Taixi is because we can cooperate sincerely. If we can't cooperate, we will only be defeated by Aldashir."  If you defeat them one by one, you will regret it too late."

    Quintus and Bo Diao looked at each other unconvinced and turned their heads in unison.  When Sun Shao saw it, he smiled helplessly. The two donkeys really couldn't be tied to the same trough, which was really sad.  He waved and asked the Sima Master to take a map, spread it on the table, tapped it lightly with his fingers and said: "You two, let's discuss how to divide the Sasanian land after defeating Ctesiphon.  . I like to be fair and reasonable in doing things, and I don¡¯t bully others. You should weigh your own strength first, and then see how much benefit you can get."

    Bo Diao glanced at Sun Shao in surprise, feeling that Sun Shao seemed too confident. The battle hadn't started yet, and he was preparing to divide the spoils first. Was he really very confident about winning Ctesi Feng?  Bo Diao was extremely curious, but it was hard to ask. His heart was itching, and even his eyebrows were jumping up.  He walked to the table, took a look at the map, and was immediately surprised: "Your Majesty, this map is really detailed? Does it even include distances? How was this measured?"

    "Of course I measured it with my feet," Quintus said jokingly.  Bo Diao glanced at him, but said nothing. He still looked at Sun Shao curiously.  Sun Shao smiled: "I have detailed maps of all places where our merchants pass by. In shopping malls and battlefields, the truth is similar. The distance is also an important aspect of whether we can make a profit. Don't you think so, my lord?"

    Bo Tiao nodded, but felt a little wary. There were many merchants from the Han Dynasty in Guishang. According to Sun Shao, does Sun Shao also have a map of Guishang?  At first, I only knew that merchants in the Han Dynasty could bring wealth, but I didn't expect that they also had these functions. Now it is too late to ban it, and if it is too obvious, I am afraid that the Yue King in front of me will not agree.  Alas, I can only hope that I won¡¯t become his enemy in the future.??Otherwise, we might be at a disadvantage before the war even starts.

    Sun Shao could see Bo Tiao's twinkling eyes clearly, but he didn't point it out.  It is still necessary to put some pressure on him at this time, so as to prevent him from being half-hearted and not giving his full strength.

    "Everyone, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea now belong to my country. Thanks to the trust of His Majesty the Emperor, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are also at my disposal. I am a bit over the top. After defeating Sassanid, I hope to capture the Caspian Sea.  , I hope you two won¡¯t compete with me.¡±

    Bo Diao was shocked. No wonder Sun Shao helped the Romans so much this time. It turned out that the Romans not only gave Axum to Sun Shao, but also handed over the sea rights of the Mediterranean and Black Sea to Sun Shao. There were such great benefits.  , even if Sun Shao did not participate in the profit sharing, he would still gain a lot.  To him, it didn't matter whether he beat Ctesiphon or not. He had already made a lot of money anyway.  He pondered for a moment, feeling very nervous.  Sun Shao was greedy and refused to give up after taking over the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and wanted to swallow the Caspian Sea as well.  The Caspian Sea is located to the north of the Kushans. If Sun Shao stationed his navy in the Caspian Sea, it would be like hanging a knife over the heads of the Kushan people.  However, even though Bo Diao was unwilling to do so, he did not dare to object face to face. Although this area originally belonged to the Kushan people, it has now been taken over by the Sassanid people. Sun Shao wanted the Caspian Sea, but it was also from the Sassanid people.  Take it away, it's just and justified.  If Bo Tiao doesn't allow it, then needless to say, Sun Shao will definitely play tricks on the subsequent cooperation.  The Caspian Sea is too far away from the Romans. The Romans would certainly not object to Sun Shaolai taking over, and they might even be happy to watch the Kushan people's jokes.

    Bo Tiao pondered for a long time, then forced a smile and said: "Is your Majesty ready to develop eastward?"

    "Not interested." Sun Shao reached out and picked up a cinnabar pen and drew a line on the map. "There are high mountains on both sides of the southeastern side of the Caspian Sea. I plan to use the high mountains as the dividing line. The side facing the sea is mine, and the side facing the sea is mine.  I won¡¯t ask about it. I wonder what your Majesty¡¯s wishes are?¡±

    Bo Tiao breathed a sigh of relief.  According to Sun Shao's painting, the lands taken away by the Sasanians should be able to return to the hands of the Kushans, as long as the Romans are not allowed to take the opportunity to get their hands in.  He thought about it. The Kushan people mainly relied on cavalry, supplemented by farming. The main forces were in the south. The Caspian Sea could not be taken into account at all. They did not have a navy to enter the Caspian Sea. They might as well give it to Sun Shao.  To avoid any conflict with Sun Shao.  Of course, this cannot be given for free, it must be exchanged for some benefits.

    "Your Majesty, the sea here is a large area of ??land. There are many high-quality pastures around it, and my people often graze there. Sometimes they will also cross the Caspian Sea and migrate to the pastures on the west coast. Your Majesty occupies the Caspian Sea.  It will not be easy for them to migrate in the future.¡±

    Sun Shao frowned, looking a little surprised: "It turns out that the king's people have moved to the east coast. I didn't expect you to adapt to the new place so quickly. If this is the case, then you will still graze there.  Well, I don¡¯t want Caspian Sea anymore, just move to this area in the south. Anyway, I¡¯m new here, so there¡¯s no problem of adapting.¡±

    Bo Tiao¡¯s face suddenly turned red.  He heard the strong threat in Sun Shao's words.  You want the east coast, right?  Well, the land in the south that was taken away by the Sasanians belongs to me.  Compared with this large area of ??land to the south, the grasslands on the east and west sides of the Caspian Sea are vast and sparsely populated, and are simply not worth mentioning.  He quickly shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, that's not necessary. We don't have many tribesmen there, so I'd better ask them to move back."

    Quintus laughed dumbly, his expression even more disdainful.

    "Then thank you for your generosity, your Majesty." Sun Shao smiled and waved his hand: "Then it's settled, the Caspian Sea belongs to me, and the land south of the Caspian Sea and east of the Zagros Mountains belongs to your Majesty.  "

    Bo Tiao nodded repeatedly and smiled widely.  This piece of land was larger than the area robbed by the Sasanians, and Kushan made a profit.

    "The land west of the Euphrates River, north of the Syrian Desert, and up to the east coast of the Mediterranean, including Asia Minor, belongs to Rome." Sun Shao drew a large piece of land on the map and said to Quintus with a smile.  Quintus didn't say anything, just nodded. He and Sun Shao had already made a deal these days, and now he was just saying it to Bo Diao.  Bo Diao looked at the map and was a little surprised: "Where is Armenia? Rome doesn't want it anymore?"

    "Armenia to the north, this area between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, all the way to the extremely cold land, belongs to my man." Sun Shao pointed to his nose.

    The wave is about to speak but stops.  Armenia belongs to the Romans, and Quintus has no control over whether he gives it away or not.  Besides, the population there is sparsely populated and there are many barbarians, so there is no profit to be gained. If Sun Shao wants it, then just give it to him.

    "East of the Euphrates River and west of the Zagros Mountains, this crescent-shaped land originally belonged to Bothia and now belongs to Sassanid. It is not yet certain. Because although I have the confidence to capture Ctesiphon and severely inflict a heavy blow on the Sasanians  ?But whether Sassanid can be destroyed in the end is still unknown. Maybe they will have to make peace with Ardashir in the end.  In this case, it is meaningless to say who owns this land now.  He raised his head and glanced at Quintus and Bo Diao, then smiled and said, "But I have a suggestion. Do you agree?"  "

    Quintus remained calm, but Bo Tiao once again raised his alarm.  Although he was not familiar with Quintus, looking at Quintus's expression, he knew without even thinking that this weak Roman emperor was now Sun Shao's yes man.  They must have discussed how to divide the Sasanian lands on the road, and now they are working together to deal with him.

    "Your Majesty, you might as well tell me first, what kind of good proposal is it?" Bo said with a naughty smile.

    "My suggestion is that in order to encourage the soldiers of the three kingdoms to take the lead in the battle, this land will be given as a reward. If the city cannot be broken, it will be fine. If the city is broken and Sassanid is finally eliminated, then this land will be given as a reward.  Those ministers who have made meritorious service, whether they are Romans, Kushans, or Han people, as long as they have meritorious service, can be allocated a piece of land. This land will not be established as a country in the future, but only as a principality, as a buffer zone between the three countries.  , a free trade zone with no tariffs. What do you two think?"

    When I heard the tune, my eyebrows jumped immediately, and then my eyebrows became happy.  He had never thought about getting involved here. After all, it was too far away from the Kushan Kingdom. Even if he wanted to control it, he would be powerless.  What's more, if Sassanid is really eliminated, this place will become the boundary between Kushan and Rome, and conflicts will continue in the future.  And if Sun Shao's suggestion is followed and this place is used as a fiefdom for meritorious ministers, it will not only solve the problem of future rewards, but also establish a buffer zone between Kushan and Rome. Most importantly, this will allow everyone to  When the generals are motivated, they can work together to defeat the Sasanians in one go and completely eliminate this powerful enemy.  If he cannot defeat them, then this is still the land of the Sasanians, but it is sandwiched between the three kingdoms, and his strength will be greatly reduced. It will not be easy for him to be as majestic as he is now.

    "Your Majesty is wise." Bo Diao raised his thumb and praised loudly: "I agree with your Majesty's proposal to use this place as a fiefdom for the heroes. Under heavy rewards, there must be brave men, and with such a fertile land as a reward  , I believe that no matter which country¡¯s soldiers they are, they will be possessed by gods and be unstoppable.¡±

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