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Volume 2 Set Sail Chapter 164 The Ancient City of Seleucid

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    Chapter 164 The Ancient City of Seleucid

    What Bo Diao said is very correct. No matter whether you are willing to fight or not, you will not be unenthusiastic about the rewards. Of course, the Han people came all the way here not for the peace of the world, and Bo Diao and Quintus did not come to save people from dire straits.  The Sassanid people actually had the same goal: to kill Ardashir, steal his money, and divide his land.

    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? How to carve up the fertile land between the two rivers is the main event now. No one will be unenthusiastic about such wealth.  On this crescent-shaped land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, important powers such as Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Seleucus and Antipas once appeared. Isn't it because of the fertility of this land?

    No matter who it is, they will not just watch others occupy this land. In order to have enough strength to share the spoils, Bo Tiao secretly considered whether he should save some strength to avoid suffering losses later.  He didn't expect that Sun Shao would raise this question now. If you want to share it, you can share it together. Whoever has more credit will get more, and whoever has less credit will get less. What's more important is that it's not just the three of us, but also those who have done it.  All generals who have made meritorious service will participate in the dividends. No matter which country they belong to, as long as they have made meritorious service in the process of conquering Sassanid, they are entitled to a piece of land.  What if Ctesiphon is not taken?  Then there is nothing.  Not only was there no loot, there was also Sassanid vengeance waiting to come.  It's up to you how to do it.

    At this time, both Quintus and Bo Diao have put aside the idea of ??conserving their strength and focused on seizing the initiative and making more contributions.  Even Cao Zhang and the others were excited. They all looked at each other and no one said a word.

    "Since everyone has no objection, it's settled." Sun Shao waved his hand with satisfaction: "Please tell your subordinates this decision, and then everyone can use their brains to see how to capture Ctesi Feng.  When the time comes, we will get together to discuss it, and whoever has a better idea will be the main force and responsible for the main attack."

    Quintus and Baudiao have no objections. While they have motivation, they also feel a lot of pressure.  Sun Shao threw out a big piece of meat. Even if they didn't want to, the news would reach the ears of his generals. If those generals knew that they were unwilling to share the benefits with them, there would be no need to fight this battle.  According to this plan, I am afraid that every general will compete for the opportunity to perform meritorious service. How to arrange each person's tasks has become a difficult problem that tests their wisdom. Can they coordinate the cooperation among the generals and prevent them from competing for merit?  Disputes or even trying to undermine each other are also a thorny issue.

    Quintus and Botiao left, but Cao Zhang, Li Yan and others gathered around. Li Yan was still a little reserved and was embarrassed to ask directly. Cao Zhang was very familiar with Sun Shao, so he asked without concealment: "Your Majesty,  Is it just to arouse their enthusiasm, or is this really the plan?"

    Sun Shao glanced at him and avoided answering. Instead, he teased: "Don't forget, you are the cavalry general of the Luoyang court. After this battle is over, you will be promoted to general when you return. Do you still want to be here?"  Can I occupy a piece of land here and become the owner of the village?"

    Cao Zhang was a little embarrassed, but refused to back down: "Your Majesty, whether you want to go back or not is my business. Whether your Majesty is really willing to give this land to everyone is what we are most concerned about now." He didn't care at all.  He humbly pulled the others in: "Li Zhengfang is embarrassed to say it, but I can see that if possible, he is very willing to be a city lord here. There are probably many other people who have such ideas.  Even the generals of your Yue Kingdom.¡±

    "Would I lie to you?" Sun Shao took a sip of tea and said seriously: "When I asked you to send troops, I said that I would not let you suffer losses. Do you think I have done any business that has lost money in so many years?  Who among the people I have worked with have suffered a loss?¡±

    Cao Zhang nodded repeatedly: "That's true, Your Majesty is very happy. Every time we cooperate with Your Majesty, we gain a lot."

    "That's enough." Sun Shao chuckled: "As you all know, my Yue country will not be based on agriculture. I have no other requirements. I only hope that after you become city lords, you will not set up cards to steal money or drive up prices.  Thousands of merchants will still rely on you to supply food in the future." He patted his thigh and said with contentment: "You have also seen what happened just now. In fact, it doesn't matter to me whether we fight this war or not. Anyway, I  The benefits gained are already considerable. I am creating opportunities for you to make meritorious deeds. Otherwise, even if you return to the country, you will lose face."

    Cao Zhang smiled silently. He was not interested in chatting with Sun Shao at this time. Since Sun Shao said that he was not trying to trick someone, but that he really planned to do so, then they should think about it carefully.  With military exploits, of course there are benefits for the soldiers, but the greatest benefit belongs to the general, so whoever is the leader becomes a very important factor.Sensitive issue.

    Who doesn¡¯t want to make a great contribution? It¡¯s so boring to make wedding clothes for others.  But then again, you can't do it just because you want to be the leader. If you don't have this ability, you'd better avoid embarrassing yourself as soon as possible.  When he thought of what Sun Shao had just said to Quintus and Bo Diao, he was not in the mood to sit down anymore and hurriedly went back to convene the generals to discuss and see if there was any good way to capture Ctesiphon.  After all, although this piece of fat is tempting, Ctesiphon is not easy to attack. If you are not prepared enough, your efforts will probably be in vain, and you will lose troops and generals, but your efforts will be in vain.

    Cao Zhang and Li Yan chatted for a few words and then retreated.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the news to spread among the army. Almost all the generals were jealous and wanted a piece of the pie. It would be great to be the city lord of the free trade zone.  The King of Yue wants the area north of Armenia. If Ctesiphon can be captured, then merchants who log in from the Persian Gulf will go up the river, and the cities in this area can profit from it. It is simply a treasure land.

    Nearly everyone used their brains and racked their brains to think of ways to break the city, and their morale was extremely high.

    The army then advanced steadily, crossed the Euphrates River, advanced all the way, and pushed to the west bank of the Tigris River. The army first surrounded the ancient city of Seleucid.  The ancient Seleucid city is a relic of the Seleucid dynasty. It has been around for more than 500 years. After many wars, although the Seleucid city has been repaired many times, it cannot be compared with the Taixi Feng city. However, these two cities are in  There are similarities in structure, so Sun Shao suggested to attack the ancient city of Seleucid first. Taking the ancient city of Seleucid would be equivalent to cutting off Ctesiphon's foreign aid, which would not only train the army, but also shock the morale of the Sasanians.  What's more, if they cross the river to fight without taking the ancient city of Seleucid, it will not be reassuring after all.

    Everyone has no objection to this proposal. The difference lies in who should be the main general in attacking the ancient city of Seleucid.  Both Bo Tiao and Quintus wanted to achieve this first achievement. They both knew that Seleucus was much easier to do than Ctesiphon. Bo Tiao felt that he might not have a chance to compete with Sun Shao for this general when he attacked Ctesiphon. It should be at this time  Make a contribution first, and you will have something to rely on later when you reward your merits.  Quintus, on the other hand, had 80,000 soldiers and was very ambitious. He very much hoped to achieve great success and gain prestige in front of the generals.

    Both of them refused to give up, and in the end they had no choice but to ask Sun Shao to do a notarization.  Sun Shao did not participate in this battle, nor did he take sides. He suggested that they attack at the same time.  To the east of the ancient city of Seleucid is the Tigris River, which makes it impossible to attack. One of you attacks from the northwest and the other from the southwest. Whoever attacks the city first will be considered the first. As for the Han people, he will serve as a reserve team to deal with emergencies. At the same time, he will also  The city of Ctesiphon across the river should be monitored to prevent the Sasanians from supporting the Seleucid city and attacking the soldiers who were attacking the city.

    Bo Tiao was very satisfied. The Kushan army was the weakest and there were not many opportunities to fight for the main battle. Sun Shao did not favor the Romans, which was enough for him.  Quintus was a little disappointed. He originally thought that Sun Shao would speak for him and let the Romans be the main attacker, but he did not expect such a result.  There was resentment in my heart, and I couldn't help but complain twice.

    "Are you sure you can take down Seleucus?" Sun Shao said unceremoniously.

    Quintus rolled his eyes and said nothing.

    "Although this city is not as good as Ctesiphon, it is still an ancient city. When it was first built, it was built in the style of a fortress with complete protective facilities. Don't think that you can easily capture this city with an army of 80,000. Your 80,000  The two legions that people can really fight are in the hands of little Gordian. Will he sincerely help you?"

    When Quintus heard this, he understood.

    "Don't be anxious, take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the mode of war, and let the generals take turns to fight to see which ones can really fight and which ones are just talking. There are Kushans on the other side to contain the Sasanians.  , it¡¯s only good for you and not bad for you. If you¡¯re still not satisfied with the ancient city of Seleucid, it doesn¡¯t matter, there¡¯s still Ctesiphon.¡±

    "How dare I steal Ctesiphon's first victory." Quintus rubbed his hands in embarrassment.

    "There's nothing to be polite about. Just because you don't want to fight doesn't mean that your subordinates don't want to fight. If you are too generous, I'm afraid you will give others a reason to talk." Sun Shao smiled faintly: "What's more, we are a country of brothers.  It¡¯s because of my friendship with you that if you really have the ability to take down Ctesiphon and secure your position as emperor, I can¡¯t help but wish for it.¡±

    Quintus laughed, feeling happy in his heart, and any trace of resentment he had had suddenly disappeared.  He gratefully said to Sun Shao: "You have more experience, okay, I will do as you say and let them take turns to fight, without favoring any one, so that they will not blame me later."

    "That's right." Sun Shao smiled and nodded, stood up and walked to Quintus, patting him on the shoulder: "Quintus, let's have a good fight and let them see who is the real emperor of Rome.  .¡±

    "Hmm."?Quintus clenched his fists with confidence.

    After half a month of preparation, the Romans attacked from the northwest and the Kushans attacked from the southwest.  Bo Diao only had more than 20,000 men, and he had 5,000 elites as reserves. The remaining people were divided into two groups to take turns attacking the city. Quintus, taking advantage of the large number of people, sent eight legion commanders at once to attack in turn.  Not giving the defenders in the city a chance to breathe.

    When the Kushans and Romans stormed the ancient city of Seleucid, Sun Shao arranged for Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi brothers and Li Yan to guard their backs, while he led Chen Hai, Zhuge Zhi and others to patrol the Tigris River.  Although the surface of the Tigris River is still quite wide, after entering the plains, the water volume decreases sharply, and the water level is very shallow in many places. It is not easy for the boat to drive along the river all the way to the outside of Ctesiphon, and there is a possibility of running aground at any time. Therefore,  This time Chen Hai left the main building ships at sea and only brought medium-sized warships to the battle.  As far as water warfare is concerned, the Sasanian warships are generally not strong, and even medium-sized warships are enough to cope with them.  But for siege, without the help of the large number of ballistae on the building ship, it is really inferior.

    The Tigris River between the ancient city of Seleucid and Ctesiphon is not wide, and most of the river is within the attack range of the ballistas from the two cities. Even if the Vietnamese warships are strong, they cannot withstand such an attack.  Therefore, when there was no need to attack by force, Sun Shao just ordered warships to monitor the river, not allowing the Sassanid people to cross the river by boat to rescue the ancient Seleucid city, but refused to allow warships to attack the ancient Seleucid city on the water.  ¡ª¡ªWith the ballista capabilities on medium-sized battleships, even if they join the battle, they won't be of much help. Only building ships can do this kind of work.

    Under the escort of ten warships, Sun Shao carefully stayed out of the range of the city's ballistae, and looked at Taixi Fengcheng on the left bank with his clairvoyance.  Lu Xun and Sun Feng were standing next to him, each using their clairvoyance to look at the nearby terrain. Zhuge Zhi and Chen Hai were standing behind, discussing something softly together.  Zhuge Zhi's warship was in the Red Sea. He was unable to follow him this time. He only participated in the battle as a foot soldier. He did not have high expectations.  Chen Hai was the main force of the navy this time. However, his combat power was greatly reduced because he could not bring a large ship. After hearing that this land would be used as a reward for meritorious personnel, he regretted it endlessly and would complain a few words from time to time.  .

    "Oh, Mr. Ji, our luck is not as good as that pirate's." Chen Hai lamented: "That pirate is now roaming the Mediterranean Sea, he is also king and hegemon in the Black Sea, and he has opened a palace in Byzantium, and the territory he governs is larger than ours.  But after all, only Thick Legs and Deng Ai can compare with him, and the few of uswell, the gap is getting wider and wider."

    Zhuge smiled and said nothing.  The four generals who followed Sun Shao to establish the country crossed the sea and guarded Funan. They did not have many opportunities to go on expeditions. Although he was not called a governor, he was the most powerful governor. Su Cuoji flexed his muscles in the East China Sea, defeating three Koreas,  The Japanese country has expanded its territory to more than a thousand miles, and is a well-deserved hegemon in the East China Sea.  Deng Ai went out to the South China Sea with a thousand men. After several years of conquest, he has now become the supreme commander of the ten thousand miles of the South China Sea. He is the youngest among several important generals who have been deployed abroad, and his future prospects are limitless.  Cui Qian has also been very proud of himself recently. He first defeated the Roman rebels in the Bosporus, and then he and Lu Xun ambushed the Sassanid people. They performed two feats in succession. Before the war was over, he was appointed by Sun Shao as the governor of the Mediterranean. He also served as governor of the Mediterranean.  In charge of the Black Sea, he also opened a mansion in Byzantium, and he got his wish, which was worse than Su Chuchuji and Deng Ailai.  Chen Hai, one of the four generals, has not yet been appointed governor, which inevitably makes him feel a little sad.

    "Why should the general be depressed? The Arabian Sea is the general's territory. After Ctesiphon is captured, the trade volume of the Persian Gulf will definitely increase significantly and is expected to exceed the Red Sea. The general is also an important town in our country, so why should we belittle ourselves."

    Chen Hai grinned and was too embarrassed to say anything else.  Although it seems that the rights are similar, after all, without the title of governor, he is like a dwarf and has no face to see others.

    Gan Hao, Cheng Zi, and Han Zong stood at the other end of the boat. Gan Hao leaned on the side of the ship, squinted his eyes and looked at Taixi Feng City in the distance, and said angrily: "I didn't expect that, Ardaxi, the first hero  You actually became a coward and hid in the city and couldn't come out. I didn't even get a chance to compete with him in swordsmanship, which is really frustrating."

    "I think Ardashir is afraid and can only avoid you, General Gan." Han Zong said seriously: "I am afraid that I will be chopped into pieces by you to receive the reward. I am afraid that when the city of Taixi is closed, it will be you, General Gan."  The general¡¯s.¡±

    "It's not just the west of the city that is sealed off. I think the entire Sassanid state may be sealed off." Cheng Zi added fuel to the fire and said, "Maybe by then the priestesses of those temples will become the female slaves of General Gan."

    "And!" Gan Hao spat angrily and amusedly: "Don't you two fools make me feel uncomfortable if you don't entertain me?"

    Han Zong and Cheng Zi couldn't help but laugh in low voices.  Gan You is an old minister of the Yue Kingdom. They came later and at that time.The situation was very embarrassing when I came here, as I was driven out by Sun Quan, so I was always laughed at by Gan Yu. Unexpectedly, I turned around this time. I followed Lu Xun to defeat Ardashir, became famous in one battle, and not only gained a lot of money.  The spoils of war, and due to his meritorious service, he was promoted to the rank of general, making him equal to Gan Yu.  However, Gan You followed Chen Hai this time and failed to ambush Ardashir. He ran thousands of miles without success, so he was naturally full of complaints.  As soon as they saw Gan Yu complaining, they teamed up to make him angry.  If Sun Shao hadn't been right in front, they might have laughed so happily.

    "Mom, I will be the first to kill Taixi Feng City when the time comes, so that you guys can see how powerful I am." Gan You spat again angrily.  Just as Cheng Zi was about to say more, Han Zong tugged on his sleeve and pointed his eyes at him to pay attention to the front.  Cheng Zi took a look and happened to see Luo Tong looking over. He signaled them not to speak too loudly and quickly closed his mouth.

    Sun Shao and Lu Xun were talking.  Lu Xun was very worried about Sun Shao's arrangements. So far, they were not sure of winning Ctesiphon. Even if they used heavy rewards to stimulate the morale of the Romans and Kushan people, they might not be able to succeed. After all, the difference in strength was not obvious enough.  The Romans seemed to have 80,000 people, but most of them were new soldiers, who needed a lot of actual combat training, and training was deadly. After taking Seleucid, their losses would have been at least around 10,000 people, and the Kushans also lost more than 80,000 people.  Not much better.  If the loss is too great, then there will be even less troops to attack Ctesiphon.

    "Bo Yan, are you sure about taking Ctesi Feng?" Sun Shao smiled and said: "If you are sure, I will appoint you as the general to attack Ctesi Feng, and all the troops will be given to you to command."

    Lu Xun was noncommittal, put down his clairvoyance, and was silent for a moment: "Your Majesty, if Ctesiphon is not captured, can Armenia occupy it? Is the Caspian Sea still meaningful?"

    Sun Shao blinked his eyes and smiled calmly: "Why is it meaningless?"

    Lu Xun glanced at Sun Shao and said to himself: "If my guess is correct, the king plans to use Cui Qian's navy as the backing, Rome as the ally, and the Teutons as the basis to fully operate the territory north of the Mediterranean.  A large area of ??land. However, although the land there is fertile, the population is small, and there are many tribes, which are prone to plundering and not controlling production. It is impossible to unify it without taking 30 to 50 years. The management of 30 to 50 years requires a lot of people.  Human and financial resources must be transported from Rome, Kushan and even the Yue Kingdom. Our Yue Kingdom dominates the sea, but it is a long way from the sea. Whether it is from the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea, we have to pass through a piece of land. Although the king occupied Axum  , but there is still the Roman province of Egypt in the middle, and Xiahou Rong¡¯s sphere of influence is on the east coast, which is not so convenient after all. The most ideal situation is for us to capture Sassanid and go directly from the Persian Gulf to the Tigris River and reach Armenia.¡±

    Sun Shao nodded frequently. Although Lu Xun did not know the inside story of Sun Shao and Philip becoming brothers, it was difficult to estimate that as long as Philip succeeded to the throne and became the emperor, Rome would actually be part of the Yue Kingdom. However, the situation he analyzed  It was already closer to his expectation.  Winning Ctesiphon is of course the best result.

    "We don't have enough strength to conquer Ctesiphon alone, so the king retreated to the next best thing, hoping to use the power of Rome and Kushan to destroy Sassanid and build it into a free trade zone with numerous princely states, so as to minimize future obstacles.  . But Your Majesty, all of this is predicated on conquering Ctesiphon. If it doesn't work, then Your Majesty's deployment will be greatly compromised, and the Prince's difficulties will be even greater. If there is another conflict with the Romans,  Even if we want to rescue, we are beyond our reach. Your Majesty, is this too risky?"

    "Whether you take risks or not depends on whether you can capture Ctesi Fon." Sun Shao smiled slightly: "If you can capture Ctesi Fon, this place will be controlled by our country. Coupled with the Arabian Peninsula controlled by Xia Hou Rong, we  There are several ways to go north, so what's the risk? What's more, I also plan to arrange some Huns on the east coast of the Caspian Sea. There are good pastures there, and controlling them in the hands of the Kushans is a hidden danger after all."

    "Brother Adiguai?" Lu Xun's eyes lit up.  Cai Yan, the mother of the Adigai brothers, and Yang Hu's mother were sisters, and Yang Hu was a close confidant of Sun Feng. There were even rumors that Yang Huiyu was also Sun Feng's favorite and might become the woman in the crown prince's womb in the future.  With this relationship, plus the credit Sun Feng gave to the Adigai brothers, it was obviously a boost for Sun Feng to let the Adigai brothers occupy the pasture in the east sea of ??the Caspian Sea, and the Adigai brothers were nominally from the Wei State.  Presumably Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi would not object.

    "If possible, I do have this plan."

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