Chapter 171: Catch the ducks and put them on the shelves
Aquila hurried over, and when he saw Aldashir's eyes, he stopped and opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say, with an extremely frustrated expression on his face. They have been worried about miracles, worried that Sun Shao would perform such a miracle again in Taixi Fengcheng. They were thinking about how this miracle was done all the time, and then they would also come up with a miracle to counterattack, but they never They never expected that Sun Shao would actually show such a miracle in front of them in such a refreshing day.
A spherical object appeared helplessly in the sky above Taixi Fengcheng without a trace of cover. It just appeared in front of them. The truth of what they had never thought of was revealed. However, they Do you really understand?
No, they still can't figure out how the ball appeared in the air, unless it was the power of God.
Aquila can understand Ardashir's current mood. He is very ashamed. As the smartest person in the Sasanian family and the high priest of the Sasanian state religion, he can only watch helplessly as the enemy performs "miracles" in front of him. ", shaken the morale of the military, but there is nothing they can do.
He is proficient in illusions, but he cannot make such illusions. Even if he wants to tell the people that this is just a cover-up by the enemy, how convincing can it be?
Aquila felt the powerlessness of Aldashir under the city of Axum. He could see that his opponent was not far away, but he could not defeat him.
"I will go back to bathe and fast, and then pray to Ahura. I believe Ahura will not abandon us just like this." Aquila couldn't bear to look at Aldashir's desperate eyes hidden under his calm expression, and touched her hands with her hands. He bowed to Ardashir in front of his chest, turned around and hurried away.
Ardashir stood motionless in the corridor of the palace, like a statue at the door, until the minister in charge of negotiations hurriedly walked up to him.
"Dear King." The minister bowed and saluted, unable to kneel down.
"Are the Han people still talking about it?" Ardashir shivered all over, and then recovered from his dazed state, and asked expressionlessly.
"They rejected the king's request, and then changed their request." The minister took out a roll of paper from his arms and handed it over respectfully, without even daring to raise his head, and his body could not help shaking. The corner of Aldashir's mouth twitched, he took the paper, unfolded it and took a look, there were Chinese characters again.
"Call the interpreters." Ardashir turned around and strode into the palace.
The interpreters were imprisoned in the palace and arrived quickly. Each of them translated a contract and sent it to Ardashir. Ardashir glanced at it. Although there were slight differences in words, the main content was basically the same. Sun Shao's attitude obviously changed. He was very dissatisfied with the conditions proposed by Ardashir. He said in a sarcastic tone that Ardashir had not yet woken up from the grief of losing his son at the foot of Aksum and did not know that the city of Ctesi had arrived. At the critical juncture of life and death, they actually proposed such unimportant conditions, obviously trying to push all Sasanians into the abyss of death. He also said that the Kushans, Romans, and barbarian leaders were all eager to conquer Ctesiphon and then plunder all the Sasanians as slaves and equally share the wealth that the Sassanid Dynasty had robbed over the years, and he wanted nothing else. , he only had to ask Ardashir face to face:
How can you be so stupid? After losing Ahura's blessing, have you lost even your basic judgment? Do you really think that you can defend Ctesiphon with tens of thousands of suspicious people? I am a big man of fire virtue, and like the Sasanians, I am protected by the God of Light. Ahura has made a new choice between you and me. Now it is your time to make a choice.
Surrender, or perish.
Following closely behind, Sun Shao issued an ultimatum and listed a series of harsh conditions. On the condition of preserving Ctesiphon, he required Ardashir to cede all cities except Ctesiphon and compensate the countries for the cost of sending troops. , apologized to all countries, disbanded most of the army, and promised not to initiate wars again. If this condition is followed, Sassanid will die, leaving only Ctesiphon. How is he different from those city lords?
The more the minister thought about it, the more frightened he became. When he received the contract, he already felt that his head would not be around his neck for long.
To the minister¡¯s surprise, Ardashir did not fly into a rage. After reading the contract, he gently let go of his hand, and the paper filled with words swayed to the ground and scattered at his feet.
Silence, a breathless silence, the minister lay on the ground, not daring to raise his head. From his angle, he could only see Ardashir's boots with complicated embroidery patterns.
The boots were motionless.
The minister felt as if there was a mountain pressing on his back.Shivering uncontrollably, his forehead was already pressed to the ground, and drops of sweat dripped from his temples, dripping on the ground paved with blue bricks.
"Go and tell him that if you want to fight, fight without talking. As long as he can capture Ctesiphon, he can kill and chop him to death without any complaints." Ardashir stood up, coldly dropped a sentence, and turned around to leave. .
When Sun Shao received the reply, he didn't say anything. He just invited Quintus, Bo Diao and others, and then asked the Sasanian envoy to tell them again. Of course, Quintus and Bo Tiao cursed loudly, clamoring that they must pull off Ardashir's head after breaking through the city of Ctesi. Sun Shao didn't say anything. After the messenger left, he said to Quintus: "Ardashir is crazy. He decided to go all the way to the dark side. Then we have nothing to be polite about. Let you prepare these days. How are the siege engines prepared? Are you ready to attack the city?"
"It's almost ready." Quintus winked, and Mennolufis hurriedly stepped forward to report. Within a month of Sun Shao and Ardashir's nonsense, they mobilized all the baggage troops, and even All the craftsmen from the accompanying merchants were recruited, and a total of one hundred siege vehicles, more than three hundred ballistae, a thousand siege ladders, fifty crash carts, and countless other various equipment were built.
"We have cut down almost all the trees around here, and we can only make up this amount. If the amount is not enough, we can only send people to the mountains to cut down the big trees. But in that case, we may not be able to keep up with the time. "Mennolufis said embarrassedly: "Also, this is all river beach, and there are no stones. Even the adobe bricks used in private houses have been moved to the city by Ardashir. The number of our cannon stones The gap is huge. If three hundred ballistas are put into battle at the same time, it will only be enough for one day."
"One day?" Sun Shao suddenly jumped up and stared at Mennolufis in disbelief: "Are you kidding me?"
Mennolufis shook his head in embarrassment: "That's true. We are discussing whether we can fill the straw bales with soil and use them as bricks."
"Idiot, I think you are the idiot." Sun Shao resisted the curse and made three hundred ballistae, but only had one day's ammunition. What a waste. You think that Ctesiphon is Seleucid and can be conquered in one day with a fierce attack. He glanced at Quintus with great dissatisfaction, and Quintus lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Who wants to be the leader of this siege? Come forward quickly, I won't do it anyway." Sun Shao sneered, sat back in his seat, and glanced at the faces of Quintus and Bo Diao. Quintus and Bo Diao glanced at each other, neither daring to say a word. They had already suffered a lot of losses when they attacked Seleucid. If they were to attack again, it might not be enough even if all the troops were to attack Seleucus.
"So, you two want to watch the battle?" Sun Shao was angry and funny: "During the negotiation, you were the ones who wanted to strip the Sassanid people clean. Now you have forced Ardashir. Let¡¯s talk, you guys spread your hands and get ready to pull back. Have you already thought about making fun of me? Now that I¡¯ve said something big, how do I end it? You two, how do I end it?¡± His voice became louder and louder as he spoke. Big, almost yelling at the end, the Romans and Kushan people were very embarrassed by his scolding, but they did not dare to say a word, for fear that Sun Shao would let him attack first.
Cao Zhang and others also looked at the Romans and Kushans with displeasure. With this little strength, they still want to conquer Ctesiphon? This is just a joke.
Sun Feng felt that he couldn't stand it anymore. Anyway, here was a Kushan King and a Roman Emperor, and Sun Shao scolded him as if he were a grandson. This seemed to be a bit excessive. If they get desperate and walk away, wouldn't it be even harder to beat them?
"Father, they have done their best, and they did not intend to delay. We should think of other ways to remedy the situation."
"Remedy?" Sun Shao turned around, glared at Sun Feng, and said in a very arrogant manner: "Do you have a way to remedy it?"
Sun Feng was stunned for a moment. He just wanted to smooth things over. Unexpectedly, Sun Shao directly pointed the finger at him. He was caught off guard and stuttered: "I hope everyone can find a solution together."
"Does that mean you have nothing to do?" Sun Shao waved his hand and said dismissively: "If you have nothing to do, don't talk and just stand aside." After saying that, he turned around and wanted to get angry at Quintus and others. Sun Feng quickly pulled his sleeves and looked at him with pleading eyes, "Father, please wait until you get angry. It's better to think about it in the long run."
"A long-term plan?" Sun Shao became angry and waved away Sun Feng's hand: "Do you know how long our food and grass can last? It's only a month at most. He actually told me to go to the mountains to chop wood, and then told me that the cannon stone was only It can last a day. Can you take down Ctesiphon in one day? Well, can you?"
Sun Shao's voice was fierce, and he roared loudly in front of everyone. No one in the crowdThinking that Sun Shao was so angry that he didn't give Sun Feng any face. When they thought that Sun Feng had always been very authoritative in front of everyone, but now he was loudly reprimanded by Sun Shao for their reasons, they were all a little embarrassed. They wanted to persuade him, but they were afraid of being caught by the angry Sun Shao. It's them who are embarrassed.
The atmosphere in the big tent was a little weird for a while. Sun Feng blushed and endured Sun Shao's venting. Some of the others lowered their heads, and some looked at Sun Feng sympathetically. Only Cao Zhi drank his wine without being affected at all. Little Gordian looked on gloatingly, with a proud smile on his lips. There were not many opportunities to see the King of Yue so angry.
"Hmm!" Quintus couldn't help it at first, and stood up to persuade him: "This is our negligence, not the prince's fault. Please don't be angry, your Majesty."
"Aren't you angry?" Sun Shao laughed angrily and glared at Quintus: "Old friend, it's easy for you to say it. Now that my cruel words have been spoken, Ctesiphon is there, but we only have one day. With the amount of cannon and stone, the food and fodder can last for a month at most. What can you do? He doesn't know anything, and he dares to come out and talk shamelessly. Do you think I'm angry or not?" He turned his head and glared at Sun Feng again: "You If you have the ability, you can be the general and capture Ctesiphon. Ctesiphon will be yours from now on, okay?"
Sun Feng was also anxious and responded loudly: "I'll take it as I will, but I still don't believe it. Without artillery and stone, we can't take the city of Ctesi Feng? Isn't there a miracle that says we can make Ardashir surrender?" I don¡¯t believe these are the words of gods.¡±
Sun Shao suddenly realized: "So you expected the gods to help? Do you think the Han man standing behind Ahura is you?"
"I don't dare." Sun Feng rubbed his neck and said, "My son is so rebellious that he boldly asks for a fight. He is the vanguard."
"You have gods to help you, so you are strong." Sun Shao sneered and nodded, glancing at the people sitting down: "However, I'm worried that the only ones who can help you now are gods. I won't help you. As for I don¡¯t think you can count on the others, they probably don¡¯t believe in this Sasanian god either.¡±
Sun Feng looked at Quintus and others for help. Quintus was stunned for a moment and hesitated. Sun Feng's courage is commendable, but is it too rash to let him take the lead in attacking the city? He is not yet twenty years old. Can he command an army of nearly 200,000 people and capture the city of Taixi?
The big tent fell into silence for a moment, with only Sun Shao's sneer echoing in everyone's ears.
Sun Feng's red face slowly turned pale, and he fell into a dilemma. Here, Lu Xun and Cao Zhi stood up at the same time.
"I would like to assist the prince in attacking the city." Lu Xun said calmly.
"I, Cao Zhi, am not talented, so I am willing to join in the fun." Cao Zhi waved his sleeves and said casually.
"Well, there are really some people who are not afraid of death." Sun Shao sneered and looked at the others: "I'm afraid you two are the only ones who are not afraid of death."
Li Yan stood up slowly: "Your Majesty is wrong, I, Li Yan, am not afraid of death." He straightened his clothes, walked up to Sun Feng, and bowed his hands: "Li Yan is not talented, but I am willing to obey the prince's orders." , meet the Sasanians."
Cao Zhang slapped his thigh, stood up, and shouted impassionedly: "What's wrong with not having enough artillery? One day's work will be enough to capture this small Taixi Fengcheng. Cao Zhang is not talented and is willing to listen to the prince's orders."
As soon as Cao Zhang stood up, Xun Yun, Adiguai and others stood up one after another to express support. Seeing this scene, the Romans and Kushan people could not sit still. Mennolufis stood up first to express support, and then, Quintus also stood up, bowed his hands to Sun Shao, and persuaded: "Old friend, you see, although the prince is young, he is very courageous. He is worthy of being your son and Philip's brother. We Everyone is willing to support the prince, and we are very confident in this battle."
Bo Diao also stood up, walked to Sun Feng, and patted Sun Feng's shoulder hard: "Good boy, I am also willing to listen to you. As long as you give the order, I will lead the imperial guards to rush forward first. ." He glanced at Mennolufis and grinned: "This time, I will get ahead of you."
Mennolufis was also happy: "That depends on your ability. Look, it's not just me here, there are several Han generals competing for credit."
"Don't be too happy too early. You can brag about it after we win the city of Taixi Feng." Sun Shao poured cold water on them: "You think he is really blessed by the gods. I won't be able to take the city of Taixi Feng by then. I think you are still like this Support him or not.¡±
"Father, with the help of so many good friends, I believe we will be able to win Ctesiphon." Sun Feng said with high spirits: "Father, please listen to our good news."
"Huh, I'll wait." Sun Shao lowered his face and walked away. Everyone was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but laugh.After getting up, Quintus hurriedly chased after him, while the others gathered around Sun Feng and talked gibberish. Sun Feng bowed respectfully to Lu Xun and Cao Zhang: "I'm going to ask you two to help me this time."
Lu Xun and Cao Zhang looked at each other and said with a smile: "Prince, don't worry. As long as everyone works together, we will surely win Ctesi Feng. You go and apologize to the king first. General Cao and I will discuss the strategy first and see. What preparations need to be made?¡±
Sun Feng nodded gratefully: "If there are gods to protect us and we capture Ctesi Feng, I will definitely not forget your great kindness."
Quintus caught up with Sun Shao, but Sun Shao still looked unhappy and cursed angrily: "You little bastard, your fur hasn't even grown yet, and you dare to contradict me. It's really outrageous. Don't let him get into trouble." Somersault, he doesn¡¯t know how high the sky is and how high he is, and he thinks he can do anything.¡±
Quintus advised: "Old friend, you should be happy. You are lucky to have such a son. Think about it, even if he cannot win Ctesiphon, with his courage, he can win everyone's support. This is a very good thing. I think that when Alexander was his age, he had to listen to Momia for everything and could not make any decisions of his own. In my opinion, only Alexander of Macedonia could do this Bar."
"Just him?" Sun Shao curled his lips and said with disdain: "Old friend, please stop trying to make me happy. I don't dare expect to give birth to such a heroic son."
"That's not certain." Quintus touched his chin and smiled: "If he can command the army to take down the city of Ctesiphon, he will definitely become a hero like Alexander in the future. Well, I have such a hero as an ally in Rome, too. A very good thing.¡±
"Then you should help him." Sun Shao said in a mocking tone.
"Of course, he is Philip's brother, that is, my nephew. Of course I have to help him, and this is also for my future in Rome. Naturally, I will spare no effort to help him achieve this career." Quintus photographed Patting Sun Shao on the shoulder: "You said it in front of everyone. As long as he takes Ctesiphon, he will be the Lord of Ctesiphon. You can't go back on your words."
"Don't worry, I will never regret it."
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