Chapter 546: Controlling the Situation, Meeting the Overlords [Subscription Request]

"The winter here is warmer than in the north of my Great Wei."

"It is much warmer. The water is not even frozen."

A small group of Wei soldiers came out to fetch water from the river, talking as they walked.

The Parthian Plateau is surrounded by mountains, blocking the cold currents.

The basin in the middle has a non-freezing temperature even in the dead of winter.

War has always been closely related to geography and climate.

Cao Cao had been planning this expedition for several years and had predicted and prepared for all aspects of the situation.

Therefore, Cao's army chose the Parthian Plateau, set up a large camp, and temporarily stopped marching westward.

The Indians who were transporting supplies in the rear and the Boli people in the mountains to the south all gathered together and set up camp outside Cao's army.

Nati, the king of the Poly people, was the first to come and meet the emperor.

By the time the Parthian king Vologases was forced to come due to the situation, it was already mid-December.

Many people came with him, including the Pope and Vice-Pope of Zoroastrianism and Babylonianism.

There were also some Parthian nobles and members of the royal family.

noon.

The group arrived in front of the Wei army's camp. Looking up, they saw tens of thousands of tents connected to the high ground.

There were soldiers and horses patrolling the camps within dozens of miles around.

The most central tent was much taller than the others, and nearby were two hundred Cao Wei heavy cavalrymen.

These two hundred heavy cavalry have not directly participated in any war since entering Parthia.

As soon as Vologases and his companions entered the camp, they felt a tingling sensation on their skin.

The military power in this camp is so concentrated that it is almost tangible, and it is chilling and oppressive.

"Your Majesty, the Parthians have arrived."

When the soldier came in to report, Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang were playing chess in the big tent.

The one watching the battle was the sleepy-eyed Guo Jia.

Cao Ang was behind Cao Cao.

Yin lay at Cao Cao's left foot.

Cao's army was stationed on the Parthian Plateau, and to the south they were in contact with the territory of the Polynesians, and to the west they seized Ecbatana.

These locations rely on each other, and the situation is stable and unshakable.

On the other hand, Parthia had lost almost half of its territory, and Cao's army was like a thorn in their heart.

And the Romans were attacking fiercely on the west side.

Parthia suffered a series of defeats and its defense line shrank by hundreds of miles.

When the Parthian king Vologases was brought into the tent to meet Cao Cao, his temples were gray and his eyes, which used to be so majestic, had lost all their luster.

In just a few months, he seemed to have aged by ten years.

The so-called "tyrant" is nothing more than a leader of a country, who is given "absolute power" and no one can restrain him, resulting in his arbitrary behavior and the power of life and death.

In reality there have never been any tyrants.

When Cao's invincible army marched into Parthia, coupled with the fierce attack from Rome.

The two great powers attacked Parthia from both sides.

After several defeats, the foundations of the state were shaken, and Vologases' tyranny was cured.

He was brought into Cao Cao's camp in an obedient manner.

Cao Cao had just won a game of chess against Zhuge Liang and was in a good mood.

There was a stove burning in the big tent.

A copper kettle was placed on the charcoal, bubbling with hot steam and emitting a sweet fruity aroma.

Four or five maids were running around in the tent.

That was the maid that the Poly people had just presented to them. She also brought some milk tea made from dried fruits produced by the Poly people themselves.

Vologases noticed that on the flank of Cao Cao's tent was the sacred spear that Timur had previously used.

In addition, there are many treasures that were seized from various parties.

"The Lord of the defeated army of the lower country greets His Majesty the Emperor of Wei!"

Vologases entered the tent with his head lowered and performed the ceremony, not even daring to use his own honorific title.

He felt humiliated and resentful, and had a deep hatred for Cao Cao.

However, apart from this, Cao Wei's military offensive did teach him a severe lesson and also brought him awe.

Cao Cao would not keep Vologases.

But he won't be killed in a short time.

He also has a very important use.

"Did you bring the things I asked you to bring?"

Cao Cao looked at the Parthians.

Vologases, the Zoroastrian Pope Urmozd, the Vice-Popate Sassi, the Pope of the Babylonian Church, etc.

"Yes. We have brought all these things here in compliance with your majesty's orders," Vologases replied.

I have my own translation and retell the conversation between the two.

Several Parthian attendants came in from outside the tent, carrying a number of beautifully decorated brocade boxes.

The box opens.

Among them are several national treasures of Parthia at the level of artifacts.

It also includes the essence of Zoroastrianism and Babylonianism.

Cao Cao asked them to present national treasures and choose to surrender, and then he stopped attacking Parthia.

The conditions were very harsh and almost emptied Parthia's wealth.

But precisely because of his harshness, Vologases actually believed that Cao Wei would stop attacking Parthia after their surrender.

They brought with them a square war hammer, an ancient book, a long sword made of gold and gems, and a shield.

"One thing is missing. Where is the God and Demon Tablet?"

Vologasis shuddered.

The God and Demon Slab is the most precious treasure of Parthia. Legend has it that it was given by gods and demons, representing the divine right of the Parthian kingship. It is a symbolic object and a sacred artifact that brings together the country's destiny.

In a sense, the Stone Slab of Gods and Demons is comparable to the imperial seal of China.

The production of their divine stone armor requires a divine stone slab to bless the special power attached to it. Kushan also has one.

The two combined are more powerful.

Previously, both sides were seeking the piece in the other's hands.

The Tablet of Gods and Demons is the most core secret of Parthia.

Vologases wanted to hide it and did not bring it with him.

"The stone carvings of gods and demons are still in my palace. I didn't bring them with me."

For the first time, Vologases mustered up the courage to look at Cao Cao:
"Your Excellency, Lord Wei, how do you know that Parthia has stone carvings of gods and demons?"

Cao Cao glanced at Sa Xi and said, "He told me."

Saxi looked embarrassed.

Vologases, the Pope of Zoroastrianism, the Pope of Babylonia, and several others all showed flashes of anger.

It turned out that there was a traitor within the group.

"I can send someone back to get the stone carvings of gods and demons, but will the Emperor of Wei keep his promise to stop attacking Parthia?" Vologasis took a deep breath.

"My troops will continue westward to fight the Romans. Naturally, they will not attack you again."

Why did Cao Cao summon Vologases to meet him and temporarily stop the military campaign against Parthia?

The reason is that in order to fight Rome, the Parthians need to be involved.

The Wei army continued its journey westwards, covering thousands of miles. Due to the length of the battle line, the resistance along the way would continue to accumulate and increase.

But if we give Parthia some breathing space at this moment and take advantage of it, the situation will be different.

At present, the main force of Parthia has been defeated.

The arrival of their leader Vologases in person proved that they had no room for resistance at this stage.

Therefore, Cao Cao's conditions were their hope of survival, and they had no choice but to agree.

In the view of Parthians such as Vologases, if Wei continued to move westward to attack Rome and let the two powers compete with each other, it would be beneficial to Parthia in every way.

Regardless of who wins or loses, it will even out Parthia's losses.

If Rome lost, it would follow in Parthia's footsteps.

Everyone was in trouble together, and both sides returned to the same level.

Rome was also about to endure the suffering that Parthia had suffered and was paralyzed.

As mentioned earlier, Vologases hated the Romans even more.

When he heard that Wei was going to attack Rome, his ambition, which had just been extinguished, immediately revived.

"The Wei Kingdom is heading west to attack Rome!"

Vologases suddenly understood why Cao Cao stopped his offensive against Parthia at this time.

Because the main target of the Wei army was Rome from the very beginning.

The Wei army wanted to cross the vast Parthian territory.

First, defeat Parthia and leave it no room for resistance. Then, further control Parthia and the resistance will be sharply reduced.

The cities, passes, rivers, mountains, food and supplies needed along the way no longer exist.

The Parthians were then responsible for providing assistance, allowing the Wei Dynasty to cross their border and attack Rome.

Under the current circumstances, it would be of great benefit to Parthia if the Wei people were to advance westward to attack Rome.

Whether due to the situation or out of considerations of his own interests, Vologases could not refuse.

"From now on, you will stay in the camp of our Wei army. Dispatch all kinds of supplies to support our Wei army in attacking Rome!"

Vologases agreed immediately. It was normal for Wei to hold him as a hostage because they were afraid that they would cause trouble.

Cao Cao turned his attention to the Zoroastrian Pope Urmozd:
"Is it you who gave the order to send people into the four counties of Hexi in the Great Wei Dynasty to attack my family?"

Urmozd entered the tent with his head lowered, and his heart tightened when he heard the words.

Obviously, it was Saxi who leaked the news to Emperor Wei again.

Urmozd: "I didn't know the majesty of the Emperor Wei at that time and offended His Majesty..."

Suddenly, Xu Chu swayed forward, twisted his hands and broke his cervical vertebrae.

"Saxi, I remember you said before that you wanted to become the head of Zoroastrianism?" Cao Cao turned and looked at Saxi.

Pointing out that Sassi was a traitor and then promoting him to the position of leader of Zoroastrianism could sow discord within Parthia and divide it into several factions that distrusted each other and monitored each other.

Saxi said hurriedly: "In my Zoroastrianism, there are 17 elders who have the power to hold joint discussions.

It is the seventeen of us who elect the Pope and the Vice Pope.

Eight of the seventeen support the pope, three of them support me, three support the other vice-pope, and the rest are neutral."

"Now that I am the only one left, it doesn't matter if they don't support me. Even if there are people who oppose me, I can still control the situation."

"Your Majesty, please give me a chance. I will repay Your Majesty with all my loyalty."

You are as loyal as a father. After I defeat Rome, I will plow Parthia again on the way back... The thought flashed through Cao Cao's mind.

From this day on, the situation changed dramatically.

The purpose of politics is to pursue consistency of interests.

It is said that Cao Wei and Parthia were now in deep hatred, but because of their common interests, Vologases saw an opportunity to drive out the wolf and devour the tiger, so he tried his best to restrain his subordinates and turned around to provide convenience for Cao Wei, allowing them to move westward to fight the Romans.

The Great Wei spent a cold winter with abundant supplies on the Parthian Plateau.

The Romans, on the west side of Parthia, had captured cities and territories and had already taken over half of Asia Minor.

The Asia Minor Peninsula, located on the westernmost side of Parthia, is also known as the Anatolian Peninsula.

It is located in the territory of later Turkey and is mainly composed of plateaus and low mountains.

The Romans did not know that the Parthians' defeat at this time was Cao Cao's preparation for attacking Rome.

The Parthians retreated and gave up a large area of ​​the Asia Minor plains.

This was the battlefield chosen by Cao Cao to defeat the Romans.

The following spring.

Cao's army advanced westward, crossed the plateau, and headed straight for Asia Minor.

The Roman army also moved eastward here.

The two great powers of the East and the West meet on a narrow road!
Vologasis, who was following in Cao's army, was shaking with excitement.

God did not want to destroy Parthia, and he also made some secret arrangements.

Everything will erupt in the confrontation between the two major powers of the East and the West.

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(End of this chapter)