Three Kingdoms Eschatology

In the era of the Parthian Empire, Ardashir was only a general in the province, and later he was promoted to a vassal in the province with his own talents.Finally reunited the Persian plateau as the Parthian Empire fell apart.

In addition, most of the people in the province of Margina are not Persians.Instead, it was dominated by Sogdians, mixed with a small amount of White Huns.Ardashir relied on the armed group of the Sogdians to rule the entire Persian plateau and Mesopotamia.So in essence, the actual ruling nation of the Sasanian Empire was the Sogdians.This is somewhat similar to the world that Feng Yu came from, where the Mongols and Manchurians ruled the Central Plains.

As a ruling nation whose most people can benefit from the empire, and when their hometown is attacked by the Liang army, it is not surprising that they resist desperately.

Anxious in his heart, Ma Chao, who was riding his horse around, heard another scream, and turned his head to look at the side of the road.

It turned out that a pair of Sassanians who seemed to be a couple, holding a baby, were walking with their heads bowed. When they passed by the soldiers of Liang Jun, they suddenly became angry.The woman threw the crying baby in front of Liang Bing, and while the other was stunned, she pulled out the steel hairpin from her hair and pierced the Liang Bing soldier's eyes.Liang Bing flashed hastily, but the steel hairpin still left a long gash on his face.But the man put a brick on the back of Liang Jun's head.

Several Liang Jun who recovered from the surroundings immediately rushed forward, unleashed their knives and guns, and cut the couple into a pile of flesh in an instant.Ma Chao stepped forward, seeing that his soldiers were dead, his face was livid with anger.He finally made a decision that he couldn't make for a long time.He said to the commanding soldiers beside him: "Send a certain military order! Massacre the city!"

The soldiers were taken aback when they heard the words, and then said: "Behead men, women and children?" Ma Chao thought for a while and said, "Women under [-] can stay, or work as camp prostitutes, or take them back and distribute them to retired soldiers as wives, or sell them Be a slave and maidservant. All the rest, old and young, will be beheaded! Cut the grass and root out!"

"No!" The soldiers hurriedly rode their horses to deliver orders to various ministries.But Ma Chao drew out his saber and slashed at the crying baby boy, the crying stopped immediately.

Although Feng Yu did not bring the military discipline of modern civilization back to the pre-medieval world, there is a clause in Liang Jun's military regulations written in black and white, "Unnecessary, you must not kill civilians in the enemy's country indiscriminately."

Originally, the "necessary" in this military regulation did not have a strict definition standard.It all depends on the artificial determination of Shangfeng military judge.What's more, now Ma Chao is not going to kill the dozens or hundreds of Sasanians in Mulu City, but to kill the entire city.Therefore, it was not easy for Ma Chao to issue this military order. He was already mentally prepared to be questioned by the court.

……

The Sasanians in the clearing began to stir.Because Liang Jun began to forcibly take young women and girls away.Knowing that the situation had changed, the Sasanians shouted one after another.Some drew out their hidden weapons, and some rushed to Liang Jun in an attempt to seize their weapons.But Liang Jun, who had been prepared for a long time, beheaded them all one by one.

Just a quarter of an hour later, the place where these Sasanians were concentrated and detained began to boil, shouting something like a tsunami, and it seemed that they wanted to fight Liang Jun desperately.Liang Jun, who was among them, hastily retreated.Then the heavy cavalry, who had already formed a cavalry formation for dozens of battles, galloped their horses with maces in their hands.After a quarter of an hour of screaming and wailing, there were only corpses and blood on the ground...

At the same moment, a raging fire ignited in Mulu City.Liang Jun set fire to the city piece by piece.Every time someone ran out of the fire, Liang Jun blocked outside, as long as he saw that it was not a woman, no matter how old or young he went up, he would stab him with a knife.

The massacre operation lasted for a whole day and night, and the entire Mulu City was burned to the ground.Bodies piled up like mountains.When the city was massacred, Ma Chao was not in the city. He wrote a letter to Feng Yu himself in the military tent outside the city, explaining why he did so.

The letter wrote: "...the Sasanian soldiers and people in the city resisted to the end, and were cunning and changeable, attacking and killing our soldiers. Not only did our army suffer heavy losses, but what made me worry more was that if Mulu City could not be controlled for a long time, the escaped enemy would gain After the reinforcements came back, our army faced enemies inside and outside. Such consequences are unimaginable. In addition, Mulu will be an important military station for our Chinese army to invade the hinterland of the Persian Plateau. There are so many people with deep hostility here, which will be a major hidden danger for our army , Therefore, this minister believes that massacre of the city immediately is the only option. I hope Your Majesty will learn from you. If Your Majesty thinks that this method violates military regulations, I am willing to apologize to Your Majesty and the court with the death of the head."

At dawn, Ma Chao came to Mulu City, which had been burned to the ground.The soldiers of the Liang Army were busy. They began to remove the ruins and corpses in the city and set up military camps.Ma Chao thought in his heart that this letter was sent to Chang'an, and by the time the emperor's decree arrived, he would probably be able to complete the decisive battle with the Sasanian army on the Persian plateau.

Chapter 848

On the Persian plateau fifty miles southwest of Mulu City, a group of two to three thousand Sasanian cavalry was moving westward, and the leader was Sulehar.

At the moment when Mulu City was blasted open by Liang Jun's heavy-duty catapult, he knew that Mulu City could no longer be defended.Fortunately, Ma Chao only took the capture of Mulu City as his first combat goal at that time, rather than annihilating the defenders of Mulu City as his primary goal.So Ma Chao didn't besiege the city on all sides. His plan was to make the Sassanid defenders of Mulu City retreat and give up Mulu.

Sulehar then fled the city through the north gate with more than 2000 warriors.But before he left, he still made some detailed arrangements, and even specially organized a death squad of more than [-] people, asking them to die to be loyal to the Sasanian Empire, and deal with the Liang army entering the city to the end .At the same time, they were also asked to supervise the other Sasanian troops who remained in the city, and beware of the phenomenon of surrendering to the enemy.Sulehar believes that his arrangement is enough for the other party to drink a pot.

After the two thousand soldiers rode for fifty miles, they found that there was no trace of Liang Jun following up, and the soldiers who were already worried were finally relieved.

No wonder they were so nervous.At the beginning of Mulu City, [-] light and heavy cavalry and [-] elite infantry were guarded.Will be breached at any time.And Liang Jun who came to attack Mulu City looked like tens of thousands of people.But still in the case of our own side sticking to the strong city, in just a dozen days, more than half of the defenders of Mulu City were lost, and Mulu City was also in jeopardy.

During the period, their cavalry went out of the city to fight a counterattack, but the opponent's archer riding on a chariot gave them huge damage, and then the opponent's tall heavy cavalry swept in, and the five thousand cavalry left the city in a short time. After riding more than two thousand horses, they fled back to the city in panic.As a result, Liang Jun's powerful combat power imprinted deep fear in the hearts of each of them.

As soon as he relaxed, he talked more.One of Sulehar's lieutenants rode up to his side and said, "My lord, we let the death squad fight with Liang Jun in Mulu City like this. Then Liang Jun has nothing to do. Will he massacre the city in desperation?" ?”

Sulehar laughed and said: "Of course it is possible, but it is a good thing for us if it happened. The story of Liang Jun's massacre of the city will soon spread to every corner of the Sasanian border. At that time, all places All the soldiers and civilians will desperately resist Liang Jun’s invasion, and no one dares to surrender to the enemy casually. Wouldn’t this be a good thing for our decisive battle with Liang Jun.”

The deputy general nodded thoughtfully and said: "That's good, but... the people in Mulu City are all His Majesty's tribe. Will His Majesty blame you for this..."

Sulehar shook his head and said: "Don't worry, absolutely not. Your Majesty will not be reluctant to throw away sesame seeds for the sake of watermelon." After that, he sighed and said: "I am worried about losing so many soldiers and horses now, how should I explain to Your Majesty .”

……

Two days later, Sulehar and his group arrived near Persis, and they could already see the outline of the city from a distance.At this moment, they heard the rapid sound of horseshoes.Sulehar and the Sasanian war cavalry immediately became vigilant, reining in their horses, drawing knives and holding guns, ready to fight.

When he came to ride close, Sulehar smiled, put away his saber, and reined in his horse.It was none other than Nejjart who had retreated to Gwadar City.This time, he went to Persis to discuss matters under the edict of Ardashir, and he didn't want to meet Sulehar here.

Nejjart covered his chest with his hands, bowed slightly, and said, "For a humble job, please see the Chief Manager. I didn't expect such a coincidence to meet the Chief Manager here."

Sulehar waved his hand and said: "Don't mention whether the general manager is not the general manager. This time I go to Persis, maybe my temporary official title will be erased. This time I was in Lan's City, and Mulu City lost soldiers and generals. I don't know how to explain to His Majesty."

His words immediately resonated with Nejjart, saying: "It's the same with humble positions. You lose troops and generals, but you don't recover an inch of territory. Now that you are summoned by His Majesty, you must punish him face to face."

Nejjart changed the subject and said: "But having said that, it is not because of inferiority and incompetence that the battle has been fought like this. The Liang Jun Bingjia is really powerful. There are also some weird things that make people hard to guard against. After landing, they can burn blazingly The flame bombs, the huge six-foot-high war horse, the archer who can shoot hundreds of steps from the carriage, and the equipment that floats in the air for scouting or as an archery tower. This may be just the tip of the iceberg, God knows how many of them they have Toy."

Sulehar nodded and said: "The situation I encountered is similar, otherwise I would not have suffered such a miserable defeat. If I had learned this information earlier, I would not have advised His Majesty to take the initiative to attack the Amu Darya River. Instead, I should hurry up It’s time to build fortifications and hold on to a few strategic points. Then Suguan may not be lost because of the emptiness of Gedrosia’s troops.”

Speaking of this, both of them fell silent in embarrassment, and both buried their heads in their way.Half an hour later, the pair of suffering brothers and sisters entered the city of Persis and came to Ardashir's palace.

When the two saw Ardashir, they knelt down on one knee, put their hands on their chests and kowtowed: "See King of Kings, Your Majesty Ardashir, Ruler of the Earth."

At this time, Ardasil was teasing a macaw.He snorted slightly as a response.Nejjart said first again: "I lost Suguan, defeated Gwader, lost troops and lost generals. I am willing to be punished by Your Majesty."

Ardashir freed a hand indifferently, shook it and said, "Su Pass is lost, no wonder you. Because Ardashir took the main force of Gedrosia province to attack the Liang army on the Amu Darya River. So let Liang Jun take advantage of the situation."

When Sulehar heard this, he quickly responded: "Your Majesty, the Kosak that I sent to the Indus River to fight guerrillas has also disappeared. It must have been destroyed by the Liang army, and finally failed to contain the Liang army. Let them take advantage of the vain to capture The minister led troops to attack the Amu Darya area and was also frustrated. The minister's strategy of attacking the Amu Darya River failed completely. I did not expect the Liang army to be so powerful. This is my fault. Please punish me."

Nejjart also hurriedly said without losing the opportunity: "The minister also lost troops and generals in Gwadar, and was defeated by the Liang army. Please punish him by Your Majesty."

Ardasil fed the macaw a mouthful, and sighed: "What's the use of punishing you. I have read your daily battle reports one by one. I know what is going on with Liang Jun. In fact, even You didn’t make these mistakes. Our Suguan and Mulu City will have to give up sooner or later. Because facing such a powerful Liang Jun, we can only draw back our fists and hit back hard after accumulating strength, in order to win with one blow. At the moment, our Sasanian Empire has assembled 20 troops in Persis, not counting the [-] troops that reinforced Gwadar, and the [-] defeated troops in Margina Province, which was just gathered here. .”

Speaking of this, he put down the macaw in his hand, and solemnly said to the two: "I plan to use this 25 troops to fight Liang Jun in the hinterland of this plateau, and wipe them out in one fell swoop. I called you here just to discuss this matter." thing!"

Chapter 849 Greek fire and fire cloth

Persis Palace.Seeing that the Sassanid Emperor Ardashir did not intend to punish them for their defeat, Sulehar and Nejart breathed a sigh of relief.

Sulehar immediately said to Ardashir: "Your Majesty, although our army has assembled such a strong force in Persis, it is still difficult to guarantee defeating Liang Jun. Because Liang Jun and the others..."

Hill of Arda immediately interrupted him and said: "Sulhar, you don't need to say more. I know all this from your daily battle reports. So I am not unprepared for this. You follow me .”

Sulehar and Nejjart looked at each other suspiciously, then followed Ardashir to the outside of the palace.Surrounded by the emperor's personal guards, they rode their horses to the outskirts of Persis' military camp.Only then did the two know that the emperor was going to show them the assembled army.They looked around and saw that the camps stretched to the sky, one camp after another, stretching all the way to the sky.

They followed Ardashir to an infantry camp and visited their ballista test firing.Ardasil said: "When I was the governor of Parthium in my early years, I knew the benefits of the ballista, and I wanted to imitate it. After years of hard work, especially in the recent period, countless funds have been increased, and the Roman Empire has gone through a lot of trouble. Some skilled craftsmen were dug up, and it was finally imitated.”

As soon as his words fell, a ballista shot a projectile, and there was a brazier set up by a bracket in front of the ballista.The projectile flew over the burning brazier, and it evolved into a fireball. The fireball fell on the hard rocky ground not far away, shattered, and burst into flames two or three battles high.Sulehar and Nejart exclaimed in unison: "Liang Jun's hot bomb has also been imitated!"

Ardasil laughed loudly, and said: "My mighty Sassanid Empire, how can I copy those Easterners' gadgets. Although the principle of this thing is similar to their explosive bombs, the liquid inside is comparable to theirs. Much more intense fuel. This thing's called Greek fire!"

"Greek fire?" The other two blurted out in confusion.Ardahill went on to explain:

"This is an invention of a craftsman from Syria. According to him, he developed it inspired by an ancient Greek recipe. This person set up a factory in Byzantium to produce this thing for the Roman army, and thus became a rich man in Byzantium. Byzantium is an ancient Greek city, and because things are inherited from ancient Greek recipes, so this thing is called Greek fire. This Greek fire is much more powerful than the dye used in Liang Jun’s fire bombs. It is almost impossible to extinguish it, and it burns when it encounters fire more violently.

Because of the protection of the Roman authorities, we tried our best to send people and tried hard to get the formula.However, we have the blessing of God, and our careful work accidentally discovered that several of his close relatives are still in Syria.As it happens, his closest relatives live not far from the part of Syria we control.So I sent a shock force across the Line of Control, headed for that place, and took his family captive.In order to threaten him to hand over the formula. "

Sulehar was still puzzled and asked: "But he is guarded by the Roman army, so he must be under surveillance. Even if he is willing to hand over things to us, it will be difficult to do so."

Ardasil nodded and said: "You are right. Any outsider who approaches him must be strictly interrogated. He needs to obtain the consent of the guard appointed by Rome. When he leaves, he must check carefully, not only his belongings, but also the conversation between the guests and him. There are Roman officials listening on the sidelines. Even if his new servants enter his mansion, they can’t leave again. We just tried every means to make Yixio his servants, so we were able to tell the news of his closest relatives. He threatened him to submit. This spy wrote the recipe and process he told on silk cloth, swallowed it in his stomach, and then hanged himself. When the body of this spy was transported outside for burial, it was naturally taken by our people. Get the formula and craft method of this Greek fire."

Nejjart and Sulehar sighed after hearing this, and continued to follow Ardashir on horseback.At this time, they saw a group of infantrymen training and changing their clothes. Under the order of the general, these infantrymen, who were normally in armor, quickly put on a strange set of clothes that were prepared beside them. On the body.This clothing is similar to a large cotton robe, from the head cover to the feet.Looking at the feet of these soldiers, the military boots they wear are different from the usual ones, they don't seem to be made of leather and linen, but the material is the same as that of the "cotton robe".

Sule Halqi said: "Why did the soldiers put more layers of cotton armor on top of the armor? Isn't it too bulky? Could it be that this thing has a strong protective force?"

Ardasil shook his head and said: "There is no protection, and it is no different from ordinary cotton and linen against weapons and knives."

"Then..." Nejjart was about to question again.Ardasil went to the general and shouted: "Order a soldier to demonstrate!".After the Sasanian general saluted Ardasil, he said a few words to a soldier.

What happened next left Nejjart and Sulehar dumbfounded.The soldier actually walked towards a burning bonfire next to him, and stood on the blazing fire for a full ten breaths.

Ardasil said proudly to the stunned two: "This thing is called Huanhuo cloth. It does not burn in case of fire and is heat-insulating. It is the nemesis for dealing with Liang Jun's explosive bombs."

Sulehar exclaimed in surprise: "Great, with this thing and the Greek fire, why don't we worry about not being able to wipe out the Liang army. We won't be afraid of their explosive bombs anymore."

Ardasil chuckled, and said again: "Not only do we disable their explosive bombs, we also have a unit that can disable their longbowmen."

Speaking of longbowmen, both Sulehar and Nejjart fell silent. This unit is indeed the nemesis of cavalry, and the nightmare in their hearts.Especially the longbowman riding in a two-wheeled carriage.

The two followed Ardashir to the cavalry camp, but they saw a team of cavalry here who were training in charge and pursuit.It's just that their mounts are not war horses, but tall camels.The camels and cavalry were covered in iron armor, with only four calves exposed, but it was almost impossible for the longbowman to shoot arrows that could hit them just two or three hundred paces away.

Ardasil explained: "The iron armor on this man and the camel cannot be pierced by the heavy arrows shot by Liang Jun's archers. Therefore, it can well restrain Liang Jun's two-wheeled chariot equipped with long archers. Except Therefore, the smell of these camels will scare ordinary war horses and flee, so it also has a very good restraint effect on enemy war horses."

Sulehar and Nejart said in unison at this time: "With such an army of 25, we will definitely be able to defeat the Liang army in Persis."

Chapter 850 Roman Emperor

Rome, Palace of the Palatine Hill.The Emperor Caracalla was sitting near the window in the dining room, enjoying his lunch.

After the appetizer of olives and cabbage, the maid served the main course of lamb chops and cheese.Caracalla munches on succulent lamb while overlooking the Tiber Valley from the window.At this moment, his sixth sense told him that there was one more person beside him.

Caracalla turned her head and looked, and there was indeed a dark complexion, straight nose, strong body, armored, fully armed Roman officer standing two battles away.Holding his helmet in his hand, he stood silently and motionless, obviously waiting for Caracalla to finish the meal.Caracalla put down the knife and fork, and asked, "Makerinus, it's lunch time, you must have something important to talk about here."

Macrinus is the consul and captain of his pro-guard legion, but he is not an orthodox Roman, but comes from the remote African province of Mauritia, and he was born as a slave.

Macrinus immediately responded: "Report Your Majesty, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a few orientals who claimed to be Liang Guolai envoys came yesterday. They asked to see His Majesty, and they said that the matter was very urgent, and even involved the empire on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Fundamental interests."

The east coast of the Mediterranean Sea?Caracalla's heart skipped a beat.The Syrian province of the empire was partly taken by the Persians a few years ago.What is the name of the new Persian dynasty? Yes, it is the Sasanian dynasty.But at that time, several forces within the Roman Empire were competing, and no one had the energy to deal with it.

And now, he finally ended the situation where the two emperors ruled together, and was recognized by the Senate as the unique Roman emperor.It's time to fix this problem.After all, the Mediterranean Sea was the inland sea of ​​the Roman Empire, it was, it is, and it should be in the future.But now it is occupied by the Sassanians. Although it is a very small piece, it makes the Mediterranean Sea no longer the inland sea of ​​the empire in a strict sense, and actually cuts off the land passage of the empire.This is a piece of dirt on the face of the empire that must be dealt with.

Thinking of this, Caracalla said to Macrinus: "Then arrange a time for them to come to the palace to meet me. I'll see what they have to say."

Makrinus immediately agreed, then stood at attention with his legs together, raised his hands to Caracalla, and then backed out.

In the evening of that day, Caracalla met these envoys from the Liang Kingdom from the far east in his palace.One of the leaders claimed to be surnamed Chen Mingdiao.Feng Yu sent Chen Tiao to Rome, not only to let him go on a mission, but also to let him establish an intelligence network in Rome.Before that, the farthest node of Daliang's intelligence network had reached Persis.Going west, Feng Yu already thought it was unnecessary, and the news brought back by ordinary caravans was enough.But today, unlike in the past, it is very necessary to establish an intelligence network within the Roman Empire.

Chen Tiao and others entered the palace room, bowed to Caracalla with oriental etiquette, but were a little at a loss.Because they don't know where to stand.

According to what Chen Tiao has seen and heard in his life, whether it is the small Brahmin countries in the South Seas that were once the vassal states of Zhu Luo, the Funan Kingdom in the Indochina Peninsula, or the princely kingdoms of the poisoned Guishuang kingdoms, even if they meet with their kings, they are somewhat different from those in the Central Plains. But it is also similar.The monarch sits upright at the top, envoys and ministers stand at the bottom.Even the barbarian tribes on the northern grasslands and the barbarian tribes in the south are the same.Even in some places, such as Yamatai in Dongying, although the ruler and the courtiers sat cross-legged, they still had their heads up and down.

But now, there is only a desk in this not-so-big room, surrounded by a circle of chairs of different lengths and leather cushions.I don't know which chair is the first one.So Chen Tiao and others didn't know whether to stand or sit, and if they sat, they didn't know which chair to sit on in accordance with local etiquette.

At this time, Caracalla sat and leaned on a single chair carelessly.Seeing that the other party was not seated yet, he waved his hand and murmured a few words.Although Chen Tiao did not understand Latin, he knew that he was being asked to sit down.He didn't care so much anymore, so he just found a chair and sat down.Seeing this, his deputy envoys also sat down.

At this time, Chen Tiao thought to himself: "Although this Roman country looks strong and rich, it is far away from the Central Plains and lacks ethics. It is not even comparable to our northern Diyi and southern barbarians. The latter at least know Monarchs and ministers are different, priority is given to priority. Could it be that they are also so rude and disrespectful in their usual court meetings?"

When Chen Tiao was thinking about it, Caracalla started talking again.The interpreter next to him has translated the words in real time.Straight to the point, he asked Chen Tiao and others what they were doing in Rome this time.

Chen Tiao saw that the other party was in pain, so he didn't go around and said straightly: "I am envoy to the Great Qin State under the order of the emperor of Daliang. That is to say, the Sasanian country in the eastern border of your Great Qin is domineering and aggressive, and frequently invades our territory in Daliang. But at the moment, our emperor has decided to start a full-scale war with Sasanian, and has assembled a hundred thousand soldiers in Guishuang. Next spring will fully invade The Persian Plateau. Our Majesty hopes that the Great Qin Kingdom will also counterattack the Sasanian Kingdom on the western front. The two countries will work together to attack Sasanian, and we will get twice the result with half the effort."

Caracalla leaned on the bearskin cushion of the chair, listened to the translator's report with her eyes half closed, tapped the desk table with her fingers a few times and said: "But this is a war between you and the Persians, and it has nothing to do with us in Rome. .Why do we need to make enemies with the Sassanids? Yes, the Sassanids seized part of the territory of the Syrian province of the empire a few years ago. But that territory is insignificant to our Roman Empire. The empire from top to bottom Your Majesty, including the Senate, did not respond to this matter at that time, not to mention that it has been several years since we have been living peacefully with the Persians on the border. So there is no reason to attack with you Liang Guo now They. If we really want us to send troops, you have to give me a reason to persuade the Senate."

Although Chen Tiao had done a lot of homework beforehand, it was clear that he still didn't know enough about Rome. After listening to Caracalla's words, he was even more puzzled and secretly thought.What the hell?Aren't you the emperor of the Great Qin Kingdom?If you want to send troops, you can send troops. Why do you need to persuade the Senate?This senate must be an institution within the Ministry of Education.But only the ministers can persuade the ruler, how can a ruler even consider how to persuade his ministers?

Although Chen Tiao didn't know much about Rome's political system, he was prepared to explain why Rome should go to war against Sasanian.

Chapter 851 The Reason for the Alliance

Chen Tiao said to Caracalla in an unhurried manner: "As far as we know in Liang Kingdom, the reason why Sasan has not had any disputes with your country in recent years is not that they don't have greater ambitions. It's because of their eastern and There is our Liang army check and balance in the north. Once they quell the war in the east, they will invade your country again. At least your country’s east coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Egypt, and even the entire Mediterranean Sea to the provinces of Asia will be safe. The Sassanians are in their The eastern and northern borders were heavily repaired and fortifications were built, but no defensive fortresses and Great Walls were built against your country on the occupied Syrian border. This is the best proof."

Caracalla snorted coldly in her nostrils and replied: "Emissary Liang is right. But as you said, they need to settle the war in the east and north before they can attack our Roman Empire. So why can't Rome wait until they finish fighting?" How can we go to war with them after spending a lot of national power? I know you Easterners have a saying that when a crane and a clam fight, the fisherman reaps the rewards. Why can’t we in Rome be this fisherman?”

Chen Tiao thought to himself, you Romans speak so directly and blatantly.That's fine, the province's going around in circles.So Chen Tiao opened his mouth and said:

"Your Majesty the Emperor of Rome's words are wrong. My Majesty Liang is pragmatic, and I will not fight a war without actual benefits for the sake of face. Therefore, if it is not worth fighting with Sassan after calculation, I will reach an agreement with Sassan. A peace agreement. Judging from Sassan's performance, they built the Great Wall in the east and north, and obviously did not intend to aggressively attack the Guishuang and Shendu lands under our Daliang rule. Therefore, reaching a peace agreement with them should not be a problem. Taking a ten thousand step back, we suffer a bit, and it is okay to make some concessions to Sassan. Anyway, my country of Liang is actually thousands of miles away, with a vast land, rich resources, and fertile land. In fact, I don’t care about the remoteness of the poisonous Guishuang place."

After speaking, Chen Tiao picked up the cup on the desk in front of him and took a sip of the thick brown-green liquid inside, which felt sweet, sour and greasy.It turned out to be a juice made from grape olives.

Caracalla pondered for a while and replied: "This is strange, the envoy Liang kept saying that the land of Guishuang and Shendu was not important to your Liang country, so why did you conquer thousands of miles and bring them into your pocket. And why conquer Sassanid, which is farther away, just because he has harassed you several times?"

Chen Tiao noticed that when Caracalla said this, her body had left the backrest, and her body had changed from lying on her back to leaning forward.He immediately responded:

"Your Majesty, there are many reasons why Liang Guo conquered Shendu and Guishuang. But their land and population are the least important reasons. The most important reason is for the safety of trade routes and trade. If we and Sa Sassani reached a peace agreement, and the condition must be that it must not hinder the commercial passage of my girder. We believe that Emperor Ardashir of Sasan will definitely agree to our terms, because he cares about land and population, as well as his east, The northern border is safe. The reason why we are willing to join forces with your country against Sasan is precisely for business and trade. If Sasan fully occupies your country’s eastern Mediterranean coast, it will completely block your country’s land and sea routes to our country Passage. At that time, not only the commercial interests of our country will be damaged, but your country’s business tax will also be greatly reduced, which will eventually lead to a great loss of national strength. Compared with the two options, our emperor thinks that it is better to choose to weaken Sasanian together with your country. But if your country is really unwilling to join forces with our country against Sasan, then we can only make another choice, to reach peace with Sassan."

At this moment, the expression on Caracalla's face became solemn, obviously moved by Chen Tiao's words.He drank the glass of grape-olive mixed juice in front of him and said: "Let me think about this matter, and I will reply to you in a short time. You rest in the post for a few days and wait for news."

After finishing speaking, Caracalla got up and retreated to the back room. His captain of the guard, Makrinus, came to Chen Tiao and made a gesture of invitation with his hands.

Chen Tiao and his party were sent directly back to the post house by the palace carriage, and they got a reply from Rome that night, saying that they wanted them to go to the Senate to discuss matters the next day.Chen Tiao also felt strange in his heart, this court meeting was not held in the palace hall, but went to an institution like the Ministry of Education?

Accompanied by the ringing of bells, the carriage passed through the spacious avenue paved with stone slabs.There is a lot of traffic on the street, and many of the pedestrians coming and going have different skin colors and hair colors from the Roman Latins, and even their clothing styles and behaviors are also various.

According to Chen Tiao’s understanding, Rome has a vast territory, and there are countless ethnic groups and tribes in the territory. Earlier, not all the population in Rome except slaves were Roman citizens. Freedom, but no citizenship.As non-citizens, they are not even eligible to enter Rome and the Apennine province where Rome is located.

But just two years ago, Caracalla used a decree to promote all free citizens in Rome to Roman citizens in order to gain more support for herself, and also to increase tax revenue and military resources.This is why there are so many people with exotic customs and Latins who are completely different from the Latins on the streets and alleys of the city of Rome.

Caracalla's captain of the guard, Makrinus, took this opportunity to complete the advancement from slave to freeman, and then from freeman to citizen, and finally entered the palace, approaching the highest power center of the empire.

Not long after, the carriage of Chen Tiao and others entered the courtyard of the Senate.Chen got out of the carriage and looked up, but Caracalla was standing by the fountain waiting for them, surrounded by his guards.He couldn't understand this Roman country more and more. Why was the majestic king of a country still waiting outside the gate?According to common sense, the officials should be waiting outside the hall, and then the monarch will sit down inside, and then the guards will call the officials to enter the hall.

However, it was only after he and two interpreters followed Caracalla into the Senate Hall that he felt the majesty of the Roman emperor.Macrinus, who was leading the way, shouted loudly: "The first citizen of the Roman Empire! The protector of the Roman people! The generalissimo of the Roman legion! His Majesty Caracalla, the ruler of the Mediterranean, has arrived...!"

Following the call of Macrinus, Chen Tiao saw that the people who were sitting in the seats in the lobby stood up in unison. They were all dressed in white robes, straightened their right palms and arms, and raised their palms. Go above the top of your head and face Caracalla.But in their mouths they shouted Ula Ula in unison.

Although Chen Tiao couldn't understand what they were saying, he guessed it should be within Shanhu Longsui.Amidst the roaring and tsunami-like voice, Chen Tiao followed Caracalla into the lobby in a daze...

Chapter 852 The Senate

After entering the lobby of the Senate, Chen Tiao noticed the layout.Those chairs form a ring in the lobby, and they are of different heights, the ones in the middle are low, and the ones outside are high.If you want to sit on the chairs in the outer circle, you have to go up the steps.A bit similar to the Colosseum he visited in Rome, but this size is much smaller.The noble elders in white robes have almost filled these seats.

In the middle of the venue, there was a platform less than one foot long, on which was a large, beautifully crafted chair. Needless to say, this must be the throne of Caracalla.A few chairs were temporarily placed beside the table, apparently for Chen Tiao and others.

Sure enough, Caracalla boarded the low platform amidst the gestures of the elders, but did not sit down.Chen Tiao and others were also guided to sit on those temporary chairs.Macrinus stood behind the low platform with several other guards on standby.

Caracalla also gave a salute to the elders, but the difference was that his straight arm was pointing outward instead of forward.Only then did the elders calm down and lowered their arms.