Chapter 1148: We'll Take the Blame for This

"Aduo, I'm getting so bored I'm growing fat," Li Jue complained as he lounged on the throne of a small kingdom, speaking to Guo Si nearby.

"Old Fan, why don't you check if there are any countries still defying us?" Guo Si turned to Fan Chou and suggested.

Ever since these three guys—Li Jue, Guo Si, and Fan Chou—led their troops to the Western Regions as commanders of the frontier garrisons under Li You's orders, all the kingdoms in the Western Regions had quieted down. Especially after Li Jue used brutal force to destroy a small kingdom, the other nations quickly understood the disparity in power.

Although the local kings had heard that the Han dynasty was supposedly in decline in recent years, this group of men swept in and destroyed a kingdom in no time. The remaining nations hurried to offer tribute. Even the hereditary garrison commanders, upon seeing the elite cavalry brought by these men, quickly handed over their authority and returned to the Central Plains.

"Let me see... Oh, about forty years ago, the Wusun were coerced by the Northern Xiongnu to go to war with us. They have a population of around 400,000," Fan Chou pretended to read from a document as if he were literate.

"Stop pretending, you can’t read a single word. That’s a dossier on Parthia," Li Jue shot a glance and immediately saw through him, mocking Fan Chou. However, there was no ill-will between them anymore; in fact, their relationships had improved significantly.

"Sigh, we've got beauties here, fine horses, and plenty of wealth, so why do I feel so dissatisfied?" Guo Si lamented, clearly perplexed. Life here was far better than in Chang'an, yet he felt less content than when he lived in the harsh, cold regions of Xiliang.

"No battles to fight," Li Jue said as he sat up from the throne, his face full of frustration. The Xiliang cavalry were born to fight, and without battle, they grew restless and unwell.

"Report, generals, a messenger from Parthia has arrived," a herald interrupted their idle complaints, announcing the arrival of a Parthian envoy.

"Parthia?" Li Jue glanced at the two men beside him. "Bring him in."

The Parthian envoy, dressed in luxurious silk robes, entered with his entourage carrying a tray holding a luminous pearl. Addressing Li Jue in Chinese, the envoy asked, "May I ask if the frontier commander is present?"

"I am," Li Jue replied, throwing his cloak aside as he straightened up arrogantly, his once all-powerful presence still formidable enough to make the envoy pause in awe.

The Parthian envoy knelt on one knee and hurriedly spoke, "Please, General, send troops to save my country. We are willing to offer one hundred fine steeds, over ten thousand warhorses, five thousand sets of armor, and two hundred thousand gold coins in tribute!"

This unlucky envoy was the same one who had been rejected in Kushan. After hearing a Buddhist sermon, the King of Kushan had dismissed his request for military assistance with a cryptic verse. Left with no other choice, the envoy turned back to Parthia. But on his way, he heard from Wusun merchants that the Han dynasty had replaced its frontier commander, and it looked like the Han might soon clash with the Northern Xiongnu again. Seeing an opportunity, the envoy decided to seek aid from the new commander of the Han forces.

During this era, the Han dynasty was the undisputed ruler of Eurasia. The entire continent had trembled at the sight of Han and Xiongnu forces clashing. Even though the Xiongnu were eventually defeated, the remnants of their people still dominated Central Asia. Consequently, many nations, including Parthia, harbored the hope of staying unnoticed by the powerful Han.

But now that the situation had grown dire, with Rome almost on the verge of toppling their capital, the envoy figured he had nothing to lose. If he failed to secure help from the Han, he would be dead anyway. It was better to gamble: if Rome was as formidable as they boasted, let them try facing the Han Empire!

"You said how much? Two hundred thousand gold coins?" Li Jue straightened in his seat, perking up at the mention of a fortune. His limited comprehension only caught the part about the gold, and the rest didn’t matter. All Li Jue wanted was a battle. His hands itched for action after months of inactivity.

"As long as Your Excellency is willing to send troops, we can pay the two hundred thousand gold coins upfront," the Parthian envoy eagerly added, seeing that Li Jue seemed interested. He didn’t care why Li Jue was tempted, as long as Parthia could be saved. The wealth Parthia had accumulated over four hundred years—what did it matter now?

This fortune had originally been intended to bribe Kushan into aiding Parthia, but the King of Kushan had refused after a sermon, citing religious devotion. It was a convenient excuse, but no one believed it. Kushan wasn’t stupid; they weren’t about to get involved in a war with Rome just for Parthia.

Fan Chou and Guo Si, both on the verge of going stir-crazy from boredom, subtly signaled to Li Jue to take the deal. The Xiliang cavalry weren’t forged in training grounds; they were shaped by battle. If they didn’t engage in combat soon, the mighty Xiliang cavalry would lose their edge.

"Present your official request in writing, and we will handle it," Li Jue declared. He had no idea who the enemy was, but he took the job anyway. A fight was a fight, and if Parthia was situated on open plains, then the Xiliang cavalry would have no problem crushing the enemy. If they couldn’t win on flat terrain, they might as well slit their own throats.

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. We will present the formal request shortly," the Parthian envoy said as he calmly withdrew. There was no official document yet, but that didn’t matter. As long as the Han forces were willing to help, everything could be sorted later. If it came to it, they’d even offer the fertile lands of Mesopotamia to the Han rather than let them fall to Rome.

Although the Parthians had never read the "Strategies of the Warring States" and didn’t know the story of how Korea once lured Zhao and Qin into fighting by giving away land, they instinctively adopted the same strategy. First, get a superpower to block the enemy, then take their time figuring things out later.

Parthia didn’t believe Rome was strong enough to defeat the Han Empire, nor did they think the Han could easily crush Rome. Both were terrifying forces. Parthia had witnessed Rome’s strength firsthand and had fought the Han for over a century, nearly being destroyed in the process.

Soon enough, the Parthian envoy returned with a forged official document, which he presented to Li Jue. Li Jue couldn’t read it, but after glancing at the two chests of gold coins brought forward, he made up his mind and chose to deploy his troops.

"Oh, the enemy is Rome?" Li Jue asked after learning more about the situation. He vaguely remembered that Rome had some fighting prowess. Over a hundred years ago, Ban Chao had even sent Gan Ying on a mission to visit Rome, though the envoy never made it.

The Parthian envoy thought Li Jue might be concerned, but then Li Jue’s next words crushed that notion: "I wonder if they’ll be enough to fight. How many troops do they have?"

"More than one hundred thousand," the Parthian envoy replied hesitantly, not daring to hide the truth from Li Jue.

"One hundred thousand?" Guo Si turned to Fan Chou. "Maybe we should equip the brothers with crossbows; that’s a lot of people."

"Considering the two chests of gold, we’ll handle this matter for you. But remember, make sure the compensation for any casualties is sufficient," Li Jue said, thinking that the Parthians were honest enough, giving him payment upfront. With that, he calmly ordered the troops to prepare for battle.

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