October 25th, the ninth year of Jianning.

Linhai City, inside the City Lord's Mansion.

Chu Qian sat solemnly behind the table in the main hall, flanked by military generals such as Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Ling Cao.

Once everyone had arrived, Chu Qian dismissed the unrelated personnel and closed the door.

"Gentlemen, I received a message yesterday that the King of Parthia has dispatched his Right Chancellor, Sakqi, with an army of 200,000 men, who are rapidly approaching us in an attempt to reclaim this southern sea area!"

Upon hearing that the other side had dispatched an army of 200,000, Cheng Pu and the others remained calm and composed.

Long before, everyone had already estimated the number of Parthian troops they would send. Moreover, with the continuous deductions by the military advisors and the current city defenses in the coastal cities, it would not be difficult to stop and defeat Parthia's 200,000-strong army.

Seeing the generals' expressions, Chu Qian smiled slightly and then said, "There is another piece of news that has given me the idea that we can not only annihilate these 200,000 enemy troops, but also control Parthia!"

Upon hearing Chu Qian's words, the generals' expressions changed. None of them had expected that this seemingly gentle and humble envoy, Chu Lingshi, would have such great ambitions.

The Parthian Empire, which controlled the land route between the Han Dynasty and Rome and fought against Rome for many years, was a force to be reckoned with.

Although the Han Dynasty held an absolute advantage in terms of both population and territory, the distance was simply too great and the manpower was insufficient, making it virtually impossible to control Parthia.

But all the generals knew that although Chu Qian was proud, he was not arrogant and would not make wild pronouncements.

Sitting to the side, Jian Shuo couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Brother Chu, what news are you referring to...?"

Everyone looked at Chu Qian with curiosity, wanting to know what news could make Chu Qian have the idea of ​​controlling a great power.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Chu Qian smiled and then said, "According to reports, Sakqi did not bring enough supplies in order to get here as quickly as possible."

Cheng Pu's expression shifted: "As the saying goes, 'an army marches on its stomach.' Has Sakqi become so stupid? Without food and supplies, I'm afraid the 200,000-strong army will starve to death on the way here!"

The other generals shared the same thought, after all, they had never heard of a large army going on an expedition without provisions.

Of course, if Parthia had a well-established network of post stations and granaries in various regions, and stored a large amount of supplies, these problems would not exist.

However, it is clear that Anxi does not possess these things.

Glancing at his generals, Chu Qian said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, according to reports, the 200,000-strong army led by Sa Keqi has been scavenging from the people and has been looting and massacring more than 60,000 civilians in Xixiang City!"

"What? Rely on the people for food?"

Upon hearing Chu Qian's words, the generals were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.

They knew that food came from the people, but the idea of ​​food coming from the people shattered Cheng Pu and the others' understanding.

For the generals who have always upheld the idea of ​​"the army protecting the people and the people supporting the army," the idea of ​​their own army plundering their own people is simply unbelievable.

Chu Qian then explained, "There's nothing strange about that. This Sakqi is just like those powerful clans within the Han territory before Your Majesty ascended the throne. They never treated the common people as human beings, let alone knew what the will of the people was."

It's not surprising that they would allow their troops to loot and plunder!

Upon hearing this, the generals suddenly realized that the education they received when they joined the army was to love the people and defend the country, and they subconsciously believed that this was the responsibility of all soldiers.

Hearing about this matter of relying on the people for sustenance for a while was naturally difficult to understand.

Seeing the changes in everyone's expressions, Chu Qian continued, "What I'm thinking is that since this Sakqi doesn't know what the will of the people is, then we should win over the hearts of the people and use them for our own purposes, so that he can see what the will of the people is!"

Jian Shuo, who was standing to the side, asked curiously, "I wonder what Commander Chu plans to do?"

The generals below the hall all sat up straight, looking at Chu Qian with solemn expressions, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

This is, after all, a matter concerning a single country, and one that is far larger than the entire Western Regions. If this matter were to succeed, being remembered for eternity would be the bare minimum.

Chu Qian straightened his expression and then said, "My idea is very simple: to instigate a major uprising within Parthia territory, with us as the organizers, leading the Parthian people to overthrow the current Parthian rule..."

"Hmm, Commander Chu's plan is feasible!"

"Indeed, by using the power of the people to plunge Parthia into turmoil, we will have an opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

Upon hearing Chu Qian's idea, everyone nodded in agreement.

Jian Shuo looked at Chu Qian with excitement: "Commander Chu, please tell me the specific plans for the next step!"

"good!"

Chu Qian agreed, then stood up and said, "I'm sure you all know about the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising."

The prerequisite for a people's uprising is that they have nowhere else to turn.

Now, with Sakqi leading his army to feed the people, those civilians along the way have no chance of survival; this prerequisite has been met.

Therefore, what we need to do is rally those people and let them know that only by rising up with us in resistance can they survive, and even thrive!

Then, Chu Qian took out a map, found the location of Xixiang City, and then drew a line from Xixiang City to Linhai City.

"Gentlemen, Xixiang City is about 700 li away from here. There are seven cities along the way, namely Ansu, Kenan, Linshan and so on."

The population of these cities totaled approximately 300,000, and when the surrounding villages and towns were included, the total population was about one million.

These people are the ones directly facing the threat of Sakhqi's army; they are the easiest to win over! Hearing Chu Qian's plan, the generals nodded in agreement. Cheng Pu also stood up and said, "In this way, we can not only gain a large population, but also achieve the effect of a scorched-earth policy. Perhaps Sakhqi's army will starve to death on the road before they even reach us!"

"In addition, we must send a large number of spies to infiltrate the surrounding cities along the way, spread the word about the actions of the Sakhqi army, and send people to sabotage them in secret, so that the Parthian people will be in danger and regard the Parthian soldiers as wolves!"

"Once it succeeds, we will eventually have the territory of nearly fifty cities in southern Parthia, and a population of nearly five million..." Jian Shuo suggested excitedly.

"Furthermore, we can select a group of strong and capable men, train and educate them, then achieve several great victories, and force the Parthian court to pay us a large amount of wealth and resources."

In this way, they will surely try every means to exploit the people. Within a few years, the Anxi court will lose all popular support. Then we can launch a northern expedition, and the matter will be settled!

Immediately, the generals, looking excited, began to offer their suggestions and strategies.