Ansu City.

Since Chu Qian led his army to seize control of Yizhou, Ansu City, located between two mountain ranges, has become the only city connecting Yizhou and Anxi.

After years of development and construction, Ansu City had become not only a bustling commercial city, but also a bridgehead for Yizhou to attack Parthia.

Therefore, Liu Cheng also mobilized 100,000 troops at the beginning and arrived in Ansu City ahead of time to await orders.

Just as Liu Cheng and his party arrived in Ansu City, a messenger sent by Lü Bu also arrived.

"Well done, Lü Bu!"

Upon learning that Lü Bu had annihilated the eastern Parthian garrison in a single day, Liu Cheng couldn't help but cheer.

Upon learning that the Persians had also been completely wiped out, Liu Cheng merely frowned and said nothing more.

Because what Lü Bu did was exactly what he wanted to do.

After burning the battle reports, Liu Cheng immediately ordered his army to set off for the Parthian capital.

Meanwhile, the relief army led by Gongsun Zan and the Bedouin soldiers led by Ma Teng also marched towards the Parthian capital from the southwest and northwest directions respectively.

At this time, news of the complete annihilation of the eastern army by the Han army also reached the capital of Parthia.

No one expected that the Han Dynasty would send 100,000 cavalrymen on a long expedition to this place.

In addition, the 100,000 Han Chinese troops from Yizhou, the 50,000 relief troops, and the 50,000 Bedouin soldiers from the south, totaling 300,000 troops, put Parthia under immense pressure, making it difficult for them to breathe.

Only now did the ministers and nobles of Parthia realize that the Han Dynasty had probably been eyeing Parthia for a long time.

Unfortunately, Parthia now only has its capital and a few surrounding cities left, and can only muster about 70,000 soldiers. To defeat the 300,000-strong army of the Han Dynasty is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Surprisingly, despite knowing that defeat was inevitable, not a single minister or noble in the Parthian court uttered a word of surrender. They all declared that they would fight the Han army to the death with all their might.

Back then, Parthia was a powerful nation, just like the Han Dynasty, and even Rome to the west did not dare to underestimate them.

However, the glory of Parthia also took a sharp turn for the worse with the arrival of the Han envoy Chu Qian.

First, 200,000 border troops were wiped out; then the southern border was divided; then came the Roman invasion, the Bedouin rise and invade the south, and the Persians rebelled. All of this was caused by the Han state...

The Parthian ministers and nobles were filled with righteous hatred for the Han dynasty that had dethroned Parthia.

In their view, if it weren't for the Han Dynasty, Parthia would still be the powerful nation that dominated the region, and they could continue to live a carefree and happy life as before.

Therefore, at this critical juncture of life and death, these ministers and nobles put aside their past prejudices and disagreements, and prepared to do everything in their power to block the Han army's attack.

However, they have clearly forgotten the sins they committed in the past. If they had been as compassionate as the Han Dynasty, showing concern for the lower classes and ensuring that the people had enough to eat and wear, no matter what methods the Han Dynasty used, it would have been impossible to turn Parthia into what it is today.

Seeing the assembled ministers and nobles united in their hatred of the enemy, Grand Marshal Andreev stood silently to the side, pondering what to do next.

He still harbored resentment towards these ministers and nobles for threatening him with his family and children. In addition, because of Ma Teng, he had a way out, so naturally he would not be of one mind with these guys.

The Parthian king, seated on his throne, noticed Andrzej's silence and asked, "Grand Marshal, do you have a plan to deal with the enemy?"

Upon hearing the Parthian King's question, everyone in the hall fell silent, all looking at Anderdev with expectant expressions.

After all, he had a track record of defeating the relief forces, and none of the people present knew how to fight. Therefore, Andreev naturally became everyone's lifeline.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Anderdev pondered for a moment with a solemn expression, then said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I dare not guarantee that I can repel the Han army's siege, but as long as Your Majesty grants me the authority to act as I see fit, I will do my utmost to protect the capital from annihilation..."

"Very well, as long as the Grand Marshal is devoted to the country, I will grant you the authority to act as you see fit. All the ministers and nobles present, including my royal guards, are at your disposal!"

Although Andrzej's words displeased the Parthian king, at this point, he could only place his hopes on Andrzej.

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty!!"

Andrzej bowed deeply to the Parthian king with a grateful expression, but as he bent over, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

After receiving the king's order, Anderdev first returned to his own residence, where he arranged for his wife, children, and elderly relatives to stay in a secret room before heading to the military camp.

Upon arriving at the military camp, Andrzej also dispatched his men, carrying the Parthian king's edict, to several surrounding cities to summon all the garrisons there to the capital.

Although the Parthian king and his ministers and nobles did not quite understand Andrzej's decision to abandon all defenses, they did not interfere too much.

Immediately afterwards, Andrzej presented the Parthian king with a battle plan, which was to concentrate all forces to defend the capital and launch a counterattack when the Han army ran out of food and withdrew.

The Parthian king readily agreed to the plan and subsequently transferred all the guards of his palace and the slaves and servants under the command of his ministers and nobles to Andrzej's command.

After half a month of hard work, Anderjee had gathered a total of 150,000 troops, of which 80,000 were his soldiers and the remaining 70,000 were the royal guards and servants of the ministers and nobles.

Anderjee's actions allowed the four armies of Liu Cheng, Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan, and Ma Teng to move freely.

In mid-October, four armies converged at the foot of Parthia.

After the army had just set up camp, Anderjee sent a trusted confidant to head towards the Han army camp.

However, Anderjee's trusted confidant was intercepted by Sima Yi's men as he approached the Han army camp.

After learning about the situation inside the city, Sima Yi did not alert anyone else, but instead sought out Liu Cheng alone.

"What are your thoughts on what will happen next, Zhongda?"

Upon hearing Sima Yi's report, Liu Cheng asked with curiosity.

"Your Highness, I suggest that we take this opportunity to completely eliminate all potential threats to Parthia..."

Liu Cheng's brow furrowed: "A hidden danger? You mean, Anderjee also needs to be eliminated?"

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. This applies not only to Anderjef, but also to the relief army led by Gongsun Zan and the Bedouin led by Ma Teng. Anyone who has troops must be eliminated…”