Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ma Teng glaring fiercely at Ma Chao.

"Well!"

Upon seeing that it was his father who came out, Ma Chao shrank back and quickly sat back down.

Although he was young and impetuous, Ma Chao knew that if he dared to compete with his father, he would probably be beaten to death right there.

Seeing Ma Chao retreat, Ma Teng immediately bowed to Liu Cheng and said, "Your Highness, this old minister requests permission to be the first to attack the capital of Parthia."

"Your Highness, I am also willing to go!"

Upon seeing Ma Teng volunteer, Gongsun Zan immediately stood up as well.

Liu Cheng also stood up and said loudly, "Very well, today's attack on the city will be led by General Gongsun and General Ma, with the relief army and the Bedouin army in charge. I will personally lead the Yizhou army to support the two of you!"

"Here you go!"

Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan excitedly agreed loudly, then bowed and withdrew.

Seeing that Liu Cheng had assigned the task of attacking the city to Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan, the people in the tent, though somewhat unhappy, did not raise any objections.

After all, Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan came to this place thousands of miles away by His Majesty's order more than a decade ago. Not only have they been unable to reunite with their wives and children for many years, but they have also missed many major battles. Their fame, fortune, and titles have been far surpassed by Lü Bu and others, and their sacrifices have been considerable.

The two of them had been fighting in the Bedouin for many years, and this was the day they had been waiting for. Naturally, no one would compete with them for it.

Soon, Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan, who had returned to their respective camps, led the Bedouin army and the relief army to the west and south gates of the Parthian capital, respectively. Liu Cheng then ordered the Yizhou army to set up catapults behind the two armies to provide fire support.

Faced with the overwhelming enemy forces, the city's defenders began making various preparations for defending the city.

Let's begin!

With Liu Cheng's order, the messenger spurred his horse and rode off, galloping among the various armies to convey his command.

"catapult!!"

Upon receiving the order, the Illinois Army, responsible for fire support, launched the first attack on the city walls.

With a series of loud slingshots, nearly a hundred millstone-sized stones were launched.

These stones whistled through the air, tracing precisely calculated arcs, before landing on the city walls of Parthia's capital.

Most of these stones did not hit any valuable targets; they merely created large craters on the city walls before rolling to the side.

A very small number of stones struck the defending soldiers, mercilessly crushing them into a bloody pulp.

After a wave of sling attacks, the defenders on the city wall and their servants and slaves realized the enemy's threat and fled in panic down the city walls.

Just as the defenders turned around, Andrzej led his supervisory team to the top of the city wall.

After killing several slaves who were running ahead, Anderdev roared, "Go back! All of you go back and defend the city! The enemy is about to attack. If we lose the city, nobody will live..."

At the same time, shouts came from below the city. Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan's Bedouin army and relief army had already rushed to the city walls.

Under Andrzej's suppression, the servants, slaves, and soldiers guarding the city returned to their positions, then picked up rolling stones and logs and hurled them down towards the city.

Hearing the screams of the enemy soldiers coming from below the city, the defenders on the city wall were greatly encouraged and fought even harder.

"Pour the molten gold!!"

As many enemy soldiers were about to climb the city walls using the long ladders, many Parthian soldiers brought large pots to their feet and poured boiling broth over them.

The soldiers who were drenched in the golden liquid cried out in pain as they fell to the ground below the city walls.

As the defenders unleashed their golden liquid, the momentum of the siege slowed down, and many soldiers became hesitant and timid during the charge.

For these soldiers, being scalded by molten gold and then watching their bodies fester and die was undoubtedly far more painful than being crushed to death by rolling stones and logs.

The siege lasted for nearly two hours. After leaving behind thousands of corpses, Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan immediately issued the order to retreat.

As for the soldiers who were scalded by the molten gold, they were all carried to the wounded soldiers' camp.

Even late at night, the cries of agony from the wounded soldiers' camp could not be heard.

The military doctors sent by Liu Cheng were also wearing thick masks as they bandaged the wounded soldiers.

Although these military doctors were all rigorously trained and selected, they had no quick way to treat these burns.

After bandaging the wounded soldiers and instructing them to rest well, the military doctors left the wounded soldiers' camp and headed towards the central army camp.

Just as these military doctors approached the central army camp, a group of soldiers wearing masks and fully armed stopped them.

An officer leading the group stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, those wounded soldiers have been scalded by molten gold, which can easily lead to disease. Therefore, you should not rush back to camp for the time being to avoid any accidents!"

"Hmm, that makes sense!"

Upon hearing the officer's request, the military doctors didn't say much, and then followed the officer toward a secluded detached camp.

After settling the military doctors in, the officer finally arrived at Sima Yi's place.

After listening to his subordinate's report, Sima Yi solemnly said, "Pass down the order: no one from the Liberation Army or the Bedouin Army is allowed to approach our camp again!"

"Here you go!"

The officer agreed, then bowed and left.

Soon, the area around the central army camp was filled with hidden sentries.

These hidden sentries, ostensibly to prevent enemy attacks, were actually there to guard against the approach of the relief forces and Bedouin troops.

Early the next morning, Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan also led their troops in a fierce attack on the capital of Parthia.

Unfortunately, the operation ended in failure, and the number of wounded soldiers in the camp increased to tens of thousands. Most of them were scalded by the molten gold, while those who were hit by the rolling stones and logs were almost all killed and had no chance of survival.

On the third day, when the military doctors went to the wounded soldiers' camp to check on their injuries, they suddenly discovered that the wounded soldiers not only showed no signs of improvement, but their ulcers had become even more severe.

When the medic leading the team saw the spots on the wounded soldier's face, his pupils constricted.

"Everyone, get out of here immediately!!"

The medic leading the team shouted and then led his colleagues out of the wounded soldiers' camp.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

After leaving the wounded and sick camp, a colleague asked with a puzzled look.

"The plague, all those soldiers have been infected with the plague..."

It wasn't until after they left the wounded soldiers' camp that the medic leading the team told his colleagues about the situation.