Seeing the young king's impetuous appearance, the Parthian ministers couldn't help but sigh.
"Your Majesty, apart from drawing troops from the border defenses, there is no other way to resolve this situation!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, there is no other way!"
Despite admiring their king's backbone, the ministers were faced with reality and would not agree with him.
"Reassigning some people is fine, but could we leave some behind to continue stationing them?"
Seeing that the ministers were in agreement, the Parthian king's tone softened.
One of the ministers thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty's idea is not impossible. After all, the Bedouins are all cavalry, and it won't be so easy for them to attack the city!"
"Well, in that case, let's leave five thousand men to garrison the area, and transfer the rest of the troops to the west of the capital."
"That would be best!"
The ministers immediately agreed to the proposal.
Soon, several fast horses left the capital and galloped off in the northwest.
At the same time, Gongsun Zan led his army to the vicinity of a city.
This city is located southwest of the Parthian capital, only about 300 li away.
Before Gongsun Zan arrived, all the nobles and lords in the city had already fled upon hearing the news.
Amidst the enthusiastic welcome of the city's inhabitants, Gongsun Zan led his army into the city.
Inside the city lord's mansion, Gongsun Zan stood solemnly in front of a sand table, his gaze constantly scanning the marked points on the sand table as he pondered his next move.
"General, the cities ahead are all large cities, with not only a small number of garrison troops, but also a considerable number of guards from those noble lords. It won't be so easy to fight them!"
Gongsun Zan's face darkened: "We have to fight, even if it's difficult. We've come this far, we absolutely cannot back down!"
"General, although the relief army now has some fighting power, if we want to attack the big city, I'm afraid we will suffer heavy casualties!" the lieutenant said hesitantly.
Gongsun Zan raised his eyelids indifferently: "So what? As long as it's not one of our Han army brothers who dies!"
The deputy general was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and wanted to say something, but after seeing Gongsun Zan's cold expression, he swallowed back the words on his lips.
"Pass down the order: the army shall rest here temporarily, prepare more siege equipment, and set off again in ten days!"
"Here you go!"
The lieutenant agreed and quickly retreated.
Soon, Gongsun Zan's order spread throughout the army, and all the soldiers began to busy themselves making siege equipment such as ladders, crossbows, battering rams, and siege towers.
While Gongsun Zan was busy leading his army, a messenger sent by the King of Parthia arrived in the city of Andria.
"They're just a bunch of lowly commoners, how could they make those ministers lose their composure?"
"If they were willing to spend some money and supplies to hire a group of slaves to fight, they wouldn't have been forced into this situation, would they?"
Upon receiving the order from his king, Andrzej, the garrison commander of Anria City, couldn't help but complain.
"General, should we obey orders or not?"
Hearing Anderjee's complaints, his subordinates couldn't help but ask.
“Go tell that the Bedouin are at the city gates. If our troops are mobilized, the entire defense line will collapse. Then the Bedouin will advance unimpeded, and we will become slaves of a conquered nation…”
"Yes, General!"
Upon hearing Anderdev's words, the subordinate also withdrew with a solemn expression.
By now, the Bedouin have been stationed outside the city for more than a month, during which time they have only sent out some scouts to investigate the situation, and have never launched an attack.
The Bedouin people, who have always lived by plundering, have suddenly changed their ways. Anyone can see that they must have other plans.
These Bedouins may very well have already colluded with the Persians.
Upon hearing Andrzej's reply, the messenger sent by the Parthian king dared not say anything more and rode away directly.
Two days later, the messenger returned to the capital and relayed Andrzej's words verbatim to the Parthian king and his ministers.
Upon learning that Andrzej had refused the king's decree, the faces of King Yu of Parthia and his ministers turned extremely grim.
“If Anderjef disobeys the king’s orders and shows no respect for the king, what will become of the king’s dignity and our reputation if he is not severely punished?”
"Yes, they must be severely punished, otherwise, if all those generals follow suit, we'll be finished!"
The ministers in the hall also began to clamor. Now all their hopes were pinned on the border guards, but Anderdev was ignoring them, which made them lose their minds.
"In that case, what do you all think is the proper way to punish this Anderjee?"
The Parthian king asked with a frustrated expression, "If I had known that being a king would be so frustrating, I would never have come in the first place."
"Your Majesty, I believe that an order should be issued here to severely reprimand him, stop supplying Anria with provisions and pay, and then take his family into custody as well."
If he continues to disobey orders, his entire family, including his nine clans, will be exterminated as a result of treason!
"Okay, let's do it that way!"
Upon hearing the minister's suggestion, the Parthian king readily agreed. He was not hesitant to use certain methods against disobedient generals.
Subsequently, the Parthian king had a rebuke drafted and dispatched his personal guards to imprison all members of the Andrzej family.
A few days later, the news reached the city of Andria, and Andreev was furious.
He had clearly explained the importance of the border defense forces to the imperial court and was prepared to defend them to the death.
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