In the darkness of night, Daruk led his soldiers on a flight to the southwestern city, located fifty miles north of the naval port.
Fortunately, when Daruk decided to raise an army, he sent men to take control of the port city in advance and block the route to the capital.
Otherwise, Daruk and his soldiers would truly be like stray dogs.
"General, what do we do next?"
As soon as Daruk and his men arrived at the city lord's mansion, his confidant stepped forward and asked.
Upon hearing his confidant's question, Daruk slumped into his chair, looking dejected.
Under the attack of the Han army, not only were all the warships destroyed, but also a large amount of supplies and countless valuables that he had accumulated over the years and stored in the port were all lost.
Now, he is not only unable to recruit more soldiers and expand his power, but he also has to consider how to support his 30,000 soldiers.
Faced with such a desperate situation, Daruk was at a loss for what to do.
"General... why don't we surrender to the Han navy?"
Just as Daruk was pondering this, an officer cautiously stepped forward and spoke.
"Surrender to the Han Kingdom?"
Upon hearing this, Daruk's expression shifted, and he looked up at his subordinates, asking, "And you all feel the same way?"
"General, at this point, there is no other way."
"Yes, General. It won't be long before news of our decision to raise an army and blockade the port reaches the capital. His Majesty and his ministers will not let us off the hook."
"This southwestern city has low walls and is short of supplies. We will either be wiped out by the army at home or be trapped here to die. We have no other choice but to surrender to the Han Dynasty and receive the protection and assistance of the Han navy!"
In a short time, the naval officers also spoke up, expressing their willingness to surrender to the Han.
Of course, aside from the aforementioned difficulties, the most important factor was the sheer power of the Han navy, which had completely won them over.
In his view, relying on the powerful Han navy was far safer and more reliable than raising an army and establishing a separatist regime on his own.
"I am also willing to surrender, but I don't know if the Han Kingdom will accept it, after all, we have offended them quite a bit in the past..."
Seeing that all his men were willing to surrender, Daruk couldn't help but express his concerns.
An officer named Wei Gula spoke up: "General, I believe that as long as we show our sincerity, the Han people will not only not refuse our surrender, but will also entrust us with important responsibilities and continue to let us be in charge of this sea area..."
"Oh? How can you be so sure that the Han Kingdom would do such a thing?"
Daruk frowned upon hearing this, looking at Vegula with a puzzled expression.
"To be honest, General, I once led some brothers, disguised as pirates, to rob a merchant fleet from Malacca."
According to them, the Han people built many port bases along the coast, but due to the long distance and inconvenience of management, each port was only guarded by a small number of Han soldiers. The management of other port affairs was entrusted to local forces.
Our sea area is located on the only route to Rome, so the Han people will definitely need to build a port base here to ensure the smooth flow of the sea route.
In this way, the Han people would definitely need some locals to assist them in managing the nearby sea areas.
Now that the Han Kingdom is at odds with Parthia, and we are also at odds with our own people, I believe the Han people will not refuse our allegiance.
After hearing what Vegula said, Daruk was tempted.
If, as Vegula said, the Han state accepts his surrender and he continues to manage these ports, he might be able to use the power of the Han state to strengthen himself, further eliminate the ministers in the country, and take control of Parthia's government.
"Very well, then we shall surrender to the Han Kingdom as you all wish!"
With that, Daruk immediately stood up, looked at Wei Gula, and said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow morning, you will lead people to negotiate with the Han Kingdom."
"I am willing to offer all five ports in the Parthian Sea to the Great Han, only asking that the Great Han accept our surrender and take in our defeated troops..."
"Please rest assured, General!"
Daruk waved his hand: "Alright, everyone go and rest now. Tell the brothers to rest assured and wait. After we surrender to the Han Kingdom, everything will be alright!"
"yes!"
The officers agreed and then withdrew.
Soon, Daruk's order spread throughout the army. Upon learning that their general was preparing to surrender to the Han navy, the Parthian naval soldiers not only showed no resistance but also harbored a sense of anticipation.
For them, surrendering to the Han navy, which was so powerful it was almost despair-inducing, was not a shameful thing. On the contrary, it was an honor to be able to work for the Han navy.
...
The sea was still ablaze with red light. Fortunately, the Parthian warships were far from the port camp, so although the fire was large, it only destroyed some ships and did not spread to the buildings and camps on the shore.
As the flames died down and the last Parthian warship sank to the bottom of the sea, Cheng Pu led a group of naval soldiers into the naval port.
"General, all the Parthians in the naval port have abandoned the port and fled!"
As soon as Cheng Pu stepped onto the dock, his soldiers came to report.
"Hmph, you escaped pretty quickly!"
Cheng Pu snorted coldly, then looked at the Parthian naval camp in the darkness and ordered, "Pass down the order to immediately occupy the enemy camp. Nothing inside is to be touched. We'll deal with it after Commander Chu arrives tomorrow!"
"Here you go!"
The soldier agreed and then turned and left.
Soon, 10,000 naval soldiers and 30,000 accompanying sailors disembarked and entered the Parthian navy's camp.
Upon entering the camp, the naval soldiers did not rush to rest, but immediately began to build fortifications and reinforce the camp to prevent the enemy from returning to launch a surprise attack.
Commodus and the Romans following behind also stared in disbelief at what they were seeing.
No one expected that the Han navy would annihilate the Parthians, who had once defeated the Roman navy, so easily and without suffering any casualties.
In the minds of those Romans, it seemed that only a nation protected by the most powerful gods could possess such an invincible fleet.
The next morning, Chu Qian's fleet arrived at the naval port one after another.
Just as Chu Qian stepped onto the dock, preparing to exchange pleasantries with Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and others, a scout suddenly arrived with a report: Daruk, the commander of the Parthian navy, had sent an envoy to discuss surrendering to the Han state.
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