"Daruk, I ask you, what is the situation of the garrison in the five coastal cities?"
After accepting the surrender of Daruk and the Parthian navy, Chu Qian immediately inquired about the situation in the five coastal cities.
Daruk replied respectfully, "In response to the angel, the garrison in those five cities is not large. Even the coastal city, which has the largest garrison, has only about three thousand men, while the other four cities have about two thousand men each."
Chu Qian then asked, "What is the fighting strength of these garrison troops? And what about the defensive equipment in the city?"
"Those guards are just lackeys sent by the king and his ministers to collect taxes. They usually just bully passing merchants. What fighting power do they have?"
They weren't even fully equipped with weapons, let alone defensive siege equipment!
Daruk looked on with disdain and contempt when he spoke of the garrison of the five cities.
In his view, these cities were entirely protected by them in the past, and now that they are gone, they are nothing but easy prey.
After listening to Daruk's description, Chu Qian nodded in relief.
Chu Qian turned to the messenger beside him and ordered, "Pass down the order to the other armies to set off immediately and capture those cities before noon tomorrow!"
"Here you go!"
The messenger agreed and immediately rode away.
"Angel, we are new allies of your army. To show our sincerity, we are willing to serve as the vanguard and help your army conquer those five cities!!"
After the messenger left, Daruk rushed to Chu Qian with a fawning expression, pledging his loyalty.
Chu Qian waved his hand: "These are just a few small cities. Our army can easily conquer them. General Daruk, you should take your men and follow behind to observe and learn!"
It wasn't that Chu Qian doubted Daruk's sincerity, but rather that he simply couldn't believe in the fighting capabilities of these guys.
If these guys fail to capture the city, it will only strengthen the defenders' resolve to hold out, creating unnecessary trouble for themselves.
The great man is never afraid of strong opponents, but he is afraid of teammates who will drag him down.
"Yes, angel!"
Seeing Chu Qian's state, Daruk respectfully agreed and then withdrew.
Although he looked down on the defending troops, attacking a city was different from naval warfare. His own naval soldiers might not be able to successfully capture those cities. If they suffered heavy losses, it would be a real loss.
Subsequently, under Chu Qian's arrangement, the 30,000 surrendered Parthian navy were divided into five teams, each with 6,000 men.
By this point, including naval soldiers, sailors, Roman soldiers, and the 30,000 Parthian sailors who had surrendered, the total number of combat-ready personnel was 75,000.
With so many combat personnel, even if they were stationed within Parthia's territory, they would be a force that could make Parthia tremble with a stomp of its foot. Attacking five coastal cities would be a piece of cake for them.
About an hour later, after the sun had fully risen, Chu Qian, Jian Shuo, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Ling Cao led their respective teams and quickly headed towards the five coastal cities.
...
As afternoon approached, a cool breeze blew by. Chu Qian, on horseback, looked up at the sun, which was already setting in the west, and then turned around and waved to Daruk behind him.
Upon seeing this, Darulak quickly ran forward and respectfully asked, "Angel, what are your orders?"
Chu Qian: "How far is it from here to Linhai City?"
Upon hearing this, Daruk looked around and replied, "It's still thirty li from here to Linhai City!"
Chu Qian frowned upon hearing this, then ordered the messenger beside him, "Pass on my order: the entire army must accelerate its march and reach the target city before sunset!"
"Here you go!"
The messenger agreed and then rode away.
Chu Qian's order was quickly relayed, and the team, which had been traveling normally, immediately sped up and moved forward.
Whether it was the Imperial Navy soldiers, the sailors who escorted them, or the Roman warriors who accompanied them, they were all people who had spent a long time at sea and experienced countless storms. Their physical condition was far superior to that of ordinary soldiers.
The 30-mile forced march was no challenge for them at all; many soldiers even ran at full speed, not much slower than Chu Qian on horseback.
The Parthian navy, which was following behind the column transporting supplies, was also taken aback when they saw the column suddenly start running ahead.
They had experienced forced marches before, but this was the first time they had ever seen a forced march like the Han army's, where they ran at full speed.
"What are you all standing there for? Run with me! If anyone falls behind and can't keep up, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
While the Parthian soldiers were still in a daze, Daruk returned to his ranks and shouted loudly to his men.
Although Darucar knew that his men were no match for the Han army, the Romans were still following behind them.
They might not be able to defeat the Han army, but they absolutely could not lose to the Romans.
He also knew very well that if he wanted to rely on the Han army in the future and establish himself here, it would be very necessary for him to demonstrate his abilities to the Han army.
After all, no one would bother to maintain a bunch of useless people. If he couldn't demonstrate his abilities to the Han army, being abandoned was only a matter of time.
"yes!!"
The Parthian naval soldiers understood their general's meaning and responded in unison, then followed Daruk and chased after him.
In an instant, everyone in the team started running forward.
After running for a short time, the differences between the participants gradually became apparent.
Chu Qian rode his warhorse at the forefront with several personal guards, followed closely by two thousand naval soldiers, and then six thousand sailors as escorts.
Next came Commodus's five thousand Roman soldiers and Daruc's six thousand Parthian soldiers.
As the saying goes, enemies are especially hostile when they meet.
Although the two sides came together because of the Han Dynasty.
But past grudges can't be let go of just like that.
Although the two sides cannot fight, winning in terms of marching would still prove one's ability.
Seeing Daruk running almost alongside him, Commodus gritted his teeth in hatred and turned to shout at the rear, "Warriors, quicken your pace! We cannot afford to lose to these Parthians!!"
"yes!!"
The Roman soldiers agreed, gritted their teeth, and ran forward with all their might.
"Brothers, we won the naval battles of the past, and we can't afford to lose the march now, so get running!!"
Seeing the Romans suddenly accelerate, Darucus shouted and led his men forward.
For a time, both sides were vying for the prize, neither willing to fall behind.
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