"What does the Han army want? I will do my utmost!"
Desperate to survive, Sakqi disregarded everything else and looked at Cheng Pu with a pleading expression.
"This matter is beyond my control; we must wait for the arrival of our Han envoy before discussing it further. In the meantime, you will remain here."
The matter of Sakqi involves political aspects and requires the Han envoy Chu Qian to make a decision; Cheng Pu has no authority to make such a decision on his own.
"Yes, thank you, General!"
Upon realizing he was spared death, Sakqi bowed deeply to Cheng Pu in gratitude.
After ordering the area to be tidied up, Cheng Pu sent a message to Chu Qian while leading the Imperial Navy toward Ansu City, a strategically important town in the north.
Just as Cheng Pu led his army to Ansu City, the battle outside Linshan City finally came to an end.
Of the 100,000 Parthian troops, only a few managed to escape in the chaos; the rest were killed by the guards and Han Chinese soldiers.
In the following days, Huang Gai, Ling Cao, and others dug a huge pit north of Linshan City to bury the bodies of the Parthian soldiers.
The Parthian people who came to watch, seeing the densely packed corpses in the pit, showed no fear whatsoever; instead, they erupted in deafening cheers.
...
November 7th, the ninth year of Jianning.
Early morning, Luoyang, outside the Southern Palace.
At this time, nearly 50,000 people had gathered around Nangong Square, making the nearby streets completely congested.
These people included soldiers, officials, students, workers, and ordinary citizens; men, women, the old, and the young. All of them were dressed in their finest attire and looked expectantly at the tightly closed palace gates.
The reason for such a lively occasion is that today is the annual national memorial day, and the emperor will lead his subjects to pay homage to the civil and military sages who have made outstanding contributions to the Chinese nation.
As a sliver of red light appeared on the eastern horizon, under the expectant gaze of countless people, the tightly closed palace gates finally opened slowly.
Immediately afterwards, two squads of Imperial Guards marched out of the palace and lined up on both sides of the palace gate. After the Imperial Guards had taken their positions, six crimson steeds pulled an open carriage into view.
The moment the carriage appeared, the previously noisy crowd fell silent, and everyone looked up at the carriage with reverence.
Unlike previous years, this year's carriage carried two more figures besides the emperor: the empress and the eldest prince, Liu Cheng.
Seeing the emperor accompanied by the empress and princes, people were surprised, but also felt a great joy.
The emperor's move was undoubtedly a declaration to the world that the Han Dynasty has worthy successors and that the future will be even brighter.
Standing between Liu Hong and Song Yue, Liu Cheng stared wide-eyed at the surroundings.
It was his first time leaving the palace, and he had never seen so many people before; his eyes were full of curiosity.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the center of the square.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!!"
The moment the carriage stopped, cheers erupted around the square, and everyone bowed to Liu Hong.
The sudden cheers made Liu Cheng, who was just over two years old, tremble slightly.
He's still just a child. It's impossible for him to say he wasn't afraid when faced with the shouts of tens of thousands of people.
Startled, Liu Cheng tried to hide behind Liu Hong, but Liu Hong grabbed him.
Liu Hong lowered his head and looked at Liu Cheng with a serious expression: "Cheng'er, this is what you will have to bear in the future. You cannot back down, understand...?"
Liu Cheng opened his big eyes, looked at his father, and then nodded heavily.
Although he didn't understand the meaning behind his father's words, he knew he couldn't back down.
Seeing her husband and son talking, Song Yue felt comforted but also a pang of heartache.
The comfort comes from the husband's deep affection for his son, and the heartache stems from the fact that his son is so young yet has to endure things that most people cannot bear.
Liu Hong smiled and patted Liu Cheng's head, then raised his hand to the people who were bowing: "Rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"
Then, Liu Hong turned and shouted loudly in the west direction, "Let's go!!"
Then, the carriage slowly moved, leading everyone westward.
Just as Liu Hong was leading his subjects in a national sacrifice, Chu Qian arrived in Ansu City with his men.
"I am Saqqi, paying my respects to the angel, and wishing His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty ten thousand years! May the Han Dynasty live ten thousand years!!"
Upon seeing Chu Qian, Sakqi greeted the Han and Chu Qian with the highest Parthian courtesy.
Chu Qian raised his hand: "Right Chancellor of Anxi, no need for formalities!"
Upon hearing Chu Qian address him in that way, Sakqi was overjoyed and quickly bowed again, saying, "Thank you, angel!"
Then, Chu Qian strolled over to the table and sat down, looking at Sakqi with a serious expression: "I have heard that the Right Chancellor is preparing to negotiate with our Great Han on behalf of Parthia?"
Sakqi hurriedly replied, "I dare not negotiate. Whatever needs the Great Han have, please give the order, and I will do my utmost to fulfill them!"
"Alright, Right Chancellor, please sit down and let's talk!"
Chu Qian was very satisfied with Sakqi's attitude and gestured for him to sit opposite him.
After Sakoqi sat down, Chu Qian said in a deep voice, "Our Great Han originally had no intention of fighting against your side, but your side has gone too far in bullying us and has repeatedly harassed our Great Han fleet. Our army had no choice but to launch a counterattack."
Does the Right Chancellor acknowledge this?
"We admit it, we admit it. We overestimated ourselves and offended the majesty of the Han Dynasty. We deserve to be punished!"
Upon hearing Chu Qian's question, Sakqi nodded without hesitation.
"That's good to admit!"
Chu Qian smiled and then said, "Your country's ports and coastal cities are of vital importance to the maritime routes of our Great Han Dynasty, therefore..."
Before Chu Qian could finish speaking, Sa Keqi hurriedly said, "We are willing to cede it to the Han Dynasty permanently!"
Chu Qian smiled and waved his hand: "Our Great Han is a land of etiquette, and naturally we cannot accept your country's land and port for nothing. Therefore, we are willing to pay to purchase them!"
As he spoke, he held up one finger and waved it in front of Sakqi: "Our side is willing to pay this amount. I wonder what the Right Chancellor thinks?"
"One gold coin? No problem!"
Upon seeing Chu Qian extend a single finger, Sakqi immediately understood and agreed.
"Good, the Right Chancellor is indeed straightforward!"
Seeing that Sakqi understood his meaning, Chu Qian nodded in satisfaction.
Chu Qian then continued, "Now that this matter has been settled, let's talk about war reparations!"
"War reparations?"
Sakhosky paused slightly, then cautiously asked, "How much compensation do we need?"
"Not many!"
Chu Qian smiled and then took out a list: "It's just a mere two hundred million gold coins!"
"Two hundred million gold coins...that's all?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
