Chapter 193 Contact

"So what you mean is that we should share all the income of Edessa with you?" Theodosius II put his left hand on the guardrail of the chariot, tightly clenched, and his knuckles were crackling. This was a disguised plunder, and it was not taking advantage of the situation, but openly asking for money in front of Theodosius.

"No, no, no, what I mean is that we can make money together. I will also open a trade route for you, but out of a barrel of wine, half of it belongs to us!"

Theodosius II was so angry at Izdegerd's almost rude request that he could hardly stand, but he still held on, not letting his expression show any hint of emotion, because his predecessor, Caesar Marcus Aurelian, once said: People who are angry are the most honest. Similarly, anger is a weakness, and he cannot expose it.

Theodosius II thought he had seen many people, and he had seen people as arrogant as Yazdegerd, and the most arrogant were the Huns. Of course, the absolute strength of the Huns was there. If the Roman legions stationed in Eastern Armenia could return, Rome might be the winner. However, it was a major event that seriously damaged Rome's vitality, and negotiation was always wiser than fighting to the death. In other words, although tribute was paid every year, the trade surplus in the trade zone earned back the money paid in the form of taxes. On the surface, this was humiliating and loss-making, but if you think about it carefully, peace without any cost is such a wise choice!

But the Yazdegerd in front of him was no less barbaric and brainless than the Huns. He was the emperor of a civilized country, with intelligence and political foresight far exceeding those barbarians. Theodosius II knew that he could not deceive him. The roundabout ways in this regard would not work against him. "What a tricky bastard, this deal will definitely not be concluded!" Theodosius II thought silently in his heart, and soon, he thought of a not-so-direct refusal.

"Well, it's not that we can't consider it, but I heard that the spices there taste very good. How about letting us raise some money? In exchange, you can also consider giving us half of the bag of spices you sell! Of course, I'm talking about income, so that it's a reasonable transaction! Besides, we went to your place before, and your ancestors were very enthusiastic. Before our army left, they sent us enough spices to last us a long time. I don't know if you will be as enthusiastic and informal as your ancestors?" Theodosius II smiled at Izdegerd, and the words made him say them very tactfully, but they were insulting enough. Theodosius II watched the smile on Izdegerd's face gradually solidify, replaced by solemnity, and then anger. That's right, it is very easy to anger future generations by looking back on the humiliating history of the past.

"Heh, young man!" The situation instantly became one-sided. Facing Yizhai's red face, he was extremely happy in his heart. He enjoyed Yizhai's anger and regarded it as a reward for his victory. Of course, this was a reward for winning the argument.

"You can try, Roman emperor!" Izvestia clenched his teeth, and the words were almost squeezed out from between his teeth. His face was gloomy, and his eyes turned red: "Our spices, if you have enough strength, then come and get them yourself!"

"Of course, this is also my answer, your Excellency the respected Sassanid Emperor Yazdegerd I!" Theodosius II looked fearless and bowed slightly to Yazdegerd. On the surface, it was a courtesy, but in fact, there was no clear answer and sarcasm, which took away Yazdegerd's way out and made him unable to get off the stage.

"Since you said so, you have already made your choice." Izdegerd stared at Theodosius II who was sitting opposite him, "You choose to fight? Then come on!"

The frustrated Yisie couldn't stay here any longer. He patted the person beside him and signaled his driver to go back.

Looking at the back of Yazdegerd's chariot going away, Theodosius II sighed deeply without saying a word.

"Caesar, let's go back. The enemy is coming soon." Marcus reminded Theodosius II beside him. Theodosius came to his senses. He patted Andrew on the shoulder and motioned to go back.

But just as Theodosius II's chariot turned around, he heard the sound of bowstrings being pulled behind him. Andrew immediately realized that it was the sound of bows and arrows being fired. Turning around, he saw that all 500 archers in the Sassanid army had been dispatched, with arrows covering their heads and shooting towards them at a rapid speed.

"Be careful!" Andrew shouted loudly, and pulled the shields placed on both sides of the chariot, pressed Theodosius II down and used the shields to block the two of them. Marcus came to his senses and hurriedly raised a shield from his side! "Dangdangdang" At such a long distance, the overwhelming arrows hit the shields and the wooden boards of the chariot. Of course, many hit Marcus, but they were all bounced off by his scales.

"Andrew, hurry! Run!" Theodosius II finally panicked. He lay on the ground and urged Andrew loudly! His voice began to tremble. Of course, the shield covering his back was full of arrows. Andrew got up and drove the carriage, but the horse was frightened and started running without Andrew's help.

"Don't stop! Don't stop!"

Looking back, he saw that Yazdegerd's chariot had not returned to their army formation, but the Sassanid horse archers had already taken action. They raised large clouds of dust from both sides of the army formation and rushed towards the chariot of Theodosius II, drawing their bows and arrows, and the second round of volleys was about to come!

"Damn it, where are our cavalry?" Theodosius II kept complaining as the chariot galloped. He must not have thought that he had no cavalry archers at all, but only archer infantry. At such a long distance, they could only pray, how could they help? "Tap, tap, tap" the cavalry archers chased behind, and the dust trampled by the horses' hooves on the wasteland was like a layer of smoke barrier, blocking the two undead legions behind.

Andrew pulled a shield and covered himself with it, then squatted on the chariot, holding the reins tightly and not daring to let go.

"Bang, bang, bang! " There was another sound of bowstring vibrations, and in an instant, a barrage of arrows flew over again. However, the chariot was moving fast, and the arrows landed behind the chariot. This time it was a fluke! "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" Andrew felt like he had walked for an hour in just a dozen seconds, and his heart was in his throat. At this time, he didn't care who was in front of him. He squatted on the chariot and couldn't see what was going on in front of him.

Fortunately, the infantrymen in the army gave way in time, allowing Theodosius' chariot to reach a safe place!

"Fight back! Fight back!"

Although there was no order from Augustus, the well-trained Roman legions immediately engaged in the battle under the orders of officers at all levels. The archers immediately drew their bows and pointed their arrows at a 45-degree angle towards the sky, shooting arrows into the sky and landing on the Sassanid cavalry archers that were galloping over.

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The advancing archers were constantly shot and fell off their horses, but this did not stop them from advancing. In a blink of an eye, they were less than 50 meters away from the Roman army! At this moment, they suddenly pulled the reins, pulling the charging horses to the sides, further expanding the dust.

"Defense, defense!"

In front of the infantry, there was not only the thick dust but also the figures moving back and forth in the dust. The experienced centurions immediately realized the danger and turned back to shout, but it was too late. Hundreds of arrows flew through the dust like raindrops, making a whizzing sound, and bloomed blood flowers in the defenseless first line of the Romans.

(End of this chapter)